Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on December 15, 2011, 12:54 PM EST
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Rice didn’t hold out of training camp like Chris Johnson. He hasn’t publicly campaigned for a new deal like Matt Forte. He certainly hasn’t poisoned his relationship with his teammates like Peyton Hillis.
Rice has just shown up for work in his contract year, got paid his $600,000, and tried to keep the spotlight off his situation.
“It’s hard to think about it now — I’m being honest,” Rice told the Baltimore Sun. “I’ve had the ability to not even think about it because, No. 1, I respect my teammates. And I didn’t want to bring my contract, my personal decisions, my life in . . . to this locker room.”
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on December 15, 2011, 1:10 PM EST
Reuters
LaRon Landry looked like one of the best safeties in football at times this year. The rest of the time, he didn’t look healthy or wasn’t on the field at all.
Landry’s season will now end on injured reserve because of a strained left Achilles’ tendon and strained groin, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
Landry ended last year on I.R. with similar problems. Rookie DeJuan Gomes will start in Landry’s place the rest of the way.
The sixth overall pick in the 2007 draft will be a free agent in the offseason. He’s only played 17 games over the last two years, so the Redskins may be able to retain Landry on a somewhat cheap short term deal. The franchise tag is also a possibility.
Start em Cedric Benson - What an opportunity for Benson to help someone out in the playoffs. Cedric could easily have 120 and a TD in this game. The Rams run defense is terrible, giving up a league worst 156.8 yards per game, with 5.0 yards per carry allowed. Additionally they have given up 10 rushing touchdowns this season.
Nate Burelson/Titus Young - Stanford Routt is having his best season as a pro, one worthy of a Pro Bowl nod. So you can expect him to spend all afternoon harassing Calvin Johnson. This should leave Nate Burelson and Titus Young both to Chekwa and Van Dyke to cover. This match up favors the Lions significantly. Also keep in mind, Titus Young grew up as a Raiders fan in Oakland. This should be a nice homecoming for the speedster.
Matt Moore - It probably isn't the best idea to be leaning on Matt Moore in your fantasy football playoffs, but stuff happens. If you are in a situation where you are looking at Moore as one of your options, then you could be in for a pleasant surprise. The Buffalo Bills are allowing an average of 232.8 yards per game, 7.5 per attempt. While those numbers are not too gaudy, they are tied for the second most passing TDs allowed (24). This season only the Vikings have allowed more passing scores. Moore should be able to put up over 200 yards and at least TDs.
Sit em Carson Palmer - The Carson Palmer era has had some bright spots, but has mostly been clouded by his 14 turnovers. I expect this game to be ugly for the struggling Raiders, and the Lions defense should eat well this weekend.
Michael Vick - He didn't look good in his first game back last week. This week he will look even worse against the Jet's 6th ranked defense, especially the 6th ranked pass defense. This game could be another ugly game with a depression post game press conference from Vick.
Steven Jackson - Jackson has not been properly utilized this year and quite honestly, even if he was, he just might be on IR. That is not a knock on him in anyway, it's just that his offensive line is in shambles. Jackson deserves to be utilized better in the offense and he is a back that is capable of carrying the team on his back, like he has done his whole career. But this match up with the Bengals just makes it impossible. They are only allowing 3.7 yards per carry, and exactly 100 yards per game. However, the fact that he has only had 20 or more runs 4 times this year makes even that number seem a bit lofty. Sitting him this time of year might be hard, but you just may have better options on your bench.
Posted by Michael David Smith on December 14, 2011, 6:46 PM EST
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The Bills have made an effort in the last few months to extend several players whose contracts run out at the end of the season, most notably quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick. But Fitzpatrick’s No. 1 receiver,Stevie Johnson, says the Bills have decided not to talk contract with him.
Johnson is still hoping things will work out, and he said, “I want to be here, period.” He also said he’s not too worried about how it will all work out.
“I’ve been broke all my life,” Johnson said. “So I ain’t tripping.”
Posted by Michael David Smith on December 15, 2011, 7:20 AM EST
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Oregon running back LaMichael James says he isn’t ready to announce his intentions for the NFL draft, but a report out of Oregon says he’s already made up his mind.
James issued a statement through the Oregon athletic program saying he hasn’t decided for sure, but players often wait until after their teams’ bowl games to announce publicly that they’re leaving. Privately, everyone expects James to turn pro.
James has been the NCAA leader in rushing yards per game each of the last two years. The biggest question about James is his durability; he was slowed by a knee injury last year and missed two games with an elbow injury this year.
