Week 13 fantasy football recap

Week 13 was most notable for:

Rookie QBs. Andrew Luck managed gave his Colts a win over the Lions by throwing his career high 4^th touchdown as time expired. Russell Wilson, of the Seahawks made the vaunted Bears defense look foolish to the tune of 293 passing yards and 71 rushing yards and a 23-17 overtime win. RG3 led the Redskins to a victory behind his 101.9 QBR and 72 rushing yards. Nick Foles threw for 251 yards and put the Eagles in a position where they could have won the game which is more than could have been said about Vick in several games this season. The oldest rookie, Brandon Weeden, 29, even managed to throw for 364 yards and a td in the Browns win over the Chargers. And Finally, Ryan Tanehill had a solid day in a loss to the Patriots.

Studs:

Andrew Luck, Bryce Brown, Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson and Texans Defense. Luck managed to lead all QBs in scoring by throwing 391 yards and four tds. What Can Brown do for you? Well Bryce Brown, getting his second start in place of Lesean McCoy rushed for 169 yards and two tds providing fantasy owners with a second-straight huge game. In just two games as the starter Brown has 347 yards rushing and 4 tds which compares favorably to the 750 yards and 5 tds it took McCoy 11 games to accumulate. Adrian Peterson managed 210 yards rushing with an 82-yard td. Calvin Johnson was a one-man show against the Colts catching 13 passes for 171 yards and a td while no other Lion receiver caught for more than 55 yards. The Texans D had six sacks, generated six turnovers and held the Titans to 10 points.

Duds:

Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Ryan Matthews, Larry Fitzgerald and Roddy White.

Brees, in the surprising Thursday night game, threw 5 interceptions and managed to pretty much single-handedly sink the Saints and his fantasy owners. Matt Ryan also had a a poor game Thursday, throwing for only 165 yards. Ryan Matthews managed only 26 rushing yards and 25 receiving marking the sixth game in a row he failed to score double digit points. Fitzgerald continued a disappointing trend with only one catch and Roddy White also only managed a single catch.

Surprise of the week:

Brandon Myers. The Raiders Tight End, who many picked to be the best replacement for Rob Gronkowski delivered a Gronkowski-esque performance catching 14 of 15 targets for 130 yards and a td leading all tight ends in scoring for the week by a wide margin.  

An Unspeakable Tragedy

Every once and a while, tragedies occur that remind fans that life is so much bigger than sports. Today is one of those days. According to police, Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend early this morning and then drove to the Chiefs practice facility and killed himself. Before killing himself, he was talking with GM Scott Pioli and Coach Romeo Crennel while pointing a gun to his head. Belcher was allegedly thanking Pioli and Crennel for all they had done for him and they reported that they never felt they were in any danger. After he talked to them, Belcher walked in the opposite direction and pulled the trigger. Belcher and his girlfriend leave behind a 3-month-old daughter.

This horrific incident calls to mind two other tragedies that occurred this year involving current or former NFL players. The first, was when former Chargers and Patriots Linebacker Junior Seau killed himself at his home in May. That incident took many by surprise as he had always appeared upbeat and was at the USC spring game just a few weeks before playing the ukulele. The other is when former Titans wide receiver O.J. Murdock shot himself in July after calling a former coach and apologizing as well as thanking a reporter.

I cannot imagine the pain that is currently being felt by the families of Belcher and his girlfriend as well as all the members of the Chiefs organization. My heart and prayers go out to all of them and will continue to do so.