In the Trenches: Wk.13 - Studs vs. Duds

Posted by Ray Flowers on 12/02/2012 | 0 Comments

Tags: Donnie Avery, T.Y. Hilton, Davone Bess, Justin Blackmon, Dallas Clark, Vernon Davis, Eric Decker, Larry Fitzgerald, Ryan Lindley, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Joe Flacco, Arian Foster, Josh gordon, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller, Steven Jackson, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Calvin Johnson, Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Brandon Marshall, Brandon Lloyd, Andrew Luck, Ryan Mathews, Heath Miller, Cam Newton, Brandon Myers, Peyton Manning, Doug Martin, Carson Palmer, Adrian Peterson, Christian Ponder, Marcel Reece, Aaron Rodgers, Mark Sanchez, Greg McElroy, Cecils Shorts, Rashad Jennings, Jacon Tamme, Ryan Tannehill, Wes Welker, Russell Wilson

This is the final week of the regular season in most fantasy leagues. Did your players come through to give you a shot at the championship, or was your team filled with guys like Davone Bess, Justin Blackmon and Marcel Reece in Week 13 costing you a chance to hoist the trophy as league championship in 2012?

Oh that Donnie Avery. He caught five balls for 91 yards and two scores as he and T.Y. Hilton dominated looks for the Colts (Avery saw 14 targets, so his total of five receptions is pretty pathetic). Hilton caught six balls for 100 yards as Reggie Wayne had a really down effort with four receptions for 51 yards.

So much for Davone Bees being a reliable weekly play. He's still on pace for more than 70 catches and 950 yards in what will be a strong season but he pulled the old disappearing act in Week 13 catching one measly pass for 13 yards against the Patriots.

Justin Blackmon has gone from seven receptions and 236 yards in Week 11 to six receptions for 71 yards the past two weeks after his one catch, nine yard effort in Week 13. So much for him being a weekly option that you can start with confidence.

Dallas Clark had only three receptions for 21 yards in Week 13, but thanks to a score that's three scores in four games for the tight end even though he's averaging just 37 yards a week during that four week run.

Another day, another woeful showing for Vernon Davis who caught two balls for 15 yards. Why the Niners can't get the ball into the hands of their most explosive receiving playmaker is beyond me.

Is Eric Decker spending too much time with his hot gal Jesse James? Truth be told, I'm jealous as all get out. You obviously saw her photo accompanying this article – take another look even if you did. Tell me you wouldn't sell your soul? Probably makes the pain of Decker's two catches for 17 yards against the Bucs less painful when he gets to hold her in his arms. How did he only get two targets on the day? Demaryius Thomas showed up, as usual, with eight grabs for 99 yards and two scores on the other side of the field.

Who else hates the Cardinals? They've turned a HOF receiver into a clipboard holder. Larry Fitzgerald caught one ball for 23 yards. Why bother even playing the game Cardinals? Ryan Lindley completed 10 of 31 throws for 72 yards. Shameful. I mean really. Everyone in a decision making capacity for the Cardinals should be fired immediately for ineptitude as they continue to play Lindley who is NOWHERE near ready to compete at this level.

Ryan Fitzpatrick blew chunks with nine completions for 112 yards. If you started him you were OK with that though as he threw for two scores and ran for another.

Joe Flacco threw for 188 yards, an interception and lost a fumble. He's still on pace for his first 4,000 yard passing season and 20 scores.
 
Arian Foster scored so his outing was OK, but he carried the ball only 14 times and generated just 38 yards. His per touch production continues to dwindle as the fantasy playoffs begin, a somewhat scary situation for those depending on him to lead them to a championship.

Josh Gordon showed up in Week 13 catching six balls for 119 yards and a score. This was his first 100 yard game of the year as well as his first game with more than five receptions. He actually has 15 receptions the past three weeks.

I don't know where it's coming from, but BenJarvus Green-Ellis all of a sudden seems to think he is an elite runner. He needed 25 carries of course but he racked up 118 rushing yards, a third straight game of 100 yards on the ground. Hell, he even caught four balls since Cedric Peerman went down with an ankle issue. BJGE is rolling after a pretty middling first half of the season.

Another week, another bold face set of liars in the NFL. Fred Jackson was supposed to be the 40 percenter in the backfield for the Bills. What do you know. We can now count the Bills as a true NFL team as they flat out lied to all of us about how they would split touches in their backfield. Jackson ran for a season best 109 yards while carrying the ball 25 times. Add in two receptions and his 27 touches dwarfed the 15 of C.J. Spiller.

Steven Jackson found the going tough against the Niners as he ran for a mere 48 yards on 21 carries. He saved his fantasy day though with a season-high five receptions for 69 yards.

Greg Jennings caught four balls for 46 yards in his first game back from his hamstring issue. He didn't score, James Jones did that (he had two catches for 40 yards), but Jordy Nelson hurt his hammy in the game and was forced to the sidelines. For however long Nelson is out Jennings would slide into his “Z” receiver slot allowing both he and Jones to maintain potential weekly value in mid sized leagues.

Calvin Johnson had a 5th straight game of 125 receiving yards to tied the NFL record held by, and there isn't a person reading this who will come up with the answer (trust me), Pat Studstill of the 1966 Lions. Johnson also caught 13 passes, a career best, on his way to 171 yards and a touchdown. This effort leaves Johnson with 86 receptions, 1,428 yards and five scores. If he keep this pace up he will blow past 100 receptions for the first time and become the first receiver in league history to eclipse 1,900 receiving yards. Shame on your for giving up on him early in the year. 

Colin Kapernick threw for 208 yards and no scores for the Niners. He somewhat salvaged his fantasy day with 84 yards rushing. Still, through three starts he has thrown for three passing scores and an average of 227 passing yards a game. I still think the Niners go back to Alex Smith at some point – after all Colin did fumbled the ball with three minutes remaining in the game which led to the Rams tying the game before eventually winnning in OT (HC Jim Harbaugh comfirmed after the game that Colin will start in Week 14).

As has become the usual, Brandon Marshall dominated the opposition on his way to 10 receptions for 165 yards.

It's official, Brandon Lloyd's season is a bust. Utterly and completely. He caught one ball for 10 yards in Week 13. So much for the vaunted Pats offense allowing Lloyd to be a top-20 WR. He'll be lucky as all get out to finish in the top-40.

Andrew Luck threw for four scores in Week 13 after recording four TDs in his first five road games this season.

Ryan Mathews you are a bust. He carried the ball nine times for 26 yards and caught three balls for 25 yards. I've been backing you all year long despite your mediocre play. You've got one more chance to redeem yourself in my eyes, and it better be a huge effort Ryan.

Heath Miller scored his 7th TD of the season in Week 13 to tie a career best. He had scored four times
in his last 30 games heading into the 2012 season.

Brandon Myers have a day kid! Myers caught a career best 14 balls for 130 yards an a score. Don't look now, but the guys is an elite PPR weapon right now. I know what I just said, and the numbers back it up.

Cam Newton threw for 232 yards and three scores against the hapless Chiefs but it wasn't enough as the Panthers fell 21-27 in the matchup. Newton also ran the ball seven times for another 78 yards. On the season he has run for 524 yards a year after he ran for 706. As a result, he is the first QB in league history to run for 500-yards in each of his first two seasons. And you thought he was a fantasy disappointment. After the last two weeks he's now a top-5 QB.

Peyton Manning threw for 242 yards and three scores. With this game he went over 3,500 yards for the 14th time in his career to tie Brett Favre for the all-time NFL lead. He also surpassed the Broncos team record of 27 passing touchdowns in one season. For the cherry on top he passed Dan Marino for the second most completions in league history.

Doug Martin had a rough day on the ground with 56 yards on 18 carries. He did catch three passes for 42 yards to give him 98 yards from scrimmage, a passable mark for a guy who is on pace to get to roughly 1,500 yards from scrimmage this year.

No one trusts Carson Palmer but he keeps putting up solid totals game after game. Carson threw for 351 yards and two scores and now is on pace for 4,700 yards and 26 scores. That'll play in any league.

Adrian Peterson is a beast. He'll run around you or through you, it makes no difference to him. He ripped off a couple of long runs including a career best 82 yard scamper for a touchdown on his way to his third career 200 yard effort. He carried the ball 21 times for 210 yards against the Packers.

Christian Ponder was at it again Sunday, and by “it” I mean he was failing to prove to anyone that he is  deserving of starting NFL football games. Repeatedly making bad decisions, he threw for 119 yards, the fourth time in six contests that he's failed to reach 160 yards passing. I know it hurts to have Percy Harvin on the sidelines, but come on Christian, you gotta pick it up.

Even though Run DMC was out of action Marcel Reece laid the proverbial egg. He ran for a mere 37 yards on seven carries and caught five balls for 20 yards in a decidedly disappointing effort.

Aaron Rodgers is on pace for 40 passing scores but after just one TD pass in Week 13 he has two TD passes the last two weeks and four passing scores in three games.

Mark Sanchez is horrible. Seems like the Jets finally realize that. Three of Sanchez first nine passes were completed to the other team, and he was mercifully removed in the third quarter for Greg McElroy who threw his first career TD pass. If only Tim Tebow's ribs weren't injured...

Cecil Shorts and Rashad Jennings both suffered concussions in Week 13. Jennings ran for 20 yards on eight carries before leaving the game while Shorts did his thing catching seven balls for 77 yards an a score. The Jags just can't stay healthy.

Jacob Tamme broke out for nine receptions for 89 yards taking over for Brandon Stokley who was held out of the game. Tamme hadn't had one game of 55 receiving yards this season before this outing.

Ryan Tannehill was gaining steam as a QB2. He blew a gasket in Week 13 completing just 13 of 29 passes for 186 yards and no scores. At least he had a two yard TD run so his day wasn't a total waste. Does anyone realize he has seven passing scores in 12 games?

Wes Welker had 10 reception at halftime giving him a 17th game with at least 10 receptions to tie Jerry Rice's NFL record. On the day he caught 12 balls for 103 yards an a score. That's three straight of at least seven catches and 10-straight with six or more receptions.

Mike Williams has six catches for 93 yards an a score as Champ Bailey smothered Vincent Jackson on the other side of the field. This was his first score in four games, the first time he had more than four grabs in five games, and the first time he eclipsed 70 yards in seven games.

Finally, let me tip my cap to Russell Wilson. Not only did he run for 71 yards he also threw for 293 yards and two scores in the Seahawks OT victory over the Bears. That's five games in a row with at least two passing scores for Wilson who has thrown only one interception in those five contests.

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. Ray's analysis can be found at BaseballGuys.com and on Twitter at the BaseballGuys' Twitter account.