Fantasy Football Bums

Steve Slaton "Game Time Decision?"

The Houston Chronicle reports Texans RB Steve Slaton is expected to miss the game in Jacksonville because of numbness in his arms.  Texans coach Gary Kubiak officially calls Slaton a gametime decision.  "He's just had an issue he's got in his neck, getting some numbness and some stuff going on, so it's a big concern right now," Kubiak said.  "It's something he has been dealing with for awhile but it's gotten worse in the last 24 hours."  Ryan Moats will see his workload increase but look for Chris Brown to get the start.

 

DeSean Jackson Out Sunday

Eagles WR DeSean Jackson will not play this Sunday.  He did not practice this week at all.  Look for Jason Avant to increase his targets and Jeremy Maclin to get extra deep looks.

 

Justin Forsett A Poor Fantasy Play??

Justin Forsett injured his quadriceps in Seahawks practice Friday and is now listed as questionable for Week 13, says the Seattle Times.  The injury is being termed a quadriceps "strain." "I think he'll be OK, but I can't tell you for sure," coach Jim Mora said. Forsett called it a "little tweak."  Julius Jones also returns to the Seahawks lineup and they face the 49ers who have a good run defense.  Forsett no longer makes a good fantasy play.

 

Players I Love and Hate For Week 13

Players I Love, by Brian Hulshof

Tom Brady
Ignore the New Orleans game. Brady has thrown over 300 yards in the 5 previous games. He will go off on Miami and Moss and Welker will benefit.

Rashard Mendenhall
He's up against the Raiders who have the 2nd worst run D in the league. And with Big Ben gimping, the Steeler will look to run all day.

Knowshon Moreno
He's had over 80 yards in 3 straight games and now he's got the 27th ranked run D of the Chiefs. I know he still shares time with Buckhalter, but my gut loves Moreno.

Matt Schaub/Andre Johnson
Schaub smoked the Jags the first time around, and Schaub has been top 5 in nearly every fantasy passing category. The Jags pass D is ranked 26th and Andre Johnson will find plenty of opportunities.

Maurice Jones-Drew
He has scored in 5 of the past 6 games and is as good as any runner in the game.

Chris Johnson
Some things are just obvious

Reggie Wayne
He is spectacular at home and has scored in 8 of the past 11 games. A big one is one the horizon.

Steven Jackson
He is truly great. He has scored in 4 straight games and faces a Bear D with a lot of issues.

DeAngelo Williams
A lot of obvious choices this week. Williams has been awesome against the Bucs who now have the 30th ranked run D.

Donovon McNabb
McNabb has had a pretty good season. He faces a Falcons defense that certainly struggles. 27th against the pass. I like McNabb a bunch.

Tony Gonzalez
The future hall-of-famer faces an Eagles D that struggles convering TEs. And with Redman at QB for the Falcons, he'll look for Tony G often,

Brett Favre/Sidney Rice
Arizona's secondary can be exploited and I have a feeling Favre will exploit it. Oh, Rice will be Favre's guy again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Players I Hate

All Miami Receivers

I know the Patriots defense has struggled, but Miami's offense goes through Ricky Williams

 

All Oakland Raiders

The Raiders travel to Pittsburgh to face an angry Steeler team.  There aren't normally many good Raiders to play anyway.

 

Kevin Smith

He's been banged up and Detroit faces the Bengals who have the 3rd best run D.  And if Cincy gets a lead, they may be forced to throw, limiting Smith's touches.

 

Devin Hester

He has been a non-factor the past 3 weeks and I think that trend continues.  Cutler has been struggling too and that hurts Hester too.

 

Julius Jones

It sounds like coach Mora is going to play Jones, but Justin Forsett has been great in relief.  Coach Mora says he'll go with the hot hand at RB.  So look for that hot hand to be Forsett

 

Chris Wells

He splits time with Hightower.  And Wells will try to get things going against the Vikings D who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Matt Cassel

He hasn't been a fantasy contributor this season.  He won't be this week either.

Mark Sanchez Has Sprianed PCL

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Mark Sanchez has been diagnosed with a sprained PCL in his right knee.  Sanchez has been told that he can play through the injury if he can tolerate the pain.   Look for Sanchez to play in week 14 with the extra time to recope.

Big Day On The Way For Tony Gonzalez??

The Eagles defense has allowed opposing tight ends to record 70 receptions for 757 yards and six touchdowns through 11 games this season, says phillyburbs.com.  As rotoworld.com, the average tight end playing against Philly produces better than Tony Gonzalez. With the Eagles coming to town, Gonzalez is poised for a huge game. 

Latest On Steven Jackson

Rams RB Steven Jackson missed his second day of practice this week because of a continuing back injury, says the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  But as was the case last week, he expects to play Sunday. "I feel better than (Wednesday)," Jackson said. "Last week, it was a new injury, so it flared up really bad. But I was able to do some walk-through today. I'm studying film, still preparing as though I'm playing Sunday. So if I don't play, I'll be more surprised than anybody."

Is Frank Gore The Forgotten Man In San Fran??

Just because the 49ers are moving toward the spread offense, it doesn't mean they're putting their bell cow out to pasture. Coach Mike Singletary met with Frank Gore recently to assure him of his place in the 49ers offense, according to the San Jose Mercury News.   Singletary said he knows from experience that frustration tends to go up as the statistical totals go down. "Any great player that I've been around -- whether it's Walter Payton, whether it's Jerry Rice -- when they're not getting the ball, they feel like they're not contributing," Singletary said. "They feel like they're not a part of it. "I've talked to all of our guys and had them understand that we need to understand that, going forward, everybody will have their part in the success." Gore has topped 20 carries in a game only once since sustaining an ankle injury Sept. 27. The 49ers threw 41 times last week, and Alex Smith's success in the spread offense has meant a shift away from the running game.

Week 13 Player Projections Podcasts

Click the boxes to listen to the podcasts of the Week 13 Player Projections...

 

Dallas at NY Giants

Denver at Kansas City

Detroit at Cincinnati

Houston at Jacksonville 

New England at Miami

New Orleans at Washington

Oakland at Pittsburgh

Philadelphia at Atlanta

San Diego at Cleveland

San Francisco at Seattle

St. Louis at Chicago

Tampa Bay at Carolina

Tennessee at Indianapolis

Sunday Night Football

Minnesota at Arizona

Monday Night Football

Baltimore at Green Bay

 

 

 

Something I Didn't Know

Did you know that Cowboys coach Wade Phillips record in Dallas is 30-13??  I didn't, and I'm told I know everything.

Chiefs Already Like Jamaal Charles

The Chiefs have quickly become addicted to RB Jamaal Charles and not just as a runner. Even though he spent most of this season as Larry Johnson's backup, Charles is already the Chiefs' leading rusher, says the KC Star.   He is involved as a pass receiver, even lining up wide on occasion. He beat coverage deep for a 49-yard gain in last week's game against San Diego. He is a threat as a kickoff returner, as he showed when he returned one for a touchdown in a recent game against Pittsburgh. All of that comes in a relatively small package. The Chiefs list Charles at 199 pounds, or about 30 pounds less than Johnson. Already, Charles is showing the wear and tear as he walks gingerly through the locker room.

Ben Roethlisberger To Play Sunday

According to rotoworld.com, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger returned to a full practice Wednesday and coach Mike Tomlin has confirmed that Big Ben will return this week to face Oakland.

Julius Jones To Start Again For Seahawks?? What Does That Mean For Forsett?

Julius Jones returned to Seahawks practice in full Wednesday, says rotoworld.com.  So what does that mean, exactly??  Justin Forsett has been playing pretty darn well in relief of Julius Jones.  Is Jones going to play??  If he does, it will cut into Forsett's playing time.  Well, Justin Forsett did confirm in a Wednesday conference call with 49ers media that he doesn't expect to start in Week 13.  "No," he said when asked if he'd start the game.  Forsett is clearly the better back at this point, and splitting carries with Julius Jones, who has been mostly ineffective all season, doesn't make any sense to me.

Is Jamal Lewis Done For The Season??

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, there are rumors that the Browns will shut down Jamal Lewis for the season.  Lewis, who's battled ankle injuries this season and for much of the last few years, missed Wednesday practice.  If Lewis is done, Chris Jennings becomes the featured back.

Jake Delhomme Out Sunday

According to the Charlotte Observer, Panthers coach John Fox characterized Jake Delhomme as "day to day" following Wednesday's practice.  Delhomme didn't practice and is out for Week 13 with his broken finger.  Matt Moore is starting Sunday.

Bears Sign Cato June

Free agent LB  Cato June, formerly of the Colts, who played against the Bears in the Super Bowl while a signed a one-year contract Tuesday with the Chicago Bears, according to the Chicago Tribune. He has 73 career starts in six seasons with the Colts and Buccaneers, but the linebacker has been out of action since the preseason. The one-time Pro Bowler, 30, was with the Texans during training camp but was cut after breaking his forearm. June's signing is related to the Lance Briggs injury. 

DeSean Jackson "Extremely Unlikely" To Play

According to ESPN.com, Eagles WR DeSean Jackson said it's "extremely unlikely" he'll play Sunday.  "I don't think I can go," Jackson said. "I blacked out." The way the Eagles are being careful regarding concussions, it is possible that Jackson will miss multiple games.  Stay tuned...

 

 

Bush Out Of New Orleans Next Season??

Yahoo's Jason Cole reports that the Saints do not plan on bringing back Reggie Bush in 2010.  Bush's 2010 salary is $8 million.  A crazy amount for what Bush actually does for the Saints.   Citing a "Saints insider," Cole reports that GM Mickey Loomis doesn't want to pay Bush's salary even if 2010 is an uncapped season. Battling chronic knee problems, Bush has missed the Saints' last two games.

Falcons Dump Jason Elam

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN on his Twitter page, the Falcons released K Jason Elam.  Elam missed four field goals from 39 yards out or closer this season, including two in the last three weeks. The Falcons signed Matt Bryant to be their new kicker.

Mark Sanchez To Start

According to profootballtalk.com, Jets coach Rex Ryan confirmed that QB Mark Sanchez "absolutely" will start Thursday at Buffalo.  "I think he looks great," said Ryan. "Again, the injury, when I say it's a tweak, that's really what it was. He tweaked his knee. I think he's fine." Sanchez makes a poor fantasy value at this point.