Pure Fantasy Week 7

Week Seven: I Wasn't Wrong About Chris Johnson...

Pure Ramblings

If you ever went back in time and had a conversation with a 14-year old version of myself, you would find that there are many things that I swore I would never do: like horror movies, listen to country music, date a Red Sox fan, bungee jump and intentionally wake up before 11 a.m. Were a few of them. Another was playing any fantasy sport but football.

However, as time goes on, you find yourself changing. And as you change, you find out that there are many things that you would do that you never thought you would. The Halloween after my 14th birthday, I watched Wes Craven's Scream, and have been hooked on horror movies since then. This summer, I started listening to country music. At age 16, I started dating a girl whose family were traditionally Boston baseball fans, and kept right on dating her for two years. Now, as I write this column from San Jose, Costa Rica, I currently plan on bungee jumping, and my daily wake up time is 7 o'clock for breakfast.

And this past week, I joined my first fantasy basketball league. One of my good friends messaged me and asked me if I was at all interested in giving her a hand in helping her draft her team. I, a sports fan who has only been closely following NBA basketball for a couple years, agreed. A whole draft later, I wanted to do it again. So I drafted my own team in a free ESPN league the day after. I'm excited to see if fantasy basketball can hold my interest and expand my NBA know-how the way that fantasy football has made me more knowledgable about the NFL. If you follow basketball, feel free to let me know how I did.

The freshly dubbed “Scalabrine United” squad consists of CP3, Tyreke Evans, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol, Brook Lopez, Tony Parker, and Luol Deng, with a bench consisting of Klay Thompson, Mo Williams, Spencer Hawes, Thaddeus Young, J.R. Smith, and Gustavo Ayon.

I'll try and mention my experiences with fantasy basketball as much as possible, but for now here's a review of how my football advice worked out last week:

WR Mike Williams had eight targets against the Saints, but a short trip out of bounds prior to a would-be game-winning catch ensured that he wouldn't pop one in the endzone. His four-catch, 36 yard day was disappointing and pretty infuriating to Williams owners, but Williams is still a good player to have on your roster.

New England RB Stevan Ridley didn't do wonders against the Jets, but the Pats' inability to pull away from the Jets meant they abandoned the ground game. Ridley finished with a decent 65 rushing yards.

Bills TE Scott Chandler didn't touch the end zone, and therefore was basically useless if you started him. He finished with two catches for 15 yards, close to useless.Tennessee TE Jared Cook didn't fare much better, catching four passes for 30 yards. They were both, however, better than Minnesotta Viking TE Kyle Rudolph, who failed to even make the box score. Tough year for tight ends.

Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck became the first Colt signal-caller to score two rushing touchdowns in a single game. His throwing numbers were paltry, completing 16 passes for only 186 yards, but those runs vaulted him to a more than decent 18-point day in most leagues.

Dallas QB Tony Romo went a whole game without throwing an interception against the Carolina Panthers. He wasn't exactly elite, but he got the job done, throwing for 200+ yards and a touchdown. He should have had another, but Dez Bryant (who has blown oh-so-many plays for Romo this year) dropped the ball in the end zone. Go figure.

Pure Recap:

Jeez, did I get blasted last week for my perceived “CJ2K Hate.” After weeks of recommending that you do anything in your power to get rid of Titans RB Chris Johnson, he popped a huge one against the Buffalo Bills for 195 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a bonus-grabbing 83-yarder. By the end of the first half, he had already gained 100+ yards, causing my friend Charles to remark, “He's going to get all of his 2K in this matchup.”

This performance, of course, seems to undo all of my warnings against Johnson. However, if you read my columns carefully, you'll notice that I didn't say anything bad about CJ2K, but instead I was wary of the Titans offensive line, who still, as fate would have it, are inconsistent. The Bills defense (described by Charles Barkley as “just TURRible”) provided a better-than-expected matchup, which paved the way for Johnson's huge day. That is to say, I wasn't wrong about Johnson. I just wasn't right. He can be a good-to-great fantasy back with the right matchup. Depends on how his line feels.

Johnson has scored 15, 0, 11, and 31 fantasy points in his past four games after running for just 45 yards in his first three. This doesn't make him the stud you thought he was when you drafted him in the first round, but it makes him a solid #2 running back. Double digits are solid and consistent and a team full of 15-20 point performers will get you farther than a team full of boom-or-busts. I'd much rather have a Chris Johnson than a Vincent Jackson. You just have to remember when playing Johnson—you really aren't playing CJ2K, you're playing his offensive line.

The first real test is going to be in Weeks 9 and 10, when they play the stout run defenses from Chicago and Miami. I wouldn't recommend starting Johnson there, and scroll down to the Pure Advice to see how I feel about him this week.

Pure Advice:

My good high school buddy Connor gave me grief this past Sunday for not mentioning Browns WR Josh Morgan. I will not be remiss to do the same thing this week. He had his third straight solid game, catching three passes for 59 yards and a TD against the Colts. In his past three games, he's scored four touchdowns, and should be on a roster if he currently is not.

Jacksonville Jaguars stud running back Maurice Jones-Drew went down last week with a foot injury, and is expected to miss “significant time”. You know what that means...if the MJD owner in your league doesn't have his handcuff (backup to a stud running back), then go out and snatch Rashad Jennings. This could be the biggest waiver wire pickup of the year.

Other running backs that you should look at due to starter's injuries: Pittsburgh's Jonathan Dwyer, Arizona's LaRod Stephens-Howling, and the Colt's Vick Ballard. All of them had solid showings last week, and could use a home on your roster.

Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers is fickle, and the WR of the week is Randall Cobb. Last week, he caught eight passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns. He's the new James Jones. Pick him up and capitalize on Rodgers' newest trendy wide reciever before he changes his mind.

Halloween recommendation of the week: late-80's/early-90's HBO classic Tales From the Crypt. Featuring a wisecracking, undead host named the Cryptkeeper, and guest appearances from the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christopher Reeves, and Don Rickles, this show has the perfect mashup of horror, comedy, and the macabre that is perfect for late October. Might I recommend the episode entitled “Abra Cadaver”? It's a...scream...*maniacal laugh*....

You might think I'm crazy for recommending this, but I'm liking Philip Rivers against the Browns. After all, you swore never to start Rivers again after his pick-fest against the Broncos. And Cleveland's secondary isn't as much of a laughingstock as you'd think. But I have a gut feeling about this one. Go ahead and start him, and pick on me if it doesn't pan out.

Music recommendation of the week: last week it was MTV's Unplugged, this week it's rapper Kendrick Lamar's new album good kid, m.a.a.d city. Forget about Kanye and Co.'s Cruel Summer, good kid is the best rap album of the year. With a deep theme centered about growing up in Compton, but abstaining from the gang life that permeates the community, Lamar crafted an engrossing tale about living and surviving in an environment while existing on the outside of it. It's the Great Gatsby of rap. No kidding.

Check back next week to see if my advice panned out. Godspeed, and happy fantasizing.