Fantasy Look: Week 12 Preview
Patrick Daly
Friday April 15, 2005
The Avengers, given the option to not play this weekend, chose to return to the field, which shows tremendous courage. And while his teammates will remember their fallen friend, this is a good sign as they continue the healing process.
Watch the Defense
Sometimes who you start is determined as much by who you’ve got on your roster as much as who they’re playing. One place to look at is the defense that your guys are facing, which will often help you decide between two or three players that are about equal.
If you’re looking for points, take a look at who’s playing the Austin Wranglers, Grand Rapids Rampage and Columbus Destroyers since they’ve given up more touchdowns per possession than any other team. The Destroyers have given up a touchdown on over 70% of their opponents’ possessions, which bodes well for the New Orleans VooDoo offense. It also means that the Georgia Force offense should face few barriers against the Rampage, which also marks the return of OS Chris Jackson after his short-lived stay in Grand Rapids.
On the flip side, the Orlando Predators have been the toughest team to score on this season, with their opponents hitting paydirt less than half the time. The Colorado Crush, Georgia Force and Dallas Desperados have also faired well in keeping their opponents in check, which means you might want to strongly consider a switch if you have someone playing one of these teams.
Worst Kept Secrets
If you haven’t noticed by now, Arizona Rattlers OS Siaha Burley currently leads the league in receptions and touchdowns, although Las Vegas Gladiators OS Marcus Nash holds the lead in receiving yards after 11 weeks of play. Rattlers QB Joe Germaine has kept Burley fed with plenty of passes, making him a solid first option when the Rattlers get back on the field against Austin next week.
Georgia OS Troy Bergeron has seen his numbers slip after his six-week tear to start the season. The arrival of OS Chris Jackson, will likely continue to cause Bergeron’s numbers to slip, as evidenced by his two catches last week for 14 yards and one touchdown.
Colorado Crush OS Damian Harrell has been extremely consistent as the driving force in the Crush offense. With a league-record 42 straight games with a touchdown, Harrell has been a lock to get points each week, and that won’t end this week.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
