Marshawn Lynch Set To Lose Carries in 2009?

Hopefully all of you have had time to start studying the 2009 Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Webazine which is available for FREE as a downloadable PDF. It is already mid-July and what better way to get a jump on the competition then by using the best source of fantasy football draft information available for free on the internet. The best part is we will continue to update this Webazine throughout the summer giving you the most up-to-date fantasy football draft information possible.

With an ever growing staff of expert fantasy football writers the Bruno Boys are also adding fantasy football content to our new look website daily, in order to keep the Bruno Boys Nation as prepared as possible for the upcoming 2009 fantasy football season. In the latest installment of our NFL News and Notes segment we will take a look at the sudden retirement of Derrick Mason, a possible loss of carries for Marshawn Lynch this season, new contracts for Matt Cassel and Terrell Suggs, and the latest on Brett Favre.

Derrick Mason shockingly retires

In what came as a bit of a surprise Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason announced his retirement this week. No one saw this coming, including the Ravens organization. Mason had not even hinted at retirement during the offseason and if he had Baltimore would have likely addressed the wide receiver position more in the draft and/or free agency.

Mason said that his heart just is not in it right now, which is understandable coming off the death of his good friend and former teammate Steve McNair, whom he played with in both Tennessee and Baltimore. Mason’s retirement leaves a gaping hole at the wide receiver position for the Ravens. Entering his 13th professional season he was expected to be quarterback Joe Flacco’s top receiving option again this season. Mason was a solid WR3 last season when he had 80 catches for 1,037 yards with five touchdowns. He has posted 1,000 plus receiving yards seven of the past eight seasons.

Mason has yet to file his retirement papers with the NFL, which means there is still hope that he will change his mind and indeed play this season. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he plans to meet with Mason as soon as he returns from vacation with his family. Keep a close eye on this situation in the next couple of weeks. Ravens wide receiver Mark Clayton could receive some increased fantasy football value with the retirement of Mason and he could become a low-end WR3.  Mason and Clayton currently rank No. 37 and No. 50 respectively on the Bruno Boys Wide Receiver Rankings, but the day Mason files his retirement papers with the NFL, those rankings will change.

Marshawn Lynch could lose carries this season

Reports out of Buffalo indicate that Bills running back Marshawn Lynch could see a decrease in carries when he returns from his three game suspension to start the season. The same could also go for his backup Fred Jackson as the Bills brought in Dominic Rhodes as a free agent from the Indianapolis Colts. “We’d like to take a little bit of pressure off of them,” said Bills head coach Dick Jauron, speaking of Lynch and Jackson. Adding an experienced backup in Rhodes should help the Bills keep both Lynch and Jackson fresher down the stretch this season.

After a hot start the Bills faded down the stretch losing 8 of their last 10 games and missed the playoffs. Lynch finished the season with 250 carries for 1,036 yards with eight touchdowns. He also added 47 catches for 300 yards with one touchdown. A shoulder injury seemed to slow Lynch down during the second half of the season as he only managed two touchdowns in the teams final seven games. Jackson had 130 carries for 571 yards with three touchdowns and added 37 catches for 317 yards.

A loss of touches and a three game suspension to start the season will hurt Lynch’s value some, but he is still a very good fantasy footballrunning back and should be drafted as a RB2, you just have to make sure you are prepared for the first three weeks without him. Lynch ranks No. 15 on the Bruno Boys Running Back Rankings. Jackson will have increased value for the first three weeks without Lynch, but the addition of Rhodes will could cut into his workload. Jackson is the No. 46 ranked running back by the Bruno Boys and he should be considered no more then a backup, although he will have increased value the first three weeks. Rhodes has minimal fantasy value at this time, even during Lynch’s suspension.

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Fantasy Football News & Notes (7/17)