Kenny Stills has emerged as a valuable player to have on fantasy football rosters. (Photo: Jason Bridge — USA Today Sports)
BBD Contributor: Doug Moore
Waiver Wire Pickups
Johnny Manziel, QB, Cleveland Browns (Owned in 11% of Yahoo! Leagues): It finally happened. Manziel got his meaningful game action in place of Brian Hoyer on Sunday, throwing for 63 yards and also rushing for a touchdown in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. Head coach Mike Pettine has not named a starting quarterback for week 14, but it’s obvious that Manziel gives the Cleveland Browns the best chance of winning moving forward. Because of his dual-threat ability, Manziel should be seen as a high-end QB2/low-end QB2 moving forward and could be gold for fantasy owners in the playoffs.
Colt McCoy, QB, Washington Redskins (Y!: 5%): Moving onto another QB benching, Robert Griffin III was benched in favor of Colt McCoy in Week 13. McCoy did not lead the Redskins to a victory but had 393 yards passing and three passing touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. McCoy has a lot going for him: tight end Jordan Reed is finally healthy, Roy Helu Jr. is a reliable pass-catching running back out of the backfield and DeSean Jackson is not expected to miss any games with a leg injury, according to NBC4′s Dianna Marie Russini. McCoy is a reliable QB2 who could put up a lot of garbage time stats on a weekly basis.
Kenny Stills, WR, New Orleans Saints (Y!: 41%): The main beneficiary of Brandin Cooks’ season-ending injury, Stills has put up two straight great games to help pick up the slack for the loss of Cooks. Stills has caught 13 passes for 260 yards, and one touchdown in the past two weeks. As witnessed on Sunday, teams will make their coverages around Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, making Drew Brees have to look for someone like Stills to throw to. Don’t expect Stills to let up anytime soon, and expect him to keep having great games as the fantasy football playoffs start. He is a solid WR3 with a very high ceiling.
Donte Moncrief, WR, Indianapolis Colts (Y!: 4%): Moncrief’s impressive performance (three catches, 132 yards, two touchdowns) against the Washington Redskins not only showed off Moncrief’s talent but also how dangerous the Indianapolis Colts’ offense is. Moncrief has surpassed Hakeem Nicks to be the Colts’ No. 3 receiver. With T.Y. Hilton taking up most of opponents’ best coverages, Moncrief could continue to make home run plays for his team and fantasy owners. He needs to be owned across the board moving forward.
Robert Woods, WR, Buffalo Bills (Y!: 6%): Woods has put up solid numbers the past few weeks as opposing teams have focused their efforts on covering fellow Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Woods has 13 receptions, 189 yards and a touchdown in the past two weeks. With Watkins battling a hip injury, Woods could see even more looks and put up even bigger stats. Woods is a mid-tier WR3 with room to grow going forward, especially if Watkins’ injury forces him to miss any time.
Daniel Herron, RB, Indianapolis Colts (Y!: 47%): Herron had a good game on Sunday, rushing eight times for 88 yards and a touchdown. He was the best running option for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and should continue to be going forward, with his main competition being underachieving Trent Richardson. Herron has lost two fumbles in the past two games, but head coach Chuck Pagano still had praise for him on Monday despite his fumbling issues, according to Curt Cavin of The Indianapolis Star. Herron will be a low-end RB2 moving forward with a high ceiling in the very high-powered Colts offense.
LeGarrette Blount, RB, New England Patriots (Y!: 63%): Blount did not have the game everyone predicted against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, but he was still efficient in the limited amount of action he got. He finished with 10 carries for 58 yards, garnering an impressive 5.8 YPC, and received the Patriots’ majority of carries as Jonas Gray, Brandon Bolden, and Shane Vereen combined for only seven carries. He is a big power runner in a dynamic offense and has the trust of Bill Belichick. Expect Blount to bounce back and be a low-end RB2 moving forward still.
Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders (Y!: 49%): Murray was inactive on Sunday versus the St. Louis Rams as he was still recovering from the concussion he suffered on Thursday Night Football a few weeks ago. Head coach Tony Sparano said Monday that Murray was “close” but “not there yet” in his return from a concussion, according to Steve Corkran of the Bay Area News Group. Murray will have a lot of fantasy value when he does return. Scoop him up for when does return, as he could pick up right where he left off: making big plays and scoring a lot of fantasy points.
Jordan Reed, TE, Washington Redskins (Y!: 49%): Reed finally looked healthy for the first time in a while and had a great game with nine receptions and 123 yards on 11 targets against the Colts. Colt McCoy is much more of a check-down artist than RG3, and it showed as he looked Reed’s way throughout the game. As long as Reed is on the field and not on the trainer’s table, he is a TE1 who should be started in every league, let alone owned.
Jordan Cameron, TE, Cleveland Browns (Y!: 54%): Cameron has been out for the past five weeks with a concussion. The bit of encouraging news about this is that Cameron started to practice last week, though he was limited; with another week, he could be back on the field for Sunday. If Johnny Manziel ends up being the new starting quarterback for the Browns, every player on that offense will get a boost, including Cameron. Because of how shallow the tight end position is and how talented Cameron is, he will immediately be a TE1 upon his return.
Key Fantasy Injuries
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Big Ben played the entire game Sunday but suffered an injury to his throwing hand early on. He was still able to put up 435 passing yards and two touchdowns. Big Ben is not expected to miss any time and be ready for Sunday, but it’ll be something to keep in the back of fantasy owners’ minds this week.
Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans: Foster returned Sunday after missing a few weeks with a groin injury. He had 105 yards from scrimmage and had a receiving touchdown as well. Foster is a high-end RB1 anytime he is on the field and can be kept in lineups going forward as fantasy playoffs start.
Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals: Ellington was forced from Sunday’s upset loss to the Atlanta Falcons with a hip pointer. Fox Sports’ Mike Jurecki reports that Ellington could be back this week or next week.
Julius Thomas, TE, Denver Broncos: Thomas missed his second straight game with an ankle sprain and while he was a game-time decision, he is not a shoe-in to play this coming weekend. Fantasy owners need to have a backup plan in place in case he doesn’t play again.
Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons: White was a somewhat surprising inactive on Sunday with an ankle injury after being questionable going into the game. He is dealing with an ankle injury and while head coach Mike Smith thinks White’s injury is not as severe as the ankle sprain he had last season, according to ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure, that doesn’t mean anything.
Rashad Jennings, RB, New York Giants: Jennings was forced from Sunday’s game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars with an ankle injury. He had a great game prior to the injury, with 92 yards rushing and two touchdowns. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jennings is not expected to miss any time with this injury.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals: Fitzgerald was once again inactive Sunday with a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his knee. Head Coach Bruce Arians said on Monday that he believes Fitz will be ready to practice on Wednesday, according to Darren Urban of azcardinals.com, but he should kept out of lineups moving forward given his slow recovery.
Dwayne Allen, TE, Indianapolis Colts: Allen was once again inactive Sunday as he is dealing with an ankle injury. Coby Fleener has been doing well in Allen’s absence, so don’t expect the Colts to rush back Allen, although coach Chuck Pagano said he could be available for practice Wednesday, according to Mike Wells of ESPN.com.
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Minnesota Vikings: McKinnon was inactive on Sunday as he is dealing with a back injury. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday the team was “still evaluating where he’s at,” so he should be kept out of lineups until he returns to practice.
Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee Titans: Hunter was forced from Sunday’s game (and again after coming back in) with what turned out to be a lacerated spleen, and he was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
Former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had one of the best games of his career for the Houston Texans on Sunday. (Photo: Troy Taormina — USA Today Sports)
Stars of the Week (highlighting the best player at each position in terms of standard league scoring)
Quarterback: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans
358 yards passing, six passing touchdowns
Running Back: Tre Mason, St. Louis Rams vs. Oakland Raiders
114 yards rushing, two rushing touchdowns, 47 yards receiving, one receiving touchdown
Wide Receiver: DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans
Nine receptions, 238 yards receiving, two receiving touchdowns
Tight End: Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Redskins
Four receptions, 127 yards receiving, two receiving touchdowns
