Last week I didn't post rankings, but I had a lot of good calls. This week it was a mixed bag. Lets review position by position. Please note, I'm not holding myself accountable for injuries, you don't expect that. This is strictly looking at good and bad play. We'll look at the stats and what it means going forward.
Quarterbacks:
It was a rough week for QBs. A lot of the top guys didn't play well. Guys ranked near the bottom really stepped up.
Russell Wilson (#3 so far) - 210 Passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 int, 107 yards rushing.
If Wilson had his normal rushing yardage, my dislike of him would have been justified. However he really took off this week and it upped his point total considerably. He is always a threat to run, and thus remains a viable option week in and week out.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (#6) - 247/1/2/50 Rush yards and a TD
This score is based solely on the rushing yards and TD. I highly doubt that trend continues. As a passer he was mediocre. You do not want to make the mistake of picking him up.
Aaron Rodgers (#12) - 274/1/0
Rodgers played mistake free football against a pretty tough secondary. I knew the Lions were tough, but I figured Rodgers and his weapons could overcome that. Even with his top 3 guys having fantasy relevant days, Rodgers was just an average QB. It happens. He is still a must start going forward.
Tom Brady (#25) - 197/0/1
The Pats offense had looked like it was starting to click, and Amendola was returning. What could go wrong? A lot apparently. Give credit to the Cincinnati defense, but Brady made some bad throws as well. Gronk should return next week for real this time and that will help. That said, I do think we need to temper our expectations with Brady. At this time he is not a must start QB and if you can trade him to someone who thinks he is, I would do it.
Running Backs:
Another low scoring week where no one truly went off and Fred Jackson's 93 yards and 2 TDs continues to lead the way.
Pierre Thomas (#2) 91 total yards & 2 TDs / Darren Sproles (#28) - 41 total yards
This was the most frustrating split of the entire week. Sproles was coming off an amazing game and Thomas had essentially done nothing all year. Their roles basically switched this week as Thomas saw 28 touches, including catching all 9 of his targets. Going forward, Thomas is still a guy who you can't rely on week to week. He will have his games, but more often they will be 4-5 points. I would sell high. As for Sproles who I loved, I'm not sure why they didn't involve him more. I still like him a lot, but I will definitely be lowering my expectations.
Knowshon Moreno (#3) 150 total yards 1 TD
Knowshon looked like a true feature back out there, there is no other way around it. He is a must start in all leagues. Don't expect these numbers going forward, but he will be good.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis (#9) 67 total yards 1 TD / Giovanni Bernard (#31) 69 total yards, lost fumble
Its pretty sad when this is the 9th best total, even with three games still on the board. This was a good performance and BJGE saw 19 carries. He is definitely the short-yardage guy for this team, which always makes him an intriguing play. However I still felt like Gio looked better, and I like him more going forward. I admit they are much closer in rank to each other than I thought.
Rashard Mendenhall (#13) 50 total yards 1 TD
Mendenhall looked bad again but happened to get a TD. Ellington is the better player here and eventually they will give him more touches.
Reggie Bush (#21) 69 total yards
Bush didnt play terrible, but he didn't play well either. The disappointment here was Detroit's failure to take use him more in the passing game with Calvin's absence. Going forward he is still a must start.
Lamar Miller (#38) 15 total yards
Thats two completely awful games for Miller now. This time it was coming off 3 solid games. He is still the main guy there and if you own him you are probably starting him, but you don't feel good about it. Very frustrating guy, but I would not drop him.
Wide Receivers:
Quite a few monster days at WR again. Those big days were mixed between expected studs like Dez Bryant and DJax, and then lower end guys like Terrance Williams & Rueben Randle.
Alshon Jeffery (#1) - 218 rec yards 1 TD
Man what a great day for Jeffery. I really like him, and my ranking of him at 26 was higher than any of ESPN's experts (highest at 29). This is one guy I really believe in going forward. If opposing defenses choose to double cover Brandon Marshall they will pay the price with this very talented guy. If he is somehow still out there, he is a must add.
Terrance Williams (#4) - 151 yards 1 TD, 2 point conversion
A pretty good day for the rookie receiver out of Baylor. He's certainly proved himself to be a capable receiver in the league, but do not expect him to put up superstar numbers like this again. Miles Austin will be back eventually, and these two guys will compete it out. He is certainly worth adding as a WR3/Flex play. But don't expect more than that.
Justin Blackmon (#7) - 136 yards 1 TD
Two good things happened for Blackmon this week. First, he looked good even when Gabbert was in there. Secondly, Gabbert left and Henne came in and continued to throw to him. Assuming Henne starts the next few games, that makes Blackmon an instant WR2 in all leagues, and Shorts would be slightly lower than that.
Hakeem Nicks (#10) - 142 yards / Rueben Randle (#5) - 96 yards 2 TDs. Victor Cruz - 48 yards
I know Nicks has a ton of talent, but most weeks this year, Eli has been too terrible or Cruz has been the benefactor of deep throws. This week it was Nicks and Randle. Going forward it is still clearly Cruz > Nicks >>> Randle, but all three guys could play well any week. Cruz is a clear WR1, this is as bad as it gets, and 48 yards is not terrible. Nicks is a middling WR2, and Randle is a flex option against the right defense.
Mike Wallace (#17) - 107 yards
Wallace continues his boom or bust play. Because of that, if you own him he is pretty much a must play every week. You simply have to take the good with the bad.
AJ Green (#33) - 61 yards
Another mediocre performance for Green. This is frustrating because its not his fault he didnt have huge numbers, its his QB Andy Dalton holding him back. He is still a must start, although he might be out of the top 5 and down to #8 or 9 overall. I would still buy low if you can. The right owner might take an Eric Decker or Hakeem Nicks for Green. Do that immediately.
Demaryius Thomas (#38) - 57 yards
Simply put, with four great receivers, someone is going to have to take a hit week to week. This week it was Thomas and Welker, except Welker got another TD. Not concerned at all for Thomas.
Larry Fitzgerald (#42) - 43 yards
This is one guy I'm worried about, and it might be too late to sell for a good price. I really though Carson Palmer would be able to get the ball to this guy. Unfortunately it hasn't panned out as he is still facing double coverage and Palmer isn't as good as we hoped. He is a middle to low-end WR2 going forward.
Julian Edelman (#48) - 35 yards / Kenbrell Thompkins - 16 yards
The Patriots were disappointing all around, but these two were the biggest disappointments outside of Brady. Even with Amendola barely playing, Edelman took a backseat. Thompkins was just a no show, and its possible that shoulder is bothering him. Edelman is still PPR worthy. Thompkins is looking to be boom or bust, but he is still must own. He's going to be frustrating, but I still like him.
Marques Colston (#58) - 15 yards
My biggest whiff of the week by far. I was huge on Colston based on AJ Green and Antonio Brown. But what I should have looked at is how Jimmy Graham would be the #1 and he would be the one continuing to see those advantages. To be fair, Colston caught both of his targets. I can't imagine his targets being this low again. He is still a solid WR2 going forward.
Lastly, Chris Givens (#57) - 16 yards
Against the Jags, really? Droppable. Which means he will be having a huge day next game.
Tight Ends
A low scoring day on the whole for tight ends. The top three guys were who you expect.
Jared Cook - 26 yards
Continues to disappoint. I don't think he should be dropped, but if you need a roster spot, I wouldn't have an issue. He's bound to have another big game soon, but it looks like he is the same guy as in the past.
Sean McGrath - 54 yards
Continues to be involved in the passing game. A nice low-end starter where 5 points is a reasonable expectation going forward.
Ed Dickson - 51 yards / Lance Kendricks 37 yards TD
Lumping these two together because I want no part of them. Kendricks is hit or miss with way more miss, and Dickson's 51 yards came on two catches. Not gonna happen again.
Jermaine Gresham - 24 yards / Brandon Myers 35 yards
Lumping these two together because they are both owned in quite a few leagues and should be droppable. For whatever reason Myers just isn't a big factor. Its mostly due to the fact that Eli isn't playing well right now and Myers is the 4th go-to guy.
That wraps up the review of the early and afternoon players. Expect another post on the last few games after Monday.
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