They say all good things must come to an end, and NFL careers are no exception. This week marked the low-point of a Hall of Fame career for the Broncos QB, and owners who have been playing him all season long hoping for him to turn the ship around have to face the only logical conclusion; it's time to jump ship!
If you still own Manning, I'd ask why? If you are starting him, I'd beg you to log into your team RIGHT NOW and cut him for ANYONE on the waiver wire at QB! Manning currently ranks below QBs that wouldn't even be considered roster worthy, guys like Colin Kaepernick, Brian Hoyer, and Kirk Cousins to name a few. If you wouldn't own them, then why own Manning outside of name value?
* Waiver Wire: Danny Amendola & Dwayne Harris in most standard leagues, and Brock Osweiler in 2-QB leagues.
Winners
Ben Roethlisberger – Steelers: Most likely fantasy owners saw Big Ben's best game of the season go to waste in Week 10 because he wasn't supposed to play against the Browns. That all changed when Landry Jones was carted off the field in the first quarter with an ankle injury. Roethlisberger went on to amass 379 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, a 2-point conversion, and 1 interception. The Steelers have a bye in Week 11, but face a desperate Seahawks team in Week 12. Be aware and beware.
Johnny Manziel – Browns: Johnny Football easily had his best game as a pro on Sunday, racking up 372 passing yards and 1 TD. And while the yards were nice, he also threw an INT, lost a fumble on his first play, and took 6 sacks on the day. All-in-all it was a top 6-7 fantasy QB performance from Manziel, but it doesn't lock him in as the Browns starter after their Week 11 bye. I wouldn't jump on the waiver wire unless I was absolutely desperate for a QB.
Jeremy Langford – Bears: The Bears rookie is making it hard for the team to want to keep Matt Forte next year as he turns into a free agent. This week he filled up the boxscore with 20 rushes for 73 yards, 7 receptions for 109 yards, and 2 TDs on the day. Chris Da' Bears Fan tried to tell me that Langford is a short-term solution with Forte likely to return in Week 11. I laughed, then proceeded to watch him dismantle the Rams defense all game long this week. Langford is a must-own player in ALL formats.
Charcandrick West – Chiefs: West is to the Chiefs what Langford is to the Bears, a replacement at RB for an aging starter (Charles will be 29-years-old in December). West also filled up the boxscore by running the ball 24 times for 69 yards, racking up 92 yards on 3 receptions, and 2 TDs on the day. West gets the Chargers turnstile run defense in Week 11, making him a strong RB1 play.
Doug Baldwin – Seahawks: The Seahawks passing game has been a wreck all season long thanks to a woefully inadequate offensive line. They overcame those problems Sunday night in a shootout with the Cardinals, and Baldwin rewarded his faithful owners with 7 receptions, 134 yards, and a touchdown. Baldwin is the No. 1 WR in Seattle, for whatever that is worth. But, with the O-Line struggling and Russell Wilson freelancing at will, I wouldn't trust him to repeat this performance again next week. Be aware and beware.
Dwayne Harris – Giants: Victor Cruz is having season-ending surgery on his calf, Ruben Randle has proven to be ineffective, and teams are double-teaming Odell Beckham. So our attention turns to Harris, who looks to now be the Giants No. 2 WR after putting up a 6/82/1 line against the Patriots. I would be careful in not cutting someone of value for Harris, but he certainly has 12-team value if you are a WR needy team.
Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson – Jaguars: The Jaguars WRs have been two of the most consistent fantasy WRs all season long, and it's a shame that it took half the year for those big-box websites to figure it out. Hurns reeled in 5 catches for 62 yards and a TD, while Robinson snatched 5 receptions for 51 yards and a TD. Blake Bortles, Robinson, and Hurns have proven that no matter the defense, they can, and WILL, put up fantasy numbers!
Zach Miller – Bears: Miller caught fire on Sunday, hauling in 5-of-5 targets for 107 yards and 2 TDs. Tight Ends are always a boom-or-bust position unless you own Rob Gronkowski, and Miller certainly boomed this week with his #1 ranking for fantasy TEs. There are going to be a lot of people running to the waiver wire to grab Miller on Tuesday, just make sure you are NOT one of them. He is the No. 2 TE behind Martellus Bennett, and not worth taking a chance on as we prepare for the fantasy playoffs.
Washington Redskins defense: Before church my friend Josh Winstead came up to me and said "The Redskins are going to win today!" I laughed, because I think it is cute that he has such faith in his team. But, that laugh was premature as the Redskins proceeded to manhandle the Saints and win 47-14. The Redskins defense came out a fantasy winner by allowing 14 points, racking up 2 sacks, 2 INTs, and 1 defensive touchdown. As I always say: even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then. And, the Redskins found a huge one in Week 10!
Losers
Peyton Manning – Broncos: It's rare to see a starting QB finish with negative stats, let alone one of Manning's caliber. But that is exactly what happened this week as he completed an appalling 5-of-20 passes for 35 yards, 2 INTs, and 0 TDs. Broncos Coach Gary Kubiak said Manning will remain the team's starter if healthy, but his days as a fantasy starter are behind him. Food for thought: You could have not had a QB in the line-up, and done better than having Peyton Manning in there!
Marcus Mariota – Titans: I tried to warn people to be careful trusting the rookie after he put up 371 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, and a 2-point conversion up in Week 9 against the Saints Swiss-cheese defense. This week he laid the proverbial egg as the Titans managed to run just 46 plays, allowing Mariota to total just 185 yards passing, 24 yards rushing, 0 TDs, and 1 INT. While I will give his supporters the fact that he had little chance given the uneven nature of the game, I would also say that rookie QBs shouldn't be starting for fantasy teams because they rarely succeed in their first year in the NFL.
C.J. Anderson – Broncos: When it rains, it pours. And, there was a virtual tsunami in Denver on Sunday. Anderson proved once and for all that he is no longer the starter running back, rushing just twice, managing just 9 yards. To make matters worse, he only got carries in the second half of the game with the outcome already decided. Anderson is owned in virtually all fantasy leagues, but is clearly just a handcuff option for Ronnie Hillman owners.
James White & Brandon Bolden – Patriots: Even in a tight game where the Patriots won on a last-second Field Goal, neither White or Bolden were a factor in the game whatsoever. Bolden actually managed to account for -3 yards on his lone carry, also not connecting on his one target, while White totaled just 1 run for 5 yards, and 1 reception for 6 yards. Owners who flocked to the waiver wire hoping to find the new Dion Lewis were sorely disappointed with their performances. White and Bolden are merely RB stashes at this point for RB needy teams.
Emmanuel Sanders – Broncos: It's not often you see a player finish with 0 receptions and 0 yards without an injury knocking him out of the game early being the cause of it, but that is exactly what happened to Sanders in Week 10. Sanders did see 4 targets on the day, but failed to haul any of them in. With Manning hurting and playing horribly, Sander's value now rides on the arm of Brock Osweiler.
Alshon Jeffery – Bears: Jeffery entered the weak with a groin injury, and thankfully the Bears didn't need to push him too hard with the game out of hand by halftime. He finished with 3 receptions (on 4 targets), 23 yards, and no touchdowns. The one downside to No. 1 WRs in fantasy football is when their team is winning and the game is decided, they tend to suffer statistically.
Jimmy Graham – Seahawks: While Baldwin succeeded against the Cardinals secondary this weekend, Graham continued to disappoint his owners. He managed just 3 receptions for 41 yards, despite being targeted 8 times. My personal opinion is Wilson doesn't trust his offense enough to follow the playbook, and ends up going the "playground" route where he tries to make something up on the fly. Because of that, Graham has become a very expensive decoy on the field. You have to keep him and play him because of his talent, but the Seahawks have come to a fork in the road when it comes to Wilson and their offensive gameplan.
Denver Broncos defense: The Broncos defense has been a set it and forget it defense all season long, and that all came to a screeching halt on Sunday as the Chiefs offense put up 29 points against the Broncos defense. The Broncos did manage to get 2 sacks, but with no INTs, no fumbles, and no safeties, the Broncos finished dead-last for fantasy defenses this week. With Manning out and Osweiler in at QB, you might want to start streaming defenses. Manning has been terrible, but he did strike fear in opposing teams because he is a Hall of Fame QB.
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