Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Written by: James Burulcich
Edited by: Allie Fontana

What a great weekend it was—Christmas and some awesome NFL football too. Week 16 determined the champions of many fantasy leagues, and I received an early Christmas present from Santa when the New York Giants laid claim to their city and stadium by beating up the New York Jets. I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend filled with family, friends and fantasy triumphs. Here’s what I learned on Sunday, well…Saturday…at least for this week!

 

1.  A Big Blue Christmas.

Whew. Thank goodness Week 16 is over and my New York Giants beat up on the crosstown rival New York Jets on Saturday afternoon. I have many friends who are Jets fans and the outcome was more meaningful than others because the loser has to bow down to the victor. I hate bowing. I was definitely nervous through the first half until Victor Cruz caught his 99-yard touchdown pass to give the Giants the lead for good. The best part of winning this game was shutting up Rex Ryan, who despite the loss had the audacity to say something to Brandon Jacobs after the game. Ryan is a joke. This was definitely the only time having a blue Christmas was a good thing.

2.  Damn ACLs!
Poor Adrian Peterson. The Minnesota Vikings have been out of playoff contention for two months and probably should have left their star running back out of the final few games of the season so he would be completely healthy for the 2012 season.  Peterson wouldn’t hear of it.  In fact, he told the media that he wanted to play for his team and city, but also for his fantasy owners. While I love that dedication AP, in the grand scheme of things, you shouldn’t have been worried about us. The collective fantasy world (and NFL fans in general) gasped as we watched him on the ground, writhing in pain. He not only tore his ACL, but his MCL as well. In all likelihood, Peterson will miss all of training camp and at least some of the 2012 regular season too. It was a terrible thing to happen to an amazingly talented player.

3.  Um…Tim?

What’s going on Timmy Tebow? We all understood the Denver Broncos loss to the New England Patriots, really we did. However we expected more from you and the Broncos last week against a Buffalo Bills team that was winless in their last seven contests. Although Tebow threw a touchdown pass and rushed one in for a score, he also tossed an uncharacteristic four interceptions in Saturday’s 40-14 blowout.  Tebow still mustered 12 fantasy points despite the four picks. I’m not giving up on Tebow after his truly first awful game. In fact, I believe that the Broncos will make the playoffs with a win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17.

4.  Lynch > 49ers.

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Well, we got an answer on Saturday when Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch pitted his 10 consecutive game touchdown streak against the San Francisco 49ers defense that hadn’t allowed either a 100-yard rusher or a rushing touchdown all season. Beast mode promptly won the day. Not only did Lynch get in the end zone, he topped 100 rushing yards as well. I expect Lynch to be a second-round pick in fantasy drafts next season.

5.  Stop Winning!

I don’t get it. Are the Indianapolis Colts trying to ruin their chances for Andrew Luck? With their miraculous come-from-behind victory on Thursday night over the Houston Texans, they improved their record to 2-13 and are tied with the St. Louis Rams for the league’s worst record. To make matters worse, the Colts have a much easier Week 17 match-up against the Jacksonville Jaguars while the Rams face the San Francisco 49ers. Despite the money the Rams are paying Sam Bradford, I have a feeling that if they draw the first pick in 2012, they’ll draft Luck at a discount price and Bradford will end up as the quarterback for the Washington Redskins next season. Indy, your team’s stars are past their primes, you need to rebuild and you will blow it if you win on Sunday.

6.  Pocket Hercules.

Congratulations are in order for Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew. I have to admit that every year I’m wary of drafting MJD because I always feel that his team is just too bad for him to really shine. I’m proven wrong over and over again. While this is arguably the worst Jaguars team that he has been a part of in six NFL seasons, Jones-Drew set a new career high in rushing yards this past Saturday. In addition, he’s currently the NFL’s leading rusher with 1,437 yards, a full 128 yards better than the second place LeSean McCoy.  Jones-Drew could potentially hit 1,600 yards against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17.

7.  Watch Out for Detroit.

While I’m handing out congratulations, I may as well give some to the Detroit Lions who clinched a playoff berth for the first time in the 21st century! It has been 12 long years since a Detroit team made the postseason and the team accomplished it largely on the arm of Matthew Stafford, who has been stellar for most of the season. The Lions decimated the San Diego Chargers on Saturday 38-10. Stafford threw for 373 yards, three touchdowns and zero picks. With a pretty stout defensive line, the ultimate offensive weapon in Megatron and a competent quarterback, I think the Lions have a chance to make some waves during the playoffs. Whether they go “one-and-done” this postseason, go all the way or somewhere in between, I think the 2011 season should be the start of consecutive winning seasons for this youthful and talented team.

8.  Jerome’s Flip Out.

If you missed the replay of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson’s only touchdown on Saturday, here it is: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtaDy_Y9kNI).  The best part about Simpson’s full-front flip into the end zone was that he wasn’t showboating. Had Simpson attempted to run into the end zone, the Arizona Cardinals defender would have stopped him on the 1-yard line. Instead Simpson took to the air and even stuck the landing! Mary Lou Retton would be proud.

9.  Crazy Cam.

In addition to all the other great performances of the past weekend, Carolina Panthers rookie Cam Newton also entered the NFL record books on Saturday. He threw three touchdown passes on 171 yards to surpass Peyton Manning’s rookie passing yardage record (3,739) and end the day with 3,893 passing yards.  Newton has a chance to be the first and only rookie quarterback to pass for over 4,000 yards this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. What makes his achievements even more amazing is that Newton was known more for his athleticism and running ability than his passing prowess. Barring a dramatic turn of events, Newton should be a dynamic fantasy weapon for years to come. I could see Newton being drafted in the last first round next season.

10.  Week 16 Fantasy Duds.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog then you know that during the fantasy playoffs this last item is set aside to give the proverbial finger to the players who performed poorly and cost owners their shot at the big prize. A fantasy performance of seven or fewer points (ESPN Standard Scoring) from these players was unacceptable. We expected, needed and deserved more. Here’s the list of some of Week 16’s biggest losers in no particular order: Tony Romo, Cedric Benson, Laurent Robinson, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski, Chris Johnson, Beanie Wells, LeSean McCoy, Baltimore Ravens D/ST,  Chicago Bears D/ST, Denver Broncos D/ST, New York Jets D/ST, Houston Texans D/ST, Vernon Davis, Antonio Gates, Aaron Hernandez, Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez, Steve Smith (Carolina) Hakeem Nicks, Shonn Greene, Ryan Mathews, Dez Bryant, LeGarrette Blount, Dan Bailey, Vincent Jackson, Jason Witten, Santana Moss, Mike Williams (Tampa Bay), A.J. Green, Willis McGahee,  and Owen Daniels. Thanks for nothing guys!