Fantasy Football: Intrigue & Bye-Bye Byes

Wow! The end of the bye weeks is here! Thursday Night Football season has begun!

The postseason is in sight, and that means that for fantasy owners, the real season is now getting meaty. Most NFL games now have relevance towards fantasy playoffs that are quickly approaching. Week 11 games are full of importance and will deserve a look at some of the more meaningful ones for fantasy players.

Once the "Gran-Daddy" of rivalries, as Keith Jackson might have intoned, The Washington-Dallas matchup Sunday night is a game of huge relevance, to both real and fantasy fans.

The fact that the setting is in 'Skins country only makes the atmosphere that much more intriguing, as it is a game that the 'Boys have to win to stay in the thick of the dogfight in the NFC East race.

As they have lost the last three times they have been on the field, to say that the Cowboys have missed Tony Romo—Mr. Jessica Simpson if you will—is an understatement of the highest magnitude in Jerry Jones-land. Wade Phillips' head-coaching job seems to be dangling by shredding threads.

Heading into Sunday, the Giants have the lead in the NFC East division, with a record of 8-1, ahead of the second place Redskins and their 6-3 record by a two-game margin. The Redskins have a one-game lead on the hated Cowboys and the Eagles, both with records of 5-4. The injury factors now begin playing major roles in both teams' expectations and preparations.

For Washington, the major news revolves around Clinton Portis' sprained left knee with a second degree MCL problem. He suffered the injury two weeks ago in the Redskins' loss to Pittsburgh before the bye week that was supposed to give a reprieve of time to heal for the now second leading rusher in the NFL.

Entering the game that he suffered the knee sprain in, Portis was the leading rusher in the league. Then he became injured and had the next week as a bye, so no added yards to his formidable total.

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