Happy Thanksgiving! Fantasy players have to be thankful for the great offensive performances in Week 12 and in the three games yesterday. The total points scored in last week’s games were an NFL record. Yesterday, Brian Westbrook, Chris Johnson, Tony Romo, Jason Witten and others had monster fantasy games. There are only a couple of weeks left in most leagues with playoff berths and league titles up for grabs. Because this column comes out on Friday, I left out the teams and players from yesterday’s games; but here are some plays that will help you maximize your roster during Week 13 of the NFL season.
START ‘EM
Trent Edwards, Bills. Early in the year, Edwards was being mentioned as the next great NFL quarterback. Now, after a couple of bad games and a concussion against the Cardinals, people have forgotten how good he can be. The Bills exploded for over 50 points last week, and I expect them to have another huge game at home against the Niners.
Larry Johnson, Chiefs. It is hard to believe that the Raiders are favored to win this game. The Chiefs have been throwing the football more in the past few weeks, but the strength of the Raiders defense is in their secondary. LJ still has some life in his legs. The Chiefs throw the football enough this week to open up running lanes for Johnson. This game looks like an upset win for the Chiefs.
Steve Slaton, Texans. Without much fanfare, the Texans’ offense has been putting up points every week. Slaton has been their best running back all year, and his opportunities should increase even more with the Ahman Green injury. Slaton now should get any short-yardage goal line carries. He is also one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFL at catching the ball out of the backfield.
Ricky Williams, Dolphins. Any player on the Dolphins’ offense is a great start this week. The Rams give up the second-most fantasy points—only the Lions are worse and you saw what happened on Thanksgiving Day. In last week’s game, Williams had an amazing, diving touchdown catch. With Ronnie Brown’s injury history, look for the Dolphins to rest him some and to give Williams the bulk of the rushing attempts.
Antonio Gates, Chargers. The Chargers are a desperate team. They have had a bunch of close losses, which include one of the worst officiating blunders in recent memory. At home, this team still is tough to beat. Gates is one of these players that play the best when his team needs him to come up big. The prediction here is a 100-yard game for Gates and at least one touchdown.
SIT ‘EM
Matt Ryan, Falcons. In 2008, rookies have played important roles for a number of teams. The NFL Rookie of the Year is going to be a close vote. Ryan should be near the top of that list. He has provided a steadying influence for the Falcons’ offense, but he is due to have a rocky road start. With recently promoted Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera, the Chargers have been blitzing more. Look for a tough late afternoon game for Ryan.
Joe Flacco, Ravens. The conventional wisdom would say to start Flacco this week against the Bengals. This week is the one where these rookie quarterbacks are going to hit a wall physically. The NFL season is a brutal grind, and these guys are just not used to the length of the season. In their last home game against Donovan McNabb and the Eagles, the Bengals gave up just 13 total points with three interceptions, a fumble recovery and two sacks. This game sets up as a low-scoring contest.
Ryan Grant, Packers. Grant is facing a group of wounded cats this week. The Panthers defense has been tough all year and has not given up many fantasy points, but the Falcons embarrassed them last week. Running back Michael Turner had a huge game. But, that game was an aberration. Against the Packers this week, the Panthers’ dominant defense returns. Do not start Ryan Grant this week.
Brandon Marshall, Broncos. In his last seven games, Marshall has scored only one touchdown. His production has really fallen off as the Broncos’ have been decimated at the running back position. Teams can key on Marshall because they do not have to worry about any running game. Marshall owners also have to realize how tough the Jets have been against their opponent’s top receiver.
Lance Moore, Saints. Moore has been steadily climbing up the wide receiver rankings. He is now a top-10 fantasy receiver, but this week he runs into an underrated Buccaneers’ defense. Moore’s rise has coincided with a weak schedule for the Saints. When these teams played in Week 1, Moore had two catches for 17 yards. My take is that the Buccaneers control the clock, pressure QB Drew Brees and take away Moore’s yards after the catch. If you have any other options, give Moore a one-week rest.
Last Week. I finished up the week with eight picks correct and two misses. My best prediction last week was to start Eli Manning against the Cardinals. Without Brandon Jacobs, Manning was crucial to the Giants’ red-zone attack. Sitting Brian Westbrook, Ronnie Brown and Maurice Jones-Drew was also a good call. My worst pick was to sit Jason Campbell against the Seahawks. Campbell led the Redskins to a big road win.
Fantasy Questions? Need lineup advice? Leave a comment below or e-mail your questions to me at jck.bender@gmail.com. Good luck this week!
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