Week 15 Fantasy Recap: Gun-slinging Grossman
Week 16 was a hectic, high-scoring week in the world of football, both real and fantasy. We saw our highest score thus far, thanks to 'reservoirdawgs' and his 154.38 point performance.
Finishing nearly 20 points ahead of the second-place finisher, 'reservoirdawgs' got a lot of help from Michael Vick, the Bears' defense,and Jacoby Ford, who may have played his way onto our list of bargains. For his efforts, 'reservoirdawgs' will pocket $80, just in time for some last-minute holiday shopping.
In second place was 'kywildcatz', who will take home $40. Rounding out the money winners were 'rocksolid', who won $20 for a third-place finish, and 'dbirocci', who finished in fourth, earning $10.
As for our team, it was yet another disappointing week. We finished in 33rd place, but again our team was sacked by injuries. Last week it was Aaron Rodgers going down with a concussion. This week, we lost Terrell Owens and Owen Daniels.
However, we have a theory as to why our teams have been struggling: Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Yes, it's an old saying. And no, we don't know where it comes from. But we do know that on our own, our teams have been doing well this season, but for some reason, perhaps different approaches, we can't seem to pick a winning team together.
Not only are our teams not winning, but they are getting progressively worse.
This week, we will try a different approach, and hopefully yield better results. We will have more on our new style on Thursday, when we reveal our picks for Week 16 in philly.com's FanDuel challenge.
Here is a look at our complete roster, as well as the winning roster, belonging to 'reservoirdawgs':
Week 16 Top Performers
When you put up 28 points in one quarter and 35 in a half, the quarterback is almost certainly responsible for some of those touchdowns. In the case of Michael Vick this week, he was responsible for all of them, minus DeSean Jackson's last-second punt return.
Vick threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in the second half. Early in the third quarter, Vick had barely done anything, compiling only 91 passing yards before he took the Eagles' offense into overdrive.
Vick has been making his case for both real and fantasy MVP and should be set for another big week as the struggling (and likely Brett Favre-less) Vikings come into the Linc on Sunday night.
Another big performer has not been as consistent as Vick. Ravens running back Ray Rice, who is having a down year, broke out this week for 233 total yards and two touchdowns in their win over the Saints. This after Rice only scored one touchdown in the previous eight games.
The top wide receiver this week was even less likely to lead his position. Chargers wideout Vincent Jackson, playing in just his third game of the season, hauled in three touchdown passes from Phillip Rivers as San Diego beat up on the Niners.
Here is a look at the rest of this week's standouts:
QB - Michael Vick (PHI) - 39.86 points - 242 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 130 rushing yards, 1 TD
RB - Ray Rice (BAL) - 35.30 points - 153 rushing yards, 1 TD; 80 receiving yards, 1 TD
RB - Jamaal Charles (KC) - 21.30 points - 126 rushing yards, 1 TD; 27 receiving yards
WR - Vincent Jackson (SD) - 29.20 points - 112 receiving yards, 3 TDs
WR - Mario Manningham (NYG) - 21.30 points - 113 receiving yards, 2 TDs, 1 fumble
WR - Austin Collie (IND) - 20.70 points - 87 receiving yards, 2 TDs
TE - Jason Witten (DAL) - 20 points - 140 receiving yards, 1 TD
K - Robbie Gould (CHI) - 16 points - 4 0-39 FGM; 4 PATs
D - Bears - 21 points - 14 PA; 2 fumble recoveries; 3 INTs; 4 sacks; 1 return TD
Week 15 Bargains
QB - Rex Grossman (WAS) - 26.78 points - 322 passing yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs; -1 rushing yards
With Donovan McNabb's removal from the Shanahan Circle of Trust, Sexy Rexy became the new Redskins starting quarterback, at least for the remainder of the season. Grossman responded with a monster game against the Cowboys, throwing for four touchdowns, albeit in a losing cause. Who would've thought going to Grossman would be an improvement for the 'Skins?
RB - Donald Brown (IND) - 19.30 points - 129 rushing yards, 1 TD; 4 receiving yards
There's the Brown we've been waiting for. The Colts' running game has been non-existent since Joseph Addai was injured. Brown changed that Sunday though, going over 100 yards in the Colts' season-saving win over the Jaguars.
WR - Jacoby Ford (OAK) - 17.8 points - 47 receiving yards; 71 rushing yards, 1 TD
Ford has emerged as the big-play receiving threat in the Raiders' suddenly potent offense. It was his stint as a running back that made his day though, as he ran for a 71-yard touchdown against the Broncos.
TE - Jimmy Graham (NO) - 14.90 points - 29 receiving yards, 2 TDs
Tight ends like Graham are almost entirely touchdown-dependent. If you bought into Graham's red-zone potential, you were rewarded Sunday.
K - Robbie Gould (CHI) - 16 points - 4 0-39 FGM; 4 PATs
The cold, hard turf at the University of Minnesota did not bother Gould in the Bears' blowout win over the Vikings. Gould kicked four field goals and added 4 extra points, leading the way among kickers for the week.
DEF - Bears - 21 points - 14 PA; 2 fumble recoveries; 3 INTs; 4 sacks; 1 return TD
The Bears got a punt return touchdown from Devin Hester, forced three interceptions, had five sacks and recovered two fumbles.
Week 15 Busts
QB - Tom Brady (NE) - 14.52 points - 163 passing yards, 2 TDs
Yeah, this is far from a bad day, but the way Brady has played for the last month or so, it was a surprise. In Brady's defense, the Packers' defense is quite good. However, that's no consolation to his owners, who saw Tom Terrific fall off in a significant way.
RB - Arian Foster (HOU) - 6.10 points - 15 rushing yards; 46 receiving yards
This could belong to Adrian Peterson, who was a late scratch in the Vikings' Monday night game. We went with Foster because he was the highest-priced player on the week, and because this was really his only poor game this season. He did leave the game early with an injury, but the production did not come close to justifying the price.
WR - Reggie Wayne (IND)- 3.40 points - 34 receiving yards
And this spot could belong to Terrell Owens, who left the Bengals' game against the Browns during the first series.
TE - Tony Gonzalez (ATL) - 2.60 points - 26 receiving yards
Gonzalez has been one of Matt Ryan's favorite targets this season, but he was quiet against the Seahawks, managing only 26 receiving yards on four catches. Though he's been a modestly-priced option at the tight end position for much of the season, Gonzalez did not come close to helping those looking for a bargain.
K - Dan Carpenter (MIA) - 2 points - 0/2 40-49 FGs; 0/2 50+ FGs; 2 PATs
Carpenter missed four field goals against the Bills. Though none were chip shots exactly (all 48 yards or longer), his owners certainly did not appreciate having to settle for a measly two points, especially with the potential of a big day.
DEF - Vikings - -1 point - 40 PA; 1 INT; 1 sack
The Vikings allowed three passing touchdowns to Jay Cutler and a punt return touchdown to Hester en route to a 40-14 blowout loss, managing only one turnover and one sack.
Don't forget to sign up before next weekend for your chance to win $100. Just click HERE.
As always, we will be back later in the week for our preview of Week 15.
Matt Mullin is a sports producer at philly.com and can be reached at mmullin@philly.com. Follow him on Twitter: @matt_mullin.
Andrew O'Brien works on the sports desk at philly.com and can be reached at aobrien@philly.com.