Fantasy Football: Week 14 Rundown

So, depending on how your league is run, last night represented the end of the regular season, or the first round of the playoffs. Regardless, I'm using the intro here to ask you all to keep the integrity of your leagues.  

Don't drop your best players to allow another team to pick them up. Keep filling out your roster. Don't make moves unless your league works draft position based on the playoffs. Be fair, and be honest. These are your buddies. You may want to screw them over, but you wouldn't want them to do it to you. 

Let's run it all down. 

Fantasy Up

1. Antonio Bryant - Bryant became just the second Bucs receiver ever to put up over 200 yards in a game, and he did it with style. He made several amazing catches, and got open in every way possible. No one has questioned his talent, they do question his desire.
2. Brian Westbrook - You have to love when this guy plays well. The talk around the league was that the extra days off following Thanksgiving were going to benefit him greatly. They were right. He was the only one on the Philly offense that got that boost, though.
3. DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart - How impressive was this display? You couldn't have seen it coming. The Bucs had given up just one rushing touchdown all season, and these guys went for four in one game. I have to go back to saying both these guys should start.
4. Brandon Marshall - I thought he would break 100 yards, but the two touchdowns was very nice. Marshall has a relatively easy schedule from a pass coverage perspective, look for him to continue with this type of day the last two weeks.
5. Kevin Walter - Damn. No way I thought this would happen, but Walter continues to defy the odds. Don't expect me to recommend sitting him...Except against the Titans this week.

Fantasy Down

1. Brandon Jacobs - An injury that forced him to leave the game and adequate backups are going to allow the Giants to be more cautious with him. He likely won't practice much this week, and that makes it very hard for owners to know if to play him in semifinal action.
2. Frank Gore - Left the game against the Jets with an ankle injury. He didn't look good before that, though, as you beat the Jets through the air. Be careful with him this week, as the Dolphins have been good against the run.
3. Joseph Addai - Noticing a pattern here? Addai struggled, and Rhodes was the Indy back that found the end zone. He's another first-round disappointment, that's all we can say at this point in the season.
4. Marshawn Lynch - Is there any reason the Bills decided that 13 carries was going to be enough for Lynch? J.P. Losman was not going to win that game, and Lynch was their best option. Poor coaching, poor decisions. It won't get easier against the Jets this week.
5. Larry Johnson - I had to cap this list off with another running back. Johnson should have had a better week going against such a weak run defense, but even here he struggles. There are no real reasons to start the guy unless you have no other options.

You Shouldn't Trust the Performance of...

...Deion Branch and Seneca Wallace. If the fact that Wallace threw for three touchdown passes doesn't tell you everything you need to know about the Patriots' secondary, I don't know what will. There is NO WAY he should have been able to put up even remotely decent numbers against this kind of defense.

We have never considered Wallace even a fill-in quarterback, and this performance shouldn't change that view. The Patriots are simply bad defensively. The fumble recovery to end the game was as much a function of Wallace realizing who he was than anything else.

Branch was out to prove something against New England. He did that. He proved they couldn't tackle. Don't look for a repeat, but he is being targeted more by all quarterbacks under center for Seattle.

I'm Most Concerned About...

...Ronnie Brown. The Dolphins running back is obviously still being used, but he has been nowhere near as effective as he was early in the season. I'm not sure if it's wearing down after coming back from the injury or that defenses have seen him run the Wildcat enough to know what to expect.

The fact remains that Williams is getting just as many carries and Pennington has been as important to the Dolphins recent success.

Workin' the Wire

• Davone Bess - As we talk about safer picks for the playoffs, Bess falls in that category in PPR formats. He's the most targeted Miami receiver, and is coming off 17 catches for over 150 yards in his last two weeks. Grab him if you need the flex.
• Pierre Thomas - I'm not sold on him this week, as he draws a tougher run defense (in theory), but Thomas put up around 170 total yards this past week. Even with Reggie Bush getting touches and attention, Thomas was valuable.
• Tatum Bell - By default, he's the healthiest back in Denver. That seems to be more of a curse than a blessing recently. Take it for what it's worth.
• Shaun Hill- If you're looking for a hot-hand at quarterback, Hill certainly qualifies. He's done an admirable job with the 49ers and should be looked at as a matchup play the next two weeks. If you need something to exploit, look here.
• Justin Gage - Consider this a one-week play. Gage is getting to play against a Houston secondary that should yield considerable yardage across the board. I like him as a WR3 play this week.