The hits just keep on coming for the beleaguered Rams, as they come off a hard fought loss against one of the tougher defenses in the AFC, only to get one of the best defenses in the entire league, and have to play them on the road no less.  Once again the Rams will probably roll out Kellen Clemens and they would be wise to do so; at this point, why even risk Sam Bradford at all, especially against a defense coming off a prideful loss to the 49ers and will be looking for someone to mash into their home turf?  That’s right, I’d be concerned for Clemens’ health, as the Steelers will most likely be seeing red with their chances to take control of their division and get a first round bye week all but gone.
Ben Roethlisberger likely won’t make the start in this according to reports, which is fine and dandy for the Steelers… after all, they could win this game with Charlie Batch, Joey Harrington, Jeff George, or Mahatma Gandhi at quarterback.  What it does hurt is the prospects of Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace, especially if fantasy owners were banking on big performances from those two for the fantasy championship.  You probably can’t bench them at this point, but expecting more than the types of games they had last week against the 49ers would be overly optimistic.
Where more optimism should reign is with Rashard Mendenhall, even though Mendy has been a bust for most of this season.  Drafted usually as an RB1, Mendenhall hasn’t lived up to even RB2 status this year, but this is one game where even he should be able churn out 100 yards and a score.  In fact, it won’t be a surprise if this is Mendenhall’s best game of the year, since he’s at home and home is just about the only time he’s been useful on a fantasy roster, as five of his eight touchdowns have come at home.  So roll Mendenhall this week if you got him, because really… when else were you ever going to use him?

For the Rams, you can’t like any of this train wreck against arguably the best defense in the AFC.  This will be a slaughter, and the Rams will be lucky to get any points on the board.  You might be tempted to start Brandon Lloyd here, but don’t expect more than 5 or 6 catches for 50 or 60 yards… at most.

Good Start:  RB Rashard Mendenhall, WR Antonio Brown, WR Mike Wallace
Middle of the Road: QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Hines Ward, TE Heath Miller, WR Brandon Lloyd
Bad Start:  Every other Rams player.

This game still has some playoff implications, for one team anyhow… The Raiders fell to 7-7 after letting a two score 4^th quarter lead evaporate at the hands of the Lions, and now must go on the road to try to keep pace with the Tebow and his Broncos.  The Chiefs played their Super Bowl last week, shocking the world with an upset victory over the previously undefeated Green Bay Packers.  The difference in this one could be the desperation angle, as the Raiders need this victory in the worst way while the Chiefs probably blew all the emotional steam they had left in punching the Packers in the grill.

This should be a game where the Raiders are able to ride Michael Bush, as the biggest difference between the Raiders and the Packers (well besides about six wins, an all-pro QB, being able score at will… ok, there’s lots of differences) is the Raiders have a real bona fide running game to hitch their wagon to.  As long as Darren McFadden remains out with the mother of all sprained feet (seriously, Liz Franc is BAD), Bush is an automatic play, especially against a division rival with his team needing a win to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive.

Another player that has to be considered an automatic play (if you can play three WRs and/or a Flex) is Darrius Heyward-Bey.  DHB has been hot in recent weeks while Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore have been out with injuries, and has seemingly won the confidence of QB Carson Palmer.  Heyward-Bey is finally showing some of the first round pedigree that got him drafted so high, showing elite athleticism, above average hands, and now the ability to run good routes.  If he continues to put all those things together, he will be worthy of drafting as a WR2 next season.

For the Chiefs, the only one you can really consider is Dwayne Bowe, as it will only be a matter of time before Kyle Orton locks on to him.  Orton has locked on to elite options in the past (Brandon Lloyd and Brandon Marshall come to mind), and Bowe’s head and shoulders better than anything else they have there in Kansas City.  The Raiders have been eaten alive in the secondary by good receivers, so this could be a rebound game for Bowe to finally get back to the 100 yard receiving mark.

Good Start: RB Michael Bush, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR Dwayne Bowe
Middle of the Road:  QB Carson Palmer, QB Kyle Orton, WR Steve Breaston
Bad Start:  WR Denarius Moore, WR Jacoby Ford, RB Thomas Jones, RB Jackie Battle, RB Dexter McCluster
  Ah yes, one of the classic intra-city grudge matches and the best thing about this one, is a playoff berth is on the line for both teams.  The loser of this game could likely miss the playoffs, which comes with all the off-season angst and anger of the New York sports fans and media.  This promises to be one of the best matchups of the weekend, and this will probably be a bigger offensive game than it might have been in the past, with both defenses not playing as well as they have in recent years.

Even with Darrelle Revis patrolling the secondary, the Jets have been vulnerable to the pass, so with Eli Manning turning into a pumpkin last week, don’t expect Peyton’s younger brother to go all gourd on us for a second week in a row.  This should be a bounceback game for Manning, as he’s often been clutch when his team has needed him most… I would expect him to find weaknesses in the Jets secondary, most likely not with Hakeem Nicks (who will be on Revis Island most of the game), but with secondary targets like Victor Cruz and Jake Ballard.  Also look for the Giants to try to get Ahmad Bradshaw going early and often, while mixing in the bludgeoning of Brandon Jacobs to keep the Jets off balance.
Speaking of bludgeoning, the Giants have been susceptible to strong rushing games with physical downhill runners, and Shonn Greene, when he’s on, qualifies as that.  Rex Ryan probably realizes as much as anyone that he can’t put the game in the hands of Mark Sanchez and expect him to actually win a game, so he’ll have to go with a more run heavy game plan to protect both a not-as-good-as-advertised defense and a very mediocre Sanchez.  If you have Greene, he makes for a strong start this week, as he’ll probably get at least one score up close and should approach 100 total yards.

Santonio Holmes will probably also be a decent start, but he and Sanchez haven’t been on the same page for much of the season; luckily the Giants secondary has been more than accommodating, with rookie Prince Amukamura getting toasted on a regular basis by halfway decent receivers this year.  Holmes has a way of coming up with a big touchdown in these types of games, so while his yardage is bound to be unimpressive, a score will certainly make him a worthwhile Flex play.

Good Start:  QB Eli Manning, WR Victor Cruz, RB Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Shonn Greene
Middle of the Road:  WR Hakeem Nicks, TE Jake Ballard (if he plays), QB Mark Sanchez, WR Santonio Holmes
Bad Start:  RB Brandon Jacobs, WR Mario Manningham, WR Plaxico Burress, TE Dustin Keller
  This game has playoff ramifications all over the place.  If the Chargers win, they stay alive in the playoff race and get closer to completing one of the more impressive comebacks over the second half of the season in recent memory.  The Lions early in the year looked like a playoff lock, and could be still if they win this game.  If they lose, then they continue to hold the door open for late comers who are still flickering with hope like the Seahawks, Cardinals, and Bears.

This should be a big time duel between quarterbacks, with Matthew Stafford continuing to throw touchdowns at an amazing rate over the last month, and Philip Rivers finally avoiding the turnovers that plagued him over the first half of the year.  If Stafford plays this game up to his ability, this should be a big time statement win for the Lions; if he starts off slowly like he has in many games this season, Rivers can and will make him pay.  Rivers is at his best with his back against the wall, and his back is firmly planted there, with the Chargers needing to win the last two games to have a shot at the post season.  Technically, the Lions don’t need this win to still make the playoffs; but if they lose, then they’ll certainly be feeling the pressure in Week 17 against the Packers.

In last week’s exciting come-from-behind victory of the Raiders, Calvin Johnson finally showed why he’s considered the most dominant receiver in the NFL, rolling up over 200 yards receiving with much of that coming in the late second half when his team needed big plays to stay out in front of the playoff wildcard race.  Stafford will undoubtedly lean heavily on Megatron again in this game, but also look for Nate Burleson, Titus Young, and Brandon Pettigrew to all get involved in the passing game to different degrees.

For the Chargers, this is a big time game with a ton of implications, so this is the perfect time for Vincent Jackson to show off why he’s deserving of a big contract.  If Jackson has a big game, then Rivers and the Chargers will likely win the game.  If Jackson struggles, Rivers won’t have that important deep threat to back the defense off and keep himself out of the pressurized blitz situations that have resulted in so many turnovers this year.  This should also be a good game for Antonio Gates, as the Lions don’t have the linebackers to keep even an older and slower Gates in check, especially with the safeties pre-occupied with keeping Jackson and Malcom Floyd covered down the field.

The difference here could be Ryan Mathews, who’s been playing well during the Chargers resurgence.  Mathews is a big time runner with big time skills, something the Lions have lacked since losing Jahvid Best to a season ending concussion injury.  If both these teams are considered evenly matched in the passing game and with suspect defenses, the running of an back on the verge of being elite could be enough to the Chargers over the top.

Good Start:  QB Matthew Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson, WR Nate Burleson, QB Philip Rivers, RB Ryan Mathews, WR Vincent Jackson, TE Antonio Gates
Middle of the Road:  RB Kevin Smith, WR Titus Young, TE Brandon Pettigrew, RB Mike Tolbert, WR Malcom Floyd
Bad Start:  RB Maurice Morris, TE Tony Scheffler, WR Vincent Brown
  While the 49ers have already clinched their division, they still have something to play for as they can still beat out the Saints for a first round bye week.  The Seahawks have even more to play for, as their entire post season hopes and dreams hinge first and foremost on their ability to win their final two games.  Win both, they still have a shot… lose here or at Arizona in Week 17, and they’re eliminated. 

The 49ers have been up and down in recent weeks, starting first with the hard fought loss against the Ravens on Thanksgiving, a blowout victory against the Rams, then a bad loss against division rival Cardinals, followed by a domination of the Steelers.  If they hold to the same pattern, the 49ers are bound for a let down visiting one of the more hostile stadiums in the league playing against a team that is not only desperate to keep their playoff hopes alive, but has been one of the hottest teams over the second half of the year.  The Seahawks were 2-6 through eight weeks and left for dead; since then they’ve gone 5-1, with only one loss a slip-up against the Redskins that they really should have won.
While this game is bound to be exciting, this will probably be a mostly low scoring affair where the defenses and kickers could be the highest scoring positions for fantasy purposes.  Marshawn Lynch has been hotter than any other running back in the league over the last six or seven weeks, so even against this tough matchup you’d be hard-pressed to bench him; even if he only ends up with 50 or 60 total yards, if Seattle is near the goal line, you know Lynch is going to get a few attempts to punch it in.  Because of that Lynch is still a good play.

For the 49ers, Frank Gore has historically been a Seahawk killer; but with Seattle at home and playing the best defense that they have in recent memory, Gore owners should expect a down game with unimpressive yardage but probably a score, much like what Lynch is bound to get.  Vernon Davis can give Seattle fits with his athleticism, so out of all the 49ers players he probably has the best possibility of posting a really good fantasy game.

Good Start:  TE Vernon Davis, RB Marshawn Lynch
Middle of the Road:  RB Frank Gore, WR Michael Crabtree, QB Tavaris Jackson, WR Doug Baldwin
Bad Start:  QB Alex Smith, RB Kendall Hunter, WR Ben Obomanu, WR Golden Tate
  Yet another game this week that has some playoff ramifications, as the fading Bears go on the road to Lambeau Field to try to keep their playoff hopes on life support for at least one more week.  The Bears have lost four straight, and are coming off a beating at the hands of fellow playoff hopeful Seattle.  The Packers also come off a loss, but they mostly yawned their way through a game that they should have been able to win easily… so unfortunately for the Bears, the Packers are not likely to sleep through this one, especially since they haven’t yet clinched the #1 seed in the NFC with both the 49ers and Saints two games back with two to play.

This might have been a more interesting game if Jay Cutler and Matt Forte were both healthy and playing; while the Bears haven’t ruled Cutler out yet at the time of this writing, it’s not very likely the Bears will risk him with their playoff hopes now hinging on a few other things happening in addition to having to win their last two games.  But now the Bears are but a shadow of what they were only a month ago, with Caleb Hanie (who has the distinction of being the only QB to lose a duel with Tyler Palko, probably the worst backup QB in recent memory) at the helm of this albatross, and now Kahlil Bell taking the running back duties with both Forte and now Marion Barber out with injuries (Marion Barber with an injury… that’s a surprise).  Kahlil Bell might be worth a flyer if you’re desperate, but chances are if you’re playing in Week 16 of a fantasy season, you aren’t that desperate.

For the Packers, Aaron Rodgers looked almost mortal last week, unable to make enough connections with his receivers to win the game.  Did losing Greg Jennings hurt that much?  It might have, as Jordy Nelson and James Jones just couldn’t get it done against the Chiefs and Jermichael Finley kept dropping passes like the football was made of boiling water or contained infectious diseases.  Back in the friendly confines of Lambeau may cure what ails them, especially for Nelson who has scored in every home game this year.  Even though the Packers offense was less than stellar last week, I certainly wouldn’t shy away from any of them for your league championship.

The only one I would probably steer clear of would be any of the Packers RBs, even though Ryan Grant has gone over 100 total yards in each of the two games he’s been the primary runner for.  The Bears are still tough against the run, and the Packers don’t run but a few token times per game anyhow to keep defenses honest, so they can be ignored by those still playing this week.

Good Start:  QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Jordy Nelson, WR James Jones
Middle of the Road:  WR Donald Driver, TE Jermichael Finley, RB Kahlil Bell
Bad Start:  RB Ryan Grant, WR Randall Cobb, all the other Bears
  Finally a prime time game everyone can enjoy for both fantasy purposes as well as a divisional game with big time playoff implications.  The Falcons won last week to stay in the driver’s seat for one of the wild card positions, while the Saints also won to catch up to the 49ers for that coveted #2 seed and bye week in the first round of the playoffs.  Also at stake will be a lot of fantasy league championships, as undoubtedly plenty of championship teams have the likes of Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez, Marques Colston, and Roddy White on them. 

This game was a little bit of a dud earlier in the year in Atlanta, but that can be attributed to the fact that the Saints don’t travel very well and seem to struggle to score points that come easy at home.  In the Superdome however, the Saints have been electric, scoring points at will and lighting up the scoreboard both in real life and in fantasy games.  The Falcons also do not play as well on the road, but they still can score points in bunches behind a suddenly resurgent Matt Ryan and Roddy White, so the fireworks in this one should be huge with the Falcons having to keep pace with Drew Brees.

Speaking of Brees, no quarterback has been as hot over the final month, which has undoubtedly propelled many fantasy teams into the position to win their league championships (probably against a lot of the Aaron Rodgers-led teams), and with the way Brees has been playing, it almost doesn’t matter what other stiffs you throw out there with him, if he’s on your team you’re competing.  The Falcons defense is in no position to even slow Brees down, especially not at home and in front of a national audience.  I’d expect at 300 and 3 scores to be Brees’ floor in this one, with over 400 yards being a distinct possibility.  That means Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, and Darren Sproles should all have very good games in terms of yardage, and each is likely to grab a score.  If you’re struggling to find consistency at your WR3 spot, I’d have no fear of rolling Lance Moore, who Brees likes to look for in the red zone and when he needs to move the chains on 3^rd down.

For the Falcons, both Ryan and White are strong plays, as is Tony G.  While Gonzalez had a rough go of it last week, he’s bound to bounce back against a defense with aggressive linebackers like those of the Saints, as the crafty veteran excels at finding holes in the middle of the zone and behind blitzers.  Michael Turner should also be a decent play here, although if the Falcons fall behind early his touches will be limited, since he isn’t usually the back of choice in passing situations.

Good Start:  QB Drew Brees, RB Darren Sproles, WR Marques Colston, WR Lance Moore, TE Jimmy Graham, QB Matt Ryan, WR Roddy White, TE Tony Gonzalez
Middle of the Road:  RB Pierre Thomas, RB Michael Turner, WR Julio Jones
Bad Start:  RB Chris Ivory, WR Robert Meachem, WR Devery Henderson, WR Harry Douglas



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