Fantasy Football Week 16: Must-Haves Off the Waiver Wire
Has anyone ever seen a more astonishing comeback than the one that was orchestrated by the Philadelphia Eagles?
The Eagles trailed 24-10 after Michael Vick tossed a score to Jeremy Maclin early in the fourth quarter, with this electric offense finally showing signs of life after only scoring three points in the previous three quarters.
Nevertheless, this one looked like it was in the record books after Eli Manning threw a deep strike to his tight end Kevin Boss, increasing their lead to 31-10.
With only about 7:30 left on the game clock, it looked like True Blue could just coast to an easy victory on their home turf.
However, Vick and the Eagles basically said “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
Vick quickly answered Manning’s touchdown with a 65-yard touchdown to his tight end, Brent Celek. Philadelphia then caught the Giants napping on an onside kick, making it an easy recovery.
They wasted little time scoring again, as this time Vick dashed in on a QB draw. All the while the Giants offense became stagnant, although Eli Manning threw for four scores at this point.
Vick had gained the hot hand and was not going to cool off anytime soon, accounting for his third touchdown in about five minutes of game time when Jeremy Maclin grabbed his second score of the evening.
The first pick overall in the 2001 draft showed that he is not ready to concede the MVP award to Tom Brady just yet. Vick had a great day throwing the football, going 21 for 35 for 242 yards and three touchdowns. He also had one interception.
However, what was even more impressive was Vick’s stats rushing the football. The elusive quarterback put up Madden-esque numbers on the ground. He finished the day with 130 yards and a touchdown on just 10 rushes, for an unheard of 13 yards per carry.
The Giants' offense again fizzled out after getting the ball back around the two minute warning, and it was forced to punt to the speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson with just 12 seconds left on the game clock.
Giants punter Matt Dodge kicked a line drive to Jackson, a cardinal sin in such a close game. He later defended his actions by saying that the snap was too high and he did not think he had sufficient time to get the ball out of bounds.
For a moment, it seemed as if Dodge would not be penalized for his mistake, as Jackson muffed the punt. However, he immediately recovered the ball and quickly found a seam up the middle of the field.
Despite a bad foot, Jackson easily outran all of the Giants on special teams and ran parallel to the goal line before waltzing in for the score.
A stunned Giants team conceded 28 points in approximately seven-and-a-half minutes, making their playoff hopes anything but a sure thing.
Now, if you’re still reading up on fantasy football, odds are your imaginary team is prepping for the championship game.
Congratulations on making it this far, I will be more in-depth than ever when addressing the guys in this weeks column. After all, it is the most critical week of the season for fantasy aficionados.
Josh Morgan, WR San Francisco 49ers
1 of 5
Morgan has thrived since Alex Smith returned under center. In the past two weeks, Morgan has 10 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown.
Defenses have targeted in on stopping Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis, allowing Morgan to roam free among opposing secondaries.
While Morgan is not the most refined receiver in the league or anything, he faces a very susceptible Rams secondary (17th in the league against the pass) in what will be the fantasy football finale for many players.
This is a critical NFC West showdown for the Niners, as whoever wins this game has a great shot to win the division. Therefore, expect head coach Mike Singletary to pull out all the stops and come out with an aggressive game plan.
Furthermore, Alex Smith thrives most out of the shotgun formation, which means throwing the football early and often, which should equate to a healthy number of targets for Morgan.
WHO I’D START HIM OVER: Mike Williams (Seattle), Mario Manningham, Pierre Garcon
WHO I’D BENCH HIM FOR: Kenny Britt, Derek Mason, Malcom Floyd
Rex Grossman, QB Washington Redskins
2 of 5
Just when everyone thought benching Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman was the worst personnel decision in years (this writer included), Grossman goes ahead and puts up his best stat line in four years.
Grossman went 25 of 43 for a whopping 322 yards and four touchdowns against the divisional rival Dallas Cowboys.
Of course, he still lived up to his “Turnover-saurus Rex” nickname as he had three turnovers in the game (two interceptions, one fumble).
Still, he earned a completely unexpected 29.78 points in standard scoring fantasy leagues, which is second among quarterbacks behind only Michael Vick.
Now, do not try and get cute heading into the championship game: I would absolutely not recommend starting Grossman over any elite option (Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers).
However, if you’ve been leaning on a less reliable option, like David Garrard or Jason Campbell, Grossman may not be the worst plug and play.
Keep in mind Donovan McNabb did not throw for more than two touchdowns in any of his 13 starts this season. Granted, this is a Cowboys defense that has been putrid against the pass all season, but Grossman’s fortunes will not change much in Week 16.
The Jaguars only rank one spot ahead of Dallas against the pass (27th versus 28th) and were torched by the likes of Jason Campbell just two weeks ago.
Grossman has no problem taking risks, tossing up plenty of deep balls throughout the course of a game. This makes Anthony Armstrong a nice plug and play as well. He had five catches for 100 yards in Week 15.
WHO I’D START HIM OVER: Jason Campbell, David Garrard, Mark Sanchez
WHO I’D BENCH HIM FOR: Literally every quarterback that has been reliable this season.
Andre Caldwell, WR Cincinnati Bengals
3 of 5
For those that haven’t heard, Terrell Owens suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee during a divisional battle between the Cleveland Browns.
Andre Caldwell filled in admirably for the future Hall of Famer, catching four passes for 89 yards. Caldwell actually outperformed Chad Ochocinco considerably. Ochocinco only had two catches for 36 yards in this contest.
Now make no mistake about it, Caldwell is no TO-lite, and faces the Chargers top-ranked pass defense in Week 16.
However, the Bengals defense has been a huge disappointment this season, causing the team to be behind early and, therefore, have to throw the ball often.
Quarterback Carson Palmer has only thrown the ball under 35 times in four games and only under 30 attempts once.
Additionally, Philip Rivers should have no problem picking apart the Bengals depleted secondary, so it is unlikely the Bengals formula on offense will change.
Certainly, Caldwell is another high-risk, high-reward play in Week 16, so those putting in a claim for him need to evaluate their lineups accordingly.
WHO I’D START HIM OVER: Nate Burleson, Johnny Knox, Jacoby Jones
WHO I’D BENCH HIM FOR: Blair White, Derek Mason, Lance Moore
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David Nelson, WR Buffalo Bills
4 of 5
Nelson had a respectable three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown against a solid Miami Dolphins defense.
He has also been Ryan Fitzpatrick’s favorite red-zone target in recent weeks, scoring in three consecutive games.
In Week 16, the Bills face the Patriots vulnerable 30th-ranked pass defense. Keep in mind the Pats just let Matt Flynn throw for 251 yards and three scores on them.
This should mean plenty of opportunities for Nelson, who is a great sleeper for teams in all formats in the championship game.
WHO I’D START HIM OVER: Donald Driver, Mike Thomas, Earl Bennett
WHO I’D BENCH HIM FOR: Santonio Holmes, Anthony Armstrong, Mike-Sims Walker
Tim Tebow, QB Denver Broncos
5 of 5
When it was announced that Tim Tebow would get the start over Kyle Orton in Week 15 against the Raiders, most fans were split down the middle in what to expect.
While Tebow was mediocre through the air, going 8 for 16 for just 138 yards, he did manage to connect on a 33-yard score to Brand Lloyd when the receiver made an insane catch.
Much more impressive was Tebow’s rushing efforts. He had 78 yards on eight carries, including a 40-yard touchdown run where he scored on a perfectly executed QB draw.
Clearly, the Broncos do not plan on hindering Tebow’s improvisational skills that made him so successful in college.
While it is unknown whether Orton or Tebow will get the start in Week 16, Tebow had some impressive moments against Oakland and the Broncos have nothing to play for but pride at this point.
Week 16 will have Denver hosting the Houston Texans and their unbelievably bad secondary.
On the year, the Texans rank dead last against the pass, surrendering 275.1 yards per game, 8.2 yards per attempt, and allowing a ridiculous 31 touchdowns.
Everyone not named Rusty Smith has completely embarrassed the Texans secondary, so Tebow should be a quality start in Week 16, as long as he’s still the top quarterback on the Broncos depth chart.
WHO I’D START HIM OVER: David Garrard, Rex Grossman, Jay Cutler, Jon Kitna
WHO I’D BENCH HIM FOR: Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub, Josh Freeman
Good luck to everyone in the upcoming championship week!
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