Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

—Written by:Cory Steger
—Edited by: Allie Fontana

Bruno Boys senior staff writer Cory Steger takes a look at five players who delivered fantasy results substantially below their projected rankings and point totals in The Fantasy 5: Week 7 Flops.  To be considered a candidate for the “Flops” list, a player has to fall short of his weekly point projection total by seven or more fantasy points. Sorry to say that the number of flops extends beyond the five players that we singled out above all others this week. Check out our Fantasy Flops Week 7 Roundup for more players who failed to come through for their teams and fantasy owners.

1. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions)
Bruno Boys Week 7 Projection—Rank: No. 3; Points: 22
Week 7 Actual: Rank: No. 13; Points: 11

Matthew Stafford sure didn’t deliver the kind of real life or fantasy production expected of him in what was expected to be a favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Stafford completed just 15-of-32 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown without an interception. After getting off to an impressive 5-0 start this season, Stafford and the Detroit Lions lost for the second straight week at home. Not only did Stafford’s fantasy production fall short by half of our projection, he sprained his ankle at the end of game and limped off the field. His fantasy owners are justifiably concerned about Stafford given his extensive injury history. Look for Shaun Hill to start in place of Stafford if the third-year signal caller sits out Sunday’s game with the Denver Broncos.

2. Matt Hasselbeck (Tennessee Titans)
Bruno Boys Week 7 Projection—Rank: No. 16; Points: 14
Week 7 Actual: Rank: No. 20; Points: 5

Just a few short weeks ago experts and owners were digging the surprising fantasy production coming out of Matt Hasselbeck and the Tennessee Titans offense.  Tennessee won three of its first four games and Hasselbeck looked like a different guy playing with a competent offensive line in front of him. The Not only did the veteran signal caller have chemistry with dynamic third-year receiver Kenny Britt, he made receiver Nate Washington fantasy relevant again. Sadly the good times didn’t last too long. Britt went down with the season-ending injury, Chris Johnson is a close to being efficiently anointed a bust and the passing game has gone cold. After an embarrassing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5, Hasselbeck and the Titans returned from their Week 6 bye and were blown out by the Houston Texans 41-7. Hasselbeck had his worst game of the season, completing less than 50 percent of his passes for just 104 yards and a score, along with two picks. And if you though it couldn’t get any worse, there was a Jake Locker sighting. Hasselbeck gets a shot at redemption in Week 8 in a sweet matchup with the 0-7 Indianapolis Colts. If the Titans offense doesn’t kick start their offense this week, we might see yet another quarterback change in the not too distant future. 

3.Running Backs, Take Your Pick—Joseph Addai (Indianapolis Colts), Earnest Graham (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Tim Hightower (Washington Redskins), Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks), Ryan Mathews (San Diego Chargers), Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders), Willis McGahee (Denver Broncos), Chris Wells (Arizona Cardinals)

In a week with six teams on bye, the last thing that fantasy owners want to hear is that one of their starters hurt himself in pregame warm-ups—Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch(ankle)—and won’t play. Lynch’s injury was the first of many sustained by running backs on Sunday. If your team got through Week 7 healthy, count yourself lucky. Darren McFadden (ankle/foot), Beanie Wells (knee), Earnest Graham (Achilles’ tendon),Willis McGahee (hand), Joseph Addai (hamstring),  Tim Hightower (ACL) left their games with injuries and didn’t return to action. San Diego’s Ryan Mathews injured his thumb in the second quarter, however he returned after a brief absence. While the majority of injuries aren’t too serious, both Graham and Hightower are done for the season. Hard to recall another week when so many RB1s and RB2s did so little for their fantasy owners. 

4. Miles Austin (Dallas Cowboys)
Bruno Boys Week 7 Projection—Rank: No. 6; Points: 16
Week 7 Actual: Rank: No. T-56; Points: 1

While fantasy owners were justifiably frustrated with the lousy one point (ESPN standard scoring) put up by Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin this past Sunday, it’s hard to look at him and point the finger of blame in his direction. The Cowboys understandably put the passing game on hold when rookie DeMarco Murray found big time success running the ball agent the pathetic rush defense of the St. Louis Rams. When Dallas threw the ball, quarterback Tony Romo looked Dez Bryant’s way more frequently that Austin’s, who finished the day with two receptions for 16 yards on five targets. Murray and the Cowboys won’t run the ball every week the way they did against the Rams, though they have another runner-friendly matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles defense in Week 8. Don’t let one bad game get you down about Austin. He’ll get back on track before too long. 

5. Nate Washington (Tennessee Titans)
Bruno Boys Week 7 Projection—Rank: No. N/A; Points: N/A
Week 7 Actual: Rank: No. T-56; Points: 1

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nate Washington has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season, catching 28 passes for 389 yards and a touchdown in five games before his team’s Week 6 bye. He stepped up after the Titans lost star Kenny Britt and developed nice chemistry with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Unfortunately, what looked like a nice matchup on paper for the veteran against a beatable Houston Texans secondary, turned out to be anything but for Washington and his fantasy owners. The entire Tennessee offense came to a screeching halt and mustered just 95 total passing yards on the day. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s struggles had a significant impact on Washington’s production. He was targeted three times and held to one catch for 10 yards. Although Washington has a favorable matchup with the winless Colts in Week 8, it’s hard for fantasy owners to trust him while the Titans offense is in flux. 

Fantasy Flops Week 7 Roundup: Doug Baldwin, WR (Seattle Seahawks), Dwayne Bowe, RB (Kansas City Chiefs),  Matt Cassel (Kansas City Chiefs), Eric Decker (Denver Broncos), Joe Flacco, QB (Baltimore Ravens), Pierre Garcon, WR (Indianapolis Colts), Green Bay Packers D/ST, Santonio Holmes (New York Jets), Vincent Jackson (San Diego Chargers), Brandon Marshall, WR (Miami Dolphins), Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers), Minnesota Vikings D/ST, Santana Moss, WR (Washington Redskins), Jordy Nelson, WR (Green Bay Packers), Ray Rice, RB (Baltimore Ravens), Philip Rivers, QB (San Diego Chargers), Oakland Raiders D/ST, Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST, Tennessee Titans D/ST, Ryan Torain, RB (Washington Redskins)