Week 11: Movers and Shakers Nov 20, 2009 | More

Welcome to Week 11 of the Brew Crew Corner. What a season it has been. So far for me it has been up and down. I have teams that are in the playoff chase and then I have a team with so many players lost to Injured Reserve that I could field a full lineup and score zero points. Those are the breaks that come with fantasy football. That is nothing to hang your head about. So this week should be a crucial week as far as trades and transactions go. Most leagues have trade or waiver deadlines so don’t wait until the last minute to drop those players who are out the rest of the season or that back up player you don’t need.

If you play in a league where there are no deadlines, keep up to date with player moves, especially during the final weeks where bench players will get more playing time due to teams out of the running or players sitting to avoid injury for playoffs. Those who owned Marvin Harrison in the past know that feeling all too well. The key is getting the hot player down the stretch. Last season, Cedric Benson, Tyler Thigpen and Steve Slaton helped owners in the playoffs.

That brings me to this week’s signing of Larry Johnson. He is a very low-risk, high-reward player. I picked him up in two leagues off waivers after their owner dumped him. Now I don’t know if L.J. is going to put up big numbers but here is what I do know: the offensive line for Cincinnati is much better than the one in Kansas City. The Bengals are 11th in rushing with 122.3 rushing yards allowed (11th). The offensive line is ranked sixth overall and have given up just five negative plays all season compared to the Chiefs, who rank 31st in the league and had just one rushing touchdown all season. Another factor is Cedric Benson’s health after he suffered a hip injury and the running backs behind him in Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard are not better than L.J. Last but not least, the schedule favors the Bengals going forward with games against the Raiders, the Browns and the Lions coming up. Playoff schedule is against the Chargers, the Chiefs (revenge game?) and the Jets. Now it is too early to know how much playing time he will get this week but going forward he could produce nicely.

Thursday night games are good for having another day to watch football but it’s not good for fantasy owners. First off, you have a team playing on a short week, which limits preparation time and more importantly limits recovery time for players at a point in the season when those hits and games are taking its toll. We saw what happened last week to the fantasy stats of most of the players in the Bears vs. 49ers game.

Top 10 QBs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Aaron Rodgers 24.3
2. Tom Brady 23
3. Brett Favre 22
4. Kurt Warner 21.3
5. Donovan McNabb 20.7
6. Peyton Manning 20
7. Josh Freeman 18.5
8. Tony Romo 18
9. Mark Sanchez 18
10. Drew Brees 17.7

Top 10 RBs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Chris Johnson 41.7
2. Steven Jackson 32.5
3. Frank Gore 28
4. Adrian Peterson 28
5. Maurice Jones-Drew 27.7
6. Ryan Moats 27
7. Matt Forte 25.3 
8. Ray Rice 25
9. Michael Turner 23.7
10. DeAngelo Williams 22.7

Top 10 WRs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Randy Moss 33
2. Reggie Wayne 26.3
3. Larry Fitzgerald 21.7
4. Brandon Marshall 19.3
5. Sidney Rice 17.5
6. Wes Welker 17.5 
7. Andre Johnson 17
8. Steve Smith 16.5
9. Vincent Jackson 16
10. Steve Breaston 15.7

Top 10 TEs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Dallas Clark 17.3
2. Greg Olsen 17
3. Dustin Keller 16
4. Kellen Winslow 16
5. Brent Celek 14.7
6. Tony Gonzalez 13.7
7. Kevin Boss 12.5
8. Vernon Davis 11.7
9. Antonio Gates 10.7
10. Daniel Fells 9

Top 10 Ks Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Stephen Gostkowski 15
2. Rob Bironas 13.7
3. Connor Barth 13.5
4. David Akers 13.3
5. Jay Feely 12
6. Ryan Succop 11.5
7. Dan Carpenter 11.3
8. Olindo Mare 10.7
9. Kris Brown 10.5
10. Shayne Graham 10.5

Top 10 D/STs Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Titans 18.3
2. Bengals 17.5
3. Ravens 16.3
4. Buccaneers 15.5
5. Saints 14.7
6. Steelers 14.5
7. Bears 13.3
8. Dolphins 13.3
9. Cowboys 13
10. Panthers 12

10 Struggling Players Last Three Weeks
according to Shark League scoring by average points per game

1. Matt Ryan 11.7
2. Joe Flacco 8.7
3. Marshawn Lynch 8.5
4. Broncos D/ST 7.7
5. Chad Ochocinco 7.5
6. Jaguars Def 5.7
7. Santana Moss 5.5
8. Felix Jones 3
9. Mark Clayton 2.7
10. Willis McGahee 2

The Golden Mug Award
Awarded to the fantasy player who came through for their team.

Chris Johnson - 26 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD; 9 receptions, 100 yards. For the third straight week, Johnson has topped the “Golden Mug” list and he’s been running wild. He could put up enough points to carry your team on his back all the way through the playoffs.

Randy Moss - 9 receptions, 179 yards, 2 TDs. Moss has had two back-to-back games of 140+ yards and two scores. He is on pace for 103 receptions with 1,584 yards and 12 touchdowns. The schedule going forward is favorable to do so.

Steven Jackson - 26 carries, 131 yards, 1 TD; 9 receptions, 45 yards. Jackson has put together three consecutive weeks of quality fantasy stats and has now scored in two straight weeks after going the first seven weeks without a touchdown. He is on pace to finish with 1,600+ yards and five touchdowns.

The Urinal Cake Award
Awarded to the fantasy player who you would like to, well you know.

Vincent Jackson - 1 reception, 10 yards. Jackson was averaging 23.6 fantasy points the previous three weeks before last week’s performance. He was taken out of the game plan which led to LaDainian Tomlinson’s big game.

Chad Ochocinco - 2 receptions, 29 yards. Maybe Marvin Lewis saved Chad from an embarrassment by not allowing him to ship mustard to the Steelers defense because he wouldn’t have been able to back it up. Ochocinco had nada on Sunday. As funny as some of his stunts have been, he’s real close to doing something that will cost his team dearly and maybe even get him suspended.

Denver Broncos D/ST - The team has lost three in a row and now find themselves this week fighting for a first place spot. It’s almost deja vu from last season. The team, in the last three weeks, has gone from third to 12th in rushing defense.

MATCHUPS

The matchups I like this week for QBs:

Donovan McNabb against the Bears. Two weeks ago the Bears gave up five passing touchdowns to Kurt Warner, and McNabb can do the same. With Brian Westbrook out, it will be on McNabb’s shoulders to move the offense. Look for DeSean Jackson to run pass Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman. Although the Bears defense is allowing 249.1 passing yards a game (10th), it has given up 16 passing touchdowns (fifth).

Brett Favre against the Seahawks. Favre has been throwing the ball well over the past three weeks, averaging about 307 passing yards with five touchdowns. He has another great matchup this week and should look for his young receivers who are developing nicely this season. The Seahawks have been up and down all season but they have been beaten through the air. They are allowing 233 passing yards (22nd) with 14 passing touchdowns (T-ninth). They also have given up seven passing touchdowns over the past three weeks.

Matt Schaub against the Titans. The Titans have played better defense over the past three weeks (even against the pass), but don’t forget this is the same team that laid an egg against the Patriots, allowing six passing touchdowns in one game. Schaub is third in the NFL in yards, and he’s throwing the ball to Andre Johnson, who is third in the league in receiving yards. They are coming off a bye week and face a Titans defense allowing 270.4 passing yards (31st) and a league-worst 23 passing touchdowns.

The Matchups I like this week for RBs:

Pierre Thomas against the Buccaneers. The Saints are the best offense in the league against the worst defense in the league. Against the run, the Bucs are allowing 167.3 yards (31st) and have allowed 10 touchdowns. The Bucs gave up close to 200 rushing yards last week, and Thomas will be running all over the place in this game.

Rashard Mendenhall against the Chiefs. The Chiefs offense lost Larry Johnson and now Dwayne Bowe. The Steelers will have the ball plenty and will use Mendenhall to eat up all the clock. The Chiefs are allowing 141.3 rushing yards (27th) with nine rushing touchdowns.

The matchups I don’t like this week for QBs:

Jay Cutler against the Eagles. Watching Cutler make Jake Delhomme look good last week, you can see why he’s playing the way he is. He’s not making good throws and he’s got a poor attitude. He leads the league with 17 interceptions (four more than Delhomme) and he’s 22nd in the league in passer rating. He’s facing a tough Eagles defense allowing 205.6 passing yards (10th) with 15 interceptions (third) and 29 sacks (second).

Joe Flacco against the Colts. Flacco has been out of rhythm the last three weeks, averaging 175 passing yards with just one passing touchdown. It doesn’t get any easier for him this week facing a hot undefeated Colts team that is allowing 214 passing yards with just seven passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Mark Sanchez against the Patriots. In the first meeting between these teams, Sanchez got the win but passed for just 163 yards and one touchdown. Both teams are coming off tough losses. The Patriots defense is allowing 194.6 passing yards (seventh) with nine interceptions. Look for the Patriots defense to make a statement after not being able to prove themselves at the end of the game.

The matchups I don’t like this week for RBs:

Marion Barber against the Redskins. Barber hasn’t been a great fantasy back this season. With just one 100+ rushing game and only one touchdown in the last five games, he’s been a lineup killer. This week he faces a Redskins defense that has shown some life and has been playing defense by allowing 19 points per game. They have allowed a ton of yards but this is more about the poor rushing of Barber and an opportunity for the Redskins to get into the mix.

Ryan Grant against 49ers. The 49ers are playing hard defense and are allowing just 20 points points per game with 87.7 rushing yards (third) and eight rushing touchdowns. Grant has been running good but not great. Like Barber, he as just one 100+ yard game and has just two rushing touchdowns in the last seven games.

Justin Forsett against the Vikings. Only the Steelers have held teams to two rushing touchdowns all season like the Vikings have. The Vikings are allowing just 94.6 rushing yards (sixth) with five fumbles and have not had a running back rush for over 100 yards this season. Forsett will see playing time with Julius Jones out but if you picked him up off the waivers looking to help your lineup, you’ll be disappointed.

Good luck to everyone in Week 11.

Cheers!