Fantasy Clicks: Divisional Playoff Revelations

Thoughts From The Couch
Need further proof the fantasy football season never ends? Check out these four expansive Revelations from Divisional Playoff Weekend:

Arizona 33, Carolina 13
What I Liked: Do you think this Fitzgerald cat will have a bright NFL future? Seriously, as if there were any doubts of who's the best big-money receiver in the league, Larry Fitzgerald quieted his few detractors by decimating the beleaguered Panthers secondary for eight catches, 166 yards and one TD.
What I Loathed: With Anquan Boldin out with a bad hammy, I fully expected Steve Breaston to run wild behind the Carolina linebackers. But alas, he finished with only 28 yards, giving me some pause when considering his draft prospects for the '09 season (especially if Boldin is playing elsewhere).
What Makes Me Sad: I don't see how Jake Delhomme can ever fully recover from his horrendous 205-yard, 5-INT night in the biggest game he's had in three years. At age 34, Delhomme certainly could play (and start) another 4-5 years in the league ... but I doubt he'll ever get this close to a championship again. What's worse, I'm having reservations of whether he'll even be Carolina's opening-day starter next season.
What I'm Going To Remember on Draft Day: That I cannot, in good conscience, select DeAngelo Williams (63 yards vs. Arizona) in Round 1 of any league next year -- unless I have the first or second pick of Round 2 (where I would grab another top-shelf rusher) ... or had written assurances from the other owners that I'll get Panthers rookie RB Jonathan Stewart (51 total yards, 1 TD) in Round 10. Otherwise, I'll leave the business of deconstructing "Smash and Dash" (Williams and Stewart) to another owner in '09.

Pittsburgh 35, San Diego 24
What I Liked: Leave it to Fast Willie Parker (146 yards, 2 TDs) to confuse me to no end on his '09 draft standing. Is he still a top-10 rusher, when healthy? Has Pittsburgh morphed back into a balanced offensive attack, after straying toward the pass in Bruce Arians' first two years of helming the offense? And is Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers' No. 1 pick last April, ready to share carries with Parker and -- perhaps more importantly -- log all the goal-line opportunities?
What I Loathed: Outside of Ben Roethlisberger's pedestrian outing (181 yards, 1 TD), I have zero complaints. The fantasy stars -- at least the ones who dressed (ahem, LT) -- all brought their A-games.
What Makes Me Cringe: I harbor no ill will toward Darren Sproles and his impending date with free agency this winter. But I would like to offer a piece of (unsolicited) advice: Darren ... no matter the money, please avoid signing with a club that doesn't have a history of featuring unconventional running backs. At all costs, I beg you to avoid joining forces with an offensive coordinator who's clueless on the subject of maximizing touches for "in-space" backs. At best, Sproles' Points Per Reception draft value could exceed that of Reggie Bush next year. At worst, Sproles (106 total yards, 1 TD vs. Pittsburgh) could end up trapped on a team with little offensive ingenuity (Jaguars, Bucs, Lions, etc.).
What I'm Going To Remember on Draft Day: That Philip Rivers (308 yards, 3 TDs) is the easy choice for No. 5 fantasy QB next August, trailing only Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler ... while getting a slight nod over Tony Romo, Donovan McNabb, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, Matt Ryan and Big Ben.

Philadelphia 23, N.Y. Giants 11
What I Liked: How about a big round of applause for Donovan McNabb, who braved the Giants Stadium wind to rack up 233 total yards and two touchdowns (one rushing).
What I Loathed: Take your pick -- today's game was the very definition of fantasy roadkill. But if I had to choose the poorest of the poor performers ... how does Eagles RB Brian Westbrook net only 46 yards on 20 touches? And if that weren't bad enough ... his gawd-awful outing comes on the heels of a so-called fantasy writer tabbing Westy as the No. 1 pick in next year's drafts. D'oh!
What I'm Going To Remember on Fantasy Draft Day: That I must be delusional to think I can wait until pick 23 of Round 3 (10-team league) to draft Brandon Jacobs -- just like I did last year. Right here, right now, I'd rather have Jacobs (92 yards vs. Philly) over Marshawn Lynch and Larry Johnson ... but maybe not ahead of Marion Barber and Frank Gore.

Baltimore 13, Tennessee 10
What I Liked: I absolutely loved Chris Johnson's 100 total yards (72 rushing) in the first half ... and I'm quite certain he would've added another 70 later on, if he didn't sustain a game-ending ankle injury. Yes, Baltimore won the game and deserves full props for doing so; but does any Ravens honk actually believe his team would've prevailed if CJ was healthy the entire game? I didn't think so.
What I Loathed: Keep in mind this is a fantasy column ... so I'd have to go with Joe Flacco. Yes, he's now the only rookie QB in NFL history to win two playoff games, but c'mon, Joe, I need to see more than 166 total yards and 1 TD.
What Makes Me Laugh: Do the math. If Flacco actually makes the leap from good NFL quarterback to good fantasy QB next year ... it'll mean that Derrick Mason (5 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD) played a major role in the transformation. And yet, he'll undoubtedly get the short-end of the draft "stick" leading up to the August drafts. Absurd!
What I'm Going To Remember on Draft Day: Regardless of whether Kerry Collins, Vince Young or Matt Cassel (pure speculation) is throwing the majority of Tennessee passes next year, I aspire to have complete confidence in Justin Gage (10 catches, 135 yards vs. Baltimore) sometime around Round 9 or 10. His amazing output on Saturday may have been his proverbial coming-out party ... and he'd be a steal as a WR4.

I conceived my fair share of predictions for Divisional Playoff weekend -- some that came through with flying colors ... and some that justified the Clicks haters' belief that I should be washing cars instead of penning long fantasy columns three times a week. Here's the rundown:

QB Rankings -- Divisional Playoffs
1. Donovan McNabb, (233 total yards, 2 TDs -- strong call on my part)
2. Jake Delhomme, (205 yards, 1 TD, 5 INTs -- worst ... game ... ever!)
3. Ben Roethlisberger, (181 yards, 1 TD -- guessed wrong on the Steelers' pass/run ratio)
4. Kurt Warner, (220 yards, 2 TDs -- good call)
5. Eli Manning, (169 yards, 2 INTs -- correctly pegged him for minimal success)
6. Philip Rivers, (308 yards, 1 TD -- guessed wrong on the Chargers' pass/run ratio)
7. Kerry Collins, (281 yards -- how do you not throw one TD with 42 attempts?)
8. Joe Flacco, (166 yards, 1 TD -- like he cares how little I respect his fantasy game)

RB Rankings -- Divisional Playoffs
1. DeAngelo Williams, (63 total yards, 0 TDs -- I was wayyyyyyyyyyy off about 140/1 TD)
2. Brian Westbrook, (46 total yards on 20 touches -- really?)
3. Brandon Jacobs, (92 total yards -- the No. 3 rusher, in hindsight)
4. Chris Johnson, (100 total yards, 1 TD -- would've easily topped 170 yards if not for injury)
5. Willie Parker, (146 yards, 2 TDs -- the redoubtable rushing king for this week)
6. Le'Ron McClain, (12 yards -- worse game than Jake Delhomme?)
7. Jonathan Stewart, (51 total yards, 1 TD -- good call on a sub)
8. Darren Sproles, (106 total yards, 1 TD -- has better PPR potential than Reggie Bush in '09)
9. Derrick Ward, (70 total yards)
10. LenDale White, (80 total yards -- I was wrong to doubt him ... again!)

WR Rankings -- Divisional Playoffs
1. Larry Fitzgerald, (166 yards, 1 TD -- the best of the best)
2. Steve Smith, (43 yards, 1 TD -- his late score saved a potential 'roadkill' day)
3. Hines Ward, (4 catches, 70 yards -- strong pick for this slot)
4. Domenik Hixon, (37 yards -- an Eli Manning overthrow almost rescued this pick)
5. Santonio Holmes, (25 receiving yards doesn't account for game-changing punt-return TD)
6. Derrick Mason, (5 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD -- should've ranked him a tad higher)
7. Steve Breaston, (28 yards -- I expected a much, much better day)
8. Kevin Curtis, (40 yards -- should've ranked him at 10 or lower)
9. Muhsin Muhammad, (55 yards -- good call for this slot)
10. Justin McCareins, (was an inexplicable DNP in the year's biggest game)

PK Rankings -- Divisional Playoffs
1. Rob Bironas, (1 field goal)
2. David Akers, (3 field goals)
3. Nate Kaeding, (1 field goal)
4. Jeff Reed, (0 field goals)
5. John Kasay, (0 field goals)
6. Matt Stover, (2 field goals)
7. John Carney, (3 field goals)
8. Neil Rackers, (4 field goals)

Five Guys Who'll Disappoint
1. Edgerrin James (66 yards, 1 TD -- incorrect call on my part)
2. Joe Flacco (from a fantasy perspective only, I was correct)
3. Vincent Jackson (49 yards, 1 TD -- eh, judgment call)
4. Hank Baskett (zero catches -- perfect call)
5. LaDainian Tomlinson (good call on his DNP)

I normally don't call out players for stupid pregame or postgame quotes ... but this gem from Arizona tackle Antonio Smith is just too inane to pass up. Here's the excerpt from SI.com writer Jim Trotter's piece:

"I think we shocked the world," said Smith, who forced and recovered a fumble with a sack of Delhomme. "(Being) 10-point underdogs was an insult. The Cardinals (being called) the worst team in the playoffs was an insult. I don't think that anybody who made those comments watched the film of the first game that we played them."

Antonio, dude, you do realize your insulted Cards surrendered 35 or more points in four of their last six regular games? Do you remember the Jets and Patriots -- two non-playoff teams -- scoring 56 and 47 points against your unjustly denigrated defense? And in the first Cards-Panthers game ... what ray of sunshine possibly came out of Delhomme, DeAngelo Williams and Steve Smith combining for 463 yards and 5 TDs? Which brings me to this ... should Arizona knock off Philly in next week's NFC championship game, I can just see the quote from a jubilant-but-bitter Cards defender: "Sure, we gave up 8 total TDs to Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb on Thanksgiving Night, but it was still wrong for people to disrespect us like that. If you would've only seen the film from that game, you would have known that we were closer to only giving up six touchdowns -- seven at worst."

In a perfect world, you could have maximized this Magnificent Seven's potential in weekly "one-and-done" fantasy-playoff leagues:

1. Willie Parker (146 rushing yards, 2 TDs)
2. Philip Rivers (308 passing yards, 3 TDs)
3. Donovan McNabb (233 total yards, 2 TDs)
4. Chris Johnson (100 total yards, 1 TD)
5. Darren Sproles (5 catches, 106 total yards, 1 TD)
6. Justin Gage (10 catches, 136 yards)
7. Brandon Jacobs (92 yards)

There's nothing like a second chance in life, and the same thinking applies to fantasy football, as well. SI.com presents the ultimate fantasy game for owners whose dreams of a fantasy title went unfulfilled in the regular season, or the greedy owners who simply covet two championships in the same year: Facebook's Postseason Fantasy Football.

This test of fantasy survival is like no other game you've ever played, but it'll call on your keen abilities to predict the future -- one NFL week at a time. Are you game? Are you savvy enough to bring your fantasy expertise to a whole new level? This is a golden opportunity to win a slew of fantastic prizes, along with getting one last shot at redemption after taking Tom Brady in Round 1 of your fantasy-league draft.

Switching gears to the land of hardwoods and soft perimter defenses ... here are three substantial rotisserie lists for fans of NBA fantasy cross-pollination -- dating back to Dec. 12:

15.5 points per game, 5.1 assists
Chris Paul, Hornets
LeBron James, Cavaliers
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Allen Iverson, Pistons
Brandon Roy, Blazers
Devin Harris, Nets
Joe Johnson, Hawks
Tony Parker, Spurs
Andre Iguodala, 76ers
Deron Williams, Jazz
Chauncey Billups, Nuggets
Andre Miller, 76ers
Mike Bibby, Hawks
Stephen Jackson, Warriors
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Hedo Turkoglu, Magic
Rodney Stuckey, Pistons

5.6 Rebounds/1.2 steals per game
Marcus Camby, Clippers
David Lee, Knicks
Paul Millsap, Jazz
Andris Biedrins, Warriors
Kenyon Martin, Nuggets
Jamario Moon, Raptors
Jason Kidd, Mavericks
LeBron James, Cavaliers
Josh Smith, Hawks
Andre Iguodala, 76ers
Kevin Durant, Thunder
Gerald Wallace, Bobcats
Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
Rasheed Wallace, Pistons
Tyrus Thomas, Bulls
Caron Butler, Wizards
Chris Paul, Hornets

1.8 3-pointers made/84% Free Throws
Rashard Lewis, Magic
Ben Gordon, Bulls
Jason Terry, Mavericks
Kevin Martin, Kings
Mike Bibby, Hawks
Ray Allen, Celtics
Danny Granger, Pacers
Eddie House, Celtics
Vince Carter, Nets
Chauncey Billups, Nuggets
O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
Chris Duhon, Knicks
Michael Finley, Spurs
Kevin Durant, Thunder
Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Delonte West, Cavaliers
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Rasheed Wallace, Pistons
Troy Murphy, Pacers
Marco Belinelli, Warriors

I would highly recommend grabbing these versatile specialists in deeper fantasy leagues:
1. Andrea Bargnani, Raptors (so ... this is finally why the Raptors took him No. 1 overall, eh?)
2. Russell Westbrook, Thunder (already a points, rebounds, assists and steals monster)
3. Von Wafer, Rockets (this 3-point whiz has scored double figures in last six games)
4. Kyle Lowry, Grizzlies (a nightly threat for 10 points AND 10 assists)
5. Roger Mason, Spurs (the Daequan Cook of the West ... can shoot from anywhere, anytime)

The SI.com & Friends league is a head-to-head weekly one, where owners carefully choose their starters every Monday and live with the results -- good or bad -- all the way to Sunday night. So, in the spirit of economizing/maximizing starter picks, here is my dream team (1 PG, 1 SG, 1 G, 1 SF, 1 PF, 1 F, 2 C) of Week 12 stars, all of whom have four games from Monday-Sunday (Jan. 12-18):

PG -- Chris Paul, Hornets
SG -- Dwyane Wade, Heat
G -- Brandon Roy, Blazers
SF -- Tayshaun Prince, Pistons (especially with Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace out)
PF -- Chris Bosh, Raptors
F -- Al Harrington, Knicks (any Knicks starter is essentially fantasy gold right now)
C -- Amare Stoudemire, Suns
C -- LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers (an easy lock for 45 total rebounds against four East teams)

On the flip side ... here is my list of eight burgeoning stars (1 PG, 1 SG, 1 G, 1 SF, 1 PF, 1 F, 2 C) who only have two games apiece for Week 12 (Jan. 12-18). So, you may want to consider benching them for 4-game alternatives:

PG -- Baron Davis, Clippers (easy choice here, given the lack of games and nagging injury)
SG -- O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
G -- Jamal Crawford, Warriors
SF -- Corey Maggette, Warriors (I wouldn't recommend sitting both Crawford and Maggette)
PF -- Marcus Camby, Clippers (he may yield 40 boards despite the short week)
F -- Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
C -- Yao Ming, Rockets
C -- Al Jefferson, Timberwolves (great numbers, no thanks to new acquisition Mike Miller)

(Warning: The above headline is not some subtle way of referencing Rocky IV or Red Dawn ... but it does contain trade breakdowns of a frank and jockish nature.)

To reference the SI.com & Friends league one last time ... my Atlanta-based colleagues, Jeff Ritter and Brett Hait, pulled off an "historic" (their words, not mine) 1-for-1 deal involving Jazz supersub Andrei Kirilenko and injured Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony. Not to nitpick here, but a 1-for-1 deal -- no matter how big -- can ever be qualified as historic, landmark or earth-shattering. In my mind, blockbuster trades are those that shake both rosters at the core ... while also having a ripple effect with the other owners. That aside, here is the yearly breakdown of AK-47 vs. 'Melo:

Anthony: 21. 1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.3 blocks, 3.3 turnovers
Kirilenko: 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.4 blocks, 2.2 turnovers

Verdict: Sure, AK-47 has bumped up his points and rebounds in the last 20 days, while 'Melo has been sidelined with a broken hand. But given Anthony's better numbers across the board -- not to mention his stronger 3-point shooting accuracy -- I would take the Nuggets star every day and twice on Sunday with this deal. Hmmm ... perhaps Ritter should've held out for a better offer from yours truly on Monday night.