Week 12 Studs and Duds
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For some of you, the regular season of your Fantasy league has come to an end. Hopefully you were not depending on Frank Gore of Matt Stafford this week and good for you is you gambled on Chris Johnson and Beanie Wells.
As per usual, this week was characterized by some truly terrific performances. Unfortunately, there were some terrible efforts as well. All have been broken down in this week’s Hot and Not list.
Studs of the Week:
Tom Brady – New England Patriots – Welcome back to the Stud column Mr. Brady! He was
Masterful in a blowout win over the Eagles. Brady was 24 of 35 for 361 yards and three touchdowns on the day.
Beanie Wells – Arizona Cardinals – Wow – we knew that he should have had an OK game against the Rams brutal defense but 228 yards and a touchdown is insane. Congratulations Beanie – you are a deserving recipient of Stud of the Week honours.
Other Studs:
QBs
Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – Rodgers was the best of the Thanksgiving Day QBs. Although he didn’t have to do all that much, Rodgers was still a Stud. He passed for 307 yards and two touchdowns in an easy win over the Lions.
Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan was efficient and effective in Week 12. He went 27 of 34 for 262 yards and three touchdowns in a Studly effort against Minnesota.
Honourable Mention: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mark Sanchez, Vince Young
RBs
Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville Jaguars – MJD failed to find the end zone but he led his team in rushing and receiving on Sunday. Jones-Drew had 99 yards rushing and 67 yards receiving in a loss to Houston.
Cedric Benson – Cincinnati Bengals – Benson was solid in a tough AFC North clash with Cleveland. He ran for 106 yards and a touchdown and added 24 yards on 4 catches. 25 touches, 130 yards and a score make Benson a Stud this week.
Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans – Another unlikely Stud emerged on Sunday. Chris Johnson rumbled for 190 yards against Tampa to become the second unlikely Stud.
Honourable Mention: Roy Helu, Willis McGahee, Ryan Matthews, Marshawn Lynch
WRs
Wes Welker – New England Patriots – Welker continued his insane season and landed on the Stud list once again in Week 12. Welker had 8 catches, 115 yards and two scores on the afternoon.
Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – White has been inconsistent this season but on Sunday he rewarded his owners for their patience. White had 10 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown Sunday and narrowly missed being named Stud of the Week. [ad-8469823]
Laurent Robinson – Dallas Cowboys – Robinson is sizzling for the Boys and Turkey Day didn’t slow him down one bit! Robinson had two more touchdowns on 79 yards receiving. Robinson is a Stud again this week – I hope the return of Miles Austin doesn’t harsh his vibe!
Brandon Marshall – Miami Dolphins – Marshall made one of the catches of the Week on Thursday and lands on the Stud list because of a 5 catch, 103 yards, 1 touchdown performance.
Honourable Mention: Percy Harvin, Reggie Wayne, Stevie Johnson, Deion Branch, Johnny Knox, Jason Avant
Duds of the Week:
Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons – Jones was shut out on Sunday – Zero, bubkiss, zilch!
Jordy Nelson – Green Bay Packers – Nelson was the hottest WR going into Week 12 but on Thanksgiving he was a turkey! Nelson managed just 4 catches for 26 yards in his worst performance since October.
Vincent Jackson – San Diego Chargers – Vjax is either a Stud or a Dud – there is no middle ground! On Sunday, Jackson managed just 2 catches for 25 yards in yet another loss by the San Diego Chargers and became an all-too-frequent Dud.
Other Duds:
QBs
Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – Most of us were expecting a huge afternoon from Stafford after his 5 touchdown performance in Week 11. Instead, Stafford passed for 276 yards, only one touchdown and three costly interceptions.
Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens were supposed to focus on the passing game on Thanksgiving night as San Fran’s run defense was simply too tough. Flacco threw for just 161 yards and one touchdown in an unexpected Dud performance.
Philip Rivers – San Diego Chargers – Ugh! Rivers was a Dud once again – too many times to count! Rivers didn’t throw an interception but he only managed 188 yards passing and a touchdown in a game that went nearly a full overtime period. Brutal!
Dishonourable Mention: Ben Roethlisberger
RBs
Frank Gore – San Francisco 49ers – Gore had a good chance to tear up a Baltimore defense that was without Ray Lewis. He had just 39 yards on 14 carries on Thursday – definitely worthy of this week’s Dud list.
Michael Turner – Atlanta Falcons – Turner had a rare off game. On Sunday, Turner barely ran for 3.0 yards per carry on his way to just 60 yards against the Minnesota Vikings.
Steven Jackson – St. Louis Rams – Jackson has hit the skids since reeling off four consecutive 100+ yard game. On Sunday against a very vulnerable Cardinals run defense, Jackson ran for only 64 yards on 17 carries – not nearly good enough for the best player on the Rams!
WRs
Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys – On National Television, most expected Bryant to break out of Thursday but he delivered a Dud! Bryant has just 3 catches for 35 yards – Yuk!
Andre Johnson – Houston Texans – Poor Andre! In his first game in seven weeks he was forced to catch passes from Matt Leinart. When Leinart went down with injury, TJ Yates was his quarterback. Valid excuses indeed but there is absolutely no denying that 2 catches for 22 yards is still a Dud!
Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – Come on man! People needed you this week and you come up with 2 catches and 17 yards? Dud!
