Fantasy trend: Andrew Luck must now be considered a starting fantasy quarterback, especially when Luck plays at home. His numbers at Lucas Oil Stadium are elite. He averages more than 300 yards per game in the friendly confines. This week Luck goes on the road, but the matchup is too sweet to pass up as the Colts take on Jacksonville. If you have Luck, give serious thought to putting him in your starting lineup.
Fantasy mirage: Michel LeShoure scored three rushing touchdowns as the Lions somehow decided to be a running team, which confounded most fantasy players who wanted to see Matthew Stafford throw all over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Instead, it was ground and pound. LeShoure is a fringe flex play at best still, and don't expect to see this type of performance going forward, especially this week against the Vikings.
Fantasy scrap heap: When Darren McFadden went down with an injury, and then his backup Mike Goodson went down, the name Marcel Reese became a hot topic. In a PPR league, Reese is a guy to consider adding. He carried the ball zero times, but caught 8 passes for 95 yards and a TD. That is major production. Reese is likely on your waiver wire and should be considered a flex starter this week.
Fantasy garbage: At one point, Jermichael Finley was considered on the cusp of greatness. But Finley has disappeared from the Green Bay playbook and has recently been surpassed by Tom Crabtree on the depth chart. At this point, it's time to throw Finley to the waiver wire.
Fantasy frustration: Between the four of them, the NFC East quarterbacks had two total touchdowns. Eli Manning had one of his worst days in years. Robert Griffin III threw for 215 yards. Mike Vick got sacked seven times. Tony Romo actually led the NFC East quarterbacks in statistics, which should speak volumes as to why these quarterbacks caused a lot of angst this week.
Fantasy elation: If you own Doug Martin, you probably have put him on your Christmas card list. He single-handedly delivered a win for one of my teams and single-handedly cost me a win in another. Martin put up the eighth-biggest fantasy performance of all-time, racking up 277 total yards and four TDs. I tried to get #fantasycrush to trend on Twitter and I certainly have a fantasy crush on the Bucs rookie running back.
Final snap: Do not overlook the schedules of your key players and your bench players during your fantasy playoffs. As I mentioned, you need to be a few weeks ahead if you're in the hunt for a fantasy title. If you've got unfriendly matchups coming up then consider making trades and waiver pickups in anticipation of that. That's what smart fantasy owners do.
Follow Jimmy Dinsmore, The Fantasy Geek, on Twitter @fantasy_geek or email him at jimmy.dinsmore@coxinc.com.
About the Author