Fantasy Football Week 9 Projections: WRs
November 1, 2011 by Uzo Ometu
As we enter Fantasy Football Week 9, let’s take a look back at the week that was in NFL football. We saw just 7 100-yard games from receivers, as offense seemed to be at a premium this past week. Additionally, none of the top 30 wide receivers, in terms of yardage, garnered more than a single touchdown. That’s pretty amazing from a “spread the ball,” “good football” standpoint; unfortunately, it is not good television, nor is it good for your fantasy football team.
Here are your Fantasy Football Week 9 Projections at the wide receiver position:
DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears routinely have trouble with wide receivers that are small, fast, quick and elusive. DeSean Jackson is all of those things. So while a team like the Dallas Cowboys may be able to knock Jackson off with their bigger, stronger cornerbacks, the Bears Cover 2 personnel finds it hard to keep a little guy like Jackson out of the holes in their defense. Thus, I fully expect Jackson to have a big day against this Bears defense, as it does it’s best to keep LeSean McCoy from running all over them. Jackson should definitely see success on 3rd down, when the Bears like to go to their Cover 2 man defense. That’s when the Eagles love to drag Jackson across the field and let him run after the catch—as an Eagles fan, it really is a beautiful thing to watch.
Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers vs. Green Bay Packers
Typically, I would not bet against the Packers defense. With AJ Hawk coming off the edge and Charles Woodson playing the “wildcard” position for the Packers D, this is a pretty hard defense to beat. However, if there is a man that can do it, it is Vincent Jackson. He is too big and too fast to fail. The Packers will inevitably come after Philip Rivers, and after Antonio Gates beats them a couple of times, they will revert to leaving Vincent Jackson one-on-one down the field. Now, if there is a secondary that is adept to handling 1-on-1 coverage, it is the Green Bay Packers, but with a physical specimen like Jackson running down the sideline, I place my money on the 230-pound wide receiver winning the battle.
Steve Johnson, Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets
If Darrelle Revis is going to struggle with any wide receiver, it is going to be a wide receiver that is bigger and stronger than him. Steve Johnson more or less fits that mold physically, but Johnson’s attitude doesn’t quite measure up with his size. Sure, Johnson talks a big game, but in big games, he has routinely come up short, especially in the end zone, where a big like him should thrive. Thus, I have to like Revis in this matchup. Call it a “mental” play, but Johnson just hasn’t been using his size to this advantage of as of late, which is really damning, because the Bills rushing game has given him enough opportunities to go one-on-one. With 60 balls thrown his way, Johnson has caught 39 of them. That would be held in better regard if Johnson were more of a deep threat like Calvin Johnson, but for more or less a possession receiver, I’d like to see better—especially when he has just four touchdowns. Besides, outside of Brandon Marshall, possession guys like Steve Johnson, don’t tend to do too well against Darrelle Revis.
