A 27-year-old former second-round pick, Rob Gronkowski already has 26 more career touchdowns than his draft slot. The No. 42 overall pick in 2010, Gronk has found the end zone 68 times. How in the world did someone this good go after players like DT “Torell Troup” and Tim Tebow?
Concerns about his back. Gronk missed his final year at Arizona after undergoing surgery. There were rumors he had spinal stenosis. He then proceeded to freak of nature his first three years in the league, scoring 38 touchdowns in 43 games. Gronk’s back issues resurfaced in 2013, requiring another operation, but he entered Sunday with 30 scores in 44 contests since his second surgery.
No one has been able to slow Gronk, so his back took another crack Sunday. Gronk left New England’s (latest) win over the Jets in the first quarter, departing without a catch. The early reports suggested it wouldn’t be a concern for Week 13, but Gronk was spotted having to steady himself on a railing as he made his way down a flight of stairs to the team bus. This is Gronk’s third known back issue in seven years.
That’s to say nothing of all Gronk’s other injuries. Gronk was returning from a “perforated lung” against Gang Green, and missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring issue. Gronk has had knee surgery, ankle surgery, arm surgery … you name it. His health simply cannot be assumed 24 hours after going down, and it stands to reason that the 9-2 Patriots are going to play if safe. If you drafted Gronk in the first round, your season has already been trying. Sunday, it might have ended with the fantasy playoffs just one week away. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst: More time without Gronk.
Five Week 12 Positives
Jeremy Hill’s post Giovani Bernard usage. Hill’s numbers were modest. He generated 82 yards on 18 touches in a 19-14 loss. He was completely ineffective on the ground, rushing 12 times for 21 yards. Which brings us to his six receptions for 61 yards. The catches were a new career high, with the yards just seven short. Hill’s 37 snaps were his second most of 2016. Rex Burkhead also saw heavy playing time, but just seven touches, only two of which were catches. With Bernard out for the year, Hill is clearly going to be treated more like a foundational back going forward, and usually against softer opponents than the Ravens. For instance, Cleveland’s No. 31 run defense in the first week of the fantasy playoffs in Week 14. The Eagles (4.5 YPC against), the Steelers (fifth most running back fantasy points) and Texans (11th) are also on tap. Hill could be a league winner down the stretch.
Colin Kaepernick’s latest good start. Kaepernick completed 29-of-46 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns against the Dolphins, coming up two yards short of sending the game into overtime. The three-score day was his first of 2016. Making a strong fantasy day an elite one was his rushing. Kap took the rock 10 times for 113 yards on the ground, continually burning Miami with the read option. The rushing yards were the fourth most of his career. Merely “fantasy good” the first few games after he replaced Blaine Gabbert, Kap has trended toward “actually good” the past month. He’s been a top-12 quarterback in four straight games, and has a soft Week 13 matchup in the Bears’ injury and suspension decimated defense. It goes without saying that you can keep living the stream with Kap. More surprisingly, you might consider him an every-week starter.
Terrelle Pryor’s big day. Pryor ripped up the Giants for six catches and 131 yards, snagging a career-long 54-yard pass in the process. The converted quarterback is now up to 855 yards on the season, and on pace for 1,140 despite playing with a parade of quarterbacks — Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan, Charlie Whitehurst — genuinely worse than he is under center. The former five-star recruit is a natural at his new position, using his 6-foot-4, 223-pound frame to body smaller defenders and high point passes. Fantasy consistency will probably remain elusive because of his quarterbacks, but an impending free agent, Pryor is making himself gobs of money.
Marquess Wilson’s career game. With the Bears lacking anything even resembling a No. 2 receiver, let alone a No. 1, Wilson stepped up with the best game of his thus far disappointing career. Wilson snagged 8-of-11 targets for 125 yards and a touchdown. The receptions, looks and yards were all new career highs, with the score just his third in 30 games. If there’s a touch of gray — isn’t there always? — it’s that two of Wilson’s missed connections were dropped touchdowns. Nevertheless, he’s looking like Matt Barkley’s No. 1 receiver ahead of a juicy Week 13 matchup with the 49ers. A 24-year-old fourth-year pro, Wilson has teased countless times before, but he’s absolutely worth some of your remaining FAAB ahead of the final week of the fantasy regular season.
Jameis Winston’s hot streak. Winston out-played Russell Wilson in the Bucs’ upset victory, completing 21-of-28 passes for 220 yards and a pair of scores. Admittedly, actually having an offensive line gave Winston a decided edge over his more seasoned opponent, but the No. 1 overall pick of last year’s draft now sports a 14:2 TD:INT total over his past seven starts. Winston has erased his early-season mistakes (eight picks in four games), keeping the Bucs in the playoff hunt in the jumbled NFC South. His fantasy production has trailed his real-life impact, though that should change with juicy matchups each of the next four weeks, including two showdowns with the Saints’ improving-but-still-soft defense.
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Five Week 12 Negatives
Russell Wilson’s domination behind Seattle’s offensive line. Coming off one of the better three-game stretches of his career, Wilson got his world turned upside down behind the Seahawks’ barely-there offensive line. Pressured on nearly every dropback, Wilson could manage just 151 yards on 33 attempts (4.57 YPA). He nearly saved his day with a season-high 80 rushing yards, but a doomed afternoon ultimately ended scoreless. Wilson took six sacks. It was a 2016 high, though already the seventh time he was taken down more than once. The Panthers’ banged up front seven offers a potential Week 13 reprieve, but the same could be said of Wilson’s line for Tampa Bay. Weeks 9-11 re-established Wilson’s upside. Sunday reminded of his 2016 downside.
Thomas Rawls’ disappearance. Wilson wasn’t the only Seahawk victimized behind the offensive line in Tampa. Making his first start since Week 2, Rawls was bottled up for 38 yards on 12 carries. He was targeted only once in the passing game, and passed up in favor of second-year UDFA “George Farmer” with the Seahawks in desperation comeback mode. Rawls is the Seahawks’ only legitimate running back, so he’s not about to be abandoned. Nevertheless, the sledding will be tough behind the Seahawks’ bombed-out front five, especially against run-tough defenses like Carolina in Week 13. Following the Panthers are a pair of “could go either way” matchups in the Packers and Rams. Rawls had the looks of a foolproof RB1 following C.J. Prosise’s (shoulder) injury. We should have known it’s never that easy in fantasy football.
Brandin Cooks’ goose egg. What did Cooks have in common with coach Sean Payton against the Rams? He wasn’t targeted as the Saints dropped 49 points and 555 yards on Jeff Fisher. Cooks entered the game averaging 94 yards and 21.4 yards per catch at home. It was a reminder that splits don’t always mean that much in the small-sample size NFL, and that the Saints’ receiver corps is more volatile than ever with rookie Michael Thomas emerging as a star. Cooks will be a mid-range WR2 for next Sunday’s get-right home matchup with the Lions.
John Brown’s latest rough day. With the Cardinals’ faint playoff hopes on the line, Brown caught 1-of-2 targets for 19 yards before departing with a hamstring injury. Neither the pathetic statline nor hamstring woes were a new development for the lost-in-the-wilderness third-year pro. Brown entered 2016 as a potential breakout candidate. Instead, he’s seen his absurd 2014-15 efficiency wane as Carson Palmer has gone in the tank. If it wasn’t a lost year for Brown before Sunday, it is now. Brown’s upside remains tangible — he’s a massive-play threat with a compiler’s skill-set — but with fantasy playoff berths on the line, Brown can be safely dropped in re-draft leagues. The corner isn’t going to be turned the final five weeks.
Chris Ivory’s hamstring injury. With T.J. Yeldon (ankle) ailing, Ivory had a chance to take control of the Jaguars’ backfield. Instead he did what he’s done far too often as a Jaguar: Disappoint. Ivory generated 55 yards on 10 touches before checking out. In his absence, Yeldon and Denard Robinson combined for 19 dismal carries. The owner of the league’s most pullable hamstrings, Ivory should be considered doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Broncos. With the fantasy playoffs nearly here and Ivory’s role and health both uncertain, he can probably be cut loose with little fear of a future haunting.
Questions
1. Why exactly did Marcus Mariota attempt only 23 passes?
2. Does Carson Palmer fear a lawsuit from Jake Delhomme?
3. Can I order my Tony Romo Cardinals jersey yet?
Early Waiver Look (Players owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
QB: Colin Kaepernick (@CHI), Ryan Tannehill (@BAL), Robert Griffin III
RB: Wendell Smallwood, Kenneth Dixon, Jalen Richard, Paul Perkins, Ameer Abdullah
WR: Marquess Wilson, Tyreek Hill, Ted Ginn, Taylor Gabriel, Malcolm Mitchell
TE: C.J. Fiedorowicz, Lance Kendricks, Jared Cook, Vance McDonald
DEF: Cowboys (@MIN), Bengals (vs. PHI), Texans (@GB)
Stats of the Week
DeMarco Murray has averaged fewer than 3.65 yards per carry in 3-of-4 games since injuring his toe. His overall YPC of 4.16 in that timespan drops to 3.11 if his 75-yard touchdown against the Packers is removed.
Sammy Watkins played 25-of-55 snaps in his return, snagging three balls for 80 yards. He caught a 62-yard pass in the third quarter. Apparently healthy, Watkins has a string of forgiving matchups — @OAK, vs. PITT, vs. CLE and vs. MIA — to end the fantasy season.
Kenny Stills has five touchdowns this season, the shortest of which was 24 yards.
Leading New Orleans’ receiver corps in every meaningful category, Michael Thomas is also playing the most snaps. A Dynasty star has been born.
The Jaguars’ opening drive touchdown, which wasn’t enough in yet another loss, was their first since Week 2, 2015.
The Bears dropped eight passes for Matt Barkley, including seven in the fourth quarter.
Speaking of Barkley, his 54 attempts were tied for the fifth most by any quarterback this season. That’s … not how you win a football game.
Awards Section
Week 12 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Kirk Cousins, RB Mark Ingram, RB LeSean McCoy, WR Emmanuel Sanders, WR Antonio Brown, WR Michael Thomas, TE Jordan Reed
Tweet of the Week, From @CochraneCBC: Justin Houston is a game manager.
Deleted Tweet of the Week, From Janoris Jenkins at Terrelle Pryor: You a S--- Eater to me, u really sucks.. #
Jeff Fisher GIF of the Week, From @LateRoundQB: When you know Case Keenum would have five touchdowns at the half and not three.
