By
Vincent Frank on Wednesday, December 19
th 2012
Week 16 of the NFL season will decide a whole heck of a lot on the football field, but a lot of us will be looking at the fantasy angle. Every single league is either in its semifinal or championship round. So, yes it is pretty important that we delve into what to look for here.
While other sites will attempt to right thousands of words on a blank canvass in order to gain page clicks and subscriptions at this late point in the year, we are all about business here at eDraft. No need to read between the lines, we will provide you what you need to know.
Here are four under-the-radar players that could win you a championship this week.
1. T.Y. Hilton, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
Hilton has produced like a mid-tier FLEX option in standard leagues as a rookie, but has come through for Andrew Luck and company over the last month or so. He is averaging 15 fantasy points in his last four games. While Hilton will not help you out a lot in PPR leagues, he has the ability to give you the big play. He has three 100-yard performances in his last seven outings and has gone for a score four times during that span.
Indianapolis takes on a Kansas City Chiefs defense that ranks seventh in pass yards allowed, but that number is a bit misleading. Kansas City has yielded 25 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions and an opposing quarterback rating of nearly 100 this season.
2. Knowshon Moreno, Running Back, Denver Broncos
Many had come to the conclusion that Moreno was a bust prior to the start of the 2012 season and he didn't do much in the first half of the year to change many minds. Once Willis McGahee went down with a season-ending injury in Week 11, this former first-round pick has picked his game up a great deal.
He is averaging an average of over 15 fantasy points since McGahee's injury and tallied over 300 total yards in his last two games. Moreno, who is owned in nearly 74 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues, will be lining up against a Cleveland Browns rush defense that ranks 19th in the NFL and has yielded over 300 rushing yards in their last two outings.
3. DeAngelo Williams, Running Back, Carolina Panthers
Many of my regular readers fully understand that I have never really been a big fan of any Carolina running back in terms of fantasy football. First, they have to share carries with Cam Newton. Second, the Panthers offensive scheme under Rob Chudzinksi leaves a lot to be desired in the running game.
That being said, Williams came up big against a pretty good San Diego Chargers front last week and should be a decent RB2 or FLEX start this week with Jonathan Stewart still out due to injury. Williams has more fantasy points in his last two games (35.6) than he had in his previous nine games combined. Carolina plays a 21st ranked Oakland Raiders rush defense that has given up more than 140 yards on the ground six times this season.
4. Dennis Pitta, Tight End, Baltimore Ravens
In a year that the fantasy tight end has been an afterthought, it is important to actually look at matchups as well as how a player has performed recently when setting your lineup. Pitta has 35 fantasy points in his last two games, which surpasses his previous seven games. He has quickly become Joe Flacco's favorite target between the hashes. Equally as important, Baltimore goes up against a New York Giants defense that has given up an average of six receptions to starting tight ends in their last seven games.