CINCINNATI BENGALS
1/3/2025

The Bengals travel to Pittsburgh for the regular season finale Saturday night. This is one of those throw the records out rivalry games.

The Steelers are slumping as of late while the Bengals are on fire. As I have said before, if you are in a fantasy league that is playing a championship game this week, get out. It really is about the dumbest thing you can do in a fantasy league.
QB Joe Burrow is having an historic season and even though the Steelers have given up just two top 12 weeks to opposing quarterbacks, I do not believe it is time to bench your stud.
RB Chase Brown is battling injuries and will likely be a game time decision. RB Khalil Herbert has look good in the very limited opportunities he has been given with the Bengals but Herbert is a good play this week. Pittsburgh has given up 11 top 24 games to runners this season and I would expect Herbert could easily make that 12 this week. Truthfully no need for the Bengals to risk Brown even though there is plenty riding on this for the team and the playoffs.

WR Ja’Marr Chase is going to win the receiver Triple Crown and should have a big game whether his running mate WR Tee Higgins is fully healthy or not. Higgins is battling injury and is questionable but I am going to guess he dresses and is out on the field whether 100 percent healthy or not. And that will help Chase do his thing. With that in mind, play Chase and Higgins with confidence. WR Andrei Iosivas is too touchdown dependent to put him in your lineup unless you are battered by the Week 18 blue flu. You could do worse.
TE Mike Gesicki is quietly having a good season and could benefit from coverage on Chase and Higgins. Gesicki faces a Steeler defense that has surrendered 8 top 12 games to tight ends this year.
PK Cade York has struggled since taking over for PK Evan McPherson who struggled as well before being put on injured reserve. I would not play York in this one.

On defense, DE Trey Hendrickson, LB Germaine Pratt, LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, DB Jordan Battle, DB Geno Stone and DB Mike Hilton are the only individuals worthy of consideration. The entire unit has been playing better as of late and Pittsburgh may have little to play for based on the outcome of the early game Saturday between Baltimore and Cleveland, so in a pinch I go with the overall Bengals defense but the individuals would be worthy of your lineup.

Mark Huber

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HOUSTON TEXANS
1/3/2025

Interesting box the Titans find themselves in this weekend. Lose and they draft no worse than second, win and draft seventh? The Texans’ order is set for the play-offs, win or lose. Officially the Texans are saying they will play their starters. The Titans are wearing the Oilers old uniforms; expect Texans’ chicanery to louse up the Titans owners’ day. There is not much of a rivalry between the players, but I hear the two female owners hate each other! QB C. J. Stroud will need to play if for no other reason to build rapport with WR Diontae Johnson. RB Joe Mixon needs a few more yards to collect a large bonus. LB Azeez Al-Shaair should play because he has been on suspension for three weeks. He is their best spy candidate; they will need him in the play-offs. Oh, that is right, the Texans do not use a spy. C Juice Scruggs will play this week, but RG Shaq Mason will miss again with a bum knee.
It would be hard for me to suggest any fantasy starters for this week. The OL is at best suspect and with that it is a negatory for QBs and RBs. Some of the D players need rest. CB Kamari Lassiter is practicing but should be held out. The DL is missing several starters. I just do not see either team having much of an interest in winning this game.

David Trojanowsky

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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
1/3/2025

Hey there Colts’ fans! Here are my thoughts as the 7-9 Colts polish off a disappointing season with a home gig against the equally woeful 4-12 Jaguars:

LAST WEEK: What a debacle. Facing a team with a ton of injuries and no motivation, plus a distinct lack of any offensive prowess in 2024, the Colts laid an absolute egg in allowing a weak Giants team to pound them for 45 points in a 45-33 game that was not as close as this score may indicate. They were manhandled all game and beaten in every facet of the game. While they were surprisingly without Richardson, Flacco did throw for a ton of yards and scores in garbage mode, and Taylor was effective as a runner against a bottom-feeder defense. But the defense was the real shocker as they totally got pushed around and run past all dang day. It was disgusting and pathetic, and looked like much of the team had quit, perhaps sending a warning shot over the bow of Shane Steichen’s tenure as head coach.

INJURIES: The only one of real note aside from the many guys that were already on injured reserve is of course QB Anthony Richardson. He did not practice all last week, nor has he seen the field yet this week due to the back spasms that kept him out of week 17. At this point, he says he feels better this week and is hoping to play, but I don’t think you can count on him – not that you may have been for fantasy in a championship week anyway. It’s a tough call….if you think AR5 is the franchise and future, why do you risk him in a meaningless game against a weak opponent with a chronic back injury? But on the other hand, he needs experience as much as he needs health right now and every snap is beneficial. For the sake of the team’s psyche, I think he should try to play since his grit and mental resolve may be in question after the “tapping out” incident earlier this season. The other guys with nagging injuries all practiced in full all week and therefore I expect them to give it a go in the season conclusion. CB JuJu Brents may return from injured reserve this week and see the field, which would be great news since they don’t want to have to use versatile interior defender Kenny Moore as a shadow on rookie phenom Brian Thomas.

QUARTERBACK: Like I said, I am unsure if Richardson will be active this week, and I expect QB Joe Flacco to get the nod in the closing game. The Jaguars are a sieve on pass defense and funnel a ton of fantasy points to the quarterback and wideouts, so in theory Flacco could be decent in a week with a lot of questionable starters. If Flacco goes, I would have no problem starting him as there is no way he will get pulled and the opponent is weak. If Richardson gives it a nod, you do run the risk of an early entry, although his points-per-minute should be pretty high. It’s a risk though.

RUNNING BACK: RB Jonathan Taylor is riding the hot hand and is a near must-play under any circumstances. He is motivated to finish hard and always has been a great December and January fantasy play. Several nagging injuries have kept him from playing a healthy or full game against Jacksonville most of his career, but he has faced the Jaguars in a season finale once before…a career-high and franchise record 253-yard rushing day as a rookie. With the Jaguars struggling to find much defense, I would have no problem seeing Taylor as one of the few stud backs in a weird week 18 likely to have a seemingly clear shot at a full, productive game.

WIDE RECEIVER: WR Michael Pittman has done far better with Flacco under center this season, and is coming off his best statistical game of the year with Flacco last week. Against a very substandard pass defense, expect him to be a serviceable and predictable guy in PPR with a high floor this week. While WR Josh Downs has not seen a Flacco-bump like Pittman has, he has mostly retained his value and also could be used as needed as a #3. Downs is close to setting some Colts records for receptions and such in the first two years of a career, so it would not be surprising to see him get a ton of short dumpoffs to help pad those numbers. To my great surprise (and to many people, I am sure) WR Alec Pierce has retained his value due to his deep threat and red zone utilization all season. While I wouldn’t blame you if you took a chance on a boom-bust guy like this in a wonky week 18, I still worry that his lack of consistent targets makes him a fantasy risk. He only had three targets against the Jaguars a few weeks back (also with Flacco at quarterback), but posted a career-high 134 yards and a TD.

TIGHT END: Nope

KICKER: The Jaguars have given up a ton of points and kicker points this season, making even a recently-struggling PK Matt Gay a borderline fantasy starter this week. There are some better guys with better matchups….butits hard to ignore a veteran guy kicking indoors in January against such a wimpy opponent.

DEFENSE: I’d like to say that the Jaguars are ripe for the picking…..but so were the Giants last week. I’d like to say that the prideful defense wants to re-prove they have talent in a home finale against a weak opponent….but I just can’t get up the gumption to get behind this unit after watching that heartless effort last week. I think the IDPs like LB Zaire Franklin, and SS Nick Cross are valid for the number of tackles they will get to make, but I can’t get excited about even this golden opportunity for a streaming D after getting kicked in the balls by starting the Colts last week. Ughh.

OVERALL: The Jaguars have been poor in recent years but have had the Colts number winning 5 of the last 6 matchups. They have always seemed to have the Colts’ number, although until last season the Colts had won 5 straight games in Indianapolis. I do think the Colts will find a way to win this week, but it likely won’t be pretty and will have to be due more to the Jaguars ineptness and road woes than anything positive coming from the boys in the horseshoe hats. I will generously predict the Colts to win the home finale 29-26, but I am not looking forward to watching a lot of it. Another mitigating factor is that there is a predicted potential of up to 10 inches of snow on Sunday morning and afternoon, possibly limiting any but the most hardy of fans from coming. This may minimize the home field advantage if large parts of the stadium are empty or late arriving. The rook will be closed so it won’t impact the paying conditions, but it certainly could impact the emotion on the field and give life to a lifeless visiting squad trying to save their jobs.

So that is all for this week and for the 2024 season from the Crossroads of America. I will be back in February to start looking at the free agency profile of this team in need of some change. I hope you have found my columns use4ful this season, and maybe even a little entertaining at times. A happy new year to you all – and best wishes for a safe and productive 2025!

Chris Rito

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DENVER BRONCOS
1/1/2025

Denver 24 Cincinnati 30

The Broncos had many chances to win the game, but they didn't That’s on Nix. That’s on Payton. Denver isn’t in the postseason at this point because they couldn’t close the door on the Bengals. Nix threw a pick with the game tied at 17-17. He missed an open receiver on third down in overtime. And he couldn’t move the chains when a first down would’ve iced a playoff berth. Unfortunately, P Riley Dixon had a bad game and the special teams were no help either. But the biggest culprit was the Broncos defense, which despite two outstanding goal-line stands, could not stop the patient Bengals offense.
QB Joe Burrow (39/49-412-3) and WR Tee Higgins (11/12-131-3-0) outdueled Bo Nix (24/31-219-3-10) and WR Marvin Mims (8/8-103-2 (despite Burrow being sacked 7 times (Nix:2). RB Chase Brown (20-67-0) and RB Jaleel McLaughlin (10-69-0) led their respective teams in rushing. WR Courtland Sutton (5/9-55-1) added Denver's third touchdown. Kickers, Wil Lutz (3/3 PAT; 1/1 FG) and Cade York (3/3 PAT; 1/2 FG) completed the scoring.

Denver's defense gave up 499 total yards to Cincinnati's 329. Cincinnati had the lone interception of the game.

Kansas City @ Denver

Even if the Chiefs do rest some key starters, they have a lot of good players all over their roster who can take advantage of Broncos mistakes. And the Broncos playing not to lose against the Chiefs like they did in Cincinnati would be a disaster. The Broncos are favored by 11 points in a low scoring game at Mile High. Denver has a history of playing down to its competition. QB Carson Wentz and RB Karem Hunt are capable of giving the Broncos all they can handle. KC 21 Denver 24 in a higher scoring game than expected.

Orangeman's Take

Every one of the players and coaches, except Sean Payton, wanted to go for 2 in an attempt to end the game in Cincinnati. Arguably, he made the decision that other head coaches would have made. But it had to be disheartening for the team to lose as they did. It remains to be seen if everyone on the team can rise above their disappointment and defeat KC. Personally, I want to see the matchup between Buffalo and Denver. The Broncos need the matchup in order to know where their overachieving team stands against the NFL elite. There are obviously holes in the roster. Buffalo would provide the litmus test'

Fantasy outlook
Quarterbacks PPR Points
Bo Nix 15-18

Running Backs
Javonte Williams 7-10
Jaleel McLaughlin 9-10
Audric Estime 4-6
Michael Burton FB 1-2 Wide Receivers
Courtland Sutton 14-20
Marvin Mims, Jr 9-14
Lil’Jordan Humphrey 1-4
Troy Franklin 5-7
Devaughn Vele 6-9

Tight ends
Adam Trautman 3-4
Lucas Krull 3-4
Nate Adkins 1-2

Kicker
Wil Lutz 7-10

DST 6-11

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Charles Rives

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LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
1/2/2025

Last week, the 10-6 Chargers humiliated the 3-13 New England Patriots. Fortunately for the SoCal Chargers, wintery weather was not a factor. This week, the Chargers are heading to Las Vegas to take on the 4-12 Raiders, so this should be another win for the Bolts. This report will be a review of last week’s win, and a preview of the upcoming Chargers at Raiders game.

QB: It was another outstanding performance for QB Justin Herbert, who was 26/38 with 3 TDs, no INTs and 3 runs for 12 yards. Consider Herbert a strong QB1 against the Raiders.

RB: Fortunately, RB J.K. Dobbins is back, and he carried 19 times for 76 yards and a TD, and had 1 catch for 7 yards. Consider Dobbins a RB2 this week. As of this writing, RB Gus Edwards (ankle) was DNP on Wednesday practice and should not be started, nor should any of the Chargers other running backs due to lack of opportunity.

WR: The good news is that WR Ladd McConkey caught 8 for 94 yards with 2 TDs. The bad news is that he was DNP as of Wednesday, and my best guess is that the team needs him healthy for the playoffs. So, you probably won’t want to start him but do monitor his progress just in case he plays. WR2 if he’s good to go, but I suspect that won’t be the case. WR Quentin Johnston caught 5 for 48 yards and could be one of the few healthy Chargers’ receivers. WR3 with boom/bust potential this week. WR Josh Palmer caught 4 for 41 yards, but like McConkey, was DNP (foot) as of this writing. He’s a WR3 if he plays, but he might well not suit up.

TE: It was a slow week for TE Will Dissly, with 2 catches for 21 yards and no TDs. If the Chargers are down 2 wideouts due to injury, he could see an increase in looks this week. He’s a softer TE1 and a better TE2 this week. TE Stone Smart has looked decent but should not be started due to lack of opportunity.

PK: Another strong week for PK Cameron Dicker, who went 4/4 on FGs (long of 41 yards), and 4/4 on extra points. He’s a strong option against the Raiders.

DEF: The Chargers defense is strong, and they embarrassed the Patriots by holding them to 7 points scored, and had 4 sacks. While I think the Raiders are better than the Pats, this appears to be another excellent matchup for the Chargers defense, so they are likely a top 10 option with top 5 potential. Happy New Year and best wishes to you and your family!

Best of luck in your fantasy playoffs!

Brad Willis

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DALLAS COWBOYS
1/3/2025

They were crushed last week by the Eagles as expected. This week in a meaningless game for the Cowboys. They may not be trying to win this game at all. QB Cooper Rush may not even play and it is possible we will see QB Trey Lance. I would not start either of them in fantasy. Lance may be capable of putting up more fantasy points because of running but at this moment, they have not named a starter. RB Rico Dowdle is an RB2 and is still a safe start. No other back is worth mentioning. WR Brandin Cooks and WR Jalen Tolbert are WR4 or flex starts. However if you have other options (basically anyone who is not on IR), I would start the other option. TE Jake Ferguson is a mid TE2 but if Lance starts, I would avoid him as well. PK Brandon Aubrey is not a good start this week if Lance plays. If Rush starts, he is a reasonable start.
The Defense is not worth starting this week.
Prediction Commanders 34 – Cowboys 13.

Dr. Gil Brovar

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NEW YORK GIANTS
1/2/2025

The Giants finally win a home game last Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts in impressive fashion 45-33. Where has this offense been all year? Big Blue heads to Philadelphia to play the Eagles this Sunday to wrap up the season. The Eagles will be resting many starters for this meaningless game for them. RB Saquon Barkley will not be going for the single season rushing record against his former team! Before I start reviewing/previewing, I’d like to offer several thoughts on this very difficult Giants season. They lost a bunch of close games early in the season and then were decimated by injuries to key personnel the rest of the year. With all that, the conservative ownership group will give GM Joe Schoen and HC Brian Daboll one last chance to pick a 2025 caretaker quarterback as well as draft a franchise quarterback. The Giants are a proud group of NFL pros and will not tank games for a better draft pick. The NFL draft has no guarantees anyway. They would like nothing better to beat a scrub Eagles team this Sunday in Philly and wrap up this season with another victory,

The reviews/previews by area are below:

QB: QB Drew Lock had a career game. He was 17 for 23 for 309 yards, 4 TD’s, 0 interceptions and a rating of 155.3. He also had a rushing TD. He was not sacked.

Lock looks to keep the offense humming another week. He faces an Eagles pass defense that is ranked 1st in the league. They have allowed 21 TD passes. They also had 41 sacks and 12 interceptions.I’m not sure what defensive starters the Eagles will rest but Lock makes an interesting what the heck play in standard leagues and a must start in 2 QB formats. The Giants want to win this game!

RB: RB Tyrone Tracy Jr had20 carries for59yards.He also had 2catches for 14 yards. It was tough sledding all day for the youngster. RB Devin Singletary chipped in with 5 carries for 21 yards.

Tracy is a meh flex play this week as he faces the 10th ranked rush defense allowing 104 yards per game with 9 TD’s &4.3 yards per carry. The quality of the personnel Philly trots out might provide some upside to the running game.

WR: WR Malik Nabers had a fantastic game with 7 catches for 171 yards and 2 TD’s. This was accompanied by8 targets so the efficiency was awesome. Nabers now has 104 receptions this season and was named a Pro Bowl alternate. He is poised to break the Giants single season reception record with 4 more catches.WR Wan’Dale Robinson had 5 grabs for71yards and a TD.

Expect Nabers to corral 7 catches for 90 yards and a score make him a low endWR1 this week.Robinson has low end flex appeal in PPR formats.

TE: TE Chris Manhertz had 1TD catch for12 yards.

Stay away from this group!

DEF: Two sacks and three turnovers is very solid fantasy production especially given the amount of injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Injured DT Dexter Lawrence was named as a starter in the Pro Bowl. Keep this group on the waiver wire.

PK: PK Graham Gano should be kept on the waiver wire due to lack of scoring opportunities.

That’s all for now and good luck in Week 18 and for those of you in your fantasy championships!

Tony de Armas

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CHICAGO BEARS
1/2/2025

Week 17: I Need a Vacation. Seahawks 6, Bears 3
The paper bags on the heads of some Bears fans at this game said it all. The Bears are embarrassing, and they need help. Loads of it. By this time next week, we should know whether GM Ryan Poles has been fired, extended, or neither. Recent reports seem to suggest that he won’t be fired, and I believe that would be the wrong decision. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think Poles has done enough right to be able to keep his job. He has had too many draft and free agent busts, his decision to bring back then-HC Matt Eberflus at the beginning of 2024 was obviously a horribleone, and he has neglected the offensive line for way too long.

As I’ve mentioned before, I also believe that whoever the GM is going forward should hire a head coach who will also call the offensive plays. Remember what QB Caleb Williams said about wanting to win more Super Bowls than Tom Brady? As farfetched as that sounds, the Bears need to give him the best chance to do it while they have him. Giving Williams a HC/OC like Ben Johnson, Liam Coen, Joe Brady, or someone like them would ensure offensive system continuity for as long as the HC is employed by the team. Admittedly, Brian Flores would be intriguing because of his blitz-happy mentality, and Pete Carroll deserves a look because of his winning pedigree. That said, my pick would be Johnson. If hiring him means that the Bears have to fire Poles and perhaps hire someone like Ray Agnew as GM, that would be fine by me.

Since this is my final report for the season, I wanted to make a few notes on the roster. The number one priority for the GM should obviously be fixing the offensive line. Williams went to bat for his guys in his presser on Wednesday, acknowledging that many of the sacks he’s taken this season have been on him. But let’s be real: at minimum, the entire interior of the O-line needs to be upgraded. High dollars in free agency and high draft picks need to be used to ensure that Caleb does not take a beating like this ever again. Even if it means taking a step back defensively for a year.

The Bears obviously need new and better leaders on the coaching staff, but more leadership is needed on the roster as well. Yes, the Fail Mary in Washington was a tough pill to swallow, a pill the size of a football. But a team with more leadership and a stronger mentality wouldn’t have folded the way this team did afterward.Poles has prioritized acquiring players with high character. I think the team could use some players with a bit more of an edge to them. Having an edge isn’t always a good thing though, which leads me to my next thought...

I think the team should trade CB Tyrique Stevenson. After his epic fail on the Fail Mary, he was actually upset about being semi-benched and later blamed the media for blowing up his mistake. Yes, he has some talent, and he can occasionally draw penalties on opposing players by winding them up. But he is prone to these kinds of penalties as well, and his coverage ability has suffered this season. In my book, he will lose you more games than he wins because of his antics and lack of focus. Whether he likes it or not, he will always be a symbol of why this season went down the tubes.

Now, a quick recap of the game:

Quarterback
Williams completed 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards and one INT and scrambled five times for 37 yards. He’s got to get better at getting rid of the ball to avoid sacks, and he needs to be more willing to throw into tight windows downfield. I remember him saying earlier in the season that throwing interceptions is not something that he does. Well, his interception-less streak was nice, but it didn’t help the Bears win any games. Take a few more chances, Caleb. Make quicker decisions. And work on your accuracy.

Running back
RB D’Andre Swift had 12 carries for 53 yards and caught four of his five targets for 28 yards. RB Roschon Johnson had four carries for five yards. I think it should be pretty clear by now that Swift shouldn’t be the primary tailback. He should be more of a weapon back like Jahmyr Gibbs. Either allow Johnson to be the thunder to Swift’s lightning, or draft/sign someone who can fill that role.

Wide receiver WR D.J. Moore caught six of his eight targets for 54 yards and had two carries for eight yards. WR Keenan Allen caught five of his eight targets for 25 yards. WR Rome Odunze caught one of his four targets for 15 yards.Rome needs #2 receiver snaps next season. As I’ve mentioned before, I think the Bears should let Allen walk after the season and sign/draft a wideout who has the speed to take the top off the defense and open things up underneath.

Tight end TE Cole Kmet was nowhere to found on the stat sheet. TE Gerald Everett was targeted once.

Defense/Special teams
To be fair, the defense played pretty well in this one. CB Kyler Gordon had a fumble recovery, and the team had three sacks.

Kicker PK Cairo Santos hit his lone field goal attempt.

Week 18: Bears at Packers
The final stop of this miserable season? A trip to Cheeseland on Sunday afternoon. How lovely.

Quarterback
The Packers have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points/game to quarterbacks. Their 44 sacks are tied for fifth-most in the league, and their 16 INTs are tied for third-most. LG Teven Jenkins (calf) hasn’t practiced yet this week. Keep Williams on your bench this weekend.

Running back
Green Bay has allowed the 13th-most fantasy points/game to tailbacks, and their run defense ranks sixth in the league. The Bears haven’t been able to run the ball consistently all season, and they’re likely to be trailing for much of this game, which means fewer carries for Swift. He’s a low-end flex this weekend. Johnson isn’t likely to get enough work to be a fantasy factor.

Wide receiver
The Cheeseheads have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points/game to wideouts. Odunze (illness) hasn’t practiced yet this week. Moore and Allen are average plays this weekend, with Odunze a bit behind them if he’s active.

Tight end
Green Bay has allowed the tenth-most fantasy points/game to tight ends, but that is largely irrelevant because Kmet has been an afterthought in this offense for most of the season.

Defense/Special teams CB Kyler Gordon (illness) DNP on Thursday. Jordan Love is no stranger to interceptions, but he hasn’t thrown one since these teams last met. The Packers will likely run over the Bears’ D like they usually do. Look elsewhere this weekend.

Kicker
The Packers have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points/game to kickers. Look elsewhere this weekend.

Happy New Year!

Richard Fung

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DETROIT LIONS
1/2/2025

Lions at Vikings

QB: As Dan Campbell promised, the Lions played to win on Monday night, even though they knew the battle for the division and number 1 seed would come down to this Sunday against the Vikings regardless of Monday’s outcome. QB Jared Goff and the Lions offense looked like a machine again on their way to another 40 point game. Goff had 303 yards and 3 TD passes, with no turnovers, so it was nice fantasy points again. The over/under for this Sunday’s game is around 57, which is one of the highest in the NFL all year, and it shows you what type of game people expect this week. It was 31-29 Lions back in week 7. I don’t know if the Lions will hit 40 but they will score points and Goff will have a hand in that, so you can play him with confidence.

RB: If you’re trying to make a lineup this week and you’re trying to figure out who might play or who might rest or whatever, you don’t have to worry about the Lions. This game is huge when it comes to playoff seeding, so you can count on RB Jahmyr Gibbs to have a heavy workload. RB David Montgomery is still not practicing as the hope was he could rehab his knee injury without surgery and return in the playoffs. Gibbs had 22 touches on Monday which was a little more than I was hoping he would get in a game that didn’t mean much, but he got through the game healthy and by the way he turned those touches into 163 total yards with a TD. He averaged 7.7 yards per carry in week 7 against Minnesota. RB Craig Reynolds quietly added 66 total yards on Monday and he could be a deep sleeper this week as he could vulture a TD. The Vikings rank 2nd against the run. I don’t think that will scare the Lions as they probably feel like they can establish the run against anyone. With Gibbs a threat to catch passes out the backfield as well, he is an elite fantasy option this week.

WR/TE: Big plays are always possible when WR Jameson Williams, and when you have a play calling wizard like Ben Johnson, it’s a dangerous combination. The Lions pulled out the hook and lateral again, and they executed it perfectly and at the right time, giving Williams a 42 yard TD on a pass that was caught by WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown totaled 60 yards on 8 catches, TE Sam LaPorta continued his late season surge with 6-64 and a TD. With Minnesota ranking poorly against the pass, you can play any or all of these guys this week. St. Brown had the big game in week 7 against Minnesota. It looks like WR Kalif Raymond will be activated from injured reserve to play this week. I don’t see him having much of a role on offense as WR Tim Patrick has been solid as a third receiver. Raymond figures to contribute as a return man with perhaps spot duty on offense.

K/DST: An interesting night for the kickers on Monday. For the Lions, PK Jake Bates had one PAT blocked and missed another wide, but he drilled a 57 yard field goal and looked much better than Jake Moody of the 49ers who was missing kicks all over the place. It’s crazy when you think about how Moody was a 3rd round pick while Bates went from selling bricks to the UFL to the Lions. The Lions defense had some issues stopping the 49ers, as you can see the injuries have taken their toll. But they did come up with two interceptions, and they remain tough to run against. Minnesota’s offense has been clicking lately, so stopping them will be a tough task for the Lions defense, which should get LB Alex Anzalone back. But his return won’t fix the lack of a pass rush.

I hope everyone enjoyed their fantasy season.

James Hintz

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SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
12/31/2024

Seattle has stumbled its way to a final meaningless game against the playoff bound LA Rams. Neither team has anything to play for (seeding should be decided for the Rams before this game starts), so watch closely to see who will actually play. This will add another element of unpredictability to any potential fantasy starter. It may be more interesting for Seahawks fans to watch some bowl games to look for what offensive guard or center might be Seattle’s first pick next year. With a mediocre 18th pick likely, the prime offensive tackles and all the best defensive standouts will be gone. Only two quarterbacks are likely first rounder’s next year and they will be long gone. So I am going to be watching OG Cooper Beebe (Kansas State) and OC Sedrick Van Pran (Georgia) wishing for either of them as an upgrade for next year. Even if Seattle were to trade back out of the first round for extra picks in round 2 and 3 they would have lots of opportunity to improve this offensive line. Thinking about next year’s draft is the only way to make January Seahawk football interesting.

QB-
With that in mind, QB Geno Smith may be benched to let QB Sam Howell show what he can do with a full week of prep against a playoff team which may or may not play many of their starters. Geno has struggled the last couple of games anyway, so this is not likely to change anyone’s fantasy roster choices. Unless you have some serious roster issues and want to give Howell a shot which I do not recommend at all.

RB-
It almost looked like Seattle was going to use their running backs, but even against the Bears with Geno clearly off his game they still had to irrationally call more passing plays even though RB Zach Charbonnet had nearly a 4 yard per carry average with his 57 yards plus 19 yards on 3 catches. 15 carries for him was a lot considering what Seattle has done, but still they could have just run all night against Chicago. Even RB Kenny McIntosh had 46 yards on his 7 carries and looked capable of so much more. Assuming the Rams bench many of their starters, Charbonnet could have a monster game if Seattle would actually run the dang ball. It should be an obvious fantasy start for him but now he will likely split with McIntosh and Howell will get extra attempts to be sure they know exactly how bad he is going into free agency and draft planning. In the unlikely event of Seattle announcing they will start McIntosh and sit Charbonnet, I would start McIntosh. He has developed this year into a potential starter. But that will not happen.

WR-
This will likely be the end of an era and the last game of WR Tyler Lockett. I have written about him since he was known as “No E” when Ricardo Lockette was still on the team. Maybe Seattle focuses on him to give him a farewell performance for this meaningless game? Or maybe WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba shows he has the chemistry with Howell? There are a lot of questions here before wondering if they risk playing WR DK Metcalf and exposing him to injury when they may (or may not) be considering trading him for draft capital. I would not risk a fantasy selection on one of these guys with a fantasy championship on the line.

TE-
Oddly, TE Noah Fant has come on in the past couple of weeks and may be a reasonable fantasy start this week for the first time this year. I think he is the only offensive player that I would recommend starting.

K-
I think that there will be enough struggles that PK Jason Myers will again get very few opportunities to put up any points. I would look elsewhere for fantasy production here.

D-
At the time this game starts the LA Rams should already know if they are seeded 3rd or 4th and have no reason to risk any starters. Seattle will likely play all their defensive starters and turn loose the hounds in order to end the season on a high note. Add to that how poorly DT Leonard Williams is doing in DPOY voting despite his game changing dominance this year. I think Williams will be even more of a monster in this game and the defense will once again be the only enjoyable part of watching the Seahawks. I would start this Team D without hesitation other than that Howell will likely turn the ball over a couple of times.

Prediction:
If all the cards fall correctly Seattle could get the 16th pick in the draft. Most likely they will be 18th. The Rams will start people who are paid to play the game too even if they are not their starters. I think Seattle’s defense will still shut down whoever the Rams start. But Seattle’s play calling and the likely decision to ‘let Howell cook’ should lead to even more of an inability to score on offense. Therefore I am predicting another baseball score this week.

Seattle - 10
Rams - 6

Go Hawks!

Rick Watts

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LOS ANGELES RAMS
12/31/2024

A win and in! The Rams win another defensive battle, beating the Cardinals 13-9 on Saturday to improve to 10-6 on the season. Due to victories by the Bills, Vikings, and Commanders on Sunday, Los Angeles also clinched the NFC West Division. The Seattle Seahawks are 9-7 but even if they beat the Rams in the season finale and both teams end at 10-7, Los Angeles would get in based on some strength of schedule matrix that I do not care to look at. The only thing that matters is that Los Angeles went from 1-4 heading into their week six bye and has gone 9-2 since then. What is interesting is that after defeating the Bills 44-42 in an offensive shootout in week fourteen, the Rams have sputtered on offense and the defense has been the key to victory, holding the last three opponents to single digits. The Rams host Seattle in the regular season finale but I am not sure how McVay will play this game and who actually plays in the game. The Rams are currently the number 3 seed heading into the playoffs but could drop to 4 if they do not win the regular season finally. Let’s take a look at the Rams Fantasy positions against the Cardinals. Fantasy season is over and if your league is still having the championship game on the last week of the NFL season STOP IT!

QB: QB Matthew Stafford(17-32 for 189 yards and 6-16 rushing) was quiet for the third game in a row and it is the first time in Matthew’s long career that he has won three consecutive games while throwing for less than 200 yards in each of the games. If Stafford was your Fantasy QB1, you most likely struggled in your playoffs. Matthew and the offense need to get back on track for Los Angeles to have success in the playoffs.

RB: RB Kyren Williams (13-56 and 1 touchdownrushing and 3 receptions on 3 targets for 16 yards) had less than his usual stellar numbers but at least he scored a touchdown.Rookie RB Blake Corum (3-(-4) rushing) got minimal playing time and was stuffed when he carried the ball. This week Williams should play minimally or take the day off and let Corum carry the load and gain some experience.

WR: WR Cooper Kupp(1 reception on 3 targets for 29 yards)failed his Fantasy Owners (like me) as he was a mere shell of his usual self the past three games. WR Puka Nacua (10 receptions on 14targets for 129yards) dominated the targets and stats and has become Stafford’s new Kupp. Puka had more than double the targets of all the other receivers combined (14 for Nacua and 6 combined for Kupp, Whittington, and Robinson). WR Tutu Atwell did not even have a target. I really like rookie WR Jordan Whittington and think he has a bright future.

TE: TE Tyler Higbee (2 receptions on 3 targets for 9 yards) was used more as a blocker and TE Colby Parkinson and TE Davis Allen both failed to bring in their lone targets. Higbee should help in the playoffs with his receiving and blocking skills and veteran leadership.

K: PK Josh Karty (2-2 field goals (53&25) and 1-1 extra points)was perfect and made a nice long field goal towards the end of the half. Los Angeles needs this kind of accuracy from Josh moving forward.

DEF: This game was another impressive performance by the young defense as they held Arizona scoreless in the first half and only allowed a touchdown (blocked extra point) and a field goal in the second half. DB Kam Curl (5 solos and 5 assists) and LB Omar Speights (5 solos and 5assists) led the team in tackles. Rookie DB Kam Kinchens (6solos, 2 assists, and 1 interception) had an outstanding game. Not to nitpick, but it would have been better for the Rams if Kinchens batted the ball away instead since it was fourth down and Murray threw it 50 yards down the field. DB Ahkello Witherspoon (5 solos, 1 assist, and 1 interception) made a spectacular interception to seal the victory. The defense did a good job containing Murray and putting pressure on him. DE Jared Verse (1 solo and 1assist) did not get a sack but his pressure helped his teammates get sacks. LB Byron Young (5 solos, 3 assists, and 1 sack), DL Kobe Turner (1 solo and 1 sack), and DL Braden Fiske (2 solos and 2 sacks) benefited from Jared’s hard work. The special teams made another special play as DE Michael Hoecht blocked the Cardinal extra point attempt which allowed Los Angeles the 4-point lead at the ending of the game so Arizona needed to go for the touchdown. This unit has steadily improved as the season progressed and will hopefully continue to grow during the playoffs.

The Rams are a resilient team that has earned the right to rest players in week 18.I do not know who the Rams will face in the first round of the playoffs but I do believe they will host that game. Congrats to Erron who won our Keeper League, Rex and Del for winning our Non-Keeper League and Steven for winning our Dynasty League. Congratulations to all of you who won your Fantasy League. Have a safe and Happy New Year and best wishes to Oregon and QB Dillon Gabriel as they take on Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Love and blessings to my family. Miss you Pops & Scratch! God Bless!

Layton Pang

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