In Between the Tackles: Playoffs?!?

Welcome back to "In Between the Tackles" where each week we take a look at some of the current hot topics around the NFL and discuss how they might affect your fantasy season. Hopefully you had a chance to read Joe Romano's interesting take on the Wes Welker hit this weekend and feel free to weigh in with your comments. Aside from the hit, we've got a lot to talk about including bullets, steroids, and most importantly fantasy playoffs.

Shotgun Formation

In a situation that seems to change by the minute, Plaxico Burress has been suspended four games for conduct detrimental to the team and is now on the non-football injury list, effectively ending his season. You can expect the Players Association to have an issue with this decision, but don't expect to see Burress in a Giants jersey this season, or ever again for that matter. My biggest problem with the situation was New York Mayor Bloomberg going on TV and yelping about mandatory jail time for Burress' role in the incident. I understand treating celebrities just as you would any other citizen, but applying the "guilty until proven innocent" rule in front of a few dozen TV cameras seems a little outrageous and unnecessary.

If you owned Burress on your fantasy team this year, you're probably fed up with his antics and glad that now you don't have to worry about him registering one catch in your playoff game when you need him to come through. You still need to replace him though. The wide receiver position is one of the toughest to predict in fantasy sports for obvious reasons, but I think fellow Giants Domenik Hixon and even Amani Toomer can be relied upon to fill the void. Both were targeted nine times on Sunday and if Eli Manning can find his late-season form of last year, both players could be solid pickups for the next few weeks.

Playoff Push

A number of other incidents occurred over the last few days that could create interesting situations for the next few weeks:

~ If you watched Sunday night's game in Minnesota you couldn't help but notice the dominance of the Vikings defensive line in their impressive win over Chicago. You might not get a chance to see that same Vikings team for a while. As I hinted last week, the league suspended defensive linemen Kevin Williams and Pat Williams for the remainder of the regular season. With Minnesota already without Pro Bowl linebacker EJ Henderson, they could be in trouble with upcoming games against Detroit, Arizona, Atlanta, and NY Giants. There are rumors a temporary restraining order may keep the Williams' active at least for this week against the Lions, so Kevin Smith owners need to keep a watchful eye on this situation over the next few days.
~ The gavel also struck hard on the New Orleans Saints as RB Deuce McAllister and DE Will Smith were also suspended. Coming off multiple knee surgeries in recent years, McAllister may have played his last game in a Saints uniform, as well as the NFL for that matter. The loss of Smith only adds to a laundry list of inactive Saints defensive players that will eventually lead to one of the league's most exciting offenses sitting on the sidelines during this season's playoffs. Fantasy owners with offensive players on Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, and Carolina should be even more excited with their fantasy playoff matchups now. With the Saints soon out of playoff contention, expect them to play it safe with stud Reggie Bush who is coming off surgery to repair a torn meniscus. With massive FB Mike Karney due back this week, Pierre Thomas could be the sleeper RB that wins you a championship this year.
~ Arkansas Razorback rookie of the year: Darren McFadden? Nope. Felix Jones? Nope. Peyton Hillis?? Yes, I think it's true. Hillis roughed up the vaunted Jets run defense for 129 yards and a TD in Week 13. He won't make guys miss, but he packs a punch, has surprisingly good hands (for a former FB), blocks well, and gets goal-line carries. What more could you want this holiday season?
~ Need a TE replacement for this week? Look no further than Oakland's Zach Miller. The lone consistent bright spot in a bleak Raiders offense, Miller faces the league's worst tight-end defense in San Diego on Thursday night. Throw in the fact that top receivers Ashley Lelie and Ronald Curry are questionable and I think Miller accounts for just about all of the Raiders typical 100 yards of offense this week.
~ Isn't December Todd Collins month? I don't have the guts to make this my Hail Mary pick of the week, but with Redskins QB Jason Campbell playing average at best, don't be surprised if Collins makes his season debut down the stretch.
~ Brady Quinn: done. Derek Anderson: done. Kellen Winslow: done. Romeo Crennel: (almost) done. Who's more disappointed...a Cleveland Browns 'fan' or a Braylon Edwards fantasy owner? I can't decide.
~ One last thought in regards to important games in your fantasy season. Be smart, but if it comes down to a toss-up, go with the big name player. You drafted them in the early rounds for a reason. A friend of mine called me in the days leading up to this weekends games with the dilemma of starting a hobbled Brian Westbrook or Matt Forte. As much as I feared Westbrook's seemingly permanent questionable tag, I told him if he needed to get a win, he had to go with the proven stud over the rookie. He agreed, Westbrook followed up with four TD's, and we all live to play another week.

Hail Mary

Just gonna throw this up and see what happens...

Last Week: I went with Carolina to go on the road and upset the Packers and their banged up defense at Lambeau. DeAngelo Williams (O'Malley's #1 stud) came through with four touchdowns and Carolina came away with the win in one of the more exciting back-and-forth games of the year.

This Week: You're probably telling yourself LT is washed up, right? 14 rushes, 24 yards, against the Falcons?! One 100-yard game in his last eight?! Don't even think about sitting him this week, as much as you might want to. Go with the big name players, remember? He'll reward you with 150+ total yards, a pair of TD's and most importantly a much needed fantasy win.

Looking for other fantasy picks for Week 14? Check back early and often for Chris Carmona's rock-solid "Extra Points" on each and every game right here at SportsJudge.

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