If you are one of those fantasy managers who own Marshawn Lynch, Chris Ivory, or Sidney Rice, then your patience and perseverance finally paid off as the disappointing trio all produced stud-worthy performances on Sunday.
The QB/WR tandem of Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings proved to be a lethal combination yesterday (just ask the 49ers). And last but not least, Adrian Peterson and Reggie Wayne also made our list as they were the top fantasy performers for their respective positions.
Wondering where the experts had these guys? Read on and find out!
Sunday Stud: Marshawn Lynch (RB), Seattle Seahawks
According to Yahoo Sports, Lynch has been such a disappointment this year that he is currently only owned in about 37% of all leagues. If you are one of those stubborn managers who still own him, then I sure hope you played him yesterday. Lynch didn’t have a monster game in terms of yardage (only 100 total yards offense), but he did score 3 touchdowns to make him the second most productive fantasy RB this week. He came into Week 13 with a very low Expert Consensus Rank (ECR) of RB #33. Fantasy Sharks had the highest rating for him at RB #16, followed by Fan House at RB #24. Walter Cherepinsky of Walter Football (RB #42) and Gregg Rosenthal of Rotoworld (RB #41) thought Lynch would be a non-factor this week.
Sunday Stud: Chris Ivory (RB), New Orleans Saints
When Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush both went down with injuries, many of us thought that Ivory would lead the ground attack in the Saints’ high powered offense. However, similar to Lynch, most fantasy managers have given up on Ivory, who is only owned in about 31% of all leagues. He finally came through in a big way yesterday as he rushed for 117 yards and scored 2 touchdowns, earning him the fourth highest fantasy producer amongst all RBs this week. Ivory had a Week 13 ECR of RB #28. Experts who rated him highest included What If Sports (RB #15), Dave Richard of CBS Sports (RB #17), and Jamey Eisenberg of CBS Sports (RB #17). Those who were lowest on him included Brad Richter of Roto Pilot (RB #53), Ultimate FF Strategy (RB #46), and Fantasy Football Cafe (RB #45).
Sunday Stud: Sidney Rice (WR), Minnesota Vikings
Fantasy managers who took a risk drafting Rice knowing that he would only play a few weeks at best were finally rewarded. Even without Brett Farve, Rice had 105 yards receiving and caught 2 touchdowns. He was the third most prolific fantasy WR yesterday. No one expected much from Rice as he came into the week with a pretty low ECR of WR #39. Experts most optimistic on him were Walter Cherepinsky of Walter Football (WR #24) and Paul Greco of Fantasy Pros 911 (WR #28). Experts who probably would not have even considered playing Rice included Fantasy Sharks (WR #94), SI.com (WR #78), and Fantasy Football Cafe (WR #61).
Sunday Stud: Aaron Rodgers (QB), Green Bay Packers
Rodgers turned in another dominating QB performance as he broke open a game that was actually competitive for a half between the Packers and Niners. Rodgers racked up 337 yards total offense and threw for 3 touchdowns. He was the second best fantasy QB this week (behind best overall fantasy performer Michael Vick). Rodgers had a Week 13 ECR of QB #2. A number of experts had him rated QB #1. What If Sports (QB #7) and SI.com (QB #5) had the lowest rankings for him.
Sunday Stud: Greg Jennings (WR), Green Bay Packers
Jennings is definitely heating up as he recorded his third straight 100-yard game. He proved to be the main benefactor of Rodgers’ big passing day as he torched the Niners secondary for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had the second highest fantasy production amongst all WRs. Jennings came into Week 13 with an ECR of WR #4. Mike Krueger of FF Today and Christopher Harris of ESPN both ranked Jennings as their WR #1. Several experts had him pegged perfectly at WR #2. Experts not so bullish on Jennings included Brad Richter of Roto Pilot (WR #11), KFFL (WR #11), and What If Sports (WR #10).
Sunday Stud: Adrian Peterson (RB), Minnesota Vikings
I think it’s safe to say that there is nothing wrong with AP’s ankle. I own Toby Gerhart and was hoping that AP would take the day off against the Bills, who also happen to have the league’s worst rushing defense. Peterson rushed for 107 yards and 3 touchdowns, earning him the top fantasy honors amongst all RBs yesterday. His Week 13 ECR of RB #8 was very low for AP; seems like there were number of experts who were concerned about his injury. Several experts had him pegged perfectly at RB #1. Fantasy Sharks (RB #25) and Walter Cherepinsky of Walter Football (RB #16) were amongst the experts who felt that AP’s injury would hinder his performance.
Sunday Stud: Reggie Wayne (WR), Indianapolis Colts
Wayne turned in the most impressive WR performance yesterday. He caught 14 passes for 200 yards and scored 1 touchdown. He was absolutely huge for me in my PPR league victory. Wayne could have had an even bigger day if he wasn’t tackled at the one yard line on one of his catches (but I’m not that greedy…ok maybe I am). He had a Week 13 ECR of WR #7. Ultimate FF Strategy rated Wayne accurately at WR #1. KFFL (WR #2), Roger Rotter of Fox Sports (WR #3), and Matthew Berry of ESPN (WR #3) were also extremely high on him. On the flipside, SI.com (WR #16), Walter Cherepinsky of Walter Football (WR #14), and Fan House (WR #14) did not expect a monster game from Wayne.
Hopefully some of the guys above propelled your team into the fantasy playoffs! We’ll be back tomorrow with a look at which experts got their bold start/sit predictions right. Enjoy tonight’s MNF showdown between the Jets and Patriots!