We all have hopes of upsetting one of the top seeds in the final weeks of the Fantasy Football season. I have the chance to do that tonight, with a big game from Eagles Running back Brian Westbrook. I’m down 14 fantasy points. Will I do it? I have no idea. My competition, who went 11-3 this season, only has Philly kicker David Akers going. All I can hope is that Akers doesn’t become the Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon.
Let’s break down the strong and weak performances this weekend, as we saw a slew of top performers under perform in week 15.
Larry Fitzgerald/Terrell Owens/T.J. Houshmandzadeh- All three were expected to have regular to top notch performances, but decided to not show up. Houshmandzadeh only had 68 yards on 8 catches, while T.O. only brought in 3 catches for 38 yards. Fitzgerald had 5 catches for 52 yards. None of these receivers found the end zone, which hurt a lot of fantasy owners out there (Including me, I started T.O. and Fitzgerald). Other receivers that struggled include Santonio Holmes (3 cat, 21 yds TD 2 fumbles), Lee Evans ( 4 cat, 22 yds), Dwayne Bowe (6 cat, 44 yds TD), Anquan Boldin (6 cat, 34 yds) and Roddy White (4 cat, 61 yds).
Steve Smith/Wes Welker/Antonio Bryant- That’s right, my number one flex pick this weekend produced big time. Bryant put up 8 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Steve Smith was a man possessed (as always). He put together 9 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. Wes Welker was a bit better than his average week this season, catching six balls for 69 yards and a TD. Santana Moss also resurfaced out of nowhere. He had 72 yards on the day, with a touchdown. The story of the week had to be the play of top rated receivers. Besides Steve Smith, all of the top rated recievers throughout the year had down numbers. That has to be the story of this week.
Running Back Delight-
Although I told you to start Marion Barber, which was an ultimate mistake, other running backs had good days. Dominic Rhodes and Maurice Morris both put together 80+ yard performances. Rumor has it that Joe Addai should be ready for Thursday’s matchup. So fantasy owners, It might be time to drop Rhodes.
Steve Slaton had his third straight 100 yard performance. One thing to watch though is the fact that he hasn’t gotten into the endzone lately. Slaton has 8 TDs on the season, and he hasnt scored since week 13. Kevin Smith also added his first 80 yard performance since week 13. The end of the season madness continued at this position. L.T. was no where to be found, Larry Johnson was no help and Reggie Bush was a no show on Thursday. It has been “no namers” making big plays too. Guys like Pierre Thomas, Matt Forte, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Steve Slaton and Michael Turner. We knew that Turner could be a force and that Forte had to be decent to be the starter. Did anyone know that Pierre Thomas would be there at the end of the season? Or that DeAngelo Williams would step up to plate? I drafted him last in one of my public leagues.
Gun Slingin’ Joy-
I learned this weekend to go with your gut. I should of put Matt Cassel into the starting slot, but didn’t. Of course Drew Brees continued to light up the map, throwing for 232 yards and two tds. Kurt Warner slowed down a bit, but still had 270 yards in the air. Donovan McNabb could have a big night against Cleveland tonight, so be prepared. Jay Cutler was nowhere to be found. Heck, Andy Behrens wants to throw a shoe at Jay Cutler. He had 172 yards throwing with one interception and one touchdown. And Romo was just being Romo this week. You know, the whold 240 yards and two TDs bit. Don’t worry Manning fans. One showed up while the other didn’t. Peyton threw for 318 and a TD against the lowly Lions, while Eli had a 49.3 QB rating. Ouch.
FanSided
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