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NFC East Week 13 Fantasy Outlook

November 29, 2007 @ 14:35:50

By Ben Rubin
Edited by Cory J. Bonini

Note: All statistics appearing in this article are from Weeks 9-12, unless otherwise noted.

Do Not Bench List - All Positions

Running Back Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles: Westbrook did all he could to help the Eagles try to beat the New England Patriots in Week 12. Although he failed to reach 100 total yards for only the second time this year, he did reach the end zone for the 50th time in his career on a one-yard run. An interesting pattern has become apparent with Westbrook, which is partly responsible for him being ranked as a No. 1 running back. In every game he has played in this season he has either topped 100 total yards or scored a touchdown. You can expect that pattern to continue against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, and Westbrook is a strong play.
Tight End Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins: Cooley is now officially having a career year, tying a career high with seven receiving touchdowns. Cooley had six receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was Cooley's second consecutive game with a touchdown, and he continues to be the only player on the Redskins offense that has had an overly successful year. Cooley is a strong No. 1 option and should certainly start for your team against the Buffalo Bills in Week 13.

Quarterbacks

Player	Team	Gm	Pass Yds/G	Pass TD/G	INT/G	Rush Yards/G	Rush TD/G
Donovan McNabb	Philadelphia Eagles	3	183.0	1.67	1.33	22.0	0.00
Eli Manning	New York Giants	3	264.0	1.00	2.00	2.7	0.00
Jason Campbell	Washington Redskins	4	251.5	1.50	1.00	17.2	0.00

McNabb - McNabb (ankle, thumb) missed the game against the Patriots in Week 12, but is expected to play in Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks. His replacement for last week, quarterback A.J. Feeley had a fairly impressive performance, but there is no quarterback controversy in Philadelphia. As long as McNabb's healthy, he's the starter. Make sure to check with KFFL for McNabb's latest status, but if he goes, he's a weak play against the Seahawks.

Manning - Coming off arguably the worst performance of his career, Manning will look to rebound against the Chicago Bears. Manning threw for 273 yards but also four interceptions to one touchdown. It was the third time this season he has thrown more interceptions that touchdowns in a game, a trend that he'd certainly like to stay away from. He's a decent No. 1 or bench option, but you may want to keep him on your bench while you see if he can get in a couple of consistent performances.

Campbell - Campbell is finally playing more consistently, and yet the Redskins are still losing. He had 301 yards passing in addition to one touchdown and two interceptions. It was the second time he has thrown for more than 300 yards, with the first coming last week. As Campbell continues to improve, the Redskins should start to win more. Expect Campbell, a solid No. 1 quarterback to be playing with a lot of emotion after the death of teammate Sean Taylor, and he is a strong play.

Running Backs

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rush Yds/G	Rush TD/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Brandon Jacobs	New York Giants	2	19.50 (16.99)	3.00 (20.72)	74.5	0.00	2.50	29.5	0.50
Reuben Droughns	New York Giants	3	12.67 (16.55)	3.33 (34.53)	22.3	0.67	1.67	12.3	0.00
Clinton Portis	Washington Redskins	4	29.00 (37.81)	5.75 (46.13)	109.2	0.25	2.75	15.5	0.00
Ladell Betts	Washington Redskins	4	6.50 (8.47)	0.75 (6.02)	31.0	0.00	1.00	9.5	0.00

Jacobs - Jacobs (hamstring) did not play in the Giants loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12. As of now, it is unlikely that he will play against the Bears. Be sure to check KFFL during the week to see if he will play, if he can't, Droughns and possibly Derrick Ward (groin) will get most of the carries.

Droughns - Droughns had only 46 yards on 15 carries against the Vikings, but he did score on a one-yard run. With Jacobs likely out, Droughns could get most of the carries this week. One thing that could get in the way of that would be if Ward will be able to return by Sunday. If Ward is able to play, Droughns may not see as much action. If Droughns is the featured running back for the Giants this week, he's a strong play as a decent No. 3 option.

Portis - Last week wasn't one of Portis' best as he struggled against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, fumbling twice as the Redskins lost 19-13. He rushed the ball 20 times for only 68 yards and caught five passes for 33 yards. Portis gets some good news this week though, playing a defense that is allowing 95.0 rushing yards and one touchdown per game over the last four weeks. As a result, Portis is a strong play as a good No. 1 back.

Betts - Betts rushed for 47 yards on eight carries, which was his third best performance this year, against the Buccs. This shouldn't worry any Portis owners, though, just as this shouldn't excite anyone waiting to start Betts, because Betts will not have many performances like this unless he is the starter on the team. For now, as long as Portis stays healthy, at least, Betts likely won't have any more than eight carries during games, and should be kept on your bench this weak, despite being a strong play due to the matchup at hand.

Wide Receivers

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Plaxico Burress	New York Giants	3	10.33 13.50)	1.00 10.36)	5.00	54.7	0.33
Amani Toomer	New York Giants	3	7.00 9.15)	1.00 10.36)	3.67	53.0	0.00
Reggie Brown	Philadelphia Eagles	4	7.00 10.53)	1.25 15.51)	3.00	43.2	0.50
Kevin Curtis	Philadelphia Eagles	4	8.50 12.79)	0.50 6.20)	4.50	52.8	0.00
Santana Moss	Washington Redskins	3	10.00 9.78)	1.67 10.03)	6.00	69.0	0.33
Antwaan Randle El	Washington Redskins	4	6.00 7.82)	0.25 2.01)	3.25	27.8	0.00

Burress - Despite catching the ball seven times for 93 yards and a touchdown, Burress (ankle) is still not completely healed and is prone to the same poor performances that he had toward the end of October through most of November. Playing him at this point is still a gamble, but he has the potential to have huge games, even when injured, and that should be enough to keep him in your lineup for now. Consider him no better than a No. 2 or 3 option though, since he is not yet 100 percent and not yet playing at the same quality that he was before the injury worsened.

Toomer - Last week's 83 receiving yards was Toomer's best performance since Week 6 when he had 89. Toomer has yet to have a 100-yard game this season and continues to struggle even with Burress' injury. His best use would be as an injury replacement option; otherwise, he should stay on your bench.

Brown - Brown has now caught two touchdown passes in the past three weeks after he started the season without a receiving touchdown until Week 9. He's being used more often in the red zone than Curtis is, and if that number keeps up, then it won't matter whether it's Feeley or McNabb at quarterback, he'll catch touchdown passes. For now though, Brown is a No. 3 option and is a weak play against the Seahawks.

Curtis - Curtis has been pretty consistent lately, catching five passes for 71 yards. Since he went through a span of four touchdowns in three games ending in Week 6, Curtis hasn't reached the end zone once. He has been involved in less plays in the red zone, leaving the touchdowns to other wide receivers like Brown. This week, Curtis and the Eagles take on a Seahawks secondary that is allowing 0.25 touchdowns per game over the last four weeks to wide receivers. Curtis hasn't been doing that well recently, and because of the strong Seattle secondary, he is a weak play as a No. 3 or injury replacement option.

Moss - Following his best performance of the year, Moss (heel) had one of his worst, losing a fumble and catching only five passes for 37 yards. Though his injury may still be bothering him, he is expected to play against the Bills in Week 13 where he is a strong play as a No. 2 or 3 fantasy option. If Moss is going to put up another good performance, it'll likely be this week, if he doesn't it could be a sign that his heel injury is worse than it seemed and the Redskins aren't taking any chances. Either way, this week should be a good indication of where the rest of Moss' season is heading.

Randle El - Unfortunately for fantasy owners of Randle El, the fact that he sat out during most of Week 12 is a good indication that he may have aggravated his hamstring injury. If that is the case, he may not make much of a contribution to your team for quite some time. Check KFFL throughout the week for updates on his injury.

Tight Ends

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
L.J. Smith	Philadelphia Eagles	4	5.25 7.90)	0.50 6.20)	3.25	43.2	0.25
Jeremy Shockey	New York Giants	3	10.00 13.07)	1.33 13.81)	7.00	71.3	0.33

Smith - Smith has done about the same thing every game since returning from his injury, catch between two and four passes for about 40 yards. He has one touchdown in his last four games, but he could see more since he's just as active in the red zone as the Eagles' No. 2 receiver. This week, Smith, a No. 1 or bench option, is a weak play against the Seahawks.

Shockey - The fact that Shockey is now catching an average of seven passes per game over the last four weeks are a sign that he is very active in this offense. He caught four passes for 41 yards last week, but now Shockey heads to Soldier Field in Chicago where he could be necessary in Manning have a big game. The Giants need this win after a horrible performance by Manning, and he may look no further than Shockey to turn this team around. Shockey is a solid No. 1 tight end and a strong play against the Bears this week.

Place Kickers

Player	Team	Gm	XP/G	XPA/G	FG/G	FGA/G	Kick Pnts/G
Lawrence Tynes	New York Giants	3	1.67	1.67	2.00	2.00	7.7
David Akers	Philadelphia Eagles	4	2.75	2.75	0.50	0.75	4.2
Shaun Suisham	Washington Redskins	4	1.00	1.25	3.00	3.25	10.0

Tynes - Tynes hit a season long 48-yard field goal last week, and he appears well past his early season struggles. He's averaging 7.7 points per week, and he's a strong play against the Bears this week as a No. 1 or bench option.

Akers - Akers has really struggled lately, mainly due to a lack of opportunities. Akers was once the premier fantasy kicker, but because the Eagles have typically scored a touchdown or nothing at all, he hasn't had much success recently. Akers is one of KFFL's lowest rated kickers and is a week play against the Seahawks.

Suisham - Contrary to Akers, Suisham has made the most of his opportunities and is averaging 10.0 points per game over the last four weeks. With the Redskins unable to consistently get into the end zone, Suisham has been called upon often and has hit 12 out of his last 13. Suisham's a decent No. 1 kicker and should start for your team this week.

Defensive Teams

Team	Gm	Off Pnts Allw/G	INT/G	Sacks/G	FR/G	DEF/ST TD/G
New York Giants	3	21.3	1.33	2.7	0.33	0.0
Philadelphia Eagles	4	22.2	0.25	1.0	0.50	0.0
Washington Redskins	4	23.5	0.25	2.2	0.75	0.0

Giants - The Giants play the Bears this week, but they don't have as much to worry about as you would think. Their 37 points against the Denver Broncos last week is a misleading number. Their offense did very little throughout the game, and they were only kept in it by two return touchdowns by returner Devin Hester. Consider the Giants a good No. 1 defense and start them against the Bears.

Eagles - The Seahawks come into Philadelphia off two 30-point and two 24-point performances. This isn't an offense you want to mess with, and when you are averaging only 0.75 turnovers per game like the Eagles, it could spell trouble. The Eagles should stay on your bench this week as a weak play.

Redskins - Like the Eagles defense, the Redskins aren't great at forcing turnovers, allow a decent amount of points, and are playing an offense that can put up points. The good news for the Redskins is that the Bills are in the middle of another quarterback switch and that could slow down their offense, but even then, the Redskins may not do much in terms of forcing turnovers. Keep the Redskins on your bench as a weak play.