WEEK 15 FANTASY PROJECTIONS

December 21, 2005 5:00 AM ET

As Ace Ventura put it, fiction can be fun, but we find the reference section a bit more enlightening. Mike Anderson and Roy Williams are suddenly all over the end zone, Rex Grossman is throwing darts in Chitown, and the Ravens' Mark Clayton is looking like, well, the Dolphins' Mark Clayton. Trend and Mirage separates the diversion from the enlightenment.

It's tough to get excited about a receiver that hasn't cracked 55 yards in a single game in five weeks, but know this: If the Lions are going to put points on the board, it's likely to be Legend.

Since week 10, Detroit has scored nine touchdowns as a team. Roy has six of them. The other three came from Kevin Jones, Artose Pinner, and Charles Rogers. Jones may not even suit up this week, and we're going to go ahead and not get used to seeing Rogers in the end zone.

Williams has scored seven times in 10 games this season and now has registered 10 touchdowns in his last 13 games dating back to last season. With the play that the Lions are getting under center, it's hard to ask for much more. Legend has had his number called inside the five-yard line in two consecutive games—on a fade route to the corner against Green Bay and on an inside slant from the slot against Cincy.

Next up for Roy is the lowly Saints, who have surrendered nine wide receiver scores in their last seven games and nearly 26 points per game. Like Steve Smith a week ago against the Aints, you might even get a double dose of Roy on Saturday.

After a measly 89 rushing yards and one touchdown on 32 carries in his previous three outings, Mike Anderson ripped off 97 yards and two scores on 21 attempts in week 15 to secure his job as the Broncos feature back from here on out.

Not quite. It would be nice if it were that easy, but this is Mike Shanahan we're talking about, and you know better.

The Broncos backfield is a weekly juggling act, and the signs pointed to Anderson last week—specifically the fact that the game came on the road in Buffalo in some nasty conditions. Denver is back at Invesco Field, and those same indicators have us feeling that the Bell may toll on Saturday.

Tatum Bell has scored all five of his touchdowns this season, and seven of eight in his career, at Invesco Field. He has recorded all three of his 100-yard games at home, where he averages a robust seven yards per carry and 70 rushing yards per game. In their last home game, he carried 16 times to Anderson's eight. Overall, the second-year speedster has produced more rushing yards than Anderson in four of the last five contests in Denver. The only one in which Mike starred was a blowout of the Jets in which Tatum sustained an injury.

Anderson is just 32 yards shy of 1,000 for the season. Against a Raiders defense that the Broncos have posted 160 rushing yards per game in their last three meetings, he will get there and remains a solid week 16 fantasy option. But Bell is 202 yards away with two games remaining, and you know Shanahan would love nothing more than to boast of two quadruple-digit runners. Yes, Bell will play a significant role alongside Anderson in this one.

We'd much prefer if it were indeed Dan Marino throwing to this Mark Clayton, but even with Kyle Boller at the helm, we smell what the Ravens have cookin'. Their rookie wide receiver from Oklahoma has collected 16 catches, 215 receiving yards, and two touchdowns in his last three games and flashed serious potential.

We can't remember the last time two catches, three rushes, 24 receiving yards, and 14 rushing yards were so exciting. Perhaps it was the rest of Monday night's stinker, but Clayton showed us the kind of play-making ability and game-breaking speed that fantasy owners so desperately seek. In the first quarter, Clayton took a direct snap from center in a shotgun formation, fell in behind blocking back Jamal Lewis (hey, there's a thought), and got to and turned the corner like he was shot of a cannon. Before you knew it, he was in the end zone for an 11-yard score.

Clayton had two other sure touchdowns in the passing game—which would have made it two straight after he crossed the stripe in Denver last week—but Boller couldn't seem to lead the speedy wideout. He underthrew both a deep post on which Clayton had at least three steps as well as a medium fade to the pylon. This came against a Packers defense that had come into Monday night ranking No. 1 against the pass. Given Boller's ineptitude, we also loved seeing the Ravens get creative with Clayton; he had his number called on an end-around and on an option and has now logged seven rushing attempts in the last six games.

Relying on a rookie Raven in your Fantasy Bowl may sound like a recipe for disaster, but last we checked, the wide receiver rankings weren't all that pretty. At the very least, keeper leaguers should take notice; Clayton is on our sleeper list for 2006.

The Return of Rex in Chicago has the local fan base thinking Super Bowl and the national media tossing the one-dimensional label out the window. And with the Packers making Boller look like Joe Namath last Monday night, it has fantasy owners wondering if a starved fantasy position has just received some much-needed help.

All of this for a guy who has made eight fewer career starts than rookie Kyle Orton and has six fewer career touchdown passes.

Grossman is more capable than Orton. He has a stronger arm, a quicker release, and considerably more athleticism. And yet there's still a significant hill to climb before we're ready to suggest there are fantasy digits to be had in the Bears passing game.

Rex has made six starts in his NFL career and has thrown for 200-plus yards and two touchdowns in only one of them. One of those six was a road win last season in Green Bay, against a Packers pass defense that was far worse than the one Rex will see this Sunday. He completed 10 passes and finished with 118 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

With a more threatening quarterback under center, bump Thomas Jones and Muhsin Muhammad up your rankings a bit, but don't consider Grossman unless you're in dire straits.

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