Fantasy Football

2015 Fantasy Football: Week 12 Buy/Sell

SELL – J.J. Nelson – WR – Arizona Cardinals

It certainly was a specatular game for J.J. Nelson, finishing Sunday night’s game against the Bengals with four catches for 124 yards and one touchdown. Coming into the game, Nelson had just three catches for 70 yards for the entire season, all of which came in week eight against the Browns. Nelson saw a boost in playing time and production due to the injury of Michael Floyd, who isn’t expected to miss much time. Nelson does have a great average in his two games, as he has totaled 70 yards on just three catches and then 142 yards on four catches this past week.

With Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown ahead of Nelson on the depth chart, don’t look for him to get much production in the near future if those three are healthy. Nelson has been a healthy scratch for the majority of the games this season, so I wouldn’t expect this to turn into anything down the road. I think Nelson has made it very clear that he can produce when given the opportunity, but he’s simply just too far down the Cardinals depth chart behind some other talented receivers to get any looks when the rest of the team is healthy.

SELL – Kyle Rudolph – TE – Minnesota Vikings

Rudolph had six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown against the Packers on Sunday. His 106 yards were exactly double his previous season high, and his six catches were also best for the season. It’s the holiday season, so Bridgewater naturally looked for Rudolph to lead the way. Rudolph isn’t going to give any stability moving forward, as he is likely only a good play in DFS leagues if you’re looking to swing for the fences on a cheap option. Someone leads the way for the Vikings each week, whether it’s Diggs, Peterson, or this week, Rudolph. In that case, don’t look for Rudolph to lead the way for the Vikings many more times this season. The Vikings are a run-first team, and with Mike Wallace and Stefon Diggs in the passing game as well, it doesn’t appear that you can rely on Rudolph to give you much in the way of consistency. His touchdown was a 47-yard score on a brilliant throw from Bridgewater in the first half, but that wasn’t all. He was involved throughout the entire game as the Packers did their best to shut down the rest of the receiving options for Bridgewater to throw to.

BUY – Brock Osweiler – QB – Denver Broncos

It’s just one game, and it came against a subpar Bears team, but Osweiler looked the part of a starting NFL quarterback. He threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns and did not turn the ball over in his first career NFL start, and he faces a tough matchup next Sunday night against the New England Patriots. Osweiler will make mistakes moving forward, so it will be interesting to see how he responds to it. The Broncos will rally around Osweiler on Sunday night at home and use their defense to carry the team to help Osweiler give them the win. If he can continue to progress, the Broncos face the Chargers, Raiders, Steelers, Bengals and Chargers again in their final five games after New England, giving Osweiler a chance to really be a productive option at quarterback moving forward.

With receivers like Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, Osweiler can lean on his receivers and trust them to make plays on easy throws to move the ball down the field. The Broncos need to figure out a way to run the ball effectively to open up the passing game for Osweiler, as Bill Bellicheck and company will likely find a way to make things difficult for the backup from Arizona State.

SELL – Tyler Lockett – WR – Seattle Seahawks

Tyler Lockett has been one of the best kick and punt returners in the NFL this season but has yet to really be a difference maker in the passing game. He now has three receiving touchdowns this season after catching two touchdowns against the 49ers on Sunday. The Seahawks traded for Jimmy Graham this offseason to give them a top receiving option for Russell Wilson, but he hasn’t lived up to expectation so far. Lockett could turn into a go-to receiver for Wilson over time, but he does not get enough catches or yards to be a consistent fantasy option. You would have to hope Lockett gets in to the end zone either on special teams or in the end zone on one of his few catches.

SELL – Spencer Ware – RB – Kansas City Chiefs

Jamaal Charles went down with an ACL injury earlier in the season, paving the way for Charcandrick West to be the lead back. In Sunday’s matchup against the Chargers, West injured his hamstring and had just 11 carries, opening the door for third string running back Spencer Ware. Ware also had 11 carries and totaled 96 yards with two touchdowns in the process. He only had one catch for five yards in the passing game, but his rushing totals were enough to make it very productive day.

Depending on the injury to West, Ware could be in for an increased role moving forward, but it appears that West will be fine and good to go for week 12 against the Bills. Ware is only 0.5% owned in ESPN standard leagues, but he will likely be one of the most added players for week 12. I would steer clear of adding Ware on the waiver wire, as his success is dependent on the injuries to West.

Previous post

2015 Fantasy Football: Week 11 Rookie Report

Next post

Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 25, 2015