GW Bush League - Week 8 Entertainment (Part 1)

Gentlemen,

Welcome back to another week of GW Bush League entertainment. Week 8 is in the books and we have 5 games remaining in the regular season. Like all fantasy seasons this one is passing by at the speed of Lamone’s farts. Even though we’ve all endured some frustration this year, let’s not forget to enjoy each week of football. Before we know it the season will be over and we’ll be looking at a 9 month wait until next season. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Once again I’ll start this week’s entertainment with some quick hits – just some thoughts on the weekend and on league matters…

The Standings: this week was a “chalk week” with all of the higher seeds winning their matchups. Last week the standings were as follows: (from 1st to last)

Keetz, Tieg, Commish, Bob D, Dylan, Lamone, Ken, Frader, Kev, Guy

After week 8 the standings are:

Keetz, Tieg, Commish, Bob D, Dylan, Lamone, Ken, Kev, Frader, Guy

The more things change, the more they stay the same….. Unless you count Frader and Kev swapping 8th and 9th place, but let’s be serious…..

As for the matchups:

Commish Over Ken: My team bounced back in a big way and put up my second highest point total of the year (133.8). Ken had a decent week but wasn’t able to overcome the bye week blues - Fournette, Montgomery and Delanie Walker all sat on the bench this week.

Lamone Over Keetz: Bye weeks hurt Keetz as well – but he still beat Lamone on a Monday night miracle. Lamone was up by 12 going into MNF. He had CJ Anderson, while Keetz had Demaryius and the Chiefs D. Sounds like Lamone might have the upper hand right? Points per carry, Denver at home, Demaryius sucks, etc. NOPE. The Chiefs D scored 19 points for Keetz and he beat Lamone by 4. Damn.

Rob D over Frader: Frader couldn’t keep the win streak going and falls to 2-6 on the year. His WRs let him down big time and combined for just 13 points. Robby D was paced by LeVeon and his 18 points – Bell continues to carry his team.

Dylan over Guy: Guy with a pretty bad foot in mouth call this week. At about 5 PM he boasted that he “might beat Dylan”. Deandre Hopkins scored 37 points and Dylan got 10 from the Seahawks D. He beat Guy by 17 points….that sucks, the Texans weren't supposed to produce like that IN Seattle.  

Tieg over Kev: Kev had a decent day and would have beat 4 of 9 teams this week. Unfortunately for him Tieg was not one of those teams. Deshaun Watson bukaked 40 points and Taige got 75 from Watson and Zeke alone. Watson is officially the best QB in fantasy – guess Tieg didn’t need to trade for Derek Carr.

Now that those are out of the way, let’s get to the real write-up. In the Week 2 writeups I wrote about some players and asked whether the start they had to the season was real or fake? Was it legitimate and repeatable, or was it a fugazi?

For some guys it was a good start, for some guys it was a bad start. Either way I looked at what they had done through two weeks and made predictions as to whether they would maintain that level of performance. It was definitely early and a small sample size, but I went with it. It’s been 6 weeks since then and I think it’s a good time to revisit the predictions/analysis I made. This week we’ll see how the Commish did.

CALEB’S BUKAkE PARTY: 6-2

What I Said: Through 2 games Hunt is the #1 RB in fantasy football and has scored 76.5 points – quick math shows an average of 38.25....Based on Reid’s history and what we’ve seen from Hunt so far, this is REAL. 

Result: Kareem Hunt had a great start to the year and I stated that it was real – he would continue to produce. Hunt has definitely slowed down, but he’s still the #1 RB in fantasy and has scored 12 or more points in every single game. 1 for 1.

What I Said: I’ll go to the other side of things this time and look at someone who has disappointed. Through two weeks, Doug Baldwin has scored 15.6 fantasy points on 10 catches for 107 yards....While I think Doug Baldwin is good and I’d be happy to have him on my team, this is REAL. He’s going to have a number of these weeks where he just doesn’t do much.

Result: I was talking mainly about how inconsistent he is – he puts up big numbers some weeks and disappears other weeks. That has proven to be true as evidenced by his point totals the last 5 games – 23.5, 7, 5.7, 19.7 and 8.4. Right again, 2 for 2.  

What I Said: Tyreek Hill falls somewhere in between Hunt and Baldwin. That’s not a bad name for a law firm… Anyways Hill had a huge week 1 (25 points), before thoroughly disappointing in week 2 with just 7 fantasy points.Overall I think both weeks were real. I know that sounds cheap, but Hill is going to be a boom or bust type player in the mold of Desean Jackson and Mike Wallace. While he will definitely have some big 20 point games off the backs of big plays, he’s absolutely going to put up duds like this one.

Result: That was pretty much the same thing I said about Baldwin – peaks and valleys. Since then Hill has gone for 19, 6, 22, 8, 25 and 2.6 points. 3 for 3 Commish.

MIXONS HERE HYDE UR GURLEY: 6-2

What I Said: Through 2 weeks Todd Gurley is averaging 25 points per game behind 120 yards rushing, 100 yards receiving and 3 total TDs. The consistency is great as he’s totaled 21+ points per week and scored a TD in both weeks. ....Despite how great he has been, I call bullshit here. This is a fugayzi, a fugazi, a wazzy, a woozy……… Are you gonna let Todd Gurley beat you, or Jared Goff? Easy decision for me and I think Gurley’s hot start is a mirage.

Result: Excuse me while I clean the egg off my face

Wow, couldn’t have been more wrong about that one. Gurley has been unreal this year and is the main reason Keetz finds himself in first place. Mixons Here Hyde Ur Gurley has scored 20 or more points in every single game but one this season. He also has 3 games with more than 30 in the last 5 games. Brutal call here – 3 for 4.

What I Said: Moving right along to another NFC West running back – Carlos Hyde. He scored 21.8 points this week, while scoring 12.5 during week 1 and currently sits as a top 12 RB. …… First, these receiving numbers are not sustainable. Second, he can’t keep up this efficiency….. In every year of his career he’s cooled off substantially after a hot start and I think this year will be the same. Plus, we always have to worry about injury with him. FUGAZI.  

Result: Since that call, Hyde is averaging 15 points per game in 6 games. Hyde did have one poop game in Week 5 (3.9 pts), but other than that he’s scored 28, 15, 24, 13.6 and 9 points. I guess I’ll have to say I was wrong here and will be 3 for 5 on the day.

(Note: I bet I will be correct on this in a couple more weeks. Hyde is trending down and has only scored 21.7 points combined over his last 2 games.)

What I Said: While Gurley/Hyde have been awesome, Mixon has been BAD. The hyped rookie has been suffering in the Bengals’ terrible offense and is averaging fewer than 3 yards per carry. He also only has 4 catches on 4 targets through 2 games. Like with Gurley and Hyde, I think this is a fugazi. I don’t think Mixon is this bad and I will tell you why……. I think Mixon will improve as the year goes on and prove that Weeks 1 and 2 were a mirage.

Result: Meh. Mixon has certainly been better than he was during the first two weeks when he scored 5.5 and 6.4 points, but he hasn’t been a must-start. Over the past 5 games he’s put up 15, 10, 14, 9.7 and 12.6 points. He’s clearly improved, but you can probably get those numbers of the waiver wire. Regardless, I said he’d improve and he has. I’m feeling generous, so I’ll say 4 for 6.

THE FOURNETTEUATE FEW: 3-5

What I Said: Like the character he’s named after, Montgomery has been excelllennntttt so far. The former WR who still wears a WR jersey number has 29 carries, 89 yards rushing, 10 catches, 114 yards receiving and 3 TDs through two games........ Between volume, the Aaron Rodgers effect and his versatility, I don’t see Montgomery coming back to earth anytime soon.

Result: After a good start the Commish has come crashing down to earth. Since I wrote that Montgomery has scored just 25 total points and missed two games with injury. To make matters worse he might have lost his job to Aaron Jones, who has performed well so far. I think Montgomery will bounce back somewhat, but I was wrong on this one. 4 for 7.  

What I Said: I’ve really only looked at RBs, but let’s look at one more in Leonard Fournette – the #5 RB in fantasy so far………. Despite the positive start, I think this is a fugazi. First - gameflow. The Jaguars are not as good as they looked in week 1 and it’s pretty clear they won’t be playing with a lead very often. When this happens Fournette loses work. When he doesn’t get the volume, his production drops drastically – derrr………… Again, just not sustainable. FUGAZI.

Result:  WRONG WRONG WRONG. I didn’t believe in Leonard Fournette before the season and I certainly didn’t believe in him after 2 weeks. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Despite missing a game with injury and having a bye, Fournette is still RB6 in fantasy. He’s scored a TD in every game he’s played and should be back for Week 9. Dumbass Commish 4 for 8.

What I Said: Dez was terrible in week 1, but redeemed himself in week 2 with 7 catches for 59 yards and a TD. He put up 15 fantasy points and now finds himself as wide receiver #20. So which week was real? The week one dud (2/43/0), or the week 2 performance (7/59/1)? I’m gonna double down on my take from last week and say his week 2 performance is a FUGAYZI.

Result: I said that Dez Bryant would have a bad year and I’m going to give myself this one. Through 8 weeks Dez is WR30 in our league and is averaging just 10.9 points per game. His point totals over the last 5 games are 8, 12, 13.7, 15.8 and 5.9. NOT GOOD ENOUGH. 5 for 9.

WHAT IF HE SHOT ME IN THE FACE? (5-3)

What I Said: AJ Green has been horribly disappointing so far this season and is one of the major reasons I lost this week. Through two weeks, Green hasn’t even scored 20 points combined – he sits at 19.1 with 9.9 in week 1 and 9.2 in week 2. ........Now for the one dollar question – is this real or is this fake? Although I’ve been negative so far, I have to be positive and say this is FAKE. AJ Green is not the number 27 wide receiver and he will not score fewer than 10 points every week this season.

Result: Winner winner Broadway’s Best Steak Tip Dinner. (Sweet Home Alabama for any of you wondering.) Since I wrote that, AJ Green has combined for 83 points in 5 games, or 16.6 per game. He’s also scored 4 TDs in that span and is currently WR4. While he’s slowed down a bit lately, he’s till been better than the first two weeks. 6 for 10.

What I Said: From one of the reasons I lost my week 2 matchup to THE reason I lost my week 2 matchup – Larry Fitzgerald. WHAT THE FUCK LARRY? After starting off the season with a passable 10.4 point week (6 for 74), Larry let me down like Dylan lets down his Tinder dates this week. Three catches for 21 yards….. .....To the point - real or fake? Sadly, I think this is real. It’s clear that Carson Palmer is done. He will never be a good quarterback again and his wide receivers will suffer.

Result: Since that date Larry is averaging 7 catches for 80 yards per game and has scored 3 TDs. As of now, I am wrong and will take the L. 6 for 11.

(Once again I’ll caveat this – Larry will suck the rest of the year because Carson Palmer is injured and Drew Stanton blows. I will be correct on this one when it’s all said and done.)

What I Said: Cam Newton has been one of many disappointments to start the year. Through two weeks he has just 2 passing touchdowns and only has 30 yards rushing. The Panthers won their game 9-3 on Sunday. Nine to THREE… That looks more like a Pink Whales lax blowout than it does an NFL game…... As much as I don’t want to admit this, I think this is for real.

Result: Just because I hate Cam Newton I’m gonna say I was right on this one. While Cam is currently QB6 in scoring, that’s mainly due to 2 huge weeks he had – 74.8 combined points in Weeks 4/5. No one started him those weeks because he had sucked so bad the first three – 40 combined points. Since the 34 points he scored in Week 5, he’s gone 23.7, 11.2 and 15.6. In that time he’s thrown SIX interceptions and 2 touchdowns. His two big weeks put some lipstick on the pig, but not enough. He stinks. 7 for 12.

JacksON Jacks-OFF: 2-6

What I Said: Alshon Jeffery was on my “do-not-draft” list heading into this year. His 3rd round price tag and injury history were just too much for me. Too Guy Ritch for my blood if you will. I looked smart after week 1 when he put up 7.3 points on 3 catches for 38 yards. Welp, after week 2 I look like a big ole idiot – 7 catches, 92 yards and a TD. It’s only been 2 weeks, so I have to go with my initial call here – FUGAZI.

Result: Long story short I said that despite his big Week 2, Alshon still wasn’t a good player in my eyes. Not to toot my own horn here, but Commish for the win. In the last 6 games, Jeffery has scored 51.6 points and averaged just 8.6 per game. He’s also had two games with under 5 points, and 4 games with 9.1 or fewer. Despite Carson Wentz’ MVP season, Alshon just hasn’t produced. 8 for 13.

What I Said: Up next is Michael Crabtree, the best receiver on the Raiders. Check that, the best receiver in fantasy football!!!! Believe it or not Crabtree is the #1 WR right now……A SORRY ASS RECEIVER LIKE CRABTREE!!! Like with Amari, I have to go with my initial draft recap – this is real. While Amari Cooper is arguably more talented, Crabtree is the guy you want to own in this wide receiver group.

Result: Ahhh this is another shaky one. Since I wrote this Crabtree has scored 1.2, 0 (DNP), 17.2, 14.2, 9.9 and 10.8 points. That’s obviously not great, but if you take out the game he missed to injury and the 1.2 point disaster then it hasn’t been so bad. Over the last 4 weeks he’s scored 52 points, or 13 points per game. He’s also scored 3 TDs in those 4 games and is second in the NFL with 3 TD catches. Overall he’s still the #1 option in Oakland and WR7 in our scoring. I said he was good and I was right. 9 for 14.

What I Said: From the #1 WR to the #1 TE, let’s take a look at Jason Witten. Jason Witten is the #1 TE in fantasy right now? Ohhhh yes he is. So will this continue? No, this is a fugazi. There is just no way Jason Witten keeps this up. Is he really gonna get 176 targets this year? Is he really gonna have 1,200 yards receiving? Is he really going to score 16 TDs? No, no and no.

Result: While Witten is till TE8, that’s more of a reflection of how bad the TE position is. Over his last 6 weeks he’s gone .8, 1.4, 8.1, BYE, 13.4 and 4.6. Basically 4 horrible weeks/byes and 2 serviceable weeks. He’s clearly fallen off from his quick start and is nothing more than a desperation play for TE needy teams. 10 for 15 here ked.

LeveonStuffed Kens TacoBell: 5-3

What I Said: I’ll start off with LeVeon Bell. The 2nd overall pick has disappointed through two weeks and I imagine Bob D’s sweating a little bit. Despite being one of the most versatile weapons in the NFL, he’s only accumulated 140 yards of offense and has yet to score a TD. On to the punch-line – is this real or fake? Obviously, this is fugazi and I will tell you why….

Result: Obviously I was correct on this one. LeVeon has been a beast since Week 3 started, just look at these stats: Over the last 6 games he’s scored 166.5 fantasy points!!!!!! That’s really all you need to know…. Anyone who averages 27.75 fantasy points per game is a star. He’s RB2 on the year and in total he has 194 carries (nearly 25 per), 35 catches (more than 4 per), 979 yards (over 100 per) and 5 total TDs. This was an easy call, 11 for 16.

What I Said: Powell has rushed for 35 yards through 2 games and has only caught 5 passes for 17 yards. So what can we expect from Powell going forward? Is this a Matthew McConaughey fugazi, or is this the level of production we’re going to get? I think this is fugazi and I think Powell will perform better going forward.

Result: Another iffy one here, but let’s look at the numbers. Since week 2, Powell is averaging nearly 15 points per game. He had two outliers in there – 34 points in week 4 and a 5.7 points in Week 5 (got injured). If you take those out, he’s averaging 11.4 points per game. That’s much much better than the 5.15 points per game he averaged over the first 2 weeks and based on that, I’ll give myself another W. 12 for 17.  

What I Said: I know it’s kinda dumb to talk about a player Robby D didn’t even start, but I have to mention Brandon Marshall…..probably for the last time this year….. Marshall has only received 9 targets this year and has caught just 2 of them. All in all he’s scored 3.7 fantasy points through 2 weeks and ranks as WR107. So is this real or fake?  Sadly, this is 100% real……. I think he’s going to be poopdick all year and will be droppable by week 4. HE’S JUST NOT GOOD ANYMORE.

Result: We’ll round out part 1 of the entertainment with another victory for the Commish. I said Brandon Marshall sucked and I was right. Him getting injured obviously didn’t help, but he has still been worthless this year. I said he would be droppable by Week 4 and he was – hadn’t even combined for 15 at that point. He was really droppable after week 5 though, when he was injured for the year. 12 for 18.

Not bad Commish, 13 for 18 or 72%. Considering how small the sample size is I’ll take it. I also think I’ll eventually be correct on a few of those, so I’d expect that number to rise if we did this again in a few weeks (we won’t). Overall standings:

Correct: (13) Kareem Hunt, Doug Baldwin, Tyreek Hill, Joe Mixon, AJ Green, Cam Newton, Alshon Jeffery, Michael Crabtree, Jason Witton, LeVeon Bell, Bilal Powell, Brandon Marshall

Incorrect: (5) Todd Gurley, Carlos Hyde*, Ty Montgomery, Leonard Fournette, Larry Fitzgerald*

*They will suck eventually like I said.