In Week 12 we really saw a lot of low scores across plenty of fantasy leagues. There were some big performances from names that were filling in for others. Perhaps you had Marshawn Lynch or Charcandrick West going into Week 11, but it was their backups that got to take advantage of the plus matchups. While those situations are worth talking about, we're here to look at some instances of players doing poorly that isn't by virtue of them being hurt and missing time.
Week 12 Fantasy Football Fallers
The San Diego Chargers Offense - QB, RB, TE, WR
I originally had slated just Philip Rivers here, but on the one hand it isn't his fault, and on the other hand the whole offense is really downgraded after Sunday's disastrous showing against the Kansas City Chiefs. They were absolutely blown out. The Chargers just appear to be sporting too many band aids and quick fixes to really be a cohesive unit anymore. Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates were jawing at each other on the sidelines. Danny Woodhead wasn't able to do anything. Stevie Johnson had a decent game, catching seven balls on eight targets for 54 yards, but really the anticipated garbage time burst never came and every owner with stock in the Chargers left Sunday with major disappointment.
Luckily the Chargers get the Jaguars defense next, so hopefully they can salvage some pride out of that one before a nightmare matchup against the Broncos in Week 13. Week 14 brings another matchup with the Chiefs. Miami and Oakland make up those critical Weeks of 15 and 16. Hopefully you can make it to reap the benefits of those matchups.
Matt Jones – RB, WAS
Going from beating up on the Saints to running into the Panthers is about as sharp a turn as you can make in the NFL. While some Redskins' players still managed to make some value, Matt Jones faltered hardcore. He had five rush attempts for zero yards and caught two balls for 12 yards. And that's before you add in the lost fumble.
That makes four fumbles on the year, and his second in three weeks. He ended the day in the negatives in standard leagues, and that's going to sting even the most zen of owners. This is a more a lesson in not reading too much into great games against the Saints rather than an indictment of Matt Jones, but all the same it bears mentioning how the Redskins rushing attack just isn't going to be consistent in any way, shape, or form.
Chris Ivory – RB, NYJ
Chris Ivory looked as though he was going to push for one of the top spots at running back for 2015 until Week 7 hit. Before then he had averaged 4.6, 4.1, 5.7, and 7.3 yards per carry. The three weeks after that he averaged 2.4, 1.1, and 1.1 yards per carry. He looked as though he might bounce back after Week 10 against Buffalo where ran for 99 yards on 18 carries and racked up 36 receiving yards on two catches. He followed up that effort with only eight carries for 36 yards in Week 11 against the Texans.
What are we going to take out of this? The issue at hand is that Nick Mangold's hand is an issue, and that Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing very poorly. The latter is really hindering the Jets' offense as a whole, and Ivory suffers even more at the hands of it (on top of the wall he seemed to have run into after Week 6). He gets the Dolphins, Giants, Titans, Cowboys, Patriots, and Bills to finish out the year. Hope that Fitz can right the ship, and if not that Geno Smith is ready to take the reins and open up the offense again. Knock Ivory down a notch until the quarterback issue is settled.
Amari Cooper - WR, OAK
Oakland struggled overall against the Detroit Lions who seem to be playing defense with new life lately. Amari Cooper really embodied these struggles with his one catch for four yards effort. It was known that he would have a tough matchup on the day, lining up across from Darius Slay who has recently been one of the best cornerbacks in the league. No one would have anticipated for it to look this ugly though.
Cooper's rookie year has been pretty darn good considering a lot of people said to temper expectations after last year's amazing rookie class put in work. That being said, lately it really seems as though he has become the sidekick to Michael Crabtree and there are some rough matchups coming up. Here is their remaining schedule and the respective DVOA pass defense ranks for each team: Tennessee (8th), Kansas City (11th), Denver (1st), Green Bay (12th), San Diego (27th), and Kansas City again. Five out of six against top 12 secondaries as of now. Not the prettiest, be aware.
Martellus Bennett - TE, CHI
Martellus Bennett has only gotten over 10 points in standard leagues once in his past six games. and those other five games have seen him score under six points in each contest. In his past four games he has only averaged six targets compared to a three game stretch of seeing 13, 11, and 11 targets in the previous games. The Bears are about to get Matt Forte back (though Jeremy Langford has held down the fort quite well in his stead) and Alshon Jeffery should be healthy enough to play on Thanksgiving as well. Eddie Royal probably won't go, but Marquess Wilson has shown his stripes lately and there isn't a real dropoff there. With the Bears being whole again perhaps they start clicking, but there is little doubting that one needs copious amounts of faith to see a light at the end of the tunnel for Bennett at this point.
Other Fallers to Note: Tyrod Taylor (QB, BUF), Andre Ellington (RB, ARI), Indianapolis Colts WRs, Jordan Matthews (WR, PHI), Jason Witten (TE, DAL)
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