Craphonso Thorpe? Chris Weinke? Pierre Thomas?
With the vast majority of fantasy football leagues now completed, Week 17 doesn’t have a lot of significance to most of us. Some leagues do, however, use this final regular season week to determine their league’s champion.
Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present Bizarro Week; it’s a week when Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Terrell Owens, Greg Jennings and Earnest Graham have pretty much no value whatsoever. It’s a week when players like Darren Sproles, Sage Rosenfels, Dominic Rhodes and Michael Bennett could quietly emerge as invaluable fantasy commodities.
It’s also the most research I’ve had to do to complete this column.
Things are, bottomline, wacky this Sunday and anything could happen. Nobody can predict just how much stars will be playing and how successful their backups will be. It’s craziness.
Playoff Implications
To make some sense with what teams will be out there with important implications on the line, here are the possible playoff scenarios on the final regular season Sunday of the season.
Steelers @ Ravens, Chargers @ Raiders:
If the Chargers win, they will be the AFC’s No. 3 seed. If Pittsburgh and San Diego lose, the Chargers will also get it. If the Chargers lose and the Steelers do win, then Pittsburgh will be the No. 3 seed. Both games are 4:15pm ET starts.
Titans @ Colts:
If Tennessee wins, they will go to the playoffs as the No. 6 seed. If they lose, the Browns will be the final AFC playoff seed. (note: it doesn’t even matter if Cleveland wins or loses)
Cowboys @ Redskins 4:15pm, Vikings @ Broncos 4:15pm, Saints @ Bears 1:00pm:
If the Redskins win, they are headed to the postseason as the No. 6 seed in the NFC. If Washington loses and Minnesota wins, the Vikings will be headed to the playoffs. If Washington and Minnesota loses and the Saints win, New Orleans will be the No. 6 seed.
What Else is at Stake in Week 17?
As I’m finishing up this column, the Patriots are losing to the Giants with about 12 minutes left. Tom Brady is a no-brainer for MVP, but can he lead his team to a perfect, unblemished regular season? On a TD strike with Randy Moss to open up the second quarter, the Patriots broke the league’s single-season scoring record for a team, Brady tied Peyton Manning’s NFL record of 49 TD passes and Moss tied Jerry Rice’s TD record of 22.
LaDainian Tomlinson has a 113 yard-lead on Adrian Peterson for the rushing title, with Brian Westbrook quietly right behind with 1,291 (Westbrook will also be the season’s only player to eclipse 2,000 total yards). Moss has also taken a slim lead over Reggie Wayne as the league’s leading receiver. Look for the Colts to give Wayne enough years on Sunday night to reclaim the top spot.
Oh BTW, Brady and Moss just hooked up again for another TD. They just broke two more NFL records and took a three-point lead with 11 minutes remaining. Their march at perfection looks intact again. We’ll see if the G-Men can come back to stop them…
Quarterbacks
Injury List
Kyle Boller (concussion) - out, Troy Smith will start again
Jason Campbell (knee) – out for finale, Todd Collins is 3-0 as QB
Brodie Croyle (hand) - will start this week
Shaun Hill (back) – out for finale, Chris Weinke will start
Josh McCown (finger) – will be backup, JaMarcus Russell will make first start
Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) – will not play in finale, Charlie Batch will start
Matt Schaub (shoulder) - out, Sage Rosenfels will start again
Running Backs
Injury List
Tatum Bell (ankle) – likely won’t play finale, T.J. Duckett will get RB load
Reggie Bush (knee) – out for Week 17, but could return if Saints make playoffs, Pierre Thomas should get most of the carries
Ron Dayne (ankle) – will likely backup Darius Walker
DeDe Dorsey (ankle) – out for finale, Kenny Watson will start
Justin Fargas (knee) – out, Dominic Rhodes will start
Larry Johnson (foot) – out, Kolby Smith will replace
Rudi Johnson (hamstring) – out, Kenny Watson will carry load
Kevin Jones (knee surgery) – out, T.J. Duckett will replace
Earnest Graham (ankle) – questionable, will be limited if he does play, Michael Bennett and Michael Pittman will share RB load
Willis McGahee (ribs) – out, Musa Smith will replace
Willie Parker (leg) – out for the season, Najeh Davenport will start
Aaron Stecker (foot) – questionable, could get some touches as backup
Brian Westbrook (knee) – probable, will start Week 17
LenDale White (knee) – probable, will start finale
Wide Receivers
Injury List
Anquan Boldin (toe) – questionable, expected to start
Deion Branch (calf) – could sit out contest
Mark Clayton (back) – questionable, game-time decision
Laveranues Coles (ankle) – out for finale, Brad Smith will start
Larry Fitzgerald (groin) - questionable, expected to start
Joey Galloway (shoulder) – out for Week 17, Michael Clayton will replace
Terry Glenn (knee) – probable, expected to play his first game of season
Anthony Gonzalez (foot) – questionable, Craphonso Thorpe and Devin Aromashodu should see most WR reps for Indy
D.J. Hackett (ankle) – expected to return after three-game absence
Marvin Harrison (knee) – expected to start, but could leave early
Michael Jenkins (quadriceps) – questionable, will likely sit out game
Greg Jennings (ankle) – out for finale, James Jones will start
Eddie Kennison (ribs) – will miss another game, Samie Parker will replace
Terrell Owens (ankle) – out for finale, should be back for playoffs
Tight Ends
Injury List
Bubba Franks (knee) – expected to play, Donald Lee is better option
Daniel Graham (ankle) - not expected to play much
Todd Heap (hamstring) – out for Week 17, Lee Vickers will start at TE
Jeremy Shockey (leg) – out, Kevin Boss replaced (scored TD)
L.J. Smith (knee) – out for Week 17, Brent Celek will replace
Ben Utecht (shoulder) - likely will sit out Week 17, Bryan Fletcher will replace
Matchups for Week 17
Toughest against the pass
1. Indianapolis (167.1 YPG) – Vince Young, Roydell Williams, Justin Gage
2. Tampa Bay (170.6 YPG) – Matt Moore, Steve Smith, Drew Carter
3. Pittsburgh (178.0 YPG) – Troy Smith, Derrick Mason, Michael Clayton
4. Miami (180.2 YPG) – Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh
5. New England (186.9 YPG) – Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer
Easiest against the pass
32. Minnesota (266.1 YPG) – Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley
31. Detroit (263.6 YPG) – Brett Favre, Donald Driver, James Jones
30. New Orleans (249.7 YPG) – Kyle Orton, Bernard Berrian, Muhsin Muhammad
29. Cleveland (240.5 YPG) – Chris Weinke, Arnaz Battle, Darrell Jackson
28. Arizona (237.1 YPG) – Marc Bulger, Tory Holt, Isaac Bruce
Toughest against the run
1. Minnesota (70.5 YPG) – Selvin Young, Travis Henry
2. Baltimore (81.5 YPG) – Najeh Davenport, Verron Haynes
3. Pittsburgh (83.9 YPG) – Musa Smith, Mike Anderson
4. Dallas (92.1 YPG) – Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts
5. Philadelphia (93.0 YPG) – Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson
Easiest against the run
32. Miami (158.6 YPG) – Kenny Watson, Jeremi Johnson
31. Oakland (147.6 YPG) – LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner/Darren Sproles
30. Denver (140.7 YPG) – Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor
29. New York Jets (140.2 YPG) – Kolby Smith, Jackie Battle
28. Cleveland (130.7 YPG) – Frank Gore, Maurice Hicks
Week 17 Schedule
Saturday, Dec. 29 8:15pm ET
New England @ New York Giants
Sunday, Dec. 30 1:00pm ET
Buffalo @ Philadelphia
Detroit @ Green Bay
Jacksonville @ Houston
Cincinnati @ Miami
Carolina @ Tampa Bay
Seattle @ Atlanta
New Orleans @ Chicago
San Francisco @ Cleveland
4:15pm ET
San Diego @ Oakland
Minnesota @ Denver
St. Louis @ Arizona
Dallas @ Washington
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore
Kansas City @ New York Jets
8:15pm ET
Tennessee @ Indianapolis