Week 16 has now come and gone and most of you know who the king of the hill is. And for the record, don't be that guy that tries to make coming in second place sound better than it really is. Seriously, second place is just the first loser. Did you make it all the way to the end zone and win bragging rights for the entire off-season? Or, did you fumble at the goal line and watch your title hopes crash and burn? Don't worry; I lost more than a few leagues myself as injuries devastated me all season long.
There was an NFL record set in week 16 as Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's long-standing single-season passing yardage record. Brees now has 5,087 passing yards and a 41:13 TD-to-INT ratio on the season, but the Saints have clinched the NFC South and may pull starters early in Week 17 against the Panthers.
Winners
Cam Newton:The rookie didn't light it up with the passing yards (171), but what he did do was score three times (2 passing, 1 running) and scramble for 65 yards on the ground. Because of the touchdowns and total yards, Cam I Am finished as the #3 fantasy QB in week 16 and helped many people win their league title off the waiver wire.
Joe Webb: Webb came in to relieve Christian Ponder after he suffered a concussion in week 16, and it looks like he may start in week 17 as well. He didn't fill up the box score with yards, but what he did do was find the end zone three times (2 passing and 1 rushing) while totaling 118 yards. Webb is all the rage right now with Coach Leslie Frazier, but I think it is more of a confidence boost than Frazier truly believing that he is anything more than a good backup to Ponder.
Kahlil Bell: Bell was the hot waiver wire pick this week as the Bears lost confidence in Marion Barber and sat him with an injured calf. Despite not scoring, Bell was able to rumble for 121 yards on the ground and haul in 4 passes for another 38 yards. The yardage and receptions alone were enough to put Bell in the low-end RB1 group for the week. So there is some silver lining in the dark cloud that is the Bears season, Chris Da Bears fan.
Evan Royster: Royster got the start in place of the banged up Roy Helu, and he made the most of his opportunity by rushing 19 times for 132 yards; he also added two catches for 15 yards just to help fantasy owners out. He wasn't able to score, but that didn't matter as he finished in the top 15 of a disappointing RB field this week.
Reggie Wayne: As down as the Colts offense has been this season, Wayne managed to pull out some last-second heroics for his fantasy owners and put up 106 receiving yards and a TD on 8 catches in week 16. It was too little, too late for many owners, but it was good to see some life from the once 1st-round fantasy pick.
James Jones: I told fantasy owners to pick up Jones when Greg Jennings went down, and he paid off at just the right time. J.J. reeled in just 4 passes for 50 yards, but he found the end zone twice. The TDs made him a top 10 WR play this week and it also made me look like I actually know what I am doing!
Jared Cook: One of the Jaguars fans asked me in the message section if they should start Cook this weekend and I told him to buck the big box website's predictions and roll with Cook. What did he do? Nothing except explode for 8 catches, 169 yards and a TD. For a TE these are fantasy God numbers and only 28 percent of fantasy players owned Cook heading into this week. Sometimes, it pays to talk to me via email or message boards because I can give you team-specific advice that can win you the title with a single switch of a player.
Buffalo Bills defense: I knew Tim Tebow's luck would run out eventually, and it finally happened in week 16. The Bills defense finished the week as fantasy studs with their 4 INTs, 2 defensive TDs, 3 sacks and 14 points allowed. Any time a defense scores a touchdown, you can pretty much guarantee they finish as a top defensive fantasy play, so just imagine what scoring two of them will do!
Losers
Tony Romo: No, he wasn't a loser this week because he came up short at the end of the game and lost it for his fantasy owners, as well as his real owner. Instead, Romo left the game after just two throwing attempts and didn't even complete one of them. He managed to finish with a big fat zero for fantasy points and lost every single fantasy owner's title hopes in doing so.
T.J. Yates: Yates is another reason why trusting the "experts" over at Yahoo, ESPN, or NFL.com is a very bad idea. He was being ranked far too high in the projections because of the Colts matchup, and he failed to live up to expectations this week with his empty 132 yards passing. The lack of TDs and yards were enough to finish him dead last in fantasy football for all QBs in week 16.
LeSean McCoy: Shady McCoy sure didn't look like a guy contending for the NFL rushing title this week as he finished with just 35 yards rushing. Besides letting down his fantasy owners this week, he also basically ensured that Maurice Jones-Drew is the 2011 rushing leader, and for that you are a winner in my book.
Adrian Peterson: What a crushing blow this is to not only fantasy owners, but the player himself. AP suffered a nasty knee injury in this week's game and tore both his ACL and MCL, and that makes him a longshot to even be ready to play in week 1 of the 2012 season. Because Peterson was able to score, his fantasy week wasn't a total loss, but the 38 yards rushing wasn't what we hoped for. No matter what, let's hope that Peterson will return to be the same RB he was. Sad ending to his season.
Hakeem Nicks: There is a reason why I tend to shy away from playing Giants receivers in fantasy leagues; they are too inconsistent behind Eli Manning. Nicks was projected as an easy top-10 play this week, but managed just one catch for 20 yards. His 2-3 points this week were about the lowest totals for any WR worth owning.
A.J. Green: Green has been by far one of the most productive rookies this season (minus Cam Newton), but this week he had one highlight catch to pass Cris Collinsworth for the most rookie receiving yards in franchise history. Green managed just 2 catches for 25 yards and no TDs in week 16, but he is still a solid WR2 option for those with week 17 games. I am a huge fan of Green's, but the numbers just weren't there in week 16.
Jason Witten: When Romo went down and Stephen McGee came in, Witten's fantasy day came to a screeching halt as well. Despite Yahoo touting him as a top-5 play (which was a death sentence anyway), Witten managed to finish with just 4 catches for 24 yards.
Green Bay Packers defense: Things to remember: The Packers are an offense-based team, the defense just has to not lose the game for them. The Packers took my trust in their defense and made me regret it this weekend as they allowed 21 points to the Bears and only added 2 INTs for their fantasy numbers. The INTs combined with the points allowed left the Packers defense with just 5 fantasy points scored in standard scoring formats, and that put them closer to the #25-27 range for defenses this week.
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