Moving on: the Trichotillomaniacs of the Far East (Rocksteady Edition)

General is glad Ponder experiment is over

By Bill Williamson; ESPN Far East Blogger

Here are some areas the Trichotillomaniacs need to work on following their lopsided 80.60-129.00 loss to the HomeSpunNeckBloodz.

Recap:  TE Vernon Davis, who’s been the locomotive of the team so far, had a quiet game with only 2 pts against Darrelle Revis-less Jets defense as the 49ers exploited them ironically with their run.  QB Christian Ponder, replacing Ben Roethelisburger during his bye, was also semi-mute in his team’s win, scoring a pathetic 4 pts with 111 yds passing.  The whole Far East team only managed two touchdowns in the blowout loss.

The Doom is back a Mania

Biggest Area to Build On:  Just when it seemed things were looking up, the team faced a harsh wake-up slap-in-the-face type of performance by the Spinners.  But there’s still a bright spot in defeat.  Alfred Morris is a legitimate starting RB, scoring his forth TD in as many games.  He’s tied with ArianFoster as the NFL leader in rushing TDs.  Despite causing headaches for several fantasy owners last season, coach Mike Shanahan has made Mike Anderson and Olandis Gary, just to name a few, into thousand yard rushers.  Morris is very well on his way as well.  As long as he stays healthy, the East Siders have an offensive output they can count on.  IDPs have been rotating doors so far, but the group finally had solid games overall, with new-comers CB Richard Sherman and DE Elvis Dumervil both scoring over six points.  Dumervil is the lone Bronco of the Trichs roster after General Far East released RB duo Lance Ball and RonnieHillman to fill the IDP slots.  With 2.5 sacks in the last two weeks, he looks to be a keeper. 

Biggest Area to Fix:  The bench.  Last week I spoke fondly of the team’s collection of second-tier running backs, but, in order for the team to win each week, General Far East has to manage the difficult task of making the right choice with who to start and who to sit at RB2 and Flex.  Every week the East Side bench has had a back scoring at least a TD and over 10 points; this week it was newly added back Jackie Battle, scoring two TDs (one rushing and one receiving) for 19 points.  What’s tough for the General is that, with his group of backs, each week it’s a different guy.  Except for Morris in week 1, none of Jonathan Stewart (week 2), Lamar Miller (week 2) or Jacquizz Rodgers (week 3) has had another game scoring over 10 points.  Stewart and Rodgers both get about 15 touches per game, so they have potential, for both success and failure, and are maybe Flex play at best.  NYG’s Andre Brown has yet to prove that he wasn’t a one-week wonder, although it looks clear that Giants starter Ahmad Bradshaw is not a very good running back.  Jackie Battle may be the right choice at RB2 for now, with Ryan Mathews still looking a year away from having a breakout season with injury and ball security issues still hanging over his head.  Many scouts out west say the Chargers are likely to hand the ball over to Battle on short yardage and goal-line situations. 

Jason Hanson leads PSAS in kickin'

What to Watch For:  The General and his Maniacs are happy to have Roethelisburger back at QB in the match against powerhouse AEthernauts.  WR HakeemNicks has now missed two weeks in a row.  At least, he’s let the General know in advance.  If he’s out extensively, the trade that sent Dez Bryant away for this injury-prone talent may look very questionable.  Dez’s issues may be off-field, but Nick’s problem is that he can’t get on the field.  K Jason Hanson is on a bye this week, and the team is yet to decide if they will keep him on the roster or release him while the General dips into the waiver pool in search of a reliever.  Hanson is the leading fantasy kicker through week 4, and has been an important asset to Trichs lackluster offense.  If the team decides to keep him, they may not have any room for another roster addition.  If Hanson is released, the General may add a receiver to help prepare for Nicks’s absence.  Again, the Trichs only managed two touchdowns combined this past weekend, and it’s hard to beat anyone with this kind of firepower. There’s still a valid concern that the East Siderz can lose a game on their own with the lack of scoring ability.