Studs and Duds for Week 9
By Paul Celmer
There are times when all the laborious bean-counting, clip-board toting, and enumeration of the number of angels that can dance upon the head of pin finally pays off. That is, sometimes the collection of all those numbers by the number crunchers and the predictions thus generated actually ends up mostly right. Week 9 was one of the those weeks. All the stars in the AFL cosmos shined. Well, at least almost all.
Since there were more studs this week than in a Spaghetti Western, let us then focus on the most notable of the notable, in descending order of studliness.
THE STUDS
Tony Graziani
QB Tony Graziani of the New Philadelphia Souls earns this week's crown as King of the Studs. Graziani went 26 for 38 for 363 yards and 5 TDs and only one interception.
Perhaps his numbers were not super-spectacular, but more importantly the story here is the eternal tale of the phoenix rising from the ashes. Coming off one of the worst performances in recent memory, a game in which the Soul only managed to put up a piteous 20 points, Graziani bounced back in week 9 to grab for his demoralized team the palm wreath of victory over a heavily favored Clint "Eastwood" Dolezel fronted Desparado team.
Graziani might not have totally made it back to stud, but he is at least a full Centaur (human/stud hybrid) with lots of upside. The upside of course is the magical return of Steve Smith. By what wheeling and dealing did the Soul first lose, and then in mid-season regain, the Double-S? I know not, but look for Graziani to graze in the sunny land of the Studs for the rest of the season. Unless some evil force whisks Steve Smith away again, that is.
Chris Jackson
The OS for the Georgia Force has long been beloved by many a fantasy owner. But week 9 was special. Jackson exploded for 10 receptions for 124 yards and six touchdowns.
But the stats do not even begin to tell the whole story. Jackson was not only flying around the field, but at times appeared to be flying above it. With his long arms and inhuman leaps, he appeared to be living out a favorite Saturday Morning TV cartoon theme: "Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a Spider can..."
All Jackson had to do was leap when the ball was near, and with some mystical webs spurting from his outstretched hands he would snare pass after pass, pulling the prize again and again from the air. And oh yeah, he returned a Tampa kickoff endzone to endzone as well (giving him 7 total TDs). Jackson forced the Force right down the throats of the hapless Tampa Bay Storm to earn Duke of the Studs. No doubt Jackson will do much the same next week.
T. T. Tolliver
I have a special place in my heart for a guy that can score more than one way. But even in a stable of studs, a guy that can throw TDs as well as catch them is something not to be overlooked. Offensive specialist T.T. Tolliver of the Nashville Kats caught three passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns in week 9. He also threw a touchdown pass to Corey Fleming to give him a total of 21 fantasy points. And remember that last week, besides his usual scoring, he also recovered that crazy on-side mule kick. What doesn't this guy do?
Shedrick Bonner
This veteran perpetual stud quarterback for the Arizona Rattlers certainly has picked up his pace of late. In week 9 he was 16 for 29, with 236 yards in the air and 7 TDs (which we should note puts him over 700 TDs for his career). All seems well from a fantasy perspective in Arizona.
Marlon Moye-Moore
The fullback for the Orlando Predators got back on track after an inexplicably pointless game in week 8. For week 9, Triple-M fulfilled many a fantasy owners wishes. He had only 3 yards on 4 attempts but got into the good and happy place for 2 TDs. And that is all that matters at this point.
Mike Horacek
Mike "The Horror" Horacek struck fear once again deep into the hearts of this opponents, grabbing 14 passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns. And he did this while partnering up with the third-string QB, Nick Browder. This guy is an every week stud.
THE DUDS
After the glorious highs, must always come the horrible lows. Such is life in the Land of Arena Fantasy...
Derek Lee
Like Icarus falling into the sea when his wax wings got too close to the sun, this once high-flying receiver for the Geogia Force crashed to earth in week 9. Lee had only 6 catches for 35 yards and no TDs, a feat that earns him the toilet bowl crown for week 9. He just could not get it done. At least that is what the numbers tell us, but could there be even more to the story? It looks like Lee needs to be put into a new category of Dud: Vulture Victim. That is, it is not so much that Lee lost his mojo as it was that Chris Jackson went insane with 7 TDs. Look for Lee's numbers to bounce back next week, but as long as Jackson takes the field healthy, let us temper expectations.
John Dutton
This normally red-hot stud quarterback for the Colorodo Crush was held to a paltry 2 TDs. Dutton was 19 out of 36, with 180 yards. However, the problem was not so much Dutton as it was a red hot defense that was able to cause numerous turnovers, including intercepting Dutton three times. If your fantasy team depended on this guy in week 9, you were probably screaming at the glowing box in the center of the room. Dutton ended up with only 18 fantasy points. Painful. Look for him to rebound next week.
Dan Frantz
This kicker for the Chicago Rush scored a big goose egg in the fantasy world in week 9. Let us hope you were not like someone in my league that played him. Of course, he did not show up on the pre-game injury report. Hmm. Was he cut? Is he healthy? Let’s hope it is not the torn ACL from last season acting up.
Bob McMillen
Fullbacks are often disappointing in the arena fantasy realm. And this week there were several problems. However, it is always painful when your stud, who had previously been performing for you, falters. After a good week 8, Bob McMillen did not find the endzone this week and had only 1 measly fantasy point. I'm sure that point felt about as good as a paper cut to his owners.
THE SAP IS RISING
Neither fish nor fowl, there are some good things that defy the Aristotelian mania for categorization. The players in this list were not expected to be studly, yet stepped-up bigtime. Will they continue to produce? You have to judge these in a case-by-case analysis.
Nick Browder
This third string New York Dragons quarterback, who came in for the injured Justin Wood who himself was in for the injured Aaron Garcia, completed 21 of 28 passes for six touchdowns and no interceptions. This guy was one very, very cool cucumber. He's a regular Steve McQueen. An unexpected performance like this is the very essence of what makes a stud: being put into a situation where no one expects you to do much and setting the field on fire. If you need a QB, Browder would not be a bad mid-season option.
Brandon Hefflin
This Columbus Destroyer had his switch locked into the "ON" position in week 9. DS Hefflin had 13.5 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 INT. Milton warns us in his poem Lycidas that fame is "that last infirmity of a noble mind." Let us hope that Hefflin's rising stature does not go to his head. Of course, being on the Columbus Destroyers should keep him well grounded.
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