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Week 15 Fantasy Takeaways: Montgomery bruises Bears in freezing Chicago

Ty Montgomery melted the Bears in frigid conditions. (Getty)
Ty Montgomery melted the Bears, and carried fantasy owners, in frigid conditions. (Getty)

1. Ty Montgomery, the running back, dominates workload, throttles Bears.

The most controversial player in fantasy was a virtual space heater in the single-digit Chicago cold. White-hot as a runner, he shed several tackles, displayed open-field burst and richly rewarded his owners, whether employed as a RB/WR. On the afternoon, he rolled up 163 yards on 18 touches with two TDs. His 61-yard burst up the left sideline, a gallop in which he shook several defenders, had onlookers ooing and ahhing.

Earlier in the week, Mike McCarthy officially labeled Montgomery a running back, ending any discussion about his WR-only eligibility. With only Christine Michael as competition, he should continue to control the opportunity share heading into fantasy title games next week. His Week 16 opponent, Minnesota, isn’t flimsy by any stretch, but its run defense has deteriorated somewhat down the stretch. Including their effort against Indianapolis, the Vikings have surrendered 4.3 yards per carry to RBs since Week 9. With that in mind, the hybrid is a highly recommended play everywhere. Another 80-plus yards with a score is certainly achievable at home.

2. Tyreek Hill is THE most electric player in the NFL.

In what’s becoming a weekly occurrence, Hill produced arguably the best highlight of the early Week 15 slate. Resembling the bullet from Mario Kart, he took an Alex Smith handoff, exploded upfield and sprinted his way to a 68-yard score, inexplicably his only touch of the game.

The skamper marked the sixth time Hill crossed the chalk in four weeks. Arguably the most exciting multi-dimensional weapon in the league, he’s capable of taking it to the house every touch, whether as a receiver, rusher or returner. Jeremy Maclin’s presence impacts him minimally.

Entering Sunday, Hill sat on 31 percent of owner benches in Yahoo leagues, an unfortunate misfire for those who didn’t believe. Matched next week against the Broncos, a team he gashed for three scores Week 12, he needs to be universally started no matter format. Keep in mind, Denver has struggled terribly defending the run and occasionally in short-field coverage. Bank on Andy Reid and Brad Childress to dial up several designed runs/screens for Hill to attack that weakness and allow the lightning bolt to generate ample open-field yards.

3. Bilal Powell and Robby Anderson values reach stratospheric heights.

On the surface, the Jets are balled up paper airplanes wasting away in trash recepticles. At 4-10, this is an organization with an eye on May’s NFL Draft, an event it hopes can yield future franchise pillars. But not all is lost for the Puddle Jumpers. On Saturday night a pair of young upstarts, Robby Anderson and Bilal Powell, gifted Super Bowl-seeking owners statistical presents, getting them off on the right foot in Round 2 of the fantasy playoffs.

Powell was a textbook Swiss Army knife against Miami. He consumed chunks of turf as a screen/check-down receiver, running between the tackles and on off-edge gallops. Though he didn’t find the end-zone, his 16-84-0, 11-78-0 output went down as a legendary PPR performance. With Matt Forte showing signs of his advanced age, the second-fiddle may dominate the main stage rest of season and potentially enter 2017 as the Jets’ primary ball carrier. His Week 16 opponent, New England, has allowed nearly seven receptions per game to the position. Assuming he again nets the start, he should be considered a borderline RB1 option in 12-team leagues. A legitimate three-down force, he’s far superior to Forte in just about every category, especially juke rate, which he ranks No. 5 in among all RBs. Trust him in your title game and target him in the middle rounds come August.

As for ‘The Rocket,’ Anderson, the third-most targeted wide receiver over the past three weeks, continued his bromance with Bryce Petty. On five looks, he caught four passes for 80 yards, one of those a 40-yard touchdown. Over his past three games, the poor man’s DeSean Jackson has hauled in 14 receptions for 242 yards and two scores. Petty is a major quesiton mark in Week 16 due to a chest injury, but even if Ryan Fitzpatrick draws the start, Anderson should be considered a WR3 at a minimum. In a game with measurable garbage-time appeal, the long-bomb threat should again sail past 70 yards with a possible score.

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