Stars of Week 13
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, HOU: 24-33, 358 yards, 6 TDs
RB: Tre Mason, STL: 14 carries, 117 yards, 2 TDs (3 catches, 47 yards, 1 TD)
WR: DeAndre Hopkins, HOU: 9 catches, 238 yards, 2 TDs
TE: Jordan Reed, WAS: 9 catches, 123 yards, 0 TDs
Big name stars have dominated the honor roll the past several weeks, but not this week. If your team started Ryan Fitzpatrick, then you were in a desperate situation. Do not overreact to this one performance against the swiss cheese Titans’ defense – Ryan Fitzpatrick will revert back to being Ryan Fitzpatrick next week. In other words, do not start him! His teammate DeAndre Hopkins though has a different outlook, as he has proven himself worthy of a weekly starting nod. Speaking of ascending players, Tre Mason has taken ahold of the starting RB duties for the Rams, and expect him to hold onto the starting gig for years to come. His presence is the precise reason why I downgraded Zac Stacy in my draft guide. Jordan Reed has been frustrating for his fantasy owners because of constant injuries. But his talent has never been in question, and he’ll perform when healthy. Note that Reed has developed into the favorite target for Colt McCoy.
Week 13 Takeaways – A Closer Look
Each week we take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.
- Johnny Manziel, QB – CLE: 5-8, 63 yards, 0 TDs (2 carries, 13 yards, 1 TD)
Analysis: Even if you were living in a cave with no connection of any kind with civilization, you still may have heard that Johnny Football found his way into the game against the Bills this past Sunday. I assumed that the Browns would do the sensible thing and give Manziel the start this week against the Colts, but I was wrong. That being said, Hoyer remains on a short leash, and if you want to stash a QB with upside for the last few weeks, Manziel could provide a sneaky value play for your playoffs – assuming he does finally get a chance to start. With Josh Gordon in his arsenal and a no fear approach, Manziel would likely populate both the TD and INT categories, with several yards thrown to boot. He’d be a wild card, there’s no question, but he could put up low end QB1 numbers. Of course, he could also put up low end QB2 numbers, so there would be lots of risk. Anyways, he’s not starting this coming week, but if you have room on your bench and want to take a flier on Manziel, now’s the time to do so.
- Joique Bell, RB – DET: 23 carries, 91 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: Surely you know by now that Joique Bell is a useful fantasy player, and a good one at that. Bell emerged on the fantasy radar last season, and has elevated his role in 2014. This review casts more of a long-term eye (most useful for keeper leagues and 2015 drafts), but everyone should note that Bell will continue to be the lead ball carrier for the Lions going forward, without regard to Reggie Bush’s status. Bell provides a power runner for the Lions, capable of getting tough yards and with a nose for the end zone. In case there’s any question, Bell should be starting in all lineups for the remainder of the season (hopefully that means the playoffs for you).
- Stedman Bailey, WR - STL: 5 catches, 100 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: Stedman Bailey has put together two solid weeks in a row for the Rams, with his first time topping 100 yards coming this past Sunday against the Raiders. Has the second year WR turned the corner? It’s too early to make a definitive proclamation, but at least there are positive signs. He is developing into Shaun Hill’s favorite target. So how should his fantasy owners view him? Despite the recent promise he has flashed, I can’t go higher than WR4 status on him because he just hasn’t shown the level of performance for long enough. In deeper leagues (14 teams or more), he’s fine to start. In 12 team leagues, he falls more onto the bubble, and he should probably be avoided in 10 team leagues. Just note that he’s a risky play, so if you do start him, you should have safer options in your other lineup spots.
- Davante Adams, WR – GB: 6 catches, 121 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: While Davante Adams has been wildly inconsistent this season, forgive him as it’s his rookie campaign. Adams has had a nice season overall, and he has replaced Jarett Boykin as the Packers’ number 3 WR. With Randall Cobb possibly departing as a free agent this offseason, the door should open for Adams to take the next step (for those of you in keeper leagues). For the remainder of this season, Adams falls into the same category as Stedman Bailey – a risky, WR4 type. So in deep leagues, he’s fine to start as your last WR, but I would tread cautiously for those of you in 12 team leagues or less. Adams’ best days are ahead of him, but he’s risky this year. For every game like he had against the Patriots, he’ll have two clunkers.
- Donte Moncrief, WR – IND: 3 catches, 134 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: Not to be repetitive, but Moncrief falls into the same category as Stedman Bailey and Davante Adams – a WR4 with promise. Moncrief has surpassed Hakeen Nicks as the Colts number 3 WR, and his future looks bright with Luck, Hilton and the rest of the Horseshoe crew. Moncrief was targeted by Luck four times in each of the past two games, but only one time in the two games before that - although 12 times in the game before that! This shows the point I’m getting at – week to week inconsistency remains an issue here as well. If you had to pin me on how to rank these three WRs, I’d lean Bailey, Moncrief and Adams in that order. But they’re all in the same neighborhood – WR4s.
Rapid Fire Pickups
Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues.
QB: Shaun Hill, STL
RB: Marion Grice, ARZ
RB: Roy Helu, WAS
WR: Marquise Lee, JAC
WR: Robert Woods, BUF
TE: Tony Moeaki, SEA
Week 14 Rankings
Quarterbacks
1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Andrew Luck
3. Drew Brees
4. Peyton Manning
5. Tom Brady
6. Jay Cutler
7. Tony Romo
8. Russell Wilson
9. Matthew Stafford
10. Ben Roethlisberger
11. Ryan Tannehill
12. Philip Rivers
13. Cam Newton
14. Mark Sanchez
15. Matt Ryan
16. Colin Kaepernick
17. Colt McCoy
18. Andy Dalton
19. Eli Manning
20. Shaun Hill
Running Backs
1. DeMarco Murray
2. Le'Veon Bell
3. Arian Foster
4. Eddie Lacy
5. C.J. Anderson
6. Marshawn Lynch
7. Matt Forte
8. Rashad Jennings
9. LeSean McCoy
10. Jamaal Charles
11. Mark Ingram
12. Joique Bell
13. Justin Forsett
14. Tre Mason
15. Alfred Morris
16. Isaiah Crowell
17. Jeremy Hill
18. Daniel Herron
19. Andre Ellington
20. Ryan Mathews
21. Denard Robinson
22. Fred Jackson
23. LeGarrette Blount
24. Frank Gore
25. Chris Ivory
26. Bishop Sankey
27. Shane Vereen
28. Lamar Miller
29. Darren Sproles
30. Trent Richardson
31. Reggie Bush
32. Carlos Hyde
33. Latavius Murray
34. Jonathan Stewart
35. Steven Jackson
Wide Receivers
1. Demaryius Thomas
2. Calvin Johnson
3. Dez Bryant
4. Jordy Nelson
5. Josh Gordon
6. Antonio Brown
7. Emmanuel Sanders
8. Randall Cobb
9. Odell Beckham Jr.
10. A.J. Green
11. Julio Jones
12. T.Y. Hilton
13. Alshon Jeffery
14. DeAndre Hopkins
15. Brandon Marshall
16. Kelvin Benjamin
17. Jeremy Maclin
18. Mike Evans
19. Golden Tate
20. Kenny Stills
21. Keenan Allen
22. Jordan Matthews
23. Brandon LaFell
24. DeSean Jackson
25. Jarvis Landry
26. Anquan Boldin
27. Andre Johnson
28. Julian Edelman
29. Torrey Smith
30. Sammy Watkins
31. Mohamed Sanu
32. Roddy White
33. Marques Colston
34. Steve Smith Sr.
35. Martavis Bryant
Tight Ends
1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Jimmy Graham
3. Julius Thomas
4. Martellus Benentt
5. Greg Olsen
6. Jordan Reed
7. Delanie Walker
8. Antonio Gates
9. Jason Witten
10. Coby Fleener
11. Larry Donnell
12. Travis Kelce
13. Jordan Cameron
14. Dwayne Allen
15. Kyle Rudolph
- Neema Hodjat is the fantasy sports expert for RealGM. He can be reached via email at nhodjat@gmail.com and followed on twitter at @NeemaHodjat.