We're gonna cover fantasy football all season long here at Bird's Nest by answering five questions every week about various fantasy-related topics. FLESH FOR FANTASYYYYYY. Let's roll.
1. Matt Moore, Kevin Smith, Reggie Bush: Are the late bloomers for real? Every fantasy season features a handful of players who suddenly turn into studs after midseason. Right now, Dolphins QB Matt Moore is one of the hottest quarterbacks in all of fantasy (HUH?) and Reggie Bush has scored in three straight games. Lions RB Kevin Smith just hung over two bills on the Panthers. Of those three, I say Bush is the least likely to keep piling up good numbers, mostly because he's still sharing the load with Daniel Thomas and because his YPC average hasn't been all that great. Moore gets to face a handful of struggling pass defenses at the end of the season and could prove valuable for your playoff run. As for Smith, his status depends on how well Jahvid Best recovers from his recent concussion. My guess is that Best will sit out the Thanksgiving game against the Packers, leaving Smith with a chance to take his job for the rest of the season with another great showing.
2. Is Cam Newton tailing off for good? His passing stats have declined in four straight games and he has a 5:8 TD:INT ratio in his past five games, but Newton's fantasy value is still strong thanks to his ability to score a rushing TD virtually every week. Even last Sunday, when Newton threw four picks against the Lions, he still scored 20 fantasy points in standard leagues. But I'd be concerned about Newton NEXT season, when coordinators have a full offseason to study his running game and defend against it. The running game is the only thing keeping Newton viable right now. If that gets taken away, he might have a bad sophomore slump.
3. Is Rob Gronkowski having the best season a fantasy tight end has ever had? It's possible. Right now, Gronk has over 800 yards receiving and 10 TD catches. Tony Gonzalez, one of the best tight ends in history, has NEVER had more than 11 touchdowns in a full season. And Antonio Gates, who is the best tight end in recent memory, has never had more than 13 touchdowns in a full season. Gronk is on pace for 16 TDs and over 1,200 yards. The 16 TDs would be a league record for tight ends, and Gronk could set the TE yardage record held by Kellen Winslow (1,290 yards in 1980). So yeah, best tight end season ever. NO ONE DENIES THIS.
4. Is it more fun to have fantasy players playing on Thanksgiving, or less? It's like a sugar rush. It's real fun as you're experiencing it, but then the weekend arrives and you have a locked point total and there is nothing but shame and regret.
5. Can Tim Tebow save my bacon with a rushing TD at the end of every game? I guess so. Since he's magic and all.
