Dec 22, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) calls the play in the huddle against the Detroit Lions defense during the 2nd half at Ford Field. Falcon won 31-18. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

For instance, if you’re counting on the likes of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones or Roddy White to carry you this week you’re faced with the possibility of all three not playing a whole lot this week. The Falcons have the #1 seed in the NFC all wrapped up, which leads to you not knowing how much playing time those three players are going to get. Mike Smith has already said he plans on playing today’s game against the Buccaneers with the intention of winning it. But what does that mean? If the Falcons run out to a 21-7 lead after the first quarter will he bench his studs? That’s a likely scenario.

When setting your line-up with worries of how much playing time your guys are going to get you have to decide if a half of Matt Ryan is worth more than a full game of other options like newly named Raiders starting QB Terrelle Pryor. Matt Ryan has taken you so far and a half against the NFL’s worst pass defense could be more than a full game from other fantasy QBs like Pryor. It’ll be an interesting week in the NFL this week and you might want to consider next year playing in a league that ends after Week 16.

Below you’ll find relevant news and information from the NFL that should help you set your line-up for Week 17. Good luck.

• Players already ruled out for Week 17 prior to today include: Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts, RBs Rashad Jennings and Maurice Jones-Drew, Steelers WR Mike Wallace, Jets TE Dustin Keller and QB Greg McElroy, Eagles QB Nick Foles, Bills TE Scott Chandler, Saints RB Pierre Thomas, Browns RB Trent Richardson and QBs Brandon Weeden and Colt McCoy, Dolphins WR Davone Bess, and 49ers WR Mario Manningham.
• The Oakland Raiders have named Terrelle Pryor the starting QB versus the San Diego Chargers this week. Raiders head coach Dennis Allen at one point said Pryor wasn’t ready to be the team’s QB and that was earlier in the week! That just goes to show you how bad Matt Leinart is. Pryor is the unknown and it’s best the Raiders find out what he has to offer them and with his running ability that makes him an attractive asset in fantasy football. You should only consider playing him if you have no other options this week and in a league that starts only one QB you should be able to pick up somebody better than Pryor.
• The Eagles are starting Michael Vick at QB this week after Nick Foles was put on season ending IR. Vick is somebody I would actually recommend starting this week against the Giants. One last game as an Eagle allows Vick to audition his services off to potential suitors and there are few better teams he could be doing that against than the lowly pass defense of the New York Giants. It wouldn’t surprise me if a motivated Vick ended up being the highest scoring fantasy QB for the week.
• While it’s not official yet Adam Schefter has tweeted that it’s unlikely Ravens RB Ray Rice will suit up today. That leaves highly capable back-up RB Bernard Pierce to shoulder the running back load for the Ravens today. If you own Rice you hopefully already rostered Pierce. If not pick him up and start him in Rice’s place. UPDATE: Schefter has updated his previous report to state that Ray is indeed active but will be limited to 1-2 series.
• Reports came out late last night/early this morning that Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has been cleared to play. He might only have a limited role today but if you’ve held onto Gronkowski this long you play him because there aren’t a whole lot of tight ends better than Gronkowski, even if he’s limited.
• Jaguars RB Montell Owens is inactive. Richard Murphy and Keith Toston will split carries at RB in Owens’ place.
• Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart is inactive.
• TE Brandon Pettigrew is active for the Lions today.
• Giants WR Hakeem Nicks is active.
• Ravens WR Anquan Boldin is inactive.
• Titans WR Kendall Wright is active.
• Falcons WR Roddy White is active.
• Finally, here are a few names to consider picking up today if you’re looking for some needed help:
  -Steelers WR Emmanuel Sanders

  -Saints RB Mark Ingram

  -49ers RB LaMichael James (return yards league), TE Delanie Walker (if Vernon Davis is out) and WR Randy Moss.

  -Buffalo Bills TE Dorin Dickerson

  -San Diego Chargers Defense (going up against Pryor)

  -Buffalo Bills Defense (going up against Mark Sanchez)

  -Pittsburgh Steelers Defense (going up against Thaddeus Lewis)

Dec 16, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) celebrates with quarterback Matt Ryan (2) after a touchdown in the second half against the New York Giants at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 34-0. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The tricky part about such a scenario is worrying about motivation and players being rested. We don’t know what’s going through the minds of NFL coaches like Mike Smith of the Falcons who’s coaching a team with not much to play for after securing the #1 seed in the NFC and it’s easy to guess that the likes of QB Matt Ryan, WRs Julio Jones and Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez won’t see much playing time, if any, against the Buccaneers this Sunday.

However, we have no idea if that’s going to be the case. We’ve seen teams rest their starters heading into the playoffs and come out cold in the playoffs (Colts, Bengals of years past) and we’ve seen teams ride a late season hot streak all the way to the Super Bowl (07 and 11 Giants). There’s a case to be made for and against resting and only the coaches know what’s right for their team.

For fantasy football owners you can only hope and pray that the guys you have on your team will be playing this week or else you have to turn to the waiver wire to find suitable replacements. Luckily for you GMEN HQ has got your back and below you’ll find a few fantasy football names you will want to consider putting a claim on depending on the needs of your team. And good luck this week if you still have something meaningful to play for in fantasy football!

QUARTERBACK

Chad Henne. The Jaguars played a fairly competitive game against the Patriots on Sunday and Henne looked like a more than capable QB while leading his team. This week Henne and the Jags take on the Titans, who have given up 29 passing TDs this season. Since taking over the starting QB job Henne has totaled five TDs and passed for an average of 243.4 YPG. If you’re looking for a possible Matt Ryan replacement and the likes of Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick have been scooped up in your league then Henne could be your guy.

Michael Vick. It’s funny how the Eagles season is going to end with Andy Reid having to start Vick after Nick Foles broke his hand this past week against the Redskins. Vick is going to have a one game audition to showcase his talents for the other teams in his league, which should motivate him to have a great game. It doesn’t hurt that he’s going up against an easily burnable Giants secondary.

RUNNING BACK

Mark Ingram. It looks like Ingram is finally getting a chance to show the Saints why they drafted him in the first round, as he’s been getting the bulk of the carries lately for his team. Last week versus the Cowboys Ingram toted the rock a season high 21 times and was able to score another rushing TD. You always have to be wary of any Saints RB because you never know who’ll be carrying the ball but it seems like Ingram has become their primary ball carrier; couple that with him being the team’s goal line RB and you could have yourself a very fine RB2/Flex option.

Montario Hardesty. If Trent Richardson is ruled out for Week 17 then Hardesty becomes even more worthy of a pick-up so keep an eye on the Browns’ practice report for the week.

WIDE RECEIVER

Randy Moss. With the 49ers losing Mario Manningham and Vernon Davis’ status up in the air QB Colin Kaepernick will have to turn to Moss as one of his top targets out of necessity. The 49ers are fighting for the NFC West division crown and we’ve seen Kaepernick look to Moss a decent amount of times this season, culminating in a season high six targets for Moss against the Seahawks in Week 16. In their first meeting with the Cardinals this season Moss was able to reel in a 47-yard TD bomb and he’s always a threat to catch a deep pass.

Brandon LaFell. During the off-season LaFell found himself on many fantasy football sleeper lists but he was never able to live up to the hype he received. It’s not like LaFell hasn’t shown flashes this season with his play it’s just that he hasn’t been consistent. This week the Panthers and the red-hot Cam Newton take on the Saints, who have given up the second most points to WRs in fantasy. That leaves LaFell as a juicy option this week for owners looking for some WR help.

TIGHT END

Kyle Rudolph. In a year of frustrating play at the TE position in fantasy football Rudolph was seen as somebody that could have been a top ten player at the position. In some leagues that may have happened and that goes to show you how disappointing the crop of TEs has been this season. If Rudolph is still toiling away in your league on the waiver wire this would be a good week to pick him up. The Vikings are desperate for a win, Rudolph has become the team’s top pass catching option after the season ending injury to Percy Harvin, and he’s the team’s top red zone target.

Delanie Walker. If Vernon Davis does indeed end up having to miss the team’s season finale this week against the Cardinals after suffering a concussion in Week 16 Walker would take over the starting TE role for the 49ers. Walker has scored a TD in each of the past two games and Kaepernick has looked to him this season, as Davis gets the majority of coverage against foes.

DEFENSE

Buffalo Bills. The Bills play the New York Jets. That would be the Jets that are starting third string QB Greg McElroy. The same Jets that allowed McElroy to get sacked by the San Diego Chargers 11 times in Week 16! McElroy also threw one interception and lost a fumble, while the Chargers special teams unit was able to score a punt return TD. In many fantasy football leagues they were the highest scoring D/ST so the Bills become an attractive plug and play D/ST option for the final regular season week of the NFL.

Dec 22, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) is congratulated Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) after the game at Ford Field. Falcons won 31-18. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy football championship week is taking place for most leagues this week and everything that has happened in the NFL and your fantasy league has led you to this point. You probably don’t need a whole lot of advice if you’ve made it to the final of your league but it never hurts to hear what other people have to say.

Below you’re going to find all the relevant fantasy football information you’ll need for today’s slate of games. Good luck to you!

-Already ruled out prior to today’s games: Dolphins WR Davone Bess, Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, Packers WR Jordy Nelson, and Jaguars’ RBs Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings.

-49ers will be without DE Justin Smith, which will make it a lot easier for Marshawn Lynch tonight.

-Packers RB Alex Green is out. With James Starks already ruled out that leaves Ryan Grant as the starting RB for the Packers against the Titans today. If you’re desperate for RB help Grant might be your man.

-Dolphins WR Brian Hartline is active.

-Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow will be active, leaving the Jets with three active QBs when you include newly named starting QB Greg McElroy’s.

-Ravens WR Torrey Smith is expected to play.

-Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart is inactive.

-Saints RB Chris Ivory is inactive.

-Titans WR Kendall Wright is inactive.

-Cowboys WR Dez Bryant is active.

Not everybody gets to say that they’re playing in a fantasy football championship this week so be proud you made it this far. Now, just because you made it to the finals of your match-up that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. You still have one more very important game to play and any smart fantasy football player knows that they need to look at their line-up with an open mind.

Dec 16 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta (88) brings in a touchdown reception as he is defended by Denver Broncos strong safety Mike Adams (20) at M

While that doesn’t mean benching somebody like Stevan Ridley because he didn’t produce for you in Week 15 against the 49ers, it could mean considering benching somebody like Danario Alexander, who got held in check versus the Panthers, because the Chargers play the Jets in Week 16, and perhaps picking up Brandon Gibson who has a very good match-up against the horrendous pass defense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thinking like that is what will lead you to fantasy football gold!

Below you’ll find a few names to consider putting a waiver wire claim for in your league. Good luck in the finals!

QUARTERBACK

Sam Bradford. In most leagues that start only one quarterback Bradford might be toiling away on the waiver wire. That is good news for you if you need a plug and play QB for the championship week, as Bradford is coming off a game where he went 35 of 55 for 377 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and a lost fumble. Great numbers in fantasy football if you can get them and Bradford has a chance to repeat those numbers, as the Saints play the Bucs this week. The Bucs are the league’s worst ranked passing defense having given up a league high 4,349 yards through the air. They are also tied for second worst in the category of passing touchdowns allowed, yielding a total of 27 to opponents this season. It might seem like a cringe worthy idea to start Bradford this week in your championship match but it could be the move that wins you the title. At least think about it if your quarterback situation is iffy.

RUNNING BACK

Mark Ingram. The former first round pick Ingram is a player we know can produce when given a chance and this past Sunday versus the Bucs Ingram was given 14 carries and Ingram rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown on those carries. In his past two games he has carried the ball at least 13 times and averaged 5.2 and 6.4 yards per carry in those two games, respectively. The only problem with starting Ingram in fantasy football is that the Saints don’t have a true #1 running back and Ingram has to contend with the likes of Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles for touches. If you’re desperate for running back help though Ingram could be the answer.

WIDE RECEIVER

Brandon Gibson. The Rams are having a season they would probably like to forget and move on from so that they can focus on their future, which does look promising. Before that can happen they have to finish this season and luckily for them they get to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Teams that play the Bucs this year are pretty happy because they know that they can be thrown on. The Bucs just can’t stop the pass and last week Bradford was able to throw for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns. A team leading 76 of those yards went to Gibson. Targeted eight times Gibson caught six of those targets and if Bradford can target him repeatedly on Sunday versus Tampa Bay it could potentially lead to a pretty good game for Gibson, especially if the Bucs focus most of their attention on stopping Danny Amendola.

Riley Cooper. The Eagles aren’t that great of a team. Let me get that out of the way first. But you don’t need to be playing on a good team to make an impact in fantasy football. In some instances it’s all about the match-ups and with a Week 16 showdown versus the Redskins the Eagles have a chance to put up some points due to the fact that the Redskins can’t really stop the pass. We’ve seen what Nick Foles can do when he’s up against a bad pass defense and Cooper could be the beneficiary of that. Against the Bengals last Thursday night Cooper was second on the team in targets with seven and while he was only able to haul in three of those targets for 20 yards one of them was a touchdown. Cooper could have WR3/Flex potential this week.

TIGHT END

Dennis Pitta. This week’s hottest waiver wire add looks to be Pitta mainly due to how inconsistent the tight position has been in fantasy football all season long. Pitta went off in Week 15 against the Broncos to the tune of 125 yards and two touchdowns. With so very few quality TE1 options this season Pitta looks to be a solid option at the position this week with the Ravens taking on the Giants. If Torrey Smith’s concussion holds him out this week Pitta will be sharing top pass catching duties with Anquan Boldin.

DEFENSE

Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are coming off a 31-7 demolishing of the San Diego Chargers. You might not think of the Panthers as a defensive juggernaut and they really aren’t but they did force Chargers QB Philip Rivers to the fumble the ball four times, two of which he lost, and they were also able to sack him six times. This week the Panthers play the Raiders and their offense led by Carson Palmer doesn’t scare anybody and if they can get to the quarterback they can force Palmer to turn the ball over, something which he has done 19 times (14 INTs and 5 fumbles lost) this season.

December 9, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) runs onto the field prior to the Redskins

The biggest news to hit the fantasy football community this week is the late breaking Saturday night report that RG3 won’t be starting today and this morning the report was made official with RG3 being deemed inactive. The good thing about having that information early is that it gives you a chance to alter your line-up without having to wait until the last minute. The bad news is that RG3 is the highest scoring QB in most fantasy football leagues and if you made it to the semi-finals of your league riding RG3 all year long this injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. If you play in a one-QB league and don’t have a back-up on your bench you should be able to pick up a QB like Colin Kaepernick or Russell Wilson. If you’re in a 2-QB league the pickings might be slim and you could only be left with someone like Brady Quinn.

For all you RG3 owners out there I’m sorry for your loss but if you can squeak out a win this week hopefully the week off will do RG3 good and he’ll be back and ready to go in Week 16 for your league’s championship match. Good luck to everybody and below you’ll find some relevant fantasy football news that will help you set your final line-up…

-RG3 is inactive and in his place rookie 4th rounder Kirk Cousins will start. In two relief appearances this season Cousins is 7 for 11 for 137 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. The Redskins play the Browns this week so Cousins isn’t a recommended start and the value of the  team’s other big name fantasy assets, Pierre Garcon and Alfred Morris, could also have their values diminished.

Players already ruled out before today: Bears WR Earl Bennett, Dolphins WR Davone Bess, Saints RB Chris Ivory, Bills RB Fred Jackson, Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Packers WR Jordy Nelson, Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart.

-Falcons WR Roddy White is active and starting.

-Rams WR Danny Amendola is active and starting. This bumps Chris Givens’ value down a bit.

-Giants WR Hakeem Nicks is active and ready to go.

-Vikings RB Adrian Peterson is active.

-Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts is active and will start.

-Browns RB Trent Richardson is active.

Whatever your situation is right now believe me when I say that there are thousands of other people feeling the exact same way as you. If you’re one of the fortunate ones who gets to play another week congratulations! You still got work to do to keep your roster’s momentum going. If you lost and your season is over I’m sorry for your loss and just remember you always have next year! And if you lost because of the Seattle Seahawks defense just know that there was nothing you could do about it.

Below you’ll find some names to check out on the waiver wire of your league that may help you out the next few weeks if you’re still in the hunt for your league’s championship

QUARTERBACK

Nick Foles. I think it’s safe to say that pretty much any quarterback can have a decent fantasy day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their horrendous pass defense. It’s quite a contrast to their dominant rush defense but that’s just the way they like to do it in Tampa Bay. When you let Nick Foles complete 32 of 51 pass attempts to the tune of 381 passing yards and two passing touchdowns and then also let him run for an additional 27 rushing yards and score on a 10-yard run then you know your pass defense has problems.

Foles isn’t going to light it up like that every week and with a Week 15 match-up versus the Bengals on tap Foles isn’t a recommended start unless you are really desperate for help at the QB position but in Weeks 16 and 17 the Eagles play the Redskins and Giants, respectively. Two teams that have been known to give up a ton of passing yards, which is something to consider if your starting QB gets rested in the final weeks of the fantasy football playoff season.

RUNNING BACK

Shane Vereen. Stevan Ridley has been the workhorse back for the Patriots this season and with good reason. He’s been producing. The only issue with Ridley is that he likes to fumble the ball. Luckily for him and his fantasy owners is that he’s only lost one fumble this season, which has allowed him to stay in coach Bill Belichick’s good graces. Well, on Monday night versus the Texans Ridley fumbled on a goal line carry, which was ultimately recovered by teammate Aaron Hernandez, but that didn’t matter much as Ridley barely saw the field after that and did most of his damage in garbage time. The Patriots are loaded at the running back position and Vereen was actually drafted one round earlier than Ridley. There have been flashes of good play by Vereen here and there and Ridley’s loss might be Vereen’s gain. If you own Ridley then Vereen is a must add right now.

David Wilson. Any Giants fan knows exactly how dangerous Wilson has been for the team on the kick return team. Sunday afternoon was another example of that with Wilson taking one kick return 97 yards to the house for a touchdown and running back three other returns for a total of 227 kick return yards. On top of that Wilson also rushed the ball 13 times for 100 yards and two of those carries went for touchdowns. Not a bad day overall for the rookie and with Ahmad Bradshaw dealing with knee issues Wilson could be in line for more work if Bradshaw misses this week’s game. Monitor Bradshaw’s status to see if he’ll play this week or not.

WIDE RECEIVER

Joseph Morgan. Only two passes were thrown Morgan’s way in the Saints’ blowout loss to the Giants on Sunday but Morgan was able to haul in both of those passes for a total of 106 yards. One catch was for 62 yards and his other reception went for 44. With this season shaping up to be a lost one for the Saints it’s not out of the question for the Saints to see what Morgan has to offer and whether or not they have something special in him. Morgan only has 7 catches on the season but 6 of them went for at least 33 yards.

TIGHT END

Tony Scheffler. The Lions are losing pass catchers at an alarming rate. First Ryan Broyles gets put on season ending IR with an ACL injury, then Titus Young gets put on season ending being stupid IR, and now in this past Sunday night’s match-up versus the Packers Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew left the game with an ankle injury in the first quarter never to return. Whether Scheffler takes over starting tight end duties or not he’s the team’s third best pass catcher at worst and can see some time in the slot. The tight end position in fantasy football has been a wasteland this year and Scheffler could be a sneaky start.

DEFENSE

Detroit Lions. They play the Arizona Cardinals. The same Cardinals offense that gave up 40+ fantasy points to the Seattle Seahawks fantasy defense in Week 14. You’re probably not going to get that many points from the Lions this week but if you stream your fantasy football defense every week then you will be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Lions this week.

Nov 29, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is hit as he throws by Atlanta Falcons defensive end John Abraham (55) in the first half at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

If you were riding your hopes of making the playoffs on the likes of Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Roddy White or Julio Jones you probably didn’t rest easy for the rest of the week. You always gotta start your studs but they don’t always produce studworthy performances. You don’t want to go too bold with your line-up decisions but sometimes you have to think outside the box if you’re desperate.

Below you’ll find all the relevant news and notes happening around the NFL that might have an impact on your final fantasy football line-up for the week. Good luck and may you need to read this article next week!

-Players that have already been ruled before today: Vikings WR Percy Harvin (out for rest of the season), Bears WR Earl Bennett, Jets TE Dustin Keller, Colts RB Donald Brown, Jaguars RB Rashad Jennings (Montell Owens is the Jags starter at RB this week), Eagles QB Mike Vick and RB LeSean McCoy, Packers RB James Stark, Packers WR Jordy Nelson, and Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts.

-Bills WR Stevie Johnson is active.

-Giants WR Hakeem Nicks is expected to play.

-Falcons RB Michael Turner is active.

-Lions WR Mike Thomas is expected to be the team’s primary slot WR.

-Cardinals RB Beanie Wells is expected to play.

-Texans RB Ben Tate is probable for Monday Night. Any Arian Foster owners need to make sure he is on their bench.

-A trio of Patriots pass-catchers have been listed as questionable for Monday’s game versus the Texans: WRs Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker, and TE Aaron Hernandez. All three should start but only Welker and Hernandez should be starting for you.

-Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is back.

-Texans TE Garret Graham ruled out for Monday night.

-Rams WR Danny Amendola is out.

-Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall is inactive.

-Panthers WR Brandon LaFell and RB Jonathan Stewart are both inactive.

-Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham is active.

-Panthers TE Greg Olsen is active.

-Jets QB Tim Tebow is active; Greg McElroy isn’t.

Week 14 in the NFL is the first week of the playoffs in most fantasy football leagues and if you were among the fortunate owners to clinch a spot in your league’s playoffs congratulations are in order!

Nov 29, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) drops back to pass against the New Orleans Saints during the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-USA TODAY Sports

With an eye on the playoff prize now is not the time to become complacent in the land of fake football. Anything can happen from week to week in the NFL, which can have a major impact on your fantasy team. The waiver wire is still going to include some intriguing names and you have to be willing to tinker with your line-up until the season is over.

For example, your studs like Matt Ryan or Julio Jones have taken you this far but you never know if the Falcons might start resting players and you have to be prepared for such an event. Hopefully some of the names in this week’s waiver wire column will help you out in the weeks to come.

QUARTERBACK

Greg McElroy. The quarterback position is usually a settled one in leagues that only start one QB; you have your starter in place and a QB on your bench that you plug in based on match-ups or byes. With the bye weeks over and done with most teams tend to just have one QB rostered and roll with him for the rest of the season. However, in leagues where you start two quarterbacks you’re always on the lookout for a QB to add to your roster just in case and this week McElroy might be that guy.

In the event that the Jets end up starting McElroy, who in relief of Mark Sanchez against the Cardinals on Sunday went 5 of 7 for 29 yards and a touchdown, then you might want to consider taking a gamble on him based on the match-up. The Jets play the Jaguars on Sunday and they just finished letting Ryan Fitzpatrick throw two touchdown passes and run for an additional touchdown against them.

RUNNING BACK

Jonathan Dwyer. The Steelers running back situation has been a mess this season with the likes of Dwyer, Isaac Redman, Chris Rainey and Rashard Mendenhall all getting touches. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin seems to have finally settled on one guy and that guy is Dwyer, who was named the starter in their game versus the Ravens this past week. While Dwyer didn’t exactly light up the Ravens, he only totaled 57 yards on 19 touches he did score a rushing touchdown. Starting running backs in fantasy football this late in the season are hard to find and we might just have found one in Dwyer.

WIDE RECEIVER

Donnie Avery. Avery was probably a guy many have picked up and dropped throughout the course of the season, as he has had his ups and downs. With T.Y. Hilton getting hot lately Avery has been an afterthought in the Colts’ offense but this past Sunday against the Lions Avery had a huge game catching five passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Luck has been targeting Avery a ton this season and the Colts will continue with their pass heavy offense down the stretch. We’ve seen a lot of pass catchers on the Colts be targeted by Luck this season so there shouldn’t be any worries that there aren’t enough looks to go around in Indy.

Golden Tate. What might be surprising to find out about Tate is that he has quietly been playing at a high level these past few weeks scoring touchdowns in three out of his past four games with a multi-touchdown game thrown in. Against the vaunted Chicago Bears defense Tate caught five passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Tate’s a guy that’s available in a lot of leagues and with Russell Wilson improving weekly and his trust in Tate being at a high level that could make for Tate to be an every week fantasy starter the rest of the way.

Chris Givens. You only want to be adding Givens to your roster for now and not starting him with confidence unless Danny Amendola is out, which is something that might happen again this season. We’ve seen Rams QB Sam Bradford have lockdown tunnel vision this year, which is usually reserved for Amendola. However, with Amendola sitting out the game versus the 49ers on Sunday Bradford’s favorite WR was Givens, as he was targeted 14 times. Givens caught 11 of those targets for 92 yards and would make for a great WR3/Flex start against the Bills this week if Amendola doesn’t play.

TIGHT END

Tony Scheffler. The tight end position in fantasy football this season has been a crapshoot. Unless you drafted one of Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham or Tony Gonzalez you have been stuck with one of the many tight ends that have been just okay on a week-to-week basis and possibly also starting a different tight end each week based on match-ups.

The reason I mention Scheffler’s name isn’t because he’s suddenly become a stud in that Lions passing game or that he has surpassed Brandon Pettigrew as the starting tight end in Detroit. Nope. The real reason why Scheffler’s name is mentioned in this column has to do with Ryan Broyles’ season ending injury. You see, the Lions are depleted at the WR position after Megatron and with Broyles out and Titus Young being benched for being an idiot the Lions are losing bodies. The person to benefit the most from Broyles’ injury is Scheffler, who should see an increase in looks and more time lining up in the slot. Basically you’re getting a WR designated as a TE in Scheffler and in fantasy football this year that could be huge!

DEFENSE

If you’ve been starting a different defense each week based on match-ups this season Week 14 brings you a few good options. The Jets, Cardinals, and Browns would be at the top of my one-week plug-and-play rankings, as they go up against the Jaguars, Seahawks and Chiefs respectively.

-Notables players already ruled out before today: Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart, Vikings WR Percy Harvin, Jaguars RBs Maurice Jones-Drew and Jalen Parmele, Steelers QBs Ben Roethlisberger, Eagles QB Michael Vick and RB LeSean McCoy, and Bengals WR Mohamed Sanu.

Oct 21, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin (12) against the Arizona Cardinals at the Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Cardinals 21-14. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

-Raiders RB Darren McFadden is unlikely to play today after initial reports stated otherwise. Continue riding the Marcel Reece train, especially in PPR leagues and in a game where high winds could have an impact on the passing game.

-Seahawks WR Sidney Rice is expected to suit up today against the Bears. Don’t start him as anything more than a WR3 going up against a Bears defense playing in Chicago. UPDATE: Rice is officially active.

-Rams WR Danny Amendola isn’t expected to play today versus the 49ers but we said the same thing about him last week and he ended up playing. Amendola has to be one of the toughest players in the league and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him out on the field today but if the Rams were smart they would give him the day off to continue healing. UPDATE: Amendola is officially out.

-The Cowboys might get back the services of RB DeMarco Murray today but if you own him you should consider continuing to leave him on your bench until you know he’s fully healthy.

-Redskins WR Pierre Garcon put in a full practice yesterday and should be good to go for Monday night’s showdown versus the Giants. He’s a high upside WR3 play who could put up potential WR1 or WR2 numbers. He might not ever get fully healthy rest of the season but as long as he is on the field you should start him with confidence.

-Jets WR Jeremy Kerley is expected to play against the Cardinals.

-If you’re suffering from the Percy Harvin injury blues and have been struggling to find a decent replacement at the WR position for your team you might want to consider Jarius Wright. It looks like Wright will be the team’s slot receiver and should get an increase in targets. In his past two games since replacing Harvin he has totaled 114 yards on ten catches and caught a touchdown in Week 10 against the Lions.

-Detroit Lions WR Titus Young is once again inactive. He’s officially droppable now in all fantasy football leagues. Ryan Broyles is the other WR on the Lions you want on your team.

-Cardinals WR Andrew Roberts, Packers WR Donald Driver and Bears WR Ashlon Jeffrey are all inactive.

-Patriots WR Julian Edelman is active.

-Jets QB Tim Tebow is inactive.

-Bears RB Matt Forte is active

-Colts TE Coby Fleener is active; Dwayne Allen moves down a bit in the TE rankings, as both players will be splitting time at the TE position for the Colts.

Nov 25, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) is injured during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. The Bears won 28-10. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

Forte left Sunday’s game against the Vikings on Sunday during the third quarter, never to return. It was nice he didn’t need the assistance of a cart, as we was able to walk off the field on his own accord, but the bottom line was that he got hurt. To make matters worse for those that started Forte in fantasy football this past weekend was that his backup Michael Bush scored two touchdowns.

It seems that Forte’s inured ankle is the same one that he injured earlier in the season, which could lead to some questions marks about his availability this weekend. If you own Forte hopefully you also own Bush and if you didn’t it’s time to pick him up, that is if he’s still available.

Another big injury happened to a member of the New York Giants, as backup running back Andre Brown left the game against the Packers Sunday night and it turns out the news is pretty dire. Brown will miss the remainder of the season with a broken left fibula. For those of you thinking about rushing out and picking up David Wilson, thinking he will see an uptick in touches you might want to hold off on that thinking. Wilson doesn’t see much time on the field because of his poor pass protection and until that improves he should be a fantasy football afterthought.

So, to recap, yes to Bush, no to Wilson. Below you’ll find a few options to consider when deciding who to use your waiver wire priority on for the upcoming Week 13 in the NFL season.

QUARTERBACK

Colin Kaepernick. There were many skeptics out there regarding Kaepernick and his quick ascension to the thrown of top signal caller in San Francisco. He took care of the Bears in his first start and the Saints were no match for him either, as he went 16 of 25 for 231 yards passing and one passing touchdown. He also added 27 yards rushing on the ground and a rushing touchdown. Kaepernick is the real deal and can be a fantasy football difference maker down the stretch. If you’ve been starting the likes of Cam Newton or Philip Rivers all year long I would recommend picking up Kaepernick and starting him for as long as the 49ers do.

RUNNING BACK

Michael Bush. If Forte is out Bush will become the man.

Knowshon Moreno. It wasn’t the much buzzed about rookie Ronnie Hillman that was given an opportunity at the running back position in Denver after Willis McGahee was put on I.R. Instead Moreno, most recently seen as inactive on the Broncos just last week was given a surprise start and a shot at redemption. The word around the NFL is that Hillman isn’t good enough in the pass blocking skills department and for a team that has Peyton Manning slinging the rock each week that’s a big no-no. Moreno and his pass blocking expertise took his shot and ran with it, gaining 85 yards on the ground and 26 yards through the air for a total 111 yards on 24 touches. Moreno is the starting running back in Denver for now and is in a good spot to be a weekly producer.

WIDE RECEIVER

Greg Jennings. The Packers’ former #1 wide receiver is expected back for Week 13 just in time to take part in the team’s divisional clash with rivals their the Minnesota Vikings. Jennings can be found on a large number of free agency pools around the fantasy football land and now is the time to pick him up. He’s no longer the team’s top pass catching option, as that role now belongs to both Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb but look for Jennings to slide right back into the groove of things and become one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite targets, as long as he’s healthy. All you James Jones owners out there should be concerned about Jones losing targets to Jennings.

Pierre Garcon. We all saw what a health Garcon could do this season when he went for 109 yards and a touchdown in one quarter of play in the first week of the NFL season. Garcon is a burner with exceptional hands and when healthy he is a legitimate WR1 in fantasy football. The only thing holding him back was the foot injury that he has been dealing with all season long.  Garcon returned to action in Week 11 but he wasn’t much of a factor catching three passes for a measly five yards. Many owners picked him up hoping he would produce and then start him rest of the season but those that took a flier on him more than likely immediately dropped him. Well, the next week the Garcon of old was back catching five passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. The best news regarding Garcon’s performance against a very good Cowboys secondary is that he came out the game without any setbacks. If Garcon is still available in your league pick him up and start him without any concern.

Mohamed Sanu. The Bengals have been sorely lacking a consistent threat at the wide receiver position behind A.J. Green and it looks like they may have finally found one in Sanu. The rookie from Rutgers was a major red zone threat on Sunday for the Bengals, as he hauled in two red zone touchdowns. His receiving yards production wasn’t much, just five catches for 29 yards, but his two touchdowns make up for it. Sanu looks to be the Bengals #2 wide receiver for the rest of the season and if Dalton keeps targeting him, especially in the red zone, he might become a very useful WR3/Flex play for the rest of the season.

TIGHT END

Heath Miller. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has been left for dead by many football observers thanks in large part to the absence of franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Miller was at the forefront of the shunning since many believed he wouldn’t be as involved in the passing game with Byron Leftwich/Chaz Batch at the helm but on Sunday Chaz Batch targeted Miller a surprising eight times, which resulted in six catches for 63 yards for Miller. There are reports that Roethlisberger will be back as early as this week and even if he’s not a Week 14 can’t be out of the question. Miller was producing as a top five fantasy football tight end up until Big Ben’s injury and once Roethlisberger was out many were quick to drop Miller. If he’s available pick him up and start him once Big Ben is back. Going into Week 12 Miller was among the league leaders in red zone targets and that trend will continue once the best quarterback on the Steelers roster is back.

DEFENSE

New York Jets. I highly doubt that the Jets defense isn’t available in your league and if they are and you are in need of a defense/special teams this week in fantasy football, owners of the Seattle Seahawks defense I’m looking at you, then you would be foolish not to consider the Jets. Yes, I know these aren’t the same ferocious and intimidating Jets of prior years but there still are some playmakers on that side of the ball for the Jets like Antonio Cromartie.

The main reason why I recommend the Jets this week is mainly due to the fact that they will be playing the Cardinals and their atrocious starting quarterback Ryan Lindley. The same Lindley who threw a total of four interceptions against the St. Louis Rams in his starting debut this week, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

November 22, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) celebrates a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half of a game on Thanksgiving at Ford Field. The Texans won 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-US PRESSWIRE

However, that doesn’t mean you’ve clinched a win this week, as we still have a lot of football left to play. Below you’ll find the relevant football news and notes that will help you set up your fantasy football line-up for the rest of Week 12….

-Noteworthy names ruled out prior to today: Eagles QB Michael Vick and RB LeSean McCoy, Steelers QBs Byron Leftwich and Ben Roethlisberger, and Raiders RBs Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson.

-A few starting QBs: Chad Henne, Brady Quinn, Nick Foles, Ryan Lindley, and Colin Kaepernick. Henne and Kaepernick have highest upsides this week but Kaepernick has the potential to be a top ten fantasy QB this week; take the risk with him if you can.

-Falcons WR Julio Jones is active and starting. The amount he plays will depend on game situations so you might not seem him play a full compliment of snaps. But you have to start him if you own him.

-Colts TE Coby Fleener is once again inactive, giving Dwayne Allen borderline TE1 status going up against the Bills today.

-Giants WR Domenik Hixon is inactive.

-Steelers WR Antonio Brown is inactive. Newly signed WR Plaxico Burress is going to be strictly a red zone target.

-Vikings WR Percy Harvin is inactive.

-Bengals WR Andrew Hawkins is inactive; look for Mohamed Sanu to keep the WR2 job for the Bengals and he makes for a decent WR3/Flex play against the Chiefs.

-Bears QB Jay Cutler is active and starting.

-The Colts have named Vick Ballard the starter today against the Bills and is an intriguing RB2 play. Donald Brown is also active.

-Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas is active, so too is RB Knowshon Moreno and it looks like he might get the chance to be the lead RB. However, Ronnie Hillman has the most upside out of the replacement RBs on the Broncos roster.

-Cardinals RB Beanie Wells is active and will be rotating snaps with La’Rod Stephens-Howling.

-Steelers RBs Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer all active.

-Packers WR Greg Jennings and Rams WR Danny Amendola both unlikely to play this week.

-Jaguars have named Jalen Parmele the starting RB this week; has flex play potential.

Whatever your playoff chances are one thing for certain is that you can always look to improve your team. No matter how perfect your team is anything can happen within a matter of seconds. Just imagine your team was in first place and you had been riding both Rob Gronkowski and Willis McGahee all year long. Nothing to worry about, right? Well, we all know what happened on Sunday and it looks like both Gronkowski (broken forearm) and McGahee (torn MCL, broken leg) will be missing at least the next four weeks and could both possibly be out for the rest of the regular season.

Nov 18, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) reacts after his touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts 59-24. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Those two injuries were the biggest ones to happen this past week in the NFL and if you lost either one below you’ll find my waiver wire pick-up article for the week that will hopefully help you out for the upcoming slate of games. Oh, and don’t forget that thanks to Thanksgiving this week there will be three football games on the schedule on Thursday: Texans @ Lions, Redskins @ Cowboys and Patriots @ Jets. You better set your line-up accordingly…

QUARTERBACK

Chad Henne. Want the best example that Week 11 was fantasy football bizarro world? Matt Ryan threw for 301 yards and 5 interceptions while Henne threw for 354 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Playing for an injured Blaine Gabbert Henne lit up a Texans defense that was heralded as an elite unit and his play has already given him a vote of confidence from the coaching staff, as Henne has been named the starter this week against the Titans. This season the Titans are allowing quarterbacks to throw an average of 266.2 yards against them this and have given up a total of 20 passing touchdowns; both in the bottom ten of the league. It’s not out of the question that Henne could have another big game this week and if you’re feeling risky Henne just might provide you with a huge return.

Colin Kaepernick. In a battle of the backup QBs, Kaepernick vastly outplayed Jason Campbell. Kaepernick’s play was pretty darn good and he may have taken the starting job away from Alex Smith. Kaepernick was 16 of 23 for 243 yards and two touchdowns and he also added 12 yards rushing. When 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked who’ll be the starting QB for the Saints this week the response wasn’t good for Smith: “I usually go with the hot hand.” Well, nobody’s hand was hotter than Kaepernick’s Monday night and if he is given the starting job he could be a top ten fantasy QB the rest of the season.

RUNNING BACK

Ronnie Hillman and Lance Ball. I covered the McGahee injury earlier in the article so you know he’s out for a long time. Hillman and Ball played in relief of McGahee once he left the game on Sunday against the Chargers. Hillman totaled 14 touches for 61 yards and Ball had a total of 9 touches for 56 yards. Hillman has been getting more involved in the run game for the Broncos and looks to be the guy to replace McGahee but Ball will also be in play and we can’t forget about Knowshon Moreno as well. If you want the home run pick it’s Hillman but don’t be surprised if Ball takes a chunk out of Hillman’s touches.

Beanie Wells. The Cardinals rushing attack has been a joke this year, even though La’Rod Stephens-Howlins rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown versus the Falcons on Sunday. Two of LSH’s 27 carries totaled 92 yards, which means he averaged 1.86 yards per rush on his other 22 rushes. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt has said that Wells will be coming off the short term I.R. designation this week and should be good to go against the Rams this Sunday and should take back the starting job.

Bryce Brown. The season just keeps getting worse and worse for the Eagles and the latest bad news for them came on Sunday when starting RB LeSean McCoy was knocked out of their game against the Redskins with a concussion. There’s no guarantee that McCoy will be medically cleared Sunday and if he isn’t Brown will get the starting nod. If you own McCoy you better pick up Brown.

Jalen Parmele. Rashad Jennings didn’t do much as the starting RB for the Jaguars while he was starting in place of the injured Maurice Jones-Drew and on Sunday head coach Mike Mularky benched Jennings for Parmele against the Texans. Parmele responded by rushing for 80 yards; not spectacular numbers but the Texans run defense is stout so Parmele actually did not too bad if you think about it. Jones-Drew likely won’t be back this week, giving Parmele at least one more game as the Jaguars’ starting running back and in Week 12 that start would be against the Titans who have given up an average of 132.8 yards rushing to opponents this year, good for 5^th worse in the NFL.

WIDE RECEIVER

Danario Alexander. Since being given significant time at the WR position in San Diego and eventually being named a starter for the team Alexander, known as DX, has taken his opportunity and ran with it. In three games with the Chargers DX has totaled 17 catches, 289 yards and three touchdowns, including the 96 yards and 2 touchdowns he had against the Broncos this past week. DX led the Chargers in targets for a second straight week and that could be a trend for the rest of the season that won’t be going away. If you need something else to tip you over the edge the Chargers play the Ravens this week and that secondary just lost safety Ed Reed to a one-game suspension.

Julian Edelman. Edelman played more than Brandon Lloyd in two-wide sets on Sunday and that could continue to happen going forward this season. In Edelman’s favor was his play Sunday, as he totaled 222 all-purpose yards (58 yards receiving, 47 yards rushing and 117 return yards) and recorded two touchdowns (1 receiving, 1 punt return). With Gronkowski out there will be more targets to go around and Edelman might be more of a beneficiary over Lloyd.

T.Y. Hilton. There has been no question that Hilton has the talent to be an every week WR3 in fantasy football. The only thing holding him back has been Donnie Avery. Both players have been vying for the attention of Andrew Luck’s targets and with Avery suffering a concussion on Sunday Hilton should get an increased number of targets going forward. Against the Patriots Hilton caught 6 catches for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns and this week the Colts play the Bills, which is a great match-up for the Colts’ passing attack. If Avery is out this week Hilton makes for an attractive WR3 play.

TIGHT END

Dwayne Allen. The Colts play the Bills this week and the Bills rank in the bottom of fantasy football when it comes to fantasy points against tight ends. There has been talk that Coby Fleener will return from his injury this week but if he doesn’t Allen will continue to dominate the tight end targets. If you’re a Gronk owner looking for an answer Allen could be your man. Against the Patriots this past Sunday Allen was targeted 11 times and caught six of those targets for 69 yards.

Garrett Graham. Even though Owen Daniels came back from his injury for the Texans on Sunday and they scored 43 points against the Jaguars Daniels wasn’t able to get it on the scoring fun. He did catch six of nine balls thrown his way for a total of 57 yards though. The man throwing Daniels those balls, QB Matt Schaub had one heck of game throwing for 527 yards and five touchdowns, three of which went to tight ends not named Owen Daniels: two to Garrett Graham and one to James Casey. Picking up Graham won’t necessarily result in fantasy points, in fact he might not get another touchdown all year, but if you have the roster spot he’s worth adding, as you never know when Daniels might be out again.

DEFENSE

Cincinnati Bengals. If you’ve been employing a week-by-week strategy at the defensive position in fantasy football then last week you probably started the Cincinnati Bengals. The reason being that they were going up against the Kansas City Chiefs; a team that was yielding the highest amount of fantasy points to opposing defenses. While the Bengals didn’t pay you back with a blowout fantasy performance they only allowed the Chiefs to score 6 points, recorded three sacks and added a fumble recovery. Not a bad day at the offense.

They’re not playing the Chiefs again this week, that would be the Denver Broncos, who should already be owned in all fantasy leagues, the Bengals are playing the Raiders. Carson Palmer has been a respectable quarterback so far this season and the thinking going into the Raiders’ Week 11 match-up against the lowly Saints defense was that Palmer would rip them apart but that didn’t quite happen. It’s true that Palmer threw for over 300 yards and 2 TDs but he was also picked off twice, one of which was a pick-six, and he was also sacked three times. If the Saints could do that to Palmer just imagine what an opportunistic Bengals defense might do to him? Roll with the Bengals for at least one more week.

November 11, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) is helped from the ground by Dallas Cowboys inside linebacker Ernie Sims (59) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

-Already ruled out before today: Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez, Steelers WR Antonio Brown, Colts TE Coby Fleener, Packers WR Greg Jennings, Texans RB Ben Tate, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, Eagles QB Michael Vick, and Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew.

-An ankle injury for Falcons WR Julio Jones held him out of practice this week but he will be active today.

-Chargers RB Ryan Mathews is active and expected to start today.

-Jets WR Jeremey Kerley has been cleared to play.

-Bengals WR Andrew Hawkins is inactive. Mohamed Sanu will be starting for the Bengals today and could make for a decent WR3/Flex play if you are desperate.

-Redskins WR Pierre Garcon expected to be active and starting today.

-Texans TE Owen Daniels will be active.

-Look for Saints RB Darren Sproles to miss today’s game per Jay Glazer

-Reports out of Atlanta state that RB Michael Turner will be featured less rest of the season due to his ineffectiveness and the team plans on featuring backups Jason Snelling and Jacquizz Rodgers more going forward.

-Rams WR Chris Givens is active this week.

-Cardinals TE Todd Heap is inactive.

-Packers WR Jordy Nelson is active.

Nov 11, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Victor Butler (57) sacks Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Cowboys defeated the Eagles 38-23. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

For more fantasy football talk and to see which players you should be targeting this week on the waiver wire in your league keep reading…

QUARTERBACK

Jake Locker. The Titans injured quarterback didn’t exactly light up the Dolphins’ secondary on the Sunday completing only 9 of 21 passes for 122 yards. But two of those passes went for touchdowns and he also added 36 yards on the ground rushing. Locker won’t help you this week, as the Titans have a bye in Week 11 but he could be plenty useful down the fantasy football playoff stretch and would make a good bench stash for now.

Ryan Tannehill. I recommended Tannehill as a Week 10 bye-week replacement to anybody who would listen to me, which hopefully didn’t turn out to be too many people, and even traded for him (giving up James Jones in a 1-for-1 trade) in a 2-QB league to cover for RG3’s bye. The thinking was that he had a very good match-up against a suspect Titans secondary that just one week ago was lit up by the Bears. Well, fast-forward to Sunday afternoon after the Titans-Dolphins showdown and the stats will tell you the whole story. Tannehill was 23 of 39 for 217 yards and three interceptions. Not the greatest day in land of fantasy football but just know that I went down with the ship as well if you want to blame me for your fantasy football troubles.

So, why am I recommending Tannehill again? It once again has to do with his match-up, which this week sees him going up against the Bills on Thursday night. The Bills’ pass defense might actually be worse than the Titans and Tannehill could have a nice rebound game. If you need a starting quarterback to replace the likes of quarterbacks on byes like Russell Wilson or Eli Manning Tannehill should do the trick this week.

Nick Foles. Andy Reid and the Eagles haven’t officially come out and ruled out starting quarterback Mike Vick for their Week 11 division clash with the Redskins but all signs are pointing to Foles making his first ever regular season NFL start this week. If you look at the game time you’ll see a rookie QB thrown into the fire without much preparation the week leading up to gameday and there were plenty of mistakes made by the rook (1 fumble lost and 1 pick-six). But he did make some nice plays and his pocket awareness didn’t seem as brutal as the man he replaced. What Foles has in his favor is a match-up against the lowly Redskins and plenty of offensive weapons around him to be considered a high upside fantasy play this week.

RUNNING BACK

Daniel Thomas. There’s been a downward trend when it comes to the play of Reggie Bush and his benching Sunday against the Titans for fumbling in the first half didn’t help his cause much. Even before the game Thomas was out-snapping and out-touching Bush and if there were any week to start Thomas in the flex spot it would be against that Bills defense that can’t stop the run at all. Thomas also has to contend with Lamar Miller taking away touches but there’s no denying that Thomas has been seeing the field more and can also be considered the team’s goal line back.

Marcel Reece. The 2012 fantasy football debate between Marcel Reece and Taiwan Jones is over and we have a landslide winner. All the talk was that Jones would be the starting tailback replacing an injured Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson for the Raiders but if you read the reports from various fantasy football expert sites the Raiders coaching brass had absolutely no trust in Jones whatsoever. Reece was the man they were going to feature and that’s exactly what happened.

Reece touched the football 20 times (13 rushes, 7 receptions) on Sunday versus the Ravens for a total of 104 yards compared to Jones’ three touches. If both Run DMC and Goodson are out again this week Reece is the man you want to start; especially going up against the Saints and their putrid defense.

WIDE RECEIVER

Danario Alexander. Right before gametime on Sunday Norv Turner announced that Alexander would be starting in place of the disappointing Robert Meachem and that in-game play would decide who would see the most snaps. Well, Alexander made sure he wasn’t the one watching from the sideline, as he took a pass early in the game and turned it into an 80-yard catch and run touchdown. He ended up with a 5/134/1 line and led all Chargers in snaps. Alexander has always had the talent but has been injury prone his career but is worth picking up and riding the rest of the season, as long as he stays healthy. Rivers has always looked for those tall, speedy receivers and Alexander could become Rivers’ new Vincent Jackson.

TIGHT END

Brandon Myers. Myers didn’t score two touchdowns again this week and he only caught five balls for 57 yards but the Raiders play the Saints this week and Myers is in the TE1 discussion this week based solely on his match-up. What you have to worry about though is that he suffered a concussion, the fourth of his career and second this season, and might not be able to suit up this week. Read the practice reports to see what his condition is like throughout the week

Dwayne Allen. Coby Fleener doesn’t appear likely to suit up this week, which makes Allen an interesting pick-up. The Colts battle the Pats this week and without Fleener in the line-up Allen is the main TE target of choice for Luck. Against the Jags Allen was only able to haul in 2 passes for 31 yards on 2 targets but the Jags have done a good job stopping tight ends this year. The Pats defense can be thrown on and they have given up either at least 50 yards and a touchdown or both to seven tight ends this year; eight if you count Scott Chandler twice.

DEFENSE

Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals took it to the Giants this past weekend and if they can keep up their level of play they should be in the consideration as a top five fantasy defense in Week 11, as they go up against the Chiefs. Whether it’s Matt Cassel or Brady Quinn at the helm for the Chiefs in Week 11 the Bengals should be able to put up enough pressure to force a decent number of turnovers. If Adam Jones is able to play for them their special teams return unit will also make the Bengals an attractive waiver wire pick up.

St. Louis Rams. The Rams held the 49ers in check on Sunday and while they didn’t walk away with a win, neither did the 49ers, we saw that the Rams defense is legit. And that was without the play of rookie CB Janoris Jenkins who was benched for disciplinary reasons. In Week 11 the Rams play the Jets, who for some reason are still clinging onto the notion that Mark Sanchez is a starting caliber quarterback in the NFL and if that’s the case the Rams’ tenacious front four should be visiting sack city quite a few times Sunday.

Nov 4, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin (12) carries the ball during the 1st half against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

Notable fantasy football names that have already been ruled out for Sunday include Vikings WR Percy Harvin, Saints RB Darren Sproles, Steelers WR Antonio Brown, Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez, Raiders RB Darren McFadden and Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray.

Below you’ll find other relevant fantasy football information you should use to help you set your line-up but for the most part there aren’t a whole lot of injury surprises:

-Texans TE Owen Daniels will be a game time decision. Waiting till the Sunday night game is risky unless you have a viable back-up TE option. If not you’ll be stuck looking at names like Kellen Davis and Tony Moeaki. If James Casey has TE eligibility in your league he could be an intriguing fill-in.

-Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw is active so you can safely start him in your line-up.

-Jake Locker will be starting for the Titans this week and is a viable QB2 or bye-week replacement for Rodgers and RG3.

-Titans WR Kendall Wright is active.

-Rams WR Danny Amendola is back and good to go for the Rams this week.

-Lions WR Titus Young is active

-Bills WR Stevie Johnson is active.

Oct 25, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin (22) rushes for 6 yards against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at the Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

Oh well, Week 9 is in the past and it’s time to look into the future and see which names on the fantasy football waiver wire or free agency list are available in your league that will help you for the stretch run. Below I’ve listed a few players that you should target in your league if you need help at certain positions on your team.

QUARTERBACK

Nick Foles. In the end Mike Vick was named the starting quarterback for last night’s Monday Night Football clash between the Eagles and the Saints and if Andy Reid had to do it all over again he would have been wise to bench Vick and go with Foles. Going up against one of the worst defenses in football, real or fantasy, Vick wasn’t able to do much of anything. In the Eagles’ 28-13 loss Vick threw one pick-six and fumbled the ball yet again, however this time he didn’t lose it.

It’s far from certain that Reid will now turn to Foles this week against the Cowboys, a Cowboys team that didn’t allow MVP favorite Matt Ryan to throw a touchdown against them, but what choice does Reid have? Pick up Foles as Vick insurance and a name to stash for the fantasy football playoffs when he plays the Bucs, Bengals, Redskins and Giants in weeks 14-17.

Jake Locker. Matt Hasselbeck is not the future at quarterback for the Titans and the team knows that. Injured starting QB Jake Locker has been out with a broken left shoulder and he might be cleared for action this week. If he somehow does get cleared and is starting Sunday you should pick him up and stash him on your bench, as he has legitimate QB1 talent.

RUNNING BACK

Marcel Reece. Both Raiders starting RB Darren McFadden and his back-up Mike Goodson suffered high ankle sprains in the Raiders’ Sunday loss to the Bucs. The team isn’t confident enough to start Taiwan Jones if neither Run DMC or Goodson can go this week so take a flier on the FB Reece. In the running game Reece didn’t do anything at all but in the receiving game he was targeted nine times by Carson Palmer, catching eight of his targets for 95 yards and a touchdown. In a PPR league Reece’s value would be higher but he’s still a good pick up in any format. Just check the practice reports during the week to see who’ll be starting for the Raiders at running back this week.

WIDE RECEIVER

T.Y. Hilton. It’s been hard to choose between which secondary receiving option to pick up in fantasy football from the Colts’ roster. The opportunities are there but they have just been spread around to the likes of Hilton, Donnie Avery, Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen. Both Avery and Hilton went for over 100 yards receiving on Sunday but Avery had to leave the game in the 4^th quarter, which allowed Hilton to become the true #2 wideout on the team. If Avery misses any action Hilton immediately becomes a WR3 in fantasy football and could put up some huge numbers. Sunday he caught six of a team high eleven targets for 102 yards and a touchdown and also dropped a wide open touchdown catch in the second quarter.

Danario Alexander. Only three passes were thrown to Alexander last Thursday night against the Chiefs but he caught all three of them for a total of 61 yards. He was also on the field for 34 of 48 snaps and looks to be the team’s new #2 WR behind Malcolm Floyd. Head coach Norv Turner came out and said that Alexander will have big role going forward for the Chargers and the tall WR out of Missouri could perhaps help light a spark in the Chargers passing game and give Rivers that big target he has missed since the departure of Vincent Jackson in free agency this past off-season.

TIGHT END

Brandon Myers. I’ve mentioned the name Myers over and over again in my weekly waiver wire pick-up columns but I’m not sure if you have gotten the message or not. Well, here’s one more: against the Bucs on Sunday Myers caught eight out of 13 targets for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns. Pick the man up!

DEFENSE

Pittsburgh Steelers. It used to be that the Steelers were one of the few fantasy defenses you could rely on week-to-week in fantasy football but that’s no longer the case. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t a good match-up play and right now there is no better match-up for fantasy defenses than going up against the Kansas City Chiefs. Thursday night against the “world-class” fantasy football defensive unit known as the San Diego Chargers the Chiefs threw one pick-six, lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, lost a total of four fumbles and gave up one sack. Any week you can get two touchdowns from your fantasy defense/special teams unit is a good week and that makes the Steelers a savvy pick up this week, as they go up against the hapless Chiefs.

Oct 28 2012; Denver, CO, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles (43) runs for a touchdown on this play early in the second quarter of the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

Here’s the rest of the fantasy football news and notes to know:

-Lions WR Calvin Johnson is active but could be limited.

-Dolphins QB-WR combo of Ryan Tannehill and Brian Hartline are both active.

-Titans WR Kenny Britt is active.

-Colts RB Donald Brown is active.

-Packers WR Jordy Nelson is active.

-Texans TE Owen Daniels is active.

-Browns WR Mohamed Massaquoi is active but Josh Gordon will continue to start in his place.

-Panthers WR Brandon LaFell is inactive.

-Redskins WR Leonard Hankerson has been benched in favor of Aldrick Robinson.

-Cowboys WE Dez Bryant is questionable for tonight’s contest against the Falcons. Be wary of starting him and if you have other safer options you should go with them.

QUARTERBACK

Nick Foles. Andy Reid has always been a coach willing to make bold moves when he had to. Trading Donovan McNabb, starting Kevin Kolb, signing Mike Vick, firing Juan Castillo, etc. It always seems that Reid needs to do something in order to light a fire under his team. This year we’ve already seen the Castillo firing and next on his ‘The Andy Reid Job Saving Tour of 2012’ could be the benching of the Eagles starting quarterback Mike Vick. The man to replace him would be rookie Nick Foles, who in the pre-season was 40 for 63 with 553 yards and six TDs.

August 30, 2012; Philadelphia, PA USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) on the sidelines during the first half against the New York Jets at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

Those numbers put a lot of hype on Foles and some assume he would automatically start producing for the Eagles and righting the ship. The one main drawing feature for fantasy football players looking for a bye-week QB replacement is that the Eagles play the Saints in Week 9. That would be a Saints team allowing over 300 yards passing to opposing quarterbacks and a team that has yielded at least 24 points each game. That’s as good a set-up Foles and the Eagles are going to get. If you own Vick Foles is a must add.

RUNNING BACK

Jonathan Dwyer. The running back fill-in once again produced for the Steelers when given a chance to start in place of the injured Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman, as he gained 107 yards on the ground against the Redskins. In back-to-back starts Dwyer has rushed for 239 yards. There is no word yet on the statuses of Mendenhall or Redman but if Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was to ride the hot hand and give Dwyer another start you should do the same when it comes to your fantasy football line-up.

WIDE RECEIVER

Ryan Broyles. Titus Young has probably already been snagged off your waiver wire but if he hasn’t go pick him up. If you were too late to the Titus Young Sr. breakout party then you should consider the man behind the man behind the man in Ryan Broyles. At Oklahoma Broyles had an accomplished collegiate football career where he became the NCAA’s all-time leader in receptions. The second-round rookie finds himself third on the Detroit wide receiver depth chart behind Calvin Johnson and Young Sr. but being the slot man for a pass heavy team, especially a pass heavy team who’s star quarterback Matthew Stafford has finally found his groove is a pretty good position in both real and fake football to be in. Ever since Nate Burleson went down with a season ending injury Broyles has caught six passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns.

Cecil Shorts. Justin Blackmon might be the more heralded and well-known name on the Jags receiving depth chart but its Shorts who has been the one producing as of late. In his last two games Shorts has taken over the #1 WR spot for the team in the absence of Laurent Robinson to the tune of 12 receptions, 195 yards and one touchdown. If Robinson is yet again out this week pick up Shorts if you are in need of a bye week WR replacement.

TIGHT END

Greg Olsen. In a standard 12-team league Olsen ranks just outside of the top twelve so there’s a good chance he might be available in your league and probably is if you play in a shallow bench league. With the likes of Vernon Davis, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez on a bye Week 9 Olsen has a chance to be a top ten play at the tight end position. The Panthers play the Redskins Week 9 and the Skins this year have been pretty mediocre against Tight Ends, as they’ve allowed six different tight ends to score against them this season.

DEFENSE

San Diego Chargers. Not the best statistical season for the Chargers defense but this week they play the Kansas City Chiefs and defenses against the Chiefs this season have been doing a pretty good job. The Chiefs have been giving up sacks and interceptions all season long and the Chargers defense might need to take control of the game so they’re sputtering offense can take a break.

October 7, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) prior to kickoff of a game against the San Diego Chargers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

The biggest name you don’t see on that list that could also have a huge impact on your fake football line-up decisions is Saints TE Jimmy Graham. Battling an ankle injury Graham is going to be a true game time decision and with the Saints playing in the Sunday night match-up against the Broncos that means if you decide to wait it out with Graham your options will be limited if he doesn’t suit up. If you have a back-up TE on your squad that you’re comfortable starting like Martellus Bennett or Heath Miller then you should consider putting either one in your line-up. If Graham does end up playing and has a monster game you will lose out on those points but if he doesn’t you’d be sitting with a goose egg. It’s a high risk-high reward situation, as you play Graham no matter what usually. Another option is to see if someone like Joel Dreessen is available on the free agents list in your league and wait till the injury announcements are made later tonight and go with Graham if he starts and Dreessen if he doesn’t.

Now for the rest of the fantasy football news and notes:

-Even though it’s a few weeks earlier than anyone expected he would be back Rams WR Danny Amendola caused quite a stir this week, as there was a chance he might have played this week against the Patriots. In the end though Amendola wasn’t quite ready to come back from his gruesome clavicle injury and will be inactive today. However, if he was willing to test it out today that’s some good news for Amendola owners out there that he might be ready to come back after the team’s Week 9 bye.

-The Giants play the Cowboys today in one of the only two late afternoon games, which means word on their game time decisions won’t be revealed until after the 1pm kickoffs so if you’re waiting to hear on the status of someone like RB Ahmad Bradshaw you might be out of luck if he doesn’t end up playing. For now you can tentatively pencil him into your line-up, as reports are coming out that he’s expected to play. Bradshaw does have a history of playing through injuries so it wouldn’t be that big of a surprise if he does suit up.

-Colts RB Donald Brown is active and expected to return to the Colts’ backfield. Vick Ballard will still be the starter though so this could become a timeshare situation where you want to avoid either player.

-Packers WR Jordy Nelson is inactive today against the Jaguars. Randall Cobb and James Jones both become must starts and it looks like Donald Driver will get more play as well.

-Steelers RB Isaac Redman out again this week. Look for Jonathan Dwyer to be the man again this week for the Steelers with both Redman and Mendenhall out.

-Browns RB Trent Richardson is active today against the Chargers.

-Jags QB Blaine Gabbert is active and will start today but he’ll be without the team’s prized off-season acquisition WR Laurent Robinson.

-Dolphins will activate WR Jabar Gaffney today.

-Browns WR Mohamed Massaquoi is again inactive, which means Josh Gordon gets a chance to add to his touchdown streak.

-Lions WR Titus Young is active.

Sep 30, 2012; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew (32) runs the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter at Everbank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

The other biggest piece of injury news happened on Monday Night Football, as Lions WR Nate Burleson broke his leg during the Monday night football action between the Lions and the Bears. Titus Young looks to benefit the most but watch out for rookie Ryan Broyles in the slot.

Mid-way through the regular season is when you see coaches fighting for their jobs and benching an ineffective quarterback to light a spark under their team is always the go-to move for any desperate coach. This year it happened in Kansas City first, as Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel has come out and announced that Brady Quinn will once again be the team’s starter, whether or not incumbent starter Matt Cassel is cleared for action.

Now that we have the biggest news items out of the way lets move onto which players you should be targeting on your waiver wire for Week 8 of the fantasy football season.

QUARTERBACK

Brandon Weeden. The rookie who’s older than both Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan filled in admirably for fake football teams who had their top QB on the bench due to a bye such as the aforementioned Ryan or Peyton Manning, throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns against the Colts on Sunday. This week sees the Bills, Bengals, Ravens and Texans on a bye so if you’ve been starting the likes of Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub, Ryan Fitzpatrick or Andy Dalton, Weeden would once again be solid bye-week fill-in at QB. He would most certainly be a better option than someone like Brady Quinn, if you were leaning that desperate way.

RUNNING BACK

Rashad Jennings. This is the man who should be at the top of your waiver wire priority, whether you own MOJO or not and you should pick him up immediately. Jennings was in line to start for the Jags if MOJO was going to hold out for any length of time and now that Jennings is entrenched as the starter for the time being you should pick him up. Against the Raiders on Sunday he totaled 102 yards and scored a rushing touchdown to boot. The Jags’ passing game, whether Blaine Gabbert or Chad Henne is starting, is atrocious and the Jags will have to run the ball a lot to get anything going against the Packers. Jennings isn’t as talented as MOJO but he will make for a solid RB2/Flex play this weekend.

LaRod Stephens-Howling (LSH). All the hype was on William Powell to take over the Cards’ RB spot but it has been the speedster Stephens-Howling who has taken over the role. Against a staunch Vikings run defense LSH totaled 149 yards and a touchdown. You might want to temper expectations though, as the Cards play the 49ers this week.

Kendall Hunter. Speaking of the 49ers it’s that time of the year when Frank Gore injury concerns start to pile up and Hunter becomes a name to keep in mind for the future. If you’re a Gore owner you should become proactive and pick up Hunter now, as the 49ers will look to protect Gore as much as they can down the stretch. On the season Hunter has been averaging 5.2 yards per carry so you know he can easily step up as the team’s starting running back if needed.

WIDE RECEIVER

Jeremey Kerley. Kerley was targeted 11 times against the Patriots on Sunday and was able to haul in seven of those targets for 120 yards. The Jets really have nobody else to catch the ball, as the likes of Stephen Hill, Jason Hill and Chaz Schilens don’t strike much fear into the hearts of opponents. Kerley and Sanchez have grown a rapport with each other and that could continue the rest of the season.

Titus Young and Ryan Broyles. Yes, the Lions offense hasn’t looked the same this year but they do have the potential to be explosive and the fireworks could happen at anytime. With Nate Burleson’s season done Young moves into the number two WR spot on the Lions’ depth chart and Broyles takes over the slot. On Monday night facing the Bears Young led the team in receiving yards with 81 and Broyles caught the team’s only touchdown on the night while also adding 51 receiving yards.

TIGHT END

Dustin Keller. Keller has been battling a hamstring issue and Sunday’s game against the Patriots was only his second game back from the injury but it was a much better performance than last week’s one catch for six yards outing versus the Colts, as he caught all seven balls thrown his way for 93 yards and a touchdown. Keller might not be an every week fantasy starter but for a bye-week replacement he could be a decent option. The Jets play the Dolphins this week so be careful about putting him into your line-up.

Heath Miller. Facing the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday night Miller caught his fifth touchdown this season and even added a 2-point conversion on the score. He ended up with 53 yards on six catches and was targeted by Roethlisberger eight times on the night. Miller has become a red zone option for the Steelers and a Week 8 meeting with the Redskins could see Miller adding to his touchdown totals on the year.