Week 16 Rankings Update

Charlie Batch is 37 years old. He was once teammates with Barry Sanders. The Steelers throw him on the field every season, assuming he’s the same guy he was the year before.

That works with Tim Wakefield, but eventually Batch’s time is going to come up. He’s seriously messing with fantasy championship week if he starts over Ben Roethlisberger.

Batch didn’t look ready when he briefly replaced Big Ben against the Browns. If Batch gets the call Saturday, I’m downgrading Mike Wallace to a WR2/3 with Antonio Brown below that. Pittsburgh will run all day.

The Batch news isn’t the only concern on this Christmas weekend. The Packers could clinch homefield advantage by the time they play Sunday night. If you own Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, I’d root for the 49ers on Saturday.

The Packers say they will go all out regardless, but the injury situation at tackle could change things if they have nothing to play for. I’m sticking with my Packers regardless. I haven’t learned much this year, but I do know that 2-3 quarters of Rodgers is better than a full game from most players.

Merry Christmasukah to all. This week should be a time for celebration. And making some money.


Week 16 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: Only Drew Brees has been hotter than Tom Brady over the last five weeks. Brady is averaging more than 300 yards-per-week with 12 touchdowns and only one pick over that span. He had his best game of the year against Miami in Week 1, but this is a different Dolphins defense. It’s not different enough to worry about. … I wouldn’t expect Carson Palmer to have another big game against a primed Chiefs defense.

Laurent Robinson wasn’t a factor the last time the Eagles and Cowboys played. That will help Tony Romo in this matchup. Asante Samuel’s injury -- even if he plays -- won’t hurt. … Philip Rivers is playing lights out. If you survived his early slump and made it this far, you finally got the guy you expected on draft day just in time for the playoffs. He was more accurate on his deep balls last week. Detroit’s pass rush could give him trouble, but he’s a no-doubt play this week.

Michael Vick seems to have the Ryan brothers’ number. He’s averaged over 10 yards-per-attempt against them this year. The Eagles averaged 39.5 points in those two games. … For the most part the top fantasy starters this week are the same guys that started in Week 1. Tim Tebow is an exception with a great matchup against Buffalo. He should get plenty of rushing yards. … Ben Roethlisberger is ranked as if he’ll play, but prepare alternatives.

I’ve written that Rex Grossman was a sneaky play the last two weeks and it’s even more true against this Vikings secondary. … Matt Moore is another decent option. He’ll be throwing a lot to catch up against New England. … Eli Manning’s rough Week 15 performance and a matchup against the Jets is enough to spook me this week. I barely survived Manning’s stinkbomb last week and will put him on the bench this time. His low ranking has a lot to do with excellent matchups for the top-13 quarterbacks.

Charlie Batch is 37 years old. He was once teammates with Barry Sanders. The Steelers throw him on the field every season, assuming he’s the same guy he was the year before.

That works with Tim Wakefield, but eventually Batch’s time is going to come up. He’s seriously messing with fantasy championship week if he starts over Ben Roethlisberger.

Batch didn’t look ready when he briefly replaced Big Ben against the Browns. If Batch gets the call Saturday, I’m downgrading Mike Wallace to a WR2/3 with Antonio Brown below that. Pittsburgh will run all day.

The Batch news isn’t the only concern on this Christmas weekend. The Packers could clinch homefield advantage by the time they play Sunday night. If you own Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, I’d root for the 49ers on Saturday.

The Packers say they will go all out regardless, but the injury situation at tackle could change things if they have nothing to play for. I’m sticking with my Packers regardless. I haven’t learned much this year, but I do know that 2-3 quarters of Rodgers is better than a full game from most players.

Merry Christmasukah to all. This week should be a time for celebration. And making some money.


Week 16 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: Only Drew Brees has been hotter than Tom Brady over the last five weeks. Brady is averaging more than 300 yards-per-week with 12 touchdowns and only one pick over that span. He had his best game of the year against Miami in Week 1, but this is a different Dolphins defense. It’s not different enough to worry about. … I wouldn’t expect Carson Palmer to have another big game against a primed Chiefs defense.

Laurent Robinson wasn’t a factor the last time the Eagles and Cowboys played. That will help Tony Romo in this matchup. Asante Samuel’s injury -- even if he plays -- won’t hurt. … Philip Rivers is playing lights out. If you survived his early slump and made it this far, you finally got the guy you expected on draft day just in time for the playoffs. He was more accurate on his deep balls last week. Detroit’s pass rush could give him trouble, but he’s a no-doubt play this week.

Michael Vick seems to have the Ryan brothers’ number. He’s averaged over 10 yards-per-attempt against them this year. The Eagles averaged 39.5 points in those two games. … For the most part the top fantasy starters this week are the same guys that started in Week 1. Tim Tebow is an exception with a great matchup against Buffalo. He should get plenty of rushing yards. … Ben Roethlisberger is ranked as if he’ll play, but prepare alternatives.

I’ve written that Rex Grossman was a sneaky play the last two weeks and it’s even more true against this Vikings secondary. … Matt Moore is another decent option. He’ll be throwing a lot to catch up against New England. … Eli Manning’s rough Week 15 performance and a matchup against the Jets is enough to spook me this week. I barely survived Manning’s stinkbomb last week and will put him on the bench this time. His low ranking has a lot to do with excellent matchups for the top-13 quarterbacks.

Week 16 Running Backs

RB Notes: We said last week that Ryan Mathews is playing well enough to be matchup-proof, and he showed it against the Ravens. Injuries and fumbles are the only questions with Mathews, and fumbles don’t matter much in fantasy. He’s a true RB1 heading into next season. … Adrian Peterson is sure to get a bigger workload this week. Don’t get cute and consider sitting him. … The Patriots don’t have a linebacker that can cover Reggie Bush. He could have a nice day receiving.

Keep a close eye on Felix Jones heading into gametime. … Frank Gore has a tough matchup, but I have a hard time sitting him when he’s still running with power. … Marshawn Lynch against the 49ers is the ultimate strength-on-strength matchup. It wouldn’t surprise me if Lynch was the first player to rush for a touchdown on the 49ers all year. He’s not a must-start this week, but he’s not a must-sit either. That’s the kind of season he’s had. … Darren Sproles had an awful game against the Falcons last time. Sean Weatherspoon did a great job against him. I doubt it happens again.

DeAngelo Williams has been getting more of the workload for the Panthers lately, but there should be enough yards to go around against Tampa’s depressing defense. … C.J. Spiller earned the right to start another week, even against the Broncos. Denver’s defense is good, not great. … Keep an eye on Roy Helu’s practice reports. … Cedric Benson and Peyton Hillis have both been running better than their numbers indicate. Benson has the better matchup this week.

Kevin Smith is a very tough call. I still don’t trust the Chargers rush defense, but I also don’t trust Smith to look 100 percent. … Donald Brown has been a great story, but he’s a shaky idea this week against a primed Texans defense. Expect a bounceback effort from Houston. … The Packers are not a good run defending team, but I still wouldn’t consider using one of the Bears backs.

Week 16 Wide Receivers

WR Notes: There has been a lot of talk that the Saints defense has improved of late, but I don’t see it. Falcons-Saints should be a game in the thirties with a ton of wide receiver yards for the top two Falcons. … There’s not a huge gap, but a healthy Miles Austin is the true No. 1 in Dallas, at least for this year. Laurent Robinson is No. 3. His run defies all logic. I don’t think you can take him out of fantasy lineups unless you are truly loaded.

Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney are both great options this week against Minnesota. I did not expect to be recommending Jabar Gaffney this late in the year. …. Kyle Orton absolutely gives Dwayne Bowe new life, especially in this matchup. … Percy Harvin got sucked into a Vikings passing black hole last week. It’s a big concern the way Christian Ponder is playing. Ultimately, Harvin has done too much right all year to give up on him now. He’s still a WR2.

Do not trust Darrius Heyward-Bey after one big game. He’s just as likely to disappear this week, especially against the Chiefs’ physical cornerbacks. … The two Steelers receivers are ranked as if Charlie Batch is starting. You know that you should play them both if Roethlisberger is out there against the Rams. Wallace would be in the top ten, Brown in the top 20. … Hakeem Nicks is a concern this week because he’ll be matched up with Darrelle Revis most of the day. With Nicks, drops are as big a concern as Revis.

Week 16 Tight Ends

TE Notes: The tight end position was looking thinner for a few weeks, but a strong finish by Aaron Hernandez and Brent Celek, among others, has made the position deep again. … Hernandez is a strong play again against a Miami team that struggles to cover tight ends. … Vernon Davis has a tough matchup, but I still have a hard time sitting him compared to guys like Kellen Winslow and Anthony Fasano. … You can’t argue with Fasano’s production or his matchup. He’s a fine desperation play. (I’m using him in my office league finals because Fred Davis is long gone.) … Jared Cook has too many o-fers this year to suddenly trust. … Owen Daniels’ injury makes him a shaky option.


Week 16 Team Defense

Week 16 Kickers