By Dalton Del Don
Normally I use this space to bash the Thursday night announcing crew, but Iâd like to thank them for informing me that the first country song Kerry Collins wrote was titled âMommaâs fried chickenââ¦Kenny Britt managed just four catches for 39 yards during his return to the lineup, although itâs worth noting it was his first action since Week 7. He started and played a full complement of snaps, and itâs clear heâs back as Tennesseeâs No. 1 wide receiver. Britt had scored seven touchdowns over five games before suffering the strained hamstring, as the sophomore wideout was enjoying a breakout season. At home facing a Houston defense that has allowed the second most fantasy points to wide receivers this year, Britt can be started with confidence in Week 15â¦What a ridiculous backdoor cover by the Titans. Unreal. Iâd hate to be Jeff Fisherâs bookieâ¦The 37 drops by Colts receivers this year are the most in the NFL.
What a horrible time for Mike Williams to have his worst game of the season. Still, fantasy owners should keep him going at home against the Lions in Week 15â¦Making his first appearance since Week 8, Ryan Torain had 24 carries for 172 rushing yards Sunday, including a remarkable 121 yards on the ground in the first quarter. Keiland Williams was the only other Redskins back to get a rushing attempt, receiving just four totes on the day, as Torain has clearly retaken the teamâs featured role. Heâs reached 100 yards rushing in each of the past three contests heâs been able to finish, averaging an impressive 4.9 YPC on the year. Torain is a viable RB2 option for fantasy leaguers down the stretchâ¦Those in deep leagues desperate for a WR sleeper in Week 15, look no further than Anthony Armstrong. Before last weekâs disappointing performance, he averaged 73.2 yards over the previous five games and gets a matchup in Week 15 against a Dallas defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers in the NFL this season by a wide margin.
Thatâs eight fumbles for Peyton Hillis now, easily the most in the league among running backsâ¦Lee Evans was lost for the season with a high-ankle sprain, ending yet another disappointing campaign for the once promising wide receiver. Evans will enter 2011 taking a backseat to teammate Steve Johnson, and heâs now become an afterthought in fantasy leagues.
Aaron Rodgers managed just 4.2 YPA with no touchdowns and a pick against a porous Detroit secondary before departing with a concussion, so fantasy owners have to feel cheated. It was his second concussion suffered this season, so Rodgersâ status for Week 15 is in question, and the answer may not be revealed until Sunday night, with the Packers/Patriots matchup being in primetimeâ¦Greg Jennings certainly didnât help, as he dropped a sure 80-yard touchdown and turned it into an interceptionâ¦Needing just three feet toward the end of the game, it was curious to see Green Bay throw a deep ball into the end zone on 4th and 1.
Darren McFadden totaled 209 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 touches Sunday, helping many fantasy teams move onto Week 15 in the process. Heâs missed two games this season due to injury and totaled just 16 rushing yards over Weeks 11 and 12, but heâs still on pace to finish the year with 1,760 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns. McFadden is tied for second in the NFL with 3.4 YPC after contact, and few runs in the league this season have been as impressive as this. Fantasy owners have to be salivating at the thought of him going against a Broncos team that has been gashed for the second most fantasy points to running backs this season in Week 15â¦David Garrardâs TD pass to Jason Hill was the throw of the dayâ¦Maurice Jones-Drew should have taken a knee at the 1 yard line at the end of his 30-yard touchdown run with 1:34 left, but he has himself on all his fantasy teams, so he knows better, especially during the first week of the playoffs.
Despite Cincinnatiâs defense keeping the Steelers out of the end zone all game long, the Bengals still lost 23-7 in Week 14, thanks mostly to two costly pick-sixes by Carson Palmer. He managed just 5.6 YPA and tossed three interceptions in all, as his nightmare season continued. Palmerâs 18 picks are the second most in the league, and his 6.4 YPA mark is a career-low. The two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns were simply inexcusableâ¦According to Pro Football Focus, the Steelers have the worst pass blocking and the worst run blocking in the AFC. They also have been the most penalized team and have the second worst special teams in the conferenceâ¦Pittsburgh spiked the ball on 1st and goal with 34 seconds left in the first half and a timeout remaining. Of course, they then kicked a field goal with 21 seconds left. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
Dan Marino has the most wins ever (33) by a quarterback over their first three seasons in the league, but Matt Ryan currently has 31 wins and countingâ¦Jonathan Stewart is a borderline RB1 in Week 15 at home against the Cardinals, but heâs already lost three fumbles this year on just 120 carriesâ¦A new nominee for worst announcing moment of 2010 – âMatt Ryan can just walk into the end zoneâ right before he gets clobbered short of the goal line.
Alex Smith completed 17-of-27 passes for 255 yards and a 3:0 TD:INT ratio during the 49ers’ win Sunday, finishing with a 130.9 QB rating. Smith was starting for the first time since Week 7, and his performance made coach Mike Singletary’s decision to go back to him look brilliant. Smith has gotten 7.9 YPA with nine touchdowns over four home games this season, but he has a tough matchup Week 15 in San Diego against a Chargers defense that has allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this seasonâ¦With three kick return touchdowns already this season, itâs hard to figure how Leon Washington has been given only 24 rushing attempts.
Making his first appearance since Week 3, Pierre Thomas led the Saints with 12 carries Sunday, although that resulted in a modest 39 rushing yards. He added four catches for 29 receiving yards as well, and Chris Ivory was limited in practice this week with a hamstring injury. If Ivory misses any game action, Thomas would once again become a viable fantasy option, although a Week 15 matchup against a Ravens defense that has allowed the sixth fewest fantasy points to running backs this season is hardly enticingâ¦As funny as it sounds, the Chiefs/Rams matchup is basically a playoff game.
Deion Branch hauled in eight catches for 151 yards against a Bears defense that entered having allowed an NFL-low 6.2 YPA and just nine passing TDs on the year. Over the past three games, Branch has racked up 328 receiving yards and four touchdowns. If you prorate his stats since joining New England over a full season, heâs on pace to finish with 78 receptions, 1,152 yards and nine scores. Branch hadnât reached 750 receiving yards or scored five touchdowns in a season since leaving New England in 2005, but at age 31, heâs clearly not washed up. All he needed was Tom Brady as his quarterback againâ¦Since 2001, when the Patriots have a plus turnover differential, they are 80-3. (h/t Ken Tremendous)â¦New England is now 11-0 under Bill Belichick in the snow, and during their last three such games, the team has outscored its opponents 109-0 during the first halfâ¦New England has now gone five straight games without a turnover, setting an NFL record.
Tim Hightower ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries against the Broncos last week, and itâs clear heâs the RB to own in Arizonaâs backfield. Hightower has averaged 5.2 YPC this season, and Beanie Wells hasnât received more than eight touches in a game since Week 8. In a matchup against a Carolina defense that has allowed the third most fantasy points to running backs this season, Hightower is a fine start in Week 15â¦Arizona scored as many points in Week 14 as they did during its previous four games combinedâ¦Jay Feelyâs fantasy performance was one for the record booksâ¦Over the past two games, Kyle Orton has completed just 40.6 percent of his passes while getting a paltry 4.1 YPA with zero touchdowns and four turnovers. Week 14âs performance was especially galling, as his 27.1 QB rating came against a middling Arizona secondary in perfect weather conditions. Orton has enjoyed a fine season â easily the best of his career â but heâs slumping at the worst possible time for fantasy owners, and heâs a risky proposition down the stretch.
Mark Sanchez completed just 17-of-44 passes at home against the Dolphins in Week 14, getting only 4.9 YPA, and heâs lucky just one of his four fumbles was lost. Sanchez has committed six turnovers over the past three games after not committing one over the first five games of the year. In fact, heâs been intercepted at least once in eight consecutive contests. While the Jetsâ receivers have done him no favors, dropping 35 passes, which is the second most in football this year, Sanchezâs 53.3 completion percentage is the lowest in the AFC. Heâs really regressed of late, but itâs obviously too soon to give up on the sophomore signal callerâ¦While Kareem McKenzie has been fantastic, Jake Long is the best offensive tackle in all of footballâ¦What an indefensible drop in the end zone by Santonio Holmes. Pathetic.
Brodie Croyle is now 0-10 as a starter throughout his careerâ¦Ryan Mathews gained 65 rushing yards on 16 carries Sunday during his first action since Week 9, also hitting paydirt. Mike Tolbert received the same amount of rushing attempts, and while heâs a better bet to score each week as the teamâs goal-line back, donât be surprised if the rookie starts getting the majority of the carries from here on out. As nearly double-digit favorites at home against the 49ers on Thursday night, the Chargers should be playing with the lead mostly, resulting in plenty of carries to go aroundâ¦With Antonio Gates highly questionable and Malcom Floyd also banged up, Vincent Jackson deserves an upgradeâ¦During Weeks 6-12, Dwayne Bowe recorded 49 catches for 733 yards and 13 touchdowns. Over his other six games this year, heâs totaled 10 catches for 155 yards and one touchdown. There hasnât been a bigger boom-or-bust player in football.
A favorite for the craziest stat of the 2010 season: LeSean McCoy leads the NFL with 709 yards after the catch. He has 538 receiving yards on the yearâ¦Michael Vick has gotten 9.3 YPA with a 17:3 TD:turnover ratio over five games on the road this seasonâ¦To me, the Tashard Choice asking Vick for an autograph issue is much ado about nothing.
If that wasnât a safety on Tavaris Jackson, then I donât know what one isâ¦Returning to action after a two-game absence, Hakeem Nicks racked up seven catches for 96 yards Monday night. Nicksâ 81.5 receiving yards per game this season rank as the fifth most in the NFL, and his nine TD receptions are also tied for the fifth most in football, despite playing in just 11 games. With Steve Smith out for the season, and Mario Manningham also hobbled, Nicks is going to be targeted heavily, returning him to elite status in fantasy leagues. The Giants could be in a shootout against the Eagles in Week 15, although the likely return of Asante Samuel isnât idealâ¦Brett Favreâs purple hand was pretty gross. Joe Webb, who might get the start under center in Week 15, presents an interesting fantasy option, as heâs eligible at WR in Yahoo leagues.
While Monday nightâs game was thrilling, the Ravens showed exactly how not to play with a big lead. What kind of defense was that? Matt Schaub, whoâs the only quarterback in the league yet to commit a penalty this season, was somehow sacked just twice despite dropping back (mostly in obvious passing downs) a whopping 63 timesâ¦Anquan Boldin has reached 70 yards receiving just twice over the past nine games, and after entering the year as the all-time leader in receiving yards per game, heâs dropped to third on the leaderboard (Andre Johnson is currently first with 79.9 Y/G).
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