The leaves have almost all fallen from the trees. The snow has begun to come down and stick to the field in cities like Pittsburgh. You can see all the players’ breath as they exhale in the cold temperatures. When you add all this up, it is easy to tell that it is crunch time in the NFL as well as fantasy football players all over the country. A quarterback that may have looked like an excellent play during September in Miami may not look so hot anymore during a snowstorm in Green Bay. With the playoffs only 2-3 weeks away for most leagues, one loss from here on out could be the difference between a shot at your league title or becoming the object of your league's wisecracks. With all of that in mind, let’s get to the Week 11 Edition of “O.T’s”…
STUDS
1. Larquan Fitzboldin – If you are reading that name and wondering who this is, you clearly didn’t watch Sunday’s game between the Cardinals and Seahawks. That name in the preceding is the two headed monster that plays wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals (formerly once known as Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin). At some point earlier this season, these two officially merged together to form the league’s deadliest down-field option. With arguably the league’s MVP at quarterback, Fitzboldin cannot be stopped and once again dominated on Sunday with a total of 23 catches for 337 yards. Despite the success, the defending Super Bowl Champs roll into town next week undoubtedly looking to knock down these high flying Cardinals.
2. Brandon Jacobs – Before Sunday, all the talk about defense in the NFL was about how well the Baltimore Ravens could stop the run and how no one seemed to be having any success running against them. That was of course before they came to N.Y. and got TORCHED by the Giants! While the trio of “Earth, Wind, and Fire” all contributed positively, it was the bruiser Brandon Jacobs that led the smash mouth rout in the Meadowlands. Jacobs ran the ball 11 times for 73 times and scored 2 touchdowns (only the 2nd and 3rd touchdowns against Baltimore all year!), truly looking like a man amongst boys as he bounced off every tackler that got in his way.
3. Matt Cassell – Whenever anyone brings up the New England Patriots this season, the first thing that typically comes out of football fans' mouths (at least outside of Boston) is “they have no shot without Tom Brady at quarterback” or “Matt Cassell hasn’t started a football game since high school.” On Thursday night, however, Cassell looked like a player that could suit up for MANY teams in this league. Despite an overtime loss to the Jets, Cassell threw for a whopping 400 yards and 3 touchdowns and also ran for 62 yards on the ground. While a majority of the naysayers in the fantasy football world may have given up on Cassell already, those that were smart enough to start him at QB this week most likely got one in the win column this week.
4. Justin Gage – If I asked a room full of casual football fans to name the Titans number one wide receiver, I would bet many could not answer. Hoever, that distinct honor goes to Mr. Justin Gage, a former Missouri Tiger and Chicago Bear who has really clicked with Kerry Collins this year when healthy. On Sunday, this was again the case as Gage hauled in 4 catches for 142 yards and 2 scores to keep the Titans undefeated run going at 10-0. Owned in less than 40% of leagues in some cases, I would definitely recommend a pickup for those starving for wide receiver help.
5. Marion Barber – While the return of Tony Romo was critical to the psyche of a struggling Dallas Cowboy team, the real reason for Dallas’ big win on Sunday night was Marion “the Barbarian” Barber. This past weekend, Barber gained 114 yards and scored a touchdown to put “America’s Team” back in the playoff conversation. If Romo is able to once again achieve success and opponents stop stacking the box with 8 men, Barber owners should expect to see their ROI increase week by week going forward.
DUDS
1. Trent Edwards – I am writing this article as I watch the first quarter on MNF. So far, Edwards has thrown 3 interceptions and only 25 yards. With confidence possibly beginning to sink fast, Trent is a definitely causing Bills fans to increase their intake of antacids while watching games this season. While Edwards and the Bills have some juicy matchups going forward (including this game vs. the Browns), owners of Edwards MUST proceed with caution in starting him unless it is a 2 Quarterback format.
2. Donovan McNabb – For the sake of the Eagles, hopefully D Mac can forget about Sunday’s awful performance as quickly as he can forget the rules of the NFL. SERIOUSLY, HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THE GAME ENDS AFTER OVERTIME?!?! As we move forward, I may never know what he was thinking when he said that, but I do know that 28 for 58 with 3 interceptions is flat out awful (50.9 passer rating).
3. Matt Hasselbeck – Retirement can’t seem to come quick enough for Mike Holmgren after this season. After getting his starting quarterback back in the lineup this week and his team playing well last week in a tough defeat to Miami, one would think the Hawks would show up this week at home vs. Arizona. If you were that particular “one,” you were not correct. While a 26-20 loss may not look too bad on paper, the score does not do justice for the poor play from Matt Hasselbeck. On the day, the Hawks QB threw for only 170 yards and 3 interceptions vs. a less than stellar Arizona secondary. With poor receivers and the talented Redskin defense coming into Qwest next week, there are much better options than the quarterback from the Emerald City.
4. Vincent Jackson – In fairness, I am well aware it was snowing and very cold on Sunday in Heinz Field. However, fantasy football is not always fair, and neither is 2 catches for 25 yards from Vincent Jackson. Emerging this year as a solid #2 receiver in fantasy football, Jackson was definitely a disappointment for owners on Sunday. Playing his collegiate ball at Northern Colorado, Jackson should be used to weather like Sunday in Pittsburgh and owners definitely have begun to expect more..
TILL NEXT SUNDAY…
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