Jamal Lewis says 2009 is his final season

Cleveland Browns running back Jamal Lewis said Sunday after another embarrassing loss that he will retire after the 2009 season. Lewis questioned the team's direction and goals and then told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that this is his last year in the NFL. When asked if he just said that out of frustration after a 30-6 defeat to the Chicago Bears, Lewis said, "When I talk, I mean what I say." Lewis has a pretty good Hall of Fame resume -- more than 10,000 yards rushing (including 2,066 in 2003-04) and a Super Bowl win in 2001.

Fantasy Analysis:
Lewis was never the same after that 2003-04 season and it's been really painful to watch him for the past couple of seasons. Lewis is in the midst of the worst season of his career. He is averaging a career-worst 58.2 rushing yards per game and has yet to score in 2009. Of course, it doesn't help that basically every phase of the Browns' offense is horrid. Lewis wasn't a good bet in keeper leagues anyway, so this news shouldn't affect those owners too much. It was obvious that the end was near for Lewis. Jerome Harrison is the team's next best running back right now, but that could change in 2010. For the rest of this season, Lewis has some pretty good match-ups (Oakland, San Diego, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City), so maybe he'll improve his stat line in the second half; he's best used as nothing more than a flex play even against those teams.

Source:
Cleveland Plain Dealer

Player Involved:
RB Lewis, Jamal, CLE

Team Involved:
CLE  

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