Week 14 in Review Dec 8, 2008 | More

Ballers of the Week

Brian Westbrook , RB Philadelphia Eagles

Well this is the second week in a row that Westbrook has cracked the ballers list and for good reason. B-West was the workhouse of old against the division rival Giants in Week 14 as he carried the ball 33 times for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also snagged six receptions for 72 yards and another score. This was a vintage performance out of Westbrook and couldn’t have come at a better time for fantasy owners as the playoffs have started in many leagues. He now has over 60 points combined in the last two weeks and should be solid down the stretch.

Pittsburgh D/ST, The Steelers defense was “as advertised” on Sunday against Dallas as they allowed just 13 points to the high-powered Cowboy offense. Pittsburgh totaled three INTs, three sacks, one fumble recovery and to top it all off, scored a defensive TD to ice the game late in the fourth quarter. They are clearly the best defense in the land and should be started every week.

Brandon Marshall , WR Denver Broncos

Marshall hadn’t scored a TD in three straight weeks. Well that trend changed in Week 14 as he scored twice. Marshall also snared 11 passes for 91 yards and helped led the Broncos to a victory over the Chiefs. He should come up big over the last three weeks of the season with games against Carolina, Buffalo and San Diego.

Busts of the Week

Tony Romo , QB Dallas Cowboys

Romo played so well on Thanksgiving Day, and I’m sure that everyone thought he would only get better as the season went on, but that wasn’t the case Sunday against the Steelers. Romo played a horrendous game, throwing for just 210 yards with one TD, three interceptions and a lost fumble. He was frustrated all game with constant pressure and was overthrowing his receivers frequently. He’s still getting used to that injured finger, but he should still be a no-brainer to start the rest of the season.

New York Jets

After getting upset at home against an inconsistent Denver squad last week, the Jets did one better as they lost on the road to a very bad San Francisco team, 24-14. This was an all around terrible game for New York, who is now fighting for the AFC East title with New England and Miami.

Marshawn Lynch , RB Buffalo Bills

Marshawn didn’t bring his “beast mode” game Sunday against the surging Dolphins as he was held to just three fantasy points. He had 13 carries for only 31 yards and could never really get it going. Lynch was on fire prior to the Week 14 disappointment so look for him to get back on track against a Jet team that is in a big slump right now.

Waiver Wire

Tashard Choice , RB Dallas Cowboys

Choice got his first career start on Sunday due to the foot injury of Marion Barber. He did have to go up against the best defense in the NFL in the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Choice held his own. He put up 166 total yards (88 rushing, 78 receiving), which led the Cowboys in each category. Go grab this guy because he earned some carries the rest of the season even if Barber comes back next week.

Shocker Special

Kevin Walter , WR Houston Texans

Walter came up huge for the Texans in Week 14 with 146 yards and a touchdown. He had just six receptions, but made them all count. These numbers are a little deceiving for Walter owners because his first two catches went for 58 and 44 respectively, nonetheless he still provided an substantial boost to fantasy teams in the playoffs this week.

Keep on your Fantasy Radar

New York Giants Backup RBs

Brandon Jacobs’ knee injury looks a little more serious than it was first thought to be so go grab Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward if they are available in your leagues. Ward is probably the better pick of the two, but both could help you down the stretch if Jacobs misses time.

Must Start of Week 15

Steve Slaton , RB Houston Texans

I know conventional wisdom says that this is a bad move, but I like the rookie out of West Virginia this week. Slaton is going up against the stingy run defense of the Tennessee Titans, but I believe he will find some room to run and make a few big catches as well. The Titans already clinched their division so they might not have a high level of intensity in Week 15 either.

Please Bench of Week 15

Brett Favre , QB New York Jets

“Brett the Jet” has gone cold over the last few weeks as New York has lost its last two games to a couple bad teams ( Denver and San Francisco). His match up in Week 15 is against the Bills who have a decent pass defense and could cause some problems for Favre. Bench Brett until he proves he can handle the load like he did a month ago