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Exploring Fantasy Football stat trends every Thursday.
Like a lot of fantasy football players, I’ve spent time with teams in multiple leagues across multiple sites. Maybe you have a team in a Yahoo league and another at CBS Sports. Hate going back and forth for player stats? Wish you could just go to one place and get the stats set to each league’s scoring rules? The Huddle, a fantastic wealth of fantasy stats info, has the ability to do that. If you just want to look at stats, or check out your players across many of the most popular hosting sites, check it out.
Each week, we take a look at interesting stats accumulated so far in 2009 for fantasy football. But, some of the trends in stats actually had their genesis in the 2008 season. USA Today cites four players who are continuing trends from last year, including Clinton Portis.
Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins: Through his first five games of this year, Portis is averaging nearly 68 rushing yards and has scored just once. However, his descent into statistical mediocrity began last season in Week 13. After having rushed for 120 or more yards in six of the Redskins’ previous eight games, Portis finished the final five weeks of the season averaging only 56 yards per game. He also lost two fumbles in that time.
Imagine how Rush Limbaugh feels right now. He's been rejected as being unworthy of joining a group that includes such melonheads as Dan Snyder, Mike Brown and Al Davis. Talk about a slap in the face!
- Before this weekend, the Jets' defense had only allowed three offfensive touchdowns. On Monday Night, they allowed three in the fourth quarter.
- This is the 4th straight game Adrian Peterson has been held to less than 100 rushing yards. He does have four rushing touchdowns over that period though.
- Derek Anderson completed 2 of 17 passes for 23 yards, no touchdowns and an interception on Sunday...and won the game. I just can't get my head around that.
- The Broncos had four scoring drives on Sunday, all of them 4:23 or longer. The Patriots had three scoring drives, all of them shorter than 4:23. That's the definition of ball-control offense.
- I know it was against the Raiders and I know he has a great cast of players around him, but David Carr's 9 for 14, 90 yard appearance looked very good. He's probably better than 3 or 4 starters in the league right now.
- By the way, in that short stint Carr threw more passes (14) than JaMarcus Russell did in the entire game (13) </mandatory Russell slam>
- Eagles' TE Brent Celek has more receiving yards (303) than the number of rushing yards LeSean McCoy and Brian Westbrook have combined (296).
- McCoy has more rushes and more rushing yards than Westbrook, in case you drafted Westbrook and didn't realize that. Though you probably did.
- Larry Johnson averaged 1.76 yards per carry against the Cowboys. That's the third time in five games this season he's averaged 2 yards per carry or less. You have to wonder how long the Chiefs will be able to live with that.
- In Weeks 2 and 5 Houston WR Andre Johnson averaged 125 receiving yards and 2 TDs. The other three weeks he's averaged 62 receiving yards and 0 TDs.
- Out of the top 25 running backs this season (ranked by rushing yards), only two of them haven't scored a rushing touchdown: Fred and Steven Jackson.
- Joe Flacco is averaging the same number of passing yards per game (257.8) as Drew Brees. It's amazing how many people don't realize this.
- Randy Moss has only four touchdowns in the past ten games. He averaging 63.5 receiving yards per game over that stretch. Yes, really.
More Fantasy Stats of the Useful and Strange Variety
- Two teams have a pair of rushers in the top fifteen for the league. The Giants have Ahmad Bradshaw (sixth) and Brandon Jacobs (ninth) and the Dolphins have Ronnie Brown (fifth) and Ricky Williams (fourteenth). And Williams has quietly been a top-10 fantasy back
- Miles Austin and Roddy White combined for more receiving yards in Week 5 than the fourth leading receiver, Hines Wards, has for the year. Also, take note: Hines Ward is the fourth leading receiver in the league!
- Trent Edwards has more touchdown passes in the last two weeks than Drew Brees does. Look it up.
- Nate Burleson and Wes Welker rank in the top ten for targets on the year, coming in at third and tenth respectively. For Burleson this is impressive because he’s Nate Burleson, and for Welker he’s still garnered more looks than almost everyone else despite missing two games due to injury.
- Tied for the most targets among tight ends? Dallas Clark…and Kellen Winslow. The Bucs figure to be trailing often, and new staring QB Josh Johnson has apparently learned where to go with the ball.
- Peyton Mannings leads the league in passing yardage, passing TDs, YPA, and is second in completion percentage. He’s not too bad.
- Matt Schaub is third in passing yardage and second in passing TDs. After the Texans’ goal line running meltdowns the past few weeks, look for them to pass it from in close even more.
- And just because it’s still hard to believe: Cedric Benson is leading the National Football League in rushing yardage. After five weeks. And against a tough schedule.
Oct 15 8:21p by Matt O'Brien - 0 comments