Seth Vigdor
Week 13 in the NFL was absolutely crazy. From a Hail Mary to a huge upset to the lone undefeated team remaining perfect, the week was action packed. Let’s take a look at my week in review.
Five key storylines from Week 13
Did that really just happen?
Holy shit! Aaron Rodgers is amazing. Detroit had the game won on Thursday Night against Green Bay and then a controversial face-mask call happened. The rest is history. The Packers stunned the Lions and the rest of us with a Rodgers to Rodgers Hail Mary. More importantly for the Packers, they’ve pulled into a tie for the division lead. It’s incredible that when you have Aaron Rodgers on your team, you’re never out of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0vVqStvh_8
Where you at Calvin Johnson?
https://vine.co/v/iWPv31UFZXb
Indeed…
Shocking the World –
The Motown Miracle wasn’t the only thing that left NFL fans speechless this week. The Eagles beat the Patriots 35-28. Yep, that’s right. How bout’ them apples? The Eagles defense and special teams really stepped up in this one.
Tom Brady throws a pick in the Red Zone and Malcolm Jenkins takes it 100 yards alllll the way to HOUSE! #PHIvsNE https://t.co/lWmddPwuNX
— NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2015
Led by a 100 yard interception return by Malcolm Jenkins to give the Eagles the lead for good and this from Darren Sproles…
Darren Sproles is doing Darren Sproles things:
81-yard punt return…for SIX! #PHIvsNE https://t.co/qpqWue3hOV
— NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2015
The Eagles did their thing. And yes, as we say at the end of every week, the Eagles are still in the mix for the division crown and the Playoffs.
Picture Perfect –
Oops they did it again! The Panthers channeled their inner Britney Spears and survived against a game Saints team. It came down to the wire, but in the end the Panthers beat New Orleans 41-38 to remain undefeated. Led by Cam Newton’s five touchdowns, including a touchdown strike to Jerricho Cotchery with 1:05 left in the game, the Panthers continue to show their metal. With each week that passes that they remain undefeated, the pressure will continue to build. Next week they host the floundering Falcons, who have lost six in a row, but there are no gimme games in the NFL. Still – the Panthers look mighty impressive.
Minnesota Meltdown –
Meanwhile in Minnesota, the Vikings are starting to lose their grasp on the division. They lost a key matchup to the Packers last week and this week the Seahawks came to Minnesota and demolished them 38-7. They are now tied with the Packers at 8-4 in the NFC North and while the arrow is pointing up for the Packers, it’s going in the opposite direction for Minnesota. The Vikings play in Arizona and Green Bay hosts the Cowboys this coming week – so clearly Minnesota has some issues on their hands. They need to pull it together quick, before it’s too late.
Giant take a trip to Choke City –
Up by ten in the fourth quarter, Tom Coughlin decided to go for it on fourth and two from the four yard line. What in the world was he thinking? Maybe it was a senior moment for him. The Giants would’ve been up by 13 points with six minutes left. Instead, the Jets eventually tied the game and forced overtime. The Jets took a 23-20 lead in the extra session, when Josh Brown stepped on the field with a chance to tie the game.
Josh Brown's first missed FG of the season came at the worst possible time https://t.co/1jAoaKWcNV pic.twitter.com/cibTugcCj9
— SB Nation NFL 🏈 (@SBNationNFL) December 7, 2015
That makes me extremely happy!
But, it never should’ve come to that. This one is on Coughlin.
lolololololol pic.twitter.com/Ni4yfEE96Z
— max (@MaxOnTwitter) December 6, 2015
I love New York!
Waiver Wire Watch (*Keep an eye on, **Time to consider it, *** MUST Grab)
Each week, I will supply you with a list of players that you should consider adding from the waiver wire. Above, I listed the three tiers of players they are. So let’s take a look at the guys that you should be paying attention to. To qualify as a Waiver Wire guy, I’ll only consider those players that are owned in less than 60% of Yahoo! leagues at the time of this writing.
**Tyrod Taylor (BUF – QB) – 36% owned – A QB to seriously consider as a pickup is Tyrod Taylor. He’s had back to back week of at least 30 Fantasy points and we know from early on in the season what he’s capable of.
*Darren Sproles (PHI – RB) – 41% owned – Sproles was a monster this past week. With DeMarco Murray struggling big time and Sproles being active in all aspects of the game, he could make for a sneaky play going forward – especially in PPR leagues.
**Shaun Draughn (SF – RB) – 54% owned – Carlos Hyde has been out of the lineup for a while and may not play again this season. Draughn has filled in nicely and he’s a solid option weekly at the flex spot.
*Marvin Jones (CIN– WR) – 54% owned – Jones isn’t the best player in the world, but he has been playing better as of late. He’s a nice second option behind Green at WR.
*James White (NE– RB) – 26% owned – White’s a risky pickup, as Bill Belichick changes his game plan and players that he uses from week to week. But, he’s certainly worth a look if you’re hurtin’ at the RB position.
**Ryan Fitzpatrick (NYJ – QB) – 44% owned – If you’re in desperate need of a QB that produces, grab Fitzpatrick now. He’s put up great Fantasy points the last two weeks and has a nice schedule down the stretch. Do it! You won’t regret it.
…
Here are Week 13’s Studs:
Quarterbacks
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
1. Russell Wilson (SEA vs. MIN) – Don’t look now, but here come the Seahawks! Their offense is starting to look scary. Wilson was 21/27 for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns to go along with nine rushes for 51 yards and one touchdown. They’re a team that no one wants to face in the Playoffs if they get in there. Trust me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5fy4lW_jD0
2. Cam Newton (CAR vs. NO) – The Panthers are never out of it when Newton is on the field. He was 28/41 for 331 yards and five touchdowns against the Saints. I don’t care what anyone thinks about his dancing and dabbin’, dude is special.
3. Blake Bortles (JAX vs. TEN) – Talk about special, the Jags have something great going on with Bortles, Robinson and Hurns. Bortles was 24/36 for 322 yards and five touchdowns this week in a losing effort against the Titans. The Jags could be good real soon.
Running Backs
1. Thomas Rawls (SEA vs. MIN) – Rawls has been killing it as a fill-in for Marshawn Lynch. He had 19 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown against a usually tough Vikings defense. When the Hawks get the ground game going, they’re tough to beat.
2. Darren Sproles (PHI vs. NE) –Sproles was a big factor in the Eagles win in New England. He had 15 carries for 66 yards, four receptions for 34 yards and one punt return for a touchdown (83 yards). He’s getting back to his dangerous ways, so teams need to be mindful of him.
3. Marcus Mariota (KC vs. BUF) – Yes, you’re reading this right. It’s not a mistake. I had to put Mariota in the RB category this week because he was off the hook. He had nine carries for 112 yards and one touchdown. He’s a dual threat QB and he’ll only get better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMq4wKl3xl8
Wide Receivers
1. Allen Robinson (JAX vs. TEN) – Robinson went off on Sunday against the Titans. He had 10 receptions for 153 yards and three touchdowns. This guy is for real and should be one of your WR targets next year in re-draft leagues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc_qJ8nJ6jM
2. Doug Baldwin (SEA vs. MIN) – I told you that when Jimmy Graham went down that Baldwin would benefit the most from it. He had five receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings. He’ll remain one of their top weapons as the Seahawks make their playoff push.
3. Jeremy Maclin (KC vs. OAK) – Maclin had nine receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns against the Raiders. The Eagles are missing this guy badly. It’s a shame.
Tight Ends
1. Richard Rodgers (GB vs. DET) – Rodgers had eight receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown, including the winning Hail Mary touchdown catch. If Rodgers continues to have big games like this – it’ll only make Aaron Rodgers even more lethal.
2. Greg Olsen (SD vs. JAX) – Olsen quietly had nine receptions for 129 yards against the Saints. He continues to be one of Cam Newton’s most reliable weapons.
Defense/Special Teams
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. NE) – The Birds defense/special teams went off this week. They had two interceptions, a blocked punt, one punt return touchdown, all for a total of three total touchdowns that’s good for 24 fantasy points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2-8RHEMLr8
Kickers
Shayne Graham (ATL vs. TB) – Graham was the only bright spot for the Falcons for the week. He was 4/4 for FGA’s and had one extra point, which was good for 16 Fantasy points.
…
Here are Week 13’s Duds:
Quarterbacks
1. Nick Foles (STL vs. ARI) – Foles sucks. He was 15/35 for 146 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. He’s on this list every week.
2. Teddy Bridgewater (MIN vs. SEA) –Bridgewater needs to be better if the Vikings are going to make the Playoffs. He was 17/28 for 118 yards, 0 touchdowns and one interception in a blowout loss to Seattle.
3. Philip Rivers (SD vs. DEN) – Rivers was 18/35, 202 yards with 0 touchdowns and one interception against the Broncos. It’s been a disappointing season for the Chargers and the offseason can’t come soon enough for them.
Running Backs
1. Eddie Lacy (GB vs. DET) – Lacy had six touches for one yard against the Lions. If you drafted Lacy with a top four pick, how are you feeling about your team right about now?
2. Giovani Bernard (CIN vs. CLE) – Gio disappeared this week as he had five carries for 26 yards in the Bengals win against the Browns. They didn’t need him this week, so it’s all good – unless you needed him to perform big to make the Playoffs.
3. DeMarco Murray (PHI vs. NE) – This has been nothing short of a nightmare season for Murray. He had eight carries for 24 yards. Awful!
Wide Receivers
1. Emmanuel Sanders (DEN vs. SD) –Sanders was quiet this week against the Chargers. It was rare for him. He had three receptions for 19 yards. Not good!
2. Travis Benjamin (CLE vs. CIN) – Man has Benjamin fallen off the map since his early season success. He had zero receptions this week. Jinkies!
3. Tavon Austin (STL vs. MIN) –Austin was awful and the Rams have been brutal the last three weeks. Austin had one reception for 24 yards. Sheesh!
Tight Ends
1. Martellus Bennett (CHI vs. SF) – This season has been a waste for Bennett. He had three receptions for 14 yards against the 49ers. Unreal!
2. Travis Kelce (KC vs. OAK) –Kelce had two receptions for 42 yards and one fumble. He’s gotta be better than this.
Defense
St. Louis (vs. ARI) – The Rams defense has totally fallen off. They gave gave up 27 points to the Cardinals for -4 fantasy points. Not good at all!
Kickers
Josh Brown (NYG vs. NYJ) – Sorry – I hate the Giants so it gives me great pleasure to put Brown in here. Missing a game tying field goal in OT is a killer, regardless of what happened prior to that play in the game.
…
Here’s a brief look at the results of Week 13 in the PhillyInfluencer.com Fantasy Football league:
I ended the regular season with a five game winning streak, after I beat “Feel My Balls” 151-132. 215 Sean (Sean_Brace) took a L in the regular season finale to Team Marino 157-96. Sean finishes the season with a 5-8 record. Cunning Stunts (@nickpiccone) also got smoked this week, falling to “Luck Her Right” 162-92. Nick’s season ends with a disappointing 4-9 record. Minitron’s Juice Stand (@Anthony_DiBona) had a heart breaking regular season finale, losing to Chip Kelly Rejects 123-120.
The PhillyInfluencer.com League Playoffs are as follows:
First Round Byes:
#1 Seed: Team Marino and #2 Seed: Victorious Secret
First Round Matchups:
#6 Seed: Notorious V.I.G. vs. #3 Seed Chip Kelly Rejects
#5 Seed: Luck Her Right In The Percy vs. #4 Seed FeelMyBalls, SqueezeMyBalls
Best of luck to all that remain in the Playoffs!
You can stay up to date with everything Fantasy Football related by following me on Twitter(@ViggieSmalls765) and Instagram. I’ll be available on Twitter for upcoming Twitter Chats and to give out advice to help guide you through your fantasy season.