Week 14 Recap: What We Saw

The weekly recaps are written by former Stanford kicker Derek Belch.

Like last year, every week this column will recap the week’s performances (good and bad), as well as analyze things that I think you should be made aware of moving forward. I’ve also added a new section this year, entitled “A Closer Look”, to point out a few things that go beyond the statistics. So focus up, make sure your boss isn’t looking over your shoulder, and enjoy.

Playoff time! Need we say more? Across the board, week 14 was just above average, with several big names not exactly helping the cause in your team’s quest to move on in the playoffs. If you’re out after this week, hopefully you’re in multiple leagues and have lived to see another day in those. In that case, hopefully you find the following recap useful:

The Good

Jay Feely: Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. We’re starting off with a kicker. And Feely certainly deserves it, because entering the fourth quarter yesterday, he was responsible for every Cardinal offensive point. After kicking two field goals to give the Cardinals a 6-3 lead, Feely scored on a 5 yard run on a fake field goal in the second quarter. Feely then went on to kick three more field goals and three extra points. All in all, Feely kicked five field goals, scored a touchdown, and kicked four PATs, good for third leading fantasy score among all players Sunday.

Darren McFadden: Now for the guys that you probably expected to have big games, and McFadden is certainly worthy of mentioning first. In arguably the day’s most exciting game, McFadden put the Raiders on his back and did everything he could in a losing effort at Jacksonville. McFadden needed only 16 carries for register 123 yards and two touchdowns, and only 3 catches to gain 86 yards and another score. More importantly than the numbers, however, is how good McFadden looked throughout the game. He broke tackles, made defenders miss, and was the go-to running back for Oakland when they needed points. Oh and Michael Bush registered only five carries. McFadden owners have to love that.

Alex Smith: It’s been a roller coaster season for Smith, who returned Sunday after missing over a month with a shoulder injury. As a welcome back present, Smith treated 49ers fans and any fantasy owners with enough guts to start him to 255 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. When you think about it, Smith was a logical start considering that it was a home game for the 49ers against the league’s 31st ranked pass defense. Of course, you probably played Aaron Rodgers (as you have all season) and were treated to nearly zero points. Such is fantasy.

Michael Turner: Sunday marked the fourth game in a row in which Turner has scored, and the third time this year that he has scored two or more times in a game. Turner pounded the Panthers for 112 on 28 carries and three touchdowns, putting an exclamation point on a remarkable four-game stretch in which he’s averaged over 100 yards per game and scored six touchdowns. With Seattle, New Orleans, and Carolina remaining, however, I have a feeling the Burner isn’t done.

Deion Branch: Sunday’s second best receiving performance was turned in by Branch, who wasn’t supposed to do much in a driving snow storm and sub-zero wind chill temperatures. But when you have Tom Brady steering the ship (more on that later), anything is possible. Branch caught 8 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown Sunday, marking the third game in a row that he’s found the endzone, and his second 100 yard game in his past three contests. In every game since week 10, Branch has registered 7 or more catches, 100 yards, or a touchdown. Branch is certainly playing like it’s 2005, and should be considered a must-start throughout the fantasy playoffs.

DeSean Jackson: If Branch was second best Sunday, then who was first? That honor went to Jackson, who caught four passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. Of course, had it not been for that 91 yarder in the fourth quarter, Jackson’s day wouldn’t have been quite so spectacular. But hey, that’s the type of player Jackson is, and his owners certainly aren’t complaining.

The Bad

Dwayne Bowe: Another week, another stinker. While this one wasn’t a complete shutout for those playing in a PPR or fractional points league, one catch for 3 yards might as well be. Don’t act like you didn’t see this one coming, however. With Matt Cassel out and Bowe facing the San Diego Chargers’ solid defense, the writing was on the wall before this game even started. Assuming Cassel comes back this season, Bowe has a soft schedule and should be able to bounce back. He certainly owes his owners that much.

Roddy White: It’s the playoffs and the staple of your receiving corps can’t even come through!?!?!? White caught eight passes Sunday, which you would think would equate to either 100 yards or a score, or both. Unfortunately, you got neither yesterday, as White could muster only 79 yards against a Carolina defense that was shredded last week by the Seattle Seahawks. Ever since his Thursday night explosion against Baltimore a month ago, White has failed to top 85 yards or score a touchdown in every game. He gets the porous Seahawks next week, but Atlanta is playing such a run-heavy offense right now that I’m not sure it matters.

Calvin Johnson: If I had told you on Sunday morning that Detroit was going to beat Green Bay in a few hours, you’d probably figure Johnson to have a big day, right? Well, when the score is 7-3 and Johnson didn’t score the Lion touchdown, you’d be dead wrong. Despite torching Green Bay earlier this year for 86 yards and two touchdowns, Johnson managed only one catch for 44 yards Sunday. He also took an end-around for 12 yards, but doesn’t mean much for the bottom line unless it was for a touchdown, which it wasn’t. Not what you like to see from one of your studs when it matters most, that’s for sure.

Greg Jennings: Are you sensing a theme here? Another wide receiver who has been a staple of your team this year struggled mightily Sunday, catching only four passes for 52 yards. Jennings, however, has only himself to blame, as he dropped a sure touchdown pass in the second quarter that instead bounced off his hands and into those of the Detroit defensive back. Of course, losing Aaron Rodgers for the game didn’t help either.

Mark Sanchez: To those who thought Sanchez would rebound against a vulnerable Miami secondary after a rough outing in Foxborough last weekend, think again. Sanchez was awful again Sunday, completing only 17 of 44 pass attempts for 216 yards, no touchdown, and one interception.

Matt Forte: A week after totaling nearly 100 total yards and a touchdown, Forte couldn’t get much going Sunday against New England. In a game that was expected to feature a heavy dose of the running game, Forte received only nine carries, which he converted into 25 yards; he also caught two passes for 36 yards. Of course, Forte’s output wasn’t helped by the fact that the Bears trailed by a huge margin nearly the entire game. With Minnesota, the Jets, and the Packers remaining on his schedule, Forte’s best games this year may be behind him.

Beyond the Numbers

Chris Johnson finally got back on track Thursday night against the Colts, carrying 22 times for 111 yards and a touchdown, while also catching eight passes for 68 yards. It was Johnson’s first 100 yard game since week 11, and first touchdown since week 10. His 68 yards receiving were also a single-game high for 2010, and looked more like the way the Titans used Johnson last season. Thursday’s performance couldn’t have come at a better time for Johnson owners, who are hoping matchups with Houston, Kansas City, and Indianapolis in the playoffs will help lead to a championship… A closer look at Tom Brady’s performance Sunday reveals something pretty obvious: it was even better than the numbers show. Brady completed 27 of 40 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns, all during a driving snow storm, 30 mile per hour winds, and sub-zero wind chill temperatures. It was Brady’s fourth consecutive game with at least 300 yards passing and eighth consecutive game without throwing an interception. To be perfectly honest, given New England’s tendency toward the high-percentage pass, Brady could very well go the rest of the season without throwing another pick… Everyone figured Peyton Manning would get back on track sooner or later, but don’t get too wrapped up in Manning’s rebound performance Thursday against Tennessee, one in which he completed 25 of 35 for 319 yards and two touchdowns. Tennessee played a lot of soft coverage and pretty much let Manning pick them apart. Then again, Manning did finally have some of his offensive weapons play their second game in a row without injury, so perhaps that’s all it took. The Colts host Jacksonville next week in what’s a must-win game for both teams. If you need a big one from Peyton in the semifinals, you just may get it… LeSean McCoy totaled over 100 yards for the fourth consecutive week Sunday, rushing for 149 yards on just 16 carries. The beauty of McCoy’s performance was that nearly all of his rushing yards came in the second half. When the Eagles needed to run the ball to close out the game, the offensive line opened up solid holes for their playmaker to run through. McCoy faces the Giants next week, and if you saw that game earlier this year you know that he was pretty bottled up until two big runs in the fourth quarter. Regardless of how he gets his yards, however, McCoy’s putting up points for you every week… It was a blast from the past Sunday in San Francisco, where running back Brian Westbrook delivered the type of game we’ve grown accustomed to seeing over the last nine years. Westbook couldn’t muster much on the ground, carrying nine times for only 23 yards, but he was highly effective through the air, catching six passes for 87 yards and a score. With road games at San Diego and St. Louis upcoming, however, don’t count on much from the veteran during the palyoffs.

Quick Hits

Tim Hightower received 18 carries Sunday, and made the most of nearly every single one, rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns against a Denver team that’s an absolute mess. Beanie Wells, meanwhile, received only six carries (for 16 yards). While the Cardinals have a favorable matchup next week against Carolina, it’s hard to recommend Hightower given Ken Wisenhunt’s reluctance to commit to one of his backs. Hightower has, however, received 15 and 18 carries the past two weeks, respectively… Don’t be too worried about Rashad Jennings’ pretty stat line Sunday (109 yards rushing and a touchdown). The bulk of those yards came on his 74 yard touchdown run in the third quarter. This is still Maurice Jones-Drew’s backfield. The little guy recorded his sixth straight 100 yard game Sunday, rushing for 101 yards and the game-winning score on 23 carries… The return of Vincent Jackson Sunday to the San Diego offense did wonders for everyone but Jackson. When the dust settled in the Chargers’ 31-0 blowout of Kansas City, Jackson recorded only two catches for 29 yards, while his co-starter Malcom Floyd caught four passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns. The San Diego ground game was also on fire, as Mike Tolbert, Ryan Matthews, and Darren Sproles each totaled over 50 yards rushing (66, 65, and 53, respectively), with Tolbert and Matthews each scoring a touchdown… Ryan Torain returned to the Washington lineup and performed admirably, carrying 24 times for 172 yards. He had over 100 yards after seven carries, and kept producing all day. It certainly should be noted, too, that Torain, despite missing four games in a row with a hamstring injury, received 24 carries (to Keiland Williams’ four and James Davis’ zero) in his first game back. Looks like we know who Mike Shannahan’s favorite running back is in Washington (for now)… Another solid game from Jason Witten, who totaled as many touchdowns last night (two) as he did all of last season (two). Witten has now scored six touchdowns on the season, and recoded over 50 yards in two of his last three games… Steven Jackson had his way with the New Orleans defense Sunday, ripping off big run after big run. Despite receiving only 16 carries, he rushed for 96 yards and also caught four passes for 38 yards. Unfortunately, however, Jackson’s day will be remembered for what he didn’t do. As in, he didn’t get in the endzone from the one yard line in the fourth quarter, and didn’t hold onto the football in the first quarter during a stretch in which he recorded four carries for 40 yards… Peyton Hillis is the 2009 Adrian Peterson. Hillis rumbled for 108 yards on 21 carries Sunday, but he fumbled three times, losing one. It’s hard to believe such a big man can actually lose grip of a little football (relative to his body size), but it happens. Unfortunately for Hillis, it’s been happening way too much this season… Welcome back, Brandon Marshall. In your first game since injuring your hamstring in week 11, you caught two passes for 16 yards and a score. Had it not been for that TD, it would have been another stinker for you. You’re up there with Randy Moss for top bust of 2010.

Looking Ahead

On semifinal Sunday, here’s what I’ll be looking forward to:

Buffalo at Miami: In one league, I’ve been holding Ricky Williams all year for this game. Miami runs over the Bills to the tune of 200+ rush yards.

NY Jets at Pittsburgh: The Jets are playing so bad offensively, and the Steelers are so good on the other side of the ball. 13-10 wouldn’t be surprising here, and I wouldn’t blame you for sitting anyone involved in this game.

Green Bay at New England: The last time Aaron Rodgers had a concussion (week 5 against Washington), he threw for 313 yards, one touchdown, and one interception the following week. If he plays Sunday, the Packers are going to need much more than that. Tom Brady is so hot right now.

Detroit at Tampa Bay: LeGarrette Blount is due to torch a poor rush defense.

Kansas City at St. Louis: In what’s a must-win game for both teams, the Rams get the job done behind three Sam Bradford touchdown passes.