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The waiver wire figures to churn at a less frenetic pace this week,
as the number of eliminated teams rose markedly following the
Monday night beatdown laid down by the Giants. The Redskins were
run over, literally and figuratively, and even the hearty fans who
braved the elements started to take cover and head home before
halftime.
As I watched the game, I couldn’t help but think of
that morning’s news that all “non-essential”
government employees had been advised to stay home. It would appear
that a number of players from the Redskins did just that, as that
effort didn’t constitute “showing up” in any
sense of the word.
I digress. We’re churning through the names and numbers
on the wire for this all-important championship week in the fantasy
realm. Some of the names are fairly obvious given their big
performances in Week 15, but other long-term consistent options
still reside in the fantasy netherworld.
Let’s break out this week’s holiday edition of
the
Baker’s Dozen and start in Cleveland, where I have
no doubt that Eric Mangini will mock us all with a random backfield
configuration against the Raiders.
Jerome Harrison, RB, Cleveland Browns
Harrison and teammate
Josh Cribbs were the obvious top stars (if we can
steal the hockey analogy for a moment) of Week 15 in a game nobody
saw except the highlights. He rushed for 286 yards and three
touchdowns, demonstrating great burst and power at the line with
separation speed once he reached the secondary. Eric Mangini does
us no favors, of course, as
Chris Jennings received the bulk of the workload
after Harrison’s last big game. Either way, Harrison warrants
a pickup and Flex play.
Don’t be sucked in too much by the overall stats on the
Oakland defense. They can obviously play better than the averages
when an opposing quarterback is a non-factor. How many teams have
you seen score 41 points with a quarterback passing for 66 yards
and two interceptions?
Michael Bush, RB, Oakland Raiders
Bush took the reins for Oakland against Denver once
Justin Fargas departed with an injury. Somehow,
the normally reliable Denver run defense suddenly forgot how to
tackle or hold the gap as Bush ran wild (18 carries for 133 yards
and a touchdown). Fargas and
Darren McFadden (more of a receiving threat, it
would appear) will eat into the workload, but it seems that Bush
would certainly warrant a sizable touch count against the woeful
Cleveland run defense.
Jason Snelling, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Can I throw up the white flag for
Michael Turner from 2,500 miles away? Seriously,
can we stop subjecting his ankle to more wear and tear and let him
sit out the final two weeks? Turner has twice tried to return from
his ankle injury and has twice exited quickly after aggravating the
injury. Sit him down!
If the Falcons take the judicious, measured and long-term
approach to their backfield, then Snelling is clearly the No. 1
option this week against the run-deficient Buffalo defense.
Snelling amassed 59 yards on 16 carries in relief of Turner in Week
15 against the Jets. Coach Smith, please do fantasy owners a favor
and let Snelling play!
Fantasy owners should claim and start Snelling in the Flex
(or raise him up to an RB2). Even if Turner plays, I’m not
optimistic that he can finish a game at this juncture.
Julius Jones, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Jones remains a large part of the Seattle run game alongside
speedster
Justin Forsett. Seattle's makeshift line is one
reason this isn’t the most efficient of running attacks in
the league. Still, any back that logs double-digit touches on a
weekly basis certainly warrants consideration of a Flex play. Jones
has averaged 14 carries and 57 rushing yards in the past three
weeks.
Matt Moore, QB, Carolina Panthers
I put Moore down for a slot on this list following Sunday
night’s effort against the Vikings. He was flinging the ball
downfield without hesitation en route to his huge 299-yard,
three-touchdown day. I almost removed him from the list after
watching the Giants torture
Jason Campbell on Monday night. Clearly, somebody
put them in the “wayback machine” and let the New York
front seven find the attitude, tenacity and technique that had been
sorely lacking.
Still, Moore’s performance against the Vikings is
something I can’t ignore. He played like a man with
absolutely nothing to lose. That’s a very dangerous thing.
Moore is clearly enamored with the big-play potential of
Steve Smith downfield (they’ve connected on
big touchdown passes in back-to-back weeks). I suspect that we see
a few more errant throws along the way, but his decisiveness could
make things interesting versus the Giants. You won’t play him
unless in a deep two-quarterback league, but I’d been remiss
if I failed to at least acknowledge Moore this week.
Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans
Young was questionable because of a knee injury as of
mid-week. He not only played, but notched his first career
three-touchdown game against the Dolphins. Young is a difficult
play this week against the Chargers’ secondary, but he
definitely warrants a look-see depending on your quarterback
situation. He now has
Justin Gage (see below) back in the mix to work
opposite rookie
Kenny Britt.
Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Smith posted his worst effort of this run under center for
the 49ers against Philadelphia. He completed 20-of-37 attempts for
177 yards, three interceptions and a single touchdown in the
two-touchdown loss to the Eagles. Smith has thrown five
interceptions in the past two weeks, and his four-game streak of
multi-touchdown performances came to an end.
He’s been shut out only once in nine contests and
represents a tremendous “Hail Mary” option this weekend
against the Detroit secondary. If Smith can avoid throwing the ball
to rookie safety
Louis Delmas, he could post a big day against one
of the league’s worst pass defenses.
Josh Morgan, WR, San Francisco 49ers
If I’m going to spotlight Alex Smith, then I clearly
need to roll back and give a nod to one of his top targets. For
this matchup against Detroit, I’ll focus on second-year
receiver Morgan. He caught seven passes for 61 yards and a
touchdown against the Eagles. Taken further, Morgan has caught six
or more passes in three of the 49ers’ past four games.
Justin Gage, WR, Tennessee Titans
Gage returned from a five-week absence and played a huge role
for the Titans in the dramatic win over the Dolphins. He registered
only two receptions, but demonstrated a knack for body control and
balance with his two touchdown grabs from Vince Young. Gage
finished the game with 43 receiving yards. He’s a solid
pickup for Christmas night, even with the strong San Diego pass
defense on tap.
Laveranues Coles, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Coles hasn’t been the consistent No. 2 option opposite
Chad Ochocinco that the Bengals envisioned after
allowing
T.J. Houshmandzadeh to depart via free agency.
He’s amassed just 37 receptions for 452 yards and four
touchdowns. Coles did catch four passes for 48 yards and scored in
the near-miss against the Chargers in Week 15. I put him on the
radar as a flier option for Week 16.
If you’re in your league’s title game, then you
probably have a more consistent, reliable third receiver in the
mix. However, you may find yourself as a heavy underdog in need of
a proverbial dice roll. Coles is worthy of a look-see against the
Kansas City secondary.
San Francisco Defense/Special teams
I don’t often trumpet the kicker/defense options on the
wire, but this one seems like too ripe an option for title week to
ignore. The opportunistic 49ers take on the Lions. Will the team
come out flat after being eliminated from playoff contention? I
don’t see Mike Singletary’s team laying down in this
one. I also don’t expect to see Detroit rack up points as
they did against the Arizona squad in Week 15. They’ll get
after whichever quarterback Jim Schwartz decides to roll onto the
field.
Fred Davis, TE, Washington Redskins
Nearly everything that could go wrong for the Redskins did
during Monday night’s 45-12 drubbing at the hands of the
Giants. However, Davis shone brightly for fantasy owners once
again. He caught five passes for 65 yards and scored for the fourth
consecutive game. He has caught a total of 33 passes for 389 yards
and six touchdowns since relieving an injured
Chris Cooley in Week 7 (4.1 receptions and 48.6
yards per game).
Jermichael Finley, TE, Green Bay Packers
Fantasy owners must be married to their original draft
choices at the position. Despite Finley’s stellar production
in the past month, fantasy owners have not jumped aboard the
bandwagon. Sunday’s leaping touchdown catch against the
Steelers, a grab made as if he were a power forward in the low
post, should have turned the tide! Finley returned from a knee
injury in Week 11 against the 49ers. He’s averaging 6.2
receptions and 60.4 receiving yards with three touchdowns in this
five-game period. Finley has finished three straight games with at
least 70 receiving yards. The second-year tight end from Texas is a
top-notch play against the Seahawks this week.
