Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

With many of you out there in Bruno Boys Nation looking to continue your run at a fantasy championship, we want to make sure you enter Sunday knowing what players we feel you should play with caution. Obviously it’s your team and your gut, so you are the final decision makers, but if these guys fail to get the job done for your fantasy squad don’t say the Bruno Boys didn’t tell you so.  With that being said the Bruno Boys present the Fantasy Football Week 17 Sit Ems.

QUARTERBACKS – SIT ‘EM

Carson Palmer (Cincinnati Bengals) @ New York Jets

Palmer has been a shell of his former self, at least statistically, this season. He’s thrown for fewer than 180 yards in four of his last seven games and has multiple touchdown passes in just six of his last eight games. To top it off, he has to face the top-ranked pass defense in the league this week in New York. Even if he were to set to play a full 60 minutes, which doesn’t appear to be the case, Palmer would be a guy you want to avoid in Week 17.

Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) @ Buffalo

Playing time, playing time, playing time. That’s what it comes down to for Manning and the rest of the Colts this week, and you may find that is a theme here in our Sit ‘Em column. Manning was clearly not happy with being taken out of last week’s game, but the Colts’ brass has defended the handling of their players, so that won’t change this week. With just a few series of play to rack up his fantasy points, Manning just isn’t a viable option this weekend.

Derek Anderson (Cleveland Browns) vs. Jacksonville

Anderson is, has been (but for one half of one season), and always will be a sub-par quarterback. We know that you knew that, but it may be tempting for some, considering all the elite signal-callers that may not play the entire game in Week 17 and the excellent match-up that Anderson has, to install him. Don’t do it. If you find yourself even considering picking him up, take a deep breath and slowly step away from your computer. Remember, all the year, Anderson has just 3 passing TDs to 9 INTs.

POTENTIAL BUST OF THE WEEK

Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) @ Tampa Bay

Don’t let Tampa’s awful record fool you. They’ve actually been good as far as stopping opposing teams from racking up passing yards this season, as they rank 11th in the NFL in pass defense. Ryan got hurt the last time he faced the Bucs, and as such threw for only nine yards on two completions, but the injury is something else you need to consider. He didn’t practice on Wednesday this week, and will be otherwise limited the rest of the week.

RUNNING BACKS – SIT ‘EM

Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams) vs. San Francisco

Jackson has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Rams this season and is essentially the only offensive threat on the team, but he’s been felled by injury for the last few weeks. He had played with the herniated disk in his back that he’s been suffering from, but he sat out last week, and it’s possible he’ll do so again this week against the league’s seventh-ranked run defense. Even if he is declared active for Sunday’s action, Jackson could come out early, making him a more than risky fantasy option.

LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) vs. Washington

You simply shouldn’t expect much out of LT this week against the Redskins. Though he’s been a touchdown machine this season with 12 TDs on the year, his explosiveness is clearly gone, and there’s no reason it will come back in what should be very limited work as he gears up for the playoffs. With seven straight double digit fantasy performances, LT has been more than serviceable this season; however, that won’t be the case come Week 17.

Tim Hightower (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Green Bay

Hightower has become second fiddle to rookie Beanie Wells in Arizona, and for good reason. He’s not nearly the runner Wells is, and though he catches the ball well, that’s about all he can do at a high level. Add in to that the fact that the Packers are the No. 1 run defense in the entire NFL, and you have a recipe for disaster with Hightower this week, a running back that has not reached double digits in any of the last four games.