Fantasy Football News 1/6/07

[Hache Man]

Wild Card Preview
Shaun Alexander was one of the worst running backs in football this season. If you don't believe me, just look at his 3.6 yards-per-carry average, his lack of production in the passing game, or check out FootballOutsiders' year-end rankings. www.therx.wswww.therx.wswww.fantasysportspicks.com

Maybe Mike Holmgren knows this and wanted to punish Alexander last week. That's one way to explain Alexander getting 28 carries in a meaningless Week 17 win in Tampa, only a week after he racked up 31 carries against San Diego. The Seahawks were leading 23-7 in the fourth quarter and Alexander was still being run into the ground!

Perhaps the Seahawks are just trying to get some return on their monster contract extension they gave Alexander last off-season. After all, there's little reason to think he'll improve next season when he's 31 years old. Alexander has run tired all season after his heavy workload in 2005 and could slow down the Seattle offense. Splitting up snaps with Maurice Morris, especially on passing downs, would be the best way to get some mileage out of Alexander before he runs out of gas for good.

QB Rankings

1. Peyton Manning, Chiefs
2. Tony Romo, Cowboys
3. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks
4. Tom Brady, Patriots
5. Jeff Garcia, Eagles
6. Chad Pennington, Jets
7. Eli Manning, Giants
8. Trent Green, Chiefs
9. Damon Huard, Chiefs

QB Notes: Peyton Manning is going to filet the Chiefs just like he did in 2003. Patrick Surtain is a great cover corner, but there is no chance Ty Law can keep up with Reggie Wayne or Marvin Harrison. Kansas City also has terrible depth in the secondary. Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, and Ben Utecht should do well through the air. … Everyone says this is a tough matchup for the Colts. But it's a disastrous matchup for the Chiefs passing attack. Kansas City's tackles won't be able to stop Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. I watched tape on Trent Green the last two weeks and he's feeling the pass rush before it gets there and throwing wild passes. The Colts have a good pass defense to begin with, and I can't see Kansas City getting more than 150 yards through the air. It's hard to win that way. I'd place the chances of Damon Huard playing Saturday at almost 50%. www.fantasysportspicks.com



Seattle is playing without three of its top four cornerbacks this week. It's not like they were playing particularly well even when they were healthy in the secondary. While Tony Romo's ball security issues last week were a joke, it's still hard not to love this matchup. Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, and Patrick Crayton are 100% healthy, while D.J. Hackett and Darrell Jackson are likely to play hurt. That should give Romo and the Cowboys a major edge. … Matt Hasselbeck has picked up his play the last two weeks. His game against Tampa was the best I've seen out of him since he returned from injury. Dallas' secondary has fallen apart the last few weeks, especially Aaron Glenn and Anthony Henry. There is some talent there and the collapse is inexplicable. Look for a lot of success through the air for both teams.

Tom Brady didn't want to see Eric Mangini in the playoffs. He was off balance both times he faced New York this season. They are one of the few teams that can confuse Brady before the snap. Considering Patriots wideouts struggle to get open through sheer athleticism, he could have a relatively quiet statistical day. … Chad Pennington and the Jets don't even try to throw medium range passes any more. That's too bad because the Patriots are vulnerable over the top. If the Jets gain passing yards, it will be from Jerricho Cotchery, Leon Washington, and Laveranues Coles gaining yards after the catch.

There's no reason to think Eli Manning will suddenly turn it on in Philadelphia. The Eagles defense is playing too well. … Philadelphia will focus on the running game, but the Giants are thin in the secondary. When Philly goes three or four wide, Hank Baskett or Greg Lewis could break a long one.

Running Backs

1. Larry Johnson, Chiefs
2. Brian Westbrook, Eagles
3. Tiki Barber, Giants
4. Shaun Alexander, Seahawks
5. Joseph Addai, Colts
6. Laurence Maroney, Patriots
7. Corey Dillon, Patriots
8. Marion Barber, Cowboys
9. Julius Jones, Cowboys
10. Brandon Jacobs, Giants
11. Leon Washington, Jets
12. Dominic Rhodes, Colts
13. Cedric Houston, Jets
14. Maurice Morris, Seahawks
15. Correll Buckhalter, Eagles
16. Michael Bennett, Chiefs
17. Kevin Faulk, Patriots

RB Notes: Bob Sanders' return gives Indianapolis a much needed spark in their rush defense. It's hard to imagine Larry Johnson being held under 130 yards with a touchdown, but Kansas City needs to score touchdowns early. If they fall behind by two or three scores in the first half, it will become much harder to remain patient. This is a game where the coin toss could actually mean something. … Kansas City's rush defense is solid, but Joseph Addai should have a fine day through the air. A few well-timed screens could take advantage of Kansas City's over aggressiveness.

Dallas struggles to defend running backs through the air. That's another reason to get Maurice Morris involved this week in the game plan. … Reports out of Dallas indicated that Julius Jones missed a handful of reads in the running game last week. That's possibly why he only had one carry last week. Jones still has a good burst and runs hard, but vision is his Achilles heel. I'd take Marion Barber over Jones in playoff leagues because he still comes in when Dallas gets inside the five-yard line.

Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney are peaking at the right time. Maroney appeared fresher after his three week layoff, reportedly for broken ribs. He's had his early-season explosion back the last two weeks. Dillon has been ordinary most of the season, and constantly takes himself out of the game. Maybe he was saving his energy up for the playoffs. He ran harder and faster against Tennessee in Week 17 than he had all season. It was shocking to see him pull away from Titans safety LaMont Thompson. … The Jets would be wise to get Leon Washington the ball on the outside as much as possible. Cedric Houston is an ordinary running back and the Patriots should have Vince Wilfork back.

Tiki Barber struggled against Philadelphia on the ground this year. Their offensive line hasn't been the same since Luke Petitgout got hurt. … Correll Buckhalter should have received consideration for Comeback Player of the Year. He's an above-average backup after missing three of the previous four seasons due to injury. Not many players would persevere through that.

Wide Receivers

1. Terrell Owens, Cowboys
2. Reggie Wayne, Colts
3. Marvin Harrison, Colts
4. Plaxico Burress, Giants
5. Terry Glenn, Cowboys
6. Reggie Brown, Eagles
7. Donte' Stallworth, Eagles
8. Jerricho Cotchery, Jets
9. D.J. Hackett, Seahawks
10. Laveranues Coles, Jets
11. Bobby Engram, Seahawks
12. Deion Branch, Seahawks
13. Reche Caldwell, Patriots
14. Patrick Crayton, Cowboys
15. Darrell Jackson, Seahawks
16. Eddie Kennison, Chiefs
17. Justin McCareins, Jets
18. Hank Baskett, Eagles
19. Troy Brown, Patriots
20. Samie Parker, Chiefs
21. Tim Carter, Giants
22. Greg Lewis, Eagles
23. Dante Hall, Chiefs
24. Sinorice Moss, Giants
25. Chad Jackson, Patriots

WR Notes: Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, and Patrick Crayton should create a lot of matchup problems for Seattle. KC Joyner wrote on ESPN.com that safety Jordan Babineaux and talented rookie Kelly Jennings could hold their own, but let's see them contain the Cowboys for 60 minutes. … It looks like DJ Hackett will start for the Seahawks. Darrell Jackson is a game-time decision and that's why he's ranked so low. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Bobby Engram is a bigger part of the passing game than Deion Branch, who continues to struggle with drops. Matt Hasselbeck trusts him.

The Patriots can beat the Jets without getting huge yards from their wide receivers. Losing Andre Dyson hurts the Jets, though, and New England would love someone other than Reche Caldwell to step up. … Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles both had big days against New England in Week 2 because they made defenders miss after the catch and broke tackles. That will be their only chance Sunday because Chad Pennington doesn't even try to stretch the field anymore.

Donte' Stallworth is slightly more inconsistent than Reggie Brown. This is the first playoff game for both players. New York's secondary is thin, so don't be surprised if Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis get involved in a few big plays. … Plaxico Burress only topped 100 yards twice all year – both games against Philadelphia. No one on the Eagles has the size to match him, but one would imagine he'll get double-teamed as much as possible in this game.

Patrick Surtain probably won't trail Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne. If he does, look for Peyton Manning to attack Ty Law. Law will try to get physical near the line of scrimmage, but doesn't have the foot speed to keep up with either Colt wideout on turf. … Eddie Kennison's production fell this season, but it was mostly because of opportunity. He's still a quality receiver, but the offense isn't the same. Samie Parker is one of the worst starters at any position in the NFL.

Tight End

1. Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs
2. Jason Witten, Cowboys
3. Dallas Clark, Colts
4. L.J Smith, Eagles
5. Jerramy Stevens, Seahawks
6. Ben Watson, Patriots
7. Ben Utecht, Colts
8. Jeremy Shockey, Giants
9. Daniel Graham, Patriots
10. Chris Baker, Jets
11. Matt Schobel, Eagles
12. Kris Wilson, Chiefs
13. David Thomas, Patriots

TE Notes: Ben Watson's status is a mystery, but he's ranked as if he's starting. If not, David Thomas would shoot up ahead of Daniel Graham. Thomas has big-play ability. … Jeremy Shockey is listed as questionable, but is expected to try to play. He's far from 100% though. … Dallas Clark and Ben Utecht could have big days because Kansas City has safeties that can't cover. … Jason Witten has played well this season despite his lack of touchdowns this season, especially since Tony Romo took over. … Jerramy Stevens gets 4-6 targets a game and is still a favorite of Matt Hasselbeck in the red zone.

Kicker

1. Adam Vinatieri, Colts
2. Josh Brown, Seahawks
3. David Akers, Eagles
4. Martin Gramatica, Cowboys
5. Lawrence Tynes, Chiefs
6. Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
7. Jay Feeley, Giants
8. Mike Nugent, Jets

Team Defense

1. Eagles
2. Patriots
3. Colts
4. Jets
5. Giants
6. Cowboys
7. Seahawks
8. Chiefs

[Hache Man]

	Report: Jackson to dress, Hackett unlikely
	Darrell Jackson - WR - SEA - Jan. 6 - 1:07 p.m. ET
	ESPN's Ed Werder reports Darrell Jackson will shake off his turf toe and suit up Saturday, while D.J. Hackett (groin) is unlikely to play. The Seahawks-Cowboys game has an 8 ET start. We won't know for sure who's playing until roughly an hour before, but we do expect at least one of Seattle's banged-up wideouts to be inactive with rookie Ben Obomanu having been added from the practice squad Friday. Nate Burleson (probable, ankle) is also considered a game-time decision.Jan. 6 - 1:07 p.m. ET

[Hache Man]

Joe Horn - WR - Saints

Joe Horn (groin) made it through an entire practice for the first time in several weeks Friday.

"He looked solid and felt better," Saints coach Sean Payton said. Horn said he was running more than he would've during a normal practice session. He's expected to play in the second round of the playoffs. Jan. 6 - 10:48 a.m. ET

Source: Biloxi Sun Herald