“The sky is crying.” – Stevie Ray Vaughan
For the first game of Week 13, this blues staple has multiple meanings. We give our obvious nod to the precipitation of the great northwest. In Philadelphia, the cries of angered, tortured fans rain down on Andy Reid and the underachieving Eagles. Injuries have obviously impacted this preseason darling, but “consistency” is a term that can only be used to describe how maddening this squad has been through 11 games.
The Eagles come off of a shellacking by the Patriots and travel to Seattle. Let’s first review the injury list.
Vince Young will be under center once again for the injured Michael Vick. Jeremy Maclin and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie join Vick on the sidelines, Nnamdi Asomugha is a game-time decision and LeSean McCoy is affected by a toe injury (still a must-start, so extracted from the larger piece). Sidney Rice will be inactive for the Seahawks.
Now, let’s turn to the field of play for a Thursday edition of “Lineup Calls.”
Click here for Harmon’s Week 13 QBs
Thursday Night Heroes
As expected, Vince Young passed for a huge yardage count in the Week 12 loss to New England. He also accounted for only one touchdown, also in line with expectations. Young represents a borderline QB1 play this week against the Seahawks. Even without Maclin, Young still has five capable receivers at his disposal to stretch the Seattle defense.
That isn’t to say that this will be a cakewalk. Seattle has allowed the 11th-fewest points to quarterbacks this season (tied for 18th-most touchdowns allowed) and has generated 19 turnovers.
Since the Eagles’ Week 7 Bye, Brent Celek has turned back the clock to 2009. He’s averaged 5.8 receptions and 68.4 receiving yards in his past five games. The Seahawks have allowed the third-most points to tight ends this season.
Marshawn Lynch rides a seven-game scoring streak into Thursday’s tilt. Lynch has rushed for at least 86 yards in five of his past six starts, including three 100-yard efforts. Philadelphia has allowed the ninth-most points to running backs.
Thursday Night Flop Alerts
His big-play potential keeps him in fantasy lineups, but DeSean Jackson remains a risky proposition. I have Jackson ranked as a WR3 this week for the Eagles’ trip to Seattle on the strength of his 10 receptions for 161 yards in the past two weeks. Still, Jackson was benched late in last week’s loss to the Patriots and has produced only two touchdowns all season. I know that you see the big plays on the highlight shows (five games with a catch of at least 32 yards), but the lack of consistency leaves me concerned this week.
Thursday Night Ninjas
This contest is not replete with “Must-Start” options. The two running backs and Brent Celek are the only locks.
Deeper in the Philadelphia receiving corps, fantasy owners may turn to Riley Cooper (1) and Jason Avant (1A) for WR3 consideration. Cooper has caught eight passes for 146 yards (75 and 71 yards) in the past two weeks. Avant caught eight passes for 110 yards with a touchdown in last week’s blowout loss to New England, a far cry from the four receptions and 35 receiving yards he’d posted in the Eagles’ previous three games. Cooper would be the first choice for a play against Seattle.
The loss of Sidney Rice creates additional options for early-season waiver wire hero Doug Baldwin. Baldwin has produced 60 receiving yards in back-to-back games (eight receptions) and has snagged multiple receptions in eight games this season. He trumps All-Name Second-Teamer Ben Obomanu for fantasy consideration in support of Tarvaris Jackson.
Finally, I throw up the beleaguered Philadelphia defense as a spot play for this week’s tilt. Seattle has surrendered 36 sacks this season and has turned the ball over 19 times. If play opens up and Jackson is forced to pass frequently, turnovers may follow in short order.
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