Ten most intriguing players of Week 13

1. Arian Foster — The QB trauma in Houston isn't going to destroy Foster's fantasy value, but scratches and dents are to be expected. Foster ran for 65 yards and a TD and totaled 89 yards from scrimmage vs. Jacksonville last week, as the Texans were forced to work their way down the depth chart at quarterback, with third-stringer T.J. Yates replacing the injured Matt Leinart, who was replacing the injured Matt Schaub. Foster's totals against the Jaguars weren't awful, but the averages raise red flags: He gained 2.96 yards per carry and only 3.4 yards per catch. Owners who waited at the start of the season for Foster's injured hamstring to heal and were handsomely rewarded for their patience must now hope that the Texans can find a way to maintain the functionality of their offense despite a drop-off at quarterback steeper than anything you'd find on a black-diamond ski run. Foster and the Texans play a home game this weekend against the Falcons and their No. 2-ranked run defense.

2. Stevie Johnson — Some people will long remember Johnson's memorably stupid TD celebration against the Jets last week. Johnson's fantasy owners are more apt to remember the late-game drop that prevented Johnson from scoring what should have been a long, easy touchdown. And no doubt there are fantasy owners still muttering under their breath about how Johnson's drop of what should have been an easy TD against the Steelers last year cost them a victory. (And by the way, both drops also cost the Bills victories, so Bills fans assuredly haven't forgotten.) Stevie is a fantastic talent, as his 8-75-1 receiving line last week against human deadbolt lock Darrelle Revis demonstrated, and no one begrudges him a reasonable degree of joie de vivre. But how much better could this dude be if his head were screwed on just a bit tighter? The more significant question in the short term is this: Was the awakening of the Bills' offense last week only temporary, or is it ready to come out of the tank for good? With ace RB Fred Jackson out for the season, the Bills will continue to rely heavily on the Fitzpatrick-to-Johnson connection, and Johnson has an interesting matchup this weekend against the Titans and feisty CB Cortland Finnegan.

3. Eric Decker — The native of Cold Spring, Minn., has a homecoming this weekend as the Broncos visit the Vikings. Decker has truly arrived this season, emerging as a lethal scoring threat even as the Denver offense has become obscenely lopsided toward the running game with Tim Tebow at quarterback. Decker, who tallied 3-65-1 last week and made a spectacular diving catch for a critical first down late in Denver's overtime win over San Diego, has an extremely friendly fantasy matchup this week. During his days at the University of Minnesota, Decker faced a number of Big Ten defensive backs better than the ones the Vikings will be deploying against him this week. Despite the Tebowfication of the Broncos' offense, Decker is a must-start for fantasy owners this week.

4. Kyle Orton — A player doesn't have to be starting to be intriguing. The Chiefs picked up Orton last week after the Broncos cut him loose, and it seems to be only a matter of time before Chiefs head coach Todd Haley subs him in for Tyler Palko, who has committed seven turnovers in the past two weeks after replacing the injured Matt Cassel and appears grossly overmatched now that he isn't holding a clipboard. It's not inconceivable that Orton could provide a late-season lift to fantasy owners with QB problems (and with the recent injuries to Cassel, Jay Cutler and Matt Schaub, a lot of owners are scrambling to plug holes at that position). The Chiefs have a quality trio of receivers in Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin, and Haley has suggested that Orton wouldn't have trouble quickly digesting the playbook. The insertion of Orton also could reinvigorate the moribund fantasy value of those aforementioned receivers, particularly Bowe, who's a starting-caliber fantasy receiver as long as the Chiefs have a quarterback with a pulse.

5. Chris Johnson — The vintage Chris Johnson, bottled up for most of this season, was uncorked for the second half of Tennessee's 23-17 win over Tampa Bay last week, but was it too late for many of Johnson's owners to drink a toast to good fortune in the upcoming fantasy playoffs? Johnson ran for 190 yards against the Buccaneers, doing most of the damage after halftime. And though he didn't cross the goal line, at least he looked like his old self. But Johnson has teased his owners with fleeting glimpses of the old CJ2K form at other times this season only to fizzle the following week. A matchup against a shaky Buffalo defense sets the stage for another big week, but it's hard to take Johnson's production for granted these days, and there might not be enough time for his fantasy owners to get an adequate return on their investment.

6. Johnny Knox — A forgotten man for much of the season, Knox perked up last week, flourishing despite the QB change from the injured Jay Cutler to backup Caleb Hanie. Or maybe Knox's emergence from hibernation wasn't so much despite the QB change as because of the QB change. For whatever reason, Knox was getting less attention from Cutler this season. (Drops and poor routes might have had something to do with it.) Although he had three catches for 97 yards and a TD the previous week against San Diego, Knox was targeted only five times in that game, and in his last three games he'd had five catches on only eight targets. Hanie targeted Knox a season-high 10 times last week, completing four of those throws for 145 yards, including an 81-yarder and a 29-yard TD catch. A one-game aberration? Maybe. Or maybe Hanie simply feels as comfortable throwing to Knox as Cutler did throwing to Earl Bennett. We'll get a better idea of whether Knox's rejuvenation is for real when the Bears host the Chiefs on Sunday. 

7. Tony Romo — The Cowboys' quarterback dined modestly on Thanksgiving Day, pushing himself away from the table after 226 passing yards and a pair of TD throws against the Dolphins. Romo's disciplined consumption left plenty of room for him to fill up on this week's leftovers. The turkey sandwich in this instance is Arizona, which ranks 25th against the pass despite playing in a division where the opposing quarterbacks are Alex Smith, Sam Bradford and Tarvaris Jackson. Mmmm … pass the mayonnaise.

8. Wes Welker — The usually reliable Welker had been in a five-game mini-slump before putting up a line of 8-115-2 against the Eagles last week. In the five games prior to that, he had been held to less than 50 receiving yards four times, with one 100-yard game and one TD catch. That had to feel like a Saharan dry spell to Welker owners after the diminutive wideout had averaged 9-148-1 over his first five games of the season. Now, Welker and the Patriots get a home date with the winless Colts, who rank 18th against the pass and are giving up 8.3 yards per pass attempt, the second-highest average in the league. The odds of Welker being held to fewer than 50 receiving yards are only slightly less remote than the odds of the Colts knocking off the Pats in Foxborough.

9. LeGarrette Blount — Blount has been an absolute beast in the Buccaneers' last two games, rushing for 210 yards and a TD and gaining 5.5 yards per carry. On Sunday the Bucs will host the Panthers and their red-cape run defense. Carolina ranks 28th in that category and has yielded 15 rushing TDs this season, tied with the Colts for the highest total in the league. Blount has yet to string together three consecutive 100-yard rushing days during his brief NFL career, but the Panthers likely will do their best to help him get there.

10. Philip Rivers — The Chargers have now fallen to 4-7 and are looking completely Norv-ed out, which is potentially troubling for any owners hoping that Rivers can still guide them into the fantasy playoffs. Although the strange composition of the AFC West makes it too early to officially write off the Chargers, they are in all likelihood going to listlessly play out the string while waiting for the ax to fall on head coach Norv Turner. Rivers already has had a rough season, with more interceptions (17) than TD passes (16). Is there a chance he could finish the season on a high note, or will the mediocrity continue the rest of the way? It will be interesting to see how enthusiastic Rivers and his teammates are when they take on the Jaguars Monday night in Jacksonville.

Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/11/30/ten-most-intriguing-players-of-week-13-3

Len Ford Bill Willis Bobby Mitchell Paul Warfield Mike McCormack Frank Gatski