Eight hundred and fifty-nine points.
That is nearly 27 points per team from a record-setting Week 14. That number is specially amazing considering one game was played in a freak blizzard and four others were played on snow covered fields, and that doesn’t even count the Arctic conditions in Denver and Chicago.
This week’s selections again contain fantasy angles for specific players.
And one college football item: Midwest Sports Fans’ Kurt Allen has projected Jameis Winston as winner of the 2013 Heisman Trophy.
What a buzz-kill.
WEEK 14: 9-5 (two games were off the board)
SEASON: 108-91-7
LOCKS:
WEEK 14: 2-1
SEASON: 21-21
(One other college note – my college football regular season spread selections ended last week with a 7-4 record, I finished the season at 141-138-5. Look for my 35 bowl selections next week.)
San Diego Chargers (6-7) +10.5 at Denver Broncos (11-2)
Peyton Manning is absolutely brutal in cold weather, as said by none other than Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel. He probably has that queued up in the event the Broncos lose the Super Bowl in New York. Wes Walker (two concussions in four weeks) is out (insert Canadian accent here). I wouldn’t be surprised to see Montee Ball get even more work this week. After all my hype last week, the Chargers decided to turn Ladarius Green into a blocking tight end. He gets more involved Thursday with the Chargers likely playing catch-up.
My two top picks to click are Keenan Allen and Julius Thomas. The over-under on this game is 55.5 points.ATS PICK: Broncos (LOCK)
Washington (3-10) +7 at Atlanta Falcons (3-10)
I did call this one last week. Robert Griffin indeed got pummeled and puppet head coach Mike Shanahan will now defy his owner and shut down RG-Third String for the remainder of the season.
What is Dan Snyder going to do about it – fire him? And then hire Bo Pelini? Those would be some epic pressers. ATS PICK: Falcons (LOCK)
Chicago Bears (7-6) +1 at Cleveland Browns (4-9)
Josh McCown had been the best quarterback in fantasy football, but the Bears are going back to Jay Cutler this week. With Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Josh Gordon around, points will be scored like it’s the GoDaddy.com Bowl. ATS PICK: Bears
Houston Texans (2-11) +5.5 at Indianapolis Colts (8-5)
Gary Kubiak was let out of his misery after his 11th straight loss last Thursday night. Now for my bold prediction for 2014: the Texans will win AFC South. ATS PICK: Colts
New England Patriots (10-3) -1.5 at Miami Dolphins (7-6)
A month ago it seemed the Dolphins’ season would fall straight into the Atlantic in the aftermath of the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin fecal-storm. Now the Dolphins look primed to take the AFC’s final playoff spot. My reasoning for steering clear of Rob Gronkowski was proven right, he took a nasty shot, but one Gronk injury keeps leading to another. And I won’t be drafting him in 2014 while waiting half the year for him to come off the PUP list. Beware the barking home dog. ATS PICK: Dolphins
Philadelphia Eagles (8-5) -4.5 at Minnesota Vikings (3-9-1)
I really hated taking Nick Foles out of my lineup as the forecasted snow showers suddenly turned into the modern-day version of the 1948 NFL title game involving the Eagles in similar weather conditions. LeSean McCoy wound up playing the role of Steve Van Buren, who made it to that ’48 game via a few trolley tokens and the good fortune of the game being delayed.
You have to love all the Eagles’ offensive weapons in a domed stadium this week, albeit a condemned domed stadium. Also, I don’t expect Adrian Peterson to play again this season. ATS PICK: Eagles
Seattle Seahawks (11-2) -7 at New York Giants (5-8)
Probably not a whole lot to see offensively here. It is not like Russell Wilson will have Rob Ryan and his smiley-faced laminated game plan to pick apart. ATS PICK: Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers (10-3) -5.5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-9)
Mike Glennon wound up doing next to nothing after playing game-manager following Bobby Rainey’s 80-yard run to the house on the first play last week. The Buccaneers remain the most irrelevant team in the history of fantasy football. ATS PICK: Buccaneers
Buffalo Bills (4-9) -2 at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9)
Both teams remain mathematically alive for the playoffs. The winner of this game would have to win out while the Dolphins and Ravens both lose out, plus a parlay of about 100 other things occurring. The Jaguars remain easy money as a home dog. ATS PICK: Jaguars (LOCK)
Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) -4.5 at Oakland Raiders (4-9)
Likewise, the Raiders are not eliminated as of yet neither, though your chances of hitting the Powerball jackpot may be better than theirs of making the postseason. This is a winnable game for Oakland as the Chiefs are almost resigned to the fifth slot in the AFC. ATS PICK: Chiefs
New York Jets (6-7) +11 at Carolina Panthers (9-4)
I don’t see the Jets winning, but they usually cover the double-digit underdog spreads. ATS PICK: Jets
Green Bay Packers (6-6-1) at Dallas Cowboys (7-6) (off)
Almost an elimination game as far as the playoffs are concerned. Green Bay’s playoff chances currently stand at 13 percent while the Cowboys are at 45 percent. This game will likely remain off the board due to the still questionable status of a certain Packers QB.
Arizona Cardinals (8-5) +2.5 at Tennessee Titans (5-8)
The Cardinals have a 12 percent chance of making the postseason and gave fantasy owners a huge lift with two defensive scores (a pick six and a safety) last week. However Arizona suffered a huge blow as Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu was lost for the season. ATS PICK: Titans
New Orleans Saints (10-3) -6 at St. Louis Rams (5-8)
This one worries me a lot, the Saints managed to stink it up unexpectedly in St. Louis a few years back. That said, Drew Brees still appears unstoppable. ATS PICK: Rams
Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) -2.5 at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8)
It’s time to start thinking about the Bengals as more than just a mere playoff team. If the Broncos were to somehow stumble, the Bengals are probably now the second-best bet. ATS PICK: Bengals
Baltimore Ravens (7-6) +6 at Detroit Lions (7-6)
It will come down to Monday night for many fantasy owners, and Calvin Johnson does not stand a chance of getting a snow-facial this week. I’m just trying to figure out who lit a fire under return man Jeremy Ross, who has suddenly become the second coming of Mel Gray. ATS PICK: Ravens
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