Fantasy Rewind for Week 13
COLUMBUS AT PHILADELPHIA
Enigmas of the World, Unite and Take Over! Columbus went on the road to Philadelphia and made a bold move, going for the winning 2-pt conversion with less than a minute in the game, banking that their defense could stop the Soul from scoring. They gambled correctly. QB John Kaleo (315 yards and 4 TDs, 8 rushing yard, TD) connected with WR David Saunders (6 for 63, 1 TD) for those winning points in an otherwise uneventful game. OS Darcey Levy came out of nowhere to catch 7 balls for 88 yards and 3 TDs. WR BJ Barre played very well, accounting for 8 catches for 62 yards, 4 tackles and running in a score. DS Brandon Hefflin returned to some decent statistics, collecting 10 tackles (5 solo) and recovering a fumble.
The Soul continue to boggle the pundits, confusing the most astute prognosticators with their inconsistency. QB Matt Sauk took a step back, throwing for 249 yards and 4 TDs, resigning his main receivers, OS Steve Smith (9 for 86, 1 TD) and WR Sean Scott (5 for 49, no scores), to play completely below expectations. WR Mike Brown carried the Soul, with 4 catches for 64 yards, 2 TDs, 4 tackles and 2 kick return TDs. Without Brown, the Soul would have been completely lifeless. DS Eddie Moten had a fine game, with 7 solo stops and a fumble recovery.
UTAH AT COLORADO
Utah is making a late run at respectability, and winning at Colorado helps that claim. QB Andy Kelly (314 yards, 4 TDs) has restored order to the potent Blaze offense, and while he spreads the ball around a bit much for any one Utah player to star, Kelly has surely re-ignited this team. OS Siaha Burley (7 for 101, TD), WR Justin Skaggs (4 for 38, TD, rushing TD, tackle) and WR Orshawante Bryant (6 for 81, TD, 2 tackles) had decent games for the Blaze, but unless Kelly takes a definite shine to one of them (as he did with Burley last week), they may all see similar numbers. FB Kevin Clemens got back in his scoring ways with 6 yards and a TD. DS Thal Woods had 5 tackles and an INT.
Having wrapped up a playoff spot, Colorado could be excused for coming out somewhat flat. QB John Dutton had one of his worst outings, throwing for only 205 yards and 3 TDs, with 2 INTs. All of his TDs went to OS Damien Harrell (8 for 79, 3 TDs) who tied the single season mark for reception TDs. Expect Harrell to easily break the mark next week and shatter it in the weeks to come. WR Willis Marshall contributed (7 for 96, rushing TD) but the Crush are really becoming way too much of a one-man show. DS Rashad Floyd continued his late-season dominance, recording 12 solo tackles and returning to the game after a twisted knee. WR Ahmad Hawkins had 7 solo tackles, but no receptions.
DALLAS AT GEORGIA
The Desperado's used the big play, on offense and defense, to beat the Force. Two of QB Clint Dolezel's TD passes (324 yards, 6 TDs, rushing TD) went for over 40 yards. Two more went for over 30 yards. OS Terrill Shaw (11 for 182, 3 TDs) caught one of each length, as did WR Will Pettis (8 for 113, 2 TDs, 4 tackles) in his return to fantasy stardom after a few lackluster weeks. Defensively, the Desperados turned two great efforts into scores, opening up a close game and forcing Georgia to play catchup. A blocked FG was returned for a TD by DS Jermaine Jones (5 solo tackles) and a sack of Nagy led to a fumble, returned by DL Devin Wyman for the score. Those defensive scores accentuated a 28-point run by the Desperados that put the Force behind to stay. DS Hamin Milligan and DS Bobby Perry each had 6 solo stops for Dallas.
Georgia was up by 13 on Dallas and was showing their championship form until that 28-pt turnaround. Still, the Force fought back, with QB Matt Nagy (304 yards, 7 TDs, running TD) connecting with WR Derek Lee (9 for 127, 2 TDs), followed closely by an excellently executed onside kick that was picked up on the high bounce by WR Carl Morris (a Harvard man) and returned for the score. Nagy connected again with OS Chris Jackson, who continued his dominance with 11 catches for 122 yards and 4 TDs, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Desperado lead. DS Willie Gary (6 tackles) and DS Chris Brown (5 tackles) played well, but were victimized again and again by the big play Dallas offense.
TAMPA BAY AT ORLANDO
Usually the "War on I-4" is a closely fought slugfest, both teams fighting like dogs backed into a corner. This time was different. Orlando dominated the Storm, shutting them out in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th quarters. QB Joe Hamilton led the Predators nicely, finishing with 214 yards and 5 TDs and adding 11 rushing yards in a very efficient performance. WR Javarus Dudley (6 for 86, 2 TDs, 5 tackles) and OS Jimmy Fryzel (6 for 72, 3 TDs) led the receivers, with WR DeAndrew Rubin adding 3 catches for 44 yards and a TD. Orlando's defensive effort was so uniform that no defensive player stood out, with Dudley leading all tackles from his dual position.
Tampa Bay was horrendous, and is now in serious trouble of missing the playoffs for the first time EVER. QB Shane Stafford was frustrated all game, throwing 40 times but only completing 20 of those attempts for 214 yards and 2 TDs (with 1 INT). OS Freddie Solomon (3 for 55, TD), WR Lawrence Samuels (4 for 43, no TDs) and WR Demetrios Bendross (3 for 35, no TDs) all disappointed hugely, while WR Ronney Daniels (4 for 25, TD) was the only other Storm player to cross the goal.
NASHVILLE AT KANSAS CITY
It came as no surprise to me when Kansas City won this game. The Brigade have been playing inspired, were at home and Nashville had been stagnant since the return of their starting QB. QB Chris Sanders took apart a talented Kats defense, finishing with 291 yards and 6 TDs, adding 24 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Sanders is the hottest QB in the fantasy game and if you're wise enough, you'll ignore the sideways glances and start him on your team. WR James Jordan was the receiving star for a change (8 for 104, 3 TDs), taking over momentarily when the Kats focused on stopping WR Aaron Boone (6 for 90, 1 TD). OS Jerel Myers also ended with good stats, catching 6 balls for 80 yards and a TD.
Nashville just couldn't keep up with the Brigade. QB Clint Stoerner didn't have a bad game (251 yards, 5 TDs) but more was expected against a maligned Brigade defense. OS TT Toliver ended with only 5 catches for 22 yards and the slack was taken up by WR Alonzo Nix, with 9 catches for 118 yards and 3 TDs. Once again, the Nashville ground game excelled, with both FB Dan Alexander (6 yards, 1 catch for 26 yards) and FB Rupert Grant (18 yards, 2 catches for 15 yards) running in for scores. FB Frank Carter and DS Monty Montgomery were late scratches for the Kats. DS Chris Angel replaced Montgomery and recorded 11 tackles (8 solo).
AUSTIN AT SAN JOSE
This is a bad time of the year for a trip to San Jose. The Sabercats are playing confident football, keeping their composure even when they fall behind 21-0 after a quarter. QB Mark Grieb always seems to excel as the season progresses, and he calmly led the Sabercats on the steady march back past a good Austin team. Grieb ended up with 311 yards and 6 TDs, all of them to OS Ben Nelson (6 for 120, 2 TDs) and WR James Roe (14 for 133, 4 TDs, 3 tackles), who continue to be an extremely potent 1-2 punch. FB Phil Glover (7 yards, 3 tackles) and FB Brian Johnson (4 yards, tackle) both scored on the ground as the San Jose running game gears up for the coming weeks.
Austin jumped out to that quick lead but couldn't control the San Jose avalanche in the second half. Part of the reason the Wranglers were able to maintain their first half lead was a pair of 54-yard kick return TDs by WR Sedrick Robinson, who also caught 3 passes for 52 yards and a TD. QB John Fitzgerald sprained his knee right before the end of the 1st half, and didn't have any zip on his ball afterward, seemingly unable to push into his throws. Fitzgerald still finished with 249 yards and 4 TDs. WR Kevin Nickerson started slowly, but ended up with 5 catches for 95 yards and a TD, adding 6 tackles on the defensive side. FB Henry Bryant (5 yards, tackle) and FB Dane Krager (6 yards, 2 tackles) both scored on the ground. DS Damon Mason ended up with 7 tackles (5 solo) and forced a fumble.
ARIZONA AT GRAND RAPIDS
Who was the most valuable player for the Rampage in this game? Had to be K Peter Martinez, who nailed 4 FGs, including the game winning 36-yarder as time expired. Martinez helped the Rampage make the most of their scoring chances, and the return of QB Chad Salisbury helped the Rampage get a few more of those chances. Salisbury finished with 290 yards and 5 TDs, connecting with OS Anthony Hines (8 for 78) and WR Josh Bush (4 for 74) for a pair of TDs each. WR Timon Marshall had an excellent all-around game, collecting 7 catches for 100 yards and a TD, with 5 tackles on defense. FB Chris Ryan had 12 rushing yards, and displayed his soft hands with 2 catches for 30 yards.
Even though the Rattlers seemed out of sync all throughout a game they should never have lost, QB Sherdrick Bonner ended up with 261 yards and 6 TDs. Bonner spread the ball around to nine different receivers, which caused WR Randy Gatewood to be cooled down by the Rampage defense, finishing with 5 catches for 75 yards and 2 TDs. OS Damien Groce had decent stats, with 4 catches for 53 yards and a pair of TDs, while WR Thomas Wilson caught 5 balls for 43 yards and a score. "The Claw," DS Clarence Lawson, finished with 5 solo tackles.
LAS VEGAS AT CHICAGO
Ok, so let's add Chicago to the list of teams that are total enigmas when it comes to personnel decisions. After watching QB Micheal Bishop start last week as a spark for the Rush offense, and do a good job at it, it was widely assumed that Bishop was in to stay. So of course, this week it was back to QB Matt D'Orazio, a move that probably cost more than a few fantasy owners their quarterback points this week. D'Orazio turned in fine numbers, throwing for 309 yards and 8 TDs, running for 5 yards and another TD for a total of 46 fantasy points. But I doubt that did anyone any good. OS Bobby Sippio was the recipient of 6 of those TD passes, catching 8 balls for 168 yards in a notice to the rest of the league that Sippio is the #1 receiver in Chicago. WR Etu Molden (3 for 28, 1 TD) and WR Woody Dantzler (6 for 49) just had to stand by and watch the Sippio Show.
Las Vegas settled for 2 FGs in the first quarter while Chicago scored touchdowns, falling behind by 19 points early and never catching up. QB Craig Whelihan came in for the injured Jason Fife and threw for 234 yards and 6 TDs, with two going to OS Marcus Nash (9 for 77) who had been invisible lately. FB Marlion Jackson returned from injury to rush for 9 yards, while also catching 2 passes for 59 yards and 2 TDs. WR Joe Douglas finished with 7 catches for 67 yards and a TD, but nothing was enough for the Gladiators against a Rush team determined to give Coach Mike Hohensee his 100th career win.
NEW YORK AT LOS ANGELES
The Dragons improved to 8-5, but had to fight every step of the way against the Avengers. QB Nick Browder continued his fine play, throwing for 347 yards and 7 TDs while sneaking one into the endzone as well. Browder connected 10 times with WR Mike Horacek, who finished with 134 yards and 3 TDs, his 6th consecutive 100-yard receiving game. OS Kevin Swayne also had a fine night, with 7 catches for 68 yards and 2 TDs, but this is Horacek's team. DS DeShane Dennis had 3 tackles and returned an INT 41-yards for a score, also playing offense and collecting 5 catches for 43 yards.
The Avengers converted successfully on a pair of 2-pt conversion attempts to pull themselves back even with the Dragons, until falling prey to a last second TD. QB Sonny Cumbie got off to a slow start but still finished with a respectable 267 yards and 5 TDs (and those two 2-point passes). WR Kevin Ingram is just incredible, finishing with 7 catches for 136 yards and 3 TDs, adding 8 tackles (6 solo) and a fumble recovery. OS Tony Locke (3 for 52) caught Cumbie's other two TD passes, with WR Greg Hopkins (2 for 12) catching the other 2-pointer. FB Lonnie Ford was featured more than usual, making his four carries count for 25 yards and 2 TDs while also picking off a Browder throw in the endzone.
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