Mizzou in the NFL, Week 16

The holidays seemed to be a strong motivation for Mizzou athletes, from winning a "mammoth" Braggin' Rights game to our former receivers flexing their muscles across the National Football League. Mizzou fantasy owners did not complain one bit this week, and Jeremy Maclin gave those of you in the fantasy playoffs an early present.

Jeremy Maclin (Eagles)

I personally have Jeremy Maclin starting on my fantasy team, and the poor guy did everything he could to keep my team afloat against my buddy with whom I had a mustache bet. (Losing that game has forced me into growing a mustache until FEBRUARY. TWO MONTHS.) Maclin, who was listed as probable this game because of a sore back, had an incredible week posting eight receptions for 116 yards and touchdown. Although the Eagles STILL found a way to lose this game, Maclin raised his season total for receiving yards to 835 and touchdowns to six.

Danario Alexander (Chargers)

Danario decided having no catches is no fun, so he snagged three Philip Rivers passes for 69 yards and a touchdown over the bumblin', stumblin' J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS. The Chargers are not a good team right now, but they have a good quarterback, and that's all Danario needs to show his potential as a real talent at the WR position in the NFL. If he continues to have solid games, we'll be watching him on Sundays for years to come.

Sean Weatherspoon (Falcons)

'Spoon is just a tackle machine. You look at the stats of seven tackles and two assisted tackles, and that doesn't stand out much. Put it into context and realize he does this just about every week, he'd average over a hundred tackles every season. That's a solid presence on defense every team wants. He is also the vocal leader of a defense that could be playing for a Super Bowl this season, and that's pretty awesome too. He helped the Falcons beat the Lions 31-18, pushing the Falcons record to 13-2 and clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Ziggy Hood (Steelers)

Ziggy had another so-so game in the Steelers loss to the Bengals with a tackle and two assisted tackles. The AFC North has been a tight race, but not because all the teams are good like it used to be. The Browns are improved enough to compete with these teams, but the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers all beat up on each other. Ziggy has had a solid year, but in a division in which the Steelers aren't one of the dominant teams anymore, he hasn't stood out as part of an elite defense anymore.

Aldon Smith (49ers)

The Aldon Smith Sack Watch has been put on hold, as Aldon has struggled to get to the QB these past couple weeks. The 49ers were blown out by the Seahawks 42-13, and Aldon had one of his more forgettable games of the year with five assisted tackle and just one solo tackle. He has one game left in the regular season, and he is definitely good enough to get that sack record still.

Other Tigers in the NFL:

Tim Barnes (Rams)

Beau Brinkley (Titans)

Colin Brown (Bills)

Chase Coffman (Falcons)

Chase Daniel (Saints)

Michael Egnew (Dolphins)

Blaine Gabbert (Jaguars)

Andrew Gachkar (Chargers)

William Moore (Falcons)

CJ Mosley (Jaguars)

Martin Rucker (Chiefs)

Kevin Rutland (Jaguars)

Justin Smith (49ers)

Brad Smith (Bills)

And congratulations to Jerrell Jackson for making the Jaguars active roster!