Divisional Debriefing: Week Eleven

Eric Olinger

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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

Matt McGloin, QB, OAK

McGloin replaced an injured Terrelle Pryor and had a nice game against a weary Houston Texans defense. Then again, he got set up nicely for his first touchdown after Texans tight end Garrett Graham fumbled and Raiders cornerback Phillip Adams returned it to the Texans 16 yard line. McGloin hit Denarius Moore a few plays later for a touchdown. McGloin capitalized on a second Texans turnover, after Case Keenum was intercepted by Raiders linebacker Nick Roach. Keenum hit Raiders wide receiver Rod Streater on the next play with a strike for another touchdown. McGloin completed 18 passes for 197 yards for three touchdowns and no interceptions. Pryor has started 8 games, and has a total of 5 passing touchdowns all year long. Cue quarterback controversy in Oakland. It is not likely McGloin will be relevant in re-draft leagues this year, unless a team is really desperate for help at quarterback. McGloin could be a nice addition in dynasty formats, especially so in 2QB leagues.

IDP- Derek Wolfe, DE DEN

The second year player out of the University of Cincinnati has been on a hot streak the last three games. He has had a sack in each but offers practically nothing additional. In sack heavy leagues he is worth a lot more than in tackle heavy leagues, he has just 16 total tackles on the season. With Von Miller on the other side and the team getting off the bus with a double digit lead, Wolfe has plenty of chances to register sacks each game.

AFC East

Marquise Goodwin, WR BUF

With starting wide receivers Robert Woods and Stevie Johnson out with injuries, rookie speedster Marquise Goodwin took advantage of his opportunity with six receptions (on nine targets) for 81 yards and a touchdown.  He’s not nearly as polished of a receiver as fellow rookie Woods but with his Olympic-caliber speed (literally), he’s a very intriguing player to own for the long term.  Don’t expect Goodwin to contribute anything for this season but if he’s somehow available on your waiver wire, try to snatch and stash him if you can.

IDP- Olivier Vernon, DE MIA

When the Dolphins drafted defensive end Dion Jordan third overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, most assumed that he was a lock to be slotted in opposite of All-Pro Cameron Wake.  Well, as Lee Corso would say: not so fast, my friend.  Second year pro Olivier Vernon, a 2012 third round pick out of the University of Miami, has quietly pushed Jordan into a reserve role and become a steady IDP contributor with 31 total tackles and five sacks since he took over as a starter in Week 3.  He’s not yet reliable enough to count on as a DL2 but he’s a very solid DL3 option heading into the fantasy playoffs.

AFC North

Chris Ogbonnaya, RB CLE

Whenever I see this name I think about the episode of “The League” where Taco writes the jingle for the Yobogoya restaurant. Anyways, the coaching staff said they wanted to get Ogbonnaya more touches and they actually followed through by giving him eight carries and targeting him 12 times in the passing game. He finished the day with 69 yards rushing and six catches for 30 yards receiving. In PPR leagues that’s a decent 15.9 points. He is clearly the lead “dawg in this pound” and should be a usable RB2 in PPR leagues to close the year. I don’t think he has long term value though as the organization will definitely add talent in the offseason, either through the draft or free agency.

IDP- Vincent Rey, LB CIN

A week after lighting the stat sheet up with 15 tackles, three sacks, and an interception, Rey followed it up another 12 total tackles against in state rivals, the Cleveland Browns. With Rey Maualuga missing time with injury, Rey is making his case to keep the job. It’s no secret I am not a fan of Maualuga. He’s more of a liability on the field and Rey offers a lot more play making ability both in fantasy and in the less important real life.

AFC South

Garrett Graham, TE HOU

Continuing the string of TEs featured from the AFC South, Garrett Graham puts on a show in Week 11. He’s likely owned in your league and that’s unfortunate. If you happen to own him, consider testing the market. The Owen Daniels owner is your prime trade partner as they might be worrying about Daniels future with the Texans. Plus it’s becoming increasingly likely that Gary Kubiak gets fired. Much of the tight end production in Houston can be attributed to the system which will obviously change with the staff.

IDP- Pat Angerer, LB IND

Two years ago Angerer exploded onto the IDP scene with 148 tackles and had the look of long term LB1 for the next decade. Unfortunately his 2012 season ended just as it began. On the first play of the preseason he broke a bone in his foot and has struggled to regain form ever since. Right now we’re seeing glimpses of the old Angerer. Against the Titans on Thursday night he totaled nine tackles, eight solo and an assist, bringing his three game total to 29 total tackles. He might not be the player he once was but has some LB3 appeal moving forward with upside.

NFC West

Michael Floyd, WR AZ

Floyd has been a bit of a tease since coming into the league last season. He’d have one great game followed by a disappearing act back into fantasy irrelevance, only to reappear with another big game to start the cycle all over again. Therefore, it’s hard to tell if his latest mammoth performance is simply more of the same for a true statement of his arrival. Floyd obliterated the Jacksonville secondary for six receptions which went for 193 yards and a touchdown. This is the kind of stat line owners expected to see from Floyd when he was a solid fixture in the first round of rookie drafts last year. Now, to be fair Jacksonville has been routinely abused this season so it just might have been Floyd’s turn to boost his stats, but it would be hard to argue that Floyd isn’t on the verge of must start status going forward.

IDP- Eric Reid, S SF

The rookie was tested plenty by Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham but held up as well as anyone has. He’s an intelligent playmaker on the back end who throws his body around with reckless abandon. If anyone gets behind the all-world beating tandem of Patrick Willis and NaVarro Bowman, Eric Reid is going to lay the wood. Unfortunately, Reid’s total disregard for his own well being has already lead to concussions and lingering injuries. He has legitimate DB1 upside if he doesn’t put himself on injured reserve by playing 100 mph.

NFC East

Andre Brown, RB NYG

Last week, I had to play catch-up on how well Nick Foles was playing, and he had another good game against the Washington Redskins this week. In stating Nick Foles’ success, I had to exclude Andre Brown from receiving any accolades for his 115 yard game. In that game (a week ago) he carried the ball 30 times and managed to get the ball into the endzone against the Oakland Raiders. This week, he ran for only 66 yards, but the most telling stat of Brown’s day was his 18 carries. With Brown back in the active lineup, the Giants have re-committed to the run. Since his return, the Giants have given Brown 48 carries in just two weeks. Brown is a talented back that will inevitably accrue fantasy points with that much of a workload.

IDP- Prince Amukamara, CB NYG

There isn’t much flashiness to Amukamara’s game but he’s developing into a solid corner for the Giants. In the IDP world he’s useful because he’s good enough to stay on the field but bad enough to target heavily by opposing quarterbacks. This leads to plenty of tackle opportunities. He does have one interception on the year and two forced fumbles to go along with his 55 tackles. He’s a safe cornerback when you just need some points.

NFC North

Jarrett Boykin, WR GB

Boykin has filled in admirably for Randall Cobb, who broke his leg against the Ravens in week six.  He’s second on the team to Jordy Nelson with 39 targets since that point, catching 29 passes for 453 yards and a touchdown.  Many fantasy owners jumped off the Boykin bandwagon after Aaron Rodgers went down in week nine and he caught only one pass for 15 yards, but in the two games since he’s caught 14 passes for 203 yards on 18 targets.  He’s a solid WR3 for the remainder of 2013, and with fellow receiver James Jones’ contract due to expire after the season, he could stay in the role for years to come.

IDP- Jon Bostic, LB CHI

Even though he isn’t putting up eye popping numbers just yet, I love what I’m seeing from Jon Bostic in this defense. This week against the Ravens on one of the nastiest playing surfaces I’ve seen in years, Bostic had five tackles, all solo, and an interception. Bostic’s ability to drop into coverage is an underrated part of his game. I want Bostic on as many of my teams as possible. He has long term LB2 ability.

NFC South

Bobby Rainey, RB TB

Another week, another unheralded Tampa Bay gem.  Third-string running back Bobby Rainey quickly made the fantasy universe forget about the injured Mike James by virtue of a sterling 30-carry, 163-yard performance, with two receptions and three touchdowns thrown in for good measure.  This output represented the best PPR performance by any skill position player in week 11, and turned the young ball carrier from an afterthought into a potentially legitimate fantasy asset.

To that last point, Rainey is now averaging 5.47 yards-per-carry as a Buccaneer, and has clearly established control over the backfield.  Head coach Greg Schiano is more than willing to ride his feature back into the ground, which should lead to plenty of volume over the fantasy season’s final few weeks.  Rainey should be owned in all leagues, and can safely be counted on as a PPR RB2 moving forward.

IDP- Gerald McCoy, DT TBB

The Falcons had no answer for Gerald McCoy this week. He finished Sunday’s game with four solo tackles, one assist, and three quarterback sacks. The three sacks doubled his season total and continued the little hot streak he’s been on lately. Over the last three games he has collected 16 tackles and four sacks, impressive numbers for a defensive tackle. As is the case with most defensive tackles, he’s merely a matchup play but warrants weekly starter status in leagues requiring defensive tackles.

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