FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 9
BENCH/START WRAP-UP
November 7, 2006
Week 9 was a great week of football. An undefeated team went down while another made it to 8-0. In fantasy, there were some monster games by must start players like Javon Walker and LaDainian Tomlinson while other role players help many teams win. This was the last week we all had to suffer through bye weeks and we did our best to get you through them. This week’s FootballDocs Bench / Start calls were very solid. Let’s quit wasting time with the introduction and get to our review of week 9 in the NFL.
Nostradamus (a.k.a. psychic)
Start:
Tony Romo, QB, DAL – Romo has been one of our favorite recommendations for you to pick up and now he has delivered another solid performance with 284 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs. This is a solid start for any fantasy roster. We know there are a few Eli Manning owners out there who would have rather had this start in week 9.
Warrick Dunn, RB, ATL – Dunn only had 71 yards of total offense, but he did have 3 receptions and an all important TD this past week against the Lions. We expected more from the Falcons and Dunn, but this was still a very solid performance. Dunn should continue to be a solid performer the rest of the season, but don’t expect too much on a regular basis.
Jason Witten, TE, DAL – Don’t get us wrong, this wasn’t a knock your socks off performance from Witten as a receiver. However, he turned in a very nice performance for a TE. Witten racked up 50 yards with a solid 5 receptions. These are more than respectable numbers for a TE. Witten continues to impress now that Romo is at the helm.
Damon Huard, QB, KC – “Holy backup QB, Batman!” Huard might not be the “backup” much longer. Huard has been playing great and Trent Green may never get back his starting roster spot. Huard and the Chiefs won and Huard gave his fantasy owners a great game. Huard had 0 INTs, but he only had 148 yards. He did make the most of those small yardage totals by throwing for 3 TDs. Tony Gonzalez owners would probably like to see a lot more of Huard since he tossed 2 of those TDs to Gonzalez.
Chester Taylor, RB, MIN - No TD from Taylor, but he gave you everything else. Taylor had a terrible week 8, but he rebounded nicely in week 9 with 96 yards rushing and 45 yards receiving on 8 receptions. Taylor continues to be for fed the ball and that makes him a decent start in most weeks despite his offense’s inability to get him in the end zone.
Bench:
Reggie Bush, RB, NOR – Even in point per reception leagues, Bush wasn’t very impressive in week 9. This super rookie is looking more and more like one of the worst options of the rookie RBs. We were shocked at first by Bush’s unimpressive stats, but now we know what to expect from Bush in a typical week’s performance. Bush was a good bench call week 9.
Reuben Droughns, RB, CLE – Last week we nailed Droughns as a good start. We told you to sell Droughns while the getting was good and to not start him in week 9. If you took advantage of this advice, you are likely smiling ear from ear today. Droughns only had 36 yards rushing. Yikes! Droughns has very little value from here on out.
Farmer's Almanac (a.k.a. not so bad/not so good)
Start:
Mike Bell, RB, DEN – We really wanted to see Mike Bell take charge of his game, but it wasn’t meant to be. Bell got plenty of rushes with 17. Bell also got an additional 5 receptions to help the cause in point per reception leagues. The bad news is that Bell had no TDs and only mediocre yardage. Bell ended up only being a so-so start.
J.P. Losman, QB, BUF – Losman managed a long TD pass that helped out his stats in big play leagues, but his yardage was ugly. Losman didn’t turn the ball over and that helped keep him from being a bust, but he just wasn’t anything to write home about.
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAX – 85 total yards and a couple of receptions is a wishy washy at best. We really expected a little more from Jones-Drew, but he didn’t kill your team.
Bench:
Marion Barber, RB, DAL – Barber didn’t score this week and he only got 9 touches. However, he did just enough with those touches to make it into our so-so bench calls this week. In most standard leagues, Barber got you 73 yards.
Marty Booker, WR, MIA – Booker didn’t do a whole lot this weekend. He only caught 3 balls for 14 yards and he even ran the ball 1 time for -1 yards. The bad news for our bench call is that he managed to get a score on one of his 3 receptions. Those TDs will keep you from making your bench call every time.
Weather Forecast (a.k.a. oops better luck next time)
Start:
Michael Jenkins, WR, ATL – The Falcons imploded against the lowly Lions and that helped derail our start call for Jenkins. We warned that Jenkins was only an option in deep leagues, but he still managed to let us down. 26 yards on 3 receptions is a terrible effort.
Wali Lundy, RB, HOU – Lundy was so close to making it to our so-so calls of the week, but his yardage totals are just a little shy of where they needed to be. Lundy only had 43 yards rushing and 16 yards receiving on 3 receptions. Keep your eye on Lundy. We think he can get you through some of the tough weeks ahead if you are in a bind at the RB position.
Oakland Raiders D – 3sacks weren’t too bad, and the Raiders D tried to keep it respectable. However, the Raiders offense is so bad that the D can’t hold off the opposition forever.
Bench:
Joey Harrington, QB, MIA – We, much like the rest of the world and every one in Chicago, were completely fooled by Joey Harrington and the Dolphins. We mentioned the ghosts of the 1985 Dolphins that kept the 1985 Bears from having a perfect season and we also mentioned that we didn’t expect to see this version of the Dolphins tap into that “mystical” power. Apparently, they have some great psychics in South Beach. The Phins won the game and Harrington blew up our bench call with only 137 yard and 2 INTs, but his 3 TD passed busted up our call.
David Carr, QB, HOU – Carr is a border line busted call because he only had 176 yards passing. However, he didn’t turn the ball over and he ran for a very impressive up-and-over TD. That took some serious guts.
Lee Evans, WR, BUF – Lee Evans had only 2 catches. 1 of those was for 15 yards. Nothing special there, so our bench call is still in tact. His other catch was for 43 yards and a TD. Ouch! That will bust your bench call every time.
