QBs
1.Cam Newton
2.Matthew Stafford
3.Peyton Manning
4.Tony Romo
5.Drew Brees
6.Tom Brady
7.Russell Wilson
8.Josh McCown
9.Carson Palmer
10.Nick Foles
11.Andy Dalton
12.Colin Kaepernick
13.Philip Rivers
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14.RGIII
15.Alex Smith
16.Matt Flynn
17.Ryan Fitzpatrick
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18.Eli Manning
19.Andrew Luck
20.EJ Manuel
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Last week I was down on Philip Rivers (ESPN #12, ME #20), and he was the #1 fantasy quarterback. Probably my worst call of the year, but no one else was expecting that out of him at Arrowhead either. I can't seem to nail him down from week to week, so I'm not going to list Rivers in the Friday spot for the rest of the season. Sure, I'll rank him. But I'm not going to be high/low on him because he's too hit or miss for me. The guy I was high on in Week 12 was Scott Tolzien (ESPN #21, ME #15), who had a great matchup at home against the Vikings. I felt like he had huge upside, but the one thing I was worried about with him was Mike McCarthy pulling a "Gary Kubiak". Of course that's exactly what happened. Tolzien got yanked in favor of Matt Flynn midway through the 3rd quarter with the Packers trailing 20-7, and the promise of a big fantasy day faded away much like JC Chasez (pictured above).
Peyton Manning was a disappointment for the second week in a row, as the Broncos stuck with the running game in Foxboro on Sunday night. On the other side of the ball, Tom Brady finished as a top-5 fantasy QB as he led his team back to victory in those cold conditions. I hope Peyton can bounce back for me this week and do what Philip Rivers did to the Chiefs last week in KC. There are three games on Thanksgiving, but I only have QBs ranked from two of them. With 32 QBs to potentially rank, I had a hard time fitting either Flacco or Big Ben into my top-20. I think this will be a low scoring affair in what will most likely be windy, freezing conditions tomorrow night.
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RBs |
1.Adrian Peterson
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2.Marshawn Lynch
3.Jamaal Charles
4.Matt Forte
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5.Andre Brown
6.Rashad Jennings
7.Frank Gore
8.LeSean McCoy
9.Chris Johnson
10.Reggie Bush
11.Eddie Lacy
12.DeMarco Murray
13.Alfred Morris
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14.Maurice Jones-Drew
15.Giovani Bernard
16.Shane Vereen
17.CJ Spiller
18.Montee Ball
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19.Danny Woodhead
20.Fred Jackson
21.Pierre Thomas
22.Bilal Powell
23.Le'Veon Bell
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24.Ray Rice
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25.Steven Jackson
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26.Ben Tate
27.Donald Brown
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28.Chris Ogbonnaya
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29.Bobby Rainey
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30.Andre Ellington
31.Benny Cunningham
32.Rashard Mendenhall
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33.Lamar Miller
34.Darren Sproles
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35.Dennis Johnson
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36.Benjarvis Green-Ellis
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37.Joique Bell
38.Brandon Bolden
39.Trent Richardson
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40.Stevan Ridley
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| Moreno had a big night in Week 12, but will he play this week? |
If you thought I missed on my QB picks last week, wait til I remind you of the running backs I talked about. First of all, I was high on Chris Ogbonnaya (ESPN #29, ME #25), who ended up outside of the top-40 fantasy RBs altogether in Week 12. He got most of the early work for Cleveland, but a 2nd quarter fumble had the Browns going to other options. That combined with a playing-from-behind scenario made for a horrible fantasy day for Ogbonnaya. I guess that will teach me to talk up a position player for the Browns. To keep the trend continuing, I was down on Knowshon Moreno (ESPN #8, ME #13). Like Philip Rivers, he finished at the #1 spot at his position last week. So take your pick on my worst call of the fantasy season because you have two good ones to choose from. Knowshon hadn't been putting up top-10 fantasy numbers lately, but he sure did against the Patriots, as Denver gave him a season-high 37 rushing attempts! He racked up 224 yards on the ground and added a touchdown as well. He was dealing with a lower leg injury toward the end of the game though, and it sounds like he may be questionable to play against the Chiefs this Sunday. For now, I'm ranking the Bronco RBs as if he will be out, but keep an eye on him this week.
It was a rough week for RBs, as several left games with injuries. Right now I'm not ranking these guys, but pay attention if you own any of them. I'll try to get an update out on Friday, but that might not be happening this week with the holiday travel and Black Friday shopping taking priority. Zac Stacy left last week's game with a concussion, and as of this writing he still hasn't been cleared to practice. Benny Cunningham could be the starter this week against a tough 49er defense, and he could make for a decent Flex option if he's in line for 20+ touches. One other back who had been playing pretty well lately but also suffered an injury Sunday is Ryan Mathews. Mathews re-aggravated a hamstring injury that he suffered in Week 10 against Denver. He hasn't missed any significant time this year yet, but it was only a matter of time with him. I think it's possible he misses a game or two in order to get fully healthy from this...and Danny Woodhead owners rejoice!
 One guy who might be back this week is Darren McFadden. Oakland plays on Thanksgiving at Dallas, so we'll know pretty early as to whether or not he's a go. For now, I'm ranking Jennings as if he's the starter with no McFadden. If Run-DMC ends up playing tomorrow, I think he falls somewhere in the low-20s and Jennings falls out of the top-10 for me. You'll also notice no Chris Ivory, who is dealing with what he's calling both a high and low ankle sprain. That doesn't sound good and it tells me that Bilal Powell will be the starter Sunday.
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WRs
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1.Calvin Johnson
2.Dez Bryant
3.Brandon Marshall
4.AJ Green
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5.Josh Gordon
6.Demaryius Thomas
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7.Antonio Brown
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8.Larry Fitzgerald
9.Wes Welker
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10.Keenan Allen
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11.Jordy Nelson
12.Alshon Jeffery
13.DeSean Jackson
14.Harry Douglas
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15.Andre Johnson
16.Victor Cruz
17.Pierre Garcon
18.Vincent Jackson
19.Riley Cooper
20.Michael Floyd
21.Kendall Wright
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22.Rod Streater
23.Dwayne Bowe
24.James Jones
25.Percy Harvin
26.Eric Decker
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27.Jarrett Boykin
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28.Torrey Smith
29.Anquan Boldin
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30.Nate Burleson
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31.Mike Wallace
34.Steve Smith
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36.Stevie Johnson
37.Golden Tate
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38.Reuben Randle
39.Danny Amendola
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40.Cordarrelle Patterson
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Last week I was high on Michael Floyd (ESPN #31, ME #21), who was coming off a career game. I mentioned that sometimes you just need to roll with the hot hand, and Floyd got over 100 yards receiving for the 2nd week in a row, landing him inside the top-20. On the other hand, I was down on James Jones (ESPN #29, ME #38). Now, my logic was based on the fact that Scott Tolzien hadn't been throwing to him. Of course we know that Tolzien was pulled in favor of Matt Flynn in the second half, so my logic got thrown out the window. James Jones actually had 80 receiving yards on Sunday, but only 9 of those yards came from Tolzien. Assuming Flynn is the starter this week, I've actually moved Jones up in my rankings considerably.
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| Both Bear WRs are in my top-12 this week. |
The #1 fantasy WR in Week 12 was Josh Gordon, who had well over 200 yards and a TD. This guy appears to be matchup-proof, and he should be a top-10 WR from here on out. There I go again, talking up a position player for the Browns. Hopefully that doesn't jinx him. Some of the other big names like Dez Bryant and Calvin Johnson had more modest fantasy days, but Brandon Marshall continued to roll with McCown throwing to him. I obviously like him a lot this week against Minnesota's secondary, as well as the other wideout for the Bears, Alshon Jeffery. I think both have potential to be a WR1 this week. It's amazing how deep my WR list feels this week with no byes. Guys like Marques Colston and Steve Smith are near the bottom of my rankings, but I can't say that I don't like either of them this week. There's a lot of depth here from top to bottom, and I think a lot of people will be looking to the receivers for Flex plays this week.
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TEs
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1.Rob Gronkowski
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2.Jimmy Graham
3.Jason Witten
4.Julius Thomas
5.Jordan Cameron
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6.Greg Olsen
7.Vernon Davis
8.Coby Fleener
9.Martellus Bennett
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10.Jordan Reed
11.Delanie Walker
12.Tony Gonzalez
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| No, that's not Gates... |
I would say I was 1 for 2 on my TE calls in Week 12. On one hand, I was pretty high on Delanie Walker (ESPN #12, ME #7). He had a very average day against an Oakland defense that had been giving up a ton of points to tight ends this season. On the other hand, I was way down on Antonio Gates (ESPN #5, ME #11). Apparently the ESPN experts thought that after catching his 3rd TD in Week 11, he was suddenly a top-5 tight end again? I'm not really sure what they were thinking because he had a modest 3 catches for 21 yards against the Chiefs. It was actually the 2nd-year TE Ladarius Green who had the better day for San Diego, as he took one of his 3 catches 60 yards to the endzone. Gates seems like he's still the TE to own for the Chargers (at least for now), but they are getting Green a little more involved in the offense these days. In fact, since Week 6, Green has averaged more fantasy points than Gates. This has me ranking neither in my top-12 this week against the Bengals. I am ranking Jordan Reed again this week, as I'm expecting him to return from his concussion. We'll see if he gets cleared to practice this week, but I might have to replace him in my Friday update.
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DEF
1.Panthers
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2.49ers
3.Browns
4.Patriots
5.Ravens
6.Bills
7.Dolphins
8.Bengals
9.Giants
10.Cowboys
11.Cardinals
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12.Seahawks
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| I wish they were playing Geno again, but the Falcons will do. |
Last week, I gave you a lot of stats to promote the Cowboy defense (ESPN #16, ME #9), and I put my money where my mouth was because I started them with Cincy having a bye. Sure enough, they got another defensive TD on their way to a top-12 fantasy day. As long as they're not playing a high-powered offense, they appear to be a lock to get some decent fantasy points on the defensive end. This week I have a dilemma because the Bengals are back from their bye, but they get a relatively tough matchup at San Diego. I don't have Dallas ranked too far behind them, but I actually have the Bills ranked ahead of both of them this week, so I picked them up off the waiver wire. I waived Big D to pick up Buffalo, so the choice now comes down to them versus the Bengals. Cincinnati has been the #1 fantasy defense in their last 4 games, but that also includes 2 games in which their D scored 2 TDs in each contest. The Bills have also been a top-10 fantasy defense during that same span, and they have a much friendlier matchup at home against a Falcons team that has gotten more than 13 points just once in their last 5 games. I'll probably insert Buffalo into my fantasy lineup this week, but this will be a game time decision on Sunday, and the weather might even factor into my final decision.
I should mention I was down on Green Bay last week (ESPN #10, ME not ranked), but they actually finished in the top-15 or so themselves. They've still only forced 3 turnovers in their last 5 games, but they were able to sack Christian Ponder 6 times (which was the most of any team in Week 12). I wouldn't trust them at Detroit on Thanksgiving, but they could be a decent play in Week 14 against Atlanta in Lambeau, especially if they get their star QB back that week. You need to be looking ahead, especially if you're streaming defenses like I am.
I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksiving holiday, and I'll try to get an update done as usual.
Cheers,
Bart
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