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Bye Weeks: N/A
Grab a Helmet
Allen should have plenty of opportunities
to score against a defense that gives up big plays.
Keenan
Allen v. KC: Allen’s become almost a guaranteed touchdown maker
of late, despite being targeted on a fairly modest number of plays.
In his last three tilts, all San Diego victories, the rook has caught
eight passes on 15 targets for a ridiculous five scores. That’s
what we call “efficient,” folks. The Chargers need a win in the
worst possible way, so it doesn’t seem likely they’d tweak such
a successful formula. Moreover, Allen was dynamite in the first
meeting between these two teams, catching nine balls on 12 targets
for 124 yards. The only downside to using him, in fact, is that
San Diego could be out of the playoff hunt when they kick things
off at Qualcomm. Then again, the Bolts aren’t exactly loaded at
the receiver position. I think starting Allen makes sense regardless
what’s on the line come Sunday afternoon.
Cordarrelle
Patterson v. DET: If Sunday ends up being Matt Cassel’s final
start as a Viking (and it probably should be), he’ll at least have
accomplished something no Minnesota QB has since Brett Favre retired
after the 2010 season: make any Minnesota receiver not named Percy
Harvin relevant. Make that receivers, actually. Since Cassel assumed
the reins again early in Week 13, the Vikings’ WR corps has averaged
35.7 fantasy points per game. Prior to that – and not including
the Week 4 game Cassel also started – they’d never scored more than
22.7 in ANY game and averaged (naturally) much fewer. Greg Jennings
has certainly been a major beneficiary of Cassel’s promotion to
starter, but Patterson’s rise has us the most excited. The freakishly
athletic Tennessee product, who also possesses blazing speed, has
averaged over 11 points the past three weeks and is finally starting
to show why Minnesota spent such a high draft choice on him. Get
on board if you haven’t already. The kid’s legit.
Riley
Cooper @ DAL: Philadelphia still leads the league in explosion
plays (runs over 10 yards and passes over 25) with 115 and that
probably comes as no surprise to anyone who’s watched them play
recently (or watched Chipper’s Ducks previously). What probably
would come as a surprise is this: Cooper, and not the dazzling DeSean
Jackson, is leading the team in yards-per-catch average at 18.1.
That’s second only to Josh Gordon, everyone’s fantasy superstar,
and Kenny Stills, a low sample size deep threat down in the Bayou.
Cooper doesn’t possess blinding speed and isn’t nearly as elusive
or shifty as Jackson. He is, however, big, quite athletic, sure-handed,
and probably Nick Foles’ most dependable target. It’s difficult
to imagine the Cowboys slowing down Philly on Sunday night and even
if they manage to bottle up Shady McCoy or Mr. Jackson, Cooper could
pose some serious matchup problems. Start him.
Grab Some Wood
Rod
Streater v. DEN: The switch back to Terrelle Pryor for the
season finale created some serious controversy in Oakland this
week when Pryor’s agent alleged the Raiders’ brass were setting
him up to fail. Not sure I follow that logic there, but I’ll tell
you who they definitely are setting up to fail: anyone who intended
to employ one of Pryor’s receivers this weekend. Streater had
been enjoying a mini-resurgence of late, commanding about eight
targets per game and averaging 9.2 points/game since Matt McGloin
was inserted into the lineup. Now he goes back to being a glorified
offensive lineman in the stripped-down, run-first scheme Oakland
will likely use with the more ground-based Pryor at the helm.
I’m still a fan so this isn’t me bagging on the uber-talented
former Buckeye. It’s just me being realistic about what the Raiders
are doing (who ever knows?) and what they’re likely to get done
through the air against a still-motivated Denver team on Sunday
(not much).
Steve
Johnson @ NE: Johnson missed last week’s game to attend to
family matters and grieve after his mother’s sudden passing and
that’s always the right move, regardless how much these guys get
paid to play football. Moms/family > football, after all, and
anyone who disputes that needs to reassess their priorities. Unfortunately,
Johnson’s departure left Buffalo with only Robert Woods as a legit
option at the position…until he took a swing at Miami’s Reshad
Jones and was ejected in the third quarter. How did the Bills
manage to handle a borderline playoff-caliber team with, essentially,
no passing game? That won’t work this Sunday against a surefire
playoff team and I have serious doubts about Johnson’s ability
to refocus, if he plays in Week 17. He hasn’t been that great
most of the year, actually (no double-digit outings in the season’s
second half) and shouldn’t be counted upon to produce in the final
week of a disappointing campaign.
Golden
Tate v. STL: The last time these two teams met, Tate waved
goodbye to the Rams’ secondary on his way to an 80-yard
score, a taunt that earned him a 15-yard penalty and the everlasting
enmity of St. Louis fans. It was only a “goodbye for now”
kind of wave, of course, since division rivals play twice a season,
and I’m guessing the none-too-impressed St. Louis DBs haven’t
forgotten the insult. Are they good enough to silence the brash
Seahawks wideout, however? They may not need to be if recent history
is any indication. Tate tallied 21.3 points that Monday night
(back in Week 8), but has only recorded 19.5 in his last five
games combined. Yes, he’s played some stiff NFC West competition
during that stretch, but the Rams also fit that description and
actually possess the second most valuable fantasy defense in the
league. Silencing Tate would be golden and I think they do it
on Sunday.
Good luck, folks, and I hope your 2013 season has been one to
remember!
Quarterbacks 
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