Fantasy Minute: 'Tis the fantasy playoff season

What a week! And for those of you who thought you didn't have a snowball's chance of winning your league, you should be grateful for a New England Nor'easter and personally call Patriots' coach Bill Belichick and thank him for running the ball against the Jets. Not only did Tom Brady fail to produce at least 2 TDs for the first time all season (he didn't even have one), but his 140 yards passing left him behind such notables as Carolina's Matt Moore (208 yards), Cleo Lemon (1 TD and 315) and San Francisco's Shaun Hill (2 TDs and 197 yards).

So, with Brady-owned teams gone from many fantasy playoffs, there's a sense of hope and joy – just what the Christmas season is all about!

These next two weeks, however, can still be challenging so don’t get too comfortable. Fortunately, only Indianapolis has the luxury of truly resting players since they can't improve their playoff situation. New England, obviously, can do likewise, but Belichick has his eye on that 16-0 record and I don't think he'll pull many punches.

Twelve teams have been eliminated from post-season contention - Miami, the Jets, Kansas City, Oakland, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Houston, Buffalo, Denver, San Francisco, St. Louis and Atlanta – and have nothing but pride to play for. The Falcons were hoping for a BCS Bowl bid, but even that fell through. Everyone else has an incentive to win this week.

Booms and busts for Week 16….
I know Carson Palmer and Cincinnati's passing attack has struggled in recent weeks, but if they're going to have an opportunity it will be against Cleveland this week. The Browns have been horrible defending the pass….

I'm expecting Kurt Warner to continue his strong play against an Atlanta team that has been thinking about next season for several weeks now…

LenDale White looks to have a good matchup against the Jets this week. New York has struggled against the run all year and they have to go on the road for a game with no significance for them…

There might be some hesitation with Matt Hasselbeck who's coming off a terrible 1-TD performance against Carolina last week, but I like his chances against Baltimore. The Ravens have been very soft against the pass without both of their first-team CBs McAlister and Rolle…

I know Clinton Portis ran all over the Giants last week (126 yards), but I think he'll find Minnesota much tougher…

This could be a factor. The loss of TE Jeremy Shockey (broken leg) last week was a big blow to Eli Manning, but Shockey has been very instrumental as a blocker for New York's rushing attack and Brandon Jacobs could be impacted…

San Diego has already wrapped up the division title, but don’t think they'll play soft against Denver. The Broncos are literally limping towards the finish line with Javon Walker (knee), Brandon Stokley (knee) and TE Daniel Graham (ankle) and this isn't good for QB Jay Cutler…

Sleeper of the week…
I never thought I would use Donovan McNabb and the word "sleeper" in the same sentence, but he has been far from a sure thing as a fantasy starter this season. I like his matchup with the New Orleans this week. Shootouts are a weekly occurrence with the high-scoring Saints and their pass defense has been suspect all year….

Good luck to everyone and Merry Christmas!

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