Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Week 14 of the NFL season kicked off tonight with an AFC North tilt between the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the division bottom feeding Cleveland Browns, which has fantasy footballers extremely excited. Ok, so the excitement actually had little to do with the game between the Steelers and Browns, but more to do with the start of the fantasy football playoffs, and chances are, if you are still checking in with us to read the Fantasy Football News and Notes you are still alive in your fantasy league, making this a very important week to your season.

As you approach this crucial week of fantasy football, it is as important as ever to make sure that you put together the best possible starting lineup. You do not want all the hard work you put into this season to end because you made a mistake in your starting lineup. As seems to be the case each and every week, injuries are piling up in the NFL, and they are taking their toll on the fantasy football world. As such, the Bruno Boys are once again here to take a look at the news around the NFL and dissect the possible fantasy football impact. Whether your league is in the playoffs or still in the regular season, good luck to each of you as the 2009 fantasy football season starts to wind down.

DeAngelo Williams returns to practice Wednesday, should play in Week 14

After missing the team’s game in Week 13, Carolina Panthers’ running back DeAngelo Williams returned to practice on Wednesday. He was able to participate in full team workouts, and it appears that there is a good probability that he will be able to play this week when the Panthers take on the New England Patriots.

In 11 games played this season, Williams has rushed for 1,022 yards on 197 carries with seven touchdowns. He might be behind last seasons pace in which he finished with 20 total touchdowns, but when healthy he has been a No. 1 fantasy running back this season. He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry on the season and has added 26 receptions for 234 yards to his totals. He will have a tough match-up this week against a Patriots defense that is allowing 107.9 yards per carry and has given up just three rushing touchdowns through 12 games. He will once again share carries with Jonathan Stewart, who had a good game last week in a starting role. If Williams is healthy enough to play, he should be used as a RB2 in this match-up, while Stewart will make a solid RB3 or flex option. If for some reason Williams is inactive for the game, Stewart becomes a No. 2 fantasy running back.

Steve Slaton is place on injured reserve, will not return this season

The Houston Texans’ have placed running back Steve Slaton on injured reserve due to a nerve issue in his neck, which marks the end to his season. Coming off an excellent rookie season in 2008, Slaton’s 2009 season has to be considered a disappointment by fantasy owners. He was drafted in most leagues as a first or second round draft pick and finished the season with just 854 total yards with seven total touchdowns, which was well short of the totals he achieved in his rookie season.

Although the neck issue has ended his season, the good news is that according to head coach Gary Kubiak the injury is not career threatening. Slaton visited a specialist on Tuesday, who believes that the injury could heal on it’s own in 4-6 weeks, as long as he is not taking any hits. With his season over, Slaton should be dropped from fantasy rosters.

Chris Brown and Ryan Moats will share the rushing duties in Houston, but neither is a highly recommended fantasy option. Brown had just six carries for 15 yards with a touchdown filling in for Slaton last week and isn’t worth using as anything more than a No. 3 fantasy running back this week. Moats should remain as a fantasy reserve until his new role in the offense becomes more defined.

Steven Jackson once again misses a Wednesday practice, questionable for Week 14

In what has become a trend of late, St. Louis Rams’ running back Steven Jackson missed the team’s practice on Wednesday. Jackson had missed Wednesday’s practice the previous two weeks with a back injury, but still managed to play in both games following. Not only did he play in both games, he totaled 51 carries for 201 yards with a touchdown.

According to head coach Steve Spagnuolo, Jackson’s back feels about the same as it did at this point last week, which was good enough for him to tote the ball 28 times on Sunday. Keep an eye on his status throughout the week and up until game time, but when he starts, he has played like a No. 1 fantasy running back. Jackson does have a tough match-up this week against the Tennessee Titans, who have the No. 8 ranked rush defense, but he is an elite running back and remains a RB1 fantasy option.

With Portis on injured reserve, Ganther will start in place of Cartwright

The Washington Redskins’ have placed running back Clinton Portis on injured reserve effectively ending his season. He has been out since Week 10 after suffering a concussion the previous week against the Atlanta Falcons. Portis finished the season with just 124 carries for 494 yards and two total touchdowns in eight games played.

Head coach Jim Zorn, also, announced that Quinton Ganther, not Rock Cartwright will start at running back this week when the Redskins face the Oakland Raiders. Cartwright started for Washington the last two weeks, but was ineffective with 28 carries for 77 yards, averaging just 2.75 yards per carry over the two game stretch. In a limited role, Ganther has 13 carries for 78 yards in the last two games, and his 6.0 yards per carry has earned him a shot at the starting role. It is a good match-up against an Oakland Raider defense that ranks No. 30 against the run, but Ganther should not be used as more than a RB3 at this time since Cartwright is still expected to share carries and neither running back’s role is clearly defined heading into the game.

Roddy White limited in practice with knee injury, questionable versus Saints

Atlanta Falcons’ wide receiver Roddy White was limited in the team’s practice on Wednesday with a knee injury and is listed as questionable for the team’s Week 14 contest with the New Orleans Saints. He has started all 12 games for Atlanta this season and has caught 65 passes for 874 yards with eight touchdowns.

The fact that he was able to participate in practice, albeit in a limited manner, is a good sign that he will be able to play on Sunday. With the Falcons’ No. 2 wide receiver Michael Jenkins out last week, White was targeted 20 times and had nine receptions for 104 yards with a touchdown. As long as he is healthy enough to play, he should be used as a WR2 this week against a Saints team that he had four receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown against in Week 8.

Knee injury sidelines Maurice Jones-Drew, listed as questionable for Week 14

Jacksonville Jaguars’ running back Maurice Jones-Drew missed the team’s practice Wednesday with a knee injury. He is officially listed as questionable for the Jaguars’ contest this week with the Miami Dolphins.

MJD is coming off a 24 carry 76 yard performance last week against the Houston Texans, but for the second straight week, he was held without a touchdown. In his first season as the starting running back in Jacksonville, he has 233 carries for 1,077 yards with 13 touchdowns. Keep an eye on his status throughout the week, but at this point he is expected to play against the Dolphins. If Jones-Drew is healthy enough to start, use him as a RB1 this week against a Miami defense that has allowed 14 rushing touchdowns this season.

Week 14 Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF    (click to read)

Week 14 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM    (click to read)

Week 14 Waiver Wire Advice:  PICK THEM UP  |  CUT THEM LOOSE    (click to read)

————————

Don’t forget to head over to our Fantasy Football Message Board and sign-up for a FREE FORUM account. By doing so you will be able to talk fantasy football all season long.