DEZ BRYANT LED MANY TO A FANTASY TITLE

Bob Lung, Staff Writer December 28, 2012

Dez Bryant led many Fantasy teams to titles this past weekend. This includes my own team. It was my only championship, however, which was disappointing. My more powerful teams failed in either the semi-finals or the finals. I made the playoffs in seven out of 11 leagues, but only won one title. It did earn about $700, so no whining here.

Each week this season, the Quality Games Review will be here to assist you. It should help you see who is performing above average to help your team win, along with those who may be hurting your chances. As the year goes on, consistency trends will start to show the players that are becoming consistent performers and those who are one-week wonders.

The Quality Game Score is the awarding of a Quality Game to a player each week when they exceed the average points scored in your league for that position. The more Quality Games a player is awarded each year, the more consistent that player is, and the more beneficial they are to your Fantasy team. The scoring method used will be a standard PPR format, with four points for passing touchdowns and six for all others.

So, let’s begin the review…

 

Quarterbacks – (Quality Game Factor – 18.27)

Quality Game Earners – Week 16

Rank Player Team Score
1 Tony Romo DAL 36.80
2 Aaron Rodgers GB 36.20
3 Drew Brees NO 34.20
4 Matt Ryan ATL 32.45
5 Joe Flacco BAL 28.45
6 Peyton Manning DEN 27.95
7 Russell Wilson SEA 26.45
8 Cam Newton CAR 23.50
9 Matthew Stafford DET 21.35
10 Nick Foles PHI 21.25
11 Chad Henne JAX 20.60
12 Josh Freeman TB 20.40
13 Tom Brady NE 19.35
14 Ryan Tannehill MIA 18.90
15 Colin Kaepernick SF 18.30

THE EXPECTED

Most of the stud and reliable quarterbacks came through for their Fantasy owners during championship week. It was rookies like Griffin and Luck who failed. Eli Manning failed again. Matt Ryan also made his owners happy this week and a fourth place performance.

THE UNEXPECTED

Russell Wilson stayed hot, as did Colin Kaepernick and Chad Henne. Ryan Tannehill had his first back-to-back Quality Games of the season. Nick Foles played well but was injured which should allow Mike Vick to start this week.

Here is a group of those bad surprises; quarterbacks who didn’t earn a Quality Game this week. Some top names here this week. Their Fantasy owners cannot be happy about this.

Rank Player Team Score
17 Robert Griffin III WAS 17.30
20 Philip Rivers SD 16.65
21 Andrew Luck IND 16.35
22 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 13.30
23 Eli Manning NYG 12.30
25 Jay Cutler CHI 12.10
26 Andy Dalton CIN 11.90
29 Matt Schaub HOU 8.90
36 Carson Palmer OAK 1.55

Consistency Leaders – YTD – Quarterbacks

Player Name Total Points Rank Total QG Total GP QSR
Tom Brady 374.35 2 14 15 93%
Drew Brees 382.55 1 13 15 87%
Peyton Manning 341.85 6 12 15 80%
Cam Newton 361.75 4 11 15 73%
Matt Ryan 350.75 5 11 15 73%
Matthew Stafford 320.55 10 11 15 73%
Robert GriffinIII 341.55 7 10 14 71%
Aaron Rodgers 363.80 3 10 15 67%
Tony Romo 330.15 8 10 15 67%
Andrew Luck 325.55 9 10 15 67%
Josh Freeman 291.55 12 10 15 67%
Carson Palmer 279.50 15 10 15 67%
Andy Dalton 299.15 11 9 15 60%
Ben Roethlisberger 242.30 21 7 12 58%
Russell Wilson 291.50 13 8 15 53%
Joe Flacco 283.35 14 8 15 53%
Eli Manning 258.00 17 8 15 53%

Tom Brady stands alone at a 93 percent QSR. Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are the only other quarterbacks over 80 percent. The consistency at quarterback this season is down compared to prior year when there were four quarterbacks over an 80 percent QSR and six over a 75 percent QSR.

 

Running Backs – (Quality Game Factor – 10.35)

Quality Game Earners – Week 16

Rank Player Team Score
1 Reggie Bush MIA 32.70
2 Jamaal Charles KC 30.00
3 Ray Rice BAL 27.80
4 Marshawn Lynch SEA 27.00
5 Ryan Grant GB 24.40
6 Darren Sproles NO 22.20
7 Shonn Greene NYJ 22.00
8 C.J. Spiller BUF 21.30
9 LeSean McCoy PHI 21.20
10 Pierre Thomas NO 20.70
11 Doug Martin TB 18.90
12 Alfred Morris WAS 17.80
13 Knowshon Moreno DEN 17.70
14 Joique Bell DET 17.30
15 Matt Forte CHI 16.50
16 Montell Owens JAX 15.90
17 Mikel Leshoure DET 15.60
18 Steven Jackson STL 14.70
19 DeMarco Murray DAL 13.10
20 Mark Ingram NO 13.00
21 Danny Woodhead NE 12.50
22 Bernard Pierce BAL 12.30
23 Toby Gerhart MIN 10.60

THE EXPECTED

Reggie Bush floats between the Expected and Unexpected list more than any running back in the NFL. Jamaal Charles helped those Fantasy owners who started him after his horrible game in Week 15. LeSean McCoy didn’t miss a beat from his concussion. First week back and he’s ninth overall.

THE UNEXPECTED

Ryan Grant finally gave Packers’ fans something to cheer about regarding the running game inGreen Baythis week and an excellent performance. Knowshon Moreno earned his fifth straight Quality Game this past weekend. Toby Gerhart’s vulture touchdown has earned him a place on the Adrian Peterson owners’ hit list.

Below is a list of some of the top running backs in football that did not earn a Quality Game this week. Arian Foster and Adrian Peterson shattered many a Fantasy dream this past weekend.

Rank Player Team Score
25 Adrian Peterson MIN 10.00
26 Trent Richardson CLE 9.80
27 Michael Turner ATL 9.70
30 Stevan Ridley NE 8.40
32 Darren McFadden OAK 7.80
38 DeAngelo Williams CAR 6.80
41 Chris Johnson TEN 6.10
44 Ahmad Bradshaw NYG 5.70
45 William Powell ARI 5.70
48 Arian Foster HOU 4.90
61 Frank Gore SF 2.80
65 BenJarvus Green-Ellis CIN 2.40
86 Beanie Wells ARI 0.30

Consistency Leaders – YTD – Running Backs

Player Name Total Points Rank Total QG Total GP QSR
LeSean McCoy 186.70 16 11 11 100%
DeMarco Murray 137.80 28 9 9 100%
Adrian Peterson 314.30 1 14 15 93%
Arian Foster 282.90 3 14 15 93%
Ray Rice 282.60 4 14 15 93%
Marshawn Lynch 258.20 5 13 15 87%
Doug Martin 286.60 2 12 15 80%
C.J. Spiller 238.20 7 12 15 80%
Darren Sproles 192.10 14 9 12 75%
Trent Richardson 254.70 6 11 15 73%
Alfred Morris 213.10 9 11 15 73%
Matt Forte 202.00 11 10 14 71%
Mikel Leshoure 175.50 20 9 13 69%
Frank Gore 207.70 10 10 15 67%
Steven Jackson 181.60 17 10 15 67%
Darren McFadden 146.60 24 7 11 64%
Jamaal Charles 236.20 8 9 15 60%
Reggie Bush 201.90 12 9 15 60%
Chris Johnson 201.40 13 9 15 60%
Stevan Ridley 188.00 15 9 15 60%
BenJarvus Green-Ellis 175.80 19 9 15 60%
Michael Turner 169.30 21 9 15 60%

With Adrian Peterson and Arian Foster both missing their first Quality Game of the year,  LeSean McCoy and DeMarco Murray stayed perfect with fewer games. Peterson, Foster and Rice are all three tied for second with a 93 percent QSR.

 

Wide Receiver – (Quality Game Factor – 10.85)

Quality Game Earners – Week 16

Rank Player Team Score
1 Dez Bryant DAL 43.40
2 Roddy White ATL 35.30
3 Calvin Johnson DET 33.50
4 Mike Williams TB 26.20
5 Wes Welker NE 25.70
6 Jeremy Maclin PHI 25.60
7 Marques Colston NO 25.30
8 Demaryius Thomas DEN 25.20
9 Eric Decker DEN 24.50
10 James Jones GB 23.00
11 A.J. Green CIN 21.60
12 Doug Baldwin SEA 21.30
13 Justin Blackmon JAX 20.90
14 Antonio Brown PIT 20.70
15 Torrey Smith BAL 19.80
16 Julio Jones ATL 19.40
17 Larry Fitzgerald ARI 19.10
18 Reggie Wayne IND 19.10
19 Brandon Marshall CHI 18.80
20 Vincent Jackson TB 17.80
21 Greg Little CLE 17.80
22 Greg Jennings GB 17.50
23 Andre Johnson HOU 16.70
24 Anquan Boldin BAL 16.30
25 Pierre Garcon WAS 15.90
26 Danario Alexander SD 15.90
27 Randall Cobb GB 15.20
28 Jason Avant PHI 15.00
29 Miles Austin DAL 14.50
30 Steve Smith CAR 14.50
31 Jordan Shipley JAX 13.20
32 Lance Moore NO 13.00
33 Domenik Hixon NYG 12.60
34 Brandon Lloyd NE 12.20
35 Kenny Britt TEN 12.10
36 Santana Moss WAS 11.80
37 Marvin Jones CIN 11.50
38 Cecil Shorts JAX 11.40
39 Jarius Wright MIN 11.10

THE EXPECTED

Dez Bryant, Roddy White and Calvin Johnson were the big guns at wide receiver this past weekend. Demaryius Thomas stayed consistent, as did A.J. Green and Reggie Wayne. Greg Jennings regains some consistency as well.

THE UNEXPECTED

James Jones leads the NFL in touchdown receptions with 13. This is amazing when you realize he only has 58 receptions for the season. Justin Blackmon earned six Quality Games out his last eight games and depending on the quarterback next season, could be a nice sleeper.

Here is the list of top wide receivers that didn’t earn a Quality Game this week. The list is huge again this week! Victor Cruz has certainly not been anywhere near as consistent as last season.

Rank Player Team Score
42 Michael Crabtree SF 10.50
50 Stevie Johnson BUF 8.40
68 T.Y. Hilton IND 5.40
72 Darrius Heyward-Bey OAK 5.10
74 Victor Cruz NYG 5.10
94 Danny Amendola STL 2.50
100 Mike Wallace PIT 2.20
119 Hakeem Nicks NYG 0.00

Consistency Leaders – YTD – Wide Receivers

Player Name Total Points Rank Total QG Total GP QSR
Brandon Marshall 325.60 2 13 15 87%
A.J. Green 296.20 3 13 15 87%
Demaryius Thomas 270.00 5 13 15 87%
Reggie Wayne 262.00 8 13 15 87%
Calvin Johnson 333.20 1 12 15 80%
Dez Bryant 288.60 4 12 15 80%
Randall Cobb 235.60 14 12 15 80%
Antonio Brown 165.50 34 9 12 75%
Wes Welker 265.90 7 11 15 73%
Vincent Jackson 250.40 11 11 15 73%
Steve Smith 205.80 18 11 15 73%
Miles Austin 195.30 22 11 15 73%
James Jones 208.20 17 10 14 71%
Cecil Shorts 193.50 23 10 14 71%
Danny Amendola 139.70 49 7 10 70%
Andre Johnson 269.70 6 10 15 67%
Julio Jones 253.20 10 10 15 67%
Victor Cruz 240.00 13 10 15 67%
Marques Colston 234.20 15 10 15 67%
Stevie Johnson 201.50 19 10 15 67%
Lance Moore 189.00 24 9 14 64%
DeSean Jackson 126.30 56 7 11 64%
Roddy White 259.90 9 9 15 60%
Eric Decker 242.80 12 9 15 60%
Michael Crabtree 213.10 16 9 15 60%
Mike Wallace 195.50 21 9 15 60%
Brandon Lloyd 187.20 25 9 15 60%

There are four receivers now tied at an 87 percent QSR. Nobody stands out like Randall Cobb on this list. He was drafted either late or not at all and could end the season tied for the second most Quality Games of the season. Unbelievable!

 

Tight Ends – (Quality Game Factor – 9.40)

Quality Game Earners – Week 16

Rank Player Team Score
1 Lance Kendricks STL 21.90
2 Jimmy Graham NO 15.80
3 Delanie Walker SF 15.40
4 Kyle Rudolph MIN 12.90
5 Antonio Gates SD 12.40
6 Jermichael Finley GB 12.00
7 Jason Witten DAL 12.00
8 Greg Olsen CAR 11.30
9 Dennis Pitta BAL 9.60

THE EXPECTED

It’s a slow week for tight ends this week. Only nine tight ends earned a Quality Game and most of them didn’t earn higher than a 50 percent QSR for the year. Jimmy Graham took the second spot and rebounded nicely after a semi-slow start. Antonio Gates frustrated so many Fantasy owners this year, so let’s hope this good game this past weekend helped their teams win a championship.

THE UNEXPECTED

Dennis Pitta earns his third straight Quality Game. Lance Kendricks had a career game during Fantasy title week. Now, the real questions is, “Did anyone start him?” I’m assuming no.

Here are the top tight ends that didn’t earn a Quality Game this week. Tony Gonzalez hurt some Fantasy owners this week and a disappearing act during a big week.

Rank Player Team Score
14 Heath Miller PIT 7.50
16 Dallas Clark TB 7.30
19 Brent Celek PHI 6.90
20 Jermaine Gresham CIN 6.80
25 Owen Daniels HOU 5.70
26 Joel Dreessen DEN 5.20
29 Brandon Myers OAK 4.00
31 Vernon Davis SF 3.70
39 Aaron Hernandez NE 2.30
41 Tony Gonzalez ATL 1.90

Consistency Leaders – YTD – Tight Ends

Player Name Total Points Rank Total QG Total GP QSR
Jason Witten 213.30 2 13 15 87%
Jimmy Graham 210.70 3 12 14 86%
Rob Gronkowski 186.80 5 8 10 80%
Aaron Hernandez 120.40 19 6 8 75%
Tony Gonzalez 224.90 1 10 15 67%
Heath Miller 200.60 4 10 15 67%
Jermaine Gresham 166.70 9 10 15 67%
Brandon Pettigrew 128.40 15 8 12 67%
Owen Daniels 163.90 10 9 14 64%
Greg Olsen 175.00 6 9 15 60%
Brandon Myers 174.30 7 9 15 60%
Kyle Rudolph 152.30 11 9 15 60%
Dennis Pitta 169.90 8 8 15 53%

There are only three tight ends over an 80 percent QSR, showing that tight ends are not real consistent. Remember that next year when you’re thinking about drafting a tight end before the fifth round.

There is your Week 16 lists of Quality Games earned. Start watching these Quality rankings to find your next gem on the waiver wire, and then let me know how they work out in your drive towards the championship!

As I mentioned above, the Fantasy players on the teams in these Quality Matchups have a much higher rate of performing above average in comparison to the other players at that position.

If you have any questions about the Quality Game Scores, you can email me at blung@rotoexperts.com. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Listen to me live on Sirius channel 210 and XM channel 87 every Friday mornings at 9:30 am ET

The new RotoExperts Daily Clubhouse has all you need to win big every night in Daily Fantasy Baseball – expert picks, tools to identify hot and bargain players, plus official lineups and podcasts/radio shows just prior to game time! Don’t set your lineups without visiting the Daily Clubhouse first. Then set your winning rosters on DraftKings.

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About the author: Bob Lung, Staff Writer View all posts by
Bob has been playing Fantasy Football since 1985 and began his Fantasy football writing career at RotoJunkie in 2001. He has progressed through a number of other Fantasy sites like CreativeSports, FoxSports and Fanball. He has been writing for RotoExperts.com for the past two seasons and is best known for sharing his Fantasy football consistency knowledge (known as the Quality Game Scores) with the readers and listeners on the RotoExperts website and on The Fantasy Sports Channel (Sirius Radio 210 or XM 87). Bob was born and raised and continues to live in Canton, Ohio with his wife of over 20 years and his three daughters. Bob can be reached at blung@rotoexperts.com and on Twitter: @RotoExpertsBobL


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