Another week has passed, and another entertaining Sunday of football is over.
This past week, Calvin Johnson proved that he is currently the best receiver in the NFL, catching 14 passes for 329 yards and a touchdown. Although his yardage fell just short of Flipper Anderson’s 336 yards, a record dating all the way back to 1989, Anderson needed overtime to set his record, while Johnson proved himself worthy of his nickname, “Megatron,” by gaining all of his yards in regulation. As if the game didn’t have enough excitement, the Detroit Lions scored with 12 seconds remaining to overcome a late deficit and stun the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. This performance by Johnson should silence any critics and cement his reputation as the best receiver in the NFL.
Are you in trouble because you own either the recently injured Julio Jones or the perennially injured Roddy White? Look no further than Harry Douglass, who is slated to be the next breakout star in the Atlanta Falcons’ receiver corps. In the two games that he has played as the Falcons’ No. 1 receiver, Douglass has gained at least 120 yards in the air, and scored once. He has great value in Point Per Reception leagues, since he catches many passes in addition to gaining many yards. He is a relatively new name to the NFL, so not everyone is aware of him. As such, he is only owned in 80.8 percent of ESPN Fantasy Football Leagues. I would add him as soon as you can, as he has a great quarterback passing him the ball in Matt Ryan, and is Ryan’s only receiving threat other than Tony Gonzalez.
Another receiver that may have a breakout is Marvin Jones, wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. In Sunday’s matchup against the New York Jets and their tough defense, Jones caught eight passes for 144 yards and four touchdowns. Although he is unlikely to put up such astounding numbers in the future, Jones has quietly produced over the past few weeks, scoring at least one touchdown in his past three games. He makes a good complement to A.J. Green, who often occupies the opposing team’s best defender, allowing Jones to face inferior coverage. Jones is owned in a whopping 1 percent of ESPN leagues, so even though he may not have as much success in the future as he did this past Sunday, I feel that he is a worthy pickup, if even just to see how well he does over the next few weeks.
A player to keep an eye on if you are in a PPR league is Jordan Reed, rookie tight end for the Washington Redskins. In my league, Reed has earned 28 and 17 points over the past two weeks, with many of his points coming from his multiple receptions. His chemistry with quarterback Robert Griffin III, as well as his size (6 feet, 2 inches) and speed (he ran a 4.72 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine last year) makes him a player with tremendous upside. Since there aren’t many receiving threats in Washington at this moment, Reed seems likely to see plenty of work, so I wouldn’t hesitate to get him if he is available in your league (He is available in 62 percent of ESPN leagues).
Finally, I will discuss a topic that I usually don’t when it comes to fantasy football: kickers. Kickers are often good or bad each week based on a combination of luck, the quality of the opponent and the offense’s prowess. While this is still true, one kicker that has stood out to me this year is Mason Crosby, the Green Bay Packers’ kicker. He has made 17 of his 19 field goal attempts (89.5 percent), including five from 40 yards or more and two from 50 yards or more as well as all 23 of his extra point attempts. His accuracy combined with the fact that he plays for the offensively talented Packers makes him a very good fantasy player. He is only owned in 60.1 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues, so if your kicker has underperformed this season, or you are just looking for a bye-week replacement kicker, you should look no further than Crosby. Any kicker that plays on Aaron Rodgers’ team is almost a lock to gain many points, and Crosby is no exception.
That’s all for this week, I’ll be back next Wednesday with more tips, hints and analyses.
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