Week 13 Fantasy Mailbag Q&A: Is T.O. Back?
In this week’s Fantasy Mailbag Q&A, we took fantasy questions and instead of answering them ourselves, we reached out to the SB Nation bloggers of the teams involved to give you the real knowledge. These guys follow their teams 24/7 and have all the 411 when it comes to their team’s players.
Without further ado...
Do you see T.O. continuing to put up numbers? Is there chemistry between him and Ryan Fitzpatrick? - Franklin G.
The two have quickly established a nice rapport, but I wouldn’t jump the gun on Owens becoming the consistent force everyone is familiar with. Buffalo’s offensive line is still a mess, and Fitzpatrick is still extremely erratic with his accuracy. Buffalo won’t be playing rookie corners every week, either, which is exactly what the Jaguars and Dolphins have thrown at them. T.O. is a much stronger play now that Fitzpatrick is in the lineup, but Buffalo’s offense still isn’t consistent enough to make any of its players strong week-to-week fantasy plays.
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After Larry Johnson’s return to the relevant world of NFL running backs last week, how much does his presence hurt Cedric Benson’s value? - Chaz W.
In the past, the Bengals would keep pounding with Benson, averaging 22 carries a game, which is still tops in the NFL. While he’s largely recovered from his hip flexor injury, Cincinnati would likely limit Benson’s contributions in games in which they’ve built a comfortable lead. Having guys like Larry Johnson and rookie Bernard Scott, two guys whom have recorded 100-yard rushing performances with the Bengals already, allows the Bengals to remain cautious with Benson. However, Benson still figures to be the primary feature back and will get the bulk of the carries while the game is on the line.
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Is Jamaal Charles now worthy to start, maybe as a flex, each week, or should I remain cautious about him? How do you see his production over the last month of the season? - Carl C.
I believe Jamaal Charles is definitely worth a flex start each week. The Chiefs ran the ball quite a bit (considering how poor they were at it) when Larry Johnson was back there. Now that he’s gone, Charles is seeing more and more time. Early in the season, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley didn’t give Charles many carries because A) he wasn’t sure if he could handle a big load and B) he carries the fumble label with him (four fumbles in two years).
With Charles’ role in the offense, and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, do not be cautious about Charles. In a flex spot, he should be there every week. The last month of the season should see his numbers only rise. He’s been doing more when he’s given the opportunity and in recent week Haley has pointed out Charles’ toughness, which is something the head coach doesn’t do very often.
The Chiefs historically run the ball very well against the Denver Broncos and they’ll see them twice down the stretch. Add in another game against one of the league’s worst rush defenses, Cleveland Browns, and Charles could have some pretty nice games down the stretch.
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What’s the deal with the Cardinals backfield? Is Tim Hightower or Beanie Wells going to emerge as the primary back, or will the time-share continue? Who is going to get the goal-line carries? - Jim A.
Good question but unfortunately there’s no clear cut answer. For now it’s pretty clear that Tim Hightower will remain the starter, but once the game starts Ken Whisenhunt seems to just ride the hot hand and that can be said for regular carries as well as goal line carries. Sometimes that’s Hightower and sometimes it’s Beanie Wells. The only real difference between the two backs at this point is that Hightower is the better back catching out of the backfield so he’s slightly more fantasy-relevant, but putting either of these guys in your starting lineup is a risk.
