Hope everyone brought home their Fantasy Championship last week! Here's a look back at the season that was with some crazy Fantasy facts. Happy Holidays!
Arizona Cardinals
• Carson Palmer was a Top 12
Fantasy quarterback just five times in 2013, but three of them happened
over the last six games.
• Rashard Mendenhall was a Top 24 running back eight times through Week
16 and scored a touchdown in seven games, tied for sixth most among all
backs.
• Andre Ellington was a
Top 24 back seven times in his own right. When he received 10-plus
carries in a game he averaged 10 Fantasy points per game.
• Larry Fitzgerald scored in eight games, second most among all
receivers. He scored eight of the nine games in which he received seven
or more targets. He did not score in a single game with six or fewer
targets and averaged a disappointing 6.7 yards per target this year.
•
From Week 11 to Week 16, Michael Floyd
was the No. 11 Fantasy receiver, averaging 11 Fantasy points per game.
Despite being injured for two of those games, Floyd averaged 80 yards
and 0.5 touchdowns per game in those six. Floyd led the Cardinals with
an average of 9.5 yards and 1.25 Fantasy points per target.
Atlanta Falcons
• Matt Ryan averaged 329 yards
passing with two touchdowns per game with Julio Jones in the lineup (four games of 20-plus in five starts). He
averaged 259 yards and 1.4 touchdowns per game without him (just two
games of 20-plus points in 10 starts).
• Steven Jackson scored six touchdowns in the last five games.
• Julio Jones had 99 yards or a touchdown in all five of his games this
year and was a Top 24 receiver four times.
• Roddy White had at least five catches in each of his last four games.
He averaged 8.75 catches, 103 yards, 0.25 touchdowns and 11.5 Fantasy
points per game.
• Tony Gonzalez
will go out in style by catching a touchdown in each of his last four
games. Hopefully he can make it five in a row next week.
Baltimore Ravens
• Joe Flacco was a Top 12
quarterback only three times this year and was never a Top 6 or a Top 3
performer at his position.
• Ray Rice
topped 60 yards rushing in only three games all year long. He had
10-plus Fantasy points in only four games this year and is on pace to
set career lows in yards per carry (3.1) and yards per catch (5.6).
• Bernard Pierce had 10-plus points in two games this year. They were the
only two in which he received 12 or more carries, not coincidentally.
•
Torrey Smith has already set career
highs in targets (130), catches (62) and yards (1,101 yards) with one
game to play. He has only four touchdowns, however, after totaling 15 in
his first two seasons. If the touchdowns increase next year, Smith will
take a big leap forward.
• Marlon Brown
scored on six of his 73 targets and leads the Ravens with a 1.17 Fantasy
points per target average.
Buffalo Bills
• E.J. Manuel quietly produced
20-plus Fantasy points in five of his nine starts as a rookie. Joe Flacco and Eli Manning had five
games of 20 Fantasy points combined this year.
• Fred Jackson is an ageless wonder who was tied for fourth among all
backs with 10 games of 10-plus Fantasy points. He was tied for eighth
with 10 Top 24 finishes and scored in seven games (tied for sixth).
• C.J. Spiller did not get the workload we were all promised in 2013.
He took 15-plus carries only four times and averaged 10.6 Fantasy points
per game in those contests. Problem was, he had only 10 games of 10-plus
points all year and had only five Top 24 finishes.
• Steve Johnson averaged 5.9 yards per target this year, fifth worst
among the 70 most targeted receivers in the NFL. His 0.77 Fantasy points
per target were seventh worst.
• Robert Woods finished at his best, catching eight of his last 11
targets for 152 yards and a touchdown in Week 15 and Week 16. He had
caught less than 50 percent of his targets prior to Week 15.
Carolina Panthers
• Cam Newton was a Top 12
quarterback seven times and was Top 3 in five of them. He was tied for
second among all quarterbacks with five games of 30-plus points.
• DeAngelo Williams averaged 17.5 touches, 92.5 total yards, 0.3
touchdowns and 11.2 Fantasy points per game with Jonathan Stewart out of the lineup in 2013.
• Steve Smith did not have a single game of 70 yards receiving in 2013
and scored in just three games. He was Top 24 three times and never
finished in the Top 12.
• Brandon LaFell
(four) and Ted Ginn (four) were both Top
24 Fantasy receivers more often than Steve Smith
in 2013.
• Greg Olsen was
fourth among all tight ends with eight Top 12 finishes and eight games
of six-plus Fantasy points. He was fifth with five games of 60-plus
yards receiving as well. If Olsen does not score in Week 17, he will
finish with exactly five touchdown grabs for the fourth straight year.
Chicago Bears
• Jay Cutler and Josh McCown combined for eight Top 12 finishes and nine games of
20-plus Fantasy points, both of which would have placed fourth among all
quarterbacks.
• Matt Forte was
third with 12 Top 24 finishes and eight Top 12 finishes. He was second
with 11 games of 10-plus Fantasy points and 10 games of 100-plus total
yards.
• Brandon Marshall was
tied for first among all receivers with seven Top 12 finishes and led
all receivers with a touchdown in nine games. He was also fourth with
six or more catches in nine games.
• Alshon Jeffery broke out in his second year, with 1,341 yards and
seven touchdowns through 15 games. He leads the Bears with 9.5 yards and
1.25 Fantasy points per target averages, both better than Marshall. He
has 100 total yards or a touchdown in eight of his last 10 games.
• Martellus Bennett was tied for fourth among all tight ends with eight
games of six-plus Fantasy points. He was also fourth with six games of
60-plus yards and set career highs with a 69 percent catch rate and an
eight yards per target average.
Cincinnati Bengals
• Andy Dalton has multiple
passing touchdowns in eight of his last 10 games. His six games of
three-plus touchdowns are second only to Peyton Manning.
• Giovanni Bernard
was a Top 24 back in eight games this year, tied for 18th among all
backs. He scored in six games -- same as teammate BenJarvus Green-Ellis -- and could be a perennial 10-plus-touchdown
scorer if the team moves on from the Law Firm.
• A.J. Green is Mr. Consistent. He tied for the lead among all
receivers with 10 games of 10-plus points. He has 10-plus games of
10-plus points in all three of his NFL seasons.
• Marvin Jones scored nine times in 2013 and led all receivers with a
1.63 Fantasy points per target average. It was not just the touchdowns,
however, as Jones led the Bengals with an 8.9 yards per target average
as well. If his playing time continues to increase into 2014, look out.
Cleveland Browns
• The Cleveland quarterbacks combined for seven Top 12 finishes and
seven games of 20-plus points.
• Edwin Baker the touchdown maker scored and produced 10-plus Fantasy
points in both of his starts for the Browns.
• Josh Gordon leads the NFL with 1,564 yards despite missing the first
two games of the year. He is averaging 19.6 yards per catch (best in
NFL), 10.5 yards per target (second), 1.41 Fantasy points per target
(seventh). He leads the NFL with seven games of 100-plus yards receiving
and was tops with six Top 6 finishes. When he develops a red zone game
(13 of 14 career touchdowns from 20-plus yards), look out Calvin!
•
Amongst the 70 most targeted receivers Davone Bess
had the lowest yards per target (4.2) and points per target (0.56)
averages in the NFL, while Greg Little
was second worst at 4.6 and 0.61 respectively. That makes Josh Gordon's
accomplishments all the more impressive to me.
• Jordan Cameron had eight-plus Fantasy points in six of his first eight
games. He had just one such game over the last six. Still, it was a
great first season as a starter for Cameron, who caught 75 of his 111
targets (solid 7.9 per game) for 848 yards and seven scores.
Dallas Cowboys
• Tony Romo produced 20 or more
Fantasy points in eight of his starts this year, tied for fourth most
among all quarterbacks.
• DeMarco Murray
was the No. 3 Fantasy back from Week 10 on, and that is with a Dallas
bye in Week 11. He had 10-plus points in each of those six games and
averaged a solid 19.4 points per game while scoring seven touchdowns (he
had six touchdowns in 2011 and 2012 combined).
• Dez Bryant was third with 10 finishes in the Top 24 and half of
those games landed him in the Top 6, which was second amongst all
receivers. His five games of 18-plus points were also second most among
receivers, as were his eight games with a touchdown.
• Terrance Williams scored in five games as a rookie and averaged a very
solid 9.7 yards and 1.38 Fantasy points per target. With Miles Austin expected to move on, Williams could blossom in his
second season.
• Jason Witten
(712 yards) is on pace for his lowest yardage season since 2006.
Fortunately, his eight touchdowns are the second most of his career and
when he was good, he was really good. Witten was a Top 12 tight end only
six times, but was Top 3 in four of them.
Denver Broncos
• Peyton Manning set a new NFL
record with 51 touchdown passes and he still has a game to play! He led
quarterbacks in every possible category this year: Top 12 (11), Top 6
(10), Top 3 (eight), 20-plus point games (12), 30-plus (10 and no one
else had more than five), 300-yard games (12) and games with 3-plus
touchdowns (10).
• Knowshon Moreno
was fifth among all backs with 11 finishes in the Top 24. He was second
with a touchdown in nine games and was fifth with 100 total yards in
seven games.
• Montee Ball
averaged 6.3 yards per carry over the final six games of 2013. If he
gets the chance to be the man and score the touchdowns in 2014, he will
be a Top 12 Fantasy back.
• Demaryius Thomas led all receivers with 11 finishes in the Top 24, seven
in the Top 12 and 10 games of 10-plus points. He was third among all
receivers with a 1.5 Fantasy points per target average.
• Eric Decker was a Top 24 receiver only six times, but when he was
good, he was great. Decker was Top 12 in five of those games and Top 6
in four of them. In fact, Decker topped 18 Fantasy points in four (fifth
most in NFL) of his six double-digit games. His 1.42 Fantasy points per
target were sixth best in the league and he averaged a solid 9.5 yards
per target.
• Wes Welker scored
in the first six games of the year. He scored in just two of the final
seven games.
• Julius Thomas
led tight ends with 12 touchdowns and was second with a 1.73 Fantasy
points per target average. He scored in 10 games (tied for most) and had
10 Top 12 finishes (second) and six Top 6 finishes (also second).
Detroit Lions
• Before his ill-timed three-game swoon in the Fantasy playoffs, Matthew Stafford had produced 20 Fantasy points in 10 of his first 12
games. Even with the bad finish, he was tied for second among all
quarterbacks with 10 finishes in the Top 12. In his first 12 games,
Stafford threw 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In the last three he
had just one score and five picks.
• Reggie Bush was fourth among all running backs with eight games of
100-plus total yards, which helped him to finish in the Top 24 nine
times (15th). He was Top 12 six times (10th) and was Top 6 in four games
(sixth).
• Joique Bell was a
tremendous compliment to Bush for the Lions, as he scored in seven games
and finished in the Top 12 at running back seven times as well (fifth
most). Amazingly, every time Bell was a Top 24 back, he was also a Top
12 back. I'd love to see him as a starter somewhere next year, because
in the four games Bell took 19 or more carries, he topped 125 total
yards with a touchdown in every single game.
• Calvin Johnson tied for the league-lead with seven games of 100 yards
receiving and was second with a touchdown catch in eight games.
Green Bay Packers
• Aaron Rodgers produced multiple
passing scores and 20-plus points in four of his seven starts this year.
Dating back to last year, Rodgers has multiple scores and 20-plus points
in eight of his last 15 games.
• Eddie Lacy is a beast. The rookie was third among all backs with 12
finishes in the Top 24, was fifth with seven Top 12s and was second with
six finishes in the Top 6. He was fourth with 10 games of 10-plus points
and punched in a touchdown in nine games, tied for second.
• Jordy Nelson averaged 15 Fantasy points per game with Rodgers at
quarterback. He also averaged 12 yards and 2.0 Fantasy points per target
with Rodgers, both of which were tops in the NFL when Rodgers got hurt.
•
James Jones had 100 yards or a touchdown
in three of his five games with Rodgers this year.
• Randall Cobb averaged 10.25 targets, 6.25 catches, 81 yards receiving,
19.5 yards rushing (100.5 total), 0.5 touchdowns and 13.1 Fantasy points
per game. He was a Top 24 receiver in three of those games and was Top
12 twice.
• Jarrett Boykin
produced 80 yards or a touchdown in seven of his 10 starts.
Houston Texans
• Arian Foster only played in six
full games, but was a Top 24 back in five of them and was Top 6 in three
of them. He still produced 10-plus points in four of his games with 100
total yards in three of his starts while averaging 13.3 Fantasy points
per game.
• Ben Tate did
battle though broken ribs, but had only two games of 10-plus Fantasy
points all year long even with Foster out for most of the year.
• Andre Johnson had five touchdowns in a two-game span in the middle of
the season. He did not score before or after that and has found the end
zone in just two of his last 19 games.
• DeAndre Hopkins averaged a very solid 8.9 Fantasy points per target and
topped 1.0 Fantasy points per target as a rookie. He was targeted only
5.7 times per game and if he can see more targets opposite Andre Johnson in year two, he could take a big leap.
• The Texans
tight ends made eight appearances in the Top 10 and combined for 12
games of six-plus Fantasy points. Ryan Griffin
is one to watch, as the rookie led the team in receiving in each of the
last two games, topping 60 yards in both and catching all 11 of his
targets.
Indianapolis Colts
• Andrew Luck had eight Top 12
finishes, but only three times did he crack the Top 6. The loss of Reggie Wayne was a huge one, as Luck topped 20 Fantasy points in four
of his seven games with Wayne. He accomplished the feat twice in the
final eight games without him.
• Donald Brown had four games of 10-plus Fantasy points this year, while Trent Richardson had only two. Richardson averaged 2.9 yards per
carry with the Colts and did not reach 65 yards rushing in a single game
in 2013.
• Reggie Wayne had
10-plus Fantasy points in only two of his seven games last year.
• T.Y. Hilton failed to score in seven straight games to close out the
year as the main man for the Colts. He topped 55 yards in only two of
those games and finished the year averaging 7.5 yards per target and
less than a Fantasy point per target. He averaged 9.6 yards per target
and 1.42 Fantasy points per target as a rookie.
• Da'Rick Rodgers is worth keeping an eye on as he averaged 8.2 yards and
1.4 Fantasy points per target in limited action with the Colts. He could
be an every down receiver next year.
• Coby Fleener was a Top 12 tight end in six games this year, but
finished the year cold as ice with a grand total of 89 yards and no
scores in the last four games.
Jacksonville Jaguars
• Chad Henne did not have multiple
passing touchdowns in any game prior to Week 13. He has four straight
games with two touchdown passes entering Week 17.
• Maurice Jones-Drew had six straight games with 100 yards or a touchdown
before injuring his leg against the Texans in Week 14. For the year, MJD
had a very solid nine finishes in the Top 24 at running back, tied for
15th most.
• Justin Blackmon
led all receivers with 12 targets per game this year. He averaged seven
catches for 104 yards and 0.25 touchdowns per game in his four starts
and was a Top 6 receiver twice.
• Cecil Shorts had seven touchdowns on 105 targets in 2012. He scored
three times on 123 targets in 2013. Still, he averaged 9.5 targets and
5.1 catches per game. Shorts put up just 6.3 yards and 0.7 Fantasy
points per target, both bottom 10 amongst the 70 most targeted receivers.
•
Marcedes Lewis has a touchdown in four
straight games with 10-plus Fantasy points in each of the last three.
Kansas City Chiefs
• Alex Smith has eight games of
20-plus points this year, tied for fourth most among quarterbacks. He
was tied for second among all quarterbacks with five games of 40-plus
yards rushing.
• Jamaal Charles
was tops among all running backs in Fantasy points, Top 24s (14), Top
12s (13), Top 6s (nine), games of 10-plus points (13), games of 18-plus
points (seven), games of 100-plus total yards (13) and games with a
touchdown (12). Wow.
• Dwayne Bowe
did not have 70 yards in a single game this year and did not finish in
the Top 12 at his position once.
Miami Dolphins
• Ryan Tannehill produced 25 or
more Fantasy points in three of the last four games and had 19-plus in
five of his final seven games.
• Lamar Miller received more than 15 carries in only three games all
year (split too many reps with Daniel Thomas).
In those three games, he rushed for 266 yards and added 60 yards as a
pass catcher (108.7 total yards per game).
• Mike Wallace averaged just 7.0 yards and 0.89 points per target in a
disappointing first season with Miami. He was held below 45 yards and
without a touchdown in eight games this year, but did score in three of
the last five.
• Brian Hartline
finished strong with five or more catches in six of his last seven
games. Amazingly, he has only two touchdowns in his last 12 games.
• Charles Clay has topped 10 Fantasy points in five games, tied for
fourth most among all tight ends. His seven Top 12 finishes were tied
for sixth most among all tight ends.
Minnesota Vikings
• Adrian Peterson rushed for more
than 100 yards in nine of the final 10 games in 2012. He rushed for more
than 100 yards just five times in 2013, but had six games of 18-plus
Fantasy points, which was second most among backs.
• Greg Jennings caught all four of his touchdowns from Matt Cassel.
• Cordarrelle Patterson
has a touchdown in four straight games and two of the scores have been
as a runner. He owns two of the four rushing touchdowns scored by
receivers in the NFL this season. He received a lot of short area
targets, but will have to improve on his 6.1 yards per target average if
he is to breakout in year two.
New England Patriots
• Tom Brady produced 20-plus
Fantasy points and finished in the Top 12 in four of the seven games he
played with Rob Gronkowski. He produced
20-plus Fantasy points and finished in the Top 12 of just two of the
eight games he played without Gronk.
• Shane Vereen leads all running backs at 9.1 targets per game. If you
were to extrapolate his stats over 16 games, Vereen would have produced
469 yards rushing, 101 catches and 880 yards receiving (1,349 total
yards) along with seven total touchdowns.
• Stevan Ridley did not score in the first four games of the year. Then
he scored in five straight in the middle of the season before being
benched for fumbling and failing to score in any of the final five
games. Ridley reached 55 yards rushing in only three games this year,
but in his two games with more than 20 carries, he produced 211 yards
and four touchdowns on the ground.
• LeGarrette Blount averaged a very solid 4.5 yards per carry this year and
punched in five touchdowns. Three of the scores have come in the last
five games of the year.
• Julian Edelman
had six-plus catches in nine games this year, fourth best in the NFL. He
led all Patriot receivers in targets (140), catches (96), yards (991)
and touchdowns (six). From Week 12 to Week 16, Edelman was the No. 4
Fantasy receiver and averaged 14.6 points per game.
• Danny Amendola has played in 11 games and produced 10-plus Fantasy
points just three times. He was held to 55 yards or fewer in eight of
those 11 games.
• Aaron Dobson
was second on the Pats with a 7.4 yards per target average and his 1.1
Fantasy points per target led the team's receivers. He would be my bet
for a breakout in 2014 from the team's young receivers.
• Rob Gronkowski had 10-plus Fantasy points in five of his seven
starts and was on pace for a season of 89 catches, 1,353 yards and nine
scores before suffering a horrific knee injury.
New Orleans Saints
• Drew Brees ranked second among
all quarterbacks in Top 12s (11), Top 3s (five), games of 20 points
(10), games of 30 points (five), and games with 300 yards passing (10).
Amazingly, only one of his 300-yard games came outdoors.
• Pierre Thomas had 80-plus total yards in eight of the last 11 games
for the Saints. He scored touchdowns in only two games all year,
however, and was a Top 24 back only four times.
• Darren Sproles was one of the biggest busts of the year and finished
as a Top 24 back only three times. He scored in only two games all year
and was held below 65 total yards 11 times! He actually trails Pierre Thomas (who leads the league) 69 to 76 in receptions headed
into Week 17.
• Marques Colston
woke up at the end of the year with two of his four double-digit games
in the last three weeks. Unfortunately, Colston had more games with four
or fewer Fantasy points (five) then he did with 10. He caught 65.7
percent of his targets and averaged a solid 8.3 yards and 1.1 Fantasy
points per target, but saw only 7.5 per game.
• Kenny Stills led the New Orleans receivers with 11.5 yards and 1.64
Fantasy points per target averages. He never saw more than six targets
in a game as a rookie, but if he starts to become more than a
situational player, look out. Otherwise, he will remain Robert
Meachem-like with big games when he catches long bombs and a bunch of
zeros when he doesn't.
• Jimmy Graham
leads all pass catchers with 15 touchdowns and would be the No. 3
overall wide receiver heading into Week 17 with 204 Fantasy points. He
has 54 more Fantasy points than the No. 2 tight end (Vernon Davis) and has a 118-point advantage over the No. 12 tight end.
Only Peyton Manning gave a bigger
advantage at his position this year and Graham is worthy of a first
round pick in all formats next year. Graham was a Top 3 tight end in
eight weeks!
New York Giants
• Eli Manning produced 36 Fantasy
points in Week 1 and was a Top 3 quarterback that week. He did not
produce 20 Fantasy points again and was a Top 12 quarterback only one
other time.
• Victor Cruz did
not score in any of his final 10 games and produced 10 Fantasy points in
just one of them.
• Hakeem Nicks
last scored in Week 14 of the 2012 season. He has gone 18 straight games
without a touchdown, but did average a very healthy 8.7 yards per target
this year.
• Rueben Randle
scored six times from Week 5 to Week 11. He has not scored at any other
point this season and averaged 3.2 points per game in the other nine
games.
• Jerrell Jernigan has
20 targets, 13 catches, 146 yards and a touchdown the last two weeks.
•
Brandon Myers was a Top 12 tight end
six times in 2013, the same number as Jason Witten.
New York Jets
• Chris Ivory received 15-plus carries in five games this year and he topped 10 Fantasy points in all five of them. From Week 9 on, Ivory was 11th with 583 yards rushing and second with a 5.6 yards per carry average among all running backs.
Oakland Raiders
• Darren McFadden has been a Top
24 Fantasy back in just one of his six NFL seasons.
• Rashad Jennings produced 100 total yards or a touchdown in six of his
seven games as a starter for the Raiders and scored six total touchdowns
in those games. In fact, Jennings was Top 24 in six of the games, Top 12
in four of them and Top 6 in three of them while finishing as the No. 7
Fantasy back from Week 9 on.
• No Oakland receiver finished in the
Top 24 more than four times this year. Rod Streater (9.4 yards per target and Andre Holmes (9.6) were both very efficient with their looks and all
three receivers (including Denarius Moore)
averaged more than 1.1 Fantasy points per target. Unfortunately, none of
them even finished in the Top 40 in terms of targets per game.
Philadelphia Eagles
• Nick Foles has multiple
touchdowns and 20-plus Fantasy points in each of his last seven games.
Despite making only nine starts, Foles is second among all quarterbacks
with six games in the Top 6 and was third with five games of three or
more touchdowns. He has 28 total touchdowns (25 passing) and only two
interceptions.
• LeSean McCoy
leads the NFL with 1,476 yards rushing. Amazingly, he has rushed for
more than 80 yards in only six games (topped 100 in all six to lead the
league) while being held below 60 yards rushing six times as well. He is
the No. 2 Fantasy back and already has more than 2,000 total yards and
10 touchdowns. He was second among all backs in Top 24 finishes (13),
Top 12s (nine), Top 6s (six), games of 10 points (11), and games with
100 total yards (10).
• DeSean Jackson
tied for the league lead with seven finishes in the Top 12 at his
position and was second in both Top 6s (five) and games of 18-plus
points (five). Jackson was tops among the 70 most targeted receivers in
the league with a 10.7 yards per target average and was second with a
1.51 Fantasy points per target average.
• Riley Cooper led the 70 most targeted receivers with a 1.59 Fantasy
points per target average. He also averaged an excellent 9.9 yards per
target, which was seventh best amongst that group. Problem was that
Cooper averaged only 5.3 targets per game.
• From Week 6 on (i.e the
Foles era), both Jackson and Cooper finished 114 Fantasy points and were
tied for the 13th ranked Fantasy wide receiver. Jackson was more
consistent on a week-to-week basis.
• Amongst the 40 most targeted
tight ends, Brent Celek (1.59) was third
while Zach Ertz (1.28) was eighth in
terms of Fantasy points per target. If they settle on Ertz as the
primary tight end next year, he will be a breakout candidate.
Pittsburgh Steelers
• Ben Roethlisberger was seventh
with seven games of 20-plus points and sixth with five games of 300-plus
yards passing. Five of those 20-plus point games have come in his last
six starts.
• Le'Veon Bell has
20-plus touches and 88-plus total yards in each of his last eight games
with four touchdowns during that run. Bell was a Top 24 back in 10 of
his 12 games this year and was the No. 8 Fantasy back from Week 9 on. He
averaged 109 total yards and 0.5 touchdowns per game over the final
eight games, which is 13.9 points per game.
• Antonio Brown has eight touchdowns this season. He had six total prior
to 2013! Brown already has 101 catches (third), 1,411 yards (third) and
eight scores this year. He was tied for the lead among receivers with 11
Top 24 finishes and was second with 10 games of six-plus catches. Brown
also set career-bests in yards per target (9.3) and Fantasy points per
target (1.24).
• Emmanuel Sanders
and Jerricho Cotchery have scored in a
combined 13 games this year. They have topped 60 yards receiving a
combined seven times.
• Heath Miller
has not scored in nine straight games and just three of his last 21
starts dating back to 2012. His eight-touchdown season of 2012 seems
like an aberration, as he has one this year and had exactly two in both
2010 and 2011.
San Diego Chargers
• Philip Rivers was seventh with
seven games of 20 points this year, but when he was on, he was on, as
four of those games also topped the 30-point plateau (tied for fifth
most). After throwing 13 touchdowns in his first five games this year,
Rivers has just 16 in his last 10.
• With a good Week 17, Ryan Mathews will cement himself in the Top 12 at the running back
position for the second time in three years. He received 19 carries in
seven games this year and rushed for more than 100 yards in all five of
them, with 99 yards last week being one of the two exceptions. He was
tied for fourth among all backs with 10 games of 10-plus Fantasy points
and his five 100-yard rushing games rank tied for second behind only LeSean McCoy. Mathews has 17-plus Fantasy points in three straight
games and 10-plus in six of the last seven games.
• Danny Woodhead was a Top 24 back seven times, tied for 21st in the
league. He is fourth among all backs with 69 catches, third with 563
receiving yards and second with six receiving touchdowns. He also led
all backs with a 1.15 Fantasy points per target average.
• What a
rookie season for Keenan Allen, who was
about as efficient as it gets. He averaged 10 yards per target (sixth)
and 1.5 Fantasy points per target (third), both Top 6 amongst the 70
most targeted receivers. He has seven games of 10-plus Fantasy points
this year -- tied for ninth among all receivers -- which is even more
impressive when you consider that he only started 12 games and was
inactive Week 1. Five of his last eight catches have been touchdowns.
•
Antonio Gates is limping to the end of
his career. He has just one touchdown in his last 11 games and has
reached 60 yards receiving in two of those games. His 0.95 Fantasy
points per target this year is a career-low.
San Francisco 49ers
• Colin Kaepernick averaged 20.25
Fantasy points per game with Michael Crabtree
in the lineup. He averaged 17 Fantasy points per game without him. Three
of his seven Top 12 finishes this year came in the four games with
Crabtree.
• If Frank Gore
rushes for 89 yards in Week 17, he will have finished with 1,211, 1,212
and 1,213 yards rushing in each of the last three seasons. Gore was one
of nine backs to have 10 finishes in the Top 24 and 10 games of 10-plus
Fantasy points in 2013.
• Anquan Boldin
finished the year very strong, with 93 yards receiving or a touchdown in
five of the last six games.
• Michael Crabtree is right back at an elite level, averaging 10.2 yards
(fifth best in the league) and 1.26 Fantasy points per target in his
four games this year. He averaged 9.4 yards and 1.4 Fantasy points per
target with 'Kap in 2012. Crabtree is back to 100 percent and has
10-plus Fantasy points in each of his last two games.
• Vernon Davis leads all pass catchers in the NFL with a 1.93 Fantasy
points per target average and leads all tight ends at 10.2 yards per
target. Based on his efficiency numbers, Davis would have 1,366 yards
and 20 touchdowns if he saw the same 134 targets that Jimmy Graham enjoyed this year. Davis led all tight ends with 11
appearances in the Top 12, seven games of 60 yards receiving and 10
games with a touchdown. He is the No. 2 Fantasy tight end, trailing
Graham by 54 Fantasy points and 55 targets. Wow.
Seattle Seahawks
• Russell Wilson had a great
stretch in the middle of the year with multiple touchdowns in six
straight games and 20-plus points in five of them. Unfortunately, Wilson
topped 20 points in just two other starts all year. Still, Wilson was
tied for fourth with eight Top 12 finishes and if the can ever air it
out more (under 220 yards passing in eight games this year) with Percy Harvin next year, he has plenty of upside.
• Marshawn Lynch was once again in the elite club of 10 games in the Top
24 and 10 games with 10-plus Fantasy points. He was third among all
backs with a touchdown in eight games and set a career high with 312
yards (and counting) receiving. Lynch has at least 11 rushing touchdowns
in all three of his full seasons in Seattle.
• No Seattle receiver
finished in the Top 24 more than five times as Doug Baldwin (five) and Golden Tate
(four) led the way. Baldwin was one of the most efficient receivers in
the NFL this year, averaging 10.8 yards and 1.5 Fantasy points per
target. That's two years in a row that a Seattle receiver has reached
the 10 yards and 1.5 points per target level as Tate did it in 2012. It
is also two years in a row that no receiver for Seattle has topped six
targets per game.
St. Louis Rams
• Zac Stacy has 100 total yards
or a touchdown in eight of his last night games with eight total
touchdowns and four 100-yard rushing games during that span. Since Week
7, Stacy has been the No. 5 Fantasy running back behind only Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Eddie Lacy and Matt Forte.
• Tavon Austin had only one game with more than 50 yards receiving as a
rookie. He did, however, have four plays of more than 50 yards in his
last four games and could make a nice leap in 2014.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Mike Glennon has thrown for
multiple touchdowns in seven of his last 11 games and was a Top 12
quarterback in five of them.
• Doug Martin got off to a slow start, but was still a Top 24 Fantasy
back in four of his five full games. Bobby Rainey
and Mike James combined for three
100-yard games in his absence, and I think Martin will be a good Draft
Day value once again.
• Vincent Jackson
only has six games of 10-plus Fantasy points in 2013, down from eight in
2012. The main culprit is the fact that he averaged 9.5 yards per target
last year and is down to 8.0 this year.
• Mike Williams scored in two of his six games, but reached 60 yards
receiving only once all year.
• Since bursting on the scene in Week
6, Timothy Wright was the No. 7 Fantasy
tight end. He topped six Fantasy points in six of his 11 starts (Jason Witten did it six times in 15 games), but needs to become more
consistent. In his five "down games" Wright had three one-point games
and one with just two. When Wright saw six targets in a game, he
averaged nearly eight Fantasy points per game, and the rookie hauled in
a whopping 74.2 percent of his targets.
Tennessee Titans
• Chris Johnson was a Top 24
Fantasy back 11 times in 2013, good for a fifth place tie with Knowshon Moreno. He got very hot over the second half of the season and
was the No. 6 Fantasy back, and his eight total touchdowns trailed only Eddie Lacy at the position. If Johnson scores in Week 17, he will hit
the 10-touchdown mark for the fourth time in six years.
• Kendall Wright is tied for fourth among all receivers with nine games
of six-plus receptions. He must improve on his 0.87 Fantasy points per
target if he wants to become more than just a PPR option. Wright now has
89 catches and 1,029 yards but only two scores. If he can get to six
touchdowns a year we have a Top 24 receiver on our hands.
• Justin Hunter saw six targets in three games as a rookie. He topped
100 yards with a touchdown in two of them and averaged 12.7 points per
game in those three. He averaged 9.1 yards and 1.52 Fantasy points per
target as a rookie, so if he moves into a bigger role in 2014, as I
expect he will, he has some nice upside.
• Delanie Walker already has career highs in catches (57), yards (542)
and touchdowns (six) in 2013. He topped 10 Fantasy points in four of his
final eight games and was the No. 10 tight end from Week 7 on, despite
missing time with injury.
Washington Redskins
• Robert Griffin III still had
20-plus points in six starts this year, but he was not nearly the same
player post-injury. His completion percentage fell from 66 percent to
60. His yards per attempt fell from 8.1 to 7.0 and Griffin averaged just
3.7 Fantasy points per game as a runner in 2013, down from 8.3 in 2012.
•
Alfred Morris still had 11 Top 24
finishes in 2013, but did not have a single Top 6 finish. He saw his
games with 100 yards rushing fall from seven to just three and his
touchdowns also dropped from 13 to seven. He averaged 4.7 yards per
carry in 2013, basically the same as his 4.8 in 2012, so if the 'Skins
offense picks back up so will Alf's numbers.
• Pierre Garcon leads the NFL with 172 targets, 107 catches and 13 games
of six-plus catches. He had 100 yards with a touchdown in two of RG3's
13 games, but has reached those marks in both starts with Kirk Cousins. With Cousins he is averaging 1.35 Fantasy points per
target, well above his season average of 0.89.
• As the starter from
Week 6 to Week 10, Jordan Reed averaged
9.6 Fantasy points per game. He was the No. 1 Fantasy tight end in those
five games and led all tight ends with 381 yards receiving. His season
ended prematurely due to a concussion, but Reed showed that he could be
one of the great pass catching tight ends in the NFL (8.5 yards per
target and a tight-end best 76 percent catch rate).
