Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

With Week 16 of the NFL season fast approaching, it is once again time for the Bruno Boys to pick a Game of the Week, with a fantasy football twist. Each week we will choose one NFL game that we feel will have a lot of impact on the fantasy football world.

For the holiday edition of the Bruno Boys Game of the Week we will follow the Denver Broncos as they travel to the City of Brotherly Love to face the Philadelphia Eagles in a Week 16 battle that could have on impact on both the AFC and NFC playoff picture. At 10-4 and sitting in first place in the NFC East the Eagles have already clinched a playoff birth, but with two game left in their season they still need to clinch a division title and they have an outside chance at passing the Minnesota Vikings for a first round playoff bye week. The Broncos on the other hand have an 8-6 record and are sitting in second place in the AFC West division. They are currently in position for a wild card birth in the AFC and a loss to the Eagles could seriously hurt their playoff chances. During this holiday season both of these teams have a chance to bring a little football joy to their respective cities by solidifying their playoff positioning. With both teams in need of a victory this should be an excellent game and should offer a good source of fantasy points for owners looking for a fantasy football championship. Good luck to all this week and happy holidays to you and your families. 

Quarterbacks - Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb might be one of the more unheralded NFL quarterbacks and he often gets overlooked as a fantasy football threat. He has thrown for more then 225 yards in each of his last eight games with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In 12 games played this season he has passed for 3,008 yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He once again has Philadelphia in the playoffs and in position for another NFC East title. McNabb is coming off a 306-yard, one touchdown and two interception performance against a talented San Francisco 49ers pass defense in Week 15. The Broncos pose a solid defensive threat as they have the leagues No. 2 ranked pass defense, but McNabb is worth using a low-end QB1 in this match-up. McNabb is ranked No. 11 on the Bruno Boys Quarterback Rankings this week.

Kyle Orton was the throw-in quarterback in the Broncos trade with the Chicago Bears this offseason that sent Jay Cutler to the Windy City. All Orton has done this year is pass for 3,182 yards with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. He currently has the Broncos in position for a wild card playoff birth and he actually has performed much better than Cutler who has thrown for 3,117 yards with 19 touchdowns and an astonishing 25 interceptions for the Bears this season. In his last two games Orton has passed for 277 and 278 yards respectively with three touchdowns and one interception. The Eagles have the No. 14 ranked pass defense this season and have allowed 214 yards per game with 22 passing touchdowns. Orton is the No. 21 ranked quarterback this week by the Bruno Boys. He is not a flashy fantasy player, but he is a safe option who should post double figures in this match-up. Consider him a No. 2 fantasy option this week and he could be worth using as an injury replacement if needed.

Running Backs - Eagles running back Brian Westbrook has missed seven of the team’s last eight games after suffering two concussions in a four week span and is set to return to the team this week after missing five straight games. He has been cleared to play after passing all of his medical tests over the past week. Westbrook will likely share carries with both LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver, who have shared touches over the past few weeks in place of Westbrook. There is no saying how the running back rotation will go this week with this potential three headed monster, therefore neither of these backs are recommended fantasy options this week against the Broncos who are allowing 116. 9 rushing yards per game and have given up just eight rushing touchdowns in 14 games.

The Broncos running game is led by offensive rookie of the year candidate Knowshon Moreno, who has 224 carries for 879 yards with five touchdowns during his first NFL season. He has scored seven or more fantasy point in each of his last six games and has been a worthwhile fantasy option at times. He is the Broncos starting running back and should once again see a bulk of the carries with his backup Correll Buckhalter questionable for the game with an ankle injury. Moreno is ranked No. 21 on the Bruno Boys Running Back Rankings this week and is worth using as a low-end RB2 or flex option against Philadelphia’s No. 10 ranked rush defense. If Buckhalter is not able to play this week, veteran LaMont Jordan will be Moreno’s backup. Both Buckhalter and Jordan should be considered low-end fantasy options, not worth using as a starting fantasy football running back. 

Wide Receivers - In his sophomore season in the NFL, DeSean Jackson has had a very good season. He has 56 receptions for 1,087 yards with eight touchdowns. He has been and outstanding deep threat for Donovan McNabb this year. He has tied a NFL record this season with eight 50-plus yard touchdowns and he is an excellent return man on special teams. Jackson is coming off back-to-back games with 140 or more passing yards and he has scored a touchdown in four straight games. He should be used as a No. 1 fantasy wide receiver this week and is ranked No. 7 on the Bruno Boys Wide Receiver Rankings. Rookie Jeremy Maclin missed last week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers with a foot injury, but is probable for this week’s game. Maclin, Jason Avant, Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis all should be involved in the passing game this week, but none of these three receivers are recommended fantasy football options against the Broncos.

Coming off his record setting 21 receptions for 200 yards with two touchdowns in Week 14, Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall had seven receptions for 73 yards with a touchdown last week against the Oakland Raiders. His relationship with new Denver head coach Josh McDaniels started out shaky this offseason, but Marshall has managed to play in all 14 games this season and has 93 receptions for 1,081 yards with 10 touchdowns. He has scored four touchdowns over his last three games and is a must-start fantasy option. He is our No. 6 ranked wide receiver this week and should be used as a WR1. Jabar Gaffney, Eddie Royal (questionable) and Brandon Stokley will all see some looks from Kyle Orton in this game, but none of the three have been consistent enough on a weekly basis to be used as a starting option this week.

Tight Ends - In his first season as Philadelphia’s starting tight end, Brent Celek has been very solid and a useful fantasy football tight end. In his third professional season he has already set career highs in receptions (65), yardage (754) and touchdowns (7). He is coming off of a four reception 73-yard performance and has scored touchdowns in two of his last three games. Celek is ranked No. 7 on the Bruno Boys Tight End Rankings and is an excellent starting tight end option in any match-up.

Both Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham have been starting tight ends for the Broncos this season. Neither is consistent enough to be used in your fantasy lineup this week, although Scheffler is coming off of a two catch 48-yard performance in Week 15 against the Oakland Raiders. Keep both Scheffler and Graham on your bench or waivers for your fantasy football championship run.

Kickers - Eagles kicker David Akers and Broncos kicker Matt Prater have been solid fantasy point providers this season. They both make solid starting options in this game. Akers is ranked No. 1 and Prater is ranked No. 11 on the Bruno Boys Kicker Rankings this week. You should feel comfortable using either one of these kickers in your starting lineup this week. 

Defense - The D/ST units from both of these teams have been good to fantasy owners this season. Depending on your leagues scoring for defenses they both rank in the top seven or eight fantasy units this year. The Eagles are right at the top and can be used as a solid starting D/ST this week against a Broncos offense that has been good this year, but has struggled against some of the better defenses in the league. The Broncos defense has made a big turn-around under Denver’s new coaching staff and has been a good fantasy football option for owners who either drafted them late or picked them up off of waivers. Consider them a No. 2 D/ST unit in this game, but they can be a serviceable starting unit if you don’t have a better option.

Week 16 Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF    (click to read)

Week 16 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM    (click to read)

Week 16 Waiver Wire Advice:  PICK THEM UP  |  CUT THEM LOOSE    (click to read)

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