Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

How many times after a failed fantasy football season do you look back and wonder, what happened to my team? I drafted well, heck I even made a couple good pickups. The problem you likely had lies within this column, as the Bruno Boys bring you the Top 10 injuries of 2009. You may have only had one of these guys listed below, maybe two or three, but if you didn’t have the depth or good replacements on the waiver wire, your team likely limped through the fantasy football season. On top of the injuries, we will fill you in on the guys who replaced them and if those injured stars can come back in a big way in 2010.

1. Clinton Portis, RB, Washington Redskins: Portis missed the final eight games of the season after he suffered concussion on November 8th against the Atlanta Falcons. The problem with the injury was that many believed Portis would be coming back, as the Redskins waited an entire month before putting him on injured reserve. His season was not productive, with only a single 100-yard rushing game and one touchdown. His injury helped fantasy football owners pick up Ladell Betts, who played well before his season ending injury. That then opened the door for Quinton Ganther, a player on many championship rosters that excelled in the final weeks of the season. It’s hard to say what Portis’ role will be under new head coach Mike Shanahan (who traded Portis when he was in Denver) but one things for sure…you will want to keep a close eye on what Washington does at the running back position for 2010.

2. Brian Westbrook, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: Westbrook also suffered with concussions, but he ended up getting two, which led to the seasoned veteran having one of his least productive seasons of his career. On the year he only found the end zone twice and only had one game where he had over 100 total yards. The main benefactor to Westbrook going down was rookie LeSean McCoy, but he never really lit the world on fire. That may have been partially due to the Eagles throwing the ball all over the field, but McCoy was not utilized enough in the offense. Perhaps he can be a bigger impact player in his second season, where he should steal more carries from Westbrook. As always though, the rumor mill is churning with the possibility that Westbrook gets moved, so make sure to pay attention to the Philly backfield this offseason.

3. Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions: You may be wondering why Johnson makes this list, as he finished the season strong and only missed almost all of three games with hand and knee injuries. While he likely played hurt and was constantly doubled and sometimes triple teams, Johnson also had to deal with not having quarterback Matthew Stafford in for a lot of games. That resulted in a terrible season for such a high draft pick, with only three 100-hundred yard games and five touchdowns. Obviously there was no one on the team for Detroit who could help alleviate the pressure off of Johnson, a matter that will need to be addressed in the offseason so their most explosive player can have a productive year for his team and fantasy football owners. Although he missed less than 25 percent of the season, Johnson continued playing through injury and his numbers in 2009 reflect that.

4. Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins: Brown was having such a productive year before being put on injured reserve, where he had four games with over 100 total yards and eight touchdowns in nine games. Any thoughts that Ricky Williams would steal a lot of touches were erased out of people’s minds (although Williams did see the field). Then a right foot injury sidelined Brown for the rest of 2009, leaving the door wide open for Williams to take charge of the Miami backfield. While he did take advantage of the opportunity, it shows that in 2010 the Dolphins will still be a running team that will lean on both rushers and give them ample touches to be fantasy football worthy. The biggest question with Brown though is if he will stay healthy, something he has had trouble with in his entire career. If you like to roll the dice, Brown could be a good gamble at a low cost come draft day. 

5. Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders: After being everyone’s sleeper pick to start the season, McFadden was a big bust in 2009. He injured his knee back in Week 4 that caused him to miss four games. That led to Justin Fargas and Michael Bush getting a more prominent role in the offense and forcing a three headed rushing attack upon McFadden’s return. Through 12 games played, McFadden broke the 100-yard mark once while scoring only a single touchdown back in Week 2. While McFadden obviously has the most talent of the three running backs on the Raiders roster, it remains to be seen how valuable he can be until the coach keeps him in for most of the offenses snaps. McFadden will probably be hyped up again this offseason, as being a sleeper pick with a ton of potential but let me warn you now, Oakland has yet to commit to a single back system and its doubtful they will ever do so.

6. Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Indianapolis Colts: Talk about a travesty. Gonzalez was hurt on the first snap of the first game for the Colts offense in 2009 and never saw the field again. After spraining ligaments in his right knee, it was said that Gonzalez would only miss about six weeks and come back following Indianapolis’s bye week. That left fantasy football owners thinking they should keep a hold of the Colts wide out and he’d be a great guy to plug in when he comes back. But fantasy owners continued to wait and wait and Gonzalez never returned to the field. Indianapolis placed him on injured reserve before Week 16, which burned fantasy owners. On top of that, many believed the success of both Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon would be short lived due to Gonzalez coming back, but both players had their moments of greatness throughout the season and gave a huge boost to those who added them early on. In 2010 it will be interesting to see how Indianapolis handles all their pass catchers. It’s likely the team will keep them all, which means the Colts passing game could be down right scary with Gonzalez, Collie, Garcon, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark. The problem for us fantasy owners is projecting which wide receiver will have a big game. One thing is for sure, quarterback Peyton Manning is looking like the crown jewel of the quarterbacks going into your drafts this fall. 

7. Willie Parker, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers: The players say you should never lose your starting job due to injury, but that is exactly what happened to Willie Parker of the Pittsburgh Steelers. A turf toe injury sidelined Parker for two games in Weeks 4 & 5 and his backup Rashard Mendenhall stole the show. Mendenhall filled in for Parker against the San Diego Chargers in Week 4 and exploded for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. From then on, it seemed Parker was now the backup. His fantasy football value diminished from there and he was never able to reclaim his role, as Parker found the end zone one time and went for over 100 total yards once as well (both happening in Week 2 when he was the starter). Parker is now a free agent and it is doubtful he will come back to Pittsburgh, as Mendenhall is the starter and Parker was never happy being a backup. Keep an eye out on what team scoops up Parker, as he may still have a little bit of burn left on his tires but he does come with injury risk. As for Mendenhall, a lot of people may overvalue him and if you look back on 2009, the Steelers loved throwing the ball and they made no changes to their offensive staff. That means quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will once again be making the calls and slinging the ball around the yard. 

8. Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit Lions & Steve Slaton, RB Houston Texans: Two players who came into the season with a lot of promise after strong rookie campaigns were big flops in 2009. Both players finished the season on injuried reserve, Smith to a torn ACL and shoulder injury and Slaton to a shoulder injury. The biggest problem for both teams is that they did not have an ample replacement who could provide steady numbers for their teams rushing attacks. That leaves the rumor mills thinking that both Houston and Detroit will look to find new running backs for 2010 and both Smith and Slaton will be in a timeshare at best. Don’t buy into the rumors quite yet. While those respected teams may try to find a solid backup, both Smith and Slaton will just be entering their thirdseasons and can be electrifying at times. There is no way these players will be sitting on the bench, especially with both of their teams having other needs to address. Keep an eye out on the movement made by both Detroit and Houston in the offseason, but buy low right now on both Smith and Slaton for next season. 

9. Owen Daniels, TE, Houston Texans: After a slow start to the year, Daniels began to really heat up for his fantasy football owners and the Houston Texans before being lost for the season with a knee injury. He suffered the injury early against the Buffalo Bills in Week 8 and proceeded to miss the following eight games. Houston had no other pass catching option from the tight end position, which limited how much the offense could do. There is no doubt that Daniels still has a big role in the Texans 2010 plans and unless Houston decides to add a ton of weapons outside, you should continue having success with Daniels as a fantasy football tight end.

10. Chris Cooley, TE, Washington Redskins: Here is a tight end who had a capable backup to fill in and it leaves his situation cloudy for 2010. Cooley, who broke his ankle in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles, thought he’d be able to make a comeback this past year. Unfortunately things did not go as planned and that allowed Fred Davis to step in and perform at a high level. Before the injury, Cooley was having a down year as he never had over 100 yards receiving and only scored two touchdowns. Davis didn’t fare much better in the yards department, but did score six touchdowns on the season. New head coach Mike Shanahan might realize that with poor wide outs their could be a need to have two good pass catching tight ends and keep both of them, but since Cooley and Davis potentially could cancel each other out, it’s hard picturing either of them putting up outstanding years in 2010.

The Top 10 injuries of 2009 is brought to you by Greg Warnock. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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