Coach Mike Munchak downplayed Chris Johnson's 13-yard washout against the Falcons last week, placing the blame squarely on the offensive line. According to Profootballtalk, Munchak reiterated that sentiment in a pre-game meeting Sunday, calling out several linemen in front of the team. It must have been the kick in the pants sorely needed by the Titans' ground attack. Johnson responded with the third-best rushing performance of his caeer and the most yards he's gained in over three years.
Showing more decisiveness, a stronger burst, and renewed quickness on his jump-cut move, Johnson broke off four second-half runs of 20+ yards, including a season-long 34-yard scamper. Johnson certainly appears to have turned a corner, though it's fair to wonder if he would have taken two or three of those 20-yard runs to the house two years ago. He's now cleared 170 scrimmage yards in two of the past three games (and 100 yards in three of the past four), with the caveat that the Panthers and Bucs are two of the five worst run defenses in the NFL.
The saving grace for fantasy owners who spent the first half of the season scrambling to survive one Johnson flop after another is a schedule that only gets easier through the fantasy playoffs. With a per-carry average now threatening to jump over the 4.0 mark, Johnson draws the Bills (4.5 YPC allowed), Saints (5.2 YPC), and Colts (4.2 YPC, 31st in run defense) in Weeks 13-15. Fantasy playoff championship week features a matchup against a Jaguars defense that has lost four key starters in the past two weeks. From the better late than never department, that first-round draft pick could pay off handsomely after all.
Game Balls Tom Brady / Wes Welker - Entering Week 12, more than half (53.1 percent) of the passing yards allowed by the Eagles had come after the catch. No team in the league misses more tackles after the catch. It was an ideal matchup for a quarterback who leads the NFL in completion percentage, passing yards, touchdown passes, and yards per attempts on passes thrown within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Welker and Deion Branch contributed tackle-breaking gains of 41 and 63 yards respectively while Brady joined Brett Favre as the only QBs in history with eight games of 350+ yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. After a mid-season mini-slump, Brady has completed 65-of-100 passes for 926 yards, an 8:0 TD-to-INT ratio, and 121.5 rating the past three games against elite corners Darrelle Revis, Brandon Flowers, and Asante Samuel. Brady’s 119 regular-season wins are now tied with Johnny Unitas while his 133 total victories have matched Joe Montana. His Patriots are going to win or share the best reocord in the AFC East for the 11th consecutive season. Explained one Eagles player of the performance, “I just feel like we got outcoached [Sunday] – by Tom Brady. That [expletive]’s good, and he just sat back and picked us apart. It seemed like they had more receivers than we had defenders.” Beanie Wells - In a week where bad fantasy teams routinely knocked off first-place outfits, Wells was the poster boy. Becoming the second back in six weeks to eclipse 225 yards against the Rams' vulnerable run defense, Beanie bettered his single-game career-high by 90 yards (and breaking LeShon Johnson's franchise record of 214 yards). While it's fair to chalk up the performance as a bit of an outlier for a player with just two career games of 100+ yards entering Week 12, the Cardinals' beat writers noted last week that Wells' knee was finally rounding into pre-injury form. Depite the injury that robbed him of explosiveness for a month, Beanie is 10th in fantasy points with only LeSean McCoy and Adrian Peterson topping his eight rushing touchdowns. Five years after Ken Whisenhunt took over in Arizona, the former ground 'n' pound Steelers play-caller finally has a strong running game.
Matt Ryan /
Roddy White - Credit Ryan for turning his and the Falcons’ season around. After a shaky start, he’s had four games with 100+ ratings in his last six, leading to five wins. Ryan's 79.4 completion rate against the Vikes was the second-best of his career and the
best ever by a
Falcons QB with at least 30 pass attempts. In fact, his 23rd career game with an 80+ Total QBR is
second only to
Aaron Rodgers' total since entering the league in 2008. Through 12 weeks, Ryan is up to No. 7 in QB fantasy points (though
Eli Manning will likely pass him after Monday night’s game). After a similarly slow start, White is up to 11th in wide receiver fantasy points, buoyed by back-to-back games over 120 yards. White tied Andre Rison's team record for most games with at least 10 receptions (7) while moving past Alfred Jenkins for third on the franchise TD list (41).
Percy Harvin - The box score shows that Harvin totaled 210 all-purpose yards at Atlanta, but it still obscures his dominance. This could have easily been a three-touchdown game for the one-man gang in purple. Harvin showed impressive "my ball" mentality with a tough catch in traffic at the 1-yard line, leading to a Toby Gerhart plunge. Two series later, Harvin burned LB Curtis Lofton for a 39-yard bomb in the back of the end zone to bring the Vikings to within a field goal. After the Falcons scored again, Harvin responded with the longest nonscoring kick return (104 yards) in NFL history, stopped just shy of pay dirt by Chris Owens.
Roy Helu - Early in the week coach Mike Shanahan declared that the rookie was not ready for the starting job. Five days later, Helu replaced
Ryan Torain in the starting lineup, racking up 30 touches as the every-down back in an upset victory at Seattle. This time around, the performance was enough to convince Shanahan that Helu is ready to take over as the full-time back. “He was ready to play a full game, and protection against a good defensive team," said Shanahan. "He should get the chance to
get the load put on him. ... He got his opportunity and he ran extremely hard.” Fantasy owners burned by Shanahan in the past can't be blamed for being twice shy, but Helu has a shot at RB2 value the rest of the way with
Rex Grossman playing as well as he has in six years.
Tim Tebow - Tebow is not only the first QB since 1950 with 20+ rushing attempts in a game, he's also the first since 1960 (and perhaps ever) with 18+ pass and rush attempts in a single game. Complementing an improving defense allowing just 15 points per over the past four games, Tebow has hit on a recipe for success: Don’t turn the ball over, control time of possession, hit on a few big pass plays, and keep the game close until Tebow Time late in the fourth quarter. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Tebow’s 17.1 QBR from quarters one thru three this season ranks last in the league. On the flip side, his 81.4 QBR in the fourth quarter is fifth-best among starting QBs. It's also worth noting that Tebow actually showed improvement on downfield passes, hitting 5-of-10 throws of more than 10 yards compared to his NFL-low season average of 26 percent on such throws. A Leg UpWith top playmakers Darren McFadden, Denarius Moore, and Jacoby Ford out of the lineup, the Raiders won a big game with playoff repercussions behind Sebastian Janikowski’s franchise-record and career-high six field goals. Those opportunities were provided by an offense that converted just 3-of-15 third downs. Sea Bass drilled field goals of 40, 47, 42, 19, 37 and 44 yards to break the team record he shared with Jeff Jaeger. Not to be outdone, Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler rendered Devin Hester a non-factor with team-record 80-yard punt while landing three of five kicks inside the 20-yard line."Our two kickers are fantastic," coach Hue Jackson said. "There's not another punter or kicker in the National Football League I would ever want to have on the football team. I said to the team when this was over, those were the two men who were here the last time this team was 7-4. Those guys have a lot to do with it. They did a tremendous job."Committee TimeChargers - Ryan Mathews (23 touches, 142 yards) / Mike Tolbert (14 touches, 63 yards)Mathews’ 137 rushing yards are a career-high, and his three career 100-yard games have all come against the Broncos. The knee injury that kept him out of practice two days isn't a significant concern, as he regained feature-back duties with Tolbert playing primarily on passing downs.Browns - Peyton Hillis (21 touches, 61 yards) / Chris Ogbonnaya (4 touches, 20 yards)Montario Hardesty didn’t play after aggravating his calf injury in warmups. As a result, Hillis saw a bigger workload than expected -- and looked better than the boxscore would suggest. Hardesty hinted Sunday night that he should be good to go for Week 13. If Hillis isn’t a part of the Browns’ future plans, the team will keep Hardesty involved down the stretch. Expect closer to low-end RB2/flex production from Hillis the rest of the way.Jets - Shonn Greene (16 touches, 90 yards) / Joe McKnight (7 touches, 40 yards)McKnight’s strong Week 11 effort didn’t earn him more than LaDainian Tomlinson’s third-down role against the Bills. Greene was clear choice on early downs, averaging 6.0 yards per carry against a defense that lost NT Marcel Dareus early in the game. Greene is the one back with fantasy value here, and he’s just a low-end RB2 going forward.Panthers - DeAngelo Williams (15 carries, 69 yards, 2 TDs) / Jonathan Stewart (13 touches, 82 yards)For the second straight game, both backs played very well. Williams was actually giving Stewart a breather when he broke off a 25-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The Panthers went back to Williams from two yards out in the fourth quarter even though Stewart had been the primary red-zone back of late. Williams’ 15 carries are a season-high, and it’s his first two-touchdown game since Week 9 of 2009. Expect both backs to continue to see roughly a dozen touches per game.Colts - Donald Brown (15 touches, 97 yards) / Joseph Addai (7 rushes, 23 yards)Addai started the game, but Brown dominated the workload over the final three quarters. Playing as well as he has since entering the league, Brown is simply Indy’s best back right now. The Colts owe it to themselves over the final month to find out if the former first-rounder can be a part of their future. Delone Carter didn’t even see the field. Patriots - BenJarvus Green-Ellis (14 carries, 44 yards, 2 TDs) / Danny Woodhead (4 carries, 20 yards) / Shane Vereen (7 carries, 18 yards) / Stevan Ridley (4 carries, 4 yards)Green-Ellis found the end zone for the first time since burning the Jets for a pair of scores back in Week 5. He appears to be the clear lead-dog for the final stretch of games against a soft schedule. The Patriots should be playing from ahead with plenty of chances for short touchdowns. Vereen and Ridley are the garbage-time backs while Woodhead plays ahead of Kevin Faulk on passing downs. Chiefs - Thomas Jones (14 touches, 44 yards) / Dexter McCluster (11 touches, 39 yards) / Jackie Battle (9 carries, 20 yards)This backfield is a hot mess. Battle hasn’t topped 10 rushing attempts in nearly a month, as Jones is now splitting early-down carries almost evenly. The Chiefs keep trying to get McCluster out in space, but he’s simply too easy to tackle. In a low-upside three-man rotation, none of the backs is particularly enticing in 12-team leagues. Injury WardMatt Leinart, Texans - CollarboneKevin Smith, Lions - AnkleJames Starks, Packers - Ankle, KneeMontario Hardesty, Browns - CalfSidney Rice, Seahawks - ConcussionMike Williams, Seahawks - ShoulderEddie Royal, Broncos - Lower legGreg Olsen, Panthers - AnkleTroy Polamalu, Steelers - ConcussionCheck out Matt Stroup’s “Andre - Leinart = Problem” for in-depth analysis of Sunday’s M*A*S*H unit fallout.Awards SectionStat of the Week: Howie and Chris Long are now the second father-son combo to each have 10+ sacks in a season, joining Clay Matthews and Clay Matthews Jr. Runner-Up: Rookie Patrick Peterson has tied the single-season record shared by Jack Christiansen (1951), Rick Upchurch (1976), and Devin Hester (2007) with four punt-return TDs. Peterson is the only player in history to take four punts of at least 80 yards to the house in a single season. Random trivia: Upchurch dated and was briefly engaged to ex-Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in the 1970s. Quote of the Week: From retired nose tackle Kris Jenkins in an interview with the New York Times: “The thing about football is you’re directly playing with your life, the quality of it and the longevity of it. The stakes are up there. You ever been in a car crash? Done bumper cars? You know when that hit catches you off guard and jolts you, and you’re like, what the hell? Football is like that. But 10 times worse. It’s hell.” Runner-Up: Bengals coach Marvin Lewis on No. 4 overall pick A.J. Green: "He's the best first-round draft pick I've ever been around. He continues to amaze me, every day."Tweet of the Week: From ESPN NFC West blogger Mike Sando: “I believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Bigfoot, the Tooth Fairy and Ndamukong Suh's postgame explanation.”Runner-Up: From the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero: “Stevie Johnson is on Revis Island but he brought supplies, lumber for a house, and a generator.”Fantasy MVP of Week 12: Tom Brady, PatriotsFantasy Breakout Player of Week 12: Chris Johnson, TitansFantasy Rookie of Week 12: Roy Helu, RedskinsFantasy Disappointment of Week 12: Julio Jones, FalconsFantasy Fraud of Week 12: DeSean Jackson, EaglesFantasy Fluke of Week 12: Reggie Wayne, Colts Fine Fifteen Fantasy Offenses1. Patriots2. Packers3. Cowboys4. Saints5. Falcons 6. Eagles7. Chargers8. Steelers9. Lions10. Giants11. Raiders12. Panthers13. Ravens 14. Bengals15. JetsEarly Waiver LookQB: Rex Grossman, Kevin Kolb, T.J. Yates, Luke McCown, Sage Rosenfels?RB: Roy Helu, Donald Brown, Maurice Morris, Marcel Reece, Shane VereenWR: Johnny Knox, Greg Little, Doug Baldwin, Jason Avant, Brad Smith, Emmanuel Sanders, Jordan Norwood, Brandon LaFell TE: Jermaine Gresham, Scott Chandler, Marcedes LewisFollow Chris Wesseling on Twitter.
Chris Wesseling is a senior football editor and Dynasty league analyst for Rotoworld.com. The 2011 NFL season marks his fifth year with
Rotoworld and his third year contributing to
NBCSports.com. He can be found on Twitter
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