Case of the Mondays: Week 12 Waivers and Fantasy Recap
The last week of byes is finally upon us, but it will certainly not be gentle. Red hot Seahawks like Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson will be gone. AJ Green will be missed, that Bengals D that led so many to victory last weekend is no mas, and our red hot Eagles as well. Oh and the Bills, if you care. Free agents are becoming more and more sparse as we get towards the end of the season so hopefully you have the proper depth to survive these late byes and for those who don’t have any byes, have you set yourself up for your final playoff run? Only two weeks left to determine who gets in and who has to take the long, shameful walk to the August 2014 draft waiting area. Let’s quickly recap week 11 and get you some free agent ideas for the stretch run!
Note 1: Percy J
– Did you have any doubt I would start with this guy. Ok, he didn’t make much of a fantasy impact, but if you were worried his explosiveness might not be back from the serious toll his injuries may have taken…. WRONG! It was all on display on that kick return before the half, and the athleticism on his only catch. Get him in your line up as soon as the Hawks come back from break, the wait is over. Well, after you wait this week.
Note 2: Megatron
– This is just unbelievable. Dez, I love you a ton, and have you on pretty much all of my teams but to put yourself, or pretty much anybody else in history in the category of this man is embarrassing. And that has nothing to do with the immense talent Dez has.
Note 3: Pats Running Backs
– Vereen is back, totaled 72 yards, and could have had a lot more if not for a dropped wheel route on the Pats final drive. Ridley fumbled, water is wet, Kate Upton is hot. Remember back to week one and what happened after Ridley fumbled, Vereen took over. He didn’t carry the ball more than the 1 time but was targeted 11 times in the passing game. Vereen will be a huge offensive piece going forward in New England.
Note 4: Bobby Rainey
– I don’t really know what to make about this honestly. Maybe I’m partially scored because my opponent started Rainey against me this week in a personal league where wins are of the utmost importance to us all, but Rainey was a Cleveland Brown cut just a few weeks ago. The Browns I said, they of Chris OshKoshBagosh and 39 year old Willis McGahee. I think the take away is that the Bucs know how to run the football. Mike James was doing it, we all know how good Doug Martin was, and if Rainey is given the reigns, ha ha ha, he is probably a decent low end starter with some upside. Carries are golden in this era and he got 30 big ones.
Note 5: Raiders QB
– Good start by Matt McGloin, still think Pryor is the guy. Let that performance from week 11 drift away.
Note 6: Joe Haden
– Two big performances against AJ Green to go along with the others. Time to start giving him serious Revis Island match up consideration with our WR match ups.
Note 7: Julius Thomas
– Dag nab it. If I didn’t like the Orange Julius nickname so much I would make a far greater push for the JT = Just Touchdowns campaign. Dude is a machine.
Note 8: Bengals Backs
– Green-Ellis 26 snaps, Gio Bernard 65 snaps. They are starting to get it. Anybody else want to venture what they are drumming up during the bye? Ummm, “What is, figure out more ways to get Gio the ball for 2000 Alex?”
Note 9: Colts Backs
– Maybe the Colts have thrown in the towel for now because Donald Brown out rushed Trent Richardson again, and let’s be honest, looks far better. He had 80 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns this past week and looks more explosive and effective than Trent Richardson in nearly every way right now. The Colts will need to stick with the hot hand which makes Brown a quality option for the remainder of the season. As for Richardson, well….. smh.
Note 10: Ray Rice
– You are welcome Ray Rice owners. I went ahead and put the reverse psychology curse on the man and he responded beautifully. I hadn’t mentioned Ray Rice, or his struggles, all season and when I finally made note of it, boom! The Ravens give the man 25 carries, he goes for 131 rushing yards, and looked a little bit like our friend from days past. This next week will be big in my opinion because one week a comeback does not make, but two starts a trend. Especially if that trend involves a stout NYJ run d.
Waivers!
QB:
Scott Tolzein**** (he hasn’t been great, he hasn’t been awful but he gets an awful Minn pass defense, good spot start if in trouble)
Josh McCown**** (has been very effective and there is an outside chance Cutler is done for a large portion of the remaining fantasy season)
RB:
Donald Brown*****
Bobby Rainey***** (ugh)
WR:
Michael Floyd ***** (has flashed potential, week 11 could have been his breakout, remember what I said about Ray Rice above)
Michael Crabtree**** (check the wire because he should be back soon and Kap NEEDS him)
Nate Burleson *** (could be back this week, if not next. Lions are hot, single coverage please)