Well I'm out of championship contention in my third league, in which (if you recall) I finished with the MOST regular season fantasy points and nearly missed the playoffs. I would have beaten either of the other teams playing last week in that league, but of course not the one I faced. So frustrating this fantasy football sometimes. BUT I won the 2-week first round playoff matchup against my wife in my ESPN league (sorry, honey), so I'm in the championship there. I'm still fighting for the top spot in the Consolation bracket in my money league (which is a misnomer for me this year since I will get no money from it). It may seem meaningless at first glance, but it could get me more bingo balls for next year's draft.
Anyway, let's get right to the rankings!
3.Cam Newton
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15.Eli Manning
I told you to start Ryan Fitzpatrick with confidence last week (ESPN #13, ME #7), and he finished as a top-5 fantasy quarterback. I also told you not to trust Ryan Tannehill in the first round of your fantasy playoffs (ESPN #14, ME NOT RANKED), and he finished outside of the top-15. Let's see if I can nail my QB picks for two weeks in a row!
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 I'm high on: Marcus Mariota (ESPN #20, ME #14)
The Patriots are definitely a tough matchup for the rookie, but Mariota has quietly been a top-5 fantasy QB in the last 4 weeks. I don't expect the Titans to keep this game close, so he'll likely be forced to throw a lot. I could see him finishing inside the top-10 this week and is definitely worthy of higher than ESPN's ranking of 20th.
I'm down on: Philip Rivers (ESPN #13, ME NOT RANKED)
Speaking of the last 4 weeks, not many QBs have been colder than Rivers in that span. Some of it has been tough matchups (once against Denver and twice against Kansas City), but some of it has been his lack of healthy WRs. The Dolphins are definitely a more favorable matchup this week, but I'm not sure I'd trust Rivers as my fantasy QB if I was in the playoffs and considering starting him.
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RBs |
1.Adrian Peterson
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2.LeSean McCoy
3.Doug Martin
4.Lamar Miller
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5.DeAngelo Williams
6.David Johnson
7.Todd Gurley
8.Devonta Freeman
9.Matt Forte
10.Chris Ivory
11.Eddie Lacy
12.Latavius Murray
13.Denard Robinson
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14.Charcandrick West
15.Darren McFadden
16.Shaun Draughn
17.Frank Gore
18.Javorius Allen
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19.Jeremy Hill
20.Tim Hightower
21.Fozzy Whittaker
22.CJ Anderson
23.Brandon Bolden
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24.Ameer Abdullah
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25.Bryce Brown
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26.Giovani Bernard
27.Ronnie Hillman
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28.James White
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29.Matt Jones
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30.Ryan Mathews
31.James Starks
32.Jeremy Langford
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33.Antonio Andrews
34.Bilal Powell
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35.Melvin Gordon
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I nailed it with my running back picks in Week 14 too. I was high on Bilal Powell (ESPN #51, ME #34), who actually outscored Chris Ivory for the third time in 4 weeks. Ivory had a good game himself, but it was Powell who finished as a top-12 fantasy RB. I was down on CJ Anderson (ESPN #18, ME #23), and I said I liked a healthy Ronnie Hillman much better. Anderson was active for this game but didn't play a snap, so he was obviously not a good play last week. I have him back in my rankings this week, as he's expected back in the lineup.
 I'm high on: Ameer Abdullah (ESPN #34, ME #24)
Some of this is the fact that the Saints defense is horrible, but a lot of it is just gut feel. Abdullah has been getting more carries as of late, and I have a good feeling that he's going to shine on Monday night. The Lions aren't really playing for anything at this point, so why not feed their rookie RB and see what he can do against one of the worst defenses in the league?
I'm down on: Tim Hightower (ESPN #13, ME #20)
Sticking with the same game, I think we might need to pump the breaks on the former Richmond Spider. I like him enough to start him in one league at my FLEX position, but 13th just seems to high against a Lions defense that has been stopping the run a lot better in the second half of the season. I think ESPN moved him up way too much after last week's solid performance.
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WRs
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1.Julio Jones
2.DeAndre Hopkins
3.Calvin Johnson
4.Odell Beckham, Jr.
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5.Brandon Marshall
6.Allen Robinson
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7.Sammy Watkins
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8.Antonio Brown
9.Alshon Jeffery
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10.Larry Fitzgerald
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11.Doug Baldwin
12.Eric Decker
13.Mike Evans
14.AJ Green
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15.Demaryius Thomas
16.Jeremy Maclin
17.Jarvis Landry
18.John Brown
19.Danny Amendola
20.Brandin Cooks
21.Randall Cobb
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22.Martavis Bryant
23.Allen Hurns
24.Michael Floyd
25.TY Hilton
26.Amari Cooper
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27.Golden Tate
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28.Dez Bryant
29.Emmanuel Sanders
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30.Tyler Lockett
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31.Michael Crabtree
34.Brandon LaFell
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I was 1 for 2 with my WR picks last week, but really one of them should not have counted. I was high on Vincent Jackson (ESPN #35, ME #24), but he left early in the 2nd quarter with a knee injury and didn't return. Tough to put that one in the "L" column due to the injury, but so be it. I was right about Michael Crabtree (ESPN #25, ME #34), who finished with 4 catches for 19 yards against Denver.
I'm high on: Sammy Watkins (ESPN #14, ME #7)
There are only a couple of WRs hotter than Sammy over the last 3 weeks, and I don't see why he and Tyrod wouldn't keep it going against the Redskins on Sunday. I hope Washington can slow them down enough to pull off the victory, but I think Watkins will still get his and finish as a top-10 fantasy WR.
 I'm down on: Michael Crabtree (ESPN #16, ME #31)
I hate to use the same guy two weeks in a row, but ESPN moved Crabtree up nearly 10 spots and I can't justify doing that. I realize the matchup against Green Bay is much better than Denver, but that doesn't change the fact that Crabtree STILL hasn't had more than 55 receiving yards in a game since Week 9!
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TEs
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1.Rob Gronkowski
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2.Greg Olsen
3.Jordan Reed
4.Delanie Walker
5.Julius Thomas
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6.Antonio Gates
7.Gary Barnidge
8.Tyler Eifert
9.Travis Kelce
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10.Ben Watson
| I whiffed on my tight end picks last week. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins (ESPN #18, ME #8) only had 31 yards receiving and finished outside of the top-25 fantasy TEs in Week 14. Meanwhile, Gary Barnidge (ESPN #5, ME #9) kept it rolling, even with Johnny Manziel under center. He finished as a top-5 fantasy TE and should continue to be started down the stretch. My top-10 this week is basically the same as ESPN's, so let's move on to the defenses. |
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DEF
1.Seahawks
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2.Chiefs
3.Patriots
4.Jets
5.Bengals
6.Panthers
7.Texans
8.Cardinals
9.Vikings
10.Steelers
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I was 1 for 2 on my defense picks versus ESPN last week. I was high on the Chicago Bears (ESPN #13, ME #9), but they couldn't stop Kirk Cousins (You like that?!). The Redskins won 24-21 and only turned the ball over once. The Bears were not a top-15 fantasy defense in Week 14, but neither were the Cincinnati Bengals (ESPN #10, ME NOT RANKED). I tried to tell you that the Steelers would put up plenty of points against Cincy, and I'd be worried about starting the Broncos at Pittsburgh this week. Denver just missed my top-10 this week, which is also basically the same as the ESPN expert rankings. Sorry, but no comparisons at this position either.
Good luck to everyone in Week 15!
(Except you, Tommy...and Leslie!)
Cheers,
Bart
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