PIGPEN WEEKLY: WEEK 12
QB/RB/WR/TE plays I like in week 12
泥冷季尽，真猪再冲。
(The mud is cold, the season wanes, but the true pig charges once more.)
- Ancient Chinese Proverb, anonymous
Hello pigs and welcome back. The playoff push/first round is upon us this week. If you reading this article with some level of interest, then you’re probably still alive in your league. I hope these ideas can prove useful to at least a few of you out there. Cheers, VP.
PLAYS FOR THIS WEEK (15)
RB Zach Palmer Smith (ULM) vs. SALA — ZPS is a post-hype sleeper this season, in my opinion. He crept up into the top rounds of CFF drafts late in the offseason, only for Bryant Vincent to unveil another one of his trap cards via Braylon McReynolds. Well, McReynolds has cooled considerably in the second half of the season, and it is ZPS, the former FCS bellcow, who has seen his number called more often. He out carried McReynolds 18 to seven, with Tyrell Reed being the next leader in carries with eight in ULM’s last game vs. ODU. It should be noted that that was a lopsided contest where ODU won 31-6, so I’m proceeding with caution regarding that carry distribution. That being said, ZPS was the first one on the field from what I can tell, which is usually a good indicator of which direction the coaches are going as far as the starting RB role. It also wasn’t an isolated incident, as ZPS tied McReynolds for carries with 11 in the previous contest vs. SMiss. Again, another blowout, so hard to get a full read, but it was both McReynolds and ZPS involved heavily on the very first drive of the game. Against ODU, McReynolds once again got the first carry and was mostly featured on the first drive, but then starting on the second and third drives it appears ZPS is featured as well. My best guess is that both players are still going to be relied on in the offence, but it’s possible that ZPS is doing enough to warrant more carries from the coaches based on the trend of previous two games.