IF TOM Brady, Tony Romo, Derek Anderson and Co. didn’t spoil your fantasy holiday by delivering coal in your stocking last week, consider it a Christmas gift. Thanks to some monumental duds by a collection of studs, many fantasy teams will be home for the holidays rather than advancing in the playoffs.
Last week, Fred Taylor came through like Yukon Cornelius, delivering a blockbuster fantasy performance against a stellar defense in North Pole conditions that should have limited his effectiveness. Expect the Steelers to make amends this week by sending Rams runner Steven Jackson to the Island of Misfit Backs.
LenDale White‘s inconsistency has been as bright as a shiny, red nose. But the Jets defense counters with consistent apathy. Gang Green has stopped virtually no one. Maybe it will be a White Christmas after all.
If Fred Taylor is Rudolph, then Maurice Jones-Drew is Hermey the dentist. They’re perfect together, though only moderately reliable. Taylor has been tearing it up recently, but the Tracker says go against the grain. Oakland stops no ground game, so look for Hermey, er, Jones-Drew, to come down the Jaguars’ chimney with fantasy gifts.
Expect Clinton Portis to melt against a stingy Vikings run defense. He will look more like Frosty the Snowman than the Abominable Snowman.
Need someone to guide your sleigh through the air? We like Carson Palmer in decent conditions, but forecasting the weather is harder than making fantasy projections. A safer play would be Donovan McNabb against the Saints. We even believe Brodie Croyle can muster starters’ numbers this week in Detroit.
But if you’ve been riding with the David Garrard, expect his Clydesdale-like strides to miss a step this week vs. a tough Raiders pass defense.
The Tracker can’t decide what looked worse last week – the purple-on-purple Vikings or all-red Texans? Red, white or blue, Texans WR Andre Johnson looks to have a tough run this week against the Colts pass defense.
Last week’s Survivor pick: Seattle over Carolina (loss). This week’s pick: Hopefully, you ignored our pick last week. If so, take Arizona over Atlanta. Record: 13-2.