Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Rich Arleo
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF JANUARY 4 2011::

Standard Scoring

Pass TD: 4 points |  All Other TDs: 6 points
25 Passing Yards: 1 point |  All Turnovers: -2 points
10 Rushing Yards: 1 point |  10 Receiving Yards: 1 point

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1. Arian Foster (Houston Texans) vs. Cincinnati

The Texans had the luxury to sit Foster in Week 17, so he is rested and ready to go this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite starting off the season with a hamstring injury that slowed him in the first three games, Foster was able to finish with 1,224 yards and 10 carries on the ground and 617 yards and two scores on 53 catches. One of Foster’s worst games of the year came in Week 14 against this same Bengals squad. He had just 41 yards on 15 carries, 33 yards on four catches and lost a fumble in that game, so Foster owners will have to hope the Bengals don’t have him figured out. It’s more like that was just an off day for Foster. Consider him a top option this week as always.
Point Projection: 20 points

2. Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) @ New York Giants

After struggling for much of the final stretch of the season, Turner surprisingly blew up in Week 17 with his best performance of the season. The Burner ran for a season-high 172 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, and while it was against an awful Tampa Bay defense, it came as a bit of a surprise and was certainly a welcome sight for the Falcons. At the very least, that game proved that the veteran didn’t break down over the course of the season. The New York Giants run defense allowed 4.5 YPC, 121.2 YPG and 15 rushing touchdowns this season, so Turner should have plenty of room to roam in this playoff matchup. Start Turner and hope he can at least come close to his Week 17 performance.
Point Projection: 17 points

3. Kevin Smith (Detroit Lions) @ New Orleans

Smith ran for 35 yards on nine carries and had four catches for 26 yards and a touchdown in Week 17. The workload was surprising given that the Lions were expected to rest their oft-injured starting back. He should have an expanded role this week against New Orleans as there’s no holding back now in the playoffs. Since signing mid season, Smith proved to be the most talented runner on the team and in Week 13 against the Saints, he had 34 yards and a touchdown on six carries and 46 yards on six catches. Look for an even bigger workload and probably more production in this game.
Point Projection: 15 points

4. Willis McGahee (Denver Broncos) vs. Pittsburgh

McGahee finished his Comeback Player of the Year-worthy campaign with 145 rushing yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season and he finished with 1,199 rushing yards, his first 1,000-yard season since 2007. It looked as though he was wearing down a bit but the Week 17 performance has to restore some faith heading into the playoffs. He has a tough matchup against a Pittsburgh Steelers run defense that allowed just 99.8 YPG and seven rushing touchdowns during the regular season. The Broncos are a run-first offense so McGahee will get a lot of work, more than many of the backs in the playoffs will see, which makes him a top option for Playoff Fantasy Football. The matchup isn’t ideal but McGahee proved his worth over the course of the regular season so expect a decent game from the wily veteran.
Point Projection: 14 points

5 Ahmad Bradshaw (New York Giants) vs. Atlanta

Bradshaw helped the Giants clinch the NFC East with 57 yards and a score on 16 carries and 12 yards and another touchdown through the air. After injury issues slowed him down midseason, he has looked good the past few games and, more importantly for fantasy purposes, is finding the end zone with four touchdowns the last three games. Bradshaw has regained the starting role and is getting plenty of scoring opportunities after being hurt much of the year, making him a very good fantasy option heading into the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Falcons had one of the best run defenses in the NFL this season, allowing just 97.0 YPG on the ground. There’s a good chance the Giants have to stick to an air attack in this one, but even if that happens Bradshaw can certainly catch some passes and as long as he gets his red zone touches, he’ll be a good play.
Point Projection: 14 points

6. Isaac Redman (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Denver

After taking over as the starter with Rashard Mendenhall tearing his ACL, Redman finished with 92 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. With Mendy done for the playoffs, Redman will take over as the starter in Pittsburgh. Redman ran well this season as a reserve, averaging 4.4 YPC with 110 rushing attempts. His solid performance in Week 17 came against the Cleveland Browns, but the Denver Broncos run defense isn’t much better. The Broncos allowed 126.3 YPG to opposing runners this year, and with the Denver offense struggling this season, Redman should have plenty of opportunities to run wild in this one. He’s a very solid start this week.
Point Projection: 13 points

7. Darren Sproles (New Orleans Saints) vs. Detroit

Sproles ran for 40 yards on only six carries and caught five passes for 29 yards and a touchdown in the Saints regular season finale against Carolina. Sproles turned out to be one of the best acquisitions of the offseason. While Reggie Bush turned in a great season for Miami, Sproles thrived in his role with the Saints, running for 603 yards and two scores on 87 carries (6.9 YPC) and caught 86 balls for 710 yards and seven touchdowns. His importance in this offense can’t be underestimated despite the plethora of offensive weapons this team has. In a Week 13 matchup against Detroit, Sproles had 28 yards rushing and 46 yards and a touchdown on five catches. Look for him to get his usual 10-15 touches and, like he did all season, make the most of them against a Detroit Lions defense that allowed 5.0 YPC to opposing runners this season.
Point Projection: 11 points

8. Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Houston

Benson stumbled to the finish line after a decent season with 51 yards on 13 carries against the Baltimore Ravens. He finished an up-and-down season with 1,067 yards and six touchdowns. In the first round of the playoffs, Benson draws the Houston Texans top run-stopping defense. The Texans allowed just 96.0 YPG on the ground this season with just eight rushing touchdowns. Benson faced the Texans in Week 14 and ran well with 91 yards on 21 carries, but didn’t find the end zone. It was tough to predict Benson’s fantasy output form week to week during the regular season, and it’s hard to say what he’ll do this week. The Texans have had plenty of success against the run and if they can get out to an early lead, Benson could become obsolete. If he gets some scoring chances, though, he could be very valuable. If you start him you are likely going to need a touchdown to warrant a solid fantasy afternoon.
Point Projection: 8 points

9. Chris Ivory (New Orleans Saints) vs. Detroit

It took until Week 17, but Ivory broke out in the last game of the regular season with 127 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. With Mark Ingram out for the playoffs, Ivory steps in as the starting running back and if he runs like he did last week, the Saints are in good shape. Fantasy owners do have to remember that his big performance came against Carolina, one of the worst run defenses in the league. Nonetheless, if he gets that kind of work in this offense he has a ton of value. One thing to remember with Ivory is that he’s fresh, with just 79 carries on the year.  We’ve seen backs with fresh legs break out in the playoffs before (James Starks last year) and there’s a chance Ivory does the same. The Detroit Lions allowed 128.1 YPG on the ground this season, so Ivory could be in line for another big game.
Point Projection: 8 points

10. Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints) vs. Detroit

Thomas finished the season Sunday with 30 yards on five carries and 36 yards on three catches. It was a typical game for Thomas, whose role as a change of pace runner this year limited his fantasy value. He’s never the first choice for a score, but did finish with a decent six touchdowns on the season and fell just shy of 1,000 total yards (987).  He was a forgotten man in Week 13 against Detroit with just 21 total yards on four touches. He should see a little more work this week but if Darren Sproles is making plays and Chris Ivory is moving the chains, there’s always a danger Thomas doesn’t see much work.
Point Projection: 7 points

**BEAT THE BRUNO BOYS $350 WILD CARD ROUND FREE CONTEST -  TOP 20 PAID**

We’ve partnered with DraftStreet.com to provide our fans an opportunity to play WEEKLY salary cap fantasy football against the Bruno Boys Staff.  Through the first 17 weeks of the NFL season we have given away over $6,900 in cash prizes. This week, we are offering a $350 free roll in which the TOP 20 win prize money. Make sure to sign-up now for a chance to win money and take on the Bruno Boys… IT’S FREE!!

Please use this link to enter:  Wild Card Round $350 Contest  (click to register)

11. Ben Tate (Houston Texans) vs. Cincinnati

Tate ran for 97 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries (6.1 YPC) with 24 yards on four catches as a starter in Week 17 against Tennessee. Tate proved all year that when starting he can get the job done. Unfortunately he is stuck behind Arian Foster, and even though he will get his carries here and there he just won’t get enough consistent chances to make the kind of impact he made when starting. The talent is there and in Week 14 he ran for 67 yards on only eight carries against the Cincinnati Bengals. That unfortunately is the most you can expect from Tate this week, unless he can take one of those carries into the end zone. In order to give you decent fantasy points, he’s going to have to do a lot with a little, which was the story of his season.
Point Projection: 7 points

12. Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants) vs. Atlanta

Jacobs ran for just 16 yards on seven carries Sunday and has been pushed behind Ahmad Bradshaw once again in this offense. He has had 22 carries in the last three games and is clearly playing second fiddle right now, so the only reason you start Jacobs is the possible touchdown. Bradshaw’s been getting most of the scoring opportunities lately though, so there isn’t much to like here.
Point Projection:  6 points

13. Bernard Scott (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Houston

Scott ran for 34 yards and a touchdown on six carries against Baltimore in Week 17. He has run well in spurts this season but the fact of the matter is he is still the strict backup on this team. He saw more than seven carries just four times this season and one of those times was when Cedric Benson was suspended. He usually gets around six or seven carries per game so his fantasy value hinges on whether or not he can take one of those carries for a big gain. That’s not really the idea situation for a fantasy football running back, especially against a top five run defense in Houston.
Point Projection: 4 points

14. Lance Ball (Denver Broncos) vs. Pittsburgh

Ball ran for 24 yards on nine carries (2.7 YPC) Sunday against Kansas City backing up veteran starter Willis McGahee. With McGahee’s injury issues all year, Ball was able to flash some talent at times, but he’s usually constrained to less than 10 carries per game, and it’s usually a lot less than 10. That kind of workload up against the Pittsburgh Steelers run defense isn’t going to add up to many fantasy points
Point Projection: 4 points

15. John Clay (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Denver

Rookie runner John Clay ran for 31 yards on nine carries Sunday and with Rashard Mendenhall out and Mewelde Moore hurting, should see a decent amount of work backing up Isaac Redman in their wild card matchup against Denver. He only had 10 carries during the season so we don’t know much about him, but he certainly has fresh legs. He’s not going to get a ton of carries but will get his looks behind Redman.
Point Projection: 3 points

16. Jacquizz Rodgers (Atlanta Falcons) @ New York Giants

Rodgers ran for 24 yards and a touchdown on eight carries in Week 17. He and Jason Snelling have shared backup duties for much of the year and neither of them usually gets much work. That shouldn’t change in the first round of the playoffs.
Point Projection: 3 points

17. Maurice Morris (Detroit Lions) @ New Orleans

Morris ran for 13 yards on four carries in Week 17 and hasn’t shown much this season. His last solid fantasy game actually came against New Orleans in Week 13 with five catches for 47 yards and a touchdown, but since then he has just two catches and nine carries as he has been slowly phased out of the offense. Don’t look for much from Morris.
Point Projection: 3 points

18. D.J. Ware (New York Giants) vs. Atlanta

Ware ran for 19 yards on two carries and had an eight-yard reception Sunday against Dallas. He doesn’t offer much as the third runner in this offense aside from a few catches
Point Projection:  2 points

19. Jason Snelling (Atlanta Falcons) @ New York Giants

Snelling had his best game of the year in Week 17, running for 50 yards on nine carries. He had been losing carries to Jacquizz Rodgers but this week, everyone ran wild on Tampa Bay’s awful defense. In this playoff game, the Falcons will stick with Michael Turner and the workload for Snelling will be sparse.
Point Projection: 2 points

20. Keiland Williams (Detroit Lions) @ New Orleans

Williams didn’t touch the ball in Week 17 and has just one carry the last three games. He’s the third option on this team and unless someone gets hurt, he may not see the field in this game.
Point Projection: 1 point

WILD CARD ROUND RUNNING BACKS INJURY REPORT

Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers)

The one thing a team who has already clinched a playoff spot wants in Week 17 is to come out healthy. Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers, that was not the case as starting running back Rashard Mendenhall tore his ACL and will be out for the playoffs and possibly even next year’s training camp. It’s a tough blow for the Steelers but opens the door for promising young running back Isaac Redman.

Mewelde Moore (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Moore missed the past few games with knee and foot injuries and the latest reports are that he may not be ready for the team’s wild card game at Denver. Even with Mendenhall out of action, it’s probably best to not invest in Moore even if he plays this weekend.

WILD CARD ROUND RANKINGS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to view)