Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

The real playoffs are here, and unless you’re playing in one of the playoff fantasy leagues, it’s a time to just sit back, relax and watch football just for the enjoyment, and not have to worry about stat tracking. Even if you are playing in a fantasy league, it’s still nothing compared to the previous 17 weeks. With that said, I’m sure a lot of you, for one reason or another, are still looking to win your playoff league. The Bruno Boys are still here for you just like we are during the regular season for tips and advice.

New York Jets 24 @ Cincinnati Bengals 14
This was one game a lot of people thought would be the opposite of their Week 17 matchup. The New York Jets did it again, knocking off the division-champion Cincinnati Bengals. How did they Jets do it? Unlike most of the regular season, they got production from Dustin Keller, who led the Jets in receiving with 99 yards and a touchdown. Jerricho Cotchery led the team in receptions with six, and totaled 67 yards. Braylon Edwards only had 15 yards receiving. Boy, how the mighty have fallen. I think Edwards needs to be downgraded to a WR3 for 2010 fantasy drafts. Another Jet who might need to get downgraded is Thomas Jones. You can’t complain about Jones’ production this season, but watch out for Shonn Greene. Both RBs scored in this game, but Greene finished with 21 carries for 135 yards compared to Jones’ 15 carries for 34 yards. It’s safe to say we’ll at least see a pretty even split next season, and don’t forget about Leon Washington. Mark Sanchez put up a respectable 182 yards with a touchdown. I don’t recommend using the Jets receivers next week. If they’re going to beat the San Diego Chargers, it will be with their defense and ground attack. For the Bengals, Cedric Benson did everything he could to win this game, putting up 169 yards and a touchdown. Benson was a nice surprise in 2009 before he got injured, and should make a solid high-end RB2 next year. Carson Palmer threw for 146 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Chad Ochocinco only had 2 catches for 28 yards, but this duo put up strong fantasy numbers all year.

Dallas Cowboys 34 vs. Philadelphia Eagles 14
Sometimes third time is not a charm. The Philadelphia Eagles got rocked for the second straight week by the Dallas Cowboys. Not all of the Cowboys’ stars shined in this game, though. If you played Marion Barber or Jason Witten, you were greatly disappointed. Witten only had four catches for 27 yards. The surge of Miles Austin has really hurt the value of Witten this season. Speaking of Austin, he led Dallas with 82 yards and a touchdown. He makes for a strong play next week against a shaky Minnesota Vikings’ pass defense. He caught one of two touchdown passes from Tony Romo, who also had 244 yards passing. I think there are better QB options to play other than Romo next week. With Barber only taking three carries, the ground attack flourished behind Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. It’s hard sometimes to predict which of this three-headed monster will perform, but if you guess right, it’s usually jackpot. Jones rushed for 148 yards with a 73-yard touchdown. Choice also punched one in from the one-yard line. Minnesota has a strong rush defense, so I’m not crazy about any of the Dallas running backs next week. Austin is the safest bet, with Witten and Roy Williams as shaky bets. I hope you didn’t play the Eagles’ running backs because they completely got shut down in this game. Donovan McNabb connected with Jeremy Maclin for a 76-yard score, part of his 146 receiving yards. Brent Celek had 59 yards receiving. Both Maclin and DeSean Jackson are pretty big boom-or-bust receivers. Heading into 2010, the safest fantasy option among the Eagles receivers will be Celek. McNabb will remain a top-10 QB heading into most drafts.

Baltimore Ravens 33 @ New England Patriots 14
Ray Rice told Jon Harbaugh to put the team on his back and let him run - and that’s exactly what happened. Rice rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, including 83-yarders in the game’s opening moments. Facing a mediocre Indianapolis Colts’ rush defense next week, I really like Rice’s chances to produce next week. the Baltimore Ravens will try to win with Rice, and win or lose, I think he’ll put up good fantasy totals. Don’t expect numbers like today, though. Willis McGahee also scored to go with his 62 yards, but I wouldn’t put him in your lineup next week. Baltimore’s passing game is something you should probably stay away from. Joe Flacco passed for only 34 yards with an interception. Obviously, if the Colts get ahead, the Ravens will be forced to throw, but there are much better options out there. The New England Patriots struggled today for the most part. At least not having Wes Welker didn’t hurt too bad because Julian Edelman hauled in two touchdowns from Tom Brady, who threw for 154 yards and also got intercepted three times. Randy Moss led the team with 48 yards. If you were counting on Brady and/or Moss this week, you may already be out of the running to win your playoff league.

Arizona Cardinals 51 vs. Green Bay Packers 45
The best was saved for last. It looked like at first this game would be over before it started, but it turned into a true offensive shootout. Kurt Warner, who may have played in front of his home fans for the final time since he may retire after this season, tossed five touchdowns and 379 yards. He didn’t suffer at all from not having Anquan Boldin, and neither did Larry Fitzgerald. The star receiver 82 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Fitz remains an excellent WR option on your playoff team, but if Warner retires when the season is over, his value for 2010 will take a hit. Steve Breaston led the Arizona Cardinals in receiving with 125 yards and a score. The other two touchdown passes went to Early Doucet. Beanie Wells rushed for 91 yards, and remains the clear top backfield option over Tim Hightower. Pay close attention this week as to whether or not Boldin returns to the lineup. If he does, I wouldn’t play Breaston or Doucet. Aaron Rodgers may have failed in winning his first playoff game, but he didn’t fail at all from a fantasy end. Rodgers totaled 422 yards passing and four touchdowns with one pick. He also rushed for a touchdown. Rodgers should be a top-3 QB in most drafts next season. The sky is the limit for this up-and-coming stud. Two Green Bay Packers had over 100 receiving yards, Jermichael Finley (159) and Greg Jennings (130, one touchdown). Jennings was more of a disappointment than a star this year, but I think he remains a low-end WR1 next year.

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

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

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