Week 17 is here and there are still a few of you out there fighting it out. Others may have fun bonus games going. Either way, we are still here to help you out to the bitter end. Injuries still play a key role this week, but some players will be headed to the bench early with nothing left to play for in the 2007 regular season. Our replies are targeted to help not only the specific person asking the question, but also the masses as well. So if we did not answer your specific question directly, our replies are structured to comment on hot topics and provide further insight to help a larger audience make their fantasy football decisions. At any rate, let's get to it:
“Hi...
I'm in my leagues Super Bowl. Unfortunately both my stud receivers (Reggie Wayne & Plaxico Burress) aren't good choices this week. I am hoping for a little help with my line up. I'm in a 1 point pr. reception league, w/ 1 point pr 10 yards rushing and receiving.
Running backs, pick three:
LT
Kenny Watson
Kolby Smith
T.J. Duckett
Michael Turner
Darren Sproles
Receivers, pick two:
Roddy White
Bobby Engram
Calvin Johnson
Roydell Williams
Reggie Wayne
TE, pick one:
Vernon Davis
Tony Scheffler
Thx much, I'm really stuck on the receivers... looks like Devin Aromashodu is available too if you think he is worth a look.”
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Mitch, Stevens Point, WI
Docs:
Darren Sproles is a starter for you. We like Tomlinson, but you know Sproles will see a lot of carries this week. If Rudi Johnson doesn’t play, you will want to start Kenny Watson. However, you will have to keep a close eye on this because Watson’s value plummets if Rudi Johnson plays. If Rudi Johnson does play, then start Kolby Smith in the place of Kenny Watson. If you don’t know if Rudi Johnson is going to play, start Kolby Smith. Roddy White should be a good start for you this week against a Seahawks team that has nothing to play for. Your other WR should be Roydell Williams. Engram is an interesting pick, but he is so injury prone that we expect the Seahawks to take it easy with him. Williams and the Titans will be giving it their all and that should bode well for Williams’ fantasy stats. At TE, we like Vernon Davis. He has started to hit his groove with the 49ers new QB, so we would start him over Scheffler.
“I have to put in a lineup for my league’s ‘Pro Bowl’ please help me pick a few good players to start out of these options:
QB: (pick 1)
Jon Kitna
Carson Palmer
Derek Anderson
RB: (pick 2)
Adrian Peterson (MIN)
Kolby Smith
Maurice Jones-Drew
LaDainian Tomlinson
Marion Barber
Jamal Lewis
Frank Gore
”
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Charles, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Docs:
While we think that Carson Palmer should have a decent game against the Dolphins, we have to start Derek Anderson. Anderson has a shot at the playoffs and he will be sure to give this game all he has. Kitna and the Lions are just a mess, so we would rather avoid him - given these choices.
Frank Gore jumps off the page out of your RB choices. He has been running like the first round fantasy pick we thought he was at the beginning of the season. The 49ers will continue to play hard and Gore will too. Marion Barber and Maurice Jones-Drew have been good backs this season, but we just can’t trust either of them this week. Both of these guys’ teams have the playoffs looming and nothing to play for this week. Look for the RBs further down the depth chart to get more carries. Kolby Smith will likely get you about 70 yards and a TD or 100 total yards and no TD. He wouldn’t be a bad choice, but you can do better given your options. The Raiders are so bad that we think that Tomlinson should still have a decent game before he gets benched, but that is a big risk. If the Chargers score early with someone else, Tomlinson may see the bench early and give way to his backups for all of the fantasy points that the Raiders will allow. We are more inclined to go with one of your backs that has a lot to play for. Both the Vikings and the Brown have a lot to play for, so we would make one of those two players the #2 RB. Jamal Lewis is the safer play, but if you are looking for big play ability, you need to go with Adrian Peterson (MIN). Peterson probably has some of the “rookie wall” chasing him down, but we like his explosiveness too much to leave on the bench.
“Week 17 QB Choice: Rothlisberger, Garrard, or Kellen Clemens? Just trying to get as many points as possible. Thanks”
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Jeff, Ben Lomond, CA
Docs:
Jeff, week 17 is always a very tricky week to pick starters. Season-long studs can be pulled at any moment due to playing for teams that have already locked up playoff spots, and duds can become fantasy studs in mop-up duty against second tier defenses. Recent reports from the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette have Big Ben sitting out the season finale to rest a sore ankle. Limited practice activity from Rothlisberger this week would seem to corroborate this report. With that in mind, it’s down to Garrard or Clemens. It comes down to whether we would prefer a full game from Clemens or in all likelihood a half-game from Garrard. It just doesn’t sit well in our pallet to trot Clemens onto the fantasy championship turf, so we will take our chances with as much PT as we can get from Garrard, who has been red-hot. In addition, Clemens doesn’t have the best of match-ups, facing the 29th most favorable defense for fantasy QBs in the 49ers, while Garrard gets to face the 15th most favorable defense for fantasy QBs in the Texans (standard performance scoring). That is enough for us to give the rock to Garrard in limited duty over Clemens. Naturally if a late breaking report has Garrard only playing one or two series, then you will have to take your chances with Clemens. As of today (Friday AM, 28 December), no such reports have been published.
“Lineup choices : 3 RB spots ( 2RB and 1 flex ) Ahmad Bradshaw, Marshawn Lynch, Jesse Chapman, Ryan Grant, Chester Taylor, Aaron Stecker. Concerns – Stecker’s foot/ knee injury; Bradshaw’s calf issues / amount of action he'll get; Grant how long will he play?”
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Steve, Buffalo, NY
Docs:
Steve, we haven’t heard anything official regarding Grant’s PT, but it is hard to imagine the Packers risking him getting hurt in a meaningless game. Let’s be frank, if Grant goes down, the Packers playoff hopes go down with him. If it were any other week, Grant is a must start. Bradshaw is just too risky at this point to roll the dice on him. The Giants have a very capable backfield that will be more than happy to share the load. It comes down to Taylor, Stecker, and Lynch. Sigh. That’s tough. As you know living in Buffalo, Jason Peters is down and out, which is a very key loss to the o-line. Lynch will have his work cut out for him this week. Stecker is banged up, but we would be shocked if he didn’t play a lot of minutes this week. Stecker didn’t hesitate to have his toe numbed last week to allow him to get back in the game, and that sort of determination along with the Saints thin playoff hopes on the line spell it taking a massive injury for Stecker to not keep playing. We like Taylor due to the fact the Vikings are playing for their playoff lives and facing the Broncos at home. The Broncos are the 12th most favorable defense for a fantasy RB to face (standard performance scoring), and Taylor brings a nice balance as a pass receiver out of the backfield; however, Taylor’s ceiling is very limited. So it goes like this: If you feel you overmatch your opponent and more times than not your team would win, then we would recommend Stecker and Taylor. However, if you feel you are evenly matched or at a disadvantage facing your opponent, then we would recommend Stecker and Lynch. Here’s hoping you are able to bring home the title.
