Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

It is time again to take a look at the guys who went above and beyond in fantasy football for Week 13. Join Ryan Hallam, staff writer at Fantasy Alarm, as he chronicles the guys who gave their owners more than they hoped for and likely led them to victory. Also, check back later tonight as he dives into the Week 13 Duds. And if you have any questions for him, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for Week 14 fantasy football advice.

Note: All point projections read in this recap are from standard scoring leagues (non-PPR) and are projections made by the Bruno Boys staff

LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles – McCoy started out the week on Thursday Night Football with one of the better games of his career.  He carried the ball 12 times for 44 yards and a rushing touchdown and also had eight catches for another 86 yards and a receiving touchdown.  McCoy was projected to have a good week with 16 fantasy points but made his owners’ extremely happy when he scored 24.

Hallam’s Take: McCoy is the perfect player for the Eagles offense, as he appears to be a very similar player to Brian Westbrook except a lot younger and without the long injury history.  Look for McCoy to continue to improve as both a runner and a receiver and should be considered a low-end RB1 in 2011.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks – Lynch had been struggling for the past six weeks or so but broke out in a big way against the Panthers.  He rushed the ball 21 times for 83 yards and three touchdowns.  Lynch also had one catch for 17 additional yards.  Based on his recent performances it was very reasonable to expect him to score just five points but he blew the doors off that as he put up an impressive 27 points. 

Hallam’s Take: I have never been a fan of Lynch, even in his Buffalo days.  He gained some value with the move to Seattle, but I have never envisioned him as a running back that I would like to have to start on a weekly basis.  Sure this was a marquee game, and the most touchdowns he has ever had in a game, but he is not someone that I feel that can be trusted to put up consistent points for your fantasy team, and based on his projection by the Bruno Boys, they don’t trust him either. 

Chris Ivory, RB, New Orleans Saints – While Pierre Thomas nearly came back to play for the Saints this week, Ivory proved that he is fully capable of carrying the load.  He had 15 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns, one of one yard and one of 55 yards.  As the starter Ivory was looked upon to score 10 points, but more than doubled that as he tallied 23 fantasy points. 

Hallam’s Take: Like I said above, it does appear that Pierre Thomas is ready to return soon, so you have to wonder how that will affect the way the carries are distributed in New Orleans and if the undrafted rookie will continue to carry the load.  I believe that if the Saints are smart they will not mess with what works as they have won five in a row, but there is no way that you can guarantee that Ivory will keep his role.  Monitor the news to see Thomas’ status for Week 14 and if he plays Ivory might be a risky guy to start next week.

Greg Jennings, WR, Green Bay Packers – It took a bit for the Green Bay offense to get started, but once it did it was pretty tough to stop Aaron Rodgers as he continued to find Jennings.  The Packer wide receiver had six catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.  Jennings was one of the higher ranking wide receivers with a 16 point prediction, but was able to surpass that as his final total was 24 fantasy points. 

Hallam’s Take: A favorite of the Bruno Boys, Jennings is definitely showing that he is back to the form he showed in 2008 after a rough season and a half since.  The Packers’ passing game is one of the best in the league, and with Donald Driver hurting, there has been a renewed focus on Jennings.  He is certainly the number one target of Aaron Rodgers and should be treated like a WR1 in the fantasy playoffs. 

Sidney Rice, WR, Minnesota Vikings – It has been a long road back from a hip injury for Rice and to have the kind of day he had in Week 13 must feel great.  Rice had five catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was very impressive.  Not many were ready to trust that he was 100% healthy just yet so his eight point projection seemed reasonable, but Rice crushed that as he was able to muster 22. 

Hallam’s Take: Rice had an amazing season in 2009 and crushed his fantasy owners by missing so much of the start of this year.  This was the first sign that Rice might be back to the level that he was in his breakout season, and now you have to wonder if this will continue.  Also, does his value go down if Brett Favre comes back to play next week for Minnesota?  Clearly Tarvaris Jackson can run the offense better than Favre at this point of the year. 

Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers – This was the kind of day that everyone grew accustomed to with Davis last season but had been waiting most of 2010 for him to have.  Including a 66 yard touchdown, Davis had four catches for 126 yards.  Many had lost faith in Davis and the Niners offense so his expectation of eight points made sense, but he did well better than that as he gave his fantasy owners 18 big ones. 

Hallam’s Take: Was this the start of a strong end of the season from Davis?  Or was this just one good game?  Really most of the damage came on two big catches, but Davis did flash the talent, strength, and speed that he possesses against the Packers.  There is absolutely no way that you can ever take Davis out of your lineups, so don’t even entertain that idea. 

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, New York Giants – Bradshaw apparently didn’t let his recent “benching” affect him mentally as he has continued to play well.  In a blowout against the Redskins, Bradshaw ran the ball 25 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns.  He generally is more involved in the pass catching game, but he failed to record a catch.  Despite not starting he was still expected to score 14 points, but was a touchdown better than that with the 21 that he put up. 

Hallam’s Take: Despite recent fumbling problems and being replaced as the starting back, Bradshaw kept his cool and kept playing hard.  I can just about guarantee that he will continue to get more carries than Brandon Jacobs, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Bradshaw reinstated as the starter after this game.  Even Brandon Jacobs told the media that he felt his promotion was going to be temporary.  Keep Bradshaw in your lineups throughout the rest of the season. 

Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts – Despite his team’s struggles, that didn’t stop Reggie Wayne from having one of the best games of his very impressive career.  Against the Cowboys in Week 13, Wayne had 14 catches for 200 big yards and a touchdown.  He had disappeared in recent weeks but was still looked upon to score 15 points but finally came through for his team as he scored 26 on the day. 

Hallam’s Take: Wayne has been a disappointment this season, along with the rest of the team’s offense, so it was very good to see him have this kind of game to restore some faith in his fantasy value.  Peyton Manning is going to put up good stats every week whether the Colts win or not and Wayne is still his number one target even though it hasn’t always shown this year.  With all that being said there is absolutely no way that you can think about sitting Wayne as you come into your fantasy playoffs. 

Benjamin Watson, TE, Cleveland Browns – Watson has quietly had a bunch of good games and Sunday was certainly one of them.  He had ten catches in the game for an even 100 yards and a touchdown.  Watson had a fairly low expectation as he was supposed to score just five, but was a great surprise to those who started him as he was able to manage 16 points on the game. 

Hallam’s Take: Ever since he was a rookie for the Patriots Watson has always been extremely talented and fast for a tight end.  However, somehow it has only turned into success in a few sporadic games.  He has found a home in Cleveland and it appears some chemistry with Jake Delhomme.  He is a low level starting tight end, but the way that tight ends are getting injured this season, Watson could definitely be in your lineups. 

James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers – Starks didn’t have a huge game, but the fact that he got the vast majority of the carries against the 49ers gets him a place on the Studs list.  Starts ran the ball 18 times at Lambeau Field for a total of 73 yards.  Based on the fact that this was his first game it is understandable that he wasn’t on the running back rankings this week, but Starks did get seven fantasy points in the game. 

Hallam’s Take: The Packers haven’t really done much running this season since they lost Ryan Grant early in the season.  Between Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn, there hasn’t been a consistent runner for Green Bay.  While he didn’t play for a big college (University of Buffalo), Starks was an amazing college player, but had been on the PUP list to start the season and inactive since coming off of it.  He was impressive with no sleeves in Lambeau in December, and ran pretty hard as well.  He is definitely worth picking up, even if you don’t put him in your lineups for Week 14. 

Week 15 Rankings:  QB  |  RB |  WR |  TE |  K |  DEF   (click to read)

Week 15 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM |  SIT ‘EM (click to read)

Week 14 Waiver Wire Advice:  PICK THEM UP  |  CUT THEM LOOSE  (click to read)

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