Week 11 is nearly over, and once again we had some of the usual suspects having big games, newcomers emphatically announcing their arrival, and huge pieces of championship chasing fantasy teams impacted by injury. Let’s take a quick stroll through the happenings of another action packed Sunday, and see who dominated, disappeared, and deserves to be dumped…
Matthew Stafford: Stafford came out of the gates with two quick interceptions and it seemed another four pick performance was on the horizon. Luckily for his owners, the Lion QB turned it on and led the Lions back from another huge deficit with 335 yards and 5 touchdown passes. That finger seems to be feeling alright. Look for Stafford to have another monster game on turkey day as he tries to keep the Lions close to the Packers.
Cam Newton: Cam was back in action, following up a stinker in week 10 with a nice week 11 performance. Ignore the four picks…the two rushing touchdowns are the reason you love having Cam by your side as you march into the playoffs.
Jake Locker: Old man Hasselbeck went out with an elbow injury, allowing Locker to step in and throw for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Titans aren’t sure how long Hasselbeck will be out, but Locker is an interesting quarterback prospect. The guy can run like a gazelle, and has an absolute cannon….although you don’t always know where it is headed. If his accuracy has improved at all from his days at Washington, he may be useful in deep leagues, and is an absolute must-have in keeper/dynasty formats.
Kellen Winslow: The “soldier” only had two weeks of over 50 yards receiving this season before week 11, and then busted out with 132 yards on 9 catches. This is nothing more than the result of the Bucs trying to keep pace with the Packers, and I fully expect a 4 catch, 27 yard performance next week.
Ed Dickson: Dickson was on my watch list this week and followed up his stellar 10 catch-79 yard-2 touchdown week 10 performance with a solid 2 grabs for 21 yards in week 11. Dickson is nothing more than a backup fantasy tight end, move along.
Jordy Nelson: Jordy had another great performance in week 11, hauling in 6 passes for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. This guy is an absolute must-start each week and has officially graduated from the “speedster who only catches a long touchdown every few weeks” class into the “Oh baby, this guy is awesome” class.
Mike Williams(tb): The king of empty targets finally came through for his owners on Sunday with 7 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. Let’s all hope this is a sign of things to come as Williams owes the fantasy world some serious performances down the stretch to atone for his mediocre season thus far.
Nate Washington: Washington had a very pedestrian game going until Locker came in and hit him with 2 late touchdowns. It was nice to see Washington with some pep in his step, as Damian Williams was encroaching on his work in Tennessee. Stay tuned to the QB situation for the Titans, but it looks as if the young Locker feels comfortable with Washington already. The aforementioned Williams ended up with 1 catch on a whopping 11 targets.
Vincent Jackson: He’s awesome! He sucks! He’s awesome again! 7 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown for the infuriating VJax. If you own him, you have no choice but to buckle up and play him.
Jabar Gaffney: Gaffney is the lone Redskin receiver healthy enough to run after errant passes, so he ended up with a nice week 11 performance of 7-115 and a touchdown. With Moss and Hankerson out, Gaffney is all that’s left for the ‘skins and should get lots of looks down the stretch.
Jerome Simpson: AJ Green was out today, so Jerome was the man for Cincinnati. After the dust settled in Baltimore, Simpson had 8 catches for 152 yards on 13 targets. With Green active, Simpson is a medium-tier play but proved he can be very productive if he gets Green’s share of the targets. Keep an eye on the injury news regarding Green this week, as another strong performance from Simpson could be upcoming.
Brandon Marshall: Just after it appeared Matt Moore was building a strong relationship with Marshall…he whammies us with 1 catch for 5 yards. Don’t get too crazy about this one, as he had a touchdown catch called back and I would expect him to climb right back on the horse next week at Dallas.
Stevie Johnson: A clunker for Stevie Johnson this week, as the Buffalo Bills have hit the crapper. Stay away from this passing game right now.
Kevin Smith: The title of King of Week 11 goes to Kevin Smith. After slicing up the Panthers for 3 touchdowns on 201 yards of total offense, it looks like Smith will be the Lion’s featured back going forward and just might give the Lions another reason to be cautious with Best. Get your FAAB money and waiver claims ready.
LeGarrette Blount: The issue with Blount is, and will always be, game flow. In games like today, where the Bucs are playing from behind, Blount needs to produce early or break a big run to avoid a dud for your fantasy team. Today he busted a long touchdown run and broke roughly 46 tackles along the way, ending up with 107 yards rushing on the day. He will be fine down the stretch, but certainly is not immune to bad performances if the Bucs fall behind quickly.
Chris Johnson: False alarm. Chris Johnson is NOT back. 12 carries for 13 yards? Yuck.
Adrian Peterson/James Starks/Fred Jackson: All suffered leg injuries of varying degrees and have MRI’s scheduled for Monday. Stay tuned to the news this week and get ready to nab Gerhart, Spiller, or Grant if any of these guys will miss time.
Jay Cutler: Cutler fractured the thumb on his throwing hand against San Diego today and it looks like he will be out for the season. Forte should still hold his value for the most part, and this will be a big hit to the promising development of Earl Bennett.
