BUMPS, BRUISES AND BOWOUTS

Fantasy playoffs are gearing up and the NFL is serving up major yards and scores. While most running backs turned in very moderate games, a handful blew up for big yardage and multiple touchdowns like Le’Veon Bell, Tre Mason, C.J. Anderson and Joique Bell. Wide receiver scoring remained very healthy with DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Johnson, Keenan Allen, Donte Moncrief, Antonio Brown, Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith and Brandon LaFell all scoring twice in their games. Last year only two wideouts managed two scores this week. The year before that it was just three.  This year, we have eight.

The quarterbacks had Andrew Luck, Drew Brees and Ryan Fitzpatrick all score at least five touchdowns. That’s happened only once in the last ten years and it was week 17 of the pass-happy 2011 season when all records were shattered.

There may be parity overall between most players but week to week this has been a record season for monster fantasy scores by a select few. Assembling a roster of players that are likely to blow up for that week and yet staying within a salary cap is what makes Daily Fantasy so much fun. This is the year of monster games.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE THE DEPTH CHART

Hakeem Nicks has yet to take advantage of playing with Andrew Luck and after a season of sub-50 yard games, his chance is over. The Colts opened with the ex-Mississippi rookie Donte Moncrief as the third receiver and the 6-2/221 pound speedster made a big difference in the win over the Redskins. Moncrief already turned in a 113 yard effort in Pittsburgh a month ago but has been otherwise little used. Now that he’s become a starter, he turned in touchdowns of 48 and 79 yards and ended with a team high 134 receiving yards and two touchdowns plus a six yard run. Reggie Wayne was held to only four catches for 31 yards and has been in obvious decline this year. That leaves Moncrief ripe for an increasing role right when the Colts will play at the Browns, the Texans and then at the Cowboys.

 The Redskins are unlikely to be switching back to Robert Griffin III after Colt McCoy’s big stats during the losing effort at Indianapolis. McCoy was held to only 94 passing yards in the first half when the Colts led 21-10 but he responded well in the comeback bid, ending with 392 passing yards with three touchdowns.  He also brought Jordan Reed (9-123) back to life which totaled 16 completions with the tight end over the two games when McCoy started. The opportunities to pass for more yards and scores will be plenty with an ending schedule of the Rams, at the Giants, the Eagles and finally the Cowboys.

Dan Herron
replaced the injured Ahmad Bradshaw in week 12 and posted 65 yards on just 12 runs and added five catches for 31 yards. In that same game, Trent Richardson scored once and gained 42 yards on 13 rushes. The disparity between the two backs just grew even bigger with Richardson held to only 12 yards on eight carries with no catches while Herron ended with 88 yards and one touchdown on just eight runs plus two receptions for eight yards.  Herron’s dual role as a runner and a receiver ensures that he’ll be involved regardless of the quality of defense while Richardson has become too risky to merit a fantasy start.

After trailing 20-3 in the fourth quarter and Brian Hoyer had thrown two interceptions, the Browns did what they had to do. They unleashed the media Kraken known as Johnny Manziel who responded nicely. He directed an 80-yard drive that took up only about three minutes and ended with a scramble up the middle for a ten-yard touchdown. It included an 18-yard strike to Josh Gordon and a drop by Travis Benjamin over the middle. His second series was less impressive with a failed fourth-down attempt. But Manziel connected well with Gordon after Hoyer was criticized for not finding him on deeper routes. While HC Mike Pettine said he would wait to name a starter this week, Manziel is sure to play at least some role if not start.   

The NFC South may seem to be the division that no one wants given that the lead is shared by the Falcons and Saints with only a 5-7 record each. But expect the Saints to not only win it running away but to generate some late season fantasy magic in the process. Sure they lost three home games in a row but they bounced back winning in Pittsburgh. They lost Brandin Cooks but Kenny Stills stepped up to eight catches for 98 yards in the Ravens loss and then led the team with five receptions for 162 yards and a score in the win over the Steelers. Drew Brees passed for 257 yards and five scores and Mark Ingram gained 122 yards on 23 carries there.  The Saints schedule now enters what should be a fantasy point bonanza as they end the season playing the Panthers, at the Bears, the Falcons and finally at Tampa Bay.
And while Jimmy Graham was held without a catch, the Steelers lost in the attempt.

JUST BEING REAL

Despite an NFC best 9-3 record, downgrade your Cardinal players and weigh any fantasy starts carefully.  The Cardinals already were shaky without Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald remains out with an MCL sprain. They then lost Andre Ellington to a hip pointer in Atlanta where the Falcons sport one of the worst defenses in the NFL. But the Cards could only gain 28 yards on 10 carries by the running backs and while Drew Stanton threw for 294 yards and one score, he tossed two interceptions. They were easily handled by the Falcons and now face the Chiefs, Rams and Seattle next – all with far better defenses than the Falcons. Worse yet was the Cards defense giving up 361 pass yards and a career best 189 yards and a score to Julio Jones right over the top of Patrick Peterson. The injuries are significant and the Cards appear to have peaked a while back.

Before you hop aboard the Ryan Fitzpatrick train because he just threw six touchdowns and 358 yards on the visiting Titans, realize just how big of an aberration that was. Fitzpatrick has played in 103 games over his ten year career. He had eight games with three touchdowns, four that had four touchdowns and none with more than four until last Sunday.  He’s only thrown one game with more than two touchdowns in the last two years. The Texans will remain a run-first team and wind down their year playing at the Jaguars, at the Colts, the Ravens and then the Jaguars again. All his six touchdowns really did was to help him stick next year as the back-up during the second and final year of his contract. Unusual game? Fitzpatrick just played the Titans two weeks ago when he was held to 227 pass yards and one touchdown.

Keep an eye on the offense in Tennessee because it could surprise in the coming weeks if only for fantasy performances. Zach Mettenberger suffered a Grade 1 AC Joint sprain but may end up playing this week. If not, Jake Locker is back in. Justin Hunter was lost to a lacerated spleen that may end his season. But that means that Kendall Wright and Nate Washington will see increased reps as they did in Houston where Wright ended with 132 yards and a score on seven receptions and Washington turned in a touchdown on his five catches for 61 yards. That bodes well for a team whose remaining schedule is the Giants, the Jets, at the Jaguars and finally the Colts.

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

HUDDLE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

DeAndre Hopkins – The second year player lays down a career best game when the Titans gave up nine catches for 238 yards and two scores to Hopkins. You knew the matchup was good but Hopkins had never caught two scores in one game or exceeded 117 yards. It was like two of his best games ever combined into one and that helped out fantasy owners in a big way.

Salute!

DRAMA 101 – SOMEBODY HAS TO LAUGH, SOMEBODY HAS TO CRY

Sunday’s Couch Commentary

Monster scores this late into the season are different. But they keep coming and not just by the run or by the pass. We saw some major scoring this week and it made for some very interesting fantasy results. Chances are there is a huge difference between the best and worst scoring teams in your league. That was exciting and a great way to propel teams into their playoffs.

The Game-O-The-Week? Yes, it should have been the Saints- Steelers or the Chargers-Ravens. I love a high scoring, closely fought match as much as the next guy. But I have to admit, I must be the rare person who loves a blowout. Not so much when my team is getting demolished, but I can appreciate the dynamics at play when one team just throttles the other and never lets up.

Raiders 0, Rams 52

No undue respect to the Raiders, but come on. This was great. They won last week and although HC Tony Sparano said that his team had “gotten a taste of victory and like it”, he apparently was mistakened. Maybe it was the taste of high-proof alcohol. Probably it was just the absence of a bitter defeat for once. But when this team reverts to playing poorly, they take it rather seriously.

Derek Carr threw two interceptions and was eventually replaced by Matt Schaub who threw one. The only – and I mean only – offensive weapon of any note was Latavius Murray who only ran four times and who is still out with a concussion. The Raiders ran for 60 yards on 20 carries carefully mixing in Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew and Marcel Reese as if any of them mattered or will even be with the team next year.

Reece was the leading receiver of course nothing says “failed comeback” like having a fullback be the leading receiver.

Shaun Hill only passed for 183 yards and two scores because he had 178 yards and both scores in the first half and they already led 38-0. Tre Mason ran for 117 yards and two scores on just 14 carries and he added a third score with three catches for 47 yards. They SAT HIM at times so that Zac “Sluggo” Stacy could run out the clock never minding that Mason was on my Daily Fantasy team and a few regular leagues.

Stedman Bailey (5-100) led the receivers. It is not like the Rams are an offensive juggernaut. But a motivated team facing the visiting Raiders just went off as a carpet bombing. Tavon Austin scored a touchdown. Yeah – that Tavon Austin.

It was a great week with a ton of points. Big scores. Monster games. And hopefully just the right mix of events to get you into your league playoffs.

Good luck!

Now get back to work…