Nov 7, 2012
—Written by Brian Dezelske
—Edited by Marc Caviglia
The theme for Week 9 of the 2012 NFL season could be called “Bunches.” We saw the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers defenses and special teams completely dominate by forcing an array of turnovers and scoring multiple touchdowns. On offense, we witnessed a handful of players like Randall Cobb and Eric Decker double up on scoring in helping their teams prevail to huge wins. We also witnessed Andrew Luck break Cam Newton’s single-game passing mark for a rookie with 433 yards.
On the other end of the spectrum, we witnessed Eli Manning go without throwing a touchdown for the second straight game. We also were subjected to watching Christian Ponder not even eclipse 65 yards passing for the second time in three games.
But was their respective efforts enough to warrant them a spot on this week’s list? There’s only one way to find out and you know the drill. Enjoy.
Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders
Darren McFadden’s frustrating season continued this past Sunday as he left fantasy owners who started him with nine total touches for a paltry 17 yards in the Oakland Raiders 42-32 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If the struggles of McFadden weren’t enough for fantasy owners, now they’ve been bitten by the injury bug… AGAIN! Run DMC suffered a high ankle sprain and looks like a long-shot to play on Sunday when the Oakland Raiders travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens.
If he can’t go, PPR owners may want to take a long look at Marcel Reece as a temporary replacement. He would be the Raiders starting running back since Mike Goodson is also doubtful to play. Reece caught eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown last week and is averaging just over four targets per game, and that is with McFadden and Goodson in the lineup.
Willis McGahee, RB, Denver Broncos
After a putting up 122 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries against the New Orleans Saints, fantasy owners were expecting something similar this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Instead, what they got was 66 yards on 23 carries and no touchdowns.
Now some might say that there may be other players that had worse days, but it was more about the volume of touches he was given. His 23 carries was the fourth most in the league in Week 9 and he averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. Seriously, “Whatchu talkin’ bout, Willis?”
The Bengals are a bit weak against the run as indicated by the 117.0 yards per game they’re allowing and they’ve given up nine touchdowns to the running back position, so the matchup was there for the Broncos tail back to take advantage of.
Hopefully McGahee can get back to his running ways this week when the Denver Broncos head to Charlotte to face the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers run defense is statistically similar to the Bengals, so he could get himself back on track this Sunday.
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Titus Young, WR, Detroit Lions
Just one week after catching nine passes for 100 yards and two scores, and being touted as a savior to many fantasy teams, Titus Young came crashing, along with many owners, back down to earth.
In the Detroit Lions 31-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Young came up pretty small with only two catches for 20 yards on only five targets. What’s more concerning is that he couldn’t deliver when presented with a very favorable matchup.
He’ll need to step up and be the playmaker he was two weeks ago if the Lions are to have a shot at beating the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday. The Vikes beat the Lions 20-13 back in Week 4 and Young only had one catch for 17 yards.
Knowing Matthew Stafford is going to take his shots deep against a Vikings secondary that has been struggling to stop teams over the past month, the question is will Young step up and make any plays?
Hakeem Nicks, WR, New York Giants
If asked who the most frustrating fantasy player is at the receiver position is, the answer has to be Hakeem Nicks. He managed just one catch for 10 yards and was only targeted 4 times in the New York Giants 24-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was his worst performance this year, which makes no sense at all
considering Ike Taylor loves to give up the big play from time to time.
The truth is Nicks has battled knee and foot injuries all season long and it just doesn’t look like he’s recovered completely. The struggles will more than likely continue until after the Giants Week 11 bye. Hopefully that extra rest will be what he needs to give owners a boost during the fantasy playoffs.
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
What’s happened to Eli? Nobody is quite sure right now and that’s not a good thing for fantasy owners. Eli Manning only threw for 125 yards and also gave up an interception. It’s the second week in a row that he’s failed to throw a touchdown and pass for at least 200 yards. In fact, he hasn’t thrown more than one touchdown since Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns when the put up three.
Manning’s funk cost the New York Giants the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and could cost them this week if he doesn’t snap out of it by the time they play the Cincinnati Bengals.
**2012 BRUNO BOYS FANDUEL WEEK 10 CHAMPIONSHIP —$5 TO PLAY—$8,000 IN PRIZE MONEY**
We’ve partnered with FanDuel.com to provide our fans an opportunity to play WEEKLY salary cap fantasy football against the Bruno Boys Staff. In Week 9, we are offering a $500 worth of cash prizes and a the winner gets a seat in our Week 11 Bruno Boys Championship Make sure to sign-up now for a chance to win $8,000 in prize money and take on the Bruno Boys… IT’S JUST $5!!
Please use this link to enter for JUST $5 in Week 9: $500 IN PAYOUTS/ SEAT IN BBFC (click to register)
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