This year fantasy owners should be thankful for the multiple servings of monster fantasy performances that proved a great compliment to the turkey and mashed potatoes on Thursday. Chris Johnson, LenDale White, Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Donovan McNabb, and Brian Westbrook all handed in ridiculous stat lines on their holiday at the office.

A Baltimore blowout, a Green Bay-Carolina game that went down to the wire, and three one-sided weekday affairs made Week 13 an interesting chapter in the NFL’s saga of 2008. Read more »

Those that missed Monday night’s game between the Giants and Browns again missed out on another primetime delight.

It was underdog Cleveland that handed New York its first loss this year, a 35-14 statement that not only knocked out the champs but also hopes to kick-start the Browns season.

In an unexpected finish, it was a strange reversal of roles between the two teams. The Giants looked flat on both sides of the ball, much like the Browns in their first four games. Meanwhile, Cleveland resembled the 2008 Giants with an explosive offense and a stiff defense that held its own against tough teams.

The case was similar individually for both quarterbacks: Eli Manning put up Derek Anderson-like numbers while Anderson himself looked much like New York’s Super Bowl MVP. Read more »

Might as well get used to it. The annoying “Gametime Decision” tag isn’t being removed from Eagles running back Brian Westbrook anytime soon. One of the game’s most dynamic, dual-threat running backs just happens to be one of the most slightly built and most heavily used. Sore ribs are the most recent nuissance, an ailment that doesn’t promise to get better in the coming weeks.

So, the big red “Q” next to Westbrook’s name is going to be a fixture. More than that, fantasy owners have already been burnt by one early exit and one DNP, making it hard to trust Westbrook on a weekly basis. That’s a hard cycle to break, the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario, where you risk big points on your bench or another early exit in your lineup that can lose a weekly matchup.

At this point, a fantasy owner isn’t left with many options. Be extra diligent leading up to kickoff on Sunday and hope for the best. Trading Westbrook away at rock bottom value is not wise. Recklessly playing him without considering how he fared in practice is even worse. Benching him for lack of trust is also a bad move because there’s an excellent chance he burns you. Read more »

Plaxico Burress is a bad dude, in more ways than one. We’ve known for a while, dating back to his days with the Steelers and at Michigan State, that Burress has his share of shortcomings as a human being. Unfortunately for the rest of the National Football League, we’ve also known just how big a force he is on the football field.

Lots of dirt is being dug up on Burress after the Giants announced a two-week suspension for him Wednesday. The first week is a bye for the Giants, but the second is a road contest Burress will miss at Seattle. All told, the suspension will cost Burress $230,000 in salary, the New York Post reported.

The suspension came down after Burress failed to report for Monday and Tuesday team meetings and workouts, according to the Post. Read more »

Road games make things interesting for quarterbacks this week. While a handful of friendly matchups exist among the position’s elite, facing road crowds can change their dynamic. With that fact in mind, there is no sure dominator this week, but a cast of 15 quarterbacks who could produce comparable stat lines.

Peyton Manning (knee), Drew Brees (missing top WR), Tony Romo (tough matchup) and Ben Roethlisberger (shoulder) are among the quarterbacks who have questions to answer this week. All four are likely to pass their individual tests, and besides, they’re all must-start options regardless of their matchups. Read more »