A Fantasy Season Of Redemption

When fantasy teams were being assembled during the drafts, many players that had legal or contract issues this offseason were avoided as if they were diseased. I took a couple of these players when I was drafting my two teams, due to no other good option and fear of taking players too early. I just want to take this time and highlight a couple picks who have been very productive so far, and a couple other predictions I have. Note that these could be totally jumping the gun, since there have only been two weeks of football played so far.

Cedric Benson
When I took Benson, there were no running backs I was comfortable with at that spot, and I needed another one, only having Matt Forte on my team. So far in two weeks, Benson has vastly outperformed Forte, but that’s an unfair comparison. Benson had the Denver and Green Bay run defenses, while Forte had Pittsburgh and… what? Green Bay also? Why did Forte do so poorly? He got 25 touches for 55 yards, while Benson had 29 for 141. I don’t really have a solid answer at this point, but the fact that a running back who is the butt of jokes being more productive than some of the first round picks so far (LT, Slaton, DeAngelo Williams, Steven Jackson, Michael Turner, Maurice Jones-Drew) is pretty damn impressive. Keep in mind that this is with two weeks’ observation, so I’ll probably look like an asshole next week when all the above running backs named have monster weeks with 150 yards and 2 touchdowns each. For now, I’m enjoying the ride.

Kellen Winslow
This dude’s a fuckin’ soldier. After getting his testicles mangled from some kind of infection, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for draft picks after a pretty mediocre season in Cleveland. He’s been a very big target of Byron Leftwich so far, getting 5 catches for 30 yards with a touchdown in week one, and 7 for 90 with a touchdown in week two. Antonio Bryant has been injured, and the Buccaneers’ wide receivers aren’t very good, so hopefully this kind of thing will continue for the season.

Marshawn Lynch
Everyone’s been hyping up Fred Jackson nicely filling into the hole that Lynch has opened with his suspension, but when he comes back, what will happen? I see split time, and this could turn out fine, or really badly. The Buffalo Bills don’t have to completely rely on their running game, as Trent Edwards and the no-huddle offense has been a good combination for now, with competent receivers in Terrell Owens (yes, he is competent) and Lee Evans. This is a very big gamble, but if you drafted Lynch, probably because you weren’t there and auto-draft gave him to you, you’re hoping he comes back into his first-string spot.

Michael Vick
If you drafted Vick, fuck you. Seriously. You shouldn’t need to draft him. That’s a waste of a perfectly good pick. With Donovan Mcnabb hurt now, and Vick able to come back this week against the 0-2 Kansas City Chiefs, look for him to be snatched up on the waiver wire by desperate teams. You must have had a poor pick at the QB position if you’re resorting to Vick, because I don’t think he’ll be eligible at any other position. Another huge gamble, but it is the Chiefs, so he could have a great game.

That’s all I got. If you have any players who turned out to be pleasant surprises or something like that, just email me or leave it in the comments.