Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

The NFL is an ever changing landscape, from year to year, week to week, and even day to day. Hence, the Bruno Boys bring to you our Week 16 Edition of the Fantasy Risers and Fallers. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept behind the article, it’s rather simple. Risers and Fallers highlights those players who have seen their fantasy football value for the weekend’s upcoming games either rise (increase) or fall (decrease).

Prior to getting into this week’s individual RISERS & FALLERS, we felt it would be prudent to cover one team as a whole and that is the Indianapolis Colts. While the Colts’ are sitting at 14-0 with a chance to complete an undefeated season, everything else for their playoff run has been wrapped up as the team has secured a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. As a result, there is a good chance that the team will rest some of it’s bigger names. This always leads to a dilemma for fantasy owners. Do you roll with the likes of Peyton Manning who may see just one half of football action or do you turn to a safer option who will get a full 60 minutes worth of work? The Bruno Boys take on this is that you need to evaluate your options on an individual basis. Sitting Dallas Clark makes sense if you have a strong option like a Fred Davis or Jermichael Finley to put in his spot, but it does not make sense if you’re relying on a Dante Rosario type player. After all, one half of Clark poses the greater potential for points than a full game of Rosario. With that said, let’s now get into the individual RISERS & FALLERS for week 16…

WEEK 16 RISERS

QB Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) - While listed as questionable, it is expected that Ryan will draw the start against the Buffalo Bills for the Atlanta Falcons. That, however, does not mean he should start for your fantasy squad. In his return from his toe injury in week 15 against the New York Jets, Ryan managed a mere 10 fantasy points. Yes, the Jets do allow the fewest fantasy points to the QB position in the league, but the Bills aren’t too far off, as they allow the second fewest points to the position. As such, keep Ryan on your bench.

QB Brian Brohm (Buffalo Bills) - Ryan Fitzpatrick returned to practice on a limited basis on Friday, leading head coach, Perry Fewell, to announce that it will be a game-time decision as to his starting QB will be. However, with Fitzpatrick being ineffective of late and Brohm taking the majority of reps with the first team throughout the week, we expect Fewell to give Brohm a shot. The QB will have a favorable match-up in his NFL debut as he’ll be throwing against an Atlanta Falcons’ defense that ranks 30th against the pass, but we still wouldn’t put our faith in the Bills’ young QB.

QB Matt Moore (Carolina Panthers) - A shoulder injury has Moore sporting a questionable tag, but the QB practiced in full on Friday and is expected to start against the New York Giants despite the injury. Moore is coming off a strong 23 point outing against the Minnesota Vikings, but even with that game, we’re not putting our trust in Moore for this weekend’s game. After all, the Giants handed Washington Redskins’ QB Jason Campbell a pretty good beating last week.

QB Derek Anderson (Cleveland Browns) - With Brady Quinn on IR, Anderson will once again get a shot to show fantasy owners what he has. Against the 17th ranked pass defense of the Oakland Raiders, we’re going to say that’s not very much.

QB Tom Brady (New England Patriots) - New England Patriots’ QB Tom Brady continues to deal with a wide array of ailments, as he copes with a rib, right shoulder, and right finger injuries. However, he will play through the pain. He is listed as probable and was a full participant in Friday’s practice. Look for the QB to bounce back after disappointing outings in his last two weeks of play as he’ll be throwing against a Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense that is allowing the fourth most fantasy points to the QB position.

QB Charlie Frye (Oakland Raiders) - Head coach, Tom Cable, apparently wants nothing to do with JaMarcus Russell as the Raiders’ coach has opted to go with Charlie Frye, who did not suffer any set backs following his concussion like injury in week 15, as his starting QB. Frye’s presence does help the Raiders’ wide receivers some; however, we’d still be weary of turning to any Raiders’ wide out during such a crucial week of fantasy football.

QB Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) - With both Hines Ward and Mike Wallace listed as probable for Sunday’s game with the Baltimore Ravens, Big Ben will have his usual assortment of weapons to play with. Seeing as those weapons helped him rack up 503 passing yards and 3 TDs in week 15, we say it’s safe to roll with the Steelers’ QB here in week 16.

QB Keith Null (St. Louis Rams) - Continuing to receive the majority of reps with the Rams’ starting unit, it appears likely that it will be Null leading the Rams in battle this Sunday against the Cardinals. The rookie, though, warrants no fantasy consideration.

RB Jason Snelling (Atlanta Falcons) - In Turner’s absence, it has been Snelling who has seen the bulk of carries for the Atlanta Falcons, which is excellent news for his owners for week 16. Snelling gets set to face the worst rush defense in the NFL in the Buffalo Bills, making him a solid RB2 option.

RB Jonathan Stewart (Carolina Panthers) - DeAngelo Williams was a fantasy hero last season with his solid running in the second half of the year, but that hasn’t been the case this season as Williams has had to deal with an ankle injury. The Panthers’ RB is listed as doubtful for this week’s contest, which means Jonathan Stewart looks likely to get the carries yet again for Carolina this Sunday. Fantasy owners can utilize Stewart as a RB2 against a Giants’ defense that has allowed 18 rushing scores on the year.

RB Correll Buckhalter (Denver Broncos) - After missing the Broncos’ disappointing week 15 loss with an ankle injury, Buckhalter has been deemed probable for the team’s match-up with the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday. Buckhalter looks like a safe bet to go in a game in which he’ll be running with extra motivation as the Eagle’s were a former employer of the back. As such, he is a RB that could be considered a flex option in deeper leagues.

RB Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints) - Bush exited week 15’s contest with the Dallas Cowboys due to a hamstring injury. At no time, though, was the injury expected to be serious, which appears to continue to be the case, as Bush is listed as probable and slated to go against the Buccaneers on Sunday. Due to the Bucs’ poor rush defense, Bush can be used as a strong flex play this weekend.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw (New York Giants) - While he was limited in practice throughout the week, that has been the case with Bradshaw for the majority of the season. The Giants’ back is listed as probable for this weekend’s contest and will play against the Panthers. Bradshaw, who secured goal-line duties last weekend, makes for a low-end RB2 play against a Panthers’ rush defense that has given up 14 rushing TDs on the year.

RB Michael Bush (Oakland Raiders) - With Justin Fargas listed as doubtful for week 16, Bush all of a sudden becomes an intriguing play. While Darren McFadden will still be around to vulture some carries, Bush is the better runner between the tackles and should see between 15-20 carries if the Raiders remain in the game at all. As such, against the 29th ranked rush defense of the Cleveland Browns, Bush, who had 133 yards and a score in week 15, holds low-end RB2 / high-end flex value.

RB Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers) - Mendenhall, who suffered a hip pointer in week 15 against the Green Bay Packers, fully partook in Friday’s practice and is listed as probable for this weekend’s match-up with the Baltimore Ravens. Starting for the Steelers, Mendenhall continues to make for a solid RB2 play.

RB Justin Forsett (Seattle Seahawks) - With backfield mate, Julius Jones, nursing a rib injury that has him listed as questionable, Forsett could make for a flex play in deeper leagues. The match-up is not ideal as the Seahawks will battle it out with the Packers, but Forsett can do enough damage as a receiver to make up for a down day on the ground.

RB Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams) - Once again taking the week off from practice, Jackson goes into the weekend with a big “Q” next to his name. However, as has been par for the course, Jackson is expected to play anyways. As he had 17 fantasy points against the Cardinals earlier in the year, keep him in your line-ups for week 16’s match-up with Arizona.

RB Cadillac Williams (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - While he still outperformed teammate Derrick Ward in terms of fantasy points, Williams’ owners had to be concerned with the fact that Ward received seven more carries than Williams in week 15. Week 16, though, should see Williams once again carry the bulk of the workload as Ward is listed as questionable going into the team’s affair with the New Orleans Saints. With that being the case, Williams becomes a flex option for fantasy owners.

WR Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) - Hampered by a knee injury when it has mattered most to fantasy owners, Fitzgerald has been somewhat disappointing the last two weeks with just a combined 11 fantasy points. His owners, though, can rest easy as the injury seems to be healing up as we go into week 16, with the Cardinals’ wide receiver listed as probable for a nice match-up with the St. Louis Rams. Use him as a WR1 like normal.

WR Devin Hester (Chicago Bears) - Gambling on Hester would indeed be a mistake as the Bears’ wide receiver will partake in the Monday Night contest this week, but it is worth noting that Hester does appears to be the healthiest he’s been in a long time as he did practice, albeit in a limited manner, on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

WR Percy Harvin (Minnesota Vikings) - Good news for Harvin’s owners as the wide out’s migraine issues seemed to have past as the wide out is not listed on the team’s injury report this week and participated fully in Thursday’s practice. Harvin, who was on the field in week 15 but managed only 1 catch for 10 yards, can be used as a WR3 type play this weekend.

WR Hakeem Nicks (New York Giants) - Nicks has been hampered by a hammy injury this past week; however, the wide out has been listed as probable and is expected to play against the Panthers. Nicks has seen his role increase in the Giants’ offense of late. Still, we see him as nothing more than a low-end WR3 option as the Panthers have limited opposing wide receivers to just 13.1 fantasy points per contest this season.

WR Braylon Edwards (New York Jets) - Edwards, who notched his first 100+ yard receiving game of the year in week 15, is set to play against the Indianapolis Colts despite a knee injury. The Jets’ wide receiver makes for a WR3 play against an Indy team that may rest its starters come the second half of Sunday’s game.

WR Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia Eagles) - Missing the team’s week 15 contest with the San Francisco 49ers, rookie wide receiver, Jeremy Maclin, is set to return for this weekend’s match-up with the Denver Broncos. With a less than stellar match-up against second best pass defense in the NFL, the banged up Maclin probably should only be used in the most dire situations.

WR Antonio Bryant (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - He may be sporting a questionable tag, but Bryant is fully expected to play against the New Orleans Saints this Sunday as he partook in Friday’s practice in full. Still, coming off two poor outings and going against a Saints’ defense that will be hungry following their first loss of the year, we think you can find a better option to roll with than Bryant.

TE Todd Heap (Baltimore Ravens) - While we wouldn’t want to put our fantasy championship hopes on Todd Heap’s shoulders, especially against the Steelers, a team that allows just 5.3 fantasy points to the tight end position and a team that limited the Ravens’ tight end to one catch for six yards in an earlier meeting this season, if you want to do so, you’ll be happy to know he is listed as probable for this weekend’s match-up.

TE Kellen Winslow (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - Winslow, who has 6+ fantasy points in three of his last four games, is probable for the team’s meeting with the Saints. More than likely, the Bucs will have to air it out to have any chance of hanging with the Saints on Sunday, so Winslow, who had five receptions in an earlier meeting with New Orleans this year, makes for a decent low-end TE1 play.

K Mike Nugent (Arizona Cardinals) - For the second straight week, Nugent will handle kicking duties for the Cardinals as Neil Rackers will miss another game due to a groin injury. Nugent is getting an opportunity at just the right moment, as in week 15 he went up against the Detroit Lions, the team allowing the most points to the kicker position this season, and this week, he’ll square off against the Rams, who have allowed 28 fantasy points to the kicker position over the last two weeks. Feel free to plug him into your line-up, if you’ve been playing the kicker match-up game all season long.

K Lawrence Tynes (New York Giants) - While weather may impact Tynes’ and the Giants’ kicking game this coming Sunday, the kicker’s hamstring injury will not as Tynes is listed as probable for the team’s contest with the Carolina Panthers. Continue to use Tynes as you normally would.