Week 14: The Losers’ Bracket - 2 comments

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It should never happen. There’s no excuse. And yet, it happens far too often. An owner with a struggling team refuses to play out the season. His starting lineup hasn’t changed in weeks. Bye week players, injured players, and Carolina players remain active. This owner lacks pride, but it’s the rest of the league that suffers. A team sneaks into the playoffs simply by being fortunate enough to play this guy down the stretch. Meanwhile, other teams miss out because they weren’t lucky enough to play a team with Dallas Clark starting at tight end. It’s a problem that will never be completely eliminated. Fortunately, the damage can be minimized. To do this, we need to ask ourselves one question – how do we encourage teams that don’t have anything to play for? The answer is simple; set up a losers’ bracket.

The losers’ bracket is comprised of the best four teams that fail to qualify for the playoffs. The “winner” then gets his or her league fee back. So, in a league where four teams make the traditional playoffs, teams five through eight would battle for the title of “Best of the Worst.” This gives every team an incentive to keep playing. Even if it’s not your year, you can still qualify for a chance to get something back. This extra incentive leads to another benefit. If owners want to keep playing, they aren’t as likely to accept a questionable trade offer. They shouldn’t anyway, but owners don’t always do what they were supposed to do. If they did, I’d need another idea for this column.

There is one more benefit to having a losers’ bracket. More owners will participate in the playoff process. At first, I was skeptical about how much excitement one could get from competing for a consolation prize. However, it’s been my experience that merely playing for something gives a few more owners a few more weeks to cheer/discuss/curse their teams. In fact, last year I “won” the losers’ bracket in one of my leagues. During those last few games, I cared more than I would’ve thought. In the end, I was quite proud of that mediocre bunch. And, thanks to DeAngelo Williams, I’ll likely be defending my title in the very near future. Now that you know you’re about to get advice from an expert, let’s get to Start/Sit.

Here at the Café, we rank all the players we expect could see a significant amount of game action each week. We factor in a player’s overall ability, his weekly match-up, and the current status of his health. The result is one Start/Sit number, based on a scale of 100, and we’ll use each member’s ratings to find an average for each player. The higher a guy is on our list, the better you should feel starting him. Finally, below each table, I will give my personal Start/Sit recommendations for each position. Without further ado, here’s Start/Sit for Week 14.

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opp	Average
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at DET	94.33
2	Michael Vick	PHI	at DAL	90.47
3	Philip Rivers	SD	KC	89.83
4	Drew Brees	NO	STL	88.67
5	Peyton Manning	IND	at TEN	86.00
6	Tom Brady	NE	at CHI	85.33
7	Kyle Orton	DEN	at ARI	81.67
8	Matt Ryan	ATL	at CAR	79.33
9	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	CIN	77.99
10	Joe Flacco	BAL	at HOU	77.33
11	Eli Manning	NYG	at MIN	77.00
12	Ryan Fitzpatrick	BUF	CLE	74.33
T-12	Jay Cutler	CHI	NE	74.33
14	Josh Freeman	TB	at WAS	73.67
15	Matt Schaub	HOU	BAL	71.33
16	Jon Kitna	DAL	PHI	68.00
17	Donovan McNabb	WAS	TB	67.67
18	Jason Campbell	OAK	at JAC	67.00
19	David Garrard	JAC	OAK	65.67
20	Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	at SF	65.53
21	Sam Bradford	STL	at NO	64.67
22	Mark Sanchez	NYJ	MIA	64.00
T-22	Alex Smith	SF	SEA	64.00
24	Carson Palmer	CIN	at PIT	63.00
T-24	Chad Henne	MIA	at NYJ	63.00
26	John Skelton	ARI	DEN	54.67
27	Jimmy Clausen	CAR	ATL	53.33
28	Kerry Collins	TEN	IND	49.13
29	Drew Stanton	DET	GB	48.33
30	Brett Favre	MIN	NYG	45.87
31	Brodie Croyle	KC	at SD	45.67
32	Jake Delhomme	CLE	at BUF	39.33
33	Matt Cassel	KC	at SD	25.40
34	Tarvaris Jackson	MIN	NYG	23.00
35	Colt McCoy	CLE	at BUF	20.00

 
Start: Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos. If you’ve read one of our Start/Sit columns at the Café, you know my love for Orton is borderline creepy. If you read all of our columns, you know the word ‘borderline’ has no place in the previous sentence. He laid an egg last week, but that was the only game he’s been held under 14 fantasy points all season. Heading into Week 14, Orton has two things working in his favor. First, he plays Arizona. And second, Josh McDaniels was just fired. If recent history has taught us anything it’s that a new coach equals an inspired performance.
 
Start: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts. In spite of being a turnover machine lately, Manning hasn’t been terrible from a fantasy perspective. He’s thrown a mildly disappointing 11 interceptions in the last three weeks, but he’s averaged 348 passing yards and 23 fantasy points per game during that time. In Week 14, he’ll face a Tennessee pass defense that held David Garrard to 126 yards passing. That statistic, however, was primarily the result of Jacksonville’s ability to control the game on the ground. Fortunately for Manning, the Colts don’t have that problem.
 
Sit: Matt Schaub, Houston Texans. At 5-7, Houston is well on their way to again being everyone’s favorite sleeper for next season. Now they face a Ravens defense that’s allowing less than 200 passing yards per game over their last three. This looks like a tough match-up for Schaub and company.
 

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opp	Average
1	Peyton Hills	CLE	at BUF	91.33
2	Michael Turner	ATL	at CAR	91.00
3	Maurice Jones-Drew	JAC	OAK	90.33
4	Chris Johnson	TEN	IND	87.33
5	Adrian Peterson	MIN	NYG	87.00
6	Knowshon Moreno	DEN	at ARI	85.67
7	Arian Foster	HOU	BAL	85.33
8	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at DAL	84.33
9	Rashard Mendenhall	PIT	CIN	83.67
10	Steven Jackson	STL	at NO	82.33
11	Ray Rice	BAL	at HOU	81.33
T-11	Jamaal Charles	KC	at SD	81.33
13	Matt Forte	CHI	NE	80.00
14	Darren McFadden	OAK	at JAC	74.33
T-14	LeGarrette Blount	TB	at WAS	74.33
16	Mike Tolbert	SD	KC	73.67
17	Fred Jackson	BUF	CLE	72.00
18	Tim Hightower	ARI	DEN	71.33
19	Felix Jones	DAL	PHI	70.99
20	Thomas Jones	KC	at SD	70.67
21	Ahmad Bradshaw	NYG	at MIN	69.73
22	Shonn Greene	NYJ	MIA	69.67
T-22	LaDainian Tomlinson	NYJ	MIA	69.67
24	Brandon Jacobs	NYG	at MIN	68.67
25	Chris Ivory	NO	STL	68.33
26	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	NE	at CHI	67.00
27	Beanie Wells	ARI	DEN	66.20
28	Cedric Benson	CIN	at PIT	65.67
T-28	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at SF	65.67
30	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	ATL	65.33
31	Brandon Jackson	GB	at DET	65.00
T-31	James Starks	GB	at DET	65.00
T-31	Michael Bush	OAK	at JAC	65.00
34	Tashard Choice	DAL	PHI	63.77
35	Brian Westbrook	SF	SEA	63.73
36	Anthony Dixon	SF	SEA	62.67
37	Danny Woodhead	NE	at CHI	61.33
38	C.J. Spiller	BUF	CLE	60.67
T-38	Ronnie Brown	MIA	at NYJ	60.67
40	Justin Forsett	SEA	at SF	60.33
41	Ryan Torain	WAS	TB	60.13
42	Rashad Jennings	JAC	OAK	59.33
43	Chester Taylor	CHI	NE	58.67
44	Jason Snelling	ATL	at CAR	58.07
45	Cadillac Williams	TB	at WAS	58.00
46	Pierre Thomas	NO	STL	57.33
47	Jahvid Best	DET	GB	56.90
48	Ricky Williams	MIA	at NYJ	56.00
T-48	Jerome Harrison	PHI	at DAL	56.00
T-48	Isaac Redman	PIT	CIN	56.00
51	Donald Brown	IND	at TEN	55.72
52	Jarvarris James	IND	at TEN	55.67
53	Mike Goodson	CAR	ATL	55.13
54	Reggie Bush	NO	STL	54.33
T-54	Keiland Williams	WAS	TB	54.33
56	Maurice Morris	DET	GB	54.00
57	Willis McGahee	BAL	at HOU	53.67
58	Ryan Mathews	SD	KC	53.00
59	Darren Sproles	SD	KC	52.80
60	James Davis	WAS	TB	50.00
61	Toby Gerhart	MIN	NYG	48.47
62	Bernard Scott	CIN	at PIT	48.33
63	Lance Ball	DEN	at ARI	37.00
64	Mike Bell	CLE	at BUF	36.67
65	Derrick Ward	HOU	BAL	34.67
T-65	Javon Ringer	TEN	IND	34.67
67	Mewelde Moore	PIT	CIN	34.33
68	Dimitri Nance	GB	at DET	32.67
69	LeRon McClain	BAL	at HOU	26.00
70	Fred Taylor	NE	at CHI	25.20

 
Start: Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens. Rice had just 50 total yards against Pittsburgh. He was used primarily as an extra blocker and actually made several key blitz pick-ups. This week he’ll face a comparatively weak Houston defense. I don’t expect Baltimore’s offensive line to need much help. More importantly, they should give Rice plenty of room to run. Top 10 RB this week.
 
Start: Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys. Tashard Choice is certainly a better complement to Jones than the ineffective Marion Barber III. However, I don’t think Choice’s performance against the Colts has made this an RBBC situation. Choice ran for 100 yards and a score, but it was just one game. I’m betting Jones gets the lion’s share of the work as the Cowboys attempt to keep the ball out of Michael Vick’s hands.
 
Sit: Danny Woodhead, New England Patriots. The Patriots number two running back (and apparently the Jets number one running back) gashed his former team on Monday night. Woodhead had over 100 yards receiving against the “vaunted” Jets defense. (Note: I’ve heard the Jets defense referred to as “vaunted” 612 times in the last 48 hours. I’ll assume it’s mandatory until further notice.) Still, Woodhead had just two carries in the game. Could he have another big receiving day? Of course it’s possible, but more reliable options should be available.
 

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opp	Average
1	Roddy White	ATL	at CAR	90.33
2	Greg Jennings	GB	at DET	90.00
3	Andre Johnson	HOU	BAL	87.37
4	Reggie Wayne	IND	at TEN	85.07
5	Brandon Lloyd	DEN	at ARI	84.67
6	Calvin Johnson	DET	GB	84.33
7	DeSean Jackson	PHI	at DAL	83.33
8	Marques Colston	NO	STL	83.13
9	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at DAL	82.67
10	Mike Wallace	PIT	CIN	82.60
11	Miles Austin	DAL	PHI	81.00
12	Anquan Boldin	BAL	at HOU	80.33
13	Dwayne Bowe	KC	at SD	80.03
14	Santonio Holmes	NYJ	MIA	78.67
15	Mike Williams	TB	at WAS	78.27
16	Steve Johnson	BUF	CLE	78.17
17	Sidney Rice	MIN	NYG	76.70
18	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	DEN	76.67
19	Wes Welker	NE	at CHI	75.07
20	Hines Ward	PIT	CIN	73.27
21	Johnny Knox	CHI	NE	72.67
22	Mario Manningham	NYG	at MIN	72.40
23	Derrick Mason	BAL	at HOU	72.33
24	Terrell Owens	CIN	at PIT	71.83
25	Michael Crabtree	SF	SEA	70.80
26	Santana Moss	WAS	TB	70.30
27	Jabar Gaffney	DEN	at ARI	69.83
28	Malcom Floyd	SD	KC	69.71
29	Pierre Garcon	IND	at TEN	69.07
T-29	Deion Branch	NE	at CHI	69.07
31	Roy Williams	DAL	PHI	68.33
T-31	Mike Thomas	JAC	OAK	68.33
33	Donald Driver	GB	at DET	68.00
34	Robert Meachem	NO	STL	67.13
T-34	Lance Moore	NO	STL	67.13
36	Jacoby Ford	OAK	at JAC	67.00
37	Kenny Britt	TEN	IND	66.90
38	Chad Ochocinco	CIN	at PIT	66.67
T-38	Braylon Edwards	NYJ	MIA	66.67
40	Eddie Royal	DEN	at ARI	66.50
41	Nate Washington	TEN	IND	65.73
42	Steve Smith	CAR	ATL	65.33
T-42	Earl Bennett	CHI	NE	65.33
44	Lee Evans	BUF	CLE	64.17
45	Seyi Ajirotutu	SD	KC	63.30
46	James Jones	GB	at DET	63.00
47	Devin Hester	CHI	NE	62.67
48	Louis Murphy	OAK	at JAC	62.33
49	Jason Avant	PHI	at DAL	61.67
50	Anthony Armstrong	WAS	TB	60.73
51	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	BAL	at HOU	60.33
T-51	Devery Henderson	NO	STL	60.33
53	Davone Bess	MIA	at NYJ	59.37
54	Steve Breaston	ARI	DEN	59.33
T-54	Josh Morgan	SF	SEA	59.33
56	Sammie Stroughter	TB	at WAS	59.30
57	Blair White	IND	at TEN	59.07
T-57	Randy Moss	TEN	IND	59.07
59	Brandon Stokley	SEA	at SF	58.67
60	Jacoby Jones	HOU	BAL	58.27
61	Percy Harvin	MIN	NYG	57.90
62	Danny Amendola	STL	at NO	57.37
63	Mohamed Massaquoi	CLE	at BUF	56.80
64	Michael Jenkins	ATL	at CAR	56.67
T-64	Deon Butler	SEA	at SF	56.67
66	Kevin Walter	HOU	BAL	56.61
67	Derek Hagan	NYG	at MIN	56.40
68	Early Doucet	ARI	DEN	56.00
69	Justin Gage	TEN	IND	55.73
70	Jordy Nelson	GB	at DET	55.67
71	David Gettis	CAR	ATL	55.33
72	Brandon LaFell	CAR	ATL	54.67
73	Nate Burleson	DET	GB	54.33
74	Steve Smith	NYG	at MIN	53.55
75	Jordan Shipley	CIN	at PIT	53.00
76	Brandon Gibson	STL	at NO	52.70
77	Brandon Marshall	MIA	at NYJ	52.43
78	Dexter McCluster	KC	at SD	52.40
79	Joshua Cribbs	CLE	at BUF	51.67
80	Brian Robiskie	CLE	at BUF	50.67
81	Laurent Robinson	STL	at NO	50.21
82	Danario Alexander	STL	at NO	49.57
83	Hakeem Nicks	NYG	at MIN	49.47
84	Greg Camarillo	MIN	NYG	49.00
85	Mike Sims-Walker	JAC	OAK	46.37
86	Arrelious Benn	TB	at WAS	42.43
87	Sam Hurd	DAL	PHI	41.33
88	Harry Douglas	ATL	at CAR	41.03
89	Mike Williams	SEA	at SF	40.33
90	Verran Tucker	KC	at SD	40.00
91	Chaz Schilens	OAK	at JAC	39.33
92	Emmanuel Sanders	PIT	CIN	38.97
93	Michael Spurlock	TB	at WAS	37.07
94	Brandon Tate	NE	at CHI	37.00
95	Brandon Banks	WAS	TB	36.67
96	Ben Obomanu	SEA	at SF	36.37
97	Julian Edelman	NE	at CHI	34.67
T-97	Brad Smith	NYJ	MIA	34.67
99	Antwaan Randle El	PIT	CIN	33.33
100	Donald Jones	BUF	CLE	33.00

 
Start: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals. Fitzgerald has caught a mere four passes in each of his last two games. During that time, he’s been unable to find the end zone. A Week 14 match-up against Denver should help turn things around. The Broncos have surrendered 24 passing touchdowns this year, third most in the NFL. Also, it should be noted that Derek Anderson may be out with a concussion. If he can’t go, Fitzgerald will catch passes from John Skelton. By all accounts, Skelton puts his heart and soul into the game so the transition should be seamless.
 
Start: Mike Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars. Thomas was supposed to get more opportunities due to the absence of Mike Sims-Walker (ankle). Unfortunately, Jacksonville never really had to go to the air last week, resulting in a pedestrian performance (4/31/0) from Thomas. That figures to change this week as the Jaguars and Raiders appear fairly evenly matched. Thomas leads Jacksonville in targets this season and that trend should continue in Week 14. I’m betting he makes good on enough of the targets to be worth a spot in your lineup. Prediction: six catches, 70 yards, and a score.
 
Sit: Davone Bess, Miami Dolphins. Against the vaunted Jets defense? I don’t think so.
 

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opp	Average
1	Vernon Davis	SF	SEA	82.27
2	Tony Gonzalez	ATL	at CAR	79.70
3	Jacob Tamme	IND	at TEN	76.97
4	Jason Witten	DAL	PHI	76.84
5	Marcedes Lewis	JAC	OAK	75.97
6	Chris Cooley	WAS	TB	74.30
7	Ben Watson	CLE	at BUF	73.27
8	Kellen Winslow	TB	at WAS	72.55
9	Antonio Gates	SD	KC	71.24
10	Kevin Boss	NYG	at MIN	70.63
11	Brandon Pettigrew	DET	GB	69.10
12	Greg Olsen	CHI	NE	69.03
13	Brent Celek	PHI	at DAL	67.77
14	Dustin Keller	NYJ	MIA	67.43
15	Zach Miller	OAK	at JAC	67.10
16	Ed Dickson	BAL	at HOU	67.00
17	Anthony Fasano	MIA	at NYJ	66.53
18	Visanthe Shiancoe	MIN	NYG	66.40
19	Tony Moeaki	KC	at SD	65.66
20	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	at PIT	65.10
21	Aaron Hernandez	NE	at CHI	64.40
22	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at CHI	61.73
23	Fred Davis	WAS	TB	59.63
24	Jeremy Shockey	NO	STL	57.10
T-24	Daniel Fells	STL	at NO	57.10
26	Andrew Quarless	GB	at DET	56.33
27	Bo Scaife	TEN	IND	56.00
28	Owen Daniels	HOU	BAL	54.53
29	Billy Bajema	STL	at NO	53.77
30	Daniel Graham	DEN	at ARI	53.33
31	John Carlson	SEA	at SF	49.07
32	Ben Patrick	ARI	DEN	46.67
33	Todd Heap	BAL	at HOU	46.33
34	Jimmy Graham	NO	STL	43.00
35	Spencer Havner	GB	at DET	42.47
36	Joel Dreessen	HOU	BAL	37.97
37	Matt Spaeth	PIT	CIN	37.63
38	Heath Miller	PIT	CIN	37.00
39	Cameron Morrah	SEA	at SF	36.67
40	Randy McMichael	SD	KC	36.00

 
Start: Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons. I’ve seen the hip hop-infused school bus commercials. I’m all in.
 
Sit: Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals. Despite the success of the “Falcons on a school bus” ad, NFL Play 60 has decided to pull the plug on the controversial “Bengals on a prison bus” commercial.
 

Rank	Team Defense	Team	Opp	Average
1	Steelers	PIT	CIN	88.33
2	Giants	NYG	at MIN	84.07
3	Packers	GB	at DET	82.52
4	Jets	NYJ	MIA	80.87
5	Chargers	SD	KC	78.37
6	Falcons	ATL	at CAR	78.30
7	Patriots	NE	at CHI	77.13
8	Saints	NO	STL	75.93
9	Eagles	PHI	at DAL	75.58
10	Browns	CLE	at BUF	73.10
11	Colts	IND	at TEN	72.97
12	Buccaneers	TB	at WAS	72.07
13	49ers	SF	SEA	71.67
14	Bears	CHI	NE	71.37
15	Broncos	DEN	at ARI	71.33
T-15	Raiders	OAK	at JAC	71.33
17	Chiefs	KC	at SD	71.30
18	Ravens	BAL	at HOU	71.07
19	Seahawks	SEA	at SF	70.30
20	Titans	TEN	IND	70.03
21	Vikings	MIN	NYG	67.63
22	Dolphins	MIA	at NYJ	67.43
23	Cowboys	DAL	PHI	67.27
24	Jaguars	JAC	OAK	66.73
25	Redskins	WAS	TB	65.70
26	Rams	STL	at NO	65.10
27	Lions	DET	GB	63.40
28	Bills	BUF	CLE	63.30
29	Cardinals	ARI	DEN	61.33
30	Bengals	CIN	at PIT	61.20
31	Panthers	CAR	ATL	60.33
32	Texans	HOU	BAL	59.33

 
Start: New York Giants. The Giants defense has been dominant for the last six quarters. They forced six Washington turnovers last week, building on the momentum gained in the second half against Jacksonville. In Week 14, they’ll take on a rejuvenated Minnesota team. The Vikings blew out Buffalo despite being intercepted four times. Can Minnesota win with four turnovers again? Probably not, but I’m betting we’ll have a chance to find out.
 
Sit: Seattle Seahawks. Don’t give Leon Washington another chance to break your heart.
 

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opp	Average
1	David Akers	PHI	at DAL	89.33
2	Rob Bironas	TEN	IND	85.67
3	Matt Bryant	ATL	at CAR	85.33
4	Adam Vinatieri	IND	at TEN	81.00
T-4	Nate Kaeding	SD	KC	81.00
6	Matt Prater	DEN	at ARI	78.67
T-6	Mason Crosby	GB	at DET	78.67
T-6	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	at JAC	78.67
9	Garrett Hartley	NO	STL	78.33
10	Nick Folk	NYJ	MIA	77.67
11	Robbie Gould	CHI	NE	77.33
12	Billy Cundiff	BAL	at HOU	76.00
13	Phil Dawson	CLE	at BUF	75.67
14	Ryan Longwell	MIN	NYG	75.00
15	Jay Feely	ARI	DEN	74.67
T-15	Lawrence Tynes	NYG	at MIN	74.67
17	Neil Rackers	HOU	BAL	74.00
18	Dan Carpenter	MIA	at NYJ	73.33
19	Shaun Suisham	PIT	CIN	72.00
20	Shayne Graham	NE	at CHI	71.67
21	Olindo Mare	SEA	at SF	70.33
T-21	Connor Barth	TB	at WAS	70.33
23	Jeff Reed	SF	SEA	70.00
24	Ryan Succop	KC	at SD	69.67
25	Josh Brown	STL	at NO	69.00
26	Clint Stitser	CIN	at PIT	68.67
27	Josh Scobee	JAC	OAK	68.00
28	Dave Rayner	DET	GB	67.67
29	Rian Lindell	BUF	CLE	67.33
30	Graham Gano	WAS	TB	66.33
31	David Buehler	DAL	PHI	65.67
32	John Kasay	CAR	ATL	65.33

 
…
 

 
Drew is a lifelong Jets fan. Playing and writing about fantasy football has proven helpful in easing the pain.
 

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