1. Adrian Peterson
2. Cedric Benson
3. Maurice Jones-Drew
4. Frank Gore
5. Chris Johnson
6. Beanie Wells
7. Thomas Jones
8. Ricky Williams
9. Ryan Grant
10. Ray Rice
11. Marion Barber
12. Rashard Mendenhall
13. Knowshon Moreno
14. DeAngelo Williams
15. Steven Jackson
16. Jamaal Charles
17. Laurence Maroney
18. LaDainian Tomlinson
19. Brandon Jacobs
20. Joseph Addai
21. Fred Jackson
22. Pierre Thomas
23. Jonathan Stewart
24. Justin Forsett
25. Jerome Harrison
26. Tim Hightower
27. Jason Snelling
28. Ahmad Bradshaw
29. Cadillac Williams
30. Matt Forte
31. Quinton Ganther
32. Maurice Morris
33. Reggie Bush
34. LeSean McCoy
35. Chris Jennings
36. Felix Jones
37. Jerious Norwood
38. Justin Fargas
39. Marshawn Lynch
40. Michael Bush
41. Ryan Moats
42. Larry Johnson
43. Derrick Ward
44. Shonn Greene
45. Darren McFadden
46. Larry Johnson
47. Julius Jones
48. Mike Bell
49. Darren Sproles
50. Arian Foster

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Nick

Ok, here is the deal. I’m having a lot of mixed emotions on who I should start this week. I don’t think I can go wrong with my options, but it is the playoffs and I need all I can get. In our league, our roster looks like this. QB WR WR RB RB TE W/T W/R. I’m set at QB with Schaub and my #1 and #2 RB are AP and MJD. My starting TE is Dallas Clark. As of now I have Greg Jennings and Robert Meachem in my WR spots. This is where I don’t know who to play. I have 2 spots to fill (W/T and W/R). I have Antonio Bryant, who I really like this week. Dwayne Bowe who has a good match-up against the Browns. Heath Miller who may see some action with Woodson on Holmes and Ward being banged up. I also have Beanie Wells and Arian Foster who have great match-ups. Which 2 players should I play in my last 2 spots? And I forgot to mention it is a PPR league. PLEASE HELP!

I would put Bryant in as the WR2 and probably play Bowe and Wells this week.  Wells isn’t a PPR threat but he has a great match-up and they seemed to cut out Hightower really early after that fumble last week.

John

gore maroney moreno charles or jacobs which 3 do i start

Gore Moreno Charles for sure Maroney is going to share too much to have a big game

Kolby R

Baltimore vs Chicago or Arizona vs Detroit
I am currently planning on starting Baltimore. They will crush the pocket and force turnovers. What do you think?

Ravens are my number 1 defense this week, good luck bud!

Matthew

hi jim. i decided to bench sims-walker last night (ugh!), and now i’ve got to go with bowe or manningham this week. what do you think?

Manningham shouldn’t be on your roster anymore so its definitely Bowe!

Quiet Time

Defense: GREEN BAY vs Steelers or ARIZONA vs Lions this week?

WR PPR league: Calvin Johnson??? or Derrick Mason?

Manningham shouldn’t be on your roster anymore so its def Bowe.  And Cardinals Defense is my 3rd, so play them.

Weez

Do I have a better chance starting Boldin/Breaston against the Lions with a banged up Fitzgerald? Or should I start Meachem over Breaston? No way I’m sitting Boldin though. Even after he cost me a win last week….*grumbles*

I like the Boldin Breaston play, and it has nothing to do with Fitz =D

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Cowboys at Saints – This is a match-up between a team struggling for a playoff birth and another team striving for a perfect season.  There is a lot of emotion involved in a game like this.  If the Cowboys lose to the perfect Saints their playoff hopes are all but gone, and many people with-in the organization will need to update resumes.  I actually think that this Cowboys offense is playing well and that despite everything that is stacked up against them, the Boys will find a way to win this one.  They are a desperate team that has struggled as of late, however good games from Romo and the receiving core could give the Saints their only loss of the year if they can force a couple turnovers on defense.  Upgrade Miles Austin, Tony Romo, Marques Colston and Reggie Bush as this should be a game of big plays.

Dolphins at Titans – This is a battle for the inside track to the wild-card seed in the playoffs.  The Titans need to win out, and the Dolphins still have the division within their grasp, though they need some help from the Patriots to over take them.  Both teams are fighting for their lives and this always leads to some exciting football.  Williams owners should curb your expectations for him… he is still as a RB2 or a great flex option but he wont be having a huge yardage game this week.  Davone Bess is the best fantasy option at receiver from the Dolphins but you’re digging deep if your going there anyways because there are no big play threats in that receiving core which was built for Pennington and can’t take advantage of Henne’s deep ball ability.  Kenny Britt should be fine as a flex or WR3 play in 12 team leagues (or more) assuming VY is active, and of course Chris Johnson is the best back in fantasy this season and there is no reason that should change this week.

49ers at Eagles – DeSean Jackson is set to go off this week against a 9ers secondary vulnerable to the big play.  They beat up on the Cardinals because they got so much pressure, they wont have as much luck against this offensive line.  Gore is a great play at RB as last week there was an excellent balance in the San Francisco offense which is the environment that Gore thrives in.  Maclin is going to be inactive for this week so Jason Avant is a great play at WR this week, and Michael Crabtree is also a great play.  As this offense matures so does Crabtree, excellent flex option this week in what could be a shoot out.

Bengals at Chargers – Two AFC studs meet this weekend in a potential playoff preview.  The Chargers don’t lose in December, and the Bengals have only been beaten twice this year (I know they have three losses, I just don’t count that fluke play against Denver as being “beaten”) and are coming off a loss and want the momentum back for going into the playoffs.  The Chargers are pretty decent at stopping the run but Benson gets so many carries that he overcomes bad match-ups and he remains a good start this week.  Temper expectations on players in this one, as there are good defenses on the field and big plays wont come easy.  Vincent Jackson should stay on track as an elite receiver.

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Well, what a week for Fantasy Playoffs to begin!  Lots of Studs this week so lets get right to it! Oh yea, there are plenty of Duds too! =P

Studs

Eli Manning (NYG) - Top Fantasy QB honors in a loss Sunday against the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.  He looked very good with three TD passes and just shy of 400 yards.  He did lose two fumbles, but that is largely a protection issue and with those stats it’s easy to forgive.

Chris Johnson (TEN) – Ok, we expected it, but not quite this big, huge week from CJ this Sunday.  Likely was enough to push you through this round of the playoffs.

Adrian Peterson (MIN) – A lot of readers asked about potentially benching Peterson this week and I did everything in my power to convince you not to do this.  Peterson is set to go off any week regardless of match-up, let alone the fact that despite the impressive numbers the Bengals had defending the run, they really hadn’t faced too many elite backs this season.

Ryan Grant (GB) – Wow! No one saw this big of a game coming from Grant as he totaled 137 yards and two scores.  Grant remains a great RB2 down the stretch, but Rodgers wont see that little production again, which is bound to hurt Grant’s chances of finding the end-zone twice.

Frank Gore (SF) – Despite the offense having become more of a passing oriented attack over the past few weeks, when the 9ers dominated the Cardinals on Monday night they did it on the shoulders of Frank Gore.  It looked like this round one pick was going to cost his owners dearly in the playoffs as he was utilized less and facing a team that destroyed the Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson just last week.  However with San Francisco apparently rededicated to the run, Gore managed 167 yards and a TD.  Keep trusting him, because this offense is learning balance quickly.

Jamaal Charles (KC) – His team had trouble scoring, but not because of him.  Charles broke off a 70+ yard TD run Sunday for the Chiefs only time in the end-zone.  Despite the failures of his team Charles will still help you in the playoffs if the match-up is good.

Quinton Ganther (WAS) – OK, so if you were in a bind this week and you went with Ganther you were rewarded.  His match-up was great, and he got the job done.  However you can’t expect him to be able to score like that on other teams, so do you really want a RB that can only manage 50 yards against Oakland and in a GREAT week for him only sees 3 targets in the passing game?  I wouldn’t and neither should you.  Also if you wanted to start Ganther over a struggling star then it likely came back to bite you anyways, many people asked about him over the likes of Gore and Grant (and a few too many even thought he was a better play than Peterson).

Reggie Bush (NO) – Bush finally made a statement that he is healthy again this week with his 19 point fantasy day Sunday.  He will remain a great flex play through the playoffs, as he is the 4th receiving option in that offense.  For those keeping track Meachem is 5th so yes, he is a better play than Meachem in the flex.

Brandon Marshall (DEN) – Making a strong statement for being a top 3 fantasy football receiver next season with a record breaking performance on Sunday.  Marshall was targeted 28 times and hauled in 21 of them for 200 yards and two scores.  Enough said.

Andre Johnson (HOU) – This performance will take a back seat to Marshall’s but lets be honest this was a ridiculous game as well. 11 catches 193 yards and two scores as well.

DeSean Jackson (PHI) – Jackson has tied an NFL record for most 50+ yard TD plays in a season.  This is one heck of an explosive receiver that was a bargain deal where he was drafted in every league.  Oh, and he is going to remain dynamic the rest of the season.

Derrick Mason (BAL) - You see that play? He has my attention and respect now however, he won’t be upgraded too much as he is limited by the shaky play of Joe Flacco, but he will remain a very good flex or WR3 play.

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) – Nicks wont be a regular in your starting lineup during the playoffs but he had a huge game and might make a flex appearance and definitely in deep formats.

Dallas Clark (IND) – Not much for yardage this week, but three TD grabs is almost unheard of for a TE that isn’t Vernon Davis.

Fred Davis (WAS) – He’s available in too many leagues, Miller just got a concussion (his 2nd this season).

49ers (D/ST) – I still can’t believe they shut down that offense last night.  Warner got ONE point.

Duds

Randy Moss (NE) – negative points (-1) from a guy you start every week regardless of match-up is a tough beat in the playoffs.  If your still in it then your still starting Moss.

Rashard Mendenhall (PIT) – It was the Browns.  Be concerned if your still in the playoffs.

Mike Sims-Walker (JAC) – Hopefully you didn’t play him due to his injury, but I would have played him and would have been burned.

Greg Olsen (CHI) – Two weeks in a row, is Fred Davis available?

Mario Manningham (NYG) – Was on my dump-list, and even in a shootout he can’t perform barely at all.

Steven Jackson (STL) – Bad week I admit, you have better? Doubt it!

Visanthe Shiancoe (MIN) – TE’s are inconsistent, with as many TD passes as he’s got he’s earned a down week.

Donald Driver (GB) – You’ve seen all across the league that as the play of the QB drops so does the production of the WR.  This is just the first week Rodgers has slipped, and he didn’t so much as he wasn’t needed.  Jennings might be an issue, but Driver’s stock doesn’t change.

Kurt Warner (ARI) – Easiest match-up possible on the rebound so if your still around then he’ll still be ok.

Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) - IT WAS THE BROWNS!!! WHATS GOING ON IN PITTSBURGH? Honestly, i don’t know but Santonio Homes is the only one playing well.

Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) – Just hope he’s healthy, ignore the bad week as I’m sure you were planning on.

LeSean McCoy (PHI) - Stick a fork in him, he’s done.  Westbrook might be coming back this week, and you can’t entrust him with your entire season.

Aaron Rodgers (GB) – He just wasn’t needed to make plays.  Grant took the first play for the Packers to the house and they controlled the game through the run ever since.

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Love

Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace (PIT) – With a bad Browns team having a short week to prepare, and with receiver Hines Ward unlikely to play, Thursday night should be a big game for the two would-be starting receivers.

Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Robert Meachem (NO) – The Falcons have a pretty bad passing defense ranked 29th in the league and go against the best Offense in football lead by Drew Brees.  Brees’ favorite targets include receivers Colston and Meachem who will be creating mismatches in the secondary all day long.  Colston is a WR1 this week and Meachem is a great WR3 or flex play!

Andre Johnson (HOU) – Seahawks rank 25th against the pass and should be in over their heads on Sunday vs Johnson and the Texans.  Also a heavier emphasis will be placed on the passing game with Steve Slaton placed on IR.

Jamaal Charles (KC) – The Bills are dead last against the run and Charles has a 4.8 yards per carry average!  He is a must start at RB this week!

Terrell Owens (BUF) – Owens has been a part of the Bills offense since Perry Fewell took over as interim head coach.  The Chiefs are 28th in the league against the pass and wont be likely to contain TO and Evans.

Jets (D/ST) – The Buccaneers are pretty bad this year as you know.  Last week Freeman threw 5 interceptions against the Panthers.  The Jets will dominate this game on defense and play ball control on offense.

Vince Young, Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt (TEN) – The Rams are a great match-up for anyone, and the Titans are still red hot even though they lost last week (it was the Colts, you didn’t expect it anyways).  Rebound week for Vince Young!

Phillip Rivers (SD) – Rivers has been very productive and mistake-free the past few weeks even with the statistical absence of Vincent Jackson.  You cannot expect this lack of production to continue for Jackson and that only stands to improve Rivers’ production even more.

Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) – Best receiver in the league versus the 27th ranked passing defense.

Hate

Bruce Gradkowski (OAK) -You may have picked him up for a deep format but the Skins can only defend the pass, so this is not the week to try to use him.

Antonio Bryant (TB) -If Bryant was on a winning team with a real QB he would be a household name and he would really be something special to watch.  He’s not, he gets his passes thrown to him by a rookie and he plays the top passing defense in the league.  Sit him!

Jerome Harrison (CLE) -Like Gradkowski, you picked him up for other weeks, not this match-up sit him down this week.

Kevin Smith (DET) -Hard to imagine the Lions getting much done on offense against the Ravens.  I wouldn’t trust Smith enough for a playoff start this week.

Devin Hester and Matt Forte (CHI) – You got a decent week from Forte so don’t think it’s the start of something.  You need to have multiple productive weeks to get trust in fantasy football, not one versus a squishy match-up.  The Packers have been playing pretty well as of late and should roll right over the Bears.  Oh, and Hester was on my dump-list a couple weeks ago…. please do yourself a favor and ditch him!

Matt Cassel and Chris Chambers (KC) – The Bills passing defense has been about the only bright spot throughout the season.  If the Chiefs are going to win it will be on the back of Jamaal Charles and not the arm of Matt Cassel.

Frank Gore (SF) – The 9ers offense has gone the way of the pass as Alex Smith matures in that offense.  The Cardinals looked like Super Bowl contenders last week and the 49ers are struggling.  I don’t like any 49ers this week.

Brandon Jacobs (NYG) – Jacobs has been terrible, the only game he was any good for you was when he had a 74 yard screen pass.  It’s time to find his replacment (it was time a month ago actually).

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Studs

Tony Romo (DAL) – Even though it was December and the Cowboys lost, Romo out preformed all other QBs in Fantasy Football last week!  The Cowboys still need to find answers going down the stretch, but primarily on the defensive side of the ball.  Romo has some pretty average defenses coming up, and with the teams being the Chargers and Saints we can be sure that the Boys’ll be throwing plenty.  The Redskins are the opponent in Week 16 for most super bowl games in Fantasy which is not a great match-up, I’m sure most of you are still having nightmares about the last Cowboys Redskins game!

Kurt Warner (ARI) – If you risked starting Warner last week good for you!  The Cards got a big win over one of the NFC’s top teams, and really made a statement about their chances going into the playoffs.  They did not look like a Super Bowl contender in the early half of the season but all that matters is how you finish.  The next three match ups are against the NFLs 27th, 16th, and 32nd ranked passing defenses in that order.  These teams are (again, in order) the 49ers, the Rams, and the Lions.  The Rams are still a soft match-up for any passing game despite their surprisingly high rank, can’t ask for any better match-ups from your best QB!

Brandon Jacobs (NYG) – If you started Jacobs in week 14 then you are a braver man (or woman) than I.  Even in this big statistical game where he ended up the top Fantasy RB in the league he looked terrible with the ball.  Jacobs’ rushing stats were not enough to break double digits even with his rushing TD, but on one beautifully set-up screen play Jacobs found a whole to go 74 yards for a score (13 fantasy points of his 22 point total).  Jacobs is not the answer to your fantasy team or the New York Giants and should not be counted on as a starter in the playoffs.

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) – Moreno put up the highest fantasy point total of his rookie season this past week against the Chiefs (20 points).  He may not yet be an auto start, but consider that he plays the Chiefs again in Week 17 if that is when your Super Bowl is, as well as the Raiders in Week 15.  Moreno should definitely crack your starting lineup in those games, and probably even in his other match-ups next week vs the Colts and in Week 16 when he faces the Eagles.  Also if you were wondering Buckhalter still made an impact with 113 yards Sunday, but I still can’t see him threatening Moreno’s value as he gets most the carries and the goal line duties.

Robert Meachem (NO) – My apologies to any of you who asked about Meachem over the past week.  It has been easy to excuse his big games as a result of Colston being shut down, but after five of them it just cannot be ignored any more.  It is very difficult to talk about why the 5th weapon in any offense is a reliable fantasy play (Colston, Henderson, Thomas, Bush being who I feel are more valuable players), but numbers do not lie.  Meachem has 7 catches, four TDs and 43 more yards than number one receiver Marques Colston over the last five games.  I talk a lot about the short memory fantasy owners need to have, and Meachem owners should start to get excited.  This can’t mean that Meachem is the new top fantasy receiver in New Orleans, but it sure makes him the number 2 option over Henderson.

Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) – In Fantasy Football terms Boldin actually out preformed Fitz on Sunday, but this duo was 1 point apart and both inside the top 5 at WR this week.  Fitz continues to be Warner’s favorite target as he was thrown to 12 times (catching 8 of them) against the Vikings for 143 yards and a score.  Boldin caught one fewer pass on three fewer targets but got two TDs to go along with his 98 yards.  I mentioned the very good match-ups Warner has already so I won’t repeat them, I’ll just say you don’t want to play against either receiver down the stretch!

Pierre Garcon (IND) – A career day for this young Colts receiver on Sunday.  This guy has quite the future ahead of him as long as he is on the field with Manning, but this season he will be near impossible to rely on as a WR1 or WR2 at any point.  For those of you in deeper formats or with flex positions feel free to use Garcon as a WR3 or flex play in the playoffs as his 136 yard performance vastly over shadowed star Reggie Wayne’s 48 yard day!

Jermichael Finley (GB) – Since his injury earlier this season Finley has been a beast.  I have seen numerous games where the Packers motion him around to create the ideal match-up and expose the defense and when executed properly Finley is a monster.  I think Finley will follow a pretty similar career path as Marques Colston down the line (do you remember being able to play Colston as either a WR or a TE? I do!) as long as he stays healthy.  Monday night Finley caught seven passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns proving that he deserves a shot on any Fantasy Football roster in the playoffs.

Duds

Adrian Peterson (MIN) – 5 pts – The whole team struggled, and to get out of this funk, you should see a heavy dose of AP to force teams to focus more on him and leave the passing game open.  Still no worries for AP down the stretch.

Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC) – 7 pts – What can ya say other than a win is a win.  The Jags pulled a close win from the Texans on Sunday and did so with a pretty disappointing performance from both their offensive stars.  MJD is still a top 3 RB.

Frank Gore (SF) – 3 pts – Gore owners have to be worried as they watch Smith develop and the offense migrate towards a pass first philosophy.  If you have another option think about it long and hard because Gore’s production is slipping fast.

LeSean McCoy (PHI) – 2 pts – I have no clue what to make of the RB situation in Philly other than to say that McCoy is the best healthy back there.  You’re not dropping him, and you will likely still be playing him this week, but lets hope he gets the ball next week!

Greg Olsen (CHI) – 0 pts – Two bad teams met Sunday and the Bears won, kind of.  17-9 was the score of this game, and if I was a Bears fan I would be looking for a rock to climb under right about now.  Forte was the only bright spot this week as Olsen was blanked.

Felix Jones and Marion Barber (DAL) – 1 pt each – How bout them Cowboys in December?! We all thought Romo’s name would be on this side of my list this week lets admit it, but both RB’s in Dallas got just one fantasy point this week.  Neither can be trusted through the playoffs, but I would play Jones in a flex spot if the match-up was right.  The Cowboys win when he gets the ball, end of story.

Mike Sims-Walker (JAC) – 1 pt – MSW is still a WR3 or flex play down the stretch but the whole offense is inconsistent, even in a win.

Ray Rice (BAL) – 4 pts – You don’t likely have a better option and I’m not worried about Rice down the stretch either.  Neither team wanted to win much last night judging by the penalties, and with so many long distances to go for a first down Rice just wasn’t able to be a factor in THIS game.

Reggie Wayne (IND) – 4 pts – What can I say, Sunday was the Garcon show… Wayne is still Manning’s go-to-guy so he can be yours as well, still an auto-start.

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