Sunday Six Pack: Week 12

Ryan McDowell

sixpack

Thanks to Jarrett Behar for sharing his six pack with me this week. I lack his wit and musical tastes, but the stories to watch around the NFL are plentiful.

  • Chiefs’ Sudden RB Depth

When starting running back Jamaal Charles went down with a torn ACL several weeks ago, it looked like all hope was lost for the Chiefs, especially when it came to the running game. After all, they really only had the unknown Charcandrick West and the struggling Knile Davis. West has taken over and been a huge surprise for Kansas City and any dynasty owners who were fortunate and savvy enough to snag him off the waiver wire. Since Charles got hurt, West is the RB10 in PPR leagues and that includes a stinker in week six when he made his first career start and last week’s game, in which West left early with a hamstring injury. Again, the team was forced to turn to their backup and again it proved to be fruitful as former LSU back Spencer Ware totaled over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Heading into the team’s matchup with the Bills, it’s not clear who will start or how the touches will be distributed, but Kansas City is suddenly flush with running back talent.

  • Can Jameis Continue his Hot Streak?

The career of rookie quarterback Jameis Winston got off to a poor start as he was dominated by fellow rookie Marcus Mariota in their week one faceoff, but Winston has been showing steady improvement over the past several weeks. In fact, since the Buccaneers’ week six bye, Winston is the QB6, scoring 20 or more fantasy points in four of five games. Now Winston and the Bucs face off against a Colts team that is fighting to stay on top of their division race and has actually had more success on the road this year rather than at home, where they’ll host Tampa. This solid play, combined with the faltering of other quarterbacks has Winston moving way up in dynasty rankings and if he keeps posting video game numbers, his dynasty value will only grow.

  • The Emergence of Thomas Rawls

[inlinead]One of the hottest names in the dynasty community is that of Thomas Rawls, the undrafted rookie running back for the Seattle Seahawks. After essentially beating out both Robert Turbin and Christine Michael for a roster spot this pre-season, Rawls has been called upon multiple times to start in place of an injured Marshawn Lynch, and has answered the call in nearly every occasion. That reached a pinnacle last week when Rawls exploded for over 250 yards and two scores with Lynch again on the shelf. Maybe Lynch’s injury worsened or maybe the team just wanted a longer look at Rawls, but earlier this week, Lynch underwent sports hernia surgery that will keep him out of action for at least a month. Not only is this Rawls’ job for the rest of this (fantasy) season, but if he continues to impress, he has a great chance to be the starter heading into 2016 as well. Lynch has hinted that he would consider retiring early and even if that’s not the route he goes, Seattle could cut him to save salary, handing the job over to the former Central Michigan back. Rawls has a tough matchup against Pittsburgh this week, who have only allowed one RB1 (top twelve) performance this season. With Rawls’ involvement in the passing game, along with his hard running style, don’t be surprised if he makes it two.

  • The Osweiler Takeover

Much like the Seattle running back position, we’re seeing a All-Pro veteran being pushed out the door at Denver’s quarterback spot. Last week, Brock Osweiler made his first career start in place of the injured Peyton Manning and let’s just say things went well. Osweiler connected with Demaryius Thomas early in the game for a long touchdown and led the team to a much needed win over Chicago. Osweiler threw for 250 yards and a pair of scores on his way to being named the AFC Player of the Week. Following the game, he was also named the starter for the next two weeks, at least, as Manning’s injury has suddenly worsened. This week’s game won’t be so easy for Osweiler and the Broncos though as they host Tom Brady and the Patriots. New England is actually allowing a QB1 performance in half of their ten games though and Bill Belichick defenses has been known to allow big games to quarterbacks in their first meeting, so this may actually be a good spot, from a fantasy perspective, for Osweiler. Like Rawls, continued solid play simply means a longer leash and a potential starting job in 2016.

  • Baltimore’s Injury Woes

In last week’s game against the St. Louis Rams, the Ravens got a victory, albeit a very costly one. Not only did they lose their starting running back, Justin Forsett, with a broken arm, but quarterback Joe Flacco suffered a torn ACL near the end of the game, which will call a close to his season. Both players were placed on the season ending injured reserve list, joining Steve Smith, Breshad Perriman, Dennis Pitta, Lorenzo Taliaferro and defensive star Terrell Suggs. At quarterback, the Ravens will turn to veteran Matt Schaub, which will almost certainly not go well. At running back though, there is some hope. Rookie Javorius Allen is expected to draw the start and see the bulk of the work. With a chance to start the team’s final six games, Allen could be fighting for the chance to be the Ravens’ starting running back in 2016, considering Forsett is already 30 years old and his 2014 season is looking like a bit of a fluke. Things should start well for Allen as he faces off against the lowly Browns’ defense, which has already surrendered nine top 24 performances over the first ten games.

  • Johnny Third String

Browns’ quarterback Johnny Manziel was in the news again this week for all the wrong reasons. After being named the Cleveland starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, Manziel evidently spent part of his bye week celebrating, while being filmed. Of course, that video was leaked and that’s when things really went south for Manziel. Reportedly, he lied to team officials about the details of the video, which led to Manziel being demoted. Perhaps the most telling sign was that the downgrade was all the way to third string, meaning he will likely not even be active on game day. Many have already speculated, and I expect this to be the case as well, that Manziel has played his last snap for the Browns. No matter what you think of Manziel’s antics, his play on the field has not been good enough to earn him multiple chances. The team will roll with veteran Josh McCown for the remainder of this season and likely be in search of a new starting quarterback over the off-season. If Manziel is let go, another team will likely give him a shot, but there’s little reason to expect his behavior or his play on the field to drastically improve, meaning he has very little dynasty value.

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ryan mcdowell