As the fantasy season draws to a close, thus does the WNY rankings for 2013. Good luck in all your fantasy championships, and I look forward to writing this column again next year. Be sure to follow me @ZacBellman_WNY for Packers and Colts articles into the offseason.
QB rankings:
- Peyton Manning (Broncos) at Oakland – Peyton amassed 374 yards and three touchdowns in their previous meeting, and weather conditions should be the most ideal he will see in the coming weeks.
- Matthew Stafford (Lions) at Minnesota – Minnesota has surrendered 1,039 yards and ten touchdowns in the last three games through the air, and Stafford threw for 357 and two scores in their Week 1 contest.
- Andrew Luck (Colts) vs. Jacksonville – Indianapolis still has an outside shot at the 2nd playoff seed so Coach Pagano will not likely pull starters or punches against the Jaguars’ 28th scoring defense.
- Cam Newton (Panthers) at Atlanta – The Falcons rank 25th against the pass and 31st against the run, and Newton is just the type of player to exploit both these matchups.
- Nick Foles (Eagles) at Dallas – His worst game of the season came against Dallas in Week 7, but he has been second-highest scoring QB since Week 8 in ESPN standard leagues and Dallas is 31st against the pass.
- Aaron Rodgers (Packers) at Chicago
- Drew Brees (Saints) vs. Buccaneers
- Jay Cutler (Bears) vs. Green Bay
- Kyle Orton (Cowboys) vs. Philadelphia
- Phillip Rivers (Chargers) vs. Kansas City
- Ryan Fitzpatrick (Titans) vs. Houston
- Andy Dalton (Bengals) vs. Baltimore
- Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins) vs. New York Jets
- Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers) vs. Cleveland
- Colin Kaepernick (49ers) at Arizona
RB rankings:
- LeSean McCoy (Eagles) at Dallas – Unlike his fellow stud Jamaal Charles, McCoy’s Eagles have something to play for this week, which means a lot of playing time and guaranteed touches against Dallas’ 27th run defense.
- Eddie Lacy (Packers) at Chicago – Although Green Bay is buzzing over Aaron Rodgers’ return; it could be Lacy who carries the Packers to victory against a Bears defense that gave up 289 yards on the ground last week.
- Matt Forte (Bears) vs. Green Bay – Jay Cutler has thrown 17 interceptions in nine career games against Green Bay, so Marc Trestman may decide a more conservative attack against Green Bay’s 26th rushing defense is in order.
- Joique Bell (Lions) at Minnesota – The Lions now having nothing to play for could mean that Calvin Johnson does not play. That combined with the fact that Bell has been inserted for Reggie Bush who has struggled with fumbles makes this play very enticing.
- Knile Davis (Chiefs) at San Deigo – This ranking comes with a huge asterisk as reports have said that Jamaal Charles may not get more than a series or two, and that Davis will get the bulk of the work. Andy Reid likes to use his running backs but Davis fumbled his only carry last week and was benched.
- Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks) vs. St. Louis
- Knowshon Moreno (Broncos) at Oakland
- DeMarco Murray (Cowboys) vs. Philadelphia
- Alfred Morris (Redskins) at New York Giants
- DeAngelo Williams (Panthers) at Atlanta
- Donald Brown (Colts) vs. Jacksonville
- Reggie Bush (Lions) at Minnesota
- Edwin Baker (Browns) at Pittsburgh
- Chris Johnson (Titans) vs. Houston
- Le’Veon Bell (Steelers) vs. Cleveland
WR rankings:
- Josh Gordon (Browns) at Pittsburgh – Gordon had his second biggest yardage output of the season against the Steelers in Week 12 with 237 yards, so the matchup should not discourage his owners from starting him.
- Calvin Johnson (Lions) at Minnesota – Another huge asterisk here because I seriously doubt he plays with a knee injury that has been lingering for weeks and the Lions out of playoff contention. If he does it’s a dream matchup even though he struggled in their first meeting.
- Pierre Garcon (Redskins) at New York Giants – Garcon’s production has escalated with Kirk Cousins at quarterback to the tune of 18 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns in the last two weeks, a trend that should continue with that many opportunities.
- DeSean Jackson (Eagles) at Dallas – With struggles at quarterback in their first meeting, Jackson also had his worst game of the season in Week 7. Expect a much better output with Foles healthy and playing like an All-Pro.
- Alshon Jeffery (Bears) vs. Green Bay – Jeffery presents a size-speed combo that could be a matchup nightmare for the Packers, who are 21st in the league against the pass.
- Dez Bryant (Cowboys) vs. Eagles
- Brandon Marshall (Bears) vs. Green Bay
- Demaryius Thomas (Broncos) at Oakland
- Andre Johnson (Texans) at Tennessee
- Antonio Brown (Steelers) vs. Cleveland
- Julian Edelman (Patriots) vs. Buffalo
- A.J. Green (Bengals) vs. Baltimore
- Eric Decker (Broncos) at Oakland
- Riley Cooper (Eagles) at Dallas
- Mike Wallace (Dolphins) vs. New York Jets
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