Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

There are many harsh words in the English language. Words that can make you cringe! Words that can even make you cry! But, to the Fantasy Football Fanatic, BUST is the worst word of all! BUST, defined by Dictionary.com is, “A state of bankruptcy.” A state of bankruptcy, they say?  A state of panic and grief more like it! Do you really want to go bankrupt on your draft picks? The Bruno Boys are sure that you don’t. So instead of winging it, flipping a coin or doing a wasteful game of Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Moe, why don’t you do what you know is right? Why not do what you know is best for your team? Trust on the Bruno Boys!

We are about to provide you with vital information so you know who will be the busts at the running back position for the 2009 season of fantasy football.  This is information that can help you out immensely on your way to dominating your draft! After all, this is a position that you really can’t make a flub on. And that is why we are proud to present the 2009 Bruno Boys Running Back “Bring Out the Pepto” Rankings. 

Ranking System: The higher the “Bring out the Pepto” ranking, the more likely a player is to bust.

Jamal Lewis (Cleveland Browns) — Never having been one to be a star when it came to touchdown production, his output came crashing down to a total of only four last season. That is discouraging considering that in 2007 he finally combined for double digit touchdowns for the first time since his only other season of double digit touchdowns in 2003. That is a huge reason that he heads this list. In fact, if not for his 2,066 rushing yards that he had that year most people would consider Lewis only an afterthought, but those numbers just jump off the paper. And that is why year after year fantasy football players are fooled.

And while he does have a few cupcake defenses to go against this year, he is not going to be worthy of that RB2 slot that he will be drafted into in most deeper leagues. In fact, eight of his starts will be against pretty solid rush defenses while he has only six starts in which we realistically feel he has a shot at putting up a possible 100 yard, 1 TD game. Plus, the Browns head coach Eric Mangini thinks highly of both Jerome Harrison and James Davis so don’t be surprised if they cut into his workload as the season goes on.

PEPTO BOTTLES: 6 BOTTLES

Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints) — Due to injuries the past few seasons, Reggie Bush has been a major disappointment in the fantasy football world. In fact, he is better known for his off the field tactics in which he had been dating Kim Kardashian (they recently broke it off). Just how bad has Bush been? Well,  he has failed to put up a combined 1,000 total yards or 6 touchdowns in either of his last two seasons and has missed 10 games during that span. This is not what we call getting it done from the 2nd overall pick in the 2006 draft

This year there is plenty of opportunity for Bush to be a bust once again. As they say, what have you done for me lately? Well, that doesn’t necessarily apply to this New Orleans Saints running back who three seasons ago was widely projected as the next start in the NFL. Because so many people won’t let the hype die down there are fantasy football players year-after-year who will spend a higher end RB2 value pick on Bush only to see him produce more as a RB3 or RB4. Unless you are in a PPR league you shouldn’t consider Bush as an option unless you are targeting him as a Flex pick or RB3/RB4. 

Unfortunately for Bush, other than the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams, the Saints do not have a very favorable running back schedule.

PEPTO BOTTLES: 5 BOTTLES

Thomas Jones (New York Jets) — What a season Thomas Jones had last year for the New York Jets. He put up over 1,500 total all-purpose yards and had a combined 15 touchdowns as well. So why do we have him on this list? There are several reasons to be honest. 

First of all Jones will no longer have opposing defenses focusing on Brett Favre’s rocket arm. With him moving on, the defenses will be able to focus more on the Jets rushing game which will really hurt Jones’ value. As we said though, that is not the only reason as to why we feel Jones’ will see a decrease in production this season.

Secondly, having come off the type of season that he had last year there will be people in almost every league that will draft him based on those numbers. He did it in 2008, why not 2009? Well, because last year was in all likelihood a career year. Last year was the first year that he had ever combined for double digit touchdowns and to make things worse, he is expected to start losing time to rookie running back Shonn Greene and you can’t forget about the speedy play maker Leon Washington. 

Don’t be the guy that overspends for Jones in hopes of a repeat season. For those that had him in 2008 congratulations and a well appreciated season facilitated out of it. For those that didn’t own him and are hoping to cash in this year, you won’t. The stars are not aligned properly for Jones to have a RB2 type season this year unless you play in deeper leagues and even then the question marks remain.

PEPTO BOTTLES: 4 BOTTLES

Derrick Ward (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) — Brought to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the off season to shore up their walking wounded running back duo of Earneest Graham and Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward will have a slew of mountains to climb to be able to warrant the excitement that he may bring on draft day in fantasy football leagues. Projected as a late RB2 or early RB3 in deeper leagues, Ward definitely comes with some concerns.

First of all, while playing for the New York Giants, Ward played in only 51 of a possible 80 games, having started in only 8 of those due to Brandon Jacobs being banged up. And while he is a yardage machine when he gets the ball in the open field, Graham, not Ward, will be the likely beneficiary of some solid goal-line work. Plus, year in and year out the Giants’ have one of the best offensive lines in all of football and this will be a downgrade heading to Tampa Bay. This shouldn’t be a huge impact, but it will be harder for Ward to escape through openings on a regular basis.

Finally, the Buccaneers also do not have a very favorable schedule when it comes to their running game, so all Buccaneers running backs, not just Ward, are ones that you may want to consider avoiding this season.

PEPTO BOTTLES: 3 BOTTLES

Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots) — There has been so much disappointment revolving around Laurence Maroney that you would think he is an aging veteran. He isn’t, as this is going to mark his fourth NFL season, the same as Frank Gore. Yet for this reason he will given yet another shot at a roster position in almost every single league and like normal, the odds are stacked against him to produce compared to his draft position.

One may think that there is not a named starting running back in New Englans so Maroney has a shot at getting some serious carries. That simply isn’t true with Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris being part of the mix and the Patriots’ going on record saying they will use their running backs according to the situation. There are even rumors that Maroney could see some time returning kicks this season. While that is not a definite scenario, it is one that should open your eyes and ears that he isn’t going to be an every down running back.

While Maroney does have the talent to possibly become a solid contributor in the fantasy football world, we here at the Bruno Boys are not expecting it and we highly recommend you stay away from him on draft day.

PEPTO BOTTLES: 2 BOTTLES

DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers) — When it comes to the 2008 season, DeAngelo Williams ranks up there with a select few as the MVP’s for the fantasy football season. In fact, his 1,636 combined yards and 20 touchdowns were a huge reward for all that drafted him. And while he will be drafted very high in leagues this year, don’t expect him to approach those numbers.

Let’s not forget that the Carolina Panthers drafted a kid by the name of Jonathan Stewart just one year ago. With Stewart being a bit banged up, Williams was able to benefit from added play. This year will be a little different. If Stewart is healthy enough, he will be worked into they system even more. Stewart was no slouch as he played in all 16 games and ran in 10 touchdowns.

Williams will once again enjoy a fine NFL season, but that doesn’t always translate into fantasy football greatness. Continue to depend on him to be a solid contributor during most weeks, but remember that no two-seasons are alike, and this season may prove to be one in which Williams value dips more into reality (10-12 touchdowns).

PEPTO BOTTLES: 1 BOTTLE

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See More ‘09 BUSTS:  QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF

See More ‘09 SLEEPERS:  QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF

Cheat Sheet RANKINGS:  QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF

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The Bruno Boys have once again teamed up with Commish Kit to sell their fantasy football draft boards. In fact, the 2009 draft boards are available for purchase and you can pick one up by clicking here… http://brunoboys.commishkitstore.com.

Remember to spread the word and get your DRAFT KIT today!

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