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 .

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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