New York, New York: Eric Decker and Odell Beckham Jr. go ballistic in Week 17
Normally we go Booms and Busts in this space, a story of highs and lows from the day. But with it being Week 17 and the holiday season, you're only going to get the Booms today, the happy stories. You're free to kick rocks at your frustrating Week 17 busts; please do that in the comments. Have a safe and happy New Year, Roto Arcadians.
Eric Decker was one of my target players in August, an affordable wide receiver I regularly scooped up in the middle rounds.
Four months later, thanks for the validation, big guy.
The Jets took to the air for their season-ending 37-24 victory at Miami on Sunday, with Decker and quarterback Geno Smith leading the way. Decker posted a monster 10-catch, 221-yard afternoon (on just 11 targets), and Smith was letter-perfect most of the day (20-for-25, 358 yards, three scores, maximum QB rating). The duo hooked up on a 75-yard touchdown in the third period, and made several downfield connections. No dinking and dunking on South Beach.
The aggressive play calling was a shocking turnaround from a coaching staff that didn't trust Smith at all earlier in the season. After Smith played one awful quarter against Buffalo in Week 8, the Jets basically wrote him off. He was benched at that time – for retread Michael Vick – and when Smith eventually got back on the field, he was given shockingly little responsibility. Heck, Smith attempted a scant 13 passes (good for a piddly 65 yards) when the Jets and Dolphins played the Monday Night capper in Week 13. The game plans were so dated, you expected the players to be running around in leather helmets.
As always, fantasy owners know the story. It's the ebulient dance of the recently eliminated. Nothing is as bittersweet as a bushel of fantasy points that arrive too late to help us.
Decker became the eighth player to top 200 yards receiving on the year. Surprisingly, Odell Beckham Jr. is not on that list, though he gave it a helluva run. The likely Rookie of the Year went for 12 catches and 185 yards on the Eagles secondary Sunday, including a 63-yard touchdown. The Giants looked Beckham's way early and often, pepping him with a whopping, and league-high, 21 targets. (It wasn't enough for a Big Blue win, but hey, we're just in it for the numbers.)
Beckham's seasonal game logs read like a misprint. Check his yardage totals from Week 9 to the finale: 156, 108, 93, 146, 90, 130, 143, 148, 185. He scored 10 touchdowns over his last six games. Beckham appears to be uncoverable, a mix of speed, lateral agility, and cutting ability. If you want him for your 2015 fantasy squad, you're going to need a first-round pick.
Sticking with the Giants, put Rueben Randle on list of late-arriving producers. The buzzy August pick had a dreadful season, but he went for 158 yards on six catches Sunday. It wasn't the most efficient of days, on 13 targets, but it's encouraging to see Randle making a few plays downfield. He also had a 6-132-1 line in last week's victory at St. Louis; maybe he'll become a double-down fantasy commodity next summer.
Also Booming in Week 17 (early games):
-- Andre Johnson, WR, Texans: Houston's AJ plays a lot like the AJ hand in Hold Em – looks great, seldom hits paydirt. But he had little trouble negotiating the Jaguars on Sunday, rolling up 10 grabs for 134 yards and a touchdown (his third of the year). Johnson turns 34 in July, but the tank doesn't appear empty yet.
-- Lamar Miller, RB, Dolphins: The Miami coaching staff is judicious with his touches (Miller never topped 20 rushes in a game this year), but sometimes less is more. His 97-yard touchdown jaunt agains the Jets highlighted a snappy 19-178-1 afternoon. His two targets fell incomplete, but he's not a zero in the passing game (38 catches). We might have to view him as an RB1 in 2015.
-- DeMarco Murray, RB, Cowboys: Busted hand, no problem. Murray collected 100 rushing yards and a score on 20 totes at Washington, taking down Emmitt Smith's franchise rushing record in the process. The Pokes didn't seem worried about their dinged up skill guys; Murray and Tony Romo went the route.
-- Other Early Boomers in Week 17 (1 pm ET slate): Eddie Royal, Eli Manning, Dez Bryant, Justin Forsett, Doug Martin, Joe Flacco.
