Four Guys that Hurt Owners' Playoff Chances fantasysharks.com Mon 12/3/12 7:00 AM

Fantasy playoffs begin for some owners in Week 14 and that means disappointment for others. What began as such promise following the draft back in August has some fantasy owners sitting home watching others in the playoffs. One player never decides which owners make the playoffs but using a high draft pick on a guy who ends up being a bust certainly does not help matters. If your fantasy season came to an end last week, there is a good chance one of the four players below contributed to your demise. Greg Jennings, WR Green Bay Packers -- Sometimes it is just not a player's year and that was the case for Jennings in 2012. Jennings missed most of the season with a groin injury before deciding to have surgery. He returned against Minnesota in Week 13 but for owners who selected him with a Top 40 pick, Jennings' comeback may be too little, too late. While Jennings has only played four games in 2012, it was Randall Cobb who emerged and led many owners to the fantasy playoffs. Brandon Lloyd, WR New England Patriots -- This summer some beat writers in New England were comparing Lloyd to the Patriots signing of Randy Moss. Apparently they meant the 2006 version of Moss and not the 2007 version. After Lloyd's one-catch dud on Sunday he has now failed to score double-digit fantasy points in five of his last six games. Lloyd has also not reached 20 fantasy points once all year. Lloyd's disappointing season has not hurt the Patriots' offense but it has killed fantasy owners that used a high draft pick on him. Ryan Mathews, RB San Diego Chargers -- Thanks to a lot of preseason hype, Mathews rose to the No. 5 overall pick in some fantasy drafts. He then rewarded owners with the epitome of an average season. Mathews is often taken out of the game and is only scoring 12.6 fantasy points per week. That is three points more than Detroit Lions' second-string running back Joique Bell. In three seasons Mathews has almost as many fumbles (12) as he does touchdowns (14). Remember that next summer when he is getting hyped-up again as an elite running back. Darren McFadden, RB Oakland Raiders -- By now owners should not expect McFadden to play 16 games, so his ankle injury cannot come as a surprise. However, McFadden's lack of production when he did play was unexpected. McFadden failed to reach 10 fantasy points in three of eight games and only topped 20 fantasy points once all year; way back in Week 1. Some pointed to Oakland's poor offensive line for McFadden's struggles but the fact is Marcel Reece has been more productive behind the same line. McFadden has to take some of the blame.