Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Once again taking on the task of identifying those over performers and under achievers from the previous week of fantasy football is Ryan Hallam, creator of Fighting Chance Fantasy. So, join Ryan as he takes us through the Week 17 Duds and in case you missed it you can check out the Week 17 Studs by clicking the link. And, remember, if you have any questions for Hallam, you can email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for playoff fantasy football advice.

Note: All point projections read in this recap are from standard scoring leagues (non-PPR) and are projections made by the Bruno Boys staff

QUARTERBACK - DUDS

Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles) – The fans of Philadelphia must be even more obnoxious and inappropriate then they usually are after the effort that their team put up in a game for the division title.  McNabb certainly came up small as he was just 20-of-36 for 223 yards.  He failed to throw a touchdown pass, and also fumbled the ball away once.  He had plenty to play for so I thought his projection of 15 points was a little low, but he didn’t even get half of that with the six that he put up.

Hallam’s Take: It was another year of McNabb being McNabb.  He is always good for a low to mid 20s in touchdowns and around 3,500 yards.  He will be a good fantasy football quarterback for those of you to choose if you don’t like to take a QB early.  With DeSean Jackson and now Jeremy Maclin at wide receiver, McNabb has his best group of receivers in a long time.

Eli Manning (New York Giants) – I figured that after the dud the Giants put up the week before that they would at least put forth a representative effort against the Minnesota Vikings, even though Minnesota had plenty to keep them motivated.  But nope, another huge dud and Eli Manning was a part of it.  Eli had a nice completion percentage with his 17-of-23 stat line, but it was good for just 141 yards and he turned the ball over twice, once on a pick and he also lost a fumble.  Manning had a fairly modest prediction at just 14 points, but was never even close to that with just three on the day.

Hallam’s Take: What a monumental collapse at the end of the season by the Giants, however, it was a career year for Eli Manning as he surpassed both the 4,000 yard barrier and threw 27 touchdowns on the year.  I don’t feel confident that he has taken the next step to being a higher echelon fantasy football quarterback, however, I feel that his increased passing was a result of the inability of the running game to get going.  Manning is still a very high end QB2 in my book, and feel that you will be disappointed if you have to roll with him every week.

Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) – It was the Willis McGahee show for the Ravens, and Flacco was really never asked to do much on Sunday.  He completed just 11 passes in his 19 attempts for just 102 yards.  He did not throw a touchdown pass, but he didn’t turn the ball over either.  Flacco was supposed to score a very solid 16 fantasy points in Week 17, but fell far short of that with just four.

Hallam’s Take: Flacco got off to an amazing start in the first half of the season, but faded badly in the second half.  12 of his 21 scores came in the season’s first seven games, and four of his final nine came in one game.  The future is still very bright for this young man, and if the Ravens are able to secure him an actual receiving threat that is under the age of 35, he could really transform into a solid fantasy football quarterback.  Consider him a QB2 on the rise in 2010

RUNNING BACK - DUDS

Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars) – In a snowy game against the Cleveland Browns, Jones-Drew was mediocre but did not come close to the game that his fantasy owners were hoping for in the final week of the year.  He carried the ball 16 times for 82 yards, and uncharacteristically only caught one pass for an irrelevant six yards.  He was ranked as one of the higher scorers for running backs this week with a 22 point projection, but without scoring a touchdown he didn’t even come close to approaching that number and scored just eight.

Hallam’s Take: He may have fallen just short of the lofty expectations that were bestowed upon him before the season started, but if you drafted Jones-Drew, there is little for you to complain about.  His 16 total touchdowns were among the best in football, and his 53 receptions brought great extra value to those of you in PPR leagues.  My only beef with the guy is that he tends to disappear some weeks.  He will put up 30 fantasy football points for you one week, and two the next.  I like a little more consistency myself out of my top pick, but at the end of the season, he was still one of the best.

Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers) – It wasn’t that Mendenhall had that bad of a game, and if he had been able to find the end zone he certainly wouldn’t have ended up on this list.  He had 20 rushes for 94 yards and also had a 26 yard reception.  He was looked upon to put up 17 points to end the year, but didn’t quite make it with his 11 point afternoon.

Hallam’s Take: Mendenhall was quite the midseason find for a lot of fantasy football owners as he officially took over the number one spot in Pittsburgh.  He is still a little rough around the edges, fades away in some games, and the Steelers have become a pass first offense.  With all that being said, Mendenhall proved to me that he is capable of being a solid RB2 choice next season and should have no competition for the lead back role in Steel City.

Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams) – I don’t know if there is anyone happier than Steven Jackson that this season is over.  He was all banged up and had to face a tough San Francisco 49ers run defense in his last game but still gave his all.  Jackson had 20 carries for just 63 yards, and for once was not involved in the (nearly non-existent) passing game at all.

Hallam’s Take: Man, I just feel bad for Steven Jackson, he tried his best.  Jackson ran hard all season long for a team that never had a chance.  He bulled over defenders, he played hurt, he gutted out the whole season.  But when your team is that bad, what can you do?  Even with everything working against him and missing a game due to injury, Jackson still ran for over 1,400 yards but disappointed with just four rushing touchdowns.  He brought more to the table with his 53 catches, but there is no doubt he disappointed with his lowest TD total since his rookie year.  Unless the Rams do something drastic to help their offense, he might be in for another year of a low touchdown total.