So let me get this straight. As the last week of fantasy football’s regular season comes to an end, we see Bruce Gradkowski take on the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers defense (in Pittsburgh!) and outscore the great Peyton Manning who faced a Titans’ defense that has been torched by opposing quarterbacks and is ranked 2nd to last in the NFL in pass defense!
How are we supposed to prepare for the fantasy playoffs?! But I suppose this is what makes fantasy football such a great thing. It’s an unpredictable game that is helped by a bit of logic. Sometimes the matchups predict the outcome, sometimes they don’t.
Let’s take a look at which players stood out in Week 13…
Quarterbacks
Tony Romo had a career-day against the Giants on Sunday throwing for 392 yards and 3 touchdowns on 41 of 55 passing. With the exception of Week 2 this season, Romo typically plays very well against the Giants. The stars seem to be aligning for Romo and the Cowboys passing game as they face the Chargers and Saints in Weeks 14 & 15. Unfortunately for Romo owners, the Cowboys travel to Washington in Week 16, commonly known as ‘Fantasy Football Championship Week’. Owners of Tony Romo may want to make other plans at QB for Week 16. That being said, 2009 Fantasy-MVP frontrunner Drew Brees, might think differently about the Skins’ pass defense. Brees’ tore apart the NFL’s #1 ranked pass defense to the tune of 419 yards and 2 touchdowns on 35-49 passing. Brees is a QB1 throughout the playoffs with matchup’s @ATL, DAL, and TAM.
Others quarterbacks who took the spotlight on Sunday were…
*Jason Campbell: 30/42, 367 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT: The guy can produce when he has protection. The Skins should think long and hard before letting this guy go in the offseason.
*Bruce Gradkowski: 20/33, 308 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT: Bruce friggin’ Gradkowski. Who would’ve known?! Boy am I glad I don’t own the Steelers Defense. You would have been nuts not to start them in this matchup!
*Alex Smith: 27/45, 310 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT: Sooner or later you have to wonder if this guy is real. He’s a former #1 overall pick and now he’s got some serious weapons. Vernon Davis is a legitimate threat at tight end and Michael Crabtree is a supremely talented wide receiver. Watch out NFL!
*Kurt Warner: 22/32, 285 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT: Against one of the fiercest pass rushes in the NFL, Warner kept his poise and delivered for fantasy owners. Warner continuously brushed off Jared Allen and friends for 3 TDs and nearly 300 yards. Warner will have a tougher-than-advertised matchup in San Fran next week but has mouth-watering matchups @DET and vsSTL in Weeks 15 & 16.
*Philip Rivers: 18/25, 373 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT: The scariest part of this stat line is the fact that it only took Rivers 18 completions to reach 373 yards. That is sick. With Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates at his disposal, Rivers has the tools necessary to put up gaudy numbers week in, and week out.
Running Backs
Oft-injured Joseph Addai was ignored by most fantasy drafters this year. The Colts, who are typically very good at utilizing their 1st round draft picks, chose RB Donald Brown in the first round. Addai has surely proved all the naysayers wrong. Addai continued to claim his status as one fantasy football’s top RBs with 79 yards and 2 TDs for the surging Colts. Through 12 games, Addai has 12 total touchdowns and nearly 1,000 total yards. Broncos’ rookie Knowshon Moreno looks to be finally coming around for fantasy owners. In Week 13, Moreno rushed for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns at Kansas City. This is the second consecutive good showing for Moreno after slicing & dicing the Giants on Thanksgiving Day for 107 total yards and a touchdown.
Some other running backs that put together some respectable stat-lines were…
*Jerome Harrison: 35 RushYds/62 RecYds, 2 TD: Wait. I thought Chris Jennings was supposed to be the Browns’ stud in the backfield with Jamal Lewis out. Wasn’t Harrison in Mangini’s doghouse? What’s going on here? Harrison seems to be a talented running back that just might shine with a larger workload. With matchup’s @KC and vs OAK in Weeks 15 & 16, he might be somebody to keep an eye on.
*Chris Johnson: 113 RushYds/28 RecYds: This guy is a beast. I now fully believe that he is a more valuable fantasy football player than Adrian Peterson. I know, I know. I can’t help it. He seems to produce every single week when AP will have an off-week here and there. With 1,509 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns through 12 games, I’d like to hear your argument as to why he’s not the best fantasy RB to own.
*Jonathan Stewart: 120 RushYds, 1 TD/6 RecYds: With DeAngelo Williams being a late scratch on Sunday, Stewart was handed a career-high 26 carries in the Panthers 16-6 win over the Bucs. Stewart surely made the most of his opportunity. Unfortunately, D-Will looks to be back to near full-health next Sunday as the Panthers travel to NE. The remainder of the fantasy playoff schedule for Stewart & D-Will does not look promising with games vs MIN and @NYG. Ouch.
*Brandon Jacobs: 39 RushYds, 1 TD/74 RecYds, 1 TD: Just when you thought he was down for the count, he sucks you right back in. Jacobs finally put together a stud outing for fantasy owners posting 2 touchdowns and over 100 total yards. The Giants will be looking to establish the ground game in inter-division matchups (PHI, @WAS) over the next 2 weeks. Look for Jacobs to continue to post solid numbers and make owners who drafted him proud
*Kevin Smith: 75 RushYds, 1 TD/29 RecYds: It’s got to be tough to be a Detroit Lion these days, however, Kevin Smith is quietly putting up some pretty respectful numbers this season. After another good day against the Bengals on Sunday, Smith now has over 1,000 total yards and 5 touchdowns on the season. Dynasty owners should take notice. As Stafford, Megatron and Pettigrew blossom, so will Smith.
Wide Receivers
Where the heck did Devin Thomas come from? As a lifelong Redskins fan, I haven’t missed a snap in years. I’ve see flashes of talent from Thomas, but never enough for me to believe that he could put together a game like he did against the Saints on Sunday. In his 7 catches, 100 yards and 2 TDs, he displayed quickness, tact and the innate ability to run after the catch. Should this Redskins offense continue to provide protection for Campbell, Thomas could be a player that helps your team win a fantasy championship. With games @OAK, NYG and DAL, Thomas is a player to target on your waiver wire. Santonio Holmes looks to finally be coming into his own. For the past 2 years we’ve anticipated a WR1 type of year only to be disappointed by Big Ben’s affinity for Hines ‘Smily’ Ward. With the Steelers pass-happy offense flying high, Holmes continued his impressive season with 8 catches for 149 yards and 1 touchdown. Look for Holmes to keep up his torrid pace in the fantasy playoffs with games @CLE, GB and BAL.
Other wide receivers that put together good games were…
Wes Welker
*Wes Welker: 10 Rec, 167 RecYds: It seems like every time I write this article, Welker is included. Yet, he is surprisingly still underappreciated in the world of fantasy football. Welker posted 10 catches for 167 yards against a tough Dolphins defense on Sunday. It was the 5th time this season that Welker posted double-digit catches. He now leads the NFL in catches with 95. Dude is a monster.
*Davone Bess: 10 Rec, 117 RecYds, 1 TD: Dolphins beat-writer Armando Salguero calls Bess ‘every bit’ the player Patriots receiver Wes Welker is. Although I do think this guy is on crack for stating this, I do think Bess is the real deal and is a darn good fantasy football player in PPR leagues. He just doesn’t score touchdowns. Bess’ TD on Sunday marked his 1st of the year. For fantasy teams without much talent at WR, Bess can be a trusted play in PPR leagues as the Fins take on the Jags, Titans and Texans in the fantasy playoffs.
*Louis Murphy: 4 Rec, 128 RecYds, 2 TD: Who? You might remember him catching passes from Mr. Tim Tebow down in Florida. This speedster has talent and could be a nice sleeper if Bruce Gradkowski can keep it going in Oakland. Murphy was a key cog in the Raiders’ upset win in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Look for Murphy and the Raiders passing game to struggle a bit as they welcome the Washington Redskins and their #1 ranked pass defense to Oakland next week.
*Anquan Boldin: 7 Rec, 98 RecYds, 2 TD: Anquan Boldin is a supremely talented and tough wide receiver who sometimes gets overshadowed by teammate and fellow WR, Larry Fitzgerald. The problem with Boldin is, he simply hasn’t been getting to the end zone much this year. Sunday night’s 2 TD game doubled Boldin’s TD total for the year. Don’t be surprised if Boldin doubles his new TD total (4) in the fantasy playoffs. With matchups against DET and STL in Weeks 15 & 16, the Arizona passing game should be flying high!
*Miles Austin: 10 Rec, 104 RecYds, 1 TD: Miles Austin continues to put up spectacular fantasy numbers. Austin was just one recipient (along with Jason Witten & Roy Williams) of Tony Romo’s career day for the Cowboys. Since bursting onto the scene in Week 5, Austin has 8 touchdowns in 8 games! I fully expect Austin to put up ‘big-time’ numbers in Weeks 15 & 16, when the Cowboys face SD and @NO. Week 16 is another story as the ‘Boys travel to Washington for one for NFL’s fiercest rivalry games. Although Austin is always a good bet for a big play or two, playing him in this game would be a risk.
Tight Ends
Jason Witten is an elite NFL tight end and an elite fantasy football tight end….and he’s finally playing like it. Witten posted an impressive 14 catches for 156 yards during Sunday’s loss to the Giants. On the season, he has 74 catches for 744 yards. Impressive totals for any tight end. The problem is that he only has 1 touchdown. Look for Witten to improve upon that number next week as the Cowboys welcome the Chargers to Texas, and in Week 15 as they visit the New Orleans Saints, in what should be a high-scoring affair. Bo Scaife is an interesting player to target on your waiver wire. Titans QB Vince Young and Scaife built their playing relationship at the University of Texas and continue to show compatibility on the pro level. On Sunday, Scaife caught 5 balls for 53 yards and a touchdown. Look for those nice numbers to continue next week as the Titans host the St. Louis Rams’ awful secondary.
Other tight ends that had good fantasy days were…
*Antonio Gates: 8 Rec, 167 RecYds: Gates continued his torrid pace as he’s now caught 7 or more balls in 3 of his last 4 games. He should have another stellar performance at Dallas next week in what should be a high-scoring matchup.
*Vernon Davis: 6 Rec, 111 RecYds, 1 TD: Davis’ career-year continued on Sunday at Seattle with 6 catches, 111 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown marked his 10th of the season, which is a 49ers single-season record. Davis will continue to put together ‘fantasy-friendly’ games under the 49ers new spread offense.
*Fred Davis: 5 Rec, 53 RecYds, 1 TD: Fred Davis has continued to show the Redskins’ brass that he was worthy of their 2nd round draft pick last year. He’s been playing behind star TE Chris Cooley for most of his career, however, with Cooley out for the year, he is making the most of his opportunity in Washington. Davis has now recorded two straight games with at least 4 catches and 1 touchdown and the Skins passing offense has a good matchup in Oakland next week.
With the Fantasy Football Regular Season now behind us, it’s time to focus on the playoffs. For those of you who didn’t make it, well, you should have read my articles more often! Just kidding! One of the many great things about this game is that there is always next year. If you had a poor showing this year, chances are you can look forward to having a high draft pick next year.
Best of luck to all in the first round of the fantasy playoffs! We’ll be in touch next week to recap all of Week 14’s action!
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