The Sunday Special

The final week of the fantasy football season is upon us.  For those still in the hunt, I present to you the final edition of the National Football Post Sunday Special.  I’ll be available to answer all of your questions until just after 12:00pm eastern.  Good luck today!

INJURY REPORT

1.   Brandon Jacobs    New York Giants:  Jacobs is expected to play today against the Vikings but owners need to be cautious.  It looks like the Giants will sit most of their starters by halftime, so Jacobs is not a great fantasy option for today.  UPDATE:  It has just been reported that Brandon Jacobs will most likely NOT play today. 

2.   Derrick Mason    Baltimore Ravens:  Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh said yesterday that he expects Mason to start against the Jaguars.  Be advised:  If the Patriots lose at 1:00pm, Mason will NOT play.

3.   Eli Manning    New York Giants: Manning is as healthy as can be, but I put him in this section because owners need to be advised.  Since the Giants have already locked up home field advantage in the NFC, Eli may only play the first half of today’s game at Minnesota. 

4.   Tony Romo    Dallas Cowboys: Romo missed practice for most of the week due to an illness, but he will start today at Philadelphia. 

5.   Jason Witten    Dallas Cowboys: Witten is expected to be in the lineup today when the Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles.  While he has been known to torch Philly in the past, he is playing banged up today.

6.   Marshawn Lynch    Buffalo Bills: It’s official.  Lynch is OUT for today’s game against the Patriots.

7.   Anquan Boldin    Arizona Cardinals: Despite reports this week that have said Boldin will play, fantasy owners should look for a better option.  Arizona has already locked up the NFC West and doesn’t want to jeopardize A.B.’s health heading into the playoffs. 

8.   Ben Roethlisberger    Pittsburgh Steelers: While Big Ben may start today against the Browns, owners should consider a better QB option.  The Steelers have locked up the #2 seed and there is no reason for them to risk further injury to Roethlisberger. 

9.   Frank Gore    San Francisco 49ers:  We are hearing that Gore will attempt to play today against the Redskins.  He is a questionable fantasy start because he could be pulled out of the lineup at any time.

10.  Pierre Thomas    New Orleans Saints:  Thomas is banged up and has missed practice all week.  There is a good chance he will NOT play today.  Be advised.

ALERT:  The forecast in Buffalo is calling for winds as strong as 60 mph.  If you caught Sportscenter this morning, you saw the goal posts at Ralph Wilson stadium blown sideways.  Look for the Patriots and Bills to keep the ball on the ground in this one.

LAST SECOND START EM

Sammy Morris    RB    New England Patriots:  Morris racked up 133 total yards last week against the Cardinals in a blizzard and should have another nice outing today at Buffalo.  The forecast is calling for 60 mph winds, which means it will be very difficult to establish a reliable passing game.  The Bills have the NFL’s 19^th ranked rushing defense which has allowed an average of 21.9 points and 118.5 yards per game on the ground. 

LAST SECOND SIT EM

LenDale White/Chris Johnson    RBs    Tennessee Titans:  It looks like White is OUT for today’s game against the Colts and since the Titans have already locked up the #1 seed in the AFC, don’t expect them to jeopardize the health of rookie sensation Chris Johnson.  Look for Chris Henry and Quinton Ganther to carry the bulk of the load for Tennessee today. 

WATCH OUT FOR…

Carolina Panthers (-1.5) at New Orleans Saints:  National Football Post writer Matt Bowen calls the Superdome the “VooDoo Dome” for a reason.  He says strange things always happen when you play in New Orleans.  That may be the reason why the Saints are 6-1 at home this season.  Two key things to keep in mind for this game:  First, Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees is going after Dan Marino’s single season passing record, so expect New Orleans to throw the ball all over the field today (Brees needs just over 400 yards to break the record).  Second, as good as the Panthers have been this season, they are just 3-4 when playing on the road.  What’s even more interesting is that if the Saints beat the Panthers and the Falcons beat the Rams, ATLANTA will win the NFC South.  Crazy, right?  Just seven days ago Carolina was playing for home field advantage and if things don’t work out for them today, they will be the #5 seed heading into the playoffs next week.    

MUSH PICK OF THE WEEK…

MIAMI DOLPHINS (+2.5) at New York Jets:  After losing the Texans’ game last Sunday and the Bears game last Monday night, I’m currently rocking a 7-4-1 record through my last 12 games.  Nothing would make me happier than to throw you a winner to close out the regular season.  That being said, the final “Mush Pick of the Week” is going to be the Miami Dolphins.  I couldn’t bring myself to pick a meaningless game (i.e. Chiefs at Bengals), so I figured what better game to discuss then the one that will determine the winner of the AFC East?  The Jets are in a freefall right now, having dropped three of their last four games.  During that stretch, quarterback Brett Favre has been miserable, throwing just 1 touchdown pass to six interceptions.  On the other side of the field sit the red-hot Miami Dolphins, winners of eight of their last 9 games.  Even though they are on the road, I’ll take a hot team over a cold one any day of the week.  Let’s Go Fish!

Good luck!

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