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| #meatgasm |
Last night I may have found my new favorite restaurant: Texas de Brazil. My birthday was on Monday, so naturally I've been dragging that out into a birthday week. I'd been wanting to go to Texas de Brazil for a while now, but I didn't want to do it too close to Thanksgiving dinner either. So we went last night, and I ate at least one serving of every type of meat they offered...or at least I thought. Once I was stuffed with as much cooked animal I could handle, one of the guys came around with beef ribs. Dang it! So, I didn't try the ribs. I should have listened to the waiter who said it was a marathon and not a sprint. But I'll know for next time. Oh, there will surely be a next time.
So, originally I wasn't too interested in watching the Texans/Jags game, but I actually did watch a little bit of it when my wife and I got home from dinner. I was in somewhat of a meat coma, and the couch was calling my name. I'll give you a little bit of a recap as usual, talk about the few injury updates around the league, and then of course...the rankings.
QBs: I didn't rank Case Keenum or Chad Henne in my top-20 (neither did the ESPN experts). Keenum actually got pulled again in favor of Schaub, about midway through the 3rd quarter. The way Gary Kubiak is using these quarterbacks, I don't think either is a safe start in the fantasy playoffs. Then again, Kubiak got fired today, so maybe Wade Phillips will handle the situation differently. Meanwhile, Chad Henne actually threw 2 TDs and put up some decent fantasy points, though he barely had over 100 yards passing. Henne has a nice matchup next week against Buffalo, but I think he's way too erratic to consider as your fantasy QB either. You probably won't see any of these guys in my rankings over the next 2 weeks.
RBs: I had MJD ranked up at #15, and he had his best rushing game of the season before exiting in the 4th quarter with a hamstring injury. He continues to put up double-digit fantasy points on a consistent basis, but his owners will need to keep an eye out for his MRI results to see if they'll have him for the fantasy playoffs. If not, Jordan Todman could be a decent Flex play in the coming weeks against Buffalo, Tennessee, and Indy. For Houston, I ranked Ben Tate 12th and actually had Dennis Johnson down at 39th. Tate had a very mediocre game, as the Texans abandoned the run in the second half. Johnson continues to be a non-factor as long as Tate is healthy.
WRs: Andre Johnson owners were happy last night, as he put up another top-10 fantasy performance with 13 catches for 154 yards (I had him ranked 8th). The only Jacksonville WR worth ranking on a weekly basis is Cecil Shorts (who I ranked 28th). He only had 2 receptions last night, but he did find the endzone. What's frustrating with him is that he nearly had a huge fantasy night. He was targeted 6 times, drew a couple of penalties, and Henne missed him on what was a wide open touchdown opportunity. He's currently lurking on my bench, but he'll be an enticing play against the Bills in Week 15...
TEs: I didn't rank any tight ends from these two teams in my top-12, and neither did the experts. But Garrett Graham and Marcedes Lewis both found the endzone and finished with double-digit fantasy points.
DEF: ESPN had the Texans 12th in their rankings, but it was Jacksonville who actually had a decent fantasy night. I know it's easy for me to say this in hindsight, but I did consider the Jags in my top-12 (and not Houston). Jacksonville was horrible in the first half of the season (before their Week 9 bye), but they've quietly been a top-10 fantasy defense over the last 4 weeks. Meanwhile, Houston has been in the bottom-10. I won't be considering the Texans at all in the last few games of the fantasy season, but I might rank the Jags next week when they host the Bills. In fact, it sounds like I'll be ranking a lot of Jags next week against the Bills.
OK. Let's talk about a few injuries...
1. Aaron Rodgers & Jay Cutler: Cutler has already been ruled out for Monday Night Football, so you can plan on starting McCown if you were worried about that for Week 14. As for Week 15 and beyond, I have a feeling it'll be Culter, but time will tell. As for Rodgers, I'm growing concerned that if he doesn't play this week, the Packers will shut him down for the rest of the season. A lot depends on how healthy he is obviously, but I think a lot will also depend on whether or not Green Bay has a shot at the playoffs after this week. I'm keeping a close eye on this, but I might be sitting Jordy Neslon in Weeks 15 & 16 if he still doesn't have Rodgers throwing it his way.
2. Le'Veon Bell & Rashad Jennings: Both suffered concussions on Thanksgiving day, but both were cleared this week and have been practicing. Both are expected to play this week, and you're starting Bell against the Dolphins. But as far as Jennings, you'll notice from my rankings that I don't think he's a very good play this week against the Jets. You might want to consider other options there, if available.
3. Julius Thomas, Jordan Reed, & Delanie Walker: Both Thomas and Reed missed their Week 12 & 13 games, and their status for Week 14 is still up in the air. John Fox returned to practice for the Broncos on Wednesday, but Julius Thomas was still limited. Jordan Reed says he's in the "same place as last week", and as of this writing, Delanie Walker still hasn't been cleared to play. I'd have a Plan B if I was planning to play any of these guys this week.
4. Andre Ellington: He didn't play last week due to a knee injury, and he didn't practice on Wednesday. He did practice on a limited basis yesterday, but he makes for a risky start even if he's active against the Rams. If he's inactive, I think Stepfan Taylor makes for a decent Flex play if you're in a really deep league, as St. Louis has given up the 5th most fantasy points to RBs this year...and Taylor did have 60 yards on just 5 touches last week in Philly. I'm ranking Ellington as if he'll play on a limited basis, but Taylor would be a few spots lower if he's the #2 RB on Sunday.
5. Percy Harvin: Apparently Harvin had a "little procedure" done on his hip earlier this week, and he hasn't been practicing. I wouldn't count on him as a fantasy option this week, and he may not even be able to help you in the fantasy playoffs. We'll see.
That's it for the injury roundup. Let's do the rankings!
So, originally I wasn't too interested in watching the Texans/Jags game, but I actually did watch a little bit of it when my wife and I got home from dinner. I was in somewhat of a meat coma, and the couch was calling my name. I'll give you a little bit of a recap as usual, talk about the few injury updates around the league, and then of course...the rankings.
QBs: I didn't rank Case Keenum or Chad Henne in my top-20 (neither did the ESPN experts). Keenum actually got pulled again in favor of Schaub, about midway through the 3rd quarter. The way Gary Kubiak is using these quarterbacks, I don't think either is a safe start in the fantasy playoffs. Then again, Kubiak got fired today, so maybe Wade Phillips will handle the situation differently. Meanwhile, Chad Henne actually threw 2 TDs and put up some decent fantasy points, though he barely had over 100 yards passing. Henne has a nice matchup next week against Buffalo, but I think he's way too erratic to consider as your fantasy QB either. You probably won't see any of these guys in my rankings over the next 2 weeks.
RBs: I had MJD ranked up at #15, and he had his best rushing game of the season before exiting in the 4th quarter with a hamstring injury. He continues to put up double-digit fantasy points on a consistent basis, but his owners will need to keep an eye out for his MRI results to see if they'll have him for the fantasy playoffs. If not, Jordan Todman could be a decent Flex play in the coming weeks against Buffalo, Tennessee, and Indy. For Houston, I ranked Ben Tate 12th and actually had Dennis Johnson down at 39th. Tate had a very mediocre game, as the Texans abandoned the run in the second half. Johnson continues to be a non-factor as long as Tate is healthy.
TEs: I didn't rank any tight ends from these two teams in my top-12, and neither did the experts. But Garrett Graham and Marcedes Lewis both found the endzone and finished with double-digit fantasy points. DEF: ESPN had the Texans 12th in their rankings, but it was Jacksonville who actually had a decent fantasy night. I know it's easy for me to say this in hindsight, but I did consider the Jags in my top-12 (and not Houston). Jacksonville was horrible in the first half of the season (before their Week 9 bye), but they've quietly been a top-10 fantasy defense over the last 4 weeks. Meanwhile, Houston has been in the bottom-10. I won't be considering the Texans at all in the last few games of the fantasy season, but I might rank the Jags next week when they host the Bills. In fact, it sounds like I'll be ranking a lot of Jags next week against the Bills.
OK. Let's talk about a few injuries...
1. Aaron Rodgers & Jay Cutler: Cutler has already been ruled out for Monday Night Football, so you can plan on starting McCown if you were worried about that for Week 14. As for Week 15 and beyond, I have a feeling it'll be Culter, but time will tell. As for Rodgers, I'm growing concerned that if he doesn't play this week, the Packers will shut him down for the rest of the season. A lot depends on how healthy he is obviously, but I think a lot will also depend on whether or not Green Bay has a shot at the playoffs after this week. I'm keeping a close eye on this, but I might be sitting Jordy Neslon in Weeks 15 & 16 if he still doesn't have Rodgers throwing it his way.
2. Le'Veon Bell & Rashad Jennings: Both suffered concussions on Thanksgiving day, but both were cleared this week and have been practicing. Both are expected to play this week, and you're starting Bell against the Dolphins. But as far as Jennings, you'll notice from my rankings that I don't think he's a very good play this week against the Jets. You might want to consider other options there, if available.
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| If Ellington is out again, Taylor could get some touches. |
4. Andre Ellington: He didn't play last week due to a knee injury, and he didn't practice on Wednesday. He did practice on a limited basis yesterday, but he makes for a risky start even if he's active against the Rams. If he's inactive, I think Stepfan Taylor makes for a decent Flex play if you're in a really deep league, as St. Louis has given up the 5th most fantasy points to RBs this year...and Taylor did have 60 yards on just 5 touches last week in Philly. I'm ranking Ellington as if he'll play on a limited basis, but Taylor would be a few spots lower if he's the #2 RB on Sunday.
5. Percy Harvin: Apparently Harvin had a "little procedure" done on his hip earlier this week, and he hasn't been practicing. I wouldn't count on him as a fantasy option this week, and he may not even be able to help you in the fantasy playoffs. We'll see.
That's it for the injury roundup. Let's do the rankings!
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