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At the end of every fantasy football season I like to return to my cheat sheets and draft choices to see if there are any trends or if there is anything I can learn from the season.

When I saw my thoughts and notes about LT it got me thinking about the debates on this forum about him. I remember most posters saying LT was shot, or dead or whatever. I remember a couple posters saying Tomlinson still had a good bit left, would be productive, and his lack of production was more related to the game 1 injury and how he was used in the offense.

As we look back on it, it seems those who thought LT had some left were right. Tomlinson was productive even when suddenly not used in the passing game. I do not know how to filter stats but I would wager he was a top 10ish RB over the second half of the season.

The Chargers are as hot a team as there is in the NFL going into the post season. Should be interesting to see how things break for LT in the playoffs.

I'm not sure if he was top 10, but probably top 15. I know there was a lot of discussion about what he would score in weeks 6-16. I remember someone put the over/under at 13.5 points per week (using 1 PPR). It looks like he scored 152.6 in weeks 6-16 or 13.9 per week using NFFC scoring (at .5 PPR). He was productive in those weeks, due largely to TD production, but hey it all counts.

Come on guys if not for the mercy touchdowns they could have given to anyone he was pretty bad.The year is over and you need to look at the entire season .I would bet for all running backs with atleast 100 carries he would be dead last in avg per carry just over 3 yards a rush.Didnt even have one 100 yard game.The only league he would have been ok for a high pick would have been a touchdown pool.Amazing how fast you can lose it as a starting running back and even more amazing how he was going between pick 5 to 10 in many leagues.I dont like running backs when they hit their 30's especially in the early rounds and stay away from them and didnt own LT or Westy in any of my 13 leagues.

Gotta love the name "Moonlight Graham"

Originally posted by Moonlight Graham:
At the end of every fantasy football season I like to return to my cheat sheets and draft choices to see if there are any trends or if there is anything I can learn from the season.

When I saw my thoughts and notes about LT it got me thinking about the debates on this forum about him. I remember most posters saying LT was shot, or dead or whatever. I remember a couple posters saying Tomlinson still had a good bit left, would be productive, and his lack of production was more related to the game 1 injury and how he was used in the offense.

As we look back on it, it seems those who thought LT had some left were right. Tomlinson was productive even when suddenly not used in the passing game. I do not know how to filter stats but I would wager he was a top 10ish RB over the second half of the season.

The Chargers are as hot a team as there is in the NFL going into the post season. Should be interesting to see how things break for LT in the playoffs. Ha ! If this isn't Renman I'll eat my shorts ! lol

[ January 06, 2010, 07:08 PM: Message edited by: Quahogs ]

Quahogs,

I did enjoy the movie Field of Dreams. Plus anyone who agrees with Renman, must in fact BE Renman right?

Regarding the point, I was private messaged by a few people to come here and do an "I told you so" regarding the LT thing.. primarily because of how hostile, mocking and personal some people got for me DARING to have the opinion that LT wasn't "done" and would be productive down the stretch of the season.

The point made about LT getting most of his value via TD's confuses me. I could be wrong but isn't scoring TD's an important part of fantasy football? Isn't being defined as the goaline back part of what makes a fantasy RB valuable? was it not proven that the offensive line for San Diego was so bad the other RB's were struggling to gain more than 2.5 yards per carry and were horrible in short yardage?

To look at how LT produced this year blindly by stats and not see the entire story is MISSING the bigger picture.

No one could predict how poorly LT would be used this year. I am not sure I have EVER seen a star RB in pro football be used in a more predictable way than LT was this year. He ran it when you KNEW he would run it and almost always right up the backside of a 3rd string interior offensive lineman who couldn't block. Almost never used on draws or in the pass even though in one week at the end of the season they threw to him and he went 4-60.

He clearly wasn't DONE and I stand by my initial opinion that his drop in productivity was 80% due to how he was used, a game 1 injury, and a crippled offensive line, and 20% him losing a step or 2. If Sproles had been hurt and SD was forced to use LT on 3rd down and in those "free yardage" situations like 3rd and 20 or at the end of a half... LT would have easily been a top 10 producing RB.

[ January 07, 2010, 10:20 AM: Message edited by: Renman ]

He was this year's version of LenDale White.

The question I have is whether we'll see his production fall off the table next season the same way that White's did this season.

Originally posted by Renman:
Quahogs,

I did enjoy the movie Field of Dreams. Plus anyone who agrees with Renman, must in fact BE Renman right?

Regarding the point, I was private messaged by a few people to come here and do an "I told you so" regarding the LT thing.. primarily because of how hostile, mocking and personal some people got for me DARING to have the opinion that LT wasn't "done" and would be productive down the stretch of the season.

The point made about LT getting most of his value via TD's confuses me. I could be wrong but isn't scoring TD's an important part of fantasy football? Isn't being defined as the goaline back part of what makes a fantasy RB valuable? was it not proven that the offensive line for San Diego was so bad the other RB's were struggling to gain more than 2.5 yards per carry and were horrible in short yardage?

To look at how LT produced this year blindly by stats and not see the entire story is MISSING the bigger picture.

No one could predict how poorly LT would be used this year. I am not sure I have EVER seen a star RB in pro football be used in a more predictable way than LT was this year. He ran it when you KNEW he would run it and almost always right up the backside of a 3rd string interior offensive lineman who couldn't block. Almost never used on draws or in the pass even though in one week at the end of the season they threw to him and he went 4-60.

He clearly wasn't DONE and I stand by my initial opinion that his drop in productivity was 80% due to how he was used, a game 1 injury, and a crippled offensive line, and 20% him losing a step or 2. If Sproles had been hurt and SD was forced to use LT on 3rd down and in those "free yardage" situations like 3rd and 20 or at the end of a half... LT would have easily been a top 10 producing RB. Of course he's done. Lowest avg of his career; not a single 100-yard game; lowest number of catches in his career, by more than half; didn't even sniff 1,000 yards; lowest number of carries ever;

Here's his weekly finishes from week 6 compared to other rbs, nffc scoring

6 - 21
7 -24
8 - 13
9 - bye, no wait, 42
10 - 7
11 - 23
12 - 12
13 - 12
14 - 22
15 - 19
16 - 11

Top-10ish? I remember you saying you expected top 5 going forward, after the injury that every other rb could have suffered.

The number of rbs I'd rather have next year keeps growing. He will be hard-pressed to hang on in SD next year, and he'll be a year older. Thank God he can fall forward for a yard. Lastly, I find it interesting that you say it doesn't matter if tds are the only reason he scores fantasy points as they count. Then I think it's fair to say it doesn't matter if you believe he's being used improperly, bad o-line, etc. It all counts as to why he's done. Dead. Great career LT, your time is up. Thanks for the memories. Done.

Chargers crippled o-line. Run calling too predictable. LT not used on draws or in the passing game. All reasons by Renman why LT's stats were negatively affected. The blame here is on the entire Chargers' team BUT NOT LT. There's a reason why he's not used as much on draws or in the passing game. There is a reason for all of it and it's not because everyone around LT brought him down. It's because LT has come down. He's no longer what he was as a rb. LT scored td's from inside the 10 yd line? So yes he was still "productive" as a fantasy rb but he's still done. Agree with Tom here, he's a thinner version of Lendale White who was fortunate that he had so many chances to score on a great offense.

[ January 07, 2010, 02:31 PM: Message edited by: rkulaski ]

Originally posted by Tom Kessenich:
He was this year's version of LenDale White.

The question I have is whether we'll see his production fall off the table next season the same way that White's did this season. The only differences being that White did not enter the season as one of the most prolific pass catching RB's in the history of the NFL, then suddenly not used in the passing game... He did not enter the season as the featured back on a top team playing in a weak division. White did not play behind a helpless offensive line that other RBs on the roster could not muster 3 yards per carry behind.

No matter how people cut it, LT was not "done" this year as many said he was.