To prepare you as best we can for your week of Fantasy Football, we've devised this series of previews for each NFL game. We'll give you a taste of what to expect, then rank each significant Fantasy contributor on a scale from 0-5 logos (with five logos suggesting can't-miss; a player or unit without any logos suggests you probably shouldn't start him under any circumstances). The rankings take the matchup into account, but injuries and other significant factors also contribute. You should be able to compare the ratings for the players on your team and make an educated pick on who should start -- and sit -- in your lineup .
Vikings at Lions - Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET | |||||
The Vikings have a shot here regardless of who quarterbacks them. Their offense proved to be effective despite extenuating circumstances last week and it would be disappointing if they weren't to the same level in this matchup. The Lions' pass defense has made some improvements but their run defense is still not where many hoped it would be with Ndamukong Suh lining up along the interior. Look for Adrian Peterson, who looks as healthy as can be, to play a big role. Joe Webb makes the most sense to start for the Vikings since he's younger and the team might decide that he's a candidate to start at quarterback next season. For the sake of Percy Harvin and the rest of the Vikings receivers, not to mention savvy Fantasy owners in flex leagues, we're hoping for Webb. The Lions have gotten their running backs going, and that only complicates the game plan for the Vikings. Minnesota's blitz schemes were perfect on Tuesday and they could show some more flash at Shaun Hill in this matchup. Covering Calvin Johnson will be Job 1, but there's no guarantee Johnson will be active as he's dealing with an injury. Naturally, the matchup gets much harder for the Lions if he's out. Either way, the Vikings scheme has been hard on the Lions through the years and it will be a tough task for Detroit to end the season with their fourth straight win. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Joe Webb | QB | Shaun Hill | |||
Adrian Peterson | RB | Maurice Morris | |||
Toby Gerhart | RB | Jahvid Best | |||
Percy Harvin | WR | Calvin Johnson | |||
Greg Camarillo | WR | Nate Burleson | |||
Visanthe Shiancoe | TE | Brandon Pettigrew | |||
Ryan Longwell | K | Dave Rayner | |||
Vikings | DST | Lions |
Buccaneers at Saints - Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET | |||||
Both teams need wins to help their playoff outlooks; the Saints have clinched a spot but could leapfrog to No. 1 in the NFC with a win and a Falcons loss. The Bucs need a win and some help to get the No. 6 seed. Suffice to say, expect both teams' starters to play on. The Saints proved last week that you can't necessarily run on them, but it's still hard to pass on LeGarrette Blount. The Bucs are probably going to aim for balance with a dose of the run game and plenty of Josh Freeman passes. Cornerback Jabari Greer was in Matt Ryan's crosshairs last week and is sure to see a good dose of action come his way. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Mike Williams lined up across from him for most of the game. But the game is over if the Bucs can't control the clock with Blount because the Saints offense should get away with anything they want. Robert Meachem has been the Saint who has destroyed the Bucs of late, and Tampa's run defense has been decimated. Pierre Thomas got hurt on Friday and Chris Ivory might get a chance to do well. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Bucs gave the Saints a game, but it would be a surprise if it were as low scoring as their late 2009 meeting was. With Marques Colston receiving surgery this week, chances are he will not play. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Josh Freeman | QB | Drew Brees | |||
LeGarrette Blount | RB | Chris Ivory | |||
Cadillac Williams | RB | Pierre Thomas | |||
Mike Williams | WR | Robert Meachem | |||
Sammie Stroughter | WR | Lance Moore | |||
Kellen Winslow | TE | Jimmy Graham | |||
Connor Barth | K | Garrett Hartley | |||
Buccaneers | DST | Saints |
Bengals at Ravens - Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET | |||||
The Bengals offense came alive last week, a huge surprise and compelling evidence that Carson Palmer is far from washed up. The Ravens will test that theory with their pass rush but probably won't blitz too often. Baltimore has been scarred by receivers playing on the right side of the offense -- Brian Robiskie and Jimmy Graham each scored there of late. That doesn't mean the Ravens are impossible to score against on the left side, where Jerome Simpson will likely see the majority of his reps, but with Simpson garnering some attention, look for Andre Caldwell to work on all sorts of routes from the flanker position. There's also room for Jermaine Gresham to continue his strong play -- suddenly the Bengals are flush with young receivers now that their old receivers are hurting. Funny how that works. The Ravens have a chance to advance to the No. 2 seed with a win and a Steelers loss, so the only way their starters sit out is if they build a huge lead. Cincinnati's cornerbacks looked real good last week against Philip Rivers (they're healthy now) and could make for a long day for Joe Flacco, who doesn't exactly have a good history against the Bengals. That could mean a lot of Ray Rice to set the pace; he's seeing more work over the last couple of games and might be gearing up for the postseason run. With Cincinnati struggling vs. the run, Rice could lead the way and have a lot of yards and a touchdown. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Carson Palmer | QB | Joe Flacco | |||
Bernard Scott | RB | Ray Rice | |||
Cedric Benson | RB | Willis McGahee | |||
Andre Caldwell | WR | Anquan Boldin | |||
Jerome Simpson | WR | Derrick Mason | |||
Reggie Kelly | TE | Todd Heap | |||
Clint Stitser | K | Billy Cundiff | |||
Bengals | DST | Ravens |
Raiders at Chiefs - Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET | |||||
At stake for the Raiders: A shot at an 8-8 season including 6-0 in AFC West play. At stake for the Chiefs: Not a whole lot. Kansas City is locked into a home playoff game next week and the team might opt to rest their starters. Just remember, much of the Chiefs' organization is made up of ex-Patriots people, so they might prefer their starters to play for a while, just not the whole game. Also of note: The No. 3 seed can't possibly play at the No. 1 seed until the Conference Championships, so the Chiefs could hold off on a matchup with those Patriots by winning. The formula to beat the Raiders was on full display last week courtesy of the Colts: Contain the run game and take your chances with the pass. That should mean a tough outing for Darren McFadden, who was so-so in his earlier meeting with the Chiefs (114 total yards and a fumble). The Chiefs are susceptible to the pass so Jason Campbell will have a shot here with Jacoby Ford and Zach Miller doing most of the damage. The Raiders will also know to try and contain Jamaal Charles when the Chiefs have the ball, but they have been bad vs. the run all year and Charles and Thomas Jones should do well so long as they get playing time. The matchup to get nervous about is Dwayne Bowe on Nnamdi Asomugha, who played a near-flawless game vs. Reggie Wayne last week. Bowe has had some pretty good outings against the Raiders recently but if Asomugha is in his hip pocket he could be in for a letdown. That would in turn impact Cassel, who wouldn't get the 300-plus yards he had last week thanks in big part to Bowe but would be able to take advantage of other matchups with his receiving options against weaker Raiders defenders. Tony Moeaki has re-emerged of late and could continue to rack up yardage and touchdowns in this game. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Jason Campbell | QB | Matt Cassel | |||
Darren McFadden | RB | Jamaal Charles | |||
Michael Bush | RB | Thomas Jones | |||
Jacoby Ford | WR | Dwayne Bowe | |||
Zach Miller | TE | Tony Moeaki | |||
Sebastian Janikowski | K | Ryan Succop | |||
Raiders | DST | Chiefs |
Bills at Jets - Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET | |||||
The Bills have a chance ... if the Jets allow it. Jets coach Rex Ryan realizes that his team is more than likely ending up in the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, win or lose. Thus, the expectation is that many of his starters will play less than a full game. That's good news for the Bills, especially their passing game. With the likes of Kyle Wilson, Marquice Cole and Emanuel Cook working in the Jets' secondary at some point, Ryan Fitzpatrick (if he plays) should shine. Steve Johnson should finish the year on a high note, and there's optimism that non-wideouts like Jonathan Stupar and rookie C.J. Spiller (remember him?) could see time in passing situations because the Bills are shorthanded at receiver. Obviously, because the Jets are expected to limit their starters' playing time, it's tough to like any members of Gang Green you'd typically start. One guy with a shot is Shonn Greene: If LaDainian Tomlinson gets the veteran treatment, Greene would be in line for a decent amount of carries against a poor run defense. Greene ran nicely last week. Mark Sanchez is another feel-good Jet after the loss at Chicago, and assuming he plays a decent amount could continue to connect with Santonio Holmes successfully here. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Ryan Fitzpatrick | QB | Mark Sanchez | |||
Fred Jackson | RB | Shonn Greene | |||
C.J. Spiller | RB | Joe McKnight | |||
Steve Johnson | WR | Santonio Holmes | |||
Donald Jones | WR | Braylon Edwards | |||
Jonathan Stupar | TE | Dustin Keller | |||
Rian Lindell | K | Nick Folk | |||
Bills | DST | Jets |
Panthers at Falcons - Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET | |||||
The Falcons will treat this game with the intensity of a playoff game, but so might the Panthers. Carolina's run game remains their biggest strength, and the Falcons have sagged against the run in their last four. Look for Jonathan Stewart to continue getting a lot of work. It only helps the Panthers that they'll have 10 days rest coming into the game whereas the Falcons will have only six. The Panthers don't have the personnel to hang with the Falcons offense, be it Michael Turner or their receiving corps, so this shouldn't be a tough game for Matt Ryan. The Falcons control their own destiny and don't have to scoreboard watch, so if they get a big lead late in the second half they could opt to pull their starters. Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez remain the most obvious, and dominating, weapons at Ryan's disposal. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Jimmy Clausen | QB | Matt Ryan | |||
Jonathan Stewart | RB | Michael Turner | |||
Mike Goodson | RB | Jason Snelling | |||
Steve Smith | WR | Roddy White | |||
Brandon LaFell | WR | Michael Jenkins | |||
Jeff King | TE | Tony Gonzalez | |||
John Kasay | K | Matt Bryant | |||
Panthers | DST | Falcons |
Steelers at Browns - Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET | |||||
The Steelers will own the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture with a win, but it'll come against a team that has given them fits. Late last season the Browns bowled over the Steelers in a home game to help save Eric Mangini's job, and the Browns could be up for a repeat here. There will be a real good matchup to watch between Mike Wallace and Joe Haden -- the first of many times these two will meet. The Steelers would be wise to make like the Ravens last week against Cleveland and play decoy with Wallace and attack on underneath routes with Hines Ward (good history vs. Browns) and Heath Miller (also good). Rashard Mendenhall might need 25 carries to finish with a reputable stat line, but he should score and be effective. With Peyton Hillis a question mark to play much less play well, the Browns are going to have to dig deep into their playbook to have a chance. Brian Robiskie has been hot for them (18 catches for 194 yards in last five; touchdown in each of his last two), but with the Steelers bringing the blitz and enough film out on Robiskie to know what he's up to, there's not enough hope for another big game. The Steelers have given up three passing touchdowns vs. seven interceptions in their last six outings, and with a big playoff spot at stake, there's not a ton of hope for Colt McCoy to succeed. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Ben Roethlisberger | QB | Colt McCoy | |||
Rashard Mendenhall | RB | Peyton Hillis | |||
Isaac Redman | RB | Mike Bell | |||
Mike Wallace | WR | Brian Robiskie | |||
Hines Ward | WR | Mohamed Massaquoi | |||
Emmanuel Sanders | WR | Chansi Stuckey | |||
Heath Miller | TE | Benjamin Watson | |||
Shaun Suisham | K | Phil Dawson | |||
Steelers | DST | Browns |
Dolphins at Patriots - Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET | |||||
The matchup might be a little easier than normal for the Dolphins if the Patriots pull some starters, but the Patriots' defensive gameplan will remain the same: Hone in on Brandon Marshall (50 yards, no scores in Week 4 meeting) and clog the run while forcing Chad Henne into mistakes. There's room for optimism on Davone Bess since he'll likely receive single coverage, but no one else on the Dolphins should be awesome. Even with Wes Welker's torn ACL in Week 17 last year lingering in their heads, the Patriots are likely to play their starters for at least a half and potentially three quarters. But because some starters might sit out (Deion Branch could miss the game to give his knee some rest), it's hard to expect good stats from the regular Patriots players. The exception could be rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is healthy and one of three tight ends on the roster. The other two -- Aaron Hernandez (hip) and Alge Crumpler (a veteran) -- might not see as much playing time. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Chad Henne | QB | Tom Brady | |||
Ronnie Brown | RB | BenJarvus Green-Ellis | |||
Ricky Williams | RB | Danny Woodhead | |||
Davone Bess | WR | Wes Welker | |||
Brandon Marshall | WR | Deion Branch | |||
Mickey Shuler | TE | Rob Gronkowski | |||
Dan Carpenter | K | Shayne Graham | |||
Dolphins | DST | Patriots |
Giants at Redskins - Sunday, 4:15 p.m. ET | |||||
The Giants need a win and a Packers loss to advance to the playoffs, and since the Packers play at the same time as they do, expect the G-Men to go all out. The last time they faced Washington they cleaned up on the ground -- Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs totaled over 200 rush yards and four touchdowns (two each). With Hakeem Nicks out and the passing game in a funk, expect the Giants to lean on the rush and smash the Redskins like a certain unnamed Jaguars running back couldn't do last week. The passing game won't be full-go. Washington's answer is likely going to be the same thing -- run the ball to take pressure off of its pass game. New York was beaten badly by the pass last week at Green Bay, but the Redskins aren't the Packers. Chris Cooley has a chance to end the year strong. This should be a fairly low-scoring game. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Eli Manning | QB | Rex Grossman | |||
Ahmad Bradshaw | RB | Ryan Torain | |||
Brandon Jacobs | RB | Keiland Williams | |||
Mario Manningham | WR | Santana Moss | |||
Derek Hagan | WR | Anthony Armstrong | |||
Kevin Boss | TE | Chris Cooley | |||
Lawrence Tynes | K | Graham Gano | |||
Giants | DST | Redskins |
Chargers at Broncos - Sunday, 4:15 p.m. ET | |||||
Against the Raiders or Chiefs, there could be a letdown defensively. But with Tim Tebow starting and much being made about his two recent starts, the Chargers might be fired up to take down their division rival and end the year on a high note. The offense shouldn't have many problems moving the ball; Philip Rivers dominated the Broncos for four touchdowns (one off a screen pass) and their run game should be strong against a pathetic Broncos front seven, even without Mike Tolbert. Vincent Jackson will have one last stage to impress before hitting free agency, and with Champ Bailey possibly sitting out he could dominate like he did against San Francisco. Also potentially out for the Broncos is Knowshon Moreno. The running back has a rib injury the team is being careful with. It would not be a surprise to see them rest their prized rusher and roll Correll Buckhalter out against the Chargers, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him play well. Now last week Tebow was a real hero to Fantasy owners who started him, but this week is totally different. The Chargers will bring a good pass rush and have better cornerbacks than the Texans, so reel in expectations for Tebow. As such, it's hard to imagine any Broncos receiver other than Brandon Lloyd having even a good game. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Philip Rivers | QB | Tim Tebow | |||
Ryan Mathews | RB | Correll Buckhalter | |||
Darren Sproles | RB | Lance Ball | |||
Vincent Jackson | WR | Brandon Lloyd | |||
Malcom Floyd | WR | Jabar Gaffney | |||
Nate Kaeding | K | Steven Hauschka | |||
Chargers | DST | Broncos |
Jaguars at Texans - Sunday, 4:15 p.m. ET | |||||
Jacksonville can land the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs with a win and a Colts loss, but there are signs of pessimism. Maurice Jones-Drew is unlikely to play and is expecting to have knee surgery after the season. David Garrard had finger surgery this week after he hurt a digit on his throwing hand a couple of weeks ago. Those two were easily the best weapons on the Jaguars offense, and now with Rashad Jennings and Trent Edwards replacing them, not even a matchup against the Texans can save them now. Houston's secondary has been disheveled all season but it will beg Edwards to throw against it here because he's not very good. The matchup still might favor Edwards, but he is not to be trusted. The Texans are going to disappoint in 2010, but head coach Gary Kubiak appears to be safe for now. His offense is still rocking, and the matchup is so good for all the Texans. Even if Andre Johnson misses the season finale, there's plenty of reason to believe that Jacoby Jones and Owen Daniels pick up his slack. It's a good week to lean on the Texans. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Trent Edwards | QB | Matt Schaub | |||
Rashad Jennings | RB | Arian Foster | |||
Deji Karim | RB | Derrick Ward | |||
Mike Thomas | WR | Jacoby Jones | |||
Jason Hill | WR | Kevin Walter | |||
Marcedes Lewis | TE | Owen Daniels | |||
Josh Scobee | K | Neil Rackers | |||
Jaguars | DST | Texans |
Bears at Packers - Sunday, 4:15 p.m. ET | |||||
The Bears say they're going to play "full-go" here, but Lovie Smith's track record suggests that he'll sit his starters if the team has nothing to play for. Because they won't know whether or not they'll have something to play for until minutes before their kickoff, they have to give lip service to playing all out. The reality is that it's not safe to trust the Bears here because Smith has pulled his starters in meaningless games in the past, and all it takes is a Falcons win over the Panthers or a Saints win over the Buccaneers to render Week 17 moot. So if either of those teams wins, have a backup plan in place for any key Bears players. If both teams lose, start any Bears with confidence. The Packers will have popular Fantasy options no matter what the Bears do simply because their offense looked great last week against a tough Giants defense and they should be able to make strides against the Bears' first-stringers and absolutely annihilate the Bears' second-team defense. The sleepers here are James Jones, who is seemingly supplanting Donald Driver as Aaron Rodgers' second favorite target, Jordy Nelson (who is on Jones' tail for that second favorite role) and John Kuhn, who put away three touchdowns last week and has become a reliable goal-line back. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Jay Cutler | QB | Aaron Rodgers | |||
Matt Forte | RB | John Kuhn | |||
Chester Taylor | RB | Brandon Jackson | |||
Johnny Knox | WR | Greg Jennings | |||
Devin Hester | WR | James Jones | |||
Earl Bennett | WR | Jordy Nelson | |||
Robbie Gould | K | Mason Crosby | |||
Bears | DST | Packers |
Cowboys at Eagles - Sunday, 4:15 p.m. ET | |||||
The Eagles are jammed into the No. 3 seed, and with several players sore it is believed that Andy Reid will give many of them the night off. That includes Michael Vick, who has a quad bruise. Expect to see a lot of the Eagles' second-team offense led by Kevin Kolb. There is a shot for a fresh-legged Jerome Harrison to tally some stats, much like he did late last season. Rookie Riley Cooper is another deep sleeper. The Cowboys have a backup of their own starting under center in Stephen McGee, who was fairly impressive against the Cardinals last week and has had an extra day to prepare for the Eagles. Unlike Kolb, McGee won't play with other second-stringers, giving him the chance to have a halfway decent game. Remember, the Eagles are going to rest some guys, presumably cornerback Asante Samuel being one of them. McGee should be able to connect with Jason Witten and Miles Austin as he makes his case to back up Tony Romo in 2011. The run game for Dallas should also be a positive given the matchup against lesser talent. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Stephen McGee | QB | Kevin Kolb | |||
Felix Jones | RB | Jerome Harrison | |||
Marion Barber | RB | LeSean McCoy | |||
Miles Austin | WR | Riley Cooper | |||
Roy E. Williams | WR | Jason Avant | |||
Jason Witten | TE | Clay Harbor | |||
David Buehler | K | David Akers | |||
Cowboys | DST | Eagles |
Titans at Colts - Sunday, 4:15 p.m. ET | |||||
With the AFC South title at stake, the Colts are unlikely to lose a home game to the vacation-bound Titans. The last time Tennessee won at Indianapolis against a four quarter-playing Peyton Manning? Try Nov. 3, 2002. Chris Johnson is a decent option here assuming he gets the reps needed to have a big game. The Colts did a great job last week containing Darren McFadden but they could be hard pressed to do it again while also accounting for Kenny Britt. Still, once the Indy offense builds a lead we'll see Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis pin their ears back and get after Kerry Collins. The Colts defense should do a good enough job to keep the Titans' score low. Meanwhile, Manning is sure to pick on the cornerback opposite Cortland Finnegan for most of the game while doing his typical seam-punching work to deflate the Titans Cover-2 defense. Frankly, all key Colts players should do an adequate job with Pierre Garcon and Manning having a shot at being outstanding. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Kerry Collins | QB | Peyton Manning | |||
Chris Johnson | RB | Joseph Addai | |||
Kenny Britt | WR | Pierre Garcon | |||
Nate Washington | WR | Reggie Wayne | |||
Jared Cook | TE | Jacob Tamme | |||
Rob Bironas | K | Adam Vinatieri | |||
Titans | DST | Colts |
Cardinals at 49ers - Sunday, 4:15 p.m. ET | |||||
Only a Fantasy Football fan would care about this contest as both teams are losers in the NFL's loser division. The 49ers are entering the game with D-line coach Jim Tomsula as Mike Singletary's replacement, which could fire up the defensive line. But the linebacker corps will be without run-stuffer Patrick Willis, and thus it might not take much for Beanie Wells (who's been getting the majority of carries for the Cardinals lately) to gash San Fran. John Skelton has been decent under center, and if he does his homework he'll see that the 49ers pass defense gets gassed quickly, so there's hope for Larry Fitzgerald as well as impressive rookie Andre Roberts. Alex Smith keeps the starting job for the 49ers, and it might end up being his last chance to show that he can still start in this league. He'll have a good matchup as Vernon Davis has done well in the past against the Cards and Jason Witten just lit them up a week ago. The Cardinals' run defense has also been bad, namely on the road, and with Brian Westbrook still hanging on and trying to prove he can still play, expectations are that he'll have a chance. Anthony Dixon could also get some looks depending on how his ankle is doing. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
John Skelton | QB | Alex Smith | |||
Beanie Wells | RB | Brian Westbrook | |||
Tim Hightower | RB | Anthony Dixon | |||
Larry Fitzgerald | WR | Michael Crabtree | |||
Andre Roberts | WR | Josh Morgan | |||
Stephen Spach | TE | Vernon Davis | |||
Jay Feely | K | Jeff Reed | |||
Cardinals | DST | 49ers |
Rams at Seahawks - Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET | |||||
The regular season ends with a good ol' fashioned win-or-go-home game. The winner of this one will be NFC West champions and host either the Saints or Falcons the following week. OK, that's no great prize, but don't tell it to these teams. That said, the Rams have a delicious matchup here as the Seahawks' secondary got lit for five touchdowns last week and their run defense gave up well over 150 rush yards. Seattle's defense is just too banged up to compete, and as such Steven Jackson and Sam Bradford should do real well. Bradford's tight ends could also play a role here, especially after Kellen Winslow scorched the Seahawks for two touchdowns last week. The Seahawks will fight back with Marshawn Lynch and Charlie Whitehurst ... OK, not exactly the two best names in football. St. Louis' run defense has been a bust for the most part lately but they should be able to control Lynch at the line of scrimmage while giving Whitehurst plenty of chances to make mistakes. Even though Seattle is in an important Week 17 game, their skill-position players really can't be trusted for big Fantasy performances. | |||||
Name | Rating | Pos. | Name | Rating | |
Sam Bradford | QB | Charlie Whitehurst | |||
Steven Jackson | RB | Marshawn Lynch | |||
Laurent Robinson | WR | Mike Williams | |||
Danario Alexander | WR | Ben Obomanu | |||
Daniel Fells | TE | John Carlson | |||
Josh Brown | K | Olindo Mare | |||
Rams | DST | Seahawks |