Ricky Williams is proving that there's still plenty left in the tank.
Our sleeper picks weren’t too shabby, either, as Brady Quinn, Jason Snelling, and Justin Forsett all dropped in elite performances and made any owner who took our advice a happy camper in Week 11.
For a quick review of last week’s winners (and duds), read on:
Studs
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants (Start)
Manning broke out against the Falcons suspect secondary, throwing for over 380 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing a pick. Manning was on top of his game all day and was rarely challenged with the weak Falcons defense allowing him to take any pass that he wanted.
Ricky Williams, RB, Miami Dolphins (Start)
Williams blew everyone away with three touchdowns and 100+ yards rushing just days after Miami learned they had lost Ronnie Brown for the season. Williams will no longer be making an appearance on this column, as he is a full-fledged “must-start” fantasy play from this point on.
LeSean McCoy, RB Philadelphia Eagles (Start)
McCoy made quite the splash with his first true crack at the starting job, as Philadelphia gave him the ball 20 times, leading to 99 yards rushing and a score. McCoy lost a fumble and didn’t register a reception, but the production he had was good enough to make for a quality start.
Santonio Holmes, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (Start)
Holmes still hasn’t scored since week one, but continued to get catches and yards, as he racked up 86 yards against the Chiefs. Regardless of his inability to find the end-zone, Holmes is a valuable addition to any team if he continues to consistently churn out yardage.
Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (Sit)
Palmer was very average through the air against a correctly predicted stingy Oakland pass defense, throwing for just 207 yards, no touchdowns, and a pick.
He did, however, manage to run for two touchdowns. Regardless of the impressive rushing scores, another turnover (fumble) made for a very mediocre day, rendering Palmer a weak start.
Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears (Sit)
Cutler has been in a bad slump lately, and while he wasn’t atrocious against the Eagles, his play definitely wasn’t good enough to garner him a spot in your line-up. Cutler managed just 171 yards passing to go with one touchdown and one interception, making him a solid “sit” call on Sunday.
Chad Ochocinco, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (Sit)
Ochocinco still got decent enough numbers that could have had him receiving praise as a WR3, but considering how well he’s been playing this season, owners weren’t starting him for four catches and 67 yards. He likely didn’t kill your team, but he didn’t help you much, either.
Brady Quinn, QB, Cleveland Browns (Sleeper)
Quinn (and Matthew Stafford) shocked the world with a wonderful performance on Sunday, as he topped 300 yards passing and threw for four scores, both for the first time in his young career. He’s a risky play going forward against questionable match-ups, but made for a QB1 play in Week 11.
Jason Snelling, RB, Atlanta Falcons (Sleeper)
Snelling filled-in admirably for Michael Turner, as he handled the bulk of the rushing load for the Falcons, and made for a quality RB2 in almost every league. He topped 20 carries and totaled 89 yards, along with two scores, to make for a great sleeper call.
Justin Forsett, RB, Seattle Seahawks (Sleeper)
Forsett has trouble rushing all day against a very aggressive Minnesota front four, but as expected, he worked wonders in the passing game, racking up over 80 yards receiving, and finished the game by diving into the end-zone, making him a fantastic sleeper for Week 11.
Ryan Moats/Steve Slaton, RB, Houston Texans (Sit)
Moats didn’t have a single touch, and while Slaton did score Houston’s first touchdown, he only managed 21 yards on the ground, with just 42 through the air. He made for a strong Flex play in most leagues, but if you had him as a RB2, he wasn’t an elite option. We could call this one either way, but since he lost out to Chris Brown in the carry department, we give ourselves a win.
Duds
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, New York Giants (Start)
Bradshaw rushed 12 times for just over 30 yards, with no touchdowns and no involvement in the passing game. We were banking on him and Brandon Jacobs to go off against Atlanta’s weak run defense, but the Giants ended up finding more success through the air.
Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers (Sit)
Davis didn’t get it going really until the second half, but he did end up connecting with Alex Smith for a touchdown, while hauling in six reception for 108 yards. By all accounts, that is a performance very worth of a “start” call. Accept our apologies.
Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots (Sleeper)
Edelman did continue to stay involved in New England’s offense, catches three passes (one more than last week), but failed to score and joined the rest of the Patriots receivers in awe of Wes Welker’s fantastic career-game.
Lance Long, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (Sleeper)
Long may have turned out to be a solid sleeper this week if Kansas City hadn’t played the Steelers so tight and churned out a win. Long wasn’t needed for much of the game and didn’t deliver if you had him in as a WR3, but we still like his potential going forward in an improving Chiefs offense.
