Arses Five Favorites: Week 15 NFL Predictions

After my first losing week all season, a 1-4 performance in Week 13, I fought back with another winner, a 3-2 march in Week 14. It wasn’t 4-1 or 5-0, but it was a winner nonetheless. Week 15 has some nice favorites, and honestly, I had a tough time picking my Top 5. It’s cold up here in Alaska, but with all this darkness, I have plenty of time to do my research – and I expect it to continue it’s showy performance.

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New Orleans (-7) @ home vs. Dallas: Listen when I tell you, the Dallas Cowboys aren’t that good. But a good thing for the Saints is that everyone else thinks the Cowboys are. The Saints have beaten the pee out of top rated foes this year, embarrassing teams like Philly and New England, and well, beating everyone else as well. Let the 14-0 teams continue to roll!

N.Y. Jets (-6) @ home vs. Atlanta: The Jets are favored by 6 over the Falcons for a reason, and that’s because this is a terrible match-up for Atlanta. If people think that Michael Turner and Matt Ryan are all of a sudden going to come in and stop the run, they must be confused. The offense in Atlanta isn’t the problem.

Seattle (-6) @ home vs. Buccaneers: The Bucs are that bad. I hate taking the Hawks as a big favorite, but this game looks like a blowout. If Seattle loses here, I will refer to them as the Seagulls forever.

Vikings (-8.5) @ Carolina:The Vikings will run into, or I guess past the Carolina Panthers – I expect Minnesota to approach 40 rushing attempts this week in something like a 28-10 win over the Panthers, and it won’t feel that close. I don’t know what Carolina can do against the Vikings, but I also don’t know how the Panthers D will slow Minnesota.

N.Y. Giants (-1) @ Washington: How is this? I’m not convinced the Redskins are good just because they haven’t played terrible lately. They aren’t one of the worst teams in the NFL, maybe even better than their record insists, but the Giants are the much better team. In Washington doesn’t scare me.

Ask Papa Weimer: Week 15 Fantasy Football Analysis

Here’s a couple of the consistent questions (with the answers) coming in from you guys, hope this helps for the big playoff push. Don’t second guess yourself, like old people like me do, just go with your gut, it feels better if you lose going out with your best guys. Nothing like benching a guy you started all year and losing because of it. You dig?Remember, you too can write in and get your questions answered to…. papaweimer50@hotmail.com – will answer as soon as possible! – Good luck all!

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David from Minnesota asks, “Papa, I need some info on to to start besides Chris Johnson. I have Chris Jennings, Arian Foster, Ryan Grant, Fred Jackson  I need to start two of them. Which guys would you play with Chris?”

I think Fred Jackson is always a good play because he’s so involved with that team, passing game, running game, even return game – so I like him as your 2nd guy. As for the 3rd guy, it’s hard not to start Ryan Grant, because he’s a beast and he’s had pretty good ypc numbers against good defenses, but the Packers aren’t going to run into a wall, so that leaves room for another guy, and from what I hear, the Rams are coming down with swine flu like it’s free and fun, and so Foster might be a good option. Before I heard that, I would have chosen Jennings over Foster, because I like the way Chris runs, but with the epidemic hitting the Ram-rods, that’s a tough call. I feel like those guys are pretty even. But I would probably go with Ryan Grant – in fact – I am going with Ryan Grant. I have a choice between him and Jennings in a league, and Grant is the guy I chose. The Steelers have given up more than 4 yards per carry to starting running backs over the past 4 weeks, and that’s good enough for me – maybe Grant gets 15-20 carries, and if he’s lucky, a touchdown. But if you went with Foster or Jennings, I would definitely understand – I mean, Jennings carried the ball 20 times last week for 73 yards and a TD, and he looked good. Foster is going against the Rams. Both him and Jennings have good match-ups. It’s a tough call, definitely – that’s what I’m thinking, hope that helped a little.

Stanleigh writes, “Ok, I’m struggling with my final decision on RB2. What can I say? I don’t want to make a mistake on selecting the right guy between Forsett, Foster and Jennings as one of them will most certainly produce RB1 type numbers. Any advice?”

Yep – and here’s the deal, no matter what I tell you, the bottom line is these three guys are all good/tough/questionable/could be impressive options this week. I like Forsett against Tampa Bay – they suck on the ground and he’s the best offensive player on a team playing without Burleson, and Housh is recovering from a head injury. At the very least, that means there should be some touches in the cards for him in the passing game, hasselcrack has to throw the ball to someone.

But Foster and Jennings are also good plays. Jennings plays a terrible run defense, and he has passed my eye test. That means I’ve watched him run, on plays for gain and loss, and he looks like a powerful back running with some momentum.

Foster, I don’t know much about, but his match-up is also dreamy. It’s a tough call. I say Forsett, but like I said to start, you have three options that are close enough to coin toss odds than one better than the other – if it’s a PPR league, I say Forsett gets even better – but if it’s just yards and touchdowns, one of the other two guys are just as likely to succeed. The way I see it, there’s no way Forsett gets shut out – so I’d go with him.

Fantasy Focus Review: Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings

The first week of the playoffs saw me win playoff match-ups in all 3 of the leagues in which I went to the post season. It didn’t see me get the top spot in the fantasy rankings, though, as Josh Arsenault grabbed the top spot while predicting each of the Top 4 RBs in his Top 5 list. We misses a lot of guys this week, and blew it on some players for sure. This is how Week 14’s Fantasy Focus went down.

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Drew Brees – A point out of 1st placed amongst QBs, 29 big ones… A+
2. Ray Rice – Just like I figured, the Ray Rice and the Ravens did work – #3 RB this week. A+
3. Sidney Rice – 19th WR in Week 14, not too shabby, not the awesomeness I was hoping for. B-
4. Ben Roethlisberger – UGH…. F
5. Chris Johnson – You can’t leave this guy off your Top 5, the best RB again in Week 14 – A+

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Terrell Owens – Owens got a touchdown, but still just 9 fantasy points. D+
2. Mike Sims-Walker – A calf injury the day after I wrote this had him out on game day. F
3. Thomas Jones – 22 fantasy points for TJ, doing work, Top 10 RB in Week 14. A
4. Ricky Williams –Ricky kept his stellar play going with 16 points, ranking him 14th. A-
5. Percy Harvin –A migraine had Harvin out for Week 14, tough on fantasy owners. F

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Justin Forsett –Despite a terrible day for Hawks, Forsett was the 21st RB, not a bad play. B-
2. Michael Crabtree – Could be a big week for Crabtree, he’s been getting the targets, he’ll cash in soon.
3. Vince Young– “He’s rated as the 25th QB in ESPN this week, I think he cuts that in half. At least.” Come on, the guy was ranked 11th – perfect. A
4. Jamal Charles– #2 RB in Week 14, and officially escaping sleeper status. A+
5. Daunte Culpepper– Tough day for Pep, Stafford didn’t play and still had 2 fewer points than Daunte… Whoops… F-

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Matt Forte– 25 carries for 55 yards earlier this year, only 12 carries for 51 yards this time around, but that’s it, four catches for 17 yards gave him 10 and ranked him 29th. A-
2. Steve Smith– 16th overall this week, he caught a couple deep balls, whoops. F
3. Frank Gore – 7th rated rusher and he straight dominated one of the better run defenses in the league, whoops… F
4. Eli Manning – Eli didn’t struggle in score-fest 2009, he put up the #1 points this week. F
5. T.J. Houshmandzadeh– 29th overall this week, not the worst ever, but not good either. C-

***It turns out I was right about DeSean Jackson, Michael Turner, and DeAngelo Williams, and the first was definitely a chance worth taking. ***

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Week 14 Fantasy Rankings

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Who did we miss? Good question, this week we missed a lot of guys. Here’s the position by position breakdown:

Quarterbacks: Eli Manning (#1), Donovan McNabb (#4) and Jason Campbell (#5) made it three guys in the Top 5 nobody ranked. Kyle Orton, Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, and Chris Redman finished 6,7,8, and 9. Whoops.

Running backs: Ryan Grant, Reggie Bush, Frank Gore, Quinton Ganther finished 5-8 and Willis McGahee was 10th amongst running backs to round off the Top 10. Amazingly, Josh Arsenault grabbed 1-4 in this week’s rankings. Doing work.

Wide Receivers: Andre Johnson had a huge week, 42 fantasy points, but that’s right, he finished 2nd. 2nd to Brandon Marshall whom nobody had in their top 5. Marshall would have finished tied for 4th with just his catches alone. The kid grabbed 21 balls. His 53 fantasy points were legit. DeSean Jackson played, and finished 3rd amongst receivers. Devin Aromashodu tied for 4th with Hakeem Nicks and Wes Welker. Derrick Mason, Austin Miles, Vincent Jackson, and Johnny Knox rounded out the Top 10 receivers. Only 2 of the Top 10 were represented in our rankings.

Tight Ends: Kevin Boss and Fred Davis, both tied for 2nd with 20 fantasy points. Brent Celek was 5th and Algae Crumpler went old school on us and finished 5th tied with Antonio Gates. Ben Watson and John Carlson were 8th and 9th.

DSTs: The 49ers and Texans finished 2 and 3. The Browns shut down the Steelers in dominant defensive fashion and garnered a tie for 5th with the Eagles.

Fantasy Focus: Week 15 Fantasy Football Preview

This is the 2nd Week of Fantasy Playoffs in some leagues, the first in others, regardless, who to play is a big deal. Last week Josh finished atop the charts for the 3rd time in the last 4 weeks, or something like that, and his picks have been on fire lately. I finished second, as some tough defensive picks and a goose egg from quarterbacks had the poo-fan pointed in my direction. Ryan and Papa are both trying to pick up some winners as the last few weeks wrap up, and you better believe I’ll be trying to hold onto the overall title. Doing work. This week I have some solid sleepers ready to wake up and give you a playoff win if you need some help, as I’ve placed an extra five guys in my “super sleeper” realm – guys that are waiver wire fodder right now, ready to spring into starter action for draft pick duds. It’s playoffs, nobody’s feelings will be hurt, just play the best guys out there! Here goes many things….

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Wes Welker – Defenses can focus in on Randy, that’s fine, but Wes had 12 catches against Buffalo earlier this year, he will have a teen count this week.
2. Ray Rice –  I have to stick with Ray Rice, the Bears can’t keep up with the main man in Baltimore.
3. Adrian Peterson – Carolina’s pass D is actually decent, their run D, well, you’ll see.
4. Drew Brees – You know Drew has that fire wanting a win over Dallas, and you know he’s going to make that secondary cry.
5. Chris Johnson – I will not take CJ off this list, he’s a must play, at the top of the world right now.

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. DeSean Jackson – Despite last week’s lockdown on Arizona, the 49ers secondary has some holes, DeSean will find them.
2. Jamal Charles – The kid is lightening quick, and given 20 touches, he’s as good as gold in this match-up.
3. Thomas Jones – I like Thomas a lot again, his match-up is just too good, and he’ll get his carries.
4. Cedric Benson –The Chargers can give up some yards on the ground, and I feel a 120+ yard day coming for Benson.
5. Brandon Jacobs – I like his style, and his punishing runs look to be back. Albert might be out, look for 18-20 carries and yards to match.

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Justin Forsett –Again, he’s the best back in Seattle, again, he’ll have the most fantasy points amongst them, and Tampa, nice match-up.
2. Quentin Ganther – The Giants D front doesn’t scare me like they used to, the Redskins O scares me more than ever. Deal.
3. Vince Young– I like him again, if he’s still out there, he’s a nice spot start for a 2nd straight week.
4. Laurence Maroney– LM has been consistent, at the very least, for the Patriots – I think he runs a lot again in Week 15.
5. Alex Smith– The thought of the Eagles secondary says no, but don’t get tricked, if you don’t have a top guy, need a starter, Smith is a solid play.
6. Steve Breaston – He might be on the Waivers after a few pooformances, but Larry Fitz might be out, and the match-up is good, I like starting Ta-Tas this week.

Super Sleepers for Playoff Push…

1. Brady Quinn – Everyone is saying no, the Chiefs D beat up the Bills passing attack last week, and Brady threw for under 100 yards – so what, I like the match-up. If you need him, don’t feel like you’re going to die. At least double digit fantasy points from Quinn.
2. Chris Jennings – He might not be on the waiver, but I picked him up in a couple leagues, so he’s out there in most. He plays the Chiefs D and looks like a solid option if you have nothing else.
3. Maurice Morris – He could very well be in for starter carries, and some grabs out of the backfield as well, you could do worse than MoMo.
4. Devin Aromashodu – Let me say this, Jay Cutler has been lobbying for him getting more playing time for weeks, he finally gets it and puts up 21 fantasy points. Like it.
5. Greg Camarillo – Last week’s performance isn’t that crazy, and while I don’t see 100 yards, 5+ catches and 50+ yards seems likely against the Titans.
6. Deon Butler – Call me crazy, and this would be a tough start, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it worked out. Burleson is out, and while Branch is #3, Butler is the big play guy left – I think he has a couple this week and has his best fantasy week of the year.

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Hines Ward– Great player, struggling team, tough D, tough start in my opinion.
2. Mario Manningham– After a great start, MM is back-up duty, and against one of the best secondaries in the league, not a good start.
3. Matt Forte – Weird, Matt’s here again, I think he’ll do more blocking than running against the Ravens.
4. LeSean McCoy –I like the rookie a lot, I just think the Niners shut him down, and the Eagles find quicker ways to gain yardage.
5. Kyle Orton– I like the Broncos to win, yes, but pass a lot? no. Orton might get close to 200 yards, but I doubt he gets over that mark. More than a touchdown through the air? No – sit him.

***Nate Burleson is out. Turner is still a bit risky. Don’t start JaMarcus Russell unless you are throwing your playoff game, and if you are starting Charlie “Brown” Frye, I’m sorry for your mixed luck, nothing like getting to the playoffs and having to start a peanuts character***

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Papas Picks: NFL Week 14 Underdog Predictions

Alright, I’ve gone 4-1 twice in the last 3 weeks – but the week I didn’t run into 4-1 was a tough one to stomach. I guess that’s the way with underdogs, when the ball doesn’t bounce your way, you look like a dope. I looked pretty solid last week as two of my unpopular dogs won outright, the Dolphins and Raiders. I was pretty stunned the Steelers fell at home to the Raiders, but I was pretty happy looking at 15.5 points against a team that hadn’t won big all year. It’s too bad I never write this article quick enough for Thursday games, because I would have loved getting another underdog win over the Steelers… This week, I have a couple more Dogs that look like pedigree models with all there glorious points – here are this week’s picks.

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Washigton Redskins @ Oakland Raiders (+1): The Redskins find ways to lose, really, they are very good at it. The Raiders have turned it around a bit, and now that they can complete a simple pass to a wide open receiver, they aren’t nearly as bad as before. I like them to win their 3rd in 4 games – crazy.

San Diego Chargers (+3) @ Dallas Cowboys: The Chargers are better than the Cowboys, and Dallas always hits a wall and loses important games late. If they lose here, they have are guaranteed to be 2nd place in the NFC East – that means it’s a big game – that means trouble for Big D.

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears (+3.5): The Bears are 4-2 at home this year – so that’s what I have going for me here. They’ve played much worse than they are, and the Packers have been on a streak of really impressive games – I think those things are bound to turn around in one cold afternoon in Chicago.

Detroit Lions (+14) @ Baltimore Ravens: Oh the Ravens and their impotent offense, I mean un-potent, well, what ever it is, it’s not producing many hits lately. With Daunte starting (for a guy with really small hands, I still think he’s pretty good, but I might be living in his fantasy dominating past) I think the Lions have a good chance to put up a few touchdowns through the air, the kid has always thrown the deep ball well. That will be enough to cover.

Seattle Seahawks (+7) @ Houston Texans: I know the Hawks suck on the road, but this team is finally getting healthy, and there’s nothing like a team finally getting healthy when all the other teams are finally starting to lose some players. Houston has struggled lately, definitely misses having one of their most dynamic players in the backfield, and is just 2-4 on the road this season. Oh yeah, and there’s rumbling that their coach might get the axe – that’s never good. One more thing, they’ve lost 4 straight.

Arses Five Favorites: Week 14 NFL Picks

Well, I guess I was bound for a bad week – after thinking this stuff was much too easy, I went and got slammed last week, as the Bengals, Patriots, and Chargers all blew late covers and Houston just turned up the suck from the get go. Philly came through to keep me from being winless, but 1-4 wasn’t nearly as happy-go-lucky as my two weeks of 8-1-1… Here’s last week’s Review and this week’s picks:

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Week 13 NFL Picks REVIEW:

(W) – Philly -5 @ Atlanta: This one seemed too easy as the Falcons were without their main offensive stars and continue to play porous defense. It was my first (and only) win of the day.
(L) – Houston -1 @ Jacksonville: The Texans could have used Steve Slaton on Sunday – their offense had no punch, and while the Jaguars didn’t play awesome football, it was good enough to oust Houston.
(L) – Cincinnati (-13) @ home vs. Detroit: The Bengals had this spread covered up, but a couple 4th quarter touchdowns were as potent as a bloodsport punch to the face, and I went down hard.
(L) – Patriots (-3) @ Miami: I couldn’t believe this spread. Halfway through the game, I still couldn’t believe it. When the game ended, I couldn’t believe how bad the Pats offense had to play to lose. Damn.
(L) – Chargers (-13) @ Cleveland: The Chargers had this nice and covered up as well, but a late score got me where it counts, and just like that, 1-4 on the week. Ouch. So this is what losing feels like. I don’t like it.

WEEK 14 NFL Picks:

Saints (-10.5) @ Atlanta: The Falcons are down and out without Matt Ryan and Michael Turner – I don’t think Redman has it in him to keep the Falcons close, and I know that Atlanta defense can’t get it done against Drew Brees and his gaggle of awesome receiving options. The answer to that stupid Saints chant, not the damn Falcons.

Indianapolis Colts (-1) @ home vs. Denver: I just can’t go betting against Peyton. This team is looking for win #13, probably the last time they’ll care about winning before the playoffs start – and I think they do so easily.

Green Bay Packers (-3) @ Chicago: I can’t see the Bears ever beating anybody good ever again. This one seems too easy. I know the Bears are 4-2 at home, but the only teams Chicago has beaten all year have losing records, and the only team even close to .500 is Pittsburgh, and they’ve lost 5 in a row, 3 of which were to terrible teams. Give me the Packers with a smile.

Jets (-3) @ Tampa Bay: The Bucs aren’t good. The Jets defense is too aggressive for a rookie QB- this seems like free money to me.

Cardinals (-2.5) @ San Francisco: The Cardinals are playing lights out and can lock up the division with a win over the 49ers on Monday Night Football. The 49ers have absolutely no run game, and I think that might mean a painful night for Alex Smith. I’ll take the Cards, easy.

Ask Papa Weimer: Fantasy Football Q&A NFL Week 14

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Alright, I answered lots of fantasy football questions last week, but most of them were big roster questions, or things that I’ve answered recently. So I didn’t have much to share, and I just left last week’s column out. Sorry if you were looking for it. Remember, you can always feel free to write in. Send your questions to papaweimer50@hotmail.com – I’ll be here to answer and give you prompt advice. I made the fantasy playoffs in 3 of my 5 leagues, and was the highest scoring and best record in the two I missed. I hate that. Not as much as I hate ingrown toe nails, banana pudding, or accidentally trying to crack one of those rock-salt things in packs of sunflower seeds, but I still hate it. OH nuts, I’ll get on with it, here’s this week’s questions and answers…

David writes in asking, “Who should I start Chris Brown,Lynch or Sammy Morris? My other back is Rice. I need you to peek into your crystal ball and help me out.”

Into the playoffs you go!!! I am starting Lynch with my running back question marks. If Quentin Ganther, the new starting RB for the Redskins, is available, you might want to give him a look – he has a good match-up and has looked good with the chances he’s gotten. I just think Lynch ran hard and played solid football last week, and he could get plenty of looks to be useful against a bad Chiefs defense. Chris Brown is the other guy I would consider, but the Hawks aren’t as bad against the run as they seem – but he is a goal line back – so there’s always that TD possibly in the cards, and he should get plenty of carries with Slaton out. Tough call, but I’m going for the best match-up, and I think Lynch draws that.

Papa Bear says, “This is Papa Bear seeking Papa Weimer’s sage advice, below I’ve listed my roster, so anything you can predict, tell me, insist upon, etc, would be a great help. Thanks, as always!”

QB – P Manning and A Smith: RB – Forte, Forsett, T Jones, and Cartwright  Available on waivers: – Lynch, J Jones, F Jones, and McAghee: WR – Marshall, Jennings, Bess, Hester, J Morgan  Waivers: Avant, M Jenkins, Thomas, Massaquoi: TE – V Davis: K- Longwell: DEF- Bengals  Waivers: Chargers, 49 ers, Cardinals, Skins, Bills.

I don’t like Julius Jones all that much anymore, but I think he’s a better option than Cartwright – I guess in a PPR league Cartwright holds a little more value than a non-ppr league. But Seattle plays Houston and Tampa Bay over the next two weeks, not great run defenses by any means, and he might be3 an option for you in a pinch. Cartwright, unless you’re going to start him this week, plays the Giants and Cowboys in week’s 15 and 16, and those d’s pose tough match-ups. JJ would be the best RB to pick up, not because he’s great, but because stupid Jim Mora thinks he’s still the starter… Clown, but he’s got a job.

I think Marshall and Jennings are sure thing starters, and actually like Josh Morgan as your next best guy. Bess and Hester have both been decent, but I think the Dolphins run a lot versus the Jags, and I’m not sure Bess is a safe guy to play. I think Morgan will get his looks, especially in the Niners pass happy offense on Monday Night Football. Yeah, gross, I know, the Niners are passing 3 of every 4 downs, but it is what it is, 6-7 catches and 80 yards wouldn’t stun me.

Thomas Jones is a great start this week, then there are question marks. Matt Forte seems like a tough guy to start considering his bad numbers and that aggressive and physical Packers D – and I really like Justin Forsett, and it looks like he’ll still get some looks, maybe even more next week based on his play last week despite his injury. Cartwright has a decent match-up with the Raiders hosting the Skins, but I don’t know, it’s tough to feel comfortable with Roc in the line-up. Tough call, for sure, I think I’d go with Forsett. I’m tired of waiting for Forte to be good again.

Defensively I’d either go with the Redskins at Raiders – just seems like that defensive secondary could give the Raiders fits, or I’d stick with the Bengals – Cincinnati has been good all year, even against good teams, and I think they’re a better option than the other defenses you listed, besides maybe the Redskins.

Peyton doesn’t have a great match-up, and while Alex Smith has a decent go against the Cardinals, I think I’d have to stick with Manning. It’s tough to sit the guy that got you where you are, right, I did the same thing with Tom Brady a couple years ago and lost because of it, but I would have felt terrible had I sat Tom to play a different guy, and lost because of it. Tough call, but Manning should be your choice in possibly the last week he plays.

Good luck, fantasy playoffs are all about it!

Fantasy Focus: NFL Fantasy Football Week 14 Projections

Well, the fantasy playoffs are here, and never is there a time more important to get the rankings right. I’ve had a solid run with my starts and such, but I haven’t been winning too many of these in-house contests of late. I’m looking to turn that around, and I’ve used a lot of match-up advantage, high touch situations for my rankings and picks this week. Here’s the fantasy focus for Week 14’s NFL Action.

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Drew Brees – Drew should have a great day against Atlanta’s suspect pass defense.
2. Ray Rice – Ray and the Ravens really struggled last week, but that’s why I love him to have a big week.
3. Sidney Rice – I think Favre goes back to the guy he’s most comfortable with after a tough week.
4. Ben Roethlisberger – Ben threw for 400+ yards last time they Steelers saw the Browns… again?
5. Chris Johnson – Until he does something other than score easy fantasy points, I’ll try to keep him here.

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Terrell Owens – People might lay off him after a down week, but everyone struggles against Revis.
2. Mike Sims-Walker – 5 of his 6 home games have been double digit fantasy production.
3. Thomas Jones – I think the Jets will run 45 times this week – Thomas will get about 25 of those.
4. Ricky Williams –The Jaguars are up and down, against the Dolphins rushing attack, I think down.
5. Percy Harvin –What can I say, I think the Vikigns throw more than they pass against Cincinnati.

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Justin Forsett –He’s still the best back in Seattle, and despite getting 1/3 the touches, he produced last week.
2. Michael Crabtree – Could be a big week for Crabtree, he’s been getting the targets, he’ll cash in soon.
3. Vince Young– He’s rated as the 25th QB in ESPN this week, I think he cuts that in half. At least.
4. Jamal Charles– He draws Buffalo this week, and he’s been solid, good combo start there.
5. Daunte Culpepper– The Ravens secondary isn’t awesome, and I’ll take a chance that Duante can still wing it with the best of them – go deep Calvin!

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Matt Forte– Bad match-up against the Pack, in Week 1, the Pack weren’t quite figured out yet, and they still held Forte to 55 yards on 25 carries.
2. Steve Smith– Matt Moore isn’t better than Jake Delhomme, I can’t believe it. Sit him against the Pats.
3. Frank Gore – It’s going to kill me, but Mike Singletary’s offense has no identity – Gore gets no looks.
4. Eli Manning –I think Eli will struggle against the Eagles, every since Plax went bang, he’s struggled.
5. T.J. Houshmanzadeh– The Hawks need to throw this guy the ball, but they don’t do things right…

***You’re taking a chance on DeSean Jackson, Michael Turner, and DeAngelo Williams, but from what I hear, the first and the last are very likely, and Turner might practice Thursday. ***

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Fantasy Focus Review: Week 13 Fantasy Football Analysis

And I came in last. Yeah, just like that, a last place finish. Nobody looked great in Week 13, not from our lists anyway – but it was a crazy week, a real eye watering nose bleeder. There’s only so much a guy can do. Red Red Ryan pulled a quick one, found out DeAngelo Williams was not going to play around 9 am so he called me and asked if he could change it. Despite my better judgment, I allowed him to make the switch. What can I say, I have a soft spot in my heart for red-bags. On with the show, this is how it went down…

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Chris Johnson– How can you not put this guy atop this list, especially against a hurting Colts D.
2. Reggie Wayne – Reggie had one of his worst fantasy weeks of the year, bummer, 8 fantasy points. F+
3. Peyton Manning – Peyton had 16 despite the good match-up. An early lead had the Colts running. C
4. Ray Rice – I expected a huge day from Ray Ray and the entire Ravens club just crapped out on me. F
5. Tom Brady– Despite playing a terrible 2nd half, Tom had 22 fantasy points. Not too shabby but 10 guys outscored Mr. Brady this week. Hey, at least his wife didn’t bash in his windows. It could be worse. B

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Rashard Mendenhall – Rashard was the 10th rated RB in Week 13, 100 yards and a TD, but a Pitt L. A
2. Ricky Williams – 25 guys finished ahead of Ricky, 9 points for him, but the Dolphins sniped the Pats. C-
3. Miles Austin – Miles continues to be the best receiver in Dallas, his 26 fantasy points made him #10. A
4. Knowshon Moreno –Moreno continued his late season push, finishing as the 4th RB. A
5. Percy Harvin – Percy had 23 fantasy points as he was the 14th receiver in Week 13. He has been great. A

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Jeremy Maclin –I expected more from Maclin, but his 13 points were solid. B-
2. Michael Crabtree – Crabtree finished just out of the top 30 with 12 fantasy points. Not too shabby. B-
3. Jason Avant – I had Avant, but I learned he might be better off as a #3 in this offense. 6 points… D-
4. LeSean McCoy– McCoy had just 5 fantasy points, very unimpressive and disappointing for the rook. F
5. Chris Chambers–He was bound to put up a stinker sooner or later, I was hoping for later, snake-eyes. F

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Julius Jones– Only 20 RBs were better than JJ. But he was still gross. 20 carries for 67 yards and 5 catches for -3 yards… That’s good for 11 fantasy points in a PPR league. Gross. B
2. Matthew Stafford– Stafford was 27th amongst QBs, not startable. Freeman was worse though. A-
3. Ben Roethlisberger – Ben had a good day, finished 13th, but the Steel-show lost, to the Raiders. B-
4. Santonio Holmes– Holmes was one of the 8 guys tied for 2nd with 28 fantays points. A big miss here. F
5. Terrell Owens– To was held in check by Revis, hopefully you listened and kept him on the bench. A

***”I think Big Ben and Kurt are A-Okay, but Turner is off my list, and DeAngelo Williams is a guy I would worry about and check twice before starting.” Right I was, right I was…  ***

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Week 12 Fantasy Rankings

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Who did we miss this week? Well, besides everyone, here’s a list of trouts we flopped out on and just neglected to include in any of our Top 5 lists…

QB: We obviously didn’t learn from last week as Tony Romo was #1 this week as well. #2 and #3 were left off the list as well, but who is starting Bruce Gradkowski and Jason Campbell if they get a chance?

RB: Nobody put Jerome Harrison in their Top 5, and he was #1. Joseph Addai was #2, and Brandon Jacobs started to turn it around a little as he was #3.

WR: Devin Thomas snagged the top spot this week, there there were 8 guys tied at #2, 7 points behind the 2nd year Washington Redskin. Devonne Bess, Anquan Boldin, Robert Meachem, Louis Murphy – those were the 4 tied at 2 that didn’t make a Top 5 list.

TE: Jason Witten was left off everyone’s list, but Tony found the big guy against the Giants, he went for 29 fantasy points. Jermichael Finley was #2. Fred Davis and Bo Scaife tied for 5th.

DST: The Broncos finished high on everyone’s list again, 3rd this time. The Packers also made the top 5 this week.

Papas Picks: NFL Week 13 Free Predictions, Underdogs!!!

Okay, so I didn’t do so well last week taking the dogs. I’m sorry for that. That doesn’t mean I’m running away from this article, though, I’ve always followed up losses with wins, and why not now? Here goes nothing…

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New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins (+4): The Dolphins run the ball really well, always successful, they slow the game down, they keep just about everything close, and they’re always in the game. The Patriots obviously are having troubles defensively, and offensively Tom is off a bit. I like the Dolphins to keep playing tough football at home.

Detroit Lions (+14) @ Cincinnati Bengals: The Lions have some offensive firepower and if any team in the NFL could care less than the Bengals do about beating the crap out of their opponent, I’d like to see them. Cinci just wants to win, and when they are up by double digits they just run the clock out like it’s their job. They did it last week against Cleveland and I think they do it against against Detroit.

Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars (+1): The Texans can’t finish the job and Maurice Jones Drew should find plenty of running room in Houston. All the losses in close games will come back to haunt the Texans sooner or later, and they’ll just fall flat on their faces. They’ve never been a good road team, and Jacksonville is always better at home.

Oakland Raiders (+15.5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers: It’s 15.5 points. The Steelers have played close games all year, against both good and bad teams. That’s enough for me.

Baltimore Ravens (+3) @ Green Bay Packers: I think the Ravens are the better team. They have an attitude that has them step up for big games in the spotlight, and I don’t know if there’s much better than Monday Night against a Green Bay team that has turned up the volume on their season. Ray Lewis, meet Aaron Rodgers…