 Maurice Jones-Drew (credits below) After last week’s Saints-Giants fantasy bonanza, I think we’re in for a little bit of a letdown with the Chargers and Jaguars on-tap for tonight. As I was saying last week, we need to get through tonight’s game (and then next week’s Seahawks/Rams contest) before we finish with two exciting Monday Night Football matchups: Steelers/49ers and Saints/Falcons. That being said, any game can be interesting fantasy-wise and I promise I’ll work extra hard to keep you awake this week as we preview a matchup featuring 3-8 and 4-7 teams.
With three-quarters of the season in the books, it’s definitely not too early to take a look at the playoffs. If the season ended today, here’s what we’d be looking at (take these with a grain of salt since some are based on tiebreakers):
AFCFirst-Round Byes: New England and Baltimore
Wild Card Matchups: Cincinnati at Houston, Pittsburgh at Denver
NFCFirst-Round Byes: Green Bay and San Francisco
Wild Card Matchups: Chicago at Dallas, Atlanta at New Orleans
Before we get to tonight’s “blockbuster”, let’s take our usual look at what else happened around the league (I won’t get into Thursday’s game too much other than to say that Marshawn Lynch needs to be in your lineup except for Week 16 vs. San Francisco, and that DeSean Jackson shouldn’t be in your starting lineup if you want any shot at winning your league):
Let’s just get this out of the way now…Tim Tebow did it AGAIN! Ok, now that I’ve got the obligatory Tebow reference in here…other early-game action saw the Chris Johnson-led Titans surprisingly staying in playoff position by beating the slumping Bills, the Dolphins dismantling the Raiders (who gave up first in the AFC West to Denver), the Steelers asserting their AFC North dominance over the Bengals, and Cam Newton going hog-wild over the Josh Freeman-less Buccaneers. The Jets took advantage of 3 Shonn Greene TDs to take down the Redskins, Arian Foster led the Texans to a win over the Falcons, and the Tyler Palko led the Chiefs over Caleb Hanie and the Bears in a battle for crappy QB supremacy.
In the late games on Sunday…the Packers sweated-out a close one over the Giants to keep their undefeated season alive, the Ravens beat the Browns on the strength of 206 Ray Rice rushing yards, the Cardinals benefitted from Jason Garrett brain-fart to beat the Cowboys, and the 49ers barely had to break a sweat in shutting-out the Rams. And in the Sunday Night game, the Saints marched on and handed Detroit its fifth loss in its last seven games.
Despite the Chargers still being in the playoff hunt (mathematically, at least), tonight’s MNF is much better-suited to fantasy owners than it is to casual NFL fans. The Jaguars are 3-8 and just fired their coach, while the Chargers are 4-7 and will likely find themselves looking for a new coach at the end of the season, as well.
The Chargers have made a living off of starting slow and finishing strong but after starting 4-1 this year, San Diego is now looking to avoid their seventh straight loss. A large reason for that (as his owners can attest to) is that Philip Rivers has more interceptions (17) than he does touchdown passes (16) this year. It also doesn’t help when your best offensive players are either wildly inconsistent (Vincent Jackson) or can’t stay healthy (Ryan Mathews, Antonio Gates, Malcolm Floyd)…
San Diego boasts the league’s 6th-best pass offense and 7th-best pass defense, but they also have the league’s 18th-ranked rushing offense and 26th-ranked rushing defense. While that might mean great things for Philip Rivers, Vincent Jackson, and Antonio Gates…it also means great things for someone who I was shocked to see is second in the NFL in rushing yards. Know who it is?
I think we can all agree (including my wife) that I spend WAY too much time watching football, so I’m not sure how I missed this, but Maurice Jones-Drew is second in the league in rushing yards with 1,040! Unfortunately for fantasy owners, he’s only taken five carries to the house this year but as you saw above…the Chargers defense is ripe for the picking when it comes to giving up rushing yards. It’s a good thing for Jaguar’s fans, too, because Blaine Gabbert amazingly only has 331 more passing yards than Jones-Drew does rushing yards (in case you’re wondering…that’s NOT good). After looking at those statistics, it’s not surprising that the Jaguars have ridden Jones-Drew in becoming the 12th-ranked rushing offense in the league but have the 32nd-ranked passing attack.
Outside of MJD, the Jaguars’ defense is really the focal-point of this team and should present a formidable challenge to the Chargers. The Jags come into this game ranked 3rd against the pass and 14th against the run. If they have any chance of pulling another Ravens-style upset…they’re going to have to rely on Jones-Drew to eat-up a lot of clock while their defense tries to hold Rivers and Co. at bay.
Looking at this one fantasy-wise, I could see Jones-Drew having a big game tonight but other than him…there’s really no reason to own anyone else on the Jaguars unless you’re in a keeper league and trying to pull the equivalent of a “Suck for Luck” campaign. On the Chargers’ side of the ball…I envision Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert having a rough go of it tonight, while Rivers and his receiving targets put up some good numbers (and I’m not just saying that because my wife’s fantasy team needs Rivers and Gates to have a big night). One thing to note: Vincent Jackson only had three targets in the Chargers’ last game, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him have a disappointing game tonight. All in all, I just don’t see how the Jaguars are able to keep up with the Chargers, and I’m predicting a score of 27-17, Chargers.
As usual, let’s wrap it up with some of top fantasy-related news from Sunday:
- Matt Forte left the Bears game with what’s being reported as an MCL sprain. Sources have him missing 2-4 games, and if that’s the case, his owners are going to have to make other plans for their playoff matchups.
- Speaking of other plans, Marion Barber is pretty much assured of being this week’s top waiver-wire add.
- Andre Johnson had a nice game (finally!), but had to spoil things by re-aggravating the same hamstring that made him miss all that time. The Texans are hoping this isn’t anything serious, but I think it’s time we all make arrangements for being without Johnson for our fantasy football playoffs.
- James Starks sprained his ankle in Green Bay’s victory and was replaced by an ineffective Ryan Grant. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Brandon Saine is going to end up being more valuable than either of those guys.
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 (November 26, 2011 - Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images North America)
 Matt Moore (credits below) QB Start: Matt Moore (Miami Dolphins, Week 13: Oakland)
ESPN’s current player blurb on Moore claims that the Raiders are underrated against the pass. Really? How? Oakland allows the fifth most fantasy points to opposing QBs, has given up the 11th most passing yards, and has allowed the 4th highest total of passing touchdowns. And they’ve done it against inferior competition. They’ve only faced two QBs who rank among the top ten in fantasy points at that position, and they haven’t seen one of those quarterbacks since Week 5.
Then there’s this from one of my favorite people on Twitter, @PFF_MikeClay: Raiders Defense has allowed 2+ passing touchdowns in 9 of their last 10 games (only exception: 0 vs. KC Wk7). Hey, Matt Moore!
The list of quarterbacks that have thrown for 2+ TDs against the Raiders includes such names as: Colt McCoy, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Christian Ponder, and Caleb Hanie. I see absolutely see no reason why Matt Moore can’t be on that list by Sunday night.
QB Sit: Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons, Week 13: @ Houston)
Houston may be suffering in its ability to get production from its quarterback position, but they’re having no problem suppressing the production of opposing quarterbacks. Admittedly, they haven’t faced the strongest opposition, but they’ve handled weak quarterbacks as they should. They’ve allowed double digit fantasy points to quarterbacks just four times and 15+ points just once.
Ryan is in the 8-12 range almost every week in the QB rankings and when he faces a strong opponent like this, he shouldn’t be above the start line.
RB Start: Carolina RBs (Week 13: @ Tampa Bay)
The only team worse against the run than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the team that Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams play for. So this is as good as a matchup can get for the Carolina duo. God only knows which one of them will have the better day, but one or both of them should have a big day. If you just own one of the two, start him and hope it’s his day. If you own both of them, who knows? You could start them both if you’re weak at flex, but if I had to pick one, I’d go with Stewart.
RB Sit: Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 13: Cincinnati)
The last time Pittsburgh played Cincinnati in week 10 Mendenhall was listed in this very same space. The strength of Cincy’s run D and the fact that Mendenhall has only one game with more than 70 yards rushing (still true) were cited as reasons to leave him on your bench. Mendy racked up a whopping 44 yards on 16 carries (2.75 ypc). Unfortunately, he got in the end zone....twice. Both scores came from inside the 10, so the circumstances of the game resulted in that sit call being wrong. But it’s about process, not results, and the thinking is the same this time around. Mendenhall has sucked, Cincy’s run D hasn’t, so he shouldn’t be a top 20 RB this week.
WR Start: Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 13: Cincinnati)
Brown is going to be listed in this spot every week until either he’s recognized as the top 20 receiver that he is or he stops playing like a top 20 receiver. He has at least eight points in his last five games (Laurent Robinson and Victor Cruz are the only other receivers who can make that claim). And he’s doing it almost exclusively with yardage as he has only one TD catch.
Brown is the only receiver with 700+ receiving yards and less than three touchdowns. He and Greg Little are the only receivers with 45+ receptions and 85+ plus targets with only 1 TD. Those numbers absolutely scream regression. REGRESSION! Brown is absolutely going to catch some TDs down the stretch, and after you combine that with the 90 yards he’s averaging over his last five games, he’s going to have some very big days.
BONUS FLEX PLAY: Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers, Week 13: St. Louis)
Speaking of regression alerts, Crabtree is only slightly less of a positive regression candidate than Brown is. Crab has over 500 yards, 74 targets, and 44 receptions, but only one touchdown. He has 13 catches the last two weeks and faces a Rams team that allows the 7th most fantasy points to wide receivers.
WR Sit: Stevie Johnson (Buffalo Bills, Week 13: Tennessee)
Before his antics and performance garnered him some attention last week, Stevie had been nowhere to be found since week 3, the last time he reached double digit fantasy points prior to his 13 against the Jets. As he goes up against a Titans team that is 6th best against WRs and has a pretty decent shutdown corner in Cortland Finnegan, expect him to slip back into the obscurity of mediocrity.
TE Start: Jake Ballard (New York Giants, Week 13: Green Bay)
TE Sit: Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers, Week 13: St. Louis)
Unless you own Graham, Gronkowski, Gates, Witten, or Gonzalez, you’re just trying to guess which tight end will get in the end zone that particular week. Green Bay is really bad against tight ends, so Ballard has a shot to get you double digit points from your TE slot if he can get in the end zone. If he doesn’t, he should be safe for five points or so.
As for Davis, more from @PFF_MikeClay: Vernon Davis owners -- No unit of tight ends has eclipsed 52 receiving yards in a single game vs. the Rams this season. They've allowed 1TD.
Enough said.
Written by Brett Talley exclusively for thefantasyfix.com. Brett is a law student in Dallas who took a two-hour break from studying to write this. He apologizes if the words ‘statute’ or ‘doctrine’ were inadvertently typed into this article. You can follow him and/or ask him for fantasy advice on Twitter @therealTAL.
(November 19, 2011 - Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images North America)
 LaGarette Blount (credits below) Highlight: One final push for the playoffs before your season, and your money is thrown away for good.
Here we go Ladies and Gentlemen, your final shot at making the playoffs for your fantasy leagues. Most leagues out there have one last game left until the playoffs begin and if you are lucky enough to have an additional game to get into the postseason then congratulations. However, for most, this week is the one that will keep you alive or bury you for good.
In week 12, we saw some pretty interesting performances, from Beanie Wells and his 200+ yard game, to Chris Johnson barely missing the 200-yard mark himself. We also have seen yet again more injuries to the quarterback position as fill-in for Matt Schaub (HOU, 12), Matt Leinart (HOU, 46) went down in the first half with a broken collarbone. Meanwhile some unfamiliar quarterbacks emerged with greatness this week as 10 signal callers broke the 20-fantasy point mark including Rex Grossman (WSH, 25), Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF, 12), Mark Sanchez (NYJ, 10), Caleb Hanie (CHI, 40), and Vince Young (PHI, 39). With one week left in the fantasy regular season lets take a look at some of the best and worst matchups for the playoff run.
Rise:LaGarette Blount (TB, 26) returned from his knee injury with two pretty subpar fantasy outings against teams that he should’ve put up numbers against. However since his those lackluster performances Blount has recorded back to back 100-yard games on fewer than 20 carries per game giving him an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Blount has also found the end zone once during that span as well. Going forward Blount goes up against the 4th weakest schedule against the run in the National Football League. With two games still to come against Carolina and one against the Jaguars who just lost their head coach look for Blount to power his way through to fantasy relevance again. The fact that he gets to practice against the 2nd worst fantasy rushing defense in the league on a daily basis will only help him when going up against these teams. Please be weary however of his week 17 match up, most likely your championship game, when he faces the Atlanta Falcons who are giving up less than 14 fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.
Rex Grossman was recently given the starting position back after losing it earlier this year to John Beck (WSH, 37) in week 7. Since then he has recorded two games of more than 290 yards passing and in each of those games has found the end zone twice. His turnovers need to come down a bit, but with Santana Moss (WSH, 71) back the field will be opened up to get others involved and he will be able to sling the ball around. Grossman has the 16th weakest schedule for quarterbacks however two of his remaining games are against the worst team against opposing QBs (Minnesota) and the second worst (New England), not to mention he also has the Eagles and Giants still to come, two teams not known for stopping the pass.
When did Reggie Bush (MIA, 18) learn how to be a NFL running back. For years Bush has been a PPR monster with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, but was never able to consistently run through the tackles or become that rushing threat everyone thought he would be out of college. Over the last 5 weeks Bush has seemed to figure it all out with double-digit fantasy points in each week so far, with 4 touchdowns rushing over that same span. The one consistent part of it all is that he is getting the ball, with at least 13 carries in each of those 5 games, Bush has also caught at least 3 passes in every one. Bush faces the 6th weakest schedule for running backs to finish out the season with Oakland, Philly, and Buffalo over the next three weeks, a group of teams who have all allowed more than 20 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season.
Notable players on the rise include Eric Decker (DEN, 12) and Demaryius Thomas (DEN, 120) of Denver. By now you should all understand my complete hatred of Tim Tebow (DEN, 22). While he may be 5 – 1 as a starter this year he has significantly crushed the value of these two wide outs. Going forward, the Broncos face the 3rd weakest schedule against opposing wide outs. If Tebow can figure out how to raise that completion percentage over 45% Decker who has caught 4 of Tebow’s 5 touch down passes and Thomas will be the guys who benefit greatly. (I still doubt it but keep it in mind).
Fall:
Three weeks ago Michael Vick (PHI, 14) went down with broken ribs, and has not played since. Vince Young stepped into the role of starting quarterback and has preformed with flying colors. You may ask me with all of his success why would he be falling? Well, his first two opponents are perpetually terrible against opposing quarterbacks and he was able to shine because of it. Going forward Young, and subsequently Vick when he comes back, faces the 10th toughest schedule for quarterbacks. The Eagles soar across the country to face Seattle on a short week who currently ranks 10th among opposing quarterbacks tonight. The rest of the schedule isn’t any easier as they face only one team that is given up more than 16 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. The schedule isn’t any easier for the Eagle running backs or wide receivers as their schedule ranks 3rd toughest for the run, and 5th toughest for the wide outs, so be prepared for tough games with LeSean McCoy (PHI, 1) and the Eagles pass catchers.
Adrian Peterson (MIN, 4) missed his week 12 game with a high ankle sprain. Toby Gerhart (MIN, 69) stepped in and was able to score but wasn’t able to rack up the yards that is needed to be a valuable fantasy starter. Peterson is still ailing from the injury but has been active running during practices and seems to be better. However, his status is still unknown for the game and won’t be until game time on Sunday. In the end it won’t be the injury that forces you to be fearful of these two halfbacks, but their remaining schedule should have you skeptical. The Vikings have the 10th toughest schedule for running backs still to come, with games against Denver, Detroit, Chicago, and Washington all teams who give up less than 18.2 points per game to opposing halfbacks. They do have a week 15 matchup against the Saints that looks very enticing, but the rest of their schedule should keep you hesitant.
Marshawn Lynch (SEA, 11) has been absolutely dominant so far this year. Lynch has recorded 6 double-digit fantasy point outings over the last 8 weeks and has scored in 6 of those games as well. The next two weeks are very interesting for Lynch, but it’s the semi-finals and finals weeks that you’ll need to worry about when looking to start or sit Lynch. Both the Eagles and the Rams are giving up more than 20 points per game to opposing running backs which should make Lynch an immediate start. Weeks 15, 16, and 17 are a completely different story when he faces Chicago, San Francisco, and the Arizona Cardinals, three teams who have given up less than 18 fantasy points to opposing halfbacks.
A lot of experts believed that this year would be Vincent Jackson’s (SD, 8) break out season. He seemed to put the contract distractions behind him when the lockout was lifted. Although it isn’t being reported that this is an issue with VJax his value has significantly dropped. In 5 of Jackson’s last 7 games he has recorded less than 5 fantasy points, which just isn’t going to cut it. In the games when he isn’t playing terribly he is exploding with more than 20 fantasy points in each. Going forward Jackson needs to be relegated to being a WR3 he will either be amazing or absolutely atrocious, there doesn’t seem to be an in between. The playoffs will not be very kind to Vincent Jackson and the rest of the San Diego Chargers. They face the 11th toughest schedule for wide receivers with games against Jacksonville who are giving up less than 15 points to opposing wide outs, and the Ravens later in the playoffs.
Two players you should keep an eye on for the playoffs will be Arian Foster (HOU, 3) and Ben Tate (HOU, 27). So far in 2011, Tate has been a pretty nice flex option for deeper leagues and Foster has been one of the best halfbacks to play this year. But with both their starting quarterback, and second string quarterback going down for the entire season teams will begin to stack the box vs. these two versatile ball carriers. The schedule favors them as they have the 3rd weakest schedule for running backs but with defenses forcing the Texans to beat them with the pass we may see a small drop off from these guys.
If you are one of those teams that have already made it to the playoffs then congratulations, and for those of you who need production from your guys in this final week before the playoffs begin good luck. Some great match ups are out there, and if you make the right decision you can find yourself on the inside, but make one false step and you’ll be the jealous one on the outside looking in. Written by Justin Mandaro exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com
You can follow me on twitter @PeckinRotoX
And as always I am available to answer any and all questions from 10am – 12pm on Sunday. (November 19, 2011 - Photo by Elsa/Getty Images North America)
 Jason Avant Fresh off a ham hangover, a tryptophane overdose and a freakin' cornucopia of chuckles following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Crankgate scandal, I present to you another installment of the Gold Mine, where I dig deep on the waiver wire to find a guy who has a decent week and isn't owned by many teams.
Jason Avant, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: 110 yards, 1 TD
Avant played high school football in two places: as a freshman at MacArthur High Schol in Decatur, Ill., and finished at Geroge Washington Carver Military Academy in Chicago. Carver is the home to Golden State Warriors' star Tim Hardaway, owner of that killer crossover. Avant gained All-American honors as a free safety.
The future Eagle played his college ball at Michigan, where he began his career playing second-fiddle to Braylon Edwards...you know, the guy whose aerial love affair with Derek Anderson made the pair a one-hit wonder a few seasons ago. In his senior season, Avant caught 82 passes for 1,007 yards and eight touchdowns.
The guy has a cerebral side to him — he reportedly is an ace at Scrabble and spent an offseason learning piano.
Projections:
Injuries to Jeremy Maclin have led to Avant's emergence in Philly's offense. This past game against the Patriots, Avant's eight receptions topped all Eaglers receivers, tight ends and running backs. Only Jeremy Maclin has caught more passes than that in one game than Avant's eight against Philly and his nine spot against the Bills. Avant's 44 receptions for the season put him two behind Maclin and one ahead of tight end Brent Celek. The Eagles' matchups the rest of the way are just ho-hum, and Avant isn't really the guy the Eagles go to in the red zone (only 1 TD this season). However, he seemed to have great rapport with Vince Young. Keep an eye on him down the stretch.Written by James Duren exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com.
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(September 10, 2011 - Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images North America)
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 Aaron Rodgers (credits below) The playoffs start in many fantasy leagues this week or else this is likely the final week to try and get into the playoffs in others, but either way, there are huge decisions to be made.
You don't want to be like the owner who benched Beanie Wells last week for Frank Gore and had his playoff chances end with a six-point loss that could have been an easy win with Wells in the lineup.
This is the time of the year you think hard about whether or not you want to go with Vincent Jackson and his boom-or-bust style or a more reliable Marques Colston. Are you going to ride out free-agent find Laurent Robinson with the season on the line? Can you trust Andre Johnson with T.J. Yates at quarterback.
Plenty of questions, so lets look for some answers.
Philadelphia at Seattle: Vince Young is putting up numbers, but I don't trust him in anything less than a 12-team league. Keep an eye on DeSean Jackson's status before the game and whether he is in the starting lineup – if you need a big-play possibility, take the risk and play him. He has been close to catching a couple long scoring passes in recent weeks, but has been so frustrating to his owners because of his inconsistency. He even got benched late last week, but one of these weeks, he's going to catch those long bombs and get in the end zone and maybe even score on a punt return, so if he's been forgiven by Andy Reid, you should forgive as well. LeSean McCoy is suddenly dropping in performance but I expect that to change even against a tough Seahawks run defense. Marshawn Lynch is approaching top-10 status for a running back so he is the only reliable Seahawk in fantasy.
Carolina at Tampa Bay: Mike Williams is trying to repay those owners who were frustrated by him early in the season but held onto him and this should be his best game yet. Josh Freeman is a nice play in deeper leagues as well and LaGarrette Blount's sudden impact in the passing game makes him a must-start. Cam Newton and Steve Smith remain reliable, but Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are impossible to trust.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: Tough match-up for Andy Dalton, but I've said that before and he's been fine, so he's right around 15 in my rankings this week. AJ Green should bounce back as he gets healthier this week. Ben Roethlisberger will be good and Mike Wallace should re-emerge as his favorite deep threat here.
Atlanta at Houston: Don't love the Falcons other than Michael Turner here on the road against an improving defense. The biggest question surrounds Houston's passing game. Can T.J. Yates find Andre Johnson with another week of practice. He should, but I'm not counting on it. I think Arian Foster and Ben Tate could both get 20 carries and have monster games on the road, but I fear Johnson may be a guy who struggles to get more than 65 receiving yards per week the rest of the season. It's a tough deal for his owners who waited more than a month for him to return, then saw his top two quarterbacks go out for the season as he returned.
Denver at Minnesota: Percy Harvin is a receiver I am playing over Andre Johnson this week. I pumped up Harvin all year and it looks like his health and opportunities will finally come together to provide a nice final few games for him. I think he could be a 20-point fantasy performer this week because he has just missed a couple of touchdowns in each of the past two weeks. I don't want Christian Ponder or Toby Gerhart here. Tim Tebow will get you his 15 points and I think Eric Decker will have a nice day in the return to his college town. Willis McGahee is officially back to RB2 status.
New York Jets at Washington: I like the Jets to breakout here with Mark Sanchez, Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes, and Shonn Green all having an above-average day. Considering the poor performances from those guys this season, an above-average performance doesn't necessarily mean worthy of playing in a 10-team league, but if you have to play them, you can feel good about it. Mike Shanahan has proven before that one good week for one of his running backs does not signal a pattern, so trust Roy Helu at your own risk because I am not trusting him or anyone on that offense this week.
Indianapolis at New England: Play your studs, Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark in Indy's annual shootout with New....oops, this is 2012 and for the first time in six years, the story line for this game changes. Now it's bench all your Colts, play all your Pats and turn away from the bloodbath that is about to emerge.
Oakland at Miami: Play Michael Bush even if Darren McFadden returns because I think Bush gets most of the carries either way and I'd keep McFadden on your bench even if he plays unless you are desperate. I like Carson Palmer to post top-16 quarterback numbers, but I'm not willing to put my playoff hopes on the line by trusting any of his receivers. Matt Moore has emerged as a legitimate quarterback in deep and two-quarterback leagues and I expect Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush to be good here.
Tennessee at Buffalo: Chris Johnson found his stride just in time for the fantasy playoffs. At least, that's the hope of owners who need him to repeat last week's performance for the next few weeks. Tough to count on him, but if you've got him, you have to play him. Ryan Fitzpatrick is another guy who shook off a slump to have a big performance last week. I'm not willing to ride him into the playoffs and the same goes for Stevie Johnson.
Kansas City at Chicago: Kyle Orton makes his Chiefs debut against his former team and that is a recipe for disaster for him and the entire Chiefs offense. Get the Bears defense in your lineup and don't worry about Matt Forte's recent struggles, he'll get over 140 total yards and a score here.
Baltimore at Cleveland: The Ravens defense is the fantasy stud here as I wouldn't trust any Browns on offense. If you want to trust Peyton Hillis, go ahead, but he could have 13 yards as easily as he could have 100. This will be a good week for Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and Anquan Boldin.
Dallas at Arizona: So, to the question posed earlier, yes I will play Laurent Robinson with a lot on the line this week. Can't deny five straight weeks of production. I like Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, and DeMarco Murray also, as usual. You have to play Beanie Wells if he looks healthy because he could be almost all the offense for the Cardinals with Larry Fitzgerald as the only other fantasy player on their team.
Green Bay at New York Giants: Look for a shootout here with Aaron Rodgers getting close to the 40-point week Drew Brees posted on the Giants last week. Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, and Jermichael Finley are all must-plays with Donald Driver and James Jones as safe bets in deeper leagues. The Giants' passing game will keep up with Green Bay so get Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, and Victor Cruz in all line-ups.
St. Louis at San Francisco: As good as Frank Gore was during a full month of 100-yards games, he has been equally frustrating battling injuries and seemingly having his role limited in the last month. You have to play him and hope for a bounceback game here against the Rams. The 49ers defense is a great play this week and Alex Smith should be productive. Brandon Lloyd and Steven Jackson are safe standard-league plays for the Rams.
Detroit at New Orleans: Another shootout, although I said that about last week's Lions/Packers game and then watched Matthew Stafford struggle to reach double figures. Stafford's interceptions are a problem, but at this point in the season, you likely have no alternative but to play him and hope he can overcome them and post a big total like he did two weeks ago. Hard to trust any of his running backs unless Kevin Smith is out for sure and Maurice Morris is the lone option in the backfield. Drew Brees is in line for another huge day and Marques Colston too along with the usual output from Jimmie Graham. Lance Moore and Darren Sproles both flex guys to take a chance on this week.
San Diego at Jacksonville: Maurice Jones-Drew is the only Jaguar to play as usual, but what to make of the Chargers. You would think a Jacksonville defense with a new head coach would be ripe for Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson, but those two have become impossible to predict. The Chargers seem to particularly struggle on prime-time games, so going across the country on Monday night, I can't trust Rivers but Jackson is at least a WR2 who could be the top receiver in all of fantasy football as he's been a few times this year. Ryan Mathews is becoming the most reliable Charger. Written by Steve Mims exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Steve on Twitter @nwsportscards
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(November 19, 2011 - Photo by Elsa/Getty Images North America)
 Rob Gronkowski (credits below) 1) ROB GRONKOWSKI (IND)- Gronkowski continued his stellar year last week with two more scores giving him 11 on the season. He will look to continue his success this week against a very weak Colt's secondary. Gronk has scored in four consecutive games now.
2) JIMMY GRAHAM (DET)- Graham had a big Monday night scoring two touchdowns against the hapless G Men secondary. He now has 67 receptions on the year with eight touchdowns. This week he faces a Detroit defense that should allow him to roam free in what should be a high scoring contest. Graham did receive a vicious hit late in the game Monday night so keep an eye on the injury report.
3) ANTONIO GATES (@ JAX)- Gates faces Jacksonville in the Monday night game. Gates scored last week and has continued to be solid playing through his ongoing foot issues. Gates has four TD's on the season.
4) JASON WITTEN (@ ARI)- Jason remains a weekly TE1 play as he goes to Arizona this week to take on the Cardinals. Witten has 56 catches and five touchdowns on the season.
5) BRENT CELEK (@ SEA)- Celek shows up in my top five this week mainly because of the Seahawk's inabilities this year to cover the opposing teams TE position. Seattle has allowed three TD's and 220 yards to TE's the last three weeks. Play him with confidence this week.
6) JERMICHAEL FINLEY (@NYG)- Finley drops out of my top 5 this week because the Packer's just have too many weapons to predict his weekly totals. He is becoming a weekly boom or bust candidate and a major disappointment to fantasy owners. This week he faces a Giant's defense that is ranked 26th against the pass so cross your fingers and hope Rodgers looks his way.
7) AARON HERNANDEZ (IND)- Hernandez has the talent but Gronkowski gets all the glory as the New England tight ends go. This week Aaron gets the Colt's and should get plenty of chances to score as defenses start to concentrate more and more on his counterpart in the Pat's high octane offense.
8) TONY GONZALEZ (@ HOU)- Gonzalez continued his fountain of youth season with a nine catch performance last week. He has 59 catches on the year to go along with seven touchdowns and continues to be one of Matt Ryan's favorite red zone targets.
9) VERNON DAVIS (STL)- Davis has had some excellent past success against the Rams as he goes for his third consecutive 70+ yards performance against them. Although he has been a major disappointment this year fantasy wise, I do like his matchup this week and a good one to take advantage of against the Rams.
10) DUSTN KELLER (@WAS)- Keller finally put a consistent effort in last week at home versus Buffalo scoring two touchdowns. He ended the game with four catches and a 61 yard performance. This could be the start for "Sanchise" to start checking down more looking for Keller. He is worth a shot while he is hot.
11) FRED DAVIS (NYJ)- Freddie scored last week against Seattle and will look to continue his streak against the Jets. New York will blitz Rex Grossman quite a bit Sunday giving Davis plenty of chances to roam.
12) JERMAINE GRESHAM (@PIT)- Gresham had a five catch, 68 yard, one TD performance last week as he looks to be recovering nicely from a lingering mid season hamstring problem. Jermaine scored last time against the Steelers.
13) KELLEN WINSLOW
14) JARED COOK
15) GREG OLSEN
16) BRANDON PETTIGREW
17) OWEN DANIELS
18) JAKE BALLARD
19) HEATH MILLER
20) TONY SCHEFFLER
21) ED DICKSON
22) SCOTT CHANDLER
23) KELLEN DAVIS
24) KEVIN BOSSWritten 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!(November 20, 2011 - Photo by Elsa/Getty Images North America)
 Aldon Smith (credits below) 1. San Francisco 49ers (STL) – The Niners defense has been great all year, and after a Thanksgiving day loss to the Ravens, I expect them to have a field day at home against the Rams. The Rams have given up the most sacks in the league bye far. Keep an eye on rookie Aldon Smith as he should have a big day.
2. Chicago Bears (KC) – Palko is still the Chiefs’ starter, but that could change by the time this article is published. Whether it’s Palko or Orton, I don’t think matters much for the Bears. The Chiefs haven’t been able to do anything lately, and things will only get harder as they face Chicago at Soldier Field. Huge day for the Bears forthcoming.
3. Baltimore Ravens (@CLE) – This matchup on paper might scream that the Ravens should be the clear #1 this week. Two things have them lower for me. First, they’re on the road facing a divisional opponent. Secondly, they’re coming off a big win in the Harbaugh Bowl. Their games following other big wins (@TEN and @SEA after victories over PIT). Should still be a very good play, but there is cause for slight concern.
4. New England Patriots (IND) – That Patriots’ defense started the year off poorly, but since then has improved. They get to face the winless colts with new starter Dan Orlovsky. Colts will have to pass often, unless they decide to try to run the ball to shorten the game, and save themselves from further embarrassment.
5. New York Jets (@WAS) – The Jets’ secondary didn’t look very good at times last week against Buffalo. They are well aware that they were pretty lucky that Stevie Johnson couldn’t catch a perfectly thrown pass down the middle of the field late in the game. I think they step up their game, and with Grossman back at the helm for the Redskins, that should mean some turnovers are coming.
6. Dallas Cowboys (@ARI) – Last week against the Rams, Beanie Wells had a huge day for Arizona. I doubt he’ll get the same opportunity this week, as Dallas should be able to score, which would force the Arizona QB (Skelton?Bartel?) to be forced to pass. They haven’t been to successful this season, and I expect Ware to add to his sack lead this week.
7. Atlanta Falcons (@HOU) – With T.J. Yates leading the Texans this week, it will be no surprise that Houston is going to lean on their running attack. Rush defense has been Atlanta’s strength this year, as they’re second only to San Francisco. If Atlanta can contain Foster and Tate early while putting some points on the board, Yates may be forced to make plays with his arm. I can’t imagine a rookie third stringer to come in and excel.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (@SEA) – Are the Eagles done trying? It seems like every time that question is asked they come out and respond defensively. It will be a tough environment for them to play in, but their talent on the defensive side of the ball is far superior to the Seahawks’ offense, that I think they are a good play this week.
9. Houston Texans (ATL) – Matt Ryan has a TD:INT ratio of 12:5 at home, butonly 6:5 on the road. This week he will face a tough test, as the Texans’ defense has been one of the surprises of the season. Somehow they have been able to absorb the loss of Mario Williams, and continue t play at a high level. If Yates can limit his turnovers, I think the Texans have a good shot at stifling the Falcons. That’s a big if.
10. Denver Broncos (@MIN) – Lost in the Tebow hype, has been the Denver defense. They’ve performed great since Tebow took over(aside from the Detroit game). With their offense running the ball almost exclusively, the game is also drastically shortened which limits their opponents’ possessions and opportunities to score. Adrian Peterson has yet to be cleared, so this matchup should be a good one.
11. New Orleans Saints (DET) – The Saints defense gave up a lot of yards to Eli and the Giants, but a lot of that came after the game was out of hand. The Superdome is a tough place to play especially during a night game. With Matthew Stafford’s recent interception woes, I expect the Saints to post a decent number.
12. San Diego Chargers (@JAX) – Jacksonville fired Jack Del Rio today, so it will be interesting to see how they come out on Monday night. The good news for the Chargers is that the Jaguars are sticking with Blaine Gabbert who has yet to prove to be a threat. If Philip Rivers doesn’t hand touchdowns to the Jags this week, I think they’re a safe play.
13. Green Bay Packers (@NYG)
14. Oakland Raiders (@MIA)
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (CIN)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (SD)
17. Miami Dolphins (OAK)
18. Minnesota Vikings (DEN)
19. Tennessee Titans (@BUF)
20. Cincinnati Bengals (@PIT)
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (CAR)
22. Buffalo Bills (TEN)
23. Washington Redskins (NYJ)
24. Cleveland Browns (BAL)
25. Seattle Seahawks (PHI)
26. Carolina Panthers (@TB)
27. Kansas City Chiefs (@CHI)
28. St. Louis Rams (@SF)
29. New York Giants (GB)
30. Arizona Cardinals (DAL)
31. Detroit Lions (@NO)
32. Indianapolis Colts (@NE)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!(September 24, 2011 - Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images North America)
 Victor Cruz (credits below) Three things that made me go “WTF?” while looking over stats Monday night.
1. Mark Sanchez has been a top ten fantasy quarterback through 12 weeks.
WTF? That’s right. The 20th QB off the board in ESPN leagues this year has been outscored in fantasy points by only nine other quarterbacks. When you look at all of the Sanchize’s numbers you notice that his completion percentage and quarterback rating have improved in each of the last two seasons, and his 2010/2011 interception rate has been a very acceptable and regression-proof 2.7%
Admittedly, a lot of his success is the result of a pretty easy schedule. In the last seven weeks he has gone up against a team that currently ranks in the top ten of most fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. But assuming his accuracy continues to improve and his turnover woes don’t trend back in the direction of his rookie season, Sanchez could keep this up.
Instead of being an afterthought again, next year Sanchez should be drafted in that 8th/9th round range where people who elect not to get an elite QB grab a couple of guys to rotate in and out of their lineup based on the matchup. I can already imagine how much fun I’ll have choosing between Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez each week.
2. From Week 7 on Michael Bush is second among RBs in fantasy points per game.
WTF? Since Darren McFadden went down we’ve watched Bush fill his shoes more than adequately. But did you know only Arian Foster has been better than Bush in that time frame?
I considered the idea that Bush’s career path might play out a lot like Michael Turner’s when he leaves Oakland as free agent to be the starter elsewhere next season. But Bush will be two years older and will have roughly 400 more carries (aka at least a full season’s load) under his belt than when Turner became the lead back in Atlanta. Bush could certainly have some short-term success with his new team, but it’s probably not reasonable to expect him to become a top 30 pick for the next three to four years.
3. Victor Cruz, Jordy Nelson, and Laurent Robinson have been the league’s best WRs since week 8.
WTF? On a per game basis, those three have scored more fantasy points than anyone other receivers. What do they all have in common? They are all on teams with a strong quarterback and a big, physical, deep threat WR1 lined up opposite them. Moreover, they’ve all outscored their respective WR1’s for the season.
Another guy who fits this description is Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown. He’s been mentioned in this space extensively so I won’t go on too much about him, but he should be owned in every league.
Young guys like Vincent Brown, Brandon LaFell, and Titus Young are all worth watching as they play on teams with that combo of a strong quarterback and a deep threat WR1. All three are on my 2012 sleeper radar.
By the way, Miles Austin is questionable at best this week, and Robinson is still available in over 40% of ESPN standard leagues. If for some reason he’s still out there in your league and you’re playing for a playoff spot, he’s a must add and a must start.
Written by Brett Talley exclusively for thefantasyfix.com. Brett is a law student in Dallas who thinks the Miami D is a strong play for those looking for a D to help them get in the playoffs. For a team that struggles against the pass and shuts down the run, Carson Palmer and Michael Bush is something they can handle. You can tell him how dumb that call is and/or ask him for fantasy advice on Twitter @therealTAL.(November 27, 2011 - Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images North America)
 Eli Manning (credits below) Welcome back from Thanksgiving break, folks! Hopefully you’ve all emerged from your tryptophan haze and are ready for what should be an exciting Monday Night Football matchup between the Giants and Saints. Before we get to our normal preview, I want to put tonight’s game in context for you with a look ahead at the next two MNF games: Chargers/Jaguars and Seahawks/Rams (insert Debbie Downer noise here). It gets a little better in Weeks 15 and 16 with the Steelers/49ers and Falcons/Saints, but let’s enjoy tonight while we can!
With only five weeks left, it’s definitely not too early to start looking at playoff matchups. If the season ended today, here’s what we’d be looking at (take these with a grain of salt since some are based on tiebreakers):
AFCFirst-Round Byes: Houston and New England
Wild Card Matchups: Cincinnati at Baltimore, Pittsburgh at Oakland
NFCFirst-Round Byes: Green Bay and San Francisco
Wild Card Matchups: Chicago at Dallas, Atlanta at New Orleans
Before we take a look at tonight, let’s take a quick look at what happened in the rest of the Week 12 games. I’m sure most of you saw this, but the Packers continued their quest towards perfection with a big Thanksgiving Day victory over the Lions (and yes, Ndamukong Suh a dirty player but let’s not get carried away…it’s not like he killed anyone!). Elsewhere on Turkey Day…Tony Romo avenged Leon Lett and took down the Dolphins, while the Ravens won a defensive struggle over the 49ers in the Harbaugh Bowl.
In the early games yesterday…Matt Ryan’s 3 TDs led the Falcons to victory over the Vikings, Andy Dalton led the Bengals to a comeback win over the Browns, and there was a Chris Johnson sighting in Tennessee as the Titans moved to 6-5 in beating the Buccaneers. Elsewhere, the Texans overcame Matt Leinart’s apparent season-ending shoulder injury to beat the Jaguars, and the Bills weren’t able to overcome a dumb penalty and a costly drop by Stevie Johnson in a 28-24 defeat to the Jets. The last of the early games included some nice rushing performances as DeAngelo Williams’ 2 TDs led the Panthers to a victory over the winless Colts, and Beanie Wells’ 228 yard game powered the Cardinals over the Rams.
And in the late games on Sunday…Patriots dismantled the “Dream Team” Eagles in Philadelphia, the Raiders held off the Caleb Hanie-led Bears in Oakland, the Redskins won a “thriller” over the Seahawks, and Tim Tebow did it again in leading the Broncos to an overtime victory in San Diego. Oh ya, I almost forgot since this game put me to sleep last night…but the Steelers won a “barnburner” over the Chiefs, 13-9, in the Sunday Night game.
I feel like I say this every week, but tonight’s game is a match up of teams going in two different directions. The Saints are 7-3 and riding a two-game win streak, while the Giants are 6-4 and trying to break a two-game slide. As the Saints try to keep a game up on the Falcons and the Giants try to keep pace with the Cowboys, Eli Manning’s New Orleans homecoming should prove quite interesting tonight…
Giants fans are probably sick of reading stuff like this year after year, but after starting 6-2, the G-Men seem like they’re ready to start their annual late-season slide. They’re coming off a BAD loss to the Eagles in which they only put up 28 rushing yards against one of the league’s worst run defenses, and are again without Ahmad Bradshaw tonight. The offensive line is hurting, their run offense is ranked 32nd in the league, and their normally stout defense is ranked 20th in both passing and rushing yards allowed. Ok, I’ll stop piling on there and point out the silver lining here: the Giants do boast the league’s 4th-ranked passing offense. If Big Blue is going to right the ship, they’re going to have to rely on the likes of Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, and Victor Cruz tonight (and that’s music to fantasy owners’ ears). All that being said, Eli’s last trip to the bayou wasn’t all that fruitful (178 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and while I realize Tom Coughlin has that 2008 Super Bowl under his belt…he might be staring the unemployment line in the face this offseason if they don’t turn things around quickly.
If Coughlin’s going to get the Giants on-track, he couldn’t have asked for a worse opponent. The Saints are 4-0 at home this year and have had two full weeks to prepare for this game (they haven’t played since November 13th). Furthermore, Drew Brees comes into this game leading the NFL in passing yards, which (obviously) has led to the Saints being ranked 1st in the league in passing yardage as well. Statistically, the only downsides to the Saints so far this year are that their rushing offense is ranked right in the middle of the league (14th), while their defense has been just good enough (22nd against the pass and 19th against the run). They’ve been very up-and-down (beating the Falcons, but losing to the Rams), but they do play four of their next six at home and look ready to roll into the postseason as Brees chases Dan Marino’s single-season record for passing yards.
With two statistically porous pass defenses, this one has all the makings of a shoot-out and that’s great news for Brees/Manning/Colston/Nicks/Graham/Cruz owners. Rushing-wise, it should be tough sledding for Brandon Jacobs and the Saints’ three-headed RB monster (Ingram, Sproles, Thomas) so I’m not expecting much in terms of fantasy points there. If anything, I think Sproles and Thomas will have the best day of the bunch as they should see a good amount of screen passes and check-downs in the face of the Giants pass rush. In the end, I just don’t see the Giants offense being able to hang with the Saints and I might lose some Giants readers with this one, but I’m going with a prediction of 27-17, Saints.
As always, let’s end with a quick look at some of top fantasy-related news from Sunday:
- If any of you out there know Miles Austin, could you please do me a favor and ask him to take his time coming back? I’m enjoying Laurent Robinson’s recent streak (7 TDs in his last 5 games) WAY too much for Austin to ruin it…
- Last weeks’ top waiver pick-up, Kevin Smith, suffered an ankle sprain on Thanksgiving and if he misses any time, Maurice Morris looks like the guy to own in Detroit.
- Sorry Andre Johnson owners, but I think Matt Leinart’s shoulder injury might be the death of AJ’s fantasy value this year. You don’t believe in T.J. Yates, do you? (I don’t…)
- Mike Shanahan was apparently in a Roy Helu kind-of-mood yesterday as the rookie tallied 23 carries for 108 yards and a TD, while adding 7 catches for 54 yards. I’m picking Helu up again this week where I can, but I still think starting him on your fantasy team is absolute lunacy.
- Peyton Hillis made a re-appearance in Cleveland with 19 carries for 65 yards yesterday. I think he’s worth a pickup if someone dropped him, but like Helu…I think you’re setting yourself up for disappointment if you’re starting him week-to-week.
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 (November 19, 2011 - Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images North America)
 Laurent Robinson (credits below) QB Start: Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers, Week 12: Denver) QB Sit: Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons, Week 12: Minnesota)
This is less of a statement that you should sit Ryan and more of a statement that it seems odd that most have Ryan ranked above Rivers this week when the matchup is equal (they face the two most fantasy-friendly-to QB defenses in the league this week). Rivers is capable of being a top five QB, and Ryan is squarely in the tier just below the elite quarterbacks and the tier just above risky plays like Flacco, Schaub, and Eli.
The only reason Ryan is in the same sentence as Rivers this year is because Rivers has had bad luck with the turnovers. Interception rate is hardly a constant for QBs and not as within their control as you might think. Rivers’ 4.4% INT% is well above the average of 3% or so. He’ll start regressing to the mean at some point.
There seem to be 11 start-worthy QBs this week (Rodgers, Newton, Stafford, Brees, Romo, Eli, Brady, Tebow, Roethlisberger), and Rivers/Ryan round out that list. No issue with starting Ryan. Just saying that if the choice came down to Rivers and Ryan, Rivers is still my guy.
RB Start: Wills McGahee (Denver Broncos, Week 12: @ San Diego)RB Sit: Ryan Mathews (San Diego Chargers, Week 12: Denver
Since Mathews racked up 125 yards against Denver’s run D in week 5, the Broncos haven’t allowed over 100 yards rushing to any group of running backs they have faced. For the year, Denver’s run D has only given up one rushing touchdown to a running back. So despite Mathews having some success last time out against them, the Broncos run D is pretty stout. More importantly, since his 12 fantasy point day against Denver, Mathews has failed to reach double digit fantasy points in any game and averaged only five fantasy points per game in the four games in which he appeared.
Meanwhile, McGahee has accumulated a grand total of zero fantasy points in the last two weeks but was hampered by a hamstring injury in both games. Having a full ten days to rest since his last game, McGahee is reportedly healthy and good-to-go. He’ll go against the Chargers run D that gave up 125 yards on 16 carries to him in that week 5 matchup. Fortunately for McGahee owners, the Chargers run D hasn’t had as much success as Denver’s run D has had when the two teams aren’t playing each other.
WR Start: Laurent Robinson (Dallas Cowboys, Week 12: Miami) WR Start: Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 12: @Kansas City)
ESPN has both of these guys ranked outside the top 20 (albeit close at 21 and 22), and I’m not sure what I’m missing here. Robinson has four straight weeks with no fewer than nine fantasy points and is facing a Miami team whose strength is stopping the run, not the pass. As long as Miles Austin is out, Robinson is start-worthy receiver in all formats.
As for Brown, it’s like he finally got the recognition he deserved prior to his bye week and came out of it being undervalued again. He’s averaging ten fantasy points per game over his last four and has clearly assumed the #2 receiver role in Pittsburgh. A WR2 with talent that has a capable QB throwing him the ball deserves a start unless the matchup dictates otherwise. Kansas City has been average against opposing WRs but not so good as to warrant sitting Brown.
WR Sit: Anquan Boldin (Baltimore Ravens, Week 12: San Francisco 49ers)
Boldin has been somewhat inconsistent this year with six games of single digit fantasy points and has struggled to post yardage at times as he has five games with less than 50 receiving yards. Given that Torrey Smith has seen his usage increase (nine receptions the last two weeks compared to Boldin’s three), Bolding doesn’t seem to be headed in the right direction. San Francisco may force Baltimore to throw quite a bit because the 49ers are so good against the run, but this should be a low scoring game and touchdowns may be hard to come by. For that reason, stay away from Boldin this week
TE Start: Owen Daniels (Houston Texans, Week 12: Jacksonville)
You could make the argument that Matt Schaub being out will hurt Daniels, but you could just as easily make the argument that Matt Leinart is likely to be conservative and might frequently use his TE underneath. Daniels has been on a bit of a cold spell, but a lot of that has been because he hasn’t found the end zone in awhile. He’s still a talented tight end who is facing a Jaguars team that isn’t so good at stopping talented tight ends, so this seems like a decent time for him to rebound.
TE Sit: Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers, Week 12: @Baltimore Ravens)
Yardage has not been Davis’ strength this year. He’s managed more than 50 yards in a game just twice. His week-to-week success has depended on him getting in the end zone (admittedly, this could be said about almost all tight ends). Unfortunately for Davis, the Ravens have yet to give up a TD to an opposing tight end. Not sure that streak gets broken this week.
Written by Brett Talley exclusively for thefantasyfix.com. Brett is a law student in Dallas who hates pumpkin pie and whose mother doesn’t make good dressing. Happy Thanksgiving indeed. You can tell him to quit complaining about his #firstworldpains and/or ask him for fantasy advice on Twitter @therealTAL.(November 12, 2011 - Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America)
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