Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

1. Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) @ Miami

Johnson is the best receiver in the league, and is proving it week after week. He had nine catches for 196 yards last week against the Rams, almost single-handedly defeating them, and he now has had two consecutive games with at least 190 receiving yards. Miami’s 23rd-ranked pass defense won’t be able to stop him either.
Point Projection: 21 points

2.Randy Moss (New England Patriots) vs. Jacksonville

Moss had a somewhat tumultuous week that saw various media types and opposing players accusing him of quitting in his previous game against the Panthers. He rebounded this week with five receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown in New England’s win over the Bills, and has a beautiful match-up with a Jaguars team that is 27th in the NFL in pass defense, and 24th (tied with Atlanta and NY Giants) in passing touchdowns allowed.
Point Projection: 20 points

3. Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) vs. St. Louis

Much more was expected out of Fitzgerald last week against the woeful pass defense of the Lions, as he caught only four passes for 34 yards. He did score a touchdown, saving himself from his fantasy owners’ ire, and this week plays a Rams team that is dead in the water and just gave up over 190 yards to Andre Johnson.
Point Projection: 19 points

4. Miles Austin (Dallas Cowboys) @ Washington

Austin is playing his best football of the season at the moment, and his performance in Dallas’ win over the Saints last week – seven receptions for 139 yards and one touchdown – showcased that. He’s now scored in four consecutive games and has at least 100 receiving yards in three of those games. Washington is a tough pass defense, and they held him to four catches for 47 yards the last time the two teams squared off, but expect that to change this week.
Point Projection: 18 points

5. Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers) @ NY Giants

Smith was a one-man wrecking crew last week, catching nine passes for 157 yards and one score against the Vikings. We had earlier opined that his lack of catches may be problematic because you are depending on him to keep making big plays, but that was not a problem this week. Smith is hot right now, and scored in each of his last two games while piling up 75 or more yards in four of his last five contests.
Point Projection: 17 points

6. Brandon Marshall (Denver Broncos) @ Philadelphia

With seven catches for 73 yards and a touchdown last week, Marshall has continued his hot play, even though it came in a losing effort. Marshall has scored in three straight games, and has 70 or more receiving yards in four consecutive games. The Eagles are 14th in the league against the pass, but 20th (tied with two other teams) in passing scores allowed.
Point Projection: 17 points

7. DeSean Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Denver

Jackson whipped the 49ers for six receptions and 140 yards and a touchdown last week in Philly’s win. It was his fourth straight game with a touchdown grab, and the third time in four games he’s accumulated at least 100 receiving yards. Denver has gaudy statistics in pass defense, but there’s no team that stop Jackson at his best.
Point Projection: 16 points

8. Vincent Jackson (San Diego Chargers) @ Tennessee

We now fully believe that Jackson is back to his old self after catching five passes for 108 yards and two scores last week against Cincinnati. It was his second straight game with at least 100 yards, and the first time he galloped into the end zone since Week 9. This week, his match-up with the Titans is an outstanding one.
Point Projection: 16 points

9. Anquan Boldin (Arizona Cardinals) vs. St. Louis

Boldin was effective against Detroit last week, and led the Cardinals with six receptions and 72 yards while also scoring a touchdown. He goes up against the Rams this week, a team he methodically stomps in every meeting with them; he had eight catches for 103 yards and a score against St. Louis in Week 11.
Point Projection: 15 points

10. Wes Welker (New England Patriots) vs. Jacksonville

With only four catches last week, Welker set a season-low, and his 40 yards were close to his season-low of 32. Welker also failed to find the end zone, and has not scored in his last seven games. But the Jaguars and their rotten pass defense may be the perfect tonic to cure his allergic reaction to the end zone.
Point Projection: 15 points

11. Chad Ochocinco (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Kansas City

With just three catches yet again last week, Ochocinco now has exactly that amount of receptions in three of his last four games. However, he gained 79 yards in the Bengals’  game against the Chargers, and also scored a touchdown for the third consecutive contest. Against the Chiefs generally bad pass defense, he should light things up.
Point Projection: 14 points

12. Greg Jennings (Green Bay Packers) vs. Seattle

Jennings was targeted a team-high 11 times, and caught five passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay’s loss to Pittsburgh last week. Jennings has a picturesque match-up this week with the Seahawks, and has been playing well of late, so expect him to do big things on Sunday.
Point Projection: 14 points

13. Marques Colston (New Orleans Saints) vs. Tampa Bay

Colston caught five passes for 86 yards last week against Dallas, and snapped a streak of three straight games without scoring a touchdown. And while Tampa has a top-10 defense against the pass, they are 27th (tied with Chicago) in passing touchdowns allowed, and Colston had five catches for 74 yards against them in Week 11.
Point Projection: 13 points

14. Santonio Holmes (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Baltimore

Holmes continued his strong play of late with a three-catch, 77-yard game against the Packers. He has now gained at least 74 receiving yards in each game since the Steelers’  bye in Week 8, and this was his first game with fewer than six receptions in that time as well.
Point Projection: 13 points

15. Mike Sims-Walker (Jacksonville Jaguars) @ New England

After two terrible performances, MSW got back into the good graces of his fantasy owners with a six-catch, 64-yard, one touchdown game last week against the Colts. New England does give up plenty of passing scores (23rd in the league in passing touchdowns allowed), so even though he may continue his recent trend of not getting big yardage, he has a solid chance to wind up in the end zone.
Point Projection: 13 points

16. Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions) @ San Francisco

Daunte Culpepper is terrible, and that, in turn, has made Johnson terrible the last two weeks. Thankfully, Culpepper got yanked last week against the Cardinals, but the damage had already been done. Johnson wound up with only three catches for 35 yards in the game, but if Matthew Stafford returns, Johnson should be able to get going this week against the 49ers, who are 28th in the league in pass defense.
Point Projection: 12 points

17. Hines Ward (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Baltimore  **CHECK INJURY STATUS**

Ward caught seven passes for 126 yards (on 13 targets) in Pittsburgh’s wild win over the Packers last Sunday. It was Ward’s second 125+ yard game in his last five, and his third with 75 or more receiving yards in that time as well. Baltimore is solid against the pass, but Ward will be able to get open, as usual.
Point Projection: 12 points

18. Steve Smith (NY Giants) vs. Carolina

Smith caught five passes for 40 yards and a touchdown in New York’s rout of the Redskins on Monday. Smith is a steady possession receiver who gets plenty of looks and touches each week, and will do so again, even against a difficult Panthers pass defense.
Point Projection: 12 points

19. Donald Driver (Green Bay Packers) vs. Seattle

Driver only caught three passes last week as Green Bay fell to Pittsburgh, but he managed to rack up 76 yards. Still, his production has declined of late, and this was just the second time in his last eight games that Driver has managed to accumulate at least 75 receiving yards. Still, he has scored three touchdowns in that time, and has a match-up this week against the Seahawks’ 29th-ranked pass defense, so there should be no fear of utilizing him.
Point Projection: 11 points

20. Sidney Rice (Minnesota Vikings) @ Chicago

Rice caught four passes for 69 yards last week in Minnesota’s loss to the Panthers. He’s been below 75 yards in each of his last three games after surpassing that mark in five the six previous contests. Incidentally, the last time he broke that mark was against the Bears in Week 12, when he caught six passes for 89 yards.
Point Projection: 11 points

21. Roddy White (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Buffalo

White was targeted 10 times in Atlanta’s win over the Jets, but caught just four passes for 33 yards, having been victimized by New York cornerback Darrelle Revis, as so many other wideouts before him have been. White has another challenge this week against the Bills, who are third in the NFL in pass defense, and who have given up the second-fewest passing scores in the league.
Point Projection: 10 points

22. Robert Meachem (New Orleans Saints) vs. Tampa Bay

Meachem had just five catches for 43 yards last week as New Orleans lost for the first time this season. He’s now gone two weeks without a score, but is playing a team in the Bucs that has allowed more passing scores than all but three other NFL teams. He had two touchdowns against them back in Week 11.
Point Projection: 10 points

23. Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis Colts) vs. NY Jets

Wayne broke out of his three-week mini-slump with an outstanding performance against the Jaguars, catching five passes for 132 yards and one touchdown in the Colts’ win last Thursday. But this week, he faces Darrelle Revis and the Jets, and Revis has been shutting his opponents down on a weekly basis. We think Wayne will still produce to some degree, but at a level somewhat less than what his fantasy owners are used to.
Point Projection: 10 points

24. Derrick Mason (Baltimore Ravens) @ Pittsburgh

The ever-steady Mason caught six passes for 86 yards and one touchdown as Baltimore easily took down the Bears last week. Mason has scored in three of his last four contests, and has accumulated at least 85 yards in each of his last two games, and gets to face a Pittsburgh team that was so shaky defensively last week that their coach called an onside kick despite winning by two with a couple minutes left in the game. Mason had seven receptions for 62 yards and a score against the Steelers in Week 12.
Point Projection: 10 points

25. Jerricho Cotchery (NY Jets) @ Indianapolis

Cotchery was outperformed by teammate Braylon Edwards for one of the few times this season, as Cotchery caught six passes for 49 yards compared to Edwards’ 101 yards. Nonetheless, Cotchery remains New York’s leading receiver and has a chance to put up solid totals this week against the Colts’ 20th-ranked pass defense.
Point Projection: 9 points