Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

NFC SCENARIOS

Minnesota Vikings - If you are a fan of the Vilkings it was painful to watch the Chicago Bears beat them on Monday Night Football and potentially ruin their shot at a first round bye in the NFC; however, if you own Vikings players in fantasy football you couldn’t have been happier. Their loss now forces the Vikings starters to see a full slate of action against the New York Giants in Week 17, and it means fantasy owners’ don’t have to hit their leagues’ waiver wire to find replacements. If you own Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe (check injury status) you are going to want to start them against a Giants defense that seemed to have packed it against the Carolina Panthers in Week 16. Red flag players for Minnesota include Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian.

Arizona Cardinals - The playing time of anyone worth rostering in Arizona will be determined by the outcome of the Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants game. If the Vikings win it eliminates the Cardinals from any chance of claiming a first round bye in the NFL. However, if they lose, the Cardinals have a shot (Philadelphia would need to lose as well) at finishing second in the NFC. With Minnesota playing in the morning, and Arizona in the afternoon it means that the Cardinals will know their fate before game-time and will determine playing time based on how bad they need to win against the Green Bay Packers. With this being the case, the only way we recommend you use Kurt Warner, Beanie Wells, Tim Hightower, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin is if you have a comparable alternate who also plays in the late game. By doing this you can easily make a lineup swap if the game is indeed meaningless for the Cardinals. Make sure to enter Sunday with a Plan B on what to do with your Cardinals or you are better off avoiding this situation.

New Orleans Saints - At the start of the week Saints’ head coach Sean Payton claimed that the starters would play in the full because he wanted their offense to get back in sync after dropping their last two contests. However, Payton seems to be backtracking on those comments. On Friday, Payton ruled .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and he also told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King that Drew Brees will be the third string quarterback on Sunday. With word coming out that Brees will be the emergency quarterback it doesn’t bode well for those fantasy owners hoping that Marques Colston would see extended action. Colston has been injury prone throughout his career and if Brees’ sits odds are Colston does the same. Same could be said about Robert Meachem. He is likely to get some playing time but with Mark Brunell throwing him the football who knows what to expect. As for the running game we will likely see some of Mike Bell, Reggie Bush and Lynell Hamilton. The Saints have little to lose by increasing the workload of Hamilton so we wouldn’t be all that surprised if he led the team in carries this week. Things are getting quite foggy in New Orleans and it might be best to approach your fantasy football season finale by going down a clearer path.

Green Bay Packers - Head coach Mike McCarthy is telling reporters that he is playing to win the game and has no desire to compromise but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Packers will play their studs throughout Week 17. With Green Bay having nothing to play for, but seeding, don’t be surprised if their workhorses get some action during the first half and spend the rest of the game watching from the sidelines. The Packers currently sit at No.5 in the NFC playoff picture and the most likely scenario is for them to play a re-match of this weeks game against the Arizona Cardinals so it would benefit them to not show too much offensively. When the match-ups is right, a half of Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and Jermichael Finley could lead to big things, but with so many unknowns you have to start these guys expecting mediocrity. Finally, if you are in a deep league and looking for some waiver wire gold consider Brandon Jackson, Jordy Nelson, James Jones and to a lesser extent Ahman Green. Lot’s of risk but the reward could be the difference maker.

Philadelphia Eagles - Not much needs to be said about the Eagles and the length their skill players will play in Week 17. When Philadelphia takes the field on Sunday, against the Dallas Cowboys, they will be playing for not only NFC East title but a first round bye, along with the New Orleans Saints, in the NFC. When the Minnesota Vikings were upset by the Chicago Bears in Week 16 it allowed the Eagles to have an inside track of securing a first round bye this week. Donovan McNabb, DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek are must starts, while Brian Westbrook and Jeremy Maclin should produce at a high enough level to warrant fantasy consideration. Last but not least, David Akers leads all kickers in fantasy points and should once again flirt with double digit fantasy points.

Dallas Cowboys - At 10-5 on the season the Cowboys have clinched a playoff spot in the NFC and they have one thing on their mind. That is to beat the Philadelphia Eagles and backdoor their way into being the NFC East champion. Dallas upended Philadelphia by a score of 20-16 in a Week 9 meeting but it won’t be easy to repeat that task with the Eagles having won six games in a row. Regardless of the final score on Sunday you can start your Cowboys’ skill players with so much at stake. Miles Austin and Jason Witten are top plays at their positions, while Tony Romo can be used as a QB1. Fantasy owners’ of Marion Barber are going to want to use him as a RB2 or Flex play depending on their other options. If you are in a pinch Felix Jones has received over 10 carries in three straight games and can break a long run at anytime. One guy to proceed with caution on is Roy Williams. He has just two receptions over his last two games and despite Philly being suspect against WR2s there is no guarantee that Romo gets Williams the football.

Week 17 Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF    (click to read)

Week 17 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM    (click to read)

Week 17 Waiver Wire Advice:  PICK THEM UP  |  CUT THEM LOOSE    (click to read)

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