So maybe we got off on the wrong foot last week. I can’t take all the blame, of course. You’re the one who said you had a third leg because you put a sock on your woo-ha. That’s the wrong foot with me every day of the week. But what I mean by this is explaining what the funk ‘Thinking Forward’ means. You’re in the playoffs so your lineup is already pretty good and so is your bench, most likely. So all I’m trying to do is give you some ideas on future week pickups because you’ve already got your lineup set for this week and since this is the time I’d normally be telling you to buy/sell for trade purposes, I figured I might as well tell you what you can tuck away for the following week instead. Ahem, I did say tuck it. Couldja do so with said foot apparel right now? It’s distracting…but now that we’ve got the premise set up, let’s take a giant leap forward into week 16. For all intents and purposes, the Colts aren’t really playing for much down the stretch besides maybe trying to figure out how they can be 8-5 with such a terrible team on hand. Oh wait, they play in the same division as the Jaguars, Texans and Titans and are 4-0 within it. Yeah, that’ll do it. I don’t know how they won earlier in the year vs the 49ers, Seahawks and Broncos given the team we’ve seen over the last 5 weeks. And before you get angry, Colts fans, this team’s point differential on the year is -3…yes, they’ve scored three less points than their opponents as a whole on the year and still have 8 wins to show for it. That’s a fishy line if I’ve ever smelled one. That’s just your upper lip! I told you, Colts fans, don’t be angry. Just realize there are 5 teams in the plus as of this typing that might not make the playoffs and be thankful. All this to say, I don’t think the Chiefs are gonna have a tough week with Indy at home and think Knile Davis will have himself a solid fantasy day. The Chiefs are the second best team in the AFC right now by record and the only way that even matters in terms of seeding is if Denver reels off 2 losses in the last 3 weeks and KC wins out, which makes it all the more likely we won’t see a huge amount of the starters in the game for the Chiefs on week 16 Sunday. Am I telling you to be scared to start Jamaal Charles? Hells to the no, children. But I do think Davis has a sneaky shot at reproducing his week 14 line or better: 47 total yards on 12 touches and a TD. Sure, its flexy sexy but nothing great but you never know when injuries might strike. Just ask AP owners. If your main RB goes down week 15 and you still manage to make the Shiva Bowl, having Knile on speed dial is a nice consolation prize in my book. And with that, let’s move on. Here are some other suggestions for week 16 pick ups for 2013 Fantasy Football…
Jason Campbell – At just 6% owned in Yahoo leagues as of this typing, I think its clear how under the radar Campbell has been for fantasy production. And why shouldn’t he be? He’s Jason Campbell. As the November games against Cincy and Pittsburgh prove, you can’t 100% trust him but as his week 14 line shows – 391 yards passing with 3 TDs – he can perform given the right matchup and I dare say, the Jets are definitely an exploitable one. Their secondary has been torched all year and I can’t see how that will change by week 16. This is probably more for 2 QB leagues than it is one but maybe you’re sitting there with Shanahanigans on your hands and RG3 isn’t starting. You’re now stuck playing the FA QB pool week to week. It’s December and it’s cold outside. Have some Campbell’s. It’s good for you.
Ryan Tannehill – Wanna know who’s just 26% owned and has been QB7 over the last 4 weeks? I’ll give you a hint: read the name that comes before the dash in this particular blurb. Of course it’s Tannehill, or Tanny-Hill if you’re Gruden. To be honest, I still don’t trust Philbin and his offensive ‘schemes’ but over the last 4 weeks here’s what I’ve liked about Ryan: 135. That’s the amount of rushing yards he has during that span and what I was expecting more of coming into the season when I wrote about Ryan Tannehill and his rookie year in the off-season. Those yards are always a nice 3 or 4 point cushion to start a stat-line with and with Ryan and company playing for their playoff lives most likely come week 16, he may have to come up big against the Buffalo Bills. I’ll admittedly say this is an ‘if you’re in extreme need’ suggestion as I don’t like the idea of playing in cold weather Buffalo and think Miami just might run on them more than pass but still, I thought the stats deserved attention.
Rod Streater – It’s a tough thing to do but I believe I’ve managed to suggest at least three Raiders wideouts this year at some point or another which makes me feel really dirty. But again, it’s all about the matchups. Streater came up big against the terrible Jets secondary in week 14 so he may not be as easy of a grab as my other suggestions. And also, he may have to contend with a Denarius Moore return before long. But overall, both Streater and Holmes are a talented duo who seem to have a reasonable connection with McGloin and they face a Chargers secondary that’s giving up the 6th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers on the year. And yes, in saying all of this, I’m doing a soft buy on Andre Holmes as well. Please stop me before I suggest Jacob Ford.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers DST – Yet another one of those ‘over the last 4 weeks’ kinda deals. They’ve been the #1 ranked defense during that stretch. This call isn’t without its warts for sure but I can promise you none of them were caused by MRSA. The Bucs have played better as the season has progressed and to be fair, their defense hasn’t really been the issue but the offense has put them in bad situations all year. Of late, that has turned around and the stats have started to show up as they lead the league by a wide margin in interceptions over the last 4 weeks with 12 and they were already tough on the ground. Despite facing the 8th most rushing attempts amongst NFL teams on the year, they’ve given up the 9th fewest yards. With that, they get to face Zac Stacy and not much else in Saint Louis. If that doesn’t excite you, well…good, it’s just a team defense.
