Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Each and every fantasy football contest from here on out has the make-up of a do-or-die outing. With that being the case, the Bruno Boys know you have questions. We address some of these in the Week 13 edition of the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Roundtable.

WEEK 13 BURNING QUESTIONS

1. Both Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers and Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans seem to have finally found their stride and have been hot waiver wire pick-ups at the quarterback position; however, can you rely on them with your season on the line?

Bruno Boys Cavigs:  As much as I want to say that you can rely on Alex Smith and Vince Young from here on out it’s still risky business if you ask me. Don’t get me wrong if I was faced with a struggling quarterback and needed a match-up play I would look at starting Young in Week 14 and Week 15 and Smith in Week 13, Week 16 and Week 17 but I wouldn’t count on them to produce enough fantasy football points to win my game. If you plan on using them during these crucial times make sure to so expecting nothing more than 200 passing yards and two touchdowns per game. Not great statistics but enough for the former first round picks to hold their own when called on.

Bruno Boys Whooley: Whether you can rely on them or not depends largely on the make-up of the rest of your fantasy roster. By no means are Smith and Young going to win you your fantasy contest, like say Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady can; they just aren’t that breed of quarterback. But, the rejuvenated throwers won’t cost you your fantasy battle either. As such, the two can be viewed as game managers. They’ll provide you with a secure double digit outing between the 10-15 point range, but not much more, making them most beneficial to those owners with studs at the other skilled positions but hurting at QB because of Matt Ryan’s injury or the poor play of Jay Cutler or Joe Flacco.

WEEK 13 LIGHTNING ROUND  (Fantasy Football Questions in a Flash)

Real Deal or One-Week Wonder

1. Jason Campbell, QB, Washington Redskins (19 points in Week 12)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: ONE-WEEK WONDER. Campbell has actually had a five week stretch in which he has produced solid fantasy points but the Washington Redskins schedule isn’t getting any easier. With Campbell playing in a bad passing attack and having match-ups against the New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers on the schedule I wouldn’t be surprised if he struggles to reach double-digit fantasy points on a weekly basis.

Bruno Boys Whooley: MATCH PLAY. Campbell has some solid performances on the year with 21 points in a Week 3 battle with the Detroit Lions and 19 last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, and he has posted double digits in four of his last five games. Still, the Redskins’ QB is too inconsistent to trust on a weekly basis. This week against a New Orleans Saints’ defense that just held Tom Brady in check, he should be on your bench.

2. Chris Brown, RB, Houston Texans (13 points in Week 12)

Bruno Boys Whooley: ONE-WEEK WONDER. Brown has garnered 11 carries in each of the Texans’ last two contests, but those 11 carries yielded very different fantasy totals. While the back had 13 points in Week 12, he amassed just 4 in Week 11. Brown’s value is going to rely heavily on whether he hits the end zone or not, and at this crucial time of the year, I’m not putting my season in the hands of someone whose value is so heavily tied to TD production.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: REAL DEAL. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that Chris Brown will be a weekly fantasy option but with Steve Slaton expected to miss action with an arm injury it should lead to an increased workload for Brown. With it being unknown as to how long Slaton is injured it could lead to an opportunity for Brown to have some significant value down the stretch.

3. Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee Titans (16 points in Week 12)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: REAL DEAL. Nothing get’s much better than Kenny Britt’s Week 12 performance in which he torched the Arizona Cardinals for 128 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Also, Britt does have a favorable schedule over the seasons last five weeks and with Vince Young zoning in on him it should lead to some solid production the rest of the season. Consider Britt as a WR3 option.

Bruno Boys Whooley: REAL DEAL. With his game-winning TD catch against the Arizona Cardinals, Britt became the talk of the fantasy world, and it’s for good reason. The rookie has talent, and at 6’3” and 218 pounds, he makes for a big target for quarterback, Vince Young. Britt and Young have a nice rapport going, and you can bet thanks to that game-winning TD catch, the QB will be looking his way a whole lot more.

4. Fred Davis, TE, Washington Redskins (10 points in Week 12)

Bruno Boys Whooley: MATCH PLAY. As Chris Cooley was placed on injured reserve, thereby ending his season, Davis’ potential cannot be ignored. The Redskins’ TE has, after all, posted outings of 10 and 13 points since taking over for the injured Cooley. The problem is he, also, has outings of 2,5, and 2 fantasy points sandwiched in between. He’s usable, but only in the best of match-ups.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: ONE-WEEK WONDER. After a big Week 12 everyone seems to hop on the Fred Davis bandwagon but if you take away his two 10+ fantasy points performance against the Philadelphia Eagles he has been below average. In fact, outside of his 23 fantasy points against Philadelphia, Davis has just 11 receptions in nine games and has been used as a second option in a mediocre passing attack. so unless Davis is facing the Eagles, who rank 32nd in the NFL against tight ends you are better off staying clear of him.

5. Antonio Bryant, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15 points in Week 12)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: MATCH PLAY. In his first game back from a knee injury Antonio Bryant was able to hook up with rookie quarterback Josh Freeman for a long touchdown and I have a feeling this won’t be the only time we see that this year.  Bryant is a talented wide receiver who can score on anyone but what keeps me from calling him the REAL DEAL is that his success last week was a one week sample size. Make sure Bryant finds some consistency until you start expecting a repeat of December 2008 in which he totaled 512 receiving yards and four touchdowns..

Bruno Boys Whooley: ONE WEEK WONDER. Just because Bryant tallied an impressive 15 points in week 12, doesn’t mean I’m jumping back on board the Bryant express. The Bucs’ wide out, as predicted by the Bruno Boys in the pre-season, has failed to match his stellar 2008 season. In fact, he’s nowhere close to that type of production. All fantasy owners need to know is that Bryant has not hauled in more than 5 catches in any game this season.

WEEK 13 MATCH-UPS  (Who’ll Have the Better Week?)

1. Jeremy Maclin (Phi) vs. Jason Avant (Phi)

Bruno Boys Whooley: AVANT. Maclin may enjoy bigger name recognition, but Avant will enjoy the bigger game of the two. Even as the Eagles’ No. 3 wide receiver, Avant outperformed Maclin over the last three weeks (32 fantasy points to 25), and moving up to the No. 2 spot due to the injury to DeSean Jackson should only help him widen that gap.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: MACLIN. With DeSean Jackson being ruled out for this weeks game against the Atlanta Falcons everyone has been drinking the Jason Avant kool-aid but I’m not one of them.  Avant will get his receptions and be a contributor as a possession receiver but Maclin’s ability to stretch the field against the 27th ranked Falcons defense. Avant might be the safer yardage play but look for the big play ability of Maclin to be the difference maker.

2. Josh Freeman (TB) vs. Matt Moore (Car)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: FREEMAN. Neither of these guys are going to win you a fantasy football game but rookie quarterback Josh Freeman has four games under his belt while Matt Moore is in line for his first start. Look for Freeman to do just enough to make it four games with 10+ fantasy points on the season but both of these QB options are better suited on your bench. 

Bruno Boys Whooley: FREEMAN. While I hate to put my trust in the Dr. Jekyll - Mr. Hyde abilities of a rookie quarterback, I do prefer it to putting my faith in a QB that hasn’t started an NFL game since 2007, especially as Freeman has gone for 10+ fantasy points in three of his last four games.

3. Donnie Avery (StL) vs. Devin Hester (Chi)

Bruno Boys Whooley: AVERY. Avery’s been catching TDs of late with 3 TD receptions over his last three games. Hester, on the other hand, isn’t catching much of anything at this point and time. Seeing as the Bears have allowed 12 TD receptions to the wide receiver position this season, I’m looking for Avery to make it 4 TDs in four games.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: HESTER. Hester has been in a slump of late and has just 12 receptions for 86 receiving yards over his last three games but this match-up against the St. Louis Rams is too good to pass on. Look for the speed of Hester to be tough to spot against a Rams defense that allows over 27 points per game.

4. Calvin Johnson (Det) vs. Chad OchoStinko (Cin)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: MEGATRON. In the battle of the nicknames, Calvin Johnson has the edge of Chad OchoStinko. On paper it’s the Bengals wide receiver with the better match-up but look for the Detroit Lions to feature a pass heavy attack that gets Johnson involved early in often. The extended break has his knee feeling well and Johnson should make it four straight games with at least seven fantasy points.

Bruno Boys Whooley: OCHOCINCO. Since I’m rolling with him, I have to call the Bengals’ wide receiver by his real name. I know Johnson is on a two game TD streak, while Ochocinco has amassed just 15 fantasy points combined over his last four games, but if he’s ever going to bounce out of his slump, this is the week to do so against a Detroit Lions’ defense that is giving up 25.3 points per contest to the wide receiver position.