As a certain individual pointed out, I have been slacking quite a bit on these MOTWs this season. I missed the first three weeks and sloppily made an excuse about... something. So to make it up, here comes a super MOTW your way.
Looking at the standings, we have 10 teams within a game of each other at 3-2 or 2-3 and the craziest part is, each 3-2 team is playing a 2-3 team this week. We could end up with 10 3-3 teams next week or 5 teams separating themselves from the teams that will eventually miss the playoffs. Most likely, we'll end up with a healthy mix that will muddy the playoff picture more. Let's take a look at how things could shake out. I'll put them in order of what I predict to be the largest margin of victory to the smallest.
MOTW 5
7. Leaky Spark Tube (Dan) vs. 5. Turn Down For Watt (Nelson)
Key Players on Bye:
Dan - None
Nelson - Brees, Graham
Ouch. Without his 2 best fantasy players, what can Nelson do to keep himself from dropping three games in a row?
QB: Luck has arguably been the best QB in fantasy this year (him or P. Manning). Meanwhile, Nelson needs a struggling Cousins to fill in for Brees. Can he get it going against one of the best secondaries in the league? My sources say no. Edge: Dan
WR: Nobody really stands out in this group but if there's any chance of an upset, Vincent Jackson will need to step up big. We saw what he can do when he has a competent QB throwing bombs his way so with Glennon at the helm, I'm expecting a big day from him. On the flip side, I really do think Alshon has been overrated but he's still a legit top 20 WR. I'm going to say he has a huge day against this awful Falcons secondary. Edge: Even
RB: When you have to start two RBs from the same team, you know you're not in a good spot. Sure, you'll pick up pretty much all the rushing yards and scores for the team but it limits the damage your team can do. Meanwhile, a revitalized Lacy gets to face a relatively soft Dolphins front and Bell has been a top 10 RB all season. Edge: Dan
TE: Donnell's been hit or miss this season and last week he was as big of a miss as you can get. 1 target, 0 catches, 0 points. Will Philly be up to the task to stop the big man? Owen might just squeeze out enough to give Nelson his first position win. Edge: Nelson
K/DEF: Detroit gets to take on an unsure Minny offense that got demolished by the Packers last week. Houston has to try and stop the Colts, whose offense has looked dominant even in their losses. Edge: Dan
Winner: Dan
Nelson and Dan end up even at 500, with one looking to snag a bye and the other slowly falling out of the playoff race altogether.
MOTW 4
11. Keenan & Cal (Biggie) vs. 2. Marc by MarcTrestman (Eric)
Key Players on Bye:
Biggie - None
Eric - Kelce
Half of Biggie's team name will be gone for this crucial matchup while Eric's been the best team in the league, according to total points scored. Will someone step up and get the points Calvin should have gotten this week?
QB: Stafford's ability as a fantasy QB has always relied very heavily upon Megatron. Now that he's gone, what can we expect? Golden Tate's a decent second option but what if Minnesota brackets him and leaves only a slew of TEs? It'll be a long day for Stafford. Meanwhile, Cutler gets to throw against a Falcons defense that I think I could throw a couple TDs on. Edge: Eric
WR: Eric's WRs are arguably the best in the league. With Demaryius finally finding his form, Cobb as the WR1B (B standing for black) in the dangerous Packers offense, and a Steve Smith who is literally out for blood, it would be hard pressed to find a better trio. With Calvin, Benjamin and Keenan become a solid 2 and 3 that can keep up with Eric's team. But with Terrance Williams against the Seahawks secondary? GG. Edge: Eric
RB: If anybody is going to flip this script, it'll be CJ2K. He gets to play a Denver defense, which is the best matchup any of the RBs have. His pass catching ability should come into play as Ellington torched them on a long catch and run last week. Murray, the best RB in football so far, has to face a Seattle line that will try to keep him behind the line of scrimmage. Even with that being said, there's too much talent on Eric's side to give the full edge to Biggie. Edge: Even
TE: With Kelce out, this becomes a crapshoot. I'll give a slight edge to Ertz as he's playing in a game I expect to be a shootout, even if he has been allergic to the end zone for the past 4 weeks while Allen's become a consistent red zone target for Luck. Edge: Biggie
K/DEF: Both kickers should get a lot of reps in games with defenses that will bend but not break, leaving the points to be scored in multiples of three. But San Francisco gets to face a terrible team in the Rams. Austin Davis's reign ends here. Edge: Eric
Winner: Eric
Eric separates himself from the .500 pack while Biggie's season continues to go as Calvin's ankle goes.
MOTW 3
6. Pass that Blount (David Y.) vs. 9. Jacked Up (Cho)
Key Players on Bye:
David - Charles
Cho - None
With Charles back and Rodgers in form, David's been rolling for the last two weeks. Meanwhile, Cho has been the unluckiest team with opponents averaging 120+ points per game against him (you gotta work on that defense, Cho). Can David continue Cho's bad luck?
QB: While Rodgers is clearly the better QB, especially in recent weeks, I can see Foles keeping up this week. He gets to play an underrated but still leaky Giants secondary and like I mentioned before, I believe this game will be a shootout. Edge: Even
WR: Decker's questionable, Percy and Welker are great slot receivers but don't have an affinity for the end zone. Meanwhile, Jordy will negate a ton of Rodgers's points and Crabtree and DeSean are black. Edge: Cho
RB: What do you do when your best player is out? You try to find a home run threat to replace him and that's exactly what David's done. Antone Smith only touches the ball 2 times a game, but somehow ends up with 100 YFS and a TD. There is literally no better lottery ticket. Foster gets an Indy defense that's struggled with the run for about 15 years. While I believe Forte will have a lot of touches and Bradshaw's been better than expected, I think this will be closer than it looks on paper. Edge: Even
TE: Ew, Heath Miller. He's old, slow, big, and not even the top end zone threat thanks to Antonio. Bennett has become a consistent target for Cutler, especially in the end zone. Edge: Cho
K/DEF: Denver's defense gets to FEAST on the Ge-chael Smick combination that hasn't been able to make anything work with that Jets offense. Denver's defense is teeming with big names and I think this is the week they get their first double digit fantasy game. Edge: Cho
Winner: Cho
Cho finally ends the string of bad luck while David tries to recoup for a playoff push now that his best player has gotten over the awful bye week.
MOTW 2
4. Rice Beaters (Davik K.) vs. 10. Ben There Raped That (Paul)
Key Players on Bye:
David - Khiry Robinson
Paul - None
Both teams started on a losing streak but have since turned it around, fighting for a chance at the playoffs. Can Paul pull even with all of the other contenders or will David use his brother as a launching pad to fight for a top two spot and the bye that comes with it?
QB: Right after Manning and Luck lies a spot reserved for another top 3 QB. Is it Rodgers? Is it Brees? In most years, I would say yes to either, or even both. But this year, Rivers has been a monster. He's kept his 2013 form and continues to find ways to make plays. Plus, I don't want to root for a rapist even if he does have a good matchup (although, I'm finally glad that Ben ended up on the team that has his namesake) Edge: David
WR: The WRs in this matchup are a list of who's who in the receiving world. Dez, Marshall, Patterson, Julio, E. Sanders (okay, that's kind of a stretch), and Wheaton... Wheaton? What's he doing here? I don't know if Garcon is benched at this time of writing because of his struggles and the bad matchup against the Cardinals but Wheaton is what will end up being Paul's demise. Edge: David
RB: Every running back in this matchup was a backup as recently as a year ago. Tate behind Foster, Williams behind Jennings, Vereen behind Ridley, and Bell behind Bush. Now they are all starters due to some combination of trade, injury, bad performances by the lead back, or a 1A/1B option depending on the situation. Of the group, I expect Tate to put up the best performance against a surprisingly gap-filled Steelers defense. Edge: David
TE: Olsen has become one of Cam's favorite targets, especially in the red zone, which is great news for David. The bad news is, the Bengals defense is still one of the best in the league, even after being torched by the Pats. I expect Gates to have a field day against a team that I'm not even sure has a defense. Edge: Paul
K/DEF: Philly has surprisingly been a great fantasy defense thanks to a ton of big defensive plays and special teams scores. They give up a ton of points but who cares if they score two touchdowns of their own? I expect that to continue as they match Cincinnati's performance against a bi-polar Panthers team that has struggled to generate offense on the road. Edge: Even
Winner: David
I know David wins 3 matchups but this doesn't mean that he'll be able to relax. This one will come down to the wire with David ripping Paul's heart out as he puts himself in a better position for that first round bye.
MOTW 1
8. Taeyeon (Mike) vs. 3. Gotta Catch Jamaal (Jon)
Key Players on Bye:
Mike - None
Jon - Colston
The closest matchup this week. Jon's positive attitude has actually been backed by his players and although he dropped a spot in the rankings from last week, he still remains firmly in the playoff picture even after losing 2 RBs to the law. Can he continue or will Mike's explosive yet inconsistent team find the right week to pull off a win?
QB: When Mike took Kaep and Cam, it looked like he had 2 top QB1s that he could switch between depending on who had an easier matchup. Through 5 weeks, both QBs look like borderline QB2s and it's been a struggle to really trust either one. However, Kaep should run through, around, and over the struggling Rams to match Matt Ryan's passing numbers against a relatively competent Bears pass defense. Edge: Even
WR: Ouch. AJ Green getting hurt just might have swung this position battle the other way. Not only did Mike lose Green this week, but Sanu, who Jon has, might add insult to injury by scoring against him. Although Tate will get a chance to put up huge numbers with Calvin out, I still think Brown and company gets it done even without Colston. Edge: Jon
RB: If Jennings was around, this would be a landslide victory for Mike. But without him, it looks like he'll be banking on Oliver to reproduce his numbers from last week. Against a struggling Raiders defense, this is most definitely a possibility. Beast Mode will continue to do Beast Mode things and Ellington will be the focus of a Washington defense that can contain running backs. Edge: Mike
TE: Gronk is a faster, more athletic, more involved in the offense version of Witten. And Witten has to deal with Kam and Earl. Edge: Mike
K/DEF: None of the kickers or defenses stands out in this matchup. Edge: Even (by default)
Winner: Mike
Gronk is the main difference as Mike climbs his way a little bit closer back into playoff contention. Meanwhile, Jon remains positive that this will be the season he breaks his 3 year playoff drought.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
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