We've hit the midway point in the fantasy season, and with that comes reflection. A time for a man to stare out the window as fall starts to turn to winter, a cup of hot cider in his hand, wearing his favorite J. Crew cardigan as his dog dozes at his feet, and ponder what's gone right for him lately in his life (like Keenan Allen and Justin Blackmon) and what's gone wrong (I have to work up to saying his name. Check back in the middle of this column. By then I'll be okay enough to say it). Like I said. Reflection.
Brandt: Gauging injury fallout
In the wake of an injury-filled week, Gil Brandt names the teams that can keep things rolling along -- and some that might fall apart. **READ**
3: How many weeks I've fallen in love with a tight end this season, only to fall out of love the next week. Over. Oh, Jared Cook, Coby Fleener, Brent Celek, Kellen Winslow and friends -- how you play with my heart just so. My relationship with tight ends reminds me of high school. A girl could wear a short skirt in second period English, and I would have an entire relationship with her in my mind over the course of 40 minutes, including our first kiss and breakup, and then be on to my next crush in European History an hour later. But this is the world of tight ends. And I'm a sucker for love. So much so that I think Jordan Reed is the real thing. ("No, mom, I mean it!") Reed comes from the Antonio Gates/Julius Thomas family of being athletic and explosive enough to dominate opposing defenses. It took him a few weeks to make his mark, but now Robert Griffin III is looking for him as much as Pierre Garcon, which I didn't think was humanly possible. Pick up Jordan Reed and play him going forward if you are in need. He won't disappoint you. This time I know it's for real. And now I'm going to listen to Donna Summer.
Here's a special two-parter. 4: The number of teams I have C.J. Spiller on. Push. 0: The number of teams I'm starting C.J. Spiller on. Push. There, I'm finally able to say it. Spiller has played in all seven of the Bills games this season and has 43 fantasy points. Peyton Manning had more than that in Week 1. Spiller's rushing yards since Week 4 look like this: 77, 66, 55, 11. At least the numbers look pretty because they're all repeat double-digits. But his role in the offense is decreasing, even as he gets healthier. As a result, Fred Jackson has turned into a must-start every week -- at least as a flex. He gets all the goal-line carries, and has been under 10 fantasy points in a game just once in 2013. Spiller, meanwhile, has blown a big hole in your fantasy season. I can't put him in my lineup anymore, and neither should you. And at the end of the year, I'll have a very special ceremony in which I write his name on a piece of paper under the heading "Never again." Right under Ryan Mathews' name from last year.
Waiver wire: Pick Percy pronto
Michael Fabiano writes that Percy Harvin's debut makes the WR a must-have waiver wire commodity.. More ...
7: Scale of 1-10, how impressed I've been by Jake Locker in his last few games. Over. We've been waiting two years for Locker to be fantasy relevant, and the time has come. His return from injury couldn't have gone any smoother. Locker's decisive with the football and we already know how mobile he is. His body language also displays a sort of confidence/arrogance he hasn't had until now. Sometimes it just takes a guy longer than you think to "get it." Just as important is the fact Tennessee can't run the football, so they're going to use this season to evaluate Locker as their potential franchise QB. He needs to be owned going forward and if he puts together a couple more big fantasy games, you may have yourself a new starting QB. You should be able to get him this week pretty easily due to the Titans bye.
10: Scale of 1-10, how much fun it was to find out Brett Favre plays fantasy football. Over. Appearing on NFL Gameday Morning this past week, he talked about how Aaron Rodgers is his quarterback (I'd love to have seen how that draft pick went - "I can't believe I'm doing this but I'm going to take...") and how Danny Amendola has disappointed him. Finishing it up by saying his fantasy team "sucks" was the cherry on top of that particular sundae. But mainly I loved recognizing the look on his face as he described his team: the general disgust and frustration and disappointment you experience when you're talking about how bad your fantasy team is. Welcome to the club, Brett. We have jackets.
35: Percentage of your brain you've been using to worry about starting Russell Wilson. Under. He's back now. You can exhale. And with Percy Harvin on the field before long, watch out. Wilson has the fifth-most fantasy points for quarterbacks this season. His early-season struggles are a thing of the past. I know it's awful to look at the couple of 10-point stinkers he's had and feel confident, but Wilson's been streaking. He's had 16 or more fantasy points in four of the last five weeks, and is in the top ten for yards rushing over the last month. Not just for quarterbacks, but for everyone. He has STL, TB, ATL and MIN the next four weeks until the Seahawks hit their bye. He starts for you in each of those games.
Jason Smith writes fantasy and other pith for nfl.com. You can see him as the host of NFL Fantasy Live that airs Sunday through Friday on NFL Network at 5pmET/2pmPT and also at 1amET/10pmPT. Listen to him on the NFL Fantasy Live podcast available at nfl.com and on itunes. Reach out to him on Google plus or Twitter @howaboutafresca, and listen to his Fantasy Podcast with Michael Fabiano and Elliot Harrison every week on nfl.com. He only asks you never bring up when the Jets play poorly.
