Tuesday
December 23rd, 2004 Page updated at 2:22pm FantasyFootball Grab Bag For
Week 12 By:David
Bachman Fantasy
Football Editor For WagerOnFootball.com
RB Julius Jones, DAL - Jones made his return from
a fractured shoulder blade this past weekend and
had an immediate impact. With Eddie George a complete
failure look for Jones to be the featured back for
the remainder of the season
RB Nick Goings, CAR - For those of you in leagues
who checked out our Sunday No Huddle this weekend
and saw that Brad Hoover was deactivated short of
game-time and that Nick Goings would be the primary,
prompting you to pick him up and start him, I commend
you. Goings exploded this Sunday for 100 plus yards
and three TDs. While he likely won't be getting
3 TDs every week, Carolina has a rather soft schedule
to finish the season so Goings makes a fantastic
pickup.
WR Deion Branch, NE - Nobody knew what the injury
to Branch was and chances are his owners may have
grown impatient while waiting for his return. Check
your free-agent list and if he is there make sure
if pick him up. He's clearly the top receiver in
New England and should continue to post good numbers
as long as he is healthy.
QB Drew Henson, DAL - The Henson era is about to
begin and while he probably won't be a huge success
right off the bat he does make an interesting pickup
provided you have the roster space. The Cowboys
will be playing from behind for the remainder of
the season which means more opportunities for Henson
to pad his passing numbers.
RB Lamont Jordan, NYJ - While Martin appears to
be OK, owners better act now to handcuff Jordan
to him. Obviously not a big back, Martin is getting
older and at his current pace he will receive more
touches this year than ever in his career -- this
screams injury. Herman Edwards is no dummy so look
for him to start to use Jordan much more often to
keep Martin fresh and healthy.
WR Antwaan Randle El, PIT - Burress could be out
up to 2 weeks with a hamstring injury which would
move Randle El in the starting lineup. Big Ben would
likely throw more balls to Ward but it also means
he should see more double teams from opposing defenses
which should open things up for Randle El.
WR Bobby Engram, SEA - With Koren out for the next
4 games serving a suspension, Engram will see a
huge boost in playing time. While Rice was the main
target for Dilfer Sunday, Engram did grab a few
catches and could make some noise in the upcoming
weeks.
TE Mark Campbell, BUF - Here's another guy who
came out of nowhere to grab 3 TDs this weekend and
while I can almost guarantee that this will never
happen again for Campbell, anytime a player gets
this many red zone looks he deserves consideration.
If you remember, Bledsoe loved his TE in New England
(Ben Coates) so with Eric Moulds continuing to draw
double teams and defense keying on Willis, Campbell
should see some more red zone looks come his way.
No one seems to know
where the next unlikely start will come from. But
here are a few guys who are playing better recently,
and could be worth watching in the near future.
SPOTLIGHT STARTER Jimmy Smith, WR, Jacksonville:
Some of you might be considering benching Smith
after he posted disappointing numbers in Week 11.
Yet Smith should be fully locked into your lineup
for Week 12, when the Jaguars travel to Minnesota.
The Vikings aren't nearly as explosive without
Randy Moss, yet it still takes at least one big
play to beat them, especially in their house. And
there is no better playmaker on the Jaguars than
Smith, who should have little or no trouble getting
deep for more than one catch of considerable length.
The Jaguars might run Fred Taylor a lot in this
game, but when David Garrard needs the big play,
he's going to go to Smith
MORE WEEK 12 STARTERS
Here are some more players who could figure prominently
into your fantasy success in Week 12.
Michael Pittman should have another good statistical
day at Carolina. Chad Johnson should find the end
zone against Cleveland. Keenan McCardell could have
a very big day at Kansas City. Warrick Dunn could
break loose for more than one long run against New
Orleans. Justin McCareins should post respectable
numbers at Arizona. In the same game, you should
also look for Larry Fitzgerald to score. Chris Chambers
should have another good outing, as the Dolphins
visit San Francisco. Ashley Lelie should continue
to roll, as Denver hosts Oakland. Steven Jackson
might be utilized well for his strength and goal-line
prowess at Green Bay.
Kyle Boller: The Ravens are starting to let him
throw downfield more often, and Boller is starting
to get more results. The young QB is starting to
show more confidence and a better, quicker release.
Consider adding him to your roster as a backup,
because he is showing definite signs of improvement.
Joey Galloway: If he can stay healthy, Galloway
will become the main deep threat in a diverse passing
game. With Galloway, Michael Clayton and Joe Jurevicius,
the Buccaneers have a very good potential trio.
Galloway has a veteran QB, Brian Griese, who can
find him often with better accuracy and more consistently
than some of the questionable passers Galloway has
played with in the past.
Justin McCareins: He is finally starting to show
signs of being the dependable target the Jets want
him to be. McCareins started very slowly this season,
but now he is becoming a more reliable performer
for New York. When opposing defenses try to take
the ball away from Santana Moss, McCareins will
hurt them with timely receptions and important possession
grabs.
Antonio Bryant: It's taking him some time, but
Bryant is now becoming more comfortable in the Cleveland
passing game. Bryant isn't afraid to make tough
catches, and he often wants the ball on critical
downs. Look for him to emerge as a more reliable
fantasy receiver in the weeks ahead.
Doug Gabriel: The third option in the Oakland passing
game usually proves to be very effective, and Gabriel
is that third option right now. The Raiders will
also throw the ball often as they play behind, and
Gabriel has been flashing big-play ability since
the preseason. He should become a more frequent
fantasy contributor in the weeks ahead.
NOTES:
You can trust Torry Holt again: Not only did Holt
receiver from a concussion suffered in Week 10,
he looked very sharp at Buffalo. Holt is running
much crisper routes than he did earlier in the year,
and he is getting open more often. Holt is getting
in and out of his cuts very quickly, and he's going
to be a key performer for fantasy teams in the upcoming
weeks. Don't bench Holt, who has scored in two of
his past three games.
You can't bench Edgerrin James: Yes, the Colts
throw too often inside the red zone. And yes, for
a 200-yard performance, you would have liked more
than one score out of James. Yet there is no denying
that in terms of yardage, James has been one of
the most productive RBs in fantasy football all
year long. And with the Colts moving the ball nearly
effortlessly these days, James should still get
into scoring position often enough to make him a
surefire starter every week, no matter who your
alternative option might be.
Roy Williams needs to prove himself again: Williams
seemed headed to Rookie of the Year honors before
a recent ankle injury derailed him. Since he has
returned, Williams has failed to fully display his
exciting early-season form again. Williams has caught
seven passes for just 116 yards in his past three
games, with no TD receptions. Consider putting him
on your bench until you see him start to play at
or near a high level again.
Brutal:
1) CARDINALS: Shaun King huh? Did Denny Green lose
a bet or does King have incriminating photos? If
you understand this move please e-mail me, I would
love to hear a logical explanation. I have questioned
Green's sanity before on many many occasions in
the past, but almost every time he proves me wrong.
This one is a doozy though.
2) DOLPHINS: I saw a clip of one of A.J. Feeleys
teammates slapping him on the buttocks, and Feeley
reaching for the area grimacing in pain. Now he
knows how Dolphins fans have been feeling since
Ricky ran away to reefer land.
3) 49ers: The 49ers have only one thing more they
can possibly screw up this year and that would be
to win themselves out of the overall number one
pick with a victory over the Dolphins this week.
This is the Toilet Bowl game of the year in the
NFL, and I am just hoping upon hope it ends in a
very appropriate 3-3 tie. If you find yourself watching
this game you may be sick beyond repair.
