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TOP TEN VALUE PICKS 2009 FANTASY FOOTBALL
Published: July 21, 2009
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Warning.
This is not a sleepers list.
Frankly, I don’t even care for the term when it applies to fantasy football. The player database is too shallow. It’s not like baseball, where legitimate sleepers, or rather, minor league call-ups, seem to grow on trees.
What I’m trying to say is, there just aren’t many names that are going to sneak up on you this season. You know who everyone is, it’s just a matter of how they’ll produce in relation to where you picked them.
I like to use the term “undervalued.” None of the players on this list are true sleepers in my mind, because they will all be taken within the top 100 picks (or so) on draft day.
Just to give an example, the player who ranks number one on this list will likely be taken in the third round. I, however, believe he can return first round value.
Finding value is key in fantasy football drafts. There are so few sure things these days in the top rounds. When you get to the middle-late part of your draft, it’s extremely beneficial to get guys who can outperform their pre-draft ranking.
The ten players listed are all breakout candidates for the 2009 season. It could be due to an increased role, or a second-year jump, but no matter the reason, I love their potential.
Basically, these are guys you want to fill out your roster, on the path to fantasy football greatness.
Carrying the Load: Is Maurice Jones-Drew the New Marion Barber?
Published: July 2, 2009
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He just needed his chance.
He just needed more carries.
He showed amazing ability, in a limited role, and has the pass catching abilities to be an outstanding, all-around featured running back.
And then, he finally got it. The chance to start. The chance to takeover.
What’s written above can easily apply to Marion Barber’s 2008 season, in which the departure of Julius Jones resulted in Barber receiving the No. 1 running back tag in Dallas. In other words, an opportunity to carry the load, and draw closer to 300 carries than 200.
What’s written can also apply, however, to Maurice Jones-Drew’s upcoming 2009 season, in which the departure of Fred Taylor has resulted in Jones-Drew receiving the No. 1 running back tag in Jacksonville.
Do not adjust your monitor. I know this column is starting to sound a tad repetitive.
Honestly though, Barber and Jones-Drew are certainly cut from a similar cloth when it comes to their respective NFL careers. Undersized in stature, yet powerful in size, both players were drafted to become backups, albeit vital ones.
Despite scrapping for third downs and the occasional every down drive, Barber and Jones-Drew established themselves early as touchdown machines.
After scoring five touchdowns in his 2005 rookie year, Barber went on to hit pay dirt 14 and 10 times in the following two seasons, while averaging 4.8 yards per carry, setting up his big transition for 2008. In addition, Barber was continuing to make strides in the passing game, grabbing 44 receptions for 282 yards and two touchdowns in 2007.
Barber’s style was defined by his power, as well as his total disregard for hard contact, and landing on his head. He received the nickname “Marion the Barbarian” and quickly became the more popular back in Dallas, even though Jones started every game.
Similarly, Jones-Drew burst onto the scene in Jacksonville as the heir apparent to Taylor, who quickly grew fame on the goal line. Jones-Drew scored 13 touchdowns in his 2006 rookie year, averaging a robust 5.7 yard per carry. He followed with nine touchdowns in 2007 and 12 last season, all while never amassing even 200 carries on the year.
Like Barber, Jones-Drew also thrived in the passing game, especially last year when he caught 62 balls for 565 yards and a score.
And like Barber, Jones-Drew received the keys to his team’s running game after the starter signed elsewhere. How will he fare this year? It only seems right to look at Barber’s 2008 results, for the sake of all the comparisons, and of course, for the sake of this article.
Barber was hot out the gate last season, scoring five touchdowns in his first three games, while getting the touches everyone was anticipating he’d receive.
Now most analysts will say his season turned after a Thanksgiving Day toe dislocation, which is true for the most part, since Barber was never the same after the injury. Still, if you look closer, at least at his rushing stats, Barber hit a significant wall from Week Four to Nine.
In those weeks, Barber had only one game where he averaged more than 3.7 yards per carry.
In the end, the injury did him in, limiting Barber to just 13 carries in the final four weeks of the season. After scoring seven touchdowns in the first half of the season, Barber scored just twice after Week Eight.
His finals numbers for the year were respectable (885 rushing yards, seven touchdowns, 417 receiving yards, two touchdowns), but not much different from his career averages. If anything, his 3.7 yards per carry was a career low. All in all, it’s hard to say whether the Barber as a feature back experiment worked last season.
What is known; not only is the organization committed to splitting the load with second year RB Felix Jones this season, there is also talk that Jones could start, returning Barber to his role as a dynamic backup. The closer.
What does this mean for Jones-Drew in 2009? He’s the face of this article and not much has been said about him.
Well, while the comparisons I’ve drawn between both players are striking and of relevance, it’s important to note that Jones-Drew is not Barber, and his fate as a starter is not sealed. Their styles are similar, but not prototypical. While Barber attacks more like a tiger, Jones-Drew is less aerial. His style, is more like that of a bull, or rather, a freight rain.
Still, an increase in carries will definitely affect the way Jones-Drew goes about his mission, and at this point, there is one definite factor for success. Health. If he wants to prove he can carry the load, dislocating his toe in November won’t help.
Maybe Barber’s 2008 season weighs on his mind, and maybe, he hasn’t even pondered the thought. Either way, Jones-Drew is getting his chance. It’s up to him whether he wants to join the NFL’s running back elite, or place the onus on Jaguar rookie RB Rashad Jennings to be his new Fred Taylor.
Something tells me Jones-Drew prefers the first scenario.
The 10 Most Intriguing Players of the 2009 NFL Season
Published: June 15, 2009
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So after reading a rather flawed entry to the genre (lets just say it was “overrated”), I decided to compile my first ever Bleacher Report top ten list. The inaugural topic is “Top Ten Most Intriguing Players of the 2009 NFL Season.” There are probably dozens of players who can fill out a list like this, but the ten I’ve selected all bear a significant subplot to the upcoming football season. Some are franchise players for their teams, others are setting up shop with new teams, while one guy on this isn’t even on a team…yet. Before we get started, there are two overly publicized players who will NOT be on this list. Neither of them, in my view, should play one snap this upcoming season, albeit for different reasons. Just to get it out of the way… Michael Vick – As a dog lover, I would like to see nothing else than No. 7 never play another game in the NFL. I was originally a big fan of his, but the crime he committed was simply to heinous for any team’s fanbase to welcome him with open arms. And lets face it, he was already fading drastically as a capable NFL quarterback. Brett Favre – While I’m not as fervent in my disdain for Favre as I am with Vick, his is another story I rather not see played over and over again on ESPN. I know I’m going to come off as a bitter Jets fan, but seriously, who isn’t sick of this guy? His constant, yet calculated, effort to have everything revolve around his washed-up career is simply too nauseating for any football fan to stomach. If the Vikings want to turn camp into “Favre Fest 2009” and potentially mess with the psyche of their future Hall of Fame running back…it’s their funeral. OK, let the countdown commence!
