You can blame me.
I’ll carry all of your woes, consternation, vexation and anger following Sunday’s action. A multitude of would-be fantasy heroes fell flat on Sunday, and fantasy owners nationwide spent ample time cursing, gnashing teeth and shaking their heads.
Matt Cassel’s glorious run came crashing to an end on Sunday against the Broncos. He passed for 196 yards and a touchdown in leading the Chiefs to a hard-fought win. However, it was hardly the sizable effort anticipated by a salivating fantasy crowd against the banged-up Denver pass defense.
Champ Bailey took on the 60-minute “Dwayne Bowe Challenge” and won his personal matchup. He shut down the fantasy MVP candidate altogether. Bowe was held without a reception on three targets. He did have a reception take away on review, but that’s not making you feel any better about the zero on your box score.
On the other side of the matchup, the Chiefs needed just three weeks to figure out how to stall the Denver attack. They were gashed on the ground all day, but I would like a copy of the “Public Enemy No. 1” poster with Kyle Orton’s picture on it. Orton was shut out for the first time this season. He completed 9-of-28 attempts for 117 yards with four sacks and a lost fumble. Sigh. Orton passed for 296 yards with four touchdowns in the first meeting.
Brandon Lloyd was targeted 11 times in the narrow loss. He finished the game with two receptions for a paltry 36 yards. His four-game scoring streak fell by the wayside, and his 36 receiving yards marked a season-low total.
Peyton Hillis logged 79 total yards (57 rushing) on 25 touches in helping the Browns to a victory over the Dolphins. But, for once, Superman left his cape at home. Hillis was shut out for just the second time this season by the Dolphins.
I have to wonder what that locker room looks like in Tennessee right now. Chris Johnson was once again a bystander in the Tennessee offense, and his fantasy scoreless streak reached six quarters before he finally amassed 53 rushing yards down the stretch (adding two receptions for 14 yards).
We excused “The Rusty Smith Experiment,” but this was a huge divisional game AT HOME, and Johnson was still an afterthought. Is he injured? Is there an issue with Jeff Fisher? Johnson now has a streak of three games without a touchdown. I take no comfort in the fact that Johnson eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season in this loss.
Ray Rice was dominated by the Pittsburgh run defense on Sunday night, producing a tepid total of 32 rushing yards on nine attempts. He added two receptions for 18 yards. Rice has scored once in the past seven games. Of course, missing blocks on blitzing linebackers doesn’t help inspire confidence from the coaching staff.
The Baltimore run defense was also up to the task against Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall was limited to 45 rushing yards on 19 carries. He added three receptions for 18 yards. The banged-up offensive line has certainly slowed Mendenhall’s production, as he’s been held under 60 receiving yards in three of the past four weeks.
Hines Ward was held in check by the Ravens as well. He got the last laugh with the Pittsburgh comeback win, but fantasy owners aren’t chuckling following his one-catch, 13-yard effort. Ward was targeted only four times in the victory. His 10-reception, 107-yard production in Week 12 was certainly an anomaly.
Eli Manning watched as his running backs ran wild in Week 13 against the Redskins. He completed 15-of-25 pass attempts for 161 yards and one interception to snap a seven-game streak of performances with multiple touchdown throws. It was the third time Manning was shut out of the end zone this season.
Mario Manningham was wiped out by DeAngelo Hall on Sunday. Manningham caught two of the five passes thrown to him by Manning for 36 yards. Kevin Boss, he of the recent touchdown surge, was also held in check down the middle. Boss caught two passes for 28 yards in the blowout win.
Sam Bradford has quietly been piling up wins and solid performances. He’d thrown multiple touchdown passes in four of five games prior to Sunday’s glorious spot against Arizona. Alas, Bradford couldn’t deliver (in the fantasy sense) in his first spotlight matchup against the Cardinals. He passed for 187 yards with an interception and two sacks. It was only the second time that the rookie quarterback had been shut out this season.
Sleeper special Danario Alexander was a non-factor on Sunday against Arizona. He was targeted seven times, but registered only two receptions for 20 yards.
Fellow Rams receiver Danny Amendola was limited to a single reception for 17 yards (two targets). Amendola had caught three or more passes in every game this season prior to Sunday’s shutdown.
Johnny Knox did catch all three of the passes thrown to him Sunday against Detroit. Alas, those receptions yielded just 34 receiving yards, his lowest output since Week 5. He’s also scored only once in five games since the Bears’ Week 8 bye.
Greg Olsen did well as a blocker in Week 13 against the Lions, but that doesn’t exactly help in the box score. He caught a single pass for five yards on his only target of the day. Instead, fantasy owners watched as Brandon Manumaleuna caught Jay Cutler’s lone touchdown pass.
Toby Gerhart was slated for a big day, or so we thought, against the terrible Buffalo run defense. Instead, Adrian Peterson took on his normal workload and romped to a three-touchdown game. Gerhart did carry the ball 12 times for 54 yards for a strong 4.5-yard rushing average. However, he didn’t get the glorious red zone touches.
Brian Westbrook was back in the spotlight for the 49ers against the Packers. He split carries with Anthony Dixon and left fantasy owners wanting. Westbrook carried the ball nine times for 31 yards, a terrible follow-up to his breakout performance last Monday night.
Brandon Jackson carried the ball just four times for 13 yards, as the Packers leaned on James Starks to shoulder the bulk of the workload. Jackson did catch four balls for 63 yards, but that hardly affords fantasy owners any sense of security. Starks appears to have wrested the top spot for Week 14 against Detroit.
Green Bay receiver James Jones and fantasy owners watched helplessly as Donald Driver reclaimed his slot in the pecking order. Jones was limited to two receptions and eight receiving yards (four targets).
Michael Crabtree caught three passes for 45 yards early in Sunday’s game against the Packers. Fantasy owners who trusted his talent and slotted him in as a WR3 were excited. They then spent the majority of the afternoon wondering whether their scoreboard had broken. Crabtree did not record another catch.
Jabar Gaffney was a “safe” plug-in option for fantasy owners in PPR leagues coming into Week 13. He, like teammate Brandon Lloyd, found no space in the Kansas City secondary on Sunday. Gaffney caught two of five targets for 28 yards.
The Vikings built a big lead and then attacked Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick relentlessly. Fitzpatrick completed 15-of-25 attempts for 158 yards with one touchdown, three turnovers (including one interception) and one sack. He hasn’t been shut out as the starter for Buffalo this season, but Fitzpatrick has generated only one multi-touchdown game in the past six weeks.
Steve Johnson was looking for redemption in the week following his Twitter outburst. He evidently angered the football gods, as Johnson was limited to two receptions and 36 receiving yards by the Vikings.
Fred Jackson’s run to fantasy superstardom also hit a snag on Sunday against Minnesota. Jackson rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries, a respectable average, but he added only one reception for six yards. Fantasy owners were anticipating a healthy workload in the passing game. Alas, that didn’t happen.
Kerry Collins failed to deliver in his return to the lineup, and he couldn’t get Randy Moss back in the mix. Moss caught one pass for 13 yards, although he did make a nice effort on a wounded duck down toward the end zone. If the ball had been thrown more crisply, perhaps Moss would have scored. Instead, the ball sailed straight through his arms. Just cut him. Alleviate your pain.
David Garrard was his usual efficient self in Sunday’s win over a shrinking Tennessee squad. Unfortunately, efficient doesn’t help in the fantasy realm. Garrard completed 14-of-19 attempts for 126 yards and scored for the second straight week on the ground.
Marcedes Lewis caught three passes for 36 yards. Following a hot start, Lewis has caught one touchdown pass in the past four weeks.
Mike Thomas caught four passes for 31 yards in Mike Sims-Walker’s absence.
Santana Moss caught two passes for 24 yards in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Giants. There would be no piling up meaningless statistics in this one. Moss has been limited to 40 or fewer receiving yards in three of the past four weeks.
Legedu Naanee returned to the field for the Chargers, but Philip Rivers and the passing game never got on track. Naanee caught one of four targets for 14 yards.
Mike Tolbert caught six passes for 47 yards, but amassed a miserable 16 yards on seven carries as the Raiders throttled the Chargers.
Tony Gonzalez was quieted by the Buccaneers, as anticipated, finishing the day with three receptions for 38 yards. Roddy White fared slightly better, amassing seven receptions for 74 yards. That’s not enough to avoid this list.
Matt Hasselbeck grossly underthrew several receivers early in what became a blowout win over the Panthers. He passed for 229 yards with two interceptions and two sacks while attempting to connect with myriad young receivers.
Ben Obomanu was on the board as a super sleeper pick of the day. Alas, he was unable to post a huge effort in Mike Williams’ absence, and the Seahawks just leaned on Marshawn Lynch down the stretch. Obomanu caught two passes for 40 yards.
Jacob Tamme couldn’t deliver for fantasy owners in the shootout loss to Dallas. He watched as Reggie Wayne caught pass after pass, but produced only a smallish effort for owners. Tamme caught four of the seven passes thrown to him for 47 yards.
Miles Austin caught four passes for 47 yards in the shootout win over Indianapolis. He has been limited to fewer than 80 receiving yards in seven of the past eight games.
Derrick Mason caught two passes for 22 yards in the Ravens’ Sunday night loss to the Steelers. His future workload likely rises, as Todd Heap’s hamstring injury may limit him in the final month.
Nate Burleson caught three passes for 27 yards after guarantying a win against the Bears. He was targeted five times by Drew Stanton.
Finally, I need to take a moment to comfort Peyton Manning owners. He threw another four interceptions in Sunday’s overtime loss to Dallas. He’s tossed a frightening total of 11 in the past three weeks, including four that were returned for touchdowns. Manning did pass for 365 yards with two touchdowns, but that hardly negates his frequent misfires.
To put his funk in perspective, Manning has thrown more interceptions in this three-game period than these quarterbacks have ALL SEASON: Brady, Cassel, Sanchez, Bradford, Rivers, Rodgers, Flacco, Freeman, Orton and … CUTLER.
