Fantasy Football Week 17 Rundown

Welcome to Week 17 of the NFL, which is generally the hardest week of the season for fantasy football fanatics. The fate of many NFL teams has been decided. Some teams have already locked their playoff positions, while others are planning family vacations and golf outings.

Week 17 ends up being a lot like Week Four of the preseason, where many teams rest star players. Teams either want to avoid an injury to a player that they will need if they are going to make a playoff run or if a team is out of the playoffs they may play their back-ups so that they can see how they look in a game situation. This is the last chance to see many players in a game situation before the NFL Draft.

So if you are in a league in which you have a meaningful game Week 17, please enjoy the Bruno Boys Weekly Rundown as we try and help you find some of the players that will be playing Week17, hopefully you are putting the finishing touches on a fantasy football championship.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful fantasy football season and your dream of a fantasy football championship comes true. The Bruno Boys look forward to giving you the “Rundown” once again in 2009.

Frank Gore probable for Wee 17, going for a milestone

San Francisco 49ers RB Frank Gore was limited in practice both Wednesday and Thursday, but not on Friday. He practiced in full with the first team on Friday and is listed as probable for Sunday’s game versus the Washington Redskins.

Neither the 49ers nor the Redskins have a lot to play for in this game, but Frank Gore does. He is 22 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing on the season. If Gore reaches the 1,000 yard plateau he will be the first 49er running back in history to go over 1,000 yards rushing in three straight seasons. The fact that he only needs 22 yards will lead owners to be a little nervous, but Gore should be looked at as a low-end RB2 this week.

Pierre Thomas has ailing back, does not practice all week

New Orleans Saints RB Pierre Thomas has a sore back that he aggravated in the Detroit game Week 16 and has not practiced with the team all week. This could be a major blow to fantasy owners as Thomas is officially listed as a game time decision.

Thomas has been a nice pick-up for many owners during the stretch run as he has scored in double figures in six straight games. He is very likely one of the big reasons you are even still playing for something Week 17.

Keep an eye on this situation up until game time, Saints head coach Sean Payton has said he will workout Thomas before the game and make a decision. If he does start he may be a bit of a risk with an injury and the fact that this game doesn’t have a lot of meaning. The Saints will likely rely heavily on Deuce McAllister in the running game against the 22nd ranked Carolina Panthers run defense.

Brian Westbrook practices Friday, likely to play versus the Cowboys

Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook practiced with the team on Friday and is expected to get the start Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. He has been plagued with many nagging injuries this season and has lost some playing time, but he has played in nine straight games.

Westbrook is a must start this week as he is a dual threat that should rack up points on the ground and in the passing game. He has scored in double figures in four of his past nine games while dealing with the various injuries. The Eagles do have some playoff hope, they would need a win with a combination of various other teams losses to get in, but there is hope. The Eagles will be looking to win this game and Westbrook is their best player.

Brandon Jacobs questionable, still dealing with knee injury

New York Giants RB Brandon Jacobs was listed as questionable heading in to Week 16 against he Carolina Panthers

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