Fantasy Football Week 16: Weekly Words

With week 16 nearly in the books, bringing fantasy football leagues across the country to an end, it’s the perfect time to look back on this 2008 season and examine some of what we’ve learned, and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing in the Week 16 edition of the Weekly Words.

No Learning Curve For Rookies: It used to be that rookies had to adjust to the NFL game; thus, their first years would be one filled with growing pains, placing them on the riskier side of fantasy plays.

However, with the years that Matt Ryan, Matt Forte, Steve Slaton, Chris Johnson, and many more have had, rookies have proven that they can be counted on immediately for fantasy purposes. Keep that in mind when looking at the 2009 rookie class during next year’s fantasy draft.

Later Rounds Lead to Big Pay Offs: Check the scoring leaders for any of the big positions and you’ll quickly notice that the big names taken early on in your fantasy draft are not the ones dominating. Rather guys like DeAngelo Williams (selected 87th on average) and Roddy White (66th) are the ones excelling. So be sure not to take those late rounds lightly next season because you may just be able to find a diamond in the rough.

Running Backs Return to Position of Dominance: Heading into week 16, 11 running backs had put up more points than the top wide receiver, Andre Johnson. Last year, it appeared wide receivers were set to level the playing field with running backs in regards to fantasy importance.

In 2008, though, running backs fought back and reclaimed their position of dominance in the world of fantasy football. Drafting running backs early will once again be the theory of choice in fantasy drafts next season.

LaDainian Tomlinson is Human: While he’ll still finish the year with respectable numbers, averaging double digit fantasy points per game, LT’s 2008 season has definitely been a down year, disappointing those owners who selected the Chargers’ back first overall.  For the first time in a long time, LT’s name will not be in the debate for who to take first in 2009.

Burner Turner is Starting Material: While backing up LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner intrigued fantasy owners as the back would show glimpses of his fantasy potential. Well, the back was able to tap into that potential this season while starting for the Atlanta Falcons.

Heading into week 16, Turner had over 1,400 yards rushing to go with 15 TDs on the season, numbers that had the back sitting number one among fantasy runners. For the 2009 season, he could be number one again, this time off fantasy draft boards.

Megatron is Mega-good: Despite playing for the hapless Lions and dealing with a quarterback merry-go-round, Calvin Johnson was still able to put up one of the better fantasy seasons this year for a wide receiver. No doubt if you desire to secure his services next season, and who wouldn’t, it’s going to come at a higher price than the 62nd draft pick he cost on average this season.

There is Life After Tom Brady: With super stud quarterback Tom Brady going down within the first quarter of week one, all looked loss for both the New England Patriots and those fantasy owners who had drafted the Patriots’ quarterback.

But, the Pats have survived and remain in a tie atop the AFC East thanks to the superb play of back-up Matt Cassel, who has 3,615 passing yards on the year to go along with 21 passing TDs. Cassel has also kept those Brady owners lucky enough to snag him off the waiver wire afloat in their fantasy leagues.

Pay close attention to where Cassel ends up in 2009 as the quarterback heads into free agency with a nice resume in hand. If he lands in the right spot, Cassel could once again make for a solid fantasy quarterback option in 2009.

The Next Generation of Quarterbacks Have Arrived: Yes, the old arms are still getting the job done as Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, and others all contributed to both their NFL and fantasy teams, but 2008 also revealed that the next generation of quarterbacks is coming into their own. Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, and Aaron Rodgers lead the group as all three reside in the top 10 among fantasy quarterbacks, all with well over 200 fantasy points.

Guns and Sweatpants Don’t Mix: While this is a lesson New York Giants’ wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, had to learn the hard way, we are lucky enough to just learn from his mistake. Keeping a gun in the band of your sweatpants can lead to a bullet in your leg, especially when dancing in the club.

Fantasy Football Owners Can Do Better Than NFL GMs: Though ousted as the Lions’ GM when the team was just 0-3, it appears Matt Millen will be successful in his goal of compiling the worst team in NFL history as the Detroit Lions, who still reflect Millen’s poor decisions, are just one loss away from 0-16.  So, as long as you have one win in your fantasy season, give yourself a pat on the back for compiling a better unit than that of an NFL GM.

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