Fantasy Football Roundtable: Week 16

Welcome to the latest edition of the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Round Table in which we will be discussing fantasy playoff strategy as well as some nice match ups to be watching for during this weeks games.

Now we do realize that not all leagues end in Week 16, but a majority of them do. That is what makes reading this column something that should be added to your to-do lists for the week.

So let's jump into the conversation. This week we are joined by Bruno Boys Whooley and Bruno Boys Ziza.

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Week 16 Burning Questions!

1. Most of the fantasy football championship games are this week. What is the one thing that you would recommend to fantasy owners on how to prepare for this week's challenge?

Bruno Boys Ziza: First of all, if you made the championship, congratulations! Enjoy this experience. Don't freak out and definitely don't over think this situation. What I would say is know the weather and defenses that your players will be facing.

If you have a bench player that is a starting caliber type that has a much easier match up this may be the week to use him. Either way, don't get too up or too down on the results for this week.

If you win, great. Many players have played for years and have never won. If you lose, there is always next year. Learn from your mistakes, if you made any and go into 2009 even more formidable.

Bruno Boys Whooley: Chances are that if you made your league's championship game, then you've been doing the right things all season long, including coming to the Bruno Boys for all your fantasy needs. (Shameless plug alert!)

With that being the case, my advice to all those battling for championship glory is to just keep doing what you're doing. There's nothing worst than losing the game that matters the most because you went against the gameplan that got you there. Simply put, stick to your guns.

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2. If you have any players that are normally in your starting lineup facing bad weather conditions this week how does that affect your strategy? Do you play them or not? Go through each position and describe the ramifications bad weather can have on their fantasy value.

Bruno Boys Whooley: Depending on the position, bad weather can either help or hinder your player's fantasy value. When facing snow, rain, or winds, teams will adjust their offensive gameplan's accordingly.

Since it is much more difficult to throw the ball in any of those three conditions, teams will veer away from their passing games, living off a healthy diet of running plays. As such, quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends to a certain extent see a dip in their values, while running backs see a solid increase. Kickers lose out for two reasons. One, obviously, it is much tougher to kick in bad weather than it is to kick, say, in a dome.

Secondly, with teams running the ball more, there will undoubtedly be less scoring opportunities as drives take more time off the clock. As for defenses, bad weather definitely assists them. Not only does it limit scoring opportunities for the offense, but it also leads to more turnovers as it's harder to hang onto the ball, whether it be a fumble or a bad pass that slipped out of a quarterback's hands.

Remember, with weather affecting NFL games, it also affects fantasy games.

Bruno Boys Ziza: When it comes to QB's you definitely want to make sure that the weather is pretty solid. Otherwise, if you have a solid second option you may want to go that route. As always, check in with the Bruno Boys Sunday morning, but snowy/windy weather usually deters from the QB results.

As far as RB's go, I would say that the worse the weather is the better news it is for you, especially if it is your star player. In bad weather, the running back will usually get many more touches than in normal weeks.

The WR's are pretty much the same as the QB. If their QB can't throw the ball how will your WR catch it? For TE's, I personally believe bad weather makes them more important as they are a much easier to hit on quick-options than normal receivers.

Your defense's value usually increases as bad weather will mean lower offensive output, whereas your kicker will most likely suffer. Keep this in mind while filling in your lineups this week.

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Lightning Round! (Fantasy Football Questions in a Flash)

Top Star to Play, Top Star to Avoid

1. Quarterback

Bruno Boys Ziza: PLAY - Drew Brees (New Orleans Sains) - I hate to dis on my Lions, but Brees is having a very good year and with the Lions secondary in complete shambles because of lack of talent and injuries, Brees should dominate.

AVOID - Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) - Romo is banged up, has a very tough match up against the Ravens and not to mention that there is a lot of discontent in that locker room. Obviously if Dan Orlovsky is your next best option play Romo, but if you have an Aaron Rodgers on your bench, consider starting him.

Bruno Boys Whooley: PLAY - Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) - When the top fantasy quarterbacks takes on the defense that's giving up the most points in the NFL, it's a no-brainers.

AVOID - Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) - If the weather's bad in New England, then it's either Warner or Cassel, but assuming there's no snow for that Pats-Cardinals match-up, I got say Romo's the star to avoid due to his matchup with the tough Baltimore Ravens defense.

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2. Running Back

Bruno Boys Whooley: PLAY - Pierre Thomas (New Orleans) - Ok, so I like the Saints' matchup, but why wouldn't I? With no Reggie Bush in the picture, Thomas should go for his third straight 20+ point effort.

AVOID - Chris Johnson & LenDale White (Tennessee Titans) - A matchup with the second ranked rush defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving up just 75.8 rushing yards per game is just horrible luck for this huge week.

Bruno Boys Ziza: PLAY - Thomas Jones (New York Jets) - There are a ton of great match ups this week including Pierre Thomas and Steve Slaton, but it is Thomas Jones that I would roll with. He should run all over that Seattle defense.

AVOID - LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) - Now I am not saying he will be the worst RB this week, but there is one thing for certain and that is Tampa Bay isn't nearly as bad as how they looked against Carolina. Look for the Chargers to pass more than they run this week which will make all L.T. owners very unhappy with his output.

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3. Wide Receiver

Bruno Boys Ziza: PLAY - Randy Moss (New England Patriots) - The Patriots are going to need to let it fly through the air to keep up with the high-flying Arizona offense. Randy Moss should benefit nicely from this.

AVOID - Terrell Owens (Dallas Cowboys) - Much like Romo, the Ravens are going to swat down many balls this weekend. Romo is banged up as well so if he sits then Owens' value really takes a hit.

Bruno Boys Whooley: PLAY - Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) - The Oakland Raiders' pass defense has been one of the few good things about the team this season, but as the Patriots showed last week with Matt Cassel throwing for four TDs and Randy Moss catching two, they can be beat. The Texans have the right weapons to do just that, and that's including Johnson.

AVOID - Anquan Boldin (Arizona Cardinals) - Three straight disappointing weeks. Cold weather in New England. And, now a shoulder issue that could lead to the Cardinals resting him. These are all reasons to not like Boldin in Week 16.

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4. Tight End

Bruno Boys Whooley: PLAY - Tony Gonzalez (Kansas City Chiefs) - Ok, why don't you tell me a tight end you'd rather have over Tony G, who leads all tight ends in fantasy points by a 41-point margin.

AVOID - Tony Scheffler (Denver Broncos) - A goose egg in a crucial fantasy week will cause you to lose faith in a guy real quick.

Bruno Boys Ziza: PLAY - Tony Gonzalez (Kansas City Chiefs) - As Whooley said, Gonzalez has been the man this year. But there is more to it than just that. He should be able to shred that Miami defense with his superior skills.

AVOID - John Carlson (Seattle Seahawks) - For them to have any shot at beating the Jets Carlson will need to be more of a supporting player than a main target. Look for Carlson to disappoint many owners this week.

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5. D/ST

Bruno Boys Ziza: PLAY - Baltimore Ravens - They should make the disgruntled Dallas offense look more like the pre-Troy Aikman era.

AVOID - New England Patriots - Any defense, good weather or not, facing the Arizona Cardinals should be avoided.

Bruno Boys Whooley: PLAY - Pittsburgh Steelers - Much like their week 15 battle with the Baltimore Ravens, this week's match-up with the Titans will be a low-scoring affair. 

AVOID - Chicago Bears  - The last time Da' Bears met the Packers it wasn't pretty as Green Bay toasted them for a hefty 37 points.

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6. Kicker

Bruno Boys Ziza: PLAY - Garret Hartley (New Orleans Saints) - There will be plenty of scoring opportunities for Hartley in FG's and XP's. Plus he is in the dome. A solid play for a championship week.

AVOID - Robbie Gould (Chicago Bears) - It isn't that Gould is a bad kicker, but this match up with probable bad weather just does not do it for me.

Bruno Boys Whooley: PLAY - Ryan Longwell (Minnesota Vikings) - Prior to last week's four-point fantasy outing, Longwell had double digits in three straight games. There's a very good shot he gets back to that level this week against the Atlanta Falcons.

AVOID - John Carney (New York Giants) - Giants' offense is out of sync, putting up just 20 points over their last two games. Best to avoid Carney until they figure things out.

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Week 16 Weekly Matchups! (Who'll Have the Better Week?)

1. Dallas Passing Game vs. Baltimore Pass Defense

Bruno Boys Ziza: BALTIMORE PASS DEFESE. The Cowboys offense as a whole is not getting along, led by Owens' antics. Baltimore is in a good groove and a great defense usually stalls a great offense.

Bruno Boys Whooley: DALLAS PASSING GAME.Were this game being played in Baltimore, I'd give the edge to the Ravens' D, but the home field advantage gives the Cowboys the slight edge here. Still, out of all the stud QBs, the one I'd be most worried about this week is Tony Romo.

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2. T. J. Houshmandzadeh vs. Braylon Edwards

Bruno Boys Whooley: EDWARDS. Neither's making the Pro-Bowl this season, but with his 102 yards in Week 15, Edwards looks set to finish the year off on a high note.

Bruno Boys Ziza: HOUSHMANDZADEH. This is one of those games in which only people from Ohio will be interested in. Both have a shot at a break out game but it is Houshmandzadeh that I would roll with against the crappy Cleveland secondary.

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3. Anquan Boldin vs. Larry Fitzgerald vs. Randy Moss

Bruno Boys Ziza: MOSS. This is more so if there is bad weather this weekend, but either way the Patriots will need to rely on Moss more than the Cardinals will need to rely on either Boldin or Fitzgerald.

Bruno Boys Whooley: MOSS. Boldin may not even go in this one, and while that would boost Fitzgerald's value, you have to like Moss' chances at getting into the end zone once, if not twice, this weekend against a pass defense that has allowed 31 passing TDs on the year.

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4. LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Tampa Bay Rush Defense

Bruno Boys Ziza: TAMPA BAY RUSH DEFENSE. I have this stinking thought in my head that Tomlinson will not have a very solid week this week as the Chargers will rely more on the passing game. Tampa Bay will finally step up after a few off weeks.

Bruno Boys Whooley: TOMLINSON. He may not be the LT of years past, but Tomlinson is sitting just outside the top 10 among fantasy running backs at 11 and should do some damage in this one against a Bucs rush defense that's given up 474 rush yards over the last two weeks.

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5. Michael Turner vs. Adrian Peterson

Bruno Boys Ziza: PETERSON. It isn't that one has been better than the other as both of them can be easily considered a top-three RB this season, but if it was my team I would rather have Peterson going against a Swiss-Cheese defense rather than Turner going against one of the best.

Bruno Boys Whooley: PETERSON. While Turner has been the better back on the year, Peterson will have the bigger day as running against the Falcons is a whole lot easier than running on the Vikes.

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6. Ronnie Brown vs Dwayne Bowe

Bruno Boys Ziza: BROWN. Neither have a tough defensive match up this week, so I will go with experience and touches. Brown will have the better opportunity at excelling this week so I am rolling with Brown.

Bruno Boys Whooley: BOWE. Brown has the higher ceiling, but he also has the greater chance of disappointing. I'm going to go with Bowe, who has delivered solid outings almost every week this season.

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7. Willie Parker vs. Chris Johnson

Bruno Boys Ziza: PARKER. Not even a question. Any running back going against the Steelers is close to a non-play in my mind.

Bruno Boys Whooley: PARKER. While both defenses have been tough all season long, some luck goes Parker's way as the Titans will be without defensive linemen, Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch, giving Parker the slight edge here.

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8. Matt Cassel vs. Kurt Warner

Bruno Boys Whooley: CASSEL. If the weather's just somewhat decent, both of these guys should have good days as the two defenses in this game are 1 and 2 for most passing TDs given up on the year. Cassel comes out on top by taking better care of the ball.

Bruo Boys Ziza: WARNER. Both have been playing really well this second half of the season, but it is Warner that I would stake my championship on. Boldin, Fitzgerald, Warner. What a combination! Nothing against Cassel and Moss, but it isn't even in the same ballpark.

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9. Calvin Johnson vs. Pierre Thomas

Bruno Boys Whooley: THOMAS. Two straight 20+ point performances, no Reggie Bush to steal touches, and a matchup with the worst run defense in the league. There's no way you can vote against Thomas here even going up against a stud like Calvin Johnson.

Bruo Boys Ziza: THOMAS. Don't get me wrong here, Calvin Johnson should have another remarkable game. The thing is that Thomas is so hot and he is facing a horrible Lions defense.

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10. Marshawn Lynch vs. Brandon Marshall

Bruno Boys Ziza: : LYNCH. In a game such as this, heading into colder weather and all, it is the running back that I prefer to lean on more heavily. Lynch will show why this weekend.

Bruno Boys Whooley: LYNCH. While Lynch has four double-digit outings in his last five games, Marshall has just one. Enough said!

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11. Brian Westbrook vs. Clinton Portis

Bruno Boys Ziza: WESTBROOK. Both backs are very solid and Portis has had the superior year, but it is Westbrook that has a much easier match up when it comes to the defense that they face.

Bruno Boys Whooley: WESTBROOK. The Eagles' D is hungry, hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Redskins appear ready to mail it in. With that being the case, Westbrook has to be the one you turn to here.

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12. Steve Slaton vs. Andre Johnson + Kevin Walter

Bruno Boys Whooley: JOHNSON & WALTER. With Matt Schaub back and continuing to play at an elite level, I can't go against the passing game even with how good Slaton has played of late.

Bruno Boys Ziza: SLATON. Yes, I know this is a bold prediction, but Slaton should be running all day. And when he isn't, he will be receiving a lot out of the backfield. Even if Johnson and Walter combine for a better week, Slaton should have a killer day!
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