Fantasy Football Week 12 | In the Eyes of The Optiongirl

Two weeks left for Fantasy Football 2012.  Bye weeks are complete, the trading deadline is over in Yahoo leagues, and other leagues, however the waiver wire remains to pick up players to replace the injured.  Last week running Backs Kevin Smith returned to help the Detroit Lions scored 49 points against Carolina. Last week my fantasy team hung on to win by less than one point, with luck coming my way.  This week I made a costly mistake as I lost 127.56 to 127.46. Stafford had five touchdowns, and I left him on the bench to play Carson Palmer. I did not follow my rule, “Play Your Studs” all the time.  Be consistent with your lineup and do not try and guess which player is going to do better.  However the good news is I am still alive for the playoffs.

I hope you had a very Happy Thanksgiving with your friends and family. It was a  great day of football with the Packers beating the LIons,  Dallas victorious over the Dolphins and Baltimore beating the 49’ers.

This week I will share with you part of the waiver wire article Retreaded in Detroit by Chris Wesseling of Rotworld.com

Waiver wire pickups of the week.

Running Backs: Kevin Smith C.J. Spiller Donald Brown Toby Gerhart Joe McKnight Ryan Grant Javon Ringer Marion Barber Montario Hardesty

Quarterbacks: Vince Young Caleb Hanie Matt Moore Jake Locker Rex Grossman

Wide Receivers Santana Moss Riley Cooper Jerome Simpson Nate Burleson

Greg Little Jacoby Ford Jabar Gaffney

Tight Ends Jacob Tamme Jared Cook Anthony Fasano Tony Scheffler

Defense/Special Teams Falcons Patriots Titans

Running Backs

Kevin Smith, Lions - Smith took the first-team reps in Tuesday’s practice after putting a  stranglehold on the feature-back job in the final three quarters of the comeback win over the Panthers. As delicate as Jahvid Best is at this point, the Lions aren’t going to give him more than 10 touches per game when he does return — perhaps in Week 13. That leaves Smith with the most value in this backfield going forward. In what should be a Thanksgiving shootout with the Packers, Smith’s receiving ability should maintain RB2 value even if the running lanes aren’t nearly as wide as they were in Week 11.

C.J. Spiller, Bills - Fred Jackson’s calf is reportedly “very, very sore.” He’s already been ruled out of Wednesday’s practice, leaving Spiller to handle the first-team reps in preparation for the Jets rematch. While Spiller has shown flashes of talent the past season and a half, he’s still unproven as a feature back. We have more confidence in his receiving ability, leaving him as a better option in PPR formats should F-Jax sit out.

Donald Brown, Colts - After functioning as the lead-back in Week 10, Brown would be higher on this list if the Colts would tip their hand on the backfield plans for Week 12. Per coach Jim Caldwell, there is a “possibility” that Joseph Addai (hamstring) will play this week, leaving Brown’s role up in the air. If that role solidifies by week’s end, Brown is going to fly up the running back rankings against a Panthers defense that has surrendered 375 yards and four touchdowns to Chris Johnson and Kevin Smith the past two weeks.

Toby Gerhart, Vikings - In Tuesday’s Daily Dose, Adam Levitan addressed the reluctance inherent in picking up Gerhart his week. Adrian Peterson is reportedly out 1-2 weeks, leaving Gerhart as the feature back against a Falcons defense giving up just 3.8 yards per carry and the 31st-most fantasy points to opposing backs. Gerhart did touch the ball 19 times for 95 yards in a spot start versus the Bears late last season, but he’s a poor bet to reach those numbers against a smothering defense with Percy Harvin taking on an increased backfield role. Gerhart won’t be a recommended RB2 option for Week 12.

Joe McKnight, Jets - Shonn Greene (ribs) expects to play in Week 12, insisting that his rib injury isn’t a significant issue. Greene did reveal after last week’s game that the coaching staff opted to stick with McKnight’s hot hand in the second half, suggesting a possible change in game plan against the Bills. McKnight can’t be counted on as a fantasy starter at this point, but that could change in the next week or two. He offers more play-making ability than Greene.

Ryan Grant, Packers - James Starks is day-to-day with knee and ankle sprains sustained on the same play after having his leg twisted backwards. Even if Starks misses Thursday’s game at Detroit, Grant is merely a desperation fantasy play. He’s not involved in the pass-heavy attack while John Kuhn and even B.J. Raji have gotten the call at the goal-line of late.

Javon Ringer, Titans - Since 1960, only 100 backs have ever carried the ball as many as 12 times without topping 13 yards. This is the state of Chris Johnson in Week 11 of the 2011 season. As hesitant at the line as any back I’ve ever seen, Johnson is arguably the worst in the NFL right now. Ringer should be rostered in case the Titans decide they can’t put up with the hemming and hawing any longer.

Marion Barber, Bears - As a player who touches the ball 6-10 times, Barber isn’t my kind of fantasy back even if he’s been given the opportunity for short touchdowns in four of the past five games. Barber can’t ever be trusted in standard-scoring leagues as long as Matt Forte is healthy, but he’s finding the end zone enough to be utilized in touchdown-heavy formats.

Montario Hardesty, Browns - Coach Pat Shurmur intends to be “cautious” with Hardesty (calf) this week after Chris Ogbonnaya cleared 100 scrimmage yards for the second straight game. If Hardesty gets the green light this week, I expect him to play behind Ogbonnaya at Cincinnati. Tough matchups follow against the Ravens and Steelers the next two weeks.

Quarterbacks

Vince Young, Eagles - VY is still owned in less than 20 percent of CBSSports.com leagues while pedestrian fantasy options such as Alex Smith and Andy Dalton are owned in roughly 70 percent. The Eagles are reportedly optimistic that Michael Vick (ribs) will play this week, though coach Andy Reid conceded that wouldn’t have happened had the game occurred on Monday. With a Week 12 matchup against a Patriots defense allowing the third-most points to opposing fantasy quarterbacks, Young should be rostered as a low-end QB1 option should Vick miss another game.

Caleb Hanie, Bears - There are six games left in the season. In four of those games, Hanie plays against defenses allowing top-five production to opposing fantasy quarterbacks. What little we know of Hanie is that OC Mike Martz isn’t crazy about him, and that he provided a spark by playing like he belonged on the field in the NFC Championship game last season. Jay Cutler was 18th in fantasy scoring through 10 weeks, so don’t expect more than QB2 production out of Hanie even with the attractive schedule.

Matt Moore, Dolphins - In the past three weeks, Moore boasts two of the five highest-rated games of the season, according to ESPN’s Total QBR. Unfortunately, those are the only two games all season that he’s managed to accrue 20 fantasy points. He’s a better NFL than fantasy QB in a conservative offense that complements a defense that hasn’t allowed a touchdown in three games.

Jake Locker, Titans - Last week’s relief appearance at Atlanta was a reminder that Locker is a supreme NFL athlete with a Jay Cutler arm and accuracy issues. The No. 8 overall pick provided an immediate spark to a previously lifeless offense, throwing downfield bullets while leading two touchdown drives in a quarter and a half. Keep in mind that Matt Hasselbeck (elbow) isn’t certain to miss this week’s game against the Bucs. Even as a tantalizing physical talent, Locker’s production will be erratic should he take over for Hasselbeck down the stretch.

Rex Grossman, Redskins - John Beck’s confident public persona notwithstanding, he was a timid passer, afraid to test defenses down the field. Grossman is essentially the opposite, willing to make any throw however inadvisable. For fantasy purposes, at least, that makes Grossman a substantial upgrade. I just can’t bring myself to trust him not to throw it to the defensive backs on the Seahawks and Jets the next two weeks.

Wide Receivers

Santana Moss, Redskins - Moss will try to practice on Wednesday after missing a month with a hand injury. Rex Grossman is at least moving the offensive aggressively between the 20s, picking up the pace from a timid John Beck. As soon as Moss proves healthy, he’s the No. 1 option in the passing game, with attractive matchups against the Patriots and Vikings in Weeks 13 and 15.

Riley Cooper, Eagles - One week after losing the snap battle 60-23 versus Steve Smith, Cooper won out 66-7 while posting a 5/75/1 line against the Giants. Jeremy Maclin (hamstring, shoulder) was reportedly behind Michael Vick in rehab progress last week, leaving his status in question for Week 12 against a Patriots defense still allowing the most fantasy points to opposing receivers.

Jerome Simpson, Bengals - Simpson is 33rd in fantasy points this season, but he’s managed to clear 50 yards just three times all season. More than half of his 68.2 fantasy points have come in the three games that he’s cleared 100 yards. Pick him up if you’re feeling luck, but Simpson is likely to disappoint against the Browns’ Joe Haden and the Steelers’ Ike Taylor the next two weeks if A.J. Green (knee) can’t make it back.

 Nate Burleson, Lions - Burleson has reclaimed his role as the second option in the Lions passing game heading into the Thanksgiving matchup against a Packers defense allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing receivers. Burleson has as many receptions the past two games (15) as he had total in Weeks 3-8. Thursday’s game should have the highest over-under the NFL this week. 

Greg Little, Browns - The improvement is incremental, but Little has become a more efficient receiver the past two weeks, totaling 11 receptions and 143 yards on 14 targets. The downside is that he’s yet to find the end zone with upcoming AFC North matchups against the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers the next three weeks.

Jacoby Ford, Raiders - Ford didn’t practice last week and remains without a timetable for a return. Considered a poor man’s Steve Smith, Ford is talented enough to merit consideration as a roster stash now that the bye-week crunch is over. He could be back on the WR3 radar for matchups against the soft defenses of the Chiefs and Chargers in the final two weeks of the season.

Jabar Gaffney, Redskins - One of these games is not like the others. Lacking play-making ability, Gaffney hadn’t topped 70 yards or five receptions before the 7/115/1 performance against the Cowboys. With Santana Moss (hand) set to return this week or next, Gaffney will slide back into the No. 2 role. He’s still just a mediocre option for those in PPR formats.

Tight Ends

Jacob Tamme, Colts - As we mentioned last week, Tamme was heavily targeted once Dan Orlovsky replaced Curtis Painter at quarterback in Week 10. Should Dallas Clark (lower leg) miss this week’s game against the Panthers — as tentatively expected — Tamme could be played as a borderline TE1 in PPR formats.

Jared Cook, Titans - Keep an eye on the Titans’ QB situation. In just a quarter and a half of action, rookie Jake Locker targeted the athletic Cook five times. The way he’s gone all season, Cook is more of an upside stash as opposed to a plug ‘n’ play for Week 12 versus the Bucs. Cook has friendly matchups against the Bills, Saints, and Jaguars in three of the next four weeks.

Anthony Fasano, Dolphins - Fasano is never a great bet for consistent TE1 production, but Matt Moore has breathed life into his season since taking over for Chad Henne.  Having found the end zone four times in the past five weeks, Fasana draws a Cowboys defense that hasn’t stopped opposing tight ends all season long.

Tony Scheffler, Lions - Only four tight ends have more than Scheffler’s five touchdowns this season. While his role between the 20s is virtually nil, Scheffler is a decent bet for a score against a Packers defense allowing the fourth-most points to opposing tight ends.

See more analysis by going to Rotoworld for the balance of the article

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