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Monday Morning Brew: Reflections On Week 9 In Fantasy Football

Ryan Shaw |
November 5, 2012 | 11:20 a.m. PST

Columnist

(Daniel X. O'Neil, Creative Commons)
(Daniel X. O'Neil, Creative Commons)

In "Monday Morning Brew" and "Wednesday Night Hype," I will write a journal of my fantasy football team and my journey through a 12-team league. In "Wednesday Night Hype," I share my thoughts and predictions on the fantasy week ahead, as well as my lineup for the week. In "Monday Morning Brew," I reflect on the choices I made and how well (or terribly) they panned out.

My Starting Team for Week 8:

Record: 5-3

QB - Ben Roethlisberger

WR 1 - Reggie Wayne

WR 2 - Brandon Marshall

RB 1 - Marshawn Lynch

RB 2 - Darren McFadden

TE - Antonio Gates

W/R Flex - Jamaal Charles

DEF: Miami

 

Bench:

Tom Brady (QB, NE)

Davone Bess (WR, MIA)

Kenny Britt (WR, TN)

Donald Brown (RB, IND)

Randall Cobb (WR, GB)

 

Wow. Martin went off for over 251 yards rushing with four touchdowns against the Raiders Sunday. The future looks bright for the rookie with an easy running schedule to finish the season, including an away game at New Orleans on Week 14. There is a real opportunity for Martin to finish off the season strong and he should be considered a top five back moving forward.

As one running back emerges, another submerges. This is the nature of the NFL and of Fantasy football. Darren McFadden has been struggling - struggling being a friendly way to put it. I bought low on McFadden back in week three, and he has for the most remained in low mode. McFadden left the game in the second quarter this week against Tampa Bay with an ankle injury, the extent of which is unknown.

I always thought that at some point, McFadden and the Raiders would figure out a way to turn around the running game. The zone blocking scheme just hasn't worked out. The Raiders just don't have the personnel on the offensive line. It's starting to look like a lost season for McFadden.

I'd caution any merit put on waiver pickups for an Oakland RB if McFadden can't go for next week. There just isn't any room to run, and ANY running back from Oakland is just not a good option at this point.

Marshawn Lynch had another solid week with 122 yards rushing and one TD against a strong Minnesota Defense. Lynch is quietly the second leading rusher in the league right now, and is beginning to find the endzone again to go along with the yards.

Boom and Bust candidate of the year, Jamaal Charles, had a neck injury which landed him out of the game after earning a meager eight fantasy points. The thing is, a lot of this lack of production is not JC's fault. The offense, at times, makes no sense. Jamaal Charles is the most talented playmaker on the team, and last week he only got five touches.

That's just not a smart move if you're the Cheifs and you're trying to win games. Also, it doesn't make sense for the cheifs to abandon the run, even if they are down by 10 or more points. At this point, I'd feel better about Jamaal Charles than Darren McFadden.

Andrew Luck is a top five QB moving into the last portion of the season, given the schedule and his performance Sunday. If you have him on your squad, start him with cofidence over anyone not named Brees or Brady. Maybe even over those guys, too.

I haven't been able to understand why Fantasy experts have not rated Brandon Marshall higher on the week to week ratings. After his 122 yard, three TD performance, Marshall must be considered a top three wideout going forward - even with the tough schedule he faces, starting with Houston next week. The targets are always there with Jay Cutler throwing to him, so he gets at least 5-7 catches per game to work with. This gives him a high floor in PPR leagues. High Floors with Championships.

 

Follow Columnist Ryan Shaw on Twitter here.



 

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