Morning Football Update: Taking a rest
Congratulations to Drew Brees for breaking the NFL's all-time record for passing yards in a season last night. Hopefully he'll hold the record for longer than six days, as Tom Brady is just 190 yards behind him.
If your league holds its championship game in Week 17, you know you run the risk of some teams resting their players, especially after they're locked into playoff slots. Here are the three teams you really need to worry about:
Packers: The Pack is locked into the NFC’s top seed, and has nothing to play for. RB James Starks aggravated his ankle injury against the Bears, but he's not the only starter you can expect to have a brief or inactive day against the Lions. Acme Packing Company thinks the Pack will treat Sunday's matchup like a preseason game, with backup Matt Flynn getting most of Aaron Rodgers' usual work at quarterback. The Green Bay Press-Gazette seems to agree about Flynn and Rodgers, while speculating that WR Jordy Nelson could be held out as well. Buying free-agent stock in Flynn, RB Brandon Saine and WR Randall Cobb seems like a good idea.
Texans: This injury-plagued squad will be the AFC's third seed no matter what happens against the Titans on Sunday. They're expecting to get WR Andre Johnson back after a three-game absence. Otherwise, even though head coach Gary Kubiak said on Monday that the Texans will approach this game like any other, if my team had suffered so many injuries this season, I'd be protecting RB Arian Foster as much as I could. Stay tuned for more news from Houston as the week progresses.
Falcons: If the Lions beat the Packers in their 1 p.m. ET game, the Falcons will be guaranteed the No. 6 seed in the NFC before their 4:15 kickoff against the Bucs. Unfortunately, since you'll probably have to set your lineups before the early games, this situation will be tricky. If you can handcuff either Jacquizz Rodgers or Jason Snelling (in that order) to Michael Turner, you'll have the option of a late change if you know the Falcons' game will be meaningless. Getting another late-game quarterback - such as John Skelton or Kyle Orton - can protect your team against a potentially abbreviated outing from Matt Ryan.
On to the rest of the news:
- The Cowboys seem to think that QB Tony Romo (thumb) will be ready to play against the Giants, and RB Felix Jones (hamstring) should be on the field as well. As a Giants fan, the popular narrative that the Cowboys are going to screw up like they always do is a bit unsettling to me. Have people watched the Giants over the last couple of months? Yikes.
- With Adrian Peterson done for the season due to a knee injury, look for Toby Gerhart to carry the load for the Vikings this week against the Bears. Get Gerhart on your team and in your lineup if you can.
- The Vikes are hoping to get QB Christian Ponder (concussion) back in action as well.
- Eagles RB LeSean McCoy has a slight ankle sprain, but head coach Andy Reid said Monday that "he'll be fine." Keep an eye on McCoy's practice participation this week.
- The Steelers can get the AFC's No. 2 seed if they beat the Browns, so expect them to try to get QB Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) on the field. However, if they take a big lead, they could subsequently remove Roethlisberger early. Remind me why your league plays a Week 17 championship game?
- The Raiders say they'll have a better idea Wednesday about RB Darren McFadden's chances to return after an eight-game absence. We've heard something like this for about the last five weeks, right? I'll believe McFadden is active when I see him run onto the field in full pads on Sunday.
- It's possible - but not likely - that the Bears could get QB Jay Cutler (thumb) and RB Matt Forte (knee) back for Sunday's game.
- There hasn't been any news on the Rams' quarterback situation, so if you're still waiting for Sam Bradford (ankle) to return ... I'm sorry.
- Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb is day-to-day with concussion symptoms, but I'm still expecting to see the aforementioned Mr. Skelton under center on Sunday.
- The Browns aren't ruling out QB Colt McCoy (concussion) for Sunday's game. You should, though.
- Giants WR Mario Manningham (knee) is questionable for Sunday night's game, while TE Jake Ballard (knee) sounds unlikely to play.
- Is Stevan Ridley now the leader of the Patriots' running back committee? It sure seems like it.
- It's nice that Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said nice things about his team's running back depth on Monday. It would be nicer if he tells us Roy Helu's status for Week 17 as soon as possible.
- You know who I'd be worried about this week? Chargers WR Vincent Jackson, who probably played through a groin injury on Christmas Eve only because his team needed to win to make the playoffs. With the Chargers now out of contention, maybe they'll rest Jackson. Watch for news on his practice status.
- Titans TE Jared Cook has 17 receptions for 272 yards and a touchdown over his last two games. He had 28 catches for 424 yards and two TDs in his first 13games. I guess they like throwing to him now.
- Joel Beall will be in the FOXSports.com fantasy football chat room today at 3 p.m. ET, and I'll make my usual appearance on Thursday at the same time. If you're still playing, send in your questions!
See you back here Friday morning.
