Fantasy Football

Downtown Ronnie Brown

 

Ronnie Brown, assuming he cares what people like me think of him and his fantasy stats, must have seen the writing on the wall. 

Last week, I began making contingency plans for when (I had moved past “if”) he rushed for fewer than 50 yards and no touchdowns for the third week in a row.  All of them ended badly for him.

I was signing running backs off the waiver wire as if most of them were actually starters.  I was overvaluing my roster in preposterous trade proposals.  I was thisclose to giving up on Brown two games into the season.   

Naturally, he had a fantasy week to remember and all is forgiven. 

Brown’s heyday against the Jets essentially sealed my Week Three win even though my opponent had two players in Monday night’s game.  He scored 40 points, thanks to three touchdowns and over 200 total yards, and he gave me a lead that only the Bengals’ defense could blow. 

The change from the Ronnie Brown of the first two weeks to the scoring machine of this week was remarkable.  In the Dolphins’ first two games, Brown was completely ineffective.  He rushed for 65 yards on 22 carries and was the weak link in my fantasy team. 

I couldn’t have been more surprised at his awfulness.  I watched Brown play in the preseason, and I saw a determined, downhill runner who punished tacklers and fought for extra yards.  He was fast, had great vision, and looked like a future star.  Never again, I thought, will I base an opinion on a game against the Chiefs.

After the first two games of this season, Brown looked like a flop, and I looked pretty silly wearing his jersey around town.  My credibility was at stake with him, and I couldn’t stand the fact that I was potentially wrong.  Fortunately, I was determined not to let my stubbornness get in the way of a winning fantasy season.  I had already let it dictate my owning a Gamecube, and I was not about to let it take over my life again.

My Brown plan was simple: give Ronnie one more week to perform, then sit him on the bench between DeAngelo Williams and Empty.  My team was a great Ronnie Brown away from being a juggernaut, and I was growing more impatient by the day.  His potential replacements all looked better than the 30 yards per game I was currently getting.  Julius Jones was hinting at productiveness, Brandon Jacobs was close to coming back from injury, and DeShawn Wynn, who I had not heard of until last Sunday, was coming up fast.  My team was fast becoming the 24-hour Wal-mart of running backs, and Ronnie Brown was close to being discontinued.

What a difference a week makes. 

Brown’s magical week not only saved his roster spot on team Kevan, but it also stroked my ego considerably.  While I was becoming more and more right about him, his new scoring revolution was giving me a team to be reckoned with.  Joseph Addai has been nothing short of spectacular for me this year.  Clinton Portis is getting the majority of carries for a good Washington team, and Jacobs will be healthy soon.  At wide receiver, Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson have started hot, and Javon Walker is bound to come around.  Kellen Winslow is on his way to a career year, and I’ve been able to find a quarterback who can get the job done week in and week out. 

Three weeks in, and I’m unstoppable. 

Now, about Jeff Wilkins…

Photo coutesy of si.com/fannation

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