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Bears try to sweep Lions and win their second straight SINCE 1967

THURSDAY | DECEMBER 8, 2016

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PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

1 DALLAS COWBOYS 2 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 3 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 4 OAKLAND RAIDERS 5 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 6 DENVER BRONCOS 7 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 8 BALTIMORE RAVENS 9 DETROIT LIONS 10 ATLANTA FALCONS 11 NEW YORK GIANTS 12 MIAMI DOLPHINS 13 GREEN BAY PACKERS 14 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 15 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 16 WASHINGTON 17 MINNESOTA VIKINGS 18 BUFFALO BILLS 19 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 20 HOUSTON TEXANS 21 TENNESSEE TITANS 22 ARIZONA CARDINALS 23 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 24 CINCINNATI BENGALS 25 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 26 CAROLINA PANTHERS 27 LOS ANGELES RAMS 28 CHICAGO BEARS 29 NEW YORK JETS 30 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 31 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 32 CLEVELAND BROWNS First team to clinch a playoff spot

Even without Gronk, they’re still a load

Club you to death with ‘D,’ find a way to win Not a team you want to see in a shootout

No one wants to go to Seattle in the playoffs Offense is an issue, defense is an answer

Don’t look now but Big Ben building big ‘mo’ Drubbing of Dolphins was awfully impressive ‘D’ shutting down Brees a big surprise

Injuries vs. Chiefs may be tougher than loss No shame in losing at Pitt but no run game either Next test: how they bounce back from Ravens loss Can they run the table and catch the Lions, too?

Looked like a contender Monday night at Jets

Power Rankings Welcome to our ProFootballWeekly.com NFL Week 14 Power Rankings

Not sure if Bucs Dangerfields or playing in clover Not quite good enough on ‘D’ or running the ball Close vs. Cowboys but this isn’t horseshoes Not enough weapons on either side of ball

Those fourth quarter picks absolutely kill you How far is the floor? Nothing working right now Caught the Texans but couldn’t handle Colts If they win out, back door could be open

No defense in sight; can’t lose to Lions at home Explosion over Eagles too little, too late

These rankings are based on each team’s performance in the first 13 weeks of the season.

The Falcons dropped after their loss to the Chiefs while the Ravens and Lions are on the rise.

AP PHOTO

63 passes, 16 runs at Cincy – can’t win that way What’s real message Rivera wants Newton to get?

Hard to understand why Fisher will be back Howard, a few other youngsters looking special Sure looked like they quit vs. Colts

Antonio Brown and the Pittsburgh Steelers move up three spots to No. 7 with their 24-14 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday

It’s almost hard to believe they can be this bad Forget Kelly leaving, do Niners want him to stay?

At least they couldn’t lose during the bye

Pro Football Weekly is produced by Shaw Media, the Daily Herald Media Group and the Chicago Sun-Times in partnership with other Illinois daily newspapers.

W

hen you spend 20 years as part of one team’s radio broadcast crew, you meet an awful lot of players who come and go.

Relationships are formed and some even become friends after football.

One of the special ones was Rashaan Salaam, and the news of his passing early Tuesday hit like a sledgehammer.

The cynical and disappointed Bears fans of the 90s will probably remember him as another failed No. 1 draft choice and that is a true shame.

Salaam was one of the great running backs, a Heisman Trophy winner in 1994 and the NFC’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1995 after the Bears tabbed him with the 21st pick in the draft.

He rushed for 1,074 yards and 10 touchdowns that rookie season, moving into the starter’s role after Raymont Harris broke his collarbone in the season opener versus Minnesota, and head coach Dave Wannstedt promoted Salaam over Lewis Tillman into the top spot in Week Four against the Cardinals.

He responded with five 100-plus

yard rushing efforts, referred to as an adand the hope was diction. that a healthy Harris After failed comewould rejoin him in back attempts with the backfield as the Cleveland and Green fullback in a twoBay, he went public back or what we used with his marijuana isto call a “Pro-Set” sues, a move that was backfield. met with mixed reThere was, howviews by a public and ever, one negative league that was not as in that rookie camready to embrace the paign that developed issue as it might be tointo an epidemic: Saday.

HUB ARKUSH laam couldn’t hold Salaam wondered harkush@ProFootballWeekly.com onto the ball and at times if it may have @Hub_Arkush would fumble it nine even been his pot use times, losing eight that caused issues during that first season. with his focus and concentration, exThings went downhill quickly from acerbating his fumbling problems.

Through it all though, Rashaan there. He battled ankle injuries and Salaam remained one of the sweetest fumbles throughout the 1996 season, and warmest young men you could and early in 1997 he broke his leg, not ever meet. only ending his season but also sigI think he took to me because he naling the end of his NFL career. was just a few years older than my The Bears attempted to trade him oldest son and I understood his pot to the Dolphins in 1998, but a failed problem didn’t make him a villain, it physical, presumably because of his made him a kid struggling to find his leg and ankle issues, nixed the deal. way in an adult world.

In addition to his problems holdWhen I called Salaam’s first NFL ing onto the football, Salaam had an coach, Dave Wannstedt, to break affinity for pot, a problem he at times

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the news to him, Dave told me, “Rashaan was a pleasure to coach and be around, always a smile and wanting to learn. All the coaches, staff and players were so excited to have him be part of our team.”

We talked for about 15 minutes and his failed career never came up – from his coach! Mention Rashaan Salaam to anyone who knew him and the overwhelming response is always about the sweet young man, rarely the football player.

Salaam would often become despondent around Heisman time, beating himself up all too often about what he didn’t accomplish on an NFL football field.

He had his demons and was a bit of a lost soul this past decade-and-ahalf or so, unable to let go of the past and unwilling to grasp the future, but he was one of the kindest and sweetest souls I’ve ever known.

In most ways, Rashaan Salaam was just a big kid who never fully grew up, and if that eventually was his undoing, it was also in many ways his most endearing trait.

With all my heart I hope he will now find the peace at rest he could never quite grasp on the field.

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PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

Salaam ‘one of kindest and sweetest souls’

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

Bears rushing offense vs Lions run defense Jordan Howard made his first NFL start against Detroit in Week 4 and exploded onto the scene with 23 carries for 111 yards. He has had four other 100-yard games since, including his 117-yard day against the 49ers on 32 carries. Josh Sitton could be back in the starting lineup Sunday, too, as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. The Bears rank eighth in the NFL in yards per carry (4.36) and they face a Lions ‘D’ that is allowing 4.2 yards per tote, which ranks

interior D-line, which features A’Shawn Robinson and Haloti Ngata. The Lions’ overall run ‘D’ (like their pass defense) is playing better than the numbers suggest, but the Bears’ run game hasn’t been bottled up in a few weeks.

EDGE

Bears passing offense vs Lions pass defense

19th, but is allowing only 73.2 rushing yards per game over its past four contests. Linebacker Josh Bynes helped the Lions hold the Saints to 50 yards rushing on 12 carries, along with a tough

u BEARS

This is another matchup where the numbers won’t tell the whole story. Statistically on the sea-

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7:25 p.m. Thursday, NBC Conference heavyweights with a combined 19-5 record clash with all the AFC West marbles and a potential No. 1 seed at stake.

Derek Carr, MVP? He must first exorcise his Chiefs demons.

STEELERS AT BILLS

12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS Ben, Brown and Bell winning with defense? Scary premise for rest of AFC. Buffalo hard-pressed to overcome falling into black hole in Oakland.

CHARGERS AT PANTHERS

12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX If NFL games consisted of only three quarters, Chargers might be Super Bowl contenders. The Panthers’ prime-time unraveling was a fitting cap for NFL’s most disappointing club.

BENGALS AT BROWNS

12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS Marvin Lewis’ team will go down fighting – and we mean that in a good way. We don’t have anything good to say about the Browns, sorry.

BEARS AT LIONS

12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX Chicago coming off first win in weeks, against the one-win Niners. Detroit coming off biggest win in years, buoyed by defense on the road vs. Drew Brees’ Saints.

TEXANS AT COLTS

Ezekiel Ansah

AP PHOTOS

Matt Barkley

– quarterbacks have a 101.9 passer rating vs. Detroit and a league-high 73.7-percent completion percentage. The Lions are 27th in sacks per pass attempt, but this group is coming off a performance with three interceptions of Drew Brees and no touchdowns allowed to the future Hall of Famer. The Bears’ O-line, which has allowed only one sack on Matt Barkley’s 72 pass attempts as a starter, will need to protect him against Kerry Hyder (seven sacks, 16 QB hits) and Ezekiel Ansah (12 QB hits, but no sacks). Darius Slay is the Lions’ top cover man (11 passes defensed).

Brian Hoyer picked apart the Detroit secondary in Week 4 with a 120.1 passer rating, but he did that with a healthy Eddie Royal, Kevin White and Alshon Jeffery. It’ll be tougher for Barkley and backup receivers in this very close matchup, but we’ll go with the team that’s hot vs. the one that will prefer to just run it.

EDGE

u LIONS

Lions rushing offense vs Bears run defense This is where the Bears can try to flip the game in their favor, as it’ll be their biggest advantage.

Detroit has been unable all season to consistently find a semblance of a rushing attack. Zach Zenner led the way with 40 yards on nine carries last week. The Lions are 27th in the NFL in yards per carry (3.72) and 29th in rushing yards per game. They are not going to beat teams with Zenner and Theo Riddick, which is why the Bears have to take advantage. Nick Kwiatkoski and John Timu are not Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman, but they have help in front of them in the form of nose tackle Eddie Goldman and defensive end Akiem Hicks, both playing very good football. Vic Fangio’s group is holding run games to 3.86 yards per touch (ninth in the NFL) and will have to dominate here to make things uncomfortable for the Lions’ passing game.

EDGE

u BEARS

Lions passing offense vs Bears pass defense Matthew Stafford is having an MVP season. He has thrown 21 touchdowns to only five interceptions, completing 67.2 percent of his passes, good for a 100.5 rating. He has been very impressive in the fourth quarter, with a 105.1 rating, helping lead the Lions to several comeback wins. Looking at those numbers makes it that much more amazing that Stafford played so poorly at Soldier Field. In his worst game since Week 8 of 2015, Stafford threw two picks and no touchdowns in the loss to the Bears. With Marvin Jones out last week (thigh injury), Golden Tate stepped up with eight catches for 145 yards against the Saints.

Tate was held to only one catch on four targets vs. the Bears in Week 4. The Bears’ pass rush, coming off a six-sack performance against the Niners, is getting a sack on 7.48 percent of pass attempts, good for fifth-best in the NFL. The Bears will have to rely on that pass rush against a questionable O-line because Stafford has been as good as ever this season and his group of receivers can fly. He can beat teams deep and isn’t turning it over, and the Bears can’t take it away.

EDGE

u LIONS

Sunday’s overall edge That Lions defense hasn’t been an Achilles’ heel of late. Opponents are only 10-for-22 in the red zone in the past six games while no opponent has scored more than 20 points vs. Detroit since Oct. 16. The Bears’ ‘D’ has good numbers – 10th on third down, eighth in the red zone – but the offense is still 30th in scoring and 29th in time of possession. They’ll need to control the clock to keep Stafford off the field. The Bears’ strengths suit them well in this one, if they can get after Stafford, but the Lions are at home and riding a ton of confidence to the top of the NFC North. This is a different Detroit team than the one we saw in Week 4.

EDGE

u LIONS

12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS The victor likely wins the AFC South and the right to get stomped in the first round of the playoffs.

VIKINGS AT JAGUARS

12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX What did Jags do to deserve Broncos and Vikings defenses in consecutive weeks? That’s right, they still employ Gus Bradley.

CARDINALS AT DOLPHINS

12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX Miami’s secondary was toasted for 371 yards and four TDs by Ravens, gets only club that throws it more than Baltimore.

WASHINGTON AT EAGLES

12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX Jay Gruden displeased with preparation before second straight loss, but Washington still in the mix. Doug Pederson getting same late-season effort from Eagles as Chip Kelly did.

SAINTS AT BUCCANEERS

3:05 p.m. Sunday, FOX Brees and Payton headed for third straight playoff miss but they can spoil Tampa’s playoff ambitions with two games over next three weeks.

BRONCOS AT TITANS

12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS Trevor Siemian may not be the answer, but he isn’t as big a question as Paxton Lynch. No one questioning Marcus Mariota, who has his team playing meaningful December games.

JETS AT 49ERS

3:05 p.m. Sunday, FOX Colin Kaepernick can’t be worse than last week; scary for the Jets, who’ve turned to Bryce Petty, their other QBs actually worse than Fitzpatrick.

SEAHAWKS AT PACKERS

3:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX If Seattle can overcome that offensive line, can it withstand Earl Thomas’ loss? Packers can get back over .500 with win.

FALCONS AT RAMS

3:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX Atlanta’s loss to Chiefs compounded by injuries to Julio Jones and Jake Matthews; the Rams’ loss to Patriots compounded by news of Jeff Fisher extension.

COWBOYS AT GIANTS

7:30 p.m. Sunday, NBC Dallas continues its NFL record four-game run of prime-time games by seeking revenge on Giants, who saw their six-game win streak snapped by Steelers a week ago.

RAVENS AT PATRIOTS

7:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN The Ravens suddenly look like complete football team as they head into biggest challenge yet; New England cruising but must find a way to get Martellus Bennett going in Gronk’s absence.

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

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PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

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BEARS 20 LIONS 27

BEARS 20 LIONS 32

BEARS 18 LIONS 24

BEARS 17 LIONS 27

BEARS 20 LIONS 24

The Lions won’t have to come from behind in this revenge game vs. the Bears.

Bears have kept it close of late in Detroit, but Stafford will want redemption after his ugly outing in Chicago.

Another productive day for Barkley/Howard, but not another dud for Stafford/Tate.

The Bears are still playing hard, but the Lions have something to play for.

This game will be close because of the Bears’ defensive front and a decent game from QB Matt Barkley.

SEASON RECORD: 7-5 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 6-6

SEASON RECORD: 8-4 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 5-7

SEASON RECORD: 8-4 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 6-5-1

SEASON RECORD: 7-5 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 6-6

SEASON RECORD: 7-5 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 3-7-2

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BEARS 19 LIONS 24

BEARS 15 LIONS 26

BEARS 20 LIONS 24

BEARS 16 LIONS 26

BEARS 17 LIONS 27

The Bears have shown promise when it looked like they would have none. They will keep this closer than you think.

A much-improved Detroit defense won’t allow the Lions to be fooled twice by the Bears.

The Lions win a closer-than-expected game in their typical style – with a late comeback.

I just don’t see the Bears beating the Lions twice, particularly with Detroit playing at home and in the playoff hunt.

Matt Barkley will get his first real test against a much improved Detroit defense.

SEASON RECORD: 10-2 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 8-4

SEASON RECORD: 6-6 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 5-7

SEASON RECORD: 5-7 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 4-8

SEASON RECORD: 7-5 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 6-6

SEASON RECORD: 9-3 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 6-6

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Leonard Floyd strengthening his Defensive Rookie of the Year résumé

W

hen Bears rookie linebacker Leonard Floyd had a sack for a safety in the waning minutes against the 49ers, he did what top-tier pass rushers do in similar moments across the league.

Floyd closed out the victory.

“It felt great,” Floyd said this week. “I finally got a safety being in the league. So I got it off the list.”

“Finally” is an amusing word to use considering Floyd is only nine games into his NFL career. But add the two points to his résumé for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Not only is Floyd in the conversation for the rookie honor, the No. 9 overall pick might be the leader at the moment. Floyd’s seven sacks top all rookies. He also has five tackles for loss.

Floyd’s forced fumble that he recovered for a touchdown against quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers also was a big-time play made in prime time.

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, the No. 3 overall pick, appears to be Floyd’s main competition. He has

5½ sacks and a forced met-first collision fumble. against the Giants.

Other rookies who “One of my favorite have had solid seasons things to watch is how include Buccaneers dethe young boy, Floyd, fensive end Noah Spenwants it so bad,” defence (No. 39 pick), Falcons sive tackle Akiem Hicks linebacker Deion Jones said. “Just his energy (No. 52) and Jaguars excites me.” defensive end Yannick Floyd’s speed remains Ngakoue (No. 69). his best asset, and deFloyd’s numbers fensive coordinator Vic might be better if he Fangio knows how to didn’t miss two games – use it. Floyd has been ADAM JAHNS one with a strained calf used in more stunts. He ajahns@ww.com and one with a concusalso improved his hand@ajahns sion. But not every sack work and developed betis a highlight for Floyd. ter power moves.

He was credited with one when he “I’d say I’ve been pretty good other forced quarterback Colin Kaeperthan the games I’ve missed,” Floyd nick out of bounds for no gain on said. “I wish I could have played evSunday. ery game up to this point. I just look Expect a strong finish from Floyd at it as me just going out there and over the final four games. He’s been playing hard. That’s all I’ve been doone of the Bears’ best players since ing.”

Week 7 and has shown no signs of slowing down. If he’s not sacking Properly evaluating what quarterquarterbacks, he’s harassing and back Matt Barkley is doing for the forcing them into his teammates.

Bears involves forgetting his first Floyd’s performance against two seasons with the Eagles. the 49ers is an example. It was his Chip Kelly’s nuanced offense refirst game back after his scary hel-

•••

quires a certain quarterback with certain traits, and that never was Barkley, a fourth-round pick in 2013.

Barkley feels more at home in offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains’ offense. “[Kelly’s offense] was all new to me,” Barkley said recently. “It was learning new footwork, new reads for a lot of the run game and a lot of the pass game, too.

“So it was all a new experience that took me a while to learn after being in a system like I am now for pretty much my whole career.”

•••

A random draft thought: let the Browns and 49ers really fret over who the best quarterback is in this year’s draft class. It’s widely considered a mediocre group, and the Browns and 49ers likely will have the top two picks.

The Bears have four elite defensive prospects to consider: Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, Michigan’s versatile star Jabrill Peppers, Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett and Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

Howard continues to impress during rookie season

I

t isn’t just that Jordan Howard, the Bears’ fifth-round draft pick, has rushed for 883 yards already this year – more than any other rookie not named Ezekiel Elliott.

Howard, by the way, has the same 4.9-yard average per carry as the Cowboys’ rookie of the year candidate. Howard is ninth among all players in rushing yards and on pace for 1,177 for the season, which would be just short of Matt Forte’s franchise rookie record of 1,238.

But there’s a lot more than numbers to Howard, who came to training camp as the third option in what was expected to be a running game by committee headed by Jeremy Langford and backed up by Ka’Deem Carey. Howard didn’t even play in the season opener.

But then Langford missed four games in October with a sprained ankle, and Carey missed two with a strained hamstring.

“One thing about injuries,” coach John Fox said, “is they give guys op-

for 117 of the Bears’ 142 portunities.” yards on the ground.

So, up stepped the A testament to How6-foot, 222-pound Howard. As it’s turned out, ard – and to the Bears’ Howard is the commitoffensive line – was their tee. He has 72.8 percent ability to successfully of the Bears’ rushing pound the ball, even yards this season, and when the 49ers knew it in the past five games was coming. That also it’s 87 percent. allowed the Bears’ colHe’s been the same lection of second-team player and the same wide receivers – pressed person since the first into service because of day of training camp. injuries and suspension BOB LeGERE “It’s just the whole – to routinely burn the rlegere@dailyherald.com package,” Fox said single coverage they @BobLeGere when asked what has saw with the 49ers foimpressed him about cused on Howard.

“Even though they might know Howard. “To start the season, people the run is coming, they still have to didn’t even know his number. He’s stop it,” Howard said. “It’s the best had success, obviously. He’s young man wins.” (just turned 22) being a rookie, but It was the fifth 100-yard game for his humility and how he’s mainHoward, who played his final coltained being the same guy is big, too. legiate season at Indiana after AlI think it says a lot about him aside abama-Birmingham dropped footfrom all the abilities.”

On the sloppy, snowy Soldier ball. His three touchdowns, on runs Field grass Sunday, Howard rushed of 1, 2 and 5 yards, were a personal

best and the most by a Bears running back since Forte did it more than three years ago.

“The offensive line got great push, like they always do,” Howard said.

“The tight ends and receivers were making great plays in the run game and the passing game.”

The O-line turned the compliments back toward Howard.

“He’s an impressive young man,” said rookie center Cody Whitehair, who has started every game this season. “He runs the ball hard, gets every inch and, even when the holes aren’t there, he still makes things happen, as you could see on the goalline.”

Howard wore custom cleats Sunday to honor the memory of his father Reginald, who died of pulmonary fibrosis, and to bring attention to the disease.

“It meant a lot to honor my father and the pulmonary fibrosis organization and a lot of other people who have the disease,” Howard said. “I definitely had my dad out there with me in spirit.”

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Intriguing fantasy matchups from surprising teams By

Green Bay Packers

J.C. TALON

W

Fantasy writer | ProFootballWeekly.com

eek 14 is either the final week of the regular season or the start of the playoffs in many fantasy leagues. If you are in need of a win to secure a playoff spot or to stay alive in the postseason, you might find some help from unusual sources. The Bucs, Jets and Bengals are not necessarily synonymous with fantasy success, but all three teams have intriguing matchups this week.

On to Week 14 …

MATCHUPS TO EXPLOIT Oakland Raiders

OPPONENT: AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, THURSDAY, 7:25 We don’t always recommend Thursday games, but when we do, we prefer Oakland. This might not be the most interesting game in the world, but it’s close, and it’s the only game this week that offers a top-five offense (Oakland) versus a bottom-five defense (KC). Although the Chiefs yield just 20.2 points per game, they give up a 28th-ranked 385 yards per contest. They bend against the rush (27th) and the pass (22nd), so don’t shy away from your Raiders just because of KC’s defensive reputation. Like the Cowboys, Oakland is a young team on the rise and they should be competitive in a game that will go a long way toward deciding the AFC West.

MUST START: Amari Cooper SOLID PLAY: Derek Carr, Latavius Murray, Michael Crabtree WORTH A LOOK: Sebastian Janikowski LAST RESORT: Jalen Richard, Clive Walford STAY AWAY: Raiders D/ST

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

OPPONENT: VS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, SUNDAY, NOON Opening spreads have Tampa as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 51. If those numbers play out, the Bucs would score about 27 points, which actually seems a bit low considering they have scored at least 28 in three of their past five games. The two teams that held them below 28 – Kansas City and Seattle – play much better defense than New Orleans. Doug Martin said he was “fine” after being sidelined with an undisclosed injury during last week’s win in San Diego. Be sure to monitor his status.

MUST START: Mike Evans SOLID PLAY: Jameis Winston, Martin*, Cameron Brate WORTH A LOOK: Jacquizz Rodgers (if no Martin), Roberto Aguayo LAST RESORT: Freddie Martino, Adam Humphries, Bucs D/ST

Dallas Cowboys

OPPONENT: AT NEW YORK GIANTS, SUNDAY, 7:30 The Giants have the league’s fifth-best run defense, but are just 25th against the pass. Dallas has the league’s second-most productive running attack at 155.8 yards per game. With New York focused on stopping Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys should be able to find success in the air. Dak Prescott had 227 passing yards and no TDs in the first matchup, but that was way back in Week 1. A

Jeremy Hill

Matt Forte

much more productive, confident squad travels to New Jersey this week.

MUST START: Elliott, Dez Bryant SOLID PLAY: Dak Prescott, Cole Beasley, Dan Bailey WORTH A LOOK: Jason Witten LAST RESORT: Cowboys D/ST STAY AWAY: Alfred Morris, Terrance Williams

ALSO CONSIDER Kansas City Chiefs

OPPONENT: VS OAKLAND RAIDERS, THURSDAY, 7:25 Spencer Ware is a must start this week. Oakland gives up 4.9 yards per carry – tied with the 49ers for worst in the league. Another must start, Travis Kelce, continues to be the bellcow in KC’s low-octane passing game, but Tyreek Hill’s versatility makes him a solid play.

Cincinnati Bengals

OPPONENT: AT CLEVELAND BROWNS, SUNDAY, NOON The Bengals have been a huge disappointment to their fans and to those who drafted Jeremy Hill.

But, facing the Browns and their 31st-ranked defense, Hill and Tyler Eifert warrant fantasy consideration. Monitor the injury status of A.J. Green.

New York Jets

OPPONENT: AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, SUNDAY, 3:05 The Jets are a hot mess, but they have enough talent to produce against the 49ers and their leagueworst defense. Matt Forte is an especially good play against a San Fran defense that is giving up a league-worst 4.9 yards per carry.

MATCHUPS TO AVOID Minnesota Vikings

OPPONENT: AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS, SUNDAY, NOON The woeful Jaguars are 2-10, but only three teams (Ravens, Cardinals, Vikings) give up fewer yards to their opponents. The Jags are particularly tough in pass defense – they yield just 196 yards per game and 6.4 yards per attempt. Minnesota counters with … well, not much. They have the 31st-ranked offense and the league’s worst rushing attack. Likewise, the Jags are not a good play against the thirdranked Vikings defense.

MUST START: Vikings D/ST SOLID PLAY: Kyle Rudolph WORTH A LOOK: Stefon Diggs LAST RESORT: Jerick McKinnon, Adam Thielen STAY AWAY: Sam Bradford, Kai Forbath

OPPONENT: VS SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, SUNDAY, 3:25 Green Bay certainly has a chance to win this game, but that doesn’t mean you should be loading your lineup with Packers. Seattle’s defense is eighth in yards allowed, but tops in points allowed at just 16.2 per game. The Packers have no semblance of a ground game and could struggle against a strong pass defense. It will be interesting to see how the Seattle secondary adjusts to the absence of Earl Thomas. Jordy Nelson has re-established himself as Aaron Rodgers’ primary target. He has topped 90 yards in five of his past six games.

MUST START: Rodgers, Nelson SOLID PLAY: none WORTH A LOOK: Christine Michael, Davante Adams, Mason Crosby LAST RESORT: Randall Cobb, Jared Cook, Packers D/ST

Baltimore Ravens

OPPONENT: AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, MONDAY, 7:30 Baltimore’s offense is coming off its best game of the season. Last week at home against Miami, the Ravens produced 496 yards of net offense, including 381 passing yards and four TDs for Joe Flacco. That’s a very different outcome from what Flacco and the offense usually deliver. They average just 21.3 points and 347 yards per game. Coming into the Miami game, Flacco had thrown just 11 TDs against 10 picks with only two multi-touchdown games all year. Fantasy owners with Ravens on their rosters will have to decide if last week was a fluke or if Flacco and the offense have turned a corner. Baltimore will likely find New England’s defense not nearly as accommodating as Miami’s.

The Patriots give up just 17.2 points per game. Coincidentally, the Ravens give up that same 17.2 per game. This looks to be a hard fought, low-scoring game.

MUST START: none SOLID PLAY: none LAST RESORT: Terrance West, Mike Wallace, Dennis Pitta, Justin Tucker, Ravens D/ST LAST RESORT: Flacco, Kenneth Dixon, Steve Smith, Breshad Perriman

ALSO BEWARE

New Orleans Saints

OPPONENT: AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, SUNDAY, NOON Even though Drew Brees is coming off a disappointing three-interception performance, an argument could be made for him as the No. 1 fantasy QB in Week 14. At first glance, Tampa’s 22nd-ranked defense wouldn’t seem to be much of a roadblock to the Saints and their league-best 428.7 yards of offense per game. On the other hand, no one has scored more than 21 points on the Bucs since Atlanta in Week 9. Probably not wise to bet against Brees, but be cautious with other Saints.

New England Patriots

OPPONENT: AT BALTIMORE RAVENS, MONDAY, 7:30 New England should win this game, but Baltimore’s top-ranked defense won’t be a pushover. Martellus Bennett has the second-most receptions (44) on the Pats, but he’s caught just six balls for 40 yards in the past three games. His last TD was in Week 5.

* — Check injury status

By JOHN

I

SAHLY

jsahly@shawmedia.com

f you can believe it, we’re already to the final four weeks of the NFL season. And unless you plan on playing what is always a weird final week with random benchings and strange games (hi, Matt Flynn), three weeks left in the fantasy and DFS seasons.

With that in mind, here are a few useful tips for the home stretch.

At this point of the season, I’m focused more on how a team has performed the past few weeks than the season as a whole when choosing to attack a position. In some cases, a team has been bad against a position all year long. But in others, things have changed and you need to pay attention to whatever is causing a fluctuation (injury, suspension, etc.)

1. The Detroit Lions

are playing keep away Remember the big-play explosions led by Marvin Jones in the opening month of the season for the Lions?

Those are long gone by now.

Detroit, in its ascension to first

Mike Evans

AP PHOTO

place in the NFC North, has opted to slow down the game to keep what has been – last week in New Orleans aside – a bad defense off the field.

The Lions held the ball for almost 37 minutes against the Saints, and held them 11 offensive snaps below their season average. Detroit held Minnesota the week before to nine plays below average. The week before that, Jacksonville got four fewer plays off on offense.

All of that adds up to a defense that hasn’t given up more than 19 points in a game since Week 6.

It makes targeting offensive players against the Lions in DFS as much

Travis Kelce

of a risk against a similarly porous Cowboys defense. It’s hard to rack up a ton of fantasy points when you don’t have the ball. The Lions get the Bears, Giants and Cowboys the next three weeks. I’m not downgrading a matchup-proof Ezekiel Elliott, but you’ll have to weigh the risk of rostering Jordan Howard and Odell Beckham Jr.

2. Mike Evans could be the No. 1 fantasy WR for the next three weeks Sharp Football points us in the direction of target-hog Mike Evans for the next three weeks. The Bucs

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get the Saints twice and the Cowboys once, so there is no reason to be afraid of those burnable secondaries.

But more important than the easy pass defenses, Sharp Football has the Bucs facing the top two most efficient offenses. That puts Tampa Bay in the position of having to throw the ball more often. And nobody gets targeted on his team more than Evans.

After getting shut down against Casey Hayward of the Chargers, and now as the most expensive wide receiver this week on DraftKings, Evans could be due for low ownership this week, too.

3. Travis Kelce, No. 1?

With Jeremy Maclin injured, it’s no secret that Travis Kelce has been the biggest beneficiary with three straight 100-yard games. Maclin may be out for at least another week, but even if he’s back, it’s hard to argue that the Chiefs’ offense has been better since targeting Kelce first.

Kelce gets the Raiders, Titans and Broncos for the next three weeks, and the Titans and Raiders are both in the top half of giving up points to tight ends.

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

DFS: Three notes that may be crucial down the stretch

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

By

ARTHUR ARKUSH OVERVIEW

The Packers are back to .500 thanks to a 21-13 home victory over the Houston Texans – their second consecutive win with 13 points allowed to a bad offense following 153 points permitted during a four-game slide. The Seahawks, offensive line issues and all, are perhaps as dangerous as any team in the league right now, having dropped 40 points and 534 total yards on the Panthers Sunday night. Strange things tend to happen when these teams collide, be it the “Fail Mary” game in 2012 or the Packers’ stunning 2014 divisional-round collapse in Seattle. Any further collapses or failure from this current Packers bunch would likely signal the end of their seven straight seasons with a playoff berth.

Yet with Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson again bordering on unstoppable, and the Packers getting healthier with RG T.J. Lang (foot) and ILB Blake Martinez (knee) nearing returns, Green Bay just might have enough left in the tank to make good on Rodgers’ prediction of “running the table.” Or, at least positioning themselves to make a trip to the

Motor City in Week 17 with the division on the line for a fourth consecutive season. In addition to a dominant fourth quarter from Rodgers and Nelson, the Packers received a major boost Sunday from Julius Peppers, who dropped a QB for a third consecutive game to move into No. 5 on the all-time sacks list with 142½, and corner Ladarius Gunter.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Nelson vs. Seahawks CB Richard Sherman should be worth the price of admission. Nelson is regaining his explosion with each passing week removed from his August 2015 ACL tear. Sherman has at least four picks for the fourth time in five seasons and has expanded his repertoire to include star treatment across the field. Keep an eye on former Seahawks RB Christine Michael and converted receiver Ty Montgomery, who appear to have supplanted James Starks in Green Bay’s moribund backfield pecking order.

Seattle can be run on nowadays, and even as Mike McCarthy morphs further into a spread attack, he knows the run game is critical, especially if Week 13’s snowy conditions reappear.

OVERVIEW

Since Week 6, Minnesota and Jacksonville own the same number of victories – one. Each club is in its conference’s most disappointing division, yet the Vikings still have hope because of the way they stormed out of the gate. Nonetheless, they’ll likely need to win out to salvage their season and, potentially, NFC North title defense. Against a Jaguars club playing out the string under deadman-walking Gus Bradley, the Vikings should be able to start the final quarter on a positive note. Head coach Mike Zimmer, who missed Minnesota’s Week 12 home defeat to Dallas on ‘Thursday Night Football’ due to an emergency eye surgery – his third procedure in a month – returns. Even Zimmer would’ve seen the roughing the passer call on Sam Bradford’s potential game-tying two-point conversion pass attempt that the officials missed. And even Zimmer would’ve been proud of defensive coordinator George Edward’s game plan, executed masterfully by his players, in the

coach’s absence. Yet the Vikings’ 4.6 yards per offensive play vs. Dallas, one-tenth below their league-worst season mark, is untenable. For all of the heat Bradford takes – from opposing pass rushers and the media – he’s having a career season by nearly every objective measure. The Vikings can’t run, can’t protect and can’t get open downfield. Besides that, everything is going swimmingly.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Who said Blake Bortles wasn’t consistent? His completion percentage has deteriorated in each of his three seasons while he’s again on pace to lead the NFL in turnovers.

Bortles gave it away three more times in Jacksonville’s 10th defeat, 20-10 at home to the Broncos on Sunday, and only three clubs have more takeaways than the Vikings’ 22. Xavier Rhodes, who continues to shine, vs. Allen Robinson and DRE Everson Griffen battling LT Kelvin Beachum are matchups to watch. If Minnesota can’t score on offense, it’ll turn to defense and special teams.

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T

o say that Brock Osweiler has been a $72 million disappointment in Houston would be the understatement of the decade.

When the Texans blew the Broncos out of the water with that offer in free agency, the minimum the club and its fans expected was a solid game manager with some unique traits who might someday grow into a special quarterback.

What they never bargained for was the NFL’s second-lowest rated quarterback at 74.2 – only Ryan Fitzpatrick is worse at 70.7 – completing only 59.8 percent of his passes for a paltry 5.8 yards per attempt with just 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

It’s not as if Osweiler hasn’t had any help, as the Texans are fifth in the NFL in rushing with 1,454 yards and he’s only been sacked 22 times, which is 11th-best in the league.

He’s just been really bad, and now the Texans have dropped three straight to fall into a threeway tie in the AFC South with Indianapolis and Tennessee. Osweiler actually had one of his better games in Sunday’s 21-13 loss at Green Bay, but he was awful in the losses in Mexico City to the Raiders and at home to San Diego.

Now we’re hearing that as bad as Osweiler has been on the field, he’s had issues with coaches off the field, too, and his salary will jump from $12 million this year to $19 million next year and he will still be guaranteed $25 million more after this season.

The off-the-field issues will come as no surprise to Broncos general manager John Elway, who we hear wasn’t as concerned about the big offer the Texans gave Osweiler as he was by doubts about whether he wanted to keep him at any price.

We hear Elway was concerned about what he perceived as a me-first attitude with Osweiler, the possibility that he was a selfish player who might never be able to lead his teammates and could eventually become a problem in the locker room.

There have been reports from the beginning that Osweiler was more the choice of team owner Bob McNair than he was necessarily of general manager Rick Smith or head coach Bill O’Brien, but we’re also hearing that neither strongly objected to him, either.

Minimally what this means is even if Osweiler does improve on the field, he’s going to have a lot of work to do off it to justify McNair’s investment in him, and there have been no consistent indications on the field that any improvement is coming.

It looks very much right now like Houston bought itself a lemon. How long the experiment will continue is an open question.

Vikings’ choice between Bridgewater and Bradford may be no choice at all As disappointing as the Minnesota Vikings’ season has been, one player who clearly is not to blame is quarterback Sam Bradford.

Granted, his late Thanksgiving Day interception at Detroit cost the Vikings that game, but it

pick for Bradford.

If and when Bridgewater is ready to return to action, most likely not until sometime after the opening of the 2017 season, what are the Vikings to do?

The Way We Hear It, that decision has already been made and Bradford is now the Vikings’ quarterback of the present and the future.

The 29-year-old Bradford is substantially bigger than Bridgewater at 6-4, 225, more accurate and has a much stronger if not special arm.

While Bridgewater is highly respected among his teammates, Bradford has quickly earned that respect, too.

Whether Bridgewater remains as the backup the next few seasons or is traded remains to be seen, but the Vikings appear to believe there is a lot more upside with Bradford than Bridgewater.

Is Ron Rivera worried about something more than Cam Newton’s neckwear?

Brock Osweiler

AP PHOTO

was just his third interception of the season and for the most part he has played very well.

Bradford’s 71.2 percent completion rate is second in the league only to Drew Brees’ 71.4, his three interceptions are third-best trailing only Tom Brady (1) and Dak Prescott (2), and he is a very respectable 12th in passer rating at 97.5 ahead of players like Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer and Eli Manning.

Still, Teddy Bridgewater was drafted just three seasons ago to be the franSam Bradford chise under center and he did lead the Vikings to the playoffs in just his second season.

But in 29 games over his first two seasons, Bridgewater threw 21 interceptions against just 28 touchdowns and there have been questions about his arm strength since his days at Louisville.

So the Vikings gave up the 32nd pick in the 2014 draft for Bridgewater, and their first-round pick in 2017, which looks like it could be in the 15-to20 range right now, and a conditional third-round

According to our sources, no one should read too much into Ron Rivera’s benching of Cam Newton for the first play of Sunday night’s game in Seattle, but we also can’t assume it was about nothing more than Newton’s failure to sport a necktie on the team’s flight to Seattle.

Coming from a military family, Rivera is a stickler for details and rules and we’re sure Newton’s wardrobe malfunction was the reason for his miniature suspension.

We also know that Rivera has been a staunch supporter of Newton from Day One and does not have a problem with Newton’s individualism.

In fact, after Newton’s controversial press conference following the Super Bowl loss, Rivera actually Cam Newton went to bat for his quarterback, suggesting impractically that losers of Super Bowl games shouldn’t be forced to do interviews.

We know Rivera would never dodge his own responsibilities like that and that he was just sticking up for his guy.

But we are hearing now that Rivera might not mind it if Newton found a bit of double entendre in the suspension and realized that the mistake in his wardrobe was the result of a lack of attention to detail that has been missing in Newton’s game this season as well.

Few players in the league have declined as much from last season to this as Newton – 14 touchdowns, eight interceptions and 26 yards rushing per game this year compared to 35 touchdowns, 10 picks and 44 yards per game rushing last season – and we’re hearing Newton may not be fully accepting his share of the blame for his decline.

Rivera is still very much in Newton’s corner, but in some arenas a little poking of the bear is often necessary.

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

The plot thickens in Houston, Denver

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

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What do final games mean for Chicago Bears CB Kyle Fuller?

NATE ATKINS KEVIN FISHBAIN

afford to go discarding young players, either. They seemingly want to make sure he’s healthy before making that evaluation. I’m curious to see how Hall responds, too; he looked good in the preseason but didn’t earn their trust to play meaningful snaps once the games counted. Coach John Fox swears he’ll play the most deserving players, but isn’t that short-sighted?

Doesn’t he have to learn what he’s got in Fuller and Hall?

Fishbain: They can be patient with Hall and at least give him looks on special teams in the meantime. Fuller has to get snaps at corner in some games to give them

a better opportunity to evaluate. And maybe he’ll show enough to be trade bait, too.

The corner taken before Fuller in that 2014 draft, Justin Gilbert, was traded to the Steelers in September. We know Kyle Long will be around for a while, and with Alshon Jeffery’s future uncertain, Fuller is the best chance for another Phil Emery pick to stick around.

Unless you think Cornelius Washington or Marquess Wilson is worthy of being resigned?

Finley: I’d take Cornelius Washington for next season in a heartbeat, Kev. He’s a physical freak who has been

consistent as part of the Bears’ defensive line rotation. Nobody writes sonnets about those kinds of guys, but they have real value.

Gilbert has been a capital-B bust, relegated to special teams snaps but for 11 plays this year. Fuller can hope for a better future than that, you’d think. What would you do about Wilson, Kevin? He’s been good when he’s been healthy but, to quote Fox, availability is an ability. And he hasn’t been.

Fishbain: Washington has definitely been a good addition to the D-line and he won’t cost much money, and neither will Wilson, who I’m

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sure will get a chance to test the market. As a No. 4 receiver, he’s great! He seems to me as someone primed for a one-year, prove-it deal to return just to add depth, but it’s always worth noting that he doesn’t provide anything on special teams like Josh Bellamy or Deonte Thompson. Let’s circle back to the player who is supposed to be the best of the Emery bunch (aside from Jeffery and Long). Would another team in a different scheme want Fuller more than the Bears?

Finley: Fuller was drafted to play Cover 2, and his skill set better fits that than the man coverage that Vic Fangio seems to prefer. If the Bears would rather him keep his eyes on the quarterback, he’d have to move to safety. Which isn’t a bad idea, really. But that’s the Cover-2 Catch-22 here: Fuller probably doesn’t want to do it in a walk year, and the Bears probably wouldn’t want to extend his option if they don’t know what he can do at safety.

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PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

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n this week’s edition of ‘Take 2,’ Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times and Kevin Fishbain of Pro Football Weekly discuss what the final four weeks could mean for former first-round pick Kyle Fuller.

Fishbain: Patrick, we’ve spent a lot of time and newspaper space discussing Bears players worth watching in a lost season, and the final month should give an opportunity for another look at Kyle Fuller. How important is this final month for Fuller, and what’s the best route the coaching staff should take with getting him looks while also wanting to see more of Bryce Callahan, Cre’Von LeBlanc and Deiondre’ Hall?

Finley: Here’s why the final month is important, Kevin; by May 3, the Bears must decide whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option for 2018 attached to Fuller as a former first-round pick. Fuller’s done absolutely nothing this year to prove that he’s worthy, but the Bears can’t

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

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