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Dave Richard

First Response: Conundrum with your Colts?

By | Senior Fantasy Writer


A lot of Fantasy owners had angst about starting Reggie Wayne this week because he was facing a Broncos secondary led by Champ Bailey. Others had the same issues about Pierre Garcon simply because Andre Goodman was going up against him.

Turns out that both struggled. Wayne had 43 yards on four catches and Garcon had just 39 yards on two catches. Both gave way to Joseph Addai as a backfield receiver and Dallas Clark as a red-zone monster (three of his five catches were touchdowns). Throw in a little Austin Collie (three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown) and Wayne and Garcon were bottled up.

Now comes the issue of whether or not the Colts' star players -- Peyton Manning included -- will play complete games going forward. The Colts have locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the road to the Super Bowl will lead through Indianapolis.

Fantasy Football - First Response: Conundrum with your Colts? : FantasyNews.CBSSports.com

The Colts have traditionally rested their starters when they've had nothing to play for, but the team does have something to play for: An undefeated season. At 13-0, they'd be foolish not to try and chase history. They also have an NFL-record 22 consecutive straight regular-season wins, something they can easily build on with three games left at the Jaguars, vs. the Jets and at the Bills.

"I don't think there is a right answer. I think whatever plan Coach Caldwell gives us that will be the right plan because that's what he decided and what we will carry out," Manning told CBSSports.com Senior NFL Writer Clark Judge on Sunday. "... I think every competitive player wants to be out there playing. That's what we'll plan to do, and whatever direction he wants to go in -- and I don't know anything else -- we'll go from there and play to win. I will say this: One thing we have done in the past which I haven't really liked is revealing our plan. I don't think it's Jacksonville's business or anybody's business what we're going to do before we get out there Thursday [their next game]."

A hunch? They'll make their run for history, and as soon as a game has been decided (win or loss), the starters will head for the sidelines. Against Jacksonville, that might take a while, but against the Jets and Bills we might not get even three quarters out of Manning & Co. This makes starting most Colts a little risky, especially the receivers and especially Reggie Wayne because he's failed to get over 100 yards in four straight games.

It might be time to move on if you have the guys to cover for him.

Let's take a look around at the rest of the Week 14 action.

Start of the Week result: Jamaal Charles did it again -- another week with a touchdown (his fifth straight) and 181 total yards to boot! Hysteria over Charles has hit a new level -- he's become the stuff of Fantasy legends, the kind of midseason pickup that pushes a good team into a Fantasy championship squad. He's joining the likes of Corey Dillon, Samkon Gado and Tashard Choice in that realm, though the long-term upside is really strong with Charles. The reality is that he's putting up a ton of yards (861 total) in spite of a rag-tag offensive line and accompanying passing game. There's little doubt he'll be a part of what the Chiefs do in 2010, and of course he'll play a role in Week 15 vs. the Browns. Jamaal Charles is a must-start in all leagues.

Sit of the Week result: Telling you to sit Jay Cutler wasn't exactly rocket science, but if you chose another good quarterback in place of him you probably turned out fine. Yes, Cutler had two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions and just barely topped 200 passing yards. He could be in for worse stats at Baltimore next week.

Insane stat line of the day: The most surprising two-touchdown performer from Week 14? Redskins running back Quinton Ganther, the former practice squad player who had 93 total yards to go along with his two scores. Like Charles, he'll have the chance to earn a 2010 spot with the Redskins with a strong finish, but his road to that goal becomes challenging with the Giants, Cowboys and Chargers left on his schedule. No pushovers like the Raiders he trounced this week.

Out-of-nowhere stat line of the week: Ben Roethlisberger at Cleveland and Aaron Rodgers at Chicago: Zero touchdowns. Two of the safest, most productive young Fantasy players in the league went into one of their bitter division rivals' stadiums and couldn't notch a touchdown. Roethlisberger even lost his game! Wind, snow and cold weather aside, there's no way anyone saw those stats coming.

Guy we were way right about: How about a team we were way right about: The Seahawks. Other than John Carlson, everyone else on that roster didn't come through to help you guys out. Justin Forsett wound up splitting reps with Julius Jones almost 50-50, T.J. Houshmandzadeh made it four straight games without as many as six Fantasy points and Nate Burleson made it seven straight games without a touchdown.

Guy we were way wrong about: Maybe we've been taking Steven Jackson for granted. For the third straight week Jackson missed practice and was active for Sunday, but his 53-total-yard performance at Tennessee snaps an eight-game streak of at least 100 total yards. What didn't help Jackson was the Rams giving rookie Keith Null the starting quarterback spot, effectively leaving the Titans to dare St. Louis to throw. Null threw five interceptions and Jackson was stonewalled.

Overachieving defense of the week: How can it not be Cleveland? The Browns held Pittsburgh to six points and 216 total yards -- something no one else had done to them all season. The worst (or best) part of it? Only one percent of owners in CBSSports.com leagues started the Browns DST, which means that no one was helped or harmed from their performance. Well, one percent of owners were harmed -- tough to lose in the Fantasy playoffs to a team that started the Browns DST.

Underachieving defense of the week: Let's keep it in Ohio with the Bengals, who were throttled by the Vikings and Adrian Peterson. Many Minnesota players said after the game that they went back to basics with the playbook and opted to run the football and be physical with the Browns. It worked -- the Bengals allowed 30 points but did manage to keep Brett Favre under 200 yards passing.

Names to add to your scout team:

Devin Aromashodu, wide receiver, Chicago (eight catches, 76 yards, touchdown)
Josh Cribbs, wide receiver, Cleveland (eight carries, 87 yards; one catch, 9 yards)
Arian Foster, running back, Houston (13 carries, 34 yards, four catches 54 yards)
Quinton Ganther, running back, Washington (14 carries, 50 yards, two touchdowns; three catches 43 yards)
Chris Jennings, running back, Cleveland (20 carries, 73 yards, touchdown)
Maurice Morris, running back, Detroit (replaced injured Kevin Smith)

Injury alerts:

Correll Buckhalter, ankle; considered questionable for Week 15 vs. Oakland
Bruce Gradkowski, leg; considered questionable for Week 15 at Denver
Kevin Smith, knee; might be out for the season
DeMarcus Ware, neck; considered questionable for Week 15 at New Orleans
Vince Young, hamstring; considered questionable for Week 15 vs. Miami

The last word: Week 14 will be remembered as a week of boom or bust. There wasn't much middle ground -- Fantasy players either did amazing or did poorly. Those owners who had enough big producers won out; those who were disappointed are left holding the bag until next year.

The following players (non quarterbacks) scored two or more touchdowns this week: Reggie Bush, Dallas Clark, Fred Davis, Quinton Ganther, Ryan Grant, Andre Johnson, Chris Johnson, Thomas Jones, Brandon Marshall, Willis McGahee and Adrian Peterson.

The following teams had their receivers individually fail to top 85 yards receiving: Bears, Bengals, Bills, Browns, Buccaneers, Colts (!), Cowboys, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Raiders, Rams, Redskins, Saints (!), Seahawks, Titans and Vikings. That's 20 teams. Yikes.

Driving that point home further, only seven quarterbacks threw two or more touchdowns during the week (excluding the Sunday and Monday night games). Not a good week to rely on receivers. Unless, you know, they scored two or three touchdowns.

What stood out to you this week? How did your Fantasy teams do? Tell us via Twitter @daverichard. Or drop us a line and tell us about it at dmfantasyfootball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Week 14 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
Richard Seymour
Seymour gets bonus from Raiders
Richard Seymour, DT, OAK
11:38 AM
News: The Oakland Raiders have paid DL Richard Seymour his $7.5 million roster bonus, ensuring he'll stay with the Raiders next season. The Raiders could have released Seymour and his massive contract, but chose instead to keep him and not make wholesale changes to the roster.
Analysis: The 32-year-old Seymour played in all 16 games for the Raiders in 2011 as he recorded 29 tackles and six sacks. His six sacks were his highest total since notching eight in 2008 for New England. Seymour is just a low-end option when it comes to IDP formats in Fantasy play.

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.

 
 
 
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