NFL Week 12 Fantasy Round-Up

We’ve already started the playoffs in some leagues and in others we’re still jockeying for position.  Some people I’ve heard from have dominated their leagues and are coasting towards the postseason while most that have written are still fighting for their lives.  It was somewhat of a crazy week in the NFL what with the shredding of defenses, the crazy points totals and, of course, the upsets.  Fantasy points were flying all over the place.  Here’s a look at the fantasy results from week 12 and what it could mean for, in most leagues, the final game of the regular season.  Here we go…..it’s Round-Up time!

Pittsburgh Steelers 27  Cincinnati Bengals 10

This one was a favorite for King of the Hill pool participants, but ended up being a little bit of a disaster for a lot of fantasy owners.  Ben Roethlisberger had himself a pretty nice night throwing for 243 yards and a TD while also running one in himself, but the Steelers backs had their difficulties all night.  With Willie Parker still nursing his myriad of injuries, and leaving with a “tweaked knee” in the 3rd quarter, Mewelde Moore took over the full RB duties.  But neither guy was really able to get things going as Parker netted only 37 yards on the ground while Moore had 56.  To add insult to injury, it was third striger Gary Russell who got the call for the TD run.  The weather destroyed the passing game as well although it was nice to see Santonio Holmes grab 80+ yards while Heath Miller re-established himself as a favorite red zone target and grabbed Big Ben’s one TD throw.  Hines Ward?  The alleged dirty hits?  A non-factor.  With the passing game grounded, so was Ward for most of the night.  For the Bengals, it was just what you would have expected.  Coupled with the crappy weather, the Bengals suspension of Chad Ocho Cinco put the kibosh on any sort of passing game as T.J. Houshmandzadeh was double covered most of the time.  Once that option goes, the Bengals have little else to turn to.  Ryan Fitzpatrick was barely able to find open receivers since the Steelers had no problems worrying about Cedric Benson and the crappy Bengals ground game.  Not that you should be starting Bengals, but next week looks even worse as they host the Ravens in all their defensive prowess.  The Steelers go to New England next, and based on the style the Pats are playing lately, Big Ben and his receivers could be a huge factor.

Tampa Bay Bucaneers 38  Detroit Lions 20

With the exception of Detroit jumping out to a 17 point lead in the first quarter, this game ran exactly as it was supposed to.  Calvin Johnson caught his TD pass early and made him a decent play as he racked up a total of 66 yards, but none of the other Lions were worth anything.  That’s right, even Kevin Smith was held in check rushing for 86 yards but held out of the endzone.  The Lions are going to continue to be atrocious and could really end up 0-16 this year.  Daunte Culpepper got the start but was lifted in favor of Drew Stanton who then got hurt so we got Culpepper again??  Would you trust anyone from this team, save for Johnson, on your fantasy squad?  Me neither.  As for the Bucs, it was a solid day, but not exactly what we were hoping for.  Jeff Garcia didn’t have season high numbers, but his 165 yards and 2 TD passes were very servicable.  Warrick Dunn led the ground attack with 90 yards and a TD, while the passing game was only spread out to Dunn, Ike Hilliard, Antonio Bryant and TE Jerramy Stevens.  Both Hilliard and Stevens came up with the TD grabs, but I’d be surprised if either was in a starting fantasy lineuanyway.  Look for your Bucs to rebound offensively against the high-flying Saints next week, and definitely keep your Lions reserved for their Thanksgiving matchup against the Titans.  That one could get real ugly.

Baltimore Ravens 36  Philadelphia Eagles 7

Oh how the mighty have fallen.  And without a stitch of sympathy from me.  As a long time Donovan McNabb hater, I’ve been relishing these past couple of weeks.  Without a back like ( a healthy) Brian Westbrook, McNabb has been crumbling.  It took 7 turnovers in 7 quarters for Andy Reid to finally pull him as fantasy owners watched their playoff hopes crumble.  As a matter of fact, none of the Eagles looks good.  McNabb benched, Westbrook ailing, and none of the receivers could do anything with backup Kevin Kolb at the helm.  If you were relying on Eagles this week, you probably lost your game.  Their Thursday night matchup against Arizona should be interesting.  You’ll have to keep close tabs on Westbrook’s status, and while McNabb has been given the nod to start, how short of a leash will Reid have him on?  The Ravens, on the other hand, are turning into little fantasy darlings late in the season.  Although, the RB situation is a little sketchy.  I suppose Willis McGahee’s ankle problems remain a factor as he was limited to just 8 yards on 7 carries so it was LeRon McClain (not Ray Rice) who got the bulk of the work — 88 yards and a TD.  Very hard to pick who’s going to get the workload, so none of them are really worth more than a flex position.  But Joey Flacco continues to surprise with decent fantasy totals as he tossed a pair of scores along with 183 yards and no turnovers. He could be a nice sleeper play next week when he gets the Bengals and all their dysfunction.

Houston Texans 16  Cleveland Browns 6

A bit of an upset here, but you were warned.  I talked about Brady Quinn’s finger affecting his game and I couldn’t have been more right.  8-18 for only 94 yards and 2 picks?  Yuck.  And as I thought would happen, he was finally lifted for Derek Anderson in the 4th quarter — probably 2 quarters too late if you ask me.  I was a little disappointed in Jamal Lewis’ totals, but when your QB can’t throw, defense are going to load up guys in the box and counter that ground attack.  The only moderately decent (but not relly) fantasy day was produced by Braylon Edwards who netted 85 yards on 5 catches and even that is a huge disappointment.  You’re going to have to track Quinn’s progress this week to see if he’ll get the nod for the game against the Colts, but this could be a distraction for the team’s practices all week.  But before I go breaking my arm patting myself on the back about my Browns predictions, let’s keep me in check by saying that Sage Rosenfels did NOT have the breakout game I thought he had coming.  His 275 yards were nice, but after that first quarter TD pass to Kevin Walter, he was held in check and even threw a pair of INTs to hurt his totals.  Not a terrible day, but not a breakout.  Andre Johnson and Walter though were as advertised and even Steve Slaton, running against that “rookie wall” had himself a decent afternoon posting 73 yards on the ground.  He’ll have his work cut out for him next week hosting the Jaguars on Monday Night Football, especially with Ahman Green likely out and unable to spell him for a few series.  Will Rosenfels have that breakout game we’re looking for?  It’s not looking good.

Dallas Cowboys 35  San Francisco 49ers 22

We’ll just take care of these “according to plan” games early as this one went exactly as I thought it would.  Hell, it was my lock of the week, and the Cowboys — particularly Tony Romo and Terrell Owens — did not disappoint.  Romo was spectacular in his second game back and showed no rust as he threw for 341 yards and 3 TDs while T.O. torched his former team to the tune of 213 yards and a score.  While Marion Barber himself racked up 109 all purpose yards, the show was all about T.O. and Romo.  Jason Witten fell off the radar after getting shaken up on a hard hit, and Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton (although he did have a TD) were relatively absent.  The Cowboys are firing on all cylinders again, and you should be happily leaving them in your lineup for the Thangsgiving game against Seattle.  That one looks like more fantasy points galore.  The Niners approach to the game unfortunately was upheaved once they started to fall behind in the second quarter.  Frank Gore was abandoned (26 yards on only 14 carries) and Shaun Hill was relied on to get the team moving.  Fantasy wise, he definitely didn’t disappoint throwing for over 300 yards with 2 scores and only one pick.  Can he be counted on to continue that?  I doubt it.  It was a nice flashback to the old Mike Martz days as Isaac Bruce grabbed a total of 125 yards and a score while Hill also included 7 other receivers.  Sadly though, I’m sure none of you had any of these guys active except for Gore.  I say you continue to leave them on the bench next week against the Bills in Buffalo.  Gore could be the only worthwhile guy out there in that brutal upstate New York weather.

New York Jets 34  Tennessee Titans 13

I was going to save this one for last, but I’m trying to rein in the exhuberance.  WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!  Big upset?  I think not!!  According to Bob Costas and Chris Collinsworth we’re looking at the best team in the AFC!! Even my wife asked me if we were looking at a Jets/Giants Super Bowl this year.  Liek I said, i was trying to rein in the exhuberance.  Just failing miserably at that.  But let’s talk fantasy numbers here.  I was hard pressed to predict anything because I just couldn’t stay objective so I just told you who I started…Brett Favre, Jerricho Cotchery, and the Jets D/ST.  How it turned out?  A solid day for Favre, a less than spectacular day for Cotchery  and few points for the defense.  But that’s ok, because Thomas Jones (117 all purpose with a TD) continued his tremendous season and Laverneus Coles bounced back with 88 yards and a TD.  But how about Leon Washington?  82 yards and 2 TDs?  One of them for 61 yards?  He’s turning into quite the flex option for your fantasy squad.  Next week looks even juicier as the Jets host the defensively challenged Broncos.  That sound you hear is me frothing at the mouth.  As for the Titans, well, we all knew it was coming soon.  16-0 is not an easy accomplishment and no one was really expecting them to do it.  So let’s just call it a day for them and look towards the Thanksgiving game against the Lions.  I’m sure Chris Johnson and LenDale White will be back in full force for that one.

Minnesota Vikings 30  Jacksonville Jaguars 12

While 80 yards and a TD aren’t numbers to thumb your nose at, it really wasn’t the day I thought Adrian Peterson was going to have.  Maybe Jack Del Rio read my article last week and wanted to try and shut me up.  He hates me, but that’s a story for another day.  In any event, the Vikings stayed pretty run dominant the whole way as even Chester Taylor got a bunch of carries and Bernard Berrian ran the ball not once but twice.  It’s what you have to do when reality hits your QB and reminds him that he’s only Gus Frerotte.  Nothing stellar for him and nothing for his receivers either.  Not that they needed it.  The Jags knew they would be in trouble with the run this week and needed to take it to the air.  Unfortunately for David Garrard (317 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT — not bad…not great, but not bad), his receiver selection is less than spectacular and he was forced to toss it to Maurice Jones-Drew most of the time.  113 receiving yards definitely made Jones-Drew a little more worthwhile, but no trip to the endzone always disappoints us fantasy owners.  Look for the Jags to return to a more balanced offense next week when they take on the Texans on Monday night.  Jones-Drew and Garrard, and if he’s still not suspended, Matt Jones could all have big days.

Buffalo Bills 54  Kansas City Chiefs 31

So I was right about this whole game with two (gulp!) minor exceptions….Marshawn Lynch’s total yardage and the winner.  I could have knocked it down to just one mistake, but who knew Trent Edwards was going to hog all the glory at the goal line?  Had even one of Edwards’ 2 TD runs gone to Lynch, the fantasy totals would have been as expected for the running back.  Oh well, can’t win ‘em all.  It was nice to see Lee Evans get back on track with his 110 receiving yards, however.  As for the Chiefs, well, it all happened like we thought.  Tyler Thigpen added to his fantasy prowess as he threw for 240 yards with 3 TDs in the losing effort.  His 2 picks were costly in the game, but the negative points in fantasy were tolerable.  In the spread offense he can continue to contribute fantasy wise and it should be interesting to see him against the surprising Raiders pass D next week.  Thigpen’s supporting cast also did a solid fantasy job this week as Larry Johnson rumbled for 81 yards, Tony Gonzalez grabbed 113 yards and a TD and regular starters Mark Bradley and Dwayne Bowe each found the endzone.  That’s a lot of targets out there and Nndami Asomugha can’t be everywhere next week.  Keep riding Thigpen while you can.

New England Patriots 48  Miami Dolphins 28

This one was looking like a great game right up until Randy Moss caught his second TD pass in the 3rd quarter.  After that, it just got out of hand.  The Patriots have returned to their pass happy ways as Matt Cassel has another ridiculous day in the air throwing for 413 yards and 3 TDs in the blowout.  It’s not looking good for Kevin Faulk/Sammy Morris/BenJarvis Green-Ellis owners right now as the even distribution of carries and mad crazy passing totals is rendering their fantasy value useless.  And it’s hard not to agree with the approach right now.  If Cassel can stay hot, then days like this when Moss racks up 125 yards, Wes Welker 120 and even Jabar Gaffney 88, are going to be relatively commonplace again in New England.  I won’t say “Tom who?” though.  Not until I see how Cassel does against the Steelers next week.  I was a little disappointed that my Ricky Williams prediction didn’t come to fruition, but what can you do when the Pats are putting up points like that on the board.  You had to expect the Fins to abandon the run at that point.  So that, of course, killed my call that Bellichek had Chad Pennington’s number.  You don’t have someone’s number if he still puts up 341 yards and 3 TDs in a losing effort. Look for Miami’s ground attack to return next week against this year’s punching bag, the St. Louis Rams.  With WR Greg Camarillo lost for the season, Chad really only has Ted Ginn, Jr. and Anthony Fasano as quality targets so expect Ronnie Brown and Williams to have big days.

Chicago Bears 27  St. Louis Rams 3

And speaking of the punching bags…this game was never in question.  As expected, Matt Forte ran all over the Rams and racked up 132 yards and 2 more touchdowns.  Kyle Orton stuck to a very conservative short passing game and hit 7 different receivers for a relatively miniscule 139 yards with his lone TD going to FB Jason McKie.  There was just no need for a full on attack in this one.  Next week at Minnesota is going to be a lot different though, especially for Forte.  Orton’s really going to need to step it up.  The Rams are just a team in trouble.  I know the loss of Steven Jackson is big, but how do you let it cripple your entire team?  Yes the play of Marc Bulger has been bad, but when you don’t have a viable backup RB, what else can you do but try and force plays?  All a moot point now as the sinking ship is just about under.  Bulger has a concussion and Trent Green (master of the 4 INT game), is taking over.  Ugh.  Donnie Avery and Torry Holt have pretty much lost any value they had 3 weeks ago.  If you’re in a King of the Hill pool, the picking against the Rams the rest of the way seems like a good bet.  Hosting Miami next week?  Take the Fins.

Oakland Raiders 31  Denver Broncos 10

Upset of the year?  Probably.  Just an awful game all around.  King of the Hill pool particiapants got crushed, Broncos fantasy owners got very little out of their guys, and maybe….maybe….one or two people actually had Darren McFadden active for this week.  I mean…I don’t even know where to begin.  The Broncos lack of defense allowed Justin Fargas to rush for over 100 yards, McFadden got into the endzone twice, and even Jamarcus Russell had a TD pass to Ashley Lelie who racked himself up just over 90 yards.  Honestly didn’t see this coming.  And what about the Broncos?  Peyton Hillis was the “star” with his 70 odd rushing yards and a TD, but he set the tone for the game when he fumbled inside the Raiders 5 in the first quarter.  Jay Cutler looked terrible and the Broncos receivers were a non-factor.  I’m still scratching my head, but appreciating that 67 people in my King of the Hill pool just got the boot.  Denver needs a big rebound, but get my Jets next so they can suck it.  The Raiders host the Chiefs next, so there’s a light at the end of that tunnel after all.

Atlanta Falcons 45  Carolina Panthers 28

So football-wise, fantasy aside, this was the matchup I really wanted to see.  I thought they were both talented teams and were pretty evenly matched.  I was excited for the game.  And you know what…?  I was pretty happyt with it.  Surprised by a few things?  Definitely.  But very happy.  But let’s talk fantasy.  The Panthers had a day like I thought they would.  Jake Delhomme was a solid start and he posted great numbers throwing for 295 yards and a TD while also running one in himself.  DeAngelo Williams continued his onslaught and rushed for 100+ yards and a TD, Steve Smith racked up 168 yards in the air and while Mushin Muhammed only had 40 yards, he did find the endzone for a score.  Everything went according to plan…until the defense stepped on the field.  The Falcons just ran all over the Panthers D, well, Michael Turner that is.  He had a game reminscient of week one as he rushed for another 4 TDs on 117 yards.  The big surprise for me though was Matt Ryan’s totals.  He threw for 259 yards hitting 7 different receivers, but no TD passes puts a damper on his fantasy day.  I guess there’s nothing you can do when your RB just can’t be shut down.  That should change next week when the Falcons go to San Diego to take on the league’s worst pass defense.  The Panthers, on the other hand get a little tougher of a day with a trip to Lambeau next week with numerous playoff hopes on the line.

Washington Redskins 20  Seattle Seahawks 17

So it wasn’t the beat down we thought it would be.  But we knew we had to keep expectations in check with Clinton Portis being a gametime decision.  Tough to know how you’re going to call it when you’re not sure who your starting back will be.  In any event, Portis owners were relieved to see him, not only active, but getting the start as he ran all over Seattle for 143 yards.  No TD, but still a greta performance.  Actually, none of the Skins were as dazzling as they could have been considering the Seattle defense.  Jason Campbell threw for only 206 yards and his lone TD went to Antwaan Randle-El.  Santana Moss and Chris Cooley were pretty much non-factors in the fantasy world.  A home game against the Giants next week doesn’t bode well for a rebound.  For the Seahawks, the big story was Maurice Morris who rushed for just over 100 yards and a himself a TD catch too.  A surprise to say the least, considering I’m sure no one had him active this week.  I’m sure no one had their Seahawks active, save maybe for John Carlson who did have a TD to go with his big whopping 14 yards.  But guys like Matt Hasselbeck and Koren Robinson and Bobby Engram just can’t be relied on these days.  And next week against Dallas on Thanksgiving coul dbe an even bigger disaster.

New York Giants 37  Arizona Cardinals 29

Ok Brandon Jacobs owners…let’s get this out of the way.  Totally right.  What the f***???  I woke up early and saw that he was going to play and then sometime during the early games they then announce he’s inactive.  Just awful.  I was able to make the switch to Tim Hightower in one league, but was forced into picking up Ahmad Bradshaw (loser) in 2 others because he was the only guy still available that had any potential.  Remember, you can’t pick up a guy who’s already playing.  Fortunately, I won all my games and it didn’t kill me, but damn was it close.  I now have no idea what to say about this game now.  That Jacobs crap took a lot out of me.  Let’s see…Eli Manning was a stud throwing a mistake-free 240 yards and 3 TDs, Plaxico Burress left hurt (more fantasy douching for a lot of teams), Kevin Boss is a legitimate target and should be picked up in all leagues, Kurt Warner is incapable of throwing for under 350 yards, the trio of Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston should be active every week, and thankfully Hightower woke up this week….sort of….where the hell’s the yardage, man?  Big Blue get the Skins next week so track the health of Plax and Jacobs and adjust accordingly.  The Cards get the struggling Eagles on Thanksgiving, but watch the weather there before making any final decisions.

Indianapolis Colts 23  San Diego Chargers 20

Not really the bar-burner we were all hoping for or expecting, huh?  I mean, fantasy wise, Phillip Rivers and Peyton Manning both had strong days, Anthony Gonzalez and Vincent Jackson were good plays, but the rest looked pretty disappointing.  Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison were held to a combine 8 catches for 78 yards.  That’s not even a decent WR3 outing.  Weird too, considering neither rushing attack was powerful with LaDanian Tomlinson rushing for 84 yards while Joe Addai had only 70.  I would have thought there would have been a bigger passing attack on both sides, but neither QB really got it going downfield.    The Colts travel to Cleveland in what could be a snow-bowl so hedge your bets based on the weather, while the Chargers host the high powered Falcons.  That one shoul dgive you some nice fantasy totals.

New Orleans Saints 51  Green Bay Packers 29

Now this one was the barn-burner we all expected.  Wow!!  Fantasy points galore for the Saints starting with Drew Brees and his 323 yards with 4 TD passes.  He was mistake free all night and hit 7 different receivers.  2008 BFF Lance Moore had another ridiculous night as he posted 117 yards with a pair of TDs, TE Billy Miller grabbed a score, and while Marques Colston had only 1 catch, it was a 70 yard TD so he made it count.  Hell, even Pierre Thomas had a huge day rushing into the endzone twice as he racked up 121 all purpose yards.  Special nod to Deuce McAllister who in the wake of this whole steroids-masking agent scandal, set a Saints record with his 54th career TD.  Next week the Saints get Tampa Bay which should be a nice challenge for this high-flying offense.  The Packers just came up short here.  They had it going ealry but just seemed to run out of steam in the second half.  Aaron Rodgers was trying way to hard to keep up with Brees which resulted in 3 very costly interceptions, and the ground game just didn’t produce enough to help control the clock early.  Ryan Grant only had 67 yards on a surprising 18 carries.  The big winner out of Green Bay this week was Greg Jennings who rewarded his owners with his third 100+ yard game with a TD.  Look for Rodgers to try and rebound next week in a crucial matchup against Carolina.

Here’s hoping you all are winning your games and looking towards the playoffs.  Be careful…..it coud be a bumpy ride.

 

Oh. OK.  Here’s your weekly Round-Up skin shot….

Enjoy.