Rookie Battle Royale: Week 11

I love this week, I said it before, Ill say it again. The Vikings had an easy win, the Entire AFC North lost, some in epic fashion, and the rookies had great weeks, which is good for all of us. I think the playoff picture is becoming pretty clear in some parts, which is also cool, even though a few of my least favorite teams are pretty much in. Anyways, on with the show.

Mark Sanchez

Its been an up and down season so far for Sanchez, and this week was a major down week. He threw four interceptions en route to a Jets loss, again, and showed that rookie QBs usually don’t have the know how to figure out a tough D. Sanchez was once the runaway contender for ROY, but now isnt looking so hot. His cards have taken a hit as well, with some not cracking $100 where they used to be getting $120 and above. He is not going to be Jamarcus Russell, so don’t worry, but he still has a long way to go.

Matthew Stafford

Holy crap, what a week for Matthew Stafford. I guess the Browns really are that bad, and Stafford may be that good. He threw five TDs, a rookie record, and also passed for over 420 yards, again a rookie record. His Lions’ team had an epic comeback against the worst team in the league, and even though he broke all kinds of records, it just goes to show that the Browns suck that bad. Regardless, his cards will jump, and they deserve to, as he may have just catapulted ahead of Sanchez in the ROY watch.

Josh Freeman

Again, rookie QBs usually have a pretty bad game against good defenses, and Packers game aside, Freeman has done just that. 126 yards, a TD and a pick doesn’t leave you with much if you are the Bucs, especially so when you play against the Saints. Eh, growing pains are going to be common in Tampa Bay.

Percy Harvin

Harvin had a very good game against the Seahawks, including starting the scoring with a 23 yard TD. He ended up with 79 yards and 5 catches including one on third down for a nice gain. Harvin has quickly emerged as a top candidate for rookie of the year, and the Vikings seem to greatly benefit each time he catches the ball – kickoffs and otherwise.

Mohammed Massaquoi

Another great week for Massaquoi, even though it was against the Lions. He had a long TD, as well as 115 yards, so I guess the Browns fans should pleased that they ended up with Stuckey and him as their two guys instead of Braylon. I doubt that will remain the case, but for now, its not bad.

Bernard Scott

Bernie had a great week in a stunning loss. 115 yards rushing, though the Bengals were the second top team to lose to the Raiders. With Benson out, the Bengals are going to need some major help, especially with Larry Johnson dragging them down. Scott doesn’t look like a bad fill in, but he is little more than a stop-gap.

Michael Crabtree

Crabtree had his first good game of the year against the Packers, and it only took 11 weeks to do it with the hold out. Good for you buddy, smart move. He had 77 yards and a TD, though the Niners couldn’t pull off the late come back. Crabtree looks like he is going to be pretty good, but he will have that hold out tag on him until he explodes.

Brandon Pettigrew

Pettigrew had a feast with his Lions teammates, including a game winning TD catch with no time on the clock. He almost dropped it, which was funny, but overall he had a pretty good game with 72 yards. Its going to be tough as a tight end for him to get any sort of value momentum while playing in Detroit, so don’t go rush to your local shops looking for his stuff.

Hakeem Nicks

Nicks has been notably absent during the Giants losing streak, and this week was just alright. 65 yards on 5 catches, but the Giants did squeak out a win. Nicks is losing steam, but that could be just that the 16 game season is starting to catch up with him. He was injured for 2 games early on, so who knows.

Beanie Wells

74 and a TD is pretty good, second good game in a row for Beanie. Now that Warner is banged up, he should have a much more prominent role in the Cardinals’ offense. Maybe that will do well for him to get even more back on track.

LeSean McCoy

I remember back when getting 100 yards against the Bears on the ground was an impossible feat. McCoy came awfully close with 99 and a TD last night, so I guess its not that much of an accomplishment anymore. McCoy has quietly put together a great season, but with Westbrook coming back again soon, I doubt he will get the same attention later on.

Offensive Rookie of the Year Watch

Now that the season is more than half over and the graveyard is coming to life, its time to switch gears. There are a lot of candidates for ROY, and here is my own version of a tracker to show you who deserves consideration to me.

1. Percy Harvin – 36 rec / 501 yards, 4 TDs, 2 KR TDs – he has helped his team the most, and has shown to be a very elusive runner and tough to tackle. Those KRs have been icing on the cake in some of the Vikings wins, where others have been the cake themselves.

2(T). Mark Sanchez – 1761 yards, 10 TDs, 16 INTs – Sanchez is here because so many of the rookie QBs are always the most visible. NY has a better record than DET, even though Stafford has generally played better.

2(T). Matt Stafford – 1911 yards, 11 TDs, 14 INTs – Stafford has brought 2 wins to a horrible team with his arm alone. His recent 5 TD game brings him into this conversation, especially after missing games with a knee injury.

4. LeSean McCoy – 452 yards, 4.3 YPC, 3 TDs – McCoy has done great in Westbrook’s absence considering the circumstances. I doubt he has a chance to win unless he puts up a monster game next week.

5. Mike Wallace – 28 rec / 500 yards 3 TDs – He has done pretty well as a 3rd wide receiver, though has been used more of a deep guy than someone integral to the offense. It has netted him a great YPC avg and a few TDs, but he will need to step it up to overcome the rest of the candidates.

NFL Rookie Battle Royale: Week 9

This week had a lot of byes or Monday night games for the top rookies, but we definitely have some newcomers to the list. We also see that more and more late rounders are coming out of the woodwork to become productive for their teams, so be sure to dig through your commons before tossing them in a shoebox for eternity.

Josh Freeman

Its rare that Aaron Rodgers is out performed. Its even rarer that a rookie does it. The odds in vegas may not have even fathomed that a rookie QB on a winless team would beat him. Freeman played the game of his life in his first game, and it is ridiculous to think that he did it against a surging team like the Packers. 3TDs 200 yards passing, and 20 yards rushing. Thats pretty damn good. He WILL NOT play this well every week, but he looks like he could at least have some potential, which the Bucs must be loving.
Matt Stafford
Stafford had a pretty bad week this week, throwing 5 interceptions against the Seahawks. People on the boards have already started calling him a bust, but we have to remember that he is still a first year fucking QB in the toughest game to play well in. He had a bad game, on one of the worst teams in the league. Im not saying anything yet, but I will continue to say that holding his cards from the beginning was stupid.
LeSean McCoy
McCoy put up 100 total yards this week against a very good team, and I am thinking he is turning out to be one of the best non-first round picks of the year. He didnt get into the end zone, but he played very well. The problem is, once Westbrook comes back, its back to normal bench work.
Brandon Pettigrew
Welcome to week 9 Brandon Pettigrew! Holy crap, took you long enough. He caught 7 passes for 70 yards with a TD, though he was the only bright spot for his team. Pettigrew still has a REALLY long way to go, but its interesting that it took him this long to get involved. I think he will continue to come around, but its going to take a while when you have as many problems as the Lions do. Of course, I pulled one of his cards too this weekend, just my luck.
Johnny Knox
Knox has been relatively silent since the Bears decided to take a swan dive into the shitter. He caught 4-30, and really did nothing for the second game in a row. Another passenger on the NFL rookie roller coaster I guess. I think if you are holding his cards, you should have sold a few weeks ago.
Hakeem Nicks
Same as Knox, Nicks was silent again this week with 3 for 39 yards. The Giants in general didnt do much against the Chargers, so when you are the number three guy, its tough to get involved. I am still in the house that thinks Nicks is still one of the top rookie receivers of the year, but he needs to do better to keep that designation.
Beanie Wells
Wells had a pretty good game with 13 rushes for 72 yards, though he still has yet to really impress anyone. The focus of the Cardinals offense may be to blame for his lack of success, but he also hasnt done much with what he has been given. At least this game shows his YPC avg has potential to improve.
The Rookie Graveyard

Darrius Heyward-Bey – Bye week
Brandon Pettigrew – May come out next week if he has another good game
Matthew Stafford – Has done little since his injury, so I have to put him here because of the body of work
Michael Crabtree – 3 for 30 isnt going to cut it when you hold out for as long as he did
Beanie Wells – Still not much for a guy who had the hype he did.