Demaryius Thomas or Torrey Smith?
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

If I had the stones to bench Legarratte Blount this week in the semi-finals of my fantasy football playoffs I wouldn’t be facing this decision. But I guess that is another story, hindsight is always 20/20. The fact is now I have to make a choice, Demaryius Thomas or Torrey Smith? So, let’s figure it out.

Demaryius Thomas: Has been extremely inconsistent this year. If you think about it though it makes sense. He was coming off a major injury from last year and the DEN offense has been in transition to say the least. You know, transitioning from a high school offense to a semi-pro offense. Thomas is big, strong, fast, and a gifted catcher of the football. He has upside to be a beast someday.

– Prior to the last 2 weeks his best game was an 8 pointer
– The rest of his fantasy season has been littered with stinkers and goose eggs.
– He only has 18 receptions on the season (8 games) but 4 of those have been for TD’s.
– Averages 18 yd/catch
– Last 2 weeks fantasy points (Wk 13, Wk 14) = 26, 14
– Last 2 weeks receptions (Wk 13, Wk 14) = 4, 7
– Last 2 weeks yardage (Wk 13, Wk 14) = 144, 78
– Last 3 weeks targets (Wk 12, Wk 13, Wk 14) = 1, 7, 13

Torrey Smith: I’ve been a Smith owner ever since his fantasy monster in Wk 3. He is a rookie but the Ravens wasted no time integrating him right in to the offense. His vertical skill set is exactly what Baltimore has needed and they have certainly utilized it. The one thing I can say from watching every week is Smith gets his consistent share of targets, usually deep targets. Smith is a burner with good size and below average hands and he is getting better.

– 4 notable fantasy games this year: 34 pts., 13 pts., 22 pts., 12 pts.
– A bunch of 3 and 4 pointers mixed in the rest of the season
– 18.7 yd/catch
– 6 TDs on the season but 3 of them came in week 3.
– Realistically he scores a TD about every 1/3 games.
– You can expect about 50 yards/game
– A lot of his damage has been done against suspect secondary play
– Has never had 7 rec. in a game
– Receptions the last 2 weeks (Wk 13, Wk 14) = 1, 5
– Targets the last 3 weeks (Wk 12, Wk 13, Wk 14) = 3, 4, 9

WR Matchups:

– New England has allowed the most points to opposing WR on the season, the last 5 weeks, and the last 3 weeks. This is a very consistent trend.
– San Diego has ranked #23 on the season, #22 the last 5 weeks, and #16 the last 3 weeks in fantasy points allowed to WR.

The Verdict:

While I feel both guys are viable options this week I do give the slight edge to Demaryius Thomas. He has been hotter lately, has been getting more looks, and has the better match up. He is building chemistry and looks like he might be Tebow’s #1. I know a Tebow #1 may not be saying much but still we are talking about a possible athletic #1. Not to mention with the wheels coming off my team I may need a miracle. In the spirit of this whole NFL season and especially during the holidays it just seems fitting to place my miracle in Tim Tebow’s hands.

** UPDATE: With the news that Kellen Clemens is starting for St.Louis I have now replaced Brandon Lloyd with Torrey Smith **