Wisconsin Rapids Bro League
Bro...
Mid-season has come and gone and this feels like a crucial make-or-break week for many players that have struggled in unfamiliar territories as it pertains to their fantasy futures. Trust me when I say that none of us have been immune to these under-cooked servings of fantasy entrees as even at 6-3, The Rule of Law is still hanging on to players like A.J. Dillon and Trevor Lawrence that weaker willed owners would have pulled the plug on weeks ago for steadier performers like Kirk Cousins or James Robinson. What can I say? I'm an upside guy and despite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage. Even as the league's best winner through nine weeks, Alec still has some questions for his 7-2 team. Questions like "why can't MY Chicago Bears decide between using up every ounce of David Montgomery's legs in a contract year or moving on to efficiency beast Khalil Herbert?". RB Josh Jacobs is no longer on the tear he was on for the first month or so of the season and the only reason Alec eeked out a victory over Andy's team this week was because I didn't pick up Justin Fields like a dolt. The Tax Paying Homeowner might be doing okay in a week or two if he sticks to his guns in Chicago but, I'd be seeking trade partners and splitting up either the Bears' backfield and/or the Niners' wideouts (Deebo Samuel & Brandon Aiyuk) for a better RB to make up for the ground lost when Jacobs doesn't average 2 touchdowns a week. As for the other division leader, Cole Walters had been the clear WRBL 2022 favorite before again getting swept away by high tide into cold waters just in time for the temperature drop we're supposed to be experiencing right now. There's not necessarily a fear of having to rely on Tua Tagovailoa as a QB1 presently but, anytime the league's QB1 (Josh Allen) goes down with a completely unprecedented injury (UCL issues that make him week-to-week?), it's supposed to severely hinder one's championship odds just based on principle. Otherwise, there's very real optimism after a 9.8-point loss to Gabe (but really, just Joe Mixon) that newest Viking TE T.J. Hockenson has found a perfect role fit for him to enter the Darren Waller (once healthy) - Zach Ertz - George Kittle tier of Tight Ends in a truly woeful season for the position as a whole.
The only thing worse than being good and seeing troubles on the horizon is being bad and just clearly able to blame certain "stars" staring at owners in the face every week, just tempting us to bench them the week they go OFF (just look at this season's new Benchwarmers of the Week feature!). Jaime Sparkes had all the worries in the world for Alvin Kamara being a total waste before his first three touchdowns in week 8, now Sparky is being forced to watch WR Michael Pittman Jr. attempt to catch passes from the greatly overmatched QB Sam Ehlinger. It's a good thing Austin Ekeler and Kamara are targeted as often as they are through weak play-calling or else, Here Dad Weights would be weighed down by the team's lack of touchdowns and the Steven Nett Division would be Cole's easily. The other two rookie bros, Gabe Stoltz and Brett Weinfurter are discovering the ugly truths of fantasy football that the August preseason hyped somehow cleanses our brains of every year too. Brett's hovering around .500 (4-5) with his two Chargers missing their season goals thanks to WR Keenan Allen missing all but two games and QB Justin Herbert struggling to throw deep thanks to poor coaching and early-season broken ribs. If that weren't bad enough, Kyler's Study Buddies have had to clear out their WR depth chart with Ja'Marr Chase now out indefinitely. Gabe's had similar yet more significant struggles in part due to the pairing of new Bronco QB Russell Wilson and his go-to deep threat (who has six catches in the last calendar month) WR Courtland Sutton. The #1 pick has once again proved to be a cursed position in the draft as RB Jonathan Taylor can't stay on the field and is now facing game-script issues with the Colts always trailing, further hindering his odds for RB1-level productivity in Stoltz's far-from-electric backfield.USA TODAY Sports
Hockenson caught all nine of his targets for 70 yards in his Viking debut after Detroit traded him (along with two picks) at the NFL's Trade Deadline for two draft picks.
When asked for a comment on who hindered his team's performance the most thus far in 2022, owner Nick Zurawski was surprisingly honest and said "Najee Harris". The sophomore running back out of Alabama was a workhorse who didn't know the meaning of the word "share" last year when noodle-armed Ben Roethlisberger needed a safety blanket and the bruising rookie back was always open for short dump-offs, producing RB1-caliber numbers on a weekly basis. Outside of the previously mentioned Taylor, there was no more reliable fantasy running back in 2021 than Najee Harris. Now? With Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett scaring zero defenses and inconsistencies a plenty among the receiving options, the Steelers run the least explosive offense in the NFL and Harris is facing eight men in the box more frequently behind a pretty poor offensive line. He's Trent Richardson with better hands this season and Nick seems to have finally pulled the plug after a 3-6 start in favor of waiver add and rookie RB Travis Etienne. Like much of the league however, I'd say Nick is still a bit perturbed by Darren Waller's "week-to-week" hamstring injury suddenly turning into an IR-stint FOUR WEEKS after injuring himself. Will the Waller trade ever really pay off? Speaking of payoffs... Who slipped Nathaniel a big stack of money to go 2-7 this year? He has WR2 Cooper Kupp, video game character Kyler Murray and yet EVERYBODY ELSE IS DRAGGING HIS TEAM TO HELL. It's like Halloween every week with no reliable RBs, George Kittle being constantly overshadowed by his Niner teammates and the mess that has been WR D.J. Moore's season. The only thing worse than all that is that Hoefs continues to insist on rostering JuJu at the same time as he calls his team "Yeezy Taught Me". Feels moderately hatecrime-y and as the person to notice this, I think I should be re-rewarded JuJu Smith-Schuster. Mazeltov!
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| Hero of the Week: RB Joe Mixon (Stoltzya's Electric Orcas) |
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