Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Whether you observe Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa this is a great time of year for celebration. It is a time to enjoy family, food, fun and of course fantasy football. Chances are if you are still alive in your fantasy football league, you have an additional reason to celebrate because if you are still playing fantasy football in Week 16 of the NFL season you are either in your league championship game or just one step away.

In the movie, A Christmas Story, Ralphie wanted a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock. Today, some kids want the hottest new toys or video game systems. But, the best present a fantasy football fanatic could get this time of year would be a fantasy football championship. As we have been each week since the off-season the Bruno Boys are once again here to bring you some news from around the NFL and take a look at it’s possible fantasy football impact. Don’t over think things in setting your line-ups this week, but make sure you make an informed decision by reading up on all the Bruno Boys have to offer.

Finally, the Bruno Boys would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. Be safe, have fun and get yourself a fantasy football championship or two.

Still suffering from ankle injury, DeAngelo Williams misses practice Wednesday

Last season when the Carolina Panthers played the New York Giants, running back DeAngelo Williams had 24 carries for 108 yards with four touchdowns. Based on last year’s efforts this sounds like a great match-up for your fantasy football championship round, but the problem is Williams is still suffering from an ankle injury that cost him three quarters of last week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. DWill missed Wednesday’s team practice with the injury and is questionable for this week’s game with the Giants.

Even if Williams is able to play this week, you can’t count on him having the same type of performance as he had in last year’s contest. It is very likely he will split carries with Jonathan Stewart, and with the Panthers out of playoff contention, they will likely not risk overplaying him and risk further injuring the ankle. If Williams plays, he should be considered an injury risk and not started as more than a low-end RB2 or flex option. Stewart would have a similar value if Williams plays, but if Williams sits out, Stewart has increased value and would be a good starting option as a high-end RB2.

Michael Turner misses practice, Jason Snelling likely to start for Falcons

For the second time since Michael Turner suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 10, it appears the Falcons attempted to bring him back too soon. Turner played in Atlanta’s Week 15 victory over the New York Jets, but he only managed one carry for seven yards before leaving the game after aggravating the injury. He has attempted to come back twice since injuring the ankle, but he hasn’t been able to stay in either game. Jason Snelling benefited from Turner’s absence with 16 carries for 59 yards against the Jets.

Not only did Turner miss practice on Wednesday, he didn’t even participate in the team’s walk-through. He should be considered extremely questionable and a huge injury risk if he does play. Snelling is once again expected to start in his place and would be a very good starting option against a struggling Buffalo Bills’ run defense. With Turner’s playing status in doubt, you can likely expect to see Snelling become a RISER in the Bruno Boys Weekly Risers & Fallers article.

Tom Brady listed as questionable, as he misses practice Wednesday

Fantasy owners are getting quite the scare heading into Week 16 as New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady missed Wednesday’s practice with a litany of injuries. As was the case last week, he is suffering from shoulder, finger and rib injuries. He is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Even though he is questionable for the contest against the Jaguars, it is expected that he will play, but there is some reason to be concerned. Despite dealing with the same injuries last week, Brady was able to participate in practice at this time last week. The other concern is that in the team’s Week 15 victory over the Buffalo Bills, Brady passed for a season-low 115 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Patriots did get off to an early lead though and were able to rely on the running game to wind the clock down, which limited his value. If Brady starts (and it appears he will), he should have a bounce back game this week going up against a Jaguars defense that is ranked No. 27 against the pass.

Colts’ wide receiver Pierre Garcon is questionable for Week 16 with hand injury

Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver Pierre Garcon went from an unknown to a hot waiver wire pickup earlier this season. And, it appeared that owners who took a chance on him were going to be rewarded heading into the fantasy playoffs as he had double digit fantasy points in four straight games, but since scoring 13 fantasy points in Week 13, Garcon has totaled just four catches for 55 yards over his last two games. He is dealing with a bruised hand that not only limited him to two catches for 16 yards last week; it also kept from practicing with the team on Wednesday.

If you were counting on using Garcon for this very important fantasy football week you better keep track of his progress throughout the week. No word has been given as to how serious the injury is, but he should be considered questionable this week against the New York Jets. The Colt’s have clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and even though they have a chance to go undefeated this season, there is no reason for them to rush Garcon back. Even if he is active for the game, you should consider other options since he could once again see limited playing time.

Fitzgerald continues to deal with knee injury, questionable for game with St. Louis

More was expected out of Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald against the very poor Detroit Lions’ pass defense last week, but he was limited due to a knee injury suffered in Week 14. He finished the game with four receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown, but even though the Lions made it a close game, the Cardinals did not need more from him, as they won the game and clinched their second straight division title.

Fitzgerald was limited in practice on Wednesday and is listed as questionable on the injury report. He is expected to play in the game, and he once again has a favorable match-up as the Cardinals are facing the St. Louis Rams, who have struggled on defense all season long. He should once again be used as a high-end WR1, but there is some concern about the Cardinals getting out to a big lead and Fitzgerald seeing limited action. Chances are you don’t have a better option than Fitzgerald, but you may want to lower your expectations a little bit this week.

Brett Favre and Vikings’ coach Brad Childress appear to have resolved issues

After what appeared to be a heated discussion on the sideline last week between Vikings’ quarterback Brett Favre and head coach Brad Childress, any issues seem to be resolved. Apparently Favre got a little heated after Childress expressed interest in having Favre leave the game with a one-point lead in the third quarter. The coach had concerns with the number of hits Favre was taking in the game and wanted to protect his quarterback, hoping to keep him healthy for the playoffs.

With the animated discussion being caught on TV, there was probably more made out of this situation then should have been. Favre is very competitive and did not like the fact that Childress wanted him to leave a game that was extremely close at that point. The Vikings did end up losing the game, while Favre finished with 224 passing yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. Favre is having a very good season, though, as he has passed for 3,565 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. This week Minnesota will face a Chicago Bears’ defense that Favre passed for 392 yards on with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in Week 12. Look for him to bounce back with a much improved game; just don’t expect the same totals that he had against the Bears in Week 12. Still, he should be used as a low-end No. 1 fantasy quarterback.

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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