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Fire and Ice Report |
Week 10
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Your weekly players on Fire...
With nine full weeks cooked, it's time to start sorting through your fantasy squads to find ya playas, and sit ya wanna-bees. Every week it seems you have those one night stands or flavors of the week that can be deceiving, with one week of greatness followed by the greatest disappearing act since the Invisible Man. Check out this week's Fire & Ice breakdown as we help you sort through the fantasy mess and let you know who's "En fuego" and who's stuck in a "Deep Freeze."
MUCHOS EN FUEGO
....some of the hottest fantasy players through week 9...
The Quarterbacks
.....when the dust settled in Week 9, leading this group of strong arms was not a veteran quarterback with 8 years of experience, but a rookie with a mere 8 games of playing time in the NFL. The Falcons rookie QB Matt Ryan turned in another solid Sunday against the Raiders. Ryan completed 17 of 22 passes for 220 yards and threw 2 more touchdowns, raising his season total to 9. Over his last three starts, Ryan has thrown for 798 yards and tossed five touchdowns, making his one of the hottest hands in the league.
Not to be outdone by his fellow rookie in Atlanta, Ravens QB Joe Flacco has also been lighting up the boards these days. In Week 9 against the Browns, Flacco was solid, throwing for 248 yards on 17 of 29 passing. Flacco also added two touchdowns throws in the team's win, giving him 5 touchdowns (4 pass, 1 rush) in his last three games.
 More hot arms in the league these days include Cardinals QB Kurt Warner, who continues to play like he is 27, not 37. In Warner's last two starts he has passed for over 340 yards, and has thrown at least two touchdowns in 7 straight games.
Donovan McNabb has been flying under the radar the past few weeks, but has quietly had some productive fantasy performances. In his last three games he's averaged 294 yards passing, has thrown 4 touchdowns, and added one rushing score.
The Running Backs
.....it comes as no surprise to see Vikings RB Adrian Peterson leading the way for the crazy legs this season. The explosive back rushed for another 139 yards in Week 9 and scored his sixth touchdown of the season. Peterson has rushed for over 100 yards in his last three starts and has 3 touchdowns in his past two games.
Bears rookie RB Matt Forte has been on a roll over the past several Sundays. Last week's 126-yard rushing effort was just another day at the office for the elusive runner. Over the team's past four games, Forte has rushed for 294 yards, caught 12 passes for 81 yards, and scored 4 touchdowns. In standard scoring leagues, he's a solid fantasy option and in PPR leagues he's a weekly must play.
Without question, the Titans' RB Chris Johnson has been one of the more impressive rookies this season. In Johnson's last three games, he has totaled 429 yards of offense and scored in all three contests. For the year, the Titans rookie has 879 yards with 6 total touchdowns to lead this season's rookie class.
More crazy legs running wild this season, in New York, if RB Thomas Jones is not chewing up yards, he is scoring touchdowns. The Jets tailback has suddenly become a scoring machine of late, having crossed the goal line 5 times in his last four starts. He hasn’t seen a lot of action yet, but it should be noted that the Ravens rookie RB Ray Rice has totaled over 100 yards in his last two games, including 154 yards rushing in Week 9.
The Receivers
.....it's no secret in Detroit why they call this kid "Megatron." Even the face of constant double teams, the Lions WR Calvin Johnson can't be stopped. The 6' 5" wideout has scored a touchdown in each of his last four games and is now being heavily targeted as the team's go to receiver. Johnson was the highest targeted receiver in week 9 with 18, so it doesn't appear he'll be cooling off any time soon.
Over in Minnesota, their passing game is getting quite a lift from WR Bernard Berrian. The team's high flyer has been everything they had hoped he would be when they signed the former Bear in the off-season. Berrian leads the team with 621 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns this season. Berrian has scored a touchdown in each of his last four gams and has totaled 19 catches for 426 yards over that stretch.
 Now that he is healthy and back on the field, Arizona's WR Anquan Boldin has picked up where he left off. In Boldin's two games since returning from injury in Week 4, he has caught 15 passes for 148 yards, has 38 rushing yards, and 3 touchdown receptions. This season the Cardinal receiver has scored in his last five straight games and now has 8 touchdowns this year.
More of the good hands people lighting fires this season: In Houston, WR Andre Johnson just keeps torching opposing defenses. Johnson has registered double digit fantasy points in his last five games and leads the NFL with 834 yards receiving and has 60 receptions (2nd in NFL) this season. The Broncos rookie WR Eddie Royal has been a bit of a flickering flame the past couple of weeks, especially in PPR leagues with 16 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown in his last two. Royal will continue to play a big role in the Broncos passing game looking ahead.
Flying near the Sun...
Here are more of this season’s fantasy studs that are close to becoming your weekly must-starts, fantasy difference makers, or simply just players that are heating up and winning games for you.
WR Larry Fitzgerald continues to be a steady play averaging 90 yards receiving and 6 catches per game in his last three starts. Fitz leads the Cards with 742 yards receiving this season. In Washington, TE Chris Cooley has been consistent in his last two plays, averaging 7 receptions and 76 yards, while in Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers continues to be a playmaker, throwing for over 300 yards in Week 9 with a touchdown. He has now thrown 7 touchdowns and only 2 picks in his last four starts and for the season he has 13 touchdowns and 1,980 yards passing.
Over in New England, the Patriots continue to struggle with injuries and rotate runners in the backfield. Rookie RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis warmed up in recent weeks and has now scored in three straight games. Melting the ice on the frozen tundra, RB Ryan Grant has been a steady play as of late, running for over 80 yards in his last four starts while averaging over 25 carries per contest.
Warmin’ in the Oven...
Last week reminded fantasy owners that old dogs can still do tricks and that these players could just be warmin’ up, getting ready to make some noise in the second half of the season. Here are more "players to watch" and this week’s Fire-men!
- Jeff Garcia (TB)....the Buccaneers quarterback was solid this past Sunday in his team's overtime victory, passing for 339 yards and a score.
- Peyton Manning (IND)....the Colts quarterback had a solid day throwing against the Patriots. In Week 9 Manning passed for 254 yards and tossed 2 touchdowns.
- Tim Hightower (ARI)....the Cardinals rookie looks set to be a fantasy impact player with his first 100 yard rushing effort in Week 9.
- Jamaal Charles (KC)....finally given the opportunity to run, the Chiefs rookie running back turned in solid performance with 18 carries for 106 yards rushing in Week 9.
- Ray Rice (BAL)....the Ravens rookie back was inserted as a last minute starter this past Sunday and filled in nicely. Rice carried the ball 21 times and ran for 154 yards on the ground.
- Cedric Benson (CIN).....making his first appearance this season on the warm side, the Bengals running back was solid in Week 9 with 104 yards rushing and a touchdown.
- Greg Camarillo (MIA).....the Dolphins leading receiver caught fire last Sunday against the Broncos, catching 11 passes for 111 yards.
- Mark Clayton (BAL)....the Ravens 4th year receiver was a surprise last week, pulling in 4 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.
- Donald Driver (GB)....the wideout stepped up his play in Week 9, hauling in 7 passes for 136 yards and a score.
- Derek Mason (BAL)....the Ravens veteran wideout continued to be a PPR phenom with 9 catches this past Sunday. Mason finished the afternoon with 136 yards receiving and a touchdown.
These are just some of this season’s players leaning toward the warm side of fantasy. Now let's take a look at those players whose temperature is now in season.
IN A DEEP FREEZE
The Icemen cometh...
With the leaves starting to fall from the trees and a light cool breeze in the air, we are quickly reminded that if our fantasy players are not warmin’ in the oven, they could be chilling in the cooler. No matter how hard we try, week after week, fantasy owners must face the facts, just as the sun will rise and rain will fall, the Icemen will come.
Here are the week 9 players that bring a cold chill....
- Hank Baskett WR....the Eagles wideout has been hot and cold this season, but mostly cold. In his last two games, he has just two catches for 33 yards.
- Bobby Engram WR....the Seahawks receiver continues to struggle along with the offense. Engram has just 7 receptions for 68 yards in his last four starts.
- Ben Watson TE....the Patriots tight end has only 67 yards receiving in his last three games and only 10 catches with zero touchdowns receptions for the year.
- Joey Galloway WR....the veteran has spent most of the season on the sideline. Since his return, he has just 4 catches for 60 yards in his two games back.
- Julius Jones RB....the Seahawks running back has only totaled more than 40 yards of offense once in his last three starts. In Week 9 he ran for 41 yards and had a 4 yard reception.
- Fred Taylor RB....the Jaguars running back has had no more than 10 carries in his last five starts. Over that stretch Taylor has averaged just 25 yards of offense per game.
- Darren McFadden RB....the rookie just can't get healthy. He's missed the team's last two games, and has not rushed for more than 42 yards in a game since Week 2.
M.I.A (Missing in Action)....
These guys disappear easier than closing your eyes. Here's the Week 9 list of Firemen whose flames have lost their flicker!
- Chansi Stuckey NYJ....the Jets early season touchdown maker did not have a catch in Week 9.
- Rudi Johnson DET....the Lions runner gained just 19 yards on the ground and 13 yards receiving last week.
- Reggie Williams JAX....the Jaguars receiver caught just two passes for 12 yards in Week 9.
- Donnie Avery STL.....following his breakout game a week ago, the Rams receiver had just 26 yards receiving in Week 9.
- Patrick Cobbs MIA....after a couple of weeks of spectacular play, the Dolphins runner was silenced with just one catch last week.
- Justin Fargas OAK....the Raiders running game stalled and Fargas gained just 23 yards in Week 9.
- DeSean Jackson PHI.....the Eagles rookie was essentially a fantasy non-factor in Week 9 with just 2 catches for 20 yards.
- Dominic Rhodes IND.....with Addai back, Rhodes’ production dipped with only 22 yards of offense this past Sunday.
- Santana Moss WAS.....the Redskins receiver was a quiet participant Monday night with just 2 receptions for 14 yards
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