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Colby Cavaliere | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Quarterbacks
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 13
11/30/16
QBs | RBs | WRs

Bye Weeks: Cleveland, Tennessee

Anything less than 300 yards and 2 TDs for Drew Brees will be a disappointment against the Lions.


Grab a Helmet

Drew Brees vs. DET: As aging quarterbacks bathing in the fountain of youth go, Brees takes second to only TB12. Even though Brees is two years younger, he’s ancient in football years and yet you couldn’t tell by the way he’s playing some of the best ball of his career. Brees hit the 30-touchdown plateau for the ninth straight year on Sunday, extending his own consecutive streak. He’s currently at a career high 71.5 completion percentage, and is on pace to approach his own career highs in touchdown passes and yards passing. Even more impressive is that he’s putting up these silly numbers with a very young corps of pass catchers. His gaudy numbers in the Super Dome are legendary, and the Lions defense, while improved recently, will be hard pressed to slow Brees down. These two teams combined for 62 points in Week 15 last year, and it could be even higher this week. Brees is easily my No.1 overall fantasy player this week.

Eli Manning @ PIT: Manning was incredibly shaky in a game he should have dominated against the Browns. He uncharacteristically missed several wide open throws, and failed to get any receiver outside of OBJ involved. Despite the “bad” game, he still finished with 3 touchdowns and over 20 fantasy points. The Steelers are near the bottom of the NFL in pass defense, but have only given up 13 passing touchdowns on the season, which is actually 5th best in the NFL. Buoying this stat is the fact that Pittsburgh has faced a slew of terrible to mediocre passers, and Manning not only has the experience, but the explosive weaponry to exploit the Steelers’ secondary. I expect a very pass heavy game plan for the G-men, and for Manning to take advantage. He’s been a season long QB2, but he makes my QB1 list this week.

Russell Wilson vs. CAR: Ok, so the Seattle offense inexplicably came off the rails on the road in Tampa, but I expect a big bounce back for Wilson and Hawks. The offensive line is still a problem, so I look for a now healthy Wilson to be able to make plays with his legs. The Carolina secondary still can’t stop anyone consistently, and is much easier to attack in the air than on the ground. Wilson narrowly missed Tyler Lockett on a few deep balls last week and I see them connecting at least once for a long touchdown this week. He’s been hard to trust most of the year, and was just getting hot before last week. Don’t let that scare you away. Get Wilson is as top flight option in a must win game for your squad.

Grab a Headset

Brock Osweiler @ GB: Osweiler has been an absolute train wreck. I know it and you know it. Unfortunately Houston doesn’t seem to know it as they keep trotting him out week after week only to watch him fall flat on his face. His timing is way off, his mechanics look like trash, and it’s obvious his confidence is in the toilet. I only have Osweiler on here because there may be some enterprising young owners looking at the Green Bay match-up as a reason to take a shot. I’m here to tell you….DON’T. It’s not out of the realm of possibility he bumps into a long touchdown, or scrambles for a score, but if you have ANY hope of getting your team to the fantasy playoffs please do it with anyone BUT Brock.

Trevor Siemian @ JAX: For a second-year 7th round pick, Siemian has surpassed any and all expectations that could have been placed on him. He’s actually played better on the road at times, and comes off one of his best statistical games of the season, a 368-yard three-touchdown game in the loss against Kansas City. Jacksonville has obviously been a mega bust this season, but it’s the offense that’s been the culprit, not the defense. The Jags quietly sport the league’s third best pass defense, and could make the sledding tough for Siemian with his bad wheel and the struggling Denver offense. Siemian’s biggest Achilles heel has been his efficiency, as he’s been below 60% completion percentage in four of his last five games. He’s been very big-play dependent, and isn’t getting much support from his run game. I’m afraid owners starting Siemian will be chasing points, and that’s a scary proposition this late in the year.

Cam Newton @ SEA: Before sparking a 25-point barrage late in the 3rd quarter, Newton was 5-12 for 88 yards against an Oakland defense that hasn’t exactly made teams shake in their boots. He struggled to connect with his receivers, and was being harassed by Khali Mack on nearly every throw. A few bombs to Ted Ginn and Kelvin Benjamin certainly bailed him out, but Newton and this offense continue to look out of sync. Of course a player his magnitude is tough to sit, but on paper this is a nightmare match-up for the Panthers. Seattle should be getting back three impact players on defense, is fresh off an embarrassing loss to the Bucs, and needs a conference win to wiggle with playoff positioning. If you have other options with better match-ups I’d certainly consider them before blindly going with Newton…something unthinkable last season…but with season on the brink, tough decisions need to be made.


Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers