No matter who you are, or what format league you are in… If you are still alive this week then you are playing for the championship.  Going into the last week of the season, the strategy for pick ups changes and it becomes more about screwing over your opponent than bettering your own team.  Many leagues also limit free agent additions in the post season and then you would only be able to make a move in the event of an injury on your team.  By playing with fire and placing your league’s Super Bowl in week 17 you also need to consider the fact that certain teams will be resting their starters to remain healthy for the playoffs.  The teams that we know are in this situation already are the Patriots, Jets and depending on tonights game, the Falcons.

Pickups

Jerome Simpson, WR, CIN – This is a bit mind-boggling to me, how can the Bengals play the best game of the season as soon as they are lacking their two pro bowl caliber receivers?  They faced one of the best defenses that the league has to offer and yet this unknown talent pulled off 6 catches on 7 targets for 124 yards and two TDs.  Even if Ochocinco is back for Week 17, Simpson has likely earned the right to start opposite him and Palmer will look to him for a repeat performance.

Rashad Jennings, RB, JAC – I have been calling Jennings a handcuff to Maurice Jones-Drew for a few weeks now and after a mildly disappointing performance from Rashad this week, he remains someone worth grabbing if you’re having any depth issues.  The Jaguars still have an outside chance at winning their division and making the playoffs, but they do need some help.  With that said, you can count on them fighting and clawing for the win next week against the Texans terrible defense. If MJD is out again next week, Jennings will be a top 20 guy and even better in PPR formats.

David Garrard, QB, JAC – Like I said, the Jags face the Texans!  Houston has been a mind bogglingly bad pass defense and should set the record for the worst defense EVER in respect to passing yards against. If you have been alternating Quarterbacks based off match up, then Garrard is the guy this week.

Jacoby Jones, WR, HOU – The Texans are out of the playoff hunt and if Andre Johnson couldn’t go this week, I would be surprised to see him risk further injury in week 17. Ford topped 100 yards receiving this week and you can expect him to be heavily involved in this offense next week against Jacksonville if Andre indeed can not make the start.

Zach Miller, TE, OAK – He finally has shown enough for me to return him to my top 10 tight ends.  He had suffered a couple injuries in the middle of the season that killed his production, but with 66 yards and a TD this week, I think you can count on him next week as well.

Davone Bess, WR, MIA – Bess has been a PPR diamond in the rough this season and with a match up against the Patriots weak secondary that will likely rest their starters at the end of this game, Bess is a sneaky player to use in your flex.

Dump List

It is a little counter-productive for me to list players that are worth dropping in the last week of the season.  The reason is, ANYONE that you don’t plan to use is a viable drop.  There is no danger of facing him next week and if you are sure that your opponent wouldn’t pick him up and start him right away… go for it.

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Austin Collie, WR, IND - Active

Chris Ivory, RB, NO - Inactive

David Garrard, QB, JAC - Active

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI - Active

Jacob Tamme, TE, IND – Active

Joseph Addai, RB, IND – Inactive

Marion Barber, RB, DAL – Inactive

Matt Cassel, QB, KC – Active

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC – Active

Roy E. Williams, WR, DAL – Inactive

Ryan Torain, RB, WAS – Active

Terrell Owens, WR, CIN - Active

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Studs

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET - I wonder if Megatron is happy to have his franchise QB back at the helm?  In his first game after being reunited with Matthew Stafford, Calvin makes the most of it, hauling in 9 catches of the 15 thrown his direction to total 101 yards and three scores.  Calvin should be able to validate your decision to draft him with ease in the 2nd half of the season as the Lions continue their crawl out of the shame of their 2-30 record from the ’08 and ’09 seasons.

David Garrard, QB, JAC - Well, this is why Garrard is so frustrating for fantasy owners.  5 total TDs this week in a dominating performance against the helpless Dallas Cowboys. I still couldn’t trust Garrard in a one QB league, but if you were in bye week hell this week, you were rewarded for digging deep and starting Garrard.  Stay away from Captain Inconsistent from here on out unless you have to start 2 QBs every week.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – The law firm had a MONSTER second half Sunday to finish with 112 yards and 2 scores on just 17 carries.  This performance came out of left field given his committee situation and tough match up, but he has done a lot to ensure he will see a lion’s share of the carries in the Patriots backfield.

LaGarrette Blount, RB, TB – Blount, in the past two weeks has taken over the feature-back role in the Buccaneers’ offense and vaulted himself to a top 25 RB option for fantasy owners.  The success of the Buccs offense has centered around young talent like Freeman and Mike Williams.  I was not surprised to see this type of performance from Blount in that offense with the great match up, but it was far from a lock that he saw the same amount of carries.  After Sunday, these questions are no longer a concern and Blount should be used as a great flex option from here on out… or a RB 2 if you’re hurting!

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI - When it looked like it couldn’t get any worse for Fitzgerald… it didn’t! Fitzgerald returned a little bit of value to fantasy owners who drafted him and hadn’t abandoned him to their bench.  Fitz caught two TD passes from two different QBs this week and totaled 72 yards.  We can’t expect to see scores every week from the NFL’s most talented receiver, but he should probably be started weekly still, whether you like it or not!

Brandon Lloyd, WR, DEN – After two straight quiet weeks, Lloyd hauled in 7 catches for 169 yards and a score Sunday in England.  He has been a HUGE value for the lucky owner in each league who grabbed him off waivers early in the year.  I do have concerns for Lloyd down the stretch as continuing to lose only speeds the emergence of Tebow as the Broncos starting QB… which turns every offensive player in Denver into one giant question mark.

Jamaal Charles, RB, KC - I still don’t know what Todd Haley and Charlie Weiss are thinking making Charles split carries with Thomas Jones.  Charles saw only 3 more carries than Jones did and has an extra ONE HUNDRED YARDS to show for it.  It’s great to have an adequate backup that can fill-in when your lead guy gets tired… but to force him to see half the carries at the expense of the success of your offense and team is just idiotic.  Charles had double the yards per carry that Jones did and had he run it 30 times instead of 22, there would not have even been an over time in this game.  Even with his current coaching staff, Jamaal Charles is a top 15 RB and a must-start every week.

Jason Witten, TE, DAL - With uncertainty at QB and one of the most talented Tight Ends in the NFL, we should see the re-emergence of Jason Witten as an elite fantasy TE.  Very often when a QB is struggling, they use the TE as a safety-valve because they are so difficult to cover in space, due to their large size.  That combined with how good Witten is at stretching the field and going deep over the middle should lead to him being Kitna’s new best friend.

Duds

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT - The Saints defense looked a lot like their opponent usually does… dominant.  Ben was not able to stretch the ball down the field to his receivers who all could take a spot on this list. This won’t be the norm, but highlights why Big Ben is not an elite fantasy QB at this point in his career.

Chad Ochocinco, WR, CIN – The Bengals continue to deny their identity as a run-first offense and they continue to lose.  I don’t know why Marvin Lewis is the last person on the planet to realize that Carson Palmer is not the QB he once was and as long as they continue to go to the air twice as often as handing the ball off, they will continue to lose.  Chad’s owners might disagree with me, but if they would run as often as they did last year, he would be open much more often.

Zach Miller, TE, OAK – With his first terrible game of the season behind him, we still have to start this guy every-week.  I was big on him as a value pick in this year’s draft and he has not disappointed.   Look for him to remain the Raider’s leading receiver throughout the season and continue to be productive regardless of who starts at QB.

Felix Jones, RB, DAL – All I can say is you’re sure not starting ANY Dallas RBs until further notice.  What a mess.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA – I am speechless, the matchup was right… but the whole Seahawk offense was silenced Sunday against the Raiders.  We can’t expect anything THIS bad again, but it puts a halt on the top 20 RB expectations I had for Lynch for the past couple weeks.

Mark Sanchez, QB, NYJ - The whole Jets offense struggles when Sanchez does and the Dom Capers blitzing scheme shut Sanchez down this week.  All we really learned from this game is that the Jets are indeed human and even with all the injuries, we still need to take the Packers seriously.

Randy Moss, WR, MIN – Moss did so bad this week that his head coach told the Vikings players that Moss was no longer a part of their team on Monday morning.  Now, no such move was officially made yet and we need to watch this unfold to know how his fantasy-value will be impacted.  However, I saw a lazy player not trying his hardest on Sunday… unless this serves as a humbling experience for Moss, his attitude will need to be monitored closely for the rest of the season.

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Waiver Wire Pickups

Mike Thomas, WR, JAC – The Broncos have a decent pass defense, but they should not have been good enough to shut out Mike Sims-Walker.  There were a few quiet murmurs about Thomas just before the season, but they went largely unnoticed and probably shouldn’t have.  Go get Thomas as I think before long he will prove to be the most viable and consistent fantasy option among all Jaguar receivers.

Eddie Royal, WR, DEN – I saw a lot of Jabar Gaffney questions on game day this week and while he did find the end zone, touchdowns are random.  I will take the guy with the most targets and receptions any day.  I do not think Brandon Lloyd has what it takes to be a reliable target so go get Royal now while people are focused on the other two.

Michael Vick, QB, PHI – Seems like a no-brainer for Kevin Kolb owners to go out and get Vick to play the role of handcuff while Kolb recovers from a concussion.  Often times the first concussion can be recovered from pretty quickly but I would anticipate at least one week off for Kolb. With the Lions coming up this week Vick should be capable of filling in quite well after getting over 100 yards rushing this week to compliment his 175 passing yards and a TD through the air.

Brandon Jackson, RB, GB - Grant has said that he does not plan to miss any time, but can you afford to not have him around?  The Packers are going to face a bad Bills run defense (though they played pretty well considering how abysmal their offense was) next week and they should be able to let Grant get back to 100% and still get a win.  This seems like an easy decision and so does grabbing Jackson for the easy match up just in case the Packers do the right thing.

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – Once Montario Hardesty got hurt, it became increasingly apparent to me that Jerome Harrison was going to be the lead back and get the vast majority of the workload.  Clearly, the Cleveland Browns are unable to commit to one single running back and this creates some value for Peyton Hillis.  Hillis had 11 fewer yards on as many carries as Jerome Harrison but found the end zone and very surprisingly was the top fantasy RB on the Browns.  I wouldn’t be in a rush to start either Harrison or Hillis quite yet till there is some idea who will be the top guy might be.

David Garrard, QB, JAC - Garrard was surprisingly efficient in the season opener and he was able to do so with a less than 100% Maurice Jones-Drew in the backfield.  This is not the type of performance you should expect from Garrard, however he is the same type of backup as Vince Young, Chad Henne and Jason Campbell… he will remain a consistent fantasy producer even when the team struggles.

Mike Williams, WR, SEA – I still do not think that the Seahawks can be a playoff team.  I also still think that the 49ers will be and will win this division despite a slow start.  The woes of the Seahawks will center around the play of Matt Hasselbeck so as long as he is able lead the team on the field as well as off of it, the receivers will be relevant to us.

Dump List

Jabar Gaffney, WR, DEN – Touchdowns are pretty difficult to predict and apart from getting one this week Gaffney did very little against a pretty soft Jaguars secondary.

Rashard Jennings, RB, JAC – Jennings was drafted by some people as a handcuff when people paniced about Jones-Drew.  MJD did not have a great game in week 1 but he did enough to demonstrate his injury will not be a lasting concern.

Laurence Maroney, RB, NE - Maroney’s contract is about to expire and the Patriots have never seemed to been a big fan of his.  I do not see them trying to pick up his contract at the end of the year nor using him as much as they have in the past.  Fred Taylor is the best Patriots RB to own so don’t bother holding Maroney if Taylor is available.

Devin Hester, WR, CHI – I have seen some questions this week about Hester and he should not be on anyone’s roster unless you are in a very deep format.

Anthony Gonazlez, WR, IND – I don’t think of Collie as own-able in a 10 team league yet, but he should certainly have earned the slot receiver job after a great performance this week.  This leaves Gonzalez to 4th on the depth chart and useless to fantasy owners even if the injury was very minor.

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Week 2 of the preseason is in the books and fantasy football drafts are coming up rather quickly.  As the preseason continues we all carry on our search for sleepers in this years draft.

Eagles vs Bengals

Kolb continues to look strong through week 2, but most surprising to me so far is the involvement of DeSean Jackson in the intermediate passing game.  The primary reason for DJax not being a part of the elite group of receivers this year is that when McNabb left the team so did the deep ball.  Not entirely, but not many people throw long balls like Donovan.  Kolb has been making completions to Jackson over the middle and inside of 20 yards with much more frequency than McNabb did.  This won’t upgrade Jackson in my rankings but it will hold him firm at number 9 and removes a lot of the doubt I had about his consistency. I have yet to see much of anything from LeSean McCoy and I am starting to expect very little from him.  I recommend not taking the risk on McCoy on draft day, not when guys like Joseph Addai and Ronnie Brown should still be available in the next round.

My dislike for Carson Palmer is still growing after this last game.  2 interceptions and a bad decision that got his star receiver leveled in a preseason game.  Good judgment.  Also, there is a lot of talk about how well T.O. has done thus far.  They are trying to get the fan base excited and as much as the fans may love 85, they won’t get excited about him catching balls in the preseason.  My expectations for T.O. are for him to be marginally better than last season.  Someone will be reaching for him on draft day, don’t let it be you.  Lastly, I want to point out that Bernard Scott should never go undrafted this year (except for maybe 8 team leagues).  He has performed well whenever given that chance and with Benson being such a workhorse he is bound to miss a game or two.

Redskins vs Ravens

Even though the ‘Skins were only able to put a field goal up on the board McNabb was able to demonstrate why players on this team will be fantasy-relevant again.  Throughout his time in the game McNabb was able to use his play-making ability to extend drives and keep the defense rested.  Being able to convert on third and long allows Portis to get more carries and receivers to get more catches and yards as well.  McNabb allows this team to have more offensive plays in a game than Campbell or any other option available to them.

The Ravens looked flat this week, even with Ray Rice on the field.  I am certainly not concerned about Flacco as the Redskins were among the better pass defenses in the league last year and they were a much worse team then they are now.  The only player on the Ravens that I do have concerns about is Derrick Mason. He has been hobbled by leg injuries through camp, is getting older and saw only one target on Thursday.  Flacco has a new toy to play with and he is good enough to make him forget that Mason is still on the field.

Dolphins vs. Jaguars

Henne is a great backup option for you this year.  I think he will develop into a top 10 QB by the end of the season, but there could be some growing pains early.  There weren’t any this week however… The Dolphins offense looked very strong and even incorporated Brandon Marshall quite nicely.  Look for Anthony Fasano in the late rounds if you really want a backup TE.  If anyone has the chance to do what Celek did last year, its this guy right here.

David Garrard was having a pretty good night before he got hurt and was pulled out of the exhibition game.  I have seen very little about his injury since it happened which leads me to think it is minor.  He has just enough skill to make Mike Sims-Walker a WR2 or flex play but Maurice Jones-Drew will remain the star of this offense.

Bears vs Raiders

We saw some good things from the Bears this week.  Forte had a nice TD run of 89 yards, which is a great example of how a Mike Martz offense creates holes in the opposing defense.  Cutler had a solid outing, no interceptions as well as finding Johnny Knox in the end zone in the second quarter.

The Raiders played good, solid football in all three phases of the game this week and won the game because of it.  This is a sign of good coaching and a franchise on its way back to prominence.  Not yet though, because there is not one receiver that can be relied on week-to-week.

Other Week 2 one-liners

Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee are not to be taken lightly, they will perform in Vincent Jackson’s absence.

Ryan Mathews should be a consistent performing RB2.

The Cowboys will have a few bad offensive games until they solidify their offensive line.

Miles Austin will produce consistently anyway.

Thomas Jones – 3.63 YPC and a fumble, Jamaal Charles 5 YPC and 23 yards receiving… Stop drafting Thomas Jones above round 8 or 9.

Mike Williams should be drafted in a 12 team league.

Arrelious Benn should not be.

Hasselbeck has something left in the tank, but it’s not what it used to be.

Aaron Rodgers really should be everyone’s number 1 ranked Quarterback.

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There are a lot of questions I have about this team, mainly like who could be the leader that took them deep into the playoffs? Not David Garrard. With each season that the Jaguars stick with Garrard is another year of abandoned potential.  They have elite players and both running back and one developing quickly at wide receiver, yet for some reason they continue to be unable to .  As far as fantasy football is concerned Garrard has some value as a backup, but there is not much potential for him to do much better than average.

Top Fantasy Players

Maurice Jones-Drew – MJD is an elusive and explosive back that is adept at catching the ball out of the backfield.  If you are in a PPR league then he is probably the 2^nd ranked RB, otherwise he should be the third pick in your draft.

Mike Sims-Walker – MSW is a great receiver that has a great ability to find open space in the end zone.  No one on the team is hurt more statistically by the mediocre play at quarterback than Sims-Walker.

David Garrard – He is a QB2 in any league.  He can get the job done effectively as a fill in when he is playing against a weak pass defense.

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San Diego Chargers vs Tennessee Titans

This really should be a VERY entertaining game for us to watch on Christmas.  I expect a high scoring affair so go ahead and bench these defenses for your playoff or super bowl match-up.  Rivers should do very well this weekend as well as Gates with Keith Bulluck out the middle will be much easier to attack.  Obviously Johnson is a must start as he is almost a shoe-in for a hundred yards on the ground and a score.  You may see a bit more receiving yards than normal here as like with Benson last week the Chargers are good at marginalizing their opponents rushing attack.  They can’t make CJ irrelevant as he is just as big a threat out of the backfield.  Britt is still your fantasy option at QB but Gage will vulture a few targets from him so town down expectations.

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Rushing yards are at a premium so tone down expectations on Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall.  Rice is a must start however because of his worth in the passing game but you shouldn’t expect a huge day.  Mendenhall would likely be sitting but other starts from this game are Derrick Mason, Ben Roethlisberger, Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward.  I like Holmes quite a bit, more than Ward this week as the Ravens are vulnerable to the deep threat and thats what he is so he has a huge upside.  Downgrade Heath Miller as the Ravens have the line backers to cover a TE in man coverage pretty well.

Denver Broncos vs Philadelphia Eagles

This game could have its fair share of fireworks as the Broncos are desperate to prove that last week was a fluke and the Eagles are one of the hottest teams in the league.  DeSean Jackson is an obvious must start as there really doesn’t appear to be any defense that is prepared for his speed.  They do have a good secondary and should do an okay job limiting him from too big of a game, but Celek should should benefit from all the cover three and quarters coverage that Jackson will force.  Stay away from Kyle Orton, and every Eagle running back you may have.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs New England Patriots

The Jaguars have to win to stay in the playoff hunt and the Patriots can clinch the division with a win so both teams have something to prove.  The normal cast of starters will still apply and you can expect a big day from the Patriots receivers as the Jags are pretty bad at corner back.  Downgrade Garrard some as he never looks quite as good away as he does at home, but I do expect Mike Sims-Walker to do just fine as the Patriots secondary is pretty weak itself.  Oh and Maurice Jones-Drew… rumor has it he’s pretty good so go ahead and start him too. =P

Have a Very Merry Christmas, I will have player rankings updated tonight or before the game Christmas Day!  Please forgive me if I don’t do a mailbag article though, I don’t see me nieces and nephew enough as it is!

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