Courtesy of: USA Today
It was an especially painful week 10 for me. The two fantasy teams I devote the most time and energy to both suffered losses; one of which potentially crippled my playoff chances. The solid, and generally accurate, advice I had been doling out in this column did its best Indianapolis Colts impression and flat out sucked. But the most disturbing fantasy development of the week came during the Ravens and Bengals game on Sunday. As my Ravens watched their lead dwindle away and I watched my fantasy matchup creep closer and closer towards out-of-reach territory, something both devastating and miraculous occurred.
With 0:02 left on the clock and the Bengals just inside their own 50-yard line, Andy Dalton, the Gentle Ginger, heaved a desperation Hail Mary downfield. With every receiver, safety, defensive back, cheerleader, band member, and mascot seemingly filling the endzone like a mosh pit; the ball reached its peak, pitched forward, and fell from the sky toward the crowd. Everyone jumped, the ball bounced up, and in a split-second, reflex maneuver, safety James Ihedigbo reached up and essentially alley-oop’d a pass right into the hands of AJ Green in the back of the endzone.
I watched in disbelief as the Bengals celebrated their miraculous tying score, and a wave of anger and depression began to build inside of me. It was at that moment that I remembered something…I had just traded for AJ Green this very week and that play alone was worth about 12 fantasy points. My mind began a strange tug of war between joy and sadness thanks to this reality vs. fantasy scenario and I actually had to stop and think about which result mattered more to me.
These moments don’t happen very often, but they do occur from time to time in the life of a fantasy football owner. It’s one of the more interesting sub-plots of a “sport” that pits actuality against imaginary every week. Finding yourself rooting against your hometown team is collateral damage in a competition that often puts reputations and bragging rights on the line. We understand this dilemma; we knew it when we signed up. You just don’t know how you’ll react until your faced with it.
In the end, my Ravens pulled out the win putting them right back in the hunt for AFC North, while my fantasy team fell apart in the late afternoon games and eventually suffered the loss. If only one of them could win last week, I’m glad it was my real-life team. This week however, it’s every man, woman, and fantasy player for himself!
As for last week’s fantasy 6-pack…I’m not gonna lie, it didn’t really work out. Missing on all three of my “likes” was especially disappointing because they were all players I own in at least one league. All three of them seemed poised for big games, so I was, quite frankly, perplexed when they didn’t pan out. The Mike James pick I stand by however, as he was absolutely gashing the Dolphins during that first drive Monday night before fracturing his ankle. I feel bad for James considering the opportunity that presented itself after Doug Martin’s season was officially ended. He had been running well for two games and looked like a solid real life and fantasy running back going forward. I wish him luck next year and I wish luck to anyone who finds themselves starting Brian Leonard this week in anything other than a 12 or 16 team league. Now onto this week’s fantasy 6-pack.
3 I Like
QB, Nick Foles (16 proj. pts)- To be honest with you, I really hope I’m not coming one week late to the Nick Foles party. Everyone opened their eyes to Foles when he threw 7 TD passes two weeks ago, and while it was predictably correct that he wouldn’t do it again in week 10, Foles did produce his second consecutive 20+ point outing. His 16 TD passes to 0 INTs ratio is no joke. This guy is efficient with the ball and can take the deep shot when it presents itself. This week against a below-average Washington Redskins secondary, I think those deep shots will present themselves once again. I’m expecting a 3rd straight 20+ point game, making it all but impossible for Chip Kelly to go back to Michael Vick if and when he finally gets healthy.
RB, Rashad Jennings (8 proj. pts)- Since coming in for the often-injured Darren McFadden in week 9, Jennings has been an effective rusher and receiver in this varied Oakland Raiders offense. He’s averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and in his 3 starts this year he’s totaled 17 receptions and 164 receiving yards. After last week’s game, coach Dennis Allen said Jennings has earned himself a bigger role in the offense going forward. Considering he’s collected 22 touches in each of the past two games, Jennings becomes a must start in all formats if he’s going to be even more involved. This week’s matchup is against a reeling Texans team with no true identity, making Jennings another top 15 option at his position.
WR, Eric Decker (5 proj. pts)- It’s been an up and down season for Decker from a fantasy standpoint, though he continues to see a large portion of the targets in this Denver offense. He’s only produced 3 games of double digit fantasy points despite 6 games of at least 5 receptions. This week, the Broncos take on the only undefeated team left in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, in what should be one of the best games of the year so far. The Chiefs are a strong defensive unit, not giving up more than 1 TD reception to opposing wide receivers all year. But I imagine the majority of their attention will be focused on the two Thomases, who gashed San Diego for scores last week, and Wes Welker; leaving Decker as the most open option for Peyton Manning. The up and down season will continue for Decker, but this week…it’s up.
3 I Don’t
RB, Knowshon Moreno (18 proj. pts)- Last week in this spot, I placed the shiny, new, flavor of the month Zac Stacy and watched him produce well below his projected point total. This week, Moreno finds himself in a similar situation. Moreno has been a pleasant surprise this year, thanks to the trust he’s earned from Manning and his ability to both pass block and catch passes out of the backfield. Knowshon hasn’t recorded a single game this year with 100 yards rushing, but his total yards have exceeded that number 5 times. The spread offense allows Moreno the space he needs to operate, and the sheer volume of possessions is what has helped his TD total. This game however, could be unlike most of the Broncos’ games this year, with a slower tempo and tough yardage. I expect a solid game for Moreno, just not stud performance he is projected for.
WR, Victor Cruz (14 proj. pts)- One week after Cruz found himself on the top half of this list, here he lands on the bottom half. I predicted last week that Mr. Cruz was due for a big game. It didn’t happen. Now, after 5 straight games of single digit fantasy points, the same could theoretically be said this week…he’s due. So what’s changed? I’ve seen the Giants play. Eli Manning has found a level of terrible that we haven’t seen from him before. Sure, Cruz continues to lead the team in targets, but when those targets are practically uncatchable, it’s not going to do his fantasy owners much good. I hope I’m wrong on this one because I own Cruz in a league. But then again I hope I’m not, because I’m most likely benching him this week for a better option.
TE, Jimmy Graham (13 proj. pts)- Last week was only Graham’s second game of the season with less than double digit fantasy points. Despite the nagging foot injury, he’s been an absolute stud all year and you can’t possibly have a better option at TE. But this is my bold prediction of the week. The 49ers were just shut down by the Panthers in their own backyard and are sure to come out angry in this one. They are the 3rd stingiest defense against opposing TEs, allowing just 3 TDs all year and no more than 11 fantasy points in any game. New Orleans looks great right now, but they looked great last week too and Graham produced mediocre numbers. I expect a very tough SF defense to step up here and win this game on the road, holding fantasy’s top TE to his second straight single digit game.
Last Week: 2-4
Year To Date: 35-17
