Weekend Watch

Tis’ the season to be a fantasy champion! Fa la la la la, la la la la! It is a good thing you are reading this as my wife keeps telling me not to give up my day job for a singing career. What a tremendous weekend fantasy owners have coming. If you are fortunate enough to be playing for a fantasy championship this weekend you know what is coming. There is an early Thursday night game, followed by a Saturday of great football and a Sunday holiday that is filled with food; possibly some gifts and a nice Sunday night match up to finish it off.
I hope this season has given you as much enjoyment as it has for not only me, but also the rest of the Fantasy Victory staff. It has been our pleasure bringing you as much information as we could on a weekly basis. If the information we give you has helped you reach a title game, than we have done our job. With that, let’s get to work and dive into the injuries and situations that will define the most important week of our season.

Injury Notes:
These players are listed as game-time decisions. Check it out and make the appropriate changes to your lineups come Sunday. NFL teams will list their inactive players usually 1.5 hours before kickoff.

Kevin Kolb (concussion) has been practicing this week. However, I don’t think he gives it a go this week as the Cardinals travel to Cincinnati. If he doesn’t start, then John Skelton will get another shot at leading the offense.

Ben Roethlisberger (high ankle sprain) hasn’t done anything in practice this week. I would seriously doubt if he goes for the Steelers. Pittsburgh hosts the Rams on Saturday and should be able to get by without the services of their franchise quarterback. Charlie Batch will start if Big Ben is ruled out after the active / inactive report is released.

Sam Bradford (high ankle sprain) has been limited all week. There is a chance that the Rams completely shut him down, but as of now he is still listed as questionable. Kellen Clemens would get the start if Bradford can’t go in this one.

Mark Ingram (turf toe) hasn’t practiced much this week. As usual he will work out during pre-game warm ups, but I would think he would be deactivated again as the Saints are being very cautious with him. Chris Ivory would get most of his touches, but Pierre Thomas has been the main ball carrier around the goal line.
Felix Jones (hamstring) has been out of practice for most of the week. The Cowboys are very tight lipped in regards to his status for Saturday. Continue to watch him, as we may not know anything until just before kickoff in regards to his status. Either way, if he is active or not, look for Sammy Morris to get some increased reps and there may be a chance that the recently activated Chauncey Washington gets a touch or two if Jones is ruled inactive.

Marion Barber (calf/lower leg) has been limited all week at practice. I think he plays for the Bears as they travel to Lambeau Field. However, Kahlil Bell may be a better option this week as Barber’s reps are surely going to be cut back in this game.

Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) has been held out of Giants practice all week. The Giants won’t give any information other than his status is questionable at this point. I think he will play in this game as the Giants really need him, but you will want to watch this very closely come Saturday.

Chris Johnson (ankle) has been limited all week during practice. This is a situation to watch, as the Titans clearly need their franchise back in the lineup. Fantasy owners also may need Johnson this week, but if you have a better option than Johnson you may want to use it. CJ2K may see his carries limited in this game if he is not 100%, so if you do not have another option than you have to use him. However, watch his status over the weekend. Javon Ringer has been placed on IR for the rest of the year, so Jamie Harper has been moved up to the backup role for Johnson.

A.J. Green (separated shoulder) has been limited all week in practice. I usually reserve this list for only game-time decisions, but Green is an exception this week. With it being championship week, keep in mind that even though Green says that he will play, he is only one wrong fall away from getting knocked out of the game. If you don’t have a better option than just like Chris Johnson you need to play him. If you do have other options at receiver, then you may want to think about sitting Green.

Mohamed Massaquoi (foot/ankle) has been limited in practice all week. Josh Cribbs would get the start if Massaquoi cannot go this week.

Mario Manningham (knee) has had his practice time limited all week. The Giants have limited his reps in practice for the last few weeks so this isn’t something new. Still, you may want to pay close attention to his status going into the weekend. If he continues to be listed as a game-time decision, you may want to find another option at receiver.

Deion Branch (groin) has been limited all week. There is nothing coming out of the

Patriots camp to give us any indication of his status. Chad Ochocinco filled in last week and scored, but that was his first trip to the endzone all year. Look for other options, as both Branch and Ochocinco are very risky plays.

Jake Ballard (knee) is listed as doubtful. It looks like the Giants are holding out hope that he will somehow be able to go in this game, but I highly doubt it. Complicating matters even more is that backup Travis Beckum (upper body) is also questionable. Look for other options at the TE position if you have been using Ballard over the last few weeks.

Owen Daniels (knee) is a true game-time decision this week. I would say he is 50/50 at best right now, so look for Joel Dreissen to get the start if Daniels is ruled inactive for the Texans game with the Colts.
Anthony Fasano (concussion) has been limited all week in practice. He will be a true game-time decision.


A Few Game Day Thoughts:

Chicago @ Green Bay: This was the first game that caught my eye after last Sunday’s action. Green Bay’s offensive line was devastated by injuries last week in their loss to the Chiefs. Starting RT Bryan Bulaga went down with a knee sprain, and then the Packers lost backup Derek Sherrod with a fractured tibia. To make matters worse, starting LT, Chad Clifton still hasn’t returned to the lineup. Green Bay needs one more win to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Meanwhile, the team’s running backs have also been dealing with an assortment of injuries over the last few weeks as James Starks and Brandon Saine have been in and out of the lineup. Package all of that with the loss of Greg Jennings, who has already been ruled out for week 16, and you now have a lot of personnel in positions that they are not familiar with. It will be interesting to see how the Packers decide to attach the Bears this weekend as so much of their offense is built around personnel mismatches. Also, will a banged up o-line that has T.J. Yang moving from LG to LT, and Evan Deitrich-Smith moving to LG be able to give Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Packers passing game the time it needs to exploit those match ups.

Miami @ New England: Every year there are a handful of players that come on late to lead fantasy teams to a fantasy championship. Could one of those players this year be Reggie Bush? Bush absolutely exploded last week against the Bills, and he gets another great match up this week against the Patriots. The Patriots are going to be short Andre Carter this week as he has been put on season ending injured reserve. With a secondary that has been brutal all year, and now a defensive line that is dealing with its own injuries, the Dolphins may be able to do something in this game. Meanwhile, Rob Gronkowski owners have to be hoping that the stud TE comes back to life after being shut down by the Broncos last week. If you were fortunate enough to survive last week without Gronkowski, you should be okay this week. It is rare that “Gronk” is held out of the end zone in consecutive weeks, and the Patriots are the masters of getting players that were taken out of a game one week, back into a featured role the next. Just check out Wes Welker’s stats after a game in which he is shut down.

N.Y. Giants @ N. Y. Jets: The Giants are messing with us this week. As I stated in the injury recap, Mario Manningham is questionable again with a knee injury that at one time was thought to be so bad that he might be put on injured reserve. Over the last few weeks he has been in and out of the lineup, and has seen his snap count fall as Victor Cruz has emerged as one of Eli Manning’s favorite targets. This week the Giants are giving us nothing on his status as we head into Saturday. Why’s this a big deal? With Darrelle Revis likely to be shadowing Hakeem Nicks in this game, it could mean there is a big game in store for whoever lines up in the slot for the Giants.
On the Jets side, Plaxico Burress gets to line up against his old team in a game that is huge for both the Jets and the Giants. You can be sure that old Plax is looking to light up the scoreboard in a game against a team that at one time thought he was done. This could mean a smaller role for the likes of Dustin Keller and Santonio Holmes should the Jets get into the red-zone where Burress has been really good for most of the season. Holmes has been getting paid as of late in the red-zone, but this may be a game where Burress really shines. Sit back and enjoy this one, as neither team is particularly fond of the other.

Philadelphia @ Dallas: This game is huge for fantasy owners! Dallas has been on a roll offensively as of late, and now they get a revenge game against the Eagles. Earlier in the year, LeSean McCoy and the rest of the Eagles absolutely destroyed the Cowboys. That was one of the few bright spots early in the year as the Eagles greatly underachieved during the first half of the season. Now Dallas controls its own playoff destiny as they host the