Strikes & Gutters: Week 13 Fantasy Football Advice

I would have gladly traded any and all meager fantasy success for a Dolphins' victory on Sunday. With the AFC play-off picture shaping up to be so tight, victories will be at a premium. The most frustrating part is that you can see the talent and potential this team exudes. Having watched so many horrid Dolphin teams over the years, it's so refreshing to see a team that matters again. If they can't find a way to start winning these close games though, none of that is going to matter. It was another solid week for the column though. My strikes were all on point giving decent (Mason) to spectacular (Tannehill) production. Forsett, Hilton and McCoy all had very good days as well. 5 out of 5

The gutters featured a couple hiccups. Ryan Matthews and Marques Colston had good games and both found the end zone. The rotten corpse of Pierre Garcon did almost nothing again, Fratty Matty continued to strike out on the field and the Dolphins Defense played the worst game I've seen from them in some time. That 4 and 2 conversion still pisses me off. so 8 out 10 on the week and my hot streak officially continues.

ON TO THE STRIKES!

STRIKES:

Golden Tate: The Bears famed Cover 0 defense wasn't unveiled very often against the Bucs on Sunday, though they continued their streak of not covering the opposition's top WR on the Mike Evans TD. Seriously, after watching what Jordy Nelson and Rob Gronkowski did to them, any WR playing the Bears is a Must start at this point.

Daniel Herron: Well that didn't take long. Trent Richardson will now be playing second fiddle to a practice squad call up player. He was clearly the better back and i look for him to begin getting Bradshaw's touches going forward. Doesn't hurt they play against the Redskins this week.

Josh Gordon: Provided he doesn't get arrested from the time this column was typed until next Sunday (or Monday if they can't get the Stadium in Buffalo dug out of the snow quickly enough) he should be started in all leagues. I will never forgive Jeff Ireland for not using the supplemental pick on Gordon. Even with all the suspensions, Gordon looks like a man amongst boys out there.

Andy Dalton: Sneaky QB play this week. There are actually a couple, but I like Dalton going into Tampa this week. Eli at Jacksonville and Teddy Bridgewater at home vs Carolina also appear like decent starts if you are in a pinch. But I'll go with Dalton, who has his full stable of weapons in a road game against a poor opponent that isn't in prime time. These are the games where Dalton thrives.

Courtesy Dolphin Start of the Week, Ryan Tannehill: Riding the hot hand seems smart here. He was brilliant in Denver on Sunday. I love the way Lazor is using him, and he appears to be sliding away from pressure much better than he ever has. I really hope we make a statement against the jets on Monday night, and Tannehill is the man who needs to get it going.

GUTTERS:

Jay Cutler: Conversely, Jay Cutler has been very bad. And they will be on the Road against the Dteroit Lions who should be very angry about what NE did to them. I would avoid playing Smoking Jay if you could. What do you think about that Jay?

Cool, bro.

Matt Ryan: The Falcons are 0 - 7 vs everyone outside the NFC South. They Play the Arizona Cardinals and their rugged defense on Sunday. Look elsewhere if you can.

Rueban Randle: There's no reason for this man to be on anyone's fantasy team any more.

Kenny Britt: Don't be fooled by the good game he had against Denver a couple weeks back. He isn't very useful.

Courtesy Dolphin Sit of the Week, Lamar Miller: This is strictly based on the match up. I actually feel like he will have a decent game. I expect the entire team to make a statement. But, conventional wisdom says to be wary of RBs going against the Jets, as their run defense is supposed to be tough. I hope I'm wrong, and I hope everyone plays their hearts out on Monday night and shows the football world that this team is for real.

The season is dwindling down at an alarming rate. 5 games remain, 4 in most fantasy leagues. I have been reduced to rubble in most of my leagues this year. Even so, this has been the best season in recent memory for me just because of how much fun i am having watching the Dolphins. They play well, they play fast and they play as a team. They seem to say all the right things and they all just seem to get it. I think they finish the year strong and it all starts on Monday night. The advice in this column has been pretty solid of late, and I hope it has given at least a few of you some help this season. if you have any specific questions, leave them in the comments section and I will do my best to get to them. GO PHINS!

Well, dude, sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you...