The Maryland Sports Blog

Welcome back to the Week 16 edition of Between the Hashes where we preview some good plays for your fantasy football teams for the upcoming slate of NFL games.

This is my last Fantasy Football article of the year as next week I’m off to Western Maryland to hibernate for a week. Recharge the batteries so to speak. This won’t be goodbye though as you may see me resurface again when the Men’s Maryland Terrapins ACC basketball schedule starts to heat up or as we inch closer to spring training and Orioles baseball.

Anyway, I have some heartbreak to discuss as of course we discuss fantasy football here. In last week’s playoff game, the Sam Adams Assault were well on their way to a run to the championship game. The lockers were covered with plastic. The champagne sat on ice and hats and t-shirts were waiting. But it was never to be. And I lost in the most absolutely craziest way you could lose.

Late in the 4:00 PM games, I began to look at my (ill-fated) match-up against the opponent in the next round. My match-ups were mostly favorable and I dreamed of a nice pay day. But it was never to be. My team led 113-88 as all the 4:00 PM games had about 5-6 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

Then, as cursed as my fantasy teams are, things started going bad. The Oakland Raiders were blowing a huge lead out on the West Coast, and my opponent had the duo of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. I never stood a chance as I watched the Lions twice drive down the field and Stafford threw TD passes to Megatron TWICE. Dagger.

When all was said and done, the match-up was tied at 113. Arizona Cardinals’ RB Beanie Wells gave me hope as the Cards took their game with the Cleveland Browns to OT. I thought maybe they’d rush the ball and he would score the winning TD. Instead, he gave me just one more point. I led after the Sunday afternoon games, 114-113.

You’re probably asking, “so what’s the problem Matt, you bozo, you were winning after all that?!” Well, he still had Baltimore Ravens WR Torrey Smith who I now had to root against to not score more than a point in the Ravens game against the San Diego Chargers. Of course, Smith scored a TD late in the 4th quarter, which was the icing on the cake for my opponent who had already beaten me in the 1st quarter of the game. Sam Adams loses 126-114 and another heartbreaking season ends.

Looking Back

Last week I gave you some players, who quite frankly stunk up the joint. Eli Manning and the New York Giants put up a stinker against the Washington Redskins as Eli threw three interceptions in the loss. I guess me calling him “ELIte” was a jinx. Joe Flacco threw two TD’s for the Ravens in their loss to San Diego, but his game was worse than the number suggest. He threw two really bad interceptions and just looked out of rhythm all night.

Cowboys RB Felix Jones had a strong game against the horrible Bucs run-defense, rushing 22 times for 108 yards in Dallas’ victory. Vikings WR Percy Harvin turned in a dud for Minnesota, catching three passes for just eight yards. I guess he was bound to have a bad game, but it always sucks to have it happen during playoff time for your team.

Looking Ahead to Week 16

Quarterbacks

Rex Grossman- Redskins: Rex has played well since returning to the starting lineup for Washington and he gets a nice match-up at home against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are extremely vulnerable to the pass, giving up the 6th most to QB’s the last five weeks. He’ll test out the secondary and I think he’ll have himself a decent game.

Prediction: 225 yards/2 TD

Tim Tebow- Broncos: Yes, finally, Tim Tebow makes it into Between the Hashes! Tebow and the Denver Broncos slipped up a little last week to the New England Patriots, but this week he’ll face the Buffalo Bills and I think he’ll be able to do it through the air with his arm and on the ground with his legs. Denver is fighting for the AFC West crown, so look for Tebow to have himself a nice day.

Prediction: 200 yards throwing, 65 yards rushing/TD

Running Backs

Rashard Mendenhall- Steelers: It appears Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will sit out Saturday afternoon’s tilt with the St. Louis Rams, meaning Charlie Batch is the starting QB. Mendenhall should get plenty of work in this game, as the Rams are horrible against the run.

Prediction: 24/95/TD

Ryan Mathews- Chargers: He ran hard against the Ravens on Sunday night, rushing for 90 yards and two scores and I think that continues against a Lions team that has been run on all year.

Prediction: 20/105/TD

Wide Receivers

Brandon Marshall- Dolphins: Marshall had a nice game last week against the Buffalo Bills, hauling in three passes for 84 yards and a TD. In Week 1, Marshall went for 139 yards against the team he faces on Saturday, the New England Patriots. Despite the changes at QB for the Dolphins, Marshall has been a steady presence in the lineup, but keep in mind he’s been dealing with a knee injury, but he looks good to go and should be in your lineup.

Prediction: 110 yards/TD

Santonio Holmes- Jets: There’s been a lot of trash talking going on between the Jets and the New York Giants this week, and one player doing the talking is Holmes. But I think he’ll have himself a nice game against a Giants secondary that couldn’t cover anyone well last week against the Redskins. Also the Giants are giving up the most fantasy points to WR the last five weeks.

Prediction: 80 yards/TD

Tight Ends

Jason Witten- Cowboys: Witten has been a pain in the side of the Eagles during his career and he’ll continue that this weekend. The Eagles aren’t very good against the pass with tight ends, so look for Romo to look his way in this game.

Prediction: 70 yards/TD

Brandon Pettigrew- Lions: Pettigrew has had an up-and-down season for the Lions, but he’s come on in the last few weeks. He’s caught 11 passes in the last two weeks and he’ll face a Chargers defense who is a bit shaky against the TE. Ed Dickson from the Ravens scored last week against the Chargers. I think Pettigrew will have a solid game as he should see a good amount of targets.

Prediction: 55 yards/TD

It’s probably championship week in a lot of leagues, so good luck to everyone playing for all the marbles!

Follow me on Twitter: MattCLund

It’s time for Week 15 in the NFL starting tonight with the Jacksonville Jaguars having yet another nationally-televised home game as they host the Atlanta Falcons. I’m sure I’ll be able to hear Baltimore Ravens fans screaming at their TV’s all across the area, “Why no love for us!?!”. 

When we last spoke, my team, the Sam Adams Assault was teetering on the brink of elimination. Have no fear, the Assault made the playoffs though ,going from a #4  seed all the way to #2 by putting up 148 points last week. I can’t remember the last time one of my  fantasy teams have scored that many points. I stuck with Shonn Greene again and rode the Michael Bush train one more time all the way to victory. Of course, having Drew Brees and the Green Bay Packers defense helps out big time too.

Looking back at the players I talked about in last week’s blog, none of the QB’s I picked did anything, with Carson Palmer the worst, throwing 4 INT’s against the Packers D. What I did hit on was the RB play, Roy Helu rushed for 126 yards against the New England Patriots, his third straight game rushing for over 100 yards. As I mentioned earlier, Shonn Greene was in my lineup and hopefully yours too. Greene rushed for 129 yards and a TD in the win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jordy Nelson scored again. And the sun rose in the morning. Just another ordinary game for the Packers WR who caught three passes for 81 yards. He’ll be called on to shoulder the load while fellow WR Greg Jennings is out with a sprained left knee.

Here comes some players I’m liking for Week 15 in the NFL.

Quarterbacks

Eli Manning- Giants: Eli has been on a complete tear as of late, throwing for 400 yards last week, bringing the Giants back from the dead last and beating the Dallas Cowboys in a crucial NFC East match-up. The Giants face the Washington Redskins this week, and while Eli’s history against the Skins isn’t that great, he’s putting the “Eli” in Elite. You see what I did there? Smooth.

Prediction: 285 yards/3 TD/INT

Joe Flacco- Ravens: The Ravens head west to the warm weather to face the San Diego Chargers on Sunday night. Joe had a terrific match-up last week at home against the Indianapolis Colts, but didn’t have to throw much because of RB Ray Rice. This week he faces a below-average Chargers defense that doesn’t have a great pass rush. I think the Ravens will want to run Ray Rice a ton in order to get the victory, but if you need Joe-Manchu, give him a start.

Prediction: 215 yards/2 TD/INT

Andy Dalton- Bengals: Dalton’s game has somewhat cooled off the last few weeks, but its always nice to play a team where you can pad your stats, and that will help during fantasy playoff time. The Bengals face the atrocious St. Louis Rams defense who allowed Seattle Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson to throw for 224 yards and a TD in last Monday night’s win. I expect Dalton to come out firing and he could have a big day as the Bengals look to get back in the AFC Wild Card hunt.

Prediction: 255 yards/2 TD

Running Backs

Michael Turner- Falcons: Turner could  be the player that pushes your fantasy team onto the next round, as I think this is a fantastic match-up for both he and the Falcons. The Falcons should be able to control the Jags with good throwing from Falcons QB Matt Ryan, so volume-wise, Turner will get the rock. Look for a solid game from him.

Prediction: 90 yards/TD

Michael Bush- Raiders: I’m calling on Bush one more time to come through for me and I think he will this week at home against the Detroit Lions. RB Darren McFadden is still out with what the Raiders are calling a “mid-foot sprain” but they may as well just shut Run DMC down for the rest of the season. Bush is playing solid ball right now and can definitely be counted on as a lead back in the NFL. Lions have some injury issues on the D side as well. Bush should at least be your flex play this week. He is for me.

Prediction: 82 yards rushing/55 receiving/TD

Felix Jones- Cowboys: If you were able to pick-up Felix or had him stashed on your bench all along, its coming in handy now. Jones is back in the starting roll for the ‘Boys for the injured DeMarco Murray who was put on IR with a fractured right ankle. He’s looking at an excellent match-up against what is right now the worst run D in the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prediction: 80 yards/TD

Wide Receivers

Percy Harvin- Vikings: Percy is playing really well despite the misfortunes of the Minnesota Vikings. He caught 10 passes for 69 yards on a team high 15 targets and a score last week and has scored in four straight games. The Vikings face the New Orleans Saints who are giving up a lot to WR’s, the 3rd most production given up in the last five weeks. Start him.

Prediction: 88 yards/TD

Antonio Brown- Steelers: Brown is the other home-run hitter for the Steelers, and he could certainly do that this week against the San Francisco 49ers. Even if QB Ben Roethlisberger does not play, I think Brown will get involved in this game, even if backup QB Charlie Batch is the starter. He would be a #2 WR this week.

Prediction: 75 yards/TD

Jabar Gaffney- Redskins: Gaffney scored against the Giants way back in Week 1 and he’s looking like an interesting play in Week 15. Giants are giving up the 2nd-most points to WR’s over the last five weeks. So if you need him because another starter might have a tougher match-up, you could give him a shot.

Prediction: 70 yards/TD

Tight Ends

Brent Celek- Eagles: QB Michael Vick is back for the Eagles now and they face a Jets D who doesn’t do well against TE’s, so look for Celek to get some balls thrown his way. Jets give up the 8th-most FPG to TE’s the last five weeks.

Prediction: 55 yards

Dustin Keller- Jets: On the other sideline will be Jets TE Dustin Keller. He’ll face an Eagles D who has a hard time stopping what TE’s do. If the Jets balance their offense, Keller could be active. But he might also drop a dud. Let’s hope its not the latter.

Prediction: 45 yards

Owen Daniels- Texans: Texans QB T.J. Yates looked to Daniels often last week, as he caught seven passes for 100 yards on 10 targets. Look for more of that this week against the Carolina Panthers.

Prediction: 67 yards/TD

That’s it for Week 15, good luck everyone!

Follow me on Twitter: MattCLund

Welcome back to another edition of Between the Hashes for Week 14 in the National Football League.

I’m still reeling from the loss my fantasy team suffered last weekend that could have clinched a playoff birth. Damn you Shonn Greene and your three touchdowns. Not starting him proved costly as adding it all up I would have won by two points and rested easy this coming weekend. Instead, I’m fighting for my playoff life after starting the season 7-0.

That’s right. Started 7-0, now 9-4 and could STILL MISS the playoffs.

But let’s hope I’ve made the right decisions starting players this week. For a lot of you, that’s what this week is all about too. Starting the right players, and getting the most out of them. I hit on a few players last week, notably, Lions QB Matthew Stafford (408 yards, TD, INT), Giants WR Victor Cruz (7/119) and Packers TE Jermichael Finley (6/87/1).

If you’re stuck with some players you absolutely have no choice but to start, or you are stuck between two or three guys in a couple spots, hopefully in this edition I’ll give you some players to play. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at players I like in a very important week for fantasy football players everywhere.

Quarterbacks

Carson Palmer- Raiders: If you have to start Carson, give him a shot. The Raiders likely will be playing from behind, so Palmer should have to throw the ball a ton. Teams are throwing a ton against the Green Bay Packers defense, which is allowing the 4th most FPG to QB’s in the last five weeks.

Prediction: 280 yards/2 TD/2 INT

Alex Smith- 49ers: Smith deserves some love here. He doesn’t make many mistakes, manages the game well and is helping the Niners get W’s. So, this week against the Cardinals, if you have to start him, go for it. He hit them up for 267 yards and two TD’s in their first matchup earlier this season.

Prediction: 235 yards/TD

Bonus QB: Matt Moore- Dolphins: He’s played well about the last month now. He’s also facing the Philadelphia Eagles this week and I think he’ll have himself a solid game. The Eagles are giving up an average of two TD’s to QB’s in the last five games. I don’t think Moore will have a huge game, but if you absolutely need him for whatever reason, I’d give him a shot.

Prediction: 215 yards/TD/INT

Running Backs

Roy Helu- Redskins: Finally Mike Shanahan is giving this guy the ball, and he’s proving why he should continue getting it. He’s rushed for at least 100 yards the last two games, and also scored a TD in both games. I like him more as a flex this week, but that’s OK, because he’ll go up against a New England Patriots run defense that is just OK. I can see him getting the ball 20+, especially if the game is somehow close.

Prediction: 19/95/TD

Shonn Greene- Jets: I wish I had listened to myself last week and kept Greene in the lineup as he scored three times against the Redskins. This week, the Jets face the Kansas City Chiefs, who could limit Greene, or yield a big day. I see him scoring in this one again and it should be a close game.

Prediction: 23/104/TD

Chris Johnson- Titans: Yeah I know, it’s Chris Johnson, but this guy has been up and down all year. He looks to finally be putting it together as the Tennessee Titans face the New Orleans Saints. Saints give up the 8th most FPG to RB’s over the last five weeks. He’ll probably see some production catching passes out of the backfield too.

Prediction: 18/85/TD

Reggie Bush- Dolphins: The Dolphins will move Reggie all over the field to get him the ball, it comes against a team that got run over by Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch. Bush won’t do that, but he could see 20 total touches or more against this team. If you need to, start him in your flex, especially in PPR formats.

Prediction: 15/67 rushing, 5/45 receiving

Wide Receivers

Jordy Nelson- Packers: You already know the deal on Nelson, the kid is for real. He had four targets last week, but turned that into 94 yards against the G-Men. I think he’ll score this week against the Oakland Raiders.

Prediction: 4/80/TD

Anquan Boldin- Ravens: Boldin will be facing a Colts secondary that is extremely banged up and will be without their best defender in the secondary, Jerraud Powers to injury. QB Joe Flacco shouldn’t have to throw a lot as RB Ray Rice should run wild, but I expect “Q” to be active in this most excellent matchup against that team from Indy.

Prediction: 5/66/TD

Stevie Johnson- Bills: He’s the guy in Buffalo, and should have a nice game this week against a Chargers secondary that gives up the 10th most FPG to WR’s. They weren’t tested much last week because Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert doesn’t throw well. But Johnson should be quite active this week.

Prediction: 7/90

Tight Ends

Jason Witten- Cowboys: The New York  Giants are absolutely atrocious against TE’s this season. So I think Witten will have himself a hell of a game.

Prediction: 8/80/TD

Brent Celek- Eagles: If you need him this week, he might be a decent play. Miami is not  very good against TE’s and the Eagles get QB Michael Vick back.

Prediction: 5/50

Follow me on Twitter: MattCLund

Welcome back to another edition of Between the Hashes for Week 13. Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and that you spent time with family.

It’s hard to believe we are in the first week of December already, and for some fantasy owners, this week is do or die in terms of either sliding into the playoffs or sliding out. Then there are the folks who have playoff seeds locked up and just waiting to feast on lesser teams crawling into the playoffs.

No matter what position your team is in, you may have some players who are sitting on your bench that you are trying to decide playing, or players that could move to flex positions or starting spots to give you the edge in your matchup.

Before we do that, let’s first look back at some of the performances of players I noted in Week 12.

QB Matt Ryan- Falcons: Just another ho-hum type of afternoon for Ryan, throwing 3 TD’s and 262 passing yards in the win over Minnesota.

RB LeGarrette Blount- Buccaneers: Blount ran hard, rushing for over 100 yards (103) and also chipping in with 56 yards receiving in the loss to the Titans.

WR Brandon Lloyd- Rams: Lloyd scored his 4th TD for the Rams since being traded to St. Louis at the end of October. He caught five for 74 yards in the loss to the Cardinals.

TE Rob Gronkowski- Patriots: The Gronk had himself a nice game in the win against Philadelphia, hauling in four catches for 59 yards and a TD.

Players I like in Week 13

Quarterbacks

QB Matthew Stafford- Lions: If Stafford is healthy, and he’s getting there, then we could see the Lions and Saints put up a ton of points in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday night. The Saints are giving up 300 YPG to QB’s over their last four games and Giants QB Eli Manning threw for 406 yards against the Saints on Monday night.

Prediction: 305 yards/2 TD

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick- Bills: Fitzpatrick will look to get some of the “magic” back this week against the Titans and build on last week’s nice performance against the New York Jets. Fitzpatrick threw for 264 yards with three TD’s and zero picks. The matchup against the Titans looks pretty good, and he’ll have to throw more with RB Fred Jackson on IR.

Prediction: 225 yards/2 TD/INT

Running Backs

RB DeAngelo Williams- Panthers: DeAngelo had himself a game, albeit against the Indianapolis Colts last week. He only ran for 69 yards but had two rushing TD’s, which put him at the top of my list this week. He faces a Tampa Bay defense that is giving up 32 FPG to RB’s over the last five weeks. RB Jonathan Stewart will get some looks, but give Williams a go, especially if you need him in your flex.

Prediction: 75 yards/TD

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis- Patriots: Lawfirm scored twice last week against a soft Eagles defense, and he gets even luckier because this week he’ll face the Indianapolis Colts who give up the 4th-most FPG to RB’s the last five weeks. He’s usually not a must-start guy, but this may be the week.

Prediction: 95 yards/2 TD

Wide Receivers

WR Victor Cruz- Giants: For anyone who’s been fortunate enough to pick up Cruz off the waiver wire (this guy) then you’ll know he’s probably helped your team big time the last month or so. Cruz had another huge game last week against the New Orleans Saints, as he caught nine passes for 157 and 2 TD’s.

He has a bit of a hip issue coming out of the Monday night game, but he should be good to go as the Green Bay Packers give up the 7th-most FPG to WR’s over their last five games. Giants could also be without other WR’s Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham, so keep that in mind.

Prediction: 105 yards/TD

WR Roddy White- Falcons: The Falcons have gotten Roddy more involved in the passing game the last few weeks, moving him all over the field. That translated into a 10-catch, 120 yard receiving day against the Vikings. He also caught his 4th TD of the season as well. He should have success against the Houston Texans secondary.

Prediction: 88 yards/TD

Tight Ends

TE Antonio Gates- Chargers: While the Chargers continue to slide, Gates actually looks healthier as the weeks go by. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the next opponent for San Diego, and last season, Gates scored 2 TD’s against this squad. Had 49 yards last week against Denver and has scored in two straight games.

Prediction: 65 yards/TD

TE Jermichael Finley- Packers: The Packers should look at game film from the New Orleans Saints to see how much success Saints TE Jimmy Graham had last Monday night against the Giants. The Giants are brutal against the TE position, giving up the most points to them over the last five weeks and he should be pretty damn active in this one. Then again, all of the Packers offense is active every week.

Prediction: 60 yards/TD

Good luck to all you fantasy owners in Week 13!

Follow me on Twitter: MattCLund

It’s my favorite time of the year. Football and food. Food and football. Eating massive amounts of food and then sitting down to watch nearly 12 hours of football.

Thanksgiving Day Games

There seems to be a renewed interest in the Detroit area about the Lions Thanksgiving Day game with their improved play this season. The 10-0 Green Bay Packers travel to Ford Field in the day’s opening tilt. For those interested in halftime performances, that may be the perfect time to go raid the turkey tray as Nickelback will perform in front of Lions fans who earlier this month protested against the band (who are a Canadian rock band) playing the half-time show.

Thursday’s second game has the Miami Dolphins traveling to Dallas to face Tony Romo and the Cowboys. Who can forget the last time these two teams hooked up on Thanksgiving. I remember the game vividly, snow and ice covered the field at Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving of 1993.

The Dolphins played without Dan Marino who was injured and fought hard, driving down the field late in the 4th quarter only down 14- 13. The Dolphins attempted a game-winning FG, but the kick was blocked. Game over right?

As everyone scurried away from the ball, Leon Lett unsuccessfully tried to lay his huge paws on the football. In a wild, snow-covered scene, Miami recovered the ball and one play later DID kick the game winning field goal to beat the eventual Super Bowl champs. I wonder where Leon Lett will be for this game?

And of course, in the nightcap, the Harbaugh Bowl goes down at M&T Bank Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers led by head coach Jim Harbaugh face off against head coach John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens. In what should be a defensive struggle throughout, I think most folks, including this writer, are interested in seeing how the brothers’ post game handshake goes down.

Before I jump into players I like for the slate of games in Week 12, let’s first look back at some key performances from Week 11.

QB Jay Cutler- Bears: Cutler had himself a nice day, throwing for 286 yards and 2 TD’s. He fractured his thumb late in the 4th quarter trying to make a tackle against the Chargers, and now finds himself out 6-8 weeks. Big blow for Chicago as Cutler was throwing the ball well.

RB Michael Bush- Raiders: This guy has been golden the last three weeks while Darren McFadden continues to be out with a foot injury. Bush has scored in three straight games, and also gone over 100 yards combined during that time too. Bush rushed for 109 yards against the Vikings and a rushing TD. As of this time, McFadden has not practiced, so Bush should be in line for more work again this week.

RB Marshawn Lynch- Seahawks: Lynch continues to get it done, and yet no one is really talking about him that much. He ran for 88 yards and a TD in the win over St. Louis last Sunday. He’s now scored in six straight games that he has played.

WR Jordy Nelson- Packers: OK, is this Madden 2011 we are watching or real life? Nelson has been on fire, now with two games in a row of two TD catches. He caught 6/123 in the win over the Buccaneers. With Greg Jennings a little banged up, Nelson is stepping up big time.

TE Tony Gonzalez- Falcons: Gonzalez shows no signs of slowing up, and he’s been a huge factor in the Falcons offense the last few weeks with WR Julio Jones banged up and WR Roddy White inconsistent this season. He caught a TD and had 74 yards in the Falcons win over Tennessee.

Players I like in Week 12

Quarterbacks

QB Ben Roethlisberger- Steelers: Big Ben has a fractured thumb on his throwing hand, but this is nothing new for the Steelers QB. He played with the same injury two seasons ago and fought his way through it. He’s as tough a QB as they come, and even with the injury, should get it done against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. Roethlisberger could be playing out of the shotgun or pistol set-ups in this game as that is what he has practiced with all week in an effort to limit pain to the thumb.

Prediction: 215 yards/TD

QB Matt Ryan- Falcons: Ryan got back into the swing of things last week, throwing for 316 and getting some timing down with top WR Roddy White. This week the Falcons face the Vikings, a team that has had their secondary picked on in recent weeks. Minnesota has given up the most FPG to QB’s so far this season. Start ‘em.

Prediction: 270 yards/2 TD’s

Running Backs

RB Rashard Mendenhall- Steelers: I think with Big Ben’s injury, the Steelers will start to rely more and more on Mendenhall in the upcoming weeks. He has fresh legs and has started to run the ball better.

Prediction: 92 yards/TD

RB LeGarrette Blount- Buccaneers: Blount ran for 107 yards against Green Bay, including an amazing 57-yard TD run where he broke six or seven tackles. He faces off against a Titans secondary.

Prediction: 80 yards

RB Matt Forte- Bears: Forte will shoulder even more of the workload now that QB Jay Cutler is out with the thumb injury. The Bears face the Oakland Raiders and Forte will see a good amount of carries.

Prediction: 90 yards/TD

Wide Receivers

WR Brandon Lloyd- Rams: Lloyd is the man in St. Louis, and he’ll see the football a lot on Sunday against a Cardinals defense that gives up the 7th most FPG to WR’s this season. In the last meeting between the two teams on November 6th, Lloyd had five catches for 80 yards.

Prediction: 95 yards/TD

WR Laurent Robinson- Cowboys:  Robinson had four catches for 34 yards and a TD against the Redskins last week. WR Dez Bryant should see more of the Dolphins top CB, so  should continue this week against the Miami Dolphins.

Prediction: 75 yards/TD

Tight Ends

TE Rob Gronkowski- Patriots: Gronkowski is an absolute monster right now. I just don’t think the Philadelphia Eagles have an answer for him, so start him if you have him.

Prediction: 80 yards/ TD

TE Heath Miller- Steelers: If Big Ben can throw the  ball well enough, I think Heath Miller will have some success against the Chiefs because they are allowing the most FPG to TE’s the last five weeks.

Prediction: 65 yards

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone. Good luck to all in Week 12!

Follow me on Twitter: MattCLund