Dameshek here. One more week 'til the fantasy playoffs arrive. Meantime, though, let's shine the White Hot Light of Shame on those who've distinguished themselves for all the wrong reasons. Just remember, players and coaches: don't get angry at me if I call your name. Ultimately, I didn't put you on this list. You put you on this list. Let it begin!
#5
Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears (10.42): His best pal, Brandon Marshall, is the second-ranked WR overall. Then how is it statistically possible for Cutler to be 26th (26th!!!) behind guys like Ben Roethlisberger and Alex Smith, who haven't played in two weeks and guys like Brandon Weeden and Sam Bradford, who haven't played well ever? I'm not sure if there's a historical equivalent, but one thing that can't be debated -- it's really shameful.
#4
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants: For selfishly putting the Giants' long-term needs ahead of my fantasy team's short-term needs. Late in the fourth quarter and up four touchdowns on Sunday night, the Giants had no fewer than eight plays at the Green Bay goalline. Earlier in the evening, Andre Brown was lost for the season with a broken leg. Rather than putting his (and my) No. 1 RB Ahmad Bradshaw back in the game, Coughlin let rookie David Wilson try (and fail) to get those six valuable garbage-time points. Thanks, Tom. I lost by four! Shame!
#3
Steelers RBs: Don't blame Chaz Batch. What could anyone have reasonably expected from the poor ol' fella? No, this one falls squarely on Pittsburgh's running game (or lack thereof). All four ball carriers fumbled at least once, and none cracked the magical 20-yard ceiling. Rookie Chris Rainey got in the end zone, but not even Chris Rainey had Chris Rainey in his fantasy lineup. Shame on all of 'em.
Now it's time for this week's viewer-submitted video Fantasy Shame nominees. All season, we've been featuring our favorite tweets that use the hashtag #FantasyShame. With all due respect to everyone who's taken the time to offer their video nominees over the last three months, I think @ERockstar5's submission this week is our best (or least most dramatic) yet. Enjoy…
Excellent work, ERock. And sorry for your loss(es). Let's get back to the Shameful...
#2
John Fox, Denver Broncos: For doing his best Mike Shanahan impression and starting Knowshon Moreno (10 pts) over presumed starter Ronnie Hillman (.90) at the last minute. Then again, shame on us for not listening to John Elway, who said last week on the Rich Eisen Podcast that Moreno would be more involved than expected.
And #1, earning this week's Brown Paper Bag of Shame…
"Elite" tight ends!
Vernon Davis (zero points. Not one catch). Antonio Gates (1.30 - two straight weeks of 1.70 or fewer). Jimmy Graham (3.30). Aaron Hernandez (3.60 ... and that's with Rob Gronkowski out of the lineup.)
You know what they say: you can't spell "elite" without "L-I-E", and if you're depending any of the so-called elite tight ends to deliver week in and week out, you're lying to yourself. But this isn't about you - it's about the game's supposedly best tight ends. I'd toss 'em the Brown Paper Bag of Shame, but they'd probably drop it.
'Til next time, try not to embarrass yourselves.