Plenty of fans embraced the spirit of Halloween this weekend, showing up to games dressed from head to toe in wacky, ridiculous costumes. The Halloween theme carried over to the field too, as many players’ performances resembled fantasy football “trick or treat.” Did your fantasy stars live up to expectations, or did they drop the ball? Check out this week’s fantasy “tricks” and “treats”:
Fantasy Treats:
1) Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
After an extremely disappointing first six games, Stafford exploded Sunday, throwing three touchdowns and running for another in Detroit’s 28-24 win over the Seahawks. Stafford’s big game came as a surprise, considering his struggles this year and the fact that Seattle had only surrendered six passing touchdowns in their first seven games combined. However, with the Lions desperate for a win, he was able to overcome the odds and step his game up.
2) Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Behind Martin’s 214 total yards and two touchdowns, Tampa Bay dismantled a Minnesota team that was undefeated at home before this week, winning 36-17. The Bucs’ rookie running back absolutely gashed the Vikings Thursday night, catching three passes for 79 yards in addition to rushing for 135 yards in what was his best game as a professional. Look for more big games to come from Martin, who has looked increasingly better these last three weeks.
3) Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
If football fans across the pond didn’t know about Gronkowski before, they certainly do now. Gronk celebrated his first NFL game outside of U.S. territory in memorable fashion, hauling in eight passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots’ 45-7 shellacking of the Rams in London. Let’s hope New England’s bye this week doesn’t cool Gronkowski down, as he has caught two touchdowns in each of his last two games.
Fantasy Tricks:
1) Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Charles continues to be a fantasy anomaly, turning in an absolute stinker against the Raiders Sunday. With the Chiefs struggling mightily at the quarterback position, one would assume they would rely on Charles to carry the load. However, that was not the case, as the ex-Longhorn had a dismal five carries for four yards and three receptions for six yards.
2) Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After a monster game against the Saints last week, Jackson came back down to earth on Thursday, catching only two balls for 40 yards. Much of this lackluster performance can be attributed to Bucs’ RB Doug Martin, who went off on the Vikings. Still, Jackson’s fantasy owners have to be disappointed with this one, especially since he failed to reach the end zone for the first time in his last four games.
3) Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers
Rivers did little effectively Sunday, throwing for 154 yards and zero touchdowns in an ugly 6-7 loss to the Browns. The game’s playing conditions were awful, with rain and wind making it very difficult for either team’s quarterback to get anything going. Although the elements clearly affected his play, this week can be marked down as another poor performance for the Bolts’ QB.
