Fantasy Football Spin on the Best and Worst Performers of Week 13

Each week at FFSpin.com we take a look at the break out and break down performances and give you the Fantasy Football Spin on what to expect from those players in the short and long term. Here are the best and worst performers from Week 13 with special emphasis on what to expect through the fantasy football playoffs.

The GOOD...

Marshawn Lynch—There has not been a lot of beast mode action since the ugliest man in the NFL landed in Seattle.  On Sunday, things changed.  Lynch still could not manage to average four yards per carry, but he found the end zone three times. 

• Final Spin: The Seahawks may need to lean heavily on the run in the coming weeks.  Mike Williams is out for at least one game, probably more, and Ben Obomanu may miss Week 14 with a hand laceration.  Lynch faces two top-ten run defenses in the next couple of weeks, so he is no more than an RB#3.  In Week 16, he faces a poor Tampa defense.  If he continues to see 20+ carries a game, you may be able to get something out of him that week.  Long term, it is hard to believe that Seattle, or any other team, is going to rely on Lynch as their starter in 2011. 

Sidney Rice—There’s that talent that made owners hold onto Rice through the majority of the season as he recovered from hip surgery.  Rice racked up 105 yards and two TDs on five receptions.  There were two contributing factors in his Week 13 reemergence that likely will not hold true in Week 14; he had no Percy Harvin to contend with, and Tavaris Jackson was under center.

We don’t know if the return of Harvin and Favre will reel in Rice’s production, but you have to consider him a starter until we find out.  He faces tough defenses, however, in the Giants, Eagles and Bears over the last three weeks of most fantasy football seasons. 

• Final Spin:  Week 14 will tell the story.  Is he back?  Can he produce against tough defenses when he is not the only viable target at WR?  With Favre at QB?  Rice may be a real shot in the arm through the playoffs for owners that stuck it out with him.  He has more value as a dynasty player though.  But even that has caveats based on who will be chucking him the ball next year.  What we saw from Tavaris Jackson showed us that he can get the ball to Rice just fine, when it’s not caught by the other team that is.

Jonathan Stewart—Say goodbye to the days of big workloads for Mike Goodson.  Stewart reclaimed his status as the starting halfback with an excellent first half performance.  The lack of carries in the second half of the game is a bit puzzling; maybe he was fatigued after time off with the concussion.  Stewart should be the lead back for the rest of the way, but Goodson will factor in and take some carries away.

• Final Spin:  The Panthers have a somewhat tough matchup against the Falcons in Week 14.  Week 15 could be a great time to insert Stewart into your starting lineup.  He faces the 30th-ranked run defense of the Cardinals.  Week 16, however, he faces the Steelers' top-ranked rush defense, not a good week to rely on any back.  The Panthers will have some decisions in the offseason that will have lasting dynasty ramifications.  DeAngelo Williams is a free agent and will be looking for a big payday.  A new regime may be willing to roll with the combo of Stewart and Goodson and let Williams walk. 

Chris Ivory—Ivory was sensational in Week 13 (15/117/2) and he may be making an argument for more playing time not just this season but in the future.  Click here to see our full SPIN on the anticipated return of Pierre Thomas and what it should mean in fantasy football terms.

Ivory owners should not panic just yet regarding the return of Thomas.  He is unlikely to see a heavy workload right away.  Ivory owners should get at least one more week of low-end RB#2 production from him.

• Final Spin—Ivory is not much of a pass catcher, but with Reggie Bush back in the lineup he doesn’t need to be.  He has seemingly earned at least long term goal line duties and may have made Pierre Thomas expendable.  Week 14 and perhaps Week 15 should still see Ivory as a productive fantasy RB.  If Thomas tries to get paid in the offseason, you may have a keeper in Ivory, considering the Saints have the leverage.

Brent Celek—The Eagles TE entered the season as a stud prospect, an almost surefire top eight player at his position.  He has not panned out for owners that invested a pick in him on draft day.

An interesting article in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer explains some of the challenges Celek has faced and why things are on the right track now.  Among the issues that have contributed to the reduction in his offensive numbers are a poor offensive line that the TE needed to support by serving more as a blocker, vision issues, and a lingering hamstring injury, which seems to be adequately healed.

Celek has performed much better over the past two games and would have had TDs in each game but for a drop in on the goal line against the Texans.

• Final Spin:  The Eagles offensive line has jelled a bit more, the Birds coaching staff has game planned to compensate for their shortcomings, and Vick is extremely elusive.  Those are the primary reasons why Celek has been free to block less and run pass patterns more.  He is seeing better due to wearing his contact lenses more often and teams are giving so much respect to Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, opening space in the middle of the field.  A linebacker covering Celek is a mismatch in the Eagles favor.  Consider Celek a high-end TE#2 until he performs well for another week.  He appears to be on the way back to prominence.  Better late than never. 

Tashard Choice—The 100-yard mark has been an elusive milestone this season for Cowboy rushers.  Choice managed exactly 100 yards on 19 carries, thus becoming the first Dallas running back to hit that mark since Week 5.  Choice may have made the disappointing Marion Barber expendable.  Barber is signed through 2014, but we can’t see the Cowboys going into next year with all three backs, and Barber’s contract may make him untradeable.

• Final Spin—With games against Philadelphia (whose run defense can be exposed), Washington (who has given up), and Arizona (who will have nothing to play for) in the next three weeks Choice could be a solid RB#2.  Much of his value for the remainder of this season depends on how the team uses Barber from here on out.  They have no need to rush him back and no need to disrupt the rhythm of Choice, but you never know.  Choice could end up being a fixture on keeper/dynasty rosters if the Cowboys cut bait with Barber.

Click here to see the rest of the GOOD and all of the BAD.