Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

There’s one final game left in the season and it looks like it’s going to be a great one. Super Bowl XLVI features the New England Patriots and the New York Giants in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. You may recall in that game the Giants upset the undefeated Patriots with a few miracle plays down the stretch. The rematch promises to just as epic, with both teams boasting great offenses.

A lot of playoff challenges force you to lock in rosters during the conference championship rounds. However, for those that don’t or for those doing a Super Bowl-only game can take solace in the fact that we’ve got our regular line of fantasy articles, including the Sit ‘Ems. This game appears to be an offensive shootout so not many players graced the list this week, but the ones that did are ones you’ll want to avoid.

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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

The 2011 NFL season will come to an end on February 5, as Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis will give us a rematch of the Super Bowl four years ago as the New England Patriots and New York Giants will square off.
Fantasy football owners that are still looking to finish well in their playoff leagues obviously don’t have a ton of options at this point, but the two teams offer some of the top options owners have relied on all season like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Eli Manning.

If you are looking for some worthy fantasy starters to secure a victory in your playoff league, feel free to check out our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems”for Super Bowl Sunday.

QUARTERBACKS-START ‘EM

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- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

What’s great about the NFL playoffs is we get to watch the league’s elite teams face off against each other. With this week’s AFC and NFC Championship games we’re going to be treated with a pair of games that feature high-powered offenses against stubborn defenses. The Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and New York Giants are known faces here. The San Francisco 49ers are the new face but are coming off an impressive last-second win over the New Orleans Saints last week. These matchups have obviously created some very intriguing fantasy matchups. As poor as the Patriots’ defense has been at points this season you can tell from the writeups below that we’re not too fond of the Ravens’ offensive players this week.

QUARTERBACKS - SIT ‘EM

WIth just four quarterbacks remaining and all of them having above average matchups, we have decided to not suggest a quarterback to sit. Instead, take a look at the salary cap of all four signal callers and put together a lineup that works for you.

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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

The NFL season is winding down, and the “Final Four” is upon us with the Conference Championship Games coming this Sunday. Being down to four teams certainly limits the options fantasy football owners have available to them this week, and with some top tier players (Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, etc.) having been eliminated there are even fewer clear-cut starters.

If you are looking for some worthy fantasy starters for this weekend in your playoff league, feel free to check out our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for Conference Championship Sunday.

If you are looking for some worthy fantasy starters beyond the virtual no-brainers, feel free to check out our “Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for the Divisional Round.

QUARTERBACKS-START ‘EM

Eli Manning (New York Giants) @ San Francisco

Manning went 21-for-33 for 330 yards and three touchdowns and one interception against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, and he now has nine touchdowns and just one interception in his last three games. A matchup in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers brings a challenge, as the 49ers forced five turnovers and sacked New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees three times last week. That said, Brees did throw for 462 yards and four touchdowns in the game and Manning himself threw for 311 yards against San Francisco back in Week 10. The Giants are likely to have to throw the ball frequently given how tough the 49ers are against the run, so that coupled with how well he is playing makes Manning well worth starting in playoff leagues once again this week.
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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

Fantasy football owners in playoff leagues will see some notable names become available again this week, as Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Greg Jennings can be started again and two of the top three scoring fantasy defenses from the regular season (San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens) also return to action this week.

If you are looking for some worthy fantasy starters beyond the virtual no-brainers, feel free to check out our “Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for the Divisional Round.

QUARTERBACKS-START ‘EM

Eli Manning (New York Giants) @ Green Bay

Manning went 23-for-32 for 277 yards and three touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons last week, and has now thrown just one interception in his last three games heading into a Divisional Round game against the Green Bay Packers this weekend. The Packers allowed the fourth-most fantasy points (16.9 per game) to opposing quarterbacks during the regular season, including the most passing yards (311.8 yards per game) to the position. When the two teams played in Week 13, Manning threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns with one interception and one lost fumble in the game. The Green Bay secondary has been very opportunistic this season, with a league-high 31 interceptions, but that is not enough to dampen Manning’s potential and he is a sure-fire fantasy starter for the Division Round.

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- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

Although the regular season has come to a close there are still fantasy football playoff challenges to be played, and we’ll be here throughout every round with coverage as we would for a normal week of football. That includes the list of this week’s Sit ‘Ems - players you don’t want to consider putting into your lineup for various legends. Two matchups that get a lot of focus in this week’s Sit ‘Ems are the Cincinnati Bengals at the Houston Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Denver Broncos. The Bengals and Texans are both starting rookie quarterbacks, while the Broncos are their inconsistent offense face a tough test against a tested Steelers defense.

QUARTERBACKS - SIT ‘EM

Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos) vs. Pittsburgh

Trying to predict what Denver quarterback Tim Tebow will do on a weekly basis would be about as accurate as predicting the lottery. Even in his bad games Tebow still managed to score an OK amount of fantasy points, like in a Week 16 loss to the Buffalo Bills when he turned the ball over five times and still registered 12 fantasy points. However, with Tebow you’re taking a risk and that risk could result in a game like Week 17 when he completed 6 of 22 passes for 60 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and one fumble for negative one fantasy points. He could not have a worse matchup this week going against the playoff-test Steelers. Pittsburgh allowed just one quarterback to score more than 10 fantasy points in the last six weeks of the regular season, and that was in Week 15 when the San Francisco 49ers’ Alex Smith scored 12 fantasy points. Don’t expect Tebow to have any kind of success against that defense.

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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

The 2011 NFL regular season is over, and some fantasy football owners are surely saying good riddance to a bad season while others will jump at the chance to continue their success during the “second season.” Regardless, the playoffs offer another chance at fantasy glory and with fewer options to choose from making lineup decisions can be at least a little bit easier.

We will keep giving recommendations on players to start right through the NFL playoffs, so if you need help finding some top starting options to help get off to a nice start in your playoff league feel free to check out the Wild Card Weekend edition of our “Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems”.

QUARTERBACKS-START ‘EM

Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) @ New Orleans

Stafford played all 16 games in a season for the first time in his career in 2011, and the results showed with over 5,000 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes. He finished particularly strong, with 12 touchdown passes and 1,284 passing over the final three games of the season, and gets a good opportunity to keep that momentum going against the New Orleans Saints on Wild Card weekend. The Saints ended the regular season allowing 16.6 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks (sixth-most in the league), and that was with allowing multiple touchdown passes just once in their final five games. Stafford threw for 408 yards himself against the Saints in Week 13, with one touchdown and one interception, and may be able to put up a similar yardage total in what should be a high-scoring game this weekend.

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- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

It’s unfortunate (for those who have roster issues) that some leagues still use the final week of the regular season to determine their champion but we’re here with you until the end. The bad part of Week 17 is that many teams rest key players, whether it’s to keep them healthy for the playoffs or if they’re just nursing nagging injuries and will be held out of action to avoid further injury. One player that falls into that category is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have nothing to play for this week. They’ve already clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, guaranteeing them home-field advantage regardless of what happens in Week 17. Given those circumstances expect the Packers to rest Rodgers for most of the game with the Detroit Lions this week.

Rodgers isn’t the only big name we’re recommending you consider benching this week. To see who makes our Fantasy Football Week 17 Sit ‘Em list, continue reading.

QUARTERBACKS - SIT ‘EM

Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Baltimore

Before throwing for 154 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers last week, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had really struggled down the stretch. Before scoring 18 fantasy points against the Arizona Cardinals last week he had three consecutive games with nine or fewer fantasy points. The Bengals face a tough situation this week where they basically need to win to make the playoffs. That kind of pressure will weigh on Dalton, and facing the Baltimore Ravens won’t alleviate any of that pressure either. Dalton did manage to score 15 fantasy points against the Ravens in Week 11. However, consider that he had three interceptions and lost a fumble. If the Bengals need him to throw often this week he could find himself turning the ball over even more. Dalton’s not been the type of guy to have a monster game so he relies on his consistency, and that’s not been good recently either. There is simply too much going against him this week to consider him a good start in any format.

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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

The last week of the NFL regular season is here, and many fantasy football leagues have already crowned their 2011 champion. There are leagues that go through Week 17, and luckily for owners in these leagues most teams still in playoff contention have something to gain by winning in Week 17. So many of the players owners have leaned all season will be available this week, with some notable exceptions being players from the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans, who cannot improve their playoff seed this weekend and may wind up resting many of their regulars.

If you still need to fill out a competent lineup to give yourself a chance to take home the championship in your league this week, here is the Week 17 edition of our “Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems”.

QUARTERBACKS-START ‘EM

Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) @ Oakland

Rivers three for 299 yards in Week 16 against the Detroit Lions in Week 16, with one touchdown and two interceptions in the game. He had gone without an interception in four straight games prior to last week, and another strong performance is likely to be coming in Week 17 against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks (17.5 per game), including a tied for second-highest in the league 28 passing touchdowns. Rivers threw for 274 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against Oakland in Week 10, so production along those lines or perhaps a little better could be coming this week. He has had disappointing 2011 season, but Rivers should be regarded as a low-end QB1 for Week 17 in a favorable matchup with a chance to keep a division rival out of the playoffs.

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- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

In case you haven’t heard there’s a game this week that features the two teams from New York - the Giants and the Jets - playing a game in a stadium in New Jersey. Much trash has already been talked on both sides but more of it is coming from the Jets. That’s not the only rivalry game this week with big playoff implications. The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers meet at Lambeau Field this week. The Packers are looking to rebound from their first loss of the season and the Bears are hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive. There are players from both of these matchups featured on the Week 16 Sit ‘Ems, it’s up to you continue reading and find out which ones.

QUARTERBACKS - SIT ‘EM

Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Cleveland

After some very inconsistent performances at the beginning of the season Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco got it together after the bye week in Week 5. Though he’s not scored more than 16 fantasy points in a game since he’s only scored less than 10 fantasy points in two of his last 10 games. That consistency has gone a long way for owners in deeper leagues or ones with previously poor quarterback situations. Don’t expect good results from Flacco this week against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are the fourth-strongest defense against opposing quarterbacks, giving up just 10.3 fantasy points per game to them. Recall Week 13 when Flacco managed to throw for just 158 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions against the Browns. This game could see the Ravens take an early lead and pound the ball with running backs Ray Rice and Ricky Williams. Even in the deepest leagues Flacco is not an option this week.

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