{"id":219431,"date":"2009-12-18T11:25:30","date_gmt":"2009-12-18T16:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,yhoo:20050301:fantasy,article,yhoo-ept_sports_fantasy_experts-209803:1"},"modified":"2009-12-18T11:25:30","modified_gmt":"2009-12-18T16:25:30","slug":"semi-shocker-special-cribbs-raising-eyebrows-fanalyst-voices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/219431","title":{"rendered":"Semi-Shocker Special: Cribbs raising eyebrows, fanalyst voices"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>
<\/p>\n

Each week the Noise will guide
\ndesperate, deep-thinking owners into the dark corners of the waiver wire to
\nmine a last-minute diamond. Turn on your helmet light and pack a pickaxe. We’re
\ndigging for drop-jaw surprises owned in fewer than 10 percent or started in
\nfive percent or less of Yahoo! Plus leagues. (NOTE<\/strong>: Owners with teams still alive this time each year are generally blessed with several useful options. Due to this, we’re loosening the rules to accomodate the fortunate. Call it a kinder, gentler Shocker.) <\/em><\/p>\n

Joshua Cribbs<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> is a textbook chameleon. <\/p>\n

He doesn’t possess zygodactylous feet, stereoscopic eyes, an
\nelastic tongue or the ability to change color, but he’s a highly adaptable player who can alter styles and blend into various situations with
\nease. Despite his unique set of skills, the Browns’ most dangerous weapon,
\nstarted in fewer than 30 percent of Yahoo! Plus leagues, is still largely
\ncamouflaged.  <\/p>\n

That all could change this week.<\/a><\/p>\n

Primarily employed as a Wildcat gimmick and occasionally as
\na receiver, Cribbs is undergoing a transformation. With Jamal Lewis’<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> career
\nfinished and Eric Mangini’s job in jeopardy, the barkless Chihuahuas have entered an experimental phase.
\nYoung, unproven players and well-rounded veterans have been provided opportunities
\nto see how they will be utilized, if at all, next season. Cribbs, who is one of
\nthe league’s supreme special teamers, has finally received the chance to
\nshowcase his exceptional talents at an unusual position, running back. Mangini
\nsaid earlier this week he will "continue to explore<\/a>" ways to hand
\nCribbs the football. Cleveland’s
\nMVP is confident the switch will be smooth. From the AP<\/a>:<\/p>\n

"I feel like that’s one of my
\nabilities," he said. "My position is running back. I was a running
\nback, back in the day. The wildcat is me at running back. It’s a straight
\nhandoff. It’s not like we’re trying to fool you with the quarterback being in
\nthe mix. I’m getting the ball and I’m running it.<\/p>\n

"Try to stop me."<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While enrolled at Kent State,
\nCribbs played quarterback. As a Golden Flash he set school records in just above every
\nmajor passing category. He is also the only player in NCAA history to lead his
\nteam in both rushing and passing in four consecutive seasons. It’s not uncommon
\nfor athletic collegiate passers to transition into a different position at the
\nNFL level. Anquan Boldin<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Drew Bennett<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and Antwaan Randle El<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> did so with much
\nsuccess. But sliding into a physically demanding spot five years into your
\nprofessional career is unheard of. Either Mangini has completely lost his
\nmarbles or Cribbs is that <\/em>special. The former may hold some weight, but the
\nlatter is unmistakably true. <\/p>\n

At 6-foot-1, 215-pounds, the shape-shifter is a thickly-built
\nplayer with enough strength, stamina and athleticism to handle a rigorous
\nworkload. He’s displayed noticeable elusiveness, power and amazing vision operating
\nprimarily out of the Wildcat. Running behind a decent, not extraordinary,
\noffensive line, he’s averaged an insane 7.3 yards per carry, far and away the
\nhighest mark among rushers with at least 125 rushing yards. <\/p>\n

The fantasy masses witnessed Cribbs’ potential first-hand
\nlast week against one of the league’s stingiest run defenses. In a game with a
\nthrowback feel, the 26-year-old channeled Jim Brown, rushing for 87 yards on
\njust eight carries versus Pittsburgh
\n(Highlights here<\/a>). His eye-opening performance once again proved he’s the best
\nkept secret in football, fantasy or reality. <\/p>\n

This week in Kansas
\n City, the Cribbs experiment at RB will likely undergo a trial run. Lab rats will don Chiefs red.
\nSince Week 9, KC has surrendered 5.0 yards per carry, 196.6 total yards per
\ngame and nine scores to rushers, equal to the second-most points allowed.
\nAssuming Cribbs accumulates at least 10-12 touches, he should post excellent
\nnumbers, especially if deployed as a WR3 in 12-team and deeper standard
\nformats. <\/p>\n

With an expanded workload, this week the Chameleon could be
\nthe color of money. <\/p>\n

Week 15 Fearless
\nForecast<\/strong>: 11 rushes, 91 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 9 receiving yards, 1
\ntouchdown, 16 fantasy points <\/p>\n

For those that prefer animated pictures over words, here’s more Cribbs propaganda. (WARNING<\/strong>: Playing the follwing video at high volume could attract canines, shatter eardrums, break glass…)<\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/p>\n

\nSILENCE THE NOISE
\nCHALLENGE <\/strong><\/p>\n

Each week one lucky aspiring fantasy prognosticator is
\nchosen to go toe-to-toe against the Noise. If you want to be a guest
\n"expert" submit your Week 16 flames, lames (1 QB, 3 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE
\nfor each, 16 total) and shocker special (one player at any position) along with
\na valid email address and your location here<\/a>
\nno later than 7 PM central time on Thursday. Oh, and please, no long
\ndissertations to justify your picks. All that’s required are your player
\nselections and projections. Winners earn a league spot to compete against yours
\ntruly next season. Good luck! <\/p>\n

Week 15 contestant: Adam in Cleveland, OH<\/strong><\/p>\n

Flames:<\/strong>
\nQB: Matt Hasselbeck<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Sea, 21-26, 226 yards, 3:0 td:int, 15% started
\nRB: Knowshon Moreno<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Den, 21 carries, 113 yards, 1 td, 56%
\nRB: Laurence Maroney<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> NE, 15 carries, 64 yards, 1 td, 49%
\nRB: Tim Hightower<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Ari, 12 carries, 58 yards, 1 td, 40%
\nWR: Mike Sims-Walker<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Jac, 5 catches, 68 yards, 1 td, 34%
\nWR: Steve Breaston<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Ari, 5 catches, 90 yards, 1 td, 23%
\nWR: Kevin Walter<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Hou, 6 catches, 77 yards, 1 td, 22%
\nTE: Jeremy Shockey<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> NO, 5 catches, 66 yards, 1 td, 47%<\/p>\n

Lames:<\/strong>
\nQB: Aaron Rodgers<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> 20-33, 190 yards, 1:2 td:int, 86%
\nRB: Matt Forte<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Chi, 16 carries, 46 yards, 10 receiving yards, 0 tds, 63%
\nRB: Brandon Jacobs<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> NYG, 15 carries, 72 yards, 0 tds, 63%
\nRB: LaDainian Tomlinson<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> SD, 20 carries, 52 yards, 0 tds, 80%
\nWR: Brandon Marshall<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Den, 6 catches, 69 yards, 0 tds, 91%
\nWR: Calvin Johnson<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Det, 3 catches, 33 yards, 0 tds, 75%
\nWR: Santonio Holmes<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Pit, 5 catches, 52 yards, 0 tds, 73%
\nTE: Brent Celek<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Phi, 3 catches, 31 yards, 67%<\/p>\n

Shocker Special<\/strong>: Malcom Floyd<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> SD,
\n4 catches 47 yards, 1 td, 2% <\/p>\n

Week 14 results: Kevin from Soldotna, Alaska<\/strong><\/p>\n

Flames (3-6)<\/strong>: W –
\n(Quinton Ganther<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Ahmad Bradshaw<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Fred Davis<\/a>(notes)<\/a>);<\/span> L – (Alex Smith<\/a>, Chester Taylor<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Devery
\nHenderson<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Kevin Walter, Eddie Royal<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Josh Morgan<\/a>(notes)<\/a>)<\/span> <\/p>\n

Lames (3-4)<\/strong>: W –
\n(DeAngelo Williams<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Calvin Johnson, Heath Miller<\/a>(notes)<\/a>);<\/span> L – (Tony Romo<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Joseph
\nAddai<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Cedric Benson<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Sidney Rice<\/a>(notes)<\/a>);<\/span> (DNP – Devin Hester<\/a>(notes)<\/a>).<\/span> <\/p>\n

Noisers Season<\/strong>:
\nFlames (42-76, 35.6%), Lames (53-48, 52.5%) <\/p>\n

Winners<\/strong>: Matthew
\nin Colden, NY, Micah in Shelbyville, TN, Brian in Colorado Springs, Sean from
\nSouth Brunswick, NJ, Alan from Ithaca, Matt from Washington<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Image courtesy of AP <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each week the Noise will guide desperate, deep-thinking owners into the dark corners of the waiver wire to mine a last-minute diamond. Turn on your helmet light and pack a pickaxe. We’re digging for drop-jaw surprises owned in fewer than 10 percent or started in five percent or less of Yahoo! Plus leagues. (NOTE: Owners […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-219431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219431\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}