Jamal Lewis, A Fantasy Perspective

Version 1.1

10 games; 607 yards; 7 touchdowns, only two shy of the league leader. Jamal Lewis was more than likely not ranked very high on your draft board, maybe you took him in the fourth, maybe the fifth, but you took him, took a shot.

Then comes week one, you're excited, another year of the NFL, another year of fantasy football. Lewis is your #2 back, maybe your #3, depending on how you drafted, either way though, you were nervous about what kind of numbers you would see from him. You were looking for a repeat of his 2006 season, would you get his 2005 season? Week one, 35 yards rushing, no TDs, 11 yards recieving, no TDs. You're in trouble, right? Perhaps not for in that same week let's not forget that the top two drafted runningbacks, LT and SJax, rushed for 25 yards and 58 yards respectivley. Kinda hard to get a read on any runningback that first week.

But you stuck with Lewis and in the second week your loyalty paid off, big time. 216 yards, 1 touchdown, fantasy points galore. And then what? 56 yards, 64 yards, 11 yards, 61 yards in the following four games, combining for less yardage than that wonderous week two. If only you'd drafted Adrian Peterson instead.

By now, of course, Jamal Lewis is on your bench. You've given up, despite that record setting week, despite Clevland's new-found ability to throw the ball through the air, Jamal Lewis isn't getting the job done, for the Browns, for your fantasy team. So he rides the pine.

Week 9. Four touchdowns. 30 or so fantasy points, on your bench. The win, on your bench. Jamal Lewis, on your bench. Your faith is restored, maybe, just maybe, not all is lost on this guy. Sure, it took some time, but here comes the numbers you expected from this guy, here comes the return of Jamal Lewis circa 2006.

Week 10. 35 yards, no touchdowns. What the hell? You bench him, it costs you the win, you play him, it costs you the win.

Week 11, if you have any sense, you probably did not play him against that tough Baltimore D and you missed out on his 92 yards and one touchdown, you missed out on another viable fantasy showing, again.

So what do you do now? This is crunch time in fantasy football, two weeks, maybe three left depending on your league. You need wins, the playoffs are what's at stake here, the championship, a years worth of bragging rights.

Houston, Arizona, the Jets. Those are the teams Lewis will be looking at in the following weeks. The Texans allow an average of 124 yards rushing per game. The Cardinals, 100 yards rushing per game. The Jets are statistically the worst rush D in the league, 152 yards per game.

You know that "big risk, big reward" thing that we fantasy geeks are constantly harping on? This is exactly what we are talking about. You need wins, Jamal Lewis is your answer. Houston and the Jets have looked miserable against the run all season. Look for Lewis to have huge numbers against these teams. The Cardinals? Well, that's a different story; cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Big risk, big reward. Jamal Lewis, circa 2006.