NFL Week 4 Awards and the All-Disappointment Fantasy Team

Hey there!  Things are still pretty nuts outside of the Lady Blitz world this week, so I only have a couple of NFL Week 4 awards to bestow:

The Lonesome Kicker Award - Josh Scobee, Josh Hocker, Adam Vinatieri, Jason Myers, et al
Many people on the interwebs have pointed out what a miserable week it has been for kickers.  Teams like the Steelers and Jaguars suffered heart-breaking losses on the foot of the guy who literally has one job.  Teams like the Saints, Colts and Chargers faced the threat of overtime after some atrocious late-game misses and barely eked out wins in spite of some not-so-golden boots.  Anyway, in honor of all of the kickers who go unnoticed when they do things well and get universally berated when they fail, I give you The Lonesome Kicker.


The All-Disappointment Fantasy Team
Secondly and finally, I don't know about you but I've had a miserable fantasy season so far after winning it all in 2014.  Three of my first four picks didn't even play Sunday due to injuries, and the swirl of panic trades and acquisitions has not been enough so far to recoup.  But I am reminding myself that it could be worse - some poor schmuck out there probably drafted this, the All-Disappointment Fantasy Team of 2015, through four weeks anyway:

• Andrew Luck (QB) - The gunslinger responsible for 40 TDs just one year ago has been caught in the crossfire of a coach-GM feud that won't end well and a terrible offensive line. After starting every game for his first three years, it's possible Luck will miss his second in a row on Thursday and might not look the same this year with a nasty shoulder separation.

• DeMarco Murray (RB) - After 12 games last season with 100+ yards, Murray's game-high through four weeks is 36 yards, and he's getting totally outplayed and passed up for Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles.  As Murray becomes more vocal about his lack of touches, you better believe Chip Kelly will start thinking of trading him for a conditional 7th-rounder in 2016.

• Lamar Miller (RB) - Lamar Miller also had a career rushing year in 2014, breaking 1,000 yards on the ground and racking up nine touchdowns.  He's now part of the Miami Dolphins' crumbling vortex of despair where what he could overcome with sheer talent will surely be eclipsed by locker room dysfunction for the next twelve weeks.

•  Calvin Johnson (WR) - Megatron owners, did you feel the twist of the knife last night when Johnson fumbled away what would have been the go-ahead touchdown against Seattle? That's how Detroit Lions fans have felt for sixty years, so show a little respect in solidarity.  Once a sure bet for yards and TDs, Megatron has yet to break 100 yards in a game and has scored only one touchdown to date in 2015. 

• TY Hilton (WR) - As Andrew Luck goes, so does TY Hilton who was widely slated as a top WR prospect in the 2015 fantasy draft.  Although Hilton has had steady yardage through four games, he has yet to find the end zone on those deep routes that fell like rain a year ago.

•  Jimmy Graham (TE) - True, there are plenty of tight end options worse than Jimmy Graham - it's been a very weak year for just about everyone not named Gronk.  But given the expectations and endless chatter around the Seahawks' trade for Graham, you'd think they'd be doing better than 2 - 2 (with a bogus non-penalty for batting) right now.  Despite being billed as an unguardable end zone threat, Graham has just two TDs so far this season and disappeared last night when Seattle's reeling offense needed another way to move the ball with Marshawn Lynch on the sideline.  Given how many fantasy participants probably drafted this guy in the third round, they'd probably take that one back right now if they could.

• Davante Adams (FLEX) - The flex All-Disappointment spot goes to a guy that got plenty of hype going into this season because he was going to take the injured Jorday Nelson's reps and become Aaron Rodgers' new favorite target.  Much to the contrary, the Packers picked former great James Jones off the street, Adams has less than 100 receiving yards so far this season, and he's also injured indeterminately with a high-ankle sprain.  How bout them apples?

• Texans Defense/Special Teams - This probably depends on how your league does scoring, but the Texans are near the bottom of the pack when it comes to that most important measure.  Despite the defensive acumen of J.J. Watt and Vince Wilfork, Houston is allowing 27 points per game and has had a mediocre 6 sacks so far in 2015.  Don't expect Watt to have realistic MVP hopes dashed again if this keeps up.

•  Mike Nugent (K) - And finally, a weirdly disappointing situation for Mike Nugent, the kicker for the Cincinnati Bengals.  The Bengals have been on fire through their first four games and currently have top five yardage and points per game on offense.  That means the Nuge is trading field goals from last year for extra points this year and falls in the bottom quartile for points among placekickers.  Talk about unintended consequences.