In addition to our weekly Waiver Wire posts, weā€™ll also be providing valuable matchup analysis each week along with our suggestions on who to start and who to bench. If you have any additional matchup questions, or you are not sure who to start this week, feel free to post them in our Fantasy Football Forum.

San Diego (11-3) at Tennessee (7-7)
San Diego YARDS/GAME RANK Tennessee YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 213.2 13th Passing Defense 265.1 31st
Rushing Defense 116.9 21st Rushing Defense 100.4 9th
Passing Offense 280.5 7th Passing Offense 203.1 23rd
Rushing Offense 86.2 30th Rushing Offense 162.6 2nd
Fantasy Impact: Well I have one more week for my Vincent Jackson prediction to come true. (I never count week 17) He is sitting at 1,097 yards and 9 touches, if you have been reading this article then you would know I have been talking about him breaking the 1000 yard & 10 touchdown mark since week one. With all that being said, I feel that I have a very good chance of being right on this one. The Chargers once again look to be clicking at the right time and they face a Titans team that is terrible against the pass. This mean start Phillip Rivers, Vincent Jackson, and Antonio Gates and all may help you get a win this championship week. (if your championship game is week 17 then fire your commissioner). The running back situation is not as great since the Titans still have a decent enough line and the Chargers are fully a split back situation. Out of the two I would consider LaDainian Tomlinson the better start; however, Darren Sproles could steal the show on Christmas. For the Titans, I would think many people in their respective championship gamers have Chris Johnson to owe for their good fortune, many owners are still hurting that they passed on him in the first round since they heard LenDale White stop drinking tequila and lost 35 pounds (true story). As we all know now Chris Johnson does not really have to worry about the touchdown vulture and even if he was playing the ā€˜85 Bears I would recommend starting him. There are some more interesting starts, beginning with Vince Young, he has played well over the last few weeks and will be starting going into next season but the Chargers Defense is vastly underrated and even in deeper leagues I would steer clear of starting Young if you can help it. The receiving core needs to find their way to the bench as well as no one will know if Kenny Britt, Justin Gage, or Nate Washington will be the man this week for the Titans. So start all passing attack players for the Chargers and the running attack (Chris Johnson) for the Titans.
Denver (8-6) at Philadelphia (10-4)
Denver YARDS/GAME RANK Philadelphia YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 177.5 2nd Passing Defense 214.0 14th
Rushing Defense 116.9 22nd Rushing Defense 101.9 10th
Passing Offense 228.9 18th Passing Offense 273.9 9th
Rushing Offense 120.1 12th Rushing Offense 106.8 21st
Fantasy Impact: If you own any Denver player do not expect big things. The Eagles seem to never give up the big play which will make it hard for Brandon Marshall to have a huge day. Kyle Orton needs to be on the bench and Knowshon Moreno might have to join him there. Moreno is getting all the carries so it might be tough to bench; however, if he does not find the endzone I do not see a 100 yard day out of him. A very interesting match-up will be the crafty vet Champ Bailey against the young speedster DeSean Jackson. I think Champ will get help over the top therefore making Jackson owners nervous about him catching the long ball. Donavan McNabb might have Brain Westbrook back this week but,Ā just like the Turner situation last week, do not start either Westbrook or LeSean McCoy if that is the case, it is too uncertain to put a championship on the line for. McNabb is McNabb and if you own him you probably have to start him.
Oakland (5-9) at Cleveland (3-11)
Oakland YARDS/GAME RANK Cleveland YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 221.1 18th Passing Defense 244.1 26th
Rushing Defense 148.9 28th Rushing Defense 149.6 29th
Passing Offense 161.4 31st Passing Offense 146.3 32nd
Rushing Offense 111.6 18th Rushing Offense 122.1 11th
Fantasy Impact: Your fantasy season is over, Brady Quinn was placed on IR, just kidding but if you started Jerome Harrison congratulations, you are a savvy fantasy player. He will be the most added player this week and should be another good start against an Oakland Defense that gives up a ton of yards on the ground. Other than Harrison, there is no one else worth starting, unless of course if you are in a return yard league and you own Josh Cribbs. He is great play in all return yard leagues, but in standard formats he did not get as much opportunity at running back due to Harrisonā€™s performance, that should be the case again. For the Raiders, JaMarcus Russell did lead his team on a comeback drive last week but please do not put too much stock into that. Russell and anyone he throws the ball to should not be starting on your team. (how many times did I write that this year?)
Seattle (5-9) at Green Bay (9-5)
Seattle YARDS/GAME RANK Green Bay YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 249.4 29th Passing Defense 207.4 11th
Rushing Defense 106.4 13th Rushing Defense 83.6 2nd
Passing Offense 241.5 13th Passing Offense 284.1 6th
Rushing Offense 93.6 28th Rushing Offense 115.9 15th
Fantasy Impact: Another bust this season has been TJ Houshmandzadeh and with Charles Woodson covering him you can almost bank on the same minimal production out of him. The Packers might have given up a ton of yards in the air to the Steelers last week but I do not see that happening again at home this week. This mean I do not recommend starting anyone on the Seahawks. If you are in a bind, Houshmandzadeh does have the ability to have a big game but like stated above I do not think that will happen. The running situation is not any better as it is a time share with neither being even worth a flex play. For the Packers Aaron Rodgers will have a big game and I will make the same prediction that so will Greg Jennings. Jennings has been a bust based on his pre-season draft position status but he still has that blow-up game potential and is a worth WR2 this week against a secondary that cannot stop anyone. Simply stated since Ryan Grant gets all the touches he is a worthy flex play but like most weeks if he does not find the endzone he will get average points once again. Hopefully you got JerMichael Finley a few weeks back and he has proved a great red zone and short yardage target for Rodgers. If you own Dallas Clark this might be the week he sits and Finley makes the line-up (I discussed picking up Finley as insurance for Clark in a prior discourse)
Houston (7-7) at Miami (7-7)
Houston YARDS/GAME RANK Miami YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 210.1 12th Passing Defense 233.8 23rd
Rushing Defense 112.6 17th Rushing Defense 107.6 14th
Passing Offense 301.0 2nd Passing Offense 203.6 22nd
Rushing Offense 86.1 31st Rushing Offense 148.0 4th
Fantasy Impact: The Texans still have life so it will be full cylinders for this potent offense. They face a tougher defense in the Dolphins this week but Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub have proved to be must starts. (well Johnson proved that last year but he is leading the league in receiving yards by almost 200 at this point ā€“ why doesnā€™t he get more love?) Other than these two it is tough to have full confidence in any other Texan. Ryan Moats got the carries last week however, he is fumble away from sitting on the bench. Do not start Moats if you can help it. The Dolphins have one player worth starting this week and that is Ricky Williams. Williams broke 1,000 yards last week and is making a case for the Fins to trade Ronnie Brown in the off season. Start Williams and expect a big day.
Tampa Bay (2-12) at New Orleans (13-1)
Tampa Bay YARDS/GAME RANK New Orleans YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 203.9 8th Passing Defense 239.8 25th
Rushing Defense 158.9 30th Rushing Defense 114.4 18th
Passing Offense 192.2 28th Passing Offense 295.0 3rd
Rushing Offense 100.8 23rd Rushing Offense 133.6 5th
Fantasy Impact: There is absolutely no one on the Bucs that you should be banking on to have a huge game and win you a championship. With that being said there is always one human on each team at least worth mentioning and that human is Cadillac Williams. Williams has been up and down all year mainly due to the three headed monster that the Bucs tried this year. As of late he has gotten more reps and has taken advantage of the opportunity. For the Saints, they have something to play for and coming off a loss they are looking to prove something for the first time in a long time. Expect everyone to have a good game against the Bucs awful defense. The studs will be the three you expect Drew Brees, Marques Colston, and Pierre Thomas. There is chance the Saints go up big and if that is the case than Reggie Bush should see plenty of action. I do not think he is worth a gamble on but if you have no other options you may want to take a look.
Carolina (6-8) at New York Giants (8-6)
Carolina YARDS/GAME RANK New York Giants YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 192.6 4th Passing Defense 207.0 10th
Rushing Defense 130.4 26th Rushing Defense 99.8 8th
Passing Offense 195.5 26th Passing Offense 270.2 10th
Rushing Offense 148.1 3rd Rushing Offense 124.4 10th
Fantasy Impact: If DeAngelo Williams plays you have to start him, like you do every week but if he doesnā€™t, Jonathan Stewart is a great play this week. The Giants did shut down a Redskins team Monday night but the Skins looked liked they had no desire to play. Carolina will have more fire and whoever is the starting back should get into your line-up. Finally, Steve Smith has had a few games in a row where he did something and I now feel confident starting him. Not confident as a WR1 but as a flex for certainty. As stated the Giants looked great on Monday night, but Brandon Jacobs owners have to be a little concerned, Ahmad Bradshaw looked better and might get more touches than Jacobs this week. Eli Manning is an average start this week but he does have a little bit of blow-up potential in him. If you do not have better option you could do worse than little Manning. Now Manning spreads the ball so I am not a huge fan of Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, or Kevin Boss but out of the three, Smith is the best especially in a ppr league.
Buffalo (5-9) at Atlanta (7-7)
Buffalo YARDS/GAME RANK Atlanta YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 184.4 3rd Passing Defense 254.8 30th
Rushing Defense 165.6 32nd Rushing Defense 116.5 20th
Passing Offense 177.7 29th Passing Offense 230.3 16th
Rushing Offense 112.8 17th Rushing Offense 109.7 20th
Fantasy Impact: Michael Turner will be getting some coal in his Christmas stocking if it is up to his owners. After toying with them all week he starts, runs the ball once, and get hurt. (Hopefully you listened to us last week and sat him no matter what). It is doubtful he plays this week against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league but even if he does, sit him – you got lucky winning last week with him doing nothing – do not roll the dice again. Now if you own Jason Snelling, he is worth a hard look at starting. Norwood and Turner are both banged up so there is a realistic change he gets 25 touches against a Buffalo run defense that is dreadful. The passing defense for Buffalo has been solid this season and they held Tom Brady and company under 150 total passing yards. So you probably will start Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez but do not expect monster games. I also feel it is not the best decisions to start Matt Ryan, if either teams gets a large lead he will be pulled and saved for next year. For the Bills it is Fred Jackson and only Fred Jacksons worth starting. I know looking at the Falcons defensive rank you might want to give Terrell Owens one last chance but it is not worth the risk.
Baltimore (8-6) at Pittsburgh (7-7)
Baltimore YARDS/GAME RANK Pittsburgh YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 200.3 6th Passing Defense 221.1 17th
Rushing Defense 99.5 7th Rushing Defense 83.1 1st
Passing Offense 240.6 14th Passing Offense 286.9 5th
Rushing Offense 127.5 9th Rushing Offense 110.2 19th
Fantasy Impact: The game has playoff implications, hated rival, and most importantly a ton of fantasy relevant players playing in it. The best play is Ray Rice (who should be kept in all keeper leagues next season) and normally at this time I would bench him since he is playing the Steelers but quicker backs that run outside of the tackles can cause the Steelers trouble so start Rice as a RB1 this week. The real difference about this game is I am giving the green light to start Derrick Mason as a low end WR2. The Steelers have had trouble with the pass all year and Joe Flacco (not a great start) always looks to Mason first, second, and third. How can one sit Ben Roethlisberger after putting up 500 yards one week ago? He will not even come close but I do believe this game will be higher scoring than most people think. Now both Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are iffy plays but I think Hines is a better play in ppr than Holmes because Ward always has a good game against the Ravens. The flex option is not a receiver but Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall has been running great all season and should be in your line-up even against a tough Ravens defense.
Kansas City (3-11) at Cincinnati (9-5)
Kansas City YARDS/GAME RANK Cincinnati YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 224.9 19th Passing Defense 215.3 15th
Rushing Defense 162.6 31st Rushing Defense 85.2 3rd
Passing Offense 199.7 25th Passing Offense 211.7 21st
Rushing Offense 106.4 22nd Rushing Offense 131.4 6th
Fantasy Impact: Jamal Charles (yes another hit from our deep sleepers show ā€“ are you sick of me saying this yet?) will be a top 30 pick next season and right now is a must start in all formats. He does have his toughest challenge of the year this week against a Cincy team that has been tough;Ā  however, you cannot sit Charles, he is simply too hot right now and is the only back out there – so you will get 20+ touches out of him. Some may want to start Chris Chambers again and this is the theme this week, not worth the risk, if you are in the Championship you have to have better wideouts so go with them and do not get cute now. Now to Matt Cassel – I am sorry if you drafted him because was he ever a disappointment. Another regretful choice was Carson Palmer and everyone will be tempted to start him once again. At this point of the season he is what he is, an average fantasy quarterback that will put up ā€œOkā€ numbers but not blow anyone away. By playing the Chiefs he gets a slight bump so I believe he is a good start in 2QB leagues. The wideout to start is of course Chad Ocho Cinco (who might be a different name yet again next year) and the running back is still Cedric Benson, both are not tier one starts but both should be in your line-up.
Jacksonville (7-7) at New England (9-5)
Jacksonville YARDS/GAME RANK New England YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 244.4 27th Passing Defense 205.9 9th
Rushing Defense 103.7 12th Rushing Defense 109.0 15th
Passing Offense 229.4 17th Passing Offense 286.9 4th
Rushing Offense 128.6 8th Rushing Offense 117.9 14th
Fantasy Impact: Jacksonville needs a win, the Pats have had troubles against the run all year, and the best way to beat them is keeping Tom Brady off the field. So who do you think will touch the ball 25 plus times? Yep, your first round pick Maurice Jones-Drew, I expect big things out of Jones Drew this week. Once he goes off,Ā  David Garrard might see single coverage and I do not think he is awful play in deeper or two quarterback leagues this week. Also Mike Sims-Walker is an interesting play. For the Pats, I believe they will want to prove to the world they are not as bad as they have looked and Tom Brady will want a statement bounce back game. This means that a secondary that has been bad all year will face an angry Patriots team. I think Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker might win some leagues this week as I expect the Pats to put up over 40 points (bold statement I know). Some of these points will go to their running back Laurence Maroney whom has taken over as lead back averaging over 20 carries their past two contests. He is not as valuable in a ppr league but could prove a sleeper play this week.
Detroit (2-12) at San Francisco (6-8)
Detroit YARDS/GAME RANK San Francisco YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 268.6 32nd Passing Defense 248.1 28th
Rushing Defense 127.6 24th Rushing Defense 96.5 5th
Passing Offense 216.3 20th Passing Offense 202.9 24th
Rushing Offense 100.1 25th Rushing Offense 99.4 26th
Fantasy Impact: Maurice Morris took advantage of a great opportunity last week starting in place of the injured Kevin Smith but I believe Morris have a tougher time this week. He is still worth a look at but do not start him over any proven backs just yet. Calvin Johnson should be healthy but he sees a double team every snap and does not have a reliable quarterback. He is talented but those are tough odds to overcome. Consider Johnson a WR2 at best. For the 49ers it will be the Frank Gore show yet again, get him in your line-up. A sneaky play this week is Alex Smith who has been more up than down since taking over the starting duties. He might a top five play this week which also makes Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree worthy starts as well. (Davis more than Crabtree but the young rookie might finally have a huge day since that is all the Lions give up to teams number one receivers)
St. Louis (1-13) at Arizona (9-5)
St. Louis YARDS/GAME RANK Arizona YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 233.1 22nd Passing Defense 239.5 24th
Rushing Defense 140.4 27th Rushing Defense 114.8 19th
Passing Offense 194.2 27th Passing Offense 268.1 11th
Rushing Offense 114.9 16th Rushing Offense 95.1 27th
Fantasy Impact: Steven Jackson aka the entire Rams team has been banged up and finally might sit one out if that is the case obviously bench him if he plays then consider him a low end RB2 once again. It has been tough for Jackson to find the endzone all year since he sees eight of even nine in the box all day in the red zone force the Rams to throw the ball. Arizona needs a win because they are now fighting for a first round bye (what a difference a week makes). With this being said Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin are all must starts. I actually think maybe the safest and best play might be Beanie Wells. I know a running back a great start on the Cards? But Wells has looked great and the Rams are terrible against the run. I consider Wells a must start and believe he will find the end zone.
New York Jets (7-7) at Indianapolis (14-0)
New York Jets YARDS/GAME RANK Indianapolis YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 159.8 1st Passing Defense 225.5 20th
Rushing Defense 103.0 11th Rushing Defense 112.4 16th
Passing Offense 173.4 30th Passing Offense 302.5 1st
Rushing Offense 164.1 1st Rushing Offense 86.1 32nd
Fantasy Impact: Will Peyton Manning play the entire game? All signs are point to a definite ā€œmaybeā€; however, he faces a great passing defense this week and since there is still a chance he will not play the entire game you might want to think of benching him. Now I understand that is tough but make sure you listen to the pre-game for any last second announcements. Since I am nervous about Peyton I am nervous about everyone on the Colts. Do not start any Colt with confidence and seriously consider benching them if you have nearly as good options. For the Jets, it is one man to speak of and that is old man Thomas Jones (or at least he feels like he is old). Jones has been on a tear and will touch the ball numerous time this game and will find the endzone. Start Jones as a RB1 this week. As for the other Jets, bench them all (none of them should even be owned at this point)
Dallas (9-5) at Washington (4-10)
Dallas YARDS/GAME RANK Washington YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 232.1 21st Passing Defense 194.1 5th
Rushing Defense 97.7 6th Rushing Defense 117.2 23rd
Passing Offense 277.6 8th Passing Offense 236.9 15th
Rushing Offense 129.7 7th Rushing Offense 100.1 24th
Fantasy Impact: Dallas at Washington, normally I would state to throw out records but seriously the Cowboys are just better than the Skins and coming off a huge win. I believe they will put up a ton of points on this Redskins team. Tony Romo and Miles Austin are must starts this week and expect big things out of them. The Skins have done well in the past against Jason Witten and I do not think he will find the end zone however in a ppr league he could catch up to eight balls this week. The running situation is great for Dallas since they have three backs they use but for fantasy owners it is a frightening proposition. The only back worth starting is Marion Barber who should have a decent day since the Skins have had trouble against the run all year. The Redskins have looked to pack it in so I do not like any of them this week. Jason Campbell ran for this life against the Giants Monday night and I fully expect the Cowboys to blitz time and time again. Do not start any Skin this week and this includes Quinton Ganther who is the Skins lead back but he may move to more of time share this week as this is try-outs for new general manager Bruce Allen.
Minnesota (11-3) at Chicago (5-9)
Minnesota YARDS/GAME RANK Chicago YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 220.7 16th Passing Defense 202.4 7th
Rushing Defense 89.6 4th Rushing Defense 128.5 25th
Passing Offense 266.0 12th Passing Offense 223.4 19th
Rushing Offense 119.0 13th Rushing Offense 88.4 29th
Fantasy Impact: Minnesota took a step backwards last week and Brett Farve was not pleased on the sidelines. As you look at where the Bears defense ranks, one would think that Farve is in for a monster game but remember last year he struggled in cold weather games and the game is being played in Chicago. Now do not sit Farve and Sidney Rice for a lower tiered quarterback or receiver just do not expect a monster game out of either of them. You can expect Adrian Peterson to have that monster game, he has looked to be slowing down as of late and if it was not for a junk check down that went for 64 yards he would have had a below average game. I think Peterson is starting to hear the whispers and will prove to everyone he is still a force to be reckoned with. So Jay Cutler did not work out for the Bears, he will start, he will throw picks, but he just might have a huge day. This still means to bench him. You cannot put championship hopes in Cutlerā€™s hands who leads the league in picks. In fact sit all Bears against this tough Minnesota defense; this does include Matt Forte if you have better options. The one item going for Forte is he is still getting all the carries so if you are looking for a few points with not much blow up potential start Forte in your flex.
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