NFL Divisional Fantasy Rankings and Predictions

Joe KleiberJan 16, 2010

Are you still alive in playoff fantasy football? If you were one of the lucky ones that had either Aaron Rodgers or Kurt Warner in last week's wild shoot-out then you will be "chomping at the bit" for the Saints-Cards matchup.

This features two of the highest powered offenses in the league and both defenses have struggled as of late. Getting any big offensive threat in this game is guaranteed fantasy gold. Here are my rankings for the divisional round and playoff predictions.

Predictions:

TOP NEWS

AZ 31 NO 38

As I said before, this game features two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. Kurt Warner is like a man possessed, as any game could be his last game. Drew Brees has posted another MVP-caliber season and is poised to have another huge game.

Getting either Brees or Warner is money in the bank and getting any of the receivers such as Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, Early Doucet, Marques Colston, and Robert Meachem is gold. Anquan Boldin is expected to miss another game so Breaston and Doucet will thrive.

Expect another offensive show like last week's Packers-Cardinals game. Pierre Thomas is going to play and this might be Reggie Bush's season coming out party. I wouldn't bank on any of the running backs considering it should be a passing attack for both sides, but Beanie Wells could be a sleeper at the right price. Wells has taken over as the main ball carrier and could break a few big runs.

BAL 14 IND 17

This one should come down to the wire as both defenses have played well this season. The biggest difference is at quarterback, where Joe Flacco is dealing with hip injuries and Peyton Manning is as healthy as ever. Manning has faced the Ravens plenty of times before with mixed results, but he should continue his stellar season against a banged-up Ravens secondary.

He will get blitzed often by the Ravens, but will have enough time to throw it to his arsenal of offensive firepower in Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie. Ray Rice will get most of the touches for Baltimore with a little dose of Willis McGahee.

Rice is more dependable, but McGahee is a sleeper this week after his solid two-game stretch recently. I could see both having good games, because the Ravens will ride their running game, just like last week.

DAL 24 MIN 21

This will also come down to the wire and features two of the best offensives and defenses in the playoffs. The biggest difference is that the Dallas defense has played great down the stretch, while the Vikings defense got shredded for weeks before the Giants mailed it in against them. The Cowboys will bring plenty of pressure against Brett Favre, but the Vikings will counter with Adrian Peterson. If Dallas can contain Peterson they should win this game.

Favre is notorious for throwing picks at the wrong time, even if he is having his best season yet. Dallas made Donovan McNabb and the Eagles high-powered attack look foolish, so it wouldn't surprise me if they did the same against the Vikings.

Tony Romo is playing the best football of his career and is spreading the ball around. Expect Miles Austin to have another big game against the gimpy Antoine Winfield and for Jason Witten to be a safety net against the Vikings pass-rush. For the Vikings, Peterson is a little risky considering this is now Favre's team, but he should still produce. Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, and Visanthe Shiancoe should also post solid numbers.

NYJ 14 SD 21

These two teams are riding high on momentum, but something has to give. The Jets have the No. 1ranked defense while the Chargers have a powerful offense. Rex Ryan will mix things up and throw the kitchen sink at Philip Rivers, and Darrelle Revis will lock down Vincent Jackson.

The problem for the Jets is that Rivers has so many weapons. He has Antonio Gates, Malcolm Floyd, LaDainian Tomlinson, and the speedy and explosive Darren Sproles. Sproles is an x-factor here, because he is so fast that he can break one for a long touchdown at any point in the game.

For the Jets, expect them to stick with what works and that is a high-powered running game with the two-headed monster of Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene. Greene got the majority of carries last week and he should have another solid game. The Chargers run-defense isn't anything special so expect the Jets to have success running.

The biggest problem for the Jets will be to stop Rivers and company. If the Chargers get off to a big lead then it will be tough for the Jets to run the ball and force Mark Sanchez into a shootout which he is not ready for yet. I expect the Chargers to prevail in a tight contest.

Rankings:

QBs:

1. Drew Brees—He will continue to wreck havoc on NFL defenses.

2. Kurt Warner—He cannot be slowed down right now and the Saints defense is leaky.

3. Tony Romo—He is playing with a chip on his shoulder and will out-duel his childhood hero, Brett Favre.

4. Peyton Manning—As consistent as they come, even against a tough Ravens defense.

5. Philip Rivers—The Jets defense won't be enough to stop Rivers' MVP year.

6. Brett Favre—Having his best season to date, but Dallas will force him into mistakes.

7. Mark Sanchez—You can't depend on this rookie this week, but he should be OK.

8. Joe Flacco—Last week's game was ugly and the Ravens will run the ball. He is not healthy either.

RBs:

1. Ray Rice—He will stay No. 1 as long as the Ravens are in the playoffs. He's one of the most explosive players in the league and the Colts run defense is thin.

2. Adrian Peterson—The Cowboys have a top run defense but any defense will have a tough time stopping "All Day."

3. Joseph Addai—Expect the Colts to add some balance this week. They haven't run the ball well all year, but Addai has still been as good as ever.

4. Shonn Greene—Thomas Jones has been limited in practice and has been losing carries to Greene anyway. Greene should thrive against a low ranked Chargers run defense.

5. Felix Jones—The Vikings boast a powerful run defense, but Jones is so explosive he can run against anybody. If he gets into the open field, nobody can stop him.

6. Reggie Bush—He is risky, considering the Saints haven't used him that much, but some people feel they were saving him for the playoffs. He is healthy and will be an explosive weapon.

7. Beanie Wells—He had a quiet 91 yards against the Packers top ranked run defense.

8. Darren Sproles—He was great for them last year and is another toy for Norv Turner to use. He will get plenty of targets in the passing game and also in the return game. He's so explosive that like Jones, he can break one at any time.

9. LaDanian Tomlinson—He may not be a huge factor, but he's still going to get the goalline carries so he may get a touchdown or two.

10. Thomas Jones—He will still get his carries and get the goalline carries.

11. Pierre Thomas—It's anybody's guess as to how healthy he is and how much he will be used. That makes him very risky, but he can also be very valuable. A high risk/high reward type player much like Reggie Bush.

12. Willis McGahee—He will be a factor in order to keep Peyton and the Colts on the sidelines. He is always good for a cheap touchdown so he can be very valuable at a good price.

13. Chester Taylor—He won't be a huge factor for the Vikings, but if Peterson were to get hurt or start fumbling, Taylor is there to pick up the scraps. He also gets involved in the passing game.

14. Tashard Choice—He will likely backup Jones with Marion Barber banged up, but with Barber likely to play he makes for a very risky choice.

15. Tim Hightower—He split carries with Wells last week, but is too risky to use. His only value is touchdowns and how can anybody bank on that with the way Warner is playing right now.

WRs:

1. Larry Fitzgerald—How can anybody stop him if the defensive player of the year had trouble last week?

2. Reggie Wayne—He is due for an explosive week after plenty of rest.

3. Miles Austin—Antoine Winfield is in for a nightmare if he covers him.

4. Marques Colston—Greg Jennings destroyed this Cardinals secondary last week so Colston should have a huge game as well.

5. Sidney Rice—Rice's size gives any secondary problems and is Favre's favorite target.

6. Steve Breaston—He filled in nicely for Boldin last week and will be huge again.

7. Robert Meachem—He can spread any defense with his speed and is Brees' favorite down-field target.

8. Derrick Mason—He was quiet last week, but the he will get his catches this week.

9. Vincent Jackson—I can't recommend him with Revis covering him.

10. Early Doucet—This is the "mini-Boldin" and exploded last week. With Boldin out again, I can't see why he wouldn't again.

11. Percy Harvin—He will factor in the return game and will spread the Cowboys defense with his explosiveness. He is just one of Favre's many weapons.

12. Jerricho Cotchery—Sanchez's favorite target continues to get it done.

13. Pierre Garcon—It's tough to rely on guys like Garcon, because Peyton spreads the ball so much, but his size will be key against Baltimore and he burned them for 108 yards last time.

14. Roy E. Williams—Williams returned to the fantasy scene last week, but is still very unreliable.

15. Austin Collie—Had a solid rookie season and still gets lots of love by Manning.

16. Braylon Edwards—Has had a case of the "dropsies", but he can still be great at times.

17. Mark Clayton—You have to be desperate to rely on Clayton.

TEs:

1. Dallas Clark—Clark is unstoppable and even Ray Lewis and company will have trouble stopping him.

2. Antonio Gates—With Jackson being locked up, Gates will have a monster game.

3. Jason Witten—Witten will get plenty of catches underneath from Romo.

4. Visanthe Shancoe—He is Favre's favorite red-zone target.

5. Dustin Keller—Keller had a breakout game against the Bengals and will be get plenty of targets from Sanchez.

6.Todd Heap—Heap is banged up, but will still be a favorite target of Joe Flacco.

7. Jeremy Shockey—Is he healthy and how much will he be a factor? He's way too risky to find out, but if you are a gambler then feel free to take the risk.

Kickers:

1. Nate Kaeding—Ever since that missed kick against the Jets in the playoffs years ago, he has been money in the bank.

2. Garrett Hartley—The Saints will score plenty of points.

3. Neil Rackers—Ditto.

4. Matt Stover—Faces his old team and playing in a dome always helps.

5. Shaun Suisham—He has been kicking well as the replacement for Nick Folk.

6. Ryan Longwell—He's been consistent as ever for the Vikings.

7. Jay Feely—He has been solid for the Jets.

8. Billy Cundiff—He has done a solid job.

Defenses:

1. Colts

2. Cowboys