Take It To The Bank - Week 12 By Jeremy Miller/Brandon Anderson
11/20/08 With week eleven in the books, Jeremy Miller and Brandon
Anderson are back with their wild and crazy predictions they feel are as
good as gold. Of course, they don’t always agree on these and there is sure
to be some disagreements along the way. So where are they going with their
predictions this week? Read on to see the issues that these two feel you can
take to the bank for week twelve and beyond. From Jeremy Miller: The rest of the AFC should have buried the Colts when
they had the chance.
The Colts could easily be much worse than their 6-4 record, and there are
going to be many teams that will look back and wish they were. The Colts
could have been buried as poor as they have played at times this year, but
they survived. As of today they would have one of the two playoff spots in
the AFC, and they will not relinquish that spot. This team is starting to
gel and we all know how dangerous they can be when they do. This is the 2nd
best team in the AFC right now and they still have a legitimate shot to be
playing in the Super Bowl this year. I hope you didn’t count them out just
yet. The New York Jets will hand Tennessee their first loss of
the year.
When I first though about this match-up last week I did not think the Jets
had a shot. However, this may be a good match-up for a hot Jets team. The
Jets are starting to believe that they can win each week. The talent they
added during the offseason is starting to gel. Their run D can take away the
Tennessee running game and force the game into Collins’ hands. Collins has
responded positively to this the last two weeks, but can he keep doing it? I
don’t think he can. The Jets offense will be able to sustain enough
consistency and Brett Favre will make a couple big plays that will propel
this team to a huge win. Ted Ginn Jr is going to be the 2nd half break out WR.
Ginn is off to a good start with double digit fantasy points in 3 of his
last four games. The Dolphins are figuring out how to use his talents and
Ginn is learning how to play WR at an NFL level. Expect more from Ginn the
remainder of the season as he continues to add double digit performances on
the books. He will have the occasional dud, but the breakouts will far
outweigh them and you’ll be happy with the end results. Ginn will finish the
year on a run that will make him one of the more hyped WR’s during the
offseason. -
Bounced Check - I
have no idea where the sudden love for Ted Ginn is coming from… oh wait, I
bet it’s those Ohio State blinders you’re always wearing, Miller! It’s true
that Ginn had a huge receiving game against the Bills a month ago, and it’s
also true that he had a fluke 40 yard TD run this past week on just his
second rushing attempt of the season. But it’s also true that he has just
one other TD this season and has not put up more than 67 yards the entire
season other than that one huge game. This is a guy that you can count on
for 3-4 catches for 50 or 60 yards, and every now and then you will get that
fluke TD thrown in. Go ahead and try to count on that during a playoff run,
but don’t say I didn’t try to stop you. – Brandon Anderson
Don’t be fooled, Michael Turner has not found any consistency. I know, he’s
scored in the double digits in each of the past three weeks. I also know
that he has played three teams in bottom 12 of the league in fantasy rush
defense. Turner is becoming one of the more predictable fantasy performers
in the NFL. Of his six double digit games of this year, five have come
against teams in the bottom 12 in fantasy rush defense. With Turner it’s
easy, favorable match-up, favorable returns. Unfavorable match-up and he’s
going to leave you wishing you had left him on your bench. Of his six
remaining games he’s a good start against San Diego, New Orleans, and St.
Louis (week 17) and a poor start against Carolina, Tampa Bay (week 15), and
Minnesota (week 16). Those hoping he can show up in the playoffs will be
very disappointed. From Brandon Anderson: The Miami Dolphins will be tied for the division lead by
the time Sunday ends.
How could anyone have seen this coming? It might be Bill Parcells’ biggest
reclamation project yet, taking the abysmal Fins from the #1 pick to the top
of a division where every team is over .500, and in just 11 games. Miami
hosts the Patriots this weekend and these games are always close. Right now
these teams are in many ways images of one another with steady but
unspectacular QB play, offenses that just get it done, and defenses that are
keeping them in games. The home team wins so very often in this rivalry and
it will happen again this week as the Dolphins sweep the season series and
punch a huge hole into New England’s playoff hopes. Add to that a Jets loss
in Tennessee, and the Fins will be sitting atop one of the NFL’s toughest
divisions. -
Bounced Check - Man,
one little paragraph filled with so many things that will end up dead wrong!
The Dolphins are no doubt much better, and this can be directly attributed
to Bill Parcells. But the division lead will not be theirs, not this week,
not next, and not this season. Now comes the true test for the Dolphins. A
creative offensive game plan has caught on and they have been very
successful with it. However, they now face the Patriots for the second time
this year, the same Patriots they so successfully blindsided with the
Wildcat offense early this year. Now can they repeat it the second time
around? Not a chance. The Patriots are looking for some payback and will
find it this weekend in Miami as they get their season back on track after a
tough loss to the Jets last Thursday. However, if you read above, even a win
won’t get the Dolphins to the top as the Jets are poised to give the Titians
their first loss of the season. – Jeremy Miller The upset of the weekend will comes in Seattle, where Jim
Zorn’s return does not go as well as expected.
These Seahawks have not mailed it in this season, fighting down to their
last breath the last two weeks against a pair of winning teams. They were a
two-point conversion away from taking Miami to OT and then had the Cardinals
sweating bullets as they waited out a 26-20 escape last week. Meanwhile the
Redskins have not really played well in a month, starting with that awful
upset loss to the Rams. Oh sure they got crappy wins against the Browns and
Lions, each by one score, but they have looked flat and discombobulated
against the other opponents. Zorn had this team fired up to start the year
but a loss here with the Giants and Ravens next on the schedule would be a
season killer. Kevin Smith has very quietly come around and could be a
factor back for you during your playoff run as the Lions close out against
the Colts, Saints, and Packers.
Most of us have long since left Smith for dead after a disappointing start
coupled with that Rudi Johnson signing. Smith is actually a top 10 fantasy
back over these last three weeks and before you figure he must have been
playing patsies, remember that these were three games against the Bears,
Jaguars, and Panthers – three of the better defenses in the league. And this
is a Lions team that is (obviously) playing from behind most of the time.
Smith has scored a TD in half of his games and has also become a productive
receiver out of the backfield. He probably won’t help get you to the
playoffs (TB, Ten, Min the next three weeks), but he could contribute to
your title once you get there! This year’s Ryan Grant looks like it might be… Ryan
Grant! Yes, you heard that right.
While you were busy giving up on Grant after an admittedly terrible start to
the season, he has turned it around and now has posted 75+ yards in six
straight games. He also has looked fantastic with 306 yards and 2 TDs over
the last three weeks against three of the best run defenses in the league at
Tennessee, at Minnesota, and against Chicago. The Packers have returned to
their winning ways by returning to the power run game that worked so well
last year. Grant is scoring TDs and racking up big yardage again and has a
relatively easy schedule down the stretch. As the weather gets colder, Grant
should get better and better and could star for your team this fantasy
playoffs yet again.
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