Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

When you look back on a season, there are a few guys at each position that you simply sit and think, wow did that person and/or unit really do that bad? That, my friends, is where THE UGLY articles originate. Here at the Bruno Boys, we wanted to help point out those who were not only bad, but were downright ugly all season long. As you’ll see, the defenses below not only let you down, but likely did so in such a big way that you were searching all year long for something, anything really to fill the roster spot the defensive team burned for you on draft day.

In the Bruno Boys final installment of “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,”, Bruno Boy Greg Warnock takes a look at those defenses that were unmitigated disasters in 2009.

1. New York Giants D/ST — Here is a perfect example of a defense that was an utter disaster. In the preseason, all of us here at the Bruno Boys believed an already solid defense in New York was going to be even better thanks to the addition of Chris Canty and the return from injury of stud defensive end Osi Umenyiora. But, the 3rd ranked defense was terrible in every facet of the game as they scored a mere 83 fantasy points over the course of the season.

This season, the Giants’ defense allowed 324.9 yards per contest and gave up 26.7 points per game, while tallying 32 sacks and 24 turnovers. The biggest problem for New York was the lack of depth in their secondary, especially at safety. The defensive line didn’t get nearly the amount of pressure as in years past, and that meant opposing teams could take the Giants deep, exploiting that weakness at the safety slot. Expect New York to shore up the safety position in the off-season along with picking up a young linebacker who may be able to crack the lineup on day one. The Giants may be one defense that can turn things around in a big way come 2010, but as you saw this season, there is some risk here.

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It’s tough to recall a time when the the kicker has played a bigger role in the NFL and fantasy football season. In what can be considered a remarkable statistic, 17 kickers topped 100 fantasy points in standard scoring leagues and 13 of those kickers averaged over seven fantasy points per game. Despite all of the “THE GOOD” performances, there were some forgettable ones. In fact, six NFL teams replaced kickers due to performance issues and 10 teams used multiple kickers throughout the 2009 season.

With that being said, it’s time for our annual installment of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. In this edition, we take a look at THE UGLY kickers who by the end of the season were either watching from their recliners or barely hanging on to their jobs.

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We’ve covered THE GOOD and have trudged through THE BAD. The question, now, is do we dare move forward and relive THE UGLY. You bet we do. The Bruno Boys understand that much like in the NFL game, when it comes to fantasy football it’s no pain, no gain. With that said, our next installment of the Bruno Boys annual “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” series takes a look at THE UGLY tight ends from 2009. Luckily, unlike 2008 when the tight end position vastly underperformed, 2009 saw few major disappointments.That doesn’t mean, though, that our list is bare.

THE UGLY

1. Chris Cooley (Washington Redskins) — Yes, it may be adding insult to injury here by placing Cooley on this list, but the crux of the matter is that Cooley’s fantasy owners did not get anywhere close to the production they were hoping for when they took the Redskins’ tight end on draft day. Drafting Cooley was thought to be a sure fire solution to the tight end slot. a plug and play every week of the season. After all, in his five years in the league prior to 2009, Cooley had only less than 700 receiving yards once (2004) and less than 6 TDs once (2008). Instead his owners got mediocrity for seven games before an injury took Cooley down for the season. In those seven games he played in in 2009, Cooley mustered just 29 catches for 332 yards and 2 TDs.

The good news moving forward is that Jason Campbell seemed to grow up quite a bit towards the end of this season. The bad news for Cooley is that much of Campbell’s growth had to do with his connection with back-up tight end, Fred Davis, who amassed 386 receiving yards and 5 TDs after becoming the team’s starting tight end in week 9. Cooley’s value for 2010 will depend largely on how new head coach Mike Shanahan plans on splitting the tight end duties among Cooley and Davis, but if we had to wager right now, we’d bet that Cooley will be Shanahan’s man, making him a strong value pick next season.

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In another Bruno Boys installment of a 3-week long series titled “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” we’ll take a look back at the 2009 regular season and evaluate “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” at each position; Kyle Smith takes a look at those wide receivers who just plain flopped in 2009.

THE UGLY

1) Roy Williams (Dallas Cowboys)  —  Fifty-four million dollars just doesn’t get you what it used to. That’s the amount of money Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones bestowed on Williams after trading first, third, sixth and seventh-round picks to the Detroit Lions to acquire him.

After a less-than-robust showing in the last half of 2008, it was thought by some that Williams, with an entire offseason of work and the absence of Terrell Owens, would be a fantasy football force in 2009. That didn’t happen, to say the least. In half of the games Williams played, he accumulated less than 20 receiving yards, and for the season, he totaled 38 catches for 596 yards, though with a respectable seven touchdowns. Still, the 596 receiving yards he gained was 68th in the NFL, and fewer than the likes of Kevin Walter, Mohammed Massaquoi and Earl Bennett. And the 38 receptions he amassed was 107th in the NFL, and less than such luminaries as Danny Amendola, Greg Camarillo and Jason Avant.

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Sadly, it was easier coming up with the list of THE UGLY running backs this year than it was coming up with either THE GOOD or THE BAD for 2009. Sure, there were some really good running backs this year like Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans and Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens, who met or exceeded preseason expectations. And, yes, there were also several running backs that fell just below expectations. Still, it seemed that the list of those running backs that received a lot of off-season hype, but for one reason or another completely failed their fantasy owners in the 2009 season was endless.

With Super Bowl XLIV behind us, it is time for yet another installment of the Bruno Boys annual “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” series. This week we take a look at THE UGLY running backs. As mentioned above, the running backs on this list were extreme underachievers and failed their fantasy owners big time in 2009. Whether it was due to injury, lack of playing time or just extremely poor play, these players fell well below their average draft day position and left fantasy football fanatics scrambling to replace them in their fantasy lineups.

THE UGLY

1. Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) — In a year where there were a lot of disappointing running backs in fantasy football, Matt Forte was the most disappointing of all. The Bears’ back finished the year with 258 carries for 929 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 57 receptions for 471 yards. The yardage totals may not appear that bad, but when you consider that he was a consensus top-five fantasy pick in 2009, these number were not very good. As a rookie in 2008, Forte not only posted 1,715 total yards, he also had 12 total touchdowns. Expected to improve on these numbers, Forte instead regressed and left fantasy owners cursing his name.

Was it the dreaded sophomore slump that caused Forte’s dip in his numbers? Possibly. It also could have been the addition of gun-slinging quarterback Jay Cutler to the Bears roster or even the poor offensive line play that Chicago received throughout the year. Injuries very likely played a part in his struggles this season as well. He was dealing with a partially torn hamstring heading into the season, and after the Bears’ season ended, he had to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The knee injury apparently happened as early as Week 2, causing him problems all year long. Forte is a very talented dual threat running back, and it is very likely that if he can come into 2010 healthy, he could have a bounce back year. Keep an eye on his health heading into next season, but he will very likely be worth using as a RB1 once again, with the best part being you probably won’t have to draft him as one.

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It’s time to take a look at THE UGLY quarterbacks from 2009. You know the guys that either made you bring out the pepto every Sunday or fire your remote control at the television in disgust. Remember, THE UGLY quarterbacks are those that did nothing but disappoint throughout the 2009 season. The majority of the guys who made this list either lost their starting job or failed to take advantage of an opportunity to claim a starting job. However, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler makes this list because he led the NFL in interceptions and was nothing but a fantasy football nightmare throughout the 2009 season.

1. JaMarcus Russell (Oakland Raiders) — For whatever reason the Oakland Raiders continue to stand by quarterback JaMarcus Russell. At this point pretty much anybody would be better than Russell. Last season for the Raiders he threw for 1,287 yards with three touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 48.8 percent of his passes. Think about those numbers for a second and you realize just how bad of a quarterback he is. He was benched in favor of guys like Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski. Combine that with the fact that Russell doesn’t believe he needs any extra work and doesn’t work out in the offseason and you see why Russell tops the list of Ugly Quarterbacks for the 2009 season.

Is it going to get any better for Russell? Well, it certainly can’t get any worse. The Raiders have hired Hue Jackson as their offensive coordinator, hoping he can work his same magic with Russell as he did with Joe Flacco. Described as a QB guru, Jackson will have his work cut own for him as Russell has never displayed any amount of consistency or progress as a quarterback. Russell will have his receivers back as well as a solid group of running backs, but he’s got a long way to go to make good on his potential.

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A lot of times when the season starts, we have a lot of high hopes for certain defensive units. Sometimes it may only be you having a strong indication that a team is going to turn things around or a certain defense is getting a lot of hype going into your fantasy football draft. Those teams usually end up being the biggest boom or bust picks, which is why you may have found some in THE GOOD Defenses article, or right where you are reading now.

In the Bruno Boys second installment of a three week long series titled “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” in which we’ll take a look back at the 2009 regular season and evaluate “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” at each position, Greg Warnock takes a look THE BAD defenses that were mediocre in 2009.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST — The top ranked defense from 2008 looked like they could easily be dominant once again, only losing two starters from a stellar unit. While their numbers were hard to repeat, the Steelers two offseason losses were not star players but instead role guys (linebacker Larry Foote and cornerback Bryant McFadden). What we couldn’t project from our top ranked defense was the injuries that would derail Pittsburgh in 2009. Losing both defensive end Aaron Smith and safety Troy Polamalu were two key players that the Steelers defense couldn’t afford to have go down with injuries. That’s why Pittsburgh was only able to score 111 fantasy football points in a standard scoring league.

This season the Steelers defense allowed 305.3 yards and 20.3 points per game with 47 sacks and 22 turnovers. The biggest problem for Pittsburgh on the year was the lack of turnovers, with their cornerbacks only registering two interceptions total on the season. Going into 2010, the Steelers defense will not be regarded as the best fantasy unit like a year ago but should be considered in the top 10. Pittsburgh has to re-sign couple key free agents in nose tackle Casey Hampton and safety Ryan Clark but the unit should continue being strong and if they get their act together can provide great value next season.

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It’s tough to recall a time when the the kicker has played a bigger role in the NFL and fantasy football season. In what can be considered a remarkable statistic, 17 kickers topped 100 fantasy points in standard scoring leagues and 13 of those kickers averaged over seven fantasy points per game. Leading the way was San Diego Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding who connected on 32 field goal attempts and scored 155 fantasy points. Kaeding averaged 9.7 fantasy points per game and this would have made him a top-20 running back, a top-12 wide receiver and a top-4 tight end. So for those of you who think finding a kicker to lead your fantasy team is a dime a dozen, you’re wrong. Based on these numbers, if you had a consistent kicker, you were likely to get RB2 or WR2 value from him on a weekly basis. On the flip side, if you weren’t fortunate enough to get your hands on a quality kicker you probably suffered highs and lows from the position all season long.

With that being said, it’s time for our annual installment of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. In this edition, we take a look at THE BAD kickers who struggled with consistency throughout the 2009 season.

THE BAD

1. Stephen Gostkowski (New England Patriots) — Fantasy football owners who drafted Gostkowski for the 2009 season expected the Patriots offense to return to its 2007 high-flying form and for Gostkowski to be a consistent option at kicker on a weekly basis. After all, quarterback Tom Brady was back and the last time Brady played a full season (2007), Gostkowski kicked an NFL record 74 extra points. The hype surrounding the New England offense was significant and as a staff we bought into it. Gostkowski entered the preseason as the No.1 kicker in our preseason magazine and eight out of nine staff writers placed him at the top of their lists.

Gostkowski finished the 2009 regular season with 129 fantasy football points and tied for fifth overall among kickers. Despite his solid numbers, Gostkowski lacked the consistency that his owners had hoped for. While he benefited from a slow start by the Patriots offense and scored 55 fantasy points over New England’s first six games, it was downhill after that. Gostkowski scored 45 fantasy points over the Patriots last seven games of the season. To make matters worse, with so many fantasy championships on the line in Weeks 15 and 16, Gotskowski failed to produce for his owners and put up just 10 fantasy points. Gostkowski’s lack of production in the second half of the season led to many fantasy owners looking ahead to 2010 sooner than expected. Statistically Gostkowski was good, however the roller coaster ride that he took his investors on was enough to earn him a spot on The Bad list.

Looking ahead to the 2010 season, New England still possesses one of the NFL’s best offenses and fantasy football owners should target Gostkowski as a top 10 kicker. He will produce solid fantasy numbers, only this time around our expectations and those who draft him will be more down-to-earth.

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With the entire regular season in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take a look back at 2009 and whether our favorite players lived up to, or failed to live up to, our expectations. That’s right, it’s time for our annual series entitled “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”. In this installment, Bruno Boys Whooley will tackle THE BAD tight ends for 2009. Remember, THE BAD tight ends are those that struggled to live up to their pre-season expectations, but weren’t so bad that you had to reach for the pepto every time you watched them.

As mentioned previously in our article looking at THE GOOD tight ends for 2009, 2009 was a bounce back year for the position, as every member of the position’s top-10 at season’s end had over 100 fantasy points, a vast improvement over 2008. Still, despite the position’s general strong play, there were still those that disappointed us some throughout the season. You can find these individuals below, composing our list of THE BAD tight ends for 2009.

THE BAD

1. Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) — Heading into 2009, Jason Witten occupied the Bruno Boys top spot among fantasy tight ends. Not only was Tony Romo’s favorite target coming off a year in which he had finished in the top-3 among tight ends for fantasy points with 119, thanks to 952 yards receiving and 4 TDs, but he also appeared to be in line for a few more targets thanks to the departure of wide receiver, Terrell Owens.

Witten, though, didn’t quite have the fantasy impact that we expected. Yes, the tight end caught 13 more balls in 2009 (94) than he did in 2008 (81), and yes his yardage total climbed from 952 to 1,030. Still, Witten finished just 8th among tight ends in fantasy points when all was said in done – not quite what his owners had in mind when they drafted the tight end early in their fantasy drafts. While some of that was the result of other tight ends upping their game, some of the responsibility falls on Witten’s shoulders as he found pay dirt just twice all season long.
Witten came on strong towards the end of the regular season with all four of his double digit outings coming in Week 12 or later, and he should be able to carry that momentum into 2010 as he benefits from team’s having to focus more and more on Miles Austin. As a result, don’t let Witten’s appearance on THE BAD list keep you from drafting him in next year’s fantasy draft.

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In the Bruno Boys’ latest installment of our annual series titled “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” Bruno Boys staff writer, Kyle Smith, takes a look at those wide receivers that fell short of preseason projections in 2009.

1. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Seattle Seahawks) — Houshmandzadeh did catch 79 passes in the 2009 season, it’s just that instead of doing the equivalent of hitting a home run with those catches, he hit bunt singles. All … year … long.

So while placing 16th in the NFL in receptions is a good thing, coming in 28th in receiving yards with 911 – when you’re supposedly an elite wideout – is not. Even worse, Houshmandzadeh crossed the goal-line just three times all season, and two of those were in the same game. All in all, he provided his fantasy owners with nine games of five or fewer fantasy points, and 12 games with seven or fewer fantasy points.

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