Who says there's no room for personal vendettas in fantasy sports? Certainly not me, as I've had my fair share of guys that have crushed my team and my spirit with fantastic performances in pivotal games against my squads. Two such players that stand out in this regard is Tom Brady and LaDainian Tomlinson. This duo, especially Tomlinson, have crushed me too many times to count over the past decade.
Luckily for me, Brady is getting up there in years and Tomlinson has retired. However, there seems to be no shortage of players filling out applications for his vacated position of my nemesis' as this year has been brutal in that regard (the most recent example of this can be seen at the bottom of my HATE picks).
But enough about the players I have made voodoo dolls of and repeatedly stick with needles, lets move on to this weeks Love-Hate.
James LeBeau is an avid fantasy sports participant and a sports contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on twitter @LoboISbroke or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
Week 13 Love-Hate
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Carson Palmer QB - Arizona
Let's hear some love for Palmer and the Cardinals as they are quietly emerging as a force in the NFC. Riding a four game streak of multiple touchdowns where he's averaging 21 fantasy points, Palmer will look to make it five in a row as Arizona faces the Philadelphia Eagles. While the Eagles will be a tough opponent coming off their bye week, I can easily see Palmer with 300 yards passing and at least a pair of touchdowns.
LOVE
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Eddie Lacy RB – Green Bay
With Aaron Rodgers still on the sideline for the Packers, much of the offensive load has fallen to the run game, which has delivered behind the bruising running of Lacy. In last week's tie with the Minnesota Vikings, Lacy put up his third 100 yard performance as he rushed for 110 yards and a score. This week, the Packers will again lean heavily on Lacy as they will look to keep the Detroit Lions high powered offense off the field. Look for Lacy to put up his fourth 100 yard performance.
LOVE
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Josh Gordon WR – Cleveland
In what is fast becoming yet another dismal year for the Browns, Gordon has emerged as the one part of this season that is positive. In week 12 Gordon went off in a losing effort to the Pittsburgh Steelers, catching 14 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown. Also, for the season, Gordon is on pace to easily top 1,000 yards, despite not playing in the first two games of the season. With the Browns facing the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gordon is a must start in any league.
LOVE
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Mike Wallace WR – Miami
Of all the times that Wallace could pick to go off, he had to pick last week against the Carolina Panthers to do it. With five catches for 127 yards and a touchdown, Wallace single-handedly knocked me out of contention in one of my more important fantasy leagues. For that reason, and the one where the Dolphins are facing a stingy New York Jets team, I will not recommend anyone starts him.
HATE
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Ray Rice RB – Baltimore
Rice has had one meaningful game this year; the first week I benched him as previously mentioned in earlier editions of this article, and I don't see him having another this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In their first meeting this year, the Steelers held Rice to 45 yards on 15 carries and that was back when the Ravens passing game at least had the semblance of effectiveness. Look for the Steelers to corral the run game and make Baltimore throw it on them, which will again limit the effectiveness of Rice.
HATE
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Robert Griffin III QB – Washington
RGIII is a quarterback that is hurting, plain and simple. He is hurting on the field, off the field and I'm sure the walk in between isn't exactly pleasant either. But -- as I channel my inner Jon Gruden -- the thing is, RGIII isn't just hurting physically, he's hurting mentally.
Reports indicate he doesn't want bad plays of his shown in meetings; you just have to wonder where his focus is at. In fact, you have to wonder if the Redskins would just be better off sitting him down the rest of the season to maybe showcase Kirk Cousins to any teams that may want to trade away a second round pick for him. Anyway, until RGIII can show you anything consistent, bench him unless your only other option is maybe Brandon Weeden.
HATE
