Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

It is time again to take a look at the guys who went above and beyond in fantasy football for Week 17. Join Ryan Hallam, staff writer at Fantasy Alarm, as he chronicles the guys who gave their owners more than they hoped for and likely led them to victory. Also, check back later tonight as he dives into the Week 17 Duds. And if you have any questions for him, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for 2011 fantasy football advice.

Note: All point projections read in this recap are from standard scoring leagues (non-PPR) and are projections made by the Bruno Boys staff

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers – The game was never in question for the Steelers and Roethlisberger absolutely torched the Browns in every way possible. He was 15/22 for 280 yards with two passing touchdowns.  Big Ben also ran the ball four times for another 24 yards.  He had a healthy projection of 15 fantasy points, but did more than that as he led his fantasy teams with a 21 point output. 

Hallam’s Take: It was an interesting season for Big Ben as he missed the first four games of the year, but he still had 19 total touchdowns.  He might not seem like it, but he is an elite quarterback in fantasy football and is no doubt a QB1 that can lead your team to a championship.  He did have seven of his 12 games with just one passing touchdown, but he only had five interceptions all year so he rarely costs you points.  He isn’t Peyton, Brady, or Brees, but Roethlisberger isn’t far behind these guys and should be your starting quarterback.

Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs and Gonzalez came through for his team when they needed it.  He secured six passes for 53 yards, and one of those went for a touchdown.  Gonzalez had a surprisingly low prediction of just six points, but he nearly doubled that as he put up 11. 

Hallam’s Take: His statistics were not anywhere near where they once were, but he still had a pretty good season.  His 70 catches were nice, but only just broke 650 yards and had just six touchdowns.  He is just one of many targets for Matt Ryan and that should always keep his stats less than what they could be if he was the only option, but Gonzalez is still a quality tight end.  He will be 35 when the season opens next year but still has a few good years left in him.  He might not be an elite tight end any more, but he still is definitely a TE1 in 2011. 

Michael Bush, RB, Oakland Raiders – Whenever Darren McFadden is going to miss a game you can usually count on Michael Bush to come through with a big effort.  Week 17 was no different as the Raiders pounded the playoff bound Chiefs on their home field.  Bush ran the ball 25 times for 132 yards and a touchdown as well as four catches for 34 additional yards.  He was only looked upon to score ten points, but crushed that as he was able to tally 22. 

Hallam’s Take: I am not sure what his contract situation is, but he has shown that he is capable of being a featured back in the NFL when he has been given the opportunity.  Unfortunately for him, if he stays in Oakland he will be behind Darren McFadden who proved this year that he is worth the high draft pick the Raiders used on him.  The good news for Bush is that McFadden isn’t the most durable guy in the world and he should get his fair share of carries throughout the season as well. 

Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans Saints – Bush has an interesting role for the Saints and it doesn’t always translate to fantasy success, but on a week when many players were sitting on the sideline he was one of the guys who surpassed expectations.  Bush ran the ball nine times for 70 yards and also had five catches for 55 more yards.  He was only supposed to score three points but surpassed that early in the game on his way to a 12 point day. 

Hallam’s Take: I have never been a Reggie Bush fan, and he will never live up to the expectations that came with him when he was the number two pick out of the draft.  Bush needs the ball in space with a couple of blockers in front of him to be successful.  He is not a straight runner, and he is not someone that is going to run between the tackles.  The only way that I can see Bush having any value is in PPR leagues, and even then it is limited.  He could be someone that you draft at the end of your night, but there are so many options in New Orleans that it is not guaranteed that he will ever be productive.  Trying to figure out when Bush is going to be productive is nearly like picking the winning lottery numbers. 

Jerome Simpson, WR, Cincinnati Bengals –  It has been a great two weeks for Simpson and he finished the season very strong.  Against the Baltimore Ravens Simpson had twelve huge catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.  If it wasn’t for his two lost fumbles he would have scored even more, but he was able to muster 14 fantasy points which was double what was expected of him which was seven points. 

Hallam’s Take: Can Simpson be a viable fantasy receiver next year?  He surely showed in the last two weeks that he is capable of making big plays and can be counted on by Carson Palmer.  A lot about his value will be told by what the Bengals do in the offseason, but it is nearly a certainty that Terrell Owens won’t be back, so if Cincinnati doesn’t do anything to replace him, you might see Simpson in the starting lineup.  If that is the case he could be a solid WR3 or at worst a flex option for 2011. 

Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots – The Patriots have loved their young tight ends at the end of the season and with Aaron Hernandez out, Gronkowski was the main beneficiary of that absence.  He had six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins who were close to not even being there.  He was supposed to score seven fantasy points, but more than doubled that as put up 16. 

Hallam’s Take: It is hard to say what to expect from the two young tight ends next season, but I believe that there is room in this offense for both of them.  I definitely think that Aaron Hernandez is the more talented of the two, but that doesn’t mean that Gronkowski isn’t going to be successful as well.  The Patriots might not throw as much next year, but at worst Gronkowski can be a great injury replacement at tight end, but I think you can use him as a low end starter on your team on a weekly basis. 

Tim Tebow, QB, Denver Broncos – He has been the talk of the NFL over his three NFL starts, and the magic of Tebow might have fallen short of getting the Broncos one more win, but he played his heart out and made this game close.  He was just 16/36 for 205 yards and two touchdowns.  He did throw two interceptions, but he also ran the ball 13 time for another 94 yards and ran a score in too.  Tebow had a very impressive 16 point projection but he went flying past that as he racked up 27 huge fantasy points. 

Hallam’s Take: What will the future hold for Tim Tebow?  That is the million dollar question.  Did he do enough in his three starts that the Broncos will reward him and make him the starter going into 2011?  It will be interesting to find out what happens considering the Broncos could be getting a new front office as well as a new coach.  His style isn’t the prettiest in the league, but he is a great leader of men, performs beyond his talents, and never quits.  I believe that these attributes are enough to make him a success, and unless the Broncos can get some elite quarterback in a trade they should have Tebow under center next September in Week 1. 

Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers – Mathews finished off his rookie year in the NFL with a bang as he ran up, over, and all around the Broncos.  He carried the ball 26 times for 120 yards with three rushing touchdowns.  He also had three catches for another 19 yards.  He was supposed to be a middle tier running back with an expectation of 14 fantasy points but was one of the top scorers of the week with 31 on the day. 
Hallam’s Take: It was a very up and down rookie year for Mathews, but that was completely due to injury.  When he was healthy and given the carries, Mathews was basically a beast the entire season so there is reason for optimism in 2011.  You might get ridiculed for it, but I believe that Mathews will be a very good RB2 next season and should go at the end of the second round or at worst the middle of the third.  The Chargers will be a successful team next year and always run the ball well. 

Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans – Foster was the best surprise of the fantasy season and he finished off the season the way you would expect, in grand fashion.  He was a workhorse as he ran the ball 31 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns.  Foster also had two catches for another ten yards to add to his total.  He was one of the higher ranked running backs for Week 17 with a 19 point projection, but did far better than that as he scored 31 against the Jaguars. 
Hallam’s Take: Foster led the NFL in rushing for the year and was incredibly good around the goal line and had 18 total touchdowns.  He totaled over 2,200 total yards from scrimmage and was perhaps the best player to own in all of fantasy.  I see no reason why you should expect him to fall off the map next year.  Draft Foster in the beginning of the first round next season and you should be rewarded for that pick. 

Brian Westbrook, RB, San Francisco 49ers – He has been up and down since Frank Gore went down with the injury, but he waited until the last game of the year to have his best effort of the year.  Westbrook ran the ball 13 times for 79 yards with two rushing touchdowns.  He also had one catch for 14 yards as well.  Given his recent efforts, his expectation of just 11 points made sense, but Westbrook did much better than that as he managed 20 fantasy points to finish the year. 
Hallam’s Take: Well, I have to say that he did exactly what the 49ers brought him in to do when they signed him, unfortunately it didn’t matter in the standings as San Francisco couldn’t compete in the worst division in the history of football.  I am not sure if he will be back by the Bay next year, but even if he is it is obvious that he has no fantasy value as long as Frank Gore is healthy so unless he gets a change of address, you can ignore Brian Westbrook. 

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