Week 12 Booms and Busts: Flat tires for Drew Brees, Matt Ryan

It’s Week 12. The fantasy playoffs are closing in. Do you know where your passing game is at?

Every NFL Sunday is weird in its own way; the passing games took the strange tag on this slate. A slew of big names and good matchups went awry, while some afterthoughts produced like crazy.

Did you need Drew Brees at Houston? Say hello to 228 yards, one pick, zero touchdowns (for New Orleans, it snapped a 155-game TD streak). Yuck.

[15% off $50 Enter Code CyberMon15 – At Yahoo Fan Shop]

Counting on Matt Ryan against Minnesota? Two picks, one garbage-time touchdown, 230 piddly yards. You could call it a fantasy hangover from the Thanksgiving slate, when the Philadelphia, Dallas and Green Bay passing games all hit a flat tire at the worst possible time.

Brian Hoyer did throw for two scores in Houston’s win, but a modest 205 passing yards against the terrible New Orleans defense qualifies as a major disappointment. We appreciated Eli Manning’s two late touchdowns, but we didn’t need the three messy picks that threw the game away. Jameis Winston had just one touchdown and 245 passing yards at Indianapolis, one week removed from his carnival at Philly. Marcus Mariota had two ugly interceptions (against three scoring passes, as it were) in a rainy loss to Oakland.

And when quarterbacks let us down, you can be sure there are some receivers breaking our heart, too. Did anyone expect DeAndre Hopkins to land on 36 yards against the Saints? Did you predict Julio Jones to tap out at 56 yards against Minnesota? Mike Evans dropped another key pass, a sure touchdown at Indy.

It was the type of day where a slew of WR2s went bonkers. Much of it happened in garbage time, but Jarvis Landry was a monster (13-165-1) at the Jets. Brandon Marshall, perhaps a Top 10 wideout on your board, had two scores in the same game. Sammy Watkins went for 158 and two scores at Kansas City, while Jeremy Maclin (9-160-1) tried to keep up on the other side. A.J. Green had a two-score game. Tavon Austin had a score on a red-zone rush. T.Y. Hilton spiked twice against the Bucs.

If you’re a fan of cheaper quarterbacks, this was your day. Ryan Fitzpatrick riddled the Dolphins, throwing four touchdown passes. Philip Rivers hit the same mark at Jacksonville, with two going to old reliable, Antonio Gates. Tyrod Taylor, Derek Carr (terrific in the rain) and Ryan Tannehill tossed three touchdowns apiece, though most of Tannehill’s production came in garbage time. (Enjoy it when you get it. It’s twice as sweet as traditional fantasy production.)

-- Carr clearly belongs back in the Circle of Trust after a gem in the Tennessee rain (24-for-73, 330 yards, three TDs, zero picks), carrying the Oakland offense on a day where Latavius Murray went nowhere. Seth Roberts (6-113-2) muscled in on some of the Raiders passing production, but at least Amari Cooper went for 113 yards and Michael Crabtree had a short touchdown. The immediate schedule isn’t easy for Carr — home against Kansas City, then a visit to Denver — before a bit of a respite (Green Bay, San Diego).

-- Here’s how bad Matt Ryan was in the 20-10 loss to Minnesota — head coach Dan Quinn felt he needed to give Ryan a vote of confidence after the game. Matty Ice has been that terrible lately. The Week 12 story: two picks, two sacks, no major downfield hookups. A Tevin Coleman fumble didn’t help the cause, though he did manage 110 yards on 18 carries (46 yards came on one attempt). Heaven help the Falcons, with two Carolina matchups yet to come (Weeks 14, 16).

The Vikings passing game didn’t do much, either, though somehow Kyle Rudolph had seven short catches (53 yards) on 10 targets. But when your defense is teeing off and Adrian Peterson is beasting (29-158-2), why worry? Stefon Diggs hasn’t scored a touchdown or topped 66 yards receiving since Week 8. Teddy Bridgewater, killing us softly.

-- The Seahawks and Steelers played a pinball afternoon game, with a playoff atmosphere to it. But Seattle’s 39-30 victory came at a cost — tight end Jimmy Graham tore his patellar tendon and is lost for the year. Luke Willson figures to step into a starting role.

It’s ironic that Graham (4-75-0) didn’t catch a touchdown pass on a day Russell Wilson (21-30-345) three for five. Doug Baldwin had the game of his life with three touchdown grabs (80, 30, 16), while Jermaine Kearse snagged a couple of shorter scores. Pittsburgh’s rushing defense remains stout, but there are plenty of leaks in the secondary.

Ben Roethlisberger was gallant in defeat (36-for-55, 456 yards, one TD, two picks), though he suffered a concussion late in the fourth period and didn’t play the final series. I don’t know what took so long for Markus Wheaton to click, but he had a field day against the lesser Seattle corners: a nine-catch, 201-yard jamboree, with a touchdown. He also lost a 32-yard catch on a questionable review — what else is new?

-- There’s no complicated matrix with the Redskins and the 49ers — they’re both competitive teams at home and complete disasters on the road. Washington now has five wins in DC after polishing off the Giants, and while the Niners had to settle for a 19-13 loss to Arizona, the result was respectable. San Francisco is 3-3 at Levi Stadium (with four covers), 0-5 everywhere else.

The Washington rushing game can’t be trusted, but kudos for Kirk Cousins, who threw for 302 yards and a score in a clean game (no picks, no sacks). New York continues to struggle in tight end coverage — Jordan Reed had a nifty 8-98-0 line on nine targets. DeSean Jackson had just two catches, but one of them was a 63-yard touchdown.

-- I think we can all agree the Colts offense is better with a healthy Matt Hasselbeck than it was with an injured Andrew Luck. Hasselbeck played a professional game in the 25-12 victory over Tampa Bay, posting a rating over 100 and hitting Hilton on a couple of touchdown passes. Hasselbeck’s efficiency was paramount, as the Colts rushing game went nowhere (26 carries, 27 yards).

Don’t look now, but two AFC South teams are currently inside the playoff cutline. The Colts visit Pittsburgh and Jacksonville the next two weeks.