Week 12 Fantasy Intelligence Report: Gobble, Gobble! Nov 24, 2011 | More
More articles from Eric Huber

W.11.R. -- Week 11 Reactions

- Buccaneers' running back LeGarrette Blount made the Packers' defense look like disoriented alligator hunters. What gets me mad is that Blount looks like a high grade bowling ball striking through the defense one week, but is constantly rolling in to the gutter the next. Keep that in mind this week.

- The Bills-Dolphins game was kind of odd. Ryan Fitzpatrick look unmotivated and quite confused, while Matt Moore looked the part of a confident boxer ready to lay out his opponent. The Bills' offense disturbingly continues to help the team get back to mediocrity. I have to wonder how many fantasy owners are madder than Black Friday consumers that Dave Rayner scored more fantasy points than Stevie Johnson, David Nelson and Fitzpatrick combined.

- I didn’t get to see the Monday night game. However, when I looked at the game log I immediately reached for a pair of bi-focals. And then after seeing that running back Thomas Jones averaged 6.0 yards per carry (season high) I was ready to call the ESPN research team to let them know they had made a mega mistake.

- Even though it was the Panthers' sub-par defense, I was still impressed that running back Kevin Smith rushed for more yards than Chris Johnson ran for in weeks six, seven, and eight combined. Today, I am a little confused though. I thought Jahvid Best was supposed to be the Lions savior at the position, not a rich man’s version of Ki-Jana Carter.

N.N. -- News Nuggets

- According to the Detroit News running back Kevin Smith was taking first team reps during drills on Tuesday, and looks like the logical starter for the Lions when they face the Packers on Thursday. Jahvid Best still hasn’t been cleared for physical activity. Smith hasn’t started a game since 2009. In five career games against Green Bay Smith has rushed for 248 yards and has found the end zone just one time.

- According to JSOnline.com, most teammates of Packers' wide receiver Jordy Nelson don’t know who to compare the rising star to. TJ Lang put it best though when he said, "He's just getting started. I think people are just starting to realize who he is and how dangerous he can be." Nelson certainly has been hot as of late. In the last three weeks he has scored five touchdowns, and has recorded two 100+ yard games.

- According to the Nashville Tennessean the Titans expect that quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, regardless of the sprained elbow that he continues to recover from, will be ready to start Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If he can’t go Jake Locker will be ready. Locker filled in pretty nicely in the third and fourth quarters against the Atlanta Falcons last week. He threw two touchdown passes to Nate Washington and finished with a quarterback rating of 107.3.

- According to the Washington Post Redskins' head coach Mike Shanahan is and has been reluctant to start running back Roy Helu, despite the fact that he’s looked much better running with the football than Ryan Torain lately. "I like Helu. He’s doing some great things," Shanahan said. "I don’t want to put too much pressure on him too early. He’s not ready for that. But he’s gaining experience, and I like what I see."

In his last three games the starter, Torain, has carried the ball 16 times and has averaged 1.6 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Helu has carried 24 times and is averaging 4.9 yards per. Eventually Shanahan will have to come to his senses and let Helu run completely buck wild, especially if Washington continues on their current losing skid.

- According to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer Browns' running back Peyton Hillis (hamstring) will not play against the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Back-up Montario Hardesty is close to returning, but the Browns want to remain cautious with his injured calf. This means that Chris Ogbonnaya will likely get another start. The Bengals rank third against the run (88.6 yards per game), but have allowed 10 rushing touchdowns.

- According to the New York Post Giants' running back Ahmad Bradshaw doesn’t look like he’s going to play against the Saints on Monday night. Bradshaw has missed three games already, but isn’t going to be rushed back, even with a miserable rushing performance (29 yards against the Eagles) lingering like a blue cloud of smoke over the Giants' offense. He’ll likely be a wait and see start, so plan accordingly. His replacements, Brandon Jacobs and DJ Ware, are probably not worth much, even against a Saints' defense that is allowing a league high 5.2 yards per carry.

W.12.F.H.S. -- Week 12 F.I.R. Hot Sheet

The weekly hot sheet is intended to give fantasy owners a quick reference guide/card to help with the filling of starting lineups. It is in Google Docs format, and is provided below. This will be a feature that will be provided every week. If there are any enhancements you would like to see, please send any suggestions, I’m always looking to improve and provide the best material.

***WEEK 12 HOT SHEET***

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