Week 16: On to the Championship Games Dec 19, 2008 | More

If you’re still checking out the articles, then this can mean one of two things:

1) You’re still in the playoffs and have your eye on the championship or

2) You're out of the playoffs but are getting a head start on next year.

Hopefully there are more number ones still around.

Get ready for some last minute changes as we haven't had to deal with the dread three letters: GTD. That's right just in time for the playoffs coaches are using the game-time decision tag on key players. Keep in mind that if they practice on Friday, they are most likely to play.

Player Spotlight: Matt Cassel, QB

Matt performed well last weekend after the passing of his dad, it being the second heroic effort this season as Matt Bryant performed well after the passing of his son. This could be seen as the second greatest effort behind Brett Favre’s game against Oakland on Monday Night Football.

When Tom Brady went down at the beginning of the season, not many owners jumped at the chance to add Cassel to their roster and missed out at a good fantasy QB. Although he hasn't put up numbers like Brady did last year, he is still a Top 10 fantasy QB this season as he is ranked sixth overall on the season. He’s on pace to finish with 275 FTPs which would have been good for sixth overall last year, just three FTPs behind Derek Anderson.

Rumors have already been running wild of talk of trading Brady. After all, they could command a high price for Brady such as two first-day draft picks. They would save money in salary cap and get two extra draft picks with which to improve the team. Where Cassel goes in fantasy drafts depend on where he lands next season. If he stays in New England and plays behind Brady, chances are he will be a waiver pick-up or late round flyer. If Brady is traded, his stock hits the roof and he is a Top 5 QB selection. If he is traded to another team because he will be a restricted free agent, his draft slot would depend on what team he takes over. A team like Detroit or Kansas City would drop him to the middle of the pack while a trade to Minnesota or Tampa Bay would increase his chances of getting drafted higher.

Here are the Top 10 fantasy players over the past three weeks.

Top 10 QBs
Based on Shark League scoring
                                                   
1. Rodgers, Aaron, GBP
2. McNabb, Donovan, PHI
3. Cutler, Jay, DEN
4. Romo, Tony, DAL
5. Rivers, Philip, SDC
6. Ryan, Matt, ATL
7. Garrard, David, JAC
8. Thigpen, Tyler, KCC
9.  Brees, Drew, NOS
10. Cassel, Matt, NEP

Top 10 RBs
Based on Shark League scoring

1. Westbrook, Brian, PHI
2. Williams, DeAngelo, CAR
3. Slaton, Steve, HOU
4.Thomas, Pierre, NOS
5. Johnson, Chris, TEN
6. Jones, Thomas, NYJ
7. Turner, Michael, ATL
8. Peterson, Adrian, MIN
9. Forte, Matt, CHI
10. Jackson, Steven, STL

Top 10 WRs
Based on Shark League scoring

1. Bryant, Antonio, TBB
2. Johnson, Andre, HOU
3. Smith, Steve, CAR
4. Johnson, Calvin, DET
5. White, Roddy, ATL
6. Fitzgerald, Larry, ARI
7. Welker, Wes, NEP
8. Marshall, Brandon, DEN
9. Branch, Deion, SEA
10. Jackson, Vincent, SDC

Top 10 TEs
Based on Shark League scoring

1. Gonzalez, Tony, KCC
2. Carlson, John, SEA
3. Clark, Dallas, IND
4. Witten, Jason, DAL
5. Miller, Zach, OAK
6. Lee, Donald, GBP
7. Olsen, Greg, CHI
8. Scheffler, Tony, DEN
9. Cooley, Chris, WAS
10. Miller, Heath, PIT

Top 10 Ks
Based on Shark League scoring

1. Bironas, Rob, TEN
2. Akers, David, PHI
3. Brown, Kris, HOU
4. Reed, Jeff, PIT
5. Brown, Josh, STL
6. Hartley, Garrett, NOS
7. Carpenter, Dan, MIA
8. Kasay, John, CAR
9. Hanson, Jason, DET
10. Mare, Olindo, SEA

Top 10 DEFs
Based on Shark League scoring

1. Steelers, Pittsburgh, PIT
2. Colts, Indianapolis, IND
3. Ravens, Baltimore, BAL
4. Cowboys, Dallas, DAL
5. Titans, Tennessee, TEN
6. Vikings, Minnesota, MIN
7. Chargers, San Diego, SDC
8. Eagles, Philadelphia, PHI
9. Cardinals, Arizona, ARI
10. Dolphins, Miami, MIA

The Golden Mug Awards
Awarded to the fantasy player that came through for their owners.

Andre Johnson – 11 rec. for 207 YDs, 1 TD. Johnson is a beast and he is often over looked in fantasy leagues and in trade opportunities. If you haven't noticed, Johnson is the top WR in Shark Leagues through Week 15 and is averaging 19.6 FTPs per game. Look for Johnson to always be a draft day steal as WR such as Steve Smith and Reggie Wayne are always selected ahead of him.

Pierre Thomas – 22 car. for 87 RuYDs, 1 RuTD and 7 rec. for 59 ReYDs, 1 ReTD. Long stat line which is what you love to see, especially from a player you've had stashed or picked up off waivers. Thomas is now the best RB on the team and doesn't have Reggie Bush to worry about getting first looks. Thomas is always a great guy to pick up late in drafts.

Dallas Clark – 12 rec. for 142 YDs, 1 TD. The TE position has been downright anemic this year and there hasn't been as much consistency as you would like. Clark is hot at the right time while many owners are getting short handed by their TE, Clark is helping win playoff games.

The Urinal Cake Awards
Awarded to the fantasy player that you would like to, well you know.

Eli Manning – 191 PaYDs, 2 INTs, 0 TDs, 8 Sacks. Just a very poor game from Eli, who needed to carry this team on his shoulders to erase the worry that the team is in trouble. Sure he didn't have Brandon Jacobs or Plaxico Leg Shooter, but he still has enough players that he can make something work and now the Giants find themselves in a heated battle at home this week to secure home-field advantage.

Roy E. Williams – 1 rec. for 5 ReYDs. Williams has been a disappointment this year as he hasn't posted double-digit fantasy points since Week 5. Williams has just two TDs on the year and is on pace to have his worst season since 2005 when he had 687 YDs and eight TDs. He will set a low mark for yards and TDs. It's sad to think that he was putting up better numbers when he was playing in Detroit.

LenDale White – 8 car. for 26 YDs. Ok I have him listed here because he cost me a playoff win against a team I had beat previously. I had not inserted White all year in the lineup as I had him as a Chris Johnson handcuff with Frank Gore and Thomas Jones playing for me well. Gore goes down and I use White for the first time and come away with two crap FTPs. He'll suck again this week.

Willis McGahee would be paying me rent here if I list him one more time.

MATCHUPS
Thursday night games would be as exciting as Monday night football if they had better matchups to watch.

Indianapolis at Jacksonville, 8:15pm – Had the Jaguars been in the playoff hunt at this point in the season it would have been an even bigger game, but as it stands, the Colts are looking to clinch a playoff spot while the Jaguars will be looking to have some company when the playoffs start. The Colts offense is getting 247.2 (sixth) PaYDs and 80.1 (30th) RuYDs per game. On defense they are allowing 190.2 (seventh) PaYDs and 127 (25th) RuYDs. It's almost exactly how they played last year on defense except they had won the division. For Jacksonville, Maurice Jones-Drew still is performing which could mean the end of Fred Taylor who is out for the season with a thumb injury. The offense is getting 207.2 (16th) PaYDs and 110.8 (18th) RuYDs per game. On defense they are allowing 208.4 (14th) PaYDs and 110.7 (17th) per game.

The matchups I like this week for QBs:

Matt Cassel against the Cardinals. Back to Cassel from our earlier topic. Cassel can build on his big game last week in which he passed for 218 yards and threw for four TDs. He has a good matchup with New England holding on to a three-way tie for the division. Arizona is allowing 211.9 (16th) PaYDs which may not seem like much but they are last in the league with 31 PaTDs allowed.

Chad Pennington against the Chiefs. Pennington is a safe choice when picking a QB. He won't put up monster numbers but yet he will keep you in games. Last week he played well throwing for 156 YDs and two TDs. He faces a Kansas City team that likes to give up chunks of yards through the air. They allow 242 (30th) PaYDs per game with 18 PaTDs allowed (17th). The Dolphins are on a mission to put last year behind them and make the playoffs.

Matt Schaub against the Raiders. Schaub had an average game last week against the Titans throwing for 284 YDs and one TD. The week before that, he exploded with 414 YDs and two TDs. This week he faces the Raiders, who should be throwing in the towel and looking towards next year once again. The Raiders allow 195.1 (ninth) PaYDs which is good, but have given up 19 PaTDs (19th). Look for Schaub to light them up as Cassel did a week ago.

The matchups I like this week for RBs:

Marshawn Lynch against the Broncos. Lynch got back on track last week posting 127 RuYDs. Although he hadn't scored since Week 12, he does have three 100+ rushing games over the post five weeks. He faces the Broncos which give up a ton of rushing yards at 140.1 (27th) per game with 19 TDs allowed (19th). The Bills have struggled on offense throwing the ball so look for Lynch to carry the load.

Steve Slaton against the Raiders. This looks to be a game where Houston puts up big stats and Slaton has been hot down the stretch. He looks to post his fifth 100+ rushing game over the past six weeks. The Raiders give up more RuYDs than the Broncos at 167.1 (31st) per game with 20 RuTDs allowed (29th).

Adrian Peterson against the Falcons. You need a big game form your studs. Peterson, the second overall player selected in most leagues, has played well as he is the fourth best RB overall in Shark Leagues. He goes up against the Falcons, who are a team fighting for a playoff spot in the NFC. The Falcons allow 120.2 (22nd) RuYDs per game with 15 RuTDs given up (22nd).

The matchups I don’t like this week for QBs:

David Garrard against the Colts. Garrard surprisingly has been the ninth-best QB in Shark Leagues this season ahead of QBs such as Tony Romo, Brett Favre and Eli Manning. Garrard is another player who doesn't get as much credit for making the most out of what he has to work with, as he has basically nothing for WRs. He will struggle this week against the Colts who are playing well and allow just 190.2 (seventh) PaYDs per game with only five PaTDs allowed (first).

Jason Campbell against the Eagles. What has happened to the Redskins? After a 6-2 start where many thought they could contend for the division, they have bottomed out and fallen to 7-7. They face an Eagles team that has reversed their season. After struggling early, the Eagles still have a shot and post season, although the tie against the Bengals will hurt them in the end. The Eagles are allowing 183.9 (fourth) PaYDs per game with 19 PaTDs allowed (19th).

Philip Rivers against the Buccenneers. The Chargers won last week and kept their playoff hopes alive as Denver was pounded in Carolina. Rivers is the fifth-best QB in Shark leagues. This week he faces a Tampa team that is also playing for a playoff spot and is stingy on defense. They allow just 183.7 (third) PaYDs per game with 17 PaTDs allowed (17th).

The matchups I don't like this week for RBs:

Willie Parker against the Titans. This will be another defensive struggle as the Baltimore-Pittsburgh game was last week. Parker has run poorly over the past four weeks and will have a hard time again. The Titans are allowing just 93.4 (ninth) RuYDs per game with 12 RuTDs allowed (16th).

Chris Johnson against the Steelers. The struggles will be on both sides of the ball as we could see another grinding, low-scoring game. The Steelers are allowing just 75.8 (second) RuYDs per game with only five RuTDs surrendered all season (second). Don't look for LenDale White to get many yards either.

Carnell Williams against the Chargers. The Caddy is slowly trying to get back on track but it won't be this year. He faces a Charger team that is allowing 102.8 (12th) RuYDs per game and surprisingly just seven RuTDs all year (fifth).

Week 16: Win and you're playing for the championship. Or for some, you are the champion!

Good Luck to everyone in Week 16!

Cheers!