Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Another week has come to a close here in the NFL, and with it, the end of the regular season. As per usual, with football being played, another batch of story lines have come to be examined. In Whooley’s Weekly Words, I, Bruno Boys Whooley, tackle just a few of the more interesting items to catch my eye from the weekend. This week, I’ll be discussing Chris Johnson’s 2,000 yard season, Vernon Davis putting it all together, and the hottest team in football, the San Diego Chargers.

The No. 1 Overall Pick for 2010…Chris Johnson

Debates are already swirling regarding this year’s NFL MVP. Should the award go to Peyton Manning, who helped guide the Indianapolis Colts through a trying year of transition to the playoffs on a 4,500 yard, 33 TD, and just 16 INT season? What about the veteran Brett Favre, who had one of the best season’s of his career, a career that has already held three MVP awards, with a 107.2 quarterback rating while propelling the Minnesota Vikings to Super Bowl contenders? Then, there’s Favre’s replacement in Green Bay to consider, Aaron Rodgers. After all, the Packers’ quarterback threw for 4,434 yards, tallied 35 total TDs and threw just 7 INTs despite being sacked an incredible 50 times, all the while helping the Packers secure a playoff spot. Or, Drew Brees? The Saints’ quarterback not only led the league in throwing TDs with 34, but also was the top dog when it came to quarterback rating with an impressive 109.6.

Yes, the choices are plentiful when discussing the NFL’s MVP, but when it comes to the MVP of the fantasy football world, the discussion begins and ends with one man, Tennessee Titans’ running back, Chris Johnson. With his 134 yards on the ground yesterday in the Titans’ win over the Seattle Seahawks, Johnson became just the sixth man in NFL history to surpass 2,000 yards rushing in a season, as Johnson finished the year with 2,006 rush yards.

What is going unnoticed by many football fans is that Johnson not only became the league’s sixth man to top 2,000 yards on the ground, but he also broke Marshall Faulk’s record for most total yards from scrimmage by a full 80 yards, outdoing Faulk’s 1999 total of 2,429 by finishing the season with 2,509 total yards from scrimmage. And, therein, lies the beauty of Chris Johnson. Not only can he thrash his way through defensive lines on each and every carry and break away from linebackers and secondaries with his blazing speed, but he’s a dual threat, regularly catching screen passes and working his way down the sidelines. Hauling in 50 passes on the season, Johnson averaged an amazing 10.1 yards per reception, which is something you just don’t see running backs do.

The Titans’ back also has a nose for the end zone. While many thought Johnson may struggle to match the 10 total TDs he had in his rookie season in 2008 due to the presence of LenDale White, a vulture of TDs, Johnson did even better, hitting pay dirt 16 times this year.

Without a doubt, the Titans’ back has cemented his place as the first pick in 2010 drafts.

It’s Good to Have VD

Since coming into the league in 2006, all we have heard about San Francisco 49ers’ tight end, Vernon Davis, is what a physical specimen he is. And, undoubtedly, that’s true as the Niners’ tight end stands 6’3” tall, weighs 250 pounds, and is just a solid block of muscle. To top it all off, the guy has speed and can blaze by line backers with ease. Thus, it came as quite a surprise that Davis could never put it all together on the field of play. Over his first three years in the league, Davis averaged just 375 receiving yards per season while totaling a mere 9 TDs over that span. Needless to say, fantasy owners that continually bought into the hype were readily disappointed year in and year out.

Things, though, were different in 2009. Perhaps the early trip to the locker room that head coach Mike Singletary gave him in 2008 helped provide the motivation Davis needed to succeed or perhaps the 49ers simply decided to incorporate their stud tight end into the game plan a bit more as Davis caught 26 more passes this season than his previous high of 52 receptions. Whatever the case, Davis exploded in 2009, racking up 965 receiving yards and 13 TDs, enough to tie Antonio Gates’ regular season record for most TDs in one season by a tight end.

Davis’ numbers were strong enough to make the Niners’ tight end the best at his position for fantasy purposes in 2009, though he did get some help thanks to the Colts resting Dallas Clark over these last two weeks, and his numbers will surely make him a top tight end option for 2010. Not only will Davis and the Niners’ offense finally have the same offensive coordinator for two years in a row after a revolving door at the slot for the last seven years, but Davis, himself, will have more time to develop his rapport with starting quarterback, Alex Smith, and will continue to find himself with one-on-one coverage in 2010 thanks to the continued growth of Michael Crabtree.

The San Diego Chargers - Super Bowl Bound?

With the No. 2 seed in the AFC locked in place, the San Diego Chargers had little to play for in Week 17. As such, they opted to rest their big names, a decision more than likely made a bit easier after the New England Patriots lost wide receiver, Wes Welker, to a leg injury earlier in the day. Nevertheless, the Chargers, perhaps the hottest team in football at the moment, with their back-ups going against the Washington Redskins were able to extend their winning streak to 11 games, winning Sunday’s contest 23 to 20.

While football fans were glued to the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts’ quests towards perfection, the Chargers were quietly getting things rolling, building a wave of momentum that they will now ride into the playoffs. And, the rest of the teams in the AFC need to be a bit worried. Over their 11 game win streak, the Chargers, who had started the season 2-3, have tallied 30.0 points per contest, while allowing just 16.7 points to their opponents. Part of the reason for the difference in those numbers is the Chargers’ turnover ratio. While giving the ball up just 10 times in those 11 games, the Chargers were able to take it away from their opponents’ 18 times. If they can continue to control the turnover battle, the Chargers will be hard to stop as they make their playoff push. Don’t be surprised to see them in Miami come February playing for the Lombardi Trophy - something this Bruno Boy predicted back in week 1.

Wild Card Round Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF  (click to read)

Wild Card Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM  (click to read)

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