Chad Ochocinco

Even though his numbers came back to relative normality in 2009, it was still a pretty strange year for Ochenta y cinco.  When he was hot, it was like watching the Chad Johnson of old cruising around out there; catching anything within a five-mile radius, getting the big first downs, putting points up on the board at will.  On the flipside, Chad ran into his fair share of difficulties as well, as a couple of rare career feats were achieved by the end of the eccentric receiver’s season.  First, Ochocinco has always been known to have some of the sweetest, surest hands in the league, yet he lost two fumbles during the year when he had only lost two fumbles his entire career to that point.  Second, in Week 17 against the New York Jets and CB Darrelle “Revis Island”, Ochenta y cinco was held without a reception for the first time since 9/29/2002, a span of 120 games.  Chad would see no opposition in blaming his 2002 bout with futility on the fact the Bengals QB in that game was former first-round bust and current flag football specialist, Akili Smith.  The excuse for his 2009 shutout may not be wholly on par with his 2002 alibi, but we will admit that Darrelle Revis is one bad MF.  All in all, his 72 catches, 9 TDs and 1,047 yards were pretty darn good and made him a solid fantasy WR2 for the year.

~  Ranked 14th in the league with 157.9 WR fantasy points (basic scoring system)

~  Tied for tenth in the league with 9 receiving touchdowns

~  Ranked 20th in the league with 1,047 receiving yards

~  Ranked 23rd in the league with 65.4 receiving yards per game

~  Ranked 26th in the league with 72 receptions

~  Ranked 18th in the league with 128 targets

~  Tied for 13th in the league with 15 receptions of 20+ yards

~  Tied for 15th in the league with 55 catches for first downs

~  Ranked 80th in the league with 232 yards after the catch (YAC)

~  Made his sixth career pro-bowl in 2009

It was nice to see Schizocinco return to fantasy life in 2009, but with the Bengals finding such success in their running game of late, you have to question; which Chad will be allowed to come out and play this year?  Projecting what Ocho will do from one moment to the next can be a mind-numbing experience, but that pertains more to his everyday life than his work on the field.  The Bengals have become a run-first team, there’s no question about that, which leaves little room for improvement concerning Chad’s numbers this coming year.  However, besides his 2008 season, he’s been one of the more consistent wide receivers in the game, so there’s no reason to believe that his production will fall off either.  He might be a bit streaky like he was last year, but his overall production should stay right about the same in 2010 with the possibility of slight improvement.  Love him as a WR2 on your fantasy team and expect around 75 catches, 1,100 yards, and 8-9 TDs.

~ Cincinnati will be a running team once again in 2010

~ The addition of Antonio Bryant should open up the intermediate routes a little more, which happens to be Ocho’s forte

~ The Bengals have a tough schedule this year, so they may be forced to lay off the running game a bit and pass a little more

~ Will Carson Palmer ever return to his early-career form?

Chad Ochocinco (@OGOchoCinco) can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OGOchoCinco

Follow Pyro® on Twitter @pyroman1ac

Ochocinco signed a six-year, $35.5 million contract that included a $5 million signing bonus, a $3.5 million second-year option bonus, and annual workout bonuses of $250,000. The remainder of the deal is below:

2010 - $5 million (+ $250,000 workout bonus)

2011 - $6 million (Bengals option, + $250,000 workout bonus)

2012 - Free Agent

If the Bengals do not exercise their 2011 option, they will owe Ocho a payment of $3.5 million.

Andre Caldwell or Jordan Shipley should be the handcuff to Ochocinco.  Make sure to keep track of which one comes out ahead by the end of the pre-season

• Offensive Line


• Offensive Scheme


• Major Off-Season Moves


• 2009 NFL Draft

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Rank # vs. Rush

Rank # vs. Pass

1=Toughest  32=Easiest

View Overall Strength of Schedule Chart

Alright, it's hard to not like the persona that Chad has crafted over his eight-year career.  He likes to stretch the boundaries to see how he can personally affect variables, which is a really cool and inventive trait... if he were in a rock band.  This guy was once among the best talents in the league, once wearing a yellow sport coat with the letters H.O.F. (Hall of Fame) after a touchdown in one game just to make a point.  Back then, he was well on his way.  Palmer, Housh, and Chad looked like they were going to be the best thing to happen to Cincinnati since Loni Anderson and her twins did their thing on WKRP.  A young Ochocinco had this to say about them... and his favorite breakfast cereal...

We guess the gold teeth that he occasionally wears are a tad strange...

...but it's obvious that Chad is a good dude that just needs to be talked about.  He is a fame whore, but not an annoying one, and he's re-invented himself more times than Madonna.  His last stunt was anointing himself the tardly moniker OchoCinco, the Spanish equivalent of his number.  We're pretty sure that he isn't even aware that 85 correctly translated into Spanish is Ochenta y Cinco.  We'd love it if he got traded to a team like the Packers, where a stud like Jennings already has "Ocho Cinco" wrapped up; later putz! - Looks like you are going to have to change your name again!

Anyway, this guy seems to be really Lambs Farm cerebral, caring more about being the guy that is a part of the entertaining moment than being the best receiver in Bengals history.  He'll have his chance to act like a fool all summer with HBO Hard Knocks coming to camp.  He's played his cards quite poorly in our estimation, and done essentially everything wrong in getting himself either paid or traded.

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.

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.

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!

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 17th WR off of draft boards this summer.