Week 12 takeaways: Palmer disappoints again

What has given you more indigestion over the last few days — leftover turkey, or lousy production from your fantasy players? I take the fifth if you're wondering where I stand on that one. Let's get to recapping Week 12. Packers 34, Lions 12 • Matthew Stafford played through a lot of pain. Or at least I really hope he did, because he was absolutely abysmal in the turnover department (four interceptions) against what isn't really a strong defense. Look for a more focused effort from Stafford next week as he has more time to let his left shoulder heal. • Ryan Grant had typically done well against weak run defenses, but he was only able to amass 61 yards on the ground against the Lions, which is an absolute outrage as far as his owners are concerned. The Lions have no defensive talent, and other running backs have chewed them up all year long. Grant should be fined. Seriously. • If only Aaron Rodgers could play Detroit every week. He had 348 yards and three touchdown passes, which is about as good of a fantasy day as you can hope for from him. He'll also get a Ravens team on a shorter week since Green Bay hosts Baltimore next Monday. Cowboys 24, Raiders 7 • Tony Romo finally broke his string of three straight games with one touchdown pass by throwing for two on Turkey Day. He added 309 yards and didn't throw a pick, which is a pretty solid all-around fantasy day. Romo's good performance made Carson Palmer's bad performance last week in Oakland look even worse. • Felix Jones had half as many rushing attempts as Marion Barber, but he had a much better fantasy day ¡ 68 yards and a score compared to 61 and no scores, respectively. Jones may just take over Barber's role as this team's first option out of the backfield next season, even though he's more of a third-down back type. • Is Bruce Gradkowski's grip on the starting QB job getting tighter? He threw for 200 yards and a score, which is hardly overwhelming, but has to be considered better than what JaMarcus Russell could have produced. Broncos 26, Giants 6 • Brandon Jacobs' fantasy value is officially dead to me. Sorry. There's really no other way around it. The Broncos defense had been struggling lately, but Jacobs was only able to put together a lousy 27 yards on 11 carries. Danny Ware had exactly that many yards on four carries. Thanks for nothing, B.J. • Eli Manning was a mediocre 20-for-40 on the evening, but he failed to throw a single touchdown pass and did toss a pick. I owned Eli once a few years back and never want to go through it again. I can't think of someone more frustrating to have to rely on each week. • Knowshon Moreno keeps getting better and better. He finally posted a nice, complete game with 88 yards and a score on the ground. Once he starts topping 100 yards and scoring regularly, he'll be a much better fantasy option. Right now, though, I see him as more of a second-round pick in 2010. Colts 35, Texans 27 • It's just unbelievable to watch Peyton Manning sometimes. When they were down 17-0 in the middle of the second quarter, it was almost as if he said to himself, "Oh, I guess I have to go to work today." Then he calmly led a massive comeback that lasted throughout the second half, and once the Colts took the lead, you could sense the confidence deflating from the Texans sidelines. Manning has thrown for either 300 yards or multiple touchdowns in all but one game this year. It's mind-boggling. • Matt Schaub didn't have a bad day himself, but he his 284 yards and two touchdown passes were offset somewhat by the two interceptions he threw. Still, though, he could have done a lot better. Most of his production came early, and he was erratic in the second half. • Steve Slaton had one fewer carry than Chris Brown and finished with one more rushing yard. It's still a split workload for the time being, but it just seems like Slaton is slowly inching towards earning his full-time job back. Bengals 16, Browns 7 • This Cleveland offense is one of the worst I've seen at the NFL level in years. Maybe ever. There's really no one worth owning on the entire roster, which sort of goes to show how atrocious Detroit's defense was for allowing that many points and yards to Cleveland a week earlier. • Larry Johnson did a nice job carrying the load against Cleveland today for 107 yards. He didn't find the end zone, but was able to give those who started him a decent effort for the day. Once Cedric Benson returns though, all bets are off and you have to leave him alone. • Carson Palmer had his second straight miserable effort, and both of them inexplicably came against defenses against which he shouldn't have. I can't understand it, but I'd definitely start worrying if I were a Palmer owner. Eagles 27, Redskins 24 • How about Jason Campbell? He threw for two scores and rushed for another. Every once in a while, he can post a decent performance like this, but then will leave you highly disappointed once you pick him up. I really hope he's with another team next season since he could then have a better chance at showing what he's truly capable of. • Rock Cartwright showed that this offense isn't exactly a plug-and-play type where any RB will do. Clinton Portis could have decent days behind this offensive line. So could Ladell Betts on a good day. But Cartwright was bottled up for just 38 yards on 15 carries. • Donovan McNabb has posted some strange box scores this year. He'll follow up huge efforts with ones like this (260 yards, one TD, one INT). Not that it was an abysmal effort, but he really should have done better. Bills 31, Dolphins 14 • Miami's rushing attack, to my shock, really hasn't missed a beat since Ronnie Brown went down with an injury. Ricky Williams had his second straight big game with 115 yards and a score on the ground. I really didn't expect this to happen. He's become an RB1 who should be owned and started everywhere. • Chad Henne, on the other hand, has minimal fantasy value at this point. He threw for just 175 yards, one touchdown and three picks. Needless to say, none of Miami's receivers had very productive fantasy days. • Fred Jackson, dare I say, may even be a better back for this offense than Marshawn Lynch. Jackson had 73 yards and a pair of scores. I've seen him on a few waiver wires lately, but really doubt that's going to stay the same for much longer. Seahawks 27, Rams 17 • Justin Forsett is the real deal. I hope you listened to those of us who advised you to bench him last week against a tough Vikings defense, but play him in Week 12 against these lousy Rams. The results speak for themselves — 22 carries, 130 yards and two touchdowns. Yeah, it came against the Rams. But, still. Wow. He's not much of a PPR guy, though, as he didn't register a single catch. • For as good as Forsett was, Matt Hasselbeck was that bad. Like, really bad. He only managed 102 passing yards against the Rams, which is sort of like scoring a 12 on your SATs. Granted, Seattle didn't need to pass the ball that much today, but then how do other quarterbacks who don't need to pass the ball manage to post big numbers against the Rams? • Steven Jackson didn't top 100 yards, but he did rush for 89 and a score. Come on. You'll take it considering everything he's done for you in recent weeks, won't you? Jets 17, Panthers 6 • This was an atrocious game on the offensive side of the ball for just about everyone involved, but especially the quarterbacks. Jake Delhomme looked like the Jake Delhomme we saw earlier this season with 130 passing yards, no touchdowns and four picks. Mark Sanchez wasn't a heck of a lot better with 154 yards, no scores and a pick. Yikes. I really hope you're stacked at your other positions if you were forced to start either of those two. • At least Thomas Jones owners got a nice 75-yard, one-TD effort from him. Not many running backs went insane in Week 12, so it should have been more than acceptable to you. • I thought DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart would really find some room against the Jets defense, but the two of them combined for 75 yards and no scores. Not exactly a big confidence booster for you going into the fantasy playoffs if you own those guys. Falcons 20, Bucs 17 • Matt Ryan went down with what looked like a pretty gruesome ankle injury only seconds into this contest. However, Chris Redman looked a lot better in relief than I thought he would (243 yards, two touchdowns). Not to open this can of worms, but Redman may have even looked a little too good. That's OK, Matt. We're just fine. You rest up for the playoffs ... if we get there. • Michael Turner came back ... kind of. Only 12 carries for 33 yards before he joined Ryan on the sidelines with an injury. This is the second time in the past few weeks he's exited a game after picking up a knock. Don't tell me we have to start worrying about his durability now, too. • On the other side of the ball, Josh Freeman continues to get better and better. He basically played an error-free game with 250 yards, no picks and two scores. If he could land another weapon or two, he could turn into a potential weekly fantasy staple in 2010. 49ers 20, Jaguars 3 • The final score of this game is really, really misleading. David Garrard actually looked better than Alex Smith did for a good part of the game. The Jags drove the ball deep into Niners territory time and time again, but failed to finish off the drives and came up short. How often do you see a quarterback throw for 307 yards and no picks ... yet his team finishes with only three points? • Maurice Jones-Drew was finding room, but had only 75 yards on 15 carries. But after a while, the Jags were forced to throw the ball more, which rendered MJD somewhat obsolete. At least he added 35 receiving yards to put him over the 100 all-purpose mark. • I don't know how he does it, but all Vernon Davis seems to do is catch a touchdown pass and have 60-90 receiving yards every single week. As I mentioned last week, he's got my vote for fantasy MVP at the TE position. He's quickly approaching Antonio Gates territory. Chargers 43, Chiefs 14 • Hey, speaking of Gates, he had a nice 118-yard, two-touchdown performance today. I really don't know what else we can say about him. Can we just erect a statue of him on the I-5 freeway sometime this week? • LaDainian Tomlinson didn't get a lot of rushing yardage (39), but he did manage to post a couple scores. Hey, whatever works, right? L.T. hasn't really had a bad fantasy day in the last few weeks. Too bad he was one of another running back who shall remain nameless that waited far too long to get going and basically destroyed any chance I had of a playoff run in my big money league. No, I'm not bitter. • Just when you think Matt Cassel might be onto something, he lays an egg and throws for a lousy 178 yards, one score and one pick. But Jamaal Charles continues to prove he is indeed the real deal — his 93 yards and a score on the ground allowed those who claimed him to profit handsomely. I think the Chiefs have found their RB of the future. Titans 20, Cardinals 17 • Matt Leinart didn't do that badly in relief of Kurt Warner. Tennessee's front four couldn't really get any pressure on him (one sack on the day), and Leinart threw for 220 yards, no scores and no picks. I think he could eventually develop into a nice fantasy quarterback, but he clearly needs more real game action. • Vince Young — wow. A 99-yard game-winning drive helped him to a 387-yard, one touchdown performance, which is by far the best outing of his career. Don't get terribly excited about it, but at least he showed he has the potential to do it when called upon. Only pick him up if your regular starter is on a bye. • Kenny Britt seems to have more fantasy value with Young at quarterback instead of Kerry Collins. Every QB picks his favorite targets, and Britt seems to have taken pole position in Young's arsenal. Britt is another player who I'm keeping a close eye on for next year, but he should at least be serviceable the rest of this year if you're in a WR pinch. Vikings 36, Bears 10 • Matt Forte rushed for only 27 yards today, and do you know what's sad? It would have been more of a surprise if he would have produced a good day as opposed to the bad one. His 2010 fantasy value is sinking like an anvil to the bottom of the ocean. • Brett Favre owners were rewarded with a huge 392-yard, three-touchdown effort against a Bears secondary which really seems to enjoy giving up deep passes. Favre's resurgence continues to defy explanation. I'd believe just about anything someone said about him — he developed a cure for cancer? Solved the crisis in the Middle East? Found a way to pay off the Federal deficit? I'm prepared for anything. • Percy Harvin continues to emerge as a solid WR, but I just don't ever see him as a true WR1. Really, he's more in the mold of a Devin Hester — a speedster who might have the occasional strong performance, but not someone who is going to produce good yardage and scores on a consistent basis. He does have a lot of time to prove me wrong, though. Go for it, Percy.