We’ll keep this short and sweet. Most leagues are in their first round of playoffs and some have the final push. No matter your league setup, now is no time to slouch. My one piece of advice is don’t be a Ruxin.
Don’t know who or what is a Ruxin? He’s the overbearing jerk amongst the friends in FX’s awesome “The League”. He’s a tinker. Constantly tinkering with his lineup. Always questioning himself… always getting into his own head. When he over-tinkers, he loses.
This is a pretty straight forward week. No surprises coming and no replacement QB that can save your day. Don’t tinker. Follow the projections and ride to battle another day.
With that being said, here is this week’s projection rankings partially based on Yahoo, ESPN and CBS.
QUARTERBACKS
Top Tier: Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford, Drew Brees, Nick Foles,
2nd Tier: Tom Brady, Nick Foles, Cam Newton, Tony Romo, Josh McCown
Shaky starts: Phillip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton, Carson Palmer
Desperate Only: Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Matt Flynn, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Wheeler, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco
Don’t Bother: Jason Campbell, Ryan Tannehill, Josh Freeman, Kellen Clemens, Matt McGloin, Chad Henne, Christian Ponder
RUNNINGBACKS
Top Tier: Matt Forte, Jamaal Charles, Matt Forte, Eddie Lacy, Adrian Peterson, DeMarco Murray, Knowshon Moreno
2nd Tier: Marshawn Lynch, LeSean McCoy, Andre Brown, Ben Tate, Alfred Morris, Reggis Bush
Shaky starts: Frank Gore, Zac Stacy, Chris Johnson, Shane Vereen, Le’Veon Bell, Rashad Jennings, Maurice Jones-Drew, CJ Spiller, Steven Jackson, Donald Brown, Lamar Miller
Desperation Only: Ray Rice, Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell, , Pierre Thomas, Steven Ridley, Danny Woodhead, Ryan Matthews, Joseph Randle, Darren Sproles, Trent Richardson, Darren McFadden, Giovanni Bernard, Danny Woodhead, DeAngelo Williams,
Don’t Bother: Montee Ball, Bobby Rainey, Andre Ellington, Joique Bell, Jacquizz Rodgers, Shonne Greene, James Starks, Mike Tolbert, Roy Helu, Rashard Mendenhall, Brian Leonard, Fozzy Whitaker
WIDE RECEIVERS
Megatron Tier: Calvin Johnson
Top Tier: Dez Bryant, AJ Green, Josh Gordan, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Desean Jackson
2nd Tier: Andre Johnson, Vincent Jackson, Demaryius Thomas, Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio Brown, Victor Cruz, Torrey Smith, Keenan Allen, Harry Douglas, Julian Edelman, Wes Welker, Eric Decker
Shaky starts: Riley Cooper, Michael Floyd, Roddy White, Kendall Wright, Cecil Shorts III, Jordy Nelson, Mike Wallace, Pierre Garcon, Marques Colston, T.Y. Hilton, Stevie Johnson, Jacoby Jones, Dwayne Bowe
Desperate Play: Nate Burrelson, , Hakeem Nicks, , Rueben Randle, Tim Wright, Steve Smith, , Rod Streater, Percy Harvin, James Jones, Jarret Boykin, James Jones
Don’t Bother: Golden Tate, Emmanuel Sanders, Aaron Dobson, Jerricho Cotchery, Kenny Stills, James Jones, Anquan Boldin, Miles Austin, DeAndre Hopkins, Ted Ginn Jr, Robert Woods, Danny Amendola, Tiquan Underwood
TIGHT ENDS
Top Tier: Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham
2nd Tier: Julius Thomas, Jared Cook, Jason Witten, Vernon Davis, Tony Gonzalez,
Shaky starts: Jordan Cameron, Greg Olsen, Antonio Gates, Martellius Bennett, Jordan Reed
Desperate Play: Jermaine Gresham, Heath Miller, Coby Fleener, Charles Clay, Garrett Graham, Jeff Cumberland, Ladarius Green, Delanie Walker
Don’t Bother: anyone else
Good luck out there… and when in doubt, always bet against the Jaguars.
Brian Reddoch is a CraveOnline reporter and rabid fan of all teams Seattle. You can follow him on Twitter @ReddReddoch or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
