Week 13 Fantasy Football: Biggest Surprise and Disappointment

By Guest Writer Maurice Moton:

Fantasy Surprise: Josh Gordon (WR)

In a losing effort, Josh Gordon accumulated 261 receiving yards with two touchdowns. His production in Week 13 topped his performance last week when he accounted for 237 receiving yards and a touchdown. Over the past two weeks, Gordon has achieved a historical feat no other wide receiver has accomplished with back to back 200-plus yard receiving performances.

By fantasy standards Gordon is a Top 5 Wide Receiver in the same fantasy production realm as Calvin Johnson. Despite the instability at the quarterback position, Gordon has continued to flourish. As a focal point in this offense he has tremendous fantasy potential with mid to lower level defensive units left on the Cleveland Browns schedule.

Fantasy Disappointment: Chicago Bears (DEF)

The Chicago Bears defense put forth another disappointing performance in Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings. Despite facing a one-dimensional offense based on Adrian Peterson, the Bears still gave up 246 total rushing yards in addition to 243 passing yards and a touchdown to backup quarterback Matt Cassel. It’s clear the Bears defense isn’t nearly as effective as they have been in prior fantasy seasons as a mid-level defense in the 2013 season.

The Bears’ defense has been struggling the entire season especially after injuries to key players Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman. The Bears’ porous run defense may experience more disappointing fantasy outputs with teams running the ball more frequently as inclement weather will begin to factor into game planning.