From studs to duds, sleepers and more, NFL.com breaks down the biggest fantasy stories of the week.
1. Matthew Stafford and Brady Quinn post huge numbers. You know that old saying, "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?" Well, that's sort of what happened in Detroit in Week 11. Fantasy points were flying all over the place, but most fantasy owners didn't reap the rewards. Stafford led the entire league in fantasy points with 42 on the strength of a 422-yard, five-touchdown performance. Quinn was solid as well, posting 36 points on 304 yards and four scores. But like that tree in the forest, neither made a sound in fantasy football -- Stafford and Quinn were active in a combined four percent of NFL.com leagues. And who can blame owners? Stafford had averaged a mediocre 12.6 fantasy points in his previous three starts, and Quinn had zero fantasy points since Week 1 (minus-1 point in Week 10).
So should owners look to add either of these young gunslingers off the waiver wire? I wouldn't. As much as I like Stafford in the long term, he's worth no more than a look as a reserve in deeper leagues. And keep in mind, the rookie suffered an injury in the contest and is doubtful to play against the Packers on Thanksgiving Day. As for Quinn, I still wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole. His numbers were the result of a wacky game between two bad teams with terrible defenses. One member of the Browns you might want to consider is Chris Jennings. He's passed Jerome Harrison on the depth chart and could see more work down the stretch with Jamal Lewis nearing the end.
2. Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner leave with injuries. Quarterbacks, not running backs, have become the lifeblood of fantasy football this season. So when two of the position's biggest names go down, there's cause for concern. That was the case in Week 11, as both Roethlisberger and Warner were both forced to exit. Big Bentook a blow to the head in overtime at Kansas City. On the positive side, Roethlisberger did score an impressive 29 fantasy points before exiting. He also said after the game that he felt "OK." With backup quarterback Charlie Batch dealing with an injured wrist, Roethlisberger will do whatever it takes to be under center against the Ravens in Week 12.
The news is also promising for Warner, who took a blow to the head and was forced out at St. Louis. NFL Network's Jason La Canfora reports that pulling Warner was a precaution, not the result of a serious problem. Like Roethlisberger, Warner said he was "OK" after the contest and felt confident that he'd be under center in Week 12 when the Cardinals face the Titans. Warner had already thrown for 203 yards and two touchdowns (18 fantasy points) before leaving the game against the Rams, so losing him wasn't a complete disaster for most fantasy owners. Barring some sort of setback, it looks like both of these fantasy superstars will be active next week. Just be sure to monitor their status on NFL.com leading up to the action.
3. Back to the future? L.T., T.O. shine in Week 11. Remember when LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Owens were the class of their respective positions in fantasy football? Well, age and other factors have decreased their stock in recent seasons. But for at least one week, these talented veterans both put up strong numbers for owners. Tomlinson rushed for 73 yards and scored his third touchdown in two weeks. Owens went off for nine catches, 197 yards and one touchdown of his own. T.O.'s performance was good enough to lead all receivers in fantasy points (25) on NFL.com. And he did it with former Harvard signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick under center!
So was this a sign of things to come or a one-week flashback? I don't see either of these former superstars returning to their previous form, but the last few weeks have been encouraging. After averaging just 9.3 fantasy points in Weeks 7-9, Tomlinson has scored a combined 34 points over the last two weeks. He's also seen more carries in those contests, averaging 22 in wins over the Eagles and Broncos. L.T. should be seen as a No. 2 fantasy back who's gaining back some of the trust he lost earlier in the season. As for Owens, you have to like that his targets are way up compared to the first half of the season. He's also scoring more points, averaging a solid 14.6 in standard formats. Will he regain his elite status? No. Can he become a more viable No. 3 fantasy wideout the remainder of the year? With games against the Dolphins, Chiefs and Falcons upcoming, I think that's possible. He was active in just 34 percent of NFL.com leagues in Week 11. That number is almost certain to double in Week 12.
4. Ricky Williams is becoming an elite fantasy runner. If you are lucky enough to have Williams on your fantasy roster, well, consider that an early Christmas gift. While he was good splitting carries with Ronnie Brown, the former Texas standout has a chance to be great now that his teammate is done for the season. Williams showed that last Thursday, scoring three touchdowns and posting 30 fantasy points in a win over the Panthers. He saw a large majority of the carries in the contest and even found the end zone as a receiver out of the backfield. The performance was reminiscent of 2002, when he led the league with 1,853 rushing yards and was an elite fantasy runner.
Williams, now 32, has a chance to be a top-10 fantasy back the remainder of the season. He's now the centerpiece of a run-based offense, and the schedule down the stretch is more than favorable. His next game is against the Bills, who field one of the league's worst run defenses. Back in Week 4, Williams ran 16 times for 85 yards and had a touchdown against Buffalo. Williams has also scored a touchdown in three of his past four games against the Bills. After Week 12, Williams also faces the Jaguars, Titans and Texans. None of those three teams are better than 13th against the run. Look for Williams to help countless fantasy owners reach their title aspirations.
5. Brett Favre is a fantasy football superstar ... again. I can remember a time when Favre was a first-round pick in fantasy drafts. He was an elite quarterback for a long stretch with the Packers in the mid to late 1990's, throwing for 30-plus touchdowns in five consecutive seasons. His numbers did dip for a few years before a rebirth in 2007, when he threw for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns in what would be his final season in Green Bay. After what was a largely forgettable season in New York, Favre is once again an elite quarterback. In fact, I could argue that he's never been better. How is that possible, especially at 40? Well, hear me out.
After throwing for 213 yards and four touchdowns in three quarters against the Seahawks, Favre is now on pace to finish the season with right around 4,000 passing yards. He is also on pace to finish with 34 touchdown passes, which would be his highest single-season total since 1997. Oh, and for someone who has thrown more interceptions than any other quarterback in NFL history, Favre has thrown just three interceptions this season. Three! Even during his best seasons, Favre was throwing picks at a rampant pace.
In fact, he averaged 19.5 interceptions from 1997-2000. He's also lost just one fumble this season, so Favre has a mere four turnovers in 310 pass attempts. Oh, and let's not forget that he's currently fifth in fantasy points among all players on NFL.com. That's an amazing stat for someone who was a late-round pick in most drafts. With games against the Bears (2), Cardinals and Bengals down the stretch, Favre is going to be the fantasy MVP for those owners lucky enough to have him in their lineups.
News and notes
» Packers WR Greg Jennings finally put up a monster stat line for fantasy owners with five catches for 126 yards and one touchdown in a win over the 49ers. It was only his second double-digit fantasy performance since Week 6, but it won't be his last based on a schedule that includes games against the Lions, Bears and Seahawks. So despite his disappointing overall numbers, Jennings looks primed to be a fantasy superstar in the postseason.
» Redskins RB Rock Cartwright will be the hottest name on the fantasy football waiver wire this week. With RBs Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts injured, Cartwright will be a featured back for at least the next week (and possibly more). He proved he could make an impact in Week 11, leading the Redskins in receptions, receiving yards and rushing yards. Cartwright is a free agent in 99 percent of NFL.com leagues, so go out and get him right now.
» Bills RB Fred Jackson could see a larger role in the offense in Week 12. RB Marshawn Lynch was forced to leave Sunday's game in Jacksonville with an injured shoulder, and his status for next week's game against the Dolphins is uncertain. If Lynch is unable to go, Jackson would be as high as a No. 2 fantasy back. Remember, before Lynch came back from his three-game suspension, Jackson was one of the top running backs in fantasy football.
» With the status of Falcons RB Michael Turner still very much up in the air, Jason Snelling could be in line for another hefty workload in Week 12. He was a serious star against the Giants, scoring 20 fantasy points on the strength of two touchdowns. With a game against the Buccaneers and their weak run defense next on the slate, Snelling should be owned in more than 76 percent of leagues. If he's available, put in a claim for him now.
» If you're wondering what's happened to the production of Saints TE Jeremy Shockey in recent weeks, well, you can blame TE David Thomas. Over the last two games, Thomas has outscored Shockey 16 to five in fantasy points on NFL.com. He's also seeing more targets in the offense. While I wouldn't go out and grab Thomas off the waiver wire, I would be leery of starting Shockey. Since Week 8, he's averaged a mere 3.5 fantasy points per game.
» Speaking of tight ends, it's time to cut ties with Seahawks TE John Carlson. Since his 21-point performance in Week 1, Carlson has averaged an awful 3.6 fantasy points. With the team's offensive line woes, Carlson has been left to block rather than run routes. In fact, he's been targeted just 4.5 times per game since Week 6. That's just not enough to be productive for fantasy owners down the stretch.
» Cowboys WR Miles Austin is starting to draw double coverage from opposing defenses, and it's showing in his fantasy numbers. In his last three games, he has a combined nine catches for 116 yards with one touchdown. That equates to an awful 16 fantasy points on NFL.com. With a game on Thanksgiving Day against the Raiders and shutdown CB Nnamdi Asomugha, Austin is losing a lot of his luster in fantasy football circles.
» Seahawks RB Justin Forsett is someone I've talked about for weeks in my waiver-wire column, and he proved against the Vikings that he's good enough to be a fantasy starter. Sure, he rushed for just nine yards, but he did lead the team in receptions (8) as well as targets (9) to go with a touchdown. If RB Julius Jones is forced to miss Week 12, Forsett should be seen as a great option against a weak Rams run defense.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com. Have a burning question for Michael on anything fantasy football related? Leave it in our comments section or send it to **AskFabiano@nfl.com**!
