Welcome to the playoff edition of Who’s Up, Who’s Down? The single-voter committee hopes that you had a great Thanksgiving and were able to bond with your couch on your long weekend. It’s very possible that some of you gorged yourself on NCAA football this week, however, and didn’t leave much room for the NFL version or for your fantasy teams.
That’s understandable. After all, it was one of the wildest college football weekends in recent memory, featuring brawls, would-be game-winning two-point conversions, and the greatest play in the history of the Iron Bowl. However, no matter how crazy Saturday was, you have to make sure that your fantasy team is in top form because the playoffs are upon us (in most leagues).
At least for now, leave the adulation for Chris Davis to his geology class, so you can focus on the task at hand — knocking the annoying guy at the office out of the playoffs (or just winning your first-round matchup). As always, I’m here to help with that. We’re trying not to get emotional in this week’s trends.
Photo Credit: Getty
Week 14 Who's Up Who's Down?
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Andrew Luck QB – Indianapolis
The issue with Luck is simple -- he hasn’t been the same quarterback without favorite target Reggie Wayne on the field as a security blanket. In the five games the Colts have played since Wayne was lost for the season in Week 7, Luck has thrown five TDs and five picks, after having 10-3 TD/INT ratio in the first seven contests of the year.
Luck has been even worse than that in the last four games, tossing just two touchdown passes and four INTs. In that time, he’s posted a Total QBR below 40 three times and only thrown for more than 300 yards one time. The Colts have managed to go 3-2 in the games since Wayne’s injury, so Luck’s struggles haven’t been very highly publicized, but he isn’t a great option at fantasy quarterback going into your playoffs, especially since his healthy receivers can’t seem to catch the ball - looking at you Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Granted his recent struggles have come against some solid defenses, but the second-year signal-caller’s next two games don’t get any easier as Indy faces Cincinnati and Houston, both of whom are ranked in the top ten in passing yardage allowed. I wrote about Luck right after Wayne’s injury, but he’s still owned in 100 percent of ESPN leagues. It’s definitely time to drop or bench the former Stanford star unless you really don’t have anything close to a better option (Mike Glennon is still available in 96 percent of leagues, just so you know).
Arrow Pointing: DOWN
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Ben Tate RB – Houston
Tate has been highly inconsistent since taking over full-time for the injured Arian Foster in Week 9. He followed up a rough Week 12 game in which he had just 30 total yards with his best game of the season in Week 13, torching the Patriots banged up defense for 102 rush yards and three TDs to boot.
However, the one aspect of Tate’s game that has been consistent over his five games as the Texans’ starting RB has been his touches. He’s been the focal point of at least 18 plays in four of those five games, and it appears likely that his Week 12 stink bomb was more of an anomaly than anything else. With games the next two weeks against the Jaguars (29th in the league in opponent rushing yards allowed) and Colts (28th), the feast or famine Tate should eat well. He’s probably not an RB1, but he could be a solid RB2 option for your fantasy playoffs.
Arrow Pointing: UP
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Kansas City D/ST
I don’t normally put defenses or kickers on this list, but the Chiefs’ defense warrants inclusion this week; they’ve been absolutely exposed over the last three weeks. After not allowing more than 17 points in any of their first nine games, Kansas City has given up 27, 35, and 41 points in their most recent matchups. Granted two of those games came against Peyton Manning and the loaded-to-the-gills Broncos, but giving up 41 points to the Chargers is inexcusable; that was the most points the Bolts have scored this season.
Things don’t get any easier for the Chiefs next week as they get the Redskins and an improving RGIII in Week 14. The fact is, Kansas City only played two teams with even decent offenses in their first nine games (the Eagles without Nick Foles in Week 3 and Dallas in Week 2) and they’ve been a “bend but don’t break” unit all year, as they rank 21st in yards allowed per game. In Week 13 against Peyton, they broke numerous times, allowing five TD passes. I expect RGIII to have a big game in Week 14 and I strongly advise against starting the Chiefs as your defense in the playoffs.
Arrow Pointing: DOWN
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Doug Baldwin WR – Seattle
Baldwin has quietly put up solid numbers in each of the last four weeks, catching three TDs and going for over 75 yards three times during that stretch. He played particularly well against the Saints on Monday Night Football, catching both a 50-yard pass and a 4-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson. This is particularly impressive when you consider that the Saints D had previously been ranked third in the NFL in pass yards allowed per game.
Baldwin’s game against New Orleans could have been even bigger if Seattle hadn’t stopped throwing after taking a commanding 34-7 lead. The former Stanford standout has outplayed incumbent No. 1 receiver Golden Tate in the last several weeks and he actually has six more targets than Tate over the last four games (25 to 19). It’s clear that Wilson is quickly gaining confidence in Baldwin and he should be considered a viable WR2 at least going forward. He’s still only owned in 13.4 percent of leagues, so consider the 25-year old wideout a sleeper going into the playoffs.
Arrow Pointing: UP
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Michael Crabtree WR – San Francisco
The fantasy owners that are quick enough to scoop up Crabtree in the next week could be sitting on a lottery ticket as they enter the playoffs. After missing the first 12 weeks of the season with an Achilles injury, the former Texas Tech star announced his return in a big way against St. Louis on Sunday, catching a 20-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick and turning it into a monster 60-yard gain.
Crabtree only had one other catch in the game, but he’s only going to put up bigger numbers as he get back up to game speed. The 26-year old’s excellent rapport with Colin Kaepernick has been well documented and he was nothing short of explosive as he caught 85 passes for 1105 yards and nine TDs a season ago.
As of Monday, Crabtree was only owned in 17.6 percent of ESPN leagues, so if you act quickly you might be able to find a No. 1 receiver on the waiver wire this week. If the fourth year wideout can produce at anywhere close to the level he showed with Kaepernick last year, he’ll be a must-start and could provide a huge boost at WR for any team.
Arrow Pointing: UP
