Blount, Cruz fail to produce in Week 15
I joined the cacophony of voices baying into the night after watching the downright pathetic effort put forth by the Ravens against the Chargers, a fitting nightcap to a disjointed and utterly confusing day of football. Sure, Joe Flacco’s numbers (from a fantasy perspective) were solid following his late 36-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith. The defense was absolutely undressed by the San Diego offense, with Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert running wild against the Baltimore front.
I’ll circle back to that game in a moment. I start this week’s roll call of fantasy “Zeroes” in New York, where a monster run for Eli Manning crashed and burned against the Redskins. I’ve been saying for weeks that we still don’t know the identity of this Giants squad. I only know that as the late Steve Irwin used to say, “They’ll rip your heart out.”
Manning completed 23-of-40 attempts for 257 yards with three sacks and three interceptions. He had a sure early touchdown pass fall incomplete and several scoring plays were wiped off following official reviews. It marked the second time that Manning had been shut out this season (Week 6 versus Buffalo).
The Redskins held breakthrough performer Victor Cruz to his lowest receiving output since Week 6. Cruz caught five of his nine targets for 44 yards and was held scoreless for a third consecutive game. He has caught five or more passes in eight consecutive games and needs six receiving yards to reach 1,200 for the season.
Hakeem Nicks caught five of his 12 targets for 73 yards, a pedestrian effort given the Giants’ recent brilliance in the passing game. He let a golden opportunity slip through his hands midway through the first quarter. Nicks dropped what would have been a 60-yard catch and run for a touchdown.
Rex Grossman was on the board for a big day in the expected shootout against the Giants. Grossman earned the victory, but his fantasy owners were left wanting. He completed 15-of-24 pass attempts for 185 yards with one sack, one touchdown and two interceptions. Grossman has accounted for eight touchdowns and 10 turnovers in his past six appearances.
Roy Helu’s three-game run of dominance came to an end against the New York defensive front. Helu earned 53 rushing yards on 23 attempts, adding three receptions for 16 yards. He’s averaged 28 touches and 126.3 total yards in his past four games.
The Giants’ big deficit took bruiser Brandon Jacobs off of the field. Jacobs carried the ball eight times for 33 yards, and his three-game scoring streak fell to the wayside.
Philip Rivers led the Chargers to a resounding victory over the Ravens on Sunday night, but the running game ruled the day in fantasyland. Rivers completed 17-of-23 attempts for 270 yards with one touchdown. He didn’t turn the ball over, so it ends as a solid day. It just doesn’t move the needle.
With the San Diego ground game chewing up turf against the Ravens, Antonio Gates was uncharacteristically quiet. Gates caught both of his targets for 31 receiving yards, his lowest output since being shut out by the Patriots in Week 2.
Conversely, the Chargers continued the season of misery for Baltimore receiver Anquan Boldin. Boldin registered two receptions for 51 yards. It was the seventh time that he’s been shut out in the past eight games. He’s topped more than 60 yards just twice during this eight game period.
Willis McGahee posted a respectable 70 rushing yards on seven attempts, but was taken out of the action once Tom Brady and the Patriots woke up. McGahee has scored once in the past six weeks. He stands 10 rushing yards shy of 1,000 with two games remaining.
Eric Decker caught one of his two targets for 22 yards. Decker has produced just six receptions for 80 yards in the past three weeks. It’s clearly the Demaryius Thomas show in Denver right now.
The Panthers rolled into Houston and controlled the action from the start of the action. T.J. Yates played in catch-up mode and was unable to replicate his Week 14 heroics. Yates completed 19-of-30 pass attempts for 212 yards with two sacks and two interceptions.
Andre Johnson was out again, but Kevin Walter (two receptions for 26 yards) and Owen Daniels (two receptions for 29 yards) failed to deliver against the Carolina secondary.
The eye-popping level of futility of the Carolina run defense had owners salivating and working every angle to justify playing Ben Tate as a Flex option. Instead, the Panthers put up points early and took away the Houston running attack. As such, Tate was limited to seven carries for 26 yards (one reception for four yards). Approach the Week 16 matchup against Indianapolis with caution.
Greg Olsen’s second-half decline continued in Sunday’s win over the Texans. Jeremy Shockey found the end zone for Cam Newton, but Olsen was limited to two receptions and 15 receiving yards (two targets). He has scored once in six games since the Panthers’ Week 9 Bye and has eclipsed 24 receiving yards just twice.
I lobbied for Jake Locker to start the Titans’ Week 15 game against the Colts. Mike Munchak must not have gotten my Candygram. Instead, Munchak turned back to veteran Matt Hasselbeck, who was ineffective against the usually generous Indianapolis pass defense. Hasselbeck completed 27-of-40 attempts for 223 yards and two interceptions before Locker entered the game.
Damian Williams caught two of his six targets for 15 yards in the loss. He’d earned 62 receiving yards in back-to-back games and had scored in three of the Titans’ previous six games.
The Colts earned a victory over Tennessee, but that didn’t mean much for gambling owners who started Pierre Garcon. Garcon caught two passes for 24 yards and lost a fumble. His one carry for eight yards leaves you uninspired.
Andy Dalton was shut out for the first time since Week 3 by the Rams in Sunday’s 20-13 win. He completed 15-of-26 attempts for 179 yards with a sack and an interception, his third straight game with fewer than 200 passing yards. Dalton’s last multi-touchdown game came in Week 10 against the Steelers.
Jermaine Gresham caught three passes for 16 yards, his lowest output since Week 2. Gresham has scored one touchdown in his past five games.
Brandon Lloyd logged his 11th game with at least four receptions against the Bengals, but he didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard. He caught five passes for 42 yards, his third game with fewer than 50 receiving yards in his past six starts.
Do I bother writing about the Bears? OK, Marion Barber probably still worked his way into fantasy lineups against the Seahawks. Barber was limited to 33 rushing yards on 11 attempts and ceded a ton of touches to Kahlil Bell. The Week 14 debacle against Denver will linger over this squad for a long, long time.
Doug Baldwin was on the radar as a “Ninja” pick for Week 15 against Chicago following his huge Week 14 output. He produced a single reception for 13 yards on two targets.
Percy Harvin was a top-10 option and came into Sunday’s game against the Saints on a huge hot streak. He was limited to three receptions for eight yards on seven targets. The Saints did a fantastic job of limiting Harvin’s running space and shut down Christian Ponder.
Adrian Peterson posted a great rushing average, but his 60 yards on 10 carries hardly made a dent in the fantasy box score. Peterson has talked publicly about the manner in which New Orleans players targeted his ankle during Sunday’s game. Backup Toby Gerhart was the game’s star as a receiver.
The Chiefs did a fantastic job in limiting Aaron Rodgers and held his top options at bay. Jordy Nelson caught two passes for 29 yards on four targets. Nelson has been held under 30 receiving yards in two of the past four weeks and has scored just once during this period. He needs 14 receiving yards against the Bears to reach 1,000 for the season.
James Jones caught two of his four targets for 17 yards against the Chiefs. Alas, the big-play potential never materialized for Aaron Rodgers, and owners who trusted Jones following Greg Jennings’ injury in Week 14 were left wanting.
Dwayne Bowe celebrated the Chiefs’ win over Green Bay. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate to fantasy heroism in support of Kyle Orton (299 passing yards). Bowe caught four passes for 49 yards, bringing him within 14 receiving yards of 1,000 for the season. He has not scored since Week 5.
Kevin Smith produced just 43 rushing yards on 15 attempts for the victorious Lions. He played a minimal role in the passing game, producing just one reception for
Brandon Pettigrew continued his strong run for owners in PPR leagues, but he failed achieve great heights in standard leagues for Matthew Stafford. Pettigrew caught five passes for 49 yards in the Lions’ comeback victory.
Denarius Moore caught two passes for 13 yards in his return to the field on five targets. He was inserted into many lineups as a WR3 flier selection following his late-week upgrade. Darrius Heyward-Bey was the hero of the day (for fantasy purposes) in Oakland.
You didn’t expect fireworks from Larry Fitzgerald in his individual matchup against Joe Haden this week. You shouldn’t be surprised by his three-reception, 65-yard effort. Fitzgerald has now eclipsed his 2010 receiving total with 1,157 yards (he has caught 25 fewer passes).
Shonn Greene carried the ball 18 times for 73 yards against the generous Philadelphia run defense, but the huge early deficit faced by the Jets prevented from staying with Greene on the ground.
Mark Sanchez passed for 150 yards with two touchdowns, four sacks and three turnovers in the Jets’ beatdown against the Eagles. I like the multiple touchdowns and all, but this was a dismal showing.
The Eagles obliterated the Jets, but it was all about the ground game with LeSean McCoy (and Michael Vick). Jeremy Maclin caught three passes for 57 yards. DeSean Jackson logged two receptions for 28 yards. Jackson’s stay in the fantasy sunshine didn’t last long.
The Patriots piled up points against the Broncos, but Denver solved top tight end Rob Gronkowski. The Broncos entered the game as one of the league’s stingiest defenses against tight ends, and they did a fantastic job in limiting Gronkowski to four receptions for 53 yards. I suppose Aaron Hernandez’s gaudy totals fall under the “wide receiver” category?
Wes Welker caught four passes for 41 yards and narrowly missed scoring on a nifty grab over the middle when he was ruled down at the one-yard line. It was the sixth time that Welker has been shut out of the end zone in the past eight weeks.