Wednesday, November 29, 2017

2017 Fantasy Football Week 13 Rankings

Image result for geno smith giantsAnyone else ever leave 50 fantasy points on their bench from just a handful of players and then spend Sunday evening regretting those decisions?  Sure you have.  It happens.  But I'm not talking about choosing between Mike Evans & Nelson Agholor or Josh McCown over Cam Newton.  For the most part, you should absolutely start your studs and hope for the best.  I'm talking about my squad last week where I had some really close start/sit choices based on both my rankings as well as various expert rankings: Jared Cook vs Jack Doyle, Atlanta vs San Diego defense, and Jordan Howard vs Robby Anderson at my FLEX spot.  I made the wrong choice on ALL of those close calls, and a couple of them would've made the difference in my high-scoring matchup.  It's all good though because I'm in the playoffs regardless of what happens this week.  But that first round bye sure would've been nice...

Anyway, let's get into my recap from last week's picks starting with the QBs.  I was 2 for 2, but I missed on my "bonus pick", so I guess I was technically 2 for 3.  I was high on Andy Dalton (ESPN #17, ME #9), who has now thrown for multiple touchdowns in 7 of his last 9 games.  He finished right where I ranked him as the #9 QB in Week 12.  I was down on Marcus Mariota (ESPN #8, ME #18), who continued his poor play and ended up outside of the top-25 QBs.  Finishing just barely ahead of Mariota was my bonus pick: Joe Flacco (ESPN #24, ME #17).  Joe had zero touchdown passes and finished right around where ESPN ranked him.  That Raven offense looks rough, but their defense and special teams just might get them into the playoffs.  

As for the running backs, I wasn't really down on anyone versus the experts, but I talked up Rex Burkhead quite a bit (ESPN #46, ME #28).  I explained how he would get back to a 50/50 split with Dion Lewis (which he did), and I mentioned how Rex made for a great FLEX play against a terrible Miami defense.  It turns out I was right there too because Burkhead scored twice and finished as a top-5 RB!

Image result for robby anderson jetsI nailed both of my WR picks versus the ESPN experts, but I should've listened to my gut and benched Jordan Howard for Robby Anderson in my FLEX spot (ESPN #35, ME #17).  I guess I should've asked myself who was more likely to find the endzone because that was clearly Anderson.  He actually scored twice and finished as the #3 fantasy WR just behind Julio and AB.  It's going to be hard for me not to plug Anderson into my FLEX spot this week for Kareem Hunt (who has been so frustrating lately!).  That's going to be a tough choice to go along with my Jared Cook versus Jack Doyle dilemma.  Anyway, Jay Cutler was out with a concussion last week (as expected), and Matt Moore barely looked for the guy I was down on: DeVante Parker (ESPN #29, ME #45).  Parker only caught one ball for 5 yards and obviously finished well outside of the top-50 WRs last week.  Cutler is back this week and Aqib Talib is out, so I actually have Parker back up in my rankings.  Quarterbacks and corner matchups matter, people!

I obviously made the wrong tight end call on my own fantasy team (starting Cook over Doyle) but my picks versus the expert rankings were solid.  I was high on Charles Clay (ESPN #16, ME #10) who had 60 yards against the Chiefs in a low scoring game, and he finished in the top-12.  I was down on Greg Olsen (ESPN #6, ME #13) who I didn't think would be a top-10 TE in his first game back from the IR.  I said to wait a week and see how he looked, and I was right.  Not only was he on a snap count, but he reinjured his foot and only finished with one catch for 10 yards.  Also finishing with only one catch (other than Jared Cook, ugh!) was my TE bonus pick: Adam Shaheen (ESPN NOT RANKED, ME #15).  I don't really know what to say about the Bears in that game other than they were simply terrible...and no more bonus picks this week!

I don't really want to talk about my Defense pick in the Atlanta Falcons (ESPN #17, ME #11) because they did absolutely nothing against the Bucs, and it's a sore subject because I started them instead of the Chargers (who finished as the #1 fantasy defense in Week 12!).  That's not happening again though because I dropped the Falcons and will likely roll with the Bolts the rest of the season.  Between that defense and the Rivers to Keenan Allen connection, my fantasy team has a lot riding on the Chargers down the stretch.  We'll see how it all plays out, but I actually think that team could win the AFC West, especially with the way the Chiefs have been tanking lately...

To the rankings!

QBs
1.Tom Brady
2.Russell Wilson 
3.Kirk Cousins  
4.Carson Wentz  
5.Philip Rivers
6.Ben Roethlisberger 
7.Cam Newton 
8.Jared Goff 
9.Drew Brees     
10.Case Keenum 
11.Tyrod Taylor
12.Matt Ryan  
13.Josh McCown 
14.Derek Carr
15.Marcus Mariota     
16.Dak Prescott 
17.Matthew Stafford 
18.Alex Smith 
19.Andy Dalton  
20.Jameis Winston

I'm high on: Ben Roethlisberger (ESPN #11, ME #6)
Image result for roethlisbergerI know everyone wants to fade Big Ben based on his home/road splits, but I just can't ignore the fact that he's been the #1 fantasy QB over the last three weeks.  He's thrown 8 touchdowns in those 3 games, and I feel like he's a lock for multiple touchdowns on Monday Night Football.  Ride the hot streak.

I'm not really down on any QBs versus the ESPN experts, so let's move onto the running backs!
RBs
1.Le'Veon Bell 
2.Todd Gurley 
3.Alvin Kamara
4.Leonard Fournette 
5.LeSean McCoy 
6.Mark Ingram
7.Jordan Howard 
8.Melvin Gordon
9.Carlos Hyde 
10.Marshawn Lynch 
11.Samaje Perine
12.Dion Lewis 
13.Kareem Hunt  
14.Jamaal Williams 
15.Lamar Miller  
16.Latavius Murray 
17.Christian McCaffery   
18.Devonta Freeman
19.Joe Mixon 
20.Adrian Peterson 
21.Kenyan Drake
22.Alex Collins 
23.Rex Burkhead  
24.Alfred Morris 
25.Isaiah Crowell 
26.DeMarco Murray 
27.Jacquizz Rodgers
28.Orleans Darkwa 
29.Tevin Coleman
30.Frank Gore 
31.Ameer Adbullah 
32.Jerick McKinnon   
33.Duke Johnson 
34.Austin Ekeler 
35.Devontae Booker  
36.Bilal Powell  
37.LeGarrette Blount  
38.Jonathan Stewart
39.Derrick Henry    
40.C.J. Anderson  
41.Jay Ajayi   
42.Theo Riddick  
43.Rod Smith
44.Tarik Cohen   
45.J.D. McKissic 
46.Danny Woodhead  
47.Wayne Gallman
48.Marlon Mack 
49.Matt Forte
50.Peyton Barber



Image result for ekeler chargersI'm high on: Austin Ekeler (ESPN #49, ME #34)
ESPN barely ranked Ekeler in their top-50, but I actually think he could be considered as a FLEX play this week against the Browns.  While I realize it's an extremely small sample size, Ekeler has actually been a top-12 RB in his last 3 games.  Obviously that doesn't have me ranking him in my top-12 because Melvin Gordon is still getting the vast majority of carries in the Charger backfield, but the undrafted rookie has earned some touches as a change-of-pace back.  The Chargers have won their last two games by an average of 26 points, and they could keep that going against Cleveland this weekend.  If that happens, look for Gordon to sit in the fourth quarter and Ekeler to rack up some yardage.

I'm down on: Danny Woodhead (ESPN #30, ME #46)
One could look at Woodhead's production leap from Week 11 to Week 12 as a positive, but we're talking about 23 total yards to 45 total yards.  Alex Collins has established himself as the lead back (or as much of one as Baltimore is going to have this season), and as long as he's healthy I'm not sure Little Danny Woodhead is getting enough snaps to warrant a top-30 ranking just yet.  Both Woodhead and Buck Allen were both in the mix against the Texans behind Collins, and I think that continues this week against Detroit.





WRs
1.Antonio Brown 
2.Julio Jones 
3.DeAndre Hopkins 
4.Mike Evans 
5.Keenan Allen  
6.Adam Thielen
7.Brandin Cooks 
8.A.J. Green   
9.Michael Thomas 
10.Doug Baldwin  
11.Davante Adams
12.Devin Funchess
13.Alshon Jeffery 
14.Larry Fitzgerald  
15.Robby Anderson    
16.Jamison Crowder  
17.Tyreek Hill 
18.Jarvis Landry
19.Demaryius Thomas  
20.Stefon Diggs 
21.Cooper Kupp
22.Marvin Jones, Jr.  
23.Dez Bryant
24.Golden Tate  
25.DeSean Jackson 
26.Sterling Shepard
27.Josh Doctson 
28.Ted Ginn, Jr. 
29.Mohamed Sanu 
30.Marqise Lee
31.Martavis Bryant
32.Emmanuel Sanders  
33.Corey Davis  
34.T.Y. Hilton 
35.DeVante Parker
36.Nelson Agholor   
37.Jermaine Kearse    
38.Josh Reynolds
39.Corey Coleman  
40.Seth Roberts 
41.Dontrelle Inman
42.Marquise Goodwin 
43.Jeremy Maclin
44.Cordarrelle Patterson 
45.Sammy Watkins 
46.Bruce Ellington 
47.Zay Jones   
48.Dede Westbrook      
49.Paul Richardson
50.Randall Cobb  
I'm high on: Josh Reynolds (ESPN NOT RANKED, ME #38)
I'm going to give you somewhat of a long shot who virtually ZERO experts are ranking this week.  In the first game without injured Robert Woods last week, Josh Reynolds hauled in 4 of 6 targets for 37 yards and a touchdown.  While that might not seem like a lot, consider the matchup for the rookie this week against Arizona.  Sammy Watkins will likely be smothered/covered by Patrick Peterson like he's a side dish at a Waffle House, and that could mean more targets for Reynolds.  Cooper Kupp will certainly get peppered by Jared Cook as well, but I like Reynolds to have a decent game.  In fact, I even have him ranked higher than Watkins!  If you're desperate for a FLEX play this week, the Texas A&M rookie is certainly hanging out there on your waiver wire. 

I'm down on: Josh Gordon (ESPN #39, ME NOT RANKED)
Image result for josh gordon brownsWhen I saw Josh Gordon's name in the rankings when he hasn't played in a game since 2014, I had one thought: "Come on, man!"  He's supposed to be making his return this week, but that doesn't mean you immediately plug him into your FLEX spot...after a 3 year hiatus!!!  Gordon's consensus Non-PPR ranking is even ahead of teammate Corey Coleman, which just doesn't make any sense to me.


TEs
1.Rob Gronkowski
2.Zach Ertz 
3.Travis Kelce
4.Jimmy Graham
5.Delanie Walker
6.Jared Cook 
7.Jack Doyle 
8.Evan Engram 
9.Kyle Rudolph
10.Hunter Henry  
11.Charles Clay 
12.Julius Thomas
13.Vernon Davis
14.Austin Sefarian-Jenkins 
15.Ricky Seals-Jones

Image result for julius thomas dolphinsI'm high on: Julius Thomas (ESPN #18, ME #12)
I definitely didn't think I'd rank Julius Thomas in my top-12 this season, but here we are.  The fact is, he's been a top-5 fantasy tight end the last 4 weeks.  And while a lot of those points came in one game against Oakland, he's averaging nearly 6 targets in those last 4 games too.  He's facing his old team this week as the Broncos come to town, and they give up a ton of fantasy points to tight ends (as long as your name isn't Jared Cook).  Revenge game!
 
I'm down on: Greg Olsen...again! (ESPN #9, ME NOT RANKED)
I really hate to be a broken record, but what's the deal here?!?  Olsen isn't even a sure thing to play this week after re-injuring his foot in his first game back since Week 2.  On top of that, he only has 4 catches for 38 yards in the 3 games he's played this season.  I don't know why ESPN thinks he'll be a top-10 tight end this week, but I'm not buying it.

DEF
1.Jaguars 
2.Chargers 
3.Ravens    
4.Steelers
5.Titans 
6.Rams
7.Patriots
8.Eagles 
9.Bears
10.Broncos
11.Chiefs
12.Raiders

I'm not really high/low on many defenses versus the ESPN experts this week, but I will say that you might want to think twice about that Seattle defense against Philly.  ESPN has them dangerously close to the top-12, and they've lost a lot of key players to injury on the defensive side of the ball.  Oh, and the Eagles are scoring a ton of points and not turning the ball over.  Check out the waiver wire because there are some good matchups out there this week (like the Titans, Bears, and now even the Raiders against Geno Smith!). 

Good luck to everyone in Week 13!
(Except you, Tommy.....and anyone else ahead of me in the standings.....and Trey in my other league!)

Cheers,
Bart

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

2017 Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings

Last week I said it was time to consider plugging in that guy on your bench (or even the waiver wire) who has had some big games lately.  I mentioned players like JuJu, Crowell, and Marqise Lee.  Well, those guys combined for a whopping 11 fantasy points (oops!).  But it's the holiday season: it's the thought that counts, right?  Hopefully you inserted a running back like Austin Ekeler or Corey Clement instead...or at least Orleans Darkwa or Dion Lewis (since those guys are owned in way more leagues).  All of those RBs remained hot in Week 11.

Image result for mckissic seahawksAs for my other picks, let's just get them out of the way up front, shall we?  I didn't have as many because my QB and DEF rankings versus the ESPN experts were too similar.  I also wasn't really down on any RBs versus the experts, but I really liked J.D. McKissic to have a good game on Monday night (ESPN NOT RANKED, ME #36).  As you can see, none of the experts even listed McKissic in their top-50 non-PPR RB rankings, but I thought he could rack up some yardage against the Falcons.  As it turned out, Thomas Rawls was a healthy scratch and McKissic played on 50 of 74 offensive snaps.  He led all Seattle RBs with 12 touches, and he finished EXACTLY WHERE I RANKED HIM as the #36 RB last week. 

My WR picks were terrible though.  I was high on JuJu Smith-Schuster (ESPN #27, ME #17), who had scored in three straight before Thursday night.  That streak ended against the Titans, and he finished with less than 5 fantasy points.  I was down on Keenan Allen (ESPN #12, ME #26), who hadn't scored double digit fantasy points since Week 4.  He went off against the Bills, catching 12 balls for 159 yards and two touchdowns (naturally). 

After a month of no comparisons versus the experts at the tight end position (because our rankings were essentially the same every week), Week 11 was a bit different.  I wasn't crazy about Delanie Walker against the Steelers (ESPN #6, ME #11), but he actually finished with 92 yards (his most in any game all season) and was a top-5 TE.  But that doesn't tell the whole story because he still hasn't had a receiving touchdown all year, and he hasn't had double-digit fantasy points since Week 2.  That's why I had a hard time ranking him highly against a defense giving up the 3rd fewest fantasy points to opposing TEs.  Anyway, I was high on Tyler Kroft (ESPN #15, ME #7), who was facing a Denver defense that has been getting torched by the tight end position all year.  Kroft didn't rack up much yardage against the Broncos, but he did find the endzone and finished in the top-12 (a top-12 filled mostly with "randos", which made him more like a top-5 play all things considered).


OK.  So with last week's recap done, let's talk about something else that's also done: the bye weeks.  Woohoo!!!  With all of the teams playing every week for the rest of the season, I'm expanding each position back out a bit.  Keep in mind the "rest of the season" is just two weeks before the fantasy playoffs start, so let's do this!

...oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

To the rankings!

QBs
1.Tom Brady
2.Russell Wilson 
3.Carson Wentz  
4.Cam Newton 
5.Kirk Cousins
6.Drew Brees 
7.Alex Smith
8.Ben Roethlisberger  
9.Andy Dalton
10.Jared Goff 
11.Matt Ryan   
12.Matthew Stafford 
13.Dak Prescott 
14.Tyrod Taylor
15.Philip Rivers   
16.Jacoby Brissett  
17.Joe Flacco
18.Marcus Mariota  
19.Derek Carr  
20.Case Keenum

I talked about my team in this spot last week, and I mentioned how it's been tough to pick my QB ever since losing Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston to injury in the same week.  I went with Eli over Rivers in Week 10, and I was planning to go back to the well in Week 11.  But when I saw the windy weather forecast to go along with Sterling Shepard being ruled out with migraines, I pulled the plug on the Eli Manning experiment.  I went with Rivers, and boy am I glad I did.  He helped my team finish with the most points for the week, and I even jumped from 4th to 2nd place. I'm still holding on to the most points scored, and this is a big week because I'm facing the guy who scored the second most points last week (and who is now in 3rd place).  This game will likely determine who gets a bye in my fantasy playoffs (which is HUGE)!

As I mentioned earlier, I didn't have any comparisons at the QB position last week versus the ESPN experts because my rankings were just too similar.  But this week since I'm expanding my rankings out to a top-20, I'm able to give you someone I like/don't like versus the ESPN guys, and I'll even give you a bonus pick!

I'm high on: Andy Dalton (ESPN #17, ME #9)
If you look at the Red Rifle's last 5 games, he has multiple passing TDs in all of them except for the Week 9 loss in Jacksonville.  And let's face it, pretty much no QB does anything against the Jags this season.  Dalton had 4 TDs in Cleveland in Week 4, and I think he'll be a top-10 fantasy QB against the Browns again this week.

I'm down on: Marcus Mariota (ESPN #8, ME #18)
Mariota always has a fairly safe floor because he tends to get a decent amount of rushing yards, but the guy has 8 passing TDs versus 10 interceptions on the season.  He's only scored more than 18 fantasy points once all year, and I tend to think the Titans will run all over the Colts rather than air it out.  I'd actually start Jacoby Brissett over Mariota in this same game.

Image result for joe flaccoQB Bonus Special!
I'm high on: Joe Flacco (ESPN #24, ME #17)
Hear me out.  I realize there are some decent streaming options this week, but if you're in a deep league and every QB seems to be taken, I guarantee you Flacco is on your waiver wire.  And he should be.  Joe isn't even in the top-25 fantasy QBs this season.  His volume has been low, and he's only thrown for multiple touchdowns twice this year.  But this week he's facing the Texans on Monday Night Football, and they have been absolutely terrible against QBs lately.  I'm talking like "give up 3 TDs to Blaine Gabbert" bad.  Houston has now given up THE MOST fantasy points to opposing QBs this season, and I think Flacco will have his best game of the year Monday night.  The Ravens are actually right in the playoff hunt in the AFC, and this could be a statement game where people start realizing that Baltimore could sneak into the postseason with a solid finish down the stretch.

RBs
1.Le'Veon Bell 
2.Mark Ingram
3.Todd Gurley 
4.Kareem Hunt
5.LeSean McCoy
6.Melvin Gordon
7.Alvin Kamara
8.Leonard Fournette
9.Tevin Coleman 
10.Lamar Miller 
11.Carlos Hyde 
12.DeMarco Murray
13.Jordan Howard
14.Samaje Perine
15.Alfred Morris 
16.Christian McCaffery
17.Dion Lewis
18.Latavius Murray 
19.Orleans Darkwa 
20.Alex Collins 
21.Adrian Peterson    
22.Joe Mixon 
23.Marshawn Lynch
24.Doug Martin
25.Jay Ajayi    
26.Jamaal Williams   
27.Jerick McKinnon 
28.Rex Burkhead   
29.Duke Johnson 
30.Frank Gore 
31.Bilal Powell  
32.Devontae Booker 
33.Ameer Adbullah 
34.C.J. Anderson
35.J.D. McKissic  
36.Damien Williams
37.Isaiah Crowell
38.Jonathan Stewart  
39.Kenyan Drake
40.Danny Woodhead
41.James White 
42.Corey Clement
43.Derrick Henry
44.Marlon Mack
45.Austin Ekeler  
46.Theo Riddick
47.LeGarrette Blount
48.Tarik Cohen
49.Terron Ward
50.Rod Smith

I'm high on: Rex Burkhead (ESPN #46, ME #28)
Image result for rex burkheadI'm not really down on many RBs versus the experts for the second week in a row, so let me just take the time here to talk about what Rex Burkhead has done the last couple of weeks.  After the Patriots came off their Week 9 bye, they pretty much decided they were done playing Mike Gillislee in favor of Dion Lewis.  That's also when Burkhead starting getting more playing time than James White, and Rex had a breakout game against the Broncos in which he had double digit carries and found the endzone on a short pass from Brady.  Last week in Mexico City, he fumbled early in the game and lost a few touches to White, but Rex still got more snaps/touches.  I think Burkhead will get back to more of a 50/50 split with Dion Lewis this week, and in that offense against a terrible Miami defense, fire up FLEX-y Rexy.




WRs
1.Antonio Brown 
2.A.J. Green   
3.Julio Jones
4.Michael Thomas 
5.Adam Thielen
6.Mike Evans 
7.Brandin Cooks
8.Doug Baldwin 
9.DeAndre Hopkins 
10.Keenan Allen 
11.Alshon Jeffery 
12.Tyreek Hill  
13.Dez Bryant  
14.Jarvis Landry  
15.Devin Funchess 
16.Demaryius Thomas
17.Robby Anderson 
18.T.Y. Hilton    
19.Davante Adams
20.Golden Tate
21.Larry Fitzgerald 
22.Michael Crabtree
23.JuJu Smith-Schuster   
24.Rishard Matthews  
25.Stefon Diggs
26.Jamison Crowder
27.Emmanuel Sanders
28.Amari Cooper
29.Marvin Jones, Jr.
30.Mohamed Sanu 
31.Cooper Kupp
32.Jeremy Maclin   
33.Josh Doctson 
34.Corey Davis  
35.Sammy Watkins
36.DeSean Jackson  
37.Marqise Lee   
38.Corey Coleman 
39.Ted Ginn, Jr. 
40.Paul Richardson 
41.Kenny Stills 
42.Danny Amendola  
43.Mike Wallace 
44.Nelson Agholor 
45.DeVante Parker 
46.Marquise Goodwin 
47.Jermaine Kearse
48.Dontrelle Inman
49.Brandon LaFell
50.Tyler Lockett

Image result for robby anderson
I'm high on: Robby Anderson (ESPN #35, ME #17)
Maybe it's because he had the late bye last week, but the ESPN rankers seem to have forgotten that Anderson had 4 straight games with a touchdown before the off week.  Whatever the case, Robby is Josh's guy...and now I realize that sounds like two children who are good friends.  Either way, I think the two will pick up right where they left off.  Anderson has been a top-10 WR since Week 6, and it seems strange to me that ESPN would rank him like he's barely a FLEX play against Carolina.

I'm down on: DeVante Parker (ESPN #29, ME #45)
After Cutler left the game against the Bucs, Matt Moore looked for Stills and Landry way more than Parker.  Cutler is likely out this week with a concussion, and Parker's numbers could suffer.  He's only had double-digit fantasy points once this season, and he hasn't scored since Week 3.  To me, DeVante is more of a dart throw than a starter right now.


TEs
1.Rob Gronkowski
2.Travis Kelce
3.Evan Engram 
4.Zach Ertz 
5.Jimmy Graham
6.Vernon Davis 
7.Jared Cook
8.Delanie Walker
9.Jack Doyle 
10.Charles Clay 
11.Tyler Kroft
12.Kyle Rudolph 
13.Greg Olsen
14.Austin Sefarian-Jenkins
15.Adam Shaheen

I'm high on: Charles Clay (ESPN #16, ME #10)
Image result for greg olsenLast week when Tyrod got into the game in the second half, he looked for Clay on a 2 yard touchdown.  The only problem was, it got called back for offensive pass interference.  So on the next play from the 12 yard line, Tyrod went to Clay again.  This time, Clay dropped the would-be touchdown.  Now I realize all of that sounds very negative for ranking Clay in my top-10 this week, but I highlight it because if he found the endzone last week, everyone would be ranking him in their top-10 this week.  But they're not, and I am.  Tyrod has been named the starter against the Chiefs this week, and rightfully so.  He'll likely pepper Clay with targets, and I think the tight end will have his best game since Week 4.

I'm down on: Greg Olsen (ESPN #6, ME #13)
With Kelvin Benjamin now in Buffalo, Curtis Samuel on the IR, and Russell Shepard dropping half of everything thrown his way, the return of Olsen to this lineup couldn't come at a better time.  That being said, who knows if he'll be 100% healthy and what kind of snap count he could be on against the Jets...?  Personally, I'd wait a week before plugging him right back into my lineup, but ESPN disagrees with that logic.  I guess we'll see what happens.

Another Bonus Special...this time, it's a tight end!
I'm high on: Adam Shaheen (ESPN NOT RANKED, ME #15)
I thought about ranking someone like Jason Witten, Eric Ebron, or Hunter Henry to round out my top-15.  Any one of those guys could find the endzone on Thanksgiving, but they've all been very inconsistent lately.  Then I thought why not go for some upside with a guy who has a combined 80 yards and a touchdown in his last two games?  This pick depends a lot on Dion Sims being OUT again, but as long as he is, Shaheen should be the beneficiary of a handful of targets from Trubisky.  I like for the rookie to make a couple of plays and sneak into the top-15 this week.

DEF
1.Jaguars 
2.Ravens
3.Steelers  
4.Bengals   
5.Eagles
6.Patriots
7.Seahawks 
8.Panthers
9.Vikings 
10.Chiefs
11.Falcons
12.Redskins
13.Chargers 
14.Cardinals 
15.Titans

I'm high on: Atlanta Falcons (ESPN #17, ME #11)
I'm not really down on any defenses versus the ESPN experts this week, but I really like Atlanta at home against Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bucs.  I didn't watch all of the Falcons/Seahawks game on Monday night, but Atlanta did a good job getting to the quarterback and forcing turnovers.  They have 11 sacks in their last two games, and they have two takeaways in 3 straight contests.  They've been a top-10 fantasy defense the last 4 weeks, and I'm probably going to start them in my own league this week.  Of course if Tyron Smith is out again tomorrow, it'll be hard to pass up that Charger defense...
Good luck to everyone in Week 12!  
(Except you, Mike...)

Cheers,
Bart