By The Troll
Fantasy Columnist
This is the most critical week of the season, thus far. It marks the start of the playoffs in larger leagues and the last week before them in smaller leagues. Here’s a look at how my picks fared last week:
START
QB Kurt Warner – 354 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
QB Mark Brunell – 156 yards, 1 TD
RB Jamal Lewis – 17 yards, 1 fumble lost
RB Carnell Williams – 96 yards rushing
RB Ricky Williams – 78 total yards, TD
WR Andre Johnson – 70 yards
WR Anquan Boldin – 156 yards, 1 TD
WR Taylor Jacobs – -1 yard receiving (Sorry.)
SIT
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – 163 yards, 1 INT
QB Brett Favre – 277 yards, 2 INTs
RB Lamont Jordan – 65 total yards, 1 fumble lost
RB Samkon Gado – 87 total yards, TD
RB Julius Jones – 162 total yards
WR Joe Horn – 40 yards
All Jacksonville Jaguar receivers – 6 rec. for 85 yards, 1 TD
And now, my catch phrase: I’ll try to do better this week!
Quarterbacks
Brad Johnson, Minnesota – Johnson has thrown 5 touchdowns with one interception in his past two games. His adversaries in week ten will be the St. Louis Rams, who have given up 24 touchdown passes this season, second most in the league.
David Carr, Houston – Carr was electric in the Texans week 13 loss to St. Louis and he was brutally average last week. However, he is definitely worth the risk this week as he goes against the Titans secondary, which is the youngest in the NFL. They have also given up 25 touchdowns through the air this season, a number that leads the NFL.
Running Backs
Dominick Davis, Houston – Since returning from injury against the Chiefs three weeks ago, Dom has rushed for 290 yards and a touchdown and caught 9 passes for 111 yards and another score. He may be no Reggie Bush, but I’ll take Dom Davis any day of the week.
Lamont Jordan, Oakland – The Jets are near the bottom of the league in rush defense and have given up 16 scores on the ground. A pissed off LJ should have a day to remember against his former comrades.
Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati – It is a little known fact that Rudi may be the most consistent back in fantasy football. He has rushed for under 70 yards just once this season (65) and he has 6 touchdowns over his past three games, all three of which came against defenses that rank in the top half of the league. This week, Rudi gets a break, as he takes on Cleveland, who happens to be ranked 27th in the NFL against the run.
Wide Receivers
Lee Evans, Buffalo – It’s already well established that J.P. Losman loves Lee Evans. After hooking up with Evans for 3 scores in the first quarter last week, Losman has put his wide receiver back on the fantasy map. Evans is killer in December, having caught 9 of his 15 career touchdowns in the month. And when you add in the fact that Evans’ counterpart, Eric Moulds is suspended for this tilt against the Patriots’ 31st-ranked defense, it makes Evans perhaps the most desirable player for week 14.
Terry Glenn, Dallas – The Chiefs secondary has been getting torched lately, so starting the Cowboys’ lone deep threat sounds like a great idea to me.
Quarterbacks
Marques Tuiasosopo, Oakland – Contrary to popular belief, the Jets actually rank 6th in the NFL in defending the pass. Granted, that’s because the Jets are always getting smoked, so the opposing team just tries to run the clock out. That still does not mean you should trust a quarterback making his second career start with your fantasy life on the line. If this is week 6, sure, take a chance, but you can’t afford the risk in week 14.
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh – Trent Dilfer…er…Ben Roethlisberger is now nursing an injured thumb that may require surgery. He’s normally not a viable fantasy starter anyway, but especially not this week as he takes on a Bears pass D that has given up only 7 touchdowns and taken away 18 interceptions.
Running Backs
Curtis Martin, Jets – Martin may have a little more fire than usual as he tries to upstage Lamont Jordan’s return home. However, the Raiders just held Ladainian Tomlinson in check and will now bottle up the declining Martin. Don’t expect anything more than 50 yards on 38 carries.
Greg Jones, Jacksonville – While Jones busted out last week for 103 yards against the Browns, his fantasy status is dependent on whether Fred Taylor makes his return from injury. The prospects don’t look all that enticing even if Taylor can’t go. The Colts have given up just 5 rushing touchdowns all season and are fresh from shutting down a red-hot Chris Brown last week.
Jamal Lewis, Baltimore – Coming off his 17-yard fantasy explosion against the worst run defense in football, Lewis goes against Denver, who rank third.
Wide Receivers
Hines Ward, Pittsburgh – Ward has been on fire lately, but it’s going to be a tough haul against the Bears defense. Start if you have no better options, but don’t expect 130 yards and two touchdowns again.
Eagles Wide Receivers Corps, Philadelphia – Hey, this worked last week with Jacksonville, so hopefully, I can go 2 for 2 on recommendations to bench entire passing games. The Giants have a bend, but don’t break pass defense, giving up 244 yards per game, but surrendering only 13 touchdowns. And last week, Eagle wideouts combined for 5 receptions and 55 yards.