Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

The good news coming from the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs is that the teams advancing to next week’s action saw the vast majority of their players stay healthy. Not only is that a good thing for me as it means fewer items to report on, but it also is a good thing for all of you, considering you only have four teams to pick players from for your Fantasy Playoff Gridiron Challenge. Although everyone who can make an impact and score some fantasy points should be on the field next weekend, there were a couple players who got dinged up that may be held out of practice this week, and as a result, see a slight dip in value.

Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints: Thomas tweaked his ankle in New Orleans’ win over the Arizona Cardinals this past weekend, but he believes the injury should have no impact on his status for the conference championship game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Saints seem to be running with a committee type approach, with Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Lynell Hamilton seeing an even amount of carries on Saturday. Thomas’ performance was rather lackluster, gaining 52 yards on 13 carries and 18 yards on 4 receptions without a touchdown. This injury shouldn’t limit Thomas, but his amount of touches might. Check out our running back rankings to see if Thomas can be an option for your lineup.

Joseph Addai, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Addai went to the locker room in the second quarter of the Colts’ game Saturday versus the Baltimore Ravens with a shoulder injury but was able to return in the 3rd quarter. He did not have a good game, with just 23 yards on 11 carries and 14 yards on 3 receptions without a touchdown. Remember, though, that Addai was facing a tough Baltimore defense, a unit who is stingy against the run. The New York Jets happen to have the same kind of defense, something to keep in mind when filling your lineup this week even with Addai looking like he will be healthy.

Robert Meachem, WR, New Orleans Saints: Meachem did not have much impact in the Saints game against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, being held without a catch and only having one carry for four yards. After the game, he was seen wearing a protective boot on his left ankle, but speculation is that he was only doing that for precautionary reasons. Meachem should be able to get back on the field this week against the Minnesota Vikings, but it’s hard to say what his role will be in that game.

Shaun Ellis, DE, New York Jets: Although the Fantasy Gridiron Playoff Challenge does not require you to pick up individual defensive players, Ellis’ injury is something you should take notice of. Ellis is one of the Jets’ best pass rushers, and on the first play versus the San Diego Chargers, he broke his left hand. He was able to get a cast on the hand and keep playing. This coming week he will likely do the same, although he will be having pins inserted into his hand during the week. With Ellis playing, the New York defense should perform like they normally would, but a slower Ellis is not good for the Jets, who need all hands on deck to beat the Indianapolis Colts.

As originally stated, there were only a few minor nicks, making it look like four healthy teams will be taking each other on this Sunday. That means you can fill your lineup with what you believe are the guys who will perform the best without worrying about an injury holding a star out. Now that everyone seems healthy, you will want to check out the Bruno Boys positional rankings this week to get some much needed analysis before making your selections for Sunday.

Injury reports come in every Monday from Bruno Boys Greg. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Championship Round Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF  (click to read)

Championship Round Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM  (click to read)

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