The defending champs have in the bottom half of the league for Points For but they've faced the softest schedule in the league so far. That has been enough to elevate Fat Jubas to the top of Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses, as usual. Jubas went 7-6 last year and won the division so it may not take much more for them this season. It's been relatively simple for this team so far this season: score over 100+ and win, otherwise they lose. While quarterback Cam Newton has been hit or miss early on, his main target, TE Jimmy Graham, has been the best non-QB in fantasy -- although Graham's WK6 line of zero points and an injury could be a painful speed bump for Jubas.
Despite a running back stable that includes Chris Johnson, Darren McFadden, and Darren Sproles, it's actually been Knowshon Moreno who has put up the most running back points for this team. His 76.0 points scored as a Juba almost doubles Chris Johnson's 42.8 points. Moreno has elevated himself to the third best RB in the land. Heck, Sproles and Danny Woodhead have both outperformed Johnson and McFadden on the season.
Jubas' passing attack has rotated through deep threats Eric Decker, Vincent Jackson, and early season flash Julian Edelman. Now it looks like Alshon Jeffery could be added to the mix, as he gives Killer Cam another home run target. If Newton can find some consistency and Moreno can keep up his excellent season, the Jubas could soon be on the fast lane toward another Super Bowl appearance.
Philadelphia Phreaks (4-2)
The Phreaks have faced the toughest schedue in the division but have emerged strong. They scored over 100+ in four wins, and got smashed in their two losses -- Buffy put up 149.60 points against them in WK4. Overall however, they are in a great place as they've put up 141.90 and 122.80 so far this season. The trio of Robert Griffin III, Marshawn Lynch, and DeSean Jackson have been stellar. RG3 has been declining a bit recently, but he's still a top option. And Lynch is a top five running back while DeSean Jackson is averaging 17.7 points, good for #3 WR/TE. And now we have Justin Blackmon returning from suspension, totaling 48.1 points in his two games! Behind those two is T.Y. Hilton, who hasn't fully become a fantasy force, but his boom/bust games are perfect as a third receiving option, replacing the fading and aging Anquan Boldin.
It doesn't even matter that Doug Martin and Steven Jackson have been disappointing. Martin's high score this year has been 14.4 points while Jackson hasn't played since WK2. It would be nice if one of them came back to fantasy relevance soon, but the Phreaks aren't hurting for points, and they have a stellar 4-0 home game record. We want to see the Phreaks win a division title so we're hoping RG3 picks it up and Blackmon stays monster forever!
Battle Angel (3-3)It's been a season without drama for Vu. They opened up 0-2 and then righted the ship with a mini two game winning streak. Each of their games have pretty much been decided by the end of Sunday and they've only played one close game -- a 7.8 point loss to Phreaks in WK5. Any team led by Drew Brees will have some explosive moments, but how's the rest of the team stacking up? Well, Reggie Bush has emerged as a top ten running back, with three games of 20+ so far. Even dinged up, he's been the best non-Brees player for Battle Angels by far. Vu's team doesn't have much behind Bush -- unless you like Daryl Richardson, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Willis McGahee, or the recently dumped Ryan Mathews -- so they line up in the run-and-shoot.
Vernon Davis is coming off of a gigantic 180 yard and 2 TD game, but he'll have to have a few more apperances like that to elevate the top end of the this receiving corps. Andrew Johnson has been catching tons of balls, but no touchdowns hur this value. And behind those two it's Brian Hartline, Mike Williams, and a dash of Golden Tate. Keeper Greg Jennings has been a non-factor. We'd like to see Brees surrounded by another great talent, but for now it looks like Vu will just have to keep riding him and trying to stay afloat in freshly competitive Spunky Misunderstood Genius division. Bonus: A 2004 early season look at this division, with Battle Angels on top!
Gang Green (3-3)
I was at Greg's house this weekend when he said, "I have to have the worst fantasy record with Peyton Manning as a quarterback." I mean, seriously. Manning has been averaging 39.1 points per game, and even taking out the gigantic 64.9 point WK1 game, he's still averaging 34.0 points. The Greenies are leading the division in scoring but some of that is a mirage as they put up an impressive 163.1 points in WK5.
With Peyton throwing touchdowns just about every time he backs up, it's been a bonanza for his tight end, Julius Thomas. He's overtaken fellow breakout candidate TE Jordan Cameron and he's currently #10 on the WR/TE rankings. And let's not forget Brandon Marshall, how's been in double digits in five of his six games, with three huge games. Marshall is pushing to be a top five WR/TE shortly. And there's even more behind them, as Hakeem Nicks and Mike Wallace have had their moments too. Plus James Jones, who is hurt but had two twenty point games already. There's a strong argument to be made here for Greg having the best WR corps around.
And his running attack isn't horrible. Frank Gore has been steadily serviceable at 12.0 points per game. Of course, first overall pick David Wison has been a gigantic flop but it looks like Stevan Ridley is ready to return to action. That can only add to a Greenie attack that shouldn't need much more to get some more wins. After starting off 1-3 -- yes, even with Peyton -- Greg's team has two nice wins under their belts and could easily take that streak much further.
Fobsters (2-4)Well the good news is that the Fobsters should eclipse their three wins from last year. The bad news is that they're still in last place. After losing their last seven games last season, Jimmy's team isn't exactly showing us much fight. If anything, they're worse. They're currently the worst offensive team in the league and thus their league average PA has been enough to send them packing often. They've only gotten past the century mark once this year -- a thrilling 114.7-113.1 WK4 win over Gang Green -- and that doesn't bode well for their remaining matchups.
The problem starts up top, as Tom Brady hasn't been his incredible self. He's averaged less per game than luminaries such as Ryan Tannehill, Andy Dalton, and Alex Smith. Jimmy would have been better off just starting Tony Romo from the start, as Romo has been averaging 27.5 points to Brady's 18.9 points. Romo is the starter now, showing us that Jimmy has ceded the point. This team has a huge hole at running back, as first rounder Lamar Miller has flopped hard, and Joique Bell isn't the answer now that Reggie Bush is back. The hope is that rookie Eddie Lacy's recent flashes, on the strength of twenty-three carries in his past two games, will give Fobsters some semblance of a running game.
The receivers here are have been good. Dez Bryant actually leads Fobsters in points scored -- by quite a bit -- and Jordy Nelson and Antonio Gates aren't too far behind. Nelson has actually been the fourth best WR/TE and he's been in double digits every game he's played. Dwayne Bowe is having an off year, as he likes to do, but as a fifth option, slotted behind rookie Kenbrell Thompkins, he can just rot. Assuming Romo gives this team a jolt of energy and Lacy comes through, Fobsters isn't so far behind that they can't make a push. However, they need to start stringing some wins together soon or it's another Toilet Bowl for them!
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