When people look back at Tom Brady's huge fantasy comeback in Week 9, many will credit Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola or Stevan Ridley. But in Tom's heart of hearts, he will know his true inspiration will have come from NFL Fantasy LIVE.
We did a segment last Friday on players we just can't quit. And Tom Brady was one of them. We all cried and then determined there was no way we could turn our backs on Tom. And he rewarded us with his best fantasy game of the season.
And now that we're hot and heavy to play Brady each and every week, he's got a bye. So there is that.
Here, however, is the first stab at the rankings for the week. A conversation starter as these ranks are updated every day.
And seriously, Matt Flynn was recently released by the Buffalo Bills. Here's a memo to the other 31 teams in the NFL: Flynn could be signed by the Packers. He could have a monster game if he is thrust into action. If this happens, DO NOT SIGN HIM.
Here are your rankings.
Quarterbacks
- I never realized how much I missed Matthew Stafford until he took his bye week.
- Colin Kaepernick has been on fire lately. Hopefully you could remain patient with him. He's a must-start guy down the stretch.
Running backs
- Adrian Peterson
- Knowshon Moreno
- LeSean McCoy
- Reggie Bush
- Eddie Lacy
- Marshawn Lynch
- Matt Forte
- Zac Stacy
- Mike James
- Chris Johnson
- Alfred Morris
- Le'Veon Bell
- Giovani Bernard
- Frank Gore
- DeMarco Murray
- C.J. Spiller
- Fred Jackson
- Maurice Jones-Drew
- Ray Rice
- Trent Richardson
- Danny Woodhead
- Ryan Mathews
- Lamar Miller
- Rashad Jennings
- Steven Jackson
- Pierre Thomas
- Andre Ellington
- Mike Tolbert
- Andre Brown
- Ben Tate
- Dear Knowshon Moreno, never take another week off. I didn't like it.
- Steven Jackson didn't kill you last week, and that was against a tough, tough matchup. Seattle isn't going to be easy, either. But after you saw what Mike James did, if you're forced to play him, don't fret about it too much.
Wide receivers
- Calvin Johnson
- Dez Bryant
- Brandon Marshall
- A.J. Green
- Victor Cruz
- Eric Decker
- DeSean Jackson
- Wes Welker
- Demaryius Thomas
- Antonio Brown
- Jordy Nelson
- Keenan Allen
- T.Y. Hilton
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Vincent Jackson
- Andre Johnson
- Pierre Garcon
- Harry Douglas
- Cecil Shorts
- Hakeem Nicks
- Terrance Williams
- James Jones
- Golden Tate
- Torrey Smith
- Jarrett Boykin
- Denarius Moore
- Mike Wallace
- Kendall Wright
- Anquan Boldin
- Alshon Jeffery
- Steve Smith
- Emmanuel Sanders
- Roddy White
- Kenny Stills
- Mike Brown
- Steve Johnson
- Rueben Randle
- Marvin Jones
- Kris Durham
- Michael Floyd
- Jordy Nelson is going to be in a state of flux as we monitor the Packers' QB situation.
- Durham has been one of the most-targeted receivers in football over the last month. You can't ignore him if you're desperate.
- Mike Brown is the guy to own in Jacksonville in the wake of Justin Blackmon's suspension.
Tight ends
- Wright was on the bench last week because of the tough matchup against Seattle. But Mike Glennon clearly looks to him. A lot.
Kickers
- I'm not kidding, but Bailey is available in a lot of leagues. What am I missing?
Defense
- I will give you one guess to figure out who plays the Jaguars this week.
Did you know that Adam Rank won last year's Expert's League title? Oh that's right, it's like the only thing he ever talks about. Well congratulations, Rank. You finally did something. What have you done for us lately? Let's worry about 2013 and stop living in the past. Typical Lakers fan, am I right? Oh, if you found this useful (as if) check him out on the latest "Dave Dameshek Football Program". And follow him on Twitter, please. He's taking us to lunch if he gets 17 more Twitter followers today. And we only got 15 the last time, so step up fantasy enthusiasts!