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Fantasy Football Championship Round Fallers: Aaron Rodgers, Chris Ivory, Calvin Johnson & More

Well Week 15 was pretty freakin' wild man. There were so many players who just absolutely balled out (Antonio Brown, Cam Newton, David Johnson) and performed like the stars you took them to be. Unfortunately, there were also quite a few studs who tripped on their shoelaces all day and went full Charlie Brown on your team. If your playoff hopes are still alive then take a little sip of champagne if you'd like, but it only gets more difficult and sweaty from here on out.

Odell Beckham gets a line all to himself, as he salvaged a shutout in the first half with a strong second half against Josh Norman and the Carolina Panthers, but we know the story by now. He handled himself in such a dishonorable way and earned himself a one game suspension (that is pending his appeal but let's be serious, he earned it). Those who rostered him should be furious and all we can do is move forward. Hopefully he learns.

I try not to repeat here, but please know that Matt Ryan deserves to be here in the worst way every week. Without further ado, let's check in on some players who saw their stocks fall with their Week 15 performance.

 

Championship Week's Fantasy Football Fallers

Aaron Rodgers - QB, GB

How do I put this? Womp womp woooomp. The Raiders secondary is truly not all that daunting, and the Packers put up 30 points and won the game, but somehow Aaron Rodgers and company still managed to be mightily disappointing. He completed only 22-of-39 passes for 204 yards, one touchdown, one interception. AJ McCarron outscored him. THAT'S NOT OKAY.

The Packers will now travel to Arizona to face a pretty darn good Cardinals defense (though they did just lose Tyrann Mathieu to a torn ACL) in a game where Rodgers should have to put in work. I'd still feel confident about him going into that matchup just because Green Bay will need him, but this isn't how you anticipated the Packer offense operating this late into the year.

Lamar Miller – RB, MIA

Who did Lamar Miller piss off? Jeez. He was outsnapped by Jay Ajayi 31 to 18, and what he did with those touches was pretty pre-tayyyy bad. He had nine rushes for 12 yards and two catches for 12 yards while Ajayi scored a touchdown and looked like the better back. Miller doesn't look like he'll be back in Miami next year, and it seems they want to see what they've got in Ajayi now.

Luckily for those who just need to rely on Miller, he and the Dolphins get to face the putrid Indianapolis Colts defense that just managed to make Alfred Blue look good. If there were ever a matchup that an owner could hope to face with a running back who is being phased out, it's the Colts. Miller is nothing more than a flex play at this point, but while he is circling the drain, he is not totally gone yet.

Chris Ivory – RB, NYJ

Bilal Powell is rising and Chris Ivory is falling. The Jets seem to have found a different blueprint for success lately, going through Ryan Fitzpatrick and their passing game more often than leaning on the ground and pound. While Ivory is still good in his own right as a pounder, he's just not being tabbed as much. The Cowboys are a tough draw, but rushing for only 37 yards on 13 carries is a bad look. Ivory has scored one touchdown in the past six games, and now he faces a Patriots team that held him to 41 yards on 17 carries the last time they faced each other. Ivory went from an early season RB1 to now being a flex play.

Javorius Allen - RB, BAL

Did Allen really just post a negative score in semifinals week? What a horrible day for Allen owners. He was benched after fumbling once again, forcing the Ravens to turn to Terrance West. The Ravens are going up against a Steelers' front that has played well against the run, and it is unclear whether the Ravens will turn to Allen for Week 16. If they do, question marks remain regarding a split with West. He is extremely hard to trust right now and is a flex-play at best going into the Fantasy Super Bowl.

Calvin Johnson - WR, DET

I saw a lot of disgruntled Megatron owners going off on Twitter last night. Everyone was eating for Detroit except for Calvin. People were questioning whether he was simply a decoy out there, and honestly that seems like a fair question in what should have been one of the juiciest matchups of the year for one of the most talented receivers in the game.

Last week he only had one catch, but he at least had five targets to go along with it (still bad mind you, but at least there was that). This week's one catch was on his lone target. He balled out on Thanksgiving, but really hasn't been spectacular lately outside of that game. Keep an eye on his practice status, and if he plays (which he should) then you really can't sit him, but boy this does not look good at all. If you survived the semi-finals with Calvin, it's worth looking into contingency plans at wide receiver.

Kyle Rudolph - TE, MIN

I'm including Rudolph not because I think a lot of you are playing him, but because I think the perception of him going into next week needs to have some context. The Vikings visit the New York Giants who struggle mightily in coverage and ranked 22nd versus tight ends according to Football Outsiders. Did anyone happen to see how uncovered Greg Olsen was on the play action pass where he scored? I did! Rudolph makes for a decent dart throw in deeper formats.

Other Fallers to Note: Jay Cutler (QB, CHI), Eddie Lacy (RB, GB), DeMarco Murray (RB, PHI), Larry Fitzgerald (WR, ARI), T.Y. Hilton (WR, IND)

 

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