Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Hopefully you have participated in the Bruno Boys Postseason Gridiron Challenge, as the competition is intense with a lot of games still to be played. Week 2 should be a lot more fun, with even more skilled offensive players taking the field. The one thing you will see in the playoffs though is someone stepping up out of no where (i.e. Early Doucet). Try your best to manage your salary cap and take some risks that could turn into big rewards. Another key to victory, not rolling with injured players. This is the playoffs and if a guy can’t help his team, he won’t see the field. Let’s look at a couple banged up players going into the Divisional Round. 

Marion Barber, RB, Dallas Cowboys: What a terrible game he had against the Philadelphia Eagles. If you played Barber this past weekend, your team is likely in some trouble. He only tallied 3 carries for 4 yards and the reason for those low totals is due to a swollen bursa sac in his left knee. The injury causes Barber to not have much range of motion and he is in pain when he makes a move and accelerates. With the Cowboys relying on Felix Jones a lot more last week and Barber nursing an injury it makes him a risky start moving forward. Keep Barber off your team for this week, as he may not do much good even if he does suit up.

Tashard Choice, RB, Dallas Cowboys: With Marion Barber sidelined, Choice stepped in as the 2nd running back and helped fantasy football owners in a marginal manner, by totaling 48 total yards and a touchdown. However, concussion like symptoms forced Choice to miss the remainder of the blowout victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. He should be good to go in the divisional round. Felix Jones seems like the lead back in Dallas if Barber can’t go, but the Cowboys do seem content in sharing the workload among their backs. That means it could be anyone who has a big day. While Choice does have a little bit of upside, playing a tough Minnesota Vikings run defense means he too should be ignored in fantasy circles this weekend.

Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens: Did Flacco really only complete 4 passes for 34 yards with one interception and his team still come away with the victory? While the Ravens did win, there is some concern about the health of their quarterback. Flacco is currently battling a right hip contusion that also affects his quadriceps but maintains that he will keep playing. Flacco may be limited in practice this week but should be good to go against the Indianapolis Colts. Considering the success Baltimore had on the ground this past weekend, expect more of the same against Indianapolis. This would make Flacco useless in fantasy leagues, and besides with the eight quarterbacks remaining, you may only trust Flacco over New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and that’s about it. 

Anquan Boldin, WR, Arizona Cardinals: Arizona escaped at home in a wild game against the Green Bay Packers and they were able to do so without Anquan Boldin. He missed all of practice this past week and there was not much doubt that he wouldn’t play this past weekend. Boldin will probably continue to carry the questionable tag going into the Cardinals game against the New Orleans Saints, but you can expect him to try and get on the field this week. In our minds, there is no way Boldin misses two straight playoff games. Expect another shootout between the Cardinals and Saints and Boldin should be one of those guys getting plenty of looks. 

Shawne Merriman, LB, San Diego Chargers: According to reports, head coach Norv Turner is saying that he expects Merriman to be fully healthy this Sunday when the Chargers take on the New York Jets. Merriman himself said that he feels better this week than he has in the last six weeks of the NFL season. This is good news for the Chargers, who will need everyone to help against a talented running offense the Jets will impose. The San Diego defense may be a very good start this week if Merriman can make an impact now that he feels healthy. Check out the Bruno Boys defensive rankings later this week to find out where the Chargers unit ranks among the others playing this weekend. 

Not a lot of injuries to note this week, as we only needed to break down the 8 teams playing this weekend. But there are some key players banged up and if you are playing in postseason fantasy football, you will certainly want to check back with the Bruno Boys later in the week for more info on these big name players.

Injury reports come in every Monday from Bruno Boys Greg. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Divisional Round Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF   (click to read)

Divisional Round Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM  (click to read)

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