Last week I confessed that my league fees are looking more and more like a donation and surely I’m not alone at this point in the fantasy season. The Fantasy Couch staff has been joking that taking a selfie with my team for this article would be fitting considering my starting lineup of Cam Newton, Doug Martin, Darren McFadden, Julian Edelman, Steve Smith and Charles Clay (I benched Jason Witten who had his first good game of 2014) were all painful to watch in Week 9. This is all more painful because I am the returning champ from last year.
This week we are doing things a bit different and would love to hear your feedback. Instead of me rambling, here is a list of the most disappointing fantasy stars for Week 9.
Top 5 Fantasy Woes for Week 8
1. Jordy Nelson, GB WR
He has been one of this year’s best wide receivers with six touchdown grabs in seven games heading into Sunday’s contest. But Nelson was only targeted on five of Aaron Rodgers’ 39 pass attempts in a loss to the Saints last weekend. They connected on three throws for 25 yards, which was by far Nelson’s worst game of the season.
Nelson owners have nothing to worry about though as he should be back to form after Green Bay’s bye week. It was likely a blip on the radar, as Rodgers looked towards his other weapons like Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and Eddie Lacy on his way to 418 yards through the air. Sometimes the defensive gameplan can take away certain options in the passing game and the Saints were pretty effective in taking away Nelson.
2. Marshawn Lynch, Sea RB
Beastmode has reached 100 yards rushing just once this season and trade rumors were swirling after his lackluster performance against Carolina on Sunday. Although the Seahawks front office supposedly didn’t shop their bruising running back before the trade deadline, one rumor suggested the Raiders were interested. That would have been the absolute last thing his owners wanted as Seattle is scheduled to play Oakland (0-7) this week, the league’s third-worst rushing defense.
The former California Bear finished Sunday with 62 yards on 14 carries with a catch for two yards. It was the goal line-pass that went through his hands before being picked off that sabotaged his fantasy output. Lynch had been mediocre the past three weeks.
3. Julius Thomas, Den TE
The Denver Broncos are averaging 297 passing yards per game this season, which is third-best in the NFL, and Thomas is typically Peyton Manning’s No. 2 option. That was not the case last Thursday when Manning carved up the Chargers for 286 yards through the air and three scores, all going to Emmanuel Sanders. It was the second straight game that Thomas failed to record more than 30 receiving yards and surely some owners are concerned.
Like Nelson, Thomas will be just fine going forward. Rodgers and Peyton alike are masters at taking what the defense gives them even if that means looking the opposite direction of their star pass-catchers. Denver has an arsenal full of weapons at Peyton’s disposal and Thomas has to compete for looks with Demaryius Thomas, the aforementioned Sanders and Wes Welker.
4. Greg Olsen, Car TE
As much as Cam Newton deserves to be on this list, the bigger disappointment on Sunday was the fact he couldn’t get the ball to his formidable tight end. The Panthers’ offense was miserable in putting up just three field goals all game against the Seahawks. Olsen finished the day with just one grab for 16 yards on three targets after catching at least six balls in each of the last three games.
The former Miami Hurricane was a mid-round pick in most drafts and had been playing above expectations in 2014 before last game. Olsen ranks third in targets among tight ends partly because the only other viable receiving threat is rookie Kelvin Benjamin. The amount of targets is a good sign for Olsen owners, but the downside is that Carolina’s offense is more up-and-down than a toilet seat with a similar scent.
5. Joe Flacco/Steve Smith, Bal QB/WR
Both Flacco and Smith were mid to late-round picks in most fantasy drafts this season, but each guy has played above that designation so far this season. But that wasn’t the case in Week 8 when Cincinnati intercepted two of Flacco’s passes and held Smith to three catches for 35 yards receiving.
Flacco only completed 50 percent of his passes (17-for-34) for 195 yards and had an 80-yard touchdown pass called back because Smith was flagged for offensive pass interference. For those Flacco/Smith owners who were watching the game, hopefully you weren’t celebrating too hard like Lamarr Houston of the Bears who tore his ACL after a sack on Sunday. Act like you’ve been there before.
Let us know who your biggest Fantasy Woes were the past week and make sure to tune into this week’s Waiver Wire #AskTheBrain video to avoid as many fantasy woes as you can.
Jordy Nelson top banner photo credit: Gabriel Cervantes
