Fantasy Football Breakdown: Predicting 2009 Flops

With Easter having come and gone the Bruno Boys Easter Basket already has had all the Sweet candy eaten, leaving just the Sour and Marshmallowy treats. Later this week, I will offer you a list of players that I feel will bounce back from a poor 2008 season, meaning you could probably draft them at a solid value.

But, before we get to that marshmallow goodness, it's time for the second portion of this three part series in which I offer you my own personal opinions on players who I feel will be drafted at a spot that will offer disappointment to their fantasy owners for the 2009 season, otherwise known as the Sour.

-----------------------

The Sour– Dictionary.com's definition of sour is, “having an acid taste, resembling that of vinegar, lemon juice, etc.; tart.” While that is true, my Bruno Boys definition is a bit different. In Bruno Boys lingo, sour is “a player that under performs in regards to his fantasy draft position and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.”

Starting with the quarterback position the main one that sticks out to me is Tony Romo. It is not that I don't like Romo as a quarterback for fantasy football. I do! But he just lost his top touchdown target in Terrell Owens and will be relying on Roy Williams to be his top receiver.

That alone should dip into Romo's touchdown total. Then, you get into their running game with Marion Barber and Felix Jones, and I just get this gut feeling that with that type of exciting talent the Cowboys will start utilizing their running game more than in the past.

While Romo will remain a QB1, I honestly don't believe he will be a top-four fantasy quarterback, which he very well could be drafted as in many leagues.

Another quarterback that I would try to avoid on draft day is Jay Cutler. Let's readily admit to the fact that the Bears' offense is no where near the talent level of the Broncos' when it comes to the passing game. Not only that, but it is going to be bitter cold in Chicago during a lot of key fantasy weeks.

He will most likely go as a top-five quarterback, but I see him being a mid-to-lower-end QB1 in most fantasy leagues. Don't waste your pick.

Players such as Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers will go after Cutler in most leagues but will most likely out produce him as well. If you play it smart you could end up with some real bargains at this position. Don't reach for questionable players.

-----------------------

At the running back position, Michael Turner had an excellent 2008 season, one in which he outplayed everyone's expectations including my own. 1,699 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns is nothing to sneeze at, but those are numbers that he most likely will not duplicate.

For 2009 he faces the Buccaneers twice as well as having to play against solid rush defenses in the Chargers, Patriots, Ravens, Cowboys, Redskins, Giants, Eagles and the Jets. Unless you can grab Turner as a lower-end RB1 (ya right, not after 2008), try to avoid him or stock up on some antacids.

Another running back that I feel is going to be overpriced is DeAngelo Williams. He had excellent yardage and 20 total touchdowns in 2008. It is easy to forget though that the Panthers have Jonathan Stewart in the backfield as well.

Not only that, the opposing defenses should help keep Williams' stats a bit more down-to-earth. In 2009 he will be facing the Buccaneers twice, the Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, Jets, Patriots, Vikings and the Giants. Ouch!

It will cost a pretty good draft pick to get Williams on your team. Do yourself a favor and invest in a player such as LaDainian Tomlinson instead.

-----------------------

When it comes to the players that you will be putting on your fantasy team that catch the ball, there are a few players as well that I feel will be grossly overrated. Let's start off with Terrell Owens. He leaves the friendly confines of Dallas to play in Buffalo.

He not only will be getting thrown to by possibly the worst quarterback that he has ever teamed up with in Trent Edwards, but he also has the weather to contend with. Look for a sub-par year from T.O.

Also just for trend reasons, another wide receiver that I recommend avoiding unless you can get him at a bargain price is Santana Moss. He has had three pretty solid seasons in his career, the problem is that he is a eight-year veteran and he has never followed up a solid season with a second solid season in a row.

Last year he had 1,044 receiving yards and six touchdowns. In his other two seasons that he had over 1,000 yards he failed to have more than 838 yards or five touchdowns the year after. Just a bit of food for thought.

-----------------------

As far as the tight end position goes, the player that I feel could become the most disappointing if he is drafted before he should be is Tony Gonzalez. Don't get me wrong, he is a very productive tight end, but he is approaching his mid-30's and his 10 touchdowns he had in 2008 was his second highest total in his career.

His previous three seasons he had a total of five, five, and two.

If you can get him for a reasonable price then go for it, but I personally wouldn't spend a top draft pick on any tight end other than Jason Witten and Antonio Gates. And to be honest, if it were my team, I would be trying to target the Kellen Winslow's of the world. Possible top-5 talent that will most likely go more as a lower-end TE1.

-----------------------

For more fantasy football insight and advice, click the link below...

Bruno Boys Fantasy Football