Week 13 Fantasy Flops: Oh Dwayne Bowe, Where Art Thou?

All of his owners want to know... what the heck happened to DWAYNE #@$%ING BOWE? The hottest receiver in football was held without a catch in Sunday's division tilt with Denver. Unless he's a real prima donna like TO, that fact shouldn't really bother the talented wide receiver – the Chiefs came away with an important 10-6 victory (their third straight) that gave the team a two-game lead in the AFC West. While there weren't any major busts among running backs, several top-tier backs came away without making much of an impact, and two usually reliable QB options saw their fantasy production come to a screeching halt – albeit for completely different reasons.

Quarterbacks

Kyle Orton -- The Broncos never got their vaunted passing game going and Orton – a Top 10 fantasy QB – finished just 9-of-28 for 117 yards. No Broncos receiver had more than two catches, and nobody reached pay dirt for Denver. The upcoming schedule bodes well in terms of matchups for Orton, but if teams like the Cards and Raiders take the same approach as the Chiefs – stop the passing game at all costs and try to eke out a win – his owners could be in trouble.

Eli Manning -- Despite winning by a 24-point margin over the Redskins, Eli Manning had his worst fantasy performance of the season.(151 yards, INT, 0 TD). This game was dominated by Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, who combined for 200 rushing yards and four scores. Fortunately, none of the Giants' upcoming opponents are quite as pathetic as the Skins, so he should be forced to throw the ball in the red zone during those contests.

Running Backs

Chris Johnson -- He had 67 yards from scrimmage, but didn't score and hasn't found the end zone wince Week 10. The Colts have one of the worst run defenses in all of football, so expect a bounce-back in Week 14.

Ray Rice/Rashard Mendenhall -- I know, they're not the same player, but they did square off in a brutal AFC battle on Sunday night and reach a similar result. Each scored at least a modicum of fantasy points in PPR leagues, but with just 77 rushing yards between them and no scores, it was clear the run defenses won out. Next week, expect them to resume their usual workload and corresponding numbers.

Mike Tolbert -- Tolbert had six catches for 47 yards in the loss to Oakland but ran for just 16 yards on seven carries as the Raiders took way the round game by jumping out a large early lead.

Brian Westbrook/Anthony Dixon -- The 49ers' "Frank Gore Replacement Plan" totaled just 71 offensive yards and zero TDs on Sunday – a far cry from the 185 total yards and two scores they tallied last week. This offense is severely limited by QB Troy Smith, but next week's matchup (at SEA) is much more favorable to their ground game.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Dwayne Bowe -- He was targeted just three times and didn't make a catch. But the Chiefs won't approach many games likely they did against their hated division rival. And he's not going to have Champ Bailey – still one of the top cover corners in the league – shadowing him any more this season.

Brandon Lloyd -- See Orton, Kyle. Dwayne Bowe wasn't the only heralded fantasy WR to soil the proverbial sheets on Sunday.

Randy Moss -- This is getting ridiculous. The Titans offense hasn't scored a touchdown in 13 quarters, and Moss isn't helping. They ran just 47 offensive plays on Sunday, and the one time Moss was targeted deep, he was underthrown by veteran QB Kerry Collins, who had one of his worst games as pro with a 34.5 QB rating. I know that he's been fingered as a problem on his previous two teams this season, but their might not be all about Moss.

Devin Hester -- Fantasy owners continue to start Hester (one catch for 1 yard on Sunday) because of his big-play ability, but with just 371 yards receiving yards and two TD catches on the season, he's too much of a risk.

Greg Olsen -- Olsen (one catch, 5 yards against the Lions) sat near the top of many TE cheatsheets this week because of the favorable matchup, but was targeted just once by Jay Cutler. I inserted Olsen and sat Antonio Gates in one league because I couldn't risk a goose egg if the stud TE sat out. I got one anyway, and don't have any plans on starting him the rest of the season. Neither should you.

Concerned about your fantasy studs not getting it done? We'll get to the bottom of their floundering in Fantasy Flops by taking a measured, comprehensive look at struggling players who may (or may not) continue to hurt your roster.