Love

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC - The Jaguars are fighting for a playoff spot and/or the division title in December?! Someone pinch me… I must be dreaming.  The Jags are an exceedingly average team with a mediocre quarter back, so it will not be an easy road for them.  The one thing that they do have going for them is a star RB in MJD.  The Raiders come to town this week and are known to be a bit weak against the run.  Look for MJD and Rashad Jennings to see a lot of work in this game and for Jack Del Rio to avoid having to attack the likes of Nnamdi Asomugha on the outside in the vertical passing game.

Anquan Boldin, WR, BAL – All season long receivers and tight ends have been having huge games against the Texans and while Boldin has been inconsistent all year… this week he is worth the risk.  You may also want to look towards Derrick Mason this week as he is the most trusted receiver on the field for Flacco and he understands the offense incredibly well as a possession receiver.

Knowshon Moreno, RB, DEN – Moreno is making a pretty solid claim at being a top 10 RB for next year’s fantasy draft.  With the firing of Josh McDaniels and the promotion of the Bronco’s former RB coach to interim head coach… it stands to reason that the predominately pass-first offense we have gotten to know from Denver is gone for at least the season.  Studesville has a tall task ahead of him, but a nice back in Moreno to lean on for the remaining 4 games.

Jacoby Ford, WR, OAK - I still say he is not a weekly starter unless your league counts return yards.  However, Ford has been a dynamic playmaker for the Raiders and they look to get him involved in the game early and often.  I would try and stick with safer options this week, but if you have been snake-bitten by injuries, the upside of Ford could pay off big this week against the Jaguars who have a pretty terrible group of cornerbacks.

Michael Turner, RB, ATL - Turner is one of the few workhorse backs in the NFL and he has a matchup that Marshawn Lynch was able to exploit last week.  The Panthers run defense has been their achilles heel all season and Turner is having a great year.  Also, considering the game is outdoors in Carolina, Matt Ryan will lean on his run game to push the Falcons to another win  in a setting they typically do not perform well in (road game, outdoors).

Donald Driver, WR, GB – Ok, so I wanted to put Jennings here, but that just seemed too lazy to me… So I am including Driver instead!  Everyone knows that Jennings is the hottest receiver in the NFL now that Bowe crapped out last week and if you read my article earlier in the week, you saw Driver’s amazing TD catch.  They are going against the Lions this week folks… Driver is at least a flex play against a defense known to allow the big play, oh and they are banged up at the moment to boot!

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – As per fantasy-law… start your RBs against Buffalo! It doesn’t hurt that he is a top 5 guy either.  And if you’re scared of how last week went, Buffalo’s defense will not be able to participate in a field goal oriented game… just too bad!

Earl Bennett, WR, CHI - He just appeared in my weekly pickup article this week, but I am already throwing him into my love list!  To me, Monday was about the Jets collapsing… not the Patriots defense being suddenly great.  The secondary for NE will likely nab an INT or two from Cutler, but since that doesn’t negatively effect the score of a WR… don’t worry about it!  The Patriots DBs are young, inexperienced and they will not be able to shut down the Bears balanced offensive attack completely.

Hate

Cedric Benson, RB, CIN - What a rough season for the Bengals, but for this week all I need to say here is that he is up against the Steelers!  Make sure to leave Benson on the bench this week if possible!

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR - After such a disappointing number of carries last week for Goodson, you might expect Stewart to be the top fantasy RB on the Panthers. You’re correct… just not this week! I expect Atlanta to get the lead early and hold it through the entire game and since Goodson is the guy they look to in the passing game, don’t expect Stewart to have a big performance.  The rankings on these two guys should be VERY close, but Stewart holds much more value the rest of the way.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA – Treat that game as a one-time deal… until it proves not to be!  I doubt you see a repeat performance against the 49ers this week with the division title hanging in the balance in every game for each team the rest of the season.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – The Lawfirm has been clutch for the past few weeks and you can still start him this week because of it… but the Bears have a very good run defense (ranked 2nd in the NFL) and if he does not find the end zone you could be in trouble!

Sidney Rice, WR, MIN - Don’t let one game force you into making a mistake in the playoffs!  Rice has a lot of big play potential, but Favre is expected to be the QB and the match up is not favorable.  The Giants defense is effective when they rush the passer… Favre, being old, is not adept at evading a rush… and the Giants are ranked 2nd in the NFL against the pass.  They are only allowing an average of 192 yards per game.  Rice will still get a decent ranking (top 20), but if you drafted well you won’t need him, so don’t sit any of your studs to make room for him.

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Studs

Tom Brady, QB, NE - The Patriots offense looked phenomenal against what is supposed to be an elite NFL defense.  Tom Brady has made his team into a serious Super Bowl contender with wins over the Steelers and now the Jets.  If you’re a Brady owner, you have the new top QB for fantasy football and should need little convincing to start him each and every week.  Tom-Terrific threw for 326 yards and 4 TDs last night to finish as the top scoring player in fantasy football for week 13.   This makes seven straight games with out an INT too by the way.

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND – Wayne had his best game of the season with 200 yards and a TD on 14 catches.  Even while the Colts struggle and have an astonishing 6-6 record, Wayne remains one of the most consistent fantasy WRs in the league… A quality that is incredibly difficult to find from this position.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA – Don’t expect another game like this for the rest of the season, but if you were in rough shape and started Lynch this week you lucked out!  Marshawn saw 21 carries for 83 yards.  Lynch also punched in 3 TDs and was the 4th highest scoring player in the league. Keep him on your bench from here on out, a season of disappointment and false-hopes isn’t repaired by one good game against the worst team in the NFL.

Greg Jennings, WR, GB – With Dwayne Bowe on the list below, Jennings is now the hottest receiver in the league and will be essential for his fantasy-owner’s playoff hopes.  Jennings has double digit points in 6 of his last 7 games and with 2 TDs this week, he brings his season total to 11 (3rd in the NFL).

Chris Ivory, RB, NO – He just may have developed in time to eat into the workload that Pierre Thomas was in line to get when he was healthy again.  Ivory had just 15 carries for 117 yards and 2 scores this week.  Thomas looks to be back for Week 14, so you have to stay away from both of them for now… but you shouldn’t drop either of them just yet!

Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG – HOLY CRAP… he only saw 8 carries, but managed over 12 yards per carry (103 yards total) and scored twice!  Ahmad Bradshaw saw 25 carries in this game, but misses this list due to his partner’ incredible success. There is no way that BOTH of these guys do so well, but for next week you really should start which ever one you own and both will make the top 20 in my rankings.

Sidney Rice, WR, MIN – This game was an announcement! Sidney Rice is back and every bit as good as he was last season.  More impressively, Rice caught his 5 passes for 105 yards and 2 scores from his back up QB.  Favre works well with a receiver like Rice too, he takes chances and trusts his receiver to make a big play.  There is no one else on the Vikings that could do this in his absence and while you can argue Moss was that receiver… he hasn’t managed to be a major factor on any of the 3 teams that have been burdened by him this season.  I don’t think this is a fluke either, if you haven’t seen the highlights… his catches were spectacular.

Wes Welker, WR, NE - He’s baaaack! Brady apparently just needed some time to adjust to his receiving corp without Randy Moss included among them.  The lack of an elite deep threat does not appear to be a concern for the Patriots any longer.  Welker managed 7 catches for 80 yards and a score against the best group of cornerbacks in the NFL.  He is a top 20 WR once again and is still rising fast towards the top 10 performer that I expected when Moss left.

Duds

Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC – Just when it looked like he was fast becoming the top receiver in all of fantasy football, his hot streak comes to an abrupt end.  Bowe was shadowed all day by Champ Bailey, who is aging and not quite as good as he once was.  There was also a safety defending the deep ball on obvious passing situations and Bowe was not able to catch a pass.  He has earned a free pass given all the TDs he has racked up this season, but there is a blue-print for shutting him down and he will not likely be in my top 5 any longer.

Mike Tolbert, RB, SD - I certainly expected a quality performance from Tolbert this week against the Raiders weak run defense. Tolbert was only able to get a staggeringly low 16 yards on the ground and almost equally surprising he was able to avoid a TERRIBLE game with 47 receiving yards.  I also didn’t expect the Chargers to fail so hard in their first December loss in their last 19 games during that month.  I expect him to rebound, but this was just in time to avoid a huge disappointment in the playoffs.  Don’t expect Tolbert to crack the top 20 every week in my rankings.

Mario Manningham, WR, NYG - The Redskins are not a very good team this year and I expected a good performance out of Manningham this week… No such luck however, it looks like this was mostly due to his inability to beat a double team.  Steve Smith is expected to be back this week and Manningham should do much better with the #2 spot on the depth chart.  Unfortunately, once Nicks AND Smith are back he won’t have much value at all any longer.

Kyle Orton, QB, DEN – It is safe to say Orton didn’t cost Josh McDaniels his job with his first single-digit fantasy point performance of the season.  He has earned a pass with how strong he was down the stretch, so if he didn’t cost you a playoff spot you can still count on him.  Given the fact that their RB coach was named as the interim head coach, expect more balance from the offense.  This lowers Orton’s upside some, but not too much as he will remain a top 10 QB.

Hines Ward, WR, PIT - While he remains crucial to the success of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he better not be crucial to your fantasy team’s playoff hopes!  Ward had 19 points in week 7 and as many points since then.  Do everything you can to keep him on your bench.

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What a crazy week… With all the duds this week (more to come on them tomorrow) a LOT of people missed the playoffs and just as many people snuck their way in! If you are one of these fantasy-ninjas, then congrats and let’s take a look at how you can bolster your roster moving into the playoffs!

Pickups

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR - After last week’s game I was torn… Stewart looked like the more complete RB, he ran hard and hit holes quickly.  Goodson looked good too however, slightly less polished… but he contributed a lot in the passing game and looked to have the most fantasy value of the duo.  Not anymore! Stewart saw 21 carries to Goodson’s 3 and he also was able to rack up 91 yards. While both backs found the end zone in this game, the staggering difference in the number of carries make the decision on who to own a no-brainer.  I wouldn’t drop Goodson yet, especially in PPR formats, but I also wouldn’t trust him next week!

Tashard Choice, RB, DAL - Tashard Choice gave the Cowboys balance.  Felix Jones saw more touches, but he wasn’t able to find the end zone like Choice did.  We should expect this to continue and probably trend more towards Felix, as was the case this week.  One thing you should count on is Tashard Choice being the one to see the work at the goal line.  Choice is a flex play at best, but he has to be owned after a performance like this because if he follows it up with another good game, you will be able to count on him against Washington and Arizona in Weeks 16 and 17.

Donald Driver, WR, GB – I had my concerns about Driver being able to return to the same level of play he had demonstrated earlier in his career, but if you have seen his TD catch this week… then you wont have any more worries either.  If you didn’t see it, I will let the highlight reel provide all the evidence you will need to grab this guy off waivers… if he was dropped that is!

Anthony Dixon, RB, SF – There is a disclaimer that comes with this one: Brian Westbrook SHOULD be the guy!  Westbrook was quicker into the hole and looked to be a much more complete back on the carries that he received.  With that said, Singletary and the 49ers split carries evenly between Dixon and Westbrook.  Until we see that they will make a commitment to the injury-prone veteran, Dixon has to be owned too as he will see more of the goal line carries.

Earl Bennett, WR, CHI – We really can’t treat Bennett’s production as an anomaly any longer.  He is as close to a big and physical wide receiver as the Bears have, so he is likely to see the most red zone targets of any of the WRs on the Bears.  This week Bennett led the team in targets with 8 and hauled in 7 of them for 105 yards.  Assuming Driver was never let go in your league, Bennett is by far the best option available for pickup at WR this week.

Anthony Armstrong, WR, WAS – If you have to start a Redskins receiver, it looks like it should be Armstrong.  He was an unknown talent before the season and because of this we have been (correctly) suspicious about adding this guy to our fantasy teams.  Now however, the Redskins have lost hopes for a playoff run and are turning to their younger players so they can be developed for the future.  Since they are a bad team, the Skins will be down and throwing… so it seems like you should be able to count on their young, deep threat!

Roy Williams, WR, DAL – With Dez Bryant’s ankle broken and him being out for the season, Roy Williams will return to fantasy-relevance.  The whole reason he fell in value was due to the injury to Romo and Kitna not being good enough to keep THREE receivers valuable to their fantasy owners.  Since Williams is back to the 2nd spot on the depth chart, he is likely to be a worthy flex play for the fantasy playoffs.

James Starks, RB, GB – Who the hell saw this coming!? Starks saw by far the most carries of any Packer this weekend and performed well with them totaling 73 yards on 18 carries.  John Kuhn saw the 2nd most carries with just 6, but he maintained his role as the goal line back and was able to punch one in.  With Starks looking to take the lead carries and Kuhn sure to get the work at the goal line, Brandon Jackson may not have any value left outside of PPR leagues.  Wait a week to drop him, but I wouldn’t start Starks or Jackson until we see if this was just a one week thing, or a new trend.

Benjamin Watson, TE, CLE – TEs are a mess this season… now Heath Miller and Todd Heap join the list of injured players at this position.  Watson had 100 yards receiving with Jake Delhomme at QB this week.  Colt McCoy loved Watson before his injury and he has been a consistent producer for fantasy owners in deep leagues.  It’s time to call him up to be used in standard leagues with the injuries stacking up!

Rashad Jennings, RB, JAC - We are moving into the playoffs for fantasy owners and handcuffs are a must-have if your lucky enough to have one of the few studs left at RB.  The trend in the NFL is to split RB carries to ensure long careers out of their highly paid young prospects.  This is not beneficial to fantasy owners who have a late draft pick. However, what is worse is when your star goes down with an injury late in the season… just like Michael Turner did last year!  If you own Maurice Jones-Drew, Jennings is a must-add for your team to ensure that this aging star doesn’t go down and leave you SOL.

Dump List

Randy Moss, WR, TEN – In the playoffs, fantasy owners must rely on their trusted players to make it through each week.  Since one loss ends your season, you have to ask yourself if you can live with your decision through the entire off season should it go the wrong direction!  After an entire season of disappointments, Moss is not able to be trusted so you may as well get someone who actually has upside.

Mike Williams, WR, SEA - His injury isn’t likely to be season ending, but with it being his 2nd one in a row… he is likely to need a game or two to get used to the speed of a live game again.

Justin Forsett, RB, SEA – There are no really good match ups left on the Seahawks schedule and since Forsett was so far behind Lynch in production this week, there just isn’t enough time left in the fantasy season for Forsett to be a factor again.

Keiland Williams, RB, WAS – It was a short run… but Williams’ ride is over. Torain is about to come back from injury and James Davis appears to be the guy that Shanahan wants to see get the work.

Ryan Mathews, RB, SD – See Randy Moss.

Donald Brown, RB, IND – There just doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel for Brown.  He hasn’t had a break out performance all year and Javarris James is the guy getting the goal line work with Addai being out.  The Colts are DYING for Addai to return and when he does, Brown will only be used when necessary.  Expect Addai to make it into the lineup for week 14, but even if he isn’t, don’t leave your season in the hands of Brown.

Blair White, WR, IND – Collie is expected to return from injury this week and that will kill White’s value.  You may want to hold him for a week to see if Collie can stay healthy, but definitely don’t start White when he is 4th on the depth chart.

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Kenny Britt, WR, TEN - Inactive
Percy Harvin, WR, MIN - Inactive
Brandon Marshall, WR, MIA - Inactive
Santana Moss, WR, WAS - Active
Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN - Active
Steve Smith, WR, NYG – Inactive
Pierre Thomas, RB, NO - Inactive
Ryan Torain, RB, WAS – Inactive

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