Week 9: Out with the Old, In with the New Nov 7, 2009 | More

Welcome to Week 9 of the Brew Crew Corner. Out with old and in with the new. It’s a phrase that comes from an old Scottish clan back in the 1500s but it still hold true today, especially in the NFL where players such as Edgerrin James, Joey Galloway and Chris Chambers have been let go while new comers such as Percy Harvin, Hakeem Nicks and Knowshon Moreno are the hot rookies right now.

The phrase can also relate to your fantasy team, as in getting rid of the players you drafted that you are not performing for new players that will contribute. Dropping an Eddie Royal to pick up a Ryan Moats, for example. There isn’t a lot of time left in the season so you have to make your adjustments now and win as many games as you can. The bye weeks will be over next week so teams will have all their players, including you.

Teams off on the bye week: Bills, Browns, Vikings, Jets, Raiders, Rams

Top 10 QBs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Tom Brady 29.5
2. Drew Brees 25.3
3. Tony Romo 25
4. Aaron Rodgers 24.7
5. Matt Schaub 21.3
6. Brett Favre 20.3
7. Carson Palmer 20
8. Ben Roethlisberger 19
9. Joe Flacco 18.5
10. Peyton Manning 18.5

Top 10 RBs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Maurice Jones-Drew 38.5
2. Ray Rice 33.5
3. Chris Johnson 28
4. DeAngelo Williams 27.7
5. Thomas Jones 25.3
6. Adrian Peterson 24.7
7. Cedric Benson 23
8. Steven Jackson 22.3
9. Steve Slaton 19.7
10. Ricky Williams 19.5

Top 10 WRs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Wes Welker 31.5
2. Miles Austin 26.5
3. Reggie Wayne 26.5
4. Randy Moss 24.5
5. Chad Ochocinco 24
6. Marques Colston 22.7
7. Vincent Jackson 21
8. DeSean Jackson 19
9. Larry Fitzgerald 18.3
10. Sidney Rice 18.3

Top 10 TEs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Vernon Davis 22.5
2. Owen Daniels 18
3. Dallas Clark 15
4. Spencer Havner 14.5
5. Heath Miller 14
6. Jeremy Shockey 13
7. Zach Miller 12.7
8. Tony Gonzalez 12
9. Fred Davis 11.5
10. Tony Scheffler 11.5

Top 10 Ks Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Nick Folk 13.5
2. David Akers 13.3
3. Nate Kaeding 12
4. Steven Hauschka 11.5
5. Matt Stover 11.5
6. Mason Crosby 11
7. Ryan Longwell 11
8. Jeff Reed 10.5
9. Josh Brown 10.3
10. Dan Carpenter 10

Top 10 D/STs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Patriots 21.5
2. Steelers 20.5
3. Cowboys 19
4. Dolphins 19
5. Colts 17
6. Panthers 16.3
7. Chargers 15.7
8. Eagles 15.3
9. Packers 15
10. Saints 15

10 Struggling Players Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Ahmad Bradshaw 9
2. Matt Cassel 9
3. Ronnie Brown 9
4. Lance Moore 8.3
5. Brandon Marshall 7.5
6. Jamal Lewis 7.7
7. Andre Caldwell 7
8. Jake Delhomme 7
9. Braylon Edwards 7
10 T.J. Houshmandzadeh 6.5

The Golden Mug Award
Awarded to the fantasy player who came through for their team.

Chris Johnson - 24 carries, 228 yards, 2 TD. With Vince Young behind center, Johnson’s season can be saved by providing a different type of offense then they were running before. This is Johnson’s second 200+ yard game.

Ryan Moats - 23 carries, 126 yards 3 TD. Prior to this game Moats had carried the ball in one game for 56 yards. With the coaching staff not happy with Steve Slaton’s fumbling, they have given Moats a chance to run the ball but he will not carry the bulk of the load long. I will label him a one-week wonder.

Maurice Jones Drew - 8 carries, 177 yards, 2 TD - MJD is on track to be the fantasy MVP this season and has proven that he earned his Top 3 draft selection this year. He is the offense for the Jaguars.

The Urinal Cake Award
Awarded to the fantasy player who you would like to, well you know.

Mike Sims-Walker 2 catches, 9 yards. In four quality starts he has averaged 99.5 yards with three touchdowns. He returned with just nine yards. With Jones-Drew running wild, you would think the play action would be there and that the passing lanes would be open.

Shonn Greene - 8 carries, 18 yards; 1 lost fumble. Green was a big waiver wire pick up last week after he ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns, so many people used him in replace of Leon Washington as either a flex or a bye week fill in only to receive nothing in return. He was a prime example why some players are on the waiver wire to begin with.

Brandon Marshall - 4 catches, 24 yards. Marshall was thrown to eight times but had a hard time finding yards against the Ravens defense. He has another tough matchup this week against the Steelers.

MATCHUPS

The matchups I like this week for QBs:

Aaron Rodgers against the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers have allowed the third-most passing touchdowns (with 16) and have nine plays of 40+ yards. That is second only to Kansas City, who has allowed 10. The Bucs give up 214 passing yards (15th). With Green Bay ninth in passing offense, this will be a good game for Rodgers to air it out.

Philip Rivers against the Giants. The past few weeks have not been kind to the Giants defense as they have been scored on in bunches. Even though they are third in the league in passing yards allowed with 165, they have given up 12 passing touchowns and 22 plays over 20 yards. The secondary has been hurt by injuries and the Chargers are getting this team at the right time of the season.

Matt Hasselbeck against the Lions. This is the only week I am endorsing Hasselbeck. He has been up and down and will eventually get hurt again. So start him, rack up the points and then trade or dump him. The Lions have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns (with 18) and are giving up 251.9 passing yards (27th).

The Matchups I like this week for RBs:

Maurice Jones-Drew against the Chiefs. As one of the top running backs in the league, Jones-Drew gets a taste matchup where he can continue to rack up the yards. Kansas City is allowing 132.1 rushing yards (26th) with six rushing touchdowns given up. The Chiefs also allow 25.9 points per game, setting up for plenty of scores.

Frank Gore against the Titans. This season Titans are allowing 30.1 points per game, which is last in the NFL. They are also allowing 112.4 rushing yards (18th) with seven rushing touchdowns. Gore ran well last week and finished with 134 total yards with a 64-yard touchdown. The Titans have given up an 80-yard run this season and have surrendered three plays for 40+ yards, most in the league.

Clinton Portis against the Falcons. The Redskins season is a mess but there is still time to win some games or at least knock some teams out of the playoffs. The Falcons gave up 146 yards last week and 116 the week before. They are allowing 121.7 rushing yards (27th) with five touchdowns. The Redskins coming off a bye have had two weeks under the new play calling to get thing in order.

The matchups I don’t like this week for QBs:

Kyle Orton against the Steelers. Orton and the Broncos passing game had a tough outing against the Ravens and now find themselves in a conference matchup against the Steelers, who are allowing 214.4 passing yards but have given up just nine touchdowns. The Steelers are holding opponents to 18.4 points per game (seventh).

Matt Schaub against the Colts. The Texans are third in the league with 282 passing yards, but the Colts are tight on passing defense with 180.1 passing yards (seventh) and lead the league with only three passing touchdowns given. Look for the Colts to jump out early, forcing Schaub to make bad throws into coverage.

Jake Delhomme against the Saints. The Panthers won last week but it wasn’t because of the passing game. Steve Smith did get his first touchdown of the season but the run game and the defense is what put Carolina ahead. When a quarterback like Delhomme has 13 interceptions thrown goes up against a team that leads the league with 16 interceptions, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Be afraid Jake; be very afraid.

The matchups I don’t like this week for RBs:

Ronnie Brown against New England. It’s usually against the second half of the season when the Wildcat isn’t effective as it was early in the year. Although the Patriots give up 109.4 rushing yards (15th), they have allowed just one rushing touchdown all season. Look for New England to shut the wild cat down and make the Dolphins play catch up through the air.

Brian Westbrook against the Cowboys. This NFC East game features two division foes who are 5-2. These games are either high scoring or defensive battles. I’m going with the defensive battle this week. Also, Westbrook has been dealing with a concussion so I won’t be counting on him playing well this week. He faces a Dallas defense that is allowing 105 rushing yards (13th) with just three rushing touchdowns.

Matt Forte against the Cardinals. Forte has been up and down all season and this is a game where he will struggle. The Cardinals defense prior to last week has played the run well. They are allowing 96.3 rushing yards with five rushing touchdowns.

Good luck to everyone in Week 9.

Cheers!