Dwayne Bowe Explodes In Fantasy NFL's Top Week 12 Performers
Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs and Peyton Hillis of the Cleveland Browns lead the top performances of Week 12 for the NFL season.
Each week we see fantastic fantasy performances. This week was no different, except we saw some of the most explosive performances of the season.
Oddly, quarterbacks Tom Brady and Kyle Orton produce top numbers all within one half of play. In Orton’s case, one quarter of play.
These AFC standouts are four of the elite players at their respective positions but which other players stood out in Week 12?
Ben Obomanu, Seattle Seahawks WR
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Obomanu was the biggest beneficiary of Mike Williams’ missing time due to a sprained foot. Against a quality Kansas City Chiefs secondary, Obomanu caught five passes for 159 yards and a touchdown.
It is difficult to believe Obomanu helped any fantasy owners this week, but he may be a waiver pick up to keep an eye on as more reports come out regarding Williams’ timetable for return.
Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs RB
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Uh oh. This is eerily familiar to last year.
Late last season, Charles took the Chiefs on his back and became a fantasy beast late in the season. Charles is starting to pick up the pace at a scorching rate.
Charles gashed the Seahawks for 173 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
It is important to note that Charles received two more carries than teammate Thomas Jones.
With Jones powering through defenders, Charles should continue to pick up yards in bunches and continue to explode.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers QB
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Rodgers was my No. 1 rated fantasy QB heading into the 2010 season. Rodgers has been great, but not the No. 1 scoring option I predicted.
Still, Rodgers had a fantastic game against the NFC’s No. 1 team in the Atlanta Falcons. Despite a fumble, he rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown. He also threw for one touchdown and 344 yards.
With the lack of a consistent rushing attack, Rodgers will continue to put the team on his shoulders and remain the focal point of the offense.
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Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos QB
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In Josh McDaniels’ offense, Kyle Orton continues to produce elite fantasy quarterback numbers. With the mediocre running game, Orton is forced to throw in abundance.
Playing catch up, Orton was forced to throw in the fourth quarter and lit up the St. Louis Rams defense.
He threw all three of his touchdown passes in the final quarter. Orton didn’t record a single turnover on his way to throwing for 347 yards.
Orton has been one of the elite fantasy quarterbacks this season and shows no signs of slowing down.
Deion Branch, New England Patriots WR
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Branch has seen resurgence in his career since coming back to New England from Seattle.
Branch impressed everyone in his debut but he finally exploded against the suspect Detroit secondary on Thanksgiving.
Branch only caught three passes, but Tom Brady missed him on a deep ball that would’ve gone for six.
Still, Branch’s three receptions went for 113 yards and two touchdowns. On his long 79-yard touchdown, Branch toyed with cornerback Alphonso Smith weaving to and from the sideline on his way into the end zone.
Branch should continue to be an integral part of the offense going forward as Brady has been as determined as ever.
Maurice Morris, Detroit Lions RB
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Those who picked up Morris or used their waiver priority on the spot start running back were greatly rewarded on Thanksgiving Day.
Against the suspect New England Patriots defense, Morris performed admirably in place of the injured Jahvid Best.
On just nine carries, Morris ran for 55 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 20 yards.
Toby Gerhart, Minnesota Vikings RB
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Adrian Peterson was having himself a game against the Washington Redskins. Unfortunately, Peterson injured his ankle forcing rookie Toby Gerhart into emergency relief duty in Leslie Frazier’s debut as Vikings interim head coach.
Gerhart proceeded to carry the rock 22 times for 76 yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for five yards. Keep an eye on the Peterson injury as Gerhart would be the No. 1 waiver pick up this week if Peterson is forced to miss time.
Mario Manningham, New York Giants WR
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With Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith nursing injuries, Mario Manningham steps into the No. 1 role for the New York Giants. Manningham did not disappoint in the slightest.
He caught three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. He also had a touchdown called back due to a holding penalty on Kevin Boss.
Manningham is a must start with Nicks and Smith out as he will dominate the targets due to the chemistry he has with Eli Manning.
Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs QB
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Things have finally clicked for Matt Cassel in recent weeks under Todd Haley and Charlie Weis.
Cassel had his way with the Seattle defense to defend his AFC West castle from the pillaging San Diego Chargers.
Cassel completed 22-of-32 passes for 233 yards and four touchdowns. Seems like things are pretty easy when Dwayne Bowe is playing out of his mind.
This was Cassel’s second four touchdown performance in the past three weeks. He has thrown a touchdown pass in seven straight games and eight of the past nine.
This was Cassel’s fourth game with at least three touchdown passes this season.
Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams QB
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Rookie Sam Bradford has been fantastic this season. He has the St. Louis Rams in position to win the NFC West division.
Bradford led his Rams to a big road victory over the Denver Broncos Week 12.
Bradford has managed to get the job done without a single great receiver on his roster.
Bradford completed 22-of-37 passes (59.5 completion percentage) for 308 yards and three touchdowns.
Bradford threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns for the first time in his young career.
Arian Foster, Houston Texans RB
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Arguably the No. 1 fantasy option in the game, Foster continues to excel in the featured back role for the Texans.
Foster was an integral part of the Texans shutout victory over division rival Tennessee Titans.
Foster ran 30 times for 143 yards and caught nine passes for 75 yards. With that type of production, it’s easy to forgive him for not scoring a measly touchdown.
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears QB
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Jay Cutler finally put together a fantastic game since the opening weeks of the season.
Surprisingly, he did so against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that just forced five turnovers against the Giants last week on Sunday Night football.
Cutler only missed on seven passes, completing 14-of-21 attempts. He threw for 247 yards and a whopping four touchdowns while refusing to turn the ball over despite being sacked four times.
He hooked up with fellow Vanderbilt alum Earl Bennett for two scores. This was Cutler’s first time throwing four touchdowns this season.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots QB
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Three days rest on the road? No problem.
Tom Terrific was just that. Despite a slow first half on the grand holiday, Brady came out ready to carve up the Lions a Thanksgiving Day massacre.
Brady picked apart the Lions secondary with precision passing after being somewhat disrupted by the Lions defensive line in the first half of the game.
Brady completed 21-of-27 passes for 341 yards and four touchdown passes. Brady almost ran another touchdown in similar to the score against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I guess we shouldn’t be greedy though, his incredible play over the past three games has fantasy owners smiling from ear to ear.
Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns RB
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Peyton Hillis is a fantasy monster.
Matchup proof due to this ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, Hillis reminds many of the older brother playing in the schoolyard against his little brother’s friends.
Hillis is simply bullying defenders on his way to positive yardage.
Against Carolina, he crossed the stripe three times on the ground. He carried the rock 26 times for 131 yards in addition to those three scores. He led the Browns with six receptions for 63 yards.
It doesn’t matter who is playing quarterback for the Browns, Hillis is the focal point and continues to produce elite numbers.
Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs WR
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Dwayne Bowe has been unstoppable in recent weeks. Against the mediocre Seattle defense, Bowe shredded them to the tune of 13 receptions for 170 yards and three scores.
Wow.
This is Bowe’s first three-touchdown game of the season but third consecutive week with at least two touchdowns.
He has a score in the past seven games and a touchdown reception in eight of the past nine. In two of the past three games, Bowe caught 13 receptions for at least 170 yards.
This was his third consecutive game crossing the century mark in receiving yards.
Bowe has finally leaped into the upper echelon of fantasy wide receivers.
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