Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

Week 16 is “Super Bowl Week” in many fantasy football leagues, with bragging rights and maybe even a trophy on the line. In leagues that use Week 17, this is obviously semi-final week with a spot in the title game on the line. In either case, lineup decisions are now very critical and can definitely lead to a disappointing result if a bad choice is made due to an injury or just plain bad luck.

If you are fortunate enough to still be in contention for a championship in your league with the season winding down, here is the Week 16 edition of our “Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems”.

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Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) @ New Orleans

Ryan threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15, with the only thing keeping him from more than that being he played just under three quarters in the decisive win for the Falcons. He had thrown for more than 250 yards in six straight games prior to that, and is a fair bet to start a new streak in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have allowed 16.7 fantasy points per game (seventh-most in the league) to opposing quarterbacks this season, and Ryan himself threw for 351 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against them in Week 10. The game situation is likely to mandate a lot of passing for the Atlanta offense, so Ryan makes for a nice QB1 with upside for Week 16 and may help more than one fantasy owner take home a title with a big game.

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

There are two key matchups that will be focused upon in this week’s Sit ‘Ems. The first features the Pittsburgh Steelers against the San Francisco 49ers. This is a game between one of the AFC’s elite against one of the NFC’s elite. The game will be played in San Francisco, and we’ve seen East coast teams have trouble with a trip west. However the Steelers are an established franchise and play well in the spotlight, which is to their benefit considering this is the Monday Night Football game. The second game is between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets. The Jets are hoping to continue forward to a playoff spot while the Eagles are just hoping to save face. There are key players from all four teams listed above featured on this week’s recommendations of players to bench. Further details are below.Week 15 Fantasy Football Sit ‘Ems

QUARTERBACKS - SIT ‘EM

Josh Freeman (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Dallas

It would be easy to see what New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning did against the Dallas Cowboys last week and think because of that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman has a good matchup this week. However, Manning is in the middle of a career year and Freeman is not only less skilled than Manning, but he’s not 100 percent and is coming off some bad games. Freeman’s been nursing a shoulder injury that kept him out of the team’s Week 13 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Besides that, Freeman has scored nine or fewer fantasy points in three of his last four games. The Cowboys got shredded by the Giants but the games between those two teams always turn out like that. Not counting that game, the Cowboys have given up five passing touchdowns against seven interceptions in the previous five games. The matchup isn’t good, Freeman’s been playing poorly and has an injured shoulder. There’s nothing to like about this.

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- Written by Kyle Smith
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are base

Week 14 is the first week of the playoffs in nearly all fantasy football leagues, or at worst it is the final week of the regular season in leagues that use the final week of the NFL regular season. In either case it is a critical week, and making the right lineup decisions can lead to a big victory. Leaving significant points on the bench is simply not an option right now, so exploiting favorable matchups is mandatory if you lack a sure-fire starting option at any spot.

If you are struggling to find suitable starting options due to injuries to some key players on your roster, take a look at our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for Week 15.

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Matt Stafford (Detroit Lions) @ Oakland

Stafford’s interception problems have waned over his last two games, as he’s thrown just two, compared to nine picks in the three games previous to that. He threw for 227 yards and two scores last week against the Vikings, and has thrown for an average of 315 yards over his last five games. He faces the Raiders this week, and only four other teams have allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks than they have. They are 26th in the NFL in touchdown passes given up, and over their last six games have allowed multiple scoring passes five times. In just three games this season has a quarterback amassed fewer than 15 fantasy points against Oakland.

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

With the playoffs on the line now it is easy to look at a player who’s been bad but coming off one strong game to and determine he’s worth a roster spot. Being so close to the title you want to take those chances, or at least prevent others from jumping on a chance you were too hesitant on to pull the trigger. It’s easy to look at somebody, like Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb, and overvalue him at this point. He is finally back from injury and available in a lot of leagues, an intriguing option for owners who were rolling with Matt Schaub or Jay Cutler. Likewise, Indianapolis Colts receiver Reggie Wayne has seen his stock rise again after a huge performance against the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago. However, but Kolb and Wayne find their way to our Week 14 Fantasy Football Sit ‘Em list this week.

QUARTERBACKS - SIT ‘EM

Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Houston

There is no doubt that one of the reasons the Cincinnati Bengals have played so well this season has been because of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton. He’s been calm and cool in the pocket, a big reason why the Bengals have been in every game in which they’ve played, except for last week’s blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, this is the difficult time of the season for rookies. Their bodies are used to playing 12 or 13 games in a season, not 16. And those extra games make a huge difference. The fatigue, both mental and physical, can be overwhelming. Dalton has seen his numbers fall since the beginning of the season, including scoring just nine points last week, which was the first he scored less than 10 fantasy points since Week 3. This week’s opponent, the Houston Texans, offers no relief either. The Texans are the second strongest team against opposing quarterbacks, limiting them to an average of just 9.3 fantasy points per game.

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

Week 14 is the first week of the playoffs in nearly all fantasy football leagues, or at worst it is the final week of the regular season in leagues that use the final week of the NFL regular season. In either case it is a critical week, and making the right lineup decisions can lead to a big victory. Leaving significant points on the bench is simply not an option right now, so exploiting favorable matchups is mandatory if you lack a sure-fire starting option at any spot.

If you are struggling to find suitable starting options due to injuries to some key players on your roster, take a look at our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for Week 14.

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

It’s not a good weekend to be a fan of the Washington Redskins, whether you actually like the team or you have some Redskins on your fantasy football team. Some decent offensive performances the last two weeks has owners seeking to replaced injured players with certain Redskins, such as quarterback Rex Grossman. However, this week’s matchup with the New York Jets is what’s causing our disdain for all things Washington this week. Another matchup we don’t like is the Atlanta Falcons at the Houston Texans. Injuries to both sides have depleted the rosters, with the Texans starting third-string quarterback T.J. Yates and the Falcons could be without two of top three corner backs as well as wide receiver Julio Jones. Jones is one of many players on our Fantasy Football Week 13 Sit ‘Ems, and is joined by some of his opponents as well as a few Redskins.

QUARTERBACKS - SIT ‘EM

Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Pittsburgh

It appears at this point that the offensive rookie of the year is going to come down to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. This week’s game between the Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers may decide Dalton’s fate in that regard, and we don’t like his chances. Recall Week 10 when the Bengals lost to the Steelers in Cincinnat, and Dalton threw for just 170 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. That was one of his worst games of the season, and only worth 10 fantasy points. Now things get tougher. He has to play at Pittsburgh and in December that is one of the hardest places to play in the league. It’s good that wide receiver A.J. Green is back, but that’s about the only positive we can say about Dalton this week.

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

Week 13 is the final week of the regular season in most fantasy football leagues, so making the right lineup decisions are all the more critical in this pivotal week. Injuries to Adrian Peterson, Darren McFadden and Michael Vick have come at an inopportune time for fantasy owners who spent a high draft pick on them, while injuries to other startable players like Ahmad Bradshaw, Miles Austin and Jeremy Maclin have also hampered owners who had been relying on them.

If you are struggling to find suitable starting options due to injuries to some key players on your roster, take a look at our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for Week 13.

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Eli Manning (New York Giants) vs. Green Bay

Manning went 33-for-47 for 406 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against the New Orleans Saints in Week 12, and he has now thrown multiple touchdown passes in eight of 11 games this season. Another favorable matchup is coming in Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers, who have allowed the second-most passing yards(303 per game) this season and 16.5 fantasy points per game (sixth-most in the league) to opposing quarterbacks. If running back Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) has to miss another game this week, Manning may again have to throw the ball a lot for the Giants’ offense to move the chains and keep up with the Packers’ offense. Even though the Packers have intercepted a league-high 22 passes this season, Manning is still a legit upper tier QB1 for Week 13.

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

Although we’re starting to close in on the end of the fantasy football and NFL seasons, this week is always one of the favorites of the year. While enjoying your Thanksgiving dinner you get to enjoy some NFL football, which is always a special tradition. Then after a few days off we get to enjoy even more games on Sunday. Unfortunately, not all players will be thankful for the games this week and weekend. Below we’ve got a litany of players you need to either bench or strongly consider doing so. Let’s jump right into it.

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Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo Bills) @ New York Jets

The Buffalo Bills opened the season with a 4-2 record thanks in part to the play of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. He was rewarded with a big contract extension and since he has started to play like the quarterback we’ve seen before. In the last three games he’s got two touchdowns and seven interceptions. Teams are starting to figure out Fitzpatrick, not that there was much to figure out anyway. There’s more going against him this week, however. The Bills are without running back Fred Jackson, who was just put on injured reserve with a leg injury. Furthermore, the matchup with the New York Jets couldn’t be much worse. The Jets are giving up just 9.7 fantasy points per to quarterbacks, and Fitzpatrick managed just nine fantasy points against New York in Week 9.

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

Week 12 starts the run to the finish in fantasy football, as playoff spots and playoff seeding will be sorted out over the next few weeks. Bye weeks are now over, but injuries continue to be a recurring issue, and now Minnesota Vikings’ running back Adrian Peterson looks likely to miss a few games with a high ankle sprain and leave many fantasy owners without their Round 1 pick. Also, owners who drafted Fred Jackson as a mid-round flier, will have to drop him after Jackson suffered a season ending injury last week. So with all of these injuries in mind, fantasy owners should pay special attention to different players we suggest you get into your lineup this week.

If you are struggling to find suitable starting options due to injuries to some key players on your roster, take a look at our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for Week 12.

QUARTERBACKS-START ‘EM

Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Minnesota

Ryan went 22-for-32 for 316 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in Week 11, and he has now thrown for at least 275 yards in three straight games (two straight 300-plus yard games) with six touchdowns and two interceptions in that span. Week 12 brings a very favorable matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, who have allowed the most fantasy points (18.6) per game to opposing quarterbacks this season and they have not intercepted a pass in any of their last five games. The Vikings have also allowed 13 passing touchdowns in their last five games, as injuries and off-field issues have depleted their secondary. Ryan would be a worthy fantasy starter this week due to his recent production trend alone, but he is a top tier QB1 for Week 12 with the very favorable matchup.

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

There are some great division matchups this week but one of the biggest will be when the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens. The Bengals did well through the first half of the schedule but the second half is considerably tough. They’re looking for a win not only to give them an edge in the playoff race but also for legitimacy. The Ravens, who share a 6-3 record with the Bengals, need to prove they are one of the AFC’s elite. Both teams feature stout defenses, and that’s evident in our Week 11 Sit ‘Ems list.

Another key matchup sees the Philadelphia Eagles travel to New York for a game with the Giants. If the Eagles have any hope of making the playoffs they need a win this week. However, we don’t like the matchup too much for the Eagles and we’ve got a few of them our list this week as well.

QUARTERBACKS - SIT ‘EM

Sam Bradford (St. Louis Rams) vs. Seattle

For as well as he played as a rookie we expected St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford to rebound from his slow start. Sure the Rams are dealing with a plethora of injuries but Bradford is the type of player who can play well in the face of adversity. Or so we though. He’s only got four touchdown passes this season and he’s only thrown for more than 200 yards three times. The addition of Brandon Lloyd at receiver helps but it’s not big as big of a boost to Bradford as expected. Playing against the Seattle Seahawks this week looks like a good opportunity for Bradford to have a good rebound game. Seattle’s defense ranks in the bottom half of the league in passing yards per game, total yards per game and points allowed per game. Plus, in the last three weeks the Seahawks have given up five touchdowns against just three interceptions to quarterbacks. However, Bradford has had some good matchups before and not done much with them, like in Week 8 when he scored eight fantasy points against the Arizona Cardinals. Don’t expect a major disaster from Bradford, but don’t expect much beyond that.

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