Were it not for a recent WK6 loss, Eric’s team would be undefeated and laughing hard at all the other teams around them. Instead, they’ll just have to settle for having the best fantasy player in the land, sophomore running back — and last season’s playoff hero — David Johnson. While some breakout players are just a flash in the pan, Johnson has just put up back-to-back 30+ games and there’s no question he’s here to stay. When will he get a proper nickname though?
One man does not a team make though, and Jubas is getting a solid season from last year’s disappointment, CJ Anderson. His teammate, Emmanuel Sanders has had some huge games too, and he joins Mike Evans and Alshon Jeffery as a solid receiving corps. In fact, this whole team is solid, from starting lineup to bench, as there’s LeGarrette Blount for touchdowns, Sammie Coates to drop/catch deep balls, and Terrance West and James White to add further backfield depth. With a hot Andy Dalton taking over for Carson Palmer, Jubas should feel great about their chances for another Super Bowl appearance after last year’s runner-up finish.
Battle Angel (4-2)
Seems like Vu loves to play close games! Aside from a WK1 and WK6 blowout, all four other games this season have been decided by less than double digits, with both of Angel’s losses coming by around four points. With a little luck, this team could have been undefeated. Clearly, the preseason trade down from their high draft pick has resulted in wins as Jarvis Landry and Kelvin Benjamin have both settled in as low end WR1s. That’s perfectly fine because the Drew Brees to TY Hilton connection has been marvelous and responsible for 32.3 and 15.4 ppg, respectively. This 2-11 2015 squad has already doubled their win total from last year!
And don’t look now but running back Christine Michael has finally emerged from fantasy sleeper land to post 24.1 / 17.5 / 21.8 points over his last three games. If Jay Ajayi can build off his huge WK6, Battle Angel could move away from a four receiver set, but for now it’s an open air attack. There’s also some nice young receivers waiting in the wings — Will Fuller, Stefon Diggs, Travis Benjamin — even if none of them have been overly consistent so far. Also, should anyone ever draft a Lions rookie running back again? Ameer Abdullah is on IR again...
Philadelphia Phreaks (3-3)Much like Dracula, the Phreaks find their power at home, as they are 3-1 on their field, and despite a negative PF/PA rating, are batting 0.500. Our hearts go out to another lost season of Keenan Allen, who looked so good for about fifteen minutes. Without him, the receiver corps has been a little unsteady as Brandin Cooks and Allen Robinson have been kind of boom-bust, but maybe recent free agent pickup Cameron Meredith will help fill that void — since Sterling Shepard has cooled off.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota had a rough first month but has tossed six TDs in his last two games and could have found his groove. Behind him, the running game looks okay, with Devonta Freeman time sharing to top eight RB success, and maybe Spencer Ware can add some consistency to his two huge weeks. We’ll see what happens to the run game when Doug Martin returns to action next week. For now, the Phreaks remain a bit of a mystery, as they can’t get all their pieces firing at once, and haven’t put up 100+ points since the opening week of the season.
Gang Green (2-4)
Our defending division champs are having a rough go of it. On top of a tough schedule, they’re sorely under talented. Well, that’s not true, but this brew of new and old could be working better with more depth. For example, Derek Carr is the #6 QB (but he’s been on the bench behind Blake Bortles until last week), Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Crabtree are the #7 and #11 ranked receivers, and Lamar Miller is a top ten running back. Plus kicker Dustin Hopkins and Broncos defense are both top notch.
However, after all that top ten or better goodness is Mark Ingram and Brandon Marshall, who are ranked in the low-twenties for their positional rankings. So there’s a bit drop off in depth there. We gave Gang Green an “A” grade in their draft, and Carr and Crabtree have obviously worked out, but rookie Derrick Henry can’t get going, and Allen Hurns has topped double digits just once. The entire team seems to be trending downwards and Greg will need to find some emerald magic as the schedule is about to get much much tougher in the next month.
Fobsters (0-6)There was once a time when Fobsters went winless for the entire season. Will Jimmy’s team repeat that inglorious honor from 2006? I mean, it doesn’t help when the entire team has only put up 100+ points once, and is facing the toughest schedule in the league, with a PA of 120.9 points against them. And in all fairness, this team has been decimated by injury, as they’ve cycled through seventeen players started already. Seventeen!
The heavily injured so far: rookie gem Corey Coleman, Dez Bryant, the since cut Eric Decker. Plus a smattering of other nicks from other guys. The run game has been quite good though, as Carlos Hyde and Melvin Gordon soak up touches and pound in touchdowns, even as they don't get much yardage. Shout out to the tubby corpse of Eddie Lacy, who can’t get past double digit points this year.
At least Jordy Nelson and Marcellus Bennett have been decent, and maybe Mike Wallace or Anquan Boldin can continue to barely hold the fort until Bryant’s return. The big hope for Fobsters NOT going winless is that Tom Terrific has returned, and he’s here to slay, with 39.7 and 37.0 points in his two games back. If Fobsters can catch some scheduling luck, they should be a top contender for the Toilet Bowl, since that’s exactly where they’re headed after this horrific start.
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