Week 15 is over… did you make it to week 16? Of the regular emailers I have asking me questions, all but one of them made it to the fantasy finals. I would be happy to brag about that all article long, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention DeSean Jackson and his walk-off punt return. The Giants and all their fans may hate the rookie punter Matt Dodge right now, but he wasn't the reason the Giants lost a 24-3 halftime lead. Then, if that wasn't enough, Patriots Guard, Dan Connolly, got his big bear-claws on a kick-off and rumbled 71 yards to set the NFL record for longest kick-off returned by an offensive lineman. And, to top it all off, Devin Hester set the NFL record with his kick returning ability. Hester isn't much of a fantasy player, but the guy is simply dynamic when he gets his hands on the ball on kick-offs and punts.
If these two plays don't tell you what kind of weekend we saw in the NFL, just read down below and you will get a better sense of it.
Winners
Rex Grossman: See… I told you it was a weird weekend! Grossman went all Joe Montana on the Cowboys weak secondary and finished the game with 322 passing yards, four TDs, two 2-point conversions and two INTs. Donovan McNabb is sporting a 77.1 passer rating and Grossman has never posted anything better than a 74.8 in his career, so who would have thought it possible that he made McNabb actually look bad?
John Kitna: From the same game, Kitna did some magic on the other side as well. After posting 305 passing yards and two TDs, I am still wondering why he is owned in just 49 percent of leagues and started in 36 percent of leagues while Kyle Orton is still owned in 86 percent of leagues!
Cedric Benson:Congratulations to the 60 percent of owners smart enough to start him this weekend. Benson had his best game of the season as he finished with 150 yards on the ground and a TD. Hopefully his big game propelled you into the finals and you got exactly what you needed from him.
Ray Rice: Rice, just like Benson, came through for his owners when they needed him the most. He racked up 153 rushing yards, 80 receiving yards, five receptions and two TDs this weekend, good enough to finish in the top 3-5 for all players in most scoring formats. That is impressive considering QB's will almost always be the first 5-6 names you see on the total points scored list in fantasy leagues.
Vincent Jackson: I know it doesn't help my stats, but I did tell every person that emailed me to play Jackson if he was on their team or on their waiver wire. V-Jax showed the Chargers why he is worth big dollars as he burned the 49ers to the tune of 112 receiving yards and three TDs.
Brandon Marshall: I'm big enough to admit when I am wrong, and I was wrong here. It figures that Marshall would have his best game in seven weeks right when I say he is cut worthy. Marshall finished week 15 with 11 catches for 106 yards and a TD, good enough to be in the top six for WRs in most scoring formats.
Jason Witten: Witten broke out, in week 15 mind you, with 10 catches for 140 yards and a TD. Better late than never for the party I guess, but I wouldn't look for this again next week as the Redskins are tied for 30th in pass defense this season.
New England Patriots defense: Even though they gave up 27 points on defense, the Patriots defense still finished in the #1 spot for defenses this weekend as they also racked up five sacks, one INT, one recovered fumble and a defensive touchdown. Just 65 percent of owners started the defense, so enjoy if you made the right call.
Losers
Matt Hasselbeck: And this is why you don't trust the rankings of Yahoo, ESPN and NFL.com, because they all had Hasselbeck as a top 25 player projected this weekend. What did he do you ask? He finished the game with a whopping 71 yards passing, two INTs and a lost fumble, netting his owners a -1 for points (standard scoring format) this weekend.
Sam Bradford: The rookie looked like a rookie this weekend as the Chiefs held him to 181 passing yards while forcing two INTs. Bradford looks like he is the real deal, but he simply doesn't have much to work with this year.
Knowshon Moreno: Talk about your swing and miss, Moreno completely whiffed for his fantasy owners this weekend. After I put him on my start 'em list, Moreno went out and amassed a grand total of five, yes 5, rushing yards and one receiving yard. I hate the use the word worthless… but that is the word for Moreno as a fantasy player this weekend.
Adrian Peterson: AP went off for… wait… Peterson wasn't even active for the Monday night game! It was nice of the Vikings to let us know 45 minutes before kick-off so that those of us not in front of a computer when the news broke were stuck with a goose egg from our RB1 spot this week. I'll be taking someone else if I have a top three pick next year because the Vikings will be terrible and defenses will key in on Peterson.
Reggie Wayne: Wayne sure didn't do much to help his owners as he finished this week with a modest 34 yards receiving on five catches. He will do better most weeks, but this just goes to show you that even tier one WRs are boom or bust.
Danny Woodhead: Far too many people are starting Woodhead in their fantasy leagues, 60 percent of owners to be exact. He's yet to hit 100 yards rushing, he has just a single 100-yard receiving game and only has two TDs since the Patriots week five bye. This weekend he finished with 59 yards rushing and 12 yards receiving.
Vernon Davis: I personally don't own a single 49ers player and don't recommend you start any of them if you do own them. Why… because Davis finished this game with one catch for four yards, and it didn't even result in a touchdown. This season can't be over fast enough for Mike Singletary and the 49ers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense: The Buccs defense is a long way from the Super Bowl defense they had in 2002, and that was evident this weekend as the Lions put up 23 points on them. What's worse is the Buccs didn't get a single sack, INT, or fumble… nadda.
Remember, you can email me (nolimitallstars1@hotmail.com), follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/fantasyguy23) or find me on Facebook to get your fantasy fix and have your questions answered.
