The Furrey 9
So there I was, sitting on a 2-3 record going into my Week 6 matchup. My team was strong and my key starters (LaDanian Tomlinson, Willie Parker, Terry Glenn among them) had just finished through their bye weeks and tough defensive matchups. I was primed and ready to roll through the rest of the season with one tiny snag; Donte Stallworth's hamstring.
I had some decisions to make. I had Joe Horn, Nate Burleson, and some guy on the Lions named Mike Furrey. Who to start? Now I had been using Horn as my fill in since Stallworth had been out since Week 3, and he was devastatingly unproductive; 8 points here, 4 points there. Nothing you're looking for in a regular replacement. Do I stick with him or do I look elsewhere? I really could use the win and bring my record back to .500. Burleson's situation in Seattle was less than desirable as the Seahawks had just added Deion Branch to an already crowded passing game and it didn't look like he was getting the looks he should have gotten. Oh yeah, and of course there's the sore thumb -- a wonderful characteristic for a guy who makes his living using his hands. So that left me with the decision between an unproductive Horn and the young upstart Furrey.
Now I know what you're saying. Joe Horn...gotta go with Horn...he's a proven commodity. But I overthought the whole thing, studied the matchups and made the horrible decision to start Furrey. Now keep in mind that Furrey had taken over the #2 WR spot on Detroit and had a tremendous Week 4 with 82 yards and 2 TDs. The Lions were airing it out and they were playing a banged up Buffalo defense in Week 6. It was sure to be a shootout. Or so I thought. Horn on the other hand was going up against a strong Eagles squad and had seemingly been replaced as the go-to guy by Marques Colston. This was my rationale.
With Joe Horn sitting on my bench with 110 yards and 2 TDs (26 points in my league), I watched Mike Furrey go out and catch 3 balls for 39 total yards. No touchdown, 3 measley fantasy points. I lost my Week 6 matchup by 4 points.
Fast forward 1 week.
I'm now 2-4 and sitting in 3rd place in my division. I desperately need the win. Stallworth didn't make the trip to Tampa and Joe Horn's on a bye. I have Furrey, Burleson, but now I also have New England's Doug Gabriel, whom I picked up during the week's free agent frenzy. I'm staying away from Burleson still. I just can't get past the thumb and all of Matt Hasselbeck's other options. Which leaves me with Gabriel and Furrey.
Gabriel and the Pats are just coming off a bye and he's becoming a favorite target of Tom Brady's. He was flying under the radar in most leagues as he was an early in-season acquisition but was primed to succeed. He scored 12 and 11 points in weeks 3 and 4 respectively and although held to zero points in week 5, he was having great practice sessions during the off time. He looked like a great fill-in option, or at the least, a better option than Furrey had become lately.
With Roy Williams taking all the looks from Jon Kitna and with an upcoming matchup against my beloved New York Jets, I just couldn't stand the idea of rooting for Furrey to succeed. Besides, in the 2 weeks prior, he totaled a whopping 7 fantasy points. Decision made. Gabriel was getting the start.
So now here I sit in the midst of my critical Week 7 matchup. I'm down 26 points with only Terry Glenn to go. My opposition is done for the week. Gabriel grabbed 45 yards with a touchdown for a total of 10 points. Mike Furrey? The game of his life. Ugh!! 9 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD -- 19 fantasy points.
9 points that will haunt me.
9 points laughing at me from my bench.
9 points sending me to my worst fantasy football season in almost six years.
Would I feel better going into tonight's game down 15 rather than 26? Absolutely.
Do I think I can still win this week? Possibly. Doubtful, but possible.
Just goes to show you how arbitrary fantasy football can be.
We'll see what happens tonight. But something tells me I haven't escaped the clutches of the Furrey 9.
I had some decisions to make. I had Joe Horn, Nate Burleson, and some guy on the Lions named Mike Furrey. Who to start? Now I had been using Horn as my fill in since Stallworth had been out since Week 3, and he was devastatingly unproductive; 8 points here, 4 points there. Nothing you're looking for in a regular replacement. Do I stick with him or do I look elsewhere? I really could use the win and bring my record back to .500. Burleson's situation in Seattle was less than desirable as the Seahawks had just added Deion Branch to an already crowded passing game and it didn't look like he was getting the looks he should have gotten. Oh yeah, and of course there's the sore thumb -- a wonderful characteristic for a guy who makes his living using his hands. So that left me with the decision between an unproductive Horn and the young upstart Furrey.
Now I know what you're saying. Joe Horn...gotta go with Horn...he's a proven commodity. But I overthought the whole thing, studied the matchups and made the horrible decision to start Furrey. Now keep in mind that Furrey had taken over the #2 WR spot on Detroit and had a tremendous Week 4 with 82 yards and 2 TDs. The Lions were airing it out and they were playing a banged up Buffalo defense in Week 6. It was sure to be a shootout. Or so I thought. Horn on the other hand was going up against a strong Eagles squad and had seemingly been replaced as the go-to guy by Marques Colston. This was my rationale.
With Joe Horn sitting on my bench with 110 yards and 2 TDs (26 points in my league), I watched Mike Furrey go out and catch 3 balls for 39 total yards. No touchdown, 3 measley fantasy points. I lost my Week 6 matchup by 4 points.
Fast forward 1 week.
I'm now 2-4 and sitting in 3rd place in my division. I desperately need the win. Stallworth didn't make the trip to Tampa and Joe Horn's on a bye. I have Furrey, Burleson, but now I also have New England's Doug Gabriel, whom I picked up during the week's free agent frenzy. I'm staying away from Burleson still. I just can't get past the thumb and all of Matt Hasselbeck's other options. Which leaves me with Gabriel and Furrey.
Gabriel and the Pats are just coming off a bye and he's becoming a favorite target of Tom Brady's. He was flying under the radar in most leagues as he was an early in-season acquisition but was primed to succeed. He scored 12 and 11 points in weeks 3 and 4 respectively and although held to zero points in week 5, he was having great practice sessions during the off time. He looked like a great fill-in option, or at the least, a better option than Furrey had become lately.
With Roy Williams taking all the looks from Jon Kitna and with an upcoming matchup against my beloved New York Jets, I just couldn't stand the idea of rooting for Furrey to succeed. Besides, in the 2 weeks prior, he totaled a whopping 7 fantasy points. Decision made. Gabriel was getting the start.
So now here I sit in the midst of my critical Week 7 matchup. I'm down 26 points with only Terry Glenn to go. My opposition is done for the week. Gabriel grabbed 45 yards with a touchdown for a total of 10 points. Mike Furrey? The game of his life. Ugh!! 9 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD -- 19 fantasy points.
9 points that will haunt me.
9 points laughing at me from my bench.
9 points sending me to my worst fantasy football season in almost six years.
Would I feel better going into tonight's game down 15 rather than 26? Absolutely.
Do I think I can still win this week? Possibly. Doubtful, but possible.
Just goes to show you how arbitrary fantasy football can be.
We'll see what happens tonight. But something tells me I haven't escaped the clutches of the Furrey 9.
posted by Howard Bender at
3:53 PM
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