My first “High Fives and Head Slaps” article got off to a very inauspicious start to say the least. My goal is to pick 5 players outside of the projected top-5 that will put up big fantasy numbers, and 5 players that are supposed to be in the top-5 but drop out. One of the things I can’t stand is the lack of accountability in fantasy football sports writing, so I’m going to own up to my predictions every week. I use the standard fantasy points results from www.fftoday.com.
I recommend using this site as it has many features critical to managing a fantasy football team or two (or ten). Here are the results from Week 7:
HIGH-FIVES:
Quarterback: Jay Cutler–I thought Cutler would easily go over 325 yards passing against the Lions, and throw for 3 TDs. He didn’t even do HALF of that. Putting up only 150 yards in the air with 1 TD pass was not the great “bye week replacement” that I thought he would be. I’m glad he got “Suh-plexed”. He finished 19th in standard fantasy scoring. A far cry from top-5.
Running Back: C.J. Spiller–Even with sharing snaps with Fred Jackson, I thought Spiller could gash the Titans defense. He had a very pedestrian game, finishing with 70 yards on 12 carries with no touchdowns. He did catch 6 passes, but only accumulated 32 yards. Good enough for 18th overall for running backs. Meh.
Wide Receiver: Kenny Britt–One week, I’ll stop thinking he will go big. That’ll be the week he does. Four catches for 30 yards. He was the 60th-ranked WR. A huge dud. Thanks, Ken.
Tight End: Jermaine Gresham–The good news is nothing. He caught three passes for 19 yards. The 23rd-ranked TE. Hope you didn’t start him. My bad.
Defense/Special Teams: N.Y. Giants–FINALLY! I picked a squad that would TIE for 5th place in standard fantasy scoring. But it was a bittersweet prediction: they scored just 7 points in that format. I also predicted them to out-score the Vikings DST.
***Overall: putrid picking on my part for the High Fives. I can only do better this week.
HEAD SLAPS:
Quarterback: Robert Griffin III–Well, RGIII is something else. After watching Cam Newton re-write the rookie quarterback record books last year, I figured there’d be NO WAY that Griffin III could be as dominant. I was wrong. He’s MUCH better. He ended up 20-for-28 passing, for 258 yards, 2 TDs, a pick, and had 89 yards rushing on 9 carries. Good enough for third in standard scoring, RGIII was a beast.
Running Back: Maurice Jones-Drew–My best pick of the weekend, because he got hurt after two carries, gaining 6 yards. He was the 61st-ranked RB on the board. See, I TOLD YOU!
Wide Receiver: Calvin Johnson–I also nailed this prediction. Johnson was targeted often, but managed just 3 catches for 34 yards. This is how you beat the Lions. Bracket CJ, and the rest is history. Calvin was the
52nd-ranked WR. Two good picks in a row for me!
Tight End: Aaron Hernandez–As I predicted, Aaron Hernandez did in fact slip out of the top-5, all the way down to 10th. He did catch 5 passes, for 54 yards, but was a consensus top-5 pick. Another correct call for me makes three in a row!
Defense/Special Teams: Vikings–All the Vikings did was have the BEST FANTASY WEEK
for DSTs. I suggested taking the Giants over the Vikings. I was wrong. The Vikings top-ranked DST put up 15 points in standard leagues. The streak is over for me.
***Overall: I did much better with the Head Slaps. Hopefully this week I can put them both together. But at least I’m not afraid to admit my mistakes. Has to be worth SOMETHING, right?
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