Busts of 09

[xPattonx]

When we look back at this season which players will we be talking about as the biggest busts of the 2009 fantasy football season? Here is my list of guys that could bust out this year.

 

1. Chris Johnson: has recently dubbed himself "Every Coaches Dream"...umm.. OK.. When players start acting like diva's (especially a sophomore one) I start to get worried.

 

2. LT: Maybe we'll look back and say ''we should have know better of course LT was a top 5 pick".. but I think we are more likely to look back and say we should have learned our lesson when guys like LJ and Shaun Alexander were going at the end of the 1st/2nd rounds late in their careers. The majority considered them a bargain pre draft. The majority was very wrong.

 

3. TJ Housh: I must admit I'm still undecided as to whether or not he will be a bust but I do know this. He benefited greatly from Ocho's presence on the other side. He will now see double coverage regularly. Maybe i'm wrong but I think Hasselbeck is a downgrade and I don't think Deon Branch will have quite the same effect of drawing coverage.

 

4. Micheal Turner: I'm still drafting him if I get the chance so calm down. I just want to point out that he did carry the ball over 370 times last season. For those unfamiliar with "the curse of 370", look it up, There is a ton of data that suggests it's a very bad omen. I'm giving Turner a pass in my mind for one reason. Last year was his first carrying the load.

 

5. TO:... unless Trent Edwards has some serious upside I don't know about.

 

 

6. Reggie Wayne: Maybe I'm imagining things but he looked like he had lost a step to me last season. Yes, I owned him so I'm very familiar with his stats. Grab Anthony Gonzalez if you can. Even if I AM imagining things Gonzo blows up.

 

 

7. Matt Cassel: Will be drafted as a starter in 10 team leagues. I'm betting he won't be a starter in 16 team leagues.

 

 

8. Roy Williams: Excuses, excuses. He's all out of 'em and now he's in the spotlight just like he wanted. Beware of what you wish for.

 

 

 

Honorable possible bust mention: Thomas Jones, Matt Forte, Tony Gonzalez, Steve Slaton, Ravens defense and others.

Edited June 29, 2009 by xPattonx

[Brentastic]

Good list, I agree with most of it.

 

I don't agree with Reggie Wayne being a bust and actually consider him the safest WR in a re-draft.

 

LT being 30 is expected to be sub-par, so I think the call of him being a bust isn't really going against most people's opinions. I think LT has one good year left and will have a very good year, although I can see him falling off for good this year too. I'm on the fence with LT.

 

Finally, I am on the fence with Turner although I'm leaning on the side of him being a top 5 RB this year. I can see it both ways though and it wouldn't surprise me either way. You can't argue with the stats of RBs who get a lot of carries, so I hear ya there.

 

Everyone else, I fully agree with your views and will avoid them all this year. Good post.

[Donutrun Jellies]

I was thinking exactly the same thing about Chris Johnson the other day -- especially with Lendale paying attention to his diet at the moment.

 

As a Steeeeler fan, here's hoping you're right about the Raven's defense. :-)

 

I'm not sold on Dwayne Bowe being ranked as highly as he is, but I don't think he's been good long enough to be a bust if he disappoints.

 

I think Marion Barber maybe a bust for many, as they're drafting him without much consideration for FJones and Choice in the mix.

[RJV]

Love that list, I agree totally with your picks, but being a philly homer I need to add Westy. If you are comparing stats from past years, Westy needs to be on this list as well. Sure he will have a ok season but the injuries he accumulated over the past 2 years has done him in. He may have 2 years left and then the McCoy era has begun.

 

If he is there in the 3rd round, grab him, but for a 1st round or even a 2nd I wouldn't even dream of it unless you intend to use a 6th or 7th round to take McCoy as a handcuff.

[Someone]

I actually think that LT has one more good year left in him.

 

I think that he'll be undervalued this year.

 

People complained about his performance last year but he ended up with more than 1,500 total yds and 12 TDs.

 

I'll take that!

 

He was so good for so long that we got spoiled.

 

We won't see 2,300 total yds or 31 TDs from him ever again but with his toe healed I think that he'll be great as a late 1st round pick.

 

 

 

Also, couldn't agree more with your assessment of Roy Williams. He will NOT be on any of my teams this year.

[WashingtonD]

That's a lot of busts! 8 marquee players getting called bust is a pretty bold statement. I'm interested in hearing who you think was a bust last year?

 

LT isn't getting drafted like a top 5 RB right now, so holding to that status might be a bit unfair. That said if you pick him up anywhere after that I think he'll perform just fine. I also believe he's got another good year left in him (let's not forget he wasn't all that bad last year).

 

I think TO will be successful in Buffalo...but we're talking about a guy that most folks are only expecting to put up WR2 numbers...his days of WR1 are past him. I'd be shocked if he didn't put up solid WR2 numbers though.

 

Reggie Wayne will put up Reggie Waynesque numbers this year...Solid WR1, AGonzalez will have a very good year as well, plenty of balls to go around in the Colts offense.

 

I agree with - Turner (He'll be good, but not live up to expectations), CJ (prima donna and a sveltening Lendale White in a contract year to deal with), Housh (never been THE guy, will be interesting, maybe not a bust candidate, but a risk/reward guy for sure), Roy Williams (straight Bust), and last but not least Cassel....

 

Cassel has got Scott Mitchell written all over him. A guy that was successful in a powerhouse offense, despite often looking absolutely clueless in the pocket and making some bad decisions that his extremely talented WRs saved him from. With almost no running game, weak protection, and only one legitimate star target in KC, he's in for a very, very, very rough season.

 

From your honorable mentions I'd promote Thomas Jones, no chance he repeats his stats of last year, or really even approaches them...he's older, he's got more competition, he's got no passing game to protect him.

 

WashD

[49erAddict-08]

I agree with a lot of your choices, however, I disagree with LT. Could he be a bust? Absolutely. But I think he is too talented to just fall of a cliff (ie. Shaun Alexander). While we will never see the LT from 2006 again, I think he could have one to two more explosive years left in him. But even if he doesn't, I expect his stats to taper off more like a Marshall Faulk, Curtis Martin, or Emmitt Smith rather than be a complete bust.

[0-16 Again]

My top Bust choices are:

 

Slaton

C. Johnson

Cassel

Housh

D.Williams

 

Not saying any will be terrible but don't feel they will live up to draft stock

[Wpob]

My top Bust choices are:

 

Slaton

C. Johnson

Cassel

Housh

D.Williams

 

Not saying any will be terrible but don't feel they will live up to draft stock

 

What do you consider a bust year? I have CJ in a dynasty league and feel he will put up numbers similar to last year. If that is a bust, I'll draft him each time in the middle of round #1.

[Crazysight]

Have to disagree on Cassel. Despite K.C.'s struggles to win ballgames last year, Tyler Thigpen put up very solid fantasy numbers with that offense. Cassel doesn't really lose much from what he had last year in New England as far as his receivers go. Both Bowe and Bradley are quality number one and two receivers (though Bowe needs to drop fewer balls), and although they don't compare to Moss/Welker, its noteworthy that Cassel's production last year didn't weigh very heavily on the Moss-bomb in the first place, and in KC he will also benefit from the production of a star tight end, which he didn't have in N.E. He might take a bit of a hit on the runninggame and pass protection, but he is a very mobile QB so it shouldn't be that bad.

I don't know what games you were watching to say that his decision making ability was bad. As a Pats fan who watched all his games I can say it was anything but, especially down the stretch when N.E. won its final 4 games of the season only to be jipped out of a playoff spot at 11-5. He also led the team to a thrilling last minute drive against the Jets only to watch the team lose its last game in week 13 on a coin flip and the defenses inability to stop Favre in O.T. Had the Pats pulled that one out they would have won the division plus had a bye with a 12-4 record headed to the playoffs.

It's probably also noteworthy to consider new head coach Todd Haley's history when it comes to the passing games of team's that he's been on:

"Dwayne Bowe figures to be the main beneficiary of the Todd Haley hiring. Analysis: Keyshawn Johnson, Marty Booker, and Terry Glenn recorded their best seasons with Haley as receivers coach while the Cardinals boasted three 1,000-yard receivers under his playcalling in 2008. Bowe, a Top-10 talent, is primed to use Haley's influence as a stepping stone to a breakout season."

Edited July 13, 2009 by Crazysight

[fitzkek]

What do you consider a bust year? I have CJ in a dynasty league and feel he will put up numbers similar to last year. If that is a bust, I'll draft him each time in the middle of round #1.

+100

Don't really get the analogies. Just because you don't like someones attitude, doesnt' mean he won't produce on the field. Last time I checked a prima donna doesn't automatically lose its speed.

Edited July 13, 2009 by fitzkek

[irish]

When we look back at this season which players will we be talking about as the biggest busts of the 2009 fantasy football season? Here is my list of guys that could bust out this year.

 

1. Chris Johnson: has recently dubbed himself "Every Coaches Dream"...umm.. OK.. When players start acting like diva's (especially a sophomore one) I start to get worried.

 

2. LT: Maybe we'll look back and say ''we should have know better of course LT was a top 5 pick".. but I think we are more likely to look back and say we should have learned our lesson when guys like LJ and Shaun Alexander were going at the end of the 1st/2nd rounds late in their careers. The majority considered them a bargain pre draft. The majority was very wrong.

 

3. TJ Housh: I must admit I'm still undecided as to whether or not he will be a bust but I do know this. He benefited greatly from Ocho's presence on the other side. He will now see double coverage regularly. Maybe i'm wrong but I think Hasselbeck is a downgrade and I don't think Deon Branch will have quite the same effect of drawing coverage.

 

4. Micheal Turner: I'm still drafting him if I get the chance so calm down. I just want to point out that he did carry the ball over 370 times last season. For those unfamiliar with "the curse of 370", look it up, There is a ton of data that suggests it's a very bad omen. I'm giving Turner a pass in my mind for one reason. Last year was his first carrying the load.

 

5. TO:... unless Trent Edwards has some serious upside I don't know about.

 

 

6. Reggie Wayne: Maybe I'm imagining things but he looked like he had lost a step to me last season. Yes, I owned him so I'm very familiar with his stats. Grab Anthony Gonzalez if you can. Even if I AM imagining things Gonzo blows up.

 

 

7. Matt Cassel: Will be drafted as a starter in 10 team leagues. I'm betting he won't be a starter in 16 team leagues.

 

 

8. Roy Williams: Excuses, excuses. He's all out of 'em and now he's in the spotlight just like he wanted. Beware of what you wish for.

 

 

 

Honorable possible bust mention: Thomas Jones, Matt Forte, Tony Gonzalez, Steve Slaton, Ravens defense and others.

 

I've also read or heard all of these players talked about as potential busts elsewhere on the innerwebs. I can certainly agree that they have risks or issues that could hold them back. I bolded the statement about Cassel because he is not being drafted as a starter in 10-team leagues. Here are the Top QBs in no certain order- Brees, Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Rivers, Warner, McNabb, Romo, Schaub, Ryan, Cutler, Palmer and Big Ben. So looking at that list, Cassel isn't even being drafted as a starter in 12 team leagues. Cassel is a low-end #1 in larger leagues- 14 teams+ and is an upper end backup on 8-12 team leagues but not a starter in 10 teamers.

[tonorator]

i don't see a bust with slaton. all the conditions that contributed to his success are still there and he came on stronger as the season went on. very happy to nab him early in the 2nd round.

[irish]

i don't see a bust with slaton. all the conditions that contributed to his success are still there and he came on stronger as the season went on. very happy to nab him early in the 2nd round.

 

My comments were meant about his main list of players rather than the honorable mentions. I am also a fan of Slaton and would be thrilled to land him in the early 2nd round.

Edited July 13, 2009 by irish

[GoNads]

and Bradley are quality number one and two receivers (though Bowe needs to drop fewer balls), and although they don't compare to Moss/Welker, its noteworthy that Cassel's production last year didn't weigh very heavily on the Moss-bomb in the first place, and in KC he will also benefit from the production of a star tight end, which he didn't have in N.E.

 

 

Who is the star tight end in KC that will benefit Cassel? I believe the guy you're referring to may be in a Falcon uniform now!

[fantasysleeper]

My BUST of the Year has to be Cedric Benson, CIN RB

 

Though running backs coach Jim Anderson says that Benson’s attitude

and work ethic have been terrific since signing with the Bengals, I

still call him out as this weeks bust. Number one, he’s just not

fast enough, Number Two, well sorry to say it but his work ethic

and attitude have never had a positive impact on his play have

they? And Number Three, Cedric Benson has got a 2-year contract now and to me that’s gonna

make him a little too comfortable for my liking.

 

 

www.fantasysleeperdraft.com

[tonorator]

My BUST of the Year has to be Cedric Benson, CIN RB

 

Though running backs coach Jim Anderson says that Benson’s attitude

and work ethic have been terrific since signing with the Bengals, I

still call him out as this weeks bust. Number one, he’s just not

fast enough, Number Two, well sorry to say it but his work ethic

and attitude have never had a positive impact on his play have

they? And Number Three, Cedric Benson has got a 2-year contract now and to me that’s gonna

make him a little too comfortable for my liking.

 

 

www.fantasysleeperdraft.com

 

a bust is someone that doesn't live up to their draft position. most drafts have benson going in the middle rounds which is about where he belongs.

 

and stop spreading spam.

[fitzkek]

My BUST of the Year has to be Cedric Benson, CIN RB

 

Though running backs coach Jim Anderson says that Benson’s attitude

and work ethic have been terrific since signing with the Bengals, I

still call him out as this weeks bust. Number one, he’s just not

fast enough, Number Two, well sorry to say it but his work ethic

and attitude have never had a positive impact on his play have

they? And Number Three, Cedric Benson has got a 2-year contract now and to me that’s gonna

make him a little too comfortable for my liking.

 

 

www.fantasysleeperdraft.com

 

That is a poor poem. None of the lines even rhyme.