Quarterbacks
Moving Up
Colin Kaepernick, 49ers
Moving Up two weeks in a row with the speculation (not yet confirmed) that he will be the 49ers starting quarterback in week 13 against the Rams even though incumbent starter Alex Smith is ready to go. Maybe we need to change that to former starter since it appears that the starting gig now belongs to Kaepernick. He wasn’t as good last week against the Saints as he was a week earlier against the Bears but apparently 231 passing yards, a touchdown and a pick along with rushing productions (six carries for 27 yards and a score) has earned him the job. Great dynasty material.
The schedule looks favorable for Eli.
Eli Manning, Giants
Look who’s back. After a string of bad performances (11 or fewer fantasy points in three straight games and under 14 in four of five), Eli put it together this week in the Giants rout of the Packers, throwing for 249 yards and three touchdowns, his first multiple passing touchdown performance since Week 5. Up next are the Redskins (31st ranked passing defense), Saints (30th), Falcons (13th) and Ravens (23rd). Eli’s rolling and the schedule is favorable.
Russell Wilson, Seahawks
Four straight games with 20 or more fantasy points and multiple touchdown passes in four consecutive games (nine in total in those games). And the point total isn’t being overly padded with rushing production since he doesn’t have a rushing touchdown on the season and has just 108 rushing yards in his last four games. Wilson has a pair of easy matchups in Weeks 14 and 15 (Cardinals and Bills) surrounded by a pair of tough ones in Weeks 13 and 16 (Bears and 49ers).
Moving Down
Charlie Batch, Steelers
Back to the old folks home, my friend. Don’t forget your dentures and your leather helmet.
Running Backs
Moving Up
Beanie Wells, Cardinals
Wells was like found money this week, provided you kept him on your roster that is. With the Cardinals passing offense a complete mess and a rookie quarterback leading the show, Wells returned to the line-up and scored twice on his 17 carries. The 48 yards weren’t pretty but the bottom line is that the offense likely needs to go through him with Ryan Lindley at quarterback.
Bryce Brown, Eagles
With LeSean McCoy out of the line-up with a concussion, Brown stepped in and didn’t miss a beat, rushing for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Carolina. Sure, the two fumbles were ugly but the MNF announcers sure made it sound like McCoy will miss more than one week. Brown could be a playoff savior – grab him if somebody left him on the wire due to the Monday night start time this week.
Knowshon Moreno, Broncos
Last week, I told you Ronnie Hillman and Lance Ball were Moving Up. Ooops. Moreno went from the doghouse to the penthouse, getting 24 touches (the most he has had since Week 14 of the 2010 season) and gaining 111 total yards. Meanwhile, Hillman got three and Ball got nada. Looks like Moreno is the man in Denver until he proves otherwise and the schedule gets favorable after this week’s matchup against the Bucs top ranked rushing defense with the Raiders (28th), Ravens (26th) and Browns (29th) on the schedule between Weeks 14-16. Given his surprise usage, Moreno is likely not owned in plenty of leagues and he is definitely worth grabbing.
David Wilson and Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants
Andre Brown stole Wilson’s backup job and Wilson has now gotten it back courtesy of Brown’s regular season ending broken fibula suffered during the 4th quarter of this week’s win over the Packers. While Wilson isn’t built to be the effective short yardage presence that Brown has been for the Giants (eight touchdowns on the season), he figures to get a decent amount of touches while Bradshaw also benefits because he now figures to get all of the short yardage work.
Michael Bush, Bears
No definitive word yet on the extent of Matt Forte’s ankle injury but if he is out, Bush immediately becomes a solid option as a RB2.
Moving Down
Michael Turner, Falcons
Looks like this will be the final season for Turner as a starting back as his yards per carry average of 3.5 would set a career low for him and is a full yard below the 4.5 or better that he has produced in seven of his first eight years in the league. His two touchdowns in the last three games have saved him from being a complete disaster since he has just 78 yards rushing in those games while averaging a woeful 1.9 yards per tote.
Ronnie Hillman, Broncos
Apparently Broncos head coach John Fox wants a running back who can pass protect for a 39-year old Peyton Manning. That guy’s not Hillman.
Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Dwyer, Steelers
These guys were Moving Down last week because it was going to be a time share with a third string quarterback. Now we can add porous offensive line to the mix. Looks like Dwyer will move to the top of the depth chart but you don’t want to have to rely on him.
Wide Receivers
Moving Up
Andre Johnson, Texans
The former stud fantasy wide receiver is showing glimpses of his former self, gaining 461 receiving yards and scoring once over his last two games. Those types of performances can propel a fantasy squad to a championship and he’s on the upswing at just the right time.
Pierre Garcon, Redskins
It has been a tough year for Garcon and his owners but he appears to finally be healthy again and basically that’s only happened twice this year. He was healthy in Week 1 and this past week and in those two contests, Garcon has caught nine passes for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. I’d feel comfortable starting him the rest of the way.
Greg Jennings, Packers
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy stated that Jennings could have played this past week and that almost certainly means he will be in the line-up for Green Bay’s Week 13 matchup against the Vikings. That should make him startable in Weeks 14-16, just in time for his owners to finally get some production out of him.
Ryan Broyles, Lions
Broyles cemented Titus Young’s spot in the doghouse this week with a six reception, 126-yard performance in the Lions Thanksgiving Day loss to the Texans. He could be a PPR demon over the balance of the season.
Moving Down
Anquan Boldin, Ravens
While Boldin is on pace to finish the year with a respectable 973 receiving yards (which would be the most he has accumulated since 2009), he has just one touchdown on the season and has failed to find the end zone since Week 1. In most leagues, you need touchdowns to win the playoffs and it doesn’t look like Boldin is a preferred option in the red zone and he no longer has the speed to score on catch and runs, no matter how tough he is.
Steve Smith, Panthers
Another golden oldie who has put up decent yardage totals but can’t find the end zone. Smith also has just one touchdown on the season as defenses have focused on shutting him down and he no longer has the speed to beat double teams deep.
Brandon Lloyd, Patriots
It has been a tough first year for Lloyd in New England and it appears that he is a bit part in the offense even with tight end Rob Gronkowski out of the line-up. In Lloyd’s last five games, his yardage totals have been 6, 28, 45, 45 and 26.
Tight Ends
Moving Up
Robert Housler, Cardinals
I grabbed this guy in a dynasty salary cap league, failed to put him on a multi-year deal and gave away a bundle to get Vernon Davis. Right after that, Housler started getting some looks in the Cardinals offense and this week he had the best game of his career with eight receptions on 11 targets for 82 yards. If only he could find the end zone.
Moving Down
Vernon Davis, 49ers
This guy is a yo-yo and there is neither rhyme nor reason to explain his usage. For the second time this season, he failed to notch a single fantasy point and he now has six games with fewer than four fantasy points. He’s going to kill a pile of fantasy owners in the playoffs.
