Well this is it…Championship Week is finally upon us and boy did those past 15 weeks fly by. Speaking of the past 15 weeks, boy was last week a doozy or what? I’m sure there were quite a few match ups that swung thanks in part to Mark Ingram’s touchdown run with less than two minutes to play or due to Jay Cutler’s touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery with 30 seconds remaining in a blowout of a Monday night contest. I, for one, was torched by Dez Bryant’s three touchdowns on Sunday night which knocked me into the consolation game but I’m not bitter because this is why we play the game. For those of you who still have something to play for let’s take a look at some players who can help you win your Week 16 match up as well as a few players who should be left on the bench in this week’s Stock Watch report.
Nate Washington, WR Ten- Hey, I get it. It’s championship weekend and here I am promoting Nate Washington of all people. But before you rush to judgment, at least hear me out. First off, he’s widely available in almost all standard leagues with an ownership percentage of 2.2-percent and he will be the Titans No.1 wide receiver this week against the Jaguars as Kendall Wright is still dealing with a broken bone in his hand. The remaining wide receivers on the roster had a whopping one catch last weekend compared to Washington’s six catches for 102 yards. It’s pretty clear that Delanie Walker and Nate Washington will be the only two players trusted in their passing attack with the possibility of Derek Hagan or Kris Durham making an appearance as the team’s No.2 wideout. The Titans, in all likelihood, will be starting Charlie Whitehurst at QB with Zach Mettenberger still listed as doubtful with a shoulder injury. The Titans find themselves up against another struggling football team on Thursday when they travel to Jacksonville. The Jaguars have allowed the 15th fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this year which puts them relatively in the middle of the pack and if you’re an owner in need of some wide receiver help, there likely aren’t many available options at this point in the season better than Nate.
Torrey Smith, WR Bal- Smith is a huge boom or bust type of play these days and I realize I have been preaching steady floor over big potential over the past few weeks but with a match up like this and the fact that, unlike many of the wide receivers heading into Week 16, Smith is not listed on the injury report, he is worth it. Now Torrey had been dealing with a sprained knee for the past two weeks which has caused him to miss practices and be limited during games but news out of Ravens camp this week suggests that he is fine and will be ready to go on Sunday against a Texans defense that has allowed the second most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Given Smith’s recent injury status it’s quite possible he was dropped by an owner needing to fill the roster spot, therefore I would check the waiver wire to see if he is available as he could end up being the difference in winning or losing your fantasy championship.
Falling
Alshon Jeffery, WR CHI- I am throwing the entire Bears receiving core into this one, including tight end Martellus Bennett, because as bad as Jay Cutler has been this season, it can get worse as the Jimmy Clausen era begins on Sunday against one of the league’s top defenses in the Detroit Lions. Here’s a little background info on Clausen for those of you who aren’t familiar with his work: Drafted in the second round in 2010 Clausen appeared in 13 games as a rookie throwing nine interceptions to three touchdowns and completing 52.5-percent of his passes. Following the 2010 season Clausen dropped in the Panthers depth chart and was ultimately released and out of football until this season when he was signed by the Bears, leaving a three year gap without playing a meaningful down of football. Now I understand that it is championship weekend and there’s no way you could consciously bench a guy like Jeffery who is likely your No.1 receiver or Martellus Bennett who has been one of the top tight ends all year, but let this been a warning to temper your expectations and plan accordingly for the letdown that is inevitably going to happen.
LeSean McCoy, RB Phi- Now again, I understand that you likely can’t afford to bench McCoy, given how Shady is likely the reason you are playing for something in Week 16, but just look at the facts that are in front of you. Over the past two weeks McCoy has been held to an average of 16.5 carries for 57 yards while playing in front of a home crowd against the Seahawks and Cowboys. Now in Week 16 the Eagles will be traveling on the road to division rival Washington who boast a defense that has allowed the second fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season and have held those running backs to a 3.4 yards per carry average since Week 10. All these indicators including his past previous performance against the Redskins when they held him to 22 yards on 19 carries back in Week 3 should at least make you look at what your league has projected for McCoy and question if he can actually achieve that. Sometimes the boldest moves are the ones that pay off in the end.
Good Luck to everybody… It has been a fun fantasy football season and I can’t wait to do it again next year.