Here at The Seventeenth Member, our knowledge is not only limited to real sports, but also extends into the fantasy realm of sports as well. Thus your 2009 fantasy football preview; the Ohio edition.
The Cleveland Browns:
At first glance it appears there is not much fantasy upside to this team, and under more evaluation, that’s probably still the truth. We’ll take a look at some of the more known and lesser known guys and tell you who to take a chance on, and who to stay away from.
QB Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson – Your best bet is probably to stay away from both of these guys. The potential is there, but the fantasy numbers may not be. With new head coach Eric Mangini coming in, it is likely the Browns will run a conservative offense no matter who is under center. There are plenty other starting quarterbacks out there; you may have to pass on these two.
WR Braylon Edwards – After catching 16 TD passes in 2007, Edwards disappointed us all with only three in 2008, and none after week nine. He also led the league in drops with 16. I’m predicting a better year for Edwards in ’09 (how could I not), but probably not as good as his ’07 totals. He is just too talented of a receiver to put up numbers like last year again, no matter who is throwing him the ball.
RB Jamal Lewis – After watching his yards per carry take a pretty steep drop off in ’08, Lewis may be hard pressed to put up worthy fantasy numbers in 2009. He is sure to get a lot of carries in the new Mangenious offense, if he remains the starter that is. With his 30th birthday approaching this August, the question is how much the ole man has left in the tank.
RB Jerome Harrison – The kid looked promising coming out of Washington State, but has been sitting and waiting for his chance for the past three years without seeing much of the field. With Lewis in his current physical state, could this be the year Harrison finally gets to show his stuff?
RB James Davis – Same story as Harrison, could be good if given the chance, but with a crowded backfield, the question is whether that chance will ever come. I would categorize Davis as more of a wait and see guy.
Cincinnati Bengals:
After an abysmal 2008 season for Bengals fantasy owners, Bengals players look to make a bit more of an impact in ’09 but heading into camp, there may be more questions surrounding this team than answers.
QB Carson Palmer – After missing all but four games of the 2008 season, Palmer returns for ’09. In his four starts, Palmer looked, well less than flattering. With his favorite target T.J. Houshmandzadeh making a new home in Seattle, Palmer will need his other recievers to step up to the plate. We’re predicting Palmer backup in smaller leagues and boarderline starter in deeper leagues.
WR Chad Ochocinco – The man formally known as Johnson will look to rebound after a 53 catches for 540 yards and four touchdowns performance in ’08. His numbers should improve with his buddy Carson throwing to him instead of backup Ryan Fitzpatrick, but we don’t expect to see a return to his phenominal’06 and ’07 numbers. We see him as a good number two or three receiver depending on deep your league is in 2009.
WR Laveranues Coles – A great red-zone receiver, Coles hauled in seven TD’s in ’08. We expect similar touchdown numbers in ’09. He is no Houshmandzadeh but he should produce decent numbers. Probably a number three receiver in most leagues.
WR Chris Henry – Henry scored 15 touchdowns in his first two years in the league, but since then, he has more news off the field than on it, pilling up more arrests than touchdowns. He is probably going to be the third receiver in Cincinnati and probably doesn’t hold much fantasy value unless we see him step into one of the top receiver spots.
RB Cedric Benson – Benson has been disappointing fantasy owners ever since he came into the league. Plain and simple, we expect this year to be no different. Maybe a good number three back, or he could look nice on your bench.
-T17M
