Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

With many of you out there in Bruno Boys Nation getting set for Round 1 of your fantasy football playoffs and the rest still vying for a playoff spot, we want to make sure you enter Sunday knowing what players we feel you should play with caution. Obviously it’s your team and your gut, so you are the final decision makers, but if these guys fail to get the job done for your fantasy squad don’t say the Bruno Boys didn’t tell you so.  With that being said the Bruno Boys present the Fantasy Football Week 14 Sit Ems.

QUARTERBACKS – SIT ‘EM

Bruce Gradkowski (Oakland Raiders) vs. Washington

Even though Drew Brees shredded the Washington Redskins defense in Week 13 (let’s be real, who hasn’t he been able to beat?), Gradkowski’s chances are much more slim. Granted the new quarterback in Oakland has been infinitely better than his counterpart JaMarcus Russell while leading the Raiders to upsets over two good clubs (Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers), he still is a 26-year old journeyman. Through 25 career games Gradkowski has just 15 touchdown passes against 25 turnovers and this match-up against the fifth ranked Redskins pass defense will be no easy task. After getting scorched by Drew Brees for 419 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 13, the Redskins are still only allowing 11.4 points to opposing QBs, so we think Gradkowski’s luck may be running out. 

Matt Cassel (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Buffalo

While we believe that Jamaal Charles should flourish against the 32nd ranked Buffalo Bills run defense, quite the contrary is true with quarterback Matt Cassel. The Bills have only allowed 10 passing touchdowns against 21 interceptions through 12 games this season, and Cassel is without his top threat, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Make no mistake, Chris Chambers has filled in admirably, it’s no secret that Bowe was Cassel’s go to guy through the first 10 weeks of the season.Since the loss of Bowe, Cassel has just three TD passes while turning the football over five times. With the Chiefs focusing on pounding the football, and Cassel being turnover prone of late, it will likely lead to Cassel being used as a game managing quarterback with little fantasy value.

Potential Bust Pick of the Week

Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) vs. San Diego

Romo has been one of the better options at the quarterback position for the past two weeks totaling 701 passing yards and 5 touchdowns compared to 0 INTs. These statistics are great if you had the guts to rely on him during crunch-time, but his inconsistent play in the month of December has red flag written all over it. The San Diego Chargers only allow fantasy football quarterbacks to score 11.4 points per contest (16 TD:11 INT) in standard scoring leagues. With this game against San Diego expected to be a shoot-out in Arlington it might be tough to sit a quarterback of Romo’s ability but keep in mind the signal caller has just 17 touchdown passes to 24 turnovers in just 14 career December games.

RUNNING BACKS – SIT ‘EM

Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Minnesota

This recommendation isn’t for everyone out there reading this. This is for those fantasy owners who drafted the likes of Adrian Perterson and Thomas Jones and snagged Benson late in the draft only to see him shine. It’s hard to place a running back as a sit ‘em who has carried so many fantasy football teams to the playoffs in 2009. Benson is a workhorse and proved that by having warrior-like 38 touches coming off a hip injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 13. This Minnesota Vikings front four is not the Lions though, and they don’t allow opposing running backs much room to maneuver. Last week, the Arizona Cardinals rushers netted 78 yards on 19 carries for 4.1 yards per carry (YPC), but failed to score. In fact, the Vikings have only allowed three rushing touchdowns in 12 games this season and this statistic alone is enough to make owners’ think twice about Benson.

Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) vs. Green Bay

As expected, Forte was able to 96 total yards and a touchdown last week in the Bear victory over the St. Louis Rams, but the fact is, the second year running back out of Tulane has played nowhere near his “potential”. The 2008 version of Forte, in which he totaled 1,715 yards and 12 touchdowns,  is not the same one that we’ve seen in 2009 (1,072 total yards, four touchdowns), and the Green Bay Packers are not the match-up that makes Forte a viable start. The Packers rank fourth in the NFL against the run and have allowed under 11 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs (standard scoring). In Week 13, fantasy stud Ray Rice was only able to put up 71 total yards (and a fumble lost), against the Green Bay on Monday Night. If Forte is going to score fantasy points this week it’s going to be as a receiver and with Jay Cutler forcing the ball down the field it’s limited Forte in this department as well. The sure handed receiver has just nine receptions for 59 yards over the Bears’ last three games.

Jonathan Stewart (Carolina Panthers) @ New England

Fresh off a 120-yard and touchdown performance in Week 13 many fantasy football owners will be tempted to start Stewart…but they shouldn’t. Stewart is in the midst of nursing an Achilles injury and fellow running back DeAngelo Williams has practiced this week and is on track to play in Week 14 against the New England Patriots. Couple that bad news with the fact that the Patriots are stingy against the run, and you have a Bruno Boys sit ‘em for Week 14. The Patriots have allowed just eight total touchdowns to opposing running backs (3 rushing, 4 receiving, 1 passing), and with Jonathan Stewart not being much of a receiver, we don’t like his chances of scoring a touchdown. When all is said and done, with Williams returning, Stewart will likely be getting around 40 percent of the touches for Carolina and he’s not a worthwhile start in New England.