The Rookie Blitz: Week 15 in Review

Mike Wallace: Pittsburgh’s stud rookie had only two receptions in Sunday’s thriller against Green Bay, but both were for touchdowns including the game winning 19 yard reception as time expired.  Wallace has exceeded expectations this year considering he is the third receiver in the Pittsburgh offense.  Still, he is not consistent enough to be considered as a top receiver on your fantasy team.  Keep him as a solid flex option for Week 16 against Baltimore as Pittsburgh attempts to keep their season alive.

Beanie Wells: Wells had a big performance for fantasy owners registering his first 100-yard game as he ran for 110 yards on 17 carries.  Tim Hightower is still the starter, but Wells has been the focal point of the rushing attack and will continue to be through the rest of the season.  The Cardinals brass has recently stated that they won’t rest their players as the season winds down.  Can fantasy owners ask for better news?  Keep Wells as a solid #2 against the Rams’ and their 27th ranked rush defense (140.8 YPG).

Knowshon Moreno: Our pre-season rookie of the year has been so inconsistent that fantasy owners are constantly left scratching their collective heads.  Moreno finished with 42 yards rushing; 39 yards on his first seven carries, but only three yards on his final 12 touches.  With Correll Buckhalter out, fantasy owners are expecting more out of Moreno, but the production has been sparse.  If another running back on your depth chart has a better matchup, consider using Moreno as a flex option against a tough Eagle’s run defense.

LeSean McCoy: McCoy had another tough outing for fantasy owners on Sunday as he ran for only 48 yards against San Francisco.  This was the rookie’s third straight game with 10 carries or less as Leonard Weaver has been incorporated into the offense more especially in Sunday’s game when he ran the ball 17 times.  Brian Westbrook is expected to return Week 16 against the Broncos and his return will be another detriment to McCoy’s impact in the offense.  The Eagles coaching staff will now have a trio of running backs to feed the ball to and fantasy owners shouldn’t expect McCoy to have more than 10 carries this Sunday against Denver.  Benching McCoy would be the most logical route to take at this time.

Austin Collie: The past three weeks for Collie have been a series of unproductive outings with a touchdown thrown in as he has scored in three straight games.  Collie hasn’t registered a game exceeding 50 yards in the past seven outings, and his touchdown streak is likely to end this week as the Colts play the Jets who bring with them the #1 ranked pass defense (159.8) in the league.  If you play Collie, keep him as a flex option with upside.

Percy Harvin: After missing Week 14 against Cincinnati, Harvin played through his migraines and caught only one ball for 10 yards.  The Minnesota offense was completely shut down as Julius Peppers wreaked havoc all game long, but don’t expect the same out of this offense when the team travels to Chicago Week 16.  Chicago’s pass defense is good (202.4 YPG, 7th in NFL), but when Minnesota is clicking on all cylinders offensively, they are great, so expect Harvin to make an impact for fantasy owners as he has done all season.  Harvin is a good choice as a #2 receiver for this divisional matchup.