WEEK 17 FANTASY PROJECTIONS

December 27, 2005 5:00 AM ET

Sure, we're in the final throes of the regular season, but fantasy football never sleeps. Players who raise their stock now could be draft day finds, while those who are tailing off may find themselves on the preseason bust list in August. That's why we finish strong with the week 17 edition of Stock Watch.

QB: Kyle Boller, Ravens - Evidently there's something about playing for your job that inspires. How else can you explain Boller, who has gone from the lowest-rated passer since entering the league (even lower than Joey Harrington) to the guy who's been channeling Johnny Unitas over the past month? With three straight 250-plus-yard efforts—he had one in 32 previous career games—and six touchdowns in three games, Boller could be saving his job in Baltimore.

RB: Frank Gore, 49ers - Gore hasn't touched the ball all that much this season, but when he does good things have tended to happen. He's averaging almost five yards per carry and over nine yards per reception and scored twice Saturday against the Rams. The Niners may not regret losing the Bush battle—not if it lands them a top offensive lineman to plant in front of Gore and Alex Smith for the next decade.

WR: Derrick Mason, Ravens - Only Torry Holt and Chad Johnson have more catches over the past three seasons than Deke, but his numbers had suffered at the hands of Kyle Boller. After a two-month scoreless stretch, however, Mason has hopped on board the resurgent Boller bandwagon to catch two scores over the past five games and post 200 yards in the past two. Hey, it's the Ravens; don't expect miracles.

TE: Zach Hilton, Saints - Hilton was hardly heard from over the first two months of the season, but he's recorded 25 grabs over the past six tilts, scored his first NFL touchdown, and generally made Saints fans forget Ernie Conwell.

K: Kris Brown, Texans - Early on, the Texans weren't even getting close enough for Brown to kick a field goal. Of late, however, Kris has been getting plenty of kicks—13 field goals in the last five games, to be precise. Sure, he's missed five during that span—including that memorable potentially game-winning shank against the Titans—but almost three treys a game should be more than enough to salve those wounds.

Falling Fast
QB: Jake Plummer, Broncos - Yes, the picks are down. Yes, the passer rating is up. But last year's 27 touchdowns are starting to look a lot like an aberration. Since Halloween, Plummer has been a fantasy helper only once; the remainder of his games have featured one or zero touchdown tosses. Write this on your hand for next year: as long as Mike Shanahan is at the helm, the Broncos will be a running team.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers - December has been the cruelest month for LT owners, as he's neither scored nor delivered a 100-yard game. He's probably played himself out of the first overall pick next year, which could be a blessing—if you're into ruling your regular season and punching out early in the playoffs.

WR: Plaxico Burress, Giants- Plax is over 1,000 yards for the first time since 2002 and is one shy of his career best in touchdowns. But he's done absolutely nothing over the past month—unless 11 catches, 158 yards, and zero touchdowns over four games floats your boat.

 

TE: Heath Miller, Steelers - The Steelers rave about their top pick's blocking, but those counting on maybe just a bit more—like, say, the occasional touchdown—have been disappointed for two straight months. When you view the end-of-season rankings and see Miller tied for third in touchdowns, remember that he pitched a post-Halloween shutout before you start treating him like Antonio Gates.

K: Ryan Longwell, Packers - For years, Longwell made a living riding the coattails of a Brett Favre-led potent Packer offense. This year, the wheels fell off. Worse, Longwell is suffering through just the second sub-80 percent accuracy season of his career. Fewer chances and poorer accuracy is not a potent combination.

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