Amped Plays of the Week: Edition 13

 Quarterbacks

The No Brainers

Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, RGIII, Drew Brees.

Take a Chance: 

Matthew Stafford, Lions:  This kid torched the Houston secondary for over 440 yards with a pair of scores on thanksgiving.  With the Colts coming to Ford Field this weekend, I would expect Stafford to drop a bit in the yardage department, but we like his chances to toss 3+ TD’s.

Colin Kaepernick, 49ers:  Too soon?  We don’t think so.  He has showed incredible poise and a willingness to stay in the pocket and make the big play with his rocket of an arm.   Combine that with his freakish ability to make plays with his feet and he’s a must start for any team.  Not to mention he’s playing St. Louis this week, the very team that gave him his opportunity to play by knocking out Alex Smith just over 2 weeks ago.  He put 16 fantasy points in his limited snaps that game, expect much more this week.

Take a Seat:

Tony Romo, Cowboys:  Impressive stat line last week, 440 with 3 scores and a pair of INT’s.   Best game of the season so far.  Too bad it was against one of the worst pass defense’s out there.  Philly is coming to Dallas next week and you might be tempted to give Romo the nod because of how the Eagles are reeling and have lost 7 straight.  Don’t  be fooled.  The Eagles defense has talent and could show up any given week.  Considering the bad blood between these teams, I wouldn't be surprised if this were that week.

Running Backs

The No Brainers

Arian Foster, Adrian Peterson, Doug Martin, Frank Gore.

Take a Chance

CJ Spiller, Bills: Spiller has been incredibly efficient with his carries and for the most part pretty productive, but he hasn’t found the endzone in 5 games.  I’m sure he’s had this home game vs Jacksonville circled on the schedule, it’s a great slump buster.  Whether it’s in the passing game or the running game, this man will find pay dirt this week.  Don’t fret about Fred Jackson, he is the second option whether they admit to it or not.

Chris Johnson, Titans:  We know, this guy is frustrating, right?  Why would you play him against a stout Houston defense? Well, he’s already shown he can run on them.  He ran over and around the Texans for 140+ yards on their own turf earlier in the season, this time he get’s them at home.  The other factor?  The Titans have actually no choice but to get CJ2k involved in every way possible if they want to win.  Pass game, run game, you name it.

Take a Seat

Beanie Wells, Cardinals: Wow this guy came back and put up 16 points in his first game back!  Must have some fresh legs!  False.  Same old Beanie.  He put up a cute 48 yards on 17 carries (that’s a whopping 2.8 YPC!)  take out his 2 touchdowns, which you cant count on every week, and you’ve got nothing.  Please, temper you expectations for Beanie Wells.

Wide Receivers

The No Brainers

Aj Green, Calvin Johnson, Roddy White, Reggie Wayne.

Take a Chance

Stevie Johnson, Bills:  Stevie J puts up consistent yardage and reception numbers week in and week out but he hasn’t been able to buy a touchdown the past few games.  Look for that to change against Jacksonville this week.  It hasn’t been like Fitzpatrick hasn’t been looking for him, they just haven’t connected in a while.  1 TD, maybe 2.  Take it to the bank.

Hakeem Nicks, Giants:  Nicks had a productive game last week, hauling in 5 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.  This might mark the official return to health for him and if that’s the case, he will only get better.  Where better to continue his streak than in Washington next week? 

Take a Seat

Steve Smith, Panthers: Old reliable just hasn’t been the same.  He doesn’t stretch the field as much as he once did.  His catch and yardage outputs are pretty average.  He would be worth a look if he ever scored touchdowns, but he doesn’t.  He’s got just one all season long.  Avoid if you can.

Tight Ends

The No Brainers

Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, Jimmy Graham.

Take a Chance

Jermaine Gresham, Bengals: Gresham has been getting a lot of looks from Andy Dalton in the middle of the field and he’s been taking advantage.   He’s had 2 touchdowns in his last 3 games and came just a yard short of another.  He’s a good bet for a score if you need a tight end for a week.

Heath Miller, Steelers:  Whether Roethlisberger is back or not, Miller is going to be involved in the offense more in the coming weeks.  He’s going to be the safety valve for whomever is under center, just look at his 6 catches from Charlie Batch last week.

Take a Seat

Aaron Hernandez, Patriots:  With Gronk out, this would have been his time to shine and I’m sure he would have if he wasn’t hurt.  He’s a great player but you can’t trust an injury like this that can be aggravated on any play, even without contact.  He could be a feast or famine type play….just be ready for a famine.

Mike’s Week 13 Optimal Offensive Explosion Roster

Quarterback:  Aaron Rodgers

Wide Receiver: Calvin Johnson

Wide Receiver: Reggie Wayne

Running Back:  Arian Foster

Mike Powers

Week 12 Must Starts

Quarterbacks

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals: There are multiple reasons why Andy Dalton is a smart play this week, first off is that the Oakland Raiders defense has been absolute terrible over the past three games.       While Dalton’s numbers are very good for a second year player, this start is more of statement to how awful the Raiders defense has been. Over the past three games Oakland has given up 42, 55 and 38 over the last three weeks.

Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos: Manning is almost a lock for comeback player of the year and is a strong candidate for MVP, along with Tom Brady. So far on the season Manning has 2,975 passing yards and has amassed 24 touchdowns and only thrown seven interceptions with a passer rating of 106.2. These numbers coupled with the Broncos playing the Chiefs make Manning one of best plays of the week. Expect Manning to throw more with McGahee out with a torn MCL, who expects to be out six-to-eight weeks.

Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: On paper this looks like a total mismatch, Ryan after coming off the worst game of his career against a Buccaneers defense that has been the worst in the league against the pass, but Freeman has the hot hand. Freeman has had six straight games with at least two passing touchdowns, four of those six games he has three passing touchdowns. Freeman will be hard for the Falcons to contain; it won’t be as easy as John Skelton or his back up, Arizona’s third string quarterback.

Running Backs:

Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens: I don’t see Rice getting only 40 yards again this week even though the Chargers are one of the better rushing defense, ranked third in the league allowing 87.9 yards a game. Rice isn’t a running back that has multiple bad games in a row and San Diego might have a defensive letdown after losing a big divisional game against the Broncos last week.

Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers are the league’s best rushing team going against the leagues worst rushing defense. Gore should be able to gash the Saints through the ground and the 49ers are very run oriented so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get 100-plus yards on the ground and haul in a few receptions.

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans: The Jaguars defense was horrible last week, while most of that was through the air but the Jaguars seem like they lose a different way each week. I expect to Johnson to have a big game especially since the Titans don’t have a receiver like Andre Johnson but then again not many teams do.

Wide Receivers:

Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears: I only like Marshall against the Vikings this week if Cutler is back in the lineup next week. The Bears looks terrible Monday night and Marshall was still able to get a receiving touchdown even though he had two receptions for 21 yards and a receiving touchdown. Expect Marshall to return to form this week and have a big game against a divisional opponent with a lot of playoff implications involved.

A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals: One of the league’s best young receivers is going up against a defense that is reeling. Green is having a pro bowl season with 64 receptions with 911 yards receiving with 10 receiving touchdowns. Oakland has been eaten alive the last three weeks and I believe that it will continue especially through the air, as the Bengals have been able to do nothing on the ground as of late.

Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints: This might seem like a bad play especially since the 49ers have one of the leagues best defenses but Drew Brees is a million times better than Jason Campbell. Brees has thrown a touchdown in 53 straight games and I can’t see that changing this week and I believe Colston will benefit from that. Colston has 51 receptions for 721 yards receiving and seven receiving touchdowns.

By: Michael Ferraro