Fantasy Look: Week 9 Preview
Patrick Daly
Thursday March 24, 2005
Austin Wranglers at Orlando Predators
The Wranglers scored an upset victory over the high-flying New York Dragons last week that was sparked by a solid game from QB John Fitzgerald (1966 passing yards and 37 TDs). FB/LB Henry Bryant (52 rushing yards and 8 total TDs) rebounded from two scoreless weeks with a two-touchdown performance. WR/LB Darrin Chiaverini (59-562 and 10 TDs) continues to be Fitzgerald’s favorite receiver, while WR/DB Kevin Nickerson (40-581 and 14 TDs) has scored at least once each week.
Orlando continues to shake things up, with FB/LB Rupert Grant (46 rushing yards and 3 TDs) and DS Damon Mason (49.5 total tackles and 2 INTs) gone. Grant’s departure leaves FB/LB Idris Price (76 rushing yards and 5 TDs) and FB/LB Marlon Moye-Moore (59 rushing yards and 2 TDs) as the remaining options. WR/LB Cory Fleming (38-403 and 13 TDs) has three touchdowns in each of his last two games since returning to the lineup.
Colorado Crush at Dallas Desperados
Crush OS Damian Harrell (48-641 and 19 TDs) needs one touchdown this week to tie Eddie Brown’s Arena Football League record of 41 consecutive games with a touchdown. QB John Dutton (1739 passing yards and 37 TDs) had an off week against Columbus with only three touchdowns and has his work cut out for him against the Dallas defense.
Dallas QB Clint Stoerner (1837 passing yards and 37 TDs) has remained consistently in the 60% completion range all season, although his touchdown totals haven’t been as productive the last few weeks. FB/LB Ja’Mar Toombs (130 rushing yards and 10 total TDs) has been a solid producer this season and that production should continue with the Desperados’ commitment to the run.
New York Dragons at Columbus Destroyers
OS Mike Horacek (42-578 and 16 TDs) has averaged three touchdowns and over 100 yards receiving per game since taking over full-time for OS Kevin Swayne (16-238 and 8 TDs), who remains out. Expect more production out of OS Markeith Cooper (12-111 and 4 total TDs) who’ll see time at the WR/DB spot.
The Columbus offense continues to struggle, with QB Ryan Vena (424 passing yards and 6 TDs) getting last week’s start. QB Matt D’Orazio (877 passing yards and 14 TDs) is still an option, however starting either quarterback is risky. The same holds true for the three primary offensive weapons, OS Damien Groce (42-561 and 9 total TDs), WR/LB Cornelius White (46-561 and 10 total TDs) and WR/DB Sedrick Robinson (31-260 and 8 total TDs), although Robinson has scored three TDs each of the past two weeks.
Grand Rapids Rampage at Philadelphia Soul
QB Michael Bishop (1486 passing yards, 244 rushing yards, 32 passing TDs and 6 rushing TDs) remains the main story in Grand Rapids, and OS Chris Jackson (41-534 and 11 TDs) needs Bishop to be successful in order to produce numbers of his own. FB/LB Chris Avery (86 rushing yards and 8 total TDs) has quietly put up some decent numbers so far this season.
The Rampage defense has given up over 70 points four times this season, including last week’s 72-48 loss to San Jose, which cost Robert Lyles and Brian Young their jobs and might just bode well for the Soul offense. That should mean big numbers for QB Tony Graziani (2132 passing yards and 48 TDs), along with good numbers for WR/LB Sean Scott (43-492 and 18 total TDs) and OS Steve Smith (50-744 and 20 total TDs). Also, keep an eye on WR/DB Marcus Knight (11-192 and 5 TDs), who has started to become a bigger part of the offense since entering the lineup three weeks ago.
Georgia Force at New Orleans VooDoo
This battle for the top spot in the Southern Division features a rematch of Georgia’s week one win over New Orleans. WR/LB Derek Lee (60-710 and 20 TDs) has overshadowed fellow rookie sensation OS Troy Bergeron (61-830 and 20 TDs) with 234 yards receiving and nine touchdowns over the past two weeks. QB Matt Nagy’s (1099 passing yards and 25 TDs) five interceptions over the past two weeks aren’t a good sign, particularly against a tough VooDoo defense.
The VooDoo squeaked by Chicago in overtime last week, although QB Andy Kelly (2389 passing yards and 49 TDs) continues to roll. OS Carl Bond (11-126 and 4 TDs last week) made some noise in place of injured WR/DB Jacques Rumph (47-506 and 11 total TDs) and should be on your watch list if he gets more time. OS Aaron Bailey (69-854 and 19 total TDs) remains on pace to beat last season’s career best numbers.
Arizona Rattlers at Nashville Kats
With his second knee injury, QB Sherdrick Bonner (1061 passing yards and 20 TDs) is out, putting QB Joe Germaine (1139 passing yards and 23 TDs) back at the helm. Germaine responded well with 238 yards passing and 6 TDs in an offensive battle with Las Vegas last week. OS Siaha Burley (67-943 and 24 TDs) leads the league in receiving yards and touchdowns despite the Rattlers’ current woes.
Nashville’s six-game losing streak rivals Arizona’s seven-game losing streak, but the Kats have not managed anywhere near the offensive production. The Kats grabbed FB/LB Rupert Grant (46 rushing yards and 3 TDs) from Orlando, bringing the six-year veteran back to where his AFL career started. QB Leon Murray (845 passing yards, 12 passing TDs and 6 rushing TDs) should be reactivated this week, which could help kick start the lethargic Nashville offense.
Tampa Bay Storm at Los Angeles Avengers
Although he doesn’t play the game, the suspension of head coach Tim Marcum will have some impact on the Storm, especially on the road. QB Shane Stafford (2033 passing yards and 43 TDs) has been pretty consistent recently, with seven touchdown passes each of the past three games. Stafford spread the ball around pretty well last week, but OS Freddie Solomon (33-436 and 9 TDs) is the primary weapon.
Avengers WR/DB Kevin Ingram (32-393 and 11 TDs) has been a consistent scorer this season, although he hasn’t been a stellar point producer so far. OS Tony Locke (26-310 and 7 TDs) has entrenched himself at the offensive specialist spot, while QB John Kaleo (1753 passing yards and 34 TDs) has put up good numbers, although he’s had a few off weeks.
San Jose SaberCats at Las Vegas Gladiators
The SaberCats are rolling, with three straight wins heading into this weekend’s game against the Western Division leading Gladiators. Rashied Davis (34-457 and 12 total TDs) shined last week with well over 300 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns, which cut a little into WR/LB James Roe’s (52-709 and 17 total TDs) numbers, making Roe a less productive fantasy player.
The Las Vegas offense looks much better with QB Clint Dolezel (1062 passing yards and 21 TDs) running the show. OS Marcus Nash (61-880 and 18 total TDs) is a changed player with Dolezel at the helm as evidenced by his 293 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in the last two games. Keep an eye WR/DB Joe Douglass (32-304 and 7 TDs), who has seen more opportunities over the last few weeks.
Bye: Chicago Rush
The week off gives QB Raymond Philyaw (1562 passing yards and 26 TDs) time to rest, which should also work in favor of WR/LB Etu Molden (57-550 and 18 total TDs) and OS Henry Douglas (42-558 and 10 TDs) before the Rush head off to New York next week.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
