It’s championship week in our glorious fantasy land, and more than a few matchups hang in the balance as we await kickoff of the Minnesota-Chicago game at Soldier Field. Some owners are waiting to unwrap a title on the strength of Adrian Peterson’s legs or perhaps maybe Brett Favre’s arm, while others rode a number of surprising options to big weeks.
One of the first stat lines that popped off the page was that of Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. In a tough spot against the Bills and coming off a difficult run of recent performances, he completed 18-of-35 attempts with three touchdowns. The Bills had only allowed 11 passing touchdowns coming into the Week 16 battle, and Ryan worked the downfield passing game brilliantly.
Roddy White had been quiet for the past month and made for a difficult play against the Bills. It seemed that a good portion of non- Jerome Harrison calls, texts and Tweets (more on him in a moment) on our “FOX Fantasy Football” radio show involved White. He rallied against the Bills to post a brilliant game, hauling in eight passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Trusting fantasy owners received an early validation of their trust when he and Ryan connected on a long touchdown pass.
Veteran receiver Marty Booker caught four passes for 57 yards and a touchdown, his first of the season. I knew he was on the roster, but the touchdown grab left me a tad shocked.
The Panthers came out and just ran over the Giants in Week 16, thus ending any playoff hopes for New York. Matt Moore shone brightly again, completing 15-of-20 attempts for 171 yards and three touchdowns. It was his second consecutive three-touchdown game since assuming the top spot because of Jake Delhomme’s injury. Panthers fans can only ask the “what might have been?” question as we roll toward the end of the season.
DeAngelo Williams was deactivated, thereby putting second-year tailback Jonathan Stewart into the lead role for the Panthers. Stewart showed great power and speed, breaking tackle after tackle en route to a mind-boggling 206-yard performance with a touchdown on 28 carries. He’s raced to three 100-yard games in his past four starts and has now topped 1,000 yards for the season.
One of Moore’s touchdown passes was thrown to veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad. It was his first touchdown of the season. He caught three passes for 56 yards and has now caught multiple passes in four consecutive games.
There was ample debate about the role to be assumed by Cleveland tailback Jerome Harrison against the Raiders. Would Eric Mangini reverse course again and throw rookie Chris Jennings back into the mix? Those questions were answered quickly, as Harrison rumbled for a 17-yard touchdown early in the game. He assumed the role of true workhorse with 39 carries for 148 yards, a touchdown and a lost fumble. Mangini likes what he’s seen from him the past couple weeks, as Harrison’s seemingly left his injuries behind. However, we have to wonder whether Mangini will be around to coach him beyond Week 17.
The Dolphins tried to make a dramatic comeback against the Texans after surrendering a huge lead. Owners who didn’t see the game would have assumed Ricky Williams was leading the charge. Alas, he’d been sidelined by a shoulder injury, thereby leaving Lex Hilliard from Monmouth as the top option, and he carried the ball three times for 12 yards and a touchdown. He also scored through the air with nine catches for 74 yards. He becomes wire-worthy this week as we await confirmation of Williams’ status.
It happened one week too late for fantasy owners. Houston turned to Arian Foster for a huge workload against the Dolphins, and he responded with a 19-carry, 97-yard effort with a touchdown in the win. His bid for additional touches was aided by Chris Brown’s loss of another fumble.
Dallas tight end Jason Witten caught six passes for 117 yards, including a career-long 69-yard reception. He narrowly missed recording his second touchdown of the season on that long sprint toward the end zone. Alas, he was tackled inside the five-yard line. Still, this was a nice boost for dedicated fantasy owners from his smallish weekly totals they’d been receiving.
Kyle Orton performed nicely in a rough spot against the Philadelphia defense. He passed for 182 yards with three touchdowns, an interception and three sacks in the intriguing second-half comeback effort.
Jabar Gaffney was Orton’s top target in this contest, registering seven catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns. His seven receptions marked a new season high mark. He’s caught three or more passes in nine games this season.
Todd Heap didn’t rack up a huge reception total on Sunday against Pittsburgh, but he made his looks count. He caught two passes for 37 yards, both of which were touchdowns. That’s an efficient workday. Imagine if he’d been able to stay healthy the past several years.
New England ran with Laurence Maroney early against the Jaguars, but a costly fumble at the goal-line put him on the bench. Sammy Morris took the top spot and rumbled for 95 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He’ll be the top back for Bill Belichick in Week 17.
