Week 13: Fantasy Studs and Duds

Studs

Jordan Howard- We all thought that with the loss of Jay Cutler for the year, that the Bears from a fantasy perspective were done. I honestly thought that teams would just stack the box against Howard and make Matt Barkely beat them, this due come true in some regards against the Titans. Yet Barkley did show enough that I do not think teams will underestimate him, and this opens the door for Howard down the stretch. Jordan Howard has become a fantasy beast over the past few weeks, whilst not posting up huge numbers, his consistency and use in the passing game bodes well for fantasy owners. This week he has the best matchup of any running back, taking on a 49ers defence that is historically bad right now at stopping running backs. Howard is a must start this week, and has some favourable matchups leading into the fantasy football playoffs.

Drew Brees- What more can be said for the future hall of famer. Brees has been doing everything for the Saints this season, throwing over 400 yards last week, as well as connecting with four receivers for touchdowns, this man is on fire. The Saints completely embarrassed a woeful Rams defence last week. Look for Brees to again post over 30 fantasy points this week. As he is at home you can lock in at least 300 yards and three touchdowns, add into the mix that he is taking on a Lions team that rank as the 5th worst in the NFL against opposing quarterbacks, and all signs point to another monster day for Brees.

Julio Jones- This one may be obvious, but Juilo has been inconsistent at times this season. Last week was an example of team’s game planning for Julio, as Patrick Peterson restricted Jones to only 35 receiving yards. Don’t expect the same this week though, as the Falcons take on a Chiefs team that has been getting exposed in the secondary, they gave up over 350 passing yards against the Broncos last week. Whilst Marcus Peters will shadow Jones for a portion of the game, Peters does not move around with the number one receiver, therefore look for the Falcons to move Jones around the line and exploit some of the other less experienced corner backs on the Chiefs defence. Julio should be in line for a big day in the stat sheets come Monday.

Doug Martin- Is this going to be the week that we see the return of the muscle hamster. I personally think that the Bucs rushed Martin back, yet Martin did look better last week against a strong Seahawks defensive front. This will be the week though that Martin goes over 100 yards rushing and maybe a touchdown. Taking on a Chargers defence that ranks as the 6th worst in the NFL against opposing running backs, the table is set for Martin. I also expect this game to be a bit of an offensive slugfest, as neither defence is really playing shutdown football at the moment, cue Martin and his past efficiency in the redzone.

Duds

Allen Robinson- If you are still banking on Robinson to turn into that high draft pick that you used on him, I am sorry to say but that boat has sailed weeks ago. Robinson is a matchup player at best going forward, and unfortunately he has one of the worst fantasy playoff schedules. Taking on the Broncos and their formidable secondary this week, he then takes on the Vikings and Houston the week after. For the next three weeks I would suggest benching Robinson, as the matchups are extremely difficult and the quarterback play from Bortles is literally holding this offence hostage. Bleak times for Robinson fantasy owners unfortunately.

Jay Ajai- Remember when Ajai was posting back to back 200 rushing yard games, and the league was abuzz about this dominate Dolphins rushing attack. Yeah well that seems an age ago, and Ajai has come back down the earth over the past few weeks. A lot of this does have to do with the offensive line and the bout of injuries that they have unfortunately been hit with. Ajai did not take advantage of a fantastic matchup last week vs the 49ers, although the touchdown did save his day for fantasy owners. This week the Dolphins a travelling to Baltimore to take on a Ravens defence that ranks as one of the best in the NFL at stopping the run. Ajai is going to have a very tough day in this road game, against the Ravens and their aggressive front. Also add into the fact that the Ravens need to win at least 3 more games in order to beat out the Steelers in their division, to progress to the playoffs.

Rob Kelley- What a disappointment Kelley was last week, although I did have him in the bust section of this column last week (just saying). It was glaring evident that the Redskins are not going to use Kelley if they are chasing points, as they brought on their 3rd down running back for the entire fourth quarter, whilst Cousins was throwing all over the Cowboys. Expect much of the same this week, as the Redskins travel to Arizona to take on a Cardinals defence that ranks as the 2nd best against running backs, and the 4th best against opposing quarterbacks. Meaning that it is going to be tough going for any of the offensive skilled players of Washington this week. Kelley is at best a flex play this week, just due to his touchdown upside. But that could be too gracious, as the Skins may be trailing for much of this game, therefore Kelley will be sitting on the sidelines as Cousins again tries to throw over 400 yards to keep them in the game.

Kelvin Benjamin- The passing game of the Panthers is perplexing at best. Whilst he did catch a touchdown last week against the Raiders, Benjamin’s targets have been all over the place. I think a lot of this does have to do with the fact that the Panthers offensive line is ravage with injuries, therefore Newton is not dropping back to pass as much as he would like. Either way you should be very sceptical about starting Benjamin this week, firstly he is struggling with a shoulder injury and has missed practise. Secondly he is taking on the Legion of Boom in Seattle, and whilst the Hawks got dominated by Mike Evans last week, do not expect the same this week. The Seahawks were without Earl Thomas last week, all reports indicate that he should return this week, adding a much needed leader to this secondary. Richard Sherman and this secondary are very prideful players, do not expect them to forget the loss that they suffered last year to this Panthers team (Revenge game).