Divisional Debriefing: Week Twelve
Each week we are going to give a player from each division a “Player of the Week” honor. In an attempt to not cram the same info down your throat that you might find elsewhere, we are going to try to focus on players that weren’t draft day all-stars. In some cases they won’t even be rostered in redraft leagues, but guys that are worth stashing in dynasty leagues. We are going to focus on guys that have yielded the greatest return on your investment. You don’t need to be told Peyton Manning had a great day. He was drafted in such a spot that it was expected, same with LeSean McCoy and Calvin Johnson. That’s not to say that we won’t honor a truly elite performance, especially from rookies.
As part of a group collaboration, members of the DLF Staff have chosen to represent a division and will be selecting which players will be getting the “gold star” for the week. As an added bonus, I will also include the most impressive IDP performances of the week for each division, because defensive players need love too!
Here is who is will be nominating players for each division:
- AFC West- Scott Peak @Scott_Peak
- AFC East- Jeff Beran @JefeBeran
- AFC North- Eric Olinger @OlingerIDP
- AFC South- Tim Stafford @DynastyTim
- NFC West- The FF Ghost @TheFFGhost
- NFC East- Karl Safchick @KarlSafchick
- NFC North- Dan Meylor @DMeylor22
- NFC South- Eric Hardter @EDH_27
AFC West
Jacob Tamme, TE DEN and Ladarius Green, TE SD
We’ve covered Green recently in this column, but I thought it was worth mentioning the big game Green experienced against the Kansas City Chiefs. He had three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Veteran tight end Antonio Gates got eight targets, but could only manage three receptions for a meager 21 yards. Green’s inclusion in the Chargers offense is growing, and he’s a great player to target now before it’s too late. Grab him if you can.
Editor’s Note: For more on Green, check out our mythbusters article today.
It looks like Julius Thomas will be back this week, so that’s good news. It was not certain who would step up at tight end once Thomas went down, but it is now clear that Tamme is a viable option if Thomas gets hurt again. Tamme led all Denver receivers with five receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Tamme could provide low end TE1 numbers in the event of another Thomas injury. It may be wise for Thomas owners to consider adding Tamme if a roster spot is available. It should be noted that Thomas has a lengthy history of injuries in the past, and whoever is starting at tight end for Denver can be productive.
IDP- Von Miller, LB DEN
Being capable of games like this is why we deal with the off the field issues of Miller. His first quarter fumble recovery returned for touchdown set the tone for a swarming Bronco defense. A defense which would later implode, but Miller’s fantasy day was awesome. His six solo tackles, two assists, two sacks, and the aforementioned touchdown gave IDPers a huge leg up. Miller belongs in the top 15 linebacker rankings.
AFC East
Brandon Bolden, RB NE
Patriots coach Bill Belichick is back to his old tricks of playing musical chairs with his running backs. On Sunday night against the Broncos, both Stevan Ridley and LeGarrette Blount were banished to the sidelines for losing fumbles. In their place, Brandon Bolden (13 carries, 58 yards, one touchdown) and Shane Vereen (10 carries, 31 yards) did an admirable job of filling in. Vereen is already owned in all leagues as an excellent flex PPR play but Bolden might be hanging around the waiver wire in smaller leagues. If that’s the case for you, there’s no harm in taking a flier on him if you’ve got a cold seat on the bench but don’t expect much going forward. He’s signed as a Patriot through the 2014 season so that limits his future opportunities, but he’s at least shown the ability not to fumble and that is apparently the primary characteristic Belichick looks for in his running backs.
IDP- Jamie Collins, LB NE
Rookie linebacker Jamie Collins, a second round pick out of the University of Southern Mississippi, primarily played on special teams units through the first 11 weeks of the season. On Sunday, he got the official start alongside Donta Hightower and although he played just 23 snaps, he was very effective as he notched 10 tackles and made an outstanding coverage play late in the game by knocking a pass out of Wes Welker’s hands. He also displayed some pass rush ability in the second half as his bull rush up the middle helped force a Peyton Manning fumble and subsequent tackle for loss on the recovery. Collins flashed quite a bit of skill over the summer and coaches talked about using him in a joker role, similar to Von Miller. If, by some chance, somebody in your league got impatient and cut bait on Collins, it would be wise to do everything in your power to snag him while you still can.
AFC North
Josh Gordon, WR CLE
Gordon was amazing on Sunday. His 14 catches for 237 yards and a touchdown were easily career highs and the best of the week. The most impressive feat was he was able to do it with the Browns’ musical chairs at the quarterback position. The “starter,” Jason Campbell, left the game with a concussion and the team was forced to go back to Brandon Weeden again, something they’re trying to avoid at all costs. Gordon is flirting with “quarterback proof” status. Unfortunately, he’s not “Josh Gordon proof.” It seems like the only thing that can derail Josh Gordon is himself. If you didn’t have to worry about a possible one year suspension at his next hiccup he would be a unanimous top five wide receiver. Buyer beware but the reward is worth the risk.
IDP- Corey Graham, CB BAL
Playing opposite Ladarius Webb, Graham sees a ton of targets come his way. On Sunday, he saw a lot of errant passes come his way as he picked off two Geno Smith passes. As long as Webb is in the lineup and teams are throwing Graham’s way he will continue seeing a ton of opportunities but as is with most corners, he’ll be a weekly book or bust gamble.
AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars (Entire Team)
I’m giving the AFC South game ball to the entire Jacksonville team. They came to play and shut down Houston who now takes over as arguably the worst team in the NFL with a whopping nine game losing streak. Changes will be made in Houston. As for some AFC South players – Delanie Walker, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Maurice Jones-Drew continue to be cheap options for contending teams.
IDP- Moise Fokou, LB TEN
Fokou didn’t do much statistical damage this week, he finished the day with four tackles, all solo. The most impressive feat was the absolute total commitment by the coaching staff. Since Fokou went down, Colin McCarthy had stepped in performed very well but he only seen the field on special teams with Fokou back. McCarthy is the more talented player, but Fokou seems to have the coach’s trust. I don’t trust either one long term.
NFC West
Benny Cunningham, RB STL
If you come into camp as an undrafted rookie and are slotted at number four on the depth chart, it’s fair to say any highlights you may have will likely come at practice and you’re going to be lucky just to have a paycheck every week. Well, that’s most players in that circumstance, but not Benny Cunningham. Cunningham has fought his way to number two on the depth chart and on Sunday he got his chance to shine for a half of that game, and shine he did. Cunningham compiled 109 rushing yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. Cunningham looked like he belonged to be a starting back in the NFL with great vision, patience and bursts of speed. If Stacy is absent any extended period then he better watch his back. As it sits now the Rams have a sudden surplus of running back talent so look for Cunningham to fight for time, but to make the most of it when he gets the ball.
IDP- Robert Quinn, DE STL
When I wrote my “Over/Under: IDP” article this fall I put Quinn’s line at 12 and easily took the over. I noted I wouldn’t be shocked if he approached 15 sacks for the season. Through eleven games he is sitting at 13 sacks for the year with six forced fumbles. If we redrafted today, Quinn would most likely be the first defensive end taken, even ahead of all-world super beast J.J. Watt.
NFC East
Rueben Randle, WR NYG
Week 12 was a very poor week for NFC East skill position players. The Philadelphia Eagles were on a bye, the Washington Redskins did next to nothing on offense, and the matchup between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys was downright ugly. I normally like to dig a little deeper than a “Randle caliber” player, but there was a lack of anyone to speak of. Besides, something interesting happened this week. With Hakeem Nicks sidelined, the Giants faithful seemed to have collectively given up on the idea of their team re-signing the once electric playmaker. This is another reason to think Randle figures into the team’s long-term plans to feature him as a starter.
IDP- Justin Tuck, DE NYG
It’s been a little while since Tuck has lived up to his name value. From 2007 to 2010 he totaled 39.5 sacks and was one of the league’s premier defensive ends. For the last two years he’s battled injuries and registered only nine sacks. This year he’s actually playing better than the stats show, which doesn’t do us any good in the IDP world but it shows he’s on the verge of getting back on track.
NFC North
Toby Gerhart, RB MIN
Gerhart was only on the field for 14 snaps at Lambeau Field on Sunday, but he made the most of them. He ran for 91 yards on eight carries and added a catch for five yards in the game – that followed up a performance in Seattle where he carried the ball seven times for 67 yards and caught a pass for seven yards the week before, while playing 28 snaps in relief of Adrian Peterson. The Vikings take on the Bears this week, who have given up 985 yards on 168 carries (5.8 YPC) and nine total touchdowns over the last five weeks. Those statistics certainly put Gerhart in the conversation as a sneaky flex play for fantasy owners in trouble at running back.
IDP- Audie Cole, LB MIN
With Erin Henderson sitting out, Cole was thrust into the starting lineup versus the Packers and performed admirably. His 13 total tackles easily led the team and he also chipped in a sack. People chasing box scores will jump on Cole, but will be let down. This is still Henderson’s job and Cole will struggle to see the field on most weeks. He only had three total tackles before this week.
NFC South
Darius Johnson, WR ATL
We interrupt your regularly scheduled “Tampa Bay Player of the Week” programming (seriously – Mike Glennon was my next choice) to highlight a player from a different NFC South team, Atlanta receiver Darius Johnson. In a closer-than-expected Thursday night clash with the division-leading Saints, the diminutive rookie corralled six of eight passes for 67 yards, and was the second most targeted player on the team. It wasn’t all roses as he lost a bad fumble and committed a horrendous drop, but Johnson was also only inches away from his second career touchdown on a call that got overturned.
This capped a five-week stretch where the slot receiver averaged 5.6 targets per game, including three games of seven or more. With all-world receiver Julio Jones sidelined for the year, and the aging Roddy White looking like he’s running in mud, Johnson has capitalized. In a Matt Ryan-led offense that’s soon to lose tight end Tony Gonzalez to retirement, there’s a non-trivial amount of future upside here. I view Johnson as a PPR WR4 and quality stash, and am looking forward to seeing how the rest of his season plays out.
IDP- Cameron Jordan, DE NO
What a difference a year makes. Last year the Saints couldn’t stop anything or anyone and this year Rob Ryan has these dogs hunting. Both Cameron Jordan and Akiem Hicks are bookending an attacking defense, not just the front four or front seven. After this week’s 2.5 sacks, he is up to 9.5 on the year, tops on the team. Sometimes it just takes the right coordinator to bring out the best in players and it appears Jordan and Ryan were meant for each other.
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