Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

5. John Carlson (Sea) vs. Jermichael Finley (GB)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: FINLEY. Talk about being on fire. Finley had nine receptions with a touchdown last week and with another good match-up this week the sky’s the limit. Expect the physical tight end to make it four straight games with at least 70 receiving yards. Now that’s consistency!

Bruno Boys Jimbo: FINLEY. John Carlson has been impressive in the past couple weeks, finally getting back on the radar, but Jermichael Finley is the upcoming tight end in the NFL. We’re talking about a guy who could become a top three tight end by the 2011 fantasy drafts. I think Carlson is solid, but Finley has been great lately and he’s playing at home in the frozen tundra. It’s hard to bet against any Green Bay Packers playing at home at this time of the year.

6. Derrick Mason (Bal) vs. Santonio Holmes (Pit) vs. Hines Ward (Pit)

Bruno Boys Jimbo: HOLMES. I like the Pittsburgh Steelers to win this game, and I think this will be one of the rare games when Santonio Holmes really jumps out and has a huge game. Hines Ward’s hamstring is still bugging him a little bit, so who knows what we’ll see out of him this week, but Holmes could really step in and grab a couple deep passes. Derrick Mason has been solid throughout the season, but I think the Steelers will shut him down with their season on the line.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: MASON. All three of these options are similar players but in my opinion it’s Derrick Mason that shines in Week 16. Mason had 62 yards and a touchdown in his first meeting with Pittsburgh this year and don’t expect anything to change this time around. Baltimore will likely attack the Steelers through the air and this should lead to another solid showing from the veteran.

7. Andre Johnson (Hou) vs. Ricky Williams (Mia)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: JOHNSON. The Miami Dolphins have no one that can guard Johnson off the line of scrimmage and I wouldn’t be surprised if the veteran wide receivers put together his best performance of the season. Look for Johnson to put on a clinic against rookie defensive back Vontae Davis (brother of Vernon Davis).

Bruno Boys Jimbo: JOHNSON. My wide receiver of the year pick goes to Andre Johnson. Ricky Williams has been great, but Johnson is the best fantasy wide receiver in football right now. He’s my pick for the No. 1 receiver in next year’s draft and he is a huge reason why Matt Schaub has been great. In my opinion, Reggie Wayne and Larry Fitzgerald take a back seat to Johnson, and I think he’ll have another huge game this week.

8. Mike Sims-Walker (Jax) vs. Randy Moss (NE) vs. Wes Welker (NE)

Bruno Boys Jimbo: WELKER. I see Tom Brady picking apart the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense this week, and Wes Welker should see a lot of action this week. Last week was all about keeping Randy Moss happy, but this week, the New England Patriots will go back their bread and butter, short passes to Welker. I like Welker to once again go over the century mark in receiving yards this week, and maybe even a touchdown.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: MOSS. All three of these options should score in double-digits, and Welker is the safest play but my money is on Moss to have another big game just in time for the postseason. Crazy or not, I feel that all three of these reward their fantasy football owners with a touchdown come Sunday.

9. Cadillac Williams (TB) vs. Derrick Ward (TB) vs. Pierre Thomas (NO) vs. Mike Bell (NO) vs. Reggie Bush (NO)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: THOMAS. At this time last season Pierre Thomas was the flavor of the month and millions of fantasy football owners were riding their little known running back to the promise land. This year, Thomas has been somewhat of a disappointment but a match-up against the 30th ranked Tampa Bay Buccaneers run defense could get him back on track just in time for the post-season.

Bruno Boys Jimbo: THOMAS. We’ve got a lot of options in this one, but I think Pierre Thomas is your safest bet here. I don’t like Cadillac Williams or Derrick Ward because the New Orleans Saints are going to be frustrated after last week’s loss and they’re hoping to shut down a weak team this week like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I think Thomas will have a big week this week before resting next week to prepare for the playoffs.

10. Steve Smith (Car) vs. Steve Smith (NYG)

Bruno Boys Jimbo: CAROLINA. Will the real Steve Smith please stand up? I’m going with the classic version here. In recent weeks, he’s been putting up solid fantasy numbers, while the new Steve Smith hasn’t been quite as hot. I don’t know how much longer the Matt Moore train will stay on track, but I think he’ll heave a couple more deep balls to Smith in this game. I think Moore will have to pass a lot in this game, and Smith is by far his best bet.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: CAROLINA. Both Smith’s have been solid of late but the Carolina Panthers version has been up to his old tricks. In recent years Smith has had the ability to stretch the field and catch the deep ball and he’s seemed to find his groove. Smith has four plays of 40 or more yards over his last three games and with the Giants’ secondary against the pass I like his chances to extend the streak.

11. Calvin Johnson (Det) vs. Michael Crabtree (SF) vs. Vernon Davis (SF)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: JOHNSON. Both of the 49ers young and talented receivers are good choices but if the Lions have any chance of competing in this football game it’s because Calvin Johnson produces. The third year pro has just six fantasy football points over his last two games but he should be able to exploit a 49ers secondary that gives up tons of yards to opposing wide outs.

Bruno Boys Jimbo: DAVIS. By far Alex Smith’s top target is Vernon Davis, and this trend should continue this week against the lowly Detroit Lions. Calvin Johnson is going to have to adjust to a third quarterback this week, and while I think Michael Crabtree is an up-and-coming stud in the league, it’s not his time yet. Davis has the relationship with Smith right now and these two should click well this week.

12. Steven Jackson (StL) vs. Beanie Wells (Ari)

Bruno Boys Jimbo: JACKSON. Steven Jackson is the league’s second-leading rusher this season. It’s hard to not pick a guy who’s had a season like that. Jackson has been complaining about being tired, while Beanie Wells has been coming on strong as of late, but if the St. Louis Rams are going to have any hope of winning this game, they’ll need Jackson to carry the load and score a couple times. Don’t forget, the Arizona Cardinals made Maurice Morris look like an All-Pro last week.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: JACKSON. On paper Beanie Wells looks like the better play but if you own SJAX you play him regardless of his opponent. Plus, the Cardinals run defense has been vulnerable of late and Jackson is the only option in St. Louis so if the game dictates it you should see over 30 touches.

13. Darrelle Revis (NYJ) vs. Reggie Wayne (Ind)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: WAYNE. It’s no secret that Revis has dominated the leagues best wide outs but I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if Wayne beats him down-field and chops the swarming corner-back down in size. It will be a tough match-up but Peyton Manning is the x-factor and leads to another solid afternoon out of Wayne.

Bruno Boys Jimbo: REVIS. If this wasn’t Week 16, I would take Reggie Wayne, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see the best out of Wayne and the rest of the Indianapolis Colts this week. I don’t think they care so much about getting that 16-0 record. Not only that, but look at who Darrelle Revis has shut down this year so far. Revis’ track record speaks for itself. It could be another quiet week for Wayne for more than one reason.

14. Knowhon Moreno (Den) vs. LeSean McCoy (Phi)

Bruno Boys Jimbo: MORENO. Neither of these running backs have been stellar in the past couple weeks, but with the return of Brian Westbrook this week, I’ll give the edge to Knowshon Moreno here. Neither running back will be facing an easy rush defense, so again, I’m not crazy about either RB here, but I think Moreno will at least get more carries than LeSean McCoy.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: MORENO. It’s not even a debate in my opinion. Moreno has been hovering around 20 touches a game for the last 7-8 weeks while McCoy has been inconsistent and now has to share the workload with Brian Westbrook and to a lesser extent Leonard Weaver. Stick with the guy who is guaranteed to touch the football and at this time it’s the rookie out of Georgia.

15. Marion Barber (Dal) vs. Quinton Ganther (Was)

Bruno Boys Cavigs: BARBER. In our Week 15 Podcast I told all the listeners that Barber wouldn’t disappoint on Saturday night and that he didn’t. In a upset of the New Orleans Saints, Barber was able to find the end zone twice and finished with 20 fantasy football points for the first time since Week 2. Expect much of the same this week for all the MBIII owners out there.

Bruno Boys Jimbo: BARBER. The Dallas Cowboys are going for the kill this week and they’re playing a team that got embarrassed last Monday night. Marion Barber had a nice outing against the New Orleans Saints, scoring twice, and I think the confidence that he got from that game will propel him to another strong outing this week. I was never sold on Quinton Ganther and he hasn’t done anything to really stand out as a solid fantasy choice.

16. Visanthe Shiancoe (Min) vs. Greg Olsen (Chi)

Bruno Boys Jimbo: OLSEN. Given all the drama this week surrounding Brett Favre, I think we’re going to see a healthy dose of Adrian Peterson this week. On the other side, I think Jay Cutler is going to try to make things simple given how many times he’s been intercepted and how many terrible games he’s had lately, and we’ll see Cutler throwing short easy passes to Greg Olsen underneath.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: SHIANCOE. Neither of these tight end options have been producing at a high level of late but I’m still rolling with the guy who has the bigger role in the red zone. Shiancoe has 21 fantasy football points and two touchdowns over the last two games while Olsen has scored just five fantasy points. Expect the same thing to continue this week.

Week 16 Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF    (click to read)

Week 16 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM    (click to read)

Week 16 Waiver Wire Advice:  PICK THEM UP  |  CUT THEM LOOSE    (click to read)

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