Wired Up! Week 15

Hot Off the Grill TJ Yates QB, Texans Gets Carolina in week 15 and the Colts in week 16.  I gotta believe the Texans try to get him to throw it as many times as he can to get him playoff ready.  Granted, there is a whole lot of Arian Foster going on, but QBs are dropping like flies too. Jake Locker QB, Titans  The rookie is athletic and has a strong arm that allows him to make big plays.  He threw for 282 yards and a TD, while adding 36 and another TD on the ground.  It’s time for the Titans to see what the rookie can do.  A good add in 2 QB leagues, or keeper leagues. Felix Jones RB, Cowboys If this guy is on waivers, and you get him, he may save your fantasy season.  He gets the Bucs and the Eagles, not necessarily the 86 Bears when it comes to stopping the run.  With DeMarco Murray on IR, it’s Felix and no one else. Kendall Hunter RB, 49ers Frank Gore is ailing, in fact, Hunter got all the 4th quarter carries in week 14.  At some point, I gotta believe Gore gets shut down until the playoffs.  It may be a speculative add, but there is no harm in doing it. Pierre Thomas RB, Saints  His real value only appears when Mark Ingram is out.  With key games against the Falcons and Minnesota still remaining, I can’t imagine the Saints will rely on Chris Ivory too much.  Thomas is too versatile not to mix it up. Ryan Grant RB, Packers Grant rushed for as more TDs in week 14 than him and James Starks had combined for the entire season.  Look for the Packers to attempt to establish a running game heading into the playoffs, but then again, I wouldn’t really trust a Packer running back too much. Golden Tate WR, Seahawks  Tate seems to be the new favorite target in Seattle, but I would have a hard time adding a guy and starting him in the fantasy playoffs that hasn’t done anything, hence the lack of WR’s on here. James Jones WR, Packers  Jennings is out 2-3 weeks, but the show must go on.  Jones has the closest skill set of the remaining WRs to Jennings.  Donald Driver should also wee an uptick in touches and deep leagues could look at Randall Cobb. Anthony Fasano TE, Dolphins  Fasano gets two really nice matchups in weeks 15 and 16 against the Bills and Patriots.  The Bills can’t cover TEs, and the Patriots will be so far ahead the Dolphins may throw it to anyone.  Keep in mind Jimmy Graham owners, he is hurting with back and ankle injuries, just saying. Owen Daniels TE, Texans  Daniels had 100 yards receiving in week 14 and will actually benefit from Matt Schaubbeing out.  He could be another option for Jimmy Graham owners. Titans DST  The Titans finish up with the Colts and the Jags.  Not bad if you are an owner who plays musical defenses. Texans DST  The Texans finish up with the Panthers and the Colts.  Not too shabby of options for a team fighting for the #1 overall seed in the AFC. Captain Obvious Andy Dalton QB, Bengals Marion Barber RB, Bills Michael Crabtree WR, 49es Demaryius Thomas WR, Broncos Kevin Smith RB, Lions Keeper League Add’s (For 2012) Shane Vereen RB, Patriots Ryan Williams RB, Cardinals Taiwan Jones RB, Raiders Brandon Saine RB, Packers Jacquizz Rodgers RB, Falcons Mikel Leshoure RB, Lions Jake Locker QB, Titans Matt Flynn QB, Packers (should be with another team in 2012) Christian Ponder QB, Vikings Kyle Rudolph TE, Vikings

Week 13 NFL Power Rankings

By Anh Vo

1)      Green Bay Packers (12-0)[Last Week: 1] – The Packers’ defense again gave up some big plays which led to big points, but their offense came through in the clutch. The perfect season is now one game closer.

2)      New England Patriots (9-3) [Last Week: 2]  – The Patriots offense showed up as usual and did their thing, but surprisingly the defense gave up a lot of points to the Colts. The Patriots are still experimenting with their backup players on defense, but time is running out as the playoffs are only a couple of weeks away. It’s concerning when Dan Orlovsky was able to burn the defensive backs the way he did.

3)      Baltimore Ravens (9-3) [Last Week: 3] – Just another game for the Ravens. They were successful with the running game as Ray Rice went off on the Browns, but their passing game was unimpressive yet again as Joe Flacco was only 10/23 for 158 yards.

4)      New Orleans Saints (9-3) [Last Week: 4] – Another week, another high scoring game for the Saints as they carved up the Lions’ defense both in the air and on the ground.

5)      Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) [Last Week: 5] – The Steelers’ offense showed up the last game after a disappointing performance two weeks ago against the Chiefs. Balanced offensive attack as their top players all scored this game (Ben Roethlisberger, Rashard Mendenhall, and Mike Wallace). They should put up similar numbers this week against the Browns.

6)      Dallas Cowboys (7-5) [Last Week: 6] – Good defensively against the Cardinals throughout the game…except for the last drive in overtime. Where was the offense in this game against a poor Cardinals defense?! The Cardinals are just playing spoilers at this point and they did just that to a Cowboys team vying for the top spot in the division. The good news is that Miles Austin is ready to suit up in the showdown with the Giants.

7)      Houston Texans (9-3) [Last Week: 7] – The Falcons’ defense was able to slow down the Texans, but the Texans’ defense did a better job of shutting down the Falcons’ offense for the win. Bad news for the Texans as Andre Johnson strained his other hamstring and will miss some time, so now they will have to rely on their running game even more. The Bengals’ stout run defense is a good test this week.

8)      San Francisco 49ers (10-2) [Last Week: 8] – The good news: The 49ers aired it out last week and were successful. The bad news: It was the Rams’ defense. I would like for them to throw more going forward before I’m a real believer in their offense heading into the playoffs.

9)      Atlanta Falcons (7-5) [Last Week: 10] – The Falcons’ defense was impressive against the Texans’ number one ranked run offense, but their offense didn’t do enough to win the game.

10)   New York Giants (6-6) [Last Week: 11] – Which Giants defense will show up this week? After getting blown out by the Saints two weeks ago, they bounced back and pressured Aaron Rodgers and played tight coverage on the Packers’ receivers despite giving up a lot of points. With Ahmad Bradshaw back (albeit not 100%) and their running game restored, will they make a run for the playoffs?

11)   Detroit Lions (7-5) [Last Week: 9] – The Lions are self-destructing right before our eyes. Their players are hurting their team’s chances of winning games by committing stupid penalties. They have also been playing too conservative, as if they don’t believe in their offense anymore, and I blame that on both the offensive coordinator and head coach. Too many screen passes and short slant passes that are easy to pick off and not enough shots downfield. The coaches have also been doing a bad job of getting Calvin Johnson open as he has been shut down for the past few weeks.

12)   Denver Broncos (7-5) [Last Week: 15] – A couple of missed tackles and blown coverage by the secondary allowed the Vikings to score, but the defense as a whole pressured Christian Ponder (without Von Miller) and picked him off twice (one for a score and one that set up the game-winning field goal) at critical times in the game. While Tim Tebow wasn’t able to run against the tough Vikings’ run defense, he displayed great accuracy in his throws and racked up 202 yards on 10/15 passes for two touchdowns. He is improving by the week.

13)   Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) [Last Week: 12] – The Bengals were shut down last week against the Steelers as they only scored seven points with Andy Dalton throwing for 135 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, their defense gave up 35 points both through the air and on the ground. They have another tough matchup this week against the Texans.

14)   New York Jets (7-5) [Last Week: Unranked] – Ever since they lost to the Broncos a few weeks ago, Rex Ryan said that they will be playing hard for the remainder of the season and they have done just that. With their backs against the wall, they have been playing at a much higher level on offense, something they weren’t able to do in the first half of the season.

15)   Oakland Raiders (7-5) [Last Week: 13] – The Raiders have been pretty consistent on offense when it comes to running and throwing the ball. Whether they win or lose depends on how well their defense plays. 

Editor's Note: You can follow Anh (@PrototypeDemo) on Twitter. He loves a good football discussion, or any sports discussion for that matter. So check Anh out on Twitter.