Minnesota Vikings vs Cincinnati Bengals – This match-up premiers two of the toughest run defenses in the league.  The Vikings have a ridiculously large and powerful defensive line that is adept and both run stopping and pass rushing.  The Bengals are more of a group of unknowns than Jared Allen and the Williams’ in the middle for the Vikes, but they rank 2nd in the league vs the run and 4th in the league in overall defense.  We may not have expected them to be this good, but they are well coached and playing as a cohesive unit, something most defenses no longer due (Baltimore!).  Two premiere RBs face two premiere run defenses so how do us analysts rank these guys?  Well its sure tough but there is a reason you drafted Peterson first overall and that was to play him!  Peterson is still a top10 back despite the match-up problems and has to be started.  Benson is also a top 10 back this season but he falls a little farther past 15 but above 20.  You are likely still playing him, however if you were lucky enough to draft Ray Rice and Ricky Williams you could very well have better options.  As far as passing goes, Favre looks to be falling out of my top 10 at QB this week and not because of his age.  I think the Vikings match-up really well here and I think that AP will get the best of this Bengal D that hasn’t faced too many elite backs so far this season.  If the Vikings do not game plan to beat these guys in the running game and succeed I fear for how deep into the playoffs they can really go.  The Vikes secondary can be thrown on, so I also think that if the Bengals are going to win it has to be in a shootout through the air.  This wont be easy as Palmer hasn’t been playing like his old self this season (though quite good), he is merely managing the game they hope to win by running the ball over 30 times with Benson.

San Diego Chargers vs Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys seemed to have solved their offensive woes as they ad a good outing last week in a tough divisional loss to the Giants.  The Cowboys have a tough schedule and the playoffs are a must if people like Wade Phillips and Tony Romo if they hope to be employed next year.  Unluckily for them they are facing a red hot Chargers team that needs to maintain their winning ways now that Denver is out of its losing streak.  I do not think that either defense is so good that there are any offensive players devalued by their match-up.  On the contrary this should be a decently high scoring affair and the likes of Rivers, Austin, and Jackson see a slight increase in their stock this week.

Denver Broncos vs Indianapolis Colts - This is the best chance there is left in the regular season for the Colts to add a notch to the loss column; Orton has come back from his injury pretty well, Marshall is making plays for him in the passing game, and Moreno and Buckhalter are both good backs that are making the most of their chances.  The Broncos are a complete football team that is well coached, but the Colts have Manning and that has been the only coach to make much of a difference.  The players I like in the game are the usual players for each team, Manning, Wayne, Moreno and Marshall.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants – I love when two teams from this division play, they are always fun to watch so if you get the chance I recommend it.  Brian Westbrook is potentially going to be playing in this game, and this devalues LeSean McCoy, and couple that with his limited use last week, and his future gets murky.  He is still a great flex play this week or a RB2 if you are hurting from injuries at the moment.  DeSean Jackson looks to be returning as well this week, and should do just fine in the same role you were using him before.  Manningham has been a huge flop as of late so you aren’t using him, but Smith has been seeing a bump in productivity as he has seen at least 7 points in each of the last four weeks.  Smith is coming fresh off a 110 yard performance last week and should be a solid WR2 spot this week as we should see a fair share of scoring.

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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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