2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Advice & Analysis
 Superbowl Sunday is finally here The type of day we hold so dear The Men in Blue made it back again To strike down the Pats who hold vengeful hands 3rd and impossible, Eli doesn't care, He'll make that completion with poise and flair Add another ring and his brother should worry Of which Manning is talked of in fables & stories But let's remember no one does it on their own With help from Hakeem & Cruz Control For every time a catch was more than outstanding We'd jump off our seats and start salsa dancing Now there's another Giant who doesn't wear blue Who's 6'6", part menace, full brute We don't speak his name for he may hold the dagger, Along with that pretty-boy Tom Brady character But don't worry boys and girls, Patriots or not We've got the D to stop them right in their spots With JPP, Osi and Tuck their heads will be spinning While they kick some Patriot butt So show up if you want, it's over from the start As Bowl 46 goes to the team with blue hearts Written by Evan Marx exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Add Comment 2011 Fantasy Football Draft Day Regrets: What I Would Have Done Differently & You Should Have Too! 01/20/2012
 Andre Johnson (Credits Below) Time to fess up. I acted like an expert every week during the football season posting my previews and predictions on this website, and it turns the advice I gave myself was not good enough to even make the playoffs in my main fantasy football league. I finished 6-6, fifth in a 10-team league and 1/2 game out of the playoffs. Embarrassing for somebody who feels qualified to dish out advice to other fantasy football players. So before I put the season behind me, I'm going back to my draft night to figure out what I did right and what went wrong with the hope that I can see some lessons to take into next year's draft. This was a standard 10-team league and I had the No. 9 pick in a snake draft. I am going to list the player I took, see how it worked out, and then say who I would pick if I could do it over again. (For the latter category, I will only include possible players picked soon after the pick was made. We can all look back and say we should have taken Cam Newton in the third round, so for the purpose of this story, I am only including alternatives that went soon after my pick, guys that I could have realistically considered for the choice.) This should be therapeutic for me, and I hope it works for you too. Round 1, No. 9 overall, Andre Johnson How'd it work out: Not well. Johnson is a guy I have always wanted to have on my fantasy team and so I took a shot even though I usually avoid receivers in the first round. Johnson seemed like the big stud who was never injured and could be counted on to be reliable every week and great in many weeks. This year he missed six weeks in a row with an injury and then the bye week meant he was out for the important stretch of weeks 5-11 and then he missed three games later in the year. After opening the season with three straight games of 15 points or more, he never reached that threshold again the rest of the year. If I had it to do over: I'd take LeSean McCoy. The decision was McCoy or Johnson and I made the wrong choice. Round 2, No. 12 overall, Frank Gore How'd it work out: Not bad. I had Gore ranked higher than most people and took him a little earlier than many mock drafts were projecting, but I can't complain. Always an injury concern, he played every week and had double-digit carries in all but two games. In the 14 games he had at least 10 carries, he had 10 or more fantasy points in nine of them. If I had it to do over: I'd take Drew Brees. As you will see later, I decided to wait on a quarterback and the choice worked out, but Brees was clearly the guy to take here. Round 3, No. 29, Vincent Jackson How'd it work out: Jackson was the ultimate boom-or-bust guy and looked like a third-round steal during the four weeks he had at least 18 fantasy points. Unfortunately, he resembled a late-round pick in the 10 weeks he scored in single digits. Still not sure why a veteran who is the clear No. 1 receiver on his team was so inconsistent. If I had it to do over: I'd take Marques Colston, who had the same amount of 18-plus point performances and half of the single-digit outings that Jackson had. Round 4, No. 32, Peyton Hillis How'd it work out: Terrible. This is another guy I had rated higher than most people as I thought the injury-prone tag was allowing him to drop low enough in the draft to be a steal. Instead, he had one game in double digits during the first 14 weeks while missing six games due to injury. If I had it to do over: I'd take Ryan Mathews, who had eight more double-digit performances than Hillis this year. Round 5, No. 49, Percy Harvin. How'd it work out: Not bad, if I could have survived his slow start. Harvin did not exceed 11 points in his first seven games and although some owners ditched him, I held on. I was rewarded with double-digit performances in seven of his final nine games, but if one of those had come earlier in the year maybe I would have been in the playoffs. If I had it to do over: I'd take Harvin again. Like I said, if I had won a couple more games earlier in the year, his furious finish could have made him a team MVP. Round 6, No. 52, Beanie Wells How'd it work out: I thought this was Beanie's year as the guy to carry the workload for the Cards and it looked like a steal when he totalled 31.5 points in the first two weeks. Then, sigh, the usual injury problem arrived and he missed a game, and not trusting him the next week, I benched him for the 138-yard, three-touchdown game against the Giants and there were not many great performances the rest of the way. If I had it to do over: Wes Welker would have been a good pick here, huh? Round 7, No. 69, Matt Ryan How'd it work out: Ryan struggled early and I benched him for Matthew Stafford the rest of the year and later traded Ryan for Marques Colston, so while I didn't get much out of Ryan, I did get good QB play and flipped him for a good receiver. If I had it to do over: The next pick was Steve Smith, who I swore off after a disappointing 2010 season, but I wish I had believed in him one more time. Round 8, No. 72, Sidney Rice How'd it work out: Big bust here as his big-money reunion with Tavaris Jackson ended with him missing half the season due to injury and never scoring more than 14 points in a week. If I had it to do over: Jordy Nelson, the next receiver taken in the draft. Round 9, No. 89, Matthew Stafford How'd it work out: My best pick of the draft, obviously. Just wish I was in a keeper league and could have him for a ninth-rounder again next year. If I had it to do over: I'm sticking with Stafford. Round 10, No. 92, Marcedes Lewis How'd it work out: One of the biggest busts in all of fantasy football after never reaching double digits in a single week. If I had it to do over: I have a hard time trusting rookie receivers, but wish I had believed in A.J. Green here. Round 11, No. 109, Sam Bradford How'd it work out: Not so well. How does a quarterback throw for more than 150 yards in 10 games and finish with six touchdown passes? If I had it to do over: Bears defense would have given me a solid unit for the year. Round 12, No. 112, Mike Thomas How'd it work out: Another bad Jaguars' receiver that I cut early in the year and never got in my lineup. If I had it to do over: Jimmy Graham, who would have made a nice replacement for Marcedes Lewis. Round 13, No. 129, Ben Tate How'd it work out: Took a shot here that Arian Foster might be out a while longer and that paid off with back-to-back 100-yard weeks to start the season for Tate, but I should have traded him then. If I had it to do over: I never take a kicker this early, but Sebastian Janikowski would have been in my line-up all year if I had taken him here. Round 14, No. 132, Dustin Keller How'd it work out: Looked good after the first two weeks, but I cut him by midseason. If I had it to do over: Antonio Brown would have been a nice sleeper receiver in this spot. Round 15, No. 149, David Buehler How'd it work out: He got hurt in the preseason and never played this year, so I cut him before the regular season. If I had it to do over: Cam Newton went undrafted in our league, but this would have been a nice time to take a chance on the rookie QB. Round 16, 152, Dolphins Defense How'd it work out: Scored minus-4 in the first week and was gone from my roster. If I had it to do over: Rob Gronkowski, another guy who went undrafted, would have been a nice pick in the final round. Written by Steve Mims exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Steve on Twitter @nwsportscards Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (January 14, 20122012-01-14 16:00:00 - Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images North America)  Matthew Stafford (credits below) YOU ARE THE CHAMPION! But what do you do to repeat next season? You’re season is over, or at the very least has one more week left. For the majority of leagues a champion has already been crowned. And if you read this column for the second half of the season, and followed the players listed here you probably won, I know I did. But the hard part isn’t over just yet, there is still next season you need to worry about. And while you may be scratching your head trying to figure out why I would be worrying about next season when technically this season isn’t over yet, it’s for good reason. Just like the NFL, as an entirety repeating championships isn’t an easy task to complete. Players get hurt, they get traded, new teams sign them and things can completely go awry, So going into next season here is my list of guys rising up the charts, and those falling to the bottom. RISE: Cam Newton (CAR, 3) has SHATTERED some NFL records let alone rookie records. Before the season even began NO ONE knew what was about to happen as for the most part Cam went undrafted. Following his first week performance when he came out and outplayed most veteran QBs he was snatched up faster then fallen money at a strip club. Next season we may see a drop off in rushing TDs, but when you score 14 rushing TDs one season the drop off would still be well worth a top QB pick. He only gets better as he goes and with a full off season for him to work out just imagine what he will be capable of going forward. Matthew Stafford (DET, 5) finally stayed healthy, and has brought his Lions to the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade because of it. Many fantasy prognosticators believed that if healthy Stafford would be a monster, and they were absolutely right. Stafford threw for multiple TDs in every game except for two, including 6 games with 3 or more touchdowns. Combined with his great TD statistics Stafford also threw for more than 240 yards 12 times this season resulting in him finishing as a top 5 QB in the NFL. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC, 4) proved that his injury is something of the past. The beginning of the season he was a yard-gaining monster, running for no less than 85 yards through the first 7 weeks of the season, and he only ran for less than 85 yards once all season. The problem was his inability to get in the end zone, and that had a lot to do with the Jaguars anemic offense. As the season went on MJD was able to find the end zone more frequently scoring 5 times on the ground in the last 7 games with three more through the air. If Jones-Drew can keep up the pace scoring more often than he was he will be back to a top 5 draft pick in 2012. If you’re a Jets fan you will think I am absolutely out of my mind, but Mark Sanchez (NYJ, 10) put together a pretty good fantasy season. With double-digit touchdowns in 8 weeks so far this season, and 6 games of more than 230 yards passing puts him in the top 10 of fantasy QBs this season. His turnover numbers were high, and he had more under 230-yard games then he had over, but if he can grow on those numbers next season and become more consistent in the passing game Sanchez could find himself rising up the charts even more in 2012. Not only was Rob Gronkowski (NE, 1) the best overall tight end this season, but also the 2nd best wide receiver to Calvin Johnson (DET, 1) and not by much. Gronkowski finished 16th among all fantasy point getters, ahead of some quarterbacks including Michael Vick (PHI, 11) and topnotch running backs like Adrian Peterson (MIN, 6). Rob caught at least 5 passes in 9 games this season and surpassed 70 yards receiving 9 times as well. Gronkowski blew people away with his record setting touchdown grabs breaking the record for the most touchdowns by a tight end in a season and that was done in a season where in 6 games he had zero scores. The Gronkman is going to warrant a very high draft pick next season and I could see him being the highest drafted tight end in fantasy sports history. Marshawn Lynch (SEA, 5) proved me wrong, and showed that matchups mean nothing to him. Going into the final playoff weeks of the season Lynch had the toughest schedule for opposing running backs going up against strong run defenses such as the Bears and the best of the best 49ers. Not only did Lynch prove me wrong but he recorded 100 yards or more in 4 of his last 5 games, scored 6 touchdowns in his last 4 games and was the only running back to gain 100 yards and the only running back to score on the vaunted 49er defense. Lynch seems to be back to his early career form and that should be represented with a high draft pick next season. FALL: Josh Freeman (TB, 18) was a highly touted sleeper candidate for quarterbacks in 2011, but man did he disappoint. Freeman was outscored by Tim Tebow (DEN, 14), Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF, 13), and Alex Smith (SF, 17) and only had two double-digit touchdown performances all season long. For the most part Freeman had the yards completing more than 240 yards passing 7 times this season, but his inability to find the end zone not only hurt him, but the playmakers around him. Mike Williams (TB, 49) was one of those playmakers around Freeman that struggled big time in 2011. Williams came off an amazing rookie season scoring more than 10 times, but this year was a major difference with only 3 scores. It wasn’t just the number of touchdowns, or lack thereof that was the problem but his inability to gain yards that caused most of the problems. Williams had 11 games where he caught 4 or more passes, but had 8 games of 50 of fewer receiving yards and 4 of those games under 40 yards. If Williams plans on getting drafted next season he better pick it up big time in the off season. Probably the biggest flop of the season was Chris Johnson (TEN, 17). Formerly known as CJ2k only had 5 games of more than 60 yards and only found the end zone 4 times on the ground. No one knows if it was the signing of his contract, or the hold out that slowed him down, but everyone waited for him to break out and the consistency just never came. His back to back 150+ yard games a few weeks ago were extremely promising, his 3 straight under 60 yard performances to follow sent him right back to the cellar where he belongs. CJ0K is not worth drafting in 2012. Speaking of flopping first round draft picks, Rashard Mendenhall (PIT, 18) actually played worse than Chris Johnson. Mendenhall matched CJ’s 5 games of more than 60 yards rushing, and scored more touchdowns than Johnson did, but with only two 100-yard rushing games Mendenhall found him in the flex spot realm more often than not. Until Mendenhall can show that he consistently can get it done on the ground keep him off your draft boards entirely. Another struggling halfback goes to Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG, 22) who was drafted among the top running backs in the league to start the season and finished outside of RB2 honors in the end. Missing 4 games in a row can easily do that to a player, but injury isn’t the reason why Bradshaw found himself falling as far as he did. With only one 100-yard game and only one other game over 60 yards rushing Bradshaw just didn’t get it done for your fantasy team. He couldn’t find the end zone consistently either. He did score 8 times on the ground this season, but with 3 in one game, and 3 in the last two weeks Bradshaw found himself with more goose eggs than not. Bradshaw just like Mendenhall, and Johnson have the talent of top tier halfbacks, but until he can prove that he can be there with fluidity he should be skipped on draft day. Despite Mark Sanchez reaching top 10 numbers for fantasy QBs, his wide receivers weren’t all that consistent in their own rankings this year. Santonio Holmes (NYJ, 27) and Plaxico Burress (NYJ, 34) combined for only 205 fantasy points and never were able to put things together on a week-to-week basis. Burress and Holmes were able to combine for 16 receiving touchdowns which normally would be an amazing total however they only combined for 6 games of more than 60 yard performances and no games of 100 yards which brought their values down greatly. In 2012, flex spots for either wide receiver should be market value, reaching on either of these athletes would be a major mistake. Congratulations on winning your leagues, and if you didn’t or came up short there is always next year (just ask the New York Mets, haha). Your seasons may be over, but the job is not done. Many of you are playing in keeper leagues, which will need to be worked out over the next 8 months until draft day. Knowing where these guys rank now and going forward will be a helpful tool going forward. Please look for my "I was right, I was wrong" column next week, as I break down the players who I was right about rising, and those who I was wrong about. You can follow me on twitter @PeckinTheFix All Stats are up to date as of Week 16 games, and follow NON PPR Standard leagues unless otherwise stated As always you can find me on twitter from 10am – 12pm every Sunday answering your start / sit questions. Check out my Baseball PeckinOrder coming to you in the middle of January.  Ben Tate (credits below) Start ‘Em Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo Bills, Week 17: @ New England Patriots) The Patriots have given up at least 14 fantasy points to every QB they’ve faced not named Tyler Palko. Enough said, moving on... Mark Sanchez (New York Jets, Week 17: @ Miami Dolphins) The Dolphins have allowed the 7th most passing yards and the second fewest rushing yards, so the way to beat them is obviously to air it out. Sanchez probably won’t throw it 50+ times as he did last week, but 40+ is a definite possibility. Ben Tate (Houston Texans, Week 17: Tennessee Titans) This little factoid has been mentioned in this space several times this year, but it’s worth noting again that Tate has double digit fantasy points in each of the games where he has received twelve or more carries. With Houston locked into the three seed, you can expect Arian Foster to be on the bench for most if not all of this one, which should allow Tate to get well over twelve carries and at least ten fantasy points. Darren Sproles (New Orleans Saints, Week 17: Carolina Panthers) Sproles is solid as Sears. He has nine games with double digit fantasy points and only one game with less than five fantasy points. With a matchup against the second worst run defense in football, it is unclear why ESPN’s Karabell and Harris have him outside their top 20 and why the Expert Consensus Ranking on him on FantasyPros.com is only #20. Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia Eagles, Week 17: Washington Redskins) Maclin’s reception and yardage totals have increased each of the last two weeks, so it looks like he’s working his way back into the offense nicely. With no real reason for Philly to sit starters, Maclin should be a nice play this week. Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers, Week 17: @ St. Louis Rams) With Braylon Edwards released and Kyle Williams and Ted Ginn unlikely to play, Crabtree and Brett Swain are the only San Francisco receivers healthy for a game they need to win. As will be discussed below, Vernon Davis may struggle to be productive in this matchup, so Crabtree is easily the best option for Alex Smith this week. Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter should see a lot of work, but what San Fran gets through the air figures to go through Crabtree. Brandon Pettigrew (Detroit Lions, Week 17: @ Green Bay Packers) Green Bay sucks against tight ends to begin with, and if they rest any defensive starters (likely), it makes sense that they would suck even more against tight ends. Jared Cook (Tennessee Titans, Week 17: @ Houston Texans) Cook has 17 catches for 272 yards the last two weeks, and he’s available in 88% of leagues. Detroit Lions D/ST (Week 17: @ Green Bay Packers) Speaking of Green Bay sitting starters, there is a huge difference between Rodgers/Nelson/Finley and Flynn/Jones/Crabtree. Sit ‘Em Atlanta Falcons (Week 17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Assuming Detroit beats Green Bay during the 1:00 games, Atlanta would be locked into the #6 seed before their 4:15 game. Even though coach Mike Smith has suggested he’ll play his starters no matter what, there’s no way you could trust Ryan/Roddy/Julio/Turner/Gonzalez to play much if at all. Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals, Week 17: Baltimore Ravens) Benson did score two touchdowns against Baltimore in week 11, but he only managed 41 yards in 15 carries in that game. Benson has only managed 80+ yards in four games this year, but if he can get 84 on Sunday, Cincinnati would owe him an additional $250,000 for reaching 1,100 yards. As a result, it wouldn’t be a shock if Bernard Scott saw an extra series or two. Shonn Greene (New York Jets, Week 17: @ Miami Dolphins) See: Mark Sanchez Vincent Jackson (San Diego Chargers, Week 17: @ Oakland) Don’t be fooled by Jackson’s participation in practice late this week. San Diego has been eliminated from the playoffs, and it’s just too risky to put Jackson in your lineup when he could be held out of the game or pulled from it at the slightest sign of trouble. Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers, Week 17: @ St. Louis Rams) The Rams have allowed the fewest yards, touchdowns, receptions, and fantasy points to opposing tight ends. They held Davis to 3 catches for 32 yards in week 13. There’s no way you can trust Davis in a fantasy final. Written by Brett Talley exclusively for thefantasyfix.com. Brett is a law student in Dallas who will see you as soon as baseball mock draft lobbies get going. You can follow him and/or ask him for fantasy advice on Twitter @therealTAL. (November 12, 2011 - Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images North America)  Kahlil Bell (See credits below) Ernest Hemingway was a grade A cut of pure manliness. The guy drove ambulances in World War I, ran with Spanish rebels, mixed it up with the intelligencia in Paris, became a legend at bars in Key West and Cuba and was the author of one of my favorite novels, "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Not totally irrelevant to these exaltations of one of the best writers — if not the best writer — in American history is a running back from the Chicago Bears who happens to share a namesake with a damn fine book. Kahlil Bell, RB, Chicago Bears: 121 yards rushing, 38 yards receiving This guy is an interesting dude. His UCLA profile lists his hobbies as basketball, video games and dancing. Not the most intimidating litany of man I've seen, and certainly not the kind of list that would gain him entry into Ernest Hemingway's circle of friends. So no gun running between Key West and Cuba for Bell and Ernest. Not a big deal. Hemingway, unfortunately, is dead like many of our fantasy playoff teams. Khalil Bell, however, is alive, like the lot of you lucky suckers who are pushing for a title this week. I'd like to say that there is some sort of pedigree in Bell's college career that would indicate great things to come, but there's not. Bell totaled 1741 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns in his four-year career as a Bruin. You'd have to go back to Bell's high school days at Marin Catholic in NorCal to find the good stuff — He rushed for 2292 yards and 31 TD's his senior season. Bell went undrafted out of college, then signed on with the Bears in 2009 after being dropped by the Vikings. He does hold the distinction of holding the NFL record the longest gain on his first rushing attempt — 72 yards in 2009 against the Eagles. Projections: Bell's last game against the Vikings looks like a juicy one; definite potential to be a 150+ total yards/1 TD game. So here's my first recommendation: If Bell is still available in your league, man up, make Ernest proud and drop that pansy league of yours to play with real men, the kind of men who snaked Bell off the waiver wire weeks ago. My second recommendation is this: If you have Bell, play him. With so many teams entering week 17 non-chalantly because of irrelevance or a locked playoff seeding, Bell's emergence in fantasy circles is a haven for points. He is pretty much guaranteed to play the entire game. Looking to next season, Bell might be a good handcuff pickup whose stock will go up if he is traded to a team where he will be the top running back on the roster. Written by James Duren exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (December 17, 2011 - Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America)  Cam Newton (credits below) You SHOULD be playing fantasy football this week. You probably aren't, but you should. For some reason, the most important week for many football teams has become irrelevant for fantasy owners as most standard leagues have developed 16-week seasons. It seems that an even number works best for most schedules and there is the crazy fear that every top player in the league will be rested, so the drama that comes from Week 17 has been eliminated from most fantasy leagues, and that's too bad. I started playing fantasy football 25 years ago in a standard year-long points league that included every week of the season. If one of your guys was being rested for Week 17, it was a challenge that every other owner had to deal with too. I stayed in that league up until about five years ago, so this 16-week schedule is still a little new to me and I refuse to embrace it. I hate ending the fantasy season when there is still one more week of football to go. So if you are reading this, you're probably still playing, and that is the way it should be. Here's a look at what to expect on Sunday: Carolina at New Orleans: Cam Newton should finish up strong as he tries to keep up with the Saints and Steve Smith should be the guy hauling in those passes once again. New Orleans still has an outside shot at a first-round bye, so play all their studs like Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Darren Sproles, and Jimmy Graham. Buffalo at New England: Ryan Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson could be sneaky plays this week as they take advantage of a weak New England pass defense that could be resting some guys. C.J. Spiller has become a solid RB2. I'd play Fitzpatrick over Brady in this game because the Pats have clinched a first-round bye, so I don't expect Brady, Welker or Gronkowski to be on the field in the second half. Chicago at Minnesota: Toby Gerhart is a solid running back choice, especially if you had Adrian Peterson, and I like Percy Harvin to continue his strong late-season push. Kahlil Bell is a solid flex option. New York Jets at Miami: The Jets have a tiny shot at the playoffs left, so they will play everyone, but that doesn't mean much because you can't count on any of them right now. I'd prefer Matt Moore, Reggie Bush, and Brandon Marshall as the top players for their position in this match-up. San Francisco at St. Louis: The 49ers need a win to guarantee a first-round bye, so they will play everyone, but Frank Gore scares me because the 49ers may try to limit his carries if this game gets out of hand early, as expected. Steven Jackson is the only Ram you want. Detroit at Green Bay: Should be a shootout between two playoff teams, but I only expect that for a half. I think both quarterbacks will put up big points early and Jordy Nelson and Calvin Johnson too. However, considering Matthew Stafford's injury history and Aaron Rodgers' importance to the Pack, I'd be surprised if either starter was in the game in the fourth quarter so it may sound strange, but you may want to look for options more reliable than two of the top fantasy quarterbacks. Washington at Philadelphia: Nothing to play for here and I don't want any Redskins. I do think the Eagles will try to finish strong to save some pride from what has been an embarrassing season, so Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy are all solid plays. Indianapolis at Jacksonville: Maurice-Jones Drew and the Jacksonville defense are the only things to consider playing here. Tennessee at Houston: Could be some nice fantasy performances here from Matt Hasselbeck, Chris Johnson, and Jared Cook. I'm staying away from the Texans. Andre Johnson is going to play, but not enough for me to start him and I think Arian Foster will at best share the workload with Ben Tate, but don't expect Foster to get many carries considering he battled a hamstring early and the Texans will need him in the playoffs. Seattle at Arizona: Marshawn Lynch is my No. 2 running back behind Jones-Drew this week. Larry Fitzgerald is the only Cardinal I'd trust. Kansas City at Denver: You know Tim Tebow is going to find a way to get into the playoffs and keep his storyline going another week, so he's a top 10 quarterback for me as he will get nearly 20 points. Willis McGahee and Demaryius Thomas are also solid plays. Dwayne Bowe is a solid WR2 and I think Kyle Orton could be a sneaky pick if you fear your regular starter will not play a full game, Orton could also get near 20 points. Tampa Bay at Atlanta: LaGarrette Blount is about it for Tampa Bay at this time and the Falcons are another of those teams with little to play for before the playoffs. I'd feel fine needing something from Roddy White and Julio Jones, but I think Jacquizz Rodgers takes some carries to let Michael Turner rest and I'd be surprised if Matt Ryan was still in the game late in the third quarter especially considering the blowout this could become. Baltimore at Cincinnati: Ravens must win to clinch a first-round bye, so Joe Flacco is another one of those guys I'd consider playing over guys like Rodgers/Stafford/Brady, who could exit early. Ray Rice is a good bet here and I like Torrey Smith with Anquan Boldin out again. Andy Dalton is another of those QBs to consider because you know he will play a full game. Pittsburgh at Cleveland: Steelers are still playing for a possible first-round bye, but I'm not playing Ben Roethlisberger off an injury this week. Rashard Mendenhall is in for another big week and I think Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown are good plays. The Steelers defense is a top-five pick for the week. No Browns for me. San Diego at Oakland: I think Philip Rivers, Malcolm Floyd, and Vincent Jackson have a big day passing the ball against the Raiders. Carson Palmer is a safe play along with Michael Bush and Denarius Moore. Dallas at New York Giants: If Tony Romo is good to go, I think he puts up big numbers along with Laurent Robinson, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, and Jason Witten, but if not, then I don't want any of those guys. Eli Manning, Victor Cruz, and Ahmad Bradshaw are all good bets for the week. Written by Steve Mims exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Steve on Twitter @nwsportscards Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (December 3, 2011 - Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images North America)  Justin Smith 1. San Francisco 49ers (@STL) - With a win the 49ers will secure the #2 seed and an all-important bye. When these two teams met in week 13 the Rams were unable to put any points on the board. Repeating a shutout on the road will be a tough task, but this is still a great matchup for San Francisco. 2. Pittsburgh Steelers (@CLE) - The Steelers need to win and have the Ravens lose to win the division and secure a bye. Their defense was able to shut out the Rams last week and has been playing better as of late. They will face a Cleveland team on the road, that has struggled all year to score touchdowns. 3. Atlanta Falcons (TB) - The Falcons couldn't stop Drew Brees on Monday night, but this week get to face a Tampa Bay team that seems to have given up on their season. The Falcons should be able to turn them over while limiting their scoring. 4. Baltimore Ravens (@CIN) - The Ravens need a win to gaurantee themselves a bye. They will be facing the surprising Bengals who put up a good showing when they last faced. All year, the Ravens have run hot or cold. When hot, they are easily one of the best defenses in the league. I think they show up this week and make life tough for the rookie Dalton. 5. Houston Texans (TEN) - The Texans don't have anything to play for in terms of improving their playoff seed, but after dropping two straight they will be fighting to gain some momentum. They will also be fired up to play spoiler to the Titans who need a win and some help to make the playoffs. 6. Denver Broncos (KC) - The Broncos will claim the AFC West with a win against the Chiefs. Their defense looked terrible in Buffalo, but this week they're back at home and get to face a Chiefs team that has yet to sustain anything on offense. They should be able to force Orton to make throws, as they should be able to stop their run game. 7. Philadelphia Eagles (WAS) - The Eagles have nothing to play for this week, but it seems like having the pressure off of their shoulders, has actually allowed them to play better. They had a shutout intact against the Cowboys, albeit sans Romo, until a late punt block allowed a late Miles Austin touchdown. 8. Chicago Bears (@MIN) - The Bears have also been eliminated from the postseason, but their defensive unit isn't the type to let up. Minnesota's offense has looked more potent with Joe Webb behind center, but without Adrian Peterson their run game will be lacking. 9. Tennessee Titans (@HOU) - The Titans are hoping for a few thigns to go their way to secure a playoff berth. The only thing they can control is to beat the Texans. The Texans will most likely use Arian Foster sparingly as they need to make sure he is healthy for their first ever postseason. Look for the Titans to stack the box, and make Yates beat them down the field. 10. New York Giants (DAL) - The Giants defense came out extremely motivated against their corss town rivals and their "big bellied" coach and it showed. They were applying pressure on Sanchez all game long. I expect more of the same as their playoffs begin in Week 17. It doesn't hurt that Romo suffered a hand injury on Saturday. 11. Arizona Cardinals (SEA) - The Cardinals defense has been playing extremely well lately. They should be able to slow down Marshawn Lynch to an extent. The Seahawks have also not played nearly as well on the road this season. This could be a good matchup for the Cardianls. 12. Jacksonville Jaguars (IND) - The Indianapolis Colts have won 2 in a row, but this week face a Jaguars team whose defense has played pretty well all season. The Colts' two wins both came at home, and I don't think they'll be able to muster enough offense to beat MJD and the jags in Jacksonville. 13. Cincinnati Bengals (BAL) 14. New York Jets (@MIA) 15. New Orleans Saints (CAR) 16. New England Patriots (BUF) 17. Minnesota Vikings (CHI) 18. Miami Dolphins (NYJ) 19. St. Louis Rams (SF) 20. Detroit Lions (@GB) 21. Green Bay Packers (DET) 22. Washington Redskins (@PHI) 23. Indianapolis Colts (@JAX) 24. Dallas Cowboys (@NYG) 25. Seattle Seahawks (@ARI) 26. Cleveland Browns (PIT) 27. San Diego Chargers (@OAK) 28. Kansas City Chiefs (@DEN) 29. Oakland Raiders (SD) 30. Buffalo Bills (@NE) 31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ATL) 32. Carolina Panthers (@NO) Written by Ilyn Yeh exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (December 3, 2011 - Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America) 2011 Fantasy Football, Week 17 Tight End Rankings: A Year To Remember For Graham & Gronkowski 12/27/2011
 Jimmy Graham (credits below) 1) JIMMY GRAHAM (CAR)- The Saints need to win to have a chance for home field and a first round bye in the playoffs which should keep Graham active in this weeks game against the Panthers. In the team's last meeting Graham had eight catches for 129 yards. 2) ROB GRONKOWSKI (BUF)- Gronk had a solid game last week although he did not score a touchdown. This week he faces a Bill's team allowing the most fantasy points to TE's in the NFL. Keep an eye on the Patriot media links this week to make sure the Pat's will not rest their starters in a rather meaningless game for them. 3) AARON HERNANDEZ (BUF)- As stated above the Bill's are surrendering the most points to opposing team's TE"s this year which should bode well for Aaron providing he is in the lineup for the entire game. 4) JASON WITTEN (@NYG)- Witten gets a top five rank here based solely on the fact that we know he will be playing the entire game Sunday night against the Giants. Jason has certainly fallen out of favor in the Cowboy's offense for some reason but in this week's biggest game of the year for Dallas I see Tony Romo going back to his old favorite target. 5) ANTONIO GATES (OAK)- Gates who became the Chargers all time leading receiver in receptions last week should see a full game as the Charger's try to ruin rival Oakland's playoff hopes on Sunday. 6) VERNON DAVIS (@STL)- Davis like Witten gets the nod here based on the fact he will be playing an entire game with the 49ers number two seed on the line. This isn't a great match up for him based on the Rams success against opposing tight ends this year but we are going to roll with him this Sunday in St. Louis. 7) JARED COOK (@HOU)- Cook is on fire lately as he posted a 169 yard one touchdown performance last week at home versus Jacksonville. This week should be no different as he takes on a Houston team who should be on coast mode heading into the playoff's next week. 8) BRENT CELEK (WAS)- The Redskins look like they packed in early last week surrendering 30+ points to a terrible Viking's offense. In this week's meaningless game Celek should roam free for another solid outing. Brent leads the Eagles in receptions on the year with 56. 9) BRANDON PETTIGREW (@GB)- With nine catches during Week 16 against the Chargers Pettigrew established a new franchise-record for single-season catches by a tight end. Pettigrew now has 76 catches on the season, and he added 80 yards and his fifth touchdown of the season. 10) JERMAINE GRESHAM (BAL)- Gresham draws a tough match up this week with the Bengals playoff chances hanging on the line. The Bengals seem committed to get him more involved around the red zone so plug him in as a low end TE1 this week. 11) TONY GONZALEZ (TB)- The Falcons still need to win this week to most likely avoid a first round game in the unfriendly confines of the Super Dome. Gonzo has been steady and with the Buc's already packing it in, I expect him to have a solid stat line. Keep in mind though that Tampa Bay has only allowed one TD to a tight end in the last five weeks. 12) DUSTIN KELLER (MIA)- The Jet's need a win and a prayer this week as they take on the resurgent Dolphins in New York. The question is will Miami letdown a bit after an emotional game at New England last week? I expect a solid effort out of Keller this week. 13) ED DICKSON 14) KELLEN WINSLOW 15) JEREMY SHOCKEY 16) TODD HEAP 17) JOEL DREESSEN 18) GREG OLSEN 19) EVAN MOORE 20) JACOB TAMME 21) HEATH MILLER 22) TONY SCHEFFLER 23) MARCEDES LEWIS 24) JACOB TAMME Written by John Marino exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (December 25, 2011 - Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images North America)  Drew Brees (credits below) This is it, ladies and gents – the last Monday Night Football game of 2011. I’m hoping that you’re all reading this with your fantasy playoff matchups sewn-up, but if you’re like me…you’ve got a lot riding on tonight’s matchup. I’ll get to the fantasy implications in a moment, but let’s take our usual look at what the playoffs would look like if the season ended today (there’s still a week to go, obviously, so some of these are based on tiebreakers right now): AFC First-Round Byes: New England and Baltimore Wild Card Matchups: Pittsburgh at Denver, Cincinnati at Houston NFC First-Round Byes: Green Bay and San Francisco Wild Card Matchups: Detroit at New York Giants, Atlanta at New Orleans Before we get to tonight’s NFC South slugfest, there was a lot of action around the league over the holiday weekend to look at first: I’ll have to clear my eggnog hangover to remember back to Thursday, but I seem to remember the Colts attempting to ruin their chance to get Andrew Luck while the Texans seemed intent on backing into the playoffs. Early-game action on Saturday saw the Patriots roaring back in the 2nd-half to nip the Dolphins, the Bills doing their best to ruin Tim Tebow’s playoff chances, Andy Dalton leading the Bengals over the Cardinals while all of Cincinnati didn’t care, and the Titans keeping their playoff chances alive with a win over the lowly Jaguars. Elsewhere, the Jets failed to back-up Rex Ryan’s bluster in losing to the Giants, the Raiders blocking a field goal to edge the Chiefs and keep a playoff berth realistic, and the Steelers shut-out the Rams despite missing Big Ben. Other Saturday results included the Vikings surprising the Redskins in D.C., the Ravens sleepwalking to a close win over the Browns, Cam Newton single-handedly dominating the Buccaneers, the 49ers squeaking to a road-win over the Seahawks, and the Lions finally making it back to the playoffs with a win over the Chargers. Oh yea…and the Cowboys lost to the Eagles while Tony Romo’s early thumb injury ruined a lot of fantasy playoff matchups (hopefully not yours). Tonight’s game doesn’t have a ton of playoff implications other than seeding, but there’s a lot of other things at-stake (including many fantasy championships). The Falcons technically still have a chance to overtake the Saints in the NFC South and Drew Brees is this close to breaking Dan Marino’s single-season passing yardage record, but that’s not why you’re here so let’s get to the fantasy football part of this story. In short, this one is mostly likely going to come down to the passing game (sorry Michael Turner owners). Both teams have decent rushing offenses, but they both also have somewhat decent rushing defenses as well. On the same token, both teams have borderline great passing offenses while also boasting some of the league’s lower-ranked pass defenses (especially New Orleans). Drew Brees has been on fire, as of late, and hasn’t scored less than 20 fantasy points since Week 9. Matt Ryan, however, has been sneakily good lately and put up 31 and 20 fantasy points in his last two games. With Brees only 305 yards shy of breaking Dan Marino’s record, and with this game on the fast turf of the Superdome…I’m envisioning a shoot-out. What does that mean for those of us in our fantasy football semi-finals or finals? In short, it means good things for the owners of Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones, Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, and maybe even Darren Sproles and Lance Moore. Like I said above, I’m hoping you’re all reading this with a win in the bag, but if not…best of luck to you all! And finally, looking into my crystal ball for tonight…I’m going to predict a Saints victory with a final score of 34-31. As always, let’s end this week with some of top fantasy-related news from this week: - For those of you in keeper leagues, it’s going to be a long off-season of monitoring Adrian Peterson’s status as he recovers from his ACL/MCL tear. His status for the season opener in 2012 is in doubt and it’s probably a pretty risky proposition to keep him, as crazy as that sounds. - What does that mean for this year? It means we should all go running to our waivers to see if Toby Gerhart is available for a Week 17 matchup against the Bears. - Tony Romo’s bruised thumb proved not to be anything serious, so he should be fine for next week, but I’m still a little wary of starting him to be honest… Thanks again for reading all season…I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these articles as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them! I’d also like to thank Alan and Evan of TheFantasyFix for having me…it’s been an absolute pleasure. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you all! Written by Trader X exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Trader X is a top-50 gamer on a major fantasy sports website, and is the founder of www.FantasyTrade411.com. You can follow him and/or ask him for fantasy advice on Twitter @FantasyTrade411 (December 17, 2011 - Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images North America)  Greg Little (credits below) The time, dear friends, is short. In about 17 days, the fantasy football season will, in most cases, be over. The bright light that once was a veritable banquet of stats, prognostications and moments of both exultation and gut-wrenching remorse soon will fade into the distance and be replaced by lesser vices like fantasy basketball and baseball. Until that zenith hour, my comrades, we will fight on. This week's diamond-in-the-rough is a not-so-tiny-receiver from the Cleveland Browns. Greg Little, WR, Cleveland Browns: 5 rec, 131 yards, 1 TD Little is one of those Tony Gonzalez types: He played both basketball and football at his college, the University of North Carolina. Little sat out his 2010 college season after being busted for taking travel accommodations and jewelry while on the 'Heels football team. Despite riding the pine for his inclinations towards free nights in the Comfort Inn and for bling, Little was drafted in the second round of the 2011 draft by the Cleveland Browns. He clocked a 4.53 40-yard dash time and has a 40.5-inch vertical leap. Little played his high school football in North Carolina, and was a USA Today All-American. Projections: Little is on the bottom end a very talented group of freshman NFL receivers that includes A.J. Green, Julio Jones and Doug Baldwin. The former Tarheel wideout has had some decent games against bad defense, and substandard performances against good defenses. It is important to note, however, that Little is the premier wide receiver on the Browns. His 57 catches are 20 more than now-IRed tight end Ben Watson. Despite that, I'd be hesitant to start him the rest of the season. His final two games are against the Steelers and the Ravens. Keep an eye on him for next year, though. Written by James Duren exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (November 26, 2011 - Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images North America) | CategoriesAll  |
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