AWD'oh. Cinderallas can turn out ugly, it seems. Steve Johnson and Peyton Hillis, undrafted fantasy darlings, bit their owners last week. I'm guessing that those two men are the only regular starters on many consistent fantasy winners, and so now you're asking yourself (to stretch a metaphor): Dare I bring the glass slipper back to the castle again? 'Cuz when stuff starts turning into a pumpkin (even a pumpkin the approximate color of a Cleveland Browns helmet), a lot of fantasy owners' TVs start getting kicked in with frustration. I hope my take on how Week 14 will turn out will help you fantasy gamers in the process!Good Luck Everyone!
Fantasy Up: Let's take Hillis first. The Dolphins skunked him. His first carry on the Browns' first offensive play (after they blocked a first-quarter field goal attempt) was a pitch left on which he tried to run around the end but instead ran into a wall. His best carry also came in the first quarter -- a 13-yarder to the right (surprisingly, since the highest percentage of his big gains have come off left tackle, behind Joe Thomas) -- but runs like that were few and far between. Free safety Chris Clemons stoned him on a couple outside efforts, Tony McDaniel rattled his teeth on a second-quarter stop, a third-and-6 draw got one yard. Listen, you saw one safety high for Miami all game, which isn't necessarily anything new against the Browns, and Hillis didn't pick his way clean very often. I don't expect a repeat against the Bills defense. That group has made improvements, but a crack against them can rapidly turn into a 43-yard touchdown run, as it did in the fourth quarter last week for Adrian Peterson. … Now what about Johnson? Him, naturally, I feel less sure about. His list of four targets last week doesn't inspire confidence: a quick comeback for a short third-down conversion in the first quarter (eight yards); a deep in-cut around midfield he should've caught for a 20-yard gain, but let slip through his fingers; a terribly thrown ball by Ryan Fitzpatrick that was picked off and returned to the Bills' 5; then nothing for the entire third quarter and half the fourth, followed by a pretty meaningless catch-and-run on a fourth-and-7 late. Heck, Lee Evans got less attention from the Vikings' defense, and thus more attention from Fitzpatrick. Still that Johnson drop is the kind of play that, if he makes the catch, can propel a talented kid like this to a big fantasy day. I've lowered him to No. 3 fantasy receiver territory for this game, but I still like his upside, even against Browns rookie corner Joe Haden, who has an interception each of the past four weeks. … Fred Jackson didn't do much of anything against that the Vikings' improved run defense last week, but I'm not panicked yet, not against a Browns defense that will give it up against the run. C.J. Spiller's numbers look good on paper (nine touches, 36 yards compared to 12 and 48 for Jackson), but realize that Spiller had three touches for minus-2 yards at halftime. … With Jake Delhomme in full checkdown mode Sunday, both Hillis and Benjamin Watson benefited: Watson to the tune of 10 grabs for a season-high 100 yards. I don't know what to tell you. Tight ends are the new kickers. I rated Watson as a fantasy starter in most leagues this week, but I don't feel great about it.
Fantasy Down: Fitzpatrick may have passed for four scores in his huge comeback efforts against the Ravens in Week 7 and then the Bengals in Week 11, but in all five of his other games during that span he's tossed for a single score, fewer than 300 yards and tossed seven picks besides. When he had time against Minnesota, Fitz made a few good throws. He tends to go to the "right" place with the ball. But he's also harried in the pocket and has a weak arm that limits the kinds of routes he can throw to save himself. Obviously, you've seen him produce big games, but in what should be a grind-it-out affair, I can't imagine he'll have a reason to air it out a bunch in Week 14.
