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Jamey Eisenberg

First Response: What does Favre have to do?

By | Senior Fantasy Writer


Enough is enough. It's time to start Brett Favre in all leagues.

What more does Favre have to do? When will Fantasy owners finally give in and use him as their No. 1 quarterback?

Coming into Week 12 against Chicago, Favre was started in just 57 percent of leagues on CBSSports.com. He was only the No. 5 quarterback in standard-scoring leagues, ahead of Matt Schaub, Tony Romo, Kurt Warner, Philip Rivers and Donovan McNabb, among others.

Fantasy Football - First Response: What does Favre have to do? : FantasyNews.CBSSports.com

He then went out and passed for 392 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears. For the season, Favre has 2,774 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and three interceptions. He has as many passing touchdowns as Peyton Manning with eight fewer interceptions. He could end up with more Fantasy points than Tom Brady and Drew Brees depending on what happens Monday night.

The reason Favre's start percentage isn't at 100 percent is likely because the owners of Manning, Brees, Brady, Rivers, Warner and Aaron Rodgers don't want to bench these guys for Favre, which is understandable. But at some point you're going to realize Favre is putting up similar if not better stats. His outing Sunday was his third game with at least 30 Fantasy points in his past four games.

No one expected Favre to play at this level. He's 40 and looked awful last year with the Jets. But he's rebounded to have an MVP season with the Vikings and should get credit for his outstanding season.

The Vikings have an amazing offensive line, which has helped Favre avoid pressure, and he has turned the Vikings receivers into stars. Percy Harvin (six catches for 101 yards and a touchdown), Sidney Rice (six catches for 89 yards), Bernard Berrian (six catches for 74 yards) and Visanthe Shiancoe (five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown) all played well against the Bears.

Favre's play has even overshadowed Adrian Peterson. Look, it's eight paragraphs into this column on his first reference. Peterson had 25 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 18 yards against Chicago, but he had another lost fumble.

Even with Peterson's outstanding talent, it's easy to see the Vikings aren't afraid to turn Favre loose. He's no longer just a caretaker of the offense as he showed earlier this season, and the Vikings aren't worried about him throwing the ball 48 times like he did Sunday.

Since the trade deadline has passed in the majority of Fantasy leagues, you are stuck with Favre. So stop waiting for him to collapse like what we saw last year with the Jets. That's not going to happen again. The Vikings are a better team, and he's in a better situation.

Favre should finish the season strong, and it's time to use him. He is one of the top Fantasy quarterbacks this year.

Let's take a look around at the rest of the Week 12 action.

Start of the Week review: Jason Snelling was relegated to a backup role when the Falcons made the decision to start Michael Turner against Tampa Bay. The move might have backfired for Atlanta with Turner re-injuring his high ankle sprain and leaving the game. Snelling finished with only four carries for 8 yards and lost a fumble. He was outplayed by Turner (12 carries for 33 yards) and Jerious Norwood (six carries for 22 yards and two catches for 28 yards and a touchdown), who returned for this game also after being out with a hip injury. When we made the decision to use Snelling as the Start of the Week on Tuesday, we anticipated Turner would miss the game. The Falcons, after seeing Turner go down, probably wish they gave him another week to rest because now he could be out even longer.

Sit of the Week review: Matt Forte has been one of the biggest Fantasy disappointments this year, and he had a tough matchup against the Vikings. Minnesota held Forte in check with eight carries for 27 yards and four catches for 34 yards. Forte should get back on track with an outstanding matchup in Week 13 against St. Louis, and hopefully he can finish the season strong. The Bears need to realize that Forte needs at least 20 touches to be successful and take pressure off Jay Cutler (147 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions), who also had another bad game against the Vikings.

Insane stat line of the day: When Julius Jones (chest) first got injured two weeks ago, we were waiting for Justin Forsett's matchup with St. Louis in Week 12. He didn't let us down. Forsett had 22 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams and proved to be a starting Fantasy option. Jones was trying to return this week, so keep an eye on his status for Week 13 against San Francisco. But if Jones is out again then Forsett would remain as a low-end No. 2 Fantasy running back or flex option against the 49ers.

Out-of-nowhere stat line of the day: We had Vince Young as a sleeper with his matchup against the Cardinals, but he far exceeded our expectations. Young was 27 of 43 passing for a career-high 387 yards and the game-winning touchdown to Kenny Britt on the final play. Young is now 5-0 as a starter this season and has posted some solid Fantasy performances the past couple of weeks. Young should definitely be added to your scout team, and hopefully he can continue to play at this level for the rest of the year. Once again, he beat Matt Leinart with a game-winning drive.

Guy we were way right about: I loved the Bills matchup against the Dolphins this week, especially for Terrell Owens and Fred Jackson. Owens, as you can read in the latest version of Press Box View, is starting to play well and had five catches for 96 yards and a touchdown Sunday. He now has two touchdowns and almost 300 receiving yards in his past two games. And as we suggested in our recent Playing the Waiver Wire, Jackson had the chance to shine against Miami with Marshawn Lynch dealing with an injured shoulder. Jackson had 15 carries for 73 yards and two touchdowns and five catches for 43 yards against the Dolphins.

Guy we were way wrong about: Matt Hasselbeck didn't help Fantasy owners Sunday with all his handoffs to Forsett. Hasselbeck was only 14 of 25 passing for 102 yards at St. Louis. Along with that, Nate Burleson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh struggled against the Rams with a combined six catches for 60 yards. We'll see if the Seahawks passing game can rebound next week against the 49ers.

Overachieving defense of the week: The 49ers and Jets defense get a tie this week. The 49ers had a tremendous game against the Jaguars in a 20-3 victory. San Francisco had six sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. The Jets, meanwhile, had four interceptions on Jake Delhomme, including one returned for a touchdown from Darrelle Revis, who locked down Steve Smith for two catches and 2 yards. The Jets also sacked Delhomme three times in a 17-6 victory and held DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to a combined 75 rushing yards.

Underachieving defense of the week: The Eagles had the Redskins at home, and you had to figure that would mean plenty of sacks and turnovers from Jason Campbell. While the Eagles had two interceptions from Asante Samuel, Philadelphia managed only one sack and allowed 24 points. It wasn't the kind of dominating game you hoped the Eagles DST would have against such a miserable offensive opponent.

Names to add to your scout team ...

Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback, Buffalo (246 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, 50 rushing yards and one touchdown against Miami)
Josh Freeman, quarterback, Tampa Bay (250 passing yards, two touchdowns and 14 rushing yards at Atlanta)
Matt Leinart, quarterback, Arizona (220 passing yards at Tennessee)
Chris Redman, quarterback, Atlanta (243 passing yards and two touchdowns against Tampa Bay)
Chris Brown, running back, Houston (56 rushing yards, 20 receiving yards and a touchdown against Indianapolis)
Jason Avant, wide receiver, Philadelphia (five catches for 94 yards against Washington)
Kenny Britt, wide receiver, Tennessee (seven catches, 128 yards and a touchdown against Arizona)
Antonio Bryant, wide receiver, Tampa Bay (three catches, 91 yards and a touchdown at Atlanta)
Malcom Floyd, wide receiver, San Diego (three catches for 85 yards against Kansas City)

Injury alerts ...

Matt Ryan, toe, considered questionable for Week 13 against Philadelphia
Eli Manning, foot, considered questionable for Week 13 against Dallas
Michael Turner, ankle, considered questionable for Week 13 against Philadelphia
Danny Ware, concussion, considered questionable for Week 13 against Dallas
DeSean Jackson, concussion, considered questionable for Week 13 at Atlanta
Eddie Royal, thigh, considered questionable for Week 13 at Kansas City
Michael Clayton, knee, considered questionable for Week 13 at Carolina
Jordy Nelson, shoulder, considered questionable for Week 13 vs. Baltimore
Brent Celek, hand, considered questionable for Week 13 at Atlanta

The last word: Cedric Benson (hip) missed his second game in a row for the Bengals, and Larry Johnson got the opportunity he was waiting for against the Browns. Johnson had 22 carries for 107 yards while sharing carries with Bernard Scott, who also played well with 18 carries for 87 yards.

Benson was expected to return for this game, but the Bengals (unlike the Falcons) did the right thing to keep him out. If Benson remains out in Week 13 against Detroit then Johnson and Scott would be worth starting.

This was Johnson's first 100-yard game since Week 16 last year. He is worth adding if he's still available because it appears like the Bengals will use him as long as Benson is injured.

What stood out to you this week? How did your Fantasy teams do? Drop us a line and tell us about it at dmfantasyfootball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Week 12 in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state and we'll respond to as many as e-mails we can.

 
 
 
Player News
Rey Maualuga
Maualuga charged by police
Rey Maualuga, MLB, CIN
2/11/2012
News: Bengals LB Rey Maualuga has officially been charged by Cincinnati police with misdemeanor assault stemming from a bar fight last weekend. This report comes from The Associated Press. The Bengals had no comment.
Analysis: Maualuga is likely to be at least fined for this incident, especially after his 2010 DUI arrest cost him two game checks. He won't miss any playing time, though. Maualuga is just a low-end option in IDP formats heading into next season.

Hines Ward
Report: Steelers to cut ties with Ward
Hines Ward, WR, PIT
2/11/2012
News: NFL.com reports that the Steelers are not expected to bring back receiver Hines Ward for 2012. This news comes according to NFL Network's Jason La Canfora. "He has one year left on his deal worth $4 million," said La Canfora. "According to my sources, he won't be back there. So that's $4 million off the books."
Analysis: Ward has said he'd be open to taking a pay cut, but it sounds like Pittsburgh is ready to just cut ties with him. Ward would be a No. 4 WR and that means he'd likely have to play on special teams, which he likely would not want. Ward will have little Fantasy value entering 2012, that is for sure.

Kevin Faulk
Faulk contemplating retirement
Kevin Faulk, RB, NE
2/11/2012
News: New England RB Kevin Faulk is contemplating retirement after being a healthy inactive for the Super Bowl loss to the Giants, reports the Boston Globe. "That morning, when I got the word that I wasn’t going to dress . . . wow," Faulk said. “I went in the room, cried a little bit, because 75 percent of me knew that this could be my last game playing, not playing, just dressing. If I dress, there could be that chance that I could play. So that really crushed me a whole lot. Went into my room, read my Bible, read so many different Scriptures, so many different chapters in the Bible, until it was time to go to the stadium. [I took] my exit physical after the game and the trainers give me a big hug and that’s when I knew, like ‘Wow, that might be it'."
Analysis: Faulk was drafted in 1999 and the 35-year-old RB is a member of New England's 50th anniversary team. He didn't actually declare himself retired, leaving the door slightly ajar on his 14th NFL season. Faulk might finish his career with 31 total touchdowns, 15 receiving and 16 rushing. He had a solid career, but isn't a recommended Fantasy option if he does return next year.

Rob Gronkowski
Gronkowski has ankle surgery
Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
2/10/2012
News: The Boston Herald reports that Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski underwent successful surgery Friday to fix his ailing ankle. The surgery was an arthroscopic procedure to clean out the ankle. Gronkowski played on a high-ankle sprain in Super Bowl XLVI, battling ligament damage to make two catches for 26 yards. The estimate is that it’s a 10-week recovery. That should allow him to be ready by mid-April, possibly for mini-camp.
Analysis: Continue to monitor what happens with Gronkowski this offseason, but he should be fine for the start of the 2012 season. Consider Gronkowski the No. 1 TE heading into the season. We can see Gronkowski being drafted as a Top 15 pick in all leagues, but it's a safer option to take him toward the end of Round 2 or beginning of Round 3 in all formats.

Reggie Wayne
Wayne unsure of future
Reggie Wayne, WR, IND
2/10/2012
News: Reggie Wayne told ESPN that while he'd like to stay with the Colts, he's just not sure if they want him. Wayne is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason and understands that his time might be over in Indy after 11 years. "I have been there 11 years and I would prefer to end my career a Colt. However, in due time those feelings could subside," he said. "I haven't heard anything from them yet, so maybe I am not as important on the chain of command as I should be. But either way, I'm cool. I have nothing bad to say about the Colts. ... My phone hasn't rung yet. It's only fair I worry about number 87 first. When I'm signed, then I can weigh in more."
Analysis: Wayne had a mostly horrible season thanks in big part to Peyton Manning being on the sideline. He caught 75 passes for 960 yards and four touchdowns, three coming in the final six weeks of the year. We don't think his 2011 is indicative of a slow-down in his game, but uncertainty about who he'll catch passes from and what his role will be keeps him from being a receiver we can get excited about. For now consider him a No. 3 Fantasy WR worth a mid-round pick.

Peyton Manning
Differing views on Peyton
Peyton Manning, QB, IND
2/10/2012
News: There are two differing reports on Colts QB Peyton Manning as the saga continues early this offseason in his recovery from missing this past season from neck surgery. CBSSports.com NFL Insider Mike Freeman reports that there remain a handful of team personnel men who have serious doubts he will ever play again or at the very least will miss most of next season. But, according to NFL.com, former Colts vice chairman Bill Polian, who was fired in early January, said he believes Manning will be fine in 2012 after he last saw Manning throw in late December. "It's marked (improvement) from where he was back in September," Polian said. "He threw it accurately, he threw it with a good, tight spiral, and he threw it with velocity. Generally, he looked like a pretty confident quarterback out there." Polian also indicated that Manning was able to make a variety of throws and throw across his body, which differs from a report on NFL Network earlier this week. Polian said that Manning's recovery is "coming, but coming slowly. But, nonetheless, its making progress."
Analysis: The bottom line with Manning is until the public sees him throw or work in practice we won't know where he's at in his recovery. The Colts also have to make a decision on his contract or else he can sign with a new team, with Arizona, Miami and Washington the likely suitors. If healthy, Manning will remain a No. 1 Fantasy QB no matter where he plays, but he has to prove that his neck is 100 percent. Continue to monitor what happens with Manning, and hopefully he can resume his career without any problems.

Fred Jackson
Jackson cleared, contract coming
Fred Jackson, RB, BUF
2/10/2012
News: Fred Jackson has been cleared to return to football activities for a couple of weeks following a broken fibula, but the good news for him doesn't stop there. The official team website reports that Jackson has been promised by team GM Buddy Nix that he will receive a contract extension, with the timeline set for before the 2012 season. Jackson is slated to be in a contract year as it stands now, but a new deal would change that. "Fred and I have talked," said Nix. "We want to extend Fred. I'd like for Fred to finish his career as a Bill. He's meant a lot to us. I've got great respect for him. We do want Fred back and we do intend to try to work out a deal with him. I've told him that. What we said is what we're going to do."
Analysis: Jackson told the site that he's ready to get started in 2012 after missing the last six games of the season with a broken leg. While he was sidelined, C.J. Spiller stepped up and put some good moves on the field, complicating the Buffalo running back situation heading into the new year. Chances are the Bills will lean on Jackson as they have been, but Spiller could take a bigger share of the run-game workload than in the past, and that could put a cap on what Jackson is capable of doing. He's also 31 years old but doesn't have the wear-and-tear that typically comes with rushers over 30. If the Bills extend Jackson then it will be clear that he's a part of their future and a potential 15-touch-per-game back. If not, he'll be in a contract year and could play well in hopes of cashing in after next season. Either way he represents a solid value as a No. 2 Fantasy RB worth a pick between late Round 3 and early Round 5.

Lavelle Hawkins
Hawkins gets three-year deal
Lavelle Hawkins, WR, TEN
2/10/2012
News: The Tennessean reports Friday that the Titans have agreed to terms on a contract extension for WR Lavelle Hawkins, who had his best season in 2011. He had 47 catches for 470 yards and one touchdown.
Analysis: Hawkins has minimal Fantasy value heading into 2012, especially if Kenny Britt (knee) returns at 100 percent. Keep an eye on what happens with the Titans receiving corps, but ignore Hawkins on Draft Day in most leagues.

Kenny Britt
Britt 'working hard'
Kenny Britt, WR, TEN
2/10/2012
News: The Sports Xchange reports that new Titans GM Ruston Webster said WR Kenny Britt, who suffered a torn ACL in September and had surgery in early October, should return in time for training camp in 2012. He said Britt appears to be a fast healer and is ahead of schedule in his recovery. "Kenny has been working hard and he's coming fast, probably even a little faster than I thought he would. So I'm real happy about that," he said. "We expect to have him out there for training camp. The good thing about his injury, is there is a good thing, is it happened early, and he's a very strong young and bounces back very quickly. We're hoping and planning to have him back for training camp."
Analysis: Britt is expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of the 2012 season, and hopefully he can come into training camp in shape. We consider Britt a low-end No. 2/high-end No. 3 Fantasy WR when healthy, and he is worth drafting with a mid-round pick if his knee proves to be 100 percent.

Kevin Smith
Smith wants return to Lions
Kevin Smith, RB, DET
2/10/2012
News: According to mlive.com, impending free agent RB Kevin Smith would like to return to the Lions in 2012. Smith, 25, re-signed with Detroit last November and had four starts in seven games. He finished the regular season with 72 carries for 356 yards and four touchdowns, plus had 22 receptions for 179 yards and three scores. "In every interview that I've done, even though I'm a free agent, I've referred to the team and me as us," Smith said. "I'm on the Lions roster in my opinion until I'm not on the Lions roster. That says it all."
Analysis: Smith is a former third-round selection by Detroit in 2008. He showed promise as a rookie, gaining 976 yards and scoring eight touchdowns on 238 carries. He started 13 games in 2009 before suffering a season-ending injury to his left knee. He rushed for 747 yards and four touchdowns prior to his injury. Smith was phased out of the offense with the arrival of Jahvid Best in 2010. Detroit decided not to make him an offer when he became a restricted free agent after that season. After Best sustained a season-ending concussion last season, Detroit re-signed Smith. We'll find out if he can return to the Lions, who also have second-year RB Mikel Leshoure, who also is recovering from a season-ending Achilles tendon injury sustained in the preseason. Keep an eye on what happens with Smith, but he should only be drafted with a late-round pick if he's back in Detroit.

 
 
 
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