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Studs

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC – There is certainly no better place to start than the guy who ended my season and the season of many others.  MJD went absolutely crazy this week against the Buccaneers and totalled FOUR TDs on 136 all-purpose yards.  He was the highest scoring player from week 14 and if he can carry the Jaguars’ offense, he can carry your fantasy team too.

Tony Romo, QB, DAL – Yes, Dallas lost the game.  Tony Romo still had a big statistical performance for fantasy owners after starting RB DeMarco Murray went down early in the game.  Felix Jones filled in well against a soft rush defense but it was Romo’s 321 yards and 4 TDs that really kept Dallas in this game and it took some late heroics from Eli to take this game from Dallas.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – Assuming you didn’t reach for him as your RB1 at draft time, you may have gotten by and into the playoffs with Green as your RB2. Good for you if you did because now that he is on fire late in the year, he is fast becoming one of the best second RBs that you could ask for. And you have to love a player that is at his best when it matters most for you.

Julio Jones, WR, ATL – These big-play guys can be frustrating but you have to start them when they have a soft match up.  And if you did this week with Jones, it paid off in a big way.  He only managed 3 catches but they totaled 104 yards and two scores.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE – The only thing crazier than how unbelievably good Gronkowski has been this season is how early he will be taken in fantasy drafts next year.  He has already set the single-season TD record which was previously 13 for tight ends.  His current tally is 15 and counting with 3 games remaining. I heard an interesting fact on ESPN’s Fantasy Focus Podcast this week; If you took away all the TDs from Gronkowski and let all the other players keep theirs, he would still be the 4th highest scoring TE in the NFL for fantasy.

Marques Colston, WR, NO – The Saints offense did not look like it has in recent weeks.  They don’t play near as well outside and the Titans secondary did a great job of bottling up the receivers of New Orleans until the 4th quarter.  When it mattered most, to win the game, Brees found Colston twice on scoring plays and managed to squeak out a win.

Duds

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET – The Lions passing game was working pretty well with a soft match up this week and yet Calvin Johnson only had 29 receiving yards and 11 rushing.  Three fantasy points is not enough from the top receiver in the NFL for fantasy football and it hurt a lot of people in a bad way. You have to keep starting him but I don’t expect teams to stop double covering him anytime soon.

Jermichael Finley, TE, GB – Zilch. Zippo. Nadda.  This is exactly how many points and catches Finley had this week.  Just one target too, that is what legitimately scares me. I expected more from Finley this year but his targets have been low and aren’t getting any better.  He is not a top 5 option like he was drafted as.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG – Hey, Bradshaw… how about you show up to team meetings…  He was benched for the first half of the game and wasn’t that productive in the 2nd half. Brandon Jacobs ran well in his place but there wasn’t much warning about this and it destroyed a lot of match ups this week.

Greg Jennings, WR, GB – This isn’t the first time Jennings’ numbers have been low but it is the first time that the entire Packers passing game had a mediocre day.  That’s what happens when the running game gets the job done for a change. Don’t be too worried about it if you made it through but you could easily have been eliminated by Jennings’ poor performance.

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Question 1: Asked by @E_RICHT5F3LD

Who do u think I should start at RB out of… Foster, MJD, Murray and Sproles? I need 3 of 4.

Answer

I am sitting Sproles here if I was you. Keep your expectations low on Foster this week but Sproles is the only guy that I wouldn’t call a “stud”.  These should be your three regardless of match-up.  New Orleans is pass-first and Sproles’ touches are limited. He has been a great weapon for them and I am sure they will continue to use him a fair amount but the other options are all feature backs in their offense.

Question 2: Asked by @bdavis712 and Eric via email.

Should I start Victor Cruz, Jordy Nelson or Andre Johnson?

Answer

This is a really, really difficult decision you have this week.  I have Cruz 10th and Nelson 11th in my rankings and you are going to have to trust your gut.  The reason why I would go with Cruz is simple, the stats.  Green Bay is currently ranked 31st in the NFL in pass defense and this is due in large part to what fantasy owners call “junk-time”.  Basically, after Green Bay has the game wrapped up and out of reach, the opponent just keeps throwing the ball on every play and the Packers sit in prevent defense and essentially allow a lot of yardage.  The secondary is definitely weaker than it has been in years past but not quite as bad as 31st. The nice thing is, junk-time counts just as much as anything else and even if Cruz has no catches going into the 4th quarter, there is no way he finishes the game that way.  Green Bay on the other hand will likely have the game locked-up and be running out the clock by the end of the game.  This limits Nelson’s chances and makes Cruz a slightly better play in my opinion.

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Love

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC – Most of us doubted whether MJD could stay healthy this entire season and he has shown no signs of old age or wear and tear over the first half the year.  The Colts are an abysmal rush defense and are currently allowing over 21 points per game to opposing RB’s.  MJD is the feature back and workhorse for the entire Jags offense.  He is normally a must-start but I am looking for a huge game from him this week.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, PHI – DeSean Jackson may be a disappointment for fantasy owners this year due in large part to opponents scheming to keep his explosive plays from taking over games.  Maclin is now the top fantasy-receiver on the Eagles offense but this will not signal a shift in who defensive coordinators scheme to stop. Maclin should have a GREAT game this week and DJax should draw the attention of Patrick Peterson the vast majority of the time as well as safety help to stop the deep ball from going to Jackson’s side of the field.

Tim Tebow, QB, DEN – Tebow finally played well last week in a win that likely secured his job as the starter for the rest of the season.  Funny thing is, he has produced fantasy points no matter how bad he has played.  With a match-up against the hapless Chiefs I see no reason why he can’t pass the twenty point mark again this week.  I don’t expect another 100 yards rushing but the Chiefs secondary is vulnerable since they lost Pro Bowler Eric Berry.

Steve Johnson, WR, BUF – I sure hope this isn’t wishful thinking on my part as a Bills fan but I think that Stevie matches up very well against the Cowboys secondary.  They don’t have an elite cover corner to take him out of the game (and even Revis allowed him to gain 80+ yards in a game where the Bills couldn’t get much done at all on offense).  Dallas’ run defense has even been slipping as of late and I think Buffalo’s attack is too well balance for the Cowboys to keep them in check.  If Romo tosses a few INT’s it could get out of hand for Dallas, if he doesn’t throw ANY then they have a serious opportunity to win this game though.  Either way, you have to put Johnson in your lineup.

DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL – You might be worried because Felix Jones is possibly returning for this game against a soft buffalo rush defense that just had to put Pro Bowl Nose Tackle Kyle Williams on IR. This is a serious blow for the Bills and really impacts their chances at making the playoffs.  Jones has been very inconsistent during his time in Dallas and I think that Murray will continue to be the feature back with Jones handling 3rd down work and serving as a change of pace. You shouldn’t need any convincing to start Murray if you have seen him play in the past 3 weeks.

Laurent Robinson, WR, DAL – The Bills secondary might turn the ball over a LOT, but they also allow a lot of yardage to be gained and INT’s don’t negatively impact a receiver’s fantasy point totals.  With this match up being very decent and Robinson having an undeniable chemistry with Romo, you are able to grab Robinson off of waivers and immediately throw him into your flex spot.

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN – While it was encouraging to see CJ over 100 all-purpose yards again last week, that is not why he is on this list.  He has an unbelievably soft match-up against the Panthers, who have been decimated by injuries on defense.  Jon Beason was the glue that held that linebacking corp together and since he went to IR, opponents have been been running all over Carolina.  I just don’t think 8 Panthers defenders in the box is enough to slow Johnson in this game.

Hate

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG – I don’t care how much practice he gets in this week, if any.  I also don’t care if Jacobs gets the start this week either, whoever the Giants play at RB is going to have a horrible fantasy performance against the 49ers, unless they do it in the receiving game. San Fran has only allowed 411 yards rushing and ZERO rushing TD’s this season.  To put that in perspective, there are five teams that have allowed over 1000 yards rushing already. Jacobs is not start-able this week and if Bradshaw plays, he is just a flex play.

Sidney Rice, WR, SEA – The Ravens defense has been lights out and especially against the pass.  I don’t know if anyone has told you this before, but Tavaris Jackson is not that good.  I would be floored if he was able to put up 200 yards in this game and that doesn’t bode well for his receivers.

Ryan Mathews, RB, SD – Oakland has a relatively stout rush defense and with Mathews coming off the injury, I expect him to be eased back in.  The goal line work is definite Tolbert’s and with limited carries, I don’t think Mathews is a must-start.

Julio Jones, WR, ATL – I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see 100 yards and a score from Jones.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see 2 catches for 15 yards either.  This guy is feast or famine and you shouldn’t over react to one game.  If you have a really good group of receivers, then you should feel free to leave the inconsistent guy on your bench of trade him before the deadline.

Chris Ogbonnaya, RB, CLE – He just looked awful last week and while he has a nice match-up, there aren’t any teams on a bye this week and you probably have a better option unless you’ve been bitten by the injury bug.

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