Evans World 2009 - Week 9

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So, on to Week 9 ...

YOU'VE GOT TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT
I firmly believe in momentum in Fantasy Football. Sports writers and play callers use it all the time within games and in seasons. It's certainly true on the Fantasy side as well. By this point, teams are figuring out who their star players are and focusing their teams around them. Did the Cowboys expect Miles Austin to become the star he is? Maybe, but probably not near to the degree he has become. Mendenhall versus Parker, Sproles vs. Tomlinson, Rice vs. Harvin, Moss vs. Welker (okay, maybe not those two). As we move into the final weeks of our regular season, I think we can all easily point to the 3-4 players on each of our teams who are the stars. Normally, this would put them on the trading block. But, since this is the last week of trading make sure you keep the stars you want and get the stars you need. Tom, Rob, Mike ... I'm talking to you here. Let's see some trades!

Why do I talk about momentum, you ask? Look at my team the last few weeks. My players are becoming less and less of stars. Do I regret trading away Larry Fitzgerald? Yes, I do. Do I worry about my stars continuing to put up big points when I need them. Yes, I do. I think only Nathan can rest comfortably with his current lineup. The rest of us have cause for concern and room for improvement.

I ALSO HEARD GEORGE W. BUSH VOTED FOR AL GORE IN 2000
Looking at my matchup against Berk this week I've got to ask something ... if you vote (and I'm glad you if you do) why NOT vote for your own team? Both Mike and Berk voted for their opponents this week and yet they both won. Is this some secret strategy they have? Some karmic means of assuring their own victories through selfless acts? Surely not. Do you see any head coach or team leader in pre-game interviews say, "Yeah, I don't think we're going to win this one." in the hope the Gods will look down upon them and reward them? Nay, I say, nay. Winners want to win. Mike, Berk, I applaud your honesty and your willingness to vote as you see the matchup playing. But, I've got to say whatever trash talking you do against your opponent is pretty toothless after that.

WHAT'S 100 POINTS BETWEEN FRIENDS?
Huge week for Kevin. For those of you keeping track, Kevin's 99.74 point margin of victory against Tom is the NEW record for League Biggest Blowout. Congrats, Kev! Kevin said it best Monday night. "Tom, we both set the record." As it so happens, Tom set a record of his own. Tom's 34.44 points is now the league record for lowest total points in a week. Ouch, definitely not Tom's best week in Fantasy Football. I think he's checking to see if Priest Holmes will come out of retirement to save his ass.

YAHOO! PROJECTED ZERO POINTS FOR THREE OF TOM'S PLAYERS
I'll freely admit, I pay attention to the Yahoo! projected points. After reading some of the articles that Yahoo! sports writers post during the week, I've come to the conclusion that they have some fairly stout analysts working for them. So, when choosing my lineups each week or voting for a winner in a matchup, I look at the projected points for players and teams. Now, I can honestly say (and I'm sure everyone in this league would do the same) my final decisions are based on my own analysis and instincts. But, when I see Nathan score 118.19 points when Yahoo! projected 118.32, I think, "Yeah, there is some value in projected points." Would I use them to decide which team to bet $$$ on? That's what I've got my Ouija board for.

AND THE WINNER OF THE TOM WENDEL LINEUP AWARD GOES TO
In case you were wondering, Rob reminded himself at least three times this weekend to login and check his lineup. Each time, he forgot due to work, family and other things. For some reason, I just can't rag on him as much for missing the chance to get his lineup in. Besides, it's way more fun to pick on Tom who missed the musings all week long on Westbrook missing the game YET AGAIN.

KURT WARNER, BENCH WARMER
Speaking of setting lineups, I'm sure Angi is writing a terse letter to Kurt Warner and/or Lovie Smith this week. Remember when (not so long ago) you were reluctant even resolute not to play someone against the Bears defense? Not anymore this season, that's for sure. I think the Packers-Bears game later this year will be VERY different from their first meeting ... not in the outcome, mind you, but more in how far ahead the Pack will get early on against a defense that has lost any semblance of structure. Regardless, Warner sat on Angi's bench, perhaps because of those same concerns we've all been accustomed to for so long. Unless your player is playing in Chicago on a cold, windy or snowy day, I say start 'em.

IT'S MEGA-CHRIS! HE'S GONE FROM SUCK TO BLOW!
For the life of me, I can't figure out whether Chris has a good team or not. One week, he's awesome. The next, sucking the ditka. The next, awesome. I swear, if I didn't know for sure he's going to lose in the first round of the playoffs, I might get a little worried.

Now, I could say the same thing about Tony's team. Did I speak too soon by saying his players were going to let him down? I'm not ready to concede just yet that Tony has a solid lineup going into the latter part of the season, but I think he's got to feel good about the lineup he posts each week. If he could just get L.T. to play up to his potential ... good call starting Julius Jones. Hands down, my favorite start of the week.

OH WHEN THE JOEL COMES MARCHING IN
As go the Saints, so goes Joel. Looking ahead at the Saints schedule there's going to be a shitload of points coming from New Orleans. I for one am glad I don't have to play Joel again in the regular season.

REMEMBER WHEN MCGAHEE WAS A FIRST-ROUND PICK?
I hate to say it, Gary, but McGahee was a bomb in that trade. Yes, he put up big numbers early in the season, but it's safe to say that the Ray Rice show is in town and it's here to stay (I believe Nathan is thrilled with that low-risk gamble). At this point, I can only hope that your lineup produces a win for you in Week 11 when you play Rob and get your first win. Otherwise, you're looking at breaking the record for longest losing streak.

NEWS FLASH! HELL SETS RECORD LOW AS TOM CHECKS HIS E-MAIL
Tom has the week off folks and we are encouraging him to take advantage of the final week of trading to define his team for the rest of the season. Send him a trade request and then text him to remind him to look at it on the site and not wait for his e-mail (it's having problems). Text him at 871-8445. Just a reminder, Tom, Portis is doubtful for Week 10 and it's unlikely that Westbrook will be back. Plan accordingly.

THIS WEEK'S HAIL TO THE FORGOTTEN PLAYER
I have always been a fan of Chris Chambers, going all the way back to his time in Miami. He was never the Welker-type of WR, but he sure came through in a pinch. This weekend he proved that he still has a contribution to make this season. Assuming he stays healthy and fit, I see him as a pivotal piece in the rebuilding of the Chiefs' WR corps over the next year. With luck, he'll be like Cris Carter was to Randy Moss back with the Vikings, and Dwayne Bowe becomes a marquis WR to Matt Cassel.

GREAT GOOGILY-MOOGLY!
Speaking of the Chiefs, it's about time they dumped Larry Johnson. I can see him landing in Cleveland or New England or maybe Cincinnati now that they've lost Chris Henry. Wherever he lands, he will play hard and help the team (not Fantasy owners) as long as he keeps his big mouth shut. By now, even he should recognize he is the Ricky Williams type of back who will never achieve the godhood that was expected of him in his early years. I really don't think Charles is the best back for that offense. They need someone better at catching the ball. Not a lot of good RB's are going on free agency this spring, so we'll have to see what they decide to do.

MY GREEN BAY PACKER OBSERVATION FOR THE WEEK
Wow, did they phone that game in or what? I'll admit, I missed the first half. I saw ZERO energy or drive in that second half from either offense or defense. I could go back to that whole momentum discussion above and point out that Tampa Bay slowed them down with the pressure on Rodgers and the big play of Josh Freeman. I think they went into that game thinking it was already in the bag. They sure played like they were already thinking they had the win and were as surprised as the rest of us when they lost.

MY SECOND GREEN BAY PACKER OBSERVATION FOR THE WEEK
I am happy that Ahman Green is the new all-time leading rusher for the Pack. While he never won a championship, in the best of the Mike Sherman years Ahman made me proud to be a Husker and a Packer fan. I thought it was great that the first person who congratulated him on Sunday was Edgar Bennett, the RB coach, who was the premier back when I first started cheering for the Pack in 1992. Bennett was a tough RB in the old "Black and Blue Division" and was the best coach for Green to have. I'll be honest though, I half expected him to fumble the ball on the play that put him over Jim Taylor.

YOU CAN THANK ME ANYTIME
Yes, I know this is an NFL Fantasy Football blog, but if Nathan gets to make comments about Miami in our league, I can certainly take a moment each week to honor the Huskers.

Saturday night, the Rileys were kind enough to give me and Mike Riley their Husker tickets. Thanks to us and the incredible cheering of Section 34, Oklahoma was forced to commit 2 false starts and take 2 timeouts on our end of the field. We did our part to assure that victory. It's the first game I've been at where the crowd has such an impact. It was a blast!

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK 10
Big matchups this weekend between Joel and Kevin and Tony and Nathan. Do I see a huge shift in the rankings? Probably not, but I would love to see Tony beat Nathan and keep him down with the rest of us. If nothing else, a loss at this point would kill some of his momentum (see a theme for this blog yet?). As I've said before (and the Commish agrees with me), every playoff spot is in contention at this point and probably still will be in Week 13. Gary, I'm sorry, but I'm going to force you to tie your record this week.

Thanks for participating in the blog this week. I'm hoping to bring back some of my weekly awards (and oh, so many candidates for the Lawrence Phillips Award this year) and get to talk more trash than ever before. Please post your comments below and keep checking back each week. Good luck to all in Week 10!