Dissenting Opinions: Get rich with T-Rich?

Group-think can be an especially scary thing when it comes to fantasy football rankings. After all, the unpredictable nature of the NFL game is part of what makes fantasy football so popular, and why some people like to say that the NFL acronym stands for "No F****** Logic." But when one of our Yahoo fantasy football analysts veers particularly far away from the rankings consensus, our curious nature begs for an explanation. So, with that in mind, I've identified two players from our Week 12 rankings that our Yahoo analysts love/hate significantly more than the rest of us, and have asked them to explain their reasoning. I'll kick things off with a couple of my outliers:

[Join FanDuel.com's $2.5M Week 12 fantasy league: $25 to enter; top 21,840 teams paid]

Love him: Keenan Allen, SD, WR - Funston WR rank No. 16 (Yahoo rank No. 25)

I'm not sure anyone has been more anti-Allen in '14 than myself. And, for the most part, those bearish thoughts have been validated. But I'm changing my tune for this week as Allen faces a Rams secondary that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the WR position. It's a secondary that I've seen blow assignment after assignment this season. And I'm compelled by the receivers that have enjoyed the most success against them- adept middle men like Doug Baldwin and Larry Fitzgerald topped 100 yards against St. Louis, just two of the 15 wideouts that have scored at least nine fantasy points against this defense on the year. As a player that is proficient working across the middle of the field, I expect Allen to rack up his best single-game tally of the season - call it something close to 100 yards and a TD.

Hate him: Golden Tate, Det, WR - Funston WR rank No. 31 (Yahoo No. 20)

Tate is coming off a 2/41 line in Week 11 against an Arizona defense allowing the 13th-most fantasy points to the WR position. Now he travels to New England to face a Patriots secondary allowing the second-fewest fantasy PPG to the position (and fewest receptions to wideouts). That spells trouble for a PPR weapon like Tate. And if rumors prove true that Tate could be headed for Revis Island (with the much taller Brandon Browner matched up on Calvin Johnson), his situation becomes even more dire. Sure, Darrelle Revis isn't having one of his best seasons, but he's still ProFootballFocus' No. 5 rated overall cornerback based on his performance this season. I see a middling 5/60 type of line on the way for Tate.

[Week 12 rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver | Tight End | Kicker | DST]

DALTON DEL DON

Love him: Trent Richardson, Ind, RB - Del Don RB rank No. 9 (Yahoo No. 14)

He's not any good, but with Ahmad Bradshaw out for the season, Richardson should be looking at 20+ touches a week in an offense that's scored the third-most points per game (31.0) in the NFL this season. It also helps Richardson can catch the ball and should act as Indy's goal-line back. At home and as 14-point favorites over the Jaguars, he has a highly favorable matchup this week as well.

Hate him: Tre Mason, StL, RB - Del Don RB rank No. 30 (Yahoo No. 19)

He's coming off a nice game against Denver, but Mason hasn't scored since Oct. 19 (his lone TD of the season) and isn't much of a threat as a pass catcher (he's totaled 39 receiving yards on the season). Since taking over as the team's lead back, Mason has averaged just 40.0 rushing yards during St. Louis losses, and the Rams have a tough battle in San Diego in Week 12.

ANDY BEHRENS

Love him: Rueben Randle, NYG, WR – Behrens WR rank No. 35 (Yahoo No. 42)

None of us feel completely comfortable starting Randle, but, well ... look at the workload. He's coming off a week in which he saw 15 targets, catching seven for 112 yards. Randle has seen at least nine targets in each of his last eight games. I'll agree that his usage seems excessive and unwarranted, but we shouldn't pretend it isn't happening. He has to be considered something like a fringy WR3/WR4. No way does he belong in the 50s at his position (see Evans' and Pianowski's ranking for Randle).
 
Hate him: Trent Richardson, Ind, RB - Behrens RB rank No. 20 (Yahoo No. 14)

So let me get this straight: It's Week 12, a must-win week for most of you, and I'm supposed to push Trent Richardson on the masses? The same Trent Richardson who carried seven times for ZERO yards on Sunday night, when we were all watching? The same guy who's averaging 3.4 YPC for the season and 3.3 YPC for his career? I understand that he's likely to see perhaps 5-7 additional touches per game with Ahmad Bradshaw sidelined. But with this dude, 5-7 additional touches should mean something like 10-15 additional yards. If there are garbage-time backfield stats available in the Jacksonville matchup, they could very well go to Dan Herron. No way would I roll with Richardson in a critical week - no way. And if I wouldn't be willing to start him myself, then I can't reasonably rank him as a rock-solid RB2 for the rest of you.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

Love him: Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, TB, TE - Pianowski TE rank No. 11  (Yahoo No.  16)

I had hoped to promote Josh McCown in this space, but Brad Evans out-loved me on the Buccaneer (he has some Adam Ant in his blood). Obviously there's no new tale to tell on Mike Evans, it's universal love there. So I'll downshift to another member of the Tampa Bay passing game.

ASJ's production line hasn't been that consistent, but he does have two spikes in his last four starts, and a 58-yard game if you look back five games ago. That might not sound like much, but tight end is a wasteland this year. Look at how many key names let us down in Week 11.

And now we say hello to the Bears pass defense, the worst in the league against tight ends. I expect a shootout at Soldier Field, with both of Tampa's pass-catching rookies getting into the fun.

Hate him: Josh Gordon, Cle, WR - Pianowski WR rank No. 20 (Yahoo No. 13)

I understand the excitement over Josh Gordon, and I understand why it's rooted in more than his ballistic performance last year. The lengthy wait is priced into his immediate value. Week 12 might as well be Christmas Day for his fantasy owners.

But let's remember that Gordon hasn't practiced with the Browns since the summer. Pro football is difficult, man. Timing might not return immediately. The quarterbacking is still mediocre here (of course, that didn't stop him in 2013).

Last year's Browns team, with a different coaching staff, chucked a league-leading 681 pass attempts. The new-look Browns are contending this year, and just 26th in pass attempts. That rate will surely go up with Gordon back now, and I know we all remember his enormous 2013 debut (168 total yards on 19 targets) after a two-week wait. But I'm not going to slot Gordon next to the WR1 royalty until I see one prove-it game. And I have to consider that some of the variables are different in Cleveland this year.

I also think he's a wonderful trading chip if you still can make deals in your league. The longer fantasy players wait, the more they tend to expect.

BRAD EVANS

Love him: Ryan Tannehill, Mia, QB -  Evans QB rank No. 8 (Yahoo No. 15)

Peyton Manning, off a forgettable performance in St. Louis, is peeved. Expect him to take out his frustrations on Miami. That, my friends, should be music to Tannehill owners’ ears. In a contest that could be decided early, the Dolphins QB is set to wax the floor in garbage time. Denver, which has surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points and the most pass attempts (42.2) per game to signal callers this year, will likely employ plenty of zone coverage in the second half, allowing Tanny to do his best Mark Sanchez impersonation (Week 11 version). Chip in the ‘Fins’ ability to pad stats with his legs and roughly 330-340 combined yards with multiple scores are possible.

Hate him: Alfred Morris, Was, RB - Evans RB rank No. 26  (Yahoo No. 16)

Despite Washington’s persistent offensive inadequacies, Morris has proven to be a rock. Over the past two weeks, he’s bulled his way to 4.8 yards per carry, a pair of scores and 120.5 total yards per game. Still, his numbers should sink in the Bay’s dark waters. The cross country trip will be unkind to the ‘Skins’ patchwork offensive line. Aldon Smith and unheralded linebacker Chris Borland will dine from start to finish. Only three RBs have reached double-digits in fantasy points against San Fran this year. Given the disadvantageous situation, Morris’ odds of surpassing 80 yards are rather long.