The Hanukkah Spectacular
At this time last year 411fantasy was a one-third Jewish. Due to structural changes Mr. Conn is pleased to announce that we are now half Jewish. This, of course, has me (Helbling) worried about my job security as I am sure that there is some federal grant money someplace that Jewish fantasy football sits are eligible for. Regardless, we here at 411fantasy wish all the goy and non-goy a happy festival of lights.
411 All-Bupkes Team
If you made the playoffs with any of the following players it wasn’t likely because of them, but in spite of them. As it is the holiday season and we are a forgiving lot, players who suffered serious injuries have been given a pass (Charles, Jamal). The rest of this sorry lot deserve all the scorn and ridicule we can heap at them.
Quarterback
San Diego Chargers Philip Rivers – Rivers is only a handful of points out of a top five place in scoring in most standard leagues since week 8, but if Rivers was your No. 1 quarterback this season your season was probably already over by then. Over the first eight weeks of the season Rivers led the league in INTs with 11 and had just as many touchdown passes as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman (7). As the fourth quarterback taken in most leagues, this just doesn’t cut it.
Running Back
Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson – For the season Johnson has 130 more touches than New Orleans Saints Running Back Darren Sproles and is being outscored by Sproles by 8 points in ESPN standard scoring. Johnson was the fourth player taken in most drafts while Sproles was the 44th running back taken in most leagues. Need we say more? It does hurt to put Johnson on this list though as he is kind of a hero of mine. Sign a big fat contract that sets you up for life and then blame everybody else around you for your ineptness. I plan on doing the same thing here at 411 once the major sponsors come calling as Mr. Conn keeps promising they will.
Wide Receiver
Philadelphia Eagles DeSean Jackson – Jackson has pulled the reverse Chris Johnson by doing next to nothing will trying to get a big contract. Jackson has just two 100-yard receiving games for the season, his last one being Week 4, and has just one touchdown over the last eight weeks. Jackson currently has the same number of fantasy points as Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Early Doucet.
Tight End
Green Bay Packers Jermichael Finley – It might be a stretch to put Finely on this list as he is currently scoring as a top five tight end in most leagues. Finley earns a spot on this board due in large part to his ADP. Finley was a mid-fourth round pick in most leagues. Considering New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker was taken in the same places, owners who selected Finely over Welker missed out on a good deal of value. When you add that New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who has played in four less games and went undrafted in most leagues, is just two points behind Finley in scoring you can’t be happy with your Finley selection.
The Great Eight
We celebrate these eight players, otherwise known as the Maccabees, who are a cut above the rest in recognition of Hannukkah’s eight great nights.
Quarterbacks
Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers – Of the top five quarterback, according to ESPN standard scoring, Rodgers has the fewest passing attempts but is still outscoring the No. 2 quarterback by 30 points. Rodgers’ worst fantasy week was Week 14 where he threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns. If you drafted Rodgers, there is a good chance you not only made your league’s playoffs, but are looking at a possible championship.
Carolina Panthers Cam Newton – Newton, the No. 2 scoring quarterback according to ESPN, only has 17 touchdown passes. However, his 13 rushing touchdowns would rank him second among running backs. His 3,722 yards passing and 609 yards rushing shouldn’t be ignored either. As the 24th quarterback taken off most draft boards, Newton might hold the most fantasy value of any player this year.
Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford – Stafford has averaged 236 yards passing and two passing touchdowns per game so far this season. Stafford is a top five scoring quarterback that was the 11th quarterback taken in most leagues.
Running Backs
Philadelphia Eagles LeSean McCoy – McCoy currently leads the league in touchdowns scored and is second in rushing yards. The Eagles running back has scored two touchdowns in six games and has just one contest where he failed to find the end zone.
Buffalo Bills Fred Jackson - Prior to being injured in Week 11 Jackson was the No. 2 scoring running back in fantasy football. Over the first 10 weeks of the season the Bills back was averaging 145 total offensive yards per game and had a 5.6 yards per carry average. While he isn’t helping any owners during their playoff runs, he is likely a pretty big reason they got there to begin with.
Wide Receivers
Carolina Panthers Steve Smith – There were 34 wide receivers who were taken before Steve Smith in most leagues. At this point in the season, only two wide receivers are currently out scoring him. Smith has averaged 93 yards receiving and 0.4 touchdowns per game with a rookie quarterback and with one of the weakest wide receiving corps in the league.
New York Giants Victor Cruz – Cruz ranked 44th in targets over the first eight weeks of the season as he started out the year as the team’s No. 3 wide receiver and an afterthought in the Giants passing game. Since Week 9, Cruz ranks third in targets amongst wide recievers. With Cruz currently tied for fifth in scoring at the position, it would be interesting to see his totals if he had been targeted as often in the first eight weeks as he has been since.
Tight Ends
New England Patriots Rob Gronkowski – If you are looking for a fantasy player of the year, look no further than Gronkowski. Gronkowski has 42 more points than the No. 2 tight end and among wide receivers only Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson has scored more. Not too shabby for an early ninth round pick.
411’s Crystal Ball
If the only leagues you have ever participated in are redraft leagues do yourself a favor and make playing in a keeper or dynasty league a top priority for next season. Nothing against redraft leagues, we play in several ourselves, but the true test of a fantasy owner’s skills isn’t just drafting for the current season but also for the seasons to come. The following three players are for dynasty or keeper league owners looking to strengthen their teams next season. We liken these players to the oil in the menorah that lasted eight days, instead of its projected one.
Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Antonio Brown – Few people had a bigger man crush on Mike Wallace than myself during the preseason. In fact, I predicted Wallace would end the season as a top five fantasy wide receiver (he is currently fifth). I still am pretty high on Wallace, but if I drafted today I would pick Antonio Brown first. It wasn’t until Week 7 that Brown asserted himself as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver, but since then he leads the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards. The two players will cut into each others value, but I think both are great options as low end No. 1 wide receivers.
Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Percy Harvin -Migraines and poor play calling have stalled Harvin’s pro career and fantasy value. During the early part of 2011 there were several games were Harvin appeared in less than 50 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. However, over the last eight weeks of the season Harvin currently ranks third in scoring at his position. The best stat that Harvin has going for him over the last nine weeks is that he is averaging 10 touches per game. Next on that list is Wes Welker with seven.
Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Matt Ryan – Ryan’s name is always going to get lost in the shuffle of top fantasy quarterbacks and for good reason, he isn’t one. However, he is a consistent top 10 scorer that will seldom post a goose-egg. Give Ryan and rookie wide receiver Julio Jones a full offseason to work with each other and we see Ryan’s numbers improving. There are certainly better quarterback prospects out there, but you will have a hard time find a top 10 fantasy quarterback that you can get cheaper than Ryan.
For the record, we had Ryan Matthews in this section last year who is currently the No. 8 fantasy running back.
Four Things To Appreciate During Hanukkah We Can All Appreciate
As anybody who has bothered to read my Tuesday Hangovers can attest to this – I’m a pretty grumpy guy. My parents tell me that I was sitting on our front porch yelling at the kids to get off the damned yard when I was eight. As much as I love the NFL and fantasy football, there are a lot of things that drive me nuts. None reviewable plays on helmet-to-helmet contact. Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow fans. Norv Turner. The Worthington Area Fantasy Football League…. seriously, your league scoring is stupid. Non-skimpy NFL Cheerleader outfits. Tim Tebow. Mario Manningham screwing me in a lot of leagues this year. Mike Shanahan. Coaches who abandon the run when they go down by a field goal and Tim Tebow….. Conversely, here are five things I love about the 2011 NFL season and this year in fantasy football.

No. 5
Fat guys refusing to be tackled.
No. 4
Brett Keisel’s beard. This is a repeat from last year, but as long as Keisel grows it I’ll keep putting it on here.
No. 3
Daily/Weekly Fantasy football. I just started playing last year, but I’m hooked. If you are a fantasy fan and not playing in any of the Daily/Weekly leagues you are seriously missing out.
No. 2
No. 1
Brett Favre stayed retired.
In closing, we give a shout out to Mr. Conn’s bretheren around the league… So here’s to you,
Greg Camarillo – Minnesota Vikings – WR
Julian Edelman - New England Patriots – WR
Antonio Garay – San Diego Chargers – DT
Adam Goldberg – St. Louis Rams – T/G
Kyle Kosier – Dallas Cowboys – G
Taylor Mays – San Francisco 49ers – SS
Igor Olshansky – Dallas Cowboys – DT
Adam Podlesh – Jacksonville Jaguars – K
Sage Rosenfels – New York Giants- QB
Geoff Schwartz – Carolina Panthers – G
Happy Hanukkah to all and to all a good yom tov!
Fitzpatrick has struggled over the last month averaging 202 yards passing and 1 passing touchdown per game. If those stats aren’t enough to pass on him consider that he faces a Jets defense giving up just 98 yards passing and 0.33 passing touchdowns per game to opposing quarterbacks during the same period of time.
yards passing per game over the last four weeks, Tebow’s ability to run the ball has made him a viable fantasy starter. During this period of time Tebow has averaged 73 yards rushing and 0.5 rushing touchdowns per game. Tebow should see a bump in his passing numbers against a Chargers defense giving up 273 yards passing per game and if he can maintain his rushing average it could result in a big day for Tebow fans and owners.
the No. 1 draft pick. The consensus among pundits and experts is that he is a quarterback prospect that the NFL hasn’t seen since Peyton Manning. If, for some reason, whoever holds the No. 1 pick next year doesn’t want to take Luck it has been estimated by some that the pick could be trade for as many as three future No. 1 picks. The Dolphins hadn’t done much right this season, entering this week 0-7 and tied for the lead in the ‘Suck For Luck’ sweepstakes. Their season is already a waste. They have a coach that looks like he could be fired any day now. They haven’t won a game at home in nearly a year. Who cares if you go 0-16? Are teams taunting the Lions because they went 0-16 in 2008? If I’m Bill Pollian, the Indianapolis Colts GM, I’m not giving some cheap team poster to the first 1k fans through the gates. I’m giving the first 52 through the gates a number and helmet. Give me 0-16 and Andrew Luck over 1-15 and Matt Barkley any day.
ranks 22nd in scoring among quarterbacks for season, but if you are suffering with bye week and injury troubles he is worth a look as a one week play. Over the last month the Seahawks have given up 321 yards passing and 1.67 touchdowns per game to the position. Most fantasy owners may view the Browns as a run first offense, but they actually rank 8th in pass attempts for the season meaning McCoy should get the chance to produce. He won’t carry your fantasy team this week, but a top 10 showing at the position wouldn’t be a surprise.