Potential Busts for Week 9: Ranking the Top 10 for Fantasy Football

My apologies to all Rotoballers who were looking forward to my bust picks of Week 8 (nothing like a case of strep to upset the balance of your week). Props to Real Talk Raph for holding down the fort and hitting on the Brandon Marshall call (what the heck is happening in Chicago, by the way?) and quarterback calls.

With that being said, I’m back and ready to make some picks. But first, a moment of silence for the one and only Brian Quick, who we lost for the season to a shoulder injury. Quick was a strong candidate to win the prestigious “Best Undrafted Fantasy Player” and I’m going to miss him plenty. Brandon LaFell has taken the pole position for that award now.

But you’re not here to hear me gush over Brian Quick (just give me a second to wipe my eyes real quickly though), you’re here to hear about busts. As was the case before my one week hiatus, here are ten players who can potentially upset their fantasy owners this week by no-showing their matchups. Whether it be because of opposing defenses, injured quarterbacks, or completely bizarre external reasonings, I am suggesting you avoid these guys this week.

Top 10 Potential Busts & Disappointments for Week 9

1. Ben Roethlisberger - QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Like everyone else, I was thoroughly impressed with Big Ben this past weekend. It’s not often fantasy players eclipse the half century mark in a single game. But that was against an overrated defense that lost one of their best corners early in the game.

This week they are hosting a Baltimore defense that has proven for the umpteenth year in a row that they are going to march out a formidable defensive unit week in and week out. Expect a fired up Ravens team to come at their rivals, keeping Ben uncomfortable all game and forcing him into some head scratching plays. Don’t be one of those owners who gets burned by a one week explosion.

2. Marshawn Lynch - RB, Seattle Seahawks

A lot of unrest in the locker room for a reigning Super Bowl Champion, especially considering this week’s report that everyone in the Seahawk organization (including Lynch himself) expects Beast Mode to be relocated following the season (as if no one could see that Lynch and his articulation, or lack there of, was going to rub Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll the wrong way eventually).

Usually, I wouldn’t want to let myself get caught up in media hype, but reports like this scare me. Players in Lynch’s position tend to worry more about themselves than anyone else, which often permeates into their games. The people calling the shots for Seattle’s offense will have no problem pulling the Beast Mode plug if they worry that he is having adverse effects on the rest of the team. Plus, the former Cal Golden Bear is doing nothing to put the pressure on Carroll to get him the ball as he has underachieved in his last three games. Tack this week’s matchup as the fourth straight.

3. Philip Rivers & 4. Keenan Allen - QB and WR, San Diego Chargers

I don’t trust games played on different continents and I don’t trust games played on Thursday night. My distrust of the Thursday night game is so strong that it affects the way I evaluate teams the week after they play in the money grabbing Thursday night slot. Now the Chargers get to spend ten days thinking about how they may never be able to overcome the Denver Peyton Mannings, then fly cross country to meet up with a surprisingly fierce Miami Dolphin team.

Brent Grimes and Cortland Finnegan will do their part to make Allen’s performance last week nothing more than a blip on an otherwise slumpy sophomore season and Philip Rivers is dangerously close to reminding us why we always had trouble trusting the former North Carolina State Wolfpack (Wolfpacker? Wolfpack-mate? Whatever) in the past. Miami is currently second in the league in receiving yards allowed at 212 a game. With the realization that Miami’s defense is better than he expected, expect Rivers to start doing too much and for him to throw some balls to players wearing the wrong jerseys.

5. Trezacny Cunningmasstacy - RBs, St. Louis Rams

Owners will inevitably find some combination of Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham and Tre Mason in their free agent pool this week and many, who are dealing with byes, are going to consider picking up one of these guys, hope to get lucky and pray that the sticky situation in St. Louis actually saves their week. But here’s a cold hard fact: with a true running back by committee, the St. Louis backs are only valuable if they can find a way to score.

Scores on the ground are going to be very hard to come by against a San Francisco defense in the top five of rushing yards allowed per game, and desperate for a momentous win to right a wobbly ship. Patrick Willis should be back but Jake Long will not be there, which spells disaster. The Niners will look to replicate their Week 6 Monday Night win over the Rams this Sunday in Santa Clara by playing some stifling defense.

6. Vincent Jackson - WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The nightmare season for Jackson continues this week as he is forced to go head to head with Joe Haden (Can you guys tell that I am really high on Joe Haden yet?) and the rest of the Cleveland defense.

Constant pressure on Mike Glennon will not allow Jackson the time needed to shake the pesky Haden, and Glennon’s cannon will remain in check because of it. It’s always very hard for a downfield receiver to be successful when the ball never actually travels downfield.

7. Reggie Wayne - WR, Indianapolis Colts

When the season began, I was very high on Reggie Wayne. I figured an all time great who made his money by running crisp routes and having great hands would be able to rebound relatively quickly from an ACL injury that ended his 2013 season. What I’ve come to realize is that Father Time has not been kind to Wayne, and while he is still running crisp routes and showing some good hands, he’s doing it all a step too slow.

And the unfortunate fact for us fantasy owners is that Andrew Luck is going to spread the ball and Wayne has no reason to demand more looks (50 more catches and 700 more yards is not needed to put Wayne’s career over the edge, because it already is over the edge). Expect Wayne, coming off a recent elbow injury, to accept a reduced role as the season progresses and to make a couple big plays when the calendar flips to the playoffs, which will provide fantasy owners approximately zero amount of comfort. His Monday night matchup with the G Men is not looking as favorable as it should.

8. Vernon Davis - TE, San Francisco 49ers

Vernon Davis is a soldier and no one is going to argue that (especially not him). But is he a focal point in the Niner’s offense right now? Absolutely not. Jim Harbaugh is driving a lot of fantasy owners crazy by sticking to his ground and pound offense, despite having one of the deeper receiving corps in the league. Consequently, when they do decide to air the ball out, Davis is battling with a bunch of other receivers for looks.

In a playoff game, with the season on the line, Colin Kaepernick is going to give a look or two at his behemoth tight end. In Week 9 while he’s still trying to keep everyone on his offense happy, Kaep may have to look elsewhere. Throw in the fact that St. Louis boasts one of the best pass defenses and is only giving up 5.7 points per game to tight ends, and this seems to be one of the riskier plays of the weekend.

9. Jonas Gray - RB, New England Patriots

Oh, so you’re the guy who thinks he has Bill Belichick figured out and know that he’s going to have the utmost and unwavering confidence going forward in his most recent rookie running back to have a strong outing?

And you know that this running back, who this Sunday will have notched playing just three games in his NFL career, is bound to tear up the Bronco’s league leading rushing defense? Oh whats that? You also have the Philadelphia 76er’s pegged as your NBA champions this season? Yep, I wouldn’t expect much less.

10. Larry Fitzgerald - WR, Arizona Cardinals

I leave my bet for the double hundo for my final player. It’s great to see a player as talented and well respected as Larry Fitz to break out of his early season slump, going off last week for 160 yards and a TD. But the Cowboys, undoubtedly, watched that game.

The transformed Dallas defense hasn’t become one of the more stingy pass defenses by not adjusting strategies on a week to week basis. You can bet that Rod Marinelli will preach the importance of keeping Larry Fitz under check and forcing other players to beat them all week and the Dallas D is going to be as hyped as they come following their Monday Night embarrassment.