RADIO
Perhaps more than any other, the NFL is a league that experiences ups and downs at a rapid pace. With only 16 games, there’s little room for error and seemingly endless opportunities for improvement. The same goes for fantasy football, and managing rosters effectively is key to winning that championship.
Throughout the season, players get hot and see an increased role while others struggle and fight to stay relevant. Experienced fantasy players know this happens every year. In this weekly column, we’ll showcase those who have taken important steps forward and those who have taken steps back. These are the risers and fallers heading into Week 13 of the NFL season.
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Post-Week 12 Fantasy Football Risers
RISER - Ryan Tannehill (QB, MIA)
Five weeks into the 2016 NFL season, the Miami Dolphins were 1-4 and it seemed like they were headed towards another lost season. Starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill had tossed six touchdowns and seven interceptions, further fueling doubt of his ability to be a starter in the NFL. Since then, however, Miami has won six games in a row, becoming the hottest team in the AFC.
Tannehill has been at the forefront of this dramatic turnaround, tossing nine touchdowns and surrendering an interception just once during the winning streak. His quarterback ratings have also dramatically improved, coming in at 130.6 in two of the past three weeks. With head coach Adam Gase seemingly beginning to impose his will on the team, Tannehill is thriving and playing, arguably, the best football of his career. With five games to go in the season, he’s become one of the hottest fantasy players in the league and should continue to gain traction as Miami pushes towards their first playoff berth in eight years.
RISER - Taylor Gabriel (WR, ATL)
25-year-old Taylor Gabriel was arguably the breakout star of Week 12 of the NFL season. The Texas native made four catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns for the Falcons as they took down the Arizona Cardinals. While the stats are nice, it was Gabriel's impressive running that lands him on this list. Following his performance on Sunday, there's a case to be made for him being the fastest player in the league.
Before any of us ponder the idea of him being a one-hit wonder, a closer look at his stats show he's been gaining steam down the stretch. After getting no more than three targets in his first six games of the season, he's gotten five in each of the past three games, clearly gaining more of quarterback Matt Ryan's trust. Now with four touchdowns on the season, Gabriel is quickly developing into a weapon in Atlanta's offense. With games remaining against each one of Atlanta's division foes, expect more production from this youngster who's making some serious impact.
RISER - Odell Beckham (WR, NYG)
If you're shocked that we've featured a superstar wideout like Odell Beckham as a riser of the week, that's perfectly understandable. It should be worth noting, however, that seven weeks ago he was listed as one of our fallers of the week. After all, he'd yet to record a touchdown at that point, was coming off an embarrassing 23-yard performance and had suffered another meltdown following a home loss against the Washington Redskins.
Since then however, the Giants have reeled off six consecutive victories and Beckham has begun to look like his Pro Bowl self, picking up eight touchdowns. This past Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, he scored twice and even took another stab at punt returns, running one all the way back before it was overturned due to a penalty. Although the Giants' schedule is about to get tougher, Beckham's play should not suffer as a result. The nightmarish performances of the first quarter of the season appear to be long gone, so expect continued production from the young phenom.
Post-Week 12 Fantasy Football Fallers
FALLER - Rob Gronkowski (TE, NE)
Rob Gronkowski remains the very best tight end in the National Football League, perhaps already the best tight end of all time. This season, however, he’s largely struggled to make a consistent impact at the magnitude that we’ve seen him produce. The 27-year-old has only recorded three touchdowns this season, struggling with injuries along the way. This past Sunday against the Jets, he was targeted twice, made zero catches and had to leave early with an apparent back injury.
While reports now state that he’s expected to miss no time, Gronkowski will eventually be affected by these various injuries. As doubt swirls over Tom Brady’s health as well, Gronkowski could be without his trusted leader, if he’s healthy enough to start at all. At this point, his season is poised to be a significant regression. With the playoffs approaching, those who feature Gronk on their teams should have a backup on the roster ready to go in case he’s injured.
FALLER - Jeremy Hill (RB, CIN)
The Cincinnati Bengals have featured two running backs for most of their games the past two seasons. Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill have largely struggles to retain any fantasy football consistency due to this platoon. Last week, however, Bernard suffered a devastating ACL tear injury that will cost him the rest of the year. This opened the door for Hill to finally make the Bengals running game his, but in his first stab this past Sunday against the Ravens, he failed miserably.
While he recorded an impressive 61 receiving yards on six catches, he managed just 21 rushing yards on 12 carries, failing to get any momentum going. Making matters worse, he suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him, allowing Rex Burkhead to end up leading the Bengals in rushing yards. At this point the Bengals are a sinking ship as a unit, and Hill’s exploits as a solo back don’t appear destined for significant production.
FALLER - Sam Bradford (QB, MIN)
As an ABC News article puts it “The Sam Bradford trade isn’t aging well” for the Minnesota Vikings. The 29-year-old has played a major role in the Vikings losing five of their last six games, tossing three interceptions, while still throwing six touchdowns. While he had been putting up strong fantasy numbers despite the defeats, the past two weeks have been significant disappointments.
The biggest disappointment came this past Thursday during the early Thanksgiving game. With the Vikings in Detroit for a pivotal, divisional showdown against the Lions, Bradford threw a late interception that sealed Minnesota’s fate, giving Detroit first place in the division. Even though the Vikings don’t face any tough defenses the rest of the way, Bradford’s inability to score against the Lions leave much to be desired. Unless Adrian Peterson miraculously returns soon, the lack of running game leaves Bradford in a spot he may not be able to recover from.
