WEEK 9 BULLS AND BEARS

We are officially past the 2009 Season’s halfway point, and it’s about time for some Fantasy teams to hit the panic button.  If you are currently towards the bottom of your league, you need to make some major adjustments, and the sooner, the better.  A good strategy to pull off a dramatic comeback is to gamble on some players who have performed poorly in the first half in hopes of them turning things around.  Also, take note of players’ schedules in the upcoming weeks.  I typically do not consider a player’s schedule in the preseason, but if you are in a desperate situation, you need to explore every option available.

Here are your Week 9 Bulls and Bears:

WEEK 9 BULLS

Kurt Warner, QB Arizona Cardinals:

Line: 22/32 for 261 Yards, 5 TDs 0 INTS

Recommendation: SELL; Warner is likely coming off of his best game of the season.  If someone in your league is hurting for QB help, now would be an ideal target to sell Warner at a premium.

Jay Cutler, QB Chicago Bears:

Line: 29/47, 369 Yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

Recommendation: SELL; Depending on whether you have Cutler as your QB1 or QB2 dictates what you should do with him.  If he is in your backup role, you should definitely sell following this game (unless your QB1 is injury prone, like Matt Schaub).

Michael Turner, RB Atlanta Falcons:

Line: 18 Carries for 166 Yards and 2 TDs

Recommendation: HOLD; If Turner is on your team you either A.) drafted him in the top 3, or B.) gave up a whole lot in a trade.  When you acquired Turner, you expected this kind of output from him.  I expect him to keep this momentum through the rest of the season as he will justify his high draft pick.

Chris Johnson, RB Tennessee Titans:

Line: 25 Carries for 135 Yards and 2 TDs

Recommendation: HOLD; Johnson has put up HUGE numbers during the Titans’ two game winning streak.  With VY under center, the team appears fully committed to establishing the run in order to open up things in the passing game.  We are getting to that point in the season where a player’s true value is revealed, and Johnson has established himself as an elite back.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR Arizona Cardinals:

Line: 9 Recs for 123 Yards and 2 TDs, 14 Targets

Recommendation: No Recommendation; What you decide to do with Fitz is entirely circumstance based. If you have depth at receiver and are weak at another position, then trading Fitz might be the right choice because of the value you can get in return.  However, if you are strong at other positions, the Fitz can give you consistent production for the WR position, and you would be crazy to trade him.

Mike Sims-Walker, WR Jacksonville Jaguars:

Line: 6 Recs for 147 Yards and 1 TD, 8 Targets

Recommendation: BUY; Sims-Walker is clearly the number 1 WR in Jacksonville.  He has had some feast-or-famine type of games this season, but can be relied on as either a WR2/3.

Greg Olsen, TE Chicago Bears:

Line: 5 Recs for 71 Yards and 3 TDs, 7 Targets

Recommendation: BUY; Olsen finally broke out of a season long slump to score 3 TDs.  If you have had an injury to your starting TE (i.e. Daniels or Cooley), then Olsen may be an attractive alternative.  Hopefully this is a sign of Cutler and Olsen developing better chemistry.

WEEK 9 BEARS

Donovan McNabb, QB Philadelphia Eagles:

Line: 16/30 for 227 Yards, 1 TD 2 INTs

Recommendation: SELL; Hopefully McNabb is not your best QB option as I am not convinced of his consistency.  If I had depth at another position, I would consider creating a package to upgrade at your QB position.

Joe Flacco, QB Baltimore Ravens:

Line: 18/32 for 195 Yards, 0 TDs 2 INTs

Recommendation: BUY; Overall, Flacco has played better than his ADP this season.  The Bengals’ defense has played very strong this season, especially against the pass.  I consider performances like this to be an outlier for Flacco.  If you are struggling to find consistent QB play, Flacco could be an attractive option.

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB San Diego Chargers:

Line: 12 Carries for 22 Yards, 0 TDs

Recommendation: SELL; Quote me on this: LaDainian Tomlinson will not be playing in the NFL in 3 seasons.  The sudden decline in performance reminds me of Shaun Alexander.  I would trade LT for just about anything of value,  and I would not start him in any 12 team league.

Ronnie Brown, RB Miami Dolphins:

Line: 15 Carries for 45 Yards, 1/2 Passing with 1 Passing TD

Recommendation: BUY; The Patriots appear to have the Dolphins’ number in regards to defending the Wildcat.  Brown was able to gain a TD, albeit via the pass, but he only averaged 3 Yards per Carry.  I would not worry about Brown’s, or the Dolphins’, ability to run the ball against any opponent.

Calvin Johnson, WR Detriot Lions:

Line: 2 Recs for 27 Yards, 9 Targets

Recommendation: BUY; Although he was able to play for the first time in several weeks, Johnson was not able to be very productive.  The good news is that his health will only continue to improve, and he did still receive 9 Targets.  Johnson has the ability to be a huge contributor to your Fantasy team, and this could be the time to get him on the cheap.

Roddy White, WR Atlanta Falcons:

Line: 3 Recs for 27 Yards, 5 Targets

Recommendation: BUY; The Redskins were able to shutdown the Falcons passing game.  Unfortunately (for Redskins fans) they could not stop the run game.  It was an all around bad game for White, but he should be more productive in the remainder of the season.

Todd Heap, TE Baltimore Ravens:

Line: 3 Recs for 28 Yards, 4 Targets

Recommendation: SELL; Already a borderline starter in most leagues, Heap should be outright dropped.  There are plenty of other options at TE this season, but Heap should not be one of them.

Thanks for checking out the Week 9 Recap! Do you agree or disagree, let me know what you think! Who are your Week 9 Bulls and Bears? Please comment below.