24 Hours 'Til Sunday — Andy Richardson

Frightful weather. That's going to be the story of week 16, and I'm all about being proactive. Thanks for the last couple of months, Neil Rackers, but you're history -- no way am I playing you in a possible snowstorm in New England. If you've got a kicker or marginal receiver playing in horrible weather, dump them. If you can add a comparable guy playing in a Dome or down south, go for it. I'm not saying to pick up Justin McCareins against the Steelers, but I wouldn't rule out Jason Hanson at kicker this week. OK, on to the games.

Baltimore at Dallas: Hey, that's tonight! Marion Barber is very shaky to play -- easy excuse to keep him miles from your fantasy lineup against the Ravens. If you've got Tashard Choice and especially if it's a point per reception league, go for it. Not a great matchup, but he should be pretty much full-time. Tony Romo (back) is apparently fine. I'm expecting low-scoring, but at least no weather.

Cincinnati at Cleveland: Bad weather coming. Snow, cold, and oh yeah both teams are freaking horrible. These teams actually played a 100-point game in week 2 last year, but this game has the lowest over-under of the week, which tells you how much things can change in the NFL. No Kellen Winslow. No good quarterbacking anyway. And lousy weather. I like Cedric Benson and Jamal Lewis here, and that's pretty much it.

Pittsburgh at Tennessee: Kind of an underrated big game, since the winner will likely be the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Then again, that only matters if both teams advance to the Championship Game. Plus, the No. 1 seed might get stuck playing the Colts, while the No. 2 might get an easier matchup, potentially (AFC East winner). Anyway, big game I guess. Weather won't be factor, but the game will be low-scoring because the Steelers are in it.

San Francisco at St. Louis: It's in a dome, so you can consider players like Joe Nedney and Isaac Bruce. Shaun Hill, too. Frank Gore, however, hasn't practiced and it doesn't sound good for him playing. I wouldn't use him. Might be a decent amount of points scored here; the Rams are in it, so certainly the 49ers should do OK.

San Diego at Tampa Bay: I cling to this idea that San Diego is going to rise up and win the AFC West, or at least force a showdown game, but they need to win here (unlikely) while the Broncos lose at home to Buffalo (even more unlikely). Jeff Garcia will apparently start for the Bucs.

New Orleans at Detroit: Weather should be great for this one, 'cause it's inside. Reggie Bush and Shaun McDonald are on IR. I'm regretting dealing Pierre Thomas a while back in my dynasty league, although I'd probably have cut him during the season at some point anyway. Dan Orlovsky vs. Drew Brees. Lions aren't going to get that first win here, even if New Orleans is less than entirely motivated. Kevin Smith is questionable but should be fine to play; just doublecheck the inactives Sunday morning.

Miami at Kansas City: Wind, cold weather, and a couple of mediocre teams. Yes, Miami's in the playoff hunt, but let's not confuse a great story of a 1-15 team turning things around with a team you actually want to watch play or invest in fantasy-wise. This doesn't look like a high-scoring game. A couple of obvious starts (Tony Gonzalez, maybe Larry Johnson even though Miami's better against the run than the pass), but a lot of guys to just avoid because they're mediocre or because of the weather, or both.

Arizona at New England: Most important is that it sounds like Anquan Boldin is hurt and won't play. Gametime decision, but the team is making it clear they're erring on the side of getting players ready for a home playoff game where they're going to get whupped. Second most important is some bad, bad weather. Snow, wind, rain, clam chowder. Ugly. I can't sit down Larry Fitzgerald and wouldn't bench Kurt Warner -- well, unless Sunday morning pictures are truly blizzard-like -- but it's definitely a game where I'm afraid to start people. Hope things aren't too bad, because it's a sweet matchup for passing games if they aren't.

Buffalo at Denver: there's some worry about the Broncos resting players if they've already clinched at kickoff (Chargers play earlier on Sunday). But I think the Broncos will play their starters for most of the way anyway. At running back, of course, who knows who the starter or main back will even be; they don't. I think Cutler and Marshall and Scheffler and Royal will be fine. Bills apparently going back to Trent Edwards, whose job looks awfully secure after the way J.P. Losman played. Marshawn Lynch is fine and should be good here. Weather: very cold, but not necessarily messy.

N.Y. Jets at Seattle: Snow in Seattle! That's what my sources are saying (Fantasy Index is in Seattle, I'm in the NY-CT area). I'm starting Brett Favre regardless in my title games, but part of that is because my other choices (Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger) are either in similarly bad weather situations or facing a poor matchup, or both. No Matt Hasselbeck.

Houston at Oakland: Evidently it might rain, which might hurt the Raiders passing game. That and JaMarcus Russell, ha ha. Ronald Curry and Chaz Schilens are both hurt. How do wide receivers who barely get hit because they don't catch anything get hurt? Anyway, weather probably won't be a major factor and Houston should have success with the run and the pass. Zach Miller was limited in practice earlier in the week but is apparently fine, so go ahead and use the only Raider who can be counted on to catch a pass. I kind of like Darren McFadden in this game; why not kick out the jams on McFadden in these final two games? At least Tom Cable can say he coached the guy one day in the future if McFadden becomes a star; might get him a spot on an NFL Legends soft-focus interview. You never know.

Atlanta at Minnesota: Couple of pretty fair running backs in this one. Tarvaris Jackson versus Matt Ryan, too. And it's in a Dome. No Pat Williams for the Vikings, so I'm rolling with Michael Turner (or would be if I actually had him on any of my teams, which I don't). Adrian Peterson is fine, he's gotta pad that lead for the rushing title. And oh yeah, both teams are gunning for the playoffs, which makes this game kind of a rarity on the schedule.

Philadelphia at Washington: Eagles have some receivers banged-up, so if you actually have to use any Eagles receivers, make sure they're active. Clinton Portis hasn't been practicing for Washington, and it's a tough matchup, and he's not going to win the rushing crown, and he and Jim Zorn might be ticked at each other...I'm in a title game with a team with Portis and he's on my bench.

Carolina at N.Y. Giants: Looking out the window, I see that it's really cold, plus I probably ought to wash my windows one of these days. It snowed a lot Friday. It's supposed to snow a lot on Sunday. By Sunday night, when this game will be played, it will likely have changed to rain. But that's not certain. Regardless, it's a game I'd be glad to use running backs but not passing game players, aside from unbenchable Steve Smith. (Carolina's, not New York's.) Brandon Jacobs is uncertain. I think he's going to play, but only he and the Giants really know. If I had a GREAT other option, I'd sit Jacobs. If not, I'd take the risk, because he could be very good if he plays.

Green Bay at Chicago: Green Bay's third Monday game. What, did they expect Brett Favre to unretire or something? The appeal of this game depends a lot on whether the Vikings win (which eliminates Chicago) or lose (which doesn't). Matt Forte has a toe injury; will he be limited or get a smaller workload if the Bears have been eliminated? Tricky situation.

Enjoy the games.

• Comments [6]

Readers' Comments

Add a Comment

Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.

To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.