Couch Potato Blitz: Week 12 Fantasy Edition
Week 12 starts with turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and fantasy football! This week I have highlighted my top five players to start and my top five players to sit for your fantasy rosters. And as always, if I don’t cover your fantasy dilemma in this week’s edition, please feel free to contact me via Twitter to bounce any of your fantasy concerns off of me.
Fantasy Studs – Start’em
Quarterback
Drew Brees – Dallas has given up 15 passing TDs in their last five games. That number should go through a growth spurt this weekend.
Philip Rivers – In Rivers’ last two games, he has thrown forover 500-yards and 8 TDs. The Colts can’t stop Rivers; they can only hope to contain him.
Michael Vick – The Bears have only allowed six passing TDs all season. Two weeks ago Vick combined for six TDs in one game (4 passing, 2 rushing) — something has to give and my money is on Vick.
Shaun Hill – In seven starts Hill has thrown for over 300-yards three times. The Patriots have allowed five games of over 300-yards this season. You might want to allow Hill to be your appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal.
Tom Brady – If Jon Kitna looked like a Super Bowl QB against Detroit last weekend, imagine what a three time Super Bowl champion with the best modern mullet will do.
Running Back
Peyton Hillis – RBs have racked-up 20 plus fantasy points in the last three games. Hillis has been in double-digits in all but one game this season. With the Browns starting Jake Delhomme, expect the points to come barreling in.
Maurice Jones-Drew – MJD is getting healthy and that is key to your playoff push. The last two weeks he has over 20 fantasy points in each and double-digits in the last four games. Look for this little pinball to bounce his way into the end zone this weekend.
Steven Jackson – In two of his last three games Jackson has only scored five fantasy points. The Broncos have given up plus 40 fantasy points in three of the last six games. Make sure you get his dread locks in your line-up this weekend.
Frank Gore – Arizona gives up an average of 23 fantasy points to RBs, Gore is the No. 5 RB in fantasy football. This is a dream match-up for fantasy owners.
Mike Tolbert – Tolbert is a bruising RB playing against a bruised up football team. He has scored at least one TD in 7 of 10 games this season.
Wide Receiver
Mike Wallace – The Bills have given up six TDs to WRs in the last five weeks. Wallace has scored four TDs in the previous three games.
Mario Manningham – With the Jacksonville defense allowing 26 fantasy points a game to WRs on average, combined with all the Giants’ injuries at the WR position, Manningham is in for a big game.
Reggie Wayne – Wayne had his first double-digit fantasy performance in five weeks against New England. I think Manning will lean on his best WR down the stretch.
Santonio Holmes – Holmes fantasy production has only increased over the last three weeks and I see no reason for these numbers not to continue. The Jets are playing a Bengals defense that was punished for four TDs against Buffalo receivers last weekend – Holmes had two last week.
Vincent Jackson – The season debut of Jackson couldn’t have come at a better time. The Chargers are decimated at WR and Jackson has been Rivers favorite target over the past couple of years
Fantasy Duds – Sit’em
Quarterback
Matt Ryan – In the last four-games Green Bay hasn’t allowed any QB to get double-digit fantasy points. Packers LB, Clay Matthews may be all over him to the point Ryan is coughing up hair-balls after the game.
Donovan McNabb – Although the Vikings defense looked like speed bumps that the Packers ran over in a Hummer last weekend, I wouldn’t start McNabb. With the limited talent McNabb has at WR, he is not a solid fantasy start – averaging less than 13 fantasy points a week.
Brett Favre – Only two double-digit fantasy games for Favre this season. Favre may be able to show you how to send a picture via text, but won’t show you the way to victory in fantasy football.
Ryan Fitzpatrick – I’m not sure what Fitzpatrick and Brady have in common, but I think it’s safe to say not much. Brady is the only QB to tally over 16 fantasy points against the Steelers.
Matt Hasselbeck – Other than a mental lapse to Denver a few weeks ago the Kansas City defense has held QBs to low fantasy totals. Hasselbeck has failed to break 20 points this season and only had one multi TD pass game – his talent may be fading faster than his hairline.
Running Back
BenJarvus Green-Ellis – In the last two weeks Green-Ellis has had double-digit fantasy weekends. Over the past four games the Lions have only given up two rushing TDs. With the RB by committee in New England, I wouldn’t give him the start this weekend.
Michael Turner – Green Bay has only allowed three rushing TDs all season. Turner has been inconsistent this season and struggled against physical, aggressive defenses.
Keiland Williams – The Vikings haven’t allowed a RB to get over 10 fantasy points in three straight games. Williams has filled in nicely with the injury to Ryan Torain, but I don’t like a nice fantasy output on Sunday.
Knowshon Moreno – The Rams have only surrendered four rushing TDs all year. Moreno has only run it in three times this season. Most of his production has come from the passing game and you can’t count on that to continue.
Cedric Benson – The last two weeks the Jets have allowed three TDs to two of the top three fantasy RBs. Benson has been far from one of the leagues top RBs.
Wide Receiver
Terrell Owens – TO thought it would be a good idea to call extra attention to himself by calling Darrell Revis an average CB. After putting together the best five week stretch of any WR earlier this season, the last two weeks he has seen his fantasy production go down.
Steve Johnson – The fans in Buffalo and fantasy owners everywhere have been falling in love with the production of Johnson. After struggling against the pass, the Steelers have made some corrections and have not allowed a WR to score a TD in the last two weeks.
Steve Smith (CAR) – The Browns have suffered big fantasy games to the WRs this season. Those teams also had QBs and WRs that had some sort of chemistry. Smith will fail to reach double-digits for the ninth straight week.
Malcom Floyd – I know it’s tempting to play anyone catching balls from Rivers right now, but with Floyd having a hamstring injury you can’t wait until Sunday night to see if he’s a go. Plus, with Jackson back, it will steal some red zone targets.
Johnny Knox – Knox may be getting receptions and yards, but he is not finding the end zone – only one receiving TD on the season. With Jay Cutler’s inconsistency it is smart to keep Knox on your bench.
Thanks for coming by the “CPB” fantasy edition. Please don’t forget to check out all of the picks for Week 12 in the NFL and contact me via Twitter for any other fantasy questions.