Week 12 is in the books, and I still have a slight chance of making the playoffs. I'm now sitting at 5-7, but a big Week 13 win (and a loss from both of the 6-6 guys) could land me in the sixth and final playoff spot. I'll really need a big win this week though, as in a ton of points to catch up with what could potentially be those other 6-7 teams at the end of Week 13. We'll see how it all plays out, but I'm probably going to need 120+ points to beat the guy I'm playing anyway, so I need to get as many points as possible, starting with these rankings...
QBs
1.Peyton Manning
2.Tom Brady
3.Aaron Rodgers
4.Drew Brees
5.Matt Ryan
6.Matthew Stafford
7.Eli Manning
8.RGIII
9.Cam Newton
10.Tony Romo
11.Colin Kaepernick
12.Andrew Luck
13.Matt Schaub
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14.Ryan Fitzpatrick
15.Andy Dalton
16.Josh Freeman
17.Chad Henne
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18.Carson Palmer
19.Philip Rivers
20.Joe Flacco
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Aside from Aaron Rodgers, I'd have to say that my QB rankings weren't too bad last week. Of course, I think most people missed on Rodgers, as he is always expected to post big numbers. I moved Romo into the top 10 last week, and although the Cowgirls lost to my Redskins, Romo still put up great numbers. Another guy I talked up a lot in Week 12 was Andy Dalton, who I ranked way up there (even ahead of Drew Brees). Dalton finished just outside of the top-5, but he did finish ahead of Brees. I ranked Jake Locker (toward the bottom, but still ranked), thinking he'd put up 200+ yards and a couple of scores. He only got one score, but he did round out the top-20.
I will say that I was wrong about refusing to rank Chad Henne. He was a solid play again last week, and he has a pretty favorable schedule for the rest of the season. I'll definitely be ranking him this week, and most likely in the weeks to come as well. I've also added Colin Kaepernick to this list, which is now rounded out by Rivers and Flacco at the bottom. It's crazy to look at this list now versus the early weeks of the fantasy season.
The obvious names are in my top ten, but you'll notice RGIII has dropped considerably. He's had great back to back games, but I think the Giants D will slow him down in a big NFC game for both teams. Dalton is probably the biggest mover down the list, as his matchup is a lot less favorable this week as opposed to last week. I like Fitzpatrick and Henne quite a bit this week, as they both have good matchups (against each other). At this point in the season, if your starting QB is a guy like Rivers or Flacco, you're probably not thinking playoffs anyway. But if you are, I'd suggest one of those guys instead of them (at least for this week).
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RBs
1.Arian Foster
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2.Trent Richardson
3.Adrian Peterson
4.Doug Martin
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5.Ray Rice
6.Chris Johnson
7.CJ Spiller
8.Frank Gore
9.Jamaal Charles
10.Marshawn Lynch
11.Alfred Morris
12.Mikel LeShoure
13.Marcel Reece
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14.Stevan Ridley
15.Benjarvis Green-Ellis
16.Bryce Brown
17.Beanie Wells
18.Michael Turner
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19.Ahmad Bradshaw
20.Steven Jackson
21.Ryan Mathews
22.Felix Jones
23.Darren Sproles
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24.Michael Bush
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25.Reggie Bush
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26.Rashad Jennings
27.Shonn Greene
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28.Jonathan Dwyer
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29.DeAngelo Williams
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30.Knowshown Moreno
31.Vick Ballard
32.James Starks
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33.Shane Vereen
34.Jacquizz Rodgers
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35.Daniel Thomas
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36.Chris Ivory
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37.Ronnie Hillman
38.Danny Woodhead
39.Donald Brown
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40.Mark Ingram
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Doug Martin continues to impress, and he belongs in the top 5 from here on out. He's playing a tough Broncos defense this week, so I'm not going to put him in the top spot. But from Week 14 on, he'll probably be there. For now, I'll stick with Arian Foster at #1.
I'm getting my rankings out early again, so I'm assuming a lot based on little injury news as of right now. Last week I excluded guys like McCoy, Murray, Fred Jackson, and McFadden to name a few. Those guys are staying on the sideline once again. If I get a chance to update my rankings, I will. But for now, I'm assuming those guys (and others) are out. Fred Jackson isn't out, but the coach has basically said that Spiller will take the majority of carries from here on out, so I don't see much value in playing him at this point. Add Forte to the injured list too (*sigh*).
Last week Chris Johnson was my #1, and I kept guys with tough matchups like AP and Richardson well into the top-10. Surprisingly, Richardson was the only one of the three to produce at that level. I nearly had Bryce Brown in my top-20, but I didn't see him finishing as the #1 fantasy RB for the week (as I'm sure no one did). Well done if you picked him up and played him on MNF (I tried but someone else scooped him up). I did have Green-Ellis ranked higher than many of the experts last week, and he went off on that horrible Raiders defense. I'll continue to rank position players highly against Oakland for the rest of the foreseeable future, and this week Trent Richardson will have the #2 spot on my list, in part due to this matchup.
Some other names that move up the list include Mikel LeShoure, Marcel Reece, Beanie Wells, and of course, Bryce Brown. Ryan Mathews continues to slide down my list, and it pains me because with Forte and McCoy both likely out for Week 13, I'm going to be scrambling for points. Hopefully I can strike gold with a waiver wire pickup, but I'll probably get stuck starting Vick Ballard. That sounds pretty desperate...and it is.
WRs
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1.Demaryius Thomas
2.Andre Johnson
3.Calvin Johnson
4.AJ Green
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5.Dez Bryant
6.Julio Jones
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7.Vincent Jackson
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8.Brandon Marshall
9.Wes Welker
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10.Randall Cobb
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11.Reggie Wayne
12.Victor Cruz
13.Jordy Nelson
14.Roddie White
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15.Hakeem Nicks
16.Marques Colston
17.Eric Decker
18.Steve Johnson
19.Cecil Shorts
20.Steve Smith
21.Pierre Garcon
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22.Denarius Moore
23.Justin Blackmon
24.Danario Alexander
25.Michael Crabtree
26.Lance Moore
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27.Larry Fitzgerald
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28.Torrey Smith
29.T.Y. Hilton
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30.Golden Tate
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31.Ryan Broyles
34.Dwayne Bowe
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36.Greg Jennings
37.Josh Gordon
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38.Mike Williams
39.Mike Wallace
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40.Brandon LaFell
41.Jeremy Maclin
42.Malcom Floyd
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AJ Green got the kiss of death last week, as he finished well outside the top-10, though he didn't have a bad game. I moved Randall Cobb into the top-10 (and Jordy out), so of course Jordy had the better week. I'm sticking with ranking Cobb higher though, as Rodgers just had a bad game all-around. I expect both to bounce back this week against the Vikings in Lambeau. I'm not ranking Percy Harvin again this week, but if he goes, he is a top-20 play (maybe top-10 if he's 100%).
I finally ranked Denario Alexander last week, but he had a modest game as compared to his previous two (still rankable though). I put Dez Bryant into my top-10 last week, and he finished as the #1 WR for Week 12. Vincent Jackson was back in the top-10 as well, and although he didn't find the endzone, he did have 95 yards and continued his consistent fantasy play. Andre Johnson stayed near the top for me last week, and I'm going to continue to rank him high, especially while he's hot. I'm also going to keep Dez Bryant in the top-5, as he is clearly becoming Romo's favorite target and the Eagles continue to give up big plays down the field. I've also moved the Jags WRs up the list a bit, as Chad Henne is starting to make them relevant in the fantasy world. You'll still find names like Mike Wallace and Jeremy Maclin on this list, but they are waaaaay down there. I actually removed Brandon Lloyd from the list altogether, so look for him to have at least 20 fantasy points this week against the Dolphins.
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TEs
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1.Jimmy Graham
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2.Tony Gonzalez
3.Aaron Hernandez
4.Jason Witten
5.Owen Daniels
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6.Jermaine Gresham
7.Antonio Gates
8.Brandon Myers
9.Vernon Davis
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10.Greg Olsen
11.Dustin Keller
12.Jermichael Finley
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Finally, Aaron Hernandez returned to the lineup last week, but he had a quiet return to action. This week, I think he becomes a big part of the offense for the Patriots, and I have him ranked accordingly. In a tough week for the top tight ends, I liked Jermaine Gresham as a top-5 play against Oakland. He finished at #6, but he finished ahead of all of the usual suspects (Graham, Gonzo, Witten, etc.). I had him ranked at #4, and he didn't disappoint. Again, continue to play any and all players against Oakland!!! To be fair, in that same game, I liked Brandon Myers as a top-10 tight end, but he finished with a mere 37 yards. However, he continues to be a consistent threat in that offense, so he'll remain in my top-10 fantasy TEs this week. Speaking of "top-10", I decided to narrow down my tight end list to 12. I almost stopped at 10, but then I thought I might as well rank as many tight ends as there are teams in my league (and a lot of other leagues). If you don't have one of those top 12, well, you're SOL. Good luck with Scott Chandler or Brandon Pettigrew.
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DEF
1.Bears
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2.49ers
3.Patriots
4.Ravens
5.Texans
6.Seahawks
7.Broncos
8.Cardinals
9.Jets
10.Panthers
11.Cowboys
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12.Bengals
13.Giants
14.Packers
I was going back and forth on my streaming defense last week, but I ended up playing the Bengals instead of the Patriots. Both had good matchups, and both put up solid points, but of course the Patriots ended up as the top defense in Week 12. I played it safe and didn't want to chase those defensive TDs, and that's exactly what New England got against the Jets on Thanksgiving night. I can't complain too much though because the Bengals did finish as a top-10 defense for the week. The Broncos broke the trend of getting a lot of fantasy points against the Chiefs, but the Rams were a team I ranked in the top-10 who scored big on defense in Week 12.
The Bears and Niners continue to be solid no matter who they play, and if the Steelers are still without Big Ben this week, I like the Ravens a lot. I mean, look at what the Browns did against the Steelers last week! I also like the Jets to bounce back after that horrible loss and take it out on the Cardinals. Other matchups to look at this week are Carolina against the Chiefs (duh, people!) and the Cowboys at home against the Eagles. They haven't been one of the better defenses this season, but they played well against Foles and company just a couple of weeks ago, and I look to them to keep the Eagles losing streak going.
Good luck in Week 13!
Cheers,
Bart
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