Late-Season Consistency: LeSean McCoy has
scored double-digit fantasy points in 7 straight games.
Grab a Helmet
David
Johnson v. MIN (Thu): Our league’s “Relegation Bowl”
ended up being dramatic beyond our wildest imaginations as Little
Bro faced Cousin D in a family affair I was happy to watch from
the sidelines. D grabbed the narrow lead after a back-and-forth
Sunday and it all came down to DeSean Jackson v. Dez Bryant Monday
night. When Jackson scored late, it appeared Little Bro might
survive to play another day (he needed two wins). Alas, Bryant
made one last grab, setting up Dallas’ game-winning field goal,
and his fate was sealed. Maybe Little Bro will use the year off
to think about why he stubbornly stuck with a lineup that featured
Chris AND David Johnson most of the season despite the fact they
play the same position for the same team. Ironically, David may
ultimately vindicate that faith and he gets the show to himself
again Thursday. Start him.
Tim
Hightower @ TB: Another league member has been grabbing
the same guys for several seasons now and I joked recently that
he drafts like it’s perpetually 2009. Turns out the joke’s on
me because he made the playoffs with those circa 2009 all-stars
(Carson Palmer, Adrian Peterson, Eli Manning, Larry Fitzgerald,
and Andre Johnson) and I didn’t. Is there any question who he’d
grab off the waiver wire if he needed running back help? Hightower’s
best professional season was (you guessed it) 2009 when he tallied
150.6 total points for the Cardinals. Two years later, he was
gone from the league and basically forgotten until he resurfaced
last season in Washington, D.C. Now in New Orleans, he suddenly
stands to inherit the RB work that’s been almost exclusively Mark
Ingram’s this season. The Saints apparently have no use for C.J.
Spiller, so give the newly rediscovered Hightower a look.
LeSean
McCoy @ PHI: McCoy’s got a “chip” on his shoulder the
size of Pennsylvania and is determined to ruin the Eagles in his
return to Philly Sunday. I’m not usually one to buy into
that revenge angle (it cuts both ways when guys start jawing in
the press), but I think there might be something to this one.
Why? Rex Ryan. The Bills’ bullying blowhard is just the
type of coach to draw up a game plan expressly designed to feed
that revenge-fueled fire and I could see McCoy garnering more
than his usual number of touches as a result. Since he’s
averaging exactly 20 per game (rushing attempts and receptions),
5-7 more could lead to stellar digits. Chipper and his Birds will
be motivated to stop him, but don’t let that shocking win
in New England last weekend fool you: the Philly D’s still
a work in progress.
Grab a Gatorade DeMarco
Murray v. BUF: So’s the Philadelphia running game,
apparently. Murray was brought in to replace the jettisoned McCoy
and was initially billed as a back better suited for Kelly’s zone-run
scheme. Twelve games later, he looks woefully miscast, is publicly
griping about his greatly reduced role, and could very well be
a healthy scratch at some point soon if he continues moping. Simply
put, the former Cowboy has an even murkier future in Philadelphia
than his embattled coach and is likely just trying to force management
to cut him loose come January, $40 million contract be damned.
He’d probably be better off from a football standpoint and so
would they, both short-term and long-term. Stick with Ryan Mathews
(presuming he returns) or take a flyer on Kenjon Barner. The Eagles
are tied for the NFC East lead and won’t entrust their immediate
future to a(nother) back who isn’t invested.
Eddie
Lacy v. DAL: It isn’t unusual for high draft picks
to bomb in fantasy, of course, as anyone who drafted Jamaal Charles
should know. The reason they do, however, is almost always health-related.
Though Lacy hasn’t been the picture of health in 2015, his struggles
seem to have more to do with overall attitude and preparation,
just as in Murray’s case, a point made very clear by last week’s
second-half benching due to a missed curfew event. When coaches
lose trust in the guys carrying the rock, the guys carrying the
rock can change in an awful hurry. It’s not clear yet whether
Lacy’s situation has reached such dire straits, but Mike McCarthy
has other options and is more than willing to use them, as he’s
demonstrated all season. It’s time to stop guessing with Lacy
and just live with the fact he’s not who we thought he was.
Javorius
Allen v. SEA: Allen’s special blend of patient running
and pass-grabbing chops were on full display in Week 13 when he
notched 170 total yards and a score on 29 total touches, including
12 receptions, against the Dolphins. It was a complete performance
by the rook and, understandably so, he’s become a hot late-season
property. Though the hype is absolutely justified, we may want
to pump the brakes in Week 14 when the Seahawks come to town.
Simply put, nobody’s playing better football than Seattle
right now and that should worry anyone who stands between them
and one of those two NFC wild card berths. The ‘Hawks D
hasn’t allowed a single 100-yard rusher in 2015 and, more
importantly, hasn’t allowed even a 40-yard rusher the last
three weeks. That’s notable when you consider they just
faced the best in the biz, Adrian Peterson. Wait for a better
matchup.
