Reviewing Week 14

Star Of Stars

QB: Cam Newton – Newton put together a fine performance on Sunday, one reminiscent of his 2011 season.  Newton threw for 287 yards and two TDs. Solid line, right? But, that’s not all, as you need to add his rushing totals to the stat line as well – so tack on 116 rushing yards and one TD on nine carries to his total. Now you’ve got the QB of the week (with all due respect to Tom Brady). Those who drafted Newton early have been somewhat disappointed this season, but those owners who made the playoffs were rewarded by a monster performance.

CO-RB: Adrian Peterson – So there’s no denying this any longer - there’s a full-on man crush on Adrian Peterson here. AD has made this spot his home, as he carved up the Bears run D for 154 yards and two TDs on 31 carries. All-Day does it again. Will he break Eric Dickerson’s all-time rushing record?  We’ll find out in the next three weeks.

CO-RB: Marshawn Lynch – While AD was his usual self on Sunday, his performance was equaled by that of Beast Mode. The poor Cardinals D had no chance, as Lynch ran for 128 yards and three TDs on only 11 carries!!! Lynch has had a terrific season in his own right, and can make a strong case for top-3 RB status behind Adrian Peterson and Arian Foster.

WR: Brandon Marshall – Lots of strong performances by WRs on Sunday, but the nod goes to Marshall here, as he caught 10 passes for 160 yards and one TD. Marshall’s season is especially impressive considering the fact that he’s the sole focus of each opposing team’s pass defense from week to week. Doesn’t matter, as Marshall will get his.

TE: Aaron Hernandez – Hernandez led the tight ends in scoring this week, catching eight passes for 58 yards, and most importantly, two TDs. The Patriots have not missed a beat since losing Gronkowski, and with weapons such as Hernandez at Brady’s disposal, expect the Pats to continue to put up very impressive numbers. Hernandez will be right in the thick of this.

Unforeseen Explosions

QB:Nick Foles – Welcome to the NFL, Mr. Foles! The last second TD pass against the Bucs to win the game was the Eagles highlight of the season. Foles passed for 381 yards and two TDs, and has secured the last three starts of the season for the Eagles. Foles has promise, but he should not be viewed as anything more than a lower end backup fantasy QB for this season. There’s room to grow for next season, though.

RB: David Wilson – Wilson had himself quite a game against the Saints on Sunday – he rushed for 100 yards and two TDs on 13 carries, AND he returned a kickoff 97 yards for a TD. With this type of performance, Wilson figures to factor into the Giants offensive plans going forward. If you need another RB for the playoffs, Wilson could be quite useful.

WR: Danario Alexander – Alexander has been quite the midseason pickup by the Chargers and his fantasy owners. Alexander caught two more TD passes among his seven catches for 88 yards against the Steelers. Alexander has developed a nice connection with Rivers, and he remains one of the few bright spots for the Chargers this season.

TE: Anthony McCoy – McCoy played his part in the Seahawks’ 58-0 thrashing of the Cardinals on Sunday. McCoy caught three passes for 105 yards, and while he didn’t find the end zone, he showed that he could grow into a dependable receiving option for Russell Wilson. McCoy doesn’t have much fantasy value at this time, but that could change next season.

Special Shoutout

Seattle Seahawks Defense – The Hawks' defense went gangbusters against the pathetic Cardinals offense, finishing with two TDs, four INTs, four forced fumbles and three sacks. If you were fortunate to have the Seahawks D during week 14, cha-ching!

Week 15 Projections

Quarterbacks

1. Cam Newton

2. Drew Brees

3. Josh Freeman

4. Matthew Stafford

5. Peyton Manning

6. Aaron Rodgers

7. Tom Brady

8. Robert Griffin III

9. Matt Ryan

10. Andy Dalton

11. Colin Kaeperncik

12. Tony Romo

13. Andrew Luck

14. Eli Manning

15. Philip Rivers

16. Carson Palmer

17. Russell Wilson

18. Ben Roethlisberger

19. Matt Schaub

20. Brandon Weeden

Running Backs

1. Adrian Peterson

2. Doug Martin

3. Arian Foster

4. Marshawn Lynch

5. Ray Rice

6. Trent Richardson

7. Jamaal Charles

8. Alfred Morris

9. Frank Gore

10. C.J. Spiller

11. Chris Johnson

12. Knowshon Moreno

13. BenJarvus Green-Ellis

14. DeMarco Murray

15. Matt Forte

16. Bryce Brown

17. Steven Jackson

18. Ryan Mathews

19. Stevan Ridley

20. Shonn Greene

21. Darren McFadden

22. Reggie Bush

23. Michael Turner

24. David Wilson

25. Jonathan Dwyer

Wide Receivers

1. Calvin Johnson

2. A.J. Green

3. Brandon Marshall

4. Vincent Jackson

5. Demaryius Thomas

6. Andre Johnson

7. Victor Cruz

8. Roddy White

9. Wes Welker

10. Julio Jones

11. Marques Colston

12. Randall Cobb

13. Reggie Wayne

14. Danario Alexander

15. Dez Bryant

16. Pierre Garcon

17. Steve Smith

18. Mike Wallace

19. Hakeem Nicks

20. Miles Austin

21. Cecil Shorts

22. Lance Moore

23. Eric Decker

24. Josh Gordon

25. Kenny Britt

Tight Ends

1. Jimmy Graham

2. Aaron Hernandez

3. Jason Witten

4. Tony Gonzalez

5. Brandon Myers

6. Owen Daniels

7. Martellus Bennett

8. Heath Miller

9. Vernon Davis

10. Martellus Bennett

11. Jermaine Gresham

12. Dallas Clark

13. Antonio Gates

14. Jermichael Finley

15. Kyle Rudolph