There were plenty of ugly stat lines from guys who are heavily owned and relied upon at this point of the fantasy playoffs. As an owner in the postseason, you typically want to roll with the player who ‘got you here’, but that can backfire as well. See evidence below…
Top 5 Fantasy Woes of Week 15
1. Aaron Rodgers
For the second straight week, the Buffalo Bills limited one of the game’s best quarterbacks to less than 200 yards passing and zero touchdowns. Last week it was Peyton Manning and this week it was Rodgers, who was also intercepted by the Bills twice. The Packers’ receivers didn’t help the cause as they collectively dropped seven passes, which is the most by any team since 2008.
This type of performance won’t happen very often as Rodgers and the Pack have been rolling this year. That doesn’t help fantasy owners though as Jordy Nelson was butt-naked open on what would have likely been a 94-yard touchdown pass to only drop the perfectly thrown ball. Rodgers had the worst passer rating of his career (34.3) at the absolute worst time, as you couldn’t bench him after the star quarterback carried your team all season.
2. Jamaal Charles
The ultra-talented running back got limited to 52 yards rushing by the Oakland Raiders before leaving the game in the third quarter after taking a blow to the head. Charles didn’t return to action as backup Knile Davis ended up scoring a pair of touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving) in his absence, which was a figurative blow to the head of Charles’ owners. There is nothing like seeing your top draft pick on the sideline with his helmet off while his backups parades into the end zone, twice, all while you are in a fantasy playoff battle.
3. DeSean Jackson/Alfred Morris
It has been a terrible season for Washington as they fell to 3-11 with a 24-13 loss on Sunday to their division rival, the New York Giants. Both Jackson and Morris have fairly decent numbers on the season even amidst the quarterback carousel that has consisted of Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy and Kirk Cousins. In what was a insignificant game between two teams out of playoff contention, Jackson and Morris’ numbers were almost meaningless.
D-Jax had three catches on eight targets for 15 yards and Morris rushed for 49 yards on 14 attempts, which was three yards shy of Griffin’s total of 46. McCoy started the game, but was knocked out with a neck injury in the first quarter and was replaced by Griffin. Morris improved on his atrocious stat line a week ago (eight carries for six yards), but never really got it going on the ground and may have tweaked his groin in the process. It would be surprising if any fantasy owners out there were in the championship game with either Jackson or Morris in their starting lineup.
4. LeSean McCoy/Jordan Matthews
Here is another running back and wide receiver combo that devastated fantasy owners with a lackluster performance over the weekend. McCoy had 16 carries for 64 yards, but the even bigger story is the fact the Eagles had three total rushing touchdowns, a pair from Chris Polk and the other by Darren Sproles. Apparently the Eagles also have ‘vultures’ on the depth chart as McCoy’s owners got poached of much-needed touchdowns and fantasy points.
Matthews had only one target from quarterback Mark Sanchez, which he dropped but figures to get a more steady diet of looks this coming week against Washington’s secondary. The rookie receiver out of Vanderbilt has been a pretty big part of Philly’s offensive attack this season with 56 catches and 709 yards through the air so far. If you are in a deep league and rolling with Matthews, you will be fine this week.
5. Justin Forsett
It has been a surprisingly great ride for Forsett and his owners this season after Bernard Pierce gave away the starting running back gig in Baltimore. Since Week 3, Forsett has been ‘the guy’ in the Ravens’ backfield with over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns on the season with Sunday being his worst fantasy output.
The seven-year veteran didn’t find a whole lot of room to run in what was a juicy matchup against Jacksonville, finishing the day with 48 yards on 16 carries and one catch for a negative yard. It was a tragic time for a former seventh-round pick out of the University of California to turn in a pedestrian performance. But he did play his way onto most fantasy rosters after being an afterthought in most drafts, if that makes you feel any better about it.
If the players on your roster avoided making these fantasy woes lists, and you’re in the fantasy football super bowl, make sure you keep your eye on the prize and get yourself a fantasy football championship belt!
