Week 14 Rankings Update

The Falcons passing game is out of synch and it doesn’t make a difference.

Fantasy football is sometimes about the most talented players. Sometimes it’s all about the schedule. When it comes to the Falcons, the schedule matters more.

Last week against the Texans, I was discouraged to see Matt Ryan miss four wide open deep shots early in the game. It was rough to see Julio Jones drop three passes, shy away from a hit over the middle, and run the wrong route leading to an interception. Ryan’s protection didn’t hold up. None of that matters this week.

The Falcons hit the fantasy playoff jackpot, with Carolina, Jacksonville and New Orleans over the next three weeks. The Panthers’ laughable defense just lost a few more starters. The Jaguars’ secondary is a shell of its former self because of injuries. And New Orleans can’t create a pass rush no matter how much they blitz.

Atlanta has issues, but they aren’t nearly as big as the teams they are facing. Sometimes you trust talent, and sometimes you trust that terrible defenses will stay terrible.


Week 14 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: The only risk for Ben Roethlisberger this week is that the Steelers don’t need to pass to win. That held back his numbers last week, and it could be a factor again considering Cleveland’s awful offense and rush defense. … I said it last week, but it’s worth repeating: Carson Palmer’s receivers are a huge problem for him. Unless a few guys surprisingly return to the lineup, I’d be wary of Palmer even in a good matchup. … Tony Romo got terrible protection last week. The Dallas interior line especially could have problems against the Giants. New York will be without Kenny Phillips in their banged-up secondary. One part overlooked in their clock management fiasco: Romo got the ball back at the 35-yard line with 2:54 left with two minutes left. He took a delay of game late. That’s ridiculously bad usage of time.

Kevin Kolb played his best game as a Cardinal against Dallas. I charted only five bad passes out of 25, which is his best ratio in the four games I watched him start this year. Kolb still holds on to the ball too long and takes too many sacks, but that performance provided some hope. … Matthew Stafford is a must start against perhaps the worst secondary in the league. Stafford’s entire playoff schedule sets up well. Stafford looked very sharp on Sunday night against New Orleans – his best game since his finger injury. … Michael Vick worries me against a very good Dolphins defense. This is his lowest ranking of the year, but ultimately he should be in almost all lineups.

Philip Rivers suddenly looked a lot healthier with all his weapons at full strength. His protection won’t hold up most weeks, but it will against the Bills Sunday. … This is arguably Tim Tebow’s toughest matchup yet. The Bears play a disciplined brand of defense that should slow Tebow down. Expect more good, but not great fantasy numbers. … You could do worse than Joe Flacco this week, but the Ravens probably won’t need to throw to win. … Rex Grossman would be my sneaky play of the week. Even without Fred Davis he can put up yards on the Patriots.

The Texans said a lot about T.J. Yates in how they used him. They threw a lot early. They went empty backfield. They let Yates throw downfield the very next play after a pick six was called back from penalty. I was so impressed with Yates’ ability to evade the rush, stay calm in the pocket, and throw on the move. He could have had a bigger day if not for a big Andre Johnson drop. He’s not a fantasy option, but the Texans are better off with Yates than Matt Leinart. … I hit upon the bad parts of Matt Ryan’s game in the intro, but he did hold up against a heavy rush well late in the game. It’s a concern Ryan isn’t really developing, but he should still be used in this matchup.

The Falcons passing game is out of synch and it doesn’t make a difference.

Fantasy football is sometimes about the most talented players. Sometimes it’s all about the schedule. When it comes to the Falcons, the schedule matters more.

Last week against the Texans, I was discouraged to see Matt Ryan miss four wide open deep shots early in the game. It was rough to see Julio Jones drop three passes, shy away from a hit over the middle, and run the wrong route leading to an interception. Ryan’s protection didn’t hold up. None of that matters this week.

The Falcons hit the fantasy playoff jackpot, with Carolina, Jacksonville and New Orleans over the next three weeks. The Panthers’ laughable defense just lost a few more starters. The Jaguars’ secondary is a shell of its former self because of injuries. And New Orleans can’t create a pass rush no matter how much they blitz.

Atlanta has issues, but they aren’t nearly as big as the teams they are facing. Sometimes you trust talent, and sometimes you trust that terrible defenses will stay terrible.


Week 14 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: The only risk for Ben Roethlisberger this week is that the Steelers don’t need to pass to win. That held back his numbers last week, and it could be a factor again considering Cleveland’s awful offense and rush defense. … I said it last week, but it’s worth repeating: Carson Palmer’s receivers are a huge problem for him. Unless a few guys surprisingly return to the lineup, I’d be wary of Palmer even in a good matchup. … Tony Romo got terrible protection last week. The Dallas interior line especially could have problems against the Giants. New York will be without Kenny Phillips in their banged-up secondary. One part overlooked in their clock management fiasco: Romo got the ball back at the 35-yard line with 2:54 left with two minutes left. He took a delay of game late. That’s ridiculously bad usage of time.

Kevin Kolb played his best game as a Cardinal against Dallas. I charted only five bad passes out of 25, which is his best ratio in the four games I watched him start this year. Kolb still holds on to the ball too long and takes too many sacks, but that performance provided some hope. … Matthew Stafford is a must start against perhaps the worst secondary in the league. Stafford’s entire playoff schedule sets up well. Stafford looked very sharp on Sunday night against New Orleans – his best game since his finger injury. … Michael Vick worries me against a very good Dolphins defense. This is his lowest ranking of the year, but ultimately he should be in almost all lineups.

Philip Rivers suddenly looked a lot healthier with all his weapons at full strength. His protection won’t hold up most weeks, but it will against the Bills Sunday. … This is arguably Tim Tebow’s toughest matchup yet. The Bears play a disciplined brand of defense that should slow Tebow down. Expect more good, but not great fantasy numbers. … You could do worse than Joe Flacco this week, but the Ravens probably won’t need to throw to win. … Rex Grossman would be my sneaky play of the week. Even without Fred Davis he can put up yards on the Patriots.

The Texans said a lot about T.J. Yates in how they used him. They threw a lot early. They went empty backfield. They let Yates throw downfield the very next play after a pick six was called back from penalty. I was so impressed with Yates’ ability to evade the rush, stay calm in the pocket, and throw on the move. He could have had a bigger day if not for a big Andre Johnson drop. He’s not a fantasy option, but the Texans are better off with Yates than Matt Leinart. … I hit upon the bad parts of Matt Ryan’s game in the intro, but he did hold up against a heavy rush well late in the game. It’s a concern Ryan isn’t really developing, but he should still be used in this matchup.

Week 14 Running Backs

RB Notes: The Texans may want to dial back Arian Foster’s workloads a bit with the playoffs looming. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ben Tate more involved this week especially because Foster had 31 carries last week. The Bengals rush defense isn’t playing that well lately. … It’s a mystery to me why the Falcons don’t use Jason Snelling more. They try to run stretch plays with Michael Turner and it just doesn’t work. Against Carolina, however, just about everything should work.

Dallas’ offensive line is getting pushed around up front. That’s a big problem for DeMarco Murray, who is getting hit in the backfield too much. Felix Jones looked good when he touched the ball last week and had a chance at a long catch for a score. Jones ran hard and with more explosiveness than he had early in the year. Don’t be shocked if Murray is de-emphasized a bit this week; he’s not the must start he was a few weeks ago. … I usually stick with Beanie Wells in all scenarios, but not this week. Arizona’s line might be the worst in football and it’s the toughest matchup possible.

We’ll add Adrian Peterson when he returns to practice. Until then, assume he’s out. … It’s a slight concern that Kendall Hunter could get more carries for the 49ers now that the team clinched the division. The Cardinals rush defense is much improved. … I’ve been really impressed with Rashard Mendenhall lately. He’s ready to break out. His blocking usually stinks, but Mendenhall is making a lot of defenders miss in tight spaces. … The Bears are a tough matchup, but Willis McGahee has earned the right to start every week.

This figured to be more of a Darren Sproles week even before Mark Ingram’s toe injury popped up. The Saints may not be playing with a big lead this time. … I feel like Roy Helu’s last two games are part of an elaborate setup by Mike Shanahan to screw fantasy owners. I’m falling for it. The matchups are outstanding throughout the fantasy playoffs. Even if Helu doesn’t run a ton on New England, he should catch 4-5 passes. … Reggie Bush is also set up for a great playoff run. The Eagles can’t tackle and he gets the Bills next week.

Michael Bush showed the last couple of weeks he’s far from matchup proof. This matchup worries me because the Raiders will be playing from behind. The good news is that Bush should stay on the field with Darren McFadden and Taiwan Jones still hurt. … The Broncos aren’t that tough of a matchup for Marion Barber. They gave up a huge game to Ryan Mathews two weeks ago, and Toby Gerhart went for over 130 yards from scrimmage on them last week.

Week 14 Wide Receivers

WR Notes: Dez Bryant frustrates even in his good games. He dropped two passes last week and seemed to run a wrong route another time. You still have to play him despite Miles Austin’s return. … You don’t have to play Laurent Robinson. He’s more of a WR3 now, although the Cowboys should still keep him on the field plenty assuming he’s healthy. I’d play Austin. Don’t think too hard about it. The matchup is right. … Kevin Kolb tried to hit Larry Fitzgerald deep only once last week. Fitz couldn’t make a tough catch. Here’s to hoping Kolb is more aggressive this week.

Steve Smith’s slowdown has reached the point where it’s become a topic in Carolina. That’s a good sign; Cam Newton will probably try to force it to him this week. … A.J. Green keeps beating tough matchups. Even against Houston, he should be in almost all lineups. … Patrick Peterson will get assigned Michael Crabtree this week. Peterson is making strides as a cornerback, but that’s a matchup Crabtree should be able to win enough. … We ranked Brandon Lloyd so low last week because we doubted the Rams could score a touchdown. That doubt remains. … I worry about Jeremy Maclin making it through four quarters.

Roddy White still has it. He beat Johnathan Joseph a number of times last week. White had a key drop and Matt Ryan missed him deep twice, but the potential was there for a big day. … Darrelle Revis + Tyler Palko = major problems for Dwayne Bowe. … Santonio Holmes has been a matchup play lately and the matchup isn’t great. … Santana Moss is a sneaky play this week, but don’t expect big plays. The Redskins are using him as a possession receiver. He’s lost a lot of speed.

Malcom Floyd is a great WR3 this week. He never stays healthy for long, but he eats up smaller cornerbacks when he is right. … I like Anquan Boldin against Indy’s small secondary. … Golden Tate is a fine reserve at this stage, but he’s too hit or miss to use even against the Rams. The Seahawks won’t need to throw much. Tate is more of a gadget player than a true every down receiver.

Week 14 Tight Ends

TE Notes: Owen Daniels should be T.J. Yates’ primary receiver a lot Sunday and the matchup is right against the Bengals’ safeties. … Dallas Clark is practicing again. With Dan Orlovsky helping the Colts passing attack, Clark could be a decent option next week against the Titans. It’s hard to get excited about him against the Ravens. Wesseling pointed out in Waiver Wired that Baltimore has been death to tight ends. … Antonio Gates looks a little better every week. A big game could be coming.

Tony Gonzalez still has one of the best sets of hands in football. It was impressive and surprising to see Gonzo make a few defenders miss with his change of direction skills last week. Gonzalez has the speed of a 15-year veteran, but he still runs incredible routes. We were wrong about his decline heading into this year. He could easily top 1,000 yards. … Minnesota’s secondary is such a joke that it’s easy to see the Lions putting up 40 points this week. Brandon Pettigrew is a better play than usual. … I’d give Anthony Fasano a slight edge over Ed Dickson as a waiver pickup.


Week 14 Team Defense

Week 14 Kickers