There is no more difficult of a month than December in fantasy football. Why? Well one reason has to do with the playoffs of course, but most of the reason also associated with the inevitable sea change that comes with the territory each year.
Fantasy football is a game of opportunities and trends. If you’re quick to under-analyze you can watch you star players dump a fat goose egg on your lap, while your bench players put up all the points.
Such was the case last week when RB Chris Johnson layed a zero while a nobody WR/KR named Marc Mariani put up 12 points—his third double digit performance week in a row…5 on the year—shame on those of you who made fun of picking up a kick return only player.
The trick to fantasy football in December, and the fantasy football playoffs, is to simply stick to the program while realizing your strengths.
Should you start Zach Miller just because he was a top five TE at one point in the year? I don’t know, do you have a better option because Miller isn’t the same guy he was in October.
Should you start Randy Moss because you really think he’s going to do something this week, or should you realize that his season ended before it ever began this year?
How about Fitzgerald? Is there anyone still hanging on the laurel branch thinking he’s still gonna equal his 2009 numbers JUST because he’s Larry Fitzgerald?
The point is, not all of the hottest players from October are going to produce the same way in December, and a player’s name is nothing more than a stitching on his back—not a guarantee.
To maximize your opportunities in December, and have the most success, just analyze each match up a little longer. Ask questions if you’re un-sure (whether it be in these posts or in our forum) and understand the current trends, not the past trends.
Fantasy championships aren’t just won with quality rosters, championships—just like in real football—are also won by good coaches who make informed decisions.
Last Minute News And Updates:
Adrian Peterson – RB – Vikings: The official listing for AP is “questionable” but you can expect him to suit up against the Bills, who rank 32nd in the NFL against the run.
If there is a better fantasy matchup, I wanna hear about it.
Peterson was limited in practice on Friday, but most of that—and the time he missed —was a rest and relax approach.
Peterson hurt his ankle against Washington last week, but is fully expected to go today making him a quality RB1 start.
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Ben Roethlisberger – QB – Steelers: Rumors flying around about Big Ben having a “new fracture” in his foot appear to be false reports Jason LaCanfora on Twitter. The injury he does have appears to be an aggravation of an old pre-existing injury, but not serious enough to cause concern for the Steelers or fantasy owners.
Big Ben will start on Sunday at Baltimore and is a very nice play.
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WR – Brandon Marshall – Dolphins: Brandon Marshall himself plans on playing this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns as he continues to get round-the-clock treatment, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
The only problem with this news is Marshall hasn’t yet gained medical clearance for the match up, and the fact that he appears to be rushing things a bit with the recovery. Even if he does start, Davone Bess and Brian Hartline are better options than Marshall this week.
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RB – Mike Tolbert – Chargers: RB Mike Tolbert returned topractice on Friday, and saw a moderate workload, but is expected to start in a big way this weekend.
This is good news for owners of Tolbert, as head coach Norv Turner also says Tolbert will play a heavy role in the offensive attack this week.
There is a small rumor that Tolbert has a broken finger in his hand which could affect his pass catching abilities, but nothing was confirmed at the time of this article.
Tolbert is still a quality RB2 start.
