FANTASY MVP
1. Drew Brees- It doesn’t get much better than this. Brees has a legit shot at breaking Marino’s single season yardage record and is on pace for over 30 TDs. He has 11 passes that have gone for more than 40 yards which best in the NFL, and he done most of his damage without key offensive players. If and when they are all back, it’s over.
2. Clinton Portis- Portis has been the only true workhorse this year on the ground. He has averaged 118 yards a game and has scored nearly every week. His consistency is unmatched and he’s the unanimous choice as the best fantasy running back this year so far.
3. Marion Barber- He has been everything you hoped he could be in full-time role. An added bonus is that Barber is catching the ball out of the backfield much more than predicted. He is on pace for 60 catches on the season. He is behind only Portis in fantasy points.
BIGGEST BUSTS
1. Laurence Maroney- This guy was unbelievable this year OMG, seriously a joke. Do we even need to say anything here? His price was a third round selection and his return was utter uselessness. Every owner is thinking the same thing…he is a bitch.
2. Joseph Addai- He was a top-5 pick in nearly every draft and along with the rest of the Colts offense, hasn’t been nearly as productive as last season. To top it off, he has missed the last two games to injury and could miss two more. This is absolutely not acceptable from a top-5 pick.
3. Ryan Grant- Some people believed Grant was a legit first rounder and expected RB1 production. We were big believers in Ryan “The Deer” Grant as well. Too bad it took him seven frickin games before he even scored a touchdown. There is optimism going into the second half of the season but thus far he has been a bust.
4. Carson Palmer- He was usually the fifth quarterback off the board at drafts and has rewarded owners with complete frustration. He has recently been dropped in a lot of leagues because of rumors that he might miss the whole season. It’s not like he was playing well while on the field anyways.
5. Chad Ocho Cinco- He was supposed post solid numbers in the Bengals offense despite the shoulder injury he suffered in preseason. After all, on a per-season basis, Chad is a guy you can count on for huge yardage totals. That certainly isn’t happening though. Chad has been terrible thus far and things probably aren’t going to get better with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm. Meanwhile TJ Housh has kept his numbers respectable.
BEST DRAFT DAY VALUE
1. Philip Rivers/Kurt Warner/Aaron Rodgers- Take your pick out of these three overachievers. All of them could be had after the 11th round and they have all been top-5 fantasy quarterbacks. Talk about the bargain QB collection of 08’. Rivers has been the best of the group. He has 19 TDs, which is the most in the NFL and he’s third in yards with 2,038.
2. Chris Johnson- Here’s an eighth round pick that has become a solid RB2 and is currently fourth in the NFL in yards per game with 89.4. If LenDale White would even give Johnson half the TDs he vultured, Johnson would be top-5 in fantasy points easily.
3. Santana Moss- Moss was chosen at the end of the seventh round in drafts and could sometimes be had as late as the ninth. He was probably the third WR taken on most teams, but has been a WR1. He’s currently top-5 at his position.
4. Roddy White- Has the most fantasy points by a wide receiver and only Steve Smith averages more points per game. That is true value for a fifth, sometimes sixth round selection.
5. Matt Forte- He is currently fifth in fantasy points per game by running backs. As a late fifth round selection in most drafts, your getting your money’s worth and more.
BIGGEST SURPRISES
1. Tom Brady- It was quite the shocker when the reigning MVP was injured for the season on opening day, de-valuing every Patriots offensive player like dominoes. If you were a Brady owner, we feel for you. Luckily this has been THE year for late round QB hulkage and hopefully you grabbed a guy like Rodgers or Rivers to backup Brady.
2. Philip Rivers- Coming off ACL surgery, nobody was expecting much from Rivers. Shockingly he has performed better than any player coming off an ACL that we can remember. This is the type of year he was supposed to have in 07’; it just came a year later.
3. Ronnie Brown- Just like Rivers, he also had ACL surgery. And similar to Rivers, he has been an Alpha Hulk. Ronnie has been cutting violently and running tough. These two guys lead us to believe they’re the first of a new breed in ACL recovery and modern medicine.
4. Peyton Manning- After his knee surgery most expected a slow start but nobody thought Manning would play below average through the first half of the season. Mr. Consistency has been very inconsistent to say the least.
5. Chad Pennington- Nobody thought the Jets would possibly regret sending away Pennington to bring in Brett Favre. But when you sit and look at the stats and everything else, you have to admit that Chad is playing better. He’s averaged 280 yards a game in his last four.
WAIVER WONDERS
1. Steve Slaton- Close call on him being a “waiver” guy because he was drafted in many leagues, but he was picked up in the majority. He has been a RB2 from game one and played well even when the Texans were struggling.
2. Mewelde Moore- While Parker has been out, Moore has really killed it. In Week 7, Moore single handedly carried teams to victories with his three TD performance. Honestly, Moore has been a tad more productive than Parker, which is probably the reason the Steelers have been so patient in bringing Parker back.
3. Lance Moore- This journeyman from the practice squad has emerged from the depths to grab a starting job with the best passing offense in the league. In the five games he’s started he’s averaged 66 yards a game and scored three TDs.
4. DeSean Jackson- Jackson stepped up while Curtis and Brown were out. Those who believed in Jackson’s talent have been rewarded with a great flex play every week.
5. Steve Breaston- Boldin returned Sunday but Breaston still had nine catches for 91 yards. As a matter of fact Boldin and Fitzgerald both had good games and Breaston still was heavily involved. He actually had more targets than both of them. Kurt Warner and the Cards are rolling and Breaston is indeed a factor.
ALL-MID SEASON FIRST TEAM
QB- Drew Brees
RB- Clinton Portis
RB- Marion Barber
WR- Larry Fitzgerald
WR- Greg Jennings
TE- Jason Witten
K- John Carney
DEF/ST- Tennesee
ALL-MID SEASON SECOND TEAM
QB- Philip Rivers
RB- Frank Gore
RB- Reggie Bush (Kick Return TDs included)
WR- Andre Johnson
WR- Roddy White
TE- Antonio Gates
K- Jason Elam
DEF/ST- Chicago
12 BOLD PREDICTIONS
1) Ryan Torain will become alpha dog in the Denver backfield the second half of the season and join the ranks of this year's rookie RB hulks.
2) Marion Barber will get shut down in the fantasy playoffs when he faces Pittsburgh, New York Giants, and Baltimore.
3) "The Don" Donnie Avery will be the second half version of Eddie Royal.
4) Goal line master, Tim Hightower will take over as starter in Arizona and flourish down the stretch.
5) Kyle Orton will sustain his first half success for the rest of the season. Boy is a legit Chi-town hulk.
6) Marques Colston will put up the second most fantasy points at wide receiver from here on out, behind only Andre Johnson.
7) Greg Olsen will continue to be more valuable than fellow Hurricane Jeremy Shockey, who will continue to be unreliable.
8) Owen Daniels will be the No. 1 fantasy tight end the second half of the season.
9) Marc Bulger will be a relevant fantasy starter the rest of the season.
10) Leon Washington will put up RB3 / Flex numbers the rest of the way.
11) Now that Singletary is Warlord in San Fran, Frank Gore will be the ultimate workhorse as Coach Mike kicks it old school.
12) Josh Morgan will record a catch in his next game. |
