Fantasy Football Roundtable: AFC West Edition

Bruno Boys Cavigs and Bruno Boys Whooley may have just enjoyed a nice vacation in Florida to see their San Francisco Giants take on the Florida Marlins, but that doesn't mean that they weren't talking fantasy football. This time they're discussing the AFC West as the Bruno Boys continue to break down the NFL division by division.

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AFC West Burning Questions!

1. Once the king of fantasy football, LaDainian Tomlinson's down year in 2008 has many wondering if the back is hitting the down slope of his career. What can we expect from LT in 2009?

Bruno Boys Whooley: Don’t sound the alarm quite yet. Yes, LT was not the fantasy beast we have all come to know in 2008, but the back didn’t fall off the map like former stud running back, Shaun Alexander, did.

Despite the down year, LT still amassed 1,100 rushing yards, 426 receiving yards, and 12 total TDs in 2008, helping him to maintain a spot among the top-10 fantasy running backs.

And if the reports coming out of camp are true and LT is as healthy as he’s ever been and Norv Turner is really looking to get him over 300 carries, then his 2009 numbers should be even better and should have him at least in the top-five among fantasy running backs come season's end.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: In my opinion LT will produce closer to what he did in 2007 than 2008. Now I don't see him being a top-three fantasy football running back,but if you are sitting at the sixth or seventh pick in round one and LT is available, grab him! 

Even with a disappointing showing last year he finished in the top-seven and a better LT this year could make the fantasy owner who stole him at the back end of round one very happy.

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2. Will Matt Cassel be able to repeat the success he had in 2008 with the New England Patriots in 2009 with the Kansas City Chiefs?

Bruno Boys Whooley: For a guy who had not started since high school, Cassel stepped up big time when Tom Brady went down with an injury in week one of the 2008 season. After taking a couple weeks to get comfortable under center, Cassel finished the season with 3,693 passing yards, 21 passing TDs, and just 11 INTs.

The Chiefs were impressed enough with Cassel’s body of work to trade a second-round pick to bring the quarterback to Kansas City; however, a repeat of 2008 is no guarantee.

While Cassel proved he has the skills to be a solid NFL QB, he’s going to find that reaching that plateau is going to be a whole lot more difficult for him in Kansas City than it was in New England.

Not only will he not be partaking in an offensive system concocted by mastermind, Bill Belichick, but he also won’t have Randy Moss or Wes Welker to throw to.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: Plain and simple, the answer is NO.  Part of Cassel's success last season had to do with the talented options he had on the outside.

His new home in Kansas City won't be as friendly as the one in New England and unless running back Larry Johnson can consistently gain yardage on the ground Cassel could be seeing blitz packages from start to finish. A realistic projection for him would be a middle of the road QB2.

I know he ranks as 17th overall on my big board at the quarterback position and what prevents him from being a tad lower is the fact that he can use his legs to gain yardage and score fantasy points.

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3. With head coach, Josh McDaniels, running stud quarterback Jay Cutler out of town, what's in store for the Broncos' passing game in 2009?

Bruno Boys Whooley: You lose a quarterback that throws for 4,526 yards, 25 TDs, and 18 INTs, and it’s going to hurt your passing game; however, I don’t believe the loss of Cutler will be as devastating to the Broncos’ passing game as some other experts imagine it to be.

The reason the team will be able to weather the storm—Kyle Orton. Orton may not possess the same incredible skill set that Cutler owns, but he has shown signs of promise in his career as a starter for the Chicago Bears, a team that hasn’t exactly owned the best wide receivers in recent years.

Teaming up with wide outs, Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, and Brandon Stokley, along with tight end, Tony Scheffler, in Denver, should lead to 3,000+ passing yards and 20+ TDs for the QB.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: Kyle Orton isn't going to win games with his arm, but he probably won't lose games with it either. He was able to put up a stretch of six straight 10+ fantasy point games and that was with the likes of Rashied Davis and Devin Hester at the wide out position.

Now he gets to throw to all-pro wide receiver Brandon Marshall and a talent possession receiver in Eddie Royal. These two options alone will help Orton and make him a middle of the road QB2 for your fantasy team.

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Fantasy Football Preference - AFC West (Based on 12 team, standard scoring leagues)

1. Brandon Marshall vs. Dwayne Bowe vs. Vincent Jackson

Bruno Boys Whooley: Don’t be surprised to see all three of these guys go around the same time in fantasy drafts in 2009, making this call a difficult one. My money, though, is on Brandon Marshall to come out on top.

While Marshall did have one less TD (6) than the other two in 2008, he did win the yardage battle, tallying 167 more yards than Jackson and 243 more than Bowe. Remember, too, that Marshall played one less game than both men due to a suspension to start the season. 

Bruno Boys Cavigs: MARSHALL.  All three wide receivers will act as WR2 in my opinion, but Marshall has the best track record of the bunch and you can expect newly acquired quarterback Kyle Orton to target him early and often. Many like Bowe the best in the division, but without Tony Gonzalez he will be seeing plenty of double teams.

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Bruno Boys’ Quick Hits (Opinions Delivered Harder than Ray Lewis Tackles!)

1. Best addition by a team in the AFC West?

Bruno Boys Whooley: In the end, I think the Chiefs have to get the nod for bringing in Matt Cassel while only giving up a second-round draft pick. Time will tell if Cassel’s 2008 season was more a product of the system he was in or his own skill set, but if I were a Chiefs’ fan, I’d be much happier to have a guy with Cassel’s upside under center than Tyler Thigpen’s.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: I have to agree with Bruno Boys Whooley about the addition of Matt Cassel in Kansas City being the best in the AFC West. Denver added Kyle Orton and a plethora of running backs, but Cassel proved last year that he can be am impact play in the NFL.

Though, I think he struggles some in Kansas City as the supporting cast is lacking.
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2. Biggest sleeper from the AFC West?

Bruno Boys Whooley: To consider him a sleeper may be a bit of a long shot as he will go in the first round of every fantasy draft this upcoming season, but with the way his stock has fallen due to his down 2008, I’m looking at LT to be an excellent value pick this season.

In my opinion, he still has the talent to be the best fantasy RB, and in 2009, you won’t be seeing him go off the board until the middle or end of round one.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: The guy that I like to have a breakout year in the AFC West is Darren McFadden of the Oakland Raiders. He battled through multiple injuries over the course of his rookie season to put together a decent fantasy showing from time to time, but McFadden is healthier in 2009 and has the talent as a rusher and receiver to be a superstar in the NFL.

He currently is being drafted around the 20th running back taken in mock drafts, but if he can keep healthy and fend off carried from Michael Bush and Justin Fargas he could be better than advertised.
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3. Biggest possible bust for the AFC West?

Bruno Boys Whooley: I absolutely loved his consistency throughout 2008, but I’m a bit weary of Dwayne Bowe heading into 2009. Yes, the Chiefs seem to have a better situation at quarterback with Cassel coming into town, but, in trading away future Hall of Fame tight end, Tony Gonzalez, the Chiefs have ensured that Bowe will be the focus of opposing defenses. Constant double teams could lead to a down year for the wide out.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: Whooley already touched base on Bowe and why he could see a decline this season, so I won't go there; however, the guy to keep an eye on is Antonio Gates.

Now, I would still have him as my third ranked tight end heading into this season, but Gates stats have declined over the past few years and he seems to always have a nagging injury that causes his production to slip from time to time.

Plus, I think that LaDainian Tomlinson should get back on track and Darren Sproles will see increased touches so there is no guarantee that Gates gets the targets he's had in the past.
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