Sometimes strange weekends occur in fantasy football. That’s
what happened this past weekend as weather made its presence felt
and some players rose to the challenge while others did not. Always
makes for an interesting review and that’s what we do here
at the Buzz…
Things couldn't get much worse for Andy
Dalton who lost two of his best receiving threats in Week
11.
That Wicked Weather…
All those missed extra points on Sunday were well-documented (there
were a dozen of them), but points and yards were also down in general
due to blustery conditions in much of the country. Prior to Kirk
Cousins and Aaron
Rodgers combining for over 700 yards passing on Sunday night,
only two other QBs had gone for 300-plus yards passing all day.
In a league where almost a third of the QBs break that barrier each
and every week, that’s saying something. There was also only one
WR with 120 yards or more (Rishard
Matthews). If you were counting on Ben
Roethlisberger or Antonio
Brown, for example, their performances were far below normal
benchmarks. It’s a solid reminder of something you now have to do
every week from now until the fantasy season ends for you. That
is, check weather conditions and adjust accordingly. Missed PATs
are one thing, but they won’t likely cost you like starting a QB
in 30-plus MPH winds in Buffalo. We’ll just have to see what the
precise impact is during the next five weeks. Expect the unexpected.
Bad Day to Be a Bengal…
Although Andy Dalton salvaged his day with a rushing TD and rookie
Tyler Boyd showed he can make plays, it was otherwise a dreadful
day for owners counting on A.J. Green on Sunday and in the foreseeable
future. Green went down on the third play of the game and initial
reports of his hamstring injury could be of the multi-week variety.
Not good news if you were counting on Green to help win you a championship.
Few were probably counting on Giovani Bernard to play a significant
role down the stretch, but he too is out for the foreseeable future
with a torn ACL that will definitely end his season. Both losses
make Dalton only worthy of starting consideration in two QB league
as he won’t be able to generate the kinds of totals in the
passing game with both guys gone. Boyd and Brandon LaFell will attempt
to keep the offense going forward, but look for Tyler Eifert to
benefit most from a bad/unfortunate situation.
Kirk Cousins and His Band of Merry Men
Cousins was mentioned previously, and yes, his 375 passing yards
and 3 TDs came against the lowly Packers defense, but in a week
where offenses were largely stymied, the Washington offense thrived.
Jamison Crowder (100-plus yards, 1 TD) is becoming a very reliable
WR2, projecting as a 1,000 yard/10 TD receiver by season’s
end. Pierre Garcon was able to have his most productive game in
years (116 rec. yards, 1 TD), and above all else, Rob Kelley looked
like the second coming of Timmy Smith (you old guys will understand
that reference). Kelley’s was fantasy football’s most
productive RB in Week 11- something NO ONE could have foreseen or
even imagined. Cousins and Co. won’t play the Packers every
week, but this is an offense in rhythm and guys like Crowder and
Kelley have earned their way into starting lineups from here on
out. Hail to the ‘Skins!
Motor City Malfunctioning
On the flip side of Washington’s great weekend comes a story of
offensive futility in Detroit. Sure, the Lions are 6-4 and they
scored 26 points on Sunday…but nearly half of those points came
on a punt return and an interception return. Their only offensive
touchdown actually came courtesy of a rushing touchdown by none
other than TE Eric
Ebron. We have discussed the shift from Marvin
Jones to Golden
Tate in the passing game in recent weeks, but on Sunday, both
were nearly invisible, accounting for only 42 yards receiving combined.
And, that’s three times the number of yards rushed for against the
(gulp) mighty Jaguars defense. Detroit may be winning, but they’re
not doing fantasy owners any favors. And, while they often play
above their heads on Thanksgiving Day, a matchup with the Vikings
hardly seems like a recipe for rejuvenation. Maybe Ameer
Abdullah will return prior to your fantasy playoffs and give
this team a boost. If not, don’t be counting on anyone down the
stretch unless it’s perhaps Ebron or Theo
Riddick in a PPR league. Then again, you probably shouldn’t
count on rushing TDs from your tight end to happen again, either.
Exhibit G as to Why Fantasy Football
Can Drive You Mad
Maybe you can relate to this. Maybe not this Tuesday, but another
Tuesday…like two weeks from now or two weeks ago. To win a game
this weekend, I only needed a few points from Martellus
Bennett to get the job done. Rob
Gronkowski was out. Julian
Edelman has had a down year. If you had told me before the game
that Tom
Brady was going to throw for 4 TDs and nearly 300 yards, I would
have told you that Bennett was likely a large part of that. Instead,
Edelman got 17 targets while Bennett got…2. I benched Jimmy
Graham to start Bennett and lost by five points. But, hey at
least I didn’t bench Carlos
Hyde to start the slumping Isaiah
Crowell. What kind of an id…
Never mind. It’s a cruel, confusing game sometimes. I know
you feel my pain because you’ve got pain of your own. Sure,
it’s only fantasy football, but cherish the week where everything
goes as planned. Most weeks you end up wondering why Julian Edelman
is suddenly so popular…
Sun Setting in Arizona as Palmer Plummets
One of the things “experts” try to do in advance of a fantasy football
season is try to predict which players will “get old” before the
season is through. There are always a few guys that seemingly “hit
the wall” and thus don’t have what it takes to be fantasy elite
anymore. One of the examples of this from 2016 is officially Carson
Palmer. Arizona has a receiving corps that we once called one
of the best of all-time (see Buzz, 2015). Now, you’ve got two WRs
grossly underachieving (Michael
Floyd, John
Brown), and Palmer throwing for multiple interceptions in three
games this season. After the best statistical season of his career
last year, Palmer is now simply a fantasy backup at best. This is
essentially an offense that relies on David
Johnson for much of its production while Larry
Fitzgerald still churns out an occasional worthy performance.
Palmer certainly isn’t the only QB disappointing this season (see
below), but he doesn’t look like the same guy he was much of last
season and if the Cardinals want to win games from here on out,
they’ll pass less and just keep feeding DJ…
A Ray (or Two) of Hope at Running Back…
On to something less depressing. Here’s to a couple of running backs
who could make a big difference for your team down the stretch.
The first could literally be a game changer. Thomas
Rawls has spent most of this season on the sidelines, but will
now get access to 20-25 touches minimum per game most likely with
C.J.
Prosise out with a shoulder injury (likely for the rest of the
season) and Christine
Michael now residing in Green Bay. Rawls didn’t find the end
zone in Week 11, but he did gain nearly 100 yards from scrimmage
and looked like a three-down back in a time when those guys are
hard to find. The second guy who could be a real asset in the home
stretch is Giants RB, Rashad
Jennings. The Giants seem to be hanging their hat on being able
to run the ball and not turn it over downfield, which plays right
into Jennings’s value. He’s amassed 238 yards from scrimmage the
past two weeks and the Giants have won both games. In a world where
reliable RB2s are very hard to find, Jennings could be your guy
if you can get him or better yet, if you’ve already got him.
Panic Setting in for Those Depending
on Cam to be Cam
Aside from the Martellus
Bennett debacle, I really felt like I had two near perfect matchups
to exploit this weekend. One (Le’Veon Bell vs. Cleveland) turned
out great, but the other was both puzzling and highly disappointing.
Cam
Newton vs New Orleans seemed like a path to points as he lit
up the Saints on the road in Week 6 for over 300 yards passing and
3 TDs including one on the ground. I said last week that it was
the perfect time to trade for Cam with not only the Saints coming
up, but other great matchups to exploit in the near future as well.
Then, came Thursday. Then came 192 passing yards, only 7 rushing
yards, and 1 passing TD. Newton was under constant duress and was
fortunate to get the points he did as Ted Ginn Jr. bailed him out
with a great catch at the end of the first half. I’m going to keep
starting Newton as my other options aren’t better, but my expectations
have been greatly tempered. As they should be. Cam simply isn’t
Cam as we defined him one year ago.
What Happens Down in Mexico…
The Texans and Raiders got it on Monday night south of the border
and the Texans offense actually resembled an NFL unit for a change.
And, they should have produced even more than they did as the zebras
cheated them out of at least one touchdown and maybe two. Hopkins
scored an early TD that was called back because they said he stepped
out of bounds. He didn't. Then, the Texans got three bad spots in
a row and should have had the ball in the red zone with a fresh
set of downs. Lamar Miller was plenty good in spite of all of that
and Derek Carr produced enough big plays (3 TD passes) to be a fantasy
factor on what was a soft week for QBs. If you've stuck by Hopkins
all this time, though, that initial call was cruel stuff.
Giving Thanks
As we wrap up this week's edition of the Buzz, we sincerely hope
you will find some time this week to be thankful for all that you
have been given in this life. As for who we think you'll be most
thankful for on Thursday in terms of fantasy production, look no
further than the Dallas-Washington clash. Both teams come in with
momentum offensively and my advice would be get as many guys in
your lineup from that game as you can. With Andrew Luck (concussion)
likely out on Thanksgiving night, it's really the only game in which
a shoot-out is likely. And so, to you and yours we say Happy Thanksgiving!
We'll see you next week right here...
