Jockbio.com is a phenomenal site that writes up quite comprehensive biographies on professional athletes.  The problem is that the site is not well designed and much of their content is buried.  With this link, consider this diamond unearthed!  Don't forget to check out the tabbed info that includes player quotes and other random stats.

Ocho Cinco @ Wikipedia

Wikipedia is the mother-ship of online content.  By the people, for the people!

The whackiest player in the league still has PLENTY of gas left in the tank.  He is one season removed from 1,440 yards and 8 TDs (2007), and caught balls from Ryan "first since 1926 and probably last Harvard QB in the NFL ever" Fitzpatrick for most of '08.  Chad will remain in Cincinnati this year as his trade value has plummeted from just one year ago.  The Bengals were offered nothing more than a 3^rd-round draft pick on the open market for his services.  Supposedly, much of the league brass agrees that Ochocinco is on the decline skills-wise.  That is shockingly misinformed.  Ryan Fitzpatrick was dead last in just about every passing category the league keeps track of in '08, and #85 is primed for a rebound.

Funny Cats

What's most puzzling is why Chad wants to get out of Cinci so badly... Just kidding.  Although he has probably been the ringleader of that circus, it is not lost on Chad how big of a joke the Bengal organization has become over the last 17 (2005 withstanding) seasons.  Poor ownership, management, and coaching have led to nothing more than a punchline product on the field every season.  It's really sad to watch.  In 2005, it looked like they were about to turn the corner, but that Carson Palmer injury really crushed those dreams.  Let's be honest, Marvin Lewis is simply not a good coach, and it's shocking that he's held onto his job for this long.  46 wins with 49 losses (and one tie game) just doesn't cut it with the level of talent on offense that this team has employed since 2003.  That said, Chad is going to have to come to terms with the fact that he will be a Bengal in September.

Disturbing Trends to Consider

As bullish as we are on ole' Ochenta y Cinco, we would be remiss not to look further at a few of his ugly spots.  First and foremost is his lack of production when it counts over the last three seasons.  His numbers in the fantasy playoffs (weeks 14-16: see below) between the '06-'08 seasons are terrible for even a #3 starting WR - averaging just under 4 catches and 58 yards with zero TDs.  Ugh.  This trend corresponds perfectly with the Bengals team ineptitude as they have not made the playoffs in this timeframe.  With a healthy and hyper-determined Palmer, 2009 could see this trend reverse.  For perspective, in '05, after finishing 11-5 and playoff bound, CJ's numbers in weeks 14-16 averaged 80 yards and .67 TDs on 7.3 receptions.  

Another concerning trend is his inconsistency over a full season.  Similar to his new sidekick - Coles, CJ seems to rack up many of his fantasy points in only a few games.



Some years it was worse than others, but you get the picture.  We are advocates of having guys that blow up certain weeks and carry your squad single-handedly to victory for that given week, but not at the expense of totally disappearing in many of the other weeks - especially when he's not cranking for us in the playoffs.  The dude is about as consistent as a Vin Diesel movie franchise.  He seems to cause as much heartache as he does celebration... for himself.


Quick, someone call him a whaaaaaambulance!

2009 Fantasy Outlook

T. J. Who's Your Momma is gone and Laveranues Coles was signed in his place.  These two factors will be the key to Chad's resurgence in '09.  Housh was Palmer's favorite target (for good reason), and Coles is simply not as big or as dependable of a possession receiver.  Furthermore, it should take Palmer and Coles some time to get acquainted, while Palmer and CJ already have a comfort zone that's good for over 5,600 yards and 33 TDs over four seasons from 2004-2007.  In a shocking twist of events, career criminal Chris Henry has not made any major off-season police blotters, has spent the summer working out with Palmer and the rest of the Bungal WR depth chart (except Chad), so he remains yet another weapon to keep opposing defenses busy.

At the end of the day, we aren't ready to anoint Chad a ranking worthy of this time last year, but we don't really need to in order for you to realize the value with this pick.  Some may overlook the fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick was under center for 11 games in '08, and others will be spooked by Chad's ability to keep it together enough to return to fantasy WR glory.  He certainly comes with a degree of risk, so make Ochenta y Cinco the 16th WR off of draft boards this summer.