FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 16
BENCH/START WRAP-UP
December 26, 2006
Week 16 was a wild one. Ron Dayne scores 2 TDs and LaDainian Tomlinson doesn’t score. This was a tough week to predict, but we gave it our best shot. We did have some great calls, but we also missed a few during the madness of week 16. Even with the season winding down, we are here to take credit for our good calls and own up to our bad ones in our weekly bench / start wrap up.
Nostradamus (a.k.a. psychic)
Start:
Ron Dayne, RB, HOU – Ron Dayne’s offensive explosion came out of no where, but we did think he would make a favorable start against the Colts run D. We didn’t know that the Colts would let him ramble down the field for the as big of a game as he had, but we are sure you appreciated it either way. Dayne rolled up 153 yards rushing, 3 yards receiving, and 2 TDs. Dayne also had another long TD run called back on a penalty. Dayne went off in a major way. We know there is someone out there who won their league thanks to Dayne and we know that they are beaming today. The sad news is that someone lost their league due to Dayne’s performance. However, we are sure that those owners refer to him as “Ron Bleeping Dayne!” Dayne was an awesome start.
Ronald Curry, WR, OAK – Curry had a great game in non-point per reception leagues because he had 106 yards. However, Curry was a fantastic start in point per reception leagues with his 11 receptions. Curry probably could have had an even better day had his offense not turned the ball over so much, but that is the Raiders for you this season. They are clearly focused on wrapping up a high draft pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Marc Bulger, QB, STL – Bulger had been very streaky coming into his week 16 game. In week 15, he had a terrible game, but we told you to stick with Bulger. He delivered his biggest game of the season with 388 yards, 0 INTs, and 4 TDs. This was one of the best games of the season from any QB.
Ladell Betts, RB, WAS – Betts had been on a hot streak and he continued to roll this past weekend. 129 yards rushing, 35 receiving, and 2 TDs made Betts a factor in many leagues. We preached backup running backs all season and Betts paid off for Portis owners. However, we also spotlighted Betts as a must have the moment Portis went down. We have no doubt that a few savvy owners managed to turn Betts into an important piece of their playoff run.
Travis Henry, RB, TEN – Henry had a poor showing in week 15, but we thought he would have a little more umph in his step week 16 thanks to a rematch against his old team. Henry didn’t disappoint with 135 yds rushing. We would have liked to have seen a TD, but it was still a solid performance form Henry.
Marques Colston, WR, NO – Colston hadn’t scored a TD since week 9, but we thought that this super rookie was going to show some of his old sparks. He didn’t disappoint with 37 yards and a great TD catch. Colston was a good start week 16.
Larry Johnson, RB, KC – Larry Johnson wasn’t much of a stretch, but he didn’t break 100 yards of total offense the week before and he hadn’t score a TD in 3 weeks. Well, Johnson racked up 135 yards and a TD to leave his owners with a good taste in their mouths.
Bench:
Drew Bennett, WR, TEN – The Titans played a good game, but Bennett continued to round out his disappointing season with yet another display of how much of a worthless pick he has been all season long. He was thrown to 1 time for 0 receptions and 0 yards.
Travis Taylor, WR, MIN – Travis Taylor had a strong showing in week 15, but we thought he was due for a letdown in week 16. Taylor continued to show why he cannot be trusted under any circumstances with a 9 yard performance. Taylor was a good bench call.
George Wrighster, TE, JAX – The Patriots had allowed 0 TDs to TEs coming into their week 16 game and they continue to allow 0 TDs to TEs. Wrighster had only 28 yards and 0 TDs. He was a great bench call.
Samie Parker, WR, KC – As expected, the Chiefs didn’t produce much in the way of passing yards to WRs on Saturday night. Parker only had 48 yards and 0 TDs.
Farmer's Almanac (a.k.a. not so bad/not so good)
Start:
Brett Favre, QB, GB – Favre had some nice numbers against the Vikings and he did manage to win the game, but his 2 INTs and 0 TDs really took a bite out of his fantasy stats. Favre only ended up being a so-so start.
Joe Jurevicius, WR, CLE – We had hoped that Jurevicius could fill in for you as a flex position, but he only managed enough receptions and yards to be a marginal start. Four receptions is pretty nice, but we need a little more than 58 yards to make him a good start in point per reception leagues.
Bench:
Eddie Kennison, WR, KC – We thought Kennison would be a good bench start and he almost was. He only touched the ball 2 times for 11 yards, but he did manage a TD. Very seldom is a TD performance worthy of nothing less than a start, but this low yardage total made him a so-so start week 16.
David Garrard, QB, JAX – Garrard and his 11 yards rushing and 1 TD helped to make his 195 yards passing look so-so. He was pretty close to a bench call, but Garrard’s final number made him a reasonable start.
Weather Forecast (a.k.a. oops better luck next time)
Start:
Tim Rattay, QB, TB – While we only recommended Rattay as a pinch start, he didn’t even do enough to warrant those kind words. He had a terrible game with only 6.5 fantasy points in a standard scoring league. That just doesn’t cut it for any QB.
Dominic Rhodes, RB, IND – When we released this start call, it looked like Joseph Addai was going to be very limited in his playing time due to an injury. Well, that didn’t happen and Addai played and promptly racked up 100 yards rushing. Rhodes got the short end of the stick and didn’t help himself by fumbling on his first carry (and first offensive play for the Colts) of the game. Geese. At that point, Rhodes was banished to the bench by the Colts to think about his costly mistake and didn't even sniff the ball again until well into the 4th quarter.
Marion Barber, RB, DAL – Barber is another RB in a committee that bit us big time. Despite the fact that Barber was playing a team that had been allowing big games all season long, he managed to have a terrible game. His team had some chances to get him the ball at the goal line, but the team didn’t give him much of a chance. Barber was about as bad as a player can be. This is so strange considering how reliable he had been up to this point. This is just a fine example of how a RBBC can kill your fantasy squad.
Kellen Winslow, TE, CLE – Winslow had a poor outing even for a TE. His 2 receptions for 27 yards is inexcusable (but they don’t hurt as bad as Marion Barber’s performance!)
Alex Smith, QB, SF – Go figure. Smith looks great in the rain against a pretty good Seahawks team and then he struggles against a Cardinals team with nothing to play for. Well, it looks like the Cardinals are trying to play themselves out of a draft pick once again by winning meaningless games. Smith only had 190 yards passing and nothing good to talk about.
Bench:
Jon Kitna, QB, DET – Kitna has a bad game against the Packers the week before and then he has a good game (3 TD good) against the Bears. This makes no sense and it probably just frustrates Kitna owners. Just say this to yourself now, so that you don’t forget next season, “Do not draft Lions!” Hopefully that will help you out.
Cedric Houston, RB, NYJ – 53 yards and a TD busts our bench call for Houston. The Dolphins held him to small yardage numbers, but that TD just breaks our prediction.
