Everything you need to know (and a lot that you don’t) about the fantasy implications of Week 14.
QUARTERBACKS
Kyle Orton (219 yards, 2 TD, INT) had a pretty nice game against the Jags, and he is a solid start next week against the Saints, assuming the weather is decent…It was a very disappointing performance from Eli Manning (123 yards, TD) though he did throw for a late TD to avoid a totally miserable day…In my book, Matt Ryan (315 yards, TD, INT, rush TD) is the clear cut rookie of the year (assuming the Falcons don’t collapse during the stretch run). He didn’t get the win, but he continued to make plays…Shaun Hill (285 yards, 2 TD, INT) had an excellent day for fantasy owners brave enough to start him against a sketchy Jets pass defense. He has thrown nine TD over the last five games and has Miami and St. Louis over the next two weeks, so he’s a viable starter for owners in need…Brett Favre (137 yards, INT) was surprisingly ineffective against a mediocre 49ers pass defense, but he did run for a TD…Kurt Warner (279 yards, TD, INT) got off to a great start, but didn’t have to throw much in the second half since the Cardinals were so far ahead.
RUNNING BACKS
Joseph Addai (12 touches, 40 yards) left the game with some sort of a shoulder injury, so this is something to keep an eye on this week at practice. Addai’s injury-plagued season has been a disappointment…Jamal Lewis (9 touches, 10 yards) was absolutely brutal against a Titans defense that is only mediocre (fantasy-wise) against opposing running backs. I don’t feel good about the Cleveland offense with Ken Dorsey at the helm…Pierre Thomas (17 touches, 109 yards, 2 TD) saved my proverbial butt in one fantasy playoff this week. He is the clear cut change-of-pace back to Reggie Bush (13 touches, 106 yards, TD)…Steve Slaton (29 touches, 160 yards) had a huge yardage day but failed to find the endzone. The Packers simply can’t stop the run, so over the next three weeks, Maurice Jones-Drew, Matt Forte and Kevin Smith have great matchups…Marshawn Lynch broke a string of three good games with a miserable 14-touch, 35-yard, zero-TD performance, likely knocking any fantasy owners out of the playoffs in the process…Frank Gore (17 touches 65 yards, TD) left the game with an ankle injury and DeShawn Foster (17 touches, 43 yards) took his place. Miami is a tough matchup next week, but in Week 16 the 49ers have the Rams, so Foster may be worth a pickup for owners in need…It’s tough to trust Larry Johnson right now. He only gained 36 yards on 11 carries against a suspect Denver rush defense…Clinton Portis (14 touches, 46 yards) missed much of the second half for undisclosed reasons, which obviously isn’t a good sign. Ladell Betts (9 touches, 60 yards) got most of the work with Portis out, but was ineffective as a runner (6 carries, 3 yards)…Willis McGahee and Ray Rice both left the Sunday night game with injuries, so that leaves LeRon McClain (20 carries, 61 yards, TD) as the potentially only healthy back in the Ravens three-back rotation. A matchup next week with Pittsburgh isn’t ideal…Brandon Jacobs (10 carries, 52 yards) re-aggravated his knee injury. He’s likely to have an MRI early this week.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Marvin Harrison (3-78-1) had another good game at home. On the year, he has posted 31-404-5 in six home games (for an average of 16.9 fantasy points). On the road, he has tallied 20-179-0 in seven home games (for an average of 5.4 fantasy points). He’s a great start next week at home against the Lions…The Giants were ready for DeSean Jackson who didn’t catch a pass and had two rush attempts for -9 yards…Braylon Edwards (3-38) was quiet with Ken Dorsey at QB. I’d stay away from the entire Cleveland offense for the remainder of the season…Jerricho Cotchery (1-10) and Laveranues Coles (1-5) were both awful today…Wes Welker (12-134) outplayed Randy Moss (3-56), who continues to be very spotty this season…
TIGHT ENDS
Visanthe Shiancoe (5-65-1) was the Vikings’ best receiver on Sunday and continues to develop into a viable starting fantasy TE…After a rough first half of the season, Jeremy Shockey (5-64) has 20 catches for 212 yards over the last four games, making him a solid start in PPR leagues. Surprisingly, he hasn’t caught a TD all year…Dustin Keller (2-14) picked a bad, bad time to break his string of four great fantasy games…John Carlson (8-69-1) has posted 14-174-1 over the last two weeks and is a solid start with two great matchups in the next two weeks…Tony Scheffler (5-61) had a nice PPR day for the second straight week…
FREE AGENTS
Now for a few players that might still be on your league’s waiver wire…
Gus Frerotte (70 yards, 2 INT) was knocked out of the game with a back injury and Tarvaris Jackson (105 yards, TD) played pretty well in his place. I wouldn’t trust him to start next week against Arizona…If Joseph Addai can’t go next week, Dominic Rhodes would be an excellent start against Detroit…L.J. Smith (6-44) has caught nine passes in the last two weeks and is working his way back to fantasy respectability…Davone Bess (9-74) had another strong day in PPR leagues. Over the last three weeks he has posted 20 catches for 245 yards and is a better WR option than Ted Ginn right now…Deion Branch (4-88-2) is definitely worth a pickup. The strong performance followed up his 5-56 last week. Seattle has the Rams and the Jets over the next two weeks, so Branch is a sneaky good start during the stretch run. The same goes for Seneca Wallace (212 yards, 3 TD, 47 rush yards), who played great in place of the injured Matt Hasselbeck. Maurice Morris (16 touches, 58 yards) got most of the work in the Seattle backfield…Peyton Hillis (9 touches, 69 yards, TD) left the game with a hamstring injury, so Tatum Bell (13 touches, 66 yards) suddenly gets a boost in value…Tashard Choice (28 touches, 166 yards) saved a lot of sharp Marion Barber owners this week. The Cowboys are really against the wall now, so it will be interesting to see how they handle MBIII next week.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how much better Marvin Harrison is playing at Lucas Oil Stadium. At that point, he was averaging 4.8-62-0.8 (or 15.8 fantasy points) at home and 2.2-22-0.0 (or 4.4 fantasy points) on the road.
