The Fantasy Football Sherpa

It’s Hip to Play Squares (Fri. 2/3/12)

The Sherpa — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:02:13 +0000

Sunday evening over 100 million Americans will gather in living rooms and bars across the country to watch Super Bowl XLVI. Some will root for Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski (if he’s able to play), Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots. Some will root for Eli Manning, Victor “Salsa” Cruz, Tom Coughlin, and the New York Giants. Many will be more interested in the Super Bowl commercials or Madonna’s halftime show.

Regardless of which team you’re cheering for, much of the most fervent rooting will have little to do with which team is actually winning the game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. For many viewers participating in a Super Bowl squares contest organized by friends, co-workers, or the local watering hole provides more entertainment than the game itself.

There are many variations on Super Bowl squares contests, but they all start with a 10-by-10 grid featuring the numbers zero through nine along both the horizontal and vertical axes. One axis is chosen to represent each of the teams playing, and in the simplest form of the squares game, participants pay a flat fee that buys them one randomly-assigned square on the grid. At the end of each quarter and the end of the game the winning square is determined by the last digit in each team’s score at that point in the game.

For example, suppose the contest organizer designates the horizontal axis to represent the Giants’ score and the vertical axis to represent the Patriots’ score. Then, if the Patriots are leading 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, the person assigned to the (7,0) square would win a predetermined dollar amount or percentage of the total money raised by the selling of squares.

Even though the squares may be assigned randomly to participants, the history of the first forty-five Super Bowls has shown that not all squares on the grid are created equal. Here’s a mapping of the 180 quarter-ending scores; I’ve randomly assigned the horizontal axis to the visiting team and the vertical axis to the home team in each of the previous games:

Home/Vis	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
0	13	2	3	11	4	3	4	10	0	3
1	2	0	0	1	3	2	1	3	0	1
2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
3	6	0	0	6	4	0	5	8	0	0
4	7	1	1	2	1	0	2	7	0	1
5	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
6	2	0	0	2	0	0	2	2	0	0
7	10	2	2	5	3	0	4	7	0	3
8	3	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1
9	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0

Before converting this to a table of probabilities by square, it’s helpful to realize that assigning teams to the horizontal or vertical axis is an arbitrary exercise, so there’s no reason to believe that the probability of winning with square (0,3) should be any different than the probability of winning with square (3,0), even if that hasn’t been the case with the empirical data. So, instead of using the 11 empirical “hits” with square (3,0) and the 6 empirical hits with square (0,3), it makes more sense to calculate square probabilities as though both squares had hit 8.5 times.

Once that adjustment is made, here’s what the table of square probabilities based on historical results looks like:

Home/Vis	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
0	7.2%	1.1%	0.8%	4.7%	3.1%	1.1%	1.7%	5.6%	0.8%	1.4%
1	1.1%			0.3%	1.1%	1.1%	0.3%	1.4%	0.3%	0.3%
2	0.8%				0.3%			0.8%	0.3%	0.3%
3	4.7%	0.3%		3.3%	1.7%		1.9%	3.6%
4	3.1%	1.1%	0.3%	1.7%	0.6%		0.6%	2.8%		0.6%
5	1.1%	1.1%								0.3%
6	1.7%	0.3%		1.9%	0.6%		1.1%	1.7%	0.8%	0.3%
7	5.6%	1.4%	0.8%	3.6%	2.8%		1.7%	3.9%		0.8%
8	0.8%	0.3%	0.3%				0.8%			0.3%
9	1.4%	0.3%	0.3%		0.6%	0.3%	0.3%	0.8%	0.3%

Note: Blank squares have no “hits” during the first 45 Super Bowls.

Several observations:

The top 13 square probabilities account for over 50% of the winning squares (53.9%).

Almost half of the squares (46) have never been winners.

In reality the blank squares in the table above have a non-zero probability of being winners. A larger sample-size would be needed to estimate these probabilities, but keep in mind that the NFL didn’t adopt the two-point conversion until 1994.

Enjoy the game!

The Sherpa

The Sherpa’s Fantasy Football Blog

@fantasy_sherpa on Twitter

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“4th & Inches with Jana and The Sherpa“, Wed. nights 9:30-10:30pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio

Week 17 Player Recommendations (Sun 1/1/12)

The Sherpa — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:20:52 +0000

San Francisco at St. Louis (Sunday early) – San Francisco can lock up the second seed in the NFC playoffs (and the first-round bye that comes with it) with a victory, so expect their starters to play most of the game. St. Louis also has something to play for - a loss in this game will keep them in the running in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, depending on the outcome of the Indianapolis-Jacksonville game. Very rarely do the interests of both teams line up so well. San Francisco 24, St. Louis 13.

San Francisco
- Start: RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis, DEF
- Neutral: RB Kendall Hunter, WR Michael Crabtree, K David Akers
- Sit: QB Alex Smith, WRs Ted Ginn Jr (Questionable-ankle) & Kyle Williams (Questionable-concussion)
St. Louis
- Start: N/A
- Neutral: RB Steven Jackson, WR Brandon Lloyd, DEF
- Sit: QBs Sam Bradford (Doubtful-ankle), A.J. Feeley (Doubtful-thumb), & Kellen Clemens; RB Cadillac Williams, WR Brandon Gibson, TE Lance Kendricks, K Josh Brown

Washington at Philadelphia – The Eagles’ season has been an unmitigated disaster relative to the expectations many had for the self-annointed “Dream Team”, but a win in this game will allow the Eagles to finish with a .500 record. The Redskins’ Rex Grossman and Evan Royster have been pleasant surprises, but don’t look for Ryan Torain to get any carries Sunday - he was released earlier this week by the mercurial Mike Shanahan. Philadelphia 28, Washington 17.

Washington
- Start: RB Evan Royster, WRs Jabar Gaffney & Santana Moss
- Neutral: QB Rex Grossman, DEF
- Sit: RB Roy Helu (Questionable-toe), WRs Terrence Austin, Anthony Armstrong, & Donte’ Stallworth (Probable-ankle), TE Logan Paulsen, K Graham Gano
Philadelphia
- Start: QB Michael Vick, WR DeSean Jackson, TE Brent Celek, DEF
- Neutral: RB LeSean McCoy (Questionable-ankle), WRs Jason Avant & Jeremy Maclin, K Alex Henery
- Sit: RB Ronnie Brown, WR Riley Cooper

Detroit at Green Bay – Green Bay is unlikely to play its key starters more than a half, so it’s probably wise to bench Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finley, and Jordy Nelson. Detroit will play for momentum going into the playoffs, so their starters should play most of the game. Detroit 27, Green Bay 21.

Detroit
- Start: QB Matt Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson (Probable-achilles), TE Brandon Pettigrew, DEF
- Neutral: RB Kevin Smith (Probable-ankle), WRs Titus Young & Nate Burleson, K Jason Hanson
- Sit: RB Maurice Morris
Green Bay
- Start: N/A
- Neutral: QB Matt Flynn, RBs John Kuhn & Brandon Saine, WRs James Jones & Donald Driver, TE Jermichael Finley, DEF
- Sit: QB Aaron Rodgers, RBs James Starks (Out-knee) & Ryan Grant, WRs Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings (Out-knee), & Randall Cobb (Out-groin), K Mason Crosby

Tennessee at Houston – Tennessee still has playoff hopes, but the Texans want to regain momentum heading into the playoffs. Don’t start Chris Johnson, but Jared Cook is finally displaying the top-tier talent many have talked about since he came into the league. For Houston expect to see much more of Ben Tate than Arian Foster. Houston 20, Tennessee 17.

Tennessee
- Start: WR Nate Washington, TE Jared Cook, DEF
- Neutral: QB Matt Hasselbeck, WR Damian Williams
- Sit: RB Chris Johnson (Questionable-ankle), WR Lavelle Hawkins (Questionable-ankle), K Rob Bironas
Houston
- Start: RB Ben Tate, DEF
- Neutral: WRs Kevin Walter, Jacoby Jones, & Bryant Johnson (Probable-thigh), TEs Owen Daniels (Probable-knee) & Joel Dreessen (Probable-knee)
- Sit: QB T.J. Yates (Probable-shoulder), RB Arian Foster (Probable-knee), WR Andre Johnson (Probable-hamstring), K Neil Rackers

Indianapolis at Jacksonville – Indianapolis “controls its own destiny” in the Andrew Luck derby - a loss in this game will clinch that dubious distinction for them. However, don’t expect the Colts’ players to roll over - many of them are playing for their jobs. Jacksonville has only four wins of its own, but as long as Maurice Jones-Drew is still in one piece, he’s worth starting in any fantasy league. Jacksonville 20, Indianapolis 17.

Indianapolis
- Start: RB Donald Brown, WR Reggie Wayne, DEF
- Neutral: QB Dan Orlovsky, WRs Pierre Garcon & Austin Collie, TE Jacob Tamme
- Sit: RBs Joseph Addai & Delone Cater, TE Dallas Clark (Questionable-neck), K Adam Vinatieri
Jacksonville
- Start: RB Maurice Jones-Drew (Probable-ankle), DEF
- Neutral: WRs Mike Thomas, Chastin West, & Jarett Dillard; TE Marcedes Lewis (Probable-hamstring)
- Sit: QB Blaine Gabbert, K Josh Scobee

New York Jets at Miami - The Jets need to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, then hope for a series of unlikely events in other games. Miami’s playing out the string; Reggie Bush has been a pleasant surprise for them this season after a slow start, but he won’t be playing, leaving the bulk of the rushing chores to the disappointing rookie Daniel Thomas. New York Jets 21, Miami 20.

New York
- Start: WR Santonio Holmes, TE Dustin Keller, DEF
- Neutral: QB Mark Sanchez, RB Shonne Greene (Probable-ribs), WR Plaxico Burress
- Sit: RBs LaDainian Tomlinson (Probable-quad) & Joe McKnight (Probable-shoulder), WR Jeremy Kerley, K Nick Folk
Miami
- Start: RB Daniel Thomas (Probable-knee), DEF
- Neutral: QB Matt Moore, WRs Brandon Marshall (Probable-knee) & Davone Bess, TE Anthony Fasano (Probable-concussion)
- Sit: RB Reggie Bush (Out-knee), WR Brian Hartline, K Dan Carpenter

Chicago at Minnesota – After they were eliminated from the playoff race last weekend the Bears placed quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte on IR. Kahlil Bell seems intent on showing the Bears that Forte, a free agent-t0-be, is expendable. Bears’ quarterback Josh McCown has a great match-up this week, which could be good news for Dane Sanzenbacher as well. Minnesota will be without Adrian Peterson, and most likely Christian Ponder, so it’s likely time for the Toby & Joe Show. The Vikings can’t win for losing - their third victory last weekend took them out of the running for the top pick in the 2012 draft. Chicago 24, Minnesota 17.

Chicago
- Start: QB Josh McCown, RB Kahlil Bell, DEF
- Neutral: WRs Devin Hester (Probable-ankle), Roy Williams, Earl Bennett, & Dane Sanzenbacher, K Robbie Gould
- Sit: RB Armando Allen, TE Kellen Davis, RB Marion Barber (Doubtful-calf)
Minnesota
- Start: RB Toby Gerhart, WR Percy Harvin, TE Visanthe Shiancoe
- Neutral: QB Joe Webb, WR Devin Aromashodu, DEF
- Sit: QB Christian Ponder (Probable-concussion), WR Rich Camarillo, TE Kyle Rudolph, K Ryan Longwell

Buffalo at New England – New England has something to play for, but don’t be surprised if their starters don’t play the full game, especially with several of their key offensive players already hurt. Ryan Fitzpatrick should have a field day against the Patriots’ pass defense. New England 28, Buffalo 27.

Buffalo
- Start: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB C.J. Spiller, WR Steve Johnson
- Neutral: WR David Nelson, DEF, K Brandon Coutu
- Sit: RBs Tashard Choice & Johnny White (Probable-concussion), WRs Naaman Roosevelt & Brad Smith (Out-hamstring), TE Scott Chandler, K David Rayner (Out-groin)
New England
- Start: N/A
- Neutral: QB Tom Brady (Probable-shoulder), RBs BenJarvus Green-Ellis & Shane Ridley, WR Chad Ochocinco, TEs Rob Gronkowski & Aaron Hernandez, DEF, K Stephen Gostkowski
- Sit: RB Shane Vereen (Questionable-hamstring), WRs Wes Welker (Questionable-knee), Deion Branch (Questionable-groin), & Julian Edelman (Questionable-back)

Carolina at New Orleans – New Orleans will be the NFC’s third seed if San Francisco wins (likely), but since both the Saints and 49ers play early games, expect Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints’ stars to play until the outcome of the San Francisco game is no longer in doubt. Cam Newton will put an exclamation point on a very impressive rookie season. New Orleans 31, Carolina 24.

Carolina
- Start: QB Cam Newton, WRs Steve Smith & Brandon LaFell
- Neutral: RBs DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart, TEs Jeremy Shockey & Greg Olsen, K Olindo Mare
- Sit: DEF, WR Legedu Naanee (Out-foot)
New Orleans
- Start: QB Drew Brees, RB Darren Sproles, WR Marques Colston, TE Jimmy Graham, K John Kasay
- Neutral: RBs Pierre Thomas & Chris Ivory, WRs Robert Meachem & Devery Henderson, DEF
- Sit: Mark Ingram (Out-toe), WR Lance Moore (Out-hamstring)

Tampa Bay at Atlanta (Sunday late) – Tampa Bay will try to conclude what’s been a disappointing season on a high note. Atlanta has stumbled late in the season in spite of Matt Ryan’s improvement. There’s some fantasy value on both teams, but the outcome of the game won’t be in doubt. Atlanta 27, Tampa Bay 21.

Tampa Bay
- Start: WR Mike Williams, TE Kellen Winslow
- Neutral: QB Josh Freeman, RB LeGarrette Blount, DEF
- Sit: RB Kregg Lumpkin, WRs Dez Briscoe, Sammie Stroughter (Probable-knee), Preston Parker (Probable-concussion), & Arrelious Benn (Questionable-neck), K Connor Barth
Atlanta
- Start: QB Matt ryan, RB Michael Turner, WRs Roddy White & Julio Jones (Probable-ankle), TE Tony Gonzalez, DEF
- Neutral: RBs Jacquizz Rodgers & Jason Snelling, K Matt Bryant
- Sit: WR Harry Douglas (Probable-groin)

Baltimore at Cincinnati – Both teams have something to play for, so this should be one of the day’s top games. With a win Baltimore would clinch the AFC North and a first-round bye; the combination of a Ravens’ victory and a Patriots’ loss (unlikely) would give the Ravens homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Cincinnati can clinch a wild card berth with a victory; even if they don’t, their future looks a lot brighter than it did a year ago. Baltimore 21, Cincinnati 17.

Baltimore
- Start: RB Ray Rice, WR Torrey Smith, DEF
- Neutral: QB Joe Flacco, TEs Ed Dickson & Dennis Pitta
- Sit: RB Ricky Williams, WR Anquan Boldin (Doubtful-knee) & Lee Evans, K Shayne Graham or K Billy Cundiff (Questionable-calf) (whoever starts)
Cincinnati
- Start: DEF
- Neutral: WRs A.J. Green (Probable-shoulder) & Jerome Simpson, TE Jermaine Gresham
- Sit: QB Andy Dalton, RBs Cedric Benson & Bernard Scott, K Mike Nugent

Pittsburgh at Cleveland – The Steelers’ quarterback situation is a mess, but they’re still a much better team and should win this game easily. The Browns’ quarterback situation is only slightly less unsettled, although it’s pretty clear Seneca Wallace will play this weekend, and Colt McCoy won’t. Peyton Hillis is probably playing his last game for the Browns. Pittsburgh 27, Cleveland 14.

Pittsburgh
- Start: RB Rashard Mendenhall, TE Heath Miller, DEF
- Neutral: Isaac Redman, WRs Mike Wallace (Probable-ankle) & Antonio Brown, K Shaun Suisham
- Sit: QBs Ben Roethlisberger (Probable-ankle) & QB Charlie Batch (whoever starts), WRs Hines Ward, Emmanuel Sanders (Probable-foot), & Jerricho Cotchery
Cleveland
- Start: N/A
- Neutral: RB Peyton Hillis (Probable-elbow), WR Greg Little, TE Evan Moore, DEF
- Sit: QBs Seneca Wallace & Colt McCoy (Out-concussion), RBs Montario Hardesty & Chris Ogbannaya, WRs Josh Cribbs (Probable-groin) & Mohamed Massaquoi (Probable-foot), K Phil Dawson

Seattle at Arizona – This is one of the least interesting games in terms of playoff implications (none) but could still be an entertaining game - the winner will finish with a .500 record. Marshawn Lynch has proved this season that last year’s playoff explosion wasn’t a fluke, while John Skelton has played passably (pun intended) after Kevin Kolb’s season was derailed by injuries. Arizona 24, Seattle 21.

Seattle
- Start: QB Tarvaris Jackson, RB Marshawn Lynch, WRs Doug Baldwin & Golden Tate, TE Zach Miller (Probable-pectoral)
- Neutral: DEF
- Sit: WR Ben Obomanu (Probable-knee), K Steve Hauschka
Arizona
- Start: QB John Skelton, WR Larry Fitzgerald, DEF
- Neutral: RB Beanie Wells (Questionable-knee), WRs Early Doucet & Andre Roberts, TE Todd Heap, K Jay Feely
- Sit: QB Kevin Kolb (Questionable-concussion), RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (Questionable-hamstring), TEs Jeff King & Rob Housler

Kansas City at Denver – Is it Tebow Time after two straight losses? Usually, in late-season games like this, where one of the two teams has something to play for, and the other team is playing the role of spoiler, the team with something on the line wins. Floyd Mayweather supposedly made $1 Mil betting against Tebow and the Broncos in the Patriots’ game. Kyle Orton’s return to face the team that cut him earlier this season and potentially keep them out of the playoffs is a nice storyline, but that’s not how this one’s likely to end. Denver 24, Kansas City 20.

Kansas City
- Start: QB Kyle Orton, RB Dexter McCluster, WR Dwayne Bowe
- Neutral: RB Thomas Jones, WR Steve Breaston, DEF
- Sit: RB Jackie Battle (Out-foot), WR Jonathan Baldwin, TE Leonard Pope, K Ryan Succop
Denver
- Start: QB Tim Tebow, RB Willis McGahee, WR Demaryius Thomas, DEF
- Neutral: WR Eric Decker, K Matt Prater
- Sit: RB Lance Ball, WR Eddie Royal, TE Daniel Fells

San Diego at Oakland – Forget what I said in the previous blurb; the Chargers will win this game because they’re the better team. Even so, this is probably Norv Turner’s last game as head coach in San Diego, where his teams have perennially have gotten off to slow starts and underachieved in spite of a late-season push). Carson Palmer has helped the Raiders a lot, but there are just too many injuries to too many key players, especially running back Darren McFadden. San Diego 28, Oakland 24.

San Diego
- Start: QB Philip Rivers, RB Mike Tolbert (Probable-hamstring), WRs Vincent Jackson (Probable-groin) & Malcom Floyd, TE Antonio Gates
- Neutral: RB Ryan Mathews (Questionable-calf), DEF, K Nick Novak
- Sit: WRs Patrick Crayton & Vincent Brown
Oakland
- Start: QB Carson Palmer, RB Michael Bush, WRs Darrius Heyward-Bey & Denarius Moore
- Neutral: WRs Chaz Schilens, Louis Murphy (Probable-groin), & T.J. Houshmandzadeh; TE Kevin Boss, DEF, K Sebastian Janikowski
- Sit: RBs Darren McFadden (Out-foot) & Taiwan Jones (Questionable-hamstring), WR Jacoby Ford (Questionable-foot)

Dallas at New York Giants (Sunday night) – The playoffs begin a week early for these two teams - the winner will capture the NFC East title, and the loser will be done for the season. Eli “Lil Brother” Manning and Tony “Big Hand” Romo can both cement their reputations as big-game quarterbacks - or chokers (depending on whom you listen to). The key to the game will be the Giants’ pass rush’s ability to disrupt the Cowboys’ passing attack. New York 27, Dallas 21.

Dallas
- Start: QB Tony Romo (Probable-hand), WRs Miles Austin & Dez Bryant, TE Jason Witten
- Neutral: RB Felix Jones (Questionable-hamstring), WR Laurent Robinson (Probable-shoulder), DEF
- Sit: RB Sammy Morris, K Dan Bailey
New York
- Start: QB Eli Manning, RB Ahmad Bradshaw, WRs Victor Cruz & Hakeem Nicks (Probable-hamstring), DEF
- Neutral: RB Brandon Jacobs, K Lawrence Tynes
- Sit: RB D.J. Ware, WR Mario Manningham (Probable-knee), TEs Jake Ballard (Out-knee), Bear Pascoe, & Travis Beckham

Good luck this weekend!

The Sherpa

Fantasy Football Sherpa

The Sherpa’s Fantasy Football Blog

@fantasy_sherpa on Twitter

Fantasy Football Sherpa’s fan page on Facebook

“4th & Inches with Jana and The Sherpa“, Wed. nights 9:30-10:30pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio

Fantasy Football Sherpa’s Week 17 Player Rankings by Position (Sat 12/31/11)

The Sherpa — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:05:02 +0000

Quarterbacks

1. Drew Brees vs Car

2. Michael Vick vs Was

3. Philip Rivers @ Oak

4. Matthew Stafford @ GB

5. Eli Manning vs Dal

6. Matt Ryan vs TB

7. Ryan Fitzpatrick @ NE

8. Cam Newton @ NO

9. Carson Palmer vs SD

10. Tony Romo @ NYG

11. Tim Tebow vs KC

12. John Skelton vs Sea

13. Kyle Orton @ Den

14. Tarvaris Jackson @ Ari

15. Josh McCown @ Min

16. Tom Brady vs Buf

17. Rex Grossman @Phi

18. Josh Freeman @ Atl

19. Mark Sanchez @ Mia

20. Matt Hasselbeck @ Hou

21. Joe Webb vs Chi

22. Joe Flacco @ Cin

23. Dan Orlovsky @ Jac

24. Matt Moore vs NYJ

25. Matt Flynn vs Det

26. Charlie Batch @ Cle

27. Ben Roethlisberger @ Cle

28. Alex Smith @ StL

29. Aaron Rodgers vs Det

30. Blaine Gabbert vs Ind

31. T.J. Yates vs Ten

32. Andy Dalton vs Bal

33. Christian Ponder vs Chi

34. Seneca Wallace vs Pit

35. Kellen Clemens vs SF

36. Kevin Kolb vs Sea

37. Sam Bradford vs SF

38. A.J. Feeley vs SF

Running Backs

1. Rashard Mendenhall @ Cle

2. Michael Turner vs TB

3. Ahmad Bradshaw vs Dal

4. Mike Tolbert @ Oak

5. C.J. Spiller @ NE

6. Darren Sproles vs Car

7. Frank Gore @ StL

8. Ray Rice @ Cin

9. Marshawn Lynch @ Ari

10. Maurice Jones-Drew vs Ind

11. Kahlil Bell @ Min

12. Willis McGahee vs KC

13. Ben Tate vs Ten

14. Michael Bush vs SD

15. Daniel Thomas vs NYJ

16. Dexter McCluster @ Den

17. Evan Royster @ Phi

18. Donald Brown @ Jac

19. Toby Gerhart vs Chi

20. Pierre Thomas vs Car

21. Brandon Jacobs vs Dal

22. Kevin Smith @ GB

23. BenJarvus Green-Ellis vs Buf

24. Isaac Redman @ Cle

25. Stevan Ridley vs Buf

26. Chris Ivory vs Car

27. Jacquizz Rodgers vs TB

28. Jason Snelling vs TB

29. Kendall Hunter @ StL

30. DeAngelo Williams @ NO

31. Jonathan Stewart @ NO

32. John Kuhn vs Det

33. Brandon Saine vs Det

34. LeGarrette Blount @ Atl

35. Kregg Lumpkin @ Atl

36. Shonn Greene @ Mia

37. Thomas Jones @ Den

38. Steven Jackson vs SF

39. Peyton Hillis vs Pit

40. LeSean McCoy vs Was

41. Ryan Mathews @ Oak

42. Beanie Wells vs Sea

43. Felix Jones @ NYG

44. Ronnie Brown vs Was

45. Maurice Morris @ GB

46. Tashard Choice @ NE

47. D.J. Ware vs Dal

48. Armando Allen @ Min

49. Lance Ball vs KC

50. Ryan Grant vs Det

51. Ricky Williams @ Cin

52. Sammy Morris @ NYG

53. Joseph Addai @ Jac

54. Delone Carter @ Jac

55. Cedric Benson vs Bal

56. Bernard Scott vs Bal

57. Montario Hardesty vs Pit

58. Chris Ogbannaya vs Pit

59. Johnny White @ NE

60. LaDainian Tomlinson @ Mia

61. Joe McKnight @ Mia

62. Arian Foster vs Ten

63. Shane Vereen vs Buf

64. LaRod Stephens-Howling vs Sea

65. Taiwan Jones vs SD

66. Roy Helu @ Phi

67. Chris Johnson @ Hou

68. Marion Barber @ Min

Wide receivers

1. Marques Colston vs Car

2. DeSean Jackson vs Was

3. Malcom Floyd @ Oak

4. Vincent Jackson @ Oak

5. Steve Johnson @ NE

6. Roddy White vs TB

7. Victor Cruz vs Dal

8. Calvin Johnson @ GB

9. Julio Jones vs TB

10. Hakeem Nicks vs Dal

11. Michael Crabtree @ StL

12. Steve Smith @ NO

13. Brandon LaFell @ NO

14. Larry Fitzgerald vs Sea

15. Demaryius Thomas vs KC

16. Darrius Heyward-Bey vs SD

17. Denarius Moore vs SD

18. Santonio Holmes @ Mia

19. Mike Williams @ Atl

20. Torrey Smith @ Cin

21. Doug Baldwin @ Ari

22. Golden Tate @ Ari

23. Miles Austin @ NYG

24. Dez Bryant @ NYG

25. Dwayne Bowe @ Den

26. Jabar Gaffney @ Phi

27. Santana Moss @ Phi

28. Nate Washington @ Hou

29. Reggie Wayne @ Jac

30. Percy Harvin vs Chi

31. Robert Meachem vs Car

32. Devery Henderson vs Car

33. Jason Avant vs Was

34. Jeremy Maclin vs Was

35. Chad Ochocinco vs Buf

36. David Nelson @ NE

37. Antonio Brown @ Cle

38. Titus Young @ GB

39. Nate Burleson @ GB

40. Mike Wallace @ Cle

41. Roy Williams @ Min

42. Earl Bennett @ Min

43. Dane Sanzenbacher @ Min

44. Early Doucet vs Sea

45. Andre Roberts vs Sea

46. Eric Decker vs KC

47. Chaz Schilens vs SD

48. T.J. Houshmandzadeh vs SD

49. Devin Hester @ Min

50. Louis Murphy vs SD

51. James Jones vs Det

52. Donald Driver vs Det

53. Plaxico Burress @ Mia

54. Laurent Robinson @ NYG

55. Kevin Walter vs Ten

56. Jacoby Jones vs Ten

57. Mike Thomas vs Ind

58. Chastin West vs Ind

59. Jarett Dillard vs Ind

60. Davone Bess vs NYJ

61. Steve Breaston @ Den

62. Bryant Johnson vs Ten

63. Brandon Marshall vs NYJ

64. Damiam Williams @ Hou

65. Pierre Garcon @ Jac

66. Austin Collie @ Jac

67. Devin Aromashodu vs Chi

68. Jerome Simpson vs Bal

69. A.J. Green vs Bal

70. Greg Little vs Pit

71. Brandon Lloyd vs SF

72. Riley Cooper vs Was

73. Patrick Crayton @ Oak

74. Vincent Brown @ Oak

75. Naaman Roosevelt @ NE

76. Hines Ward @ Cle

77. Jerricho Cotchery @ Cle

78. Harry Douglas vs TB

79. Emmanuel Sanders @ Cle

80. Mario Manningham vs Dal

81. Eddie Royal vs KC

82. Jordy Nelson vs Det

83. Jeremy Kerley @ Mia

84. Dez Briscoe @ Atl

85. Lee Evans @ Cin

86. Sammie Stroughter @ Atl

87. Preston Parker @ Atl

88. Ben Obomanu @ Ari

89. Brian Hartline vs NYJ

90. Jonathan Baldwin @ Den

91. Andre Johnson vs Ten

92. Terrence Austin @ Phi

93. Anthony Armstrong @ Phi

94. Rich Camarillo vs Chi

95. Donte’ Stallworth @ Phi

96. Josh Cribbs vs Pit

97. Mohamed Massaquoi vs Pit

98. Brandon Gibson vs SF

99. Wes Welker vs Buf

100. Deion Branch vs Buf

101. Julian Edelman vs Buf

102. Ted Ginn @ StL

103. Kyle Williams @ StL

104. Jacoby Ford vs SD

105. Arrelious Benn @ Atl

106. Lavelle Hawkins @ Hou

107. Anquan Boldin @ Cin

Tight Ends

1. Jimmy Graham vs Car

2. Brent Celek vs Was

3. Antonio Gates @ Oak

4. Brandon Pettigrew @ GB

5. Tony Gonzalez vs TB

6. Heath Miller @ Cle

7. Vernon Davis @ StL

8. Dustin Keller @ Mia

9. Kellen Winslow @ Atl

10. Zach Miller @ Ari

11. Jason Witten @ NYG

12. Jared Cook @ Hou

13. Visanthe Shiancoe vs Chi

14. Rob Gronkowski vs Buf

15. Aaron Hernandez vs Buf

16. Jeremy Shockey @ NO

17. Greg Olsen @ NO

18. Todd Heap vs Sea

19. Kevin Boss vs SD

20. Jermichael Finley vs Det

21. Ed Dickson @ Cin

22. Dennis Pitta @ Cin

23. Owen Daniels vs Ten

24. Joel Dreessen vs Ten

25. Marcedes Lewis vs Ind

26. Anthony Fasano vs NYJ

27. Jacob Tamme @ Jac

28. Jermaine Gresham vs Bal

29. Evan Moore vs Pit

30. Scott Chandler @ NE

31. Bear Pascoe vs Dal

32. Travis Beckham vs Dal

33. Kellen Davis @ Min

34. Jeff King vs Sea

35. Rob Housler vs Sea

36. Daniel Fells vs KC

37. Leonard Pope @ Den

38. Logan Paulsen @ Phi

39. Kyle Rudolph vs Chi

40. Lance Kendricks vs SF

41. Dallas Clark @ Jac

Defenses

1. San Francisco 49ers @ StL

2. Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cle

3. Philadelphia Eagles vs Phi

4. Houston Texanas vs Ten

5. Jacksonville Jaguars vs Ind

6. Chicago Bears @ Min

7. Baltimore Ravens @ Cin

8. Tennessee Titans @ Hou

9. Indianapolis Colts @ Jac

10. New York Jets @ Mia

11. Denver Broncos vs KC

12. Detroit Lions @ GB

13. Miami Dolphins vs NYJ

14. Atlanta Falcons vs TB

15. Cincinnati Bengals vs Bal

16. Arizona Cardinals vs Sea

17. New York Giants vs Dal

18. St. Louis Rams vs SF

19. Minnesota Vikings vs Chi

20. New Orleans Saints vs Car

21. Seattle Seahawks @ Ari

22. Kansas City Chiefs @ Den

23. San Diego Chargers @ Oak

24. Green Bay Packers vs Det

25. New England Patriots vs Buf

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atl

27. Cleveland Browns vs Pit

28. Dallas Cowboys @ NYG

29. Washington Redskins @ Phi

30. Buffalo Bills @ NE

31. Oakland Raiders vs SD

32. Carolina Panters @ NO

Kickers

1. John Kasay vs Car

2. Alex Henery vs Was

3. Stephen Gostkowski vs Buf

4. Nick Novak @ Oak

5. Jason Hanson @ GB

6. Brandon Coutu @ NE

7. Matt Bryant vs TB

8. Shaun Suisham @ Cle

9. Lawrence Tynes vs Dal

10. David Akers @ StL

11. Robbie Gould @ Min

12. Olindo Mare @ NO

13. Jay Feely vs Sea

14. Matt Prater vs KC

15. Sebastian Janikowski vs SD

16. Mason Crosby vs Det

17. Nick Folk @ Mia

18. Connor Barth @ Atl

19. Shayne Graham @ Cin

20. Mike Nugent @ Cin

21. Steve Hauschka vs Bal

22. Dan Bailey @ Ari

23. Neil Rackers @ NYG

24. Josh Scobee vs Ten

25. Dan Carpenter vs Ind

26. Ryan Succop vs NYJ

27. Graham Gano @ Den

28. Rob Bironas @ Phi

29. Adam Vinatieri @ Hou

30. Ryan Longwell @ Jac

31. Phil Dawson vs Chi

32. Josh Brown vs Pit

33. Billy Cundiff vs SF

Good luck this weekend, and more importantly, best wishes for a happy, healthy, and safe 2012!The Sherpa

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Week 17 Free Agent/Waiver Wire Pickups (Wed 12/28/11)

The Sherpa — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:11:11 +0000

Which players’ status changed this past week due to injury, benching, etc., and who may be on your league’s waiver wire with the potential to make a difference for your fantasy team?

Note: all of this week’s games will be played on Sunday (what a novel idea!). Be sure to consider the playoff implications (if any) for your players before deciding to start them in your championship game!

Quarterback

Injuries/benchings
- Tony Romo (hand)
- Christian Ponder (concussion)
Waiver wire targets (rankings based on projected playing time and Week 17 opponent)
- John Skelton (vs Sea)
- Rex Grossman (@ Phi)
- Tarvaris Jackson (@ Ari)
- Josh McCown (@ Min)
- Dan Orlovsky (@ Jac)
- Joe Webb (vs Chi)
- Charlie Batch (@ Cle)
- Seneca Wallace (@ Pit)

Running Back

Injuries/benchings
- Adrian Peterson (knee)
- Reggie Bush (leg)
- Roy Helu (toe)
- Marian Barber (calf)
- James Starks (ankle)
- Daniel Thomas (knee)
- Ryan Torain (cut)
Waiver wire targets
- Toby Gerhart (vs Chi)
- Kahlil Bell (@ Min)
- Evan Royster (@ Phi)
- Stevan Ridley (vs Buf)
- Kendall Hunter (@ StL)
- Thomas Jones (@ Den)
- Dexter McCluster (@ Den)
- Isaac Redman (@ Cle)
- Ronnie Brown (vs Was)
- Ricky Williams (@ Cin)
- Armando Allen (@ Min)

Wide Receiver

Injuries/benchings
- Anquan Boldin (knee)
- Lance Moore (hamstring)
- Legedu Naanee (foot)
Waiver wire targets
- Jerome Simpson (vs Bal)
- Golden Tate (@ Ari)
- Dane Sanzenbacher (@ Min)
- Greg Little (vs Pit)
- Titus Young (@ GB)
- Doug Baldwin (@ Ari)
- Jeremy Kerley (@ Mia)
- Davone Bess (vs NYJ)
- Brian Hartline (vs NYJ)
- Andre Roberts (vs SF)
- Brandon LaFell (@ NO)
- Jarett Dillard (vs Ind)
- Donte’ Stallworth (@ Phi)
- Sammie Stroughter (@ Atl)

Tight Ends

Injuries/benchings
- N/A
Waiver wire targets
- Jared Cook (@ Hou)
- Evan Moore (vs Pit)

Kickers

Injuries/benchings
- N/A
Waiver wire targets
- Lawrence Tynes (vs Dal)
- Dave Rayner (@ NE)
- Shayne Graham (@ Cin)

Defenses

Waiver wire targets
- Tennessee (@ Hou)
- Detroit (@ GB)
- Indianapolis (@ Jac)
- Miami (vs NYJ)
- Jacksonville (vs Ind)

Good luck with your claims!

The Sherpa

Fantasy Football Sherpa

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Fantasy Football Sherpa’s Week 16 Player Rankings by Position (Sat 12/24/11)

The Sherpa — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:44:27 +0000

Quarterbacks

Drew Brees vs Atl
Tom Brady vs Mia
Cam Newton vs TB
Matt Ryan @ NO
Carson Palmer @ KC
Ryan Fitzpatrick vs Den
Joe Flacco vs Cle
Aaron Rodgers vs Chi
Philip Rivers @ Det
Eli Manning @ NYJ
Michael Vick @ Dal
Tim Tebow @ Buf
Matt Moore @ NE
Rex Grossman vs Min
Kyle Orton vs Oak
Matthew Stafford vs SD
Tony Romo vs Phi
Andy Dalton vs Ari
Mark Sanchez vs NYG
T.J. Yates @ Ind
Josh Freeman @ Car
Josh McCown @ GB
Tarvaris Jackson vs SF
Matt Hasselbeck vs Jac
John Skelton @ Cin
Christian Ponder @ Was
Alex Smith @ Sea
Charlie Batch vs StL
Blaine Gabbert @ Ten
Dan Orlovsky vs Hou
Kellen Clemens @ Pit
Seneca Wallace @ Bal
Ben Roethlisberger vs StL
Kevin Kolb @ Cin
Sam Bradford @ Pit

Running Backs

Ray Rice vs Cle
Shonn Greene vs NYG
Darren Sproles vs Atl
C.J. Spiller vs Den
Arian Foster @ Ind
Maurice Jones-Drew @ Ten
Adrian Peterson @ Was
Rashard Mendenhall vs StL
Willis McGahee @ Buf
Cedric Benson vs Ari
LeSean McCoy @ Dal
Ryan Mathews @ Det
Ahmad Bradshaw @ NYJ
Reggie Bush @ NE
Frank Gore @ Sea
LeGarrette Blount @ Car
Dexter McCluster vs Oak
DeAngelo Williams vs TB
Pierre Thomas vs Atl
Jonathan Stewart vs TB
Chris Ivory vs Atl
Ricky Williams vs Cle
Khalil Bell @ GB
Mike Tolbert @ Det
James Starks vs Chi
Brandon Jacobs @ NYJ
Lance Ball @ Buf
Ryan Grant vs Chi
Ben Tate @ Ind
Marshawn Lynch vs SF
Thomas Jones vs Oak
Kevin Smith vs SD
Isaac Redman vs StL
Maurice Morris vs SD
Jackie Battle vs Oak
Donald Brown vs Hou
Michael Turner @ NO
Michael Bush @ KC
Chris Johnson vs Jac
Beanie Wells @ Cin
Felix Jones vs Phi
LaDainian Tomlinson vs NYG
Marcel Reece @ KC
Stevan Ridley vs Mia
Daniel Thomas @ NE
Ronnie Brown @ Dal
Brandon Saine vs Chi
Ryan Torain vs Min
Evan Royster vs Min
Bernard Scott vs Ari
Sammy Morris vs Phi
Toby Gerhart @ Was
Kendall Hunter @ Sea
Joseph Addai vs Hou
Steven Jackson @ Pit
Peyton Hillis @ Bal
Chris Ogbonnaya @ Bal
Mark Ingram vs Atl
Joe McKnight vs NYG
Taiwan Jones @ KC
BenJarvus Green-Ellis vs Mia
Shane Vereen vs Mia
Danny Woodhead vs Mia
Roy Helu vs Min
Marion Barber @ GB
Delone Carter vs Hou
Montario Hardesty @ Bal

Wide Receivers

Steve Smith vs TB
Roddy White @ NO
Marques Colston vs Atl
Torrey Smith vs Cle
Santonio Holmes vs NYG
David Nelson vs Den
Darrius Heyward-Bey @ KC
Julio Jones @ NO
Lee Evans vs Cle
Demaryius Thomas @ Buf
A.J. Green vs Ari
Calvin Johnson vs SD
Dez Bryant vs Phi
DeSean Jackson @ Dal
Percy Harvin @ Was
Santana Moss vs Min
Brandon Marshall @ NE
Mike Williams @ Car
Miles Austin vs Phi
Jordy Nelson vs Chi
Jabar Gaffney vs Min
Dwayne Bowe vs Oak
Malcom Floyd @ Det
Roy Williams @ GB
Davone Bess @ NE
Earl Bennett @ GB
Larry Fitzgerald @ Cin
Golden Tate vs SF
Nate Washington vs Jac
Legedu Naanee vs TB
Plaxico Burress vs NYG
Chad Ochocinco vs Mia
T.J. Houshmandzadeh @ KC
Chaz Schilens @ KC
Brandon LaFell vs TB
Naaman Roosevelt vs Den
Denarius Moore @ KC
Jeremy Kerley vs NYG
Mike Wallace vs StL
Hakeem Nicks @ NYJ
Antonio Brown vs StL
Victor Cruz @ NYJ
Michael Crabtree @ Sea
Jerome Simpson vs Ari
Titus Young vs SD
Steve Breaston vs Oak
Jeremy Maclin @ Dal
Eric Decker @ Buf
Donald Driver vs Chi
Nate Burleson vs SD
Dane Sanzenbacher @ GB
Jason Avant @ Dal
Chastin West @ Ten
Kevin Walter @ Ind
Jonathan Baldwin vs Oak
James Jones vs Chi
Brian Hartline @ NE
Dez Briscoe @ Car
Jacoby Jones @ Ind
Preston Parker @ Car
Damian Williams vs Jac
Reggie Wayne vs Hou
Brandon Lloyd @ Pit
Early Doucet @ Cin
Greg Little @ Bal
Andre Roberts @ Cin
Ben Obomanu vs SF
Vincent Jackson @ Det
Steve Johnson vs Den
Wes Welker vs Mia
Laurent Robinson vs Phi
Deion Branch vs Mia
Doug Baldwin vs SF
Louis Murphy @ KC
Devin Hester @ GB
Pierre Garcon vs Hou
Austin Collie vs Hou
Devin Aromashodu @ Was
Rich Camarillo @ Was
Jarett Dillard @ Ten
Lavelle Hawkins vs Jac
Brandon Gibson @ Pit
Hines Ward vs StL
Jerricho Cotchery vs StL
Eddie Royal @ Buf
Vincent Brown @ Det
Riley Cooper @ Dal
Randall Cobb vs Chi
Robert Meachem vs Atl
Devery Henderson vs Atl
Mike Thomas @ Ten
Arrelious Benn @ Car
Josh Cribbs @ Bal
Mohamed Massaquoi @ Bal
Julian Edelman vs Mia
Braylon Edwards @ Sea
Ted Ginn Jr @ Sea
Harry Douglas @ NO
Lance Moore vs Atl
Mario Manningham @ NYJ
Andre Caldwell vs Ari

Tight Ends

Jimmy Graham vs Atl
Dustin Keller vs NYG
Rob Gronkowski vs Mia
Tony Gonzalez @ NO
Aaron Hernandez vs Mia
Antonio Gates @ Det
Jermichael Finley vs Chi
Brent Celek @ Dal
Heath Miller vs StL
Kellen Winslow @ Car
Jermaine Gresham vs Ari
Brandon Pettigrew vs SD
Jason Witten vs Phi
Visanthe Shiancoe @ Was
Vernon Davis @ Sea
Zach Miller vs SF
Ed Dickson vs Cle
Dennis Pitta vs Cle
Greg Olsen vs TB
Kevin Boss @ KC
Scott Chandler vs Den
Joel Dreessen @ Ind
Logan Paulsen vs Min
Jared Cook vs Jac
Todd Heap @ Cin
Jacob Tamme vs Hou
Lance Kendricks @ Pit
Owen Daniels @ Ind
Marcedes Lewis @ Ten
Jeremy Shockey vs TB
Daniel Fells @ Buf
Leonard Pope vs Oak
Kellen Davis @ GB
Kyle Rudolph @ Was
Rob Housler @ Cin
Jeff King @ Cin
Evan Moore @ Bal
Dallas Clark vs Hou

Defenses

Baltimore Ravens vs Cle
Pittsburgh Steelers vs StL
Houston Texans @ Ind
Arizona Cardinals @ Cin
Cincinnati Bengals vs Ari
San Francisco 49ers @ Sea
Washington Redskins vs Min
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Ten
Tennessee Titans vs Jac
Seattle Seahawks vs SF
Minnesota Vikings @ Was
Carolina Panthers vs TB
Oakland Raiders @ KC
San Diego Chargers @ Det
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dal
Green Bay Packers vs Chi
Indianapolis Colts vs Hou
New York Jets vs NYG
Buffalo Bills vs Den
New England Patriots vs Mia
Detroit Lions vs SD
Dallas Cowboys vs Phi
Chicago Bears @ GB
New York Giants @ NYJ
Denver Broncos @ Buf
Kansas City Chiefs vs Oak
Miami Dolphins @ NE
New Orleans Saints vs Atl
St. Louis Rams @ Pit
Atlanta Falcons @ NO
Cleveland Browns @ Bal
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Car

Kickers

Olindo Mare vs TB
Shayne Graham vs Cle
John Kasay vs Atl
Nick Folk vs NYG
Dave Rayner vs Den
Sebastian Janikowski @ KC
Stephen Gostkowski vs Mia
Matt Bryant @ NO
Shaun Suisham vs StL
Matt Prater @ Buf
Dan Carpenter @ NE
Nick Novak @ Det
Alex Henery @ Dal
Mason Crosby vs Chi
Neil Rackers @ Ind
Lawrence Tynes @ NYJ
Graham Gano vs Min
Connor Barth @ Car
Mike Nugent vs Ari
Ryan Succop vs Oak
Jason Hanson vs SD
Dan Bailey vs Phi
Robbie Gould @ GB
Ryan Longwell @ Was
Josh Scobee @ Ten
David Akers @ Sea
Rob Bironas vs Jac
Jay Feely @ Cin
Steve Hauschka vs SF
Adam Vinatieri vs Hou
Josh Brown @ Pit
Phil Dawson @ Bal
Billy Cundiff vs Cle

Good luck this weekend!

The Sherpa

Fantasy Football Sherpa

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@fantasy_sherpa on Twitter

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“4th & Inches with Jana and The Sherpa“, Wed. nights 9:30-10:30pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio

Week 16 Player Recommendations (Thurs 12/22/11)

The Sherpa — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:37:44 +0000

Houston at Indianapolis (Thursday night) – Don’t get too excited by Indy’s win or Houston’s loss last week - the Texans should still win this game handily. You won’t want to start anyone associated with the Texans’ passing game, but then again, Arian Foster and their defense are still start-worthy. Avoid Colts’ players entirely, even Reggie Wayne. Houston 24, Indianapolis 14.

Houston
- Start: RB Arian Foster, DEF
- Neutral: QB T.J. Yates (Probable-shoulder), RB Brandon Tate (Probable-hamstring), WRs Kevin Walter (Probable-quad) & Jacoby Jones (Probable-foot), TEs Owen Daniels (Questionable-knee) & Joel Dreessen, Neil Rackers (Probable-calf)
- Sit: WR Andre Johnson (Out-hamstring)
Indianapolis
- Start: N/A
- Neutral: RB Donald Brown, WR Reggie Wayne, TE Jacob Tamme, DEF
- Sit: QB Dan Orlovsky, RBs Joseph Addai & Delone Carter (Questionable-forearm), WRs Pierre Garcon & Austin Collie, K Adam Vinatieri, TE Dallas Clark (Doubtful-neck)

Cleveland at Baltimore (Saturday early) – I rarely, if ever, predict a shutout in an NFL game, but this game seems ripe for one. I’m not sure how Cleveland plans on scoring even a field goal, much less a touchdown. Maybe their punter will pin the Ravens deep in their own territory and Joe Flacco will accidentally ground the ball while dropping back to pass in his own end zone. The Ravens will rely heavily on their run game, which means Ray Rice should have a big day. The passing game may suffer without Anquan Boldin. Baltimore 34, Cleveland 0.

Cleveland
- Start: N/A
- Neutral: WR Greg Little
- Sit: QBs Seneca Wallace & Colt McCoy (Out-concussion), RBs Peyton Hillis, Montario Hardesty (Questionable-calf) & Chris Ogbannaya; WRs Mohamed Massaquoi (Questionable-foot) & Josh Cribbs (Questionable-groin)
Baltimore
- Start: QB Joe Flacco, RB Ray Rice, WRs Torrey Smith & Lee Evans, TEs Eric Dickson & Dennis Pitta
- Neutral: RB Ricky Williams, TEs Ed Dickson Dennis Pitta
- Sit: WR Anquan Boldin (Out-knee), K Billy Cundiff (Doubtful-calf)

Minnesota at Washington – This game is a toss-up, but I like Rex Grossman to have a big game against the Vikings’ secondary. Roy Helu is injured, meaning the Redskins will rely more heavily than usual on their passing game. Christian Ponder has looked good at times during his rookie season, but he’s no Andy Dalton, much less Cam Newton (although Dalton does compare favorably to Blake Gabbert). Adrian Peterson should have some success rushing the ball, and Percy Harvin has overcome his migraines to become a dependable fantasy option, but he’s one of the few on the Vikings’ roster. Washington 21, Minnesota 20.

Minnesota
- Start: RB Adrian Peterson, WR Percy Harvin, TE Visanthe Shiancoe, DEF
- Neutral: QB Christian Ponder
- Sit: RB Toby Gerhart, WRs Devin Aromashodu & Rich Camarillo, TE Kyle Rudolph, K Ryan Longwell
Washington
- Start: QB Rex Grossman, WRs Santana Moss & Jabar Gaffney, DEF
- Neutral: TE Logan Paulsen
- Sit: RBs Roy Helu (Questionable-toe), Ryan Torain, & Evan Roster; K Graham Gano

Jacksonville at Tennessee – I’ll pick the Jags to pull the upset because I have more faith in an injured Maurice Jones-Drew than I do in an injured Chris Johnson. Then again, Matt Hasselbeck’s worst game is still better than Blaine Gabbert’s best game, and it seems every wide receiver on Jacksonville is injured, so perhaps I should re-think that. Jacksonville 20, Tennessee 17.

Jacksonville
- Start: DEF
- Neutral: RB Maurice Jones-Drew (Questionable-ankle), WR Chastin West, TE Marcedes Lewis
- Sit: Blaine Gabbert, WRs Jarett Dillard & Mike Thomas (Probable-concussion), K Josh Scobee
Tennessee
- Start: WR Nate Washington (Probable-ankle), DEF
- Neutral: QB Matt Hasselbeck, RB Chris Johnson (Questionable-ankle), WR Damian Williams, TE Jared Cook
- Sit: WR Lavelle Hawkins, K Rob Bironas

St. Louis at Pittsburgh – Big Ben? Who needs him when you’re playing the Rams? Not the Steelers - expect them to win this game easily no matter whether it’s Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon, or Bubby Brister. Well, maybe not Bubby. The Steelers will run, run, and run some more, so expect a big game from Rashard Mendenhall. It was tempting to predict a shutout in this game too, but Steven Jackson will probably do enough to get the Rams in field goal range at least once. Pittsburgh 24, St. Louis 6.

St. Louis
- Start: N/A
- Neutral: WR Brandon Lloyd, TE Lance Kendrick
- Sit: QBs Sam Bradford (Doubtful-ankle), A.J. Feeley (Out-thumb), & Kellen Clemens; RB Steven Jackson, WR Brandon Gibson, DEF, K Josh Brown
Pittsburgh
- Start: RB Rashard Mendenhall, TE Heath Miller, DEF
- Neutral: RB Isaac Redman, WRs Mike Wallace & Antonio Brown, K Shaun Suisham
- Sit: QB Ben Roethlisberger (Questionable-ankle) or QB Charlie Batch (whoever starts), WRs Hines Ward, Emmanual Sanders (Out-foot), & Jerricho Cotchery

New York Giants at New York Jets - Who will win the quadrennial battle of New York - Rex the Mouth, or Old School Tom? Rex Ryan is definitely the more entertaining of the two, but the difference in this game will be the Jets’ ability to thwart Eli Manning and the Giants’ passing game. Shonn Greene should find room to run against the G-Men, and even Mark Sanchez may get in on the fun, in spite of his “accuracy issues”. Plaxico Burress will be amped for this game, but don’t start him unless you’re desperate for a flex option. New York Jets 27, New York Giants 24.

New York Giants
- Start: QB Eli Manning, RB Ahmad Bradshaw (Probable-foot)
- Neutral: RB Brandon Jacobs, WRs Hakeem Nicks & Victor Cruz, DEF
- Sit: WR Mario Manningham (Doubtful-knee), TE Jake Ballard (Questionable-knee), K Lawrence Tynes
New York Jets
- Start: RB Shonn Greene (Probable-ribs), WR Santonio Holmes, TE Dustin Keller
- Neutral: QB Mark Sanchez (Probable-neck), WRs Plaxico Burress & Jeremy Curley, DEF, K Nick Folk
- Sit: RBs LaDainian Tomlinson & Joe McKnight (Questionable-shoulder)

Denver at Buffalo – Buffalo has to win another game at some point, right? They can’t possibly “lose out” after looking as good as they did at the start of the season, right? Tim Tebow will have another start-worthy performance, but Ryan Fitzpatrick will make just enough big plays against the Broncos’ defense to give the Bills the win and take some more luster off of the Tim Tebow Magic Act. Buffalo 27, Dener 24.

Denver
- Start: QB Tim Tebow, RB Willis McGahee (Probable-hamstring), WR Demaryius Thomas
- Neutral: RB Lance Ball, WR Eric Decker, DEF, K Matt Prater
- Sit: WR Eddie Royal, TE Daniel Fells
Buffalo
- Start: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB C.J. Spiller, WR David Nelson
- Neutral: WRs Steve Johnson (Questionable-groin) & Naaman Roosevelt, TE Scott Chandler (Probable-ankle), DEF, K Dave Rayner
- Sit: RB Johnny White (Out-concussion)

Tampa Bay at Carolina – Tampa Bay was 10-6 last year? Really? Then who are these imposters posing as Buccaneers this season? I know the NFL likes to promote “parity” (aka “On Any Given Sunday . . .”), but this is ridiculous. Josh Freeman has taken a big step backwards this season - hard to tell how much of that is due to his shortcomings as a quarterback and how much of that is due to the fact that his team’s defense is on the field for the majority of the game. Cam Newton should be among the top-scoring quarterbacks this week, so getting him in your lineup would be a good idea. Carolina 34, Tampa Bay 21.

Tampa Bay
- Start: LeGarrette Blount, WR Mike Williams, TE Kellen Winslow
- Neutral: QB Josh Freeman (Probable-shoulder), WRs Dez Briscoe & Preston Parker
- Sit: WR Arrelious Benn (Probable-concussion), DEF, K Connor Barth
Carolina
- Start: QB Cam Newton, WR Steve Smith, DEF, K Olindo Mare or K Adi Kunalic (whoever starts)
- Neutral: RBs DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart, WRs Legedu Naanee & Brandon LaFell, TE Greg Olsen
- Sit: TE Jeremy Shockey

Arizona at Cincinnati – Andy Dalton has had an impressive rookie season, and if it weren’t for some guy named Cam, he’d be a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. Then again, he’d get a run for his money from his talented teammate A.J. Green. Arizona is stronger against the pass than the run, so expect Cedric Benson to be the Bengals’ primary offensive weapon. No word yet on who will get the start at quarterback for the Cardinals, but chances are that Larry Fitzgerald will thrive as part of either Kolb’s Mob or The Skelton Crew. Cincinnati 21, Arizona 17.

Arizona
- Start: WR Larry Fitzgerald, DEF
- Neutral: QB John Skelton, RB Beanie Wells (Questionable-knee), WRs Early Doucet & Andre Roberts, TE Todd Heap
- Sit: QB Kevin Kolb (Questionable-concussion), TEs Rob Housler & Jeff King, K Jay Feely
Cincinnati
- Start: RB Cedric Benson, WR A.J. Green (Probable-shoulder), TE Jermaine Gresham, DEF, K Mike Nugent
- Neutral: QB Andy Dalton, WR Jerome Simpson
- Sit: RB Bernard Scott, WR Andre Caldwell (Doubtful-groin)

Oakland at Kansas City – Hard to believe, but after handing Green Bay its first loss of the season last weekend Kansas City still has an outside shot at winning the AFC West and the playoff berth that comes with it. Still, bet on Oakland to ride its passing game to victory. Kyle Orton is definitely a better fantasy option than Tyler Palko, but that’s not really saying much. Oakland 27, Kansas City 21.

Oakland
- Start: QB Carson Palmer, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, DEF
- Neutral: RB Michael Bush (Questionable-shoulder), WRs T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Denarius Moore (Probable-foot), Louis Murphy (Questionable-groin), Chaz Schilens (Probable-hip); TE Kevin Boss, K Sebastian Janikowski
- Sit: RBs Darren McFadden (Out-foot), Taiwan Jones (Questionable-hamstring), & Marcel Reece; WR Jacoby Ford (Out-foot)
Kansas City
- Start: QB Kyle Orton, RB Dexter McCluster, WR Dwayne Bowe
- Neutral: RBs Thomas Jones & Jackie Battle, WRs Steve Breaston & Jonathan Baldwin, DEF
- Sit: TE Leonard Pope, K Ryan Succop

Miami at New England – The suggestion that this would be a close gain would have drawn laughs at the beginning of November, but the Dolphins are vastly improved since then, and New England’s secondary still stinks (to put it nicely). But in a close game, who are you going to bet on - Matt Moore or Tom Brady? Me too. New England 27, Miami 24.

Miami
- Start: QB Matt Moore, RB Reggie Bush, WRs Brandon Marshall (Probable-knee) & Davone Bess
- Neutral: WR Brian Hartline, DEF, K Dan Carpenter
- Sit: RB Daniel Thomas, TE Anthony Fasano (Out-concussion)
New England
- Start: QB Tom Brady, TEs Rob Gronkowski & Aaron Hernandez
- Neutral: WRs Wes Welker (Questionable-knee), Deion Branch (Questionable-groin), & Chad Ochocinco, DEF, K Stephen Gostkowski
- Sit: RBs BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Shane Vereen (Questionable-hamstring), Stevan Ridley, & Danny Woodhead (Questionable-abdomen); WR Julian Edelman (Questionable-back)

San Diego at Detroit (Saturday late) – The Chargers have also stormed back after a disastrous stretch to give themselves an outside chance to win the AFC West, which is this year’s equivalent of last year’s NFC West. The Matthew Stafford & Calvin Johnson show will continue to produce big fantasy numbers, but without establishing at least a semblance of a running game, the Lions’ chances of winning this game aren’t good. San Diego 24, Detroit 21.

San Diego
- Start: QB Philip Rivers, RB Ryan Mathews, WR Malcom Floyd, TE Antonio Gates, DEF
- Neutral: RB Mike Tolbert, WR Vincent Jackson (Questionable-groin), K Nick Novak
- Sit: WR Vincent Brown
Detroit
- Start: WR Calvin Johnson, TE Brandon Pettigrew
- Neutral: QB Matthew Stafford, RBs Maurice Morris & Kevin Smith (Probable-ankle), WRs Nate Burleson & Titus Young, DEF
- Sit: K Jason Hanson

San Francisco at Seattle – Amazingly, Seattle still has a chance to sneak into the playoffs for a second straight year if they can win their last two games. However, even with home field advantage and Marshawn Lynch in full Beast Mode, the Seahawks won’t have enough offensive firepower to overcome the 49ers’ defense. Alex Smith is nobody’s idea of a franchise quarterback, but with a defense like San Francisco’s, he merely needs to be the proverbial “game manager” for his team to keep racking up the victories. San Francisco 20, Seattle 17.

San Francisco
- Start: RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis, DEF
- Neutral: QB Alex Smith, WR Michael Crabtree
- Sit: RB Kendall Hunter, WRs Braylon Edwards (Questionable-knee) & Ted Ginn Jr (Questionable-ankle), K David Akers
Seattle
- Start: WR Golden Tate, TE Zach Miller, DEF
- Neutral: QB Tarvaris Jackson (Probable-pectoral), RB Marshawn Lynch, WRs Doug Baldwin (Questionable-ankle) & Ben Obomanu
- Sit: K Steve Hauschka

Philadelphia at Dallas – Philadelphia is yet another team that amazingly still has a chance at getting into the playoffs. That says more about the NFL’s scheduling system than it does about Philadelphia’s talent, but even though it’s been a nightmarish season for the self-annointed “Dream Team”, they should be able to ride a balanced offense to victory over a Dallas team that is the football equivalent of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Philadelphia 24, Dallas 21.

Philadelphia
- Start: QB Mike Vick (Probable-ribs), RB LeSean McCoy, WR DeSean Jackson, TE Brent Celek, DEF
- Neutral: WRs Jeremy Maclin (Probable-hamstring) & Jason Avant, K Alex Henery
- Sit: RB Ronnie Brown (Probable-hamstring), WR Riley Cooper
Dallas
- Start: WRs Miles Austin & Dez Bryant, TE Jason Witten
- Neutral: QB Tony Rommo, RB Felix Jones (Questionable-hamstring), WR Laurent Robinson (Questionable-shoulder), DEF
- Sit: RB Sammy Morris, K Dan Bailey

Chicago at Green Bay (Sunday night) – Can Aaron Rodgers and the Packers actually lose two games in a row? Can Josh McCown lead his team to victory in his debut as the Bears’ starting quarterback? Neither seems likely, but stranger things have happened (like Green Bay losing last week). Mike Martz has undoubtedly been asking Jay Cutler about the condition of his injured thumb every five seconds this week, but to no avail. The Bears are mediocre at best without Cutler, Matt Forte, and Johnny Knox - “Next Man Up” is a nice slogan, but the Bears will come up just short in spite of a gallant effort. Green Bay 24, Chicago 21.

Chicago
- Start: WRs Roy Williams & Earl Bennett
- Neutral: QB Josh McCown, RB Khalil Bell, WRs Devin Hester (Questionable-ankle) & Dane Sanzenbacher, DEF
- Sit: RB Matt Forte (Out-knee) & Marion Barber (Doubtful-calf), TE Kellen Davis (Probable-back), K Robbie Gould
Green Bay
- Start: QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Jordy Nelson, TE Jermichael Finley, DEF
- Neutral: RBs Ryan Grant & James Starks (Probable-knee), WRs Donald Driver & James Jones, K Mason Crosby
- Sit: RB Randon Saine (Probable-concussion), WRs Greg Jennings (Out-knee) & Randall Cobb

Atlanta at New Orleans (Monday night) – Both of these teams are capable of beating Green Bay in the playoffs, but first there’s that little matter to settle of who will win the NFC South. Atlanta blew its chance to beat the Saints at home thanks to a questionable decision by Head Coach Mike Smith; that’s unlikely to happen again. Matt Ryan has been relied on much more in recent weeks, and with Michael Turner banged up that will continue to be the case this week. Even if Ryan is just the second-best quarterback in this contest, he’s still a great fantasy option this week. New Orleans 30, Atlanta 27.

Atlanta
- Start: QB Matt Ryan, WRs Roddy White & Julio Jones, TE Tony Gonzalez
- Neutral: RB Michael Turner (Questionable-groin), K Matt Bryant
- Sit: WR Harry Douglas (Questionable-groin), DEF
New Orleans
- Start: QB Drew Brees, RB Darren Sproles, WR Marques Colston, TE Jimmy Graham, K John Kasay
- Neutral: RBs Pierre Thomas & Chris Ivory, DEF
- Sit: RB Mark Ingram (Questionable-toe), WRs Lance Moore (Questionable-hamstring), Robert Meachem, & Devery Henderson

Good luck this weekend!

The Sherpa

Fantasy Football Sherpa

The Sherpa’s Fantasy Football Blog

@fantasy_sherpa on Twitter

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“4th & Inches with Jana and The Sherpa“, Wed. nights 9:30-10:30pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio

Week 16 Free Agent/Waiver Wire Pickups (Thu 12/22/11)

The Sherpa — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:05:18 +0000

Which players’ status changed this past week due to injury, benching, etc., and who may be on your league’s waiver wire with the potential to make a difference for your fantasy team?

Note: this week’s Thursday night game features Houston at Indianapolis, most of the games will be played on Saturday afternoon (Christmas Eve), Chicago will play at Green Bay Sunday (Christmas) night, and Atlanta will play at New Orleans Monday night.

Quarterback

Injuries/benchings
- Caleb Hanie (benched)
Waiver wire targets (rankings based on projected playing time and Week 16 opponents)
- Matt Moore (@ NE)
- Kyle Orton (vs Oak)
- Rex Grossman (vs Min)
- Josh McCown (@ GB)
- T.J. Yates (@ Ind)
- Tarvaris Jackson (vs SF)
- John Skelton (@ Cin)
- Seneca Wallace (@ Bal)
- Kellen Clemens (@ Pit)

Running Back

Injuries/benchings
- Johnny White (concussion)
Waiver wire targets
- Lance Ball (@ Buf)
- Chris Ivory (vs Atl)
- Sammy Morris (vs Phi)
- Thomas Jones (vs Oak)
- Tashard Choice (vs Den)
- Khalil Bell (@ GB)
- Stevan Ridley (vs Mia)
- Evan Royster (vs Min)
- Kregg Lumpkin (@ Car)

Wide Receiver

Injuries/benchings
- A.J. Green (shoulder)
- Johnny Knox (IR-neck)
- Austin Pettis (suspended)
- Ted Ginn Jr (ankle)
- Mike Williams (Sea) (IR-leg)
Waiver wire targets
- Demaryius Thomas (@ Buf)
- Jerome Simpson (vs Ari)
- Andre Roberts (@ Cin)
- Titus Young (vs SD)
- Damian Williams (vs Jac)
- Golden Tate (vs SF)
- Brian Hartline (@ NE)
- Chastin West (@ Ten)
- Lavelle Hawkins (vs Jac)
- Dane Sanzenbacher (@ GB)
- Greg Little (@ Bal)
- T.J. Houshmandzadeh (@ KC)
- Chad Ochocinco (vs Mia)
- Randall Cobb (vs Chi)
- Devin Aromashodu (@ Was)

Tight Ends

Injuries/benchings
- Jake Ballard (knee)
Waiver wire targets
- Jared Cook (vs Jac)
- Anthony Fasano (@ NE)
- Todd Heap (@ Cin)
- Zach Miller (vs SF)
- Marcedes Lewis (@ Ten)

Kickers

Injuries/benchings
- Billy Cundiff (calf)
Waiver wire targets
- Shayne Graham (vs Cle)
- Olindo Mare (@ TB)
- Graham Gano (vs Min)

Defenses

Waiver wire targets
- Tennessee (vs Jac)
- Seattle (vs SF)
- Jacksonville (@ Ten)

Good luck with your claims!

The Sherpa

Fantasy Football Sherpa

The Sherpa’s Fantasy Football Blog

@fantasy_sherpa on Twitter

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“4th & Inches with Jana and The Sherpa“, Wed. nights 9:30-10:30pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio

Fantasy Football Sherpa’s Week 15 Player Rankings by Position (Sun 12/18/11)

The Sherpa — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:49:08 +0000

Quarterbacks

1. Drew Brees @ Min

2. Tom Brady @ Den

3. Tony Romo @ TB

4. Aaron Rodgers @ KC

5. Matthew Stafford @ Oak

6. Eli Manning vs Was

7. Rex Grossman @ NYG

8. Michael Vick vs NYJ

9. Jake Locker @ Ind

10. Philip Rivers vs Bal

11. Tim Tebow vs NE

12. Ryan Fitzpatrick vs Mia

13. Christian Ponder vs NO

14. Dan Orlovsky vs Ten

15. Josh Freeman vs Dal

16. Seneca Wallace @ Ari

17. Matt Hasselbeck @ Ind

18. Matt Ryan vs Jac

19. Andy Dalton @ StL

20. Carson Palmer vs Det

21. Mark Sanchez @ Phi

22. Tarvaris Jackson @ Chi

23. Kyle Orton vs GB

24. J.P. Losman @ Buf

25. Charlie Batch @ SF

26. Tyler Palko vs GB

27. Caleb Hanie vs Sea

28. Kellen Clemens vs Cin

29. Ben Roethlisberger @ SF

30. Matt Moore @ Buf

31. John Skelton vs Cle

32. Joe Flacco @ SD

33. T.J. Yates vs Car

34. Cam Newton @ Hou

35. Blaine Gabbert @ Atl

36. Alex Smith vs Pit

37. Joe Webb vs NO

38. Kevin Kolb vs Cle

39. Sam Bradford vs Cin

Running Backs

1. Chris Johnson @ Ind

2. Cedric Benson @ StL

3. Felix Jones @ TB

4. LeSean McCoy vs NYJ

5. Roy Helu @ NYG

6. Darren Sproles @ Min

7. Arian Foster vs Car

8. Ray Rice @ SD

9. Marshawn Lynch @ Chi

10. Reggie Bush @ Buf

11. Michael Bush vs Det

12. Marion Barber vs Sea

13. Michael Turner vs Jac

14. Beanie Wells vs Cle

15. Shonn Greene @ Phi

16. Willis McGahee vs NE

17. Adrian Peterson vs NO

18. Maurice Jones-Drew @ Atl

19. Pierre Thomas @ Min

20. Brandon Jacobs vs Was

21. Ryan Grant @ KC

22. BenJarvus Green-Ellis @ Den

23. Maurice Morris @ Oak

24. Ahmad Bradshaw vs Was

25. Keiland Williams @ Oak

26. Ben Tate vs Car

27. Dexter McCluster vs GB

28. DeAngelo Williams @ Hou

29. Peyton Hillis @ Ari

30. Donald Brown vs Ten

31. Joseph Addai vs Ten

32. Jonathan Stewart @ Hou

33. Delone Carter vs Ten

34. James Starks @ KC

35. Chris Ivory @ Min

36. Stevan Ridley @ Den

37. Sammy Morris @ TB

38. Bernard Scott @ StL

39. D.J. Ware vs Was

40. Da’Rel Scott vs Was

41. Ronnie Brown vs NYJ

42. Jason Snelling vs Jac

43. Jacquizz Rodgers vs Jac

44. Daniel Thomas @ Buf

45. LaRod Stephens-Howling vs Cle

46. Lance Ball vs NE

47. LaDainian Tomlinson @ Phi

48. Joe McKnight @ Phi

49. Ricky Williams @ SD

50. Rashard Mendenhall @ SF

51. Isaac Redman @ SF

52. Jackie Battle vs GB

53. Thomas Jones vs GB

54. Khalil Bell vs Sea

55. C.J. Spiller vs Mia

56. Tashard Choice vs Mia

57. Johnny White vs Mia

58. Toby Gerhart vs NO

59. Ryan Mathews vs Bal

60. Mike Tolbert vs Bal

61. LeGarrette Blount vs Dal

62. Chris Ogbonnaya @ Ari

63. Frank Gore vs Pit

64. Kendall Hunter vs Pit

65. Steven Jackson vs Cin

66. Danny Woodhead @ Den

67. Brandon Saine @ KC

68. Kevin Smith @ Oak

69. Taiwan Jones vs Det

70. Montario Hardesty @ Ari

Wide Receivers

1. Marques Colston @ Min

2. Hakeem Nicks vs Was

3. Miles Austin @ TB

4. Calvin Johnson @ Oak

5. Santana Moss @ NYG

6. Dez Bryant @ TB

7. Jordy Nelson @ KC

8. Victor Cruz vs Was

9. A.J. Green @ StL

10. Jabar Gaffney @ NYG

11. Damian Williams @ Ind

12. Nate Burleson @ Oak

13. Roddy White vs Jac

14. Larry Fitzgerald vs Cle

15. Brandon Marshall @ Buf

16. Percy Harvin vs NO

17. Demaryius Thomas vs NE

18. Anquan Boldin @ SD

19. Santonio Holmes @ Phi

20. Darrius Heyward-Bey vs Det

21. Mike Wallace @ SF

22. Doug Baldwin @ Chi

23. Reggie Wayne vs Ten

24. Steve Johnson vs Mia

25. Dwayne Bowe vs GB

26. Chaz Schilens vs Det

27. Vincent Jackson vs Bal

28. Steve Smith @ Hou

29. Mike Williams vs Dal

30. Greg Little @ Ari

31. Brandon Lloyd vs Cin

32. Nate Washington @ Ind

33. Titus Young @ Oak

34. Jerome Simpson @ StL

35. Lance Moore @ Min

36. Donald Driver @ KC

37. Jason Avant vs NYJ

38. Lavelle Hawkins @ Ind

39. Riley Cooper vs NYJ

40. James Jones @ KC

41. Davone Bess @ Buf

42. Antonio Brown @ SF

43. Eric Decker vs NE

44. Julio Jones vs Jac

45. Torrey Smith @ SD

46. Jacoby Jones vs Car

47. Plaxico Burress @ Phi

48. Louis Murphy vs Det

49. Pierre Garcon vs Ten

50. Steve Breaston vs GB

51. Austin Collie vs Ten

52. David Nelson vs Mia

53. Early Doucet vs Cle

54. Johnny Knox vs Sea

55. Malcom Floyd vs Bal

56. Golden Tate @ Chi

57. Andre Roberts vs Cle

58. Devin Aromashodu vs NO

59. Jeremy Kerley @ Phi

60. Earl Bennett vs Sea

61. Kevin Walter vs Car

62. Harry Douglas vs Jac

63. Naaman Roosevelt vs Mia

64. Roy Williams vs Sea

65. Greg Camarillo vs NO

66. Michael Crabtree vs Pit

67. Jason Hill @ Atl

68. Dez Briscoe vs Dal

69. Mohamed Massaquoi @ Ari

70. Wes Welker @ Den

71. Laurent Robinson @ TB

72. Jeremy Maclin vs NYJ

73. Devin Hester vs Sea

74. Josh Cribbs @ Ari

75. Robert Meachem @ Min

76. Devery Henderson @ Min

77. Chad Ochocinco @ Den

78. Randall Cobb @ KC

79. Anthony Armstrong @ NYG

80. Terrence Austin @ NYG

81. Donte’ Stallworth @ NYG

82. Andre Caldwell @ StL

83. Mario Manningham vs Was

84. DeSean Jackson vs NYJ

85. Mike Williams @ Chi

86. Ben Obomanu @ Chi

87. Brian Hartline @ Buf

88. T.J. Houshmandzadeh vs Det

89. Patrick Turner @ Phi

90. Lee Evans @ SD

91. Hines Ward @ SF

92. Jerricho Cotchery @ SF

93. Eddie Royal vs NE

94. Jonathan Baldwin vs GB

95. Legedu Naanee @ Hou

96. Brandon LaFell @ Hou

97. Chastin West @ Atl

98. Jarett Dillard @ Atl

99. Kassim Osgood @ Atl

100. Brandon Gibson vs Cin

101. Austin Pettis vs Cin

102. Julian Edelman @ Den

103. Denarius Moore vs Det

104. Braylon Edwards vs Pit

Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski @ Den

2. Jimmy Graham @ Min

3. Jermichael Finley @ KC

4. Jason Witten @ TB

5. Jake Ballard vs Was

6. Brandon Pettigrew @ Oak

7. Jermaine Gresham @ StL

8. Jared Cook @ Ind

9. Tony Gonzalez vs Jac

10. Owen Daniels vs Car

11. Dustin Keller @ Phi

12. Antonio Gates vs Bal

13. Visanthe Shiancoe vs NO

14. Kellen Winslow vs Dal

15. Vernon Davis vs Pit

16. Jacob Tamme vs Ten

17. Heath Miller @ SF

18. Zach Miller @ Chi

19. Aaron Hernandez @ Den

20. Brent Celek vs NYJ

21. Greg Olsen @ Hou

22. Lance Kendricks vs Cin

23. Ed Dickson @ SD

24. Logan Paulsen @ NYG

25. Marcedes Lewis @ Atl

26. Kevin Boss vs Det

27. Evan Moore @ Ari

28. Dennis Pitta @ SD

29. Anthony Fasano @ Buf

30. Joel Dreessen vs Car

31. Jeff King vs Cle

32. Todd Heap vs Cle

33. Daniel Fells vs NE

34. Rob Housler vs Cle

35. Leonard Pope vs GB

36. Kellen Davis vs Sea

37. Kyle Rudolph vs NO

38. Jeremy Shockey @ Hou

39. Dallas Clark vs Ten

Defenses

1. Cincinnati Bengals @ StL

2. Atlanta Falcons vs Jac

3. Dallas Cowboys @ TB

4. Arizona Cardinals vs Cle

5. Pittsburgh Steelers @ SF

6. Houston Texans vs Car

7. Tennessee Titans @ Ind

8. Green Bay Packers @ KC

9. Seattle Seahawks @ Chi

10. Miami Dolphins @ Buf

11. New Orleans Saints @ Min

12. Baltimore Ravens @ SD

13. Jacksonville Jaguars @ Atl

14. New England Patriots @ Den

15. Carolina Panthers @ Hou

16. Chicago Bears vs Sea

17. Buffalo Bills vs Mia

18. Detroit Lions @ Oak

19. Cleveland Browns @ Ari

20. San Diego Chargers vs Bal

21. San Francisco 49ers vs Pit

22. Indianapolis Colts vs Ten

23. St. Louis Rams vs Cin

24. Washington Redskins @ NYG

25. Philadelphia Eagles vs NYJ

26. New York Jets @ Phi

27. New York Giants vs Was

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Dal

29. Oakland Raiders vs Det

30. Kansas City Chiefs vs GB

31. Denver Broncos vs NE

32. Minnesota Vikings vs NO

Kickers

1. John Kasay @ Min

2. Stephen Gostkowski @ Den

3. Dan Bailey @ TB

4. Mason Crosby @ KC

5. Jason Hanson @ Oak

6. Graham Gano @ NYG

7. Rob Bironas @ Ind

8. Mike Nugent @ StL

9. Lawrence Tynes vs Was

10. Alex Henery vs NYJ

11. Matt Bryant vs Jac

12. Neil Rackers vs Car

13. Steve Hauschka @ Chi

14. Dan Carpenter @ Buf

15. Sebastian Janikowski vs Det

16. Jay Feely vs Cle

17. Nick Folk @ Phi

18. Shaun Suisham @ SF

19. Ryan Longwell vs NO

20. Billy Cundiff @ SD

21. Matt Prater vs NE

22. Adam Vinatieri vs Ten

23. Ryan Succop vs GB

24. Robbie Gould vs Sea

25. Nick Novak vs Bal

26. David Rayner vs Mia

27. Adi Kunalic @ Hou

28. Connor Barth vs Dal

29. Phil Dawson @ Ari

30. David Akers vs Pit

31. Josh Brown vs Cin

32. Josh Scobee @ Atl

33. Olindo Mare @ Hou

Good luck this weekend!

The Sherpa

Fantasy Football Sherpa

The Sherpa’s Fantasy Football Blog

@fantasy_sherpa on Twitter

Fantasy Football Sherpa’s fan page on Facebook

“4th & Inches with Jana and The Sherpa“, Wed. nights 9:30-10:30pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio

Week 15 Player Recommendations (Thu 12/15/11)

The Sherpa — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:08:25 +0000

Jacksonville at Atlanta (Thursday night) – MJD will find it tough to run against the Falcon defense, but Blaine Gabbert should have plenty of opportunities to complete passes to wide-open receivers, if any of them are healthy enough to actually make it out on the field. Atlanta is dealing with a number of injuries of its own to key players, but they’ll still have enough firepower to stay in the playoff hunt. Atlanta 24, Jacksonville 17.

Jacksonville
- Start: N/A
- Neutral: RB Maurice Jones-Drew, WR Jason Hill, TE Marcedes Lewis, DEF
- Sit: QB Blaine Gabbert, WRs Mike Thomas (Out-concussion), Chastin West, Jarett Dillard, & Kassim Osgood, K Josh Scobee (Questionable-groin)
Atlanta
- Start: RB Michael Turner (Probable-groin), WR Roddy White, TE Tony Gonzalez, DEF
- Neutral: QB Matt Ryan, WRs Julio Jones (Probable-back) & Harry Douglas (Probable-groin), K Matt Bryant
- Sit: RBs Jason Snelling & Jacquizz Rodgers

Dallas at Tampa Bay (Saturday night) – No DeMarco Murray? No problem, Dallas will still win easily. Against most teams fill-in running back Felix Jones would be a risky start this week, but against Tampa Bay he could well be a top-5 running back. Even if the Cowboys get out to a big lead early, don’t expect much fantasy production from the recently-signed Sammy Morris. Be wary of starting LeGarrette Blount this week - he doesn’t play much in passing situations, which should describe the Bucs’ predicament early and often. Dallas 30, Tampa Bay 17.

Dallas
- Start: QB Tony Romo, RB Felix Jones, WRs Miles Austin & Dez Bryant, TE Jason Witten, DEF, K Dan Bailey
- Neutral: WR Laurent Robinson (Questionable-shoulder)
- Sit: RB Sammy Morris
Tampa Bay
- Start: QB Josh Freeman (Probable-shoulder), WR Mike Williams, TE Kellen Winslow
- Neutral: WR Dez Briscoe
- Sit: RB LeGarrette Blount, WR Arrelious Benn (Out-concussion), DEF, K Connor Barth

Carolina at Houston (Sunday early) – It’s an odd coincidence that in a season where their team slogan could easily be “Next man up” the Texans have qualified for the playoffs for the first time. Don’t count on T.J. Yates throwing for 300 yards again this week; expect Houston to rely heavily on Arian Foster with Andre Johnson out once again. Cam Newton should be a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year, but you still shouldn’t start him this week against Houston’s #1-ranked defense. Houston 24, Carolina 20.

Carolina
- Start: WR Steve Smith
- Neutral: RBs DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart, TE Greg Olsen (Probable-back), DEF
- Sit: QB Cam Newton, WRs Legedu Naanee & Brandon LaFell, TE Jeremy Shockey, K Olindo Mare or K Adi Kunalic (whoever starts)
Houston
- Start: RB Arian Foster, TE Owen Daniels, DEF
- Neutral: RB Ben Tate, WRs Jacoby Jones & Kevin Walter (Probable-knee), TE Joel Dreessen (Questionable-knee), K Neil Rackers
- Sit: QB T.J. Yates (Probable-elbow), WR Andre Johnson (Out-hamstring)

Tennessee at Indianapolis – No matter whether it’s Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Locker starting at quarterback for Tennessee, they should be able to post huge offensive totals against the Colts’ defense. However, the Colts’ offense under Dan Orlovsky has improved just enough to make this an interesting game for the curious. Chris Johnson has looked like a new man the last few weeks; expect that to continue for at least another week. Tennessee 27, Indianapolis 21.

Tennessee
- Start: QB Matt Hasselbeck (Questionable-calf) or QB Jake Locker (Probable-chest) (whoever starts), RB Chris Johnson, WR Damian Williams, TE Jared Cook, DEF
- Neutral: WRs Nate Washington & Lavelle Hawkins, K Rob Bironas
- Sit: RB Javon Ringer (Out-hand)
Indianapolis
- Start: QB Dan Orlovsky, WR Reggie Wayne, TE Jacob Tamme
- Neutral: RBs Joseph Addai, Donald Brown & Delone Carter; WRs Pierre Garcon & Austin Collie, DEF
- Sit: TE Dallas Clark (Questionable-neck), K Adam Vinatieri

Green Bay at Kansas City – The Chiefs will be the latest team to attempt to knock the Packers from their unbeaten perch, but even if Kyle Orton is able to make his debut as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, that’s unlikely to happen. Jonathan Baldwin has been a disappointment for the Chiefs - he’s not even the best rookie wide receiver named Baldwin. The Green Bay offensive machine will continue to merrily roll along, but they still need to improve their defense if they’re going to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Green Bay 30, Kansas City 21.

Green Bay
- Start: QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Jordy Nelson, TE Jermichael Finley, DEF, K Mason Crosby
- Neutral: RBs James Starks (Questionable-knee) & Ryan Grant, WRs Donald Driver & James Jones
- Sit: RB Brandon Saine (Questionable-concussion), WRs Greg Jennings (Out-knee) & Randall Cobb
Kansas City
- Start: WR Dwayne Bowe
- Neutral: QB Tyler Palko or QB Kyle Orton (Probable-finger) (whoever starts), RB Dexter McCluster, WR Steve Breaston
- Sit: RBs Jackie Battle & Thomas Jones, WR Jonathan Baldwin, TE Leonard Pope, DEF, K Ryan Succop

Seattle at Chicago - Chicago had a game to forget last week in Denver, although Brian Urlacher’s post-game line about Tim Tebow (”He’s a good running back”) was one of the best lines of the year. Marshawn Lynch has been the top running back in football the last half dozen games, and he’ll continue operating in Beast Mode this weekend. Caleb Hanie is showing that he’s not the long-term answer for the Bears as a back-up, much less as a starter. Matt Forte and Jay Cutler will both watch the game from the sidelines. Seattle 24, Chicago 21.

Seattle
- Start: RB Marshawn Lynch, WR Doug Baldwin (Probable-ankle), TE Zach Miller, DEF
- Neutral: QB Tarvaris Jackson (Probable-pectoral), WR Golden Tate, K Steve Hauschka
- Sit: WRs Mike Williams & Ben Obomanu
Chicago
- Start: RB Marion Barber
- Neutral: QB Caleb Hanie, WRs Devin Hester (Questionable-ankle), Johnny Knox, Roy Williams, & Earl Bennett; DEF
- Sit: QB Jay Cutler (Out-thumb), RBs Matt Forte (Out-knee) & Khalil Bell, TE Kellen Davis, K Robbie Gould

Miami at Buffalo – Miami fired its head coach this week; Buffalo didn’t. Still, the two teams have one important trait in common - they’re both heading in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, neither will get a shot at Andrew Luck next Spring, but both are likely to have one of the top ten picks in the draft. Reggie Bush has been one of the few bright spots for the Dolphins this season, and this week should be no exception. Ryan Fitzpatrick will give the Bills’ faithful even more reason to question why the team decided to sign him to a long-term contract during the middle of this season. Miami 24, Buffalo 21.

Miami
- Start: RB Reggie Bush, WR Brandon Marshall, DEF
- Neutral: QB Matt Moore (Questionable-concussion) or QB J.P. Losman (whoever starts), WR Davone Bess, TE Anthony Fasano (Questionable-ribs), K Dan Carpenter
- Sit: RB Daniel Thomas, WR Brian Hartline
Buffalo
- Start: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Steve Johnson
- Neutral: WRs David Nelson & Naaman Roosevelt, DEF
- Sit: RBs C.J. Spiller, Tashard Choice, & Johnny White; TE Scott Chandler (Out-ankle), K David Rayner (Probable-groin)

New Orleans at Minnesota – If any team in the NFC looks capable of beating Green Bay at its own game, it’s the Saints. Mark Ingram will miss another game, but New Orleans has more than enough depth to cover for him. Adrian Peterson is likely to play, but if the Saints get out to a big, early lead, as expected, then Christain Ponder will spend a lot of time throwing the football, in all likelihood to someone other than Peterson. New Orleans 41, Minnesota 21.

New Orleans
- Start: QB Drew Brees, RB Darren Sproles, WR Marques Colston, TE Jimmy Graham (Probable-back), DEF, K John Kasay
- Neutral: RB Pierre Thomas, WR Lance Moore
- Sit: RBs Mark Ingram (Out-toe) & Chris Ivory, WRs Robert Meachem & Devery Henderson
Minnesota
- Start: QB Christian Ponder (Probable-hip), RB Adrian Peterson (Probable-ankle), WR Percy Harvin, TE Visanthe Shiancoe
- Neutral: WR Greg Camarillo (Probable-concussion) & Devin Aromashodu, K Ryan Longwell
- Sit: QB Joe Webb, RB Toby Gerhart, TE Kyle Rudolph, DEF

Cincinnati at St. Louis – The fact that Kellen Clemens (yes, him) will likely start this game for St. Louis tells you everything you need to know about what kind of season 2011 has been for them. On the other side of the field rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and rookie wide receiver A.J. Green are showing signs of becoming a very good tandem. Cincinnati 27, St. Louis 14.

Cincinnati
- Start: RB Cedric Benson (Probable-back), WR A.J. Green, TE Jermaine Gresham, DEF
- Neutral: QB Andy Dalton, WR Jerome Simpson, K Mike Nugent
- Sit: RB Bernard Scott, WR Andre Caldwell
St. Louis
- Start: WR Brandon Lloyd
- Neutral: QB Kellen Clemens, TE Lance Kendricks, DEF
- Sit: QBs A.J. Feeley (Out-thumb) & Sam Bradford (Doubtful-ankle), RB Steven Jackson, WRs Brandon Gibson & Austin Pettis, K Josh Brown

Washington at New York Giants – Both teams are relatively healthy, but even so, stay away from Giants’ running back Ahmad Bradshaw this weekend. Eli Manning and Rex Grossman should both have a field day against the opposing secondary; the one big difference between the two is that Grossman may still be available on your league’s waiver wire. Washington 28, New York 27.

Washington
- Start: QB Rex Grossman, RB Roy Helu, WRs Santana Moss & Jabar Gaffney
- Neutral: TE Logan Paulsen, DEF, K Graham Gano
- Sit: WRs Donte’ Stallworth (Probable-ankle), Anthony Armstrong, & Terrence Austin
New York
- Start: QB Eli Manning, WRs Hakeem Nicks & Victor Cruz, TE Jake Ballard
- Neutral: RBs Ahmad Bradshaw (Probable-foot) & Brandon Jacobs, DEF, K Lawrence Tynes
- Sit: RBs D.J. Ware & Da’Rel Scott, WR Mario Manningham

Detroit at Oakland (Sunday late) – Both these teams can be high-scoring and fun to watch, but Detroit is a lot healthier right now than Oakland, and the game’s final score will probably reflect that. Matthew Stafford has remained healthy, so Detroit hasn’t missed injured running back Kevin Smith too much. Meanwhile, Oakland has been without Darren McFadden most of the season and has had a quarterback change and a rotating cast of characters at wide receiver. Somehow, they’re still 7-6, just one game behind the Denver ~~Tebows~~ Broncos. Detroit 30, Oakland 24.

Detroit
- Start: QB Matthew Stafford, WRs Calvin Johnson & Nate Burleson, TE Brandon Pettigrew, K Jason Hanson
- Neutral: RBs Maurice Morris & Keiland Williams, WR Titus Young, DEF
- Sit: RB Kevin Smith (Questionable-ankle)
Oakland
- Start: RB Michael Bush, WRs Darrius Heyward-Bey (Probable-heel) & Chaz Schilens (Probable-foot)
- Neutral: QB Carson Palmer, WR Louis Murphy (Probable-hip), TE Kevin Boss, K Sebastian Janikowski
- Sit: RBs Darren McFadden (Out-foot) & Taiwan Jones (Questionable-hamstring), WR Denarius Moore (Questionable-foot), Jacoby Ford (Out-foot) & T.J. Houshmandzadeh

Cleveland at Arizona – Unless you’re a fan of either team (not likely) or have players from either team on your fantasy roster (only slightly more likely), you probably won’t watch this game. You won’t miss much: fill-in quarterback John Skelton will do just enough to beat fill-in quarterback Seneca Wallace. Arizona 24, Cleveland 17.

Cleveland
- Start: QB Seneca Wallace, WR Greg Little
- Neutral: RB Peyton Hillis, WRs Josh Cribbs (Questionable-groin) & Mohamed Massaquoi, TE Evan Moore, DEF
- Sit: QB Colt McCoy (Out-concussion), RBs Montario Hardesty (Questionable-calf) & Chris Ogbannaya, TE Ben Watson (Out-on IR with concussion), K Phil Dawson
Arizona
- Start: RB Beanie Wells (Probable-knee), WR Larry Fitzgerald, DEF
- Neutral: WRs Early Doucet & Andre Roberts, K Jay Feely
- Sit: QB John Skelton or QB Kevin Kolb (Questionable-concussion) (whoever starts), RB LaRod Stephens-Howling, TEs Jeff King, Todd Heap, & Rob Housler (Probable-shoulder)

New England at Denver – Much has been made of the contrasting quarterbacking styles in the Tom Brady vs. Tim Tebow match-up, but the match-up that will actually determine the game is Brady vs. the Bronco defense. If the Broncos hold Brady and his injured receiver corps in check, they’ll have a shot to win this game. If not (and I don’t think they will), then I believe that Tim Tebow’s fourth-quarter “luck” finally runs out. New England 31, Denver 24.

New England
- Start: QB Tom Brady, TE Rob Gronkowski, K Stephen Gostkowski
- Neutral: RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, WR Wes Welker (Questionable-knee), TE Aaron Hernandez, DEF
- Sit: RBs Danny Woodhead (Questionable-abdomen), Shane Vereen (Out-hamstring) & Stevan Ridley; WRs Deion Branch (Out-groin), Julian Edelman (Questionable-back) & Chad Ochocinco
Denver
- Start: QB Tim Tebow, RB Willis McGahee, WRs Demaryius Thomas & Eric Decker
- Neutral: K Matt Prater
- Sit: RB Lance Ball, WR Eddie Royal (Probable-concussion), TE Daniel Fells, DEF

New York Jets at Philadelphia – Both teams wear green. Both were once coached by Rich Kotite. Both have head coaches who will never be accused of having moves like Jagger. And both were heavily hyped as Super Bowl contenders coming into the season but may not even make the playoffs. At least the Jets still have a fairly good shot to do so. Don’t buy Mark Sanchez’ 4-touchdown performance last week (2 rushing, 2 passing) as a sign of things to come - he’s one of the most maddeningly inconsistent fantasy quarterbacks around. The Eagles should continue their good game-bad game pattern with a winning effort here. Philadelphia 27, New York 24.

New York
- Start: RB Shonn Greene (Probable-rib), WR Santonio Holmes, TE Dustin Keller
- Neutral: QB Mark Sanchez, WRs Plaxico Burress & Jeremy Kerley, DEF, K Nick Folk
- Sit: RBs LaDainian Tomlinson & Joe McKnight (Probable-elbow), WR Patrick Turner
Philadelphia
- Start: QB Michael Vick (Probable-ribs), RB LeSean McCoy
- Neutral: WRs Jeremy Maclin (Questionable-hamstring), Jason Avant, & Riley Cooper (Probable-groin), TE Brent Celek, DEF, K Alex Henery
- Sit: RB Ronnie Brown (Probable-hamstring), WR DeSean Jackson

Baltimore at San Diego (Sunday night) – With two consecutive wins the 6-7 Chargers are staging their annual late-season run at the playoffs. Keep in mind, however, that the two teams they beat (Jacksonville and Buffalo) have a combined total of nine victories on the season. Also keep in mind that they’re playing a Ravens’ defense that may be getting their emotional leader, Ray Lewis, back this week. Philip Rivers and company could be in for a long afternoon, but the Chargers’ defense will keep the game close. Baltimore 24, San Diego 21.

Baltimore
- Start: RB Ray Rice, WR Anquan Boldin, DEF
- Neutral: WR Torrey Smith, TEs Ed Dickson & Dennis Pitta, K Billy Cundiff (Questionable-calf)
- Sit: QB Joe Flacco, RB Ricky Williams, WR Lee Evans
San Diego
- Start: QB Philip Rivers, WR Vincent Jackson, TE Antonio Gates
- Neutral: WR Malcom Floyd, DEF
- Sit: RBs Ryan Mathews & Mike Tolbert, K Nick Novak

Pittsburgh at San Francisco (Monday night) – Both of these teams are playoff-bound, but both still have something to play for. San Francisco can still grab the second-seed in the NFC (and the first-round playoff bye that comes with it), while the Steelers are still in a four-way fight with Baltimore, New England, and Houston for homefield advantage in the AFC playoffs. With his team essentially down a game to the Ravens in the AFC North standings, you can almost guarantee that Ben Roethlisberger will at least try to play. Pittsburgh 24, San Francisco 17.

Pittsburgh
- Start: WR Mike Wallace, TE Heath Miller, DEF
- Neutral: QB Ben Roethlisberger (Questionable-ankle) or QB Charlie Batch (whoever starts), WR Antonio Brown, K Shaun Suisham
- Sit: RBs Rashard Mendenhall & Ike Redman, WRs Hines Ward, Emmanuel Sanders (Out-foot), & Jerricho Cotchery
San Francisco
- Start: TE Vernon Davis
- Neutral: WR Michael Crabtree, DEF
- Sit: QB Alex Smith, RBs Frank Gore & Kendall Hunter, WR Braylon Edwards (Questionable-knee), K David Akers

Good luck this weekend!

The Sherpa

Fantasy Football Sherpa

The Sherpa’s Fantasy Football Blog

@fantasy_sherpa on Twitter

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“4th & Inches with Jana and The Sherpa“, Wed. nights 9:30-10:30pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio

Week 15 Free Agent/Waiver Wire Pickups (Thu 12/15/11)

The Sherpa — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:23:01 +0000

Which players’ status changed this past week due to injury, benching, etc., and who may be on your league’s waiver wire with the potential to make a difference for your fantasy team?

Note: this week’s Thursday night game features Jacksonville at Atlanta, and there’s also a Saturday night game with Dallas at Tampa Bay.

Quarterback

Injuries/benchings
- Ben Roethlisberger (ankle)
- Matt Hasselbeck (calf)
- Matt Moore (concussion)
- Kevin Kolb (concussion)
- Colt McCoy (concussion)
Waiver wire targets (rankings based on projected playing time and Week 15 opponents)
- Rex Grossman (@ NYG)
- T.J. Yates (vs Car)
- Dan Orlovsky (vs Ten)
- Blaine Gabbert (@ Atl)
- Lake Locker (@ Ind)
- J.P. Losman (@ Buf)
- Tarvaris Jackson (@ Chi)
- Caleb Hanie (vs Sea)
- Seneca Wallace (@ Ari)
- John Skelton (vs Cle)
- Kyle Orton (vs GB)
- Charlie Batch (@ SF)
- Joe Webb (vs NO)

Running Back

Injuries/benchings
- DeMarco Murray (IR-ankle)
- Maurice Morris (chest)
- Javon Ringer (hand)
- Ronnie Brown (hamstring)
- Brandon Saine (concussion)
Waiver wire targets
- Felix Jones (@ TB)
- Chris Ivory (@ Min)
- Keiland Williams (@ Oak)
- Khalil Bell (vs Sea)
- John Kuhn (@ KC)
- Cadillac Williams (vs Cin)
- Kendall Hunter (vs Pit)

Wide Receiver

Injuries/benchings
- Greg Jennings (knee)
- Steve Johnson (hand)
- Deion Branch (groin)
- Jeremy Maclin (hamstring)
- Mike Thomas (concussion)
- Nate Washington (ankle)
- Josh Cribbs (groin)
- Arrelious Benn (concussion)
Waiver wire targets
- Damian Williams (@ Ind)
- Demaryius Thomas (vs NE)
- Louis Murphy (vs Det)
- Donald Driver (@ KC)
- Golden Tate (@ Chi)
- Kevin Walter (vs Car)
- Devin Aromashodu (vs NO)
- Titus Young (@ Oak)
- Dez Briscoe (vs Dal)
- Matt Willis (vs NE)
- Lavelle Hawkins (@ Ind)
- Jacoby Jones (vs Car)
- Greg Camarillo (vs NO)
- Greg Little (@ Ari)
- Jonathan Baldwin (vs GB)
- Legedu Naanee (@ Hou)
- Brandon LaFell (@ Hou)
- Ted Ginn Jr (vs Pit)
- Mohamed Massaquoi (@ Ari)
- Donte’ Stallworth (@ NYG)
- Chastin West (@ Atl)
- Kyle Williams (vs Pit)
- Jarett Dillard (@ Atl)
- Kassim Osgood (@ Atl)

Tight Ends

Injuries/benchings
- Jake Ballard (wrist)
- Ben Watson (concussion)
Waiver wire targets
- Anthony Fasano (@ Buf)
- Marcedes Lewis (@ Atl)
- Kevin Boss (vs Det)
- Greg Olsen (@ Hou)
- Evan Moore (@ Ari)
- Dennis Pitta (@ SD)

Kickers

Injuries/benchings
- Josh Scobee (knee)
Waiver wire targets
- Mike Nugent (@ StL)
- Dan Bailey (@ TB)
- Graham Gano (@ NYJ)

Defenses

Waiver wire targets
- Carolina (vs Hou)
- Arizona (vs Cle)
- Cleveland (@ Ari)

Good luck with your claims!

The Sherpa

Fantasy Football Sherpa

The Sherpa’s Fantasy Football Blog

@fantasy_sherpa on Twitter

Fantasy Football Sherpa’s fan page on Facebook

“4th & Inches with Jana and The Sherpa“, Wed. nights 9:30-10:30pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio