Week Fourteen Recap

Week Fourteen Recap

Updated: Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011, 11:31 AM CST
Published : Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011, 11:29 AM CST

Don Hanson

Not only did week 14 bring us some tremendous fantasy performances, it was also one of the best weeks for pure NFL excitement as many games were decided late in the fourth quarter. The usual fantasy juggernauts were in play this week as teams such as the Packers, Patriots, Falcons and Chargers put up points in bunches. Meanwhile, there were certainly some injuries of note that could hinder the championship hopes of many fantasy teams heading into week 15. Let’s take a look at some of the injuries and stories from a very busy week 14.

Injury Notes:

Greg Jennings suffered a knee injury in the Packers destruction of the Oakland Raiders. At this point the extent of the injury is not known, but it looks to be at least a bad sprain. None of the post-game reports were able to give any positive news in regards to Jennings being available in week 15. Stay on top of Jennings status this week and be prepared to use the waiver wire, as his status is very much in doubt for the rest of the regular season.

Brandon Saine suffered a head injury in the first half of the Packers win. He did not return which led to an increase in touches for Ryan Grant.

DeMarco Murray fractured his ankle early in the Cowboys game against the Giants. Murray appears to be done for the season. Hopefully Felix Jones is also on your roster as he looks to be the man going forward for the Cowboys.

Matt Moore suffered a head/neck injury in the Dolphins loss to the Eagles. Moore has been a bright spot for both the Dolphins and fantasy owners over the last 3 weeks. Check his status later in the week to see if he will be able to go in week 15.

Matt Hasselbeck suffered an injury to his calf in the Titans loss to the Saints. Jake Locker replaced Hasselbeck and looked decent in his limited amount of action. Check on Hasselbeck starting Wednesday to see if he gets his full amount of practice reps.

Maurice Morris suffered an upper body injury in the Lions win over the Vikings. Kieland Williams filled in for Morris.

Christian Ponder was thought to be injured in the Vikings loss to the Lions. However, there are rumors that he was actually benched during the second half. Ponder was horrible in this game as he threw two interceptions and lost one fumble. He should get the start next week, but if you had to use Ponder his performance this week may have ended your season.

Javon Ringer injured his hand in the Titans loss to the Saints.

Jimmy Graham suffered back spasms during pre-game warm-ups. It was thought that he might miss this game, but Graham toughed it out and ended up with a line of 5/55. Graham should be okay for the Saints week 15-road game with the Vikings.

Deion Branch suffered a groin injury late in the Patriots win over the Redskins. Check on his status later in the week to see if he will be able to go next week against the Broncos.

Thoughts from Sunday:

Houston @ Cincinnati: If you own Bengal skill players I have good news for you. The utterly brutal part of the fantasy schedule is essentially over and if you have survived you should be rewarded starting next week. The last four weeks have not been kind to the Bengals as they have played the Steelers (twice), the Ravens and this week they drew a tough Texans defense. While there has been some glimmer of hope in these games, the schedule gets much easier over the next two weeks. If you are still alive after this week the Andy Dalton and A.J. Green combination should start heating up as the Bengals play the Rams and Cardinals next.

As for the Texans, if you were able to survive Arian Fosters less than stellar performance this week, then you will feel good knowing that he draws the miserable run defense of the Carolina Panthers in week 15. This was a tough game for Foster as the Bengals did a nice job of handling the cut back lanes and not letting Foster get into the second level. Ben Tate coughed up another goal-line opportunity in this game, but if you need him for a flex he should be good to go next week.

Minnesota @ New Orleans: It was an ugly outing for the Vikings as Christian Ponder had four turnovers in this game. If the Saints defense is still available via waivers next week, you need to jump on them right now! Ponder has been a turnover machine as of late, and in the fantasy playoffs it is all about matchups. Meanwhile, Percy Harvin got it done again this week for fantasy owners as he found the end zone and went over the century mark in combined yardage. Harvin has clearly benefited from the absence of Adrian Peterson, and should be solid again next week if Peterson is forced to miss his fourth straight game.

New Orleans @ Tennessee: How about Jake Locker? If you play in dynasty or keeper leagues and you have a roster spot to spare, then Locker needs to be on your team. He has seen significant duty in two games so far this year (Atlanta and New Orleans). In those games he has put up a line of 22/48/442/3. Not bad for a rookie. While Matt Hasselbeck is under

contract for one more year, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Locker makes a serious run for the starting role during training camp next year. If Tennessee falls much farther out of the playoff race, fantasy owners may get an extended look at the Titans quarterback of the future. So far, the future looks bright.

New England @ Washington: Rob Gronkowski is unbelievable! Listen, during the first eight games of last year I thought that Antonio Gates might have had the greatest stretch of games that any tight end has ever had. After watching Gronkowski today, I have changed my mind. Gronkowski has had six games where he has scored two touchdowns. Four of those six two touchdown games have come in the last five weeks. That is the same pace that Calvin Johnson was on to start the season! You cannot cover him with a linebacker, and he is too big for even most safeties. When will defensive coordinators figure out that this guy has to be double covered at all times. Especially in the red-zone!

Tampa Bay @ Jacksonville: Maurice Jones-Drew owners are dancing in the streets right now. Jones-Drew found the end zone four times in the Jaguars win over the Buccaneers. This is the type of game that M.J.D. owners have been hoping for all season as he got it done both rushing and receiving. Jones-Drew has been very good over the last three weeks as the schedule has been relatively kind. It gets a little tougher next week, as the Jaguars have to travel to Atlanta. However, M.J.D. has gotten it done all year, so he will have to be in your lineup next week.

San Francisco @ Arizona: We may have a quarterback controversy brewing in Arizona. John Skelton looked very good in the Cardinals win over the 49ers on Sunday. Skelton finished the day going 19/28/282/3. He also hooked up a couple of times with Larry Fitzgerald as the receiver went over 100 yards receiving and also had a touchdown catch.
Kevin Kolb has looked brutal since week two, and while there have been times that Skelton has looked really bad; he has also had some stretches where he has been very effective. If you are alive in your playoffs, and Fitzgerald is on your roster, he has to be a starter every week especially if Skelton is the starting quarterback.

Oakland @ Green Bay: The potential season ending loss to Greg Jennings is a killer for a lot of fantasy owners. On the flip side it is sad to say, but if you own Jordy Nelson you may have hit the jackpot. Nelson was already on pace for a potential Pro Bowl berth with his 10 touchdowns. Now he should become the featured receiver in the leagues best passing offense. The Packers utterly dominated this game and were so far ahead that they felt comfortable pulling Aaron Rodgers toward the end of the third quarter. This may be the case the rest of the way for Rodgers owners as the Packers coaching staff may now look harder at how long they keep their starters in the game during blowout wins. With a victory against the Chiefs next week, the Packers will wrap up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Once that is done, all bets are off for how much action A-Rodge gets for the last two games. Be smart and make sure you have a solid backup just in case for week 17.

That is it for this Sunday. The schedule really starts to pick up in week 15 as we have games on both Thursday and Saturday. Stay all over your team’s injuries and don’t rest with the waiver wire pickups. This is the time of year where that last pickup you make may mean the difference between whether you win a fantasy championship or fall just short. Have a great week and I will see you for the week 15 preview.