5 | Great One Sustainer
ID: 053272014 Thu, Dec 20, 2007, 14:14
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liked this from ESPN
The Ghosts of Playoffs Past
by Christopher Harris
You've seen that video of former L.A. Dodgers center fielder Brett Butler pitching his kid a Wiffle ball, only to have the whippersnapper crack it right back up the middle, directly into the least desirable place to be hit?
Yeah, that's pretty much the fantasy football playoffs.
If you rode Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Derek Anderson, Terrell Owens, Braylon Edwards, Reggie Wayne, Marion Barber and/or T.J. Houshmandzadeh to your league's playoffs: oops. Last week, those guys produced 3, 3, 5, 3, 6, 6, 3 and 6 fantasy points, respectively, which means if you survived, you were darn lucky, or else had the foresight to start Darren Sproles.
But even worse than having your studs fail to perform in the fantasy playoffs is suffering a "True Butler." You're an enormous favorite, your buddy has no chance against you, he's ridden Roy Williams and D.J. Hackett this far but now he's casting about for a healthy wide receiver and there's nothing left on the waiver wire so he takes a wild stab and picks up … Roydell Williams.
I don't know who the "True Butlers" will be during your fantasy championship in Week 16 and/or 17. (Roydell qualifies so far.) But I do have a fond trip down memory lane, looking at the NFL nobodies who've crunched the collective soft spot of a whole lot of fantasy favorites. To wit:
Ron Dayne, RB, Texans, 2006: Dayne had all of 52 carries his final year with the Giants, 54 his only year with the Broncos and 62 his first 12 weeks with the Texans. Then for four weeks, he went all Heisman on your behind: 89 carries, 429 yards and five touchdowns, including two in most leagues' Week 16 championship.
Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers, 2006: Jackson did have three touchdowns leading into the fantasy playoffs, but just 13 catches overall. Then during the season's last four weeks, he nabbed 14 more passes, including two scores in Week 16, and one more in Week 17.
Ryan Moats, RB, Eagles, 2005: Brian Westbrook got hurt, and Moats, who hadn't had a carry through 11 weeks, got 55 the rest of the way, and scored twice in Week 14 and once in Week 15. Worst of all, the moment you thought you could count on him in those last two games, he rushed 16 times for a combined 36 yards.
Billy Volek, QB, Titans, 2004: Volek was a pedestrian part-timer until Week 13, when he took the reins to the tune of 11 touchdowns in three weeks, including games of 426 and 492 passing yards and games of 35, 43 and 60 pass attempts.
Nick Goings, RB, Panthers, 2004: For the first 10 weeks, he had 35 carries, 130 yards, no scores. In the last six weeks: 182 carries, 691 yards, six scores. Career yards and touchdowns thereafter: 185 and zero.
Michael Bennett, RB, Vikings, 2004: Hi, my name is Michael Bennett, and I'm fast. I also enjoy long walks on the beach and fumbling. After having 32 carries in the season's first 14 weeks, I thought it would be really funny to touch it 47 times in the last three, accounting for 304 total yards and a score.
Onterrio Smith, RB, Vikings, 2003: The Whizzinator was anything but yellow in Weeks 15 and 16, carrying it 48 times for 294 yards and three scores (after having just 54 prior career carries).
Marc Boerigter, WR, Chiefs, 2002: "Rigter Mortis" made just 20 catches during his rookie campaign, but six of them were touchdowns he scored from Week 12 forward. He was just good enough for lower playoff seeds to grab, and he gave you two scores in both Week 13 and Week 15.
Patrick Jeffers, WR, Panthers, 1999: The standard by which all other late-season flukes are measured, Jeffers should probably have this entire genre named for him. He didn't have a career 100-yard receiving day in his nearly three-season career, until Week 13 of '99. Thereafter, Jeffers registered a 100-plus-yard game every week for the rest of the year, scored at least one touchdown each week, and eight total. Alas, he broke his leg the next preseason, and was never heard from again. Kind of like your fantasy team.
Tim Biakabutuka, RB, Panthers, 1998: He missed the season's first 10 weeks entirely, then became the starter in Week 14, whereupon he scored four times. And I owned him. Sigh. Good times.
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