Most if not all leagues
are now deep into the fantasy playoffs, so in celebration of the
2nd season, this week’s SCR is all about sticking with the
guys who got you there, and finding the ones that might give you
the edge in the close match-ups. Here we go!
Note: Fantasy points
based on FF Today’s standard scoring system.
Bye Weeks: N/A
Eli Manning racked up 300 yards and four
touchdowns in his last meeting against the Redskins.
Grab a Helmet
Ben
Roethlisberger @ ATL: By most measures, Big Ben has had
a fantastic fantasy season. A solid QB1 most weeks, with at times
mega high upside, Roethlisberger comes off a road torching of the
Bengals. Ben was fantastic last week (350 yards, 3 TDs, no turnovers),
and this offense seems to be hitting its stride to close out the
season. With the run game humming, weapons on all tiers of the field,
and a juicy matchup in the dome against defenseless Atlanta, look
for an absolute shoot-out this week. (Vegas agrees, as this game
has the second-highest over/under for Week 15 at 54 points). Many
a fantasy playoff game will be won and lost with Steeler and Falcon
players this week, so don’t miss out! Get Roethlisberger in there
as a potential top-5 QB1 option.
Eli
Manning v. WAS: Even with a few major clunkers, Manning
has turned in a quality fantasy season, and his baffling 2013 is
a distant memory. You probably drafted Manning as a QB2, and turned
to him a few times this year. He has been a great streaming option
against poor pass defenses, any yet another one comes to down in
the dying Redskins. Eli and the Giants torched Washington for 45
points in a Week 4 win on the road. In that game Manning completed
over 71% of his passes and threw for 300 yards and 4 scores, and
that was before Odell Beckham Jr. was showing up on your weekly
highlight reel. This Redskins team is in disarray, and have allowed
the 3rd most points to fantasy quarterbacks this season. Don’t hesitate
to start Manning this week!
Matt
Ryan vs. PIT: Just as I had finished up a whole mess
of reasons why Cam Newton was worth a starting nod this week, the
news broke about his accident. Thankfully he is ok, but with Newton
out this week, the QB1 pool gets a little thinner. In steps Matt
Ryan. I was really down on Ryan last week, but he more than held
his own against the Packers, bringing his team back from a 31-7
halftime deficit. Keep a very close eye on the health of Roddy White
and Julio Jones, as their playing status makes the difference between
Ryan being a strong QB1 or a mid-tier QB2. We all know by now the
Pittsburgh pass defense is easily dissectible, and this game should
be a track meet on the turf. If Jones and White both play, don’t
hesitate to plug Ryan in and let him roll.
Grab a Headset
Philip
Rivers v. DEN: Over the first seven games of the season,
Philip Rivers sported a gleaming 17-3 touchdown-to-interception
ratio, to go along with four games of 280+ yards passing. Over
the last six games, his ratio has dipped to 9-8 with only two
games over 280 yards and three games under 200. Translation: Rivers
was a top notch QB1 early in the season, but has no place on your
starting playoff lineup this week. The underrated Denver defense
comes to town, with the talent and scheme to make life rough for
Rivers. He had decent numbers against Denver in Week 8, but I
would definitely lean in a different direction in a must-win fantasy
week.
Ryan
Tannehill @ NE: A fantasy golden-boy just a few weeks
ago after dominating Denver on the road, the tarnish has quickly
set in after two straight clunkers against the Jets and Baltimore.
While he continues to complete passes at an incredible percentage
( a Drew
Brees-like near 70% completion rate six straight weeks) his
totally inability to threaten with the deep ball is making him
very easy to game plan for. This one-dimensional pass offense
can be held in check, and if you haven’t noticed the Patriots
have a few coaches who know something about defensive schemes.
Despite being 2-1 in his last three games against NE, with a few
decent statistical games, these two teams are going in different
directions. The Dolphins are headed for another late season collapse,
and the Pats are surging and at home. If you added Tannehill in
hopes of a late season payoff, you may already be out of the playoffs,
so don’t cost yourself a win now.
Johnny
Manziel v. CIN: Let me be quick to pump the breaks
on the Manziel hype machine. Sure he’s got a decent floor
with his ability to run, but if had been truly lighting things
up in practice he would have seen the field weeks ago. The Browns
are desperate, and you will be too if you have to plug Manziel
into your line-up this week. If you truly have no other options,
then by all means. Look for Cleveland to employ a run heavy game-plan
against a defensive front they should be able to push around.
He’ll make a few head scratching, and eye popping plays
as he presses to make things happen, but I just don’t think
he’ll do enough to help your fantasy team this week, and
is only a real option as a QB2.
Running Backs 
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