Four to the Floor

We’ve got two teams on four game losing streaks. With our season at seven games booked, that’s not good. The thing is, there’s still time for any team to flip the switch and get into post-season contention. Or is there? Let’s take a look at the two teams getting the worst of it so far this season.

Original Salt (2-5)
The last time we checked in on Reno’s team, they were at 0.500 and ranked second in The Knights Who Say Ni division. Since then they’ve dropped three in a row and faced off against three winning teams that are now a cumulative 13-8. Ouch, no wonder they’re skidding toward the bottom of the standings. With six regular season games to go, Reno’s team is only three games back but it’s troubling because their best effort was last week’s 96 points — which was still a loss to Another Bad Creation. With most of their good players on bye for WK8, this team is headed for a fifth loss in a row. Can anything be salvaged from this season?

The Good: A late September pickup of Terance Williams has proved fruitful, as he’s been outplaying Larry Fitzgerald and Greg Jennings. This year's RD3.7 pick, Denarius Moore, has quietly snuck up to top fifteen WR status, and he’s been heating up with 356 yards and three touchdowns over the past month. Running back Matt Forte had his season best 28 points last week and is now ranked as the #2 RB. Despite slowing down a bit recently, Philip Rivers is still the sixth best QB this season.

The Bad: Larry Fitzgerald hasn’t been outright terrible, but with only one 100+ yard receiving game, and only three games in double digits, he’s become Mr. Undependable. With the emergence of Moore and Williams, Greg Jennings is official done after his bye week start this week. This isn’t really a bad bad, but a few weeks ago Jordan Cameron was this year’s fantasy darling. Since then he’s only totaled twenty points in his last three games. It's still nice numbers for a tight end, but no longer incredible world beating stats. With NFL defenses now keyed in on him, is Cameron's time in the spotlight over?

The Ugly: The defense for Original Salt has been terrible. Up until Giants DST had eleven points in WK7, Original Salt’s defense of choice had put up -1, -3, and -6 points. The week before that, the Jets had thrown up -5 points for Reno too. You have to go back to WK3 to find a positive contribution from Original Salt’s defense. And in WK1, Giants DST puked up another -3 points. It’s safe to say that it’s time for Reno to cut Giants DST, who has scored negative points in five of their seven games. While no wins were likely coming in with even a zero point defense during those matchups, it’s just gross to field a DST that gives you negative points week after week.

Suggestion: There seems to be an extra receiver on this team, maybe it would behoove Reno to explore some trade options for Larry Fitzgerald, who still has name value, if not exactly sustained production anymore. Also, change out that defense!

Team Cameltoe (1-6)
We wish there were nice things we could say about the tailspin Felipe finds his team in. We really loved the effort he put in this off-season for a big rebuild but things just haven’t been working out. They can’t put points up on the board — high mark of 81 points in a WK2 loss — and they don’t have a lot of hope on the horizon. A team that has eclipsed eighty points just once this season is in trouble. Cameltoe fans should be asking, “Can Jadeveon Clowney play offense?”

The Good: The one thing that was unequivocally a win for Felipe’s off-season maneuverings was Jordy Nelson. At the cost of a 2013 RD1 — a pick that eventually turned into Eddie Lacy by Pogiboys — Nelson is now the #1 WR on the charts and has shown no signs of slowing down. The RD3.03 selection of Reuben Randle is paying some dividends as Randle has four touchdowns in his last three games and is averaging 14.0 points over that same span.

The Bad: The mega Russell Wilson trade will take some time to shake out but it’s safe to say that Felipe expected more than the #12 ranked QB for two future first rounders and a second. And look at this roster summary. Aside from Wilson, Nelson, and Julio Jones, nobody else has contributed more than 21 points to the cause. Receiver Harry Douglas, added to the roster two weeks ago, vaulted up to number six on the Cameltoe charts after a single twenty point showing in WK7. That’s not good. And let’s not overlook the horrible gaping hole at running back here. David Wilson and Chris Ivory have been huge disappointments. Recent trade acquisition Daryl Richardson was just cut for Kendall Hutner, who could now be the starter. We’re not sure if Ivory’s 104 yards on 34 carries is legit, but if he can’t do that again, Team Cameltoe has nothing at running back.

The Ugly: Good night Julio Jones. Jones, the shining light on this roster, was put on IR and won’t return until next season. His 10.8 points per game won’t be irrepleacable but his star power will be. Without Jones around, what else do Cameltoe fans have to look forward to? This year’s biggest fantasy injury — so far — also happened to the one team that could least afford it.

Suggestion: This season is over. Even in a weak Hoke-A-Mania division, there’s no coming back for Team Cameltoe. And a wildcard spot ain’t gonna happen. Plus, without Julio, there’s just no going forward. The move now is to plan for the future. There’s no choice but to wait to see if Wilson can improve, but there are a few receiving options here. Maybe it’s time to deal one away to a contender to recoup some of those picks, or maybe explore trading Nelson at the peak of his value.