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If you needed a big fantasy performance week 15, the Docs did their best again.   The Playoffs have increased the pressure, but we haven’t backed down.   This week we told you to bench several players who had a good week 14 and we hit the nail on the head.   The Ravens D and Ricky Williams were just a couple of the good start calls.   Join us as we look back at week 15.   The fantasy football season is drawing to a close, so you had better soak it all in.   If you have been eliminated in the fantasy football playoffs … rejoice.   We should have some ridiculously early pre-pre-pre season rankings in the near future.

Nostradamus (a.k.a. psychic)
Start:
Anquan Boldin – This was our last mention for Boldin in the bench / start column because we said that he is the STUD in Arizona. We wanted to emphasize that Boldin was as good if not better than Fitzgerald (who had more fantasy points that Boldin on the season). Boldin didn’t disappoint with 134 yards receiving and a 20 yard TD reception. Boldin is a beast.

David Garrard – Garrard didn’t have a great game passing, but he supplemented his passing game with a fine rushing day. Garrard threw 0 INTS and he had no fumbles. He also had 216 yards passing. What puts Garrard over the top fantasy-wise is his 27 yards rushing and his 13 yard TD run. Hopefully you took full advantage of this solid fantasy performance.

Baltimore Ravens D – The Ravens were the only D we recommended week 15. They didn’t disappoint. The Ravens had 2 fumble recoveries, 3 sacks, 3 interceptions, they returned a fumble for a TD, and they only allowed 3 points. This was a big time game that could have helped several teams win week 15.

Ricky Williams – We stuck our necks out and called for a solid game from Williams. Williams did just that. He had only 14 rushes, but he had 70 yards and 1 reception for 4 yards. Williams also managed to score a 23 yard TD. All things considered, this was a fantasy start that many teams could have used week 15.

Ryan Moats – Moats didn’t have the receptions we thought that he would have, but he had a 59 yard TD run and 78 yards rushing on the day. Moats was huge in a point per reception league. We hope you were able to cash in on this hot rookie playoff pick up.

Jimmy Smith – Smith didn’t break 100 yards, but he did have a fistful of receptions. In a point per reception league, Smith did just enough to warrant a start.

Reuben Droughns – Droughns is just the type of back that many teams would love. He is consistent and he managed to produce even when he doesn’t get his yardage on the ground. Droughns had 53 yards rushing and 31 yards receiving. Add in Droughns 5 receptions and you have a very respectable start. Be sure to keep your eye on Droughns in 2006. He could be a solid fantasy back.

Tony Gonzalez – Gonzalez still hasn’t racked up the TDs that we would like to see, but he still gets enough receptions to be a decent start in point per reception leagues. People who picked up Gonzalez instead of Gates have been kicking themselves all year, but Gonzalez is still probably your best option.

Bench:
Bills Defense – The Bills D had a negative score in many formats. They allowed 28 points and they only had 1 fumble recovery and 1 sack. We hope that you were able to avoid this major let down. This just goes to show you what can happen to a defense when a key player (Like Takeo Spikes) gets hurt.

Michael Vick – Vick was terrible and the cold weather and good Bears D took its toll on him. Vick had 2 interceptions and no TD passes. You were more than happy to leave this QB on the bench.

Koren Robinson – Only 38 yards makes Robinson a solid bench call week 15. After two hot weeks, it was risky to bench Robinson, but we just didn’t think he could do it against the Steelers. He didn’t let us down.

Matt Bryant – The Bucs were shut out. Needless to say, there were no fantasy points scored by the Tampa Bay kickers.

Kevan Barlow – Barlow ended up missing the game due to injury. You can safely place Barlow in the BIG TIME BUST pile of your fantasy football history.

Michael Jenkins – With only 1 catch for 11 yards, Jenkins was a terrible start. He was thrown to, but he just couldn’t pull anything down in that cold weather.

Muhsin Muhammad – Muhammad had been pretty solid in point per reception leagues and he hadn’t been too bad in other leagues either. We told you that the Falcons could shut down an opposing #1 WR. Well, they did it again because Muhammad only had 3 catches for 40 yards and 0 TDs.

Lee Evans – After seeing some success in recent weeks, we told you to bench Evans. He only had 2 catches for 5 yards. Yikes! It doesn’t get much worse than that.

Kevin Jones – Jones ended up not playing. Complete and utter disappointment doesn’t fully express our feelings about Jones’ 2005 season, but it does help get the discussion started.

Troy Brown – Brown was thrown to only 1 time, but he had no fantasy points week 15. He had a great game week 14, but he wasn’t able to follow that up as we expected.

Samkon Gado – Gado might have busted up our bench call had he not been injured. However, we can’t deal in what ifs, so Gado was a good bench call. He might miss the rest of the season, so you might want to grab Fisher.

T. J. Duckett – Even with Warrick Dunn missing some of the game due to injury, Duckett was still a great bench call. He had 8 carries for -2 yards. That is an average of a negative 9 inches per carry. That is so bad that we don’t have the appropriate words to describe it, so we whipped out our thesaurus: Inept, incompetent, inexpert, clumsy, ham-fisted, useless, hopeless, bungling, heavy-handed, awful, dreadful, very bad, appalling, poor, horrible, horrifying, and terrible.


Farmer's Almanac (a.k.a. not so bad/not so good)
Start:
Kurt Warner – Warner was injured, but when he left the game he was a perfect 10 for 10 for 115 yards and a TD pass. We had this one nailed, but the injury bug turned Warner into a so-so call.

Eli Manning – Manning had a TD pass and some decent yardage, but he had a couple of turnovers. Manning was a so-so start. He ended up sitting back and watching the Tiki Barber show. Manning is still young and inconsistent, but he will be good in the future. Dynasty league owners … rejoice!

Olindo Mare – Mare missed a field goal that kept him from being a good start. As is, he was a luke warm start. He had 3 extra points and 1 field goal.

DeShaun Foster – We are very disappointed that Foster didn’t get a TD or more yardage. Steve Smith took over and left Foster with a so-so game. Keep an eye on Foster the next couple of weeks though. As long as he is healthy, he should be a fantasy factor.

Joey Galloway – Galloway didn’t score, but he had some solid receptions and medium to low yardage. Galloway was a so-so start.

Bench:
None this week


Weather Forecast (a.k.a. oops better luck next time)
Start:
Domanick Davis – Davis was announced as inactive for the week 15 games. However, his backup was able to post great numbers. Whenever Davis can’t go, always use Jonathan Wells.

Chris Simms – No TDs and a fumble. Simms was dominated by the Patriots. OUCH!

Eddie Kennison – 21 yards and a fumble is a terrible game. The Giants stuck it to the Chiefs.

Trent Green – Green had no TDs and an INT. He did have 176 yards passing and 21 yards rushing, but he didn’t do enough to be a good start.

Bench:
Willis McGahee – McGahee only had 50 yards, but he had a TD. That is enough to make him a bad call week 15.

Roddy White – White is starting to pick up his play. This past week he caught 6 passes for 75 yards to bust up our bench prediction. The Falcons have lots to look forward to with this young WR.