Mining for Paydirt: Week Twelve
Mining for Paydirt is a deep-sleeper article geared toward your average to larger sized leagues. The players we focus on here are owned in less than 35% of myfantasyleague.com leagues – they are your blue collar workers. I’m not going to give you names like Roy Helu or Joique Bell – those aren’t the droids I’m looking for. I want the players who are on the radar of only the realest of degenerates. Players you wouldn’t think of owning in a million and one years. These will strictly be for injury and bye week fill-ins based on match-ups and situation. Some may stick, some won’t. It’s the nature of the beast and I’ll be thrilled to get one or two correct a week.
Fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner as we prepare ourselves for the last week of byes. As you know, seasons can be won and lost in these crucial weeks as teams get ready for that final playoff push. As a Public Service Announcement, I’d like to reiterate how important it is to you and your league to set your lineups each week during this time – don’t be the guy who’s out of the playoff hunt and stops caring about his lineup. Be the spoiler and take whatever gratification you can from that. Just because you’re out of the playoffs doesn’t mean you need to let down your league. There are other owners counting on you so make it happen.
Looking back at last week, my miners were epically brutal. Marcedes Lewis had just three receptions for 23 yards… Stephen Hill had zeroes across the board (but five targets helped you in points per target leagues)… Tiquan Underwood, who I was most confident in, had one reception for 20 yards. I blame Bobby Rainey, of course.
Nothing else to see here, so we’re moving on.
Week 12 byes: Buffalo, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Seattle
Fozzy Whittaker, RB CLE vs PIT (6% owned)
Cue the “Waka, waka, waka” sound bite as Whittaker gives me fozzy feelings this week against division rival, Pittsburgh Steelers.
Whittaker isn’t flashy, but can provide solid flex support in PPR leagues. Going back to Week Seven, he’s received 16 targets (four per game) and has caught 12 of those passes (75% catch ratio). Willis McGahee and his 83 year old knees saw just 13 snaps last week compared to Whittaker’s 23. Game flow had a lot to do with the final snap counts, but the Browns are at a point where they know what McGahee brings to the table (a 2.6 YPC average), but Whittaker is still a wild card. It’s time for a changing of the guard.
Chris Ogbonnaya will continue to see the majority of the backfield snaps and has earned the right, giving his owners decent desperation flex play over the last few weeks. As mentioned above, Whittaker’s role increased last week running ball four times for 20 yards and adding five receptions for 41 yards. Again, nothing spectacular, but we don’t do spectacular here.
The Steelers are giving up over 125 yards rushing a game and opposing teams have scored 13 rushing touchdowns against them.
With so many fantasy starting running backs on bye this week, I’ll roll with Whittaker now and shower cry later.
Paydirt Prediction: eight rushes for 35 yards; four receptions for 45 yards and one touchdown (18 points)
Robert Meachem, WR NO @ ATL (4% owned)
That sudden feeling of reflux with notes of acidic undertones means two things: 1) you just threw up in your mouth and you’re disgusting. Go brush. 2) I did the same after recommending such nonsense.
I’ve been biding my time to put Meachem in this for a while, but the timing’s never been right and I’m trying to cut down on the self-loathing…
But in Week 12, the time is nigh as the Saint’s faceoff against the Atlanta Falcons and their porous pass defense. They’ve been so kind to opposing quarterbacks by giving up a completion percentage of 67% and have allowed 21 touchdowns through the air (#30 in the NFL). They’ve given up the fifth most points to wide receivers and the arrow points up with Drew Brees and company in town. Last week, Brees and Meachem connected on two passes for 78 yards before Meachem exited the game early with a shoulder injury. As of writing this article, he’s not listed on the injury report so he should be a go for the Thursday Night contest.
So why Meachem?
Mostly because he’s the only wide receiver in NOLA not owned in at least 35% of MFL leagues and I wanted a piece of the action. Also, the way Brees spreads the ball to all his receivers – he’s bound to find Meachem on a deep touchdown soon rather than later, right (Week Three was the last time)?
We know what Meachem is – complete boom or bust. If you’re starting him this weekend, God speed…
Paydirt Prediction: three receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown (16.5 points)
Aldrick Robinson, WR WAS vs SF (2% owned)
The last time I wrote about Robinson was week one, which was also on a Monday Night… and he failed me miserably, spotting me a big, fat donut. I’m doubling down on Robinson in primetime.
Pierre Garcon is bothered by an ankle injury, Jordan Reed looks very questionable with a concussion and Leonard Hankerson is officially out for the season after undergoing knee surgery earlier this week.
Head coach Mike Shanahan has come out and anointed Josh Morgan as the Hankerson replacement at the Z position, but don’t sleep on Robinson. The Redskins will need big plays if they want to stay in the game against the Niners and Robinson is the guy who will supply that.
Last week, Robinson caught two passes for 60 yards, including a 41 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Morgan, on the other hand, was inactive for reasons unbeknownst to anyone outside of Shananigans himself. Even though Morgan’s been named the starter, we’ve seen this movie before. He’s not the type of receiver that should get in the way of more playing time Robinson who saw a season-high in snaps last week.
Someone will step up and make a play or two for the ‘Skins and by process of elimination, that man is Robinson. No repeat of a Week One disappointment this week. Give me all your Robinsons, Shanny!
Primetime Paydirt Prediction: three receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown (17 points)
