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It's already 2012 in many places around the world; here in the northeast U.S., we are less than 12 hours away from the ball dropping in Times Square to ring in the New Year.

What a year it has been!

One of the common things to do at the end of the year (or beginning of the subsequent year) is to reflect on the year that was. For us at Eat, Drink and Sleep Football, it was a good year.

Not only did I finish as the third-most accurate fantasy football expert for 2011 (through Week 16 and via FantasyPros.com), I have covered on more than 70 percent (31-13 with four pushes) of my weekly picks against the spread (ATS) this season.

Along with the other two "handicappers" on our site, we have covered on 61 percent of our picks and all three of us are locked in at over .500 on the season regardless of what happens in the final week.

Since we each pick three games per week, I would still finish at 66.0 percent ATS this season even if I went 0-3 ATS in the final week. If I go 3-0, however, I would finish 72.3 percent ATS. My official goal is to cover two-thirds of my three weekly picks and if I do that this week, I will finish at 70-plus percent for the full year.

Ok, enough talking about what I (we) have done. In our what-have-you-done-for-me-lately society, none of that really matters. You care about this week.

So, here are my Week 17 picks against the spread:

Baltimore Ravens (-2) over Cincinnati Bengals

This is a critical game for both teams. If the Bengals win, they're in the playoffs, which would be a remarkable feat considering the situation with quarterback Carson Palmer and ultimately starting a rookie quarterback with virtually no offseason.

For the Ravens, however, it could be even more important. As the only AFC North team to make the postseason in each of the three previous seasons, the Ravens have had to play all of their playoff games on the road during that span as a wildcard team.

A win in Week 17, however, will clinch the division (and a first-round bye). And in the unlikely scenario that the Patriots also lose to the Bills, the Ravens would secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Ironically, the Ravens need to win on the road to secure a home playoff game for the first time since the 2006 season. Over the past three seasons, the Ravens are 21-3 (8-0 in 2011) at home and 11-12 (3-4 in 2011) on the road. There is plenty of reason for them to do whatever it takes to win this game and the division.

In their past six games, Ray Rice has 20-plus carries in all five of those games (all wins). In the loss (to San Diego), Rice had 19 touches (10 carries plus a season-high nine receptions). I think Cam Cameron will make sure Rice gets a heavy workload; if not, Terrell Suggs will surely let him know.

[Note: the Ravens could clinch the division with a loss (if Pittsburgh loses to Cleveland) and the Bengals could clinch a playoff berth with a loss depending on the tie-breakers.]

Denver Broncos (-3) over Kansas City Chiefs

Boy, I was certainly wrong last week when I took the Broncos over the Bills. And Kyle Orton would love nothing more than to return to Denver to stick it to his former team and their Tebow-billboard-buying fans.

While Tim Tebow is not the league's most accurate passer by any stretch of the imagination, his career-worst four-interception performance was an anomaly. And their defense is not as bad as they have looked as they have allowed 40-plus points in back-to-back games.

Granted, Orton is playing better (599 yards in past two games) than Tyler Palko, but the Chiefs offense lacks firepower, especially since losing Jamaal Charles for the season in Week 2. For eight consecutive games, the Chiefs have scored less than 20 points and only the Rams rank lower in scoring offense than the Chiefs.

The Broncos control their own destiny as a win clinches the AFC West and the atmosphere at Mile High will be electric. Take the Broncos and give the points.

New York Jets (+3) over Miami Dolphins

Although the Jets do not control their own destiny in the AFC for the No. 6 seed, they absolutely need to win this game to remain alive. After that point, they need a ton of help.

Having made it to the final two AFC Championship games (see past results), the Jets have some recent history in performing well on the road in important games.

Dolphins running back Reggie Bush has been as good as it gets over the past four weeks. During that span, he has four straight 100-yard games including his 203-yard performance and no running back has more rushing yards than Bush during that span. That said, Bush has been ruled out for this week's game.

In addition, the Dolphins are without left tackle Jake Long, who was placed on injured reserve, and the Jets have the Jordan-esque Darrelle Revis to limit the playmaking ability of Brandon Marshall.

While the Jets may not win this game (and ultimately it may not matter considering the tie-breakers needed), I expect the Jets to at least keep the game close, especially if Mark Sanchez does not throw it 59 times this week.

For all of our Week 17 picks including our other two handicappers, click here.

If you're looking for our fantasy football rankings for Week 17, you'll find them here.

To keep track of our updates, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the past four weeks, no running back has rushed for more yards than Miami's Reggie Bush (519). This week, Bush and I will be tied with zero yards.

Per Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post, Bush has been ruled out for Week 17 vs. the Jets.

For the season, Bush will finish with a career-high 1,086 rushing yards, a 5.0 YPC average and six rushing touchdowns in addition to 43 receptions for 296 yards and a touchdown.

With Bush out, that means that the featured back role for the week will belong to rookie Daniel Thomas, the team's second-round pick out of Kansas State.

Thomas, who missed the games in Week 1, 4 and 8, had 41 carries for 202 yards in Weeks 2 and 3. He also caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in those two games.

Since then, however, Thomas has 112 carries for 351 yards (3.13 yards per carry) and six receptions for 23 yards and no touchdowns.

In their first matchup against the Jets, Thomas had 15 carries and gained 47 yards. Bush had 10 carries for 71 yards in that game.

Perhaps Thomas will get his first rushing touchdown of the season. The Jets have allowed five rushing touchdowns in the past two weeks: LeSean McCoy (three) and Ahmad Bradshaw (two).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Redskins wide receiver Jabar Gaffney has 64 receptions for 919 yards and five touchdowns through the first 15 games this season.

Gaffney, the second-round pick by the Texans in 2002, needs one more reception to tie his career high and his five TDs ties his career best set back in 2007. Meanwhile, he has already established a new career high in receiving yards and he needs only 81 yards to reach 1,000 for the year.

Since finishing with no receptions in Week 13 against the Jets, Gaffney has 92, 85 and 77 yards, respectively, in his last three games. In other words, Gaffney is averaging 84.7 yards per game during that three-game span, which would put him at just a bit more than 1,000 yards for the season.

In his first matchup against the Eagles (Week 6), Gaffney finished with only two receptions for 55 yards.

Will Gaffney get the 81 yards he needs to reach 1,000 yards in a season for the first time in his career?

[Related: Our Week 17 Fantasy Football WR Rankings.]

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fortunately for fantasy owners, five top receivers play in the final matchup of the regular season when the Giants host the Cowboys in a game that will decide the NFC East champion.

With both teams controlling their own destiny, there is plenty of incentive for both teams, which is critical for Week 17 fantasy success.

Giants receiver Victor Cruz ranks third in the NFL in receiving yards and needs 142 yards to reach 1,500 for the season. Including his breakout performance in Week 3, Cruz has six 100-yard games this season. More impressively, however, he has nine games with at least 90 receiving yards this season. And no player has more yards than Cruz (1,341) since Week 3.

Meanwhile, teammate Hakeem Nicks ranks 11th in the league with 1,116 yards, which is a career high. Limited to only one reception for 20 yards against the Jets last week (yes, I guess Revis is indeed a "decent" cornerback), Nicks had 27 receptions for 411 yards and two touchdowns in his previous four games. In his first matchup against the Cowboys, Nicks had eight receptions for a season-high 163 yards.

One of the concerns with the Cowboys receivers this week is the ability of quarterback Tony Romo to play with his bruised hand. It was good news that he was able to practice on Wednesday.

Since becoming a Cowboy, Laurent Robinson had his worst game of the season last week: one reception for five yards and no touchdowns. With the rapport that Romo and Robinson have had, those numbers would have likely been different if Romo hadn't suffered the hand injury.

Before last week, Robinson scored a total of nine touchdowns in his previous eight games.

The one player to catch a (last-minute) touchdown for Dallas was Miles Austin and he has now caught a touchdown in three consecutive games since returning from his hamstring injury. In the seven games Austin has played since his first hamstring injury, he has yet to have more than 74 receiving yards in a game.

Teammate Dez Bryant led the team in receiving last week with six receptions for 62 yards, but he ended his three-game streak of scoring a touchdown. Bryant had scored a touchdown in five of his previous six games before last week.

[Related: Take our poll on who will win the NFC East.]

Here are some notes on wide receivers that will play in Week 17:

- No receiver has more receiving yards than Denver's Demaryius Thomas over the past four games. Thomas and Lions receiver Calvin Johnson actually have identical stats during that four-game span: 22 receptions for 414 yards and three touchdowns each.

- Patriots receiver Wes Welker has set a career high in yards (1,518) and touchdowns (nine), but he needs another seven receptions to tie the career high (123) he set in 2009.

- Bengals rookie receiver A.J. Green has 63 receptions for 1,031 yards and seven touchdowns. Only 12 rookies have had more receiving yards than Green during their rookie season. He is only the fourth rookie to reach 1,000 receiving yards since 2000.

- Ravens rookie receiver Torrey Smith is having a solid rookie season: 45 receptions for 808 yards and seven touchdowns. In his past eight games, Smith has four games with a score and double-digit fantasy points and four games with three or less fantasy points.

- Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson is dealing with a groin injury and considering the team is eliminated from the playoffs, it seems unlikely that he'll play. Meanwhile, Malcom Floyd has been spectacular in three of his past four games. In those three games, Floyd has 95-plus yards and a touchdown (or at least 15 fantasy points).

- Going into the final week of the season, Colts receiver Pierre Garcon has set a career high in receptions (68), yards (925) and touchdowns (six, tied previous career high). In his first matchup against the Jaguars, he had three receptions for 30 yards. Garcon has averaged only 28.5 yards per game in his four matchups against the Jaguars compared to more than 50 yards per game against other division rivals: Titans (53.4) and Texans (55.5).

- Two of the eight players that have at least five 100-yard receiving games this season play for the Falcons: Roddy White and Julio Jones, who both have exactly five. Scoring in three straight games, Jones has two of his five 100-yard games and a total of four touchdowns during that span. White's four-game scoring streak ended last week, but he has back-to-back games with 10-plus receptions and 125-plus yards.

- Packers receiver Jordy Nelson has shattered his previous career highs of 45 receptions, 582 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson has 59 receptions for 1,101 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, but he may not be on the field for many snaps considering the Packers have secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Here are our top 60 fantasy wide receivers for Week 17 (standard-scoring):

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (at GB)
2. Wes Welker, Patriots (vs BUF)
3. Victor Cruz, Giants (vs DAL)
4. Roddy White, Falcons (vs TB)
5. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (vs SEA)
6. Steve Smith, Panthers (at NO)
7. Miles Austin, Cowboys (at NYG)
8. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (vs DAL)
9. Marques Colston, Saints (vs CAR)
10. Stevie Johnson, Bills (at NE)
11. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins (vs NYJ)
12. Julio Jones, Falcons (vs TB)
13. A.J. Green, Bengals (vs BAL)
14. Mike Wallace, Steelers (at CLE)
15. Percy Harvin, Vikings (vs CHI)
16. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (at NYG)
17. Malcom Floyd, Chargers (at OAK)
18. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (vs KC)
19. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (at DEN)
20. Santana Moss, Redskins (at PHI)
21. Jabar Gaffney, Redskins (at PHI)
22. Jordy Nelson, Packers (vs DET)
23. Santonio Holmes, Jets (at MIA)
24. Antonio Brown, Steelers (at CLE)
25. Laurent Robinson, Cowboys (at NYG)
26. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles (vs WAS)
27. Michael Crabtree, 49ers (at STL)
28. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders (vs SD)
29. Denarius Moore, Raiders (vs SD)
30. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (vs WAS)
31. Torrey Smith, Ravens (at CIN)
32. Nate Washington, Titans (at HOU)
33. Brandon Lloyd, Rams (vs SF)
34. Mike Williams, Buccaneers (at ATL)
35. James Jones, Packers (vs DET)
36. Plaxico Burress, Jets (at MIA)
37. Reggie Wayne, Colts (at JAX)
38. Vincent Brown, Chargers (at OAK)
39. Pierre Garcon, Colts (at JAX)
40. Nate Burleson, Lions (at GB)
41. Doug Baldwin, Seahawks (at ARI)
42. Deion Branch, Patriots (vs BUF)
43. Greg Little, Browns (vs PIT)
44. Eric Decker, Broncos (vs KC)
45. Damian Williams, Titans (at HOU)
46. Titus Young, Lions (at GB)
47. David Nelson, Bills (at NE)
48. Jerome Simpson, Bengals (vs BAL)
49. Lance Moore, Saints (vs CAR)
50. Kevin Walter, Texans (vs TEN)
51. Randall Cobb, Packers (vs DET)
52. Robert Meachem, Saints (vs CAR)
53. Donald Driver, Packers (vs DET)
54. Golden Tate, Seahawks (at ARI)
55. Brandon LaFell, Panthers (at NO)
56. Andre Roberts, Cardinals (vs SEA)
57. Steve Breaston, Chiefs (at DEN)
58. Mario Manningham, Giants (vs DAL)
59. Andre Johnson, Texans (vs TEN)
60. Devin Aromashodu, Vikings (vs CHI)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our wide receiver PPR rankings for Week 17.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 17!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bengals running back Cedric Benson does not seem to have a favorable matchup in Week 17 and I'm not saying he does.

His two best performances of the season came against the Browns as he had two of his three 100-yard games against his cross-state rivals. After you exclude his two games against Cleveland, his best game (fantasy-wise) came when he faced the Ravens the first time this season.

In that game, Benson only rushed for 41 yards on 15 carries, which is an average of 2.7 yards per carry. But he rushed for two touchdowns and finished with 16 fantasy points.

While it will be difficult to duplicate his Week 11 performance, this week's matchup is a win-and-you're-in proposition for Benson and the Bengals. In other words, there is plenty of incentive for the Bengals to leave it all on the field and perhaps give Benson a heavy workload.

In our rankings this week, Benson is a low-end RB2.

Here are some more running back notes for Week 17:

- Last year, Bucs running back LeGarrette Blount finished the season strong and became only the second undrafted free agent rookie running back to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season. This year, Blount is crawling down the stretch. Even before getting benched for fumbling last week, Blount was not lighting up the fantasy scoreboard. In three of his last four games, Blount has 21 rushing yards or less (or two fantasy points or less).

- As we pointed out in Tuesday's poll of the day, Vikings running back Toby Gerhart has five consecutive games with double-digit fantasy points. During that five-game span, Gerhart has 70 carries for 346 yards and 16 receptions for 114 yards plus a total of four touchdowns. Since Week 5, however, the Bears have allowed only one running back (LeSean McCoy, 71 yards in Week 9) to rush for more than 70 yards.

- With Roy Helu inactive last week, Redskins running back Evan Royster got his first career start. He finished the game with a career-high 132 rushing yards.

- Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch took his touchdown-scoring streak into last week's game against the 49ers, who had not allowed a rushing touchdown all season, and one had to give. Lynch, who has now scored in 11 consecutive games, also became the first running back to rush for more than 100 yards against the Niners and now has six 100-yard games in the past eight weeks. During that eight-game span, Lynch has 855 rushing yards and nine touchdowns plus 15 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.

- Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall had his second 100-yard game of the season last week against the league's worst run defense (St. Louis). This week, he gets a rematch against one of the league's worst run defenses in Cleveland, who have been better in the past three weeks. From Weeks 8 to 13, the Browns allowed six 100-yard rushers. Since then, they haven't allowed any.

- Three weeks ago, Browns running back Peyton Hillis had only 10 carries for 25 yards against the Steelers on Thursday Night Football. In his past two weeks, however, Hillis has a total of 50 carries for 211 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals and Ravens.

- Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew became the fifth player in NFL history to rush for 80-plus yards 14 times in a season. The other four are Eric Dickerson (1984), Barry Sanders (1997), Corey Dillon (2004) and Chris Johnson (2009). This week, MJD faces the Colts, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

- In the process of throwing the ball 59 times, the Jets gave Shonn Greene only 14 carries against the Giants last week. After two games (Weeks 13 and 14) with 46 carries for 217 yards and four touchdowns, Greene has only 32 carries for 131 yards and no touchdowns in the past two weeks (Weeks 15 and 16). This week, the Jets face the Dolphins, who rank third in the NFL in rushing defense (93.4 yards per game allowed).

- Dolphins running back Reggie Bush has four consecutive games with 100-plus yards including his 203-yard performance during that span. No other running back has more rushing yards than Bush (519) during that span.

Here are our top 40 fantasy running backs for Week 17:

1. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (vs IND)
2. Ray Rice, Ravens (at CIN)
3. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (at ARI)
4. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (at OAK)
5. Frank Gore, 49ers (at STL)
6. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (at CLE)
7. Reggie Bush, Dolphins (vs NYJ)
8. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (vs WAS)
9. C.J. Spiller, Bills (at NE)
10. Michael Turner, Falcons (vs TB)
11. Michael Bush, Raiders (vs SD)
12. Willis McGahee, Broncos (vs KC)
13. Toby Gerhart, Vikings (vs CHI)
14. Kahlil Bell, Bears (at MIN)
15. Shonn Greene, Jets (at MIA)
16. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (vs DAL)
17. Chris Johnson, Titans (at HOU)
18. Beanie Wells, Cardinals (vs SEA)
19. Arian Foster, Texans (vs TEN)
20. Cedric Benson, Bengals (vs BAL)
21. Darren Sproles, Saints (vs CAR)
22. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (at NO)
23. Felix Jones, Cowboys (at NYG)
24. Evan Royster, Redskins (at PHI)
25. Steven Jackson, Rams (vs SF)
26. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (at NO)
27. Peyton Hillis, Browns (vs PIT)
28. Ben Tate, Texans (vs TEN)
29. Roy Helu, Redskins (at PHI)
30. Donald Brown, Colts (at JAX)
31. Pierre Thomas, Saints (vs CAR)
32. Kevin Smith, Lions (at GB)
33. Stevan Ridley, Patriots (vs BUF)
34. Mike Tolbert, Chargers (at OAK)
35. Brandon Jacobs, Giants (vs DAL)
36. Sammy Morris, Cowboys (at NYG)
37. LeGarrette Blount, Buccaneers (at ATL)
38. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (vs BUF)
39. Darren McFadden, Raiders (vs SD)
40. Christopher Ivory, Saints (vs CAR)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our running back PPR rankings for Week 17.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 17!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been nearly flawless this season as have the Packers, who have locked up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with their 14-1 record this season.

And without a doubt, Rodgers has carried plenty of teams to the fantasy promiseland. If your league crowns its champion after Week 17, however, you will (likely) need to look elsewhere.

It's unlikely that he'll take enough snaps to throw for the 357 yards he needs to reach 5,000 for the season. While I expect him to play a series, maybe two, there is no way that he plays more than backup quarterback Matt Flynn.

Rodgers has been really efficient this season as he has thrown 39 pass attempts or less every week except one (Week 13 vs. Giants). Although he ranks third in passing yards (4,643) and first in passing touchdowns (45), he only ranks 11th in pass attempts (502).

Coming off his first five-touchdown performance of the season, Rodgers has a 45:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Not only did he shatter his previous career best of 30 touchdowns (2009), but he set the franchise record and his six interceptions are his career low since he became the team's starter.

Here are some more quarterback notes for Week 17:

- Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw his 12th 300-yard game this season and became the NFL's single-season record holder in passing yards (5,087) last week. Fortunately for fantasy owners, Brees and the Saints will be vying for a first-round bye, which means Brees has a shot to play the whole game.

- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady needs only 103 yards to reach 5,000 on the season. Brady has thrown a touchdown every game this season and has only one passing touchdown in two games this season including last week. In that game, however, Brady did his best Cam Newton or Tim Tebow impersonation as he rushed for two touchdowns. In fact, he has three rushing touchdowns in the past two weeks.

- Speaking of Newton, the top overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, he threw for three touchdowns, which ties his career high, and rushed for another in the team's blowout win over the Bucs last week. On the season, Newton has 20 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns, an NFL record for quarterbacks. In addition, he needs only 107 passing yards and 27 rushing yards to reach 4,000 passing yards and 700 rushing yards for the season.

- Tebow is coming off his worst game of the season as he threw four interceptions and completed only 43.3 percent of his passes. That said, he threw and ran for a touchdown. If the Broncos win, they are in the postseason.

- Speaking of quarterbacks rushing for touchdowns, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has rushed for six touchdowns this season after doing so three times in both of his first two seasons. Sanchez ended his streak of sub-200-yard games, but it took a career-high 59 pass attempts for him to do so. The Jets need the Bengals to lose and other help in order to advance to the postseason.

- Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton can lead his team to the postseason with a win over the Ravens this week. Dalton, who has had four straight games with less than 200 yards, had a career-high 373 yards against the Ravens earlier in the season.

- The final game of the regular season will decide the outcome of the NFC East (take our poll on who will win). In his last game against the Cowboys, Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns. In his past two games, however, Manning has completed less than 50 percent of his pass attempts (only 32 of 67 attempts) for a total of 482 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.

- What a disappointing season Tampa's Josh Freeman has had! After a 25:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year, Freeman has thrown only 14 touchdowns and has a league-high 19 interceptions. That is one more interception than he had in his rookie season.

Here are our fantasy quarterback rankings for Week 17:

1. Drew Brees, Saints (vs CAR)
2. Tom Brady, Patriots (vs BUF)
3. Cam Newton, Panthers (at NO)
4. Eli Manning, Giants (vs DAL)
5. Matthew Stafford, Lions (at GB)
6. Michael Vick, Eagles (vs WAS)
7. Matt Ryan, Falcons (vs TB)
8. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at OAK)
9. Tony Romo, Cowboys (at NYG)
10. Tim Tebow, Broncos (vs KC)
11. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills (at NE)
12. Joe Webb, Vikings (vs CHI)
13. Carson Palmer, Raiders (vs SD)
14. Mark Sanchez, Jets (at MIA)
15. Rex Grossman, Redskins (at PHI)
16. Andy Dalton, Bengals (vs BAL)
17. Kyle Orton, Chiefs (at DEN)
18. Joe Flacco, Ravens (at CIN)
19. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (at CLE)
20. Josh Freeman, Buccaneers (at ATL)
21. Alex Smith, 49ers (at STL)
22. Matt Moore, Dolphins (vs NYJ)
23. Matt Hasselbeck, Titans (at HOU)
24. Matt Flynn, Packers (vs DET)
25. John Skelton, Cardinals (vs SEA)
26. Dan Orlovsky, Colts (at JAX)
27. Josh McCown, Bears (at MIN)
28. T.J. Yates, Texans (vs TEN)
29. Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks (at ARI)
30. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (vs DET)

Check out our rankings for other positions and/or flex rankings at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 17!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier in the week, we updated our 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database and the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft is currently Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

So, the question is: Who will have the first overall pick in the draft?

Based on current NFL standings, the Colts own the "tie-breaker" to get the first pick over the Rams. However, the Colts are on a two-game winning streak and have a winnable game in Jacksonville in Week 17. In addition, they just moved up a spot in our consensus NFL power rankings for the first time this year.

On the other hand, the Rams face the 49ers, who are playing for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs and the first-round bye that comes with it. Interestingly enough, one of the Rams' two wins came against the Saints, the team vying with the 49ers for the final first-round bye in the NFC.

Even though the Colts and Rams have "franchise" quarterbacks under contract in Peyton Manning and Sam Bradford, respectively, the value of the first pick is huge from a potential trade standpoint. Considering the fact that one of the top three quarterback prospects (USC's Matt Barkley) decided to return to school, it is even more important for teams to get a shot at Luck or RG3.

So, we ask the question again: Will the Colts or the Rams have the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft?

Related: Mock Draft Databases: NFL - NBA | 2011 NFL Draft Results - Former No. 1 Picks | NFL Standings

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Vikings running back Toby Gerhart has a streak of five consecutive games with double-digit fantasy points.

With the loss of Adrian Peterson to a torn ACL, Gerhart will once again be the team's featured back out of necessity.

During the past five games, Gerhart, who was listed on our waiver-wire list this week, has 70 carries for 346 yards and a touchdown. He also had his first career 100-yard rushing game last week against the Redskins. In that same five-game span, Gerhart has 16 receptions for 114 yards and three touchdowns.

In their first matchup against the Bears, Gerhart had only one carry for three yards. Meanwhile, Peterson had 12 carries for only 39 yards but he scored a touchdown.

With the exceptions of Michael Turner (100 yards in Week 1) and Jahvid Best (163 yards in Week 5), no other running back has reached 100 rushing yards against the Bears. Since Week 5, LeSean McCoy (71 yards) is the only running back to gain more than 70 rushing yards against the Bears.

When the Vikings face the Bears this week, will Gerhart extend his streak of games with double-digit fantasy points to six games?

FYI: We will release our Week 17 rankings by Thursday.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night, Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw his record-setting 12th 300-yard game this season and broke the single-season passing yards record in the process.

Amazingly enough, the quarterback that has completed more than 70 percent of his passes, thrown for 5,087 yards and 41 touchdowns (with a game to go) is unlikely to win league MVP.

Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers is the likely winner although the Packers have home-field advantage locked up, which means we could see some (or a lot of) Matt Flynn this week.

The Packers are still the consensus No. 1 in our NFL Power Rankings, but the Saints are No. 2. Considering they have a chance to earn a first-round bye, Brees and the starters should play most of the game (or until the outcome is determined) next week.

For the first time this season, however, there is no longer a consensus No. 32 team. In fact, the Colts moved up to No. 31 as the Rams dropped to the bottom of the list.

Here are some stats on this week's consensus rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: Tennessee Titans (+4.5)
- Biggest drop from last week: New York Jets (-3.5)
- Team with widest difference between high and low rank: New York Jets (8)

[See this week's full rankings.]

As part of our weekly power rankings, we will feature one question that all four rankers will answer. Here is the Week 17 question (followed by our responses): Who will win the NFC East?

John (follow John on Twitter): The NFC East division winner will come down to the final week of the season, and I've got the New York Giants headed to the playoffs. Both the Giants and Cowboys have made a lot of mistakes down the stretch and have failed to take advantage of the situation time and time again. Although their record would not indicate it, I believe the Giants have played better down the stretch. They played the 49ers close on the road, and only lost to the Packers on a last-second field goal. They were sloppy at home against the Redskins, but then played well against the Jets to insure they controlled their own destiny. With the Giants recent success against the Cowboys, the normal December woes for Dallas, and the fact that the Giants do seem to be playing a bit better right now, I believe that New York will come out on top, and just may make some noise in the playoffs. Ok, probably not, but I'm a big Giants fan, so I can hope!

Sean (visit Sean's website): I think the Cowboys will win Sunday's matchup as much as it pains me to say it. The Giants did look decent against the Jets this past week, and the Cowboys looked like they were the worst team in the NFC East, but the Cowboys had nothing to play for after the Giants won. Tony Romo will be back for this one, and I think the Cowboys, behind a big game from Romo, will win this one.

Dan (follow Dan on Twitter): It comes down to one game yet again for the NFC East, and somehow it just had to involve Dallas. I am sold more on the ability of the Giants to get it done in the big game, as they have played the toughest schedule in the league this year. The Cowboys have also been known to choke in this situation; who could forget week 17 2008 Philly 44 Dallas 6?

Kevin (follow Kevin on Twitter): Neither team has inspired much confidence lately. The Giants have lost five of their past seven games although one of their two wins was in Dallas. Then again, many would say the Cowboys lost that game as opposed to the Giants winning it. That's the problem -- the Cowboys have "lost" too many games this season. I think this game goes down to the wire, but the Giants win (or Cowboys lose) at the end.

See how all 32 teams were ranked in our Week 17 Consensus NFL Power Rankings.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Saints quarterback Drew Brees needed 305 yards last night to break the single-season record set by Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino in 1984. He got 307.

It was the 12th time (in 15 games) that Brees threw for 300-plus yards this season.

Brees, who has thrown for 4,000-plus yards in all six seasons in New Orleans, now has two of the three 5,000-yard seasons in the NFL. He threw for 5,069 yards in 2008.

The players close to 5,000 going into Week 17: Tom Brady (4,897), Aaron Rodgers (4,643), Eli Manning (4,587) and Matthew Stafford (4,518).

With one more game to go and the possibility to earn a first-round bye, Brees and the Saints will be playing to win (as opposed to resting their starters). So, who knows? Maybe Brees will finish with 5,500 yards this season?

On the season, Brees has completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 5,087 yards, 41 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

And it's likely that he'll be runner-up in the MVP voting behind Rodgers. What a year it has been!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you're reading this post, chances are your league has its championship in Week 17 and, more importantly, you're playing in it.

Depending on your perspective, one of the great things about Week 17 in fantasy football is many players that would otherwise get limited work can step into bigger roles this week due to the postseason status of their team.

Then again, it's harder to predict player workloads.

In addition to being valuable to fantasy owners (based on talent and/or opportunity), there are two criteria that we use for a player to be eligible for our waiver-wire list: (1) they weren't on the previous week's list and (2) they are owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues.

Here are some waiver-wire options for Week 17:

QB - Kyle Orton, Chiefs (owned in 19 percent of Yahoo! leagues): Although Orton has only one passing touchdown as a Chief, he has thrown for 299-plus yards in back-to-back games. Not only has Orton racked up some solid yardage totals in the past two weeks, Orton gets another favorable matchup against the team that released him. The Broncos have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year.

QB - Joe Webb, Vikings (one percent): Christian Ponder, the team's first-round pick, suffered a concussion last week and even if he's cleared to return, the Vikings might be cautious with Ponder, especially considering how well Webb played in relief last week. While Webb threw only five passes, two of his four completions went for touchdowns and he ran for 34 yards and a score as well. In Week 14, Webb ran for more than 100 yards and a touchdown as well.

RB - Toby Gerhart, Vikings (43 percent): With the Vikings losing Adrian Peterson to a torn ACL and MCL, Gerhart will be the team's featured back in Week 17. In relief of Peterson last week, Gerhart had his first-ever 100-yard game (109 yards on 11 carries). That said, it was his fifth consecutive game with double-digit fantasy points. In those five games, Gerhart has scored a total of four touchdowns (three of them on receptions).

RB - Kahlil Bell, Bears (34 percent): Although he had his first-ever 100-yard rushing game of his career last week, it was Bell's second consecutive game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage. In addition, it was his third consecutive game with at least four receptions. During that three-game span, Bell has 47 carries for 226 yards and 14 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown.

RB - Evan Royster, Redskins (five percent): Depending on the status of teammate Roy Helu for Week 17, Royster could be the recipient of a heavy workload. With Mike Shanahan calling the shots, in fact, Royster could still get a ton of carries. Starting in place of Helu, who was inactive last week, Royster rushed for a career-high 132 yards on 19 carries and caught two passes for 19 yards.

WR - Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (41 percent): In his past four games, Thomas has had a minimum of 76 receiving yards each week. During that span, Thomas has 22 receptions for 414 yards and three touchdowns. Coincidentally, he has the same exact totals (22-414-3) as Calvin Johnson, a player to whom he has been compared due to their alma mater (Georgia Tech) as well as their size and athleticism.

WR - Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders (31 percent): For the third straight game, Heyward-Bey finished with 70-plus receiving yards. In his past four games, DHB has 20 receptions for 326 yards and two touchdowns. Like Thomas and the Broncos, DHB and the Raiders play in a meaningful game, which is always a positive for any player you might start in Week 17.

WR - Vincent Brown, Chargers (11 percent): Depending on the status of Vincent Jackson, Brown could find himself in the starting lineup against the Raiders this week. Considering that the Chargers have been eliminated from playoff contention, it seems unlikely that Jackson will play. The potential for an increased role comes at the right time as the Raiders have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

WR - Brandon LaFell, Panthers (four percent): It's unlikely that LaFell will duplicate (or come close) to his fantasy production from Week 16. With a 91-yard touchdown, LaFell finished with 103 yards and a score (or 16 fantasy points in leagues that use standard scoring). The Panthers face the Saints next week and they could find themselves in a shootout against the Saints' high-powered offense.

TE - Jared Cook, Titans (27 percent): Cook has been inconsistent this season, but he's saved his best two games of the season for the past two weeks. In those two games, Cook has 17 receptions for 272 yards and a touchdown. While I don't expect him to extend his 100-yard game streak to three games, he did score one of his three receiving touchdowns in his first matchup against the Texans in Week 7.

Our Week 17 rankings (including point-per-reception (PPR) and flex rankings) will be available Wednesday or Thursday at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 17!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This season, Texans receiver Andre Johnson has missed (nine) more games than he has played (six) due to hamstring injuries to both legs (at different times).

With Johnson returning to practice today, he is expected to play in Week 17 "barring a setback," per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

After losing back-to-back games, the Texans will look to avoid a three-game losing streak heading into their first postseason in franchise history. Considering that Johnson has missed the past three games, however, the Texans are likely to avoid overworking their stud receiver.

In his six games this season, Johnson has 31 receptions for 471 yards and two touchdowns. It will be the first time that Johnson will fall short of 1,200 receiving yards since 2007 when he played in only nine games.

FYI: We will have our Week 17 fantasy rankings up by Thursday at the latest for those of you that have your championship this week.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Going into Monday Night Football, four divisions are up for grabs: AFC North, AFC West, NFC East and NFC South.

The first three divisions feature two teams on top of the division that are tied heading into Week 17. In the NFC South, the Saints can clinch it on Monday Night Football with a win over the Falcons. If the Falcons win out and the Saints lose in Week 17 as well, however, the Falcons would repeat as NFC South champions.

Of the three battles where there the top two teams have identical records going into next Sunday's games, only the Cowboys and Giants play each other and each team has control over their destiny. No tie-breaker matters; just win and you're in.

In their first matchup in Dallas earlier this month, the Cowboys blew a large fourth-quarter lead. It was the third time this season that they lost a game in which they had a 12-point (or more) lead in the fourth quarter. On Christmas Eve against the Eagles, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo suffered a hand injury that kept him out of most of the game. While X-Rays were negative, it will likely impact his ability to practice throughout the week.

On the other hand, Giants quarterback Eli Manning has been inconsistent in the past two weeks. In those two games, Manning has thrown only one touchdown and four interceptions while completing only 32 of his 67 pass attempts. The Giants have lost five of their past seven games, but the only game that matters now is Week 17.

In a win-or-go-home matchup, who will take the division and advance to the playoffs?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Some players do flips as they are scoring a touchdown (with no defenders around) to celebrate. Yesterday Bengals receiver Jerome Simpson did a flip to score a touchdown (over the defender) ... and then he stuck the landing.

If you missed it, here's video of the play that you'll undoubtedly see often this week (and longer):

The Bengals are in control of their playoff destiny with their win over the Cardinals yesterday. However, they play the Ravens, who need a win to not open the door for the Steelers to take the division.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew entered today as the NFL's leading rusher and extended his lead after today's 103-yard performance.

Jones-Drew finished today's game with 24 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown. Through 15 games, he has 318 carries for 1,437 yards, both career highs, and eight touchdowns.

In addition, he added six receptions for 21 yards and now has 42 receptions for 370 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

By rushing for 80-plus yards for the 14th time this season, Pocket Hercules did something that only four other running backs have done. The following running backs have rushed for 80-plus yards 14 times in a season (since 1960): Eric Dickerson (1984), Barry Sanders (1997), Corey Dillon (2004) and Chris Johnson (2009).

If MJD rushes for 80-plus yards against the Colts next week, he will be the only player to do so 15 times in one season. (The Colts rank 29th in the NFL against the run.)

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In his past four games, Titans tight end Jared Cook has given fantasy owners both extremes. In other words, he's had his two best games and two worst games of the season during that span.

After back-to-back no-catch games, Cook, the team's third-round pick in 2009, has finished with back-to-back 100-yard games.

In Week 15, Cook had nine receptions for 103 yards and no touchdowns. If you started him this week, you got 22 fantasy points in leagues with standard scoring as Cook finished with eight receptions for 169 yards and a touchdown.

Before these past two games, Cook had two or less receptions in nine games this year.

With a strong second half last year (26 receptions for 303 yards and a touchdown), Cook seemed to poised to break out this season. Perhaps the momentum that he is building at the end of this season will carry over into the start of the 2012 season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An MRI has confirmed that Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has a torn ACL and MCL, according to Tom Pelissero of ESPN1500.com.

Per Pelissero, Peterson won't have surgery for several weeks and he does not have a torn PCL.

Typically the injury takes a minimum of eight months (but usually longer) to heal, which puts the start of the 2012 in jeopardy for Peterson. If/when he returns to the field in 2012, Peterson likely won't be nearly as effective of a runner as he has been in the past. Assuming he makes a full recovery, which is not guaranteed, we may not see that until the 2013 season.

Before suffering the injury, Peterson finished today's game with 12 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown in addition to two receptions for 14 yards. Backup Toby Gerhart carried the ball 11 times for a career-high 109 yards.

If your fantasy league runs through Week 17, Gerhart does not have a great matchup against the Bears but he will obviously get the majority of work.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In last week's game, Bills running back C.J. Spiller set career highs in rushing yards (91), receiving yards (76) and receptions (nine) in addition to scoring two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving).

Spiller, the team's first-round pick in 2010, set a new career high as he rushed for more than 100 yards for the first time in his career. He finished today's game with 111 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in addition to two receptions for 27 yards.

In his five starts, Spiller has 386 rushing yards and 20 receptions for 147 yards. Plus, he has scored a total of four touchdowns (three rushing and one receiving).

Next week, the Bills face the Patriots, who have allowed two 100-yard rushers in the past three weeks. Washington's Roy Helu rushed for 126 yards in Week 14 and Miami's Reggie Bush rushed for 113 yards today.

Before Week 14, they did not allow any 100-yard rushers.

In their past three games combined, however, the Patriots have allowed running backs to gain 445 yards on 76 carries (5.86 yards per carry).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Going into today's game, no running back rushed for more yards during the previous three weeks than Miami's Reggie Bush (406).

In fact, only three others had at least 300 rushing yards during that span: Baltimore's Ray Rice (364), San Diego's Ryan Mathews (316) and Seattle's Marshawn Lynch (305).

With 22 more carries and 113 yards, Bush extended his streak of 100-yard games to four. He also finished with two receptions for 26 yards.

In his past four games, Bush has 83 carries for 519 yards and two touchdowns plus eight receptions for 59 yards.

Next week, the Dolphins host the Jets, who will be fighting for the playoff lives.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's been an interesting year for Redskins rookie running back Roy Helu.

Not only did he become the first Redskins rookie to rush for 100-plus yards in three straight games, but he also set the franchise's single-game record for receptions (14) earlier in the year.

With the exception of the previous four games (23-plus carries in four straight games), his workload has been unpredictable.

Unfortunately for fantasy owners, it's very predictable for Week 16: Helu will get zero carries.

With Helu inactive for the Week 16 matchup against the Vikings, Evan Royster is expected to get the start. Royster has 17 carries for 83 yards this season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's great to have a lot of meaningful football on Christmas Eve. And I'm here to deliver to you what former-49ers head coach Mike Singletary would have wanted for Christmas: "Winners."

Picking three games against the spread each week, it's difficult to have a .500 week, which is exactly what I had last week with a win (Saints), a loss (Texans) and a push (Bengals).

On the season, however, I am 29-12-4 (70.7 percent) against the spread (ATS).

Here are my three Week 16 picks:

Denver Broncos -3 over Buffalo Bills

Going into this week's games, the Broncos control their destiny with a one-game lead in the AFC West even after last week's loss to the Patriots. The Broncos did not match up well with the Patriots, but they do against the Bills.

In their past three games, the Bills have allowed three 100-yard rushers including Miami' Reggie Bush, who rushed for a career-high 203 yards last week. During that three-game span, the Bills have allowed running backs to rush 95 times for a total of 575 yards (6.05 yards per carry) and four touchdowns.

Only the Bucs (20) and Colts (19) have allowed more rushing touchdowns this season than the Bills (16).

With a healthy Willis McGahee, Lance Ball and Tim Tebow, not a "running back" despite what Brian Urlacher calls him, the Broncos should be able to run all over the Bills today.

Philadelphia Eagles +1 over Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he's "scared." Should he be?

With all of the preseason hype, some of it self-created with nicknames like the "Dream Team," the Eagles have not lived up to expectations. But at 6-8, they are still alive in the NFC East playoff picture and they beat the Cowboys convincingly in their first matchup this season.

The Eagles have historically been a pass-first team and they have plenty of weapons to help them strike quick, but they are running the ball effectively behind LeSean McCoy, who ranks second in the NFL in rushing and has a total of 20 touchdowns in the first 14 games.

While the Eagles will be without Asante Samuel, a positive for the Cowboys in the passing game, the status of Cowboys running back Felix Jones (hamstring) is very questionable, which means they may or will have to rely on Sammy Morris.

Take the point as the Eagles continue to roll.

Miami Dolphins +9.5 over the New England Patriots

Like last week, I thought about going with the Chargers this week. The status of receiver Vincent Jackson caused me to reconsider although I would take the Chargers and the points if I had to pick that game.

Instead I'm taking the Dolphins. As noted earlier, the Dolphins got a 200-yard performance from Reggie Bush last week, but Bush has three straight 100-yard games. It may be more difficult for him to rush for 100-plus yards this week, but the Patriots secondary is vulnerable.

No team has allowed more passing yards than the Patriots this year and Chad Henne threw for 416 yards in their first matchup. (Of course, Tom Brady threw for more than 500 yards in that game.) I like Miami's balance on offense and they are playing well (5-2 in their past seven games.)

While I don't expect Miami to win this game, I expect them to keep it close.

For all of our Week 16 picks including our other two handicappers, click here. If you're looking for our fantasy football rankings for Week 16, you'll find them here.

To keep track of our updates, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When the Steelers host the two-win Rams tomorrow, they will start quarterback Charlie Batch instead of Ben Roethlisberger, per Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Roethlisberger, who suffered a high-ankle sprain two weeks against Cleveland, played with the ankle injury on Monday Night Football against the 49ers. Once the game's outcome was determined, it was a bit surprising that the Steelers did not take Big Ben out of the game.

In any event, Roethlisberger is unlikely to see the field on Saturday unless it's as an emergency quarterback.

Currently, the Steelers and Ravens are tied in record (10-4) although the Ravens own the head-to-head tie-breaker. Both teams are big favorites this weekend as the Ravens host the Browns in Week 16 so the division should come down to their Week 17 matchups.

Batch has thrown two (incomplete) passes this season although he appeared in three games last season while Roethlisberger was serving his four-game suspension. In those games, Batch completed only 29 of 49 pass attempts for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

With the news, I will bump down my rankings for Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown and Rashard Mendenhall, who is in my top 10 fantasy running backs, should be in store for a big week against the league's worst-ranked run defense.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Giants and Jets play their home games in the same stadium, but the Jets will host the Giants on Christmas Eve.

Both teams are in control of whether or not they make the playoffs since either one that wins out is in the postseason.

For the team that loses, however, it's an uphill battle, especially for the Giants, although not impossible for them to make the playoffs. After both teams suffered bad losses in Week 15, the NYC media is likely to be highly critical of the loser in the press.

Here is what John Trifone wrote in the NFC Playoff Picture and AFC Playoff Picture, respectively, earlier in the week:

New York Giants: The Giants are still alive in the race to win the NFC East, even after their atrocious efforts against the Redskins this past weekend. They are one game behind Dallas, and they will host the Cowboys Week 17. The Giants do have one other concern, though. The Dream Team Philadelphia Eagles have come out of nowhere. If the Giants lose to the Jets this weekend and the Eagles beat the Cowboys, they no longer control their own destiny. Long story short, if the Giants win out, they will win the division and lock up the four seed.

New York Jets: The Jets are coming off a bad loss to the Eagles this past weekend. Fortunately for them, most of the other relevant teams in the playoff hunt also lost. They still hold on to the final playoff spot with a better record in common games than the Bengals (3-2 vs 2-2). The Jets have a big game against the Giants this Saturday and then finish at Miami. They do still control their own destiny, but a loss will open the door to several teams.

Which team will make the postseason? Or will they both suffer the same fate?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you own Packers tight end Jermichael Finley, you may be a little frustrated by his up-and-down production this season.

One of the most talented players at the position, Finley has three games this season with only one reception (or less). When the Packers scored 46 points, their second-highest total of the season, against the Raiders two weeks ago, Finley had no receptions.

But if we look back to the beginning of the season, Finley's best game came in Week 3 when he caught seven passes, three of them for touchdowns, against the Bears.

Finley, the team's third-round pick in 2008, is one of only five players to have three receiving touchdowns in a game this season. The other four are all wide receivers: Miles Austin, Plaxico Burress, Vincent Jackson and Torrey Smith.

If you own Finley, you are fortunate to get a rematch against the Bears in championship week.

Here are some players to consider starting in Week 16:

QB - Rex Grossman, Redskins (vs MIN): Grossman is inconsistent, but his matchup this week puts him in my top 12 quarterbacks for the week. The Vikings have allowed the most passing touchdowns (31) and third-most passing yards (260.4 per game) and have the fewest interceptions (six) this season. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than Minnesota and they have allowed multiple passing touchdowns in four straight games and in eight of their past nine games.

RB - Reggie Bush, Dolphins (at NE): Not only did Bush rush for a career-high 203 yards last week, but he has three straight games with 100-plus yards. In fact, no running back has more rushing yards than Bush (406) during that span. In addition, Bush has scored all six of his rushing touchdowns in the past seven weeks.

RB - LeGarrette Blount, Buccaneers (at CAR): Blount has a favorable matchup against the Panthers this week, but he had a favorable matchup against them a few weeks ago as well. In that game, Blount rushed for only 19 yards on 11 carries. In his past five games, Blount has three double-digit fantasy performances and two games with two points or less.

WR - Jabar Gaffney, Redskins (vs MIN): Counting his goose egg (no receptions) against the Jets, Gaffney has 24 receptions for 364 yards and two touchdowns in his past five games. As noted above, the Vikings pass defense is atrocious. Minnesota has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season and I expect both Santana Moss and Gaffney to have solid games.

WR - Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (at BUF): Despite the Broncos ineffective pass offense, Thomas has posted three straight games with double-digit fantasy points. In fact, no receiver in football has more yards (338) over the past three games and only two others (Calvin Johnson and Hakeem Nicks) have 300-plus during that span.

WR - Santonio Holmes, Jets (vs NYG): Although he has yet to have a 100-yard game this season, Holmes has scored a touchdown in four consecutive games. And he has a favorable matchup against the Giants this week as he points out. Holmes said (via Conor Orr of the Newark Star-Ledger, “They’ve given up big plays, they are poor tackling guys. We know plays can be made over their head, we’ve just got to be willing to take advantage of them and make them count.”

TE - Brent Celek, Eagles (at DAL): Last week, Celek had five receptions for a career-high 156 yards and a touchdown (or 21 fantasy points in leagues that use standard scoring). In his past nine games, Celek has seven games with at least five fantasy points. Celek's second-best game of the season came in his first matchup against the Cowboys when he had seven receptions for 94 yards and a score.

Here are some players to consider sitting in Week 16:

QB - Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (vs STL): There is no questioning Roethlisberger's toughness. And who am I to question Mike Tomlin, who has a Super Bowl ring already? But I don't think Big Ben should have kept playing last week after the game's outcome had already been decided and I don't think he should play this week. If he does, however, his mobility will be severely limited and the Rams run defense is horrendous. In other words, it wouldn't surprise me if the Steelers establish an early lead running the ball and then rest Roethlisberger if he starts the game.

RB - Ryan Grant, Packers (vs CHI): In his past two games, Grant has just shy of 200 yards from scrimmage. Grant has 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns plus four receptions for 48 receiving yards. While Grant has had nice back-to-back performances, James Starks and Brandon Saine are expected to return this week and the Bears are much tougher against the run than the Raiders and Chiefs.

RB - BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (vs MIA): Granted, he scored a touchdown last week and has a total of four touchdowns in his past four games. That said, The Law Firm has three straight games with less than 20 rushing yards. The Dolphins have allowed the third-fewest rushing yards (91.6 per game) and the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (six) this season.

WR - Mike Williams, Buccaneers (at CAR): After both Williams and I finished with zero receptions last week, it is safe to keep both of us on your fantasy bench this week. In his past two games, Williams has only three receptions for 35 yards. While he is talented, the Buccaneers overall pass offense can not (and should not) be trusted.

WR - Torrey Smith, Browns (vs CLE): With Anquan Boldin out for the rest of the regular season, Smith becomes the team's clear No. 1 receiver. In other words, Browns cornerback Joe Haden will likely be shadowing Smith all game. In his first matchup against the Browns, who allow the second-fewest fantasy points to receivers, Smith had one reception for 32 yards. That said, Smith has back-to-back games with touchdowns and double-digit fantasy points and is just outside my top 30 receivers at No. 31 this week.

WR - Brandon Lloyd, Rams (at PIT): Although Lloyd has five receptions in back-to-back games, he has a total of only 158 receiving yards and no touchdowns in his past three games. This week, Lloyd faces the Steelers, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

TE - Greg Olsen, Panthers (vs TB): In his first matchup against the Bucs, Olsen had one reception for 21 yards. While Olsen got off to a good start in the first half of the season, Olsen has two or less fantasy points in four of his past five games. In fact, Olsen does not even have the 156 yards that Celek had last week over his past five games combined.

Whether or not you start or sit any of the players above obviously depends on the composition of your roster. To help owners make start-or-sit decisions, we provide weekly rankings including flex rankings for leagues that use standard scoring and ones that use point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Here are our Week 16 rankings: QBs - RBs - WRs

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 16!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Two players in NFL history have thrown for 5,000-plus yards: Dan Marino and Drew Brees.

After this weekend, it's likely that there will be three 5,000-yard seasons (but still by only two quarterbacks).

Brees, who threw for 5,069 yards in 2008, is only 220 yards away from his second 5,000-yard season. In every game this season, Brees has thrown for 258 yards or more. In fact, he has thrown for less than 300 yards in only three of 14 games.

Five of his 300-yard games have come in the past five weeks. During that five-game span, Brees has thrown for 1,776 (355.2 per game), 16 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown during that stretch. And last week, he threw his second 400-yard game of the season.

While it seems like a sure thing that Brees will reach 5,000 yards this week, it's more likely than not that he will throw for the 305 yards he needs to break Marino's record of 5,084 yards. If he does, he would then have another week to beat his own record.

Will Brees throw for 305 yards this week and break Marino's record? Or will he fall short and have to wait for next week?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With just two weeks left in the season, several teams are pushing to make a late playoff run. Other teams are trying to keep it together long enough to fend off the teams on the outside looking in. A few more scenarios have developed as a result of this past weekend's action, so it should make for some exciting football down the stretch.

Here's a look at the current playoff scenarios:

1. Green Bay Packers (schedule): The dream of an undefeated season is over, as the Packers are coming off their first loss of the season at Kansas City. Still, at 13-1, they hold a two-game lead over the rest of the NFC. They will clinch home field throughout this weekend with a win at home against the Bears or a 49er loss to the Seahawks.

2. San Francisco 49ers (schedule): The Niners are coming off a big win over the Steelers Monday night, holding Pittsburgh to just three points. For anyone still wondering, this team is for real. They have already clinched the NFC West, and can clinch the number two seed overall with a win at Seattle and a Saints loss to the Falcons. They currently hold the tie breaker over the Saints with a better conference record (9-2 vs. 7-4).

3. New Orleans Saints (schedule): The Saints have clinched a playoff berth, but have yet to lock up the division with the Falcons breathing down their necks. New Orleans will get a chance to clinch this weekend at home against Atlanta. The Saints could also beat the Panthers in Week 17 to win the division. They are in good shape to get the three seed and can displace the 49ers as the two seed if San Francisco stumbles against either Seattle or St. Louis.

4. Dallas Cowboys (schedule): The NFC East is up for grabs, as no one seems to want to win it. The Cowboys looked good in a big win on Saturday night over Tampa Bay, but that's not really all that impressive. Dallas has a one-game lead in the division, but have tough games against the Eagles and Giants coming up. We all know how Dallas has been finishing the last few years, so the NFC East could certainly get interesting. With two weeks to go, it's too early to tell if Dallas will be hosting a playoff game.

5. Atlanta Falcons (schedule): The Falcons are pretty likely to be one of the two NFC wild card teams. If they win out and the Saints lose out, they could still win the division and become the three seed. They could also get dislodged by Detroit and fall to the six seed. However, they have a two-game lead over all of the teams on the outside looking in, and Atlanta hosts Tampa Bay Week 17. It's likely that the Falcons will clinch a wild card spot.

6. Detroit Lions (schedule): The Lions staged a huge comeback against the Raiders this past weekend, squeaking by with a 28-27 victory. This was a very important game for them, as the Lions have to finish against a suddenly hot San Diego Charger team, and then a road game at the Packers. If they're lucky, Green Bay will rest most of their starters. But if not, those are two very losable games for the Lions, and they may need every bit of the two-game lead they currently hold for the six spot. The Lions do not hold every tie breaker, so if they were to lose out, it is possible that they could lose their spot.

7. Seattle Seahawks (schedule): Seattle is coming off a game in which they destroyed the Bears. After being down 14-7, they went on to win it 38-14. Seattle has won five of their last six games and have been playing great lately. Unfortunately for them, it may be too late. San Francisco is too far ahead for them to win the division, so they would need to earn a wild card spot. They need to win out and get help in order to get in.

8. Chicago Bears (schedule): At 7-7, the Bears are in a similar boat as the Seahawks, except the Bears have a few more obstacles. One, they have to go into Green Bay this week and get a win to even stay alive. And two, they need to find a way to get a win without Jay Cutler. Chicago is 0-4 since Cutler went down, and it doesn't look good for them to get back into the thick of it. They also need to win out and get help to get in.

9. New York Giants (schedule): The Giants are still alive in the race to win the NFC East, even after their atrocious efforts against the Redskins this past weekend. They are one game behind Dallas, and they will host the Cowboys Week 17. The Giants do have one other concern, though. The Dream Team Philadelphia Eagles have come out of nowhere. If the Giants lose to the Jets this weekend and the Eagles beat the Cowboys, they no longer control their own destiny. Long story short, if the Giants win out, they will win the division and lock up the four seed.

10. Arizona Cardinals (schedule): As bad as the NFC West is, they still have three teams alive for a playoff spot. The Cardinals know what they need to get in, and that is to win out and get lots of help. They need to beat the Bengals and Seahawks in the final two weeks AND the Falcons and/or Lions to lose out, and they will clinch a playoff berth.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (schedule): The Eagles looked great this past weekend against the Jets. The offense is clicking, and it is certainly possible that they could win out with games against the Cowboys, who they beat 34-7 earlier in the year, and Redskins. They also need the Giants to lose to the Jets in Week 16, but then beat the Cowboys in Week 17. This is the only scenario in which Philadelphia can make the playoffs, and if it happens, the Eagles will win the NFC East at 8-8.

Eliminated: Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins.

Posted by John Trifone at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The AFC picture is quite interesting. There is only one wild card spot still up for grabs for several teams to fight over. In addition, all four of the teams in the AFC West still have a chance to win the division.

There are still an awful lot of ways that this whole thing could play out, but this is the current breakdown:

1. New England Patriots (schedule): The Patriots continued rolling this past weekend against the Broncos, ending Tebow's winning streak at six. With losses by Houston, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, the Patriots are in sole possession of first place in the AFC, and will clinch home field throughout if they can beat the Dolphins and Bills in the final two weeks of the season.

2. Baltimore Ravens (schedule): The Ravens got trounced by the Chargers this past weekend, but with the Steelers also losing to the 49ers, they were able to remain the two seed. So long as Baltimore can hold off the Browns and Bengals to finish the season, they will hold onto the first-round bye. A loss could cause them to fall to a wild card spot, if either Houston or Pittsburgh were to win out.

3. Houston Texans (schedule): The Texans are coming off a disappointing game to the Panthers. They have already locked up the AFC South division, and still have a chance at a first-round bye if they can beat the Colts and Titans and get a little bit of help. It remains to be seen how effective the Texans will be without Matt Schaub, and with a nagging injury to Andre Johnson.

4. Denver Broncos (schedule): The Denver Tebows, or Broncos rather, saw their winning streak end to Brady and the Patriots. Thanks to a massive comeback by the Lions and some fantastic catches by Megatron down the stretch, Denver is still holding a one-game lead over the Raiders. They need a win and a Raider loss to win the division. If they were to lose out, they could be displaced by either the Raiders or the Chargers.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (schedule): Although they lost to the 49ers on Monday night, the Steelers still were able to clinch a playoff berth when the Colts knocked off the Titans for their first win of the season. Pittsburgh can still clinch a first round bye if the Ravens stumble and they win out. If not, they will face a road playoff game wild card weekend.

6. New York Jets (schedule): The Jets are coming off a bad loss to the Eagles this past weekend. Fortunately for them, most of the other relevant teams in the playoff hunt also lost. They still hold on to the final playoff spot with a better record in common games than the Bengals (3-2 vs 2-2). The Jets have a big game against the Giants this Saturday and then finish at Miami. They do still control their own destiny, but a loss will open the door to several teams.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (schedule): The Bengals held off the Rams in a 20-13 victory to pull into a virtual tie with the Jets. They still need help, though, as they do not hold the tiebreaker over New York. The Bengals will clinch a wild card spot with two wins against the Cardinals and Ravens, and a Jets loss.

8. Tennessee Titans (schedule): The Titans suffered a devastating loss at the hands of the Colts this past weekend. With only one wild card spot that can be earned, the Titans will need a lot of help, as they are a full game behind both the Jets and Bengals. They still have an outside shot, but this past weekend's loss really crippled Tennessee's playoff hopes.

9. Oakland Raiders (schedule): The Raiders also suffered a terrible loss in Week 15, blowing a 27-14 lead over the Lions, before losing 28-27. Because of the loss, they remain a game behind the Broncos. There are still many ways that the AFC West could play out, but the Raiders will have to win two tough division games against the Chiefs and Chargers and hope for a Bronco loss if they want to win it.

10. San Diego Chargers (schedule): Like the Eagles, the Chargers have found a way to get back into the playoff discussion. Though spectacularly unimpressive for most of the season, the Chargers are surging, winning their last three games in decisive fashion. The Chargers need to win out AND need two Bronco losses in order to clinch the AFC West.

11. Kansas City Chiefs (schedule): Don't ask me how, but somehow, after derailing the Packers perfect season, the Chiefs still have an outside chance to win the AFC West at 6-8. They would need to win out AND have the Broncos lose out AND a Charger loss. If this scenario plays out, the Chiefs will be back in the playoffs.

Eliminated: Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins.

Posted by John Trifone at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At this point, let's hope you either own him or won't have to face him in your fantasy football championship this week.

As great as Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been this season, Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been nearly as productive from a fantasy standpoint. And he was certainly much more productive in Week 15.

Last week against the Vikings, Brees threw his second 400-yard game of the season. He also threw for five touchdowns for the second time this year. However, it was the first time this year that he did both in the same week.

In 14 games this season, Brees has thrown for 300-plus yards 11 times. Over the course of his past five games, Brees has thrown for 300-plus yards every week and has a 16:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio during that span.

Brees needs only 220 yards to reach 5,000 passing yards, which means he can have his lowest total of the season and still accomplish that this week. And there is a good chance Brees will throw for the 305 yards he needs to break Dan Marino's record (5,084 yards) with another week to go.

He would then own two of the three 5,000-yard seasons in NFL history. However, Tom Brady, Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers are all two good games within 5,000 yards as well.

Brees and the Saints face the Falcons this week. While the Falcons have been very tough against the run (fourth in the NFL), they have a middle-of-the-road pass defense (230.6 passing yards per game and 19 passing touchdowns allowed).

Here are some more quarterback notes for Week 16:

- Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the likely league MVP, picked the worst weak to have his worst performance of the season. Against the Chiefs last week, Rodgers completed less than half of his passes (17-of-35) and threw for only 235 yards and one touchdown, both season lows. This week, the Packers host the Bears on Christmas night.

- Last week, Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow had 21 fantasy points from his rushing stats alone if you exclude his lost fumble. Tebow had 12 rush attempts for 93 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw for 194 yards to end his two-game streak of 200-yard passing games.

- Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford had his third game of the season with 50-plus pass attempts. Stafford finished last week with 392 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. It was Stafford's third game this season with at least four touchdowns.

- Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo threw for 300-plus yards in four of the team's first five games this season. Since then, however, Romo has only one 300-yard game. This week, the Cowboys host the Eagles, who have allowed only two 300-yard passers (Tom Brady and John Skelton). In their first matchup this season, Romo had only 203 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.

- Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton has not rushed for a touchdown in either of his past two games since setting the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (13) by a quarterback. However, Newton has thrown multiple touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time in his NFL career. In addition, he rushed for 50-plus yards for the sixth time in the first eight weeks.

- For the fourth straight season, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has thrown for 4,000-plus yards. Although he set a career high in interceptions (17) this year, Rivers has not thrown an interception in four consecutive games. During that span, Rivers has thrown for 248 yards per game and has an 8:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

- Giants quarterback Eli Manning was on fire going into last week's matchup against the Redskins with two 400-yard performances in his past three games. Manning and his receivers weren't on the same page, however, as Manning threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. It won't get any easier this week against the New York Jets.

- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has five games with three or more touchdowns this season. Three of them have come in the past four games as Ryan has an 11:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his past four games. Since the bye (Week 8), Ryan has thrown 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

Here are our fantasy quarterback rankings for Week 16:

1. Drew Brees, Saints (vs ATL)
2. Tom Brady, Patriots (vs MIA)
3. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (vs CHI)
4. Cam Newton, Panthers (vs TB)
5. Matthew Stafford, Lions (vs SD)
6. Michael Vick, Eagles (at DAL)
7. Tony Romo, Cowboys (vs PHI)
8. Tim Tebow, Broncos (at BUF)
9. Matt Ryan, Falcons (at NO)
10. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at DET)
11. Eli Manning, Giants (at NYJ)
12. Rex Grossman, Redskins (vs MIN)
13. Matt Moore, Dolphins (at NE)
14. Mark Sanchez, Jets (vs NYG)
15. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (vs STL)
16. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills (vs DEN)
17. Andy Dalton, Bengals (vs ARI)
18. Carson Palmer, Raiders (at KC)
19. Josh Freeman, Buccaneers (at CAR)
20. Kyle Orton, Chiefs (vs OAK)
21. Joe Flacco, Ravens (vs CLE)
22. Christian Ponder, Vikings (at WAS)
23. T.J. Yates, Texans (at IND)
24. Matt Hasselbeck, Titans (vs JAX)
25. Alex Smith, 49ers (at SEA)
26. John Skelton, Cardinals (at CIN)
27. Kevin Kolb, Cardinals (at CIN)
28. Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks (vs SF)
29. Dan Orlovsky, Colts (vs HOU)
30. Seneca Wallace, Browns (at BAL)

Note: Our quarterback rankings will be updated before the Thursday Night game and again before the Saturday games. To view the updates, visit our quarterback rankings page.

Check out our rankings for other positions and/or flex rankings at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 16!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Through the first 15 games of the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers have allowed the most and second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs, respectively.

This week, these two teams will meet for the second time this season.

Many owners could be relying on one of three running backs in this game to take advantage of this favorable matchup in order to take home the title in their fantasy football league(s).

The first time around, Bucs running back LeGarrette Blount and Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams had disappointing performances. Both running backs had 11 carries and Williams and Blount finished with 29 and 19 rushing yards, respectively.

Carolina's Jonathan Stewart was the only running back in that game to finish with double-digit fantasy points. The Daily Show had 99 yards from scrimmage (80 rushing yards and 19 receiving yards) and scored a touchdown.

Over the past five weeks, Blount has been relatively inconsistent. During that span, he has three games with double-digit fantasy points by rushing for 100-plus yards and/or scoring a touchdown. In other two games during that stretch, Blount has 21 or less rushing yards and a total of three fantasy points.

With that Bucs game being the exception, Williams has had 60-plus rushing yards and a touchdown (or two) in three of his past four games. On the other hand, Stewart has less than 50 rushing yards in two straight games.

Of these three running backs, Blount is the highest in my rankings only due to the fact that it's more likely that he gets the majority of Tampa Bay's carries. Carolina's workload is trickier to predict.

Here are some more running back notes for Week 16:

- With three more touchdowns against the Jets in Week 15, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy has now scored a total of 20 touchdowns this season. In his first two NFL seasons, McCoy had a total of 13 touchdowns. McCoy, who has six 100-yard games, ranks second in the NFL in rushing (1,274 yards) after Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew.

- For the third straight season, Jones-Drew has reached 1,300 rushing yards. More impressively, MJD has 80-plus rushing yards in 13 of 14 games with the Titans and Colts defenses remaining. McCoy is second with 10 80-yard games and no other player has more than seven games.

- If you're a glass-half-full guy, Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has scored in three of his past four games and has a total of four touchdowns during that span. If you're a glass-half-empty guy, Green-Ellis has less than 20 rushing yards in three straight games and in five of his past eight games.

- Redskins running back Roy Helu had has three-game streak of 100-yard games come to an end last week. That said, Helu has at 23 carries in four straight games and has a total of 96 carries and 16 receptions during that four-game span. Helu is dealing with toe and knee issues, but he is expected to play this week.

- Miami's Reggie Bush became the fifth player this season to rush for 200-plus yards when he ran for a career-high 203 yards against the Bills last week. Bush has three straight 100-yard games and no running back has more rushing yards (467) over the past four weeks than Bush.

- Speaking of 200-yard rushers, Baltimore's Ray Rice faces the Browns this week. In his first matchup against the Browns, Rice finished with a career-high 204 yards and a touchdown.

- Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has scored at least one touchdown in each of his past 10 games this season. Although Lynch ran for only 42 yards, his lowest total since Week 8, he scored two more touchdowns last week. On the season, Lynch has a total of 12 touchdowns, but this week he faces the 49ers, who are the only team in the NFL to not allow a rushing touchdown this season. Take our poll on whether or not Lynch will rush for a touchdown this week.

- Last week, Texans running back Arian Foster rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown and had five receptions for 58 yards. On the season, Foster has 1,066 rushing yards, 50 receptions for 601 receiving yards and has scored a total of 11 touchdowns despite missing two games. This week, he faces the Colts, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

- Cowboys running back Felix Jones has back-to-back 100-yard games and he gets another favorable matchup against the Eagles this week. The Eagles have allowed two 100-yard rushers in the past three weeks. However, Jones has missed practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.

- Chicago's Kahlil Bell, who was on list of waiver-wire options before last week, led the Bears in rushing (65 yards) and receiving (43 yards) in addition to scoring its only touchdown in Week 15. Since he had five receptions in the game, Bell finished with a total of 21 points in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

Here are our top 40 fantasy running backs for Week 16:

1. Ray Rice, Ravens (vs CLE)
2. Arian Foster, Texans (at IND)
3. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (at DAL)
4. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (at TEN)
5. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (at DET)
6. Michael Bush, Raiders (at KC)
7. Reggie Bush, Dolphins (at NE)
8. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (vs STL)
9. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at WAS)
10. Shonn Greene, Jets (vs NYG)
11. Chris Johnson, Titans (vs JAX)
12. Michael Turner, Falcons (at NO)
13. Roy Helu, Redskins (vs MIN)
14. C.J. Spiller, Bills (vs DEN)
15. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (vs SF)
16. Willis McGahee, Broncos (at BUF)
17. Felix Jones, Cowboys (vs PHI)
18. Cedric Benson, Bengals (vs ARI)
19. Frank Gore, 49ers (at SEA)
20. LeGarrette Blount, Buccaneers (at CAR)
21. Beanie Wells, Cardinals (at CIN)
22. Steven Jackson, Rams (at PIT)
23. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (at NYJ)
24. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (vs TB)
25. Darren Sproles, Saints (vs ATL)
26. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (vs TB)
27. Donald Brown, Colts (vs HOU)
28. Kevin Smith, Lions (vs SD)
29. Kahlil Bell, Bears (at GB)
30. Peyton Hillis, Browns (at BAL)
31. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (vs MIA)
32. Ben Tate, Texans (at IND)
33. Pierre Thomas, Saints (vs ATL)
34. Ryan Grant, Packers (vs CHI)
35. Marion Barber, Bears (at GB)
36. Mike Tolbert, Chargers (at DET)
37. Brandon Jacobs, Giants (at NYJ)
38. Lance Ball, Broncos (at BUF)
39. Christopher Ivory, Saints (vs ATL)
40. Toby Gerhart, Vikings (at WAS)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our running back PPR rankings for Week 16.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 16!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the past three weeks, Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas has been about as good as it gets.

Although he did not score a touchdown last week, he finished with his second 100-yard game in the past three weeks and has had double-digit fantasy points in each of those three games. During that span, Thomas has a total of 18 receptions for 338 and three touchdowns.

Only three receivers in the NFL have more than 300 receiving yards in the past three weeks: Thomas (338), New York's Hakeem Nicks (324) and Detroit's Calvin Johnson (312).

Meanwhile, teammate Eric Decker has a total of seven receptions for 80 yards and no touchdowns in his past three games. Before that three-game stretch, Decker did not have big reception or yardage totals, but he scored in four of five games.

This week, the Broncos face the Bills, who have allowed nine touchdowns to wide receivers from Weeks 9 to 15.

Here are some notes on wide receivers that will play in Week 16:

- After a couple of sub-par performances, Lions receiver Calvin Johnson came through for fantasy owners with nine receptions for a career-high 214 yards and two touchdowns. Before last week's game, Megatron had only one touchdown in his previous five games.

- In his past five games, Falcons receiver Roddy White has three 100-yard games and a total of 38 receptions for 537 yards and five touchdowns. As a comparison, White had a line of 47-563-3 in first nine games this season. White, who has scored in four straight games, plays on Monday Night Football against the Saints in a matchup that will likely decide many fantasy championships.

- Since Cowboys receiver Miles Austin has returned from injury, the trio of Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson have scored touchdowns in back-to-back games. Robinson has scored in seven of eight games and has a total of nine touchdowns during that span.

- Giants receiver Victor Cruz had five receptions for 44 yards last week. It was only the second time since his Week 3 breakout performance that he had less than five fantasy points in a game. Assuming that Darrelle Revis shadows Hakeem Nicks, Cruz should bounce back this week although he has not scored in his past three games.

- Baltimore's Torrey Smith has four games with scores and double-digit fantasy points in his past seven games. On the other hand, Smith has three or less fantasy points in his other three games during that span. This week, the Ravens face the Browns, who held Smith to one reception for 32 yards in their first matchup.

- Redskins receiver Jabar Gaffney has one game over his past five games that is easy (or that he'd like) to forget: his zero-catch performance against the Jets. Excluding that disappearing act, Gaffney has at least five receptions and 72 yards in his other four games during that span.

- Rams receiver Brandon Lloyd has been kept out of the endzone for three straight games after scoring in three straight games. Going against the Steelers, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers this season, it is unlikely that Lloyd reverses the trend.

- It seemed as though second-year receiver Mike Williams was turning things around. From Week 11 to 13, the Bucs receiver had 83-plus yards every week and scored twice. Since then, however, Williams followed up his 3-for-35 performance with a goose egg (no receptions for obviously no yards) on the "special Saturday-night edition" of Thursday Night Football.

- Bengals rookie receiver A.J. Green became the first rookie receiver to reach 1,000 receiving yards since Saints receiver Marques Colston did it in 2006. For the fourth time this season, Green finished with 100-plus receiving yards last week, but he is dealing with a sprained shoulder. That said, he expects to play through the injury.

Here are our top 60 fantasy wide receivers for Week 16 (standard-scoring):

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (vs SD)
2. Wes Welker, Patriots (vs MIA)
3. Roddy White, Falcons (at NO)
4. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins (at NE)
5. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (at CIN)
6. Vincent Jackson, Chargers (at DET)
7. Steve Smith, Panthers (vs TB)
8. Marques Colston, Saints (vs ATL)
9. Mike Wallace, Steelers (vs STL)
10. Jordy Nelson, Packers (vs CHI)
11. Miles Austin, Cowboys (vs PHI)
12. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (at NYJ)
13. Julio Jones, Falcons (at NO)
14. A.J. Green, Bengals (vs ARI)
15. Victor Cruz, Giants (at NYJ)
16. Percy Harvin, Vikings (at WAS)
17. Santana Moss, Redskins (vs MIN)
18. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (vs PHI)
19. Antonio Brown, Steelers (vs STL)
20. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (at BUF)
21. Laurent Robinson, Cowboys (vs PHI)
22. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (vs OAK)
23. Stevie Johnson, Bills (vs DEN)
24. Santonio Holmes, Jets (vs NYG)
25. Jabar Gaffney, Redskins (vs MIN)
26. Lance Moore, Saints (vs ATL)
27. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles (at DAL)
28. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (at DAL)
29. Michael Crabtree, 49ers (at SEA)
30. Nate Washington, Titans (vs JAX)
31. Torrey Smith, Ravens (vs CLE)
32. Mario Manningham, Giants (at NYJ)
33. Anquan Boldin, Ravens (vs CLE)
34. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders (at KC)
35. Brandon Lloyd, Rams (at PIT)
36. Mike Williams, Buccaneers (at CAR)
37. C.J. Spiller, Bills (vs DEN)
38. Malcom Floyd, Chargers (at DET)
39. Plaxico Burress, Jets (vs NYG)
40. James Jones, Packers (vs CHI)
41. Nate Burleson, Lions (vs SD)
42. Pierre Garcon, Colts (vs HOU)
43. Reggie Wayne, Colts (vs HOU)
44. Doug Baldwin, Seahawks (vs SF)
45. Eric Decker, Broncos (at BUF)
46. Damian Williams, Titans (vs JAX)
47. Greg Little, Browns (at BAL)
48. Donald Driver, Packers (vs CHI)
49. Titus Young, Lions (vs SD)
50. David Nelson, Bills (vs DEN)
51. Deion Branch, Patriots (vs MIA)
52. Kevin Walter, Texans (at IND)
53. Denarius Moore, Raiders (at KC)
54. Golden Tate, Seahawks (vs SF)
55. Jerome Simpson, Bengals (vs ARI)
56. Andre Roberts, Cardinals (at CIN)
57. Devin Aromashodu, Vikings (at WAS)
58. Randall Cobb, Packers (vs CHI)
59. Early Doucet, Cardinals (at CIN)
60. Robert Meachem, Saints (vs ATL)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our wide receiver PPR rankings for Week 16.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 16!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm not sure which one is more impressive, but the active streaks by Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and the 49ers run defense are indeed impressive in their own right.

Through the first 14 games of the season, the 49ers have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher or a rushing touchdown. The Dolphins rank second in fewest rushing touchdowns allowed (six) this season. In fact, no running back has rushed for more than 64 yards against the 49ers.

(Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has rushed for a season-high 75 yards against the 49ers.)

On the other hand, Lynch has extended his scoring streak to 10 straight weeks although he only had a receiving touchdown in one of those games. In addition, Lynch was a late scratch in one game after he was already added to the active roster against the Browns. In his last 10 games played, however, Lynch has a total of 12 touchdowns. Lynch has 20-plus carries for seven straight games and he has five 100-yard games within that span.

Will Lynch have a rushing touchdown against the 49ers? Or will the Niners extend their streak for another game?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Several of the players on last week's waiver-wire list had double-digit fantasy points in Week 15.

One of those players was Bears running back Kahlil Bell, who led the team in carries (15) against the Seahawks. Not only did Bell finish with more than 100 yards from scrimmage, but he also led the team in both rushing (65 yards) and receiving (43 yards) while also scoring a touchdown.

With his five receptions, Bell had 21 fantasy points in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

Bell, who is still available in 92 percent of Yahoo! leagues, won't appear on this week's list. Neither will Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas or Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey since all three of these players were on last week's list. However, all three players are worth adding.

In addition to being valuable to fantasy owners (based on talent and/or opportunity), there are two criteria that we use for a player to be eligible for our list: (1) they weren't on the previous week's list and (2) they are owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues.

Here are some waiver-wire options that may be able to help your team (Yahoo! ownership percentage in parenthesis):

QB - Matt Moore, Dolphins (owned in 18 percent of Yahoo! leagues): Since Week 9, Moore has an 11:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio although he has thrown a total of only five touchdowns in his past four games. Moore has yet to have a 300-yard game this season although the Patriots have allowed nine 300-yard games. In fact, the Dolphins (Chad Henne) have one of the two 400-yard games allowed by the Patriots this season.

RB - Donald Brown, Colts (22 percent): For the second time in his career and the first time this season, Brown rushed for more than 100 yards last week. Brown finished with a career-high 161 yards and a touchdown and he has scored in three of his past four games. While the Colts have a tougher matchup against the Texans this week, Brown is available in about three-quarters of fantasy leagues.

RB - Christopher Ivory, Saints (four percent): Depending on the status of Mark Ingram for Week 16, Ivory could be in position to lead the team carries again. Or he could be inactive. Both Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas had more fantasy points than Ivory, but Ivory led the team in carries (18) last week. Ivory has 13-plus carries and 53-plus yards in the past three games in which he has played.

WR - Nate Burleson, Lions (42 percent): Since the team's bye (Week 9), Burleson has five or more receptions in five of six games. In four of those six games, Burleson has at least nine fantasy points in standard-scoring leagues. During that six-game span, Burleson has 35 receptions for 384 yards and two touchdowns. That is 64 yards per game compared with only 30.6 in his first eight games of the season.

WR - Greg Little, Browns (15 percent): As bad as the Browns offense has been, it would be difficult to rely on any Browns player in Championship Week against the Ravens. That said, Little had a career-high 131 yards and a touchdown on five receptions last week. Little, who has scored twice in his past four games, leads the team in receptions (57) and receiving yards (669) this season.

WR - Andre Roberts, Cardinals (two percent): Roberts scored for the second week in a row and has double-digit fantasy points in two of his past three games. Going back to Week 9, Roberts has five or more fantasy points in six of seven games. If you're in a deeper league, Roberts is worth consideration.

WR - Randall Cobb, Packers (14 percent): In his past two games, Cobb has at least 45 yards in each game. While Jordy Nelson is clearly the team's best option at receiver while Greg Jennings is out, Cobb has more receiving yards (93) than Donald Driver (82) or James Jones (46) during that two-game span.

TE - Brent Celek, Eagles (37 percent): Celek saved his best game of his career for Week 15 as he finished with five receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. It was the fifth 100-yard game of his career but the first this season for Celek. In his past eight games, Celek has 41 receptions for 558 yards and two touchdowns. During that eight-game span, Celek has had at least 50 receiving yards six times.

Our Week 16 rankings (including point-per-reception (PPR) and flex rankings) will be available by Wednesday at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

This morning, we also updated our Week 16 NFL Consensus Power Rankings.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 16!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, the possibility of the Packers going 19-0 and/or the Colts going 0-16 is over. That said, both teams are still the consensus No. 1 and 32 teams, respectively.

Two of the more interesting teams to watch over the next couple of weeks will be the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams have a ton of talent and have been huge disappointments this season. Depending how things break for them, however, they could end up hosting a playoff game in early January.

For whatever reason, the Chargers play their best football in the month of December. After losing six consecutive games, the Chargers have won all three of the December games this month by a margin of at least 20 points every game. The Eagles need a little more help, but if they win their remaining two games this season and the Jets beat the Giants this week and the Giants beat the Cowboys next week, the Eagles will be NFC East champions.

Here are some stats on this week's consensus rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: Cincinnati Bengals (+3.5)
- Biggest drop from last week: Chicago Bears (6.25)
- Team with widest difference between high and low rank: Philadelphia Eagles (6)

[See this week's full rankings.]

As part of our weekly power rankings, we will feature one question that all four rankers will answer.

Here is the Week 16 question (followed by our responses): Who will be the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs?

John (follow John on Twitter): The Patriots have a one-game lead over the rest of the AFC, and two winnable home games against Buffalo and Miami remaining on their schedule. New England looked a little bit shaky earlier in the season, with some clear defensive problems. They didn't have the same look as the perennial Super Bowl threat that they have had in years past. That was then, this is now. Brady and the Pats have won six in a row, and have faced few challenges in that time. They should have no trouble retaining the number one seed and clinching home field throughout.

Sean (visit Sean's website): New England takes down the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Two games remaining versus non-playoff teams and Tom Brady is rolling. Pittsburgh will get the other bye week in the AFC. Houston and Baltimore looked awful this week and will be in trouble if the playoffs started today.

Dan (follow Dan on Twitter): The New England Partriots will end up with the number one seed this year in the AFC. The Patriots have the easiest schedule by far, as they have only Miami and Buffalo left to play, and they entertain them at home. I just see the Steelers falling at some point, as their offense certainly has not been on par as of lately. Once again the road to Indianapolis runs through Foxboro, well as long as they aren't one-and-done like the last two years.

Kevin (follow Kevin on Twitter): Although they may not need to win out, the Patriots are the No. 1 seed if they do. It's hard to imagine them losing either of their final two games as they will be double-digit favorites at home against the Dolphins this week and the Bills next week. And with the Steelers losing last night, the Packers locked up the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

See how all 32 teams were ranked in our Week 16 Consensus NFL Power Rankings.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With two weeks (and a game) to go, there are four teams in the hunt for the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

Entering Week 15, the Houston Texans were the No. 1 seed based on the league's tie-breakers. Although the Texans have already locked up the AFC South and the first playoff berth in franchise history, they lost to the Panthers this week and will now need some help to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

In addition to the Texans, the Ravens lost their fourth game of the season (all on the road). Their loss means that, at least until tonight's Monday Night Football matchup, the Ravens would be the No. 5 seed at 10-4 since the Steelers are 10-3.

A win tonight over the 49ers would move the Steelers to the top of the AFC playoff standings. However, a Steelers' loss would put the Ravens back in control of the AFC North considering they won both of their matchups against the Steelers.

[In addition, a Steelers win would knock the 49ers down to the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs behind the Packers, who would then clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, and the Saints.]

With the Steelers (10-3), Texans (10-4) and Ravens (10-4) in the hunt, the Patriots (11-4) currently sit in first place in the AFC standings. That said, the Patriots lost to the Steelers earlier in the season so the Steelers would have the head-to-head tie-breaker if they win tonight.

Here are the teams remaining opponents:

- New England: vs. Miami, vs. Buffalo
- Pittsburgh: at San Francisco (Week 15), vs. St. Louis, at Cleveland
- Houston: at Indianapolis, vs Tennessee
- Baltimore: vs. Cleveland, at Cincinnati

Who will be the No. 1 seed in the AFC?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lions receiver Calvin Johnson scored eight touchdowns (two per game) in his first four games of the season, which was something no other player had done to begin a season.

Then things slowed down dramatically for Megatron as he scored only five touchdowns from Week 5 to Week 14.

Even worse, he scored only one touchdown in his previous five games coming into Week 15. During that five-game span, Johnson also had no 100-yard games.

With a career-best performance, Johnson delivered for fantasy owners at exactly the right time.

In today's win over the Raiders, Johnson had nine receptions for 214 yards and two touchdowns. That is 33 fantasy points in standard leagues or 42 points in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

On the season, Johnson has 81 receptions for 1,335 yards and 14 touchdowns, all of which set career highs.

Johnson has two decent matchups to close the season against the Chargers and Packers.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the past three weeks, Dolphins running back Reggie Bush has had three fantasy-friendly matchups -- and he has surely taken advantage of them.

For a third straight game, Bush has rushed for 100-plus yards. The difference today was he doubled up.

Bush rushed for a career-high 203 yards and a touchdown in today's 30-23 win over the Bills. Bush now has five 100-yard games in his career, four of which have occurred this season, and is only 27 yards from his first-ever 1,000-yard rushing season.

Since Week 8, Bush has 134 carries for 741 yards (5.53 yards per carry) and six touchdowns plus 24 receptions for 173 yards.

Next week, Bush faces the Patriots.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In one of the better Monday Night Football matchups this year, the 49ers host the Steelers in a battle of 10-win teams tomorrow night.

The 49ers have already clinched the NFC West, but they are tied with the Saints as they battle it out for the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. In the AFC, the Steelers are tied record-wise (they lose the head-to-head tie-breaker to the Ravens) for the AFC North. That said, the Steelers are one of four teams tied with a 10-3 record vying for the No. 1 seed.

Both of these teams have great run defenses.

San Francisco ranks first in the NFL in rushing defense (70.5 yards allowed per game) and are the only team to not have allowed a rushing touchdown. While Pittsburgh got off to a bad start against the run in their first four games, they now rank sixth in the NFL (97.0 YPG allowed).

In other words, both running backs have tough matchups in what is typically the semi-final week in most fantasy leagues.

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall has only three games with at least 70 rushing yards this season. On the other hand, the 49ers have allowed only four running backs to rush for even 40 yards and none have reached 65 rushing yards.

Since five straight games with 100-plus rushing yards, 49ers running back Frank Gore has had a total of 272 rushing yards on 75 carries in his past five games. Although he scored a touchdown last week, Gore isn't 100 percent and there's the chance that his workload is limited again (10 carries last week).

Which running back will have a more productive Week 15 from a fantasy perspective?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This week brought the end of the tenure of Todd Haley in Kansas City and Tony Sparano in Miami. They’ll join the recently ousted Jack Del Rio in the unemployment line, at least for the next few weeks, and so goes the annual tradition of end-of-season firings in the NFL. As we approach the holiday season, we can usually find a deserving coach losing his job, a few hanger-ons that should have already been fired, the usual hot-seat burning and lastly a coach or two who was finally put out of his misery. The following will give you something to chew on about the recent coaching changes, the firings that will likely happen, and those that should happen.

Going holiday hungry (already axed)

Tony Sparano – History will generally agree that Sparano was the fall guy for front office deficiency. There were clear off-field distractions with Jeff Ireland openly wooing Jim Harburgh while desperately hoping to not lose face with the organization and failing miserably on all accounts. Had the organization addressed the quarterback issues, an average QB could have helped the Dolphins compete for the playoffs this year. After the team went 11-5 in Sparano’s first year, they failed to have a winning record in the subsequent three years. I’d suspect Ireland will look to install a “yes man” at coach (feels like a Norv Turner calling – yes, we’ll get to that) and they’ll proceed to lose for another couple of years before Stephen Ross decides to blow it all up.

Jack Del Rio – I like Del Rio, but a year or two overdue on this coaching change. It’s just the marriage of an organization and coach can only last so many years of not quite breaking through before it gets stale. The team has a phenomenal, if not now aging running back in Maurice Jones-Drew and yet has been unable to muster an even respectable offense. Del Rio was always defensive minded and spent too many years neglecting the offense. The team needs to make a splash to bring some much needed attention to the organization and if they open up the wallets, it would be an ideal fit for Jon Gruden to resurrect the team.

Todd Haley – A conflict of egos between Haley and GM Scott Pioli, forecasted this divorce and given the clash I’m a little unsettled on how I feel about Haley as coach. He’s a little unconventional, which can be good to push forward or just create confusion within the team. Since he seemed to be able to keep the team, I’m buying that Haley can be the right fit in another place. The rumored replacement is Josh McDaniels whose history with Pioli in New England makes him the odds on favorite; however, McDaniels was run out of Denver so fast after the implosion a year ago, I’m not sure he had time to pack. I’m a believer that people learn from mistakes and McDaniels is clearly a smart football coach, but I don’t think ready yet to run another team. Putting McDaniel in charge after Haley could set the Chiefs franchise back another five years or they’ll be contenders next year. Either way, this one will be fun to watch.

Buying the ham now and freezing (hoping not to be fired before Christmas)

Tom Coughlin – The annual “Coughlin lost the team” discussion began after the blow-out to the Saints, but after a competitive game with the Packers and a win at Dallas, they control their own destiny to win the division. Even if the Giants were out of it completely, the Mara’s aren’t the type of ownership to fire mid-season. More importantly the four-game losing streak came against the three best teams in the NFC and the über-talented even if completely dysfunctional Eagles. The schedule sets up nicely to run the table and close out with another win against the Cowboys to end the season. Giants in the playoffs and Coughlin in as coach for at least one more year.

Steve Spagnuolo – Admittedly I don’t know what went wrong with this situation. Seemed like a smart hire and he had support from Rams front office. Even if Sam Bradford stayed healthy, this team wouldn’t have won more than six games, and in a weak NFC West this team should have been able to compete with the 49ers. If they fire Spagnuolo, they’ll want to go with a coach with head coaching experience. Fortunately, they seem savvy enough to avoid the usually recycles (i.e. Wade Phillips), while being frugal enough to not overspend on a big name whose been sitting on the sidelines. Expect a coaching transplant from an East Coast NFC team. As for Spagnuolo, he’ll find a spot quickly as a D-coordinator for a team on the come.

Jim Caldwell – I’m pretty sure it's in the NFL by-laws that if you go 0-16, you get fired and don’t get another job. How long will it take for them to just make Peyton Manning the head coach? I mean it feels like he runs the team. Can he run the offense with Andrew Luck taking snaps from center? In all seriousness, Archie Manning has expressed some concern about Peyton handing over the reins to Andrew Luck, so Peyton will likely be traded to a contender looking for a QB. As we learned from the Eli Manning draft day experience, what the Mannings want, the Mannings get.

Andy Reid – Reid has a lot of equity with Eagles ownership, Jeff Lurie, after a decade of success. Under the pretense of shortened off-season and needing a couple of years for the all high-profile free-agent acquisitions to come together, Reid will likely get one more season. Unless the Eagles do something to address the real issues, lack of discipline and leadership in the locker room, not to mention weak up the middle on the football field, expect a similar season next year.

Norv Turner – Will likely be let go as soon as the Chargers are eliminated from playoff contention, which will be about . . . let's see he was hired in 2007 . . . so four years too late? By all accounts, Norv seems like a good guy and very smart football coach, but some guys are not meant to be a head coach. He took over the most talented, deepest team in the NFL and they slowly digressed to non-contender in the AFC West. All the Tebow mystique aside, have you watched the AFC West teams play football?! – The Chargers can’t get their poop in pile and beat out this mess of teams and somehow that’s not the coach’s fault? In fairness to Norv, this mostly falls on A.J. Smith, the ego-maniac GM who got into a pissing contest with Marty Schottenheimer and is now going to push Norv Turner into the speeding train of missed expectations.

Cold Cut (Potential Surprise Firings)

Ken Whisenhunt, Mike Smith, and Raheem Morris: A range of two to four years of tenure in the group and varying degrees of success for all three. Whisenhunt took the Cardinals to the Super Bowl in 2009 in just his second season, Smith is on the verge of leading the Falcons to the playoffs for a second consecutive year, and Morris, the youngest head coach in the NFL, has turned around the Bucs franchise to a 10-win team in just his second year. So aside from some success, what common trait binds these coaches – high expectations. Almost every year there is a coach that is ousted under similar conditions: moderate success, and elevated expectations. One of these coaches will lose his job, and it will probably come as a surprise to most. Morris is likely safe. He is assured a losing season this year and despite the big drop-off, it is only his third year leading the Bucs. At 9-5, Mike Smith has the Falcons on the lead rail a wild card and a good play-off run will likely keep him safe. However, a blow-out loss to the Giants (assuming a 4-5 matchup with Giants winning the east and the Falcons as the top NFC wildcard) in the opening round of the playoffs may spell trouble for Smith, and if Falcons stumble the last two weeks, failing to the make the playoffs – could be the end of the coaching union . Lastly, Whisenhunt, I can’t imagine the Cardinals ownership will be happy with two consecutive years on the outside of the playoff picture. A lost this weekend to the Browns will officially eliminate the Cardinals from playoff contention and could lead to the firing of Whisenhunt.

Lastly, who should get fired, but won’t: Although any number of coaches fit the bill, Jim Schwartz jumps to mind for me. They will likely earn the final NFC wild card spot and he has the team playing at a level that far exceeds traditional Lions fashion. He put together a solid nucleus to build on, but he’s failed to control his team as evidenced with Ndamukong Suh and Cliff Avril leading the NFL in personal foul penalties. What he’s really failing to do is make the team accountable. To me, this is characteristic of team that will never reach the ultimate prize of a Super Bowl and if that’s the goal, why wait to change. The players' attitudes and issues are indicative of a coach who is complacent to this behavior or unable to change it, either of which is unacceptable and necessitates a change in the coach.

Posted by Steve Woodhull at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

While Bears running back Matt Forte has already been ruled out for Week 15, there seems to be virtually no chance that he'll return in Week 16 against the Packers.

Forte, who suffered a MCL sprain in Week 13 against the Chiefs, is in the final year of his contract and was not thrilled about the lack of any progress on getting a new deal.

"These injuries, they usually take four to six weeks [to heal] they say," Forte said, per Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. "And this will only be week three. I'm not going to rush to get back on the field and play while I'm hurt, because you're not at 100 percent you may injure it even more if you do that."

"... I'm not going to really go out there and play unless I'm 100 percent and I can run straight ahead and sprint and make cuts, because as a running back you have to make people miss. You can't just take on hits and get pounded on. You'll have more injuries to rehab."

Before the injury, Forte was having one of his best seasons from a statistical perspective.

Despite missing games, Forte still ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing yards (997) and is third among running backs in receptions (52) and fourth in receiving yards (490).

With Forte out, Marion Barber and Khalil Bell is No. 21 and No. 36 running backs, respectively, in our Week 15 running back rankings.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As we have heard NFL Network bill it, tonight features a "special Saturday-night edition" of Thursday Night Football. Or, as I like to call it, Saturday Night Football.

In tonight's matchup against the Bucs, the Cowboys have six players that are worthy of starting in fantasy football matchups and two of them are specifically listed below.

Both quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten are top five at their respective positions in our fantasy rankings, the team's top three wide receivers are in the top 20 receivers for Week 15 and Felix Jones is in our top 15 running backs for this week.

Here are some players to start in Week 15:

QB - Tim Tebow, Broncos (vs NE): From a fantasy-scoring perspective, Tebow has been nothing if not consistent. In all of his games as a starting quarterback, Tebow has finished with at least 12 fantasy points even if it has required some late-game heroics to get there. This week, Tebow faces the same Patriots secondary that allowed that Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky to light them up for 353 yards and two touchdowns.

RB - Roy Helu, Redskins (at NYG): One of the more versatile running backs in the league, Helu has three straight games with 100-plus rushing yards. Not only did Helu become the first Redskins rookie to do so, he also set the franchise record for most receptions (14) in a game earlier this season. While Helu is producing big, Mike Shanahan is giving Helu a heavy workload -- 23 or more carries in each of his past three games.

RB - Cedric Benson, Bengals (at STL): Perhaps Benson's most impressive performance of the season was his 64 rushing yards against the 49ers since no running back has gained more against the league's top-ranked run defense. In his past four games, which include tough matchups against Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston, Benson has 290 rushing yards and three touchdowns. This week, Benson faces the league's worst run defense.

RB - Felix Jones, Cowboys (at TB): Running back DeMarco Murray left last week's game with a broken ankle, which paved the way for Jones to rush for more than 100 yards for the second time this season. While he was likely on the bench (or even waiver wire) last week, Jones gets two favorable matchups and should be started in Weeks 15 and 16. This week, he faces the Bucs, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. (Next week, he faces the Eagles.)

WR - Laurent Robinson, Cowboys (at TB): Robinson is one of three Cowboys receivers ranked within our top 20 fantasy wide receivers this week. While he's clearly third when it comes to talent after the team's other two receivers (Miles Austin and Dez Bryant), Robinson has developed a great rapport with Romo and has produced with or without Austin in the lineup. Robinson has scored in six of his past seven games and has a total of eight touchdowns during that span.

WR - Santana Moss, Redskins (at NYG): Against the league's worst pass defense (Patriots), Moss had three receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown last week. Moss gets two more favorable matchups to close out the fantasy playoffs. Moss faces the Giants this week and the Vikings next week. So, in other words, Moss faces the three teams that have allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers in all three weeks of the fantasy playoffs counting last week.

WR - Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (vs NE): Speaking of the Patriots pass defense, Thomas and the Broncos receivers get their turn this week. Of course, the biggest obstacle for Broncos receivers to be productive is the fact that Tim Tebow isn't the most accurate passer. That said, Thomas has been dominant in his past two games. Along with Percy Harvin and Rob Gronkowski, Thomas is one of three players to have at least 200 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in the past two weeks.

TE - Jake Ballard, Giants (vs WAS): The Redskins have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. In the first game of the season, Ballard had two receptions for 59 yards against the Redskins. But he had only five receptions for 61 yards in his next three games. Since then, Ballard has been more involved in the Giants offense and should be in store for a solid performance for fantasy owners.

Here are some players to sit in Week 15:

QB - Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (at SF): There is no questioning Roethlisberger's toughness. After suffering a high-ankle sprain in last week's game (fortunately on a Thursday to allow longer healing time), Big Ben did something most quarterbacks would not do -- he returned to the game. Unless you also have Alex Smith as a backup, however, it would be wise to go with an alternative in case he does not play. Even if he does play, his mobility is going to be limited and he's facing the league's top-scoring defense.

RB - BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (at DEN): What you will get from The Law Firm this week is anyone's guess (or our poll of the day from Friday). As we noted there, Green-Ellis has rushed for less than 20 yards in four of his seven games since the team's bye. While he has scored a total of three touchdowns in two of his past three games, it's unreliable to count on scoring opportunities, especially considering only the 49ers (none) and Dolphins (five) have allowed fewer rushing touchdowns than the Broncos (six) this season.

RB - Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (at SF): Entering the season, fantasy owners certainly had higher expectations for Mendenhall. Although he has scored eight touchdowns this year, he has rushed for more than 70 yards only twice this season. Meanwhile, the 49ers have yet to allow a rushing touchdown or any running back to gain more than 64 rushing yards as noted above. Especially if Roethlisberger can't go this week, Mendy may find it tough to get anything going on the ground.

WR - Michael Crabtree, 49ers (vs PIT): Crabtree has been highly productive in his past four games. During that span, he has 24 receptions for 333 yards and a touchdown. Going against the Steelers defense this week, however, Crabtree is unlikely to maintain his recent success. The Steelers have yet to allow a 100-yard receiver this season and only five players (Baltimore's Anquan Boldin twice) have had at least 70 receiving yards against them.

WR - Plaxico Burress, Jets (at PHI): While the Eagles secondary has not been as elite as advertised, they certainly have plenty of talent in their secondary to slow down a passing offense that has not been elite. The strength of Burress is his ability as a redzone target. While he has scored in five games (seven touchdowns), he also has two goose eggs like last week against the Chiefs. In other words, you likely have a more reliable option on your roster elsewhere.

WR - DeSean Jackson, Eagles (vs NYJ): It's unclear whether Darrelle Revis will spend most of his time matched up against Jackson or teammate Jeremy Maclin, but it's probably best to sit both, if possible. Maclin is dealing with a shoulder and hamstring injury and is expected to be a game-time decision. Although Jackson scored his first touchdown of the season since Week 5, he's too boom-or-bust and concerned with his contract to count on for reliable production.

TE - Greg Olsen, Panthers (at HOU): Olsen is coming off a double-digit fantasy performance, but he had four or less fantasy points in his previous four games before last week. This week, Olsen and the Panthers face the Texans, who have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.

For all of our Week 15 rankings, which will be updated/tweaked tonight and tomorrow, visit our fantasy home page.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 15!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you have paid attention to my NFL picks against the spread (ATS) this season, you know that I pick exactly three games week in and week out.

The goal is to finish 2-1 ATS (or better) every week and I have exceeded my goal on a year-to-date basis.

In fact, if I have three losing weeks to close out the regular season, I would still finish at nearly 65 percent (64.6) ATS. As previously stated, that is NOT the goal, of course.

On the season, I am now 28-11-3 (71.3 percent) ATS through the first 14 weeks and find myself in a position where I like several (more than three) games, but I don't love any of them. Narrowing down this week's picks to only three was tough.

For example, I like the San Diego Chargers to cover and win outright on Sunday Night Football over the Ravens, who have been inconsistent on the road this season (losses to Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle). Despite their bad start (or technically bad middle since they started 4-1), the Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers have once again gotten their post-November groove back. It's almost as inexplicable as the Tim Tebow-led post-third-quarter comebacks in Denver.

But I've decided not to go with this game as one of my three games for the week. Here are my three NFL picks against the spread for Week 15:

New Orleans Saints (-7) over Minnesota Vikings

With Vikings running back Adrian Peterson listed as probable on the team's injury report, he's expected to return after missing the past three games with a high-ankle sprain. Peterson is one of the league's best running backs and teammate Percy Harvin has been playing as well as any receiver in the league recently.

While the Vikings' offense should be fine, can they stop or at least slow down the Saints' high-powered offense?

It's highly unlikely.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees leads the NFL in passing yards (4,368) and is on a record-setting pace. In fact, Brees needs to average less passing yards than his worst performance of the season for the final three games to break Dan Marino's single-season record. Through 13 games, Brees has thrown for 300-plus yards 10 times.

No team has allowed more passing touchdowns (26) than Minnesota, who is tied with the winless Colts for a league-worst six interceptions.

With the 49ers having an edge based on the tie-breakers for the No. 2 seed (and first-round bye), the Saints will be fully motivated to take the lead (at least for a day until the 49ers host the Steelers on Monday Night Football) as Brees puts on an offensive clinic.

Houston Texans (-6) over Carolina Panthers

While both teams are starting rookie quarterbacks, their paths to get the starting nod are much different. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was the first pick in this year's draft, has started from Day 1 and should be the league's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (see past winners).

Texans quarterback T.J. Yates, the team's fifth-round pick out of North Carolina, is starting out of necessity as Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart both suffered season-ending injuries. That said, Yates threw his first-ever 300-yard game as the Texans clinched the AFC South and their first-ever playoff berth last week.

While I don't expect a repeat performance from Yates, the Texans should be able to run the ball extremely well against a bad Panthers run defense. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the duo of Arian Foster and Ben Tate both rushed for 100-plus yards in this game like they did against the Browns in Week 9. Foster has eight 100-yard games (five rushing and three receiving) and Tate has four 100-yard games.

As well as Newton has played, the Texans have the league's top-ranked defense (274.9 yards allowed per game) and they are top four in both rushing and passing defense. Against a team like Carolina that has one elite receiver, Jonathan Joseph should be able to contain Steve Smith and force the other (much less talented) Panthers receivers to step up.

Cincinnati Bengals (-7) over St. Louis Rams

Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is listed as doubtful for this week's game, which means the Rams will likely go with Kellen Clemens, who has 33 pass attempts from 2008 to 2011.

That said, the Rams offense has not been particularly explosive regardless of who has been under center. No team has scored fewer points than the Rams (11.8 yards per game). Against the league's seventh-ranked defense (314.8 YPG allowed), that trend is unlikely to change.

On the other hand, the Rams run defense has been particularly bad this season. No team has allowed more rushing yards (156.8 per game) than the Rams and the Rams are one of three teams to allow an average of at least five yards per carry this season.

The Bengals have struggled recently in large part due to the level of their competition. In their past five games, they are 1-4, but those four losses have all come against 10-win teams (Pittsburgh twice, Baltimore and Houston).

Look for the Bengals to bounce back big against the woeful Rams.

For all of our Week 15 picks including our other two handicappers, click here.

Based on the accuracy results tracked by FantasyPros.com, I have been the most accurate "fantasy football expert" through the first 14 weeks of the year. If you're looking for our fantasy football rankings for Week 15, you'll find them here.

To keep track of our updates, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you own Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, he has undoubtedly frustrated you this season.

Through 13 games this season, The Law Firm has five games with single-digit carries. Four of those five games have come since the team's bye in Week 7.

Even worse, Green-Ellis has five games with less than 20 rushing yards. Four of those games have come after the bye as well.

That said, Green-Ellis also has scored in two of his past three games for a total of three touchdowns. On the season, he has eight rushing touchdowns and he remains the back that will get the goal-line work.

However, it's harder to rely on scoring touchdowns (unless you're talking about teammate Rob Gronkowski).

This week, the Patriots face the Broncos, who have a much improved run defense and overall defense led by rookie Von Miller, their first-round pick and second overall. Denver is allowing 124.2 yards per game (down from 154.6 YPG last year), but they have allowed only six rushing touchdowns this season. Only the 49ers (none) and Dolphins (five) have allowed fewer rushing touchdowns this season.

How many rushing yards will Green-Ellis have in Week 15? Should he be on your bench?

Related: Our Week 15 Fantasy Football RB Rankings

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In breaking down the games this week, it once again appears that the best bet of the week by the numbers, is the Monday Night game.

The 49ers are coming off a bad loss at Arizona, but come home this week where they are 6-0-1 ATS this season. They are also 7-1 ATS when playing as the favorite.

By contrast, the Steelers have not been great on the road. Although they have a 4-2 record overall, they are just 2-4 ATS and 1-2 ATS as an underdog, which they will be this week.

Like last week, this game is currently OTB, pending the status of Ben Roethlisberger, but the preliminary line was San Francisco by 2.5. If Roethlisberger does not play, Pittsburgh's offense is going to struggle mightily against a solid 49er defense, so even with a more inflated spread, the 49ers should cover. Pittsburgh is ranked 17th in the league running the ball and San Francisco is ranked number 1 against the run. So without the services of Big Ben, the Steelers are likely to struggle to score points. And if Big Ben can play, he will likely be affected by his high ankle sprain, and the Niners will look to exploit that.

Both San Francisco and Pittsburgh are coming off less than impressive games. Pittsburgh was able to salvage a home win against Cleveland, although with only a few minutes to go, it was a 7-3 game with Cleveland driving. San Francisco blew their road game at Arizona, and will be looking to bounce back and retain the two seed they have held for most of the season.

From a game standpoint alone, this one looks like a tough one to call, with two powerhouse teams squaring off. But the numbers tell us differently.

Take San Francisco all the way.

Posted by John Trifone at 05:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ravens rookie receiver Torrey Smith has big-play ability and, in turn, has been a little boom or bust over the past six weeks.

In his past six games, Smith has scored and finished with double-digit fantasy points in three of those games. On the flip side, Smith has scored three points or less in the other three games during that six-game span.

On the season, Smith, the team's second-round pick, has 37 receptions for 693 yards and six touchdowns. His 18.7 yards-per-reception average ranks fourth in the NFL behind San Diego's Malcom Floyd (21.5), Chicago's Johnny Knox (19.8) and Green Bay's Jordy Nelson (18.8).

San Diego has allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards (201.5 per game), but they are tied for allowing the eighth-most passing touchdowns (22) this season.

How many fantasy points will Smith have this week? Double digits? Three or less? Somewhere in between?

Related: Our Week 15 Fantasy WR Rankings

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are 10 bold NFL predictions for Week 15 (ranked in order from least bold to boldest):

1. Tony Romo will throw for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns in a big Cowboy victory over the Bucs.

2. The Chargers will stay hot and defeat 10-3 Baltimore this week, and will pull within one game of the division lead.

3. TJ Yates will build off his performance in Cincinnati and lead the Texans to victory over Carolina. Houston will go on to clinch home field throughout.

4. Maurice Jones-Drew will rush for over 100 yards against a tough Atlanta defense in a losing effort.

5. The 49ers will bounce back from their loss to Arizona and win by double digs against Pittsburgh on Monday Night.

6. Marshawn Lynch will have his touchdown streak broken in Chicago, but Seattle finds a way to win anyway.

7. Tim Tebow finally plays four bad quarters instead of the usual three, as the Patriots put an end to Denver's 6 game winning streak.

8. Aaron Rodgers will throw for five touchdowns this week, even without number once receiver Greg Jennings, putting Brady's touchdown record in jeopardy.

9. The Colts offense finally gets going as they get their first win over division rival Tennessee this weekend

10. Joe Webb and AP will tear up the New Orleans defense and lead Minnesota to an upset victory over the Saints.

What is your bold prediction for Week 15?

[Editor's Note: Kevin Hanson will have 10 bold predictions for fantasy football this weekend.]

Posted by John Trifone at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week, Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow threw a season-high 40 pass attempts against the Bears. This week, the Broncos face the league's 32nd-ranked pass defense in the Patriots.

In other words, Tebow and the Broncos may continue to "air it out."

That said, the Broncos general preference is to play good defense, run the ball and control the clock.

Running back Willis McGahee, who was released by the Ravens in the offseason, has six 100-yard games this season, which is remarkable. McGahee needs only 80 yards to reach the 1,000-yard milestone. McGahee has three 1,000-yard seasons in his career, but he hasn't reached that milestone since 2007, which was his first season in Baltimore.

In his past six games, McGahee has rushed for 100-plus yards three times. In the other three games during that span, McGahee rushed for 17, 18 and 34 yards.

The Patriots rank 13th in the league in rushing defense (107.3 yards allowed per game), but they only allowed their first 100-yard rusher last week when Redskins rookie Roy Helu to rush for 126 yards.

Will McGahee rush for 100 yards this week? Or at least 80 to reach 1,000 for the season? Or will he have another performance with 34 yards or less?

Related: Our Week 15 RB Rankings - Our Rest-of-Season RB Rankings

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When it comes to AFC West signal-callers, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is garnering the majority of the attention with his late-game heroics.

Last week, Tebow and the Broncos got off to a slow start, but he finished strong, as usual, and Tebow led the Broncos to their third overtime victory of the season. Tebow threw 40 passes for 236 yards, both season highs, and led the team in rushing with 49 yards last week.

While Tebow has not had any 20-point fantasy performances since Week 9, he has at least 12 fantasy points every week.

Meanwhile, San Diego's Philip Rivers has historically dominated the month of December the way Tebow dominates the fourth quarter. This month is no exception.

For a second straight game, Rivers has thrown three touchdowns. In his past three games (counting his last game in November), Rivers has thrown 97 pass attempts and has a 7:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

With a healthy group of offensive skill players, Rivers could be poised for a nice run down the stretch to help fantasy owners the way they had expected from him. Rivers has two of his three highest points totals in the past two weeks.

Rivers has thrown two or more touchdowns seven times this season. Five of those seven performances have come in the past six weeks. Take our poll on how many he will throw this week.

This weekend, the Chargers face the Ravens, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season and have yet to allow more than one passing touchdown in any game this season.

That said, they haven't exactly faced the league's elite quarterbacks. After Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Schaub, the best quarterback they have faced has been either Mark Sanchez or Andy Dalton.

Here are some more quarterback notes for Week 15:

- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 320 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions last week. In his past six games, Ryan has three 300-yard games and a 14:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

- Carolina quarterback Cam Newton threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions in Week 14, but he did not rush for a touchdown for the first time in three games. On the season, he now has 15 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions and 13 rushing touchdowns.

- Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns last week. It was only four yards shy of Gabbert's career high set in Week 5 and only the second time he threw for two touchdowns (although that has happened in back-to-back games).

- Texans quarterback T.J. Yates, their fifth-round pick this year, threw his first-ever 300-yard game, two touchdowns and one interception as the Texans clinched the AFC South title in the process last week. Yates added 36 rushing yards on five carries as well. The Panthers have allowed five 300-yard passers this season, but it's unlikely that Yates reaches that mark again this week, especially considering how poor the Panthers run defense is.

- Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton threw for less than 200 yards for the second straight game and for only one touchdown in his fourth straight game. After this five-game stretch against the league's best pass defenses, however, Dalton gets two easier matchups this week (St. Louis) and next week (Arizona).

- After benching Christian Ponder, who was/is dealing with a hip pointer, the Vikings put in Joe Webb, who threw for a score and ran for another. Webb was 12-of-23 for only 84 yards, but he ran seven times for 109 yards including his 65-yard touchdown. That said, Ponder, if healthy, is still the team's starting quarterback.

- Although he rushed for a touchdown, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman threw for only 181 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He now has only 12 (passing) touchdowns and 18 interceptions on the season.

- Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez completed only three of his 13 completions to receivers, but Sanchez scored four touchdowns last week. He threw for two scores and ran for two more. Sanchez now has five rushing touchdowns on the season and has had at least three in each of his three seasons in the league.

- Saints quarterback Drew Brees extended his streak of games with touchdowns to 40 games. He is only the second player in NFL history to throw a touchdown in at least 40 games. Brees extended his streak of 300-yard games to four and now has 10 of them on the season.

- Since not throwing a touchdown in Week 17 of the 2009 season, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has thrown at least one touchdown in every game since then. This season, he has thrown two or more touchdowns in 12 of 13 games.

- Quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 245 yards and one touchdown but also threw four interceptions last week. In his past five games, Palmer had a 6:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

- Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completed only 13 of 34 passes for 176 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Fitzpatrick now has a career-high 16 interceptions.

- Although Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck sat out of practice on Wednesday, coach Mike Munchak expects him to start this week.

Here are our fantasy quarterback rankings for Week 15:

1. Drew Brees, Saints (at MIN)
2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (at KC)
3. Tom Brady, Patriots (at DEN)
4. Tony Romo, Cowboys (at TB)
5. Eli Manning, Giants (vs WAS)
6. Matthew Stafford, Lions (at OAK)
7. Cam Newton, Panthers (at HOU)
8. Philip Rivers, Chargers (vs BAL)
9. Matt Ryan, Falcons (vs JAX)
10. Tim Tebow, Broncos (vs NE)
11. Michael Vick, Eagles (vs NYJ)
12. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (at SF)
13. Rex Grossman, Redskins (at NYG)
14. Andy Dalton, Bengals (at STL)
15. Mark Sanchez, Jets (at PHI)
16. Carson Palmer, Raiders (vs DET)
17. Joe Flacco, Ravens (at SD)
18. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills (vs MIA)
19. Josh Freeman, Buccaneers (vs DAL)
20. T.J. Yates, Texans (vs CAR)
21. Matt Moore, Dolphins (at BUF)
22. Matt Hasselbeck, Titans (at IND)
23. Jake Locker, Titans (at IND)
24. Alex Smith, 49ers (vs PIT)
25. Christian Ponder, Vikings (vs NO)
26. Dan Orlovsky, Colts (vs TEN)
27. Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks (at CHI)
28. Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars (at ATL)
29. John Skelton, Cardinals (vs CLE)
30. Sam Bradford, Rams (vs CIN)

Note: Our quarterback rankings will be updated before the Thursday Night game and again before the Sunday games. To view those updates, visit our quarterback rankings page.

Check out our rankings for other positions and/or flex rankings at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 15!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In general, Texans running back Arian Foster is matchup proof. In other words, he should always be in your starting lineup.

But as I tweeted earlier in the week, Foster has perhaps the most fantasy-friendly Week 15 and 16 schedule of any running back (and perhaps ever).

The Texans face the Panthers this week and the Colts next week. Or, in other words, Foster faces two of the three teams that have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

The most fantasy-friendly teams for running backs (based on fantasy points allowed) are: (1) Carolina Panthers, (2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers and (3) Indianapolis Colts.

Last week, Foster had a very subpar performance, especially compared to what Foster owners have come to expect. Foster rushed for 41 yards and added 33 receiving yards last week and did not score a touchdown, which ended a six-game scoring streak for Foster.

While these matchups are favorable for Foster, they are also favorable for his teammate and backup running back Ben Tate, who becomes at least a flex play in the next two weeks.

Foster has five 100-yard rushing games and three 100-yard receiving games. Meanwhile, Tate has four 100-yard rushing games. And both of them rushed for 100-plus yards against the Browns in Week 9.

Here are some more running back notes for Week 15:

- Ravens running back Ray Rice finished with 26 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown in addition to six receptions for 46 yards last week. In his past four games, Rice has 20-plus carries every game and has three 100-yard performances including his career-high 204 rushing yards in Week 13.

- After scoring touchdowns in back-to-back games, Colts running back Donald Brown finished with only 28 rushing yards and minus six receiving yards and no scores last week. Then again, running backs aren't exactly racking up touchdowns against the Ravens run defense.

- Running back Michael Turner finished with 21 carries for 76 yards and no touchdowns. While it wasn't a horrible performance, he was much less productive than he was in their first matchup (139 rushing yards and two touchdowns). Turner, who has five 100-yard games and eight rushing touchdowns this season, has been held to 76 yards or less and no touchdowns in three straight games.

- Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams had seven carries for 87 yards and a touchdown. In his past four games, Williams has had 69 or more rushing yards in three games and has scored a total of three touchdowns during that span.

- Running back Cedric Benson rushed for 21 times for 91 yards, both game highs, against the Texans last week. It was only the fourth game this season that Benson had more than 78 rushing yards. But Benson faces the 32nd-ranked Rams rush defense this week.

- Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew scored four touchdowns (two rushing and two receiving) last week. He now has a total of 10 touchdowns on the season and has rushed for 80-plus yards in all but one of his 13 games this season.

- LeGarrette Blount rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown last week. Blount now has double-digit fantasy points in three of his past four games.

- Although Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy rushed 27 times for only 38 yards last week, he scored two touchdowns and added 33 receiving yards. McCoy now has a total of 17 touchdowns (14 rushing and three receiving) and has scored in all but one game this year.

- For a second straight week, Miami running back Reggie Bush rushed for 100-plus yards. Bush had 14 carries for 103 yards and he had five receptions for 27 yards. This week, Bush faces the Bills, who have allowed 100-yard rushers in back-to-back games. That said, Bush faced them three weeks ago and had 15 carries for only 32 yards (but he scored).

- Titans running back Chris Johnson finished with only 23 rushing yards on 11 carries last week. He added five receptions for 43 yards. Johnson has a favorable matchup against the Colts this week, but he had only 34 rushing yards the first time he faced them this season.

- Coming off a three-touchdown performance, Jets running back Shonn Greene scored another touchdown and led the team in both rushing and receiving last week. Greene carried the ball 24 times for 129 yards and caught three passes for 58 yards. It was only the fourth 100-yard game of his career and the 58 receiving yards was a career high. This week, the Jets face the Eagles, who have allowed 100-yard rushers in back-to-back games.

- Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis finished with less than 20 rushing yards for a second straight week, however, last week he did not find the endzone. It was the fourth time in seven games and the fifth time this season that The Law Firm had less than 20 rushing yards.

- Redskins running back Roy Helu rushed 27 times for 126 yards. He became the first Redskins rookie to rush for 100-plus yards in three consecutive games and he has had 23-plus carries in each of those games.

- Although the 49ers were without linebacker Patrick Willis last week, Cardinals running back Beanie Wells rushed for only 27 yards on 15 carries. This season, the 49ers have yet to allow a running back gain more than 64 rushing yards (Cedric Benson). This week, the Niners host the Steelers and Rashard Mendenhall on Monday Night Football.

- After back-to-back 100-yard games, Willis McGahee rushed for only 34 yards on 17 carries. In his past six games, McGahee has been boom (three 100-yard games) or bust (three games with 34 yards or less).

- Raiders running back Michael Bush rushed 23 times for 78 yards and a touchdown. He has now scored in four of five games.

- San Diego running back Ryan Mathews rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries and had six receptions for 34 yards last week. It was Mathews' third consecutive game with at least 100 rushing yards.

- With Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray out with a broken ankle, Felix Jones has two favorable matchups in Week 15 (Bucs) and Week 16 (Eagles). Against the Giants last week, Jones finished with 16 carries for 106 yards and six receptions for 31 yards.

Here are our top 40 fantasy running backs for Week 15:

1. Arian Foster, Texans (vs CAR)
2. Ray Rice, Ravens (at SD)
3. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (vs NYJ)
4. Chris Johnson, Titans (at IND)
5. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (vs NO)
6. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (at ATL)
7. Shonn Greene, Jets (at PHI)
8. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (at CHI)
9. Roy Helu, Redskins (at NYG)
10. Beanie Wells, Cardinals (vs CLE)
11. Michael Bush, Raiders (vs DET)
12. Reggie Bush, Dolphins (at BUF)
13. Michael Turner, Falcons (vs JAX)
14. Cedric Benson, Bengals (at STL)
15. Felix Jones, Cowboys (at TB)
16. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (vs BAL)
17. LeGarrette Blount, Buccaneers (vs DAL)
18. Willis McGahee, Broncos (vs NE)
19. Steven Jackson, Rams (vs CIN)
20. Frank Gore, 49ers (vs PIT)
21. Darren Sproles, Saints (at MIN)
22. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (vs WAS)
23. Marion Barber, Bears (vs SEA)
24. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (at SF)
25. C.J. Spiller, Bills (vs MIA)
26. Kevin Smith, Lions (at OAK)
27. Peyton Hillis, Browns (at ARI)
28. Ben Tate, Texans (vs CAR)
29. Ryan Grant, Packers (at KC)
30. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (at DEN)
31. Brandon Jacobs, Giants (vs WAS)
32. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (at HOU)
33. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (at HOU)
34. Donald Brown, Colts (vs TEN)
35. Pierre Thomas, Saints (at MIN)
36. Mike Tolbert, Chargers (vs BAL)
37. Christopher Ivory, Saints (at MIN)
38. Toby Gerhart, Vikings (vs NO)
39. Mark Ingram, Saints (at MIN)
40. Khalil Bell, Bears (vs SEA)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our running back PPR rankings for Week 15.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 15!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Vikings receiver Percy Harvin is giving fantasy owners exactly what they want (a strong finish). On the other hand, he's giving migraines to owners going against him.

In each of his past four games, Harvin has scored at least one touchdown and has at least 94 yards from scrimmage. In those four games, Harvin has 32 receptions for 393 yards in addition to 19 carries for 91 yards and he has scored a total of five touchdowns during that span.

While it probably does count toward his fantasy production in your league, Harvin also had the NFL's longest non-scoring play in history: a 104-yard kickoff.

This week, Harvin and the Vikings face the Saints, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. With the Vikings likely to trail early, they could be forced to throw early and often meaning another monster game for Harvin.

Here are some notes on wide receivers that will play in Week 15:

- Wide receiver Torrey Smith had five receptions (on a team-high nine targets) for 48 yards and a score last week. It was the third game in which he has scored and finished with double-digit fantasy points in his past six games. In each of the other three games, Smith has had three fantasy points or less.

- Receiver Julio Jones had only three receptions, but two of them went for touchdowns and Jones finished with 104 yards. It was the fourth time this season that Jones has reached 100 receiving yards.

- The first time Calvin Johnson faced Minnesota, he had seven receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Last week, he had three receptions for 29 yards, which tie his season lows, but he did not score. He now has only one touchdown in his past five games.

- Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson had four receptions for 59 yards and a score. It was the first time he scored since Week 5 against Buffalo.

- Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe had a respectable six receptions for 69 yards, but he extended his scoreless streak to eight games. Bowe has at least 60 receiving yards in 10 of 13 games this season. With Tyler Palko not getting the start this week, it can only get better for Bowe, right?

- Saints receiver Marques Colston finished with seven receptions for 105 yards and caught both of Brees' two touchdown passes last week. Colston has at least 50 yards in nine straight games.

- Titans receiver Nate Washington had six receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown last week. It was his second game with 100-plus yards in the past four weeks.

- Three Redskins receivers finished with 80-plus yards in Week 14: Donte' Stallworth (96), Jabar Gaffney (92) and Santana Moss (81). Both Gaffney and Moss caught touchdown passes as well. Isn't it nice when your receivers get to face the Patriots' secondary?

- Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald finished with seven receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown last week. Fitzgerald now has 62 receptions for 1,092 yards, his fifth consecutive season with at least 1,000 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns.

- Receiver Michael Crabtree led the Niners in receiving with seven receptions for 63 yards in Week 14. Crabtree has 24 receptions for 333 yards and a touchdown in his past four games. Only seven players have more receiving yards in their team's 10th to 13th game. Unfortunately for Crabtree owners, this week they face the Steelers, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

- Bears receiver Johnny Knox led the team in receiving again, but he had only three receptions for 37 yards in Week 14. Before last week's game, Knox had 97, 145 and 53 yards in his previous three games.

- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson had four receptions for a season-high 116 yards. It was his first 100-yard game of the season.

- The trio of Cowboys receivers (Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson) all scored touchdowns against the Giants last week as did backup tight end John Phillips. Robinson led the team in receiving with 137 yards and he has now scored in six of seven games.

- Hakeem Nicks had seven receptions for a game-high 154 yards last week. Nicks has 21 receptions for 329 yards and two touchdowns in his past three games.

Here are our top 60 fantasy wide receivers for Week 15 (standard-scoring):

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (at OAK)
2. Wes Welker, Patriots (at DEN)
3. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (vs WAS)
4. Roddy White, Falcons (vs JAX)
5. Victor Cruz, Giants (vs WAS)
6. Percy Harvin, Vikings (vs NO)
7. Jordy Nelson, Packers (at KC)
8. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins (at BUF)
9. Marques Colston, Saints (at MIN)
10. Mike Wallace, Steelers (at SF)
11. Vincent Jackson, Chargers (vs BAL)
12. A.J. Green, Bengals (at STL)
13. Steve Smith, Panthers (at HOU)
14. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (vs CLE)
15. Miles Austin, Cowboys (at TB)
16. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (at TB)
17. Julio Jones, Falcons (vs JAX)
18. Laurent Robinson, Cowboys (at TB)
19. Stevie Johnson, Bills (vs MIA)
20. Antonio Brown, Steelers (at SF)
21. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (vs GB)
22. Santana Moss, Redskins (at NYG)
23. Brandon Lloyd, Rams (vs CIN)
24. Anquan Boldin, Ravens (at SD)
25. Mike Williams, Buccaneers (vs DAL)
26. Mario Manningham, Giants (vs WAS)
27. Santonio Holmes, Jets (at PHI)
28. Nate Washington, Titans (at IND)
29. Lance Moore, Saints (at MIN)
30. C.J. Spiller, Bills (vs MIA)
31. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (vs NE)
32. Torrey Smith, Ravens (at SD)
33. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (vs NYJ)
34. James Jones, Packers (at KC)
35. Andre Johnson, Texans (vs CAR)
36. Michael Crabtree, 49ers (vs PIT)
37. Jabar Gaffney, Redskins (at NYG)
38. Eric Decker, Broncos (vs NE)
39. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles (vs NYJ)
40. Damian Williams, Titans (at IND)
41. Nate Burleson, Lions (at OAK)
42. Pierre Garcon, Colts (vs TEN)
43. Plaxico Burress, Jets (at PHI)
44. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders (vs DET)
45. Doug Baldwin, Seahawks (at CHI)
46. Reggie Wayne, Colts (vs TEN)
47. Malcom Floyd, Chargers (vs BAL)
48. Johnny Knox, Bears (vs SEA)
49. Deion Branch, Patriots (at DEN)
50. Titus Young, Lions (at OAK)
51. Donald Driver, Packers (at KC)
52. Denarius Moore, Raiders (vs DET)
53. Brad Smith, Bills (vs MIA)
54. David Nelson, Bills (vs MIA)
55. Greg Little, Browns (at ARI)
56. Golden Tate, Seahawks (at CHI)
57. Devin Aromashodu, Vikings (vs NO)
58. Early Doucet, Cardinals (vs CLE)
59. Jerome Simpson, Bengals (at STL)
60. Randall Cobb, Packers (at KC)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our wide receiver PPR rankings for Week 15.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 15!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The NFC playoff picture has started to clear up a bit, but there are still a variety of ways that the AFC can play out. In the NFC, the top three seeds are pretty well solidified, but the AFC seeding could still change several times before we know who will have home field throughout and who will be playing on wild card weekend.

At present, this is what the seeding looks like:

1. Houston Texans (10-3)
2. Baltimore Ravens (10-3)
3. New England Patriots (10-3)
4. Denver Broncos (8-5)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)
6. New York Jets (8-5)
7. Tennessee Titans (7-6)
8. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)
9. Oakland Raiders (7-6)

AFC East:

It's the same old story in the AFC East, with New England having a choke-hold on the division. New England held off Washington this week, but dropped from the one seed to the three based on tie breakers. However, these scenarios are likely to change, and the Patriots will be in a battle for a first-round bye. The Jets are coming on once again and have leaped into the six seed. Key losses by the Titans, Bengals, and Raiders allowed this to happen. If Mark Sanchez can protect the football, the Jets promise to be a tough out if they can hang on to their wild card position.

AFC North:

The Ravens retained the two seed and would earn a first-round bye if they can remain there. Pittsburgh is still breathing down their neck, but will lose the tie breaker to Baltimore based on two head-to-head losses. The Ravens have a tough matchup at the suddenly red hot San Diego Chargers, while Pittsburgh faces their own challenge at San Francisco. Both games are hugely significant, as teams jockey for playoff position. Keep in mind that the Steelers will lose the tie breaker to Baltimore, but own the head-to-head tie breaker over New England, so Pittsburgh could be the five seed, playing a road wild card game, or the one seed, earning home field throughout. Time will tell. The Bengals had a damaging last-second loss to Houston this past week that dropped them to eighth in the seeding. They will need some help going forward to get back in it.

AFC South:

The Texans vaulted to the number one seed, as rookie TJ Yates led two 80+ yard drives to clinch a last-second victory in Cincinnati. Houston has Carolina, Indianapolis, and then what could be a very important division game week 17 against the Titans. Not normally viewed as one of the traditional powerhouses of the AFC, Houston has a legitimate shot at clinching home field throughout. Tennessee will need some help after dropping a home game to New Orleans. They currently hold tie breakers over Cincy and Oakland, but need to make up a game still to avoid being the first team out.

AFC West:

It's Tim Tebow's world, we're all just living in it. After another stunning comeback against Chicago, the Broncos put some distance between themselves and the Raiders, who got steamrolled by Green Bay. The Raiders may fall out of the playoff picture, unless they can right the ship the last few weeks. Denver has a tough challenge against New England coming up, which may give the Raiders some hope. Regardless of who wins the division, it seems that they are a lock to be the four seed and host a game on wild card weekend, as they are unlikely to catch the top three. San Diego is also worth a mention, as they have played great the past two weeks. They will need plenty of help, but if they can win out, they still have a shot at the division.

Related: NFL Standings - NFL Schedule - NFL Power Rankings

Posted by John Trifone at 09:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We're getting closer to seeing a perfect season, and a few other great NFC stories as the season winds down. The Lions making the playoffs would be great for the city of Detroit. The 49ers have had a great turnaround from a 6-10 team last year to the number two seed. And can the Cowboys overcome their December woes and finally win a playoff game this year?

Here's a look at the NFC's playoff picture:

1. Green Bay Packers (13-0)
2. San Francisco 49ers (10-3)
3. New Orleans Saints (10-3)
4. New York Giants (7-6)
5. Atlanta Falcons (8-5)
6. Detroit Lions (8-5)
7. Chicago Bears (7-6)
8. Dallas Cowboys (7-6)

NFC East:

The New York Giants were virtually on the brink of elimination this past weekend, after losing four games in a row, and having to go into then division leader Dallas. A loss would have put them two games behind the Cowboys, who also would have held the head to head tie-breaker, with only three weeks left in the season. Instead, the Giants kept themselves alive and defeated the Cowboys 37-34; a game in which Eli Manning led the Giants back from down 12 points in the final 6 minutes of the game. As it stands now, the Giants are in as the four seed and the Cowboys are on the outside looking in. However, the two teams will meet again in New York in week 17, and the winner of this game will likely win the division, while the other is likely to miss the playoffs.

NFC North:

The Packers continue to cruise this season, with their latest victims being the Oakland Raiders. Oakland was down by 14 before you could get comfortable in your seat to watch the game. At 13-0, there is every reason to think that Green Bay will lock up home field throughout in the coming weeks. The Bears were the first wild card team in a week ago, but after blowing a 10-0 lead at Denver, have fallen out of the top six. The Bears have been realizing everyone's fears about their offense after Cutler went down, and if they are unable to figure something out soon, they may have just been displaced for good. The Lions, who have fallen behind big early several times this year, found themselves in the unusual position of getting out to a big lead, only to blow it. Fortunately for them, the refs missed a key facemask penalty against Minnesota's Joe Webb, and held on to a 34-28 victory. At 8-5, the Lions have moved up to the six spot, but are going to need to play better than they did in the second half this past week if they are going to stay there.

NFC South:

The Saints got a key win at Tennessee this past weekend, and after a 49ers loss, have moved into a tie with them at 10-3 a piece. San Francisco still holds the tie breaker with an 8-2 conference record, compared to the Saints 6-3 record, so New Orleans may need to gain one more game in order to get the two seed. San Francisco hosts Pittsburgh in a highly anticipated Monday Night game this coming week, and this may be the Saints best chance to move up a spot. Atlanta also won a big game at Carolina this past weekend, and hold the tie breaker over the six seeded Lions. The Falcons still have home games against the Jaguars and Buccaneers, so Atlanta looks to be in good shape to lock up one of the wild card spots.

NFC West:

The 49ers lost a rare game to the Cardinals this past weekend, and slipped into a tie with the Saints for the two seed. Fortunately for them, they still hold the tie breaker, and if they can take care of business at home this week against the Steelers, they are big favorites to hold onto the spot. The Saints still have a tough game to play against the Falcons, so San Francisco is still in pretty good shape. The Cardinals, coming off a win against the Niners, and the Seahawks are both playing better of late, and at 6-7 each, have played their way into the playoff discussion. Sort of. Each team would likely need to win out and get a fair amount of help to have a chance, but stranger things have certainly happened.

Related: NFL Standings - NFL Schedule - NFL Power Rankings

Posted by John Trifone at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

San Diego's Philip Rivers has had one of the worst seasons of his career. In fact, he set his career high in interceptions this year back in Week 11 when he threw his 16th and 17th interceptions of the season.

In fact, many analysts have believed that Rivers must be playing with some sort of injury since he had been playing so poorly.

That said, it's December and, as one might expect based on historical results, Rivers is playing much better.

In both December games, Rivers has thrown three touchdowns and no interceptions. Going back to his last game in November, Rivers has thrown 97 passes with no interceptions in his past three games.

With Rivers turning things around and a full complement of healthy skill players, he faces his toughest challenge of the season as the Chargers face the Ravens, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. In addition, Baltimore has yet to allow more than one passing touchdown in any game this season.

But looking a little closer at the quarterbacks the Ravens have faced puts it into perspective. With the exception of Ben Roethlisberger (twice) and Matt Schaub, they have not faced any elite quarterbacks. The list includes guys like Matt Hasselbeck, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Dan Orlovsky, Kevin Kolb, Blaine Gabbert, Tarvaris Jackson, etc.

Will Rivers (and the Chargers' offense) keep rolling in December? Will the Ravens slow or stop him/them in his/their tracks?

How many touchdowns will Rivers throw in Week 15?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If it weren't for rules (in fact, rules that I created), he'd be the first player listed as a player to add to your fantasy team for Week 15 and 16.

Of course, I'm speaking about Cowboys running back Felix Jones, who is currently owned in 61 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

With DeMarco Murray (ankle) likely out for the rest of the season, Murray is safe to drop in redraft leagues and Jones is certainly worth adding if he's available in your league(s).

Jones, who rushed for 106 yards against the Giants on Sunday, gets two favorable matchups for his fantasy owners in the remaining two weeks of the fantasy playoffs.

This week, the Cowboys face the Bucs, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. The following week, he faces the Eagles, who have allowed back-to-back 100-yard rushers in Marshawn Lynch and Reggie Bush. In fact, the Eagles have allowed six 100-yard rushers in their 13 games this season.

For those of you not familiar with the rules I mentioned earlier, there are two criteria for a player to appear on our waiver-wire list in a given week (aside from talent and/or opportunity): (1) the player was not mentioned on the previous waiver-wire list and (2) he is owned in 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues or less.

Here are some waiver-wire options that may be able to help your team (Yahoo! ownership percentage):

QB - Rex Grossman, Redskins (owned in 13 percent of Yahoo! leagues): With several quarterbacks suffering season-ending or multiple-game injuries, Grossman may be the guy to help you fill the void. With the exception of Week 13 against the Jets, Grossman has thrown two touchdowns in three of his past four games. During that four-game span, Grossman has 1,079 passing yards (nearly 270 yards per game).

RB - Ryan Grant, Packers (44 percent): With the status of James Starks uncertain for Week 15, Grant is worth a look, especially if you are weak at running back. Grant ran the ball well last week against the Raiders as he rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns. While this week's matchup isn't as favorable, the Chiefs have allowed the 26th-most rushing yards (132.5 per game) and only five teams have allowed more rushing touchdowns (13).

RB - Kahlil Bell, Bears (four percent): With Matt Forte out for this week and probably a few more games with his knee injury, Bell will be the primary backup to Marion Barber. Last week, Bell had nine carries for 40 yards and he had five receptions for 24 yards (or 11 fantasy points in point-per-reception leagues). If it weren't for a pair of mistakes by Barber (going out of bounds and a fumble), the Bears would have beaten the Broncos last week. Perhaps that will help Bell get more work than he otherwise would. Either way, he should be involved enough to help owners, especially in PPR leagues.

WR - Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders (25 percent): For no logical reason, Heyward-Bey had no receptions and barely no targets in Weeks 9 and 10. In his past eight games (excluding those two weeks), DHB has 38 receptions for 571 yards and two touchdowns.

WR - Damian Williams, Titans (25 percent): Williams has back-to-back games with exactly 62 receiving yards. Before those two games, Williams scored in three of four games and he now has at least six fantasy points in six of his past seven games. This week, Williams faces the Colts, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

WR - Doug Baldwin, Seahawks (28 percent): In last night's Monday Night Football matchup against the Rams, Baldwin had seven receptions for 93 yards and a score. The undrafted rookie out of Stanford has eight games with at least 50 receiving yards this season.

WR - Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (14 percent): With Tim Tebow under center, it would only be natural to worry about any Broncos receiver. If you need receiver depth, however, Thomas has strong back-to-back performances although his numbers could be even better if it weren't for dropped passes. Thomas, who has scored in back-to-back games, now has 11 receptions for 222 yards and three touchdowns in his past two games and the Broncos face the league's most generous pass defense this week.

WR - Titus Young, Lions (six percent): Young has back-to-back games with 60-plus yards and he's had four of them in his past six games. During that span, Young has scored three touchdowns and has the big-play ability to get you 10 points in one play (i.e., a 40-yard touchdown). This week, the Lions face the Raiders, who have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

WR - Brad Smith, Bills (five percent): Smith has back-to-back games with 70-plus yards. In those two games, Smith has 11 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown or a total of 20 fantasy points.

[Note: Green Bay's James Jones is owned in 52 percent of Yahoo! leagues, but he is worth adding with Greg Jennings' injury.]

TE - Jake Ballard, Giants (46 percent): Ballard has three straight games with at least 47 receiving yards and last week he had 52 yards and a touchdown. Ballard has seven games with at least five fantasy points this season and this week he faces the Redskins, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

For our (very) early Week 15 fantasy football rankings, click here. Our full rankings (including point-per-reception (PPR) and flex rankings) will be available by Wednesday morning at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

This morning, we also updated our Week 15 NFL Consensus Power Rankings.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 15!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Packers and Colts are a perfect 13-0 and imperfect 0-13, respectively, the unanimous No. 1 and No. 32 team, respectively, and the consensus No. 1 and No. 32 teams, respectively, in our NFL Consensus Power Rankings.

Although the Packers lost receiver Greg Jennings to an MCL injury, he is expected to be back in time for the playoffs. His absence may make it harder for the Packers to finish with a perfect regular season, but the Packers need to win only one of their final three games to lock up home-field advantage in the NFC.

Meanwhile, the Colts will almost certainly land the top overall pick in this year's draft and it's a virtual lock that they will draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. However, some comments this week from Archie Manning, Peyton's father, have added to the drama in Indy. [See our updated 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database.]

Here are some stats on this week's consensus rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: New York Giants (+2.75)
- Biggest drop from last week: Miami Dolphins (-3.00)
- Team(s) with widest difference between high and low rank: Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7)

[See this week's full rankings.]

As part of our weekly power rankings, we will feature one question that all four rankers will answer.

Here is the Week 15 question (followed by our responses): Who will be the best team that you believe will NOT make the playoffs in 2011?

John (follow John on Twitter): The best team that's going to miss the playoffs this year will be the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are very talented, and at points during the season, have been viewed as a team that could potentially challenge the likes of Green Bay and San Francisco as champions of the NFC. Unfortunately for them, it has just been more of the same December issues, as the Cowboys lost an ugly game to the Cardinals last week, and this past weekend blew a 12-point lead with under six minutes to go to their NFC East rival Giants. The Cowboys are still vying for the division, but they just can't seem to find a way to win the close games that they need to, and I don't expect a different outcome when they go back to New York to play the Giants in Week 17.

Sean (visit Sean's website): Two teams that were considered legit Super Bowl contenders this offseason, the NY Jets and Dallas Cowboys both have tough roads for the playoffs. Since the Cowboys currently are tied record-wise in the NFC East, and the wildcard picture is a mess filled with teams with huge question marks, I am going to go with the Jets as the team that misses the playoffs. The Bengals have an easy road for the last wildcard spot with games vs St. Louis and Arizona still, and Tennessee has games vs Indy and Jacksonville. Both of these teams face teams in Week 17 that may be resting their starters.

Dan (follow Dan on Twitter): For the playoffs, even though they have showed signs of life recently, I think the best team that will miss the playoffs will be the San Diego Chargers. They certainly are one of the most talented teams in the league, and when Philip Rivers is on form, he is one of the hardest quarterbacks to defeat. The Chargers have too many tiebreakers and too many good to decent teams to climb over, as it looks like they started their traditional playoff push one week too late.

Kevin (follow Kevin on Twitter): Losing to the Giants on Sunday Night Football, the Cowboys dropped to second place in the NFC East, which means they would miss the playoffs if the season were to end this week. With only three games to go, I have a feeling that the division will be decided by their Week 17 rematch. Since the Cowboys trail the Lions by one-game and lost their Week 4 matchup, overcoming the deficit to secure a wild card berth will be an uphill battle.

See how all 32 teams were ranked in our Week 15 Consensus NFL Power Rankings.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It is only halftime of the Rams-Seahawks Monday Night Football matchup, which means there are still 30 minutes remaining in Week 14's slate of games.

That said, I received several questions (via Twitter) regarding players to start in Week 15 as early as Tuesday of last week from some folks who clinched a first-round bye and were a bit restless.

Before I take a much closer look at this week's matchups, I've put together my initial rankings for the week.

Please bear in mind that these rankings will change as we progress throughout the week.

In other words, if you use our rankings to set your lineups, check back throughout the week for up-to-date rankings. In addition, you will find all of our rankings (all positions, PPR scoring, flex rankings, etc.) with some player/matchup notes no later than Wednesday morning at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

Here are our initial Week 15 rankings:

Good luck in Week 15!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In his past five games, Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has averaged more than 25 carries per game. During that five-game span, Lynch has all four of his 100-yard games this season.

The one game in which Lynch had less than 100 yards during that span was against the Rams (88 yards).

Tonight the Seahawks will host the Rams, who have allowed a league-high 157.8 rushing yards per game, on Monday Night Football.

More impressively for Lynch, he has scored in eight consecutive games that he has started. The Rams have allowed nine rushing touchdowns (and 18 passing touchdowns) on the season.

Lynch was the fourth-ranked running back in our weekly rankings this week. His matchups in Weeks 15 (Chicago) and 16 (San Francisco) will get tougher.

However, will Lynch extend his scoring streak tonight? Or will the Rams end it?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are some notes, stats and observations from today's matchups:

Baltimore Ravens 24, Indianapolis Colts 10

- Ravens running back Ray Rice finished with 26 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown in addition to six receptions for 46 yards. In his past four games, Rice has 20-plus carries every game and has three 100-yard performances including his career-high 204 rushing yards in Week 13.

- Wide receiver Torrey Smith had five receptions (on a team-high nine targets) for 48 yards and a score. It was the third game in which he has scored and finished with double-digit fantasy points in his past six games. In each of the other three games, Smith has had three fantasy points or less.

- Tight end Dennis Pitta caught one of Joe Flacco's two touchdown passes. Pitta has now caught a touchdown in two of his past three games.

- Linebacker Terrell Suggs finished the game with three sacks and now has a career-high 13 sacks this season.

- Colts receiver Pierre Garcon led the game with 12 targets, but he finished with only five receptions for 46 yards (both team highs).

- After scoring touchdowns in back-to-back games, Colts running back Donald Brown finished with only 28 rushing yards and minus six receiving yards and no scores.

Atlanta Falcons 31, Carolina Panthers 23

- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 320 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions today. In his past six games, Ryan has three 300-yard games and a 14:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

- Receiver Julio Jones had only three receptions, but two of them went for touchdowns and Jones finished with 104 yards. It was the fourth time this season that Jones has reached 100 receiving yards.

- Running back Michael Turner finished with 21 carries for 76 yards and no touchdowns. While it wasn't a horrible performance, he was much less productive than he was in their first matchup (139 rushing yards and two touchdowns). Turner, who has five 100-yard games and eight rushing touchdowns, has been held to 76 yards or less and no touchdowns in three straight games.

- Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams had seven carries for 87 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a 74-yard run so that means his other six carries went for only 13 yards.

- Carolina quarterback Cam Newton threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions, but he did not rush for a touchdown for the first time in three games. On the season, he now has 15 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions and 13 rushing touchdowns.

Houston Texans 20, Cincinnati Bengals 19

- Texans quarterback T.J. Yates, their fifth-round pick this year, threw his first-ever 300-yard game, two touchdowns and one interception as the Texans clinched the AFC South title in the process. Yates added 36 rushing yards on five carries as well.

- Tight end Owen Daniels had a breakout game with a game-high 100 yards (after four straight games in the 30's). Meanwhile, Joel Dreessen continued to catch touchdown passes. Dreessen scored in his third straight game and caught his sixth touchdown since Week 5.

- Running back Arian Foster carried the ball 15 times for only 41 yards and had four receptions for 33 yards. It ended a six-game streak of games with at least one touchdown for Foster.

- Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton threw for less than 200 yards for the second straight game and for only one touchdown in his fourth straight game. After this five-game stretch against the league's best pass defenses, Dalton gets two easier matchups in Weeks 15 (St. Louis) and 16 (Arizona).

- Running back Cedric Benson rushed for 21 times for 92 yards, both game highs. It was only the fourth game this season that Benson had more than 78 rushing yards.

Detroit Lions 34, Minnesota Vikings 28

- After benching Christian Ponder, who was/is dealing with a hip pointer, the Vikings put in Joe Webb, who threw for a score and ran for another. Webb was 12-of-23 for only 84 yards, but he ran seven times for 109 yards including his 65-yard touchdown.

- Vikings running back Toby Gerhart had 19 carries for 90 yards and caught three passes for 19 yards and a score. Unfortunately for Gerhart owners, there is a decent chance that Adrian Peterson returns in Week 15.

- Receiver Percy Harvin finished with a game-high 10 receptions (on 15 targets) for 69 yards and a touchdown and ran four times for 40 yards. Harvin has at least 94 yards from scrimmage and has scored in each of his past four games.

- With Kevin Smith inactive, Lions running back Keiland Williams led the team in carries (12) and rushing yards (43). Maurice Morris had only four carries for 13 yards.

- The last time Calvin Johnson faced Minnesota, he had seven receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. This week, he had three receptions for 29 yards, which tie his season lows, but he did not score. He now has only one touchdown in his past five games.

Jacksonville Jaguars 41, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14

- As noted earlier, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew scored four touchdowns (two rushing and two receiving) today. He now has a total of 10 touchdowns on the season and has rushed for 80-plus yards in all but one of his 13 games this season.

- Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns (both caught by MJD, as mentioned above). It was only four yards shy of Gabbert's career high set in Week 5 and only the second time he threw for two touchdowns (although that has happened in back-to-back games).

- Although he rushed for a touchdown, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman threw for only 181 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He now has only 12 (passing) touchdowns and 18 interceptions on the season.

- LeGarrette Blount rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown after last week's 19-yard performance. Blount has double-digit fantasy points in three of his past four games.

- Tight end Kellen Winslow led the Buccaneers with 38 receiving yards. After three games with more than 80 receiving yards, receiver Mike Williams had only three receptions for 35 yards.

Philadelphia Eagles 26, Miami Dolphins 10

- Although LeSean McCoy rushed 27 times for only 38 yards, he scored two touchdowns and added 33 receiving yards. McCoy now has a total of 17 touchdowns (14 rushing and three receiving) and has scored in all but one game this year.

- Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson had four receptions for 59 yards and a score. It was the first time he scored since Week 5 against Buffalo.

- Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore left the game with a concussion and threw for only 95 yards. Moore threw a touchdown and an interception and now has a 9:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his past six games.

- For a second straight week, Miami running back Reggie Bush rushed for 100-plus yards. Bush had 14 carries for 103 yards and he had five receptions for 27 yards.

New York Jets 37, Kansas City Chiefs 10

- Coming off last week's three-touchdown performance, Jets running back Shonn Greene scored another touchdown and led the team in both rushing and receiving. Greene carried the ball 24 times for 129 yards and caught three passes for 58 yards. It was only the fourth 100-yard game of his career and the 58 receiving yards was a career high.

- Jets quarterback only completed three of his 13 passes to receivers, but Sanchez scored four touchdowns in this game. He threw for two scores and ran for two more. Sanchez now has five rushing touchdowns on the season and has had at least three in each of his three seasons in the league.

- Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe had a respectable six receptions for 69 yards, but he extended his scoreless streak to eight games. Bowe has at least 60 receiving yards in 10 of 13 games this season.

- Running back Jackie Battle led the team in rushing with 33 yards on 10 carries. Dexter McCluster had four carries for only one yard and no receptions.

New Orleans Saints 22, Tennessee Titans 17

- As noted earlier today, Saints quarterback Drew Brees extended his streak of games with touchdowns to 40 games. He is only the second player in NFL history to throw a touchdown in at least 40 games. Brees extended his streak of 300-yard games to four and now has 10 of them on the season.

- Saints receiver Marques Colston finished with seven receptions for 105 yards and caught both of Brees' two touchdown passes. Colston has at least 50 yards in nine straight games.

- With Mark Ingram out, Christorpher Ivory led the team in rushing attempts (13) and yards (53).

- Titans running back Chris Johnson finished with only 23 rushing yards on 11 carries. He added five receptions for 43 yards. Johnson has a favorable matchup against the Colts next week, but he had only 34 rushing yards the first time he faced them this season.

- Rookie Jake Locker replaced Matt Hasselbeck, who will have an MRI on his calf on Monday, and threw for 282 yards and a touchdown in addition to rushing for another score.

- Titans receiver Nate Washington had six receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. It was his second game with 100-plus yards in the past four weeks.

New England Patriots 34, Washington Redskins 27

- Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had six receptions for a career-high 160 yards and two touchdowns. Gronkowski has scored in seven straight games and he set the NFL record for most receiving touchdowns (15) by a tight end in a season.

- Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis finished with less than 20 rushing yards for a second straight week, however, this week he did not find the endzone. It was the fourth time in seven games and the fifth time this season that The Law Firm had less than 20 rushing yards.

- Since not throwing a touchdown in Week 17 of the 2009 season, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has thrown at least one touchdown in every game since then. This season, he has thrown two or more touchdowns in 12 of 13 games.

- Redskins running back Roy Helu rushed 27 times for 126 yards. He became the first Redskins rookie to rush for 100-plus yards in three consecutive games and he has had 23-plus carries in each of those games.

- Three Redskins receivers finished with 80-plus yards: Donte' Stallworth (96), Jabar Gaffney (92) and Santana Moss (81). Both Gaffney and Moss caught touchdown passes as well.

Arizona Cardinals 21, San Francisco 49ers 19

- Although the 49ers were without linebacker Patrick Willis, Cardinals running back Beanie Wells rushed for only 27 yards on 15 carries. This season, the 49ers have yet to allow a running back gain more than 64 rushing yards (Cedric Benson).

- Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald finished with seven receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. Fitzgerald now has 62 receptions for 1,092 yards, his fifth consecutive season with at least 1,000 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns.

- 49ers running back Frank Gore rushed for a touchdown, but he had only 10 carries and finished with 72 rushing yards. Teammate Kendall Hunter had eight carries for 20 yards.

- Receiver Michael Crabtree led the Niners in receiving with seven receptions for 63 yards. Crabtree has 24 receptions for 333 yards and a touchdown in his past four games.

Denver Broncos 13, Chicago Bears 10 (OT)

- Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow got off to a slow start (in part due to several dropped passes), but he finished strong, as usual. Tebow threw 40 passes for 236 yards, both season highs, and led the team in rushing with 49 yards.

- After back-to-back 100-yard games, Willis McGahee rushed for only 34 yards on 17 carries. In his past six games, McGahee has been boom (three 100-yard games) or bust (three games with 34 yards or less).

- While Marion Barber had a great fantasy game, he had a game he'd like to forget with some key mistakes late (not going out of bounds, a fumble, etc.). That said, Barber finished with 27 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown in addition to two receptions for 32 yards.

- Bears receiver Johnny Knox led the team in receiving again, but he had only three receptions for 37 yards. Before today's game, Knox had 97, 145 and 53 yards in his previous three games.

Green Bay Packers 46, Oakland Raiders 15

- First the bad news for the Packers: Greg Jennings left the game with what is reported to be a torn MCL.

- The Packers have now scored the most points (466) in a season in franchise history and have now won 19 games in a row going back to last season.

- Running back Ryan Grant rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. With the exception of Week 3 when he rushed for 92 yards, Grant had 40 rushing yards or less in every other game this season. His two scores were his first two of the season.

- Raiders running back Michael Bush rushed 23 times for 78 yards and a touchdown. He has now scored in four of five games.

- Quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 245 yards and one touchdown but also threw four interceptions. In his past five games, Palmer had a 6:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

San Diego Chargers 37, Buffalo Bills 10

- Running back Ryan Mathews rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries and had six receptions for 34 yards. It was Mathews' third consecutive game with at least 100 rushing yards.

- Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw three touchdowns and no interceptions for the second straight game. In his past three games, Rivers has thrown 97 pass attempts and has a 7:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

- On the other hand, Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completed only 13 of 34 passes for 176 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Fitzpatrick now has a career-high 16 interceptions.

- Receiver Stevie Johnson had four receptions for a season-high 116 yards. It was his first 100-yard game of the season.

New York Giants 37, Dallas Cowboys 34

- Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray suffered a broken ankle in tonight's game. With Murray out for the rest of the year, Felix Jones should be added, if available, in your fantasy league with two favorable matchups coming up against the Bucs and Eagles. Jones finished tonight's game with 16 carries for 106 yards and six receptions for 31 yards.

- The trio of Cowboys receivers (Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson) all scored touchdowns tonight as did backup tight end John Phillips. Robinson led the team in receiving with 137 yards.

- After sitting the first half for disciplinary reasons, Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw gained only 12 yards on eight carries. Meanwhile, teammate Brandon Jacobs rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

- Hakeem Nicks had seven receptions for a game-high 154 yards. Nicks has 21 receptions for 329 yards and two touchdowns in his past three games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray has suffered a fractured ankle in tonight's Sunday Night Football matchup against the Giants.

Murray, who set the franchise's single-game rushing record (253 yards), was nearly unstoppable for a four-game stretch.

In his past three games before tonight, Murray had 59 carries for only 198 yards (3.36 yards per carry) although the Cowboys were without fullback Tony Fiammetta during those games as well.

Before the injury tonight, Murray had five carries for 25 yards and one reception for six yards. He will finish the season with 897 rushing yards and 26 receptions for 183 yards.

The only running back on the team's 53-man active roster is Felix Jones, who is available in roughly 43 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Of course, they will add a running back or two soon, but Jones should post two solid performances in the last two weeks of the fantasy playoffs.

With two favorable matchups in Weeks 15 and 16 against the Bucs and Eagles, respectively, Jones should be added immediately if available in your league(s).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The answer to today's poll of the day was "yes."

Redskins running back Roy Helu rushed for 126 yards (on 27 carries) against the Patriots today and extended his streak of 100-yard games to three.

Per Mike Jones of the Washington Post, that is a franchise first for a rookie running back.

Helu, the team's fourth-round draft pick, has 334 rushing yards and 102 receiving yards on 13 receptions in his past three games. In addition, he has had at least 23 carries in each of those three games.

Before today's game, the Patriots had not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season. Now the 49ers are the only team to not allow a 100-yard rusher (or a rushing touchdown) this season.

Next week, the Redskins and Helu take on the Giants.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hall-of-Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas holds the NFL record for most consecutive games (47) with a touchdown pass.

While that record won't be broken this year (and may never be broken), Saints quarterback Drew Brees has become only the second quarterback in NFL history to have a streak of at least 40 games.

Brees threw for 337 yards and two touchdowns (both to Marques Colston) today.

Only two other quarterbacks have thrown touchdowns in at least 30 consecutive games (Brett Favre and Dan Marino), but Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has an active streak of 29 games and is fifth all-time on the list.

Both Brees and Brady are on pace to break Marino's single-season passing record of 5,084 yards, but I think it would be even more impressive if Brees (or Brady) some day breaks Johnny U's record.

Next week, Brees and the Saints face the Vikings, who have allowed a league-high 24 touchdowns going into Week 14.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew entered Week 13 as the NFL rushing leader by three yards over Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy.

That said, MJD entered today's game with only six touchdowns (five rushing and one receiving).

Today he added 66.7 percent more as Jones-Drew scored four times (two rushing and two receiving scores). Or, in other words, he scored 40 percent of his touchdowns this season in today's game.

In addition, he gained 85 yards on the ground on 27 carries and caught six passes for 51 yards. In 13 games this season, Jones-Drew has 80-plus yards in 12 games.

Considering how anemic the Jaguars offense has been, that is a pretty remarkable feat.

Pocket Hercules has a tougher matchup next week against the Falcons, who entered this week as the league's third-ranked rushing defense (90.0 yards allowed per game).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With two more touchdowns today, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has now scored in seven consecutive games.

During that seven-game span, Gronkowski has scored a total of 10 receiving touchdowns and has one rushing touchdown.

In today's game, Gronkowski finished with six receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Gronkowski set the NFL record for most receiving touchdowns (15) by a tight end and there are still three games to go.

Or, in other words, Gronkowski is likely to break his own record (perhaps a few times) before the season is over.

The Patriots final three opponents are the Broncos, Dolphins and Bills.

In his first matchup against his division rivals, Gronkowski scored a touchdown against the Dolphins and two times against the Bills.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Redskins running back Roy Helu has had back-to-back games with exactly 23 carries and he has produced for the 'Skins (and fantasy owners).

In both of those games, Helu has rushed for at least 100 yards and scored a rushing touchdown.

In addition, Helu has 11 receptions for 96 yards during that span. Earlier in the season, Helu set the franchise record with 14 receptions in a game.

This week, the Redskins host the Patriots, who are one of only two teams to not allow a 100-yard rusher this season. Part of that is a function of the Patriots being so bad against the pass as they rank last in the NFL in passing defense (310.0 yards per game allowed).

The 49ers are the other team to not allow a 100-yard rusher (or rushing touchdown). In fact, San Francisco has not allowed a running back to gain more than the 64 yards Cedric Benson had against them earlier in the season.

In our updated Week 14 fantasy football rankings, we bumped Helu up to No. 12.

Will Helu extend his streak of 100-yard games to three this week? Or will the Patriots maintain their streak of not allowing a 100-yard game?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In picking three NFL games against the spread (ATS) for "entertainment purposes only" every week, last week was very "entertaining."

To borrow and alter a phrase from Charlie Sheen, I was "tri-winning."

Finishing 3-0 ATS last week and improving to 26-10-3 (72.2 percent) ATS on the season, I threw in an extra pick (not counted in stats) writing that I thought that the Patriots would beat the Colts but that the Colts would cover the 20-plus point spread, which is exactly what happened.

With a solid record, I'm now tempted to pull a Jose Reyes and pick only one game to maintain my cover percentage. But, of course, I won't.

Here are my three picks against the spread for Week 14:

San Diego Chargers (-7) over Buffalo Bills

The recent success of the San Diego Chargers in the month of December has been widely publicized. With quarterback Philip Rivers under center, San Diego is 21-3 in December (and 3-0 in January during the regular season).

Against a depleted Jaguars secondary, Rivers threw for 294 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on Monday Night Football. He now has back-to-back games with no interceptions and a full complement of offensive skill players healthy and back in the lineup.

While the Chargers have been inconsistent and bad this season, the Bills have struggled recently as well. After getting off to a 4-1 start, the Bills have lost six of seven games including their past five games. During their five-game losing streak, they have scored more than 20 points only once.

While the Chargers have struggled with the health of their offensive line, the Bills have recorded a league-low 17 sacks this season. Earlier in the season, the Bills were creating plenty of turnovers, but they have only four takeaways in their past five games. Only the Colts have less.

Perhaps I'm making too many assumptions, but I like Rivers to pick apart the Bills secondary and continue his December dominance.

New York Giants (+4) over Dallas Cowboys

Coming into this week's key divisional matchup, the Giants are losers of four straight games (to quality opponents). While there may not be any moral victories in the NFL, the Giants have to feel as good as one could expect after a close loss to the unbeaten and reigning champion Packers.

On the other hand, the Cowboys are coming off an inexplicable loss to the Cardinals in overtime. While the Cowboys may technically be in control of the NFC East with a one-game lead over the Giants, you can almost sense the division slipping out of their hands.

After all, December hasn't exactly been their month (unlike the Chargers).

The Giants have won four of their past six matchups over the past three years. Even if the Cowboys win this game, however, it wouldn't surprise me if it's decided by a field goal or less.

More than anything, this game is a hunch, but I would take the points and the mentally tougher team here.

San Francisco 49ers (-4) over Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have two things going for them: (1) they have won four of their past five games and (2) they likely won't face 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. However, the Cardinals only loss during that stretch was to San Francisco, 23-7.

That said, the 49ers have the league's top-ranked scoring defense and run defense. No running back has gained more than 64 yards against them and no running back has rushed for a touchdown against them. Considering Beanie Wells is dealing with an assortment of injuries himself, I don't expect the Cards to buck the trend even if Willis does not play.

While running back Frank Gore has not run the ball as well as he did during his five-game streak of games with 100-plus yards, only four players have more receiving yards than Michael Crabtree (270) in his team's past three games. In his last matchup against them, Crabtree, who is a start in our Start'em, Sit'em this week, had a season-high 120 receiving yards.

The great thing about the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh is you know he's not going to let up at any point. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the 49ers had a big lead and Harbaugh called timeout with 10 seconds to go to call a flea flicker.

For the rest of our Week 14 picks, click here. If you're looking for our fantasy football rankings for Week 14, you'll find them here.

To keep track of our updates, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If your league's championship is decided in Week 16, there are only 47 NFL games left that matter toward reaching your goal.

One of the players that was high in my initial rankings was Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, who was 15th in our receiver rankings going into Thursday night's game. Although it was the highest that I had ranked Brown this season, he should have been even higher.

While Brown finished with only five receptions, he had a career-high 151 receiving yards and scored his second receiving touchdown of the season.

Through 13 games, Brown now has 55 receptions for 925 yards and two touchdowns. That puts Brown on a 16-game pace of 68 receptions for 1,138 yards.

Brown, who currently ranks 10th in the NFL in receiving yards, has been remarkably consistent this season. He has a seven-game streak of 67-plus receiving yards and has done so in 10 of his past 12 games. During that seven-game span, he also has three 100-yard games.

Here are some players from the rest of the games that should be in your starting lineup:

QB - Philip Rivers, Chargers (vs BUF): Rivers has not looked like himself all year with the exception of last week's blowout win over a depleted Jags' secondary on Monday Night Football. Historically, Rivers has played great football in December and he kicked the month off with a 294-yard outing with three scores and no picks. With a full complement of receivers back, Rivers has actually been solid in his past four games: 259 yards per game and an 8:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

RB - Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (vs STL): One thing we know for sure is that the Seahawks will feed the ball (and Skittles) to Lynch. Over the course of his past five games, Lynch is averaging more than 25 carries per game and has four 100-yard games. Lynch, who has scored in eight straight games played, gets a favorable matchup against the Rams, who have allowed a league-high 157.8 rushing yards per game. Coincidentally, the one game that he had less than 100 yards over his past five games was his first matchup against the Rams (88 yards), but he should have more success this time around.

RB - Roy Helu, Redskins (vs NE): The Patriots are one of two teams that have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season. That said, Helu, who has back-to-back 100-yard games, has had a healthy workload (23 carries in each of his past two games) and is a threat to catch passes out of the backfield (Helu set the franchise single-game receptions record earlier this season). In his past two games, Helu has a total of 304 yards from scrimmage (208 rushing yards and 96 receiving yards).

WR - Percy Harvin, Vikings (at DET): Harvin had a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns last week. Harvin has six-plus receptions in four straight games, 50-plus receiving yards in five straight games and has scored in three straight games. In his past three games, Harvin has a total of 22 receptions for 324 receiving yards (plus 51 rushing yards) and four touchdowns.

WR - Anquan Boldin, Ravens (vs IND): There are a few concerns about Boldin this week: (1) he hasn't done much in his past four games and (2) the Colts are so bad (in general and against the run) that the Ravens could very easily establish an early and a commanding lead and give Ray Rice, who is coming off a career-best performance, a heavy workload. That said, the Colts have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and have placed two of their cornerbacks on injured reserve this week.

WR - Santana Moss, Redskins (vs NE): Moss gets a much more favorable matchup this week (Patriots) than he had last week (Jets). The Patriots are clearly the better team than the 'Skins so it's very possible that they will fall behind early and need to air it out against the league's most generous pass defense (310 passing yards allowed per game). With Fred Davis serving a four-game suspension, Moss is the team's best option among its pass-catchers.

WR - Michael Crabtree, 49ers (at ARI): Based on stats from Pro Football Reference, only four players have more receiving yards in their team's 10th through 12th game this season than Crabtree. In his past three games, Crabtree has 17 receptions for 270 yards and a touchdown. In his first matchup against the Cardinals this season, Crabtree had a season-high 120 yards.

TE - Brent Celek, Eagles (at MIA): Celek had only three receptions for 21 yards last week, but it ended a streak of five straight games with 50-plus yards. Celek has had six or more fantasy points in five of his past seven games.

Here are some players that you consider sitting this week:

QB - Andy Dalton, Bengals (vs HOU): While you likely wouldn't consider starting Dalton in a 10- or 12-team league, but I wouldn't start Dalton in a 16-team or perhaps even a two-quarterback league either this week. The Texans defense has allowed the third-fewest passing yards per game (183.4) and are tied for the second-most interceptions (17). The Texans have allowed more than one passing touchdown in only two games this season (Week 3 and 5) and have held opposing quarterbacks to single-digit fantasy points in five of six games.

RB - Beanie Wells, Cardinals (vs SF): The good news is that Wells may get the opportunity to face the 49ers without All Pro linebacker Patrick Willis. That said, the 49ers have yet to allow a running back to rush for 65 yards or a touchdown this season. With Wells not at 100 percent himself, he's better off getting some rest ... on your fantasy bench.

RB - BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (at WAS): There is always the chance that The Law Firm will find the endzone. Although he scored last week, he had only six carries for 14 yards. In other words, if he doesn't score, you're more likely to get 25 yards (only two fantasy points) than you are to get 75 yards.

WR - Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (at NYJ): The last time the Chiefs played the Jets, Bowe had six receptions for 102 yards. With Tyler Palko expected to start this week, I'm guessing that he gets less, much less, this time around. In addition, Bowe has not scored a touchdown in seven consecutive games.

WR - Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (vs CHI): Thomas is coming off a monster performance of 144 yards and two touchdowns. That was more than 100 yards over his previous season high. In other words, don't expect a repeat performance from Thomas.

WR - DeSean Jackson, Eagles (at MIA): Throughout his career (when happy or not), Jackson has been a boom-or-bust type of player. He is as capable of having a 171-yard game like he did in Week 4 as he is of finishing with two receptions for 16 yards like he did in Week 9 vs. Chicago. In your quest for a title, it might be more prudent to go with a player that has slightly less talent but a lot more consistency than Jackson.

WR - Reggie Wayne, Colts (at BAL): The best thing Wayne has going for his fantasy owners is that his team is absolutely horrible and likely to be down early. While he may get a fair amount of targets, Wayne has only two touchdowns all season (both of them in his only two 100-yard games). In other words, Wayne has seven or less fantasy points every week except for Weeks 1 and 12. In addition, the Ravens have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers this year.

TE - Owen Daniels, Texans (at CIN): If you want exactly three fantasy points from your tight end, Daniels might be your man. In his past four games, Daniels has exactly 31-35 receiving yards and he has not scored a touchdown since Week 4. Meanwhile, teammate Joel Dreessen has caught five touchdowns since Week 5 including three in his past four games.

As always, these start or sit recommendations are based on most team's rosters. You may find yourself stacked or weak at a particular position and forced into a situation where you need to do the opposite.

While we will make updates through 1 p.m. kickoffs on Sunday, consult our Week 14 fantasy football rankings to compare specific players on your roster.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 14!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Four and a half months from now, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will (almost) certainly be this year's top overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

That said, Luck, who is one of the five finalists, seems less likely to be this year's Heisman Trophy winner than he does the top pick in the draft.

The other four finalists are Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, Alabama running back Trent Richardson, Wisconsin running back Montee Ball and LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu a.k.a. the Honey Badger.

Griffin leads the country in quarterback rating (192.3) and has more yards (3,998), touchdowns (36) and fewer interceptions (5) than Luck (167.5-3,170-35-9).

Meanwhile, Ball leads the country in rushing (1,759) and rushing touchdowns (32). Richardson, who ranks sixth in rushing, has 1,583 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns.

The last defensive player to win the award was Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997. In the 13 years since Woodson won the award, the Heisman Trophy has gone to nine quarterbacks and four running backs.

Who will be this year's Heisman Trophy winner?

Related: Our 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database - Past Heisman Winners

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When the Texans face the Bengals this weekend, they will be without receiver Andre Johnson.

Johnson, who missed six games with an injury to his right hamstring, is dealing with a strained hamstring on his left leg.

“It’s a day-by-day thing,” Johnson said, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “It’s not as bad as it was the previous injury (torn right hamstring) I had.”

With Johnson out, Jacoby Jones will start in his place again.

In the six games that Johnson missed, Jones had two games with double-digit fantasy points, but he also had three games with two fantasy points or less. In other words, Jones is not worthy of a start whether Johnson is in or out of the lineup.

The Texans face the Panthers and Colts in Weeks 15 and 16 although it's uncertain whether or not Johnson will return in Week 15 at this point.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In last week's game, Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton rushed for three touchdowns to break the NFL record of most rushing touchdowns in a season (previously held by Steve Grogan).

Newton, the top overall pick in this year's draft, now has 13 rushing touchdowns as well as 13 passing touchdowns on the season with four games to go.

While he has more interceptions (14) than passing (or rushing) touchdowns, he has an impressive 26:14 touchdown-to-interception ratio when you include his rushing scores.

In Newton's past four games, he has thrown only two touchdowns (while rushing for six scores in his past three games).

Within that four-game span, Newton had a four-interception game against the Lions in Week 11. Aside from three games this season with three or more interceptions, Newton has a total of four interceptions in his other nine games.

When we look back at Newton's rookie season, will he have more passing touchdowns than rushing touchdowns? Will his interceptions be larger than either one of those two totals?

Related: Fantasy QB Rankings - Panthers 2011 Schedule

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Saints running back Mark Ingram is dealing with turf toe and has been officially ruled out for Sunday's game against the Titans, per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

Considering the Saints have four capable backs, when all are healthy, it makes sense to sit out Ingram and activate Christoper Ivory, who led the team in rushing last year, for this week's game.

With Ingram out, I will bump up Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas a bit when I update my running back rankings.

In his past two games, Ingram had a total of 29 carries for 134 yards and he scored a touchdown in both games. Ivory should see the short-yardage and goal-line work.

The Titans have allowed the 13th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Although they only allowed one rushing touchdown to running backs in their first five games, they have allowed five rushing touchdowns to running backs in their past seven games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As expected, Packers running back James Starks won't play this weekend vs. the Raiders as he was officially ruled out today due to his ankle injury.

With Starks out, Ryan Grant should get a few more opportunities in a fantasy-friendly matchup.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for myself to just get back in a rhythm, for the backfield, I think we’re going to get some opportunities this week,” Grant said, per Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazzette. “But I do think individually I have set a standard for myself and what I’m trying to do.”

The Raiders have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs and a league-worst 5.2 yards per carry this season.

That said, Grant (and all Packers running backs) should remain on your fantasy bench.

In addition to Grant, Brandon Saine should see plenty of reps of passing downs and John Kuhn will get the short-yardage and goal-line work.

On the season, Grant has 92 carries for 316 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and no touchdowns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Through 11 games this season, Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall has reached the 100-yard mark only once.

In fact, Mendenhall has rushed for 70 yards in every game except his only 146-yard performance in Week 6 against Jacksonville.

In his past two seasons, Mendenhall has had four 100-yard games (last year) and three 100-yard games (two seasons ago).

Mendenhall, the Steelers' first-round pick in 2008, only ranks 23rd in the NFL in rushing (634 yards). He is averaging 57.6 yards per game and only 3.8 yards per carry.

Fortunately for Mendenhall (and his fantasy owners), he gets a favorable matchup in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. Last week, the Browns allowed Ravens running back Ray Rice to rush for a career-high 204 yards.

Over their past six games, they have allowed a 100-yard rusher in five of those games and a total of six 100-yard rushers. Houston's Arian Foster and Ben Tate both rushed for 100-plus yards.

Here's a list of the 100-yard rushers allowed the Browns:

- Week 1: Cedric Benson, Bengals (121 yards)
- Week 4: Chris Johnson, Titans (101 yards)
- Week 8: Frank Gore, 49ers (134 yards)
- Week 9: Arian Foster, Texans (124 yards)
- Week 9: Ben Tate, Texans (115 yards)
- Week 10: Steven Jackson, Rams (128 yards)
- Week 12: Cedric Benson, Bengals (106 yards)
- Week 13: Ray Rice, Ravens (204 yards)

Will Mendenhall rush for 100-plus yards in Week 14?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The AFC playoff picture is a bit more complicated than the NFC (see NFC Playoff Picture) with several things still subject to change over the coming weeks.

As it stands right now, here is the playoff breakdown:

1. New England Patriots 9-3
2. Baltimore Ravens 9-3
3. Houston Texans 9-3
4. Denver Broncos 7-5
5. Pittsburgh Steelers 9-3
6. Cincinnati Bengals 7-5
7. Tennessee Titans 7-5
8. Oakland Raiders 7-5
9. New York Jets 7-5

AFC East:

The Patriots have emerged as what has looked like the class of the AFC. Though they lost to Pittsburgh earlier in the season, they seem to have hit their stride, with a defense that has been playing better and better and an offense that the league is still struggling to figure out. Tight end Rob Gronkowski appears to be uncoverable in the red zone, and Wes Welker seems to catch at least 10 balls per game. The Patriots currently hold the one spot in the AFC, but this is subject to change if Pittsburgh wins the division. Pittsburgh holds the tie breaker over New England, while Baltimore does not. The Jets are the interesting team to watch in the AFC East down the stretch. At 9-7 last year, the Jets made their second consecutive run to the AFC Championship. Once again, they have the defense to go deep, and they have a pretty favorable schedule to make another run at it. With two home games against Kansas City and the Giants, and road games against Philadelphia and Miami, the Jets certainly have the ability to wind up at 10-6. They are, however, on the losing end of some key tie breakers, which will clearly work against them. I like the Jets, probably more than most, to once again sneak in and potentially make some noise, but clearly there is an awful lot of football still to be played.

AFC North:

This is the division that needs to really play itself out to fill in the puzzle pieces of the AFC playoff picture. The Ravens won both games against the Steelers this year, so with a tie record, Baltimore would win the division. Baltimore has two fairly easy home games against the Colts and Browns, but two tougher matchups on the road at San Diego and Cincinnati. The problem with Baltimore is that they have struggled in games that they should seemingly win easily. They lost to Jacksonville and Seattle, and needed to mount a massive comeback to beat Arizona 30-27 at home. Still, I'd expect Baltimore to get it together, and go 3-1 down the stretch. Pittsburgh has three games in which they will be big favorites, with two against Cleveland and one against St. Louis. The other game is at a 10-2 San Francisco team, which looks to be a great defensive matchup. If they, too, go 3-1, then the Ravens will hang on to win the division and likely get a first-round bye, as they hold the tie breaker over Houston with a head-to-head win. Cincinnati is also in contention for a wildcard spot, with two favorable games against the Rams and Cardinals, and two tougher games against Houston and Baltimore. If Cincy does, indeed, go 2-2 in their last four, they are likely to be on the outside looking in, with so many teams in contention. But as it stands right now, they hold the tie breakers and are clinging to the 6-seed. The upcoming game against Houston on Sunday should give us a clearer picture of where Cincinnati stands.

AFC South:

Even losing Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart to injury, the Texans are still in good shape to win the division. They hold a two-game lead over the Tennessee Titans and won their earlier matchup in Tennessee. The real question for the Texans is how legitimate of a chance do they have after losing their first two quarterbacks? They do have a good defense, and the best running back tandem in the game. They also have a terrific offensive line, which should allow third-string quarterback T.J. Yates to have time to make decisions in the pocket. The jury is still out on how successful they can be, but Houston can at least rest easy knowing that they are fairly securely in the playoffs, and they have four more games to get Yates some experience. Tennessee, behind Chris Johnson's ferocious comeback, may ride him all the way to a wild card birth. They have won three of their last four games, and after a tough matchup with New Orleans this weekend, they play the Colts and Jaguars the following two weeks. They finish against a Houston team that may have nothing to play for Week 17, so Tennessee has a real chance to get in. They are currently in seventh, one spot behind the Bengals for the final team in.

AFC West:

The AFC West has been a very marginal division the last few years, with only the Chargers being taken seriously as a contender. This year, the Chargers have struggled, and the Raiders and more surprising Broncos have emerged. Behind Tim Tebow, the Broncos have won game after game in the same unorthodox fashion. Get behind early, put up terrible numbers, make a big play on defense or special teams, and then let Tebow win the game in the waning minutes. Say what you will about Tebow and the Broncos, but they have won five in a row and have charged to the top of the AFC West. The Broncos will have a tough test, with Chicago and New England as their next two games. But with Cutler out, and Buffalo and Kansas City in their final two games, the Broncos have to be the favorite to win this division. The Raiders have a much tougher road, hosting Green Bay before playing Detroit and San Diego. They also have a game against Kansas City that they should win. Still, only one of these teams seems likely to make the playoffs, so the battle for the division is on. In a virtual tie (Denver has the tie breaker on a 3-2 division record compared to Oakland with a 2-2 division record), every game could be the one that propels either Denver or Oakland into the playoffs. Both teams are feel good stories, with Oakland losing long time owner Al Davis earlier in the season, and the Broncos riding the Tim Tebow express, with his cult-like following. Time will tell.

Related: NFC Playoff Picture - NFL Standings

Posted by John Trifone at 06:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Unfortunately, the 2011 NFL football season is already three-quarters over. Fortunately, this means that the playoffs are just around the corner. Plenty can still change in the last four weeks of the season, but the NFC looks pretty straight forward, with eight teams vying for six spots. Let's look ahead at some of the potential seedings and matchups we may be likely to see in January.

Currently, the playoff standings are as follows:

1. Green Bay Packers (12-0)
2. San Francisco 49ers (10-2)
3. New Orleans Saints (9-3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (7-5)
5. Chicago Bears (7-5)
6. Atlants Falcons (7-5)
7. Detroit Lions (7-5)
8. New York Giants (6-6)

NFC East:

It is unlikely that both the Giants and Cowboys will both make the playoffs this year. The Cowboys currently hold a one-game lead, but the two teams will face off against each other in two of their final four games. The Giants are in particularly bad shape, already being a game out of the division lead, and holding a 3-6 conference record, which is used as the tie-breaker for a wildcard spot after head-to-head. The Cowboys would seem to have an easier road, with games at Tampa Bay and home against Philadelphia, while the Giants have Washington and a tough game at the Jets, who will be scrapping for a playoff spot themselves. There is still plenty of season for these teams, as both control their own destinies, but it is likely that only one of them will qualify for a playoff spot.

NFC North:

The Packers have already locked up the division and are essentially a lock for a first-round bye. They are also the heavy favorite to have home field advantage throughout, as they continue their pursuit of perfection. The Bears and Lions, on the other hand, are in a much less fortuitous circumstance. The Bears had been looking as good as anyone in the league, but the loss of Jay Cutler has proven to be a huge detriment, and could seemingly take them out of playoff contention. They would have been looking good down their stretch run, with winnable games at Denver and Minnesota, and at home against Seattle, but with Denver on a five-game winning streak, and no Cutler, the Bears are likely to struggle going forward. The Lions have their own issues, losing Ndamukong Suh for the first of a two-game suspension this past week. The Lions have a favorable matchup this week against the Vikings, but then go on the road to Oakland, play a talented but under-achieving Chargers team, and then go into Lambeau Field in Week 17, against what could be a 15-0 Packer team looking to wrap up a perfect season. Both teams have a one-game lead over the Giants, although the Lions, through tie-breakers, are still on the outside looking in for now.

NFC South:

The Saints have the most powerful offense in the league and have just been annihilating the competition at home. At 9-3 and with no signs of slowing down, the Saints should finish as at least the 3-seed, with a chance at a first-round bye, if the 49ers slip up at all. Atlanta is also looking good to make the playoffs at 7-5 and with the head-to-head tie-breaker over Detroit. They also have very winnable games coming up, with home games against the Jaguars and Bucs, and a road game at Carolina. Though they also still have one more game with New Orleans, so long as they take care of business in their other three games, Atlanta should easily get in at 10-6.

NFC West:

This division is already wrapped up. The 49ers clinched this past week, and with Seattle and Arizona at 5-7, there don't seem to be any other teams in playoff contention. The Niners have a tough home game against Pittsburgh in two weeks, but their remaining three road games are against the rest of the division, games in which they will be heavy favorites. It is certainly possible that New Orleans could catch San Francisco for the 2-seed, but the way things look right now, they are in good shape to have home-field against all but Green Bay.

Check back Thursday morning for the AFC Playoff Picture.

Posted by John Trifone at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson began the season on a record-setting touchdown-scoring spree. He became the first player in NFL history to score two touchdowns per game in the first four games of a season.

Since then, Megatron has scored only four times in his past eight games.

If you break up the season into quarters, however, the second quarter (three touchdowns) was better than the third quarter (only one touchdown).

In fact, Johnson had his worst fantasy performance of the season last week: six receptions for 69 yards. While he had fewer yards in two other games, he scored a touchdown (or two) in those games.

This week, he faces the Vikings, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing receivers this season and the most passing touchdowns (24) this season. In their first matchup this season, Johnson had seven receptions for 107 yards and two scores and his best fantasy performance of the season.

Denver's Demaryius Thomas, a player compared to Johnson in terms of alma mater and physical traits (size and athleticism), had a monster game against the Vikings last week. Thomas finished with four receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns. However, you should not expect a repeat performance from Thomas in Denver's run-first scheme this week.

Here are some notes on wide receivers that will play in Week 14:

- For the first time in three games, Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Williams did not score a touchdown. That said, he had a season-high 93 receiving yards despite being without starting quarterback Josh Freeman. Williams now has three straight games with 80-plus yards.

- Antonio Brown, who returned a punt for a 60-yard score, finished with only two receptions but for a game-high 67 receiving yards. It was the sixth consecutive game that Brown has had at least 67 receiving yards. Browns cornerback Joe Haden will likely be matchup up on Mike Wallace, who scored two times last week, which could mean a few more looks for Brown.

- Bengals rookie receiver AJ Green had a game-high 11 targets and finished with six receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown last week. Green now has 80-plus yards in three of his past four games and has scored in seven of 11 games played this season.

- Colts receiver Pierre Garcon had nine receptions for 150 yards, both of which were season highs, and two scores. Earlier this year, Garcon had great chemistry with Curtis Painter when he took over, but Garcon had struggled in three straight games with less than 35 receiving yards.

- Vikings receiver Percy Harvin had eight receptions for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns in addition to five rush attempts for 19 yards last week. Over his past five games, Harvin is averaging 104.4 yards from scrimmage per game and has a total of five touchdowns.

- Bills receiver Steve Johnson finished with five receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown last week. It was his second straight performance with double-digit fantasy points after not having any since Week 3.

- For a second straight game, Bears receiver Earl Bennett finished with only one reception for five yards. Before the injury to Jay Cutler, Bennett had three straight games with 75-plus receiving yards.

- Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe failed to score for his seventh straight game. He finished the game with four receptions for 49 yards. It was only the third time this season that Bowe had less than 62 receiving yards. This weekend's getaway to Revis Island means it's unlikely to get any easier for Bowe.

- Cowboys receiver Laurent Robinson had four receptions for 72 yards in Week 13, which means his five-game scoring streak came to an end. In his past six games, Robinson has 28 receptions for 393 yards and seven touchdowns.

- Robinson's teammate Dez Bryant led the Cowboys in receiving with eight receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown last week. It was the third time in four games that Bryant has scored and the eighth time this season that Bryant has had at least 60 receiving yards, but Bryant still has no 100-yard games this season.

- Cardinals receiver Andre Roberts led the team in receiving with six receptions for a career-high 111 yards in Week 13. Roberts has one other 100-yard game (110 yards in Week 15 last year).

- Packers receiver Greg Jennings scored in his second straight game and now has scored in nine games this season.

- Giants receiver Victor Cruz has 100-plus yards in three straight games and has 84 yards or more in nine of his past ten games. Cruz ranks fourth in the NFL with 1,076 receiving yards despite having only 17 yards after the first two games of the season.

- Michael Crabtree had his best fantasy game of the season with four receptions for 96 yards and a score last week. In his past three games, he has 17 receptions for 270 yards and a touchdown.

- Saints receiver Robert Meachem finished with three receptions and a game-high and season-high 119 yards and a touchdown in Week 13. Meachem had two zero-reception games in his previous three games.

Here are our top 60 fantasy wide receivers for Week 14 (standard-scoring):

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (vs MIN)
2. Wes Welker, Patriots (at WAS)
3. Greg Jennings, Packers (vs OAK)
4. Victor Cruz, Giants (at DAL)
5. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (at DAL)
6. Roddy White, Falcons (at CAR)
7. Steve Smith, Panthers (vs ATL)
8. Percy Harvin, Vikings (at DET)
9. Mike Wallace, Steelers (vs CLE)
10. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (vs SF)
11. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins (vs PHI)
12. Vincent Jackson, Chargers (vs BUF)
13. Jordy Nelson, Packers (vs OAK)
14. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (vs NYG)
15. Antonio Brown, Steelers (vs CLE)
16. A.J. Green, Bengals (vs HOU)
17. Stevie Johnson, Bills (at SD)
18. Anquan Boldin, Ravens (vs IND)
19. Marques Colston, Saints (at TEN)
20. Laurent Robinson, Cowboys (vs NYG)
21. Brandon Lloyd, Rams (at SEA)
22. Mike Williams, Buccaneers (at JAX)
23. Santonio Holmes, Jets (vs KC)
24. Miles Austin, Cowboys (vs NYG)
25. Michael Crabtree, 49ers (at ARI)
26. Santana Moss, Redskins (vs NE)
27. Julio Jones, Falcons (at CAR)
28. Torrey Smith, Ravens (vs IND)
29. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (at NYJ)
30. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles (at MIA)
31. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (at MIA)
32. Deion Branch, Patriots (at WAS)
33. Plaxico Burress, Jets (vs KC)
34. Damian Williams, Titans (vs NO)
35. C.J. Spiller, Bills (at SD)
36. Eric Decker, Broncos (vs CHI)
37. Pierre Garcon, Colts (at BAL)
38. Jabar Gaffney, Redskins (vs NE)
39. Nate Burleson, Lions (vs MIN)
40. Nate Washington, Titans (vs NO)
41. James Jones, Packers (vs OAK)
42. Reggie Wayne, Colts (at BAL)
43. Malcom Floyd, Chargers (vs BUF)
44. Lance Moore, Saints (at TEN)
45. Johnny Knox, Bears (at DEN)
46. Doug Baldwin, Seahawks (vs STL)
47. David Nelson, Bills (at SD)
48. Denarius Moore, Raiders (at GB)
49. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders (at GB)
50. Andre Johnson, Texans (at CIN)
51. Greg Little, Browns (at PIT)
52. Early Doucet, Cardinals (vs SF)
53. Golden Tate, Seahawks (vs STL)
54. Brad Smith, Bills (at SD)
55. Vincent Brown, Chargers (vs BUF)
56. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (vs CHI)
57. Jerome Simpson, Bengals (vs HOU)
58. Riley Cooper, Eagles (at MIA)
59. Devin Aromashodu, Vikings (at DET)
60. Steve Breaston, Chiefs (at NYJ)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our wide receiver PPR rankings for Week 14.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 14!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch began the season with inconsistency and a much lighter workload.

In his first six games of the season, Lynch rushed for 33 yards or less four times and for 73 yards or more twice. During that span, the Seahawks did not give Lynch the workload he has received in the past five weeks. Through those first six games, Lynch had a total of 74 carries. Since then, he has 128 carries in five games.

That said, Lynch has scored a touchdown in every game he has played in October, November and December.

In his past five games, Lynch has 22-plus carries in all five games and has gone over 100 yards four times. With the Seahawks facing the Rams, who rank last in the league in run defense, Lynch should be in store for another heavy workload and highly productive game.

After this week, however, his schedule will be much tougher against Chicago and San Francisco in Weeks 15 and 16, respectively.

Here are some more running back notes for Week 14:

- In last week's favorable matchup against the Bucs, Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart had 99 yards from scrimmage and scored a touchdown. The Daily Show rushed for 80 yards on 14 carries, both of which were season highs, and had two receptions for 19 yards, but the Panthers have a much tougher matchup in Week 14 against the Falcons, who have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.

- Texans running back Arian Foster finished with 31 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. It was the Foster's fifth 100-yard rushing game (and he has three 100-yard receiving games). But it was also the first 100-yard rushing game allowed by the Falcons this season. (Going into Week 14, there are only two teams that have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher: San Francisco and New England.)

- For a second straight game (and against tough run defenses), Redskins rookie running back Roy Helu finished with exactly 23 carries and more than 100 rushing yards. In those two games, Helu has 46 carries for 208 yards and two touchdowns plus 11 receptions for 96 yards.

- Two things looked good for LeGarrette Blount going into today's game: (1) he was coming off back-to-back 100-yard games and (2) the Panthers had allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Instead it did not go well for Blount and his fantasy owners as he finished with only 19 rushing yards on 11 carries.

- Baltimore's Ray Rice set a career high with 204 rushing yards against the Browns last week. Cleveland has allowed six running backs to rush for 100-plus yards in their past six games. Next up ...

- Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall rushed for only 60 yards on 16 carries, but he scored two touchdowns. Mendenhall has 70 rushing yards or less in every game this season except one (vs. Jacksonville in Week 6). That said, Mendy has scored in three of his past four games and has a total of five touchdowns during that span. Plus, this week Mendenhall faces the Browns.

- Jets running back Shonn Greene came up big for fantasy owners. Greene finished with a season-high 22 carries for 88 yards and three scores. Coming into last week's game, Greene had only two rushing touchdowns.

- None of the Patriots running backs reached double-digit carries in Week 13, but BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored a touchdown on six carries for 14 yards. The Law Firm has three rushing touchdowns in his past two games, but he has only 20 carries for 60 yards in those two games combined.

- The Dolphins have a good run defense and have allowed the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (three) in the NFL. That said, I expected more, much more, from Michael Bush, who carried the ball 10 times for only 18 yards in Week 13. Bush's longest run of the day was for just THREE YARDS. In his past three games, Bush has 64 carries for 196 yards (3.06 yards per carry).

- Meanwhile, Dolphins running back Reggie Bush rushed for his second 100-yard game of the season and a touchdown on 22 attempts. Bush now has five rushing touchdowns in his past five games and he has scored in four of those five games. Teammate Daniel Thomas had 13 carries for 73 yards, which was the most he had since Week 3.

- For a second straight game, Broncos running back Willis McGahee had at least 20 carries and 100 yards. McGahee, who missed Wednesday's practice, has six 100-yard games this season.

- Titans running back Chris Johnson finished last week's game with 23 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Despite having only 13 yards against the Falcons in Week 11, CJ2K now has 130-plus yards in three of his past four games.

- Bills running back C.J. Spiller rushed 14 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 19 yards. It was Spiller's first game with double-digit fantasy points this season.

- Although Thomas Jones (16) and Jackie Battle (11) had more carries, Dexter McCluster led the Chiefs in rushing with 61 yards on nine carries. He also caught four passes for 46 yards and the only touchdown of the game last week.

- Browns running back Peyton Hillis had 12 carries for 45 yards and one reception for 52 yards. Chris Ogbonnaya had one carry for two yards, but he had five receptions for 28 yards.

- Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray had only 12 carries for 38 yards while Felix Jones had six carries for 36 yards. It was the first time in five weeks that Murray had less than 20 carries.

- While Beanie Wells got a lot of work (20 carries) and he scored a touchdown, he finished with only 67 rushing yards after last week's career-best 228-yard performance. Next week, Wells has another tough matchup against the 49ers.

- Ahmad Bradshaw returned and had more carries (11) than Brandon Jacobs (eight), but Jacobs led the team in rushing (59 yards) and scored its rushing touchdown.

- Rams running back Steven Jackson finished with only 10 carries for 19 yards. Unfortunately, Jackson's playoff matchups aren't great either (Seattle, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh), but at least his second matchup against the 49ers is in Week 17.

- 49ers running back Frank Gore had 21 carries for 73 yards and he became the franchise's all-time leading rusher as he passed Joe Perry. That said, Gore has had four straight games with less than 100 yards after his five-game streak of 100-yard games. During the past four games, Gore has 65 carries for 200 yards (50.0 yards per game and 3.08 yards per carry).

- Saints running back Mark Ingram led the team with 16 rush attempts and 54 yards and he rushed for a touchdown in his second straight game. However, Ingram missed today's practice with turf toe, which puts his status for Week 14 in jeopardy.

Here are our top 40 fantasy running backs for Week 14:

1. Ray Rice, Ravens (vs IND)
2. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (vs TB)
3. Arian Foster, Texans (at CIN)
4. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (vs STL)
5. Michael Turner, Falcons (at CAR)
6. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (at MIA)
7. Chris Johnson, Titans (vs NO)
8. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (vs CLE)
9. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (vs BUF)
10. Frank Gore, 49ers (at ARI)
11. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys (at NYG)
12. Michael Bush, Raiders (at GB)
13. Reggie Bush, Dolphins (vs PHI)
14. Roy Helu, Redskins (vs NE)
15. Shonn Greene, Jets (vs KC)
16. Steven Jackson, Rams (at SEA)
17. Willis McGahee, Broncos (vs CHI)
18. LeGarrette Blount, Buccaneers (at JAX)
19. Darren Sproles, Saints (at TEN)
20. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (at WAS)
21. C.J. Spiller, Bills (at SD)
22. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (at DAL)
23. Toby Gerhart, Vikings (at DET)
24. Beanie Wells, Cardinals (vs SF)
25. Cedric Benson, Bengals (vs HOU)
26. Marion Barber, Bears (at DEN)
27. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (vs ATL)
28. Mike Tolbert, Chargers (vs BUF)
29. Peyton Hillis, Browns (at PIT)
30. Maurice Morris, Lions (vs MIN)
31. Kevin Smith, Lions (vs MIN)
32. Ben Tate, Texans (at CIN)
33. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (vs ATL)
34. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at DET)
35. Pierre Thomas, Saints (at TEN)
36. Brandon Jacobs, Giants (at DAL)
37. Donald Brown, Colts (at BAL)
38. Mark Ingram, Saints (at TEN)
39. Ryan Grant, Packers (vs OAK)
40. Daniel Thomas, Dolphins (vs PHI)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our running back PPR rankings for Week 14.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 14!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Based on his rushing stats alone, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is averaging more than 10 fantasy points per game.

Last week, Newton rushed for three touchdowns and set the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns (13) by a quarterback in a season. In addition, Newton has 100 carries for 518 yards.

In Newton's past three games, he has six rushing touchdowns. Interestingly enough, he has only two passing touchdowns in his past four games, but Newton is on pace to throw for almost 4,400 yards.

Newton, the top overall pick in this year's draft, faces the Falcons this week for the second time this season.

In his first matchup, Newton finished with his second-worst fantasy performance (13 points) of the season. He threw for 237 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions although had a rushing touchdown in the game.

Here are some more quarterback notes for Week 14:

- Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for two touchdowns, both to Mike Wallace, for 176 yards last week. It was his second straight game with less than 200 passing yards. As bad as the Browns run defense has been (they allowed Ray Rice to run for a career-high 204 yards last week), their pass defense ranks first in the NFL (173.3 yards allowed per game).

- Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw multiple touchdowns in each of his first six games this season. Since then, he has thrown more than one touchdown in only two games (out of six). Coincidentally, those are the two games (out of their past six) that the Lions have won. That said, the Vikings have allowed a league-high 24 passing touchdowns.

- Against three tough pass defenses, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has thrown only one touchdown in each game after three straight games with multiple touchdowns. This week, Dalton, who left last week's game with a hip injury, faces the Texans, who rank third in the NFL in pass defense.

- Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky completed 30 of 37 pass attempts for a career-high 353 yards and two touchdowns and one interception last week. The Patriots pass defense is one of the league's worst and I would expect much less production from Orlovsky against the Ravens this week.

- Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer completed less than half of his passes (20-for-41) for 273 yards and two touchdowns in Week 13. Palmer has 273-plus passing yards in four of his five starts and this week the Raiders play the Packers, who have allowed the second-most passing yards (292.8 per game) and passing touchdowns (22).

- Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore only threw 25 passes and barely completed half of them (13) this week. That said, he threw one touchdown and no interceptions and now has an 8:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his past five games.

- Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow only ran the ball four times for 13 yards, but he he threw for a season-high 202 yards and two touchdowns. (And, of course, the Broncos came from behind to win the game.)

- Vikings rookie Christian Ponder threw for a career-high 381 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions against the Broncos. Although he suffered a hip pointer last week, he is expected to play this week against the Lions.

- Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for only 140 yards and now has thrown for less than 200 yards in three straight games. Although he left one of them early with an injury, he has 25-plus pass attempts in all three games.

- Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie was awful last week. (How awful was he?) He finished with 133 passing yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. If your league awards one point per 25 passing yards and takes away two points per interception, then Hanie had negative points (-1). You would have been better off starting me.

- Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been so good that he technically had his worst game of the season last week as measured by passer rating (106.2). Rodgers threw four touchdowns for the fourth time this season, but he threw his fifth interception of the season in the process. Although he threw for 369 yards, his third highest total of the season, he completed only 28 of 46 passes for a season-low 60.9 percent.

- In his past three games, Saints quarterback has thrown for 300-plus yards and has a 9:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. In Week 13, Brees threw for 342 yards, his ninth 300-yard game of the season, and three scores. In the process, Brees became the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in his first 12 games of the season. Take our poll on whether Brees will break Dan Marino's single-season record.

Here are our fantasy quarterback rankings for Week 14:

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (vs OAK)
2. Tom Brady, Patriots (at WAS)
3. Cam Newton, Panthers (vs ATL)
4. Drew Brees, Saints (at TEN)
5. Matthew Stafford, Lions (vs MIN)
6. Eli Manning, Giants (at DAL)
7. Tony Romo, Cowboys (vs NYG)
8. Philip Rivers, Chargers (vs BUF)
9. Michael Vick, Eagles (at MIA)
10. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (vs CLE)
11. Matt Ryan, Falcons (at CAR)
12. Tim Tebow, Broncos (vs CHI)
13. Carson Palmer, Raiders (at GB)
14. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills (at SD)
15. Matt Moore, Dolphins (vs PHI)
16. Joe Flacco, Ravens (vs IND)
17. Rex Grossman, Redskins (vs NE)
18. Mark Sanchez, Jets (vs KC)
19. Alex Smith, 49ers (at ARI)
20. Josh Freeman, Buccaneers (at JAX)
21. Matt Hasselbeck, Titans (vs NO)
22. Andy Dalton, Bengals (vs HOU)
23. Christian Ponder, Vikings (at DET)
24. Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks (vs STL)
25. Dan Orlovsky, Colts (at BAL)
26. Kevin Kolb, Cardinals (vs SF)
27. Colt McCoy, Browns (at PIT)
28. Caleb Hanie, Bears (at DEN)
29. Sam Bradford, Rams (at SEA)
30. T.J. Yates, Texans (at CIN)

Note: Our quarterback rankings will be updated before the Thursday Night game and again before the Sunday games. To view the updates, visit our quarterback rankings page.

Check out our rankings for other positions and/or flex rankings at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 14!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Only two NFL quarterbacks have thrown for 5,000-plus passing yards in a season: Dan Marino (5,084 in 1984) and Drew Brees (5,069 in 2008).

Brees has a great shot to throw for 5,000 yards again or even break Marino's record.

Through 12 games, Brees has thrown for more than 250 yards in every single game and he has thrown for 300-plus yards nine times. By comparison, Brees had 10 300-yard games in 2008.

On the season, Brees has 4,031 yards, 30 touchdowns (his career high is 34) and 11 interceptions. His average of 335.9 passing yards per game puts him on pace to throw for 5,374 yards this season.

In addition, Brees became the first NFL player to throw for at least 4,000 yards in his first 12 games of a season. That also means that Brees has thrown for 4,000-plus yards in all six of his seasons with the Saints.

As a comparison, Brees threw 3,870 yards through his 12th game in 2008 and Marino threw for 3,678 yards through his 12th game in 1984. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has 3,916 yards through 12 games, which is the second-best total through the first 12 games of a season. Both Aaron Rodgers (3,844) and Eli Manning (3,705) are in the top eight of all-time through 12 weeks.

Will Brees break Marino's record this season? If not, will he throw for at least 5,000 yards?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Beating the Vegas bookies isn't an easy thing to do. Most people try to look at many variables in a matchup to make as informed of a decision as possible, but it often comes down to a gut feeling that the spread is either too many or too few points. And so we make our wagers, cross our fingers, and hope to be right. This week, I decided to take a look into some trends and numbers to see if I could find any games that stuck out as a good bet. As it turns out, the Seahawks, playing in this week's Monday Night Football game, could be the bet of the week.

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a big win at home this past Thursday night. Seattle is 7-4-1 against the spread (ATS) this year, posting a 4-2 mark at home. They are 4-1 ATS in their last five games, including a cover against Dallas and outright wins against the Ravens, Eagles, and Rams in St. Louis. The Rams, on the other hand, are just 2-10 ATS so far, and 1-5 on the road. They are 0-3 in the division and have lost three games in a row. (Just as an FYI, had I written a By the Numbers column last week, the feature game would have been the San Francisco 49ers hosting these same St. Louis Rams. San Francisco had been 9-1-1 ATS and 5-0-1 at home, and I've already shared the Rams abysmal record with you. Suffice it to say, the 49ers easily covered the 14-point spread, en route to a 26-0 victory.)

The Seahawks are also in the top half of the league or better in overall team defense, including total points, yards, and yards against the run, ranking 12th, 14th, and 11th respectively. Though they have a mediocre 5-7 record, their defense has been stable and consistent. This does not bode well for the Rams, who are scoring a putrid 11.7 points per game. They are, not surprisingly, last in scoring offense, as well as 31st in total yards per game.

Throw in the fact that Seattle's Marshawn Lynch has been on fire of late and will be matching up against a 24th-ranked Rams defense, and give Seattle three extra days to prepare for the game, and this one looks like a slam dunk bet on Seattle. The preliminary spread for this game was Seattle -6.5, but the game has been taken off the board pending injury updates. Certainly look for status updates on EDSfootball.com, and keep in mind that no matter how good a bet may look, to quote the great Chris Berman, "that's why they play the games." But strictly by the numbers, this one looks like the Seahawks all the way.

Posted by John Trifone at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Through Week 13, the Packers and Colts still find themselves as the unanimous No. 1 and No. 32 team, respectively, in our NFL Consensus Power Rankings.

Here are some stats on this week's consensus rankings (see rankings):

- Biggest jump from last week: Seattle Seahawks (+4.00)
- Biggest drop from last week: Philadelphia Eagles (-3.50)
- Team with widest difference between high and low rank: New York Jets (9)

As part of our weekly power rankings, we will feature one question that all four rankers will answer.

In the past couple of weeks, we took a look at whether the Colts will finish 0-16 (three of four said no) and the Packers will finish 19-0 (three of four said yes).

Here is the Week 14 question (followed by our responses): Which team, good or bad, is the biggest surprise of the 2011 NFL season?

John (follow John on Twitter): It's too easy to say that the Eagles crushing disappointment of a season is the biggest surprise, but I'm going to go with the San Francisco 49ers. At the beginning of the season, the NFC West was up for grabs, with most people thinking the Rams, Cardinals, or 49ers could emerge in mediocre fashion to win it. Instead, the 49ers are 10-2, on their way to a first-round bye, and have a legitimate chance to win the NFC. With a team that went 6-10 last season, nobody really saw this kind of turnaround coming. Led by Patrick Willis and a bruising defense, the Niners are my pick for biggest surprise of the season.

Sean (visit Sean's website): The easy choice here is the "Dream Team," but as much as a disappointment they are this year, there is one team that is even more of a shocker to me and that is the St. Louis Rams. Unlike the Eagles, the Rams play in an easy division where I expected them to make that next step and win the division. Boy, was I wrong about them. The Rams have been playing awful, especially QB Sam Bradford, who has looked lost back there at times. Is new OC Josh McIdiot to blame?

Dan (follow Dan on Twitter): I think one of the biggest surprises this year has been the play of the San Diego Chargers. A team that had a roster geared for a few Super Bowl runs, are now in shambles thanks to a heavy-handed GM and an ineffective coach in Norv Turner. The Chargers are disappointing, as they have all the tools to be one of the most explosive offenses in the league. I am certain we will see sweeping changes next year, and hopefully that window has not slammed shut.

Kevin (follow Kevin on Twitter): With plenty of options from which to choose (Eagles, Rams, 49ers, etc.), I'm going to say the winless Colts. A dropoff should have been expected without Peyton Manning, a four-time league MVP, but they should have been more competitive than a team getting outscored by almost 200 points (358-174). Going from nine straight double-digit win seasons to 0-12 (likely 1-15 or 0-16) is insane.

See how all 32 teams were ranked in our Week 14 Consensus NFL Power Rankings.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are some stats, notes, news items and observations from the Sunday games this week:

Carolina Panthers 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19

- As noted earlier today, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton rushed for three more touchdowns and now owns the single-season rushing touchdown record for quarterbacks with 13 scores. In Newton's past three games, he has six rushing touchdowns. Interestingly enough, he has only two passing touchdowns in his past four games.

- Running back Jonathan Stewart scored the fourth of the team's four rushing touchdowns and had 99 yards from scrimmage. The Daily Show rushed for 80 yards on 14 carries, both of which were season highs, and had two receptions for 19 yards.

- For the first time in three games, Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Williams did not score a touchdown. That said, he had a season-high 93 receiving yards despite being without starting quarterback Josh Freeman.

- Two things looked good for LeGarrette Blount going into today's game: (1) he was coming off back-to-back 100-yard games and (2) the Panthers had allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Instead it did not go well for Blount and his fantasy owners as he finished with only 19 rushing yards on 11 carries.

- Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow extended his streak of games with at least one reception to 88 games. He finished the day with four receptions for 41 yards.

Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Cincinnati Bengals 7

- Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall rushed for only 60 yards on 16 carries, but he scored two touchdowns. Mendenhall has 70 rushing yards or less in every game this season except one (vs. Jacksonville in Week 6). But Mendy has scored in three of his past four games and has a total of five touchdowns during that span.

- Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for two touchdowns, both to Mike Wallace, for 176 yards. It was his second straight game with less than 200 passing yards. In the game, Big Ben was also sacked three times and has now been sacked (309 times) more than any other quarterback in franchise history.

- Antonio Brown, who returned a punt for a 60-yard score, finished with only two receptions but for a game-high 67 receiving yards. It was the sixth consecutive game that Brown has had at least 67 receiving yards.

- Bengals rookie receiver AJ Green had a game-high 11 targets and finished with six receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. It was Green's seventh touchdown of the season and it ends a two-game scoring drought.

- Quarterback Andy Dalton, who left today's game with a hip injury, finished with only 135 yards and one touchdown. It was the fifth game this season that Dalton finished with less than 200 yards and the Bengals have a tough matchup next week against the Texans.

Houston Texans 17, Atlanta Falcons 10

- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan completed only 20 of 46 pass attempts (43.5 percent) and threw two interceptions today.

- Tight end Tony Gonzalez finished today's game with seven receptions for 100 yards, both game highs. It was only the second time that the Texans allowed a tight end to reach 100 receiving yards (Jimmy Graham was the other). Gonzalez has at least 69 receiving yards in four straight games. He has 60-plus receiving yards in eight games this season.

- Texans running back Arian Foster finished with 31 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. It was the Foster's fifth 100-yard rushing game (and he has three 100-yard receiving games). It was the first 100-yard rushing game allowed by the Falcons this season.

- Tight end Joel Dreessen caught only one pass for three yards, but it was for a touchdown. It was his second straight game with a touchdown and he has now scored in five of his past eight games.

- Receiving Andre Johnson finished just shy of 100 receiving yards -- four receptions for 97 yards. Unfortunately for Johnson, the Texans and Johnson fantasy owners, he suffered another hamstring injury (not the surgically-repaired hamstring) and he will have an MRI on Monday.

New York Jets 34, Washington Redskins 19

- For a second straight game, Redskins rookie running back Roy Helu finished with exactly 23 carries and more than 100 rushing yards.

- Tight end Fred Davis led the game in receving yards (99), however, he will be suspended the final four games of the season.

- Jets running back Shonn Greene came up big for fantasy owners. Greene finished with a season-high 22 carries for 88 yards and three scores. Coming into today's game, Greene had only two rushing touchdowns.

- Receiver Santonio Holmes still has no 100-yard games this season, but he scored another touchdown. It was Holmes second straight game with a score and he now has six touchdowns on the season.

New England Patriots 31, Indianapolis Colts 24

- None of the Patriots running backs reached double-digit carries, but BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored a touchdown on six carries for 14 yards. The Law Firm has three rushing touchdowns in his past two games, but he has only 20 carries for 60 yards in those two games combined.

- Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski scored another two touchdowns. He now has 13 touchdowns on the season and is tied with Vernon Davis and Antonio Gates for the single-season scoring record by a tight end.

- Donald Brown and Joseph Addai split the carries almost evenly for the Colts. Brown finished with 14 carries for 41 yards and a score while Addai had 13 carries for 39 yards. Brown has had exactly 14 carries in each of his past three games and has scored in back-to-back games.

- The Patriots have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season and are one of only two teams able to make that claim.

- Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky completed 30 of 37 pass attempts for a career-high 353 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. The Patriots pass defense is one of the league's worst and I would expect much less production from Orlovsky against the Ravens next week.

- Pierre Garcon had nine receptions for 150 yards, both of which were season highs, and two scores. Earlier this year, Garcon had great chemistry with Curtis Painter when he took over, but Garcon had struggled in three straight games with less than 35 receiving yards before today's performance.

Miami Dolphins 34, Oakland Raiders 14

- Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer completed less than half of his passes (20-for-41) for 273 yards and two touchdowns. In the previous four games, Palmer had three, two, one and zero touchdowns.

- Chaz Schilens led the Raiders in receiving with six receptions for 89 yards although T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Darrius Heyward-Bey caught Palmer's two touchdown passes.

- The Dolphins have a good run defense and have allowed the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (three) in the NFL. That said, I expected more, much more, from Michael Bush, who carried the ball 10 times for only 18 yards. Bush's longest run of the day was for just THREE YARDS. Pathetic.

- Meanwhile, the other Bush had a great game as Reggie rushed for 100 yards, his second 100-yard game of the season, and a touchdown on 22 attempts. Bush now has five rushing touchdowns in his past five games and he has scored in four of those five games. Rookie Daniel Thomas had 13 carries for 73 yards, which was the most he had since Week 3.

- Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore only threw 25 passes and barely completed half of them (13). That said, he threw one touchdown and no interceptions and now has an 8:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his past five games.

Denver Broncos 35, Minnesota Vikings 32

- Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow only ran the ball four times for 13 yards, but he he threw for a season-high 202 yards and two touchdowns. (And, of course, the Broncos came from behind to win the game.)

- Demaryius Thomas had four receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns. In his past six games, Thomas had seven receptions for 103 yards and a score.

- For a second straight game, Willis McGahee had at least 20 carries and 100 yards. McGahee finished with a game-high 111 rushing yards and a touchdown. It was McGahee's sixth 100-yard game this season.

- Through the 1 p.m. games, no quarterback has more passing yards than Vikings rookie Christian Ponder, who threw for a career-high 381 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

- Percy Harvin had a monster game with eight receptions for a season-high 156 yards and two touchdowns in addition to five rush attempts for 19 yards. In his past five games, Harvin has 32 receptions for 434 yards and four touchdowns. He also has 22 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown during that five-game span.

Tennessee Titans 23, Buffalo Bills 17

- A strange coincidence, but the final score of the past three Titans' games have been 23-17 (see schedule). The Titans have won two of them, but lost one.

- Titans running back Chris Johnson has continued his strong play with another favorable matchup. CJ2K finished the game with 23 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Despite having only 13 yards against the Falcons in Week 11, Johnson now has 130-plus yards in three of his past four games.

- Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for only 140 yards and now has thrown for less than 200 yards in three straight games. Although he left one of them early with an injury, he has 25-plus pass attempts in all three games.

- Bills running back C.J. Spiller rushed 14 times for 83 yards and a touchdown, one of the most bizarre I've seen in a while. He also caught three passes for 19 yards. It was Spiller's first game with double-digit fantasy points this season.

- Receiver Steve Johnson finished with five receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. It was his second straight performance with double-digit fantasy points after not having any since Week 3.

Kansas City Chiefs 10, Chicago Bears 3

- Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie was awful. He finished with 133 passing yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. If your league awards one point per 25 passing yards and takes away two points per interception, then Hanie had negative points (-1).

- Of course, the most important news from this game is the status of running back Matt Forte, who left the game with a knee injury and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. With Forte out for most of the game, Marion Barber carried the ball a season-high 14 times for only 44 yards.

- For a second straight game, Bears receiver Earl Bennett finished with only one reception for five yards. Before the injury to Jay Cutler, Bennett had three straight games with 75-plus receiving yards.

- Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe failed to score for his seventh straight game. He finished the game with four receptions for 49 yards. It was only the third time this season that Bowe had less than 62 receiving yards.

- Although Thomas Jones (16) and Jackie Battle (11) had more carries, Dexter McCluster led the Chiefs in rushing with 61 yards on nine carries. He also caught four passes for 46 yards and had the only touchdown of the game.

Baltimore Ravens 24, Cleveland Browns 10

- As noted earlier today, Baltimore's Ray Rice set a career high with 204 rushing yards against the Browns today. Cleveland has allowed six running backs to rush for 100-plus yards in their past six games (and face the Steelers and Rashard Mendenhall next week).

- Teammate Ricky Williams also rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

- Quarterback Joe Flacco threw only 23 pass attempts and completed only 10 of them for 158 yards and no touchdowns. Both Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin finished with 32 yards each.

- Browns running back Peyton Hillis had 12 carries for 45 yards and one reception for 52 yards. Chris Ogbonnaya had one carry for two yards, but he had five receptions for 28 yards.

- Tight end Ben Watson finished second on the team in receiving with 34 yards and fellow tight end Evan Moore scored the team's only touchdown on two receptions for 28 yards.

Arizona Cardinals 19, Dallas Cowboys 13 (OT)

- Cowboys receiver Laurent Robinson had four receptions for 72 yards, but his five-game scoring streak came to an end. In his past six games, Robinson has 28 receptions for 393 yards and seven touchdowns.

- Dez Bryant led the Cowboys in receiving with eight receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. It was the third time in four games that Bryant has scored and the eighth time this season that Bryant has had at least 60 receiving yards. But Bryant still has no 100-yard games this season.

- Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray had only 12 carries for 38 yards while Felix Jones had six carries for 36 yards. It was the first time in five weeks that Murray had less than 20 carries.

- Cardinals receiver Andre Roberts led the team in receiving with six receptions for a career-high 111 yards. Roberts has one other 100-yard game (110 yards in Week 15 last year).

- While Beanie Wells got a lot of work (20 carries) and he scored a touchdown, he finished with only 67 rushing yards after last week's career-best 228-yard performance. Next week, Wells has another tough matchup against the 49ers.

Green Bay Packers 38, New York Giants 35

- Statistically speaking, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had his worst game of the season as measured by passer rating (106.2). Rodgers threw four touchdowns for the fourth time this season and threw his fifth interception in the process. Although he threw for 369 yards, his third highest total of the season, he completed only 28 of 46 passes for a season-low 60.9 percent.

- Packers running back James Starks left the game with an ankle injury and Ryan Grant had a team-high 13 carries, but he finished with only 29 rushing yards. That was second on the team to Rodgers (32 yards).

- Greg Jennings led the team with seven receptions and he and Jordy Nelson had a team-high 94 receiving yards. Jennings scored his ninth touchdown of the season and he yet to score more than one touchdown in a game.

- Giants receiver Victor Cruz finished with a game-high 119 yards on seven receptions, but it was Hakeem Nicks that scored. (Two times.) Cruz has three straight games with 100-plus yards and has nine games with 80-plus yards in his past 10 games played.

- Ahmad Bradshaw returned and had more carries (11) than Brandon Jacobs (eight), but Jacobs led the team in rushing (59 yards) and scored its rushing touchdown.

San Francisco 49ers 26, St. Louis Rams 0

- Going into today's game, the 49ers had allowed only four running backs to reach 40 rushing yards in a game this season. That mark still stands. In addition, they have still not allowed a rushing touchdown.

- Rams running back Steven Jackson finished with only 10 carries for 19 yards. Unfortunately, Jackson's playoff matchups aren't great either (Seattle, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh), but at least his second matchup against the 49ers is in Week 17.

- 49ers running back Frank Gore had 21 carries for 73 yards and he became the franchise's all-time leading rusher as he passed Joe Perry. That said, Gore has had four straight games with less than 100 yards after his five-game streak of 100-yard games. During the past four games, Gore has 65 carries for 200 yards (50.0 yards per game and 3.08 yards per carry).

- Michael Crabtree had his best fantasy game of the season with four receptions for 96 yards and a score. In his past three games, he has 17 receptions for 270 yards and a touchdown.

New Orleans Saints 31, Detroit Lions 17

- In his past three games, Saints quarterback has thrown for 300-plus yards and has a 9:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Tonight, Brees threw for 342 yards, his ninth 300-yard game of the season, and three scores. Brees has thrown at least one touchdown in 39 consecutive games.

- Mark Ingram led the team with 16 rush attempts and 54 yards and he rushed for a touchdown in his second straight game. Teammate Darren Sproles had only four carries, but he had five receptions for 46 yards and a score.

- Saints receiver Robert Meachem finished with three receptions and a game-high and season-high 119 yards and a touchdown. Meachem had two zero-reception games in the previous three games.

- Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson finished with only six receptions for 69 yards and no touchdowns. In his first eight games, Megatron scored 11 touchdowns. In his past four games, he has only one score.

- Lions running back Kevin Smith left tonight's game after aggravating his ankle injury, however, he still finished with 80 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Smith had six carries for 34 yards and a score plus six receptions for 46 yards.

Related: Here's our poll on whether or not the Lions will make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Enjoy the Monday Night Football matchup between the Chargers and Jaguars (and here is our poll about Vincent Jackson's production this week).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ravens running back Ray Rice set a career high with 204 rushing yards and a touchdown on 29 carries against the Browns today.

Rice's previous career high was 166 yards (on 13 carries) against the Lions in 2009, but he had two other games with at least 30 carries.

On the season, Rice has 926 rushing yards and nine touchdowns plus 56 receptions for 547 yards and two touchdowns.

The Browns run defense is really bad.

In their past six games, the Browns have allowed six 100-yard rushers including two (Houston's Arian Foster and Ben Tate) in one game. Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, who has only one 100-yard game this season, gets his turn against the Browns next week.

Rice gets another great matchup in Week 14 against the Colts, but if you make it to the Fantasy Football Championship (Week 16 in most leagues), Rice gets another shot at the Browns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Entering today's game against the Bucs, Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton was two rushing touchdowns shy of Steve Grogan's quarterback record of 12 rushing touchdowns.

Not any more.

Newton, the top overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, rushed for three more touchdowns today and now has 13 rushing touchdowns in 12 games this season. Six of those rushing touchdowns have come in his past three games.

On the season, Newton has 3,297 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns and 14 interceptions in addition to 518 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

The Panthers face the Falcons next week, but Newton is obviously a must-start every week unless you have Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers as well.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After a 5-0 to start the 2011 season, the final two unbeaten teams were the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions.

In fact, there was some talk at that time that the Lions and Packers both might be unbeaten when they met on Thanksgiving.

Since their 5-0 start, the Packers have gone on to win six more games to improve to 11-0 this season on the nearly-flawless quarterback play of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. (Take our poll on whether Green Bay will finish 19-0.)

On the other hand, things have gone much differently for the Lions, who are now 7-4. In other words, they have lost four of their past six games.

If the postseason were to begin after Week 12's games, the Lions would be on the outside looking in as they would have lost the tie-breaker to the Falcons and Bears, who are both 7-4 (see standings).

The Lions were flexed into the Sunday Night Football matchup, but they face the Saints, who are 5-0 at home and nine-point favorites over the Lions, who will be without defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh this (and next) week (see Lions schedule).

With five games to go counting tonight's game, will the Lions get their season back on track?

Will they make the playofffs for the first time since the 1999 season? Will they have their first winning season since the 2000 season?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Let's face it: the Colts are awful without Peyton Manning.

They rank dead last in scoring defense (29.7 points allowed per game) and 30th (of 32 teams) in scoring offense (13.6 points per game).

And there is little doubt that the Patriots are capable of beating down the Colts by 50-plus points as the Saints did on national television earlier in the year. With no love lost between these two teams, there would be no expectation for a Bill Belichick to take his foot off the pedal at any point if/when the Patriots are crushing the Colts.

That said, giving more than 20 points to another NFL team is too risky. After all, only twice has a favorite of 20-plus points covered the spread in nine matchups although they have won all of them straight up.

On the other hand, there is no way that I can trust a Colts team that has failed to win a game this year and is switching to Dan Orlovsky as its quarterback. Granted, Curtis Painter is no Peyton Manning, but I'm not sure that Dan Orlovsky is even a Curtis Painter.

If I had to pick this game, I would expect a Patriots victory and a Colts cover, but I am avoiding this game at all costs.

Here are my three picks for Week 13:

Miami Dolphins (-3) over Oakland Raiders

Over the past four weeks, the Dolphins are nearly perfect and had many opportunities last week to keep their winning streak alive although they lost by one point to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Either way, Miami has the added benefit of three extra days to rest and prepare for the Oakland Raiders, who are making a cross-country trip for an early game.

The Raiders will be without wide receivers Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford in addition to Darren McFadden for another week. While Michael Bush has shown that he is more than capable of picking up the slack in the running game, Carson Palmer has only one passing touchdown in his past two games and the Dolphins have allowed only two passing touchdowns in their past four games.

Miami's run defense is one of the league's best as they have allowed only 97.5 yards per game and only the 49ers have allowed fewer rushing touchdowns than the Dolphins (three). On the other hand, Oakland has allowed a league-worst 5.3 yards per carry and are giving up 135.3 rushing yards per game.

While Miami's defense is playing much better over their past four games, so is the offense under quarterback Matt Moore. In his past four games, Moore has a 7:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and he's completing more than 67 percent of his passes during that span.

New York Jets (-3) over Washington Redskins

While I don't trust Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, I trust Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman even less although the Jets have allowed six touchdown passes and have no interceptions in their past three games.

Redskins running back Roy Helu is coming off the first 100-yard rushing game of his career (although he had a 100-yard receiving game four weeks ago). While coach Mike Shanahan has indicated that Helu will get a heavy workload again, the Jets have been much better against the run recently than they were at the beginning of the season.

Excluding quarterbacks and wide receivers, the Jets have allowed running backs to rush for only 3.23 yards per carry (141 attempts for 456 yards) since Week 6.

With five games to go, the Jets are 6-5 and one game behind the Bengals, who have a tough matchup on the road in Pittsburgh, for the final playoff spot. In other words, the Jets are right in the thick of things as far as their playoff hopes are concerned. On the other hand, the Redskins are unlikely to make the postseason even in the very unlikely event that they win out.

The Jets are 10-4 against the spread (ATS) in their past 14 games versus teams with a losing record while the Redskins are 2-5 ATS in their past seven games overall.

[Our Poll of the Day: Will Helu have more carries than Tim Tebow this week?]

Houston Texans (+3) over Atlanta Falcons

Although I picked the Jets over the Redskins, it's hard to resist taking a home underdog, especially when that team is 8-3 and tied for the best record in the AFC.

Granted, the Texans are without starting quarterback Matt Schaub and backup quarterback Matt Leinart, but is there a big dropoff between Leinart and rookie quarterback T.J. Yates? To me, Yates looked as good as (if not better than) Leinart last week. That said, the Texans offense has tons of talent surrounding Yates to compensate for the loss of the Matts.

Texans running back Arian Foster has four 100-yard rushing games as does backup Ben Tate and Foster has three 100-yard receiving games. While the Falcons are one of three teams to not allow a 100-yard rusher this season, they face their toughest challenge with the talent of the Texans' backs. (The Niners and Patriots are the other two teams yet to allow a 100-yard rusher.)

For the Falcons, they are dealing with injuries themselves. Running back Michael Turner and receiver Julio Jones were limited participants in practice on Friday and are listed as questionable on the team's injury report. In addition, the team will be without its best cornerback Brent Grimes.

Either way, the Texans defense is much improved from last year as they rank second in scoring defense (16.3 points allowed per game) and first in overall defense (268.4 yards allowed per game). They rank second in sacks (35) and are tied for sixth in interceptions (15).

For the rest of our Week 13 picks, click here.

If you're looking for our fantasy football rankings for Week 13, you'll find them here.

To keep track of our updates, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Four weeks ago, Redskins running back Roy Helu, the team's fourth-round pick, had only 10 carries against San Francisco's league-best run defense, but he set the franchise's single-game receptions record (14).

After that game, coach Mike Shanahan benched Helu and started Ryan Torain, who was ineffective. After two games with a light workload (single-digit carries), Helu had a career-high 23 carries last week in addition to seven receptions.

Despite his talent, the concern with Helu, who is our No. 24 running back for the week, is that Shanahan will limit his workload and frustrate fantasy owners in a way only Shanahan can.

That said, Shanahan says that Helu is "ready to be a 25-carry guy." (Before you take Shanny's word for it, remember he basically said the opposite one week earlier.)

Over his past four games, Helu has 225 rushing and 175 receiving yards, which is 100 yards from scrimmage per game.

While Helu set a career high in rushing attempts last week, so did Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow with 22 carries. Since 1960, no other quarterback has had 20-plus carries and double-digit pass attempts as Tebow did.

A few weeks ago against the Jets, Tebow threw the ball only eight times (and completed just two passes). In his six games as a starter, Tebow averaged 29 pass attempts in his first three games and only 15.3 pass attempts in his past three games.

This week, the Broncos face the Vikings, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. So, will Tebow throw it a little more this week? Will he keep running it as much as he did last week?

What number will be highest in Week 13: Helu's carries, Tebow's carries or Tebow's pass attempts?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Going into the Thursday Night Football matchup against the Eagles, Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch had a seven-game scoring streak.

Not only did he extend his streak to eight games, but he scored twice. Lynch finished the game with 22 carries for 148 yards and two touchdowns.

In the past five weeks, Lynch has 20-plus carries in every game and 100-plus yards in four of five games. During that five-game span, Lynch has 128 carries for 591 yards plus nine receptions for 87 yards and a total of six touchdowns.

Lynch is obviously a start for fantasy owners going forward and he will kick off the fantasy playoffs (Week 14) with a favorable matchup next week against the Rams, who rank last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (159.0 per game).

Here are some players to consider starting in Week 13:

QB - Tim Tebow, Broncos (at MIN): Since replacing Kyle Orton in Week 5 (before the team's bye), Tebow has scored 15-plus fantasy points in every game except one. Interestingly enough, his worst game (12 fantasy points) during that span was the game in which he threw for a season-high 172 yards. Tebow has an 8:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and set a career high with 22 rushing attempts last week. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than Minnesota.

RB - DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (at TB): Through the first 10 games of the season, Williams was in a bit of a scoring drought (only one touchdown). Against a bad Colts run defense last week, Williams rushed for two touchdowns and had a season-high 15 rush attempts. Williams now has two straight games with double-digit fantasy points and next up are the Buccaneers, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

RB - BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (vs IND): Speaking of scoring droughts, Green-Ellis had been held out of the endzone for five straight games until last week when he scored two times. Similar to Williams, The Law Firm has scored double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back games and faces a bad run defense this week in the winless Colts. The Patriots are more than three-touchdown favorites in this game and they are not opposed to running up the score.

WR - Laurent Robinson, Cowboys (at ARI): Whether or not Miles Austin returns this week and there is much doubt whether he will, Robinson should be started in almost all league formats. In fact, I ranked Robinson higher than Austin and Dez Bryant for Week 13 (see our WR rankings). Robinson is coming off a two-touchdown performance on Thanksgiving and has now scored in five straight games.

WR - Percy Harvin, Vikings (vs DEN): Last week, Harvin had eight receptions for 95 yards, both season highs, and a score. He nearly had another score on the NFL's longest non-scoring play in history (a 104-yard kickoff return) and possibly on a run that wasn't challenged where he might have scored. Either way, Harvin has had his two best fantasy games of the season in Weeks 11 and 12 and has a four-game streak of games with at least 50 receiving yards.

WR - Antonio Brown, Steelers (vs CIN): For some unknown reason, Brown is still available in 20 percent of Yahoo! leagues as of Friday morning, but he's been one of the league's most productive receivers. Brown, who is on pace for 70 receptions and 1,028 yards, has at least 67 receiving yards in each of his past five games. During that five-game span, Brown has 30 receptions for 445 yards, both team highs, and a touchdown.

TE - Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers (vs CAR): Over his past five games, Winslow has 25 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns. During that span, Winslow has had at least five fantasy points in four games and he has 14 receptions for 184 yards in his past two games.

Here are some players to consider sitting in Week 13:

QB - Carson Palmer, Raiders (at MIA): Palmer threw for 301 yards last week, but it was a Seabass kicking clinic that won the game for the Raiders as Palmer failed to throw a touchdown. With a hobbled receiving corps, Palmer has thrown only one touchdown in his past two games. During their past four games, the Dolphins have held all quarterbacks to 253 yards or less and have allowed a total of only two passing touchdowns during that four-game span.

RB - Toby Gerhart, Vikings (vs DEN): Even if Adrian Peterson misses another game this week, Gerhart is a flex, at best, this week. While he scored double-digit fantasy points last week as he rushed for a touchdown, he rushed for only 44 yards on 17 carries against a tough Falcons run defense. The Broncos defense has been playing extremely well in their run back into playoff contention and they have allowed only one rushing touchdown to a running back all season.

RB - Brandon Jacobs, Giants (vs GB): Although Ahmad Bradshaw said he has a "big shot" to play this week, it's more likely that he misses another game leaving Jacobs in the featured back role for the fifth straight game. Although he has two rushing touchdowns during that span, Jacobs is averaging only 48.5 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry in those four games.

WR - Anquan Boldin, Ravens (at CLE): Boldin is my 26th-ranked fantasy wide receiver for the week so he is a WR3 if you start three receivers. In two-receiver leagues, however, Boldin is a flex play at best against a tough Cleveland pass defense. Assuming that Boldin draws the attention of cornerback Joe Haden, it's unlikely that Boldin has a big game this week. In addition, the Browns run defense is so bad that they have allowed five 100-yard rushers in their past five games and Ray Rice is my top-ranked fantasy running back for the week.

WR - Eric Decker, Broncos (at MIN): Decker, who is just outside of my top 30 receivers, has managed to have double-digit fantasy points in four of his past five games and this week he faces the Vikings, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. That said, Decker has a total of seven receptions in his past four games and it's hard to trust his production with Tebow under center, especially if you need this week to propel your team into the playoffs.

WR - Greg Little, Browns (vs BAL): Little has three straight games with 50-plus yards and he scored his first NFL touchdown last week against the Bengals. The Ravens rank fifth in passing defense (200.8 yards allowed per game) and no team has allowed fewer passing touchdowns (seven) than the Ravens. In fact, no other team has allowed fewer than 11 passing touchdowns.

TE - Owen Daniels, Texans (vs ATL): Going back to Week 5, Daniels has had single-digit fantasy points every week. In his past three games, Daniels has had exactly three fantasy points in every game as he has finished with 31 or 32 receiving yards in all three games. While he has the talent, the production has not been there recently.

Through kickoff of the 1 p.m. games on Sunday, we will update our positional rankings, which can be found at TheTipDrill.com.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 13!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you drafted Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson, you may very well suffer from mood swings.

His overall statistics are solid: 44 receptions for 825 yards (12th in the NFL) and seven touchdowns through 11 games. That means his 16-game pace is 64 receptions for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. His career highs were all set in 2009: 68 receptions, 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns.

Of course, Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers has not played like, well, Phillip Rivers, but Jackson has been boom or bust this season.

Jackson has four 100-yard games and he has scored all seven of his touchdowns in those four games. He has less than 50 yards in six of his other seven games this season and has five games with less than 35 yards.

In his four best games, Jackson has a total 100.6 fantasy points (or an average of more than 25 fantasy points per game). In his seven worst games, Jackson has a total of 23.9 fantasy points.

This week, the Chargers face the Jaguars on Monday Night Football. With Jack Del Rio getting fired this week and Mel Tucker, who was the defensive coordinator, promoted to interim head coach, the team should be playing with lots of emotion in primetime.

Through Week 12, however, the Jaguars have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

How many receiving yards will Jackson have in Week 13?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)