Calling our Shots: Week Seventeen

Fantasy football can at times be a very funny place to seek help when you need it most. One week, a so called “expert” will tell you to start “Player A” because “Player A” is a “can’t miss” starter who will blow up that week. A week later, that expert will deny giving that advice to their readers or followers but will be more than happy to tell you to start “Player B” this week. It would be almost comical in some instances if it wasn’t so tragic for the people who take the advice of these charlatans.

As a staff member of DLF, I can tell you that everyone affiliated with this site both loathes and detests this behavior. Every staff member on the DLF team constantly tries to learn and better ourselves so we may be of better help to you. Part of that process is being accountable for our successes, as well as our failures. We’re doing that each and every week as we’re offering personalized lineup advice as part of our premium content. We’re answering every question posted in a timely manner and helping out as best we can – those answers are public knowledge and we’ll stand by them every week.

We also decided to roll out this series entitled, “Calling Our Shots.” The premise of this series is to get some predictions for the upcoming week. Some writer’s predictions are bold, some are solid, while others, well, we wouldn’t place too much money on them in Las Vegas!

When we were right, we shared our successes. When we were wrong, it presented a great way for our loyal readers to give us a good (and hopefully friendly) ribbing. The point is we don’t hide from the advice we give or the predictions we make.

We also want to give you the same chance.

Our community is an essential part of the success of DLF. This weekly series also asks YOU, the readers, to post your own shots in the comments below. We all have that coach in our league who says, “Yeah, I could have told you not to start that guy” and perhaps that’s even you who thinks that! Well, here’s your chance to make those bold predictions when they count - before the games are played. We invite everyone to blow up the comments section again today and make any player predictions you want for the week – this will give you a perfect opportunity to officially say, “I told you so,” or offer a brutally embarrassing piece of ammunition for your opponent to use against you next week. Either way, this is a great way for the community and the writers to have some good old fashioned fun each and every week!

Every person who is featured in subsequent weeks will be put into a drawing after week 17 for a free yearly membership or their renewal to our premium content and a free DLF T-shirt!

It all comes down to this, Week 17!

In the NFL, several teams are fighting for their playoff spot, others are fighting to improve their position, others still are fighting for honor, respect and a chance to send one or more teams home next week. In fantasy football most playoffs are done, champions have been crowned and a million tears have been shed. In some unorthodox corners of the fantasy world the championships are either occurring or continuing, in the circumstances of two week championships, this week. Suffice to say, a lot is still on the line this week in the NFL and fantasy football.

For most of us, we all know very well what happened in week 16. We saw Drew Brees throw for an amazing 443 yards and three touchdowns. We also saw Jamaal Charles blow the rushing competition out of the water with 226 rushing yards and a touchdown – that’s 88 yards more than the next closest rusher! Finally, we were treated to both an amazing and record setting receiving performance when Calvin Johnson caught 11 passes for 225 receiving yards to become the single-season receiving yards record holder.

Week 16 saw the DLF staff post 19 shots called correctly, a very good week by any standard. Even more impressive when you consider what a weird week the NFL had all around the league. The DLF shot caller for week 16 was Chris Rohrer who had five correct shots called this week and broke Jacob Feldman’s top shot caller streak. Here are the shots the DLF team called correctly for week 16:

Eric Hardter – Tony Romo throws for over 370 yards.

Chris Rohrer – Brees and Romo combine for over 700 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Chris Rohrer – Chris Johnson held to under 60 yards rushing.

Eric Olinger – Reggie Bush has over 100 total yards.

Chris Rohrer – Bush and Spiller combine for over 225 total yards from scrimmage.

Jacob Feldman – McCoy has a higher yards per offensive touch (not counting returns) than Brown.

Chris Rohrer – Morris finds the end zone.

Chris Rohrer – Antonio Brown has a modest 5+ reception game with 80+ yards.

Eric Olinger – Chad Henne throws for 300+ yards.

TheFFGhost – Peterson held to under 100 rushing yards despite getting feed the ball often.

Eric Olinger – Peyton Manning picks apart the Browns defense. 300 yards and 3 TDs.

Chris Rohrer – Demaryius Thomas goes for 100+ yards and a TD.

TheFFGhost – The Bears defense gets back on track with at least 3 turnovers.

Eric Olinger – Brandon Marshall catches at least 3x as many passes as any other Bear.

Jaron Foster – Chicago defense has 3+ turnovers, including a pick-six.

Jacob Feldman – Rice gets 20+ touches and over 100 yards. It shocks Cam Cameron, as he is sitting on his couch, that Rice can do that!

Eric Hardter – Ray Rice has over 40 receiving yards and 100 rushing yards.

We almost snagged another five shots but were just off by a hair. Here are those shots:

Eric Dickens – Nick Foles will account for 3 turnovers.

TheFFGhost – AJ Green goes over 100 receiving yards, scores and the Bengals win. (That’s called going all in!)

Eric Olinger – JJ Watt records at least 2 sacks.

TheFFGhost – Thomas held under 100 receiving yards.

Jacob Feldman – Moreno continues to post solid numbers with over 100 total yards and a score.

How about our readers, who came away with the Week 16 Shot Caller of the Week? Well, a familiar face returned to claim the crown this week, none other than Jeremy Nusbaum who correctly called seven shots in a weird and wild week. Here are those shots:

-NOS@DAL: Jason Witten and Jimmy Graham combine for fewer than 150 yards receiving and no more than 1 TD.

-BUF@MIA: Neither Fitzpatrick nor Tannehill passes for more than 250 yards.

-SDC@NYJ: Chargers and Jets team defenses combine for more fantasy points than the QBs (standard Yahoo scoring).

-OAK@CAR: Cam Newton has better rushing fantasy points (rush yards + rush TDs) than any Oakland Raider.

-MIN@HOU: Adrian Peterson posts more rushing yards than all Houston RBs combined, despite Houston’s top 5 rushing defense.

-NYG@BAL: Despite the Giants being favored, Baltimore pulls out the win, knocking the NYG off the top of the NFC East.

-SFO@SEA: Seattle does not score 50+ points for the first time in 3 weeks. Actual projection: Marshawn Lynch rushes for at least 30% more yards than the 49ers have allowed on average over their past 4 games. (For those mathematically challenged, the 49ers have allowed an average 67 yards. I think he rushes for 88 or more).

Great job Jeremy Nusbaum, you’ve been a staple in the winner’s circle this season.

It’s the last week of the NFL season and I’m convinced DLF will come out guns blazing for the final week. Here are our shots to finish off the season:

Chicago @ Detroit

TheFFGhost – Megatron is the leading receiver but doesn’t get a touchdown.

Jacob Feldman – Megatron becomes the first WR in history to get 2000 yards receiving in a season.

Andy Miley – BMarsh gets his customary 8+ catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Eric Hardter – Megatron becomes the first WR in history to get 2000 yards…..oh, that’s taken.  How about Suh gets a sack and does something to piss off the Bears.

Chris Rohrer – Stafford hits the 5,000 yard mark.. AGAIN.

Jacksonville @ Tennessee

TheFFGhost – Johnson goes over 125 rushing yards.

Jacob Feldman – Blackmon has a solid game with 5+ catches and 80+ yards.

Andy Miley – Both Owens and Chris Johnson go over 100 combo yards and catch 4+ passes each.

Eric Hardter – Taylor Thompson sees extensive action and records at least three catches.

Chris Rohrer – Britt ends the season with a score.

Houston @ Indianapolis

TheFFGhost – Both Luck and Schaub don’t finish the game, they get pulled for rest, not injury.

Jacob Feldman – Foster bounces back with a great game. 100+ yards and a score.

Andy Miley – Andre and Reggie both go over 100 yards and score.

Eric Hardter – Andrew Luck stays money at home, throwing for over 280 yards and 2 TD’s in a winning effort.

Chris Rohrer – Ballard has 80+ rushing yards.

Green Bay @ Minnesota

TheFFGhost – Peterson will get force fed over 25 carries.

Jacob Feldman – Peterson becomes AP2K.

Andy Miley – Rodgers throws for another 300 yard game and 3+ touchdowns.

Eric Hardter – Christian Ponder throws for over 250 yards as the Vikings fall behind.

Chris Rohrer – Not the season to bet against Peterson… becomes seventh player in NFL history to hit 2k.

Miami @ New England

TheFFGhost – Miami will take this game, simply because New England’s heart isn’t in it.

Jacob Feldman – Bush posts over 100 combined yards as he tries to make a case to come back next year.

Andy Miley – Hernandez makes up for his one catch game last week with 6+ catches and 85+ yards.

Eric Hardter – Wes Welker does his thing against his former team:  10+ catches for 130+ yards and a score.

Chris Rohrer – Brady hits 350+ passing yards and 3 total touchdowns trying to lead his offense red-hot into the playoffs.

Carolina @ New Orleans

TheFFGhost – Brees lights the Carolina secondary up for over 325 yards.

Jacob Feldman – Brees gets the 220 yards he needs to post his third 5000 plus yard season, the only one to ever do that.

Andy Miley – Greg Olsen has more yards and catches than Jimmy Graham.

Eric Hardter – Now my fantasy teams are no longer relying on them, Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston combine for over 200 yards receiving.

Chris Rohrer – Colston gets 100+ yards and a touchdown.

Philadelphia @ NY Giants

TheFFGhost – The Giants walk away with at least a 21 point win.

Jacob Feldman – McCoy posts over 100 combined yards with 4+ catches.

Andy Miley – Vick throws for over 250+ yards and accounts for 3 touchdowns as he thanks Philly with a win over the hated g-men.

Eric Hardter – JPP ends the year with a flourish, recording 2+ sacks in an otherwise disappointing season.

Chris Rohrer – Cruz with 100 yards and a score.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh

TheFFGhost – Big Ben passes for over 300 yards.

Jacob Feldman – Richardson rushes for under 3 YPC.

Andy Miley – Pittsburgh defense has back to back games with 2+ turnovers and 4+ sacks.

Eric Hardter – Rashard Mendenhall leads all players in rushing, giving the Steelers pause as to whether they should re-sign him next year.

Chris Rohrer – I’m going to stick with Big Ben.. 300+ passing yards and 3 total scores.

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta

TheFFGhost – Both quarterbacks pass for over 250 yards each.

Jacob Feldman – Atlanta’s starters play less than a half. Mike Williams posts over 100 yards on the backups.

Andy Miley – Roddy, Julio, and Tony all score and have at least 70 receiving yards each.

Eric Hardter – “Skinny Josh” throws for over 350 yards in a combination of garbage time and playing against the Falcons’ second-string.

Chris Rohrer – Doug Martin shakes out of his funk and finishes the season with a 100 yard rushing game.

NY Jets @ Buffalo

TheFFGhost – Spiller will rush for over 150 yards to finish out the system.

Jacob Feldman – Stevie Johnson has 4+ catches for 80+ yards.

Andy Miley – Spiller accounts for 200+ total yards and scores.

Eric Hardter – It’s a toss-up between this game and Jax/Tenn for which has the lowest ratings.  Or how about Mark Sanchez committs at least three turnovers.

Chris Rohrer – Greene with 125+ total yards and a touchdown.

Baltimore @ Cincinnati

TheFFGhost – In a suprise AJ Green won’t be the leading receiver in this game.

Jacob Feldman – Ray Rice posts another 100 yard rushing game.

Andy Miley – AJ Green has 7+ receptions for 130+ yards and scores twice.

Eric Hardter – Bernard Pierce out-carries Ray Rice in what amounts to a meaningless game for the Ravens.

Chris Rohrer – BJGE shakes off a tough game and goes for 80+ rushing yards and finds the end zone.

Dallas @ Washington

TheFFGhost – Last week it was Bryant, this weeek Austin will be the leading Dallas receiver.

Jacob Feldman – Romo posts more yards than RG3.

Andy Miley – Garcon and Bryant both go over 150 yards and score.

Eric Hardter – Tony Romo and RGIII combine for over 700 total passing yards.

Chris Rohrer – RGIII is feeling a bit more mobile and finishes with 250+ passing yards and over 50 rushing yards.

Kansas City @ Denver

TheFFGhost – Kansas City has more turnovers than touchdowns, ouch!

Jacob Feldman – The Chiefs have more yards rushing than passing for the second week in a row.

Andy Miley – Decker, Thomas, Dreessen, Tamme, and Stokely all score TDs.

Eric Hardter – Knowshon Moreno out-rushes Jamaal Charles and cracks the century mark.

Chris Rohrer – The Broncos defense holds the Chiefs to 10 points or less.

Oakland @ San Diego

TheFFGhost – McFadden will not even hit 60 rushing yards.

Jacob Feldman – Alexander posts the only 100 yard game by a RB/WR/TE in this game.

Andy Miley – No offensive touchdown is scored in this game.

Eric Hardter – Philip Rivers passes for 240+ yards and at least two scores in an attempt to carry some positive momentum over to next year.

Chris Rohrer – Antonio Gates finds the end zone in his third straight contest.

Arizona @ San Francisco

TheFFGhost – Housler will lead Fitzgerald in receiving.

Jacob Feldman – Fitzgerald posts 5+ catches for 70+ yards. The worst part is that this used to be a given every week.

Andy Miley – Gore gets pissed and runs for 125+ yards and 2 touchdowns.

Eric Hardter – Navorro Bowman and Patrick Willis will combine for at least 28 tackles.

Chris Rohrer – Kaepernick finds the end zone on foot.

St. Louis @ Seattle

TheFFGhost – Guess what, the Rams end up beating the Seahawks in a stunner.

Jacob Feldman – Bradford throws for multiple TDs for the 8th time this season.

Andy Miley – Wilson throws for 3+ touchdowns and throws for less than 200 yards.

Eric Hardter – It’s the year of records!  Russell Wilson breaks Peyton Manning’s rookie passing TD record in a winning effort.

Chris Rohrer – Marshawn Lynch posts his fourth straight 100 yard rushing performance.

Once again congratulations to Jeremy Nusbaum for coming out with the shot caller crown once again. You’ve got another entry placed into the year-end drawing for a full year of DLF Premium and a DLF t-shirt. There will be one more shot caller this season entered into our drawing, the week 17 shot caller. This is everyone’s last chance to get your name put in the drawing, and then it’s all up to luck. Best of luck to everyone and have a happy and safe new year from the DLF team.

Don’t forget, if we select your entry we’ll enter you into a drawing for a full year of DLF premium content and a free DLF t-shirt!