Week 12 in Review Nov 24, 2008 | More

Ballers of the Week

Randy Moss, WR New England Patriots

Randy was back to being the Randy Moss of 2007 as he found the end zone three times and caught eight balls for 125 yards. With QB Matt Cassel gaining confidence on every snap, Moss is clearly going to benefit from this for the rest of the season.

Michael Turner, RB Atlanta Falcons

Turner continued his breakout fantasy season with a four touchdown performance! He ran the ball 24 times for 117 yards against the Panthers on Sunday. This was his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season and Turner now has 13 rushing TD’s, seven in the last three weeks. He has favorable matchups the next two weeks so continue to expect big weeks.

Terrell Owens, WR Dallas Cowboys

T.O. exploded for 213 receiving yards in week 12 on seven receptions. He also scored one touchdown, which came on a 75-yard passing play from close to healthy QB Tony Romo. No one is happier to see his QB back in the lineup than Owens is and it is now evident that he should be in line for some more big games down the stretch.

Busts of the Week

Donovan McNabb, QB Philadelphia Eagles

Donovan was benched in the second half on Sunday for the first time in his career. He struggled against an amped up Baltimore defense where he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. In one half of work, McNabb finished 8-18 for 59 yards with zero TD passes. It is hard to predict what the future holds for the Philly QB right now so owners should wait to hear what the Eagles are going to do with him.

Frank Gore, RB San Francisco 49ers

A week after having a nice fantasy week against St. Louis, Gore struggled to put anything together in his matchup with the Cowboys. He had 14 carries for just 26 yards with no scores. Gore has been solid all season; he just had a bad game against a tough run defense. Look for him to bounce back next week against Buffalo.

Cleveland Browns QB’s

The Browns are still having huge problems at the QB spot as this continued in week 12 as replacement Brady Quinn couldn’t get anything going. He went 8-18 for 94 yards and two INT’s before he was benched in the 4^th Quarter for Derek Anderson. Anderson then came in and went 5-14 for 51 yards with an INT and a fumble lost. Stay away from both of these QB’s for now.

Waiver Wire

Martellus Bennett, TE Dallas Cowboys

Bennett has caught a TD in his last two games and starter Jason Witten is clearly still in pain with a broken rib. All those out there who own Witten should be aware that he left Sunday’s game and his status for week 13 is uncertain. Go grab Bennett now as a handcuff because he is getting a decent amount of goal line targets right now as a backup, imagine what he can do as a starter.

Shocker Special

New York Jets

The Jets dominated the overrated and now 10-1 Tennessee Titans in week 12 as they pounded them 34-13 in Tennessee. Though the Jets defense only had one fumble recovery and one sack, they still managed to frustrate the entire Titan offense, especially RB’s Chris Johnson and LenDale White (11 carries for 45 yards combined). New York is hot right now and clicking at the right time of the season so watch out.

Keep on your Fantasy Radar

Pierre Thomas, RB New Orleans Saints

With news in New Orleans that RB Reggie Bush will miss his fourth straight game with a knee injury and that RB Deuce McAllister may be suspended soon, the future is looking pretty good for Thomas. When given the chance, he has put up very nice numbers in the Saints offense and should be in line for some touches over the next few weeks.

Must Start of Week 13

Chad Pennington, QB Miami Dolphins

Pennington has made a big difference in Miami this season and is coming off a 341 yard-three TD performance against the Patriots. He is playing with a lot of swagger right now and should have a solid day at St. Louis in week 13. Get him in your lineup for that favorable matchup.

Please Bench of Week 13

Matt Cassel, QB New England Patriots

Cassel has been hot the last few weeks, combining for 815 passing yards and six TD’s, but he hasn’t faced a nasty defense like the Steelers yet this season. Look for Pittsburgh to blitz Cassel early and often and force him out of the pocket as much as possible. The Steelers have the best linebacker duo in the game (LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison) and they will surely cause problems for the New England QB in week 13. I know it will be hard to do, but I would find another option next week.