 | Steelers Win Game, Lose Parker - 12/21/2007
BY Aaron Gleeman There are plenty of key stories to discuss heading into what is the most important weekend of the season for many fantasy teams, so let's skip the usual pleasantries and get right to the notes from around football .
* Pittsburgh won the battle while losing the war Thursday night, as Willie Parker went down with a fractured fibula that will end his season. Fast Willie has been an inconsistent fantasy performer this year because of his lack of touchdowns, but as the NFL leader in both carries and yards it's a huge blow to the Steelers heading into the playoffs. With Parker out, Najeh Davenport more than picked up the slack against the Rams, totaling 167 yards and two touchdowns on 26 touches.
Davenport will start in Week 17 and the Steelers almost have no c! hoice but to give him 20-plus touches again because of what is now a complete lack of running-back depth, but don't count on another monster game. Pittsburgh finishes up the season by traveling to Baltimore and the Ravens' run defense remains strong even if their secondary is a mess. Davenport figures to be a solid RB2 play for the season finale, but don't start him over typical RB1 options.
* Brandon Jacobs gave his fantasy owners a brief scare when he was limited in Wednesday's practice because of a hamstring injury, but put in a full workout Thursday and is absent from the Giants' injury report. Jacobs' horrible receiving skills were exposed via multiple ugly drops in Week 15 against the Redskins, but he rushed for 130 yards on 25 carries and it's noteworthy that he at least saw tons of action on passing downs even while his awful hands were on full display.
Sunday's matchup against the Bills and their undersized run d! efense i s favorable for Jacobs, who's gotten a total of 53 touches in two games since returning to the lineup in Week 14. Barring a setback with the hamstring injury he looks like a solid mid-level RB1 option. The season finale against New England is a much tougher on-paper matchup, but it's possible that the Patriots' defensive starters won't put in a full game (although the same could be true of Jacobs).
* Rudi Johnson has missed back-to-back practices after his sore hamstring reportedly "flared up" earlier this week. Beginning in Week 12 he put together a strong three-game stretch in which he averaged 71 yards on 21 carries while scoring three times. However, Johnson then touched the ball just eight times while turning in a clunker last Thursday night against the 49ers. He has a favorable on-paper matchup against the Browns, but is awfully risky for a low-level RB2 option.
* Rotoworld has been reporting for six weeks now that Larry Johnson is highly unlikely to play again this season, but for some reason the Chiefs continue to let him work towards a potential return despite being completely out of the playoff picture. Johnson worked out some Wednesday, but his foot injury wouldn't allow him to finish practice and he's been ruled out for Week 16. As was the case a month ago, don't count on seeing Johnson take the field again until next fall.
* Unable to sufficiently recover from the concussion that he suffered Sunday, Kyle Boller has been ruled out for Week 16. Rookie Troy Smith will take his place against the Seahawks and the former Heisman Trophy! winner may remain in the starting lineup for the season final! e. Seve ral Ravens teammates have publicly expressed confidence in Smith over Boller, but Seattle is a tough place to make your first NFL start and hosting Pittsburgh isn't much easier.
Two-Minute Drill: Offensive coordinator Mike Martz said Thursday that Jon Kitna has "absolutely" earned the Lions' starting job next season, but that statement may not mean much if Martz is let go . Adam Schefter of NFL Network speculated Thursday night that the Rams could cut Isaac Bruce following the season, but with 87 yards against the Steelers he moved past James Lofton into third place on the all-time receiving yardage list . Meanwhile, Torry Holt managed just 41 yards on three catches and was seen yelling! at coach Scott Linehan on the sidelines as the Rams fell to 3-12 . Coach Jack Del Rio said Thursday that Reggie Williams has "changed" this season by "embracing the coaching he's getting" while racking up 424 yards and five touchdowns over the past seven games . Brandon Marshall is four grabs from becoming just the fourth second-year receiver in NFL history to catch 90 passes . Coach Lane Kiffin refused to reveal Thursday whether Josh McCown or JaMarcus Russell will start in Week 16 against the Jaguars, saying only that "both guys took about equal reps today and both will play" . Coach John Fox confirmed! Thursday that Matt Moore will start this week against the Cowboys.
Red Zone: D.J. Hackett (ankle) sat out Thursday's practice, all but guaranteeing that he won't play Sunday against the Ravens . Anquan Boldin (toe) and Larry Fitzgerald (groin) were limited in Thursday's practice, but both figure to start in Week 16 against the Falcons . LenDale White (knee) skipped Thursday's practice and his status for Week 16 could be in doubt if he can't get back on tthe field in some capacity Friday . Coach Gary Kubiak said Thursday that Matt Schaub (shoulder) will be a game-time decision in Week 16, but Sage Rosenfels will start against the Bucs regardless of Schaub's status . Reports out of New Orleans suggest that Reggie Bush (knee) is "questionable at best" to play in Week 16 after sitting out Thursday's practice, potentially giving Aaron Stecker one more week of fantasy relevance . Terry Glenn (knee) was hoping to make his season debut Saturday night against the Panthers, but the Cowboys announced Thursday that he won't even make the flight to Carolina with the team . According to th! e 49ers, Alex Smith (shoulder) will be throwing again in three months and could be ready for game action in six months, giving him plenty of time to get healthy for next preseason. |  |
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