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2013 NFL Draft Preview: Running Backs

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 22:48:49 -0700

It’s time now to turn our attention toward the most volatile position on the offensive side of the football and also the most important position in Fantasy Football: The Running Back. As I always say, success at RB in Fantasy Football is more about the offensive line and the fit of the runner to the scheme than it is the players themselves. What this means is as you look at this years RB field there are literally dozens of supreme athletes in the crop. Every year there is a sixth round, seventh round and undrafted free agent RB who makes an impact. So, here is a breakdown of a few of the names that will be called early as well as some who to watch out for in the later rounds of the 2013 NFL Draft.

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Eddie Lacy – Alabama 5’11 – 230 Lbs

40 Time – 4.51

Strengths – Built like a brick shithouse. Lacy is made for the wear and tear of the NFL. He is a hard runner who is always falling forward and picking up the extra yards. He doesn’t shy away from contact and has consistently shown the ability to run through arm tackles. He’s fast enough to get to the next level but may have to shed a few pounds to get lighter. Lacy played at a high level for the best team in College Football. He isn’t a stranger to the big stage and raising his game to the next level.

Weaknesses – Doesn’t possess the elite speed so many NFL teams covet. He’s not a very smart runner either as he too often runs into contact which will not work as well in the NFL. Doesn’t show an interest in blocking which could keep him off the field at the next level.

Final Analysis – Lacy will be either the first or second RB off the board this year. He is going to have to pick up his blocking and pass catching during NFL Training Camp or he could very well be relegated to short yardage duty an abyss from which few break out of. I am not extremely excited about his fantasy potential as he will need to get behind a stellar offensive line to rack up huge yardage totals. There is a lot of speculation that he will wind up with the Rams at pick #22.

Compare To – RaShard Mendenhall

Joseph Randle – Oklahoma State – 6’0 – 205 Lbs

40 Time – 4.63

Strengths – Randle is an ultra professional RB. He does everything well. He played in a very pass happy offense and did so with numerous QB’s leading the way but despite it all he was a consistent performer. Coaches really love his team first attitude and his pass catching ability will help him get on the field often. Randle plays faster than he times out on drills mostly due to great hip swivel and cutting ability. He was a real good pass blocker in college as well.

Weaknesses – Overall Randle is just not that fast. Because of his height scouts are worried about his ability to protect the football despite fumbling only twice in over 400 carries his final two seasons. He needs to add bulk as his frame is just too big a target to endure the beating that an NFL RB will go through.

Final Analysis – Randle will never be a star in the NFL. He is a very solid player however who could have a long career in the league. If he gets behind a real good offensive line early in his career he could put up some quality fantasy numbers but that is about it. His ability to catch the football and block draws a conclusion that he could be a productive third down back.

Compare To – Benjarvus Green-Ellis

Montee Ball – Wisconsin – 5’10 – 214 Lbs

40 Time – 4.66

Strengths – The best cut back runner in the country should get plenty of attention from teams that run that system. Ball was a prolific college RB who ran around, over and through defenses consistently. He was the focus of the offense and put up gaudy numbers in spite of the attention. His patience especially in the cut back is something of a very experienced RB. Doesn’t shy away from contact and is known for getting low on would be tacklers only to shed them off.

Weaknesses – Ball is just not that fast in and out of his breaks. His break tackle ability may not work at the next level. He needs to add some bulk. He’s not a great pass catcher or pass blocker though he does try hard at both. Ball was involved in a couple off the field incidents during his time at Wisconsin including a robbery that left him with a concussion.

Final Analysis – Ball should have come out of school after his stellar 2011 season which saw him seated as a Heisman Trophy Finalist. The name of the game in the NFL is speed and quickness which Ball really doesn’t have a lot of. He is a workhorse type of back though and would fit so much better in a zone blocking scheme.

Compare To – Alfred Morris

Marcus Lattimore – South Carolina – 5’11 – 220 Lbs

40 Time – 4.48

Strengths – Lattimore is Incredibly fast and balanced. When healthy he is an electric runner with great vision and lateral quickness. He possesses great hands and run after the catch ability. Lattimore has that “star” appeal when the ball is in his hands. He was on his way to shattering some long standing school records before injuries each of the last two seasons derailed him. The guy has the tools to be the best RB in this draft and to be an All-Pro in the league someday.

Weaknesses – Obviously the biggest concern about Marcus Lattimore is his ability to stay healthy. Last season he suffered a complete blow out of his right knee which could ultimately delay the start to his rookie season. There isn’t a lot not to like about his game otherwise. It would have been nice to see a larger sample size and to see how he’d rise to the occasion in a Bowl Game but for now we’ll never know.

Final Analysis – In my opinion this is the only true difference maker RB in this years draft. Most other ballcarriers need to land in the right system to prevail while all Lattimore needs is to stay on the field. The kid puts in the work though and is said to be ahead of schedule in his rehab at this point. He profiles as one of the later round picks who could produce first round results if he can stay on the field.

Compare To – Knowshon Moreno

Johnathan Franklin – UCLA – 5’10 – 210 Lbs

40 Time – 4.49

Strengths – Great kid who is highly coachable. He excels as a one cut runner with game break ability. Franklin has good vision and awareness which helps him in hitting the right hole. The lateral quickness is what gives him a big advantage over linebackers and his straight line speed is enough to outrun defenders. Despite smaller frame he isn’t shy from contact and pumps his legs hard to gain extra yardage while engaged. Franklin is an above average pass catcher and route runner out of the backfield. With some improvement he could be a three down RB in the NFL.

Weaknesses – Has some work to do in pass protecting. Some don’t trust his ability to get outside the tackles but his elite vision seems to help overcome that. His arms need to get stronger. He’s been known to put the ball on the ground when hit top down and thus needs to actively keep the ball tight to his frame. He gets jumpy at time when a hole isn’t open and will wind up losing more yardage than necessary in that process. Franklin wasn’t challenged enough at the College level so the NFL will be quite a leap for him competitively.

Final Analysis – He could be dynamite if he lands as a backup in a zone blocking type of system. Washington, Seattle and Houston would be the prefect fit for him. He’ll likely earn a spot as a backup RB in the league and with some added bulk and experience work his way into a starting job quite quickly. He won’t be a star in his first year but could potentially become one by his second NFL campaign.

Compare To – Alex Green

Other Notable:

Giovani Bernard – North Carolina – Other think he is a star but he is too small and has little experience running pro type of runs. He could be an All-Pro punt returner one day.

Andre Ellington – Clemson – Another smallish type RB without elite speed or break tackle ability. Could be useful in a zone blocking system but I’m taking a pass.

Stepfan Taylor – Stanford – I like him more as Kulabafi than as an NFL RB. Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu5l86SgDJk

Christine Michael – Texas A&M – Injuries have derailed him from early round consideration. Never trust a RB who has a woman’s name no matter how they pretend to pronounce it.

Mike Gillislee – Florida – Cocky and underutilized RB has some scouts smelling “sleeper.”

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2013 NFL Draft Preview: Wide Receivers

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 14:26:40 -0700

The 2013 NFL Draft is just a little less than a Week 1 away. It is always interesting to see where each of these highly skilled football players will end up. The position of wide receiver is changed quite a bit of the years since it has now become a passing league. Where a particular receiver ends up can really dictate his fantasy value, some teams will utilize these players immediately while others could just ride the bench like Brian Quick did last season. I will take a look some of the top players at the position along with some other notable guys to watch in this breakdown for the 2013 NFL Draft.

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Wide Receivers

Tavon Austin - West Virginia - 5'9 -174 lbs

40 Time - 4.35

Strengths - He possesses incredible speed and ability to make people miss in the open field. Austin also has experience with route adustments and reading what the defense is doing which is always a plus for a player coming out of college.

Weaknesses - There is a question on whether he can handle NFL type hits. He is very small by NFL standards and really has no chance of getting any bigger based on his frame. Austin needs to work on his issues with drops and catching the ball with his hands not his body.

Final Analysis - Austin will be a first round draft pick based upon his potential but will need to be drafted by a team that knows how taken advantage of his special skill set. He played with Geno Smith in both high school and college so will need to work on his chemistry with an unfamiliar QB. Austin is almost guarenteed to be over drafted in the NFL and fantasy leagues. He will have his moments with his speed and agility but small receivers are not very reliable in th NFL and can be non-factors at times.

Compares to - Percy Harvin

Justin Hunter - Tennessee - 6'4 - 200 lbs

40 Time - 4.44

Strengths - Has the ideal size and speed to be a very successful NFL wide receiver. He is a good leaper as well.

Weaknesses - Like many college receivers, he uses his body too much to catch the ball. He also needs to get stronger in the upper body to be able to utilize his leaping ability more. Hunter has not had much success with jump ball situations due his lack of upper body strength. He was not the same player in 2012 than he was 2011 when he tore his ACL. His route running also needs to improve.

Final Analysis - Hunter will likely be a mid to late 1st round pick based upon his potential. He is still raw but should be a better player this season since he two years removed from his ACL surgery but is still more of a project since he needs to bulk up a bit and refine his skills. I do not expect much of a fantasy impact in his rookie season but with hard work could be valuable fantasy player in a few years.

Compare to - Randy Moss

Cordarrelle Patterson - Tennessee - 6'2 - 216 lbs

40 Time - 4.42

Strengths - Rare combination of size, strength and athleticism. He possesses good instincts with his route running and extremely difficult to bring down when defenders need to do it one on one. Patterson has top notch skills in the return game so could be a difference maker in that right away as well.

Weaknesses - Lacksthe top end speed that will allow him to blow by NFL corners and can lack mental focus at times. He can disappear when not involved early in the game plan and needs to spend more time learning the game not just relying on his natural skills.

Final Analysis - Patterson could have immediate impact for a NFL team. He may not have the top notch speed that his former teammate Justin Hunter has but has the build to physically handle the NFL game immediately. Patterson is projected to be a late first round pick who has good open field skills and just needs to make sure he keeps his head in the game at all times along fine tuning his route running.

Compares to - Josh Gordon

Keenan Allen - California - 6'2 206 lbs

40 time - 4.71

Strengths - He knows how to go up and get the ball at its highest point. Allen is one of the best route runners in the draft and has the mental capacity to read the defense to find spots in zone coverage. He is also not afraid to the run the underneath routes in traffic and will make plays after the catch.

Weaknesses- Long stepper who does not get up to speed as quick as some of the other top potential draftees at the position. His 40 speed was very poor since coming back from a mid-season knee injury and has struggled with injuries in his college career.

Final Analysis- Allen is high risk- high reward type player. The poor 40 time could just be a product of needing more time to recover. He has the best combo of size and knowledge of the game than any other receiver in the draft. If he can prove that he is 100%, he could be a steal in the draft if he can get his speed back but at worst he is probably a guy who stick around a NFL roster for the next 5 to 8 years. Allen appears to be a late 1st round draft pick at this point but could slip due to health questions.

Compares to - Anquan Boldin

DeAndre Hopkins - Clemson - 6'1 214 lbs

Strengths - Has a very quick first step and knows how to go up get the ball. He runs very crisp routes and does a good job of selling his fakes. Hopkins does a nice job in the open field at making defenders miss and shown ability to be a good leader. He has dealt with many tradgeries in his life so he should be able to overcome any mental challenges he faces at the next level.

Weaknessses - There could be some concerns about his character after reports of him trashing his hotel room at the combine. His speed numbers are not nearly as good as of the other top talents and like all of the receivers coming out a lack of focus is an issue. He will have to be a guy who runs the underneath routes since he lacks big play speed.

Final Analysis - Hopkins looks like he will be a second round pick because shows to be a better football player on the field than his 40 numbers would indicate. If he can develop the chemistry with the right quarterback, he could be a highly successful wide receiver in the NFL. He is likely to have a long succesful career but his fantasy success will be based on where he ends up.

Compares to - Reggie Wayne

Other Notables

Robert Woods - USC - Has the best hands in the draft but may have been a product of the system and we have seen other USC receivers bust out in the NFL.

Quinton Patton - Louisana Tech - Does not have top-end athletic skills and college numbers were inflated by the system he played in.

Terrence Williams - Baylor - Needs to run better routes but is a deep threat and one of the better available run blockers in the draft.

Ryan Swope - Texas Tech - The best white wide receiver prospect in the draft who needs to learn how to use his rare top-end speed.

Stedman Bailey - West Virginia - Great hands but the speed he used in college will not translate to the NFL so will need to get better at other aspects of the game.

Aaron Dobson - Marshall - Could be the sleeper of the position since he came from a non-powerhouse conference so not as noticed but has some top-notch skills.

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2013 NFL Draft Preview: Quarterbacks

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:31:24 -0700

We are just a couple of weeks away from the 2013 NFL Draft and if you are a fantasy football player, you had better be paying attention. As I always say, the athletes that will be drafted on April 25^th are all incredible. They can run, jump, throw, hit and do just about anything on the football field. What separates the great ones from everybody else is the system, coaches and surroundings they are brought into. Also, their willingness to adapt to those surrounds is so incredibly important. So, let’s take a deeper look at some of these prospects and find out where they fit the best. Today we start with the leaders on the field: The Quarterbacks

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Quarterbacks

Geno Smith – West Virginia – 6’2 – 218 Lbs

40 Time – 4.59 Seconds

Strengths – Smith is incredibly athletic and a very skilled passer. He has good size and strength for a QB and will be able to stand up to big hits at the next level. He made tremendous progress in accuracy throughout his college career. Smith plays with great confidence and seems to always rise to the occasion in big games. His arm possesses great velocity which allows him to make all the tough throws. He has a quick, professional delivery that scouts and coaches will love. His pro day performance catapulted his stock into the first half of the first round.

Weaknesses – Although he is an athletic freak, Smith isn’t mobile enough under pressure. Smith holds the ball too long and doesn’t necessarily feel the pressure well in the pocket. He will come to the NFL from a Spread Offense at West Virginia so the system to which he’s drafted to will be very important. Some General Managers knock him for not playing in the Senior Bowl after the season.

Final Analysis – Smith will be the first QB off the board this year. In a weak class of QB’s though he won’t have the best career. He has the raw skills to be a starting NFL QB but I seriously wonder if he will check out mentally if not given a job early in his career. Somebody will reach for him on draft day hoping to be selecting a savior for their franchise which in that context would be a big mistake.

Compare To – Colin Kaepernick

Tyler Wilson – Arkansas – 6’2 – 210 Lbs

40 Time – 4.95 Seconds

Strengths – Born to be a QB. Wilson has been groomed his entire life to be an NFL caliber QB and will get his chance despite an awful final season at Arkansas. He has good size and arm strength to compete at the highest level. Wilson is an incredibly tough passer who isn’t afraid of being hit as he delivers the ball, a trait that will help him immensely at the next level. He makes quick reads and doesn’t get fixated on his primary target as many college QB’s do. He is a lot like Matt Stafford in that he will deliver the ball from all angles amid pressure. His character is a plus after taking the blame for an underproductive season and bouncing back very well during the draft process.

Weaknesses – Like many college QB’s Tyler Wilson has gotten away with floating his passes to targets instead of throwing through the target as the elite NFL QB’s have learned to do. The NFL is too fast a game to get away with lollipop passing by a QB. Wilson is going to have to work on his throwing mechanic overall because he not only holds the ball too low, he also takes a tick or two too long to release the football. A good QB coach should be able to help him through these fixes but he will need to show coachability in doing so.

Final Analysis – Wilson still needs some molding to be ready for the NFL game. He has the swagger to be a strong leader for his team. His teammates usually like him and gravitate to him on a personal level. If he can replicate the accuracy and effectiveness he had in school while learning how to throw through his targets he could be a starter for many years.

Compare To – Matt Stafford

Matt Barkley – USC – 6’1 – 225 Lbs

40 Time – 5.19 Seconds

Strengths – Barkley is more experienced at running a pro style offense than any QB in this draft. He is a great leader who is very smart and savvy when it comes to the game of football. He’s a hard worker who shows a willingness to break down film and put in the necessary work to matchup against a defense. Barkley has improved every year at USC even though the numbers dropped off slightly in 2012. He is the type of player that is still improving and wanting to get better each and every day.

Weaknesses – His arm is fringy and velocity isn’t quite NFL caliber. Barkley needs to run a west coast system in the NFL or he will have a tough time being anything more than a solid backup. There have been concerns over his size mostly due to his throwing motion and release point. Ball could get knocked down quite a bit by aggressive defensive linemen. Without the big arm or much escapability defense are going to be able to scheme him to death. A NFL caliber Cover-2 would give him fits.

Final Analysis – Barkley needs the right system to flourish in the NFL. He;s more equipped than many to step right in and lead an NFL offense but the overall skills are just a bit short across the board. He may indeed find the right opportunity if he lands at the end of the first round. Ultimately he will have a long career in the league even if many of those years are spend at a serviceable backup.

Compare To – Mark Sanchez

EJ Manuel – Florida State – 6’5 – 235 Lbs

40 Time – 4.65 Seconds

Strengths – Outstanding all around talent. EJ is a physically imposing passer and runner. He is a mix between Robert Griffin III and Ben Roethlisberger. He has great arm strength and possesses the desire to push the ball down the field aggressively. His toughness is off the charts as shown by playing through a broken leg in the Sports Bowl win over Notre Dame his Junior year. Scouts love the way he holds the ball and his quick release. Coaches love his tenacity and dedication to his teammates.

Weaknesses – Struggles in the short passing game. He tries aiming the ball on shorter routes which account for the vast majority of his interceptions. Despite having elite speed and strength, he doesn’t take off and run very much. He needs to improve his blitz recognition as well at the next level. As a football player he is quite raw but has shown the desire to put in the work to be better.

Final Analysis – EJ Manuel will go down as the best QB in this draft class. I have a feeling many NFL GM’s are playing coy as to how much they value him and that he could move up into the early 2^nd round possibly to Jaguars with the 33^rd overall selection. I wouldn’t rule out the Cardinals (38^th) or the Jets (39^th) either.

Compare To – Robert Griffin III

Landry Jones – Oklanhoma – 6’4 – 225 Lbs

40 Time – 5.11 Seconds

Strengths – Landry Jones is as accomplished as any QB in this years draft. His college career was exceptional. He is a very astute pocket passer who can deliver the ball into the tightest of places. He played against good competition in college and many pro style defenses. He has shown great repetition in his mechanics and looks all the part of a starting NFL QB. Jones has a big arm and can burn defenses when coverage breaks down.

Weaknesses – Many scouts pan Jones because he is not the new era of athletic QB. He doesn’t escape pressure very well whatsoever. There are also questions about his confidence as he seems to get taken out of the game mentally after miscues. Jones is a hard worker but doesn’t seem to learn plays or read schemes quickly. He will have to put in a ton of work in the NFL classroom from week to week and during the offseason. He will likely be a backup QB early in his career but could develop nicely if placed in the right system.

Final Analysis – Jones is my dark horse candidate this year. He could wind up being the best QB in the draft or he could be out of the league in a few years. I think his “confidence issues” are more in the heads of scouts and avid College Football Fans then anything else. Jones has been successful at every level he has gotten to so far and has shown the work ethic necessary to make it at the next level. If he doesn’t get too discouraged at being second or even third string for a couple of years he could wind up working himself into a starting job by year three or four.

Compare To – Tony Romo

Other Notables:

Ryan Nassib – Syracuse – Great shotgun passer who could develop into a starter one day if he gets into the right system.

Zac Dysert – Miami (Ohio) – Hilarious how often he is compared to Ben Roethlisberger. I love his tenacity and dedication but isn’t the overall talent of his fellow Miami of Ohio Alma Mater.

Mike Glennon – NC State – Love his height and his big arm capabilities. But he is slow in the pocket and not that fast of a learner.

Tyler Bray – Tennessee – Bray has a body like a franchise QB, but the brain of Sloth from the movie The Goonies.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Tuesday-Friday 10 PM -1 AM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210. We want to hear from you! 888-XM-FANTASY (963-2682)

In The Trenches: Fantasy Football Thoughts for the NFL Conference Championships

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 05:15:32 -0800

And then there were four. We saw some fantastic match-ups in the divisional playoff games last week that, save for the Patriots beating up on the Texans for the second time this season, kept you glued to the TV set all weekend long. The Ravens battled with the Broncos every step of the way until finally finishing them off in overtime, Colin Kaepernick’s record-setting day made quick work of a Packers team unable to find any continuity, and that Seahawks/Falcons game was gut-wrenching right down to the final seconds. On top of the real world results, fantasy owners were treated to some big-time point totals as each game had its fair share of scoring.

But that’s all in the past now and it’s time to start looking at possibilities in the Conference Championship games. Whether you drafted prior to the Wild Card round and are following those that you still may have active or you get to make selections each week, there’s plenty to know about these next two games. So without further ado, let’s get to the breakdowns…

San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons

When the Falcons defense shut down the Seahawks in the first half last week, they turned quite a number of heads and the respect that they craved was finally theirs. But there are two halves to every game and that defense that shined so bright, slowly dimmed as the game progressed. If they don’t tighten things up, this one won’t even be close. The 49ers offense is on fire right now and they’re doing both on the ground and through the air. The game plan likely won’t change this week and you’ll see a heavy dose of Frank Gore early and often. The Falcons run defense ranked 21^st in the league during the regular season and gave up an average of 123.2 rushing yards per game. Gore will continuously pound it between the tackles and when he’s in need of a rest, LaMichael James will be happy to put his explosive style on display.

That should easily open up both running lanes for Kaepernick, as well as allow the passing game to blossom even more. Kaepernick will lean heavily on favorite-target Michael Crabtree, so expect to see him get the majority of targets, as he has done since Week 11 when Kaepernick first took over. But given Seattle tight end Zach Miller’s huge week last week against a pass defense that ranked 21^st in the league against opposing tight ends, there just might be some hope for Vernon Davis yet. He’ll still compete for targets with back-up Delanie Walker, but if the Falcons’ coverage falls apart, Davis could have himself his best day in weeks.

With the way the 49ers defense looked last week, having been motivated by the return of Justin Smith, things could get real tough for Matt Ryan and the Falcons’ aerial attack. I mean, if Aaron Rodgers couldn’t get anything going with all his receivers finally healthy, how will Ryan fare with just three legitimate targets at his disposal? Given how well the Niners clamp down on number one and two receivers and the tight end, Harry Douglass just might be their biggest asset. Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez all should see plenty of targets, but yardage and endzone dancing might come at a premium.

In addition to that, running back Michael Turner is going to have to try his luck against one of the league’s best run defenses, and considering they give up an average of less than 95 yards per game all season, running room might be tough to come by. He did manage to grab 98 yards against a tough Seattle D, but this match-up is even more harrowing. If Atlanta comes out firing as they did last week, they’ll keep it close, but if they start to wither again as they did in the second half, they’re going to be in trouble.

If I were a betting man, I would lay the four points and take the Niners.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

Obviously, the Ravens were the upset-special last week as they managed to contain Peyton Manning, force him into a few mistakes, and narrowly escape with the victory. Ray Lewis kept the defense motivated throughout the game and will need to maintain that same intensity if they want to contain Tom Brady and that high-octane offense; hopefully repeating that Week 3 success when they won 31-30. Even with the loss of tight end Rob Gronkowski, the Pats have enough weapons to keep any defense on its heels though. The Ravens pass defense ranked 17^th in the league, giving up an average of 228 yards per game and ranking 20^th and 30^th in the league against opposing number one and two wide receivers. That says big plays and big days for Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd. Tight end Aaron Hernandez may find it slow-going out there, though, as the Ravens ranked ninth in the league against opposing tight ends.

But don’t forget about Stevan Ridley and the Pats running game. He and Danny Woodhead shared carries back then and collectively gained 71 yards on the ground, but as the season wore on, the Ravens run defense softened a great deal, allowing an average of 122.8 yards per game on the ground by season’s end. While the Pats will always be a pass-first team, they’ve utilized the run a whole lot more this year and should continue to follow that same game.

The Ravens offense will need to continuously expose that 29^th ranked New England pass defense that coughed up an average of 271 passing yards per game and 27 passing touchdowns all season. They also gave up 343 yards through the air last week against the Texans. That means all eyes will be on Joe Flacco who threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots in Week 3. Back then he and Torrey Smith hooked up for 127 yards and two scores while Jacoby Jones and Dennis Pitta were the complements in the aerial attack. The Pats do a good job on number two receivers, so Anquan Boldin might not be at his best this week.

You also can’t rule out the ground attack as Ray Rice rushed for over 100 yards in their last meeting. He seemed to fix his fumbling problem last week and even though New England gives up an average of just under 102 yards per game, Rice should be able to break through some holes. He netted 131 yards on the ground last week and will be looking to make an impact early in the game.

If I were a betting man, I’d take the eight points and look for an all-Harbaugh Super Bowl.

Good luck to you this week!

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Howard Bender has been covering fantasy sports for over a decade on a variety of web sites. For questions, thoughts or comments you can find him on Twitter at @rotobuzzguy or you can email him at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com.

In the Trenches: Fantasy Football Thoughts for the NFL Divisional Playoffs

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:38:44 -0800

With the end of the NFL regular season and the impending need to finish the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings, it hardly dawned on me that people would be looking for my game capsules for the NFL playoffs. But given the number of emails I’ve received looking for advice for NFL playoff leagues, I figured I would continue the game capsules right up to the end. My apologies for not having them for last week’s games, but better late than never, right? So without further ado, let’s talk about this weekend’s games.

Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos

As good as the Ravens offense looked in their victory over the Colts last week, they’re going to have a tough time moving the ball against the Broncos defense on Saturday. Ray Rice is battling a severed case of the fumbles, Bernard Pierce has been limited in practice with a sore ankle and the Broncos allowed an average of just 91.1 rushing yards per game and only five rushing touchdowns all season long. Rice insists that he doesn’t have a problem holding onto the ball, so look for the Ravens to try and get it in his hands early to try and establish the run which will hopefully open up the passing game. Pierce is expected to play, but he probably will be in a more complementary role this time around. From there, it’s going to be up to Joe Flacco. Again, it won’t be easy. The Broncos may have allowed 25 passing touchdowns this year, but they’ve held the opposition to an average of 200 yards per game and have 16 interceptions and a whopping 52 sacks. While Anquan Boldin had an amazing game last week, you should expect Champ Bailey to play his regular game and not acting as a shadow. If Flacco gets enough time to throw, he’ll be looking for Boldin or Torrey Smith downfield, but should be concentrating on throwing away from Bailey. Denver dis rank 24^th in the league against opposing tight ends, so look for Dennis Pitta to play a big role in the passing attack.

For the Broncos, the key is obviously Peyton Manning. Obviously he’s Peyton Manning so the confidence level is high, but keep in mind that he had spent his entire career in Indianapolis and the Colts held home field advantage through most of his playoff games. Could weather be a factor here? Possibly. According to weather reports, we’re looking at a high of 19 degrees and a low of 8 degrees with, you guessed it, a chance of snow. While I expect we’ll see plenty of Manning to Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas against a Ravens defense that allowed an average of 228 passing yards per game during the regular season, I expect to see a little more Knowshon Moreno than you would expect in a Manning-led offense. Ray Lewis is certainly not at 100-percent and the Ravens allowed an average of 122.8 rushing yards per game with 15 rushing touchdowns. Expect the Broncos to attack with Moreno right out of the gate and pound away against a tired Ravens defensive line.

If I were a betting man, I would be taking the Broncos and laying the nine points.

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco Bay Area has been surprisingly quiet as they get ready to watch their beloved 49ers host the Packers in a crucial match-up. That’s because the team’s biggest strength, their defense has been struggling to keep it together. Defensive lineman Justin Smith is expected to play, but the torn triceps injury is going to limit him immensely. On top of that, Aldon Smith, who had 19.5 sacks this season, has been battling a shoulder injury and according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, he appears to have been avoiding contact in his last two games. That suits the Packers just fine as their offense is now firing on all cylinders. Aaron Rodgers has all of his receivers back and it’s going to be a tough day for the Niners secondary as Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Randall Cobb fly downfield. But it doesn’t end there for the Packers as we’ve also seen the recent emergence of DuJuan Harris who has been a bit of a force out of the backfield lately. The Niners have allowed an average of 105 rushing yards per game over their last four as opposed to the 79.5 yards per game they gave up through their first four.

The 49ers offense will obviously need to be at the top of their game and put up some serious points to keep pace. Colin Kaepernick will get his first ever playoff start and should lean heavily on his favorite target, Michael Crabtree who posted his first season with over 1,000 yards. With Kaepernick under center, Crabtree has recorded 595 receiving yards and four touchdowns over, what amounts to four and half games. But the Niners are going to need more than just Crabtree as their receiving corps has been depleted due to injuries. Randy Moss will have to do more than just act like a decoy and the team is really going to need to get Vernon Davis into the mix. While he’s been relatively non-existent since Week 12, he did catch three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown during the teams’ first meeting in Week 1. Unfortunately, the Packers ranked sixth in the league against opposing tight ends and held them to less than 50 yards per game. The real key is going to be Frank Gore and, to a certain extent, LaMichael James. The Packers have been torn up on the ground by Adrian Peterson these last two weeks and the Niners are going to have to expose that softening run defense. If Gore can’t get things going early, it could be curtains for the boys from out west.

If I were a betting man, I’d lay the three points and take the Packers.

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

When the Seahawks defense gave up a quick 14 points to the Redskins last week, there was a bit of concern; at least until they snapped out of their funk and shut them down for the rest of the game. That should make the Falcons a little nervous as Matt Ryan and the passing attack is their real strength while defensive backs like Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor are the strength of the Seattle defense. Roddy White and Julio Jones are certainly going to have their hands full in this one, especially White as the Seahawks ranked number one in the league against opposing number one receivers, holding them to an average of just 54.7 yards per game. If there’s one weakness in the pass defense, it’s that Seattle ranked 17^th in the league against opposing tight ends which could mean plenty of targets for Tony Gonzalez. As for the running game, it could be slow going for an aging and fading Michael Turner, The Seahawks gave up an average of 103.1 rushing yards per gameand just eight rushing touchdowns all year. Even spelling him with Jacquizz Rodgers doesn’t look like it’s going to be much of a difference-maker.

Now that Russell Wilson has a high-profile playoff game under his belt, he should start off as slowly as he did last week against the Skins, which should be very important considering that Marshawn Lynch has been dealing with a foot sprain. The injury isn’t serious enough to keep Lynch out of the game, but it’s going to be tough for the Seahawks to lean on him so heavily. Still, the Falcons run defense ranked just 21^st in the league this season, allowing 123.2 rushing yards per game with 16 rushing touchdowns. Yardage-wise, the Falcons pass defense didn’t look much better, ranking 23^rd in the league and giving up 242 yards per game, but they did only allow 14 passing touchdowns all year and had 20 interceptions. Wilson is going to need big games out of Sidney Rice and Golden Tate to dominate in this one.

If I were a betting man, I’d play the upset special like everyone else and take Seattle with the 2.5 points.

Houston Texans at New England Patriots

In spite of how great the Pats have looked down the stretch and how poor, at least before last week against the Bengals, the Houston defense looked, this is not going to be an instant replay of the Week 14 debacle that saw the Patriots absolutely dismantle the Texans. The Pats run defense gave up an average of 101.9 rushing yards per game and just 10 rushing touchdowns, but you also have to factor in the number of teams that abandoned the run early and were forced to chuck the ball downfield and play catch-up. The Texans will put the ball in Arian Foster’s hands early and often and hopefully wear down that Patriots defensive line. That should hopefully keep things open for the passing attack against a Patriots pass defense that ranked 29^th in the league, allowed an average of 271 yards per game and an alarming 27 passing touchdowns. Look for Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels to rack up some nice yardage and find the endzone a few times while Matt Schaub redeems himself for the last time these two teams met.

What more do you really need to say about the Patriots in the playoffs? Tom Brady has multiple rings and is a beast in the post-season, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Lloyd are all sorts of fired up and Stevan Ridley is looking to continue what has been a career-season. The Texans defense obviously has a game-changer in J.J. Watt on defense, but they’ve definitely softened as the year has gone on. They’ve allowed an average of 226 passing yards per game and have given up 29 passing touchdowns to just 15 interceptions. They do have 44 sacks, so they do have a pass rush that can rattle Brady, so keep an eye on that. That’s their best chance as the run defense has remained strong and has given up only five rushing touchdowns all year. Ridley could find things a bit slow-going.

If I were a betting man, I would take Houston and the points, but expect the Patriots to still win the game.

Good luck in your playoff league this week and we’ll catch for the conference championships next week.

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In the Trenches: Regular Season Wrap Up

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:36:55 -0800

The 2012 NFL football regular season is over, and with it so is the fantasy football season (you can of course join a playoff league, and those suckers do seem to be gaining in popularity). Before we head into the heat of the “second season” I thought it would be appropriate to look back on some of the standout efforts of the campaign. Some of the following performances were likely already on your radar, but I bet ya that at least a few of the stats/figures that I'm about to lay on you slipped past your attention upon your initial run through of the numbers.

* NOTE: All numbers/rankings listed below are from a PPR setup.

Quarterbacks

Drew Brees was the #1 QB in fantasy football this season just as I, and I alone, said he would be (no one agreed with me as Mr. Rodgers was universally lauded as the top choice). I touched on Brees after Week 17 was complete in Week 17: Studs and Duds but here are a few more notes. The last two years Brees has averaged 5,327 passing yards and 45 touchdowns. No QB who has ever lived, other than Brees of course, has ever had one season of 5,327 passing yards. Only Brady, Peyton, Marino and Rodgers have even one season of 45 passing yards.

Josh Freeman threw for 4,065 yards and 27 scores on the year and those are strong totals (both are career bests). At the same time he completed only 54.8 percent of his passes, threw only two scores his last four games, and over the last three outings he tossed nine picks. Not exactly a strong finish.

Aaron Rodgers lost about 350 yards and six touchdowns from 2011, and he also threw two more interceptions. At the same time he threw for 4,295 yards, 39 scores and eight interceptions in a tremendous season, not to mention that he tied Steve Young's NFL record with 4-straight seasons with a QB Rating over 100. At this point of his career Rodgers has a 104.9 QB rating, the best in the history of football.

Tony Romo threw for 4,903 yards on the season, the third highest total in football. It's also more yards than Peyton Manning has ever thrown for a single season (Peyton's high is 4,700 yards). Romo also threw for 28 scores making he and Drew Brees the only two QBs in football to throw for 4,900 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Mark Sanchez threw for 13 touchdowns in 2012. Drew Brees threw for 12 touchdowns in his last four games.

Russell Wilson matched Peyton Manning's rookie TD mark with 26. He also ran for four more scores for the Seahawks. His total of 30 scores was two more than Andrew Luck's 28 (23 pass, five run) and three more than Robert Griffin III (20 pass, seven run). Wow is right. At the same time, Wilson threw for only 3,118 yards, and average of 195 a game. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 3,400 yards. Wilson also attempted a mere 393 pass meaning he threw fewer passes than the following list of player completed passes: Matthew Stafford, Tony Romo, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. That's right, six NFL QBs completed more passes than Wilson threw. Wilson had a great rookie season, but keep things in perspective.

Running Backs

Jamaal Charles recorded 245.5 points this season. He racked up 40.8 of those points in Week 3 and 30 points in Week 16. Remove those two games from his ledger and his average point per game total falls from 15.34 points to 12.48 per contest. Darren McFadden, he of the terrible fantasy season, averaged 13.04 points per game this season.

Doug Martin ran for 1,454 yards, caught 49 balls for 472 more yards, and scored 12 total touchdowns. That's a phenomenal season by any measure, let alone for a rookie. At the same time he had three games this season with less than 10 points. Adrian Peterson, the only back with more fantasy points (37.8 points more), didn't have a single game this season with a single digit fantasy point total. Arian Foster had one single digit point game, Ray Rice had two and Marshawn Lynch also had two. Those five were the top-5 in fantasy points this season.

Adrian Peterson became the 7th back in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards (A.D. finished the year with a total of 2,097 rushing yards). Add together the rushing totals of Trent Richardson (950) and LeSean McCoy (840), two backs roundly drafted ahead of Peterson back in August, and you end up with a total of 1,790 yards. Peterson led the NFL in rushing yards in December with 861. That's 21 more yards than McCoy had all season folks. That total of 861 yards is also 230 more than any other back in football in December as the #2 man was Alfred Morris with 631 (Morris also scored seven rushing scores in December which is one more rushing score than C.J. Spiller had for the season). Speaking of McCoy, he fell from 20 touchdowns to a grand total of five for the Eagles in 2012.

Darren Sproles missed three games due to injury. At the end of the year he was still #13 in fantasy points at the RB position. If he maintained his total of 16.6 points per game in those other three games he would have added 49.8 points to his total of 216.1 points he would have ended the year at 265.9. If he got to that mark he would be the #6 RB in fantasy football. Sproles led all runners with 75 receptions, in 13 games mind you. Ray Rice led AFC backs with 61 receptions. They were the only two backs in football to go over 60 receptions. All told there were seven backs who caught 50 passes including two that I bet weren't drafted in a single 12 team league before the season started: Sproles, Rice, McCoy (54), Jacquizz Rodgers (53), Marcel Reece (52), Joique Bell (52) and Richardson (51).

Wide Receivers

Michael Crabtree... cue the laugh track right? Not so fast. Did you happen to notice how amazing he was as the season wore down? In the month of December he averaged seven receptions a game and his total of 35 grabs was fifth in football for the month. He also produced 538 yards, the third highest total behind the Johnson boys (Andre and Calvin), and his four receiving scores were third in football. On the year Crabtree caught 85 passes, two more balls than Marques Colston, five more than Randall Cobb, six more than Julio Jones and 13 more than V-Jax. Crabtree also went for 1,105 yards which is more than the following wideouts: Victor Cruz, Eric Decker, Stevie Johnson, Lance Moore, Randall Cobb, Miles Austin, Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Wallace etc.

Vincent Jackson had a great season leading the NFL with a 19.2 YPC mark while grabbing 72 passes for 1,384 yards and eight scores. He's still never caught 75 passes in a season though.

Calvin Johnson fell from 16 receiving scores to five. He added 26 receptions (up to 122) and 283 yards (1,964) though so all told he finished the year with 348.4 fantasy points, less than a point a week fewer than the 2011 season in which he recorded 361.2 points. Calvin led the NFL with 92 first downs. Roddy White caught 92 passes in 2012.

Percy Harvin was beat up and played only nine games this season. Don't overlook how amazing he was this year though. If you pro-rate his nine game efforts out to 16 games you would find a guy who would have caught 110 passes for 1,203 yards. Those numbers would have dwarfed the total of 86 receptions for 1,092 yards for Victor Cruz. The Salsa dancer from NY had a tremendous follow up season adding four receptions and one score (10 TDs in 2012) to his marks from last season. Still, he lost 444 yards from his breakout campaign. Why? Exactly as I predicted the long plays that led to so many yards in 2011 just weren't as prevalent in 2012 as Cruz went for more than 50 yards on just two receptions in 2012.

Reggie Wayne was fifth in the league with 106 receptions and he also went off for 1,355 yards. He did only score five times though meaning he has a total of 15 receiving scores the past three seasons. James Jones scored 14 times this season. Jones “only” caught 64 balls for 784 yards on the campaign in one of the greatest “small seasons” ever. How does a guy score 14 times and not even get to 785 yards? Hell, Larry Fitzgerald recorded 798 yards receiving in one of the the worst passing offenses the game has seen in decades. To put how amazing that total of 14 scores is for Jones into some perspective... James Jones scored as many times as Wayne (five), Calvin Johnson (five) and Andre Johnson (four).

Roddy White (269.1) and Julio Jones (261.8) both finished in the top-12 at the wide receiver position in 2012. The Falcons' duo was joined by the Broncos' duo of Demaryius Thomas (297.4) and Eric Decker (269.4) in the top-12 (they ranked 5th and 9th).

Tight Ends

Through three games Martellus Bennett was 5th at the position in points. In each of those first three games The Black Unicorn recorded at least 14 points. Over the duration of the season Bennett only hit that total two more times in Week 13 (19.2) and 14 (14.2). Bennett came in 12th at the position in fantasy points.

Jimmy Graham really fell off compared to 2011 catching 15 fewer passes (85) for 328 fewer yards (982) and two fewer scores (nine). He still was the #1 TE in fantasy football. Rob Gronkowski, the other early round selection at the position, missed five games with a broken forearm. He was so amazing during his time on the field that he still came in 5th in points at the position. In fact, he was so good per game – his point total was 18.18 points – that if you add together the efforts of Antonio Gates (9.65) and Jermichael Finley (8.73) you end up with a total of 18.38 points, just two tenths better.

Among tight ends with at least 30 receptions there was only one man who averaged more than six yards after the catch – Jermaine Gresham (6.9). He caught 64 balls for 737 yards.

Brandon Pettigrew was targeted 102 times on the season but hauled in only 59 of those passes. He was the only tight end of the eight who had at least 100 targets who didn't haul in 60 passes.

Kyle Rudolph recorded zero points in a game three times this season, and he also had efforts of 2.8, 3.7, 5.2 and 4.0 points. In the end though touchdowns cover up a multitude of sins and his total of nine touchdowns still enable him to finish as a tight end one – he was 11th at the position in overall points.

From Week 4 through Week 17 there was no tight end finer than Jason Witten. The Cowboys' tight end recorded an average of 16.64 points per game in that stretch leading to a total of 216.3 points, 31.3 points more then the #2 man (Graham). Witten was so good during this stretch that he scored more points than all but 11 wide outs despite the fact that he scored only three touchdowns. One last thought. From Week 4 on Witten caught at least four passes in every game for an average of 7.85 receptions per week.

Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87, Monday through Thursday at 7 PM EDT and Friday's at 9p-12a EDT. For more of Ray's analysis you can check out BaseballGuys.com or the BaseballGuys' Twitter account where he tirelessly answer everyone's questions.

In the Trenches: Wk. 17- Studs vs. Duds

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 17:55:48 -0800

It's over. By “it” I mean the 2012 fantasy football regular season (you can still participate in playoff leagues of course, and if you haven't tried that “game” yet it's well worth investigating). Most people have their fantasy finals in Week 16, but some of you out there were still hanging on every play during the final week of the regular season. So with that brief intro, here are some of the more notable efforts from Week 17 and how those efforts impacted a players overall value for the 2012 regular season.

Lance Ball, not Ronnie Hillman, was the backup to own with the Broncos. Hillman fumbled the ball in the first half so Ball came on to rush for 66 yards an a score on 15 carries in Week 17. Bell hadn't carried carried the ball even seven times in a game this season. Knowshon Moreno, the lead dog, carried the rock 15 times for 44 yards an a score.

Vick Ballard gave it his all in Week 17 against a stout Texans' defense. He ran for 78 yards an a score though it took him 27 carries to get there.

Jackie Battle carried the ball 19 times for the Chargers. He gained 37 yards. This is why no team, in the real world or fantasy, should trust Battle.

Ahmad Bradshaw always seems to get it done when he's on the field. He ran for 107 yards an a score for the G-Men. His value is on the wain as the injuries pile up, but he's still a hell of a football player.

Tom Brady, ho hum, threw for 284 yards and two scores. He finishes the year with 34 passing scores versus only eight interceptions.

Drew Brees was my #1 QB coming into the year. NO ONE agreed with. No one. In the end Brees will emerge as the #1 QB in fantasy football. Brees threw for 396 yards and four scores in Week 17. In the end he threw for 43 touchdowns to become the first QB to ever have back-to-back seasons of 40 scores. In the end he also threw for 5,177 yards to become the first QB to ever have back-to-back seasons of 5,000 yards. In the end he also became the first QB to ever have back-to-back-to back seasons of more than 420 completions. Nuff said.

Antonio Brown caught only two balls for 22 yards for the Steelers as Big Ben threw for all of 134 yards. The good news for Brown owners is that he scored for a fourth straight game.

The 2012 season couldn't end soon enough for Kenny Britt who caught only two passes for 21 yards in Week 17. He'll have the offseason to get healthy.

Dallas Clark predictably finished the year with a thud. He didn't catch a single ball in Week 17 and ends his season with 47 catches and just 435 yards.

Marques Colston caught five balls for 52 yards. Two of the receptions went for scores as he finished the year with 83 grabs, 1,154 yards and 10 touchdowns. With Drew Brees under center he just keeps getting it done.

Michael Crabtree – have a day kid. In the best performance of his somewhat blah career (based on expectations), Crabtree caught eight balls for 172 yards... and two touchdowns. He ends the year with 85 receptions and over 1,100 yards.

Owen Daniels caught three balls for 27 yards in Week 17. That means her caught 11 balls in his last four games, not once reaching 45 yards.

Eric Decker is blazing hot right now as he caught seven more balls for 76 yards and two scores. He finished the year with 85 receptions and 13 scores in the breakout season everyone expected would come with Mr. Manning under center.

Ed Dickson led the Ravens with six catches for 64 yards. Dennis Pitta failed to haul in either of his two targets as the Ravens basically folded in Week 17. Ugly.

Matt Forte came through for the Bears in Week 17 as he played through his ankle injury to run for 103 yards an a score. He also caught two balls for 21 yards.

Arian Foster played through his minor heart condition to run for 96 yards an a score. He ended the year with more than 1,400 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.

Josh Freeman threw for 222 yards an a score in Week 17 to becomes the first QB in Bucs' history to throw for 4,000 yards. He limped to the finish though throwing just two scores against nine interceptions over his last three games.

A.J. Green played less than anyone expected as he caught only two balls for 26 yards. He finished the year three receptions short of 100.

Andre Johnson may not be the best receiver in football, but boy is he still damn good. Andre caught 12 balls for 141 yards in Week 17 as he became the second receiver to have three seasons of 1,500 yards and 100 receptions. The other is Marvin Harrison.

Calvin Johnson ended the year with 1,964 receiving yards, the most in NFL history. He caught five balls for 72 yards in Week 17.

Stevie Johnson caught six balls for 111 yards to push his season total over 1,000 for a third straight year. He scored six times on the year.

Jimmy Graham may have struggled with a wrist injury for a good portion of the year, but he came through in the end. Graham caught nine balls for 115 yards an a TD. All told he caught 85 balls for 982 yards and nine scores, hardly the type of production that was predicted when most every league saw him drafted in the top-25 overall.

Jermaine Gresham you broke many peoples hearts as you failed to haul in your lone target in Week 17. He will end the year with 64 grabs and 737 yards, solid but unremarkable totals.

Rob Gronkowski, in his first game back from his broken left forearm, caught two balls for 42 yards. Of course he also scored.

You didn't trust Montario Hardesty, starting in place of injured Trent Richardson, did you? Hardesty carried the ball for 37 yards on 14 totes. He's nothing more than a mid-level talent.

Mark Ingram let everyone down in Week 17. He carried the ball 10 times for a mere 39 yards. He needs to get out of that offense. The Saints are simply wasting his talent.

Hey, Marcedes Lewis came to play in Week 17 catching seven balls for 103 yards. This was his first game over 90 yards in his career.

Eli Manning only threw for 208 yards but there isn't one person in the world who cared since he tossed five touchdown passes. Eli fell 52 yards short of 4,000 but he did toss 26 scores, a fourth straight year with at least that many.

Peyton Manning threw for three scores, his 73rd such career game to pass Brett Favre for the all-time record. He also threw only six incomplete passes as he tossed the pigskin for 304 yards.

Just end it already --- that's what Hakeem Nicks owners were thinking. On a day when Eli Manning threw for five scores Nick's wasn't even targeted one time as his broken down body just wouldn't allow him to do anything on the field. He was a complete failure in 2012 but shapes up as one of the best values at the wide receiver spot in 2013.

Montell Owens was a surprise scratch when he injured his knee in warmups. It was thought that Richard Murphy would start the game but the Jags ended up going with Keith Toston, their fifth starting RB of the season. He performed well rushing 17 times for 74 yards. Keith also caught three balls for 41 yards if you were crazy enough to start him.

Adrian Peterson fell nine yards short of the NFL's single season rushing mark of 2,105 yards but he carried the ball a career-high 34 times on his way to 199 yards an a score (he also caught a two yard TD pass). He also led the team down the field to put them in position to kick a field goal as the clock expired to allow the Vikes to make the playoffs (which they did). Kudos to the man who is arguably the best player in football. He was so good that his rushing total the last 10 games of the year, 1,598 yards, would have led the NFL.

Brady Quinn threw for 49 yards.

Bernard Pierce was a surprise contributor in Week 17 as he carried the ball 22 times for 89 yards. Ray Rice started the game, but as was announced about an hour before kickoff, he barely saw the field as Pierce handled the bulk of the workload.

Ruben Randle was a receiving star for the Giants in Week 17 with four catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns in one of those out of nowhere type performances.

It seemed like every week that Stevan Ridley owner's contemplated sitting him. In the end he nearly ran for 1,300 yards while scoring 12 times on the ground. He went for 74 yards and two scores in Week 17.

Jacquizz Rodgers was never able to break through this year, but he was solid in the final week of the season. He may have only 28 yards on five carries but he caught eight balls for 50 yards. He caught 53 balls on the year as a solid flex option in deep PPR leagues.

No one thought Matt Ryan would play four quarters. He did. No one thought he would struggle if he played that much. He did. Ryan threw for just 238 yards and one score. He set a franchise record with 32 passing scores and 4,719 yards so don’t be too hard on the guy.

Jordan Shipley stepped up big time for those that were desperate enough to play him. Shipley caught seven balls for 51 yards, and the cherry on top was a touchdown.

C.J. Spiller went for a score and 131 yards from scrimmage in Week 17. He ends the year with 1,244 rushing yards, more than 450 receiving, 43 caches and eight scores --- despite sharing the ball with Fred Jackson for a large portion of the year.

Darren Sproles you are a failure as a runner (three carries, one yard). Mr. Sproles you are one dynamic receiver. The little fella caught eight balls for 79 yards and a TD in Week 17.

I hate Mike Tolbert. OK, I really don't hate him,how could anyone hate him? Well you might hate him if someone you were facing in Week 17 had him active. Tolbert only ran for 25 yards but he scored three flipping touchdowns. He didn't do much of anything in Carolina, failing to run for even 200 yards on the year, but he did score seven times.

Look at Ben Watson go. The Browns' tight end caught seven balls for 64 yards to finish the year with 49 receptions.

DeAngelo Williams sent everyone in Carolina off with a smile on their face as he ran buck wild all over the Saints. Williams carried the ball 21 times for a career best 210 yards. He also scored twice in what could have been his last game in a Panthers uniform. That was his first 100 yard effort of the season.

Mike Williams fell four yards short of a thousand on the year but he finished strong with six catches for 65 yards an a TD, his ninth of the season.

Russell Wilson threw for 250 yards an a touchdown. He ran for 58 yards an another score. Oh yeah, he also tied Peyton Manning's NFL rookie record with his 26th touchdown pass.

Kendall Wright had a solid rookie season finishing with 64 receptions. Unfortunately only two of those came in Week 17 (they went for 40 yards).

Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87, Monday through Thursday at 7 PM EDT and Friday's at 9p-12a EDT. For more of Ray's analysis you can check out BaseballGuys.com or the BaseballGuys' Twitter account where he tirelessly answer everyone's questions.

In the Trenches: Fantasy Football Thoughts for Week 17

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 11:58:12 -0800

Well, well, well. You didn’t think I was going to forget about you here in the final week of football did you? While most of you have seen your fantasy football seasons come and go, there are still some of you who need this final week to complete your season. With that, we’re going to take a look at each of the games as we do every week. However, due to personal time constraints, I’m going to keep this final session a little more abbreviated than usual. Not to worry though, I’ll hit the main points that you should be concentrating on for each game. If you still have something to play for, then I wish you the best of luck. If not, well then I hope you’ve at least enjoyed the ride…

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

With the Falcons have absolutely nothing to play for, you need to be concerned if you’ve been relying on players like Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez. They may suit up for the first quarter, but if they play beyond that, I’d be very surprised. Most Falcons starters should be taking it fairly easy this week. That bodes well for your Bucs though, so expect to see Josh Freeman airing it out to Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams throughout the day. With the Falcon’s run defense being spotty as is, ranking 20^th in the league, you can bet Doug Martin will be looking to pad his final stats with one more big game.

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

Even with Mark Sanchez back under center this week, the only Jets worthy of a start in any fantasy league are Shonn Greene and the defense. The Bills run defense ranks dead last in the league, so while Greene’s yardage hasn’t been so hot the last few weeks, he’s still getting goal-line work which helps. The Jets pass defense is obviously their strength, but you can still expect Ryan Fitzpatrick and Steve Johnson to test them often. C.J. Spiller gets almost all the carries these days, so against the Jets’ 27^th ranked run D, I’d be using him this week.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

Defensive sketchiness in this one, so I’d expect some decent scoring. Both Chris Johnson and Montell Owens should fare well as the featured running backs in this contest and both Chad Henne and Jake Locker make for good replacement picks if your usual QB is either hurt or being rested. No Cecil Shorts, so Justin Blackmon is the featured receiver for the Jags while Nate Washington and Kenny Britt should both make for solid plays this week. Both teams do a surprisingly decent job against the tight end, so neither Marcedes Lewis nor Taylor Thompson are on my recommended list.

I’d like to take a quick moment here to tell the Jaguars to go %#^! themselves here. Now is when you put Maurice Jones-Drew on IR? You’ve got to be kidding me. You didn’t have anything to play for weeks ago and you kept stringing fantasy owners along. Bench spots completely wasted all season long. Thanks for nothing, Jacksonville.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers

There doesn’t seem to be much appeal to this game lately as neither team has anything to play for and most of the top guys are going to be out or hurting. Thad Lewis (who?) is supposed to be under center for the Browns and Trent Richardson, whose ankle has been slowing him down lately, is likely to be out. Even with a banged up Steelers secondary, I do not trust the Browns receivers this week. On the other side, both Heath Miller and Mike Wallace will be out which leaves Ben Roethlisberger, Jonathan Dwyer and Antonio Brown as the only real usable players this week. Leonard Pope, the new starting tight end could make for a decent sleeper this week as the Browns rank 19^th against opposing tight ends this year.

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

This one should be an important one to watch as the Giants desperately need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Eagles may not give up huge yardage overall, but they’ve allowed 28 passing TDs to just eight interceptions and their 29 sacks this year are pretty low rated which means the pass rush ain’t so hot. Consider Eli Manning, Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Martellus Bennett all must-starts. Ahmand Bradshaw is listed as probable this week, so look for him to be leaned on with David Wilson going back to limited carries and return duty. For the Eagles, Michael Vick makes his return to the field and given the condition of the Giants secondary these days, you have to consider him and Jeremy Maclin must-starts as well. LeSean McCoy remains in the backfield this week so keep him active as well.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

Neither team has anything to play for, but these two division rivals should duke it out this week with a splash of pride on the line. The Panthers pass defense has been tight all year, but that shouldn’t deter you from using Drew Brees and all the weapons at his disposal. Pierre Thomas will miss this one, so look for Mark Ingram to get leaned on a bit more than usual. For the Panthers, you’ve got to love the match-up for Cam Newton. He should rack up both rushing and passing yards big time in this one which means that Steve Smith and even Brandon LaFell should be very useful this week. The Saints do rank eighth in the league against opposing tight ends, so this might be a tough one for Greg Olsen. I do like DeAngelo Williams as a sleeper this week, so if you’re in need of a running back, give him a try.

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

A bit of a tough one here as the Colts have nothing to play for this week. They can’t improve nor can they worsen their playoff seeding, but with such a young team, how much sitting are they going to do? Colts coach Chuck Pagano says that he wants to win this one and wants to play his starters, but with Andrew Luck still nursing a sore knee, the risk might be too great. I’d say Luck, Reggie Wayne and the rest of the gang are good for a half and then likely to sit the rest of the way. The Texans, on the other hand, are still looking to lock up home-field advantage after crapping it up lately. You can expect to see Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson to get their usual work in and word on the street has Arian Foster starting after an irregular heartbeat scare last week.

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

The Bears still have a slim chance to make the playoffs, the Lions do not. Expect this one to be like a regular game though as nothing would make the Lions happier than to play spoiler against their division rivals. The Bears continue to be predictable as you know it’s all about getting the ball into Brandon Marshall’s hands, so if you’re competing this week and are a Marshall owner, you’re psyched. Matt Forte’s ankle seems to be fine so he’ll lead the charge out of the backfield. For the Lions, it’s all about Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. He already owns the single-season receiving record and is now just 108 yards away from being the first ever 2,000-yard receiver in NFL history. The Bears pass D has softened a bit over these last few weeks, so expect Megatron to have another big day.

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals

Chalk this one up as another possible half-game for most of the starters as both teams should be resting their players for next week’s first round of the playoffs. The Bengals are locked into their seed and while the Ravens could move into the number three seed with a win and a Pats loss, they are out of contention for a first-round bye which means moving up a seed does very little unless they reach the AFC championship game and someone gets upset in the second round. Given injuries and what not, you should probably expect to see the top players get about half the game in and not much more beyond that. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has said otherwise, but it still seems risky.

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots

The Pats can clinch a bye week with a win and either a loss by the Texans or the Broncos. The problem is that the Texans play early against a Colts team that doesn’t have much incentive and the Broncos play the Chiefs, a team in obvious disarray. If the Texans win, you can bet the Pats will be looking at the scoreboard often and if Denver is up big, you can probably expect guys like Tom Brady, Aaron Hernandez and even Wes Welker to get a breather. That doesn’t help you as a fantasy owner though, does it? My guess is that the Pats will go all out against the Dolphins lousy pass defense which means you should be able to get solid points out of your starters even if they play just the first half. For the Fins, it’s Reggie Bush and Brian Hartline and maaaaybe Anthony Fasano. Other than that, I don’t see much else for fantasy purposes.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

There’s plenty to play for in this one as the Packers can clinch a first round bye with a win and the Vikings are in a “win and you’re in” situation themselves. Aaron Rodgers has all his weapons available in this one as Jordy Nelson is ready to return. He’ll be joining the rest of the receivers against a struggling pass defense that has allowed 24 passing TDs to just 10 interceptions this year. Their pass rush is strong and the Pack o-line is struggling, but with so many targets to choose from, Rodgers shouldn’t have much trouble. For the Vikings, Adrian Peterson is just 208 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record, so you can expect to see plenty of him, especially after torching them for 210 yards and one touchdown just a few weeks ago. From there, the passing game should open up, but in all honesty, the only guy I’m trusting to use is Kyle Rudolph. He should be good for double-digit yardage and a trip to the endzone.

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

Not that I want to get you excited about the Cardinals here, but the 49ers defense has been struggling these last three weeks with Justin Smith banged up. They’ve allowed a minimum of 94 rushing yards in each of the last three games, including 176 last week, and they’ve given up 76 points in their last two. Beanie Wells is no great shakes, but if you’re in need of a running back, he’s going to try to impress this week. You’ve also got Brian Hoyer starting under center for the Cards and he’ll be looking to connect with Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Roberts as much as possible as this is, more or less, an audition for him for next year. For the Niners, they need a win to lock up the division and are still in the hunt for a bye week, so expect the full squad to go all out. Vernon Davis is likely to sit with a concussion which makes Delaine Walker a real nice sleeper this week. He’s got six catches for 88 yards and two TDs over his last two games and the Cardinals rank 18^th in the league against opposing tight ends.

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers

More auditioning here as Terelle Pryor will get the start for the Raiders and that could mean some big things in the future and for this week. If you’re in need of a QB, then he’s probably worth a shot against a Chargers team that has all but given up on the year. Pryor should notch some decent rushing yardage and will be looking to hook up with Denarius Moore and Darius Heyward-Bey as much as possible. Consider Derek Hagan a sleeper as the two have a nice rapport from practices. Darren McFadden remains a must-start. For the Chargers, the running game will remain a committee although Ronnie Brown should see the most work. Danario Alexander is the only receiver worth his salt on that team nowadays but considering the Raiders rank 25^th in the league against opposing tight ends, Antonio Gates should not be forgotten.

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

The only way you see the Chiefs doing anything positive is if Denver is up huge in the first half and remove their starters the rest of the way. But with a bye week on the line, as well as home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, you can bet that Peyton Manning will be the field general he always is and that his soldiers will all have strong games. They play the same time as the Pats, so no one is resting early. Start your Broncos with confidence. For the Chiefs, you may as well start Jamaal Charles as he could pick up some killer yardage during garbage time. Outside of maybe Dexter McCluster and him, I don’t see anyone else you’ll want to use this week.

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks, believe it or not, are not only still in the hunt for the division, but could actually still earn a first round bye with a win, a 49ers loss and a Packers loss. A longshot, yes, but with the intensity level at which this team is playing, they’re sure to do their part. Start your Seahawks with confidence. The Rams will try to put up a good showing, but it’s going to be a long, tough road for them against this defense. Steven Jackson is obviously worth the play and Lance Kendricks might be a decent sleeper, but it could be a rough one for Sam Bradford and the receivers.

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins

The Sunday night game is the big one of the weekend as there are crazy playoff ramifications as the NFC East is still wide open. Bottom line is that both of these teams need a win to make the playoffs. The loser will most likely be sent home for the rest of the winter. If you have players here that you’ve been using throughout the year, start them with confidence. Both quarterbacks, both lead running backs, all the top wideouts, Jason Witten at tight end and yes, even Logan Paulsen for the Skins as the Cowboys rank dead last against opposing tight ends these days. Not only will this one be a battle, but I’m betting that it will be fairly high scoring as well.

Good luck to you all this week!

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In the Trenches: For Those Still Playing...

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:23:47 -0800

The fantasy football season is over for many. Did you climb the mountain and plant your flag at the peak in victory, or were you punted in the face only to tumble down the face of the mountain until lading in the ravine below? For those of you still playing in Week 17 we haven't forgotten about you by any means – we're still on the case here at Fantasy Alarm.

Quarterbacks

Drew Brees has become the first player in football history to throw for 4,500 yards in 3-straight seasons. He's up to 4,781 yards and 40 scores. With 219 yards and one score he will also become the first QB ever to go for 5,000 yards and 40 scores in back-to-back seasons. As I predicted before the season started, Brees leads all QBs in fantasy points through 16 weeks and he's clearly proven that he was a better draft day value than Rodgers or Brady who were drafted before him in every league.

Peyton Manning needs to throw for 145 yards in his final game for a third straight season of 4,500 passing yards, 33 touchdowns an a completion percentage over 66.0 percent. Of course there is an entire missed season in there but it's been utterly amazing how well he has performed this season.

Cam Newton isn't just the #1 QB in fantasy football the last month (since Week 12), but he's also the #1 performer of any position. It might surprise many to learn that the second best fantasy QB the past five weeks is none other than --- Tony Romo. Speaking of Mr. Cowboy, when will he get his due? He needs 315 yards in Week 17 to reach 5,000 for the year, and four TD passes would get him to 30 in that category. That's a pretty damn fine season is it not? Overall he is up to 8th at the position in total points heading into the finale.

Brandon Weeden (shoulder) and Colt McCoy (shoulder) both may be unable to perform in Week 17. If both are unable to take the field the Browns will start Thaddeus Lewis. Regardless of who is under center – a guy you've never heard of, a guy who has continued to fail when given the chance or a guy who has been moderate at best this season – this entire offense appears to be off limits (don't forget that Trent Richardson is also dealing with an ankle issue that might also keep him out of the mix).

Russell Wilson has thrown for 25 touchdown passes this season. That's the second most in NFL history for a rookie (Peyton Manning threw for 26 back in 1998). That's also four more than Andrew Luck and five more than RGIII. At the same time he's thrown for just 2,868 yards which is 191 yards fewer than Ryan Tannehill. On the downside, Wilson has thrown for just the 23rd most yards in the league this season.

Running Backs

Jamaal Charles ran for 226 yards in Week 16, his second game over 225 yards this season. Overall Charles has run for 100 yards seven times but he's also had a bunch of stinkers – three yards, four and 10 yards in three games. Still, Charles has been an overall force, even if his consistency has been wanting, as he's run for 1,456 yards which is the third best mark in football. With 12 yards in Week 17 he would surpass his previous career best of 1,467 rushing yards in a season. He also needs six receptions for a third straight complete season of 40 catches.

Matt Forte is dealing with an ankle issue, again, but the early returns are that he will try and give it a go in Week 17. For the fifth time in five years Forte has run for at least 929 yards while catching 42 passes. Those numbers don't leap off the page but considering that he played just 12 games last season and has appeared in 14 this year maybe you shouldn't be so hard on the Bears' running back.

Arian Foster's heart issue apparently is a minor issue which if great news given that he faces a Colts team that he has run for an average of 164 rushing yards a game in four career matchups.

Maurice Jones-Drew didn't practice Wednesday and he won't play in Week 17. What a shock. He is this year's Darren McFadden – a guy who the team kept hinting could play again even though there was no chance that he would ever play again.

Mikel Leshoure has scored nine times on the ground, and that has left him as a weekly RB2 in the fantasy game. However, just as I expressed before the season started as a huge concern, Leshoure has not shown the burst that he had prior to his Achilles issue. I say that as he's averaging a poor 3.70 YPC this season and get this – the guy doesn't have a single run longer than 16 yards this season. It's hard to trust a guy as a weekly starter when he is averaging just 57 yards a game on the ground this season (his last game of 75 yards was Week 11).

Marshawn Lynch has a touchdown in seven of his last eight games. He's also scored in 4-straight. He's been even better this year than last with 1,490 yards and 12 touchdowns (Lynch ran for 1,204 yards and scored 13 times last season). The game situation really doesn't seem to matter either. In 10 “wins” he's averaged 103.3 yards per game on the ground. In five “loses” he's run for an average of 91.4 yards a game.

Doug Martin has slowed down of late, that 3.8 YPC the past seven games is way down from his 5.2 mark in the first half, but let's keep things in perspective. Martin's total of 1,766 total yards is the 9th best mark in the history of football for a rookie. He could enter the top-5 with a strong effort in Week 17.

Adrian Peterson needs 208 yards to break Eric Dickerson's single season total. He ran for 210 yards the first time he faced the Packers this year. A.D. also needs 102 yards to record 2,000 on the year, and he would be only the 7th player to reach that mark. He missed practice Wednesday because of his abdomen issue but there is little doubt A.D. will be on the field this weekend.

Wide Receivers

Eric Decker is 12 yards way from becoming a 1,000 yard, 10 touchdown guy (he's scored 11 times). Do you know how many 1,000-10 guys there are at the wide receiver position this year? The answer is four: Dez Bryant, A.J. Green, Brandon Marshall and Julio Jones.

A.J. Green needs five receptions for 100 this season. Expect him to get there in Week 17.

Remember when you were frustrated with Calvin Johnson and wanted to dump him on someone else after he scored one time through Week 9? I know there are more than one of you out there as I got emails and phone calls suggesting that you wanted to move on – from many of you. It's OK to admit it – you panicked. Obviously CJ has turned those concerns on their ear the past seven or so weeks as he's now back to being the #1 WR in fantasy football. He may not have the touchdowns to match last season but he's still averaging 22.4 points per game this season in a PPR which is a mere two tenths off his mark of 22.57 from last season.

Jeremy Maclin is closing with a nice kick. The last three weeks he's caught 21 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns. If he matches that effort in Week 17 with Nick Foles out (Michael Vick should be plenty capable of moving the chains with this offense), Maclin has a shot to break his career best mark of 964 receiving yards and 70 receptions. He's already hauled in 65 passes for 835 yards for the Eagles.

Cecil Shorts will end the year with 979 yards and seven touchdowns as his season was cut short due to concussion woes. Randall Cobb's not certain to play in Week 17 either (ankle) and he has 80 receptions for 954 yards and eight receiving scores. How amazing is it to think that these two guys were still on the waiver-wire wire in 99 percent of leagues after Week 4?

Even with his two catch, 16 yard effort in Week 15 it's pretty amazing to think that over the last three games that Roddy White is still averaging six receptions, 95.3 yards an a touchdown per game.

Tight Ends

As of Wednesday afternoon, it appears that Rob Gronkowski (broken forearm) will not be playing in Week 17. Gronk has been practicing a bit for a while now but he hasn't appeared in a game since Week 11. “He's moving along, (he's) not ready yet,” HC Bill Belichick said. If you're still playing fantasy football it sounds like you are going to have to stick with the backup option you've been using for the past month.

Rob Housler was placed on the IR with a sprained shoulder. His season numbers weren't very impressive (45 receptions for 417 yards and no scores), but his dynasty value is on the rise. Don't forget that he was having success with the worst QB play in 20 years and that through that he managed to catch an average of just better than four passes a game over his last eight contests. You catch four passes a game for 16 games and you're hauling in 64 passes, a solid total in a PPR setup.

The last four weeks of the NFL season have been dicey at the tight end position. The top dog has been Aaron Hernandez followed by a now injured Heath Miller and an out of nowhere Dennis Pitta. Jason Witten has been fourth, hardly a shock, but the #5 man has been Lance Kendricks. I know, try not to fall off your chair. Kendrick's used that long score in Week 16 to push him to 119 yards in that contest, his ONLY game over 50 yards this season. The only one. He's also failed to haul in more than four balls in any single game, an it's a total he's reached once in eight weeks. I know he's scored in 2-straight and has three touchdowns in five games, but boy are you taking a chance if you have him active in Week 17. Getting back to Pitta, what a crazy season, right? He started out on fire with 18 receptions, two scores, and three straight games of 50 yards in Weeks 1-3. He then went into a production funk that saw him eclipse 50 yards once between Weeks 4-14. Of course, he's gone big the past two weeks with games of 125 and 56 yards, and he's also scored three times in those three games. We'd love to see some more consistency on a weekly basis, no one likes those guys that scored 18 points one week and six the next, but it does bare pointing out with Pitta that in a PPR this season he is currently the 8th ranked tight end in football.

Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87, Monday through Thursday at 7 PM EDT and Friday's at 9p-12a EDT. For more of Ray's analysis you can check out BaseballGuys.com or the BaseballGuys' Twitter account where he tirelessly answer everyone's questions.

2012 Fantasy Football Weekly Roundup: Week 16

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 22:29:53 -0800

There are only 2 emotions that you can feel at a time like this. Those are either joyous ecstasy or complete devastation. To get this far in your fantasy football season is a wonderful achievement. But to lose the final game is as painful as a kick to the gonads (ovaries for all the lady readers). Who would have thought 16 weeks ago that players like Tony Romo, Knowshon Moreno, Reggie Bush and Danario Alexander would be leading their teams to a championship? On the flip side who would have thought just last week that Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster, Andre Johnson and Robert Griffin III would be coming up short for us just when we needed them the most? For those of you who's season ended this week I congratulate you whether you won or lost this week on a very successful season. For those who march on into the unknown waters of week 17...let's first take a look back at all that we learned this week:

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27	Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles				20
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Robert Griffin III		16-24 198 2TD INT 2-4 rush	Nick Foles	32-48 375 TD INT 4-10 rushing
Alfred Morris		22-91 rush TD 1-17 receiving	LeSean McCoy	13-45 rushing 9-77 receiving
Pierre Garcon		7-89 receiving	Bryce Brown	4-18 rushing
Josh Morgan		1-7 rushing 2-21 receiving TD	Jeremy Maclin	8-116 receiving TD
Santana Moss		2-26 receiving TD	Jason Avant	8-70 receiving
Logan Paulsen		1-6 receiving	Brent Celek	3-39 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
S Dejon Gomes – knee injury			Jeremy Maclin 27 yard TD catch on opening drive
			Josh Morgan 11 yard TD catch
			Alfred Morris 10 yard TD run
Notes
Robert Griffin III was not used at in the running game and as a step to protect his knee
McCoy was clearly the lead back in his return with Brown seeing very little action
Maclin is clearly Foles favorite target and could have tied the game late if not for a bad Foles throw
Alfred Morris has proven he deserves more accolades for the rookie of the year award

13	Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers				10
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Andy Dalton		24-41 278 2INT	Ben Roethlisberger	14-28 170 TD 2INT 2-3 rushing
B. Green-Ellis		15-14 rushing	Jonathan Dwyer	14-39 rushing
AJ Green		10-116 receiving	Mike Wallace	1-13 receiving
Marvin Jones		5-65 receiving	Antonio Brown	5-97 receiving TD
Andrew Hawkins		3-30 receiving	Rashard Mendenhall	11-50 rushing
Jermaine Gresham		3-38 receiving	Heath Miller	3-45 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
TE Heath Miller – knee injury			Leon Hall 17 yard Interception return for a TD
RB Baron Batch –broken arm			Roethlisberger late INT sets up GW FG for Brown
			60 yard TD catch for Antonio Brown
Notes
Roethlisberger was not bad the entire game with the exception of the 60 yard TD to Brown
Dalton struggled once again but was able to find Green much more in the 2^nd half
Dwyer was once again ineffective & Mendenhall got back into the rotation.Mendenhall could start next week
Green Ellis could not find any running room the entire game and was completely ineffective

28	St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers				13
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Sam Bradford		13-27 196 2TD INT	Josh Freeman	30-54 372 TD 3INT 4-18 rushing
Steven Jackson		19-81 rushing TD 1- -4 receive	Doug Martin	18-62 rushing 7-57 receiving
Brandon Gibson		2-33 receiving	Vincent Jackson	7-108 receiving
Danny Amendola		2-5 receiving	Mike Williams	7-132 receiving TD
Chris Givens		3-38 receiving	Tiquan Underwood	1-18 receiving
Lance Kendricks		4-119 receiving TD	Dallas Clark	4-33 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
CB Leonard Johnson – arm injury			Jenkins 41 yard interception return for a TD
CB Cortland Finnegan –was active but not effectiv			Steven Jackson 5 yard TD run
			Lance Kendricks 80 yard TD catch
Notes
Each team only gets one possession in the first quarter thanks to a 9 plus minute Tampa drive
Josh Freeman has once again been horrific with his continued awful play even with a 61 yard TD to Williams
Danny Amendola was not existent with only two catches despite have a few balls thrown his way
Williams and Jackson both went over 100 yards with Tampa forced to play comeback football

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6	Oakland Raiders at Carolina Panthers				17
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Carson Palmer		3-3 31 yards	Cam Newton	18-29 170 TD INT 12-60 rushing
Darren McFadden		17-33 rushing 3-15 receiving	DeAngelo Williams	10-19 rushing 2-25 receiving
Mike Goodson		4-12 rushing 1-8 receiving	Steve Smith	4-45 receiving TD
Denarius Moore		3-12 receiving	Brandon LaFell	5-38 receiving
D. Heyward-Bey		2-31 receiving	Mike Tolbert	5-28 rushing
Brandon Myers		3-10 receiving	Greg Olsen	6-53 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
QB Carson Palmer –rib injury			Terrell Pryor 22 yard reception
LG Amini Silatolu –wrist injury			Steve Smith 23 yard TD catch on a great Newton throw
			Leinart INT sets-up a 3 yard TD run by Newton
Notes
DeAngelo Williams has a 76 yard TD run called back on a holding penalty by Steve Smith
Oakland defense has improved and had 9 tackles for loss to slow down the red-hot Panthers offense
The dink and donk Matt Leinart showed up with Palmer down. 32 attempts for only 115 yards
DeAngelo Williams was not able to get anything going

23	New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars				16
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Tom Brady		24-41 267 2TD 2INT	Chad Henne	29-51 348 TD 3INT
Stevan Ridley		18-84 rushing	Montell Owens	10-42 rushing 4-77 receiving
Wes Welker		1-7 rush 10-88 receiving TD	Justin Blackmon	7-79 receiving TD
Brandon Lloyd		6-62 receiving	Cecil Shorts	6-54 receiving
Hoomanawanui		2-46 receiving	Jordan Shipley	5-82 receiving
Aaron Hernandez		1-13 receiving	Marcedes Lewis	4-27 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
WR Cecil Shorts – Head injury			Danny Woodhead 14 yard TD catch
TE Ron Gronkowski –DNP			Wes Welker 2 yard TD catch
			Justin Blackmon 3 yard TD catc
Notes
Henne 6 for 6 on opening drive that ends on a 3 yard TD pass to Justin Blackmon & 162 1^st quarter yards
New England did not show up today to start the game. Two early INT’s and down 13-3 midway through 2nd
Brandon Bolden got two chances to score from the 1 but could not get in before Welker TD
Brady was out of sorts as Hernandez was barely involved in the offense

23	Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans				6
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Christian Ponder		16-30 174 TD 7-48 rushing	Matt Schaub	18-32 178 yards
Adrian Peterson		25-86 rushing	Arian Foster	10-15 rushing 2-14 receiving
Jarius Wright		5-53 receiving 1-8 rushing	Ben Tate	4-17 rushing 1-2 receiving
Jerome Simpson		4-32 receiving	Andre Johnson	7-97 receiving
Michael Jenkins		2-41 receiving	Garrett Graham	2-14 receiving
Kyle Rudolph		3-39 receiving	Owen Daniels	3-27 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
Owen Daniels - unknown			Kyle Rudolph 3 yard TD catch
Arian Foster – irregular heartbeat			Toby Gerhart 6 yard TD run
Adrian Petersen – groin sat out late in the game			Walsh FG’s from 39, 41 and 56 yards
Notes
Arian Foster unable to do nothing in the first half with 12 yards on 8 carries and also lost a fumble
HHouston had first 1^st & goal at the 1 and just had some terrible play calling so they had to settle for a FG
The Texan did not even show up today and struggle with teams that get after the quarterback
Vikings will need defensive efforts like this if they can make the playoffs. Ponder poses no passing threat.

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34	New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys				31
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Drew Brees		37-53, 446 yards, 3 TDs	Tony Romo	26-43, 416 yards, 4 TDs
Darren Sproles		9-48 yards 7-104 yards receiving	DeMarco Murray	11-40 yards 4-51 yards receiving
Pierre Thomas		7-16 yards 1-3 yards, 1 TD receiving	Dez Bryant	9-224 yards, 2 TD’s
Marques Colston		10-153 yards	Miles Austin	4-45 yards, 1 TD
Lance Moore		4-30 yards, 1 TD	Dwayne Harris	1-16 yards, 1 TD
Jimmy Graham		7-88 yards	Jason Witten	6-60 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
DeMarcus Ware left game with shoulder injury			Mark Ingram 9 yard TD run
Chris Ivory was Inactive for this game			Dez Bryant TD receptions of 58 & 58 yards
J. Graham had a finger injury but stayed in game			David Thomas 3 yard TD reception
Notes
Mark Ingram rushed 21-53 yards with a TD in this game and also caught 1 pass for 7 yards.
Nobody can blame Tony Romo for any of the Cowboys problems this year. He has been absolutely fantastic,
While Dez Bryant has become a top 5 WR this season, Miles Austin is almost an afterthought even on his team
The Saints are going to have to figure something out with all of their RB’s before next season.

7	Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers				55
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Jake Locker		13-30, 130 yards, 1 TD 2 INT 4-32 yards rushing	Aaron Rodgers	27-38, 342 yards, 3 TDs 4-11 yards, 1 TD rushing
Chris Johnson		11-28 yards 2-13 yards receiving	Ryan Grant	20-80 yards, 2 TDs 1-34 yards receiving
Kenny Britt		2-41 yards, 1 TD	Greg Jennings	7-45 yards, 1 TD
Damian Williams		3-39 yards	Randall Cobb	3-62 yards, 1 TD
Nate Washington		2-15 yards	James Jones	7-100 yards, 1 TD
Craig Stevens		1-7 yards	JerMichael Finley	5-70 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Randall Cobb left game with an ankle injury			DuJuan Harris 7 yard TD run
Chris Johnson left game with ankle but returned			Randall Cobb 20 yard TD reception
			Ryan Grant TD runs of 7 & 9 yards
Notes
Ryan Grant looks fresh and hungry at this point in the season and his career. Could be a factor in the playoffs
The Titans have to improve along the offensive and defensive lines this offseason.
The Packers really like backup TE Brandon Bostick and he will likely be their primary TE next year.
Randall Cobb has emerged to be a strong WR1 in all fantasy formats this season.

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20	Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs				13
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Andrew Luck		17-35, 205 yards, 1 TD	Brady Quinn	10-22, 162 yards, 2 INT
Vick Ballard		20-69 yards	JaMaal Charles	22-226 yards, 1 TD
Reggie Wayne		5-81 yards, 1 TD	Peyton Hillis	15-101 yards
Donnie Avery		5-38 yards	Jonathan Baldwin	2-64 yards
T.Y. Hilton		2-34 yards	Dexter McCluster	3-30 yards
Dwayne Allen		3-18 yards	Devon Wylie	3-36 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Delone Carter was INACTIVE for this game			Darius Butler 32 yard INT return for TD
			JaMaal Charles 86 yard TD run
			Reggie Wayne 7 yard TD reception
Notes
JaMaal Charles is so electric but his fumbling and inconsistency limits him to RB2 status in fantasy leagues.
Andrew Luck has 7 game winning drive in the 4^th qtr or overtime this year which is tied for most ever.
This Chiefs team has maybe 5 players that they can build around. Other than that they are a complete mess.
This is why you can’t depend on T.Y. Hilton on a weekly basis as he is nothing but a big play WR.

10	Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins				24
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Ryan Fitzpatrick		20-35, 240 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT	Ryan Tannehill	13-25, 130 yards, 2 TD
CJ Spiller		22-138 yards 4-35 yards receiving	Reggie Bush	19-65 yards, 1 TD 4-42 yards, 2 TD’s
Stevie Johnson		4-44 yards	Lamar Miller	10-72 yards
Brad Smith		2-11 yards, 1 TD	Brian Hartline	2-12 yards
Dorin Dickerson		4-54 yards	Armon Binns	3-27 yards
Scott Chandler		1-25 yards	Anthony Fasano	2-12 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Scott Chandler left game with a knee injury			Reggie Bush 17 yard TD run
Sean Smith left game with a knee injury			Reggie Bush TD receptions of 1 & 12 yards
			Brad Smith 2 yard TD reception
Notes
It’s about time that the Dolphins use Reggie Bush in the passing game. They should bring him back in ’13.
Stevie Johnson had a TD reception overturned due to the ball hitting the ground as Johnson fell.
CJ Spiller is so damn good. He is a sure fire 1^st round pick in fantasy leagues next year.
If Bush isn’t back next year watch out for Lamar Miller who has crazy speed and big time upside.

27	San Diego Chargers at New York Jets				17
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Phillip Rivers		11-22, 165 yards, 2 TDs	Greg McElroy	14-24, 185 yards, 1 INT
Ronnie Brown		5-31 yards 2-8 yards receiving	Shonn Greene	14-38 yards, 2 TD’s 2-42 yards
Jackie Battle		19-49 yards	Bilal Powell	3-(-3) yards rushing 4-37 yards receiving
Danario Alexander		3-69 yards, 1 TD	Braylon Edwards	3-36 yards
Eddie Royal		3-39 yards	Clyde Gates	3-65 yards
Antonio Gates		2-44 yards, 1 TD	Chaz Schillens	2-31 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Brandon Taylor left game with a torn ACL			Michael Spurlock 63 yard punt return
			Danario Alexander 37 yard TD reception
			Antonio Gates 34 yard TD reception
Notes
The sad thing about the Jets QB situation is that Tim Tebow may have lead this team to the playoffs.
It is stunning that the Chargers have won 2 straight games on the East Coast this season.
The past two games does not change my opinion that Antonio Gates career is on the downside.
Both of these teams should be torn down and rebuilt this offseason.

12	Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos				34
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Brandon Weeden		12-19, 104 yards	Peyton Manning	30-43, 339 yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT
Trent Richardson		9-53 yards	Knowshon Moreno	22-78 yards 5-49 yards receiving
Montario Hardesty		3-14 yards 1-7 yards receiving	DeMaryius Thomas	9-102 yards, 1 TD
Josh Gordon		1-7 yards	Eric Decker	6-65 yards, 2 TD’s
Greg Little		6-58 yards, 1 TD	Brandon Stokley	5-32 yards
Ben Watson		3-47 yards	Jacob Tamme	2-69 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Brandon Weeden left game with shoulder injury			Eric Decker TD receptions of 8 & 10 yards
			DeMaryius Thomas 22 yard TD reception
			Greg Little 6 yard TD reception
Notes
The 2012 Broncos are prime example of how a good team becomes great with a difference maker at QB.
The Browns completely got away from deep passes to Josh Gordon the past few weeks.
The Broncos have won 10 straight games by 7 points or more.
The Broncos DST are one of the most consistent defenses on a week in and week out basis.

The Ultimate Start / Sit Tool - Get It Now!

28	Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals				13
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Jay Cutler		12-26, 146 yards, 1 TD	Ryan Lindley	17-30, 141 yards, 1 INT
Matt Forte		12-88 yards, 1 TD 1-7 yards receiving	Beanie Wells	4-3 yards
Brandon Marshall		6-68 yards, 1 TD	William Powell	3-6 yards 3-21 yards receiving
Alshon Jeffery		1-35 yards	Larry Fitzgerald	8-111 yards
Earl Bennett		1-16 yards	Andre Roberts	5-44 yards
Kellen Davis		2-19 yards	Michael Floyd	6-47 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Matt Forte left game with knee injury			Zach Bowman 1 yard fumble return for TD
Rob Housler left game with knee injury			Brandon Marshall 11 yard TD Reception
Chris Conte left game with hamstring injury			Charles Tillman 10 yard INT return for TD
Notes
The Bears offense can completely tear apart a team that doesn’t rush the passer.
I say it every week lately but Ken Whisenhunt needs to be fired after this season.
The Cardinals have not thrown a TD pass in their last 6 games this season. #Pathetic
The Bears must win next week in Detroit and have Green Bay beat Minnesota to get into the playoffs.

14	New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens				33
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Eli Manning		14-28, 150 yards, 1 TD	Joe Flacco	25-36, 309 yards, 2 TD’s
Ahmad Bradshaw		9-39 yards	Ray Rice	24-107 yards 6-51 yards, 1 TD
David Wilson		3-17 yards, 1 TD	Anquan Boldin	7-93 yards
Victor Cruz		3-21 yards	Torrey Smith	5-88 yards, 1 TD
Hakeem Nicks		0-0	Ed Dickson	1-9 yards
Martellus Bennett		4-27 yards	Dennis Pitta	4-56 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Anquan Boldin left game with a shoulder injury			Torrey Smith 6 yard TD reception
Chris Canty left game with a knee injury			David Wilson 14 yard TD run
Marvin Austin left game with a knee injury			Ray Rice 27 yard TD run
Notes
Imagine that…give the ball to Ray Rice 30 times and the offense move the chains and puts up points.
I hope that nobody started Dennis Pitta this week. I am sure some did but he is as random a TE as there is.
The Giants offense has suffered from bad O-line play, lack of a running game and Eli’s inconsistency.
Nicks belongs in the conversation with McFadden, Mathews & Harvin as players that just can’t be trusted.

13	San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks				42
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Colin Kaepernick		19-36, 244 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT 7-31 yards rushing	Russell Wilson	15-21, 171 yards, 4 TD’s, 1 INT 6-29 yards rushing
Frank Gore		6-28 yards	Marshawn Lynch	26-111 yards, 1 TD 2-19 yards, 1 TD receiving
LaMichael James		4-15 yards 2-14 yards receiving	Sidney Rice	1-14 yards
Michael Crabtree		4-65 yards	Golden Tate	2-27 yards
Randy Moss		3-44 yards	Doug Baldwin	4-53 yards, 2 TD’s
Vernon Davis		1-27 yards	Zach Miller	2-15 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Vernon Davis left game with a concussion			Marshawn Lynch TD runs of 9 & 24 yards
Mario Manningham left game with knee injury			Richard Sherman 90 yard blocked FG return for TD
			Doug Baldwin TD receptions of 4 & 6 yards
Notes
While I give Russell Wilson a lot of grief, he is playing with a lot of confidence right now and that is a direct
result of the time & preparation he puts into his game. Still 171 yards a game won’t win Seattle a title.
The 49ers defense had better find its swagger again or it could be an early playoff exit for them this year.
The Kaepernick/Crabtree connection could be a very good under the radar combo for 2013.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Saturday 10 PM- 1 AM EST, Sunday 7 PM to 10 PM EST and Wednesday 11:00 PM EST to 1:00 AM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210.

It's Hallamentary! Questions And Answers For Week 16

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:55:45 -0800

Here it is, the last edition of Hallamentary for this fantasy football season. We’ve had some fun along the way, and hopefully answered some of your burning questions and helped you make some difficult lineup decisions that now has you playing for the fantasy championship. Because that’s what we make here at Fantasy Alarm. We make WINNERS! As we head into what should be your championship we talk about some injury concerns, some guys going for records, and who you can trust, and who you can’t. How do you win your fantasy football championship in 2012???? (Say it with me)…….It’s Hallamentary, of course!

The Ultimate Start / Sit Tool - Get It Now!

Questions about your team or a waiver move? Lineup decisions? You can email me at ryan@fantasyalarm.com for answers to those questions. You can also hit me up by following me on Twitter @ryanhallamFA or if you just want to read some of my incoherent babbling in 140 characters.

With LeSean McCoy returning, should you start him? McCoy has missed the last four games with a concussion, and as the season winds down you have to wonder how hard he will run. Listen, I said this a few weeks ago about Greg Jennings. If, when he got hurt you decided to keep him on your roster, that means you hoped he would return. Now he is returning. If you aren’t playing him, then why the hell did you keep him for the last month? McCoy is a gamer, and as much as the Eagles are mailing in the end of the season, he is probably better than your other options. I say go with him.

On the other hand, what about Maurice Jones-Drew? For the first time in two months it seems that MJD has a chance to play following his awful foot injury that has cost him two months. He has begun running again, but is still a long shot to play, and unlike McCoy, I would say that even if he is cleared to play (again, not likely), I couldn’t confidently put him in my lineup. If your league is one that plays all 17 weeks and you are in the title game next week I would go with him. Jones-Drew is a very prideful and competitive guy and would give it everything he had, even in the last game of the season, even for a 2-13 team.

Third injury question, can you go with RG3? Griffin was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, and it certainly seems like he will be under center for the ‘Skins on Sunday against the Eagles. I wholeheartedly, absolutely, 100% recommend you starting Griffin if you have him this weekend. This kid has shown incredible heart, grit, and a fire that not every player has. Not to mention that the Redskins are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. If he is cleared, and I believe he will be, he is a must start in your fantasy championship.

As good as Jamaal Charles has been, can you trust him? The Chiefs are bad. Really bad. They should have to surrender the ‘I’ in their name and just be called the Chefs. They have scored in double digits just once in the last five weeks, and only over 14 points once in the last seven. So as good as Charles has been, and he’s been good, what should you do when his team barely ever puts points on the board? You gotta go with this guy. He has broken 100 yards in four of the last six weeks after having a rough middle of the season, and although he only gained ten yards last week, he is too good to leave on your bench in the championship game, or even in the semis if your league plays 17 weeks. Think of it this way: How stupid will you feel if you lose because you got cute and decided to sit Charles and he rushes for 185 yards and a touchdown? Or how would you feel if you play him and he rushes for 15? To me, I’d rather lose with my best players letting me down than trying to outsmart the system and making a stupid choice. Play Charles.

What do you do with Eli Manning? After a stretch where he had no touchdowns for three games, Eli has become possibly more frustrating as now he is rotating good weeks and awful ones. After his three touchdown performance against the Packers, he threw just one, followed by four against the Saints, before the absolute dud last week against Atlanta. So, what’s a fantasy owner to do? This is the big one! The Giants will be playing the Ravens who have been far from the famous Ravens’ defenses from the early 2000s. They are getting healthier, but I still don’t see their secondary being great. I think if you’ve been going with Eli all season long, there’s no reason to bench him now. Give him another start and hope for at least two scoring strikes. And for my team can we have one to Cruz and one to Bennett? Thanks.

Can Adrian Peterson do it? With two games to go he is 294 rushing yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing mark, so can he do it? After having just one 100 yard rushing game and two touchdowns in the first six weeks, Peterson has been a man possessed for the last eight. There’s only been one game where he hasn’t scored, and in six of eight of those games he has rushed for over 150 yards. He faces Houston and Green Bay to finish the season, and at this point I don’t see any reason to doubt the guy. The Vikings are one of the many teams vying for a playoff spot in the NFC so I can’t see them spoonfeeding him if they get way behind, but he has been the most dynamic player in the NFL since Columbus Day, why think he will slow down now?

If you could only start one Denver receiver would it be Eric Decker or Demaryius Thomas? Decker had been cool for a few games and then has come on hot, while Thomas was hot as hell for a few weeks then disappointed mightily last week. What is the right answer? The Browns secondary is pretty stout and Thomas will likely be seeing most of Joe Haden, so it stands that it could be a quiet day for either guy. But this is Peyton Manning, and this is a chance to put the Broncos in a great position to get a first round bye, so I think there will be a few touchdown passes to go around. If I had to choose (and why not start both?), and it was PPR, I’m going to go against my man crush and say to start Eric Decker.

Really Beanie Wells? Really? So Chris Wells (I can’t stand to call him by his nickname right now) has five touchdowns this season and I’m guessing that his fantasy owners probably got none of them. I know I didn’t. Two came in his first game back off of injured reserve, and the other three game last week following a performance where he had just 18 yards on six carries. I guess the real question for Chris is…..why do you hate me so much? I’ve always supported you, I always draft you, even though my friends always laugh at me for it. So, what’s the forecast this week? The Bears’ defense is a shell of what it was during the first two thirds of the season, but even though they are giving up yards and scores in bunches, I still don’t see a reason to start Wells as long as John Skelton or Ryan Lindley are behind that God awful offensive line. If you are going to lose this week, don’t do it trusting Chris Wells.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Saturday 10 PM- 1 AM EST, Sunday 7 PM to 10 PM EST and Wednesday 11:00 PM EST to 1:00 AM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210.

In the Trenches: Fantasy Football Thoughts for Week 16

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:43:06 -0800

Well this is it really. There might be a few of you that have your finals during Week 17, but for the most part this week is for all the marbles. Win and you’re the league champion and have full right to become the league braggart as well. Lose and you’re nothing but the guy who blew it in the finals and you ain’t got dinky doo. Some of your most important decisions come right now so you better not do anything stupid. You should be playing the guys who got you this far unless there are mitigating circumstances and if you’re wavering on one of them, you better have good reason. And I mean a really good reason. Don’t go over-thinking it and talk yourself into a stupid mistake as that will only cost you the league title and for some of you, a healthy chunk of change too.

With the way the NFL standings are set right now, everyone still has plenty to play for, so you don’t have to worry about big-time starts being rested for the playoffs. Arian Foster will run the ball. Matt Ryan will throw the ball. No worries on that front, so make sure your lineups are properly set and here’s a look at the Week 16 match-ups as I see them…

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions

Despite the mediocrity of the run defenses involved in this one, the game features two of the more prolific passing offenses and that’s what we’re likely to see most on Thursday. Michael Turner does have a five-game TD streak right now so there’s a chance the Falcons throw him a little goal-line work to pad his stats, but we should see a heavy dose of Matt Ryan to Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and, if his knee is holding up, Roddy White. A win here should lock them in to the number one seed in the NFC so you can bet they want this one bad.

The Lions should start off with a fair amount of Mike Leshoure to try and establish the ground game, but that’s merely a tool to help open things up more for Matthew Stafford. He’ll be looking downfield all day for Calvin Johnson but could also continue to look for Tony Scheffler who is still lining up in the slot even with Brandon Petttigrew hurt. If Pettigrew can’t go again this week, then look for Will Heller to be the tight end….the blocking tight end, that is. Mike Thomas, Stefan Logan and Brian Robiskie will all be available wide receivers, but none worthy of a fantasy start….especially this week.

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles

Again, the biggest question on everyone’s mind here is whether or not Robert Griffin III will play this week. He’s been practicing and says he feels better and more confident, but again, it’s up to the team doctors and no one really wants to take a chance with the franchise’s future. If he can’t go, then Kirk Cousins gets another run and should fare well against the Eagles. Alfred Morris will be leaned on heavily again and that should allow Cousins enough time to find Pierre Garcon, Josh Morgan and Santana Moss down the field. Leonard Hankerson got the TD grabs last week, but after one game it’s too difficult to say who Cousins’ favorite targets are just yet. Garcon is the only one who maintained a certain level of performance from RG3 to Cousins, so he’s really the only receiver I would trust.

The Eagles are supposed to be getting LeSean McCoy back, but even if he does return, it will be in some sort of a time share with the now-disappointing Bryce Brown. But the Skins run D is a tough nut to crack anyway, so expect to see Nick Foles trying to take advantage of their 30^th ranked pass defense. Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper and Brent Celek, who is returning from injury, all figure to be heavily involved this week.

Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans

If the Texans want to secure home-field throughout the playoffs, then they are going to need to come up with a win here and that starts with stopping Adrian Peterson. Unfortuantely, the Texans have allowed over 100 rushing yards in three of their last four games and AP is tearing defenses to shreds right now. If the Texans stack the box, then Christian Ponder will be called upon to lead the team down field. Expect him to lean on Kyle Rudolph as the Texans struggle with tight end coverage. The Texans also struggle with secondary receivers, so consider Jarius Wright a sleeper for deeper leagues.

Offensively for the Texans, you can expect a heavy dose of Arian Foster early on to try and wear down that 13^th ranked run defense that allows an average of 113 yards per game on the ground. From there, it’s all about Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. The Texans top wideout has gone for over 150 yards in three of his last five games and should continue to dominate as the Vikings give up 2444 passing yards per game and have allowed 24 touchdowns through the air. Sure, Owen Daniels will see some work, but Johnson gets all the targets.

Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs

If there was ever a time to use the Colts defense, it is now. The Chiefs are just a disaster and even Jamaal Charles can’t help as teams are stacking the box against him now and forcing Brady Quinn to pass it. Unfortunately, without Dwayne Bowe, there’s almost no one to pass it to. Dexter McCluster is considered the number one guy right now, but really, are tyou going to start him in your championship game this week? I didn’t think so.

For the Colts, you’ll see plenty of Vick Ballard, but now it’s Mewelde Moore poaching goal-line work. Still, Ballard should grab some decent yardage, making him a solid flex play this week. But the meat of this offense lies with Andrew Luck. Don’t expect him and Reggie Wayne to miss each other again this week as I have Wayne tabbed as a big breakout receiver here. That should draw added coverage to Wayne which will then leave T.Y. Hilton and Donnie Avery in single-coverage most of the time and you know what Luck can do with that.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

Neither team is in a playoff hunt so this one is all about divisional pride. The Bills will look to C.J. Spiller to get things going nice and early and he should fare well even against a Miami run D that ranks eighth in the league. But Miami has its issues covering the screen pass so expect plenty of those which will make Spiller an even better play in PPR leagues this week. From there, you can bet Ryan Fitzpatrick will go to work on the Dolphins 26^th ranked pass defense which should make Steve Johnson and even Scott Chandler great plays this week.

Looks like a soft and squishy match-up for Reggie Bush this week as the Bills give up an average of 144.1 rushing yards per game and have allowed a league-worst 22 touchdowns on the ground this season. If Davone Bess remains out, which it looks like he could, as he missed practice again on Wednesday, then Brian Hartline will continue to dominate the passing attack with a few looks headed Marlon Moore’s way. The Bills actually do a good job of stifling opposing tight ends, so don’t expect much from Anthony Fasano this week.

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Bengals are really looking to make a statement here and want nothing to do with the Steelers killing their playoff hopes this year. BenJarvis Green-Ellis has been running like a champ this season and the Steelers usually stout run D has allowed an average of 100 rushing yards per game over their last four games. He’ll likely help open things up for Andy Dalton who will be looking to exploit the fact that Ike Taylor and three other starters in the secondary won’t be there this week. Count on A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham being a big part of that.

But while the Steelers defense is dealing with injuries, the offense is starting to click again. Jonathan Dwyer remains the starting running back, although what’s he really going to do with fewer than 10 carries per game? That means it’s all in Ben Roethlisberger’s hands as he looks to avoid one of the league’s top pass rushes. The Bengals have a league-leading 43 sacks this season with 11 interceptions. Still, it’s Big Ben and he’s got Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and red zone favorite Heath Miller working for him. They probably won’t put up huge points, but I would use Wallace as a solid WR2 this week.

St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Let’s face it…if Sam Bradford can pass for 377 yards and three touchdowns against the Vikings, he can certainly do that against the league’s worst pass defense in Tampa Bay. The Bucs run D is pretty solid so Steven Jackson’s carries might be limited early. However, similarly to last week, he could be a big part of the passing game, so keep him active in your lineups this week. Meanwhile, Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson and Chris Givens should all fare well so long as Bradford doesn’t pull a Josh Freeman.

And speaking of Freeman, you can bet he’s looking for some redemption after ruining so many people’s Sunday last week. But he’s got a tougher match-up this week, so hedge your bets here. Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams will have to work hard against the league’s ninth ranked pass D which has allowed just 14 passing TDs all year. Of course, that could change if the Muscle Hamster Doug Martin can break off a couple of good runs early in the game. If he falters, then we might be looking at a pretty big upset this week.

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys

The Saints lame-duck defense put the kibosh on the Bucs last week, but have a much more daunting task as the Cowboys are desperate for a win right now as they sit tied with the Giants and Redskins for the NFC East lead. If the Saints employ a similar strategy to stifle the run game, then DeMarco Murray could be in for a short day as Tony Romo has no problem airing it out. Dez Bryant, even with the finger issue, looks like a strong play, as do both Miles Austin and Jason Witten. But Murray should do just fine in this match-up so the offensive attack should stay relatively balanced.

While the Saints will obviously take it to the air against a Cowboys defense that allows an average of 225 passing yards per game and has allowed 19 passing touchdowns, they should also try to exploit the run defense which gives up just over 115 rushing yards per game. That could mean a few extra carries for Mark Ingram, although they’ll probably just do more dump-offs to Darren Sproles which makes him, again, a great RB to use in PPR leagues. Still, it’s Drew Brees’ team and he’ll be airing it out as usual, so expect Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston and Lance Moore to all be worthwhile fantasy starts this week.

Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers

Well if there was a match-up that Aaron Rodgers owners were looking for during championship week, this was definitely one of the top choices as the Titans give up an average of 241 passing yards per game and have allowed a whopping 26 touchdowns through the air this season. Could that mean that Greg Jennings will finally get off the schnide? I think so and have him in my active lineup here in the Fantasy Alarm championship game which also happens to be a PPR league. Randall Cobb will also see plenty of targets and, as we saw last week, James Jones remains a huge red zone threat. If he passes his concussion test, Alex Green should see some decent work in the second half once the Packers have established a substantial lead. If he doesn’t look for Ryan Grant to take over.

Look for the Titans to try and keep a slow pace in this one so expect as much Chris Johnson as they can get away with. The Packers run D is middle-of-the-road for the league, allowing just over 114 yards per game on the ground with 11 rushing touchdowns this season, so Johnson should fare well early so long as the Titans D doesn’t let them fall too far behind. Once Tennessee is in full-on catch-up mode, expect to see Jake Locker airing it out to Nate Washington and Kendall Wright. Kenny Britt could come into play, but he’s been far too inconsistent to consider starting.

New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars

The big story here is the possible return of Maurice Jones-Drew. I wouldn’t trust him in my lineup as he will likely share the load with Montell Owens, but it’s big news for those in Jacksonville apparently. Perhaps that will help open things up in the passing game as Chad Henne needs to shake off last week’s disaster and find Cecil Shorts and Justin Blackmon downfield against a pass D that allows 270 yards per game and has allowed 26 passing TDs this season.

The Pats should easily walk over the Jags in this one, so starting Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd and Aaron Hernandez should be clear-cut no-brainers. It’d be nice to know how they view Stevan “Fumble-rooskie” Ridley this week since it’s such a favorable match-up but you can probably expect Danny Woodhead to get a serious chunk of the work as well.

Oakland Raiders at Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton has been on fire these last few weeks, passing for no fewer than 231 yards in each of his last six games with 12 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns over that span. Taking on the Raiders’ 27^th ranked pass defense should be a walk in the park, Kazansky. Steve Smith should have another solid game and look out for Greg Olsen this week. He’s got 15 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns against the AFC West this year and the Raiders give up an average of 54.7 yards per game to opposing tight ends.

For the Raiders, it should be business as usual as they try to establish the run with Darren McFadden with the hopes of opening up the passing game. The Panthers have the 17^th ranked run D, allowing roughly 117 rushing yards per game, so running room shouldn’t be too tough to come by. The passing, on the other hand, might be. Brandon Myers and Denarius Moore have been held in check the last couple of weeks and Carolina allows just 218 yards per game though the air this season. Still, Carson Palmer isn’t one to shy away from a challenge and he’ll try to thread the needle as often as possible. Keep an eye on Rod Streater this week as he’s been the Raiders most productive receiver over the last three games, pulling down 12 receptions for 258 yards and one touchdown. We expect him to hit paydirt again this week.

San Diego Chargers at New York Jets

This one is shaping up to be the Toilet Bowl of 2012 as the Chargers have lost Ryan Mathews to a broken collarbone again and have to go with a mix of Curtis Brinkley, Jackie Battle and Ronnie Brown in the backfield which seems like such a waste against such a soft run defense. On top of that, Malcom Floyd is out, so expect to see Danario Alexander blanketed by Antonio Cromartie leaving an under-performing Antonio Gates and the always disappointing Robert Meachem as the only other options.

The Jets are just as much a team in shambles as Greg McElroy will get the start over a benched Mark Sanchez and a worthless Tim Tebow. The running game will be tough to establish as Shonn Greene faces the number seven run defense in the league that gives up an average of just 97 yards per game. Who knows how the passing attack will fare, but you can bet that we won’t recommend any of the Jets receivers or tight ends this week.

Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos

With the Broncos fighting for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, you can expect a full court press here against the woeful Browns. Knowshon Moreno has been on fire lately, rushing for 237 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games. He’ll be licking his chops when he faces a Browns run D that allows 120.6 yards per game with 13 rushing touchdowns this year. Throw in Peyton Manning picking apart a pass defense that ranks 25^th in the league and you’ve got big fantasy points for Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker.

The Browns will try to keep up, but Trent Richardson is struggling for yards these last few games and looks like he’s tiring out after 258 carries this season. He’s ok for goal-line work, but yardage is going to be tough to come by, particularly against Denver’s second-ranked run defense. That means Brandon Weeden will have to take it to the air and with just Greg Little and Josh Gordon to his credit, things could get ugly quick. Ben Watson could be a bit of a sleeper as the Broncos have been burned by every tight end not in a Raiders uniform this year.

New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens

We’ve got a pair of desperate teams here so it’s going to be a matter of who wants it more. The Ravens have already clinched a playoff berth but are in serious danger of losing the division right now. They should be resting Ray Rice who has a banged up hip, but he’ll be out there anyway facing a Giants run D that allows just over 123 rushing yards per game but has allowed just eight rushing touchdowns this year. While the Giants run defense is vulnerable, so is their pass defense so look for Joe Flacco to lean on Anquan Boldin and tight end Dennis Pitta this week. Torrey Smith is still dealing with the concussion protocol, so look for Jacoby Jones to start in his place if he doesn’t get cleared.

The Giants, who are now tied with Washington and Dallas for the NFC East lead, need a big day out of Eli Manning and cannot afford another poor performance. The Ravens give up 242 passing yards per game and have allowed 13 passing touchdowns, so while not ideal, it’s still a favorable match-up. Expect to see plenty of passes going the way of Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks with a little red zone action headed Martellus Bennett’s way. David Wilson will take the lead role in the backfield again this week and should fare better than last week provided the Giants don’t fall behind early again.

Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals

So not only do the Bears get out of the cold Chicago weather, but they also get a cushy match-up with a lousy Cardinals team that definitely over-achieved last week when they upset the Lions. In typical Bears fashion, it will be lots of Matt Forte and lots of Brandon Marshall. Michael Bush hit IR with a rib injury so Forte should get the goal-line work and Alshon Jeffery showed that he can’t catch a pass without pushing off, so many of his targets will head Marshall’s way.

The Cardinals will stick with Ryan Lindley, so keep Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Roberts on your bench again. It’s bad enough that they’re facing the Bears defense, but with Lindley under center, it gets even worse. The running game was a definite surprise last week, but don’t expect Beanie Wells to have three touchdowns again this week. In fact, don’t expect him to have any this week.

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

While most are expecting a reprise of their 13-6 game back in Week 7, I see it being a little more high-scoring than that. Not a lot, but a little. Russell Wilson looks like a totally different quarterback these last few games and could surprise the Niners defense that might be missing Justin Smith this week. Sidney Rice is questionable, but Golden Tate and possibly even Zach Miller could be factors here. And of course, Marshawn Lynch is always dangerous. He rushed for 103 yards the last time these teams met and has since had five 100-yard or better games out of seven with eight touchdowns in that span.

The look and feel of the 49ers offense is much different from the last time these teams met as Colin Kaepernick is now the quarterback and they have the explosive LaMichael James as the complementary back to Frank Gore now. Not that Kendall Hunter was bad, but James, in my opinion, presents a bigger threat. Kaepernick, meanwhile, has built up a tremendous rapport with Michael Crabtree who has now seen 34 targets over the last three games and has come away with 24 receptions for 301 yards and two touchdowns. If they can push through the Seahawks defense early (a tall order here), then they’ll be able to put up some decent points in this one.

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In the Trenches: Wk. 16 Championship Week Matchups

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 09:52:47 -0800

This is what it's all about. The blood, sweat, tears, the time squirreled away in your basement, the time you shunned your friends to do just a little bit more research – it's time for all of that to payoff. It's Week 16, Championship Week for so many in the Fantasy Football world, the most important time of the year. Should you play that guy who disappeared last week? Is it time to trust that new guy who came out of nowhere to make an impact the last two weeks. These are the questions you are left to incessantly roll over in your mind leading up to game time. To help you get some certainty about your decisions this week, here are some helpful tidbits about how players are performing, how they have historically performed against the competition, and what their matchup might be saying about the confidence level you should have in starting them in Week 16.

Quarterbacks

In three career games against the Jaguars Tom Brady has only thrown for seven scores but he hasn't thrown an interception and has posted a 118.4 QB Rating.

Jay Cutler has averaged 315 yards and 2.5 scores in his last two starts against the Cardinals. He's a bit banged up though so you should temper expectations this weekend.

Surprisingly, Chad Henne likes to see the Patriots on the schedule. In three of his four matchups against them Henne has thrown for 300 yards including the last matchup in which he went off for 416 yards and two scores. By the by, the Pats allow the 5th most points to the QB of any team in football this year.

Cam Newton has 10 passing scored and three rushing scores his last five games. He's also gone 152 passes without an interception, the longest current streak in the NFL.

Peyton Manning won't be rested the final two weeks according to the coaching staff. Whew. At home this season he has tossed 16 scores against only two interceptions. The Browns have allowed 21 scoring passes while being picked off 16 times this season.

Mark Sanchez is awful. I could go through the numbers, but I'm thinking you are smart enough to know he is pathetic without me having to prove it. Finally deciding to remove him from the starting lineup, about five weeks too late for me, the Jets will be starting Tim... Greg McElroy. If you're a fan of the Jets, how could you be? Clearly the only reason the Jets brought Tim Tebow into town was to get you excited and make you want to buy jerseys and tickets. They never had any intention of playing him. Too bad too. They have nothing to loose, no one thinks that McElroy will ever be anything other than a career backup, and Tebow could have been a dynamite plug n' play option in the fantasy championship.

Russell Wilson was amazing in Week 14 throwing for a score and running for three others. Since Week 10 of the NFL season he has been the #8 QB in fantasy football – and he had a bye in Week 11 (think about that for a moment). Still, a word of caution if you are considering starting him in Week 16. Wilson has completed 21 passes the past two weeks while throwing for two touchdowns (he's also thrown for a total of 353 yards). Heck, Kirk Cousins has more 300 yard passing games this season that Russell Wilson. Are you sure you want to start that guy in Fantasy Championship week?

Running Backs

Vick Ballard is averaging 99.5 yards a game the past two weeks against the Titans and the Texans. This week he gets to try his luck against the Chiefs who are allowing 136.4 yards a game on the ground, the 6th worst mark in football.

Ronnie Brown has a career best 46 receptions. I know, how shocking is that?

Michael Bush's first season in Chicago is over, and what a disappointment. Drafted with the hope that he might be a 10 touchdown vulture type with the hopes of an even better fantasy season if Matt Forte went down with injury, Bush has been sent to the IR with a rib injury. He'll finish the year averaging 31.6 yards a game on the ground with only five rushing scores. This is one handcuff situation that didn't come close to paying off.

Reggie Bush is averaging 121.3 yards from scrimmage over his last seven games in December. He needs 105 yards for a second straight 1,000 yard effort and this week he faces a Bills team that has allowed an NFL worst 22 rushing scores this season.

Jamaal Charles is averaging 91.4 yards a game on the ground this season at home. The Colts are allowing 124.7 yards a game on the ground and have permitted 11 rushing scores on the year.

Jonathan Dwyer will get another week as the Steelers lead runner. I don't know if that is a good thing or not. Over the last three games he has barely averaged 3.1 yards a carry and this week the Steelers take on the Bengals who are allowing just 101 yards on the ground per game this season, the 9th best mark in football.

Frank Gore has run for more than 200 yards twice in his career, and both times it's been against the Seahawks. However, Seattle is allowing only 106.3 yards a game this season on the ground while permitting eight rushing scores in 14 games. It's a tough matchup.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis has run for an average of 108.6 yards a game over the past five contests. The Steelers allow the fourth fewest yards of any team in the league on the ground this season at 92.7 yards per contest.

Shonn Greene has run for 240 yards an a TD in two matchups with the Chargers (including the playoffs). He needs 49 yards to hit 1,000 for the second straight year. Running mate Bilal Powell, playing through a toe injury, has scored four times in his last five games. The Chargers allow the 14th most points to runners in PPR setups.

Steven Jackson has run for 225 yards the last two times he has faced the Bucs. Will he get to that average this week given that the Bucs are allowing an NLF low 83.3 rushing yards a game? At least they've allowed 11 rushing scores.

Marshawn Lynch's matchup with the Niners is brutal on paper, the Niners are allowing just 91.1 yards a game on the ground, but the last two times Lynch has faced the Niners he has run for triple-digits. He's also averaging 104 yards and a touchdown over his last eight games this season.

Doug Martin is averaging 62.5 yards a carry, an average of 3.3 yards a tote, over his last four contests. On the year he is doing substantially better averaging 89.3 yards a game and 4.6 yards a carry. This week he faces the Rams middle of the pack run defense.

LeSean McCoy has been cleared to return to action and will start in Week 16. It's certainly a risk to play a guy who has missed weeks, but he's pretty much still a must start. Bryce Brown figures to spell McCoy, but this isn't shaping up as a shared backfield situation. There is also this. In his last 15 home games McCoy has scored 17 touchdowns. Some food for thought.

Alfred Morris has run for four scores while averaging 113.3 yards a game on the ground the last four weeks. He's matchup proof at this point. Start him against the Eagles.

DeMarco Murray scored three times in his first 18 NFL games. He's now scored in his last three games since returning from injury. The Saints have allowed 13 scores to RBs this season and they are the worst defense in points allowed to RBs in a PPR.

Mikel Leshoure isn't posting yardage totals anymore that makes anyone smile, but he's scored in 6-straight games.

Adrian Peterson has run for 1,313 yards over his last eight games. That is the greatest 8-game stretch in NFL history. To compare how amazing that number is note that Arian Foster has run for 1,313 yards in 14 games this season.

Marcel Reece has basically vanished from the Raiders offense with the return of DMC, but did you know that Reece's total of 478 receiving yards is the most of any RB in the AFC?

Trent Richardson is averaging just 3.25 yards a carry over the last six games but he will not have his touches reduced the final two games according to HC Pat Shurmer. It's impossible to sit him in Week 16, but he does have a very difficult matchup with the Broncos who are the 6th best team at holding RBs fantasy points down in a PPR.

Michael Turner isn't posting yardage totals anymore that makes anyone smile, but he's scored in 5-straight games.

Wide Receivers

Denario Alexander vanished in Week 14 better than a Chris Angel demonstration, but he has averaged 106 yards while scoring five times in his last three games on the road. The Jets though represent a tough matchup if Alexander sees a lot of Antonio Cromartie.

Antonio Brown has never been known as a touchdown maker (Brown scored only two times in 16 games last season). This season he's only scored three times in 11 games but he has hit pay dirt in each of his last two games.

Dez Bryant isn't at 100 percent with that finger injury, but he scored last week for as sixth straight games (eight total). The Saints have allowed 18 receiving scores this season to the tight end.

Marques Colston has eight scores in his last 11 games and the last time he faced the Cowboys he caught six balls for 105 yards.

Michael Crabtree is not, nor will he ever be, an elite option. Still, it's time to give the guy some respect. Crabtree has the 8th most points in a PPR setup the past six weeks at 100.8 which is more than Julio Jones (99.1) and Wes Welker (95.6) to name just two. Over the last three games Crabtree has had at least 11 targets, seven receptions and 93 yards in each game. He's also scored two times as he and Colin Kaepernick continue to see their chemistry grow. Crabtree's also gone for 90 yards or a touchdown in six of his last seven games.

Pierre Garcon has scored three times in his last four games and he had a season best 12 targets in Kirk Cousins first NFL start. The Eagles have allowed 18 passing scores to wide receivers this season, one off the league worst total of 19.

Andre Johnson is averaging 119.6 yards and 8.4 receptions a game over his last eight contests – the best eight game stretch of his career. During that time he has 68 receptions for 1,0002 yards. Through 14 games on the season Marques Colston has 68 receptions for 949 yards.

James Jones scored three times last week and that means he leads the NFL with 12 receiving scores. That's more than the combined total of Calvin Johnson (five), Andre Johnson (four) and Brian Hartline (one).

Jeremy Maclin has caught 13 balls for 177 yards in his last two games. The last time he faced the Redskins at home he caught eight balls for 105 yards.

Steve Smith has caught 18 balls for an average of 95 yards a game, while scoring twice, in his last three games. The Raiders are middle of the pack, right in the middle, in terms of points allowed to wideouts.

Demaryius Thomas disappeared in Week 14 (see Wk.15 - Studs vs. Duds). He's had an awful lot of success this season at home though with five scores in six games.

Wes Welker became the first player in NFL history to catch 100 balls in five seasons. The last time he faced the Jaguars he lit them up for 13 catches and 138 yards.

Tight Ends

Aaron Hernandez has caught at least eight passes in each of his last three games including a career best 10 in Week 15.

Martellus Bennett has scored in two of his last three games. The Ravens are the 8th best defense against tight ends and they have allowed only two receiving scores to the position this year.

Brandon Myers leads AFC tight ends with 72 receptions even though he has completely vanished from the scene the past two weeks with three catches for 22 yards (that after 14 receptions for 130 yards in Week 13). He faces a Panthers club that is allowing the 10th most fantasy points to tight ends in PPR setups this season.

Kyle Rudolph is all over the place from week to week, but he has scored in three of his last five games. The Texans have allowed nine scores to the tight end this season.

Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87, Monday through Thursday at 7 PM EDT and Friday's at 9p-12a EDT. For more of Ray's analysis you can check out BaseballGuys.com or the BaseballGuys' Twitter account where he tirelessly answer everyone's questions.

2012 Fantasy Football Weekly Roundup: Week 15

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 22:46:40 -0800

Fantasy football is a funny game. Just when you think you have everything figured out and know what to expect from teams, players and opponents things change. We saw two of the best offenses in football shut out this week. Players like Doug Martin, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks crippled fantasy teams this week. The hottest players in the land like Danario Alexander, Josh Gordon and David Wilson failed to make any impact whatsoever. Even studs like Ray Rice, JaMaal Charles, Reggie Wayne and Roddy White couldn’t avoid breaking fantasy owners hearts this week. If you were fortunate enough to start Russell Wilson, Sam Bradford or Kirk Cousins then you not only should thank your luck stars but also play the lottery while you’re at it. Week 15 was once again about survival so if you still have a heartbeat no matter how faint you should thank your lucky stars. Let’s recap everything that we’ve learned from the most disappointing week of the fantasy season so far:

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0	New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons				34
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Eli Manning		13-25 161 2INT	Matt Ryan	23-28 270 yards 3 TD
Kregg Lumpkin		9-42 rushing	Michael Turner	16-52 rushing TD 1-9 receiving
David Wilson		12-55 rushing 1-11 receiving	Jacquizz Rogers	11-25 rushing 1-14 receiving
Victor Cruz		3-15 receiving	Julio Jones	6-74 2 receiving TD 1-18 rushing
Hakeem Nicks		3-40 receiving	Roddy White	2-16 receiving
Martellus Bennett		1-15 receiving	Tony Gonzalez	6-49 receiving TD
Injuries			Key Plays
WR – Victor Cruz – Head injury but returned			Manning picked off on his first pass sets up Turner TD
WR – Roddy White was active but not needed			Tony Gonzalez 12 yard TD catch
			Julio Jones 40 yard TD catch
Notes
Eli Manning was horrific was from the start and the Giants offense could not get anything going at all
Wilson is still not trusted in obvious passing situations which limits his value when they fall behind
The much hyped Giants defense could not get off the field at all as ATL was 9 for 13 on 3^rd downs
Atlanta did not gain a ton of yards of the ground but made sure to smash the Giants in the mouth

36	Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams				22
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Christian Ponder		17-24 131 yards 4-6 rushing TD	Sam Bradford	35-55 377 3TD INT 2-9 rushing
Adrian Peterson		24-212 rushing TD	Steven Jackson	13-73 rushing 8-73 receiving
Jarius Wright		1-11 receiving	Daryl Richardson	3-5 rushing 3-25 receiving
Jerome Simpson		4-27 receiving	Danny Amendola	6-58 receiving TD 2pt
Michael Jenkins		1-11 receiving	Brandon Gibson	6-76 receiving
Kyle Rudolph		3-22 receiving	Lance Kendricks	3-35 receiving TD
Injuries			Key Plays
LE Brian Robinson – shoulder injury			Christian Ponder 4 yard TD run on 3^rd & Goal
WR Danny Amendola was active			Brian Quick with a leaping 4 yard TD catch
			Adrian Peterson 82 yard TD run
Notes
Adrian Petersen is now 294 yards away from tying Eric Dickerson rushing yardage record
Bradford ending up with a great game but was the biggest reason they were so far behind
Amendola did all of his damage late in the game when the Rams were forced to pass every down
The Vikings have a chance to be a playoff team as long as they don’t have to throw the ball with Ponder

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3	Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins				24
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Chad Henne		18-34 221 yards 2-6	Ryan Tannehill	22-28 220 yards 2TD 8-52 rushing
Montel Owens		11-47 rushing 1-6 receiving	Reggie Bush	21-104 rushing
Justin Blackmon		6-93 receiving	Lamar Miller	6-18 rushing
Cecil Shorts		6-101 receiving	Marlon Moore	2-33 receiving
Jordan Shipley		2-13 receiving	Brian Hartline	5-77 receiving
Marcedes Lewis		3-8 receiving	Anthony Fasano	6-56 receiving TD 2PT
Injuries			Key Plays
S – Chris Clemons –ankle injury			Blackmon 38 yard catch sets up a 37 yd Scobee FG
TE –Charles Clay – knee injury			Jovorski Lane 4 yard TD catch
CB – Nolan Carroll – knee injury			Anthony Fasano 2 yard TD catch and 2 pt
Notes
Montell Owens splitting carries early on with Richard Murphy 26 yr old rookie from LSU
Blackmon loses a 20 yard TD catch due to a lineman not reporting to the official that he is eligible
Lamar Miller has replaced Daniel Thomas as the back-up to Reggie Bush who has full control of the job again
The Bad Chad Henne showed up once again as the offense was lost and questionable play calls hurt as well

21	Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears				13
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Aaron Rodgers		23-36 291 yards 3TD	Jay Cutler	12-21 135 TD INT 1-9 rushing
Alex Green		13-35 rushing 2-6 receiving	Matt Forte	20-69 rushing 5-64 receiving
Greg Jennings		4-50 receiving	Armando Allen	2-5 rushing 1-15 receving
Randall Cobb		6-115 receiving	Brandon Marshall	6-56 receiving TD
James Jones		5-60 3 receiving TD’s	Alshon Jeffery	No Catches
JerMichael Finley		5-61 receiving	Devin Hester	No catches
Injuries			Key Plays
TE – Tom Crabtree- hamstring injury			Randall Cobb drops a 25 yard TD then Crosby misses FG
QB – Jay Cutler – battled his neck injury all game			Marshal with a tackle breaking 15 yard TD catch
			James Jones 29, 6 & 8 yard TD catches
Notes
Jay Cutler continued to take a beating and looked close to being knocked out of the game several times
Alshon Jeffrey was called for 3 offensive pass interference penalties
Mason Crosby missed two more FG’s today and there is no way he is kicking for the Packers next week
Aaron Rodgers took a big pounding today as well and was limping around on a few occasions

38	Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns				21
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Kirk Cousins		26-37, 329 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT	Brandon Weeden	21-35, 244 yards,1 TD, 2 INT
Alfred Morris		27-87 yards, 2 TD’s	Trent Richarson	11-28 yards, 2 TD’s 3-4 yards receiving
Pierre Garcon		6-65	Josh Gordon	3-27 yards
Santana Moss		5-57 yards	Greg Little	5-74 yards
Leonard Hankerson		2-56 yards, 2 TD’s	Travis Benjamin	1-69 yards, 1 TD
Logan Paulsen		4-47 yards	Ben Watson	2-12 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Lorenzo Alexander left game with an arm injury			Trent Richardson 6 yard TD run
Tyler Polumbus left game with a concussion			Leonard Hankerson TD receptions of 2 & 56 yards
			Alfred Morris TD runs of 3 & 8 yards
Notes
Cousins was a very nice find for the Redskins this year. He could develop into an average NFL Starter.
Despite the fantasy numbers, Trent Richardson has been less than stellar in his rookie season.
Kai Forbath has been a huge upgrade for the Redskins. He’s been a high end fantasy player too since signing.
RGIII gets all of the credit but the Redskins offensive and defensive lines have played much better of late.

34	Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens				17
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Peyton Manning		17-28, 204 yards, 1 TD	Joe Flacco	20-40, 254 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Knowshon Moreno		22-118 yards, 1 TD	Ray Rice	12-38 yards 3-3 yards receiving
Ronnie Hillman		14-29 yards	Bernard Pierce	5-20 yards
DeMaryius Thomas		4-13 yards	Anquan Boldin	0-0
Eric Decker		8-133 yards, 1 TD	Torrey Smith	1-14 yards
Joel Dreessen		2-36 yards	Dennis Pitta	7-125 yards, 2 TD’s
Injuries			Key Plays
Suggs aggravated his arm tear but stayed in game			Chris Harris 98 yard INT return for TD
Torrey Smith left game with a possible concussion			Eric Decker 51 yard TD reception
Bernard Pierce left game with concussion			Dennis Pitta TD receptions of 31 & 61 yards
Notes
The problem with the Ravens offense obviously wasn’t Cam Cameron. It’s more like Joe Flacco and no WR’s.
There isn’t a player in football who is playing harder than Knowshon Moreno right now.
Eric Decker had a 12 yard TD catch called back because his foot was out of bounds at the 1 yard line.
Bad day for DeMaryius Thomas & his owners who probably lost this week due to this poor performance.

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17	Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans				29
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Andrew Luck		13-27, 186 yards, 2 TDs	Matt Schaub	23-31, 261 yards, 1 TD
Vick Ballard		18-105 yards	Arian Foster	27-165 yards
Reggie Wayne		3-14 yards	Ben Tate	5-31 yards
Donnie Avery		3-37 yards	Andre Johnson	11-151 yards, 1 TD
T.Y. Hilton		3-78 yards, 1 TD	Owen Daniels	4-40 yards
Dwayne Allen		3-36 yards, 1 TD	Devier Posey	3-46 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
None			Andre Johnson 3 yard TD reception
			Bryan Braman 8 yard return of blocked punt for TD
			T.Y. Hilton 61 yard TD reception
Notes
Reggie Wayne had an amazing TD reception called back due to penalty late in the 2^nd quarter.
MeWelde Moore fumbled on the Texans 1 yard line much to the dismay of Vick Ballard owners.
I would be very nervous starting T.Y. Hilton in a championship game next week. Huge upside, big downside.
Owen Daniels has cooled off greatly since his midseason hot streak. He is boarderline startable next week.

0	Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints				41
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Josh Freeman		26-47, 279 yards, 4 INT	Drew Brees	26-39, 307 yards, 4 TD’s
Doug Martin		9-16 yards 3-19 yards receiving	Darren Sproles	5-22 yards 5-21 yards, 1 TD receiving
Vincent Jackson		6-81 yards	Pierre Thomas	4-13 yards 3-26 yards receiving
Mike Williams		4-63 yards	Marques Colston	3-60 yards
Tiquan Underwood		3-46 yards	Lance Moore	4-42 yards, 1 TD
Dallas Clark		8-42 yards	Jimmy Graham	5-69 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
None			David Thomas 9 yard TD reception
			Lance Moore 7 yard TD reception
			Joseph Morgan 34 yard TD reception
Notes
I had a bad feeling about Doug Martin and it turned out to be true. I’d still start him in all leagues next year.
The Saints are the kings of running up the score on opponents which is obviously great for fantasy owners.
Jimmy Graham is still a top 2 TE in fantasy but it’s impossible to have kept up the pace he set last year.
Vincent Jackson owners should be real happy that he got 5 of his 6 catches in the 4^th quarter of this game.

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10	Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals				38
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Matt Stafford		24-50, 246 yards, 3 INT	Ryan Lindley	14-21, 104 yards, 1 INT
Mikel LeShoure		14-55 yards, 1 TD	Beanie Wells	17-67 yards, 3 TD’s
Joique Bell		7-24 yards 2-13 yards receiving	L. Stephens-Howling	5-20
Calvin Johnson		10-121 yards	Larry Fitzgerald	4-22 yards
Stefan Logan		2-18 yards	Andre Roberts	3-22 yards
Tony Scheffler		3-36 yards	Rob Housler	2-13 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Jacob Lacy left game with a knee injury			Mikel LeShoure 1 yard TD run
			Beanie Wells TD runs of 1, 5 & 31 yards
			Greg Toler 102 yard INT return for TD
Notes
Say what you will about Matt Stafford but he has done quite well this year despite losing nearly all his WR’s.
If you didn’t start Beanie Wells today you did the right thing. Cards could easily have got shut out as well.
I was really let down by Scheffler’s performance today. Too many drops which have plagued him for years.
Larry Fitzgerald will be an absolute steal in the 5^th round of drafts next year.

31	Carolina Panthers at San Diego Chargers				7
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Cam Newton		19-33, 231 yards, 2 TD’s 4-7 yards rushing	Phillip Rivers	16-23, 121 yards, 1 TD
DeAngelo Williams		22-93 yards 2-51 yards, 1 TD receiving	Ryan Mathews	4-22 yards 3-8 yards receiving
Steve Smith		6-57 yards, 1 TD	Danario Alexander	0-0
Louis Murphy		2-18 yards	Malcom Floyd	2-39 yards
Greg Olsen		5-56 yards	Michael Spurlock	1-8 yards
Gary Barnidge		1-20 yards	Antonio Gates	4-31 yards, 1 TD
Injuries			Key Plays
Ryan Mathews left game with a shoulder injury			Mike Tolbert TD runs of 1 & 1 yards
Zach Williams was injured in pregame warmups			DeAngelo Williams 45 yard TD reception
			Steve Smith 4 yard TD reception
Notes
The Panthers are an inspired Cam Newton and a couple DB’s away from being contenders in the NFC.
Danario Alexander’s big zero today was absolutely devastating for so many fantasy teams this week.
Ryan Mathews broke his “other” collarbone today. His bones are literally made of matchsticks.
It is so bad in San Diego that the games have been blacked out in Southern California for the past 3 weeks.

50	Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills				17
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Russell Wilson		14-23, 205 yards, 1 TD 9-92 yards, 3 TD’s rushing	Ryan Fitzpatrick	21-38, 217 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Marshawn Lynch		10-113 yards, 1 TD	CJ Spiller	17-103 yards, 1 TD
Sidney Rice		4-76 yards	Stevie Johnson	8-115 yards, 1 TD
Golden Tate		3-64 yards	T.J. Graham	3-32 yards
Doug Baldwin		1-8	Brad Smith	3-26 yards
Zach Miller		3-26 yards, 1 TD	Scott Chandler	5-58 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Donald Jones was INACTIVE			Russell Wilson TD runs of 13, 14 & 25 yards
			Stevie Johnson 20 yard TD reception

Notes
CJ Spiller should be a 1^st round pick in most leagues next year. Don’t forget about him.
If Russell Wilson uses his legs like he did today, he can be a solid starting QB in the NFL.
Seattle’s 108 points the last 2 weeks are the third most in a two game span in NFL history.
There is no reason to ever sit Stevie Johnson. He is a bonafide WR2 in any fantasy league.

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24	Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys				27
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Ben Roethlisberger		24-40, 339 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT	Tony Romo	30-42, 341 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Jonathan Dwyer		9-22 yards, 1 TD	DeMarco Murray	14-81 yards, 1 TD 4-31 yards receiving
Mike Wallace		4-95 yards	Dez Bryant	4-59 yards
Antonio Brown		8-76 yards, 1 TD	Miles Austin	7-79 yards
Jericho Cotchery		2-28 yards	Dwayne Harris	4-46 yards
Heath Miller		7-92 yards, 1 TD	Jason Witten	5-43 yards, 1 TD
Injuries			Key Plays
Emmanuel Sanders left game with broken rib			Jason Witten 17 yard TD reception
Ernie Sims left game with a concussion			Heath Miller 30 yard TD reception
D. Van Dyke left game with a shoulder injury			Antonio Brown 7 yard TD reception
Notes
Bryant was used mostly as a decoy today but he made big plays when called upon & should be in your lineup.
As long as Roethlisberger is starting, Heath Miller and Mike Wallace are every week fantasy starters.
This was Jason Witten’s first TD of the season despite having 92 receptions and 880 yards.
The Steelers really need to be running the ball more especially in close games like this was today.

0	Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders				15
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Brady Quinn		18-32, 136 yards, 1 INT	Carson Palmer	18-29, 182 yards
JaMaal Charles		9-10 yards 3-18 yards receiving	Darren McFadden	30-110 yards 4-39 yards receiving
Peyton Hillis		1-0 yards	Mike Goodson	13-89 yards
Dexter McCluster		7-59 yards	Denarius Moore	5-46 yards
Jamar Newsome		1-6 yards	Rod Streater	5-62 yards
Tony Moeaki		3-36 yards	Brandon Myers	2-15 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Phillip Adams left the game with a head injury			Janikowski FG’s of 20, 30, 41, 50 & 57 yards
			Darren McFadden fumbled deep in OAK territory
			Charles stopped on a 4^th and goal reception
Notes
Firing Hue Jackson was a bad mistake by the Raiders. This offense was built for his style of offense.
The Chiefs are going to have to be blown up and rebuilt starting with this offseason.
The Raiders only gave up 175 yards of offense to the Chiefs today the least amount since 1975.
Terrelle Pryor played 1 series today handing off twice before throwing an incompletion on 3^rd down.

41	San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots				34
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Colin Kaepernick		14-25, 216 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT 7-28 yards rushing	Tom Brady	36-65, 443 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Frank Gore		21-83 yards, 1 TD 2-34 yards receiving	Stevan Ridley	9-23 yards
LaMichael James		8-31 yards	Danny Woodhead	12-61 yards, 2 TD’s 5-23 yards receiving
Michael Crabtree		7-107 yards, 2 TD’s	Wes Welker	5-56 yards
Randy Moss		2-36 yards, 1 TD	Brandon Lloyd	10-190 yards
Vernon Davis		1-10 yards	Aaron Hernandez	10-92 yards, 1 TD
Injuries			Key Plays
Justin Smith left game with an elbow injury			Randy Moss 24 yard TD reception
Alfonso Dennard left game with a knee injury			Danny Woodhead 1 yard TD run
Clark Haggans left game with a shoulder injury			Michael Crabtree TD receptions of 27 & 38
Notes
49ers were leading this game 31-3 at one point before a furious comeback by the Patriots.
Woodhead was in the game a lot because Pats were playing from behind. Don’t worry about Ridley.
LaMichael James had a 60 yard kickoff return which lead to 49ers last TD which killed the Pats momentum.
Tom Brady’s 65 pass attempts were the most he has ever attempted in a single game in his career.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Saturday 10 PM- 1 AM EST, Sunday 7 PM to 10 PM EST and Wednesday 11:00 PM EST to 1:00 AM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210.

In the Trenches: Wk.15 - Studs vs. Duds

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 17:29:15 -0800

Week 15 is the second week of the fantasy football playoffs, and boy has it been a doozy so far. We had a QB do something with his legs that had never been done before. There is a running back who has a legitimate shot at the all-time single season mark after another 200 yard effort. A wide receiver became the first ever to record 1,600 yards in back-to-back seasons. We also saw a tight end go for 125 yards and two scores, that from a guy who hadn't been over 50 yards since Week 3. On the downside, honestly, there were so many stars that failed to perform even admirably that there are going to be a heaping helping of people crying in their soup as Week 15 is shaping up to be the most disappointing of the fantasy season for so many of those players you trusted on a weekly basis.

STUDS

Vick Ballard was impressive against a strong Texans defense as he ripped off a couple of nice runs on his way to 105 yards in 18 carries. Foolishly the coaching staff removed Ballard in favor of the recently signed Mewelde Moore who fumbled the ball when given a goaline carry. Why the coaching staff removed Ballard is a mystery to me.

Sam Bradford finally looked like a #1 QB in Week 15 as he carved up the Vikings defense with his best outing of the year. Bradford completed 35 passes for 377 yards and three scores (the yards were a career best). Amazing how much better a QB can be when his WR1 is on the field (Danny Amendola returned from missing multiple games to catch a score on his six receptions for 58 yards).

It's almost boring to note, but Drew Brees was once again impressive throwing for 307 yards and four scores against the Bucs. He also didn't throw an interception.

I guess Dallas Clark was a “stud” after catching eight balls. I'll ask this though. How do you catch eight passes an only gain 42 yards?

Kudos to Kirk Cousins who looked great Sunday in his first NFL start. Cousins completed 26 of his 37 passes for 329 yards and two scores (he also was picked off once). RGIII is fully expected to return in Week 16. Maybe there is something to this Shanahan guy being an offensive genius?

Eric Decker welcome back to the world of the living. Decker caught eight balls for 133 yards an a score as he was seemingly everywhere. That gives Decker 16 receptions and 221 yards the past two weeks after a stretch that saw him catch 10 balls for 119 yards from Week 10-13.

Leonard Hankerson should have been nowhere near your fantasy lineup, especially with RGIII on the sidelines. If you stupidly played Hankerson, good for you. He only caught two balls for 56 yards, but both were touchdowns.

Andre Johnson started slowly this season but he has put an end to the debate about whether or not he is still an elite receiver in this league. Johnson dominated the Colts catching 11 balls for 151 yards an a score. He's a top-5 WR this season who only is missing the numerous trips to the end zone needed to be the elite of the elite (he's only caught four touchdown passes this season). Teammate Arian Foster also went over 150 yards as he carried the ball 27 times for 165 yards. Oddly, he didn't score while racking up all those yards.

Calvin Johnson tied the NFL record with a 7th straight game of 100 receiving yards (Michael Irvin and Charley Hennigan) as he caught 10 balls for 121 yards in the Lions' loss to become the first receiver ever to go over 1,600 yards in back-to-back seasons.

James Jones, out of nowhere mind you, caught three scoring passes from Aaron Rodgers (overall he caught five balls for 60 yards). This is the 4th game of the 2012 season in which Jones has scored at least twice.

I don't know many who would have had Mark Ingram active, but if you somehow did you got an excellent outing from the youngster who ran the ball 14 times for 90 yards against the Bucs elite run D.

Marshawn Lynch had his second straight 100-yard game, and he scored the the third straight week. Amazingly, Lynch has gone over 100 yards in each of his last two games even though he has a total of 21 carries in those two games.

Darren McFadden looked sharp as he ran for 110 yards against the Chiefs even if it took him 30 carries (he also caught four balls for 39 yards). Teammate Mike Goodson ran for 89 yards of his own on just 13 carries.

I really don't get the Broncos at all. Knowshon Moreno was a healthy scratch at some points this season, but since Willis McGahee went down with an injury Moreno has looked like an elite runner. Not only did he hurdle Ed Reed at one point, but he carried the ball 22 times for 118 yards and a score. Amazingly, Moreno is also averaging more than 25 touches a week over the past four games.

Alfred Morris, for the 12th time in 14 games, eclipsed 75 rushing yards as he posted 87 yards on a huge 27 carries with RGIII on the sidelines. In addition to the yards Morris got into the end zone, twice. His total of nine rushing scores is a Redskins' rookie record.

Dennis Pitta's performance this season has been all over the place. Coming into Week 15 Pitta has one game of 50 yards since Week 3 of the NFL season, so of course he went out and caught seven balls for 125 yards. He also scored twice, something he had never done before in his NFL career.

Christian Ponder threw for 131 yards and no scores in Week 15. That's three straight weeks in which Ponder's passing yardage total has been less than Adrian Peterson's rushing total. AD, arguably the most dominating offensive player in football, ran all over the Rams on his way to 212 yards on 24 carries (he punched one of those totes into the end zone as he ran for more than 200 yards for the second time in three games). Peterson is amazing. Ponder is impossibly awful having failed to throw for 175 yards in six of his last eight games.

Tony Romo carved up an impressive Steelers' defense thrown for 341 yards, two scores and no interceptions as he completed 30 of 42 passes.

Russell Wilson became the first QB in NFL history to run for three scores in the first half of a game (his first three rushing scores of the year). He obviously became the first to ever run for three, and throw for one, in the first half of a game as well. He passed for 205 yards and ran for 92 yards in a dynamic fantasy performance.

Welcome back to game action Cecil Shorts. In his first game back from a concussion Shorts caught six balls on his way to 101 receiving yards.

Michael Turner scored against the Giants. That gives him a touchdown in 5-straight games.

Beanie Wells was on my bench. Was he on yours too? The 17 carries for 67 yards would have made the decision to sit him palatable. When you look to the right of those numbers and see a three in the TD column, all the good will disappears.

DeAngelo Williams had a big day with 22 carries for 93 yards. He would have had a huge day if Mike Tolbert hadn’t vultured two short TD runs from him.

DUDS

Thanks a bunch Denario Alexander for single handedly killing everyone this week. The Chargers couldn't move the football all day against Carolina and Alexander was held without a single reception. He got bubkus. The Black Unicorn for one catch and 15 yards. Damn you Martellus Bennett. At least he caught a ball. Anquan Boldin didn't catch a single one of the six targets thrown to him.

Jamaal Charles ran for 10 yards... on nine carries in a showing by the Chiefs offense that was so pathetic it defies explanation. They didn't even get a first down in the first half – against the defense that entered the game allowing more points per game than any in football. Charles failed to generate 100 yards from scrimmage for the first time since Week 9.

Marques Colston was limited to three measly targets. At least he caught all three for 60 yards.

I've been warning people about Josh Freeman for weeks now, and he continues to let down his owners in the fantasy playoffs. Freeman threw for 279 yards in Week 15, but that was it. He didn't toss a single score and was intercepted four times by an awful Saints' defense (every interception was in the red zone). This is about as bad a showing as anyone could possibly have expected heading into the game.

After 4-straight solid games Josh Gordon wet the bed catching three balls for 37 yards. He was targeted eight times.

Eli Manning was awful in Week 15 against the Falcons. He completed just 16 passes, threw the ball only 25 times, and wasn't able to hit 165 yards passing. He was without Victor Cruz for a bit (concussion testing that he passed), but that doesn't really excuse Manning who didn't throw for a score while being picked off two times. Eli's older brother, Peyton Manning, also had a very disappointing effort as he threw for 204 yards and one score. That gives him back-to-back weeks with only one passing score, the first time that has happened this season.

Doug Martin certainly sank the battleship of many of his owners in Week 15 with a pathetic effort of 16 yards on nine carries. The Bucs' offense was just a mess all day both through the air and on the ground. It also didn't help that Drew Brees was carving up the Bucs' defense forcing the Buccaneers to go pass heavy in the game.

Ryan Mathews... oh hell you don't even need the numbers anymore. All you need to know is that after breaking his left collarbone before the season started his 201 season will be bookened by a broken right collarbone that he suffered in Week 15.

Brandon Myers sucked wind for a second straight week with two receptions for 15 yards. So much for him being a TE1.

Ray Rice came up... small. So much for the change at OC making a difference in his workload. Yes they fell behind by 28 points and had to pass, but Rice needs to see the ball more than 15 times, doesn't he? He ran for 38 yards and caught three balls for an additional three yards.

Matthew Stafford was picked off three times, didn't throw for a score, and had just 246 yards passing. Ugly, especially when you consider that two of the interceptions went for pick-6's.

Demaryius Thomas, a top-5 WR this season, let his owners down at the worst time with a dreadful four reception, 13 yard outing. You can still trust him as a WR1 next week, that is if his effort this weekend didn't sink your fantasy club.

Reggie Wayne has been an WR1 all season long. Like so many others though, Week 15 was a bitter disappointment. Wayne caught three balls for 14 yards against the stout Texans defense. This was his 62nd straight games with at least three catches, an NFL record, but it was also his first game under 51 yards this season.

Roddy White was less than 100 percent with a knee situation, but pretty much everyone who owned him started him when it was announced that he was playing. Hopefully you didn't hear the news and had him on the bench. White caught just two balls for 16 yards in a dreadful fantasy performance.

I warned people all week not to believe the 'David Wilson is an RB1 this week' hype. Did you listen to me or everyone else? You probably listened to everyone else so hopefully you are happy with the 12 runs for 55 yards and the one catch for another 11 that Wilson put up against the Falcons.

Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87, Monday through Thursday at 7 PM EDT and Friday's at 9p-12a EDT. For more of Ray's analysis you can check out BaseballGuys.com or the BaseballGuys' Twitter account where he tirelessly answer everyone's questions.

It's Hallamentary! Questions and Answers For Week 15

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:31:00 -0800

Only three weeks to go in the NFL season, and while you think you know exactly what is going to happen, none of us have any idea. With that being said, all of us still have questions in our mind as far as each and every game is concerned and below are the ones that I have looking at the games in Week 15. How do you win your fantasy football matchups this week? It’s Hallamentary of course!

The Ultimate Start / Sit Tool - Get It Now!

With Cam Cameron fired, will this help Ray Rice? Fantasy owners have been mystified by the low number of touches that Rice has had this season, although it has been trending upwards of late. Cameron’s ousting says to me that the organization wants to go away from Joe Flacco throwing so much, and more to grinding it out with Rice. I can easily see him carrying the ball at least 20 times a game and scoring in each of those games. His numbers haven’t been as bad as they have made out to be, and Rice could get very close to where he finished 2011.

Can Jay Cutler survive this season? Man, if you have been able to watch Bears’ games this year, you have to feel some pity for Cutler. Game after game he has been pummeled from pillar to post as his offensive line has failed to offer him protection. And you wonder why his production hasn’t been very good the past couple of seasons? Find me a quarterback that can have a great game when he spends half of it on his back. I can’t recommend starting Cutler in Week 15 against the Packers unless you are in a really desperate situation.

Should you start Josh Freeman against the Saints? He torched the Saints for 420 yards and three touchdowns in what was one of the best games of his career. We now come down the stretch of the fantasy playoffs and you may have the decision of starting Freeman or someone you drafted higher. The Saints have been pretty giving to opposing passing games, but if you are thinking about Peyton, Rodgers, Brees, Ryan, etc, I wouldn’t start Freeman this week just because of the matchup. I believe he will have a good game, but I don’t see another 400 yard effort out of the young star.

Should you start Cecil Shorts this week? Shorts missed last week with a concussion and cost me and others their fantasy playoffs. Well, it isn’t likely that Shorts alone cost you the matchup, but still. He has been cleared to play and symptom free heading into Sunday and now the question comes can he finish what he’s done over the past two months? I don’t think there’s any question here at all. Shorts has had over 80 yards receiving and/or a touchdown in seven of the last eight weeks, why should you think he won’t do it again? The Dolphins have been pretty good on defense this year, but it’s Shorts or Bust to me in Week 15.

Should you start David Wilson Sunday? Once again he is one of the most talked about players in fantasy football, and with just a couple of weeks to go questions abound are coming in if Wilson is a viable fantasy start this Sunday. Last week he looked great, but the Giants were also blowing out the Saints, so they ran the ball more often than normal. The Saints are also one of the poorer defenses in the league. This week they face the Falcons, who are much better, but were just gashed by Cam Newton and DeAngelo Williams. If Ahmad Bradshaw is unable to go Sunday, Wilson becomes a top 15 fantasy runner against the Falcons, if Bradshaw does play, I still think Wilson is worth starting in your flex position.

Is James Jones a sneaky play? Greg Jennings or Jordy Nelson have missed most of the season for the Packers and outside of a four week period, Jones hasn’t really been a factor. Granted, those four weeks were pretty spectacular, but Jones has been pretty much a non-factor for the last month. And while the Packers’ offense has been pretty good of late (outside of the Giants’ game), Jones still hasn’t made a fantasy impact. I wouldn’t start Jones in Week 15.

Is there a better play than the Detroit Lions D/ST? Have you ever seen a more pathetic offense than the Arizona Cardinals the past few weeks? The Seattle defense outscored one of my entire fantasy teams last week by themselves. The bad news for Arizona is that Kevin Kolb is officially done for the season, so it has to be either John Skelton or Ryan Lindley under center this week, which means another piss poor performance and likely five to six turnovers and perhaps as many sacks. If you are playing the waiver wire matchup game and the Lions are out there, pounce NOW!

Remember that Cam Newton guy? Yeah, he’s back! Newton has looked like the 2011 version of himself over the last month as he has piled up nine touchdowns in the last four games, and was absolutely masterful in last week’s upset of the Falcons. Unfortunately, those of you who banked your season on Newton probably have been eliminated from contention for the playoffs this season, but if you are in a keeper league this is an awesome sign that 2013 will be another good season for Cam and you should definitely keep him if you have that option.

Jets vs. Titans—Really? Wow, Monday Night Football, I hope you weren’t planning on getting ratings this week.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Saturday 10 PM- 1 AM EST, Sunday 7 PM to 10 PM EST and Wednesday 11:00 PM EST to 1:00 AM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210.

In the Trenches: Fantasy Football Thoughts for Week 15

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:57:28 -0800

Congratulations. If you’re reading this right now it either means you’ve won your first round playoff match-up, you just made the playoffs and have your first game this week, or you have a crush on me and can’t get enough of my football analysis. All three are perfectly acceptable so no need to specify and no judgments are cast. I, myself, have made it to the second round in four of my leagues and I’ve always had a rather healthy obsession with myself, so I know where you’re all coming from. But let’s get to the business at hand and that business is found in the game capsules for Week 15. So let’s take a look at the match-ups and see what’s in store for us from a fantasy perspective.

Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles

So the Eagles finally got off the schnide last week and Nick Foles had his best game of the season throwing for 381 yards and two touchdowns. But that was against the uber-weak Tampa Bay pass defense and the Bengals are no push-overs, registering 42 sacks on the year and allowing an average of just 222 passing yards per game and just 10 passing touchdowns all year. On top of that, Foles new favorite target, Jeremy Maclin is dealing with a groin tweak, something he did while celebrating his touchdown last week. Still, Riley Cooper and Jason Avant will be involved and check out Clay Harbor as a sleeper. The Bengals rank just 28^th against the tight end and allow an average of 61.1 yards per game to the position. Not a big fan of Bryce Brown this week with another tough match-up after puttin gup a stinker last week against the Cowboys.

On paper this looks to be a pretty favorable match-up for the Andy Dalton and the Bengals. The Eagles pass defense has allowed 25 passing touchdowns to just seven interceptions this season but allow an average of just 229 passing yards per game. But Dalton didn’t look all that great last week and had his struggles the game before as well. He’ll obviously lean on A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham as much as he can, but look for the Bengals to try pounding in the run with BenJarvis green-Ellis to start things off. If the Firm has himself a strong first half, you can expect the passing game to open up much wider.

New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons

Probably a nice playoff preview here as we’ve got two of the better NFC teams squaring off. Eli Manning has been much better since coming off the late bye in Week 11 and has thrown for no fewer than 249 yards in each of his last three games with eight touchdowns to just two picks. The Falcons have given up at least 275 passing yards in five of their last six games but have only allowed 13 passing touchdowns all season. Manning should have little problem finding Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks downfield and Martellus Bennett should grab some red zone looks again as well. The Falcons’ run defense hasn’t been much better giving up over 100 yards in four of their last five games so look for the Giants to work the ground game early whether it’s just David Wilson or a combo of him and Ahmad Bradshaw if the sprained knee doesn’t keep the veteran back out.

While the Falcons struggled against the Panthers last week, they should have the passing game clicking against a suspect Giants secondary so look for Matt Ryan to hook up with Roddy White and Julio Jones all day. The Giants do rank third in the league against the tight end, so hedge your bets on Tony Gonzalez. As for the running game, it’s a decent match-up for the tandem of Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers as the Giants give up just over 123 rushing yards per game. Turner has been struggling for yardage lately, but has found the endzone in his last four games and in five of his last six. If he finds the endzone agaion, that will make five straight seasons with 10 or more rushing touchdowns, so look for the Falcons to get him to that milestone.

Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams

It will be AP all day, yet again as the Vikings look to hammer it in with the run to help alleviate some of the game pressure from a wobbly Christian Ponder who hasn’t seen double-digit fantasy points since Week 10. Adrian Peterson will take on a decent Rams defense who only gives up 110.3 rushing yards per game but has given up 15 rushing touchdowns this season. Without Percy Harvin, the passing attack is pretty limited with Jarius Wright and Jerome Simpson, but since the Rams rank just 18^th against the tight end position, look for Ponder to try and lean on Kyle Rudolph this time out.

For the Rams, look for them to try and lean on Steven Jackson even though the Vikings defense gives up just 115 yards per game on the ground. Danny Amendola is still a question mark and Chris Givens was horrible last week, pulling in just three catches on 10 targets. Brandon Gibson will look to have his second consecutive 100-yard game, but without knowing if Amendola will play or not, it’s tough to say whether it’s a possibility. Though the Vikings give up fewer than 50 yards per game to the tight end position, they have given up a number of touchdowns to them this season, so look for Lance Kendricks to at least garner some red zone looks.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

This is the kind of match-up that has fantasy owners drooling during the playoffs. Both pass defenses are atrocious and all receiving skill players should be started. The last time these two teams squared off, Drew Brees and Josh Freeman combined for 797 passing yards and seven touchdowns. In just one game! Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston and Lance Moore should all be stellar plays, as should Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams and even Dallas Clark. While the Bucs run D is solid, they do allow almost 50 yards per game to opposing running backs on the screen, so look for Darren Sproles to shine. And on the other side, it’s Muscle Hamster Doug Martin against a run defense that gives up 152.4 yards per game, so he’s another no-brainer.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins could use a breather here after facing the 49ers defense last week and that comes in the form of a Jaguars D that is soft against both the run and the pass, ranking 31^st and 24^th respectively. Reggie Bush has been slowed up lately, but with Daniel Thomas being phased back out over the last two games, a quick start this week just might garner Bush some extra carries. Ryan Tannehill should have no problem finding Brian Hartline and Davone Bess throughout the day, but given the fact that the Jags rank eighth against the tight end, I wouldn’t expect much from Anthony Fasano.

Despite the fact that the Dolphins pass D ranks 25^th in the league, it could still be tough for Chad Henne against his old team. Cecil Shorts might practice this week, but there’s a good chance the Jags play it safe and keep him out again. That would leave things up to Justin Blackmon and Marcedes Lewis as the options beyond them are totally unreliable. While the Fins run D still looks good in the overall numbers, they’ve now allowed 100 yards or more on the ground in four of their last five and five of their last seven. And of those two that have been under, it’s only been by a total of seven yards. Look for the Jags to work Montell Owens in often and consider him a nice flex play this week.

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

I love this match-up of AFC South rivals as the Texans are looking for redemption after being embarrassed by the Patriots on Monday night and the Colts are looking to lock in a wild card bid. Not to mention Andrew Luck is hoping for a bounce-back game after disappointing fantasy owners with his lackluster performance. Once the gem off the league, the Texans pass defense has dropped all the way down to 19^th in the league, giving up an average of 239 yards overall, but giving up an average of 336 yards in their last four games. Luck will almost certainly lean on Reggie Wayne, Donnie Avery and T.Y. Hilton in this one. Vick Ballard had a strong game last week, but faces a tougher task this time around. Still, he should be good for 60-odd yards with a couple of catches out of the backfield again.

With the loss to the Patriots, the Texans need to get back on track and try to cinch up that number one seed. That means, to many fantasy owners’ delight, that Arian Foster will play against the run defense that allows an average of 120.6 yards per game. Justin Forsett and Ben Tate should get their carries, but Foster’s presence is much more vital. From there, look for Matt Schaub to get Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels the ball with the hopes of exposing a mediocre pass defense that allows 242 yards per game and has given up 22 passing touchdowns this season.

Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns

The biggest question in this one is obviously regarding the status of Robert Griffin III. He said that he will wear a brace on his knee during the game but has done enough in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday to allow himself to push harder on Thursday and Friday. He says there is no problem planting his foot and throwing, so that alleviates some concern, but the real question is how his legs will hold up in a game. It’s a tough call, but he’s going to be out there. If his running abilities are hampered, then look for him to lean on Alfred Morris a little more against a defense that allows 120.5 rushing yards per game. From there, that should open things up for him to find Pierre Garcon and Santana Moss downfield.

For the Browns, Trent Richardson has a tough match-up here, but the Skins have given up over 100 rushing yards per game in their last two. Given their weak pass defense though, look for Brandon Weeden to air it out early and often. Josh Gordon should have a great game and look for Ben Watson as another sleeper tight end pick for me this week.

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

Aaron Rodgers owners are freaking out right now as their usual fantasy stalwart has failed to produce 20 or more points in his last four games after posting no fewer than 30 in five of the six games prior to that. The offensive line is battered and beaten and he’s had much less time to throw so starting him against the Bears is going to be stressful. He struggled against them in Week 2, throwing for just 219 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but both the Seahawks and Niners had good showings against them. To me, with Randall Cobb, James Jones and maybe…just maybe a good showing from Greg Jennings, he remains a must-start, but I can understand your hesitancy. Alex Green could be an interested sleeper flex play as the Bears have given up 100 yards or more on the ground in each of their last seven games.

It looks like Jay Cutler, who sustained a neck injury last week, will suit up and play this week so Brandon Marshall owners can breathe a heavy sigh of relief. The Bears will stick with the same offensive game plan this week as they have all year. Get the ball to Marshall as much as possible and build the ground attack with Matt Forte. As predictable as they have been all year, teams still haven’t found the solution to shutting them down completely. And considering the Packers allow an average of 116.7 rushing yards per game and 83.4 yards to opposing WR1s, it doesn’t appear that it will change any time soon.

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens

Lots of playoff seeding ramifications this week as we have another match-up of division leaders here. The Broncos are eager to make a statement in this one and given the fact that the Ravens defense just ain’t what it used to be, you can bet that Peyton Manning is licking his chops right now. Knowshon Moreno could have his second consecutive big game as the Ravens have allowed an average of 123 rushing yards per game over their last four while the pass defense will the 23^rd ranked pass defense will have trouble containing both Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. The Ravens do rank 10^th against the tight end position, so hedge your bets on Joel Dreesen and Jacob Tamme.

This could be a long day for the Ravens offense as the Broncos rank in the top 10 in both passing and rushing defense. Last week, Ray Rice finally broke out for more than 100 yards for just the third time this season and first since Week 5 so he’ll be looking to build off that, but considering Denver has allowed more than 100 yards in a game just once in their last eight games, it could be slow-going. That may cause some issues for Joe Flacco who will need the ground game to help open things up for some play-action. He’s going to have a tough time finding Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin what with Champ Bailey floating around, but since Denver ranks just 21^st against the tight end, Dennis Pitta may have another decent game.

Carolina Panthers at San Diego Chargers

Considering the strength of the Chargers run defense, it looks like Cam Newton will have to do it all through the air this week. He’ll still get some scrambling yards, but look for him to rely much more on hitting Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell. It’s a tough match-up for Greg Olsen this week as the Chargers rank fifth against the position, but I’m going to throw a sleeper tag on DeAngelo Williams as San Diego ranks 25^th in the league against running back screens. And if all else fails, Newton can just turn the ball over to this kid.

After giving 25 carries to Ryan Mathews last week and seeing only 65 yards in total, you can understand why the offense is so quick to turn to the passing game. But with the Panthers allowing 121.6 rushing yards per game with 11 rushing touchdowns this year, there’s a chance he sees another 20 carries this week. But Philip Rivers has also started to shine lately thanks to the emergence of Danario Alexander. He’s still seeing more targets than Malcom Floyd and should continue to follow through to the end of the season. It’s been frustrating for fantasy owners that Antonio Gates has been such a bust this year, and it doesn’t look like it will get any better this week as the Panthers rank 12^th in the league in containing the tight end.

Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills

After seeing what the Seahawks did to Arizona last week, you can bet the Bills are a little nervous. No Fred Jackson means that C.J. Spiller will see the bulk of the ground work with Tashard Choice mixing in. It’ll be tough though as Seattle only gives up 105.4 yards per game on the ground. It might not be any better for Ryan Fitzpatrick and the passing crew as Seattle ranks fourth in the league against the pass and allows an average of fewer than 200 yards per game. Steve Johnson, Donald Jones and Scott Chandler all have tough match-ups this week.

On the other side, if the weather stays clear and they’re not too badly jet-lagged, the Seahawks shouldn’t have any problem with the Bills and their 21^st ranked defense. Marshawn Lynch is coming off a huge game and should be in line for another doozy as the Bills allow an average of 134.5 rushing yards per game and have allowed a league-worst 18 rushing touchdowns this year. From there, Russell Wilson should be able to go to work against their pass D which has improved greatly over the last several weeks, but still gives up almost 230 yards per game and has allowed 22 touchdowns through the air this year. Look for Golden Tate and, if healthy, Sidney Rice to shine.

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals

Without a legitimate quarterback or running game, this one screams start the Lions defense. No one knows if it will be John Skelton, Ryan Lindley or even newly signed Brian Hoyer under center. That immediately removes any thoughts to starting Larry Fitzgerald this week, let alone Rob Housler or Andre Roberts. And as for the ground game, it was William Powell who led the way last week, but there’s still Beanie Wells and LaRod Stephens-Howling. None of them are worth a start, let alone even a roster spot at this stage of the game. Keep all your Cards on the bench.

As for the Lions, look for Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell to share the load again, but with more success for each as the Cards run defense allows an average of 140.5 yards per game. They’ve only allowed nine rushing touchdowns all year, but that will suit Matthew Stafford just fine. Though the Cards pass defense ranks high, they will certainly have their hands full with Calvin Johnson who is looking for his seventh straight 100-yard game and tenth on the season. Throw in the fact that the Cardinals rank 19^th in the league against the tight end and you’ve got a solid day from Brandon Pettigrew coming as well.

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Two very un-powerhouse teams here meeting for nothing more than just pride in the AFC West. The Chiefs will be without Dwayne Bowe this week and probably beyond, but with Brady Quinn under center, it probably doesn’t really matter anyway. Dexter McCluster and Terrance Copper will be the top wideouts, so expect to see a ton of Jamaal Charles against an Oakland run defense that allows an average of 131.2 yards per game and 17 rushing touchdowns on the year. He’s probably the only guy worth starting this week, save for maybe Ryan Succop, the kicker.

The Raiders are trying to build themselves back up here as Carson Palmer has started to come alive again with the return of Darren McFadden. Despite re-injuring his ankle last week, DMC returned to practice on Monday so he should be a decent choice against a Chiefs run D that allows 131.2 yards per game. They’ve only allowed nine rushing touchdowns this season, so look for Palmer to utilize his receivers early and often. Denarius Moore and Darius Heyward-Bey both have good match-up and the Chiefs rank 20^th against the tight end so look for Brandon Myers to see more action this week as well.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys

Although the Steelers defense is still strong despite injuries, look for DeMarco Murray to continue his run of success lately. His yards per carry hasn’t been all that great but he’s catching passes out of the backfield and has found the endzone in each of his two games back. From there, Tony Romo can spring into action. Dez Bryant says he’ll play but I expect him to act as more of a decoy given the fact that he needs surgery to repair ligaments in his finger. That leaves Miles Austin and Jason Witten to get some extra targets; possibly even Kevin Ogletree.

The Steelers are looking to get back on top offensively with Ben Roethlisberger back in action. He was solid last week and looks to continue against a decent Dallas pass D. I like Heath Miller and Antonio Brown in this one while the Cowboys spend too much time trying to limit Mike Wallace. Look for Jonathan Dwyer to shine against a crumbling Dallas run defense that has allowed 100 yards or more in their last four games and in seven of their last eight.

San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots

We all know the stigma of traveling across country so this could be a rough one for the Niners. The Pats pass defense is still a mess allowing 276 yards per game and 22 passing touchdowns this season, but Colin Kaepernick isn’t the best of passers to begin with. He’ll work the short game with Michael Crabtree and possibly Mario Manningham if he can get out there but I’m looking at Vernon Davis and hoping he can finally break out against a defense that ranks 31^st in the league against the tight end. It’s do or die for Davis here. If he can’t succeed, then he’s toast. As for the ground game, look for the Niners to lead with Frank Gore as much as they can but expect to see LaMichael James in there a little more as a change-of-pace back. James has crazy good speed and should be rostered in most leagues. Not ready to flex him just yet, but the finger is on the trigger.

The Pats are looking to do to the Niners exactly what they did to the Texans on Monday, so expect a hevy dose of Tom Brady to Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Lloyd. With the 49ers run defense looking so strong, allowing just 90.8 yards per game with only three rushing touchdowns this season, you can’t expect much out of Stevan Ridley unless the Pats go up big. The pass defense is equally strong, but if the Patriots can go four or five-wide in a hurry-up offense Brady should be able to carve through most of the coverage.

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans

Can you think of a more anti-climactic Monday night game than this? The Titans defense, both on the ground and through the air, is terrible, but the Jets’ offense just might be worse. Expect a ground-and-pound type night as the Jets deploy both Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell while they throw in some light work for Mark Sanchez. He’ll be looking for Jeremy Kerley most of the time, but the Titans pass defense gives up an average of 62.5 yards per game to the tight end position. If Dustin Keller’s ankle is better, then he should have a nice night, but if not, then look for Jeff Cumberland to have a potentially breakout game…for a Jet, that is.

Given the fact that the Jets run defense gives up an average of 136.5 yards per game, you can expect to see quite a bit of Chris Johnson. And after he’s done carving up the Jets defensive line, expect Jake Locker to turn around and start opening up the passing attack more. I like Nate Washington in this one as well as Kendall Wright as Antonio Cromartie will be covering Kenny Britt most of the time.

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In the Trenches: Targets, Hunches & Numbers

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 10:53:29 -0800

It's Week 15, and the fantasy football playoffs are upon us. With decisions being more important now that at any point in the season it's time to dig deeply into the numbers to help us to see if any patterns can be discerned. Which quarterbacks are solid plays this week either because they have been particularly sharp of late or simply because of the matchup? Can you trust that weekly start at the running back position who failed miserably last week (you know the type I'm talking about)? Is Mike Wallace “back” now that Big Ben is back under center? Are there other wideouts you can trust this weekend? And what about the tight end position that has brought so much uncertainty this season – what do you do there? I'm here to try and help you out.

Quarterbacks

I'm still not a huge fan of Andy Dalton in terms of him being the proverbial “upside” play, but you have to give the guy some credit. He's thrown for 25 scores this year which is one more than Matt Ryan, five more than Eli Manning and seven more than Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Still, Dalton hasn't thrown for 235 yards in a game since Week 9 and there is the lack of upside that I noted previously.

Josh Freeman has lit up the Saints the last four times he has faced them for eight scores, not a single interception, and an average of 315 passing yards a game, and we all know how bad the Saints defense is this season. At the same time, as I've been warning all season long, the guy's accuracy leaves something to be desired, and that always scares me. For the season he has completed a sickly 54.7 percent of his passed, and that percentage is down to an extremely unhealthy 51 percent in his last four starts (he's completed less than 20 passes each of the past three games). He's still a QB1 this week with that matchup though.

Colin Kaepernick is the first QB in NFL history to throw for 175 yards with a run of 50 yards in consecutive games. Lucky those runs matter so much in the fantasy game cause Colin hasn't done anything passing the ball differently than Alex Smith did. In his four games as a starter Colin has averaged 217 yards and 0.75 passing scores.

Eli Manning has thrown for 661 yards and six touchdowns, against only one interception, in his last two games against the Falcons (including the playoffs). Eli has also thrown eight touchdowns while averaging 263 passing yards in his last three outings this season.

Carson Palmer is averaging 308 passing yards a game this season at home. The Raiders will be visited by the Chiefs this weekend, and the club from K.C. is allowing only 218 passing yards a game this year, but those 25 passing scores allowed in 13 games portend some good things from Palmer.

Aaron Rodgers is averaging three touchdowns a game in his last three outings against the Bears. He's only thrown for two passing scores the last three weeks, but he's still a must start every week. Period.

Running Backs

Bryce Brown is still a top-15 running back option this week, even after his 12 carry, six yard outing in Week 14. The Eagles face the Bengals on Thursday (a tough matchup), and that just isn't going to be enough time for LeSean McCoy ready to return from his concussion (Week 16 looks very doable though at this point). Don't focus too much on one game, something everyone seems to do in fantasy football. Since Brown became the lead in the backfield for the Eagles he's scored four times while averaging 118 rushing yards a game. If he did that over 16 contests he would run for 1,883 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Reggie Bush has averaged 124 yards from scrimmage in his last six games in the month of December. The questionable coaching staff for the Dolphins finally got him involved in the passing game last week as he caught five balls against the Niners after hailing in only three passes over the previous three games.

Jamaal Charles is averaging 117 rushing yards per contest over his last five games.

Arian Foster has seen his rushing totals dwindle a bit of late, but he keeps getting in the end zone making him a rock in the fantasy game. This weekend's matchup might cure what ails Foster (not to mention the fact that his coach said that his intention every game is to get Foster the ball 25 times). In his three career games against the Colts all he has done is rush for five scores and an average of 164 yards a game on the ground.

Everyone loves to bash Chris Johnson for what he isn't, but how about we give him credit for what he is. CJ2K is just the 8th player in the annals of the game to run for 1,000 yards each of the first five seasons of his career, and with three weeks left in the NFL season he is ranked 10th at the running back position in a PPR setup.

Mikel Leshoure is losing touches to Joique Bell but don't forget that he's still scored six times in six games and has reached pay dirt in three of his last four games.

Alfred Morris just keeps getting it done for the Redskins. He has run for 100-yards in each of his last three games, is averaging 98 yards per game this season on the road, and has run for at least 75 yards in 11 of his 13 games (he has six 100-yard outings). That type of consistency in the fantasy game is golden.

Everyone is seemingly constantly disappointed with Steven Ridley. Why? Sure he was benched for a bit last week, and he does face a stout Niners defense this week, but you all realize he has scored a touchdown in 6-straight games right?

Wide Receivers

At this point of the year we all know you should be starting Andre Johnson and Denario Alexander. However, sometimes players are looked at to be large parts of their team's offense even if their production isn't up to par in a given week. With that thought in mind, here are some of the target totals from Week 14 that may or may not point to a player being a strong play in Week 15.

19 – Brandon Marshall
Just sick. He's the second Bears' receiver ever to catch 100 passes in a season (Marty Booker in 2001 had exactly 100).

12 – Justin Blackmon, Jason Avant, Josh Gordon
Blackmon benefited from the loss of Cecil Shorts in Week 14. The Jags will have Shorts back in Week 15 which would almost certainly diminish the chances for Blackmon (only twice since Week 5 has Blackmon seen more than nine targets in a week). By the by, Shorts is averaging 88.4 yards per game his last seven starts. Avant is stepping in for an injured DeSean Jackson and coming off his best week of the season (seven receptions, 133 yards). Keep in mind though that he hasn't scored once this season and has only three games with more than five targets this season. Gordon continues to improve his weekly outlook with the Browns. Gordon has averaged six receptions and 79 yards the past four weeks, though unfortunately he's caught only one score. After 3-straight games of seven targets that number jumped to 12 in Week 14.

11 – Mike Wallace, Larry Fitzgerald
It's not as simple as saying all Wallace needs under center is Ben Roethlisberger, but it actually is nearly that simple (don't tell my college philosophy prof I just wrote that sentence). Unlike a guy like Larry Fitzgerald, Wallace has his QB back and that means, even if his snap count is somewhat reduced (it wasn't in Week 14 as he played in 62 of 66 snaps), that it's darn near impossible to think you will have three better wideouts to start this weekend. Speaking of Fitzgerald, he was targeted 11 times and caught one ball for two yards. One of the greatest receivers in history, we may never see another elite wideout be so handicapped by putrid QB play than what we are witnessing right now with Fitzgerald. Over his last four games Fitzgerald has caught six passes for 67 yards and no scores. Despite totals that would look like a “normal” group of games for Kevin Walter, Fitz has still been targeted 37 times in those three games. That means 16 percent of the passes thrown Fitzgerald's way the last four weeks have been completed. Dreadful. It's nearly impossible to start him at this point – even though it's not at all his fault.

10 – Chris Givens, Miles Austin
Given went for 115 yards an a score in Week 12 and followed that up with 11 receptions for 92 yards in Week 13. Unfortunately he took a backseat to Brandon Gibson in Week 14 as he caught only three balls for 25 yards despite the fact that he was targeted in double-digits for the second straight week. Be a bit wary of Gibson and Givens if Danny Amendola returns in Week 14 since he has been targeted at least nine times in each of the games in which he has played a full compliment of snaps. People keep wanting to write off Austin, and he continues to produce. Not only is he currently a top-25 WR in PPR formats, his value has to be ascending at least a little bit with the news that Dez Bryant's finger is jacked up. At this point of the week most expect Bryant to play through the injury but it doesn't sound like he will be anywhere near 100 percent. That means more passes, at least in theory, could be headed Austin's way. Hopefully Austin can finish strong an avoid the yo-yo that has seen his target totals look like this the past four weeks: 12, 2, 2 and 10. You might want to pay attention to Dwayne Harris as well if you are a Bryant owner. If Bryant doesn't end up on the field, Harris would be my suggested pick up over Kevin Ogletree and Cole Beasley.

Has anyone but me noticed that Michael Crabtree has gone for at least 90 receiving yards or a touchdown in five of his last six games for the Niners?

Sidney Rice has scored six times in his last eight games. That's one more score, in more more game, than Santana Moss (five in seven games).

Golden Tate has scored five times in his past five games (sort of cheating since one was on a pass).

Tight Ends

Rob Housler was one behind Aaron Hernandez for most passes targeted to a tight end in Week 14 (Housler had 10 targets, Hernandez 11). Now you might be thinking two things. (1) Housler is ranked 27th at tight end in a PPR setup so who cares. (2) He plays for the Cardinals so who cares. Maybe there is one player in that passing attack worth paying attention to at the moment. Housler has produced the 12th most PPR points by a tight end the past three weeks and he has caught at least four passes in 6-straight games. Hey, that might not be great, but if you own a guy like Vernon Davis or Antonio Gates, it's not awful to think about starting Housler – not that I would do it mind you.

Brandon Myers, superstar to superass in a Week's time. After the best fantasy effort of Week 13 (33 points in a PPR) he vanished faster than my dating prospects when women sober up, which let me tell you isn't that hard to believe (in my case, not that of Myers). Myers caught one measly pass for seven yards – and he was only targeted a week after seeing 15 passes. It will take major stones to play Myers again in Week 15 coming off that effort, but remember a few things. (1) Myers is averaging eight receptions, 69 yards and 0.5 TDs the past two weeks. (2) Even with his disappearing act, since Week 9 of the season Myers is tied with Jimmy Graham atop the PPR standings at the position.

Greg Olsen has scored in each of his last two games while recording four scores in his last five games.

For those of you with balls of steel, Kyle Rudolph has scored in three of his last four games. He's also coming off a game in which he didn't catch a pass, the third time that has happened to him in seven games. Thanks Christian Ponder.

Jason Witten has 84 receptions since October 1st. That's an average of 8.4 receptions over his last 10 games. He's money.

Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87, Monday through Thursday at 7 PM EDT and Friday's at 9p-12a EDT. For more of Ray's analysis you can check out BaseballGuys.com or the BaseballGuys' Twitter account where he tirelessly answer everyone's questions.

2012 Fantasy Football Weekly Roundup: Week 14

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 21:55:07 -0800

I have to admit that I don’t like bye weeks in fantasy football. Week 14 did nothing but confirm that in my mind as so many players that I have been high on this year and have on my fantasy teams went off. Watching Adrian Peterson, Doug Martin, Danario Alexander and Marshawn Lynch go off leaves me with a pit in my stomach as I know a let down is probably coming next week when I need them the most. Hopefully you guys rode these performances to fantasy success this week and are in position to move on in your leagues playoffs. Let’s recap everything that happened in week 14 in fantasy football:

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15	St. Louis Rams at Buffalo Bills				12
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Sam Bradford		19-39 209 yards TD INT	Ryan Fitzpatrick	25-33 247 yards TD INT
Steven Jackson		19-64 rushing TD 1-9 receiving	CJ Spiller	7-37 rushing 1-15 receiving
Daryl Richardson		3-4 rushing	Fred Jackson	9-14 rushing 5-16 receiving
Brandon Gibson		6-100 receiving TD	Stevie Johnson	6-71 receiving
Chris Givens		1—3 rush 3-25 receiving	Donald Jones	3-33 receiving
Lance Kendricks		3-36 receiving	Scott Chandler	5-71 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
RB Fred Jackson – knee injury			Fred Jackson fumbles inside the redzone
S Craig Dahl –head injury			Steven Jackson 1 yard TD run
			Fitzpatrick 2 yard TD pass to Smith
Notes
Chris Givens was barely involved in the offense and those 11 catches from last week was an abnomaly
There is no excuse for CJ Spiller only getting 8 touches and with Jackson injury hopefully they figure it out
For the third consecutive week, Steven Jackson was the primary ball carrier with very little Richardson
Stevie Johnson once again proved why is a great asset to have on your team as he plays through injuries

20	Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals				19
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Tony Romo		25-43 248 yards TD	Andy Dalton	20-33 206 TD INT
DeMarco Murray		21-53 rushing TD 4-22 receivin	B. Green-Ellis	12-89 rushing 3-13 receiving
Dez Bryant		4-50 receiving TD	AJ Green	3-44 receiving
Miles Austin		4-46 receiving	Marvin Jones	3-45 receiving 1-37 rushing
Kevin Ogletree		2-28 receiving	Andrew Hawkins	6-44 receiving TD
Jason Witten		4-62 receiving	Jermaine Gresham	4-43 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
LB Ray Maluaga – Ankle injury			Miles Austin bobbles a would be a 2 yard TD catch
CB Morris Claiborne –facial injury			Murray leaping 1 yard TD run set-up by Carr intercept.
WR Marvin Jones – head injury			Dez Bryant 27 yard TD catch
Notes
Cincinnati was in the lead most of the game and underutilized Green –Ellis who should have been used more
Romo was able to lead the Cowboys to 10 points in the last half of the 4^th quarter to steal a win
Marvin Jones was heavily involved in the offensive game plan until taking a shot to the head
Dez Bryant was shutdown the entire first half with his entire production coming after half time.

7	Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns				30
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Brady Quinn		10-21 159 yards INT	Brandon Weeden	17-30 217 yards 1-15 rushing
JaMaal Charles		18-165 rushing TD	Trent Richardson	18-42 2 rush TD 1-9 receiving
Peyton Hillis		5-11 rushing 1-6 receiving	Josh Gordon	8-86 receiving
Dwayne Bowe		2-70 receiving	Greg Little	4-69 receiving 1-17 rushing
Terrence Cooper		3-32 receiving	Montario Hardesty	10-52 rushing
Tony Moeaki		1-10 receiving	Ben Watson	3-43 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
RB Jamaal Charles – Rib injury			1^st play of the game 80 yard TD run for Charles
WR Dwayne Bowe-Rib injury			Travis Benjamin 93 yard Punt Return TD
			Trent Richardson has two 1 yard TD runs
Notes
Trent Richardson loses a 10 yard TD reception due to offensive pass interference on a questionable call
Richardson got incredibly lucky to get the second TD. Hardesty did the work on the drive and looks better.
Once Bowe injured his ribs, the offense went into the tank for the Chiefs for the rest of the game
Josh Gordon is an every week starter and he is by far Weeden’s favorite target the last few weeks

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23	Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts				27
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Jake Locker		22-35 262 yards TD 2INT 4-51	Andrew Luck	16-34 196 TD 2INT 5-7 rush
Chris Johnson		19-44 rushing 3-15 receiving	Vick Ballard	19-94 rushing 1-10 receiving
Kendall Wright		5-39 receiving	Reggie Wayne	6-64 receiving TD
Kenny Britt		8-143 receiving	Donnie Avery	3-31 receiving
Nate Washington		1-15 receiving	T.Y. Hilton	2-50 receiving
Jared Cooke		3-20 receiving TD	Coby Fleener	1-9 receiving
Injuries			Key Plays
TE Coby Fleener & RB Delone Carter – ankle injury			Cook 18 yard TD catch on opening drive
C Samson Satele – ankley injury			Reggie Wayne 3 yard TD catch after Carter can’t get in
LT Winston Justice – biceps injury			Delone Carter 1 yard TD run
Notes
Luck got lucky with a bad interception that was returned for aTD but called back because his knee was down
Locker completely allow the corner back to read the quick pass at the 1 which is picked off for a TD
Donnie Avery 35 yard TD dropped on a perfect throw from Andrew Luck
The play calling got very predictable by the Titans in the 2^nd half and Locker did not make any adjustments

14	Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings				21
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Jay Cutler		22-44 260 TD2INT 2-16 rushing	Christian Ponder	11-17 91 yards
Matt Forte		13-85 rushing 6-34 receiving	Adrian Peterson	31-154 yards 2TD 2-16 receiving
Michael Bush		1-6 rushing	Jarius Wright	2-29 receiving
Brandon Marshall		10-160 receiving TD	Michael Jenkins	4-36 receiving
Alshon Jeffery		3-57 receiving TD	Jerome Simpson	1-13 receiving
Devin Hester		5-39 receiving	Kyle Rudolph	NO catches
Injuries			Key Plays
K Robbie Gould-calf injury in warm-ups			Petersen eats the Bears up with a 69 yards a TD opener
DL Henry Melton –shoulder injury			Cutler Interception sets up a 1 yard Petersen TD run
DE Shea McClellin – knee injury			Alshon Jeffrey 23 yard TD catch
Notes
Petersen had 103 yards in the 1^st quarter along to go with 2 TD’s
The force feeding of Brandon Marshall is starting to really cost Butler and led to a 56 yard INT returned TD
Devin Hester dropped a potential TD and is just a horrific wide receiver
Jay Cutler with another head injury and Devin Hester with an ankle injury

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23	Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers				21
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Nick Foles		32-51, 281 yards, 2 TDs 3-27 yards, 1 TD rushing	Josh Freeman	14-34, 189 yards, 2 TD
Bryce Brown		12-6 yards 2-6 yards receiving	Doug Martin	28-128 yards, 1 TD 3-4 yards receiving
Jeremy Maclin		9-104 yards, 1 TD	Vincent Jackson	6-131 yards, 1 TD
Riley Cooper		4-37 yards	Mike Williams	3-18 yards, 1 TD
Jason Avant		7-133 yards	Tiquan Underwood	1-17
Clay Harbor		6-52 yards, 1 TD	Dallas Clark	1-19 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Brent Celek left game with a concussion			Nick Foles 10 yard rushing TD
Nnamdi Asomugha left game with neck injury			Mike Williams 1 yard TD reception
			Vincent Jackson 13 yard TD reception
Notes
Eagles doctors are either very good or bad with head injuries as Celek was diagnosed 5 minutes after the hit.
I said over and over on Saturday Night’s Fantasy Alarm Show that Bryce Brown would be a bust this week.
Jason Avant’s 1 handed sideline grab was one of the best catches I have seen all season.
Doug Martin broke Cadillac Williams rookie rushing record of 1178 yards.

28	Baltimore Ravens at Washington Redskins				31
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Joe Flacco		16-21, 182 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT	Robert Griffin III	15-26, 246 yards, 1 TD 7-34 yards rushing
Ray Rice		20-121 yards, 1 TD 3-15 yards receiving	Alfred Morris	23-122 yards, 1 TD
Bernard Pierce		8-53 yards 2-11 yards receiving	Pierre Garcon	5-87 yards, 1 TD
Anquan Boldin		3-78 yards, 2 TD’s	Santana Moss	3-52 yards
Torrey Smith		1-21 yards	Josh Morgan	3-30 yards, 1 TD
Dennis Pitta		5-46 yards, 1 TD	Logan Paulesen	1-8 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
RG III left game with a left leg injury			Anquan Boldin TD receptions of 19 & 31 yards
			Dennis Pitta 14 yard TD reception
			Ray Rice 7 yard TD run
Notes
Kirk Cousins was 2-2, 26 yards with 1 TD & rush for 2 Point conversion after RGIII left with knee injury.
I am not going to trust either Anquan Boldin or Torrey Smith to win me a game in the fantasy playoffs.
These are two bad defenses right now. The Ravens need to get healthy, the Redskins need to get better.
Alfred Morris fumbled for the second straight game. He also broke the Redskins rookie record for rushes.

20	Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers				30
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Matt Ryan		34-49, 342 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT	Cam Newton	23-35, 287 yards, 2 TDs 9-116 yards, 1 TD
Michael Turner		7-14 yards, 1 TD	DeAngelo Williams	17-56 yards 2-56 yards, 1 TD
Jacquizz Rogers		4-21 yards 6-43 yards receiving	Mike Tolbert	5-20 yards 3-18 yards receiving
Julio Jones		5-66 yards, 1 TD	Steve Smith	7-109 yards
Roddy White		9-117 yards, 1 TD	Louis Murphy	5-36 yards
Tony Gonzalez		8-61 yards	Greg Olsen	4-55 yards, 1 TD
Injuries			Key Plays
			Greg Olsen 25 yard TD reception
			Cam Newton 72 yard TD run
			Julio Jones 11 yard TD reception
Notes
Cam Newton is almost unstoppable when he is inspired and determined to win.
The Panthers absolutely dominated the first half of this game. They held the ball 24 minutes to 6 for Atlanta
The referees got the call wrong on Roddy White’s 2 point conversion catch that was ruled incomplete.
I would not advise starting either Michael Turner or Jacquizz Rogers the rest of the year.

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17	New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars				10
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Mark Sanchez		12-19, 111 yards	Chad Henne	21-43, 185 yards, 2 INT
Shonn Greene		20-77 yards, 1 TD	Montel Owens	14-91 yards, 1 TD
Bilal Powell		19-78 yards, 1 TD	Richard Murphy	4-19 yards
Chaz Schillens		2-27 yards	Justin Blackmon	6-57 yards
Jeremy Kerely		4-27 yards	Jordan Shipley	5-55 yards
Jeff Cumberland		1-37 yards	Marcedes Lewis	1-4 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Stephen Hill left game with a knee injury			Josh Scobee FG’s of 31
Jeremy Kerley left with hamstring injury			Shonn Greene 1 yard TD run
Antonio Cromartie left game with a head injury			Montel Owens 32 yard TD run
Notes
For as bad as the Jets offense has been lately the defense is still getting after it day in and day out.
Please don’t go nuts about Montel Owens performance. He still should NOT be started in fantasy leagues.
I am very disappointed in Marcedes Lewis performance today but would start him again next week vs Miami.
The Jets have absolutely no receivers left. It is absolutely disgusting what they are throwing out there.

24	San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers				34
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Phillip Rivers		21-41, 200 yards, 3 TDs	Ben Roethlisberger	22-42, 285 yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT 5-31 yards rushing
Ryan Mathews		25-65 yards	Jonathan Dwyer	8-32 yards 3-18 yards receiving
Danario Alexander		7-88 yards, 2 TD’s	Mike Wallace	7-112 yards, 2 TD’s
Malcom Floyd		3-10 yards, 1 TD	Antonio Brown	4-35 yards, 1 TD
Michael Spurlock		7-64 yards	Emmanuel Sanders	2-36 yards
Antonio Gates		3-31 yards	Heath Miller	5-66 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
OT Willie Colon left game with a knee injury			Danario Alexander TD receptions of 15 & 39 yards
			Malcom Floyd 3 yard TD reception
			Mike Wallace 40 yard TD reception
Notes
As bad as Ben Roethlisberger was today his WR’s were even worse dropping passes all over the field.
Phillip Rivers is one of the QB’s in the league that you can never really count out. He is a fierce competitor.
Danario Alexander has proven to be the best WR waiver pickup of 2012.
Spurlock’s performance truly came out of nowhere. I am not adding him this week despite the good game.

13	Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers				27
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Ryan Tannehill		17-33, 150 yards, 1 TD	Colin Kaepernick	18-23, 185 yards receiving 6-53 yards, 1 TD rushing
Reggie Bush		14-65 yards 5-38 yards receiving	Frank Gore	12-63 yards, 1 TD 2-22 yards receiving
Daniel Thomas		2-3 yards	LaMichael James	5-30 yards
Davone Bess		5-50 yards	Michael Crabtree	9-93 yards
Brian Hartline		2-34 yards	Randy Moss	2-30 yards
Anthony Fasano		2-9 yards, 1 TD	Vernon Davis	1-4 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Koa Misi left game with ankle injury			Frank Gore 1 yard TD run
Tavares Gooden left game with a rib injury			Anthony Dixon 1 yard TD run
			Colin Kaepernick 50 yard TD run
Notes
Kaepernick once again is playing back on his heels more than being aggressive. That is a bad habit to break.
Crabtree and Kaepernick are getting more comfortable with each other finally which is good going forward.
The results don’t show it but I really like Ryan Tannehill’s swagger. He’s going to be a very good QB soon.
It is a great sign that Reggie Bush is being used more in the passing game. He is a strong RB3 going forward.

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0	Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks				58
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
John Skelton		11-22, 74 yards, 4 INT	Russell Wilson	7-13, 148 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Beanie Wells		6-18 yards	Marshawn Lynch	11-128 yards, 3 TD’s
William Powell		5-20 yards 2-13 yards receiving	Sidney Rice	2-35 yards
Larry Fitzgerald		1-2 yards	Golden Tate	2-6 yards
Andre Roberts		3-36 yards	Doug Baldwin	2-29 yards
Rob Housler		7-36 yards	Zach Miller	2-29 yards, 1 TD
Injuries			Key Plays
Marshawn Lynch left game with back spasms			Marshawn Lynch TD runs of 4, 20 & 33 yards
			Richard Sherman 19 yard INT return for TD
			Zach Miller 24 yard TD run
Notes
I didn’t think it can get any worse than Ryan Lindley and John Skelton proved me wrong today.
Don’t worry about Lynch. This game was out of hand when they pulled him and it was more precautionary.
Robert Turbin rushed 20 times for 108 yards in relief of Marshawn Lynch.
This was the first time since 2005 that the Seahawks had two players rush for over 100 yards.

27	New Orleans Saints at New York Giants				52
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Drew Brees		26-43, 354 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT	Eli Manning	22-35, 259 yards, 4 TD’s, 2 INT
Pierre Thomas		5-19 yards 7-57 yards receiving	Ahmad Bradshaw	11-33 yards
Darren Sproles		5-56 yards, 1 TD 4-28 yards, 1 TD receiving	David Wilson	13-100 yards, 2 TD’s 97 yard kickoff return
Marques Colston		4-61 yards	Victor Cruz	8-121 yards, 1 TD
Lance Moore		1-26 yards	Hakeem Nicks	4-67 yards, 1 TD
Jimmy Graham		5-56 yards	Martellus Bennett	5-32 yards, 1 TD
Injuries			Key Plays
Ahmad Bradshaw left game with foot injury			Elbert Mack 73 yard INT return for TD
			Martellus Bennett 6 yard TD reception
			Domenik Hixon 5 yard TD reception
Notes
Do not rush out for David Wilson unless you have Bradshaw. There is no way you can start Wilson next week.
Saints are terrible with how they use their RB’s. It’s hard for them to get momentum with such little use.
Please don’t even think about benching Brees next week against the Bucs. He is still a must start every week
Joseph Morgan had 2 catches for 106 yards in this game. He is a big play threat only and not fantasy relevant

20	Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers				27
Name		Stats	Name	Stats
Matt Stafford		27-45, 264 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT 3-9 yards, 1 TD rushing	Aaron Rodgers	14-24, 173 yards 3-32 yards, 1 TD rushing
Mikel LeShoure		14-49 yards	Alex Green	13-69 yards
Joique Bell		12-49 yards 5-47 yards receiving	Greg Jennings	1-27 yards
Calvin Johnson		10-118 yards	Randall Cobb	7-102 yards
Mike Thomas		2-25 yards rushing	James Jones	2-27 yards
Tony Scheffler		3-20 yards, 1 TD	JerMichael Finley	2-16 yards
Injuries			Key Plays
Brandon Pettigrew left game with an ankle injury			Mike Daniels 43 yard fumble return for TD
			Aaron Rodgers 27 yard TD run
			DuJuan Harris 14 yard TD run
Notes
This game was played with a steady dose of snow and wind and on a slippery playing surface.
I would expect a much better effort out of Greg Jennings next week at Chicago.
Kris Durham made an amazing diving one handed catch early in this game. Still not worth a roster spot.
The Packers rushing attack is gaining momentum week by week. Alex Green is a mid line RB3 going forward.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Saturday 10 PM- 1 AM EST, Sunday 7 PM to 10 PM EST and Wednesday 11:00 PM EST to 1:00 AM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210.

It's Hallamentary: Questions and Answers For Week 14

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:50:18 -0800

Are you ready for some fantasy football playoffs? Most of you are there now, though some of you might still be in the regular season. The decisions you make now are those that will either keep you going to send your fantasy football team golfing. How can you keep this season going for you? It’s Hallamentary of course!

The Ultimate Start / Sit Tool - Get It Now!

OK so DeMarco Murray is back, should you start him now? Coming into the season the Cowboys’ offense was going to revolve around DeMarco Murray. Sure, Tony Romo was going to get his and Dez Bryant surely is their best playmaker but Murray is great catching passes out of the backfield and is also a great runner. He was way more involved in the running game in his first contest back than I anticipated and with another week to rest there’s no reason to think that he won’t be an RB1 come Week 14. Start Murray with ultimate confidence and hopefully we will all reap the rewards of holding him all of this time.

Jacquizz Rodgers vs. Michael Turner. Who is more valuable down the stretch? It has been an interesting couple of weeks for Jacquizz Rodgers and Michael Turner, and the majority of the carries are starting to be a blurry line for the Falcons. Rodgers clearly has the advantage over Turner. I know that Turner had more yardage on Thursday but I still see Rodgers being the better workhorse in the last month and if I had both I would be starting Rodgers over Turner down the stretch of my fantasy playoffs even though that isn’t the way the majority of the way the regular season has turned out.

Is it time to stop considering Ryan Mathews no matter the matchup? It has been seven weeks since this guy has visited the end zone and although he is still getting the majority of the carries for the Lightning Bolts, can you possibly start Mathews anymore? The answer is clearly no. He hasn’t broken 75 rushing yards since October, and without being able to find paydirt I see no reason why you should consider Mathews. Hell, in the one league I own him I started DeMarco Murray who was documented to be limited in Week 13. There’s very few situations that I can see starting Mathews makes much sense these days.

Is Martellus Bennett a sleeper tight end? I loved Bennett coming into the season as a great sleeper tight end and he started the season like a house of fire with touchdowns in each of the first three games. Something happened after that as he only broke 50 yards once in the next eight weeks, until Monday. Bennett seemed to be one of the favorite targets of Eli Manning against the Redskins as he had five catches and 82 yards and a score. Can he build on this effort and help you in the playoffs if you have an inconsistent guy like Jared Cook, Greg Olsen, or Brandon Pettigrew? Eh, I like Bennett, but I think I would roll with the guys who got you there. If you are rocking Tony Moeaki, Dustin Keller, or Heath Miller, I would grab Bennett.

Is Matt Ryan hitting the wall? He has been leading your team to victory the entire first half of the season, and now all of a sudden in the last five weeks you’ve seen the slide. In the last five weeks he has thrown five touchdown passes against seven interceptions. The yards have still been there, and so have the victories for the Falcons, but fantasy football is all about touchdowns and who could give a crap if the Falcons win or lose (sorry Brian Fraser)? I liked Ryan coming into the season, but with the Falcons having nothing to play for soon and with Jacquizz Rodgers starting to get more run, I can see Atlanta throwing less, but as I was asked this week, “can you think about sitting him?” Is that blasphemy? Well, Martha Mitchell and the rest of you out there in Fantasy Land, it depends. If you drafted Ryan as your second quarterback, then there is a chance. But if you are going to throw someone like Cam Newton, or try to pick a guy off of the wire, I would roll with Ryan. If you have say Eli Manning or someone like that I could consider it, but I would probably keep rolling with my guy.

Is Pierre Garcon a viable fantasy receiver down the stretch? With his foot injury earlier in the season, I advised many, including Jason Siler, to let go of Garcon with little hope of him coming back in time to make a fantasy impact and if you held him your season would be over before it mattered. But Garcon is back, and in the last two weeks he has had a serious fantasy impact with 12 catches for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns. With just four games left in the regular season and fewer in the fantasy season, Garcon looks like a fantastic contributor as he clearly has a chemistry with his quarterback and should be an awesome source of points down the stretch. He is owned in most leagues and he should be started in most any format in December.

Now that John Skelton is back under center, can you start Arizona players? The past two weeks, last week particularly, have been some of the ugliest football I have ever had the chance to witness in my entire life and that is because of Ryan Lindley. Thankfully, Ken Whisenhunt has declared that John Skelton the quarterback so can you play Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Roberts, or Beanie Wells? I’ll take these one at a time. Beanie Wells, no. He hasn’t shown the ability to make people miss, and while Skelton should make the defenses stay sort of honest, I can’t see Wells having a good game in Seattle. Roberts’ value is tied to his health in my opinion. If he is going to play and you are in a PPR league, I would play Roberts. If it is standard scoring, I don’t think I would. Larry Fitzgerald owners REJOICE! Skelton is far from a good NFL quarterback, but he’s good enough that Fitzgerald is startable again. Put him back in there and I think he has a shot at 100 yards and a score.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Saturday 10 PM- 1 AM EST, Sunday 7 PM to 10 PM EST and Wednesday 11:00 PM EST to 1:00 AM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210.