Week 15 fantasy wrap: Ezekiel Elliott tops Mostly NFL Notes
Ezekiel Elliott ran for 159 yards and a score, adding 29 yards through the air in another dominant performance. He’s winning owners a lot of titles this season as a rookie who’s going to get MVP votes. Elliott is now on pace to finish with 2,174 yards and 16 touchdowns, and the early word is he’s winning rookie of the year. In all seriousness, Elliott runs behind a great line, but he’s beyond legit, and those who took him early are reaping the benefits. He also drew a flag leaping into a Salvation Army pot after scoring. The Cowboys get the Lions in primetime in Week 16…Doug Martin has gotten 2.7 YPC over the past three weeks but the volume remains at least.
LeSean McCoy totaled 169 yards and scored twice while also losing another touchdown to Mike Gillislee. McCoy has been fantastic all season and didn’t disappoint in the crucial Week 15…Robert Griffin led the Browns in rushing yards with 48, although he lost 34 yards while taking five sacks…Terrelle Pryor turned eight targets into 19 yards.
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Aaron Rodgers didn’t throw a touchdown, but he was playing hurt and got 8.1 YPA in cold weather. Davante Adams dropped two well-thrown balls while in the end zone. And this play to Jordy Nelson late in the game was pretty crucial…Jordan Howard is really good…The Packers have followed up a four-game losing streak by winning four straight and suddenly look like a real threat…Ty Montgomery played a great game and will be a must start in Week 16.
Headlines of the Week: Not A Joke: NFL Adding Dodgeball In Attempt To Liven Up Pro Bowl…Pilot ‘Congratulates’ Passengers For Drinking All Alcohol On Plane…Canadians Warned About Car-Licking Moose…Trooper Pulled Women Over To Ask Them Out.
Jeremy Hill was remarkably inefficient even in a game script in which the Bengals had an early lead, but he still at least hit paydirt…Antonio Brown has more touchdowns than he did last season, but he won’t go down as worthy of the No. 1 overall pick, and he came up small during the crucial Week 15…Le’Veon Bell is putting up crazy scrimmage yard numbers, and he once again led Pittsburgh in targets. It will be hard not to rank him first overall next season.
Alex Smith and Marcus Mariota threw for zero touchdowns, while DeMarco Murray and Spencer Ware ran for none as well in a game in which the Chiefs were shutout at home in the second half…Tyreek Hill remained fantasy relevant despite not recording a single catch…The Titans went for two down 17-16 with 3:12 left and didn’t convert. They still won on a 53-yard field goal at the buzzer, though that was originally short before a timeout.
I faded Frank Gore this season because of his age, not because I thought Robert Turbin would steal his touchdowns…Adrian Peterson’s return resulted in six carries for 22 yards and a lost fumble. Not great, Bob…How do the Colts look so bad last week and win 34-6 in Minnesota, says a bitter person who lost my survivor pool because of Indy last week.
Police Blotter: Man Stabbed To Death ‘At Party Celebrating Life Of Friend Killed In Knife Attack The Day Before.’…Fake Cop Pulls Over Off-Duty Police Officer, Gets Arrested…He Extracted 10 Teeth Without Anesthesia. And He Wasn’t a Dentist, Cops Say…Man Stages Fake Police Standoff For Wedding Proposal.
Can we stop any Matthew Stafford for MVP talk now please? He’s playing hurt, but he has a 1:3 TD:INT ratio over the past two weeks and hasn’t thrown for more than two touchdowns since October 16. The Lions scored six points Sunday against a Giants defense missing Jason Pierre-Paul and also lost Janoris Jenkins early on…Odell Beckham Jr. had a bad drop but had another catch that surprisingly wasn’t overruled…The Lions punted down 11 points with five minutes left (Beckham returned it to the house, but it was called back), which seems like a curious decision if the goal is to win the game.
The Ravens entered with one of the more impressive DVOA ratings against the run, and Ryan Mathews rushed for 128 yards on 20 carries…Carson Wentz has a 4:10 TD:INT ratio over his past seven games. He got 4.0 YPA Sunday and had two fumbles…Kenneth Dixon looks like a future star, but Terrance West remains the favorite for touches in Baltimore’s backfield…The Eagles went for two with four seconds left in a one-point game and didn’t get it, but I liked the move given the circumstances.
Blake Bortles got 3.3 YPA while Brock Osweiler was benched in a game that resulted in Gus Bradley’s firing…Marqise Lee didn’t record a catch, but he did have this special teams play…Allen Robinson’s disappointing season continued, as he managed 15 yards on eight targets. Bryan Walters had more receiving yards…The Texans are the worst first place team I’ve ever seen. But Jadeveon Clowney is legit.
The 49ers have had a 14-point lead twice in the first quarter and lost this season. That’s happened one other time in the NFL this year among all other teams. S.F. didn’t get off to a great start this game, but they were shut out in the second half yet again…Blake Bell and Aaron Burbridge were the leading receivers for the 49ers Sunday…Devonta Freeman has seven touchdowns over his last four games, although he did lose a fumble for the first time by an Atlanta running back in 381 touches this season.
Well this 48-41 Saints/Cardinals game has to go down as one of the best of the season…The two QBs combined for a 6:0 TD:INT ratio, yet Mark Ingram owners lost two touchdowns to Tim Hightower, while David Johnson owners lost one to Kerwynn Williams….J.J. Nelson dropped a would-be 55-yard touchdown, as the Cardinals’ disappointing season continued, scoring 41 points and still losing by a touchdown…Brandin Cooks had a huge day, hauling in 7-of-8 targets for 186 yards and two scores against a strong secondary.
Police Blotter Part Deux: ‘Granny Gem Thief’ With 20 Arrests Adds Another…Suspects Pocket Dial 911, Discuss Plans To Rob Restaurant Where Police Chief Was Eating…He Found 3 Tons Of Sunken Gold – And He Can’t Leave Jail Until He Says Where It Is…Man Leaves Rehab, Writes Bank Stickup Note On Discharge Paper…Police Break Car Window To Rescue ‘Frozen’ Woman, Only To Discover It’s A Mannequin.
Dion Lewis led the Patriots with 18 carries, finishing with one more than LeGarrette Blount…Justin Forsett led the Broncos with 10 carries, four more than Devontae Booker…I’m beginning to think you shouldn’t start opposing quarterbacks against the Broncos…Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell combined for just three targets.
Longread of the Week: The Killer The Police Missed.
Amari Cooper remains the most hit-and-miss player in fantasy football…Dontrelle Inman and Tyrell Williams had all the targets, but Hunter Henry and Travis Benjamin came down the with the scores, with the latter pulling down this nice 47-yarder.
