24 Hours 'Til Sunday — Andy Richardson

Having an extreme fondness for one player, let's say Brett Favre, can be counterproductive in fantasy football. In one of those playoff leagues where you can select anyone you want, I initially chose Favre -- even though rationally, I suspect he'll put up lesser numbers than the other three NFC quarterbacks this week. I changed it to Brees (I may still change it to Warner), but felt sadness that I was passing up perhaps my last-ever chance to start Favre in a fantasy league. Hey, I did concede it was extreme.

On the other hand, if you don't have an attachment to specific players, you miss out on a lot of the joy of being a fan -- rooting for the human element of things. Wouldn't a championship matchup featuring old fossils like Favre and Warner be compelling? Or LaDainian Tomlinson, the fantasy tailback of the past decade, squaring off with Adrian Peterson, the fantasy tailback of the current one? People sometimes talk about rooting for the laundry as a point of pride. I don't get that. If you don't get attached to certain players -- even if they're wishy-washy prima donnas who help engineer a chain of events by which they're playing for the team they want to play for rather than the team their old employer traded them to -- aren't you missing out on part of the emotional investment in the whole thing? (Even if it's just to root against the guy.)

Anyway, we've got four more games in what is often the best week of the NFL season, featuring some of the league's biggest teams, biggest stories -- and biggest individual stars, like 'em or not. So let's get right to it....

Cardinals at Saints: In all the talk about the non-facemask at the end of last week's Cardinals game, and the league releasing their bogus statements about that and whatnot, I've been disappointed not to see more about how the league schedules which games are on when. Why, for example, was Bengals-Jets the first game played during wildcard weekend, after being the last game played during week 17? And why are both of the winning teams that played Sunday last week -- the Cardinals and Ravens -- playing Saturday in the divisional round? Arizona's game ended in overtime on Sunday evening, and their next one kicks off on Saturday afternoon. Why? Maybe someone knows the answer.

Anyway, whereas last week's final game was the insane, defense-less exhibition of wild offense and scores of fantasy league stars, this week's first game will be that way. You saw Arizona's defense on display last week, and that was at home. New Orleans' defense is a banged-up bunch that couldn't stop anyone down the stretch. I like the fantasy value of pretty much everyone in this game, except Anquan Boldin, who either won't play or won't play much. I'm also a little worried about the Saints' running back committee, which got even more crowded when the team signed Deuce McAllister (though he won't be active, reportedly). Otherwise, if you can lock up the passing games for either team, or Beanie Wells for Arizona, I'd say go for it -- the defenses certainly won't. I'll go with a 34-31 Saints win.

Ravens at Colts: I had the Patriots over Baltimore as the easiest of the picks last week, so my opinion on this game is pretty worthless. Baltimore's defense really surprised me; perhaps they can do it again. Let's face it, even though Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie had fine seasons, they might not be ready for this stage -- and the Ravens probably should have won the regular-season matchup. I'd pretty much avoid most players in this game; both AFC games simply have better defenses playing than the NFC contests. I think again you'll see a lot of running out of the Ravens, so you can use Ray Rice, but that's about it. I'm not betting against Peyton Manning, but it's a game that could go either way. I'll call it Colts, 20-17.

Cowboys at Vikings: There's not much doubt in my mind that the winner of this game, rather than AZ-NO, is going to represent the Super Bowl from the NFC. Both teams have better defenses than the others and at least comparable offenses. Dallas can certainly win in New Orleans, both have the pass rush to get pressure on Kurt Warner, Favre might have a certain comfort level (and a lot of fans) if he and the Vikings get to New Orleans....anyway. That's what I'm expecting. As for this game, I imagine the Cowboys are pretty confident. They're playing well, and they've really dominated opponents over the past month. Jay Cutler and Matt Moore had lots of success passing against the Vikings lately; Tony Romo should too. Marion Barber will probably be limited, although he'll likely play, but I still think Felix Jones is an intriguing, relatively cheap option in those salary cap leagues. Gotta like Miles Austin and Jason Witten, too.

For the Vikings, it really is all about the blocking up front, I think. If their line can protect Favre, they're going to win. If they can't, the Cowboys will probably win. Dallas is stronger against the run than the pass, but I also look at the Vikings, with arguably the league's best running back in Adrian Peterson, and think this should be his big-time game; a game where he comes out and runs 35 times for 200 yards and 2 TDs, and the Vikings win. I mean, the guy is a special back; this should be where he shows it. Minnesota went as Brett Favre went for so much of the season. Maybe this is the game where he hands the ball off a lot, makes a few veteran throws, and they win on the ground. Or turf, whatever. That said, I also like Percy Harvin to have a big game; maybe a long TD run, reception, or kick return. I'm calling it Vikings, 27-20, and the winner goes to the Super Bowl.

Jets at Chargers: I live in Jet-land, where everyone believes. Let me point out that I was one of them last week -- I felt pretty confident they'd win in Cincinnati -- but I think the ride ends here. Unlike Cincinnati, San Diego has too many weapons in its passing game for Darrelle Revis to cover everyone. Maybe he shuts down Vincent Jackson; that's what he does. But I don't think the rest of the team can handle Antonio Gates; I don't like their chances to rattle Philip Rivers; and I'm not even sure their banged-up linebackers can stay with Darren Sproles. Basically, for all the respect I have for the Jets defense, I don't think they can cover everyone this week. Shutting down the Bengals, and some of their other late-season accomplishments (Tampa Bay, a disinterested Colts team) aren't as impressive. And as we pointed out in the Weekly, San Diego's run defense the latter part of the season was much better than the overall numbers suggest. I see problems for New York's offense, too.

So: fantasy value. I like Gates and Sproles. New York's running back tandem should be decent, but split right down the middle, which makes them lesser options. Dustin Keller has potential; Chargers have some problems there. I like either defense. Don't get me wrong; I don't think the Jets will lose badly. I just don't think they'll win. Call it 23-17, Chargers.

Enjoy the games.

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