Written By Brian Dezelske
Your league championship is finally here! This is why we play fantasy football. Owners need to take a close look at these matchups to see how each one will affect their fantasy team(s). This is for it all, so no mistakes can be made.
Just a reminder that elite players such as Andrew Luck and Marshawn Lynch are not discussed, as these players should be in your lineups each and every week. Good luck!
STARTS
Matt Ryan @ New Orleans Saints
While Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning are directly responsible for a major spike in Pepto-Bismol sales within the fantasy community the last two weeks, Matt Ryan is giving his owners peace of mind by single-handedly shouldering his owners on a championship run. He’s ripped it up for 1,046 passing yards and eight touchdowns in the past three weeks. Now in the most important week of the playoffs, he goes up against the Saints who Ryan torched for 448 yards and three scores back in Week 1. It’s safe to say Matty Ice owners are in good hands again this week.
Tre Mason vs. NY Giants
Tre Mason blew up in Week 13, but has since come down to Earth after having faced a couple of top-notch run defenses. But Mason will be going head on with the New York Giants in Week 16, who give up the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. The lack of a real passing threat could lead to the Rams utilizing the ground game to chew up the clock and keep time of possession. This lends to Mason garnering some serious flex-appeal with RB2 upside in an all-important championship week.
Joique Bell @ Chicago Bears
Before Joique Bell was able to feast on Thanksgiving dinner, he was called upon to feast on the Chicago Bears defense—and feast he did. He racked up 91 yards and two touchdowns in the first of three Thanksgiving Day games. That rematch is this week and it could be more of the same. The Bears defense has been leaking like a sieve lately; they’ve given up five touchdowns and no less than 80 rushing yards in the last three weeks. Owners need to make sure Bell is in their lineups, because there’s real RB1 upside here for owners who are vying for a league championship.
Julian Edelman/Brandon LaFell @ NY Jets
Tom Brady should have his way and be able to pick apart one of the worst secondaries in the NFL on Sunday. The New York Jets have given up an average of 22.6 points to the receiver position over the last five games. Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell should directly benefit as a result. Both receivers are firm low-end WR2’s with the ability to finish better than that. Edelman also has added value in PPR formats with his ability to work the underneath routes and should see plenty of targets to do so.
Jordan Matthews @ Washington (Football Team)
Jordan Matthews had his rookie coming-out party against Washington back in Week 3. Matthews finished with two touchdowns and 59 yards on eight catches. He’s grown each week as a receiver and has been even more productive with Mark Sanchez calling plays. Owners should feel real good about flexing Matthews this week against a Washington defense that has coughed up an average of 31.2 fantasy points to opposing wideouts over the past five games. This makes him one of the better flex options at the receiver position this week.
SITS
Joe Flacco @ Houston Texans
Joe Flacco has been a decent fantasy quarterback for the most part this season, although he hasn’t been anything special. He’s done just enough to get owners by, however, he might not be enough to win a championship this week. The Houston Texans have held opposing signal callers to an average of 225 passing yards and 11.5 fantasy points over the last four games. Owners will want to look at this closely and scout the other QB matchups this week to see if there’s something more favorable to take advantage of.
LeGarrette Blount @ NY Jets
Blount has cooled off since his 2014 debut with the New England Patriots back in Week 12. Since Week 12, he’s managed just 141 rush yards on 38 carries, and has posted three-straight single-digit fantasy outings. This rough patch is likely to continue against the Jets who have held running backs to just nine total touchdowns this year. The potential workload makes him a flex option, but a dicey one to say the least.
Larry Fitzgerald vs. Seattle Seahawks
There’s so much going on here that should scare owners away from Larry Fitzgerald this week—the biggest factor being that he’s facing the Legion of Boom led by Richard Sherman. Another huge factor is Arizona’s quarterback situation. Ryan Lindley gets the start with Drew Stanton out due to a knee injury. Lindley has just four career starts under his belt, and fantasy owners simply can’t trust that he’ll be able to get Fitz the ball consistently enough to make the Minnesota native a viable option.
Sammy Watkins @ Oakland Raiders
Sammy Watkins has been a great addition to the Buffalo Bills this year. He sprinted out of the gate scoring five touchdowns with three 100-yard performances in his first eight games. However, he’s slowed down immensely since Week 8, having just one 100-yard game and no end zone trips in that time. A combination of things are attributed to the drop off, including the lack of playmaking ability at the quarterback position. On the flip side, the Oakland Raiders have not allowed a touchdown to any receiver in four-straight contests. Watkins’ owners are warned to temper expectations here, because Kyle Orton has only thrown four touchdowns in his last six games.
Jordan Reed vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Despite being considered a low-end TE1 option pretty much every week, Jordan Reed continues to under-deliver to the point where he’s not really worth owning, much less playing every week. He hasn’t scored at all this year, and has just two games where there was any real contribution. The potential is there for Reed to be a legitimate top-tier tight end in the NFL, but fantasy owners should just wait until 2015 to see if that actually happens. Just sit him.
NOTES
DeMarco Murray vs. Le’Veon Bell
DeMarco Murray and Le’Veon Bell are currently No. 1 and No. 2 in rushing yards. Murray leads by 409 yards, but only leads Bell by 39 total scrimmage yards.
Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant currently leads all wide receivers with 13 touchdown reception. The last Dallas Cowboys receiver to lead the league in TD catches was Terrell Owens back (13) back in 2006.
Tony Romo
In years where Tony Romo has played at least 13 games he’s thrown at least nine interceptions every season. He currently has eight interceptions this year.
Brian Dezelske is the host of Cold Omaha’s The Ticket Fantasy Football Podcast, which you can catch here on 105TheTicket.com. Before that he was a contributor to Bruno Boys Fantasy Football and was also a featured columnist at Bleacher Report covering the Minnesota Vikings. Follow him on Twitter @BrianDezelske.