To prepare you as best we can for your week of Fantasy Football, we've
devised this series of previews for each NFL game. We'll give you a
taste of what to expect, then rank each significant Fantasy contributor
on a scale from 0-5 logos (with five logos suggesting can't-miss; a
player or unit without any logos suggests you probably shouldn't start
him under any circumstances). The rankings take the matchup into
account, but injuries and other significant factors also contribute.
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Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Cleveland Browns Stadium
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Playoff implications: Jacksonville keeps very thin playoff hopes
alive with win. The Jaguars have been hideous on the road while
Cleveland enters the game riding a three-game win streak. The belief
here is that Jack Del Rio will dial up a conservative game plan
revolving around Maurice Jones-Drew.
He should do well, but the rest of the team is a big question mark.
Sure, Charlie Frye found a way to
total 333 passing yards on the Browns last week, but with three
interceptions and no touchdowns. The Browns should find a way to
keep Mike Sims-Walker in check (he
has one touchdown on the road this year) and might even apply enough
pressure to keep David Garrard
off-balance. The matchup will be tricky for Cleveland too as the
Jaguars' run defense has been pretty solid. This doesn't guarantee a
rock-star finish for Jerome Harrison,
but Jacksonville got worn down by the Patriots' run game last week
and might suffer the same fate here. One other sleeper: Mohamed Massaquoi. The Browns will surely try to attack the
Jaguars' terrible secondary, and Derek Anderson's strong arm should be able to connect with the
rookie receiver on a deep route or two.
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Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
Sunday, 1:00 pm, Ford Field
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No playoff implications. The Bears proved everyone wrong by
not mailing it in against the Vikings last week, and it should
propel them to a second win here. Chicago has done well against the
league's worst teams, and Matt Forte
has especially stepped up in games against poor opponents. Look for
him to do well and possibly shoulder the load, thus eliminating the
chance of a huge game from Jay Cutler.
Sure, Cutler should throw well against a bad Lions secondary, but he
shouldn't have to in order to win the game. One note: With three
touchdowns, Cutler matches his interception total, which in the
Bears' mind might camouflage his atrocious season. Cutler will also
set the franchise mark in passing attempts in a season following his
fourth toss. The Lions are a mess, but this serves as their own
personal Super Bowl: A win at home to end the year might build some
momentum. Calvin Johnson sticks out
as a good Fantasy choice based on the Bears' banged-up secondary,
which couldn't contain Sidney Rice
both in the red zone and elsewhere -- and that was with cornerback Charles Tillman (he's out for the year now). So even with double
coverage pressed upon him, he should do fine. Maurice Morris also could take on a decent chunk of the workload as
the Bears are far from efficient at stopping the run.
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Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Ralph Wilson Stadium
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No playoff implications. After pulling their starters last
week, the expectation this week is that the Colts will again rest
their first-team offense and defense before the game ends. At this
time last year Manning came out gunning in the first series of the
team's meaningless regular-season finale and completed all seven of
his passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. Expect that this year,
which means that he, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai and Dallas Clark are
not expected to be reliable Fantasy choices. A guy to look at might
be Donald Brown; the Colts have
said they'd like to get Brown some work after he missed so much
playing time with his chest injury, so he could see more action than
anticipated. But, the Colts will want him fresh for the playoffs too
-- the sneaky Fantasy play might be Mike Hart
against a bad Bills run defense. Either way, you're playing with
fire if you go with any Colts -- even kicker Adam Vinatieri might get rested. The Bills will not rest and
could even turn up the juice a little bit against a second-string
Colts team. Fred Jackson should end
the year strong and even Terrell Owens
and Lee Evans are appealing with Ryan Fitzpatrick expected back under center. Because the Colts
will likely rest their stars, don't be surprised to see a Bills win.
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New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Bank of America Stadium
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No playoff implications. Saints head coach Sean Payton says
he wants his team to build some momentum and make some corrections.
That shouldn't take more than a half, if that. Conventional wisdom
suggests that the Saints won't risk injury to their first-team
offense in a matchup against a team they annually have trouble
playing against. Don't look for Drew Brees,
Reggie Bush and Marques Colston to play more than a half or so, and don't expect Pierre Thomas (ribs) and Jeremy Shockey
(toe) to play at all. Guys who might play a lot include Mark Brunell, Lynell Hamilton
and Devery Henderson, but only
Hamilton warrants Fantasy consideration as a flex. The Panthers will
play hard for coach John Fox and for a .500 record, and they should
get it. The Saints' run defense has been trampled of late, and
that's the first-team defense. Jonathan Stewart, assuming he's alone as the primary back, should be
a behemoth. That's good for the Panthers since quarterback Matt Moore lost his best target in Steve Smith last week. Don't count on the Panthers' passing game
to do much -- really there's only one star in this game so long as DeAngelo Williams is out.
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San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Edward Jones Dome
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No playoff implications. The 49ers are sure to end the season
strong under the orders of head coach Mike Singletary, and they have
a fantastic matchup to boot. Frank Gore
should set a career-high in rushing touchdowns in a season here (he
needs one more for nine) and is on the cusp of having his
second-best season rushing yardage wise. Plus it doesn't hurt that
he's scored in four of his last five games with the Rams with three
100-yard rushing games (he had 106 yards and two scores in his last
game vs. them in 2008). Gore's running could set up Alex Smith for modest totals, but he'll probably play a good
amount if not the whole game and deliver a nice stat line. Vernon Davis is safe and Michael Crabtree
isn't so bad, either. The Rams don't exactly have the look of a team
fighting hard for their coach even though it's believed that Steve
Spagnuolo will get another crack at running the team in 2010.
There's no telling until an hour before kickoff if Steven Jackson will play, but the matchup will be tough for him if
he does. He hasn't scored in his last four against the 49ers
including a 23-carry, 79-yard effort against them earlier this year.
No one else from the Rams should be trusted in Fantasy even though
the Niners' secondary hasn't been great of late.
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Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Land Shark Stadium
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Playoff implications: Both teams need wins to keep playoff hopes
alive. The Steelers should do their thing through the air here.
The Dolphins have been consistently shaky in the secondary and
Pittsburgh has too many weapons for the Dolphins to aptly cover. Hines Ward is gimpy with a pair of sore hamstrings so he might be
relegated to a possession, short-area type, and that could mean even
more opportunities for Santonio Holmes
(a South Florida native) and Mike Wallace
downfield. Ben Roethlisberger's
offensive line will have its hands full with the Miami pass rush but
the Steelers should still be solid throwing the ball. Rashard Mendenhall's damage might not come until the second half if
the Steelers carry a lead, but he's impossible to sit this week with
the expected shortage of quality running backs available to owners.
The Dolphins' run game might be a bit watered down since Ricky Williams' status is not a lock. That's too bad -- between
all the Steelers' injuries up front the Dolphins should be able to
clear some room. If Williams is healthy, he'll be the guy. If not,
look for Lex Hilliard to be a Week
17 savior. But the Dolphins, like other Pittsburgh opponents of
late, will see the Steelers secondary and salivate. Chad Henne has three 320-yard games in his last four and should
make it four of five. The problem is that Miami uses several
receivers so there's no telling who the same picks are for Fantasy,
but Davone Bess is the safest of
them all. This could be a moderately high-scoring game.
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New England Patriots at Houston Texans
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Reliant Stadium
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Playoff implications: New England could clinch the No. 3 seed
with a win. Houston keeps playoff hopes alive with a win. The
game should mean something to the Patriots -- a win cements them
from seeing the Colts until the AFC title game, if at all. They have
had far better success against the Chargers in the playoffs than the
Colts, so surely they'd rather play them than Indianapolis. Also,
the Patriots did not rest their starters down the stretch in 2001,
2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007; only in 2005 did the Patriots rest their
starters in the final regular-season game, so odds are that they'll
play for most or all of this game, though there is the chance that
they could rest -- this is not a slam dunk. Assuming they play to
win, expect them to utilize the pass against Houston and lean on Wes Welker in the short area where Houston won't be able to
cover him efficiently. That sets up everything for Tom Brady to hit Randy Moss
deep, where the Texans have been burned before. New England's run
game is a hornet's nest for Fantasy owners -- try and stay away so
long as you can help it. The Texans will fight to the end in this
one, and they are sure to attack the Patriots' poor secondary. Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson
should finish the year strong, and the likes of Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones
also have the chance to strike. If you like playing with fire, Arian Foster has a chance at 80 to 100 total yards; the Patriots
struggled a bit with Maurice Jones-Drew
last week.
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N.Y. Giants at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 1:00 pm, Mall of
America Field
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Playoff implications: Minnesota clinches No. 2 seed in NFC with a
win and a Philadelphia loss. While the Giants aren't headed to
the postseason, the belief is that they'll still give the Vikings
all they can handle. With the Minnesota defense really struggling,
look for Eli Manning to attack
downfield with Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham while keeping Steve Smith
and Kevin Boss involved in the
short-area. The matchups are pretty good for everyone here,
especially with the Vikings' pass rush taking a dip in production
(the Giants should do a nice job of protecting Manning from Jared Allen). This could also be a great game for Ahmad Bradshaw; he'll see a lot of work not only running the ball
but also as a receiver. He's a solid option this week. The Vikings
are forced to play to win here because of their late-season
meltdown, and the matchup is perfect for Brett Favre. He's indoors, where his receivers play best, and the
Giants' secondary is sunk. Sidney Rice
should have an enormous week, and while Percy Harvin hasn't exactly delivered since coming back from his
migraine problem, he's not a bad choice as a flex or No. 3 receiver. Bernard Berrian even has potential. Obviously the ground game will
be a key part of the Vikings' day, and it's nice that Fantasy owners
can trust Adrian Peterson in Week 17.
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Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Raymond James Stadium
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No playoff implications. The Falcons will attempt to finish
strong, and one good way to do that is to run the ball effectively.
Assuming Michael Turner ends the
year on the inactive list, Jason Snelling
will have one last matchup against a bad run defense to try and
exploit. Look for him and Jerious Norwood
to take control of the game before Roddy White
gets a chance to finish off some drives. The Falcons' key starters
look good for Fantasy. Expect the Bucs to put up a good fight to try
and finish the year on a three-game winning streak. The Falcons'
defense looked great last week but it came against Brian Brohm and the Bills. The Bucs, as weak as they may be, are
a notch better and will give the Falcons some fits. There's hope for Josh Freeman, Kellen Winslow and Antonio Bryant via the passing game, and it wouldn't be a bad idea
to consider Cadillac Williams. He
did outstanding last week against the Saints and the Falcons aren't
exactly stud run stuffers. Knowing that Williams could see as many
as 20 touches, owners should take a look at him as at least a No. 2
option.
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Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
Oakland Coliseum
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Playoff implications: Baltimore clinches a wild-card spot with a
win. The Ravens should run all over the Raiders, who will put up
a fight if only to play spoiler. Ray Rice
should finish the Fantasy season strong with a big workload against
a Raiders run defense that has allowed eight 100-yard games so far. Joe Flacco is good enough to go with in Week 17 too since we
know he'll play the whole game, which is better than other elite
playoff-bound quarterbacks, though if Derrick Mason is out it will hurt him. The Raiders' offense has a
tough matchup but could make some waves through the air if Ed Reed is still sidelined. In that case, tight end Zach Miller is an option. Oakland likes to run the ball a lot
and we'd be surprised to see Michael Bush
and Darren McFadden put up big stats.
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Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
Cowboys Stadium
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Playoff implications: Winner of game wins NFC East and gets home
playoff game. Philadelphia gets No. 2 seed with a win. Dallas gets
No. 2 seed with a win, an Arizona loss and Minnesota loss. The
Eagles have no choice but to lean on their passing game here. Dallas
is stout against the run as they've been all season (zero 100-yard
rushers) and the Eagles have no consistency with their run game
right now. The rushers will be used as receivers a decent amount and Donovan McNabb will need to put on his best game as well as his
receivers not making mistakes. DeSean Jackson
and Brent Celek are obvious targets,
but seeing Jeremy Maclin contribute
in his first game back from a foot sprain as much as he did was
really impressive. The Cowboys will have their hands full with the
Eagles even though their pass rush will focus on the interior of the
Philadelphia line with center Jamaal Jackson
done for the season. Dallas is humming right along and the offense
should have a balanced approach with a chance at winning the
division on the line. Secondary receivers have been beating up the
Eagles -- Hakeem Nicks, Josh Morgan and Jabar Gaffney
have posted excellent numbers while their counterparts like Steve Smith, Michael Crabtree
and Brandon Marshall have been
so-so. This could mean strong totals for Roy E. Williams, who had 75 yards in their earlier meeting. In
that earlier meeting, Philadelphia took away Miles Austin and forced Tony Romo
to put the ball in other peoples' hands. With Jason Witten playing better and Marion Barber seemingly contributing more, Romo still wouldn't be
a bad Fantasy choice if the Eagles went that way again.
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Washington Redskins at San Diego Chargers
Sunday, 4:15
pm, Qualcomm Stadium
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No playoff implications. The Redskins have the arduous task
of ending their season under their lame-duck head coach by taking a
cross-country flight to play the Chargers' second-string players.
How can they possibly get motivated for such a thing? They're going
to be focused on not getting hurt, not beating up on the Chargers.
No one from the Redskins is safe to start. The Chargers say they'll
take this game seriously, but anyone with a brain in their head
knows that it would be foolish for the Bolts to play their
first-team offense much. They've handled LaDainian Tomlinson with kid gloves in the past and the expectation
is that they will limit him to a few carries. Once he's gone, the
rest of the first-team offense will follow. If you want a legit
option for Week 17, check out Mike Tolbert,
who played extensively when the Chargers' starters were pulled last
week. He owns some incredible rushing and receiving averages (5.9
and 13.1, respectively) and could chew up the Redskins.
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Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
University of Phoenix Stadium
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Playoff implications: Arizona gets No. 2 seed with a win, a
Minnesota loss and a Philadelphia loss. Green Bay has wild-card spot
locked up. There's a good chance that the Packers will be in
Arizona again for the first round of the playoffs, and that
complicates things. Will Green Bay rest its studs? If so, how much?
And even if the team plays their first-team offense, will they run
plays that they will consider using next week when the game really
matters? There is some history here: The last two times the Packers
had a playoff seed wrapped up they played their starters into the
second quarter and then rested them. This includes when Mike
McCarthy coached the team in 2007. Since the Packers can't qualify
for anything better than what they have already, this is a safe
expectation. We might see a lot of Brandon Jackson and Ahman Green
running the ball with Matt Flynn
throwing to Jordy Nelson. Be
extremely careful with all Packers players this week. The Cardinals'
status will solely depend on how the Vikings do: If they Vikings
win, the Cardinals will surely rest their first-team offense for
most or all of the game. If the Vikings lose, the Cardinals will
"ball." And seeing as how the Cardinals will probably take on the
best of the Packers' bench, all of their key Fantasy players will be
outstanding and startable for Fantasy -- if Minnesota loses.
The worst thing that could happen to Fantasy owners of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, etc., is that the Giants-Vikings game goes into
overtime and extends into the start of the Cardinals' game. My
hunch? The Vikings find a way to beat the Giants, and as such the
Cardinals' key offensive players will not be used much.
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Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
Qwest Field
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No playoff implications. Look for the Titans to give Chris Johnson many chances to break the single-season rushing
record. He's 233 yards shy from cracking Eric Dickerson's
single-season rushing mark, but he's only 74 yards from Marshall
Faulk's single-season scrimmage yards record. He'll get the chance
to eclipse both against a disinterested Seahawks defense. If he's
getting these opportunities, then that might mean less passing for Vince Young and fewer stats for the Titans' receivers. They might
be OK for touchdowns but not big yardage. The Seahawks will play out
the string against a defense that should be fired up in spite of
being out of the playoffs. The only Seahawk with something to
legitimately play for is Justin Forsett,
who needs a good performance on film to help his case to see
significant playing time in 2010. The rest of the Seahawks' players
aren't reliable for Fantasy based on how they've been playing.
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Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
Invesco Field at Mile High
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Playoff implications: Denver keeps playoff hopes alive with a win.
The Chiefs should put up a good fight for first-year head coach Todd
Haley, who is sure to stick around for 2010. Expect to see Jamaal Charles play well against a Broncos' run defense that has
disappointed as of late, and expect him to surpass the 59 total
yards and score he had vs. Denver earlier this season. Dwayne Bowe has never scored in four games against Denver, and
this isn't a good time to expect him to break the trend as he hasn't
scored or even played remarkably well since coming back from his
suspension. He's a better choice in PPR leagues; Chris Chambers might be better in standard formats. Matt Cassel is an interesting choice -- the Broncos' secondary
was scorched by the Eagles last week and Cassel could find creases
in the Denver defense to make some plays. He'll play a full game,
which makes him at least a consideration for Fantasy owners. The
Broncos will likely be run oriented as the Chiefs have been
atrocious against the run the last two weeks. Both Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter
appear to be good options. When the Broncos pass, count on Brandon Marshall to be great. He's got at least one touchdown in
each of his last four against Kansas City (six total) with at least
seven catches in all four games and at least 91 yards in three of
the four games. He's a beast, and he'll make up for last week's
outing at Philadelphia.
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Cincinnati Bengals at N.Y. Jets
Sunday, 8:20 pm, Giants
Stadium
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Playoff implications: New York clinches a wild-card spot with a
win. Bengals have home-field game for wild-card round clinched,
could clinch No. 3 seed in AFC if New England loses at Houston.
Don't expect the Bengals to play their starters very long -- their
primary goal is to get their starters into the playoffs healthy.
And, there's a chance these two teams could meet again next week --
do the Bengals want to put a lot of what they can do against the
Jets on film? You'll be glad to know that the last time the Bengals
had a meaningless game in advance of a playoff matchup, they played
the first-team offense for two series and then left the game to the
backups. That said, expect minimal totals for Cedric Benson, Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles and Carson Palmer.
This also will mean that the Jets will steamroll the Bengals'
backups, making Thomas Jones an
awesome option. The Jets should also keep it simple and might even
replace their first-team offense if they can build a huge lead and
get their playoff berth. That said, guys like Mark Sanchez, Braylon Edwards
and Jerricho Cotchery should play
enough to at least deliver decent stat lines.
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