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Patriots complete perfect regular season

The New England Patriots overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to beat the New York Giants, 38-35, and finish their season 16-0. The Pats took the lead for good with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, on a 65-yard touchdown strike from Tom Brady to Randy Moss. The touchdown set NFL records for Brady (his 50th touchdown of the season, breaking Peyton Manning's mark) and Moss (his 23rd TD catch of the season, breaking Jerry Rice's mark).

We'll have extensive coverage throughout the night on projo.com.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Bruins lose sixth straight

ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Thrashers didn't waste any time ending their losing streak and extending the Boston Bruins' misery.

Slava Kozlov, Bobby Holik and Pascal Dupuis scored in a three-goal first period and Kari Lehtonen earned his second shutout, leading the Atlanta Thrashers to a 5-0 victory Saturday night over the Boston Bruins, who have lost a season-most six straight.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored his league-leading 32nd goal on a power play and added an assist on Alexei Zhitnik's first goal of the season in the second period.

"It was important for us to establish the pace of the game early on and the guys came out and did a tremendous job," said Atlanta general manager and coach Don Waddell.

Lehtonen made 26 saves for his ninth career shutout, including an outstanding stop on a breakaway by Marco Sturm midway through the second period.

"Tonight we played the same that we did the other night, but now it is 5-0," said Lehtonen, referring to Thursday night's 5-3 loss at Florida in which the Panthers outshot the Panthers 41-29.

"It's a couple of breaks here and there. It was fun to see it go this way," said Lehtonen. "The guys played great in front of me. Usually, when it's 5-0 after the second period, there will be some letdown."

Atlanta, which had lost two in a row after winning four straight, jumped on Boston early, scoring goals 1:32 apart. Kozlov scored at 7:50 on a pass from Eric Perrin, easily beating Boston goaltender Alex Auld from in close. The Thrashers made it 2-0 on Holik's fourth goal, with Andrew Ference defending the net after Auld got tangled up trying to clear the puck along the boards. Dupuis earned an assist.

The Thrashers' third goal came when Dupuis came from behind the net and tucked the puck past Auld at 16:45.

Auld was replaced by Tim Thomas at the start of the second period.

"We are all trying to turn this around. Obviously you want to do what you can to help your team get a win. It wasn't enough tonight. We have to stay together. We can't get frustrated," Auld said.

Kovalchuk got his ninth power-play goal at 11:05 of the middle period and then assisted on Zhitnik's goal 2:43 later for a 5-0 lead.

Notes: There were two fights in the opening 2:30. The Thrashers' Chris Thorburn and Boston's Shawn Reich each got 5-minute fighting penalties after 2:26. Four seconds later, Atlanta's Eric Boulton and Thornton went. ... Atlanta rookie F Colin Stuart, recalled Friday from Chicago (AHL), made his NHL debut and got his first point, an assist on Dupuis' goal. His brother, Mark Stuart, plays for Boston. ... The Thrashers had a crowd of 18,514, their fourth sellout.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:40 PM to Bruins | Permalink | Comments 0

Notre Dame routs Brown

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Rob Kurz had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Kyle McAlarney made four of Notre Dame's 13 3-pointers, leading the Fighting Irish to an 87-54 victory over Brown on Saturday night.

The Irish (9-2), who also had a 54-25 rebounding advantage, pulled away steadily throughout much of the game behind 13-of-32 shooting from 3-point range. Six Notre Dame players scored from long range.

Twice the Irish hit three straight 3-pointers, moving ahead 25-11 on a basket by McAlarney and 46-20 on another by McAlarney. They led 48-27 at intermission.

The Irish took their biggest lead, 74-38, when McAlarney hit a 3 with 9:18 left.

Ryan Ayers was 3-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with 13 points for the Irish. Luke Harangody added 13 points and eight rebounds. McAlarney finished with 12 points as the Irish won their seventh straight, their 27th straight at home and improved to 42-4 all-time against Ivy League teams.

Brown (6-5) also shot well from 3-point range, making 11-of-23. But the Bears were 6-of-29 from 2-point range as they repeatedly missed shots inside. The Irish outscored the Bears 24-10 inside.

Damon Huffman led Brown with 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. Mark McAndrew added 10 points.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

URI holds on to beat Georgia Southern

AP photo / Michael Zamora
Will Daniels and Marquis Jones battle Georgia Southern's Johntavius Rucker for a rebound on Saturday night in Corpus Christi, Texas.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) - Will Daniels scored a season-high 28 points and No. 25 Rhode Island beat Georgia Southern 85-80 Saturday night for the Islander Invitational championship.

The uptempo Rams (13-1), off to their best start since 1946-47, had four other players score in double figures. Kahiem Seawright had 13 points, Ulmer Lamonte and Bitee Parfait scored 11 apiece and Jimmy Baron finished with 10. Lamonte also had 10 rebounds.

Rhode Island won its first two games after entering The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 1998-99, when the Rams promptly lost their first two after joining the rankings.

Matt Fields led Georgia Southern (9-3) with 18 points, including 14 in the second half. Julian Allen had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Rhode Island nearly blew a 23-point first-half lead, allowing Georgia Southern to get within two at 76-74 with 2:37 remaining.

Daniels pushed the lead back to four with a layup, and Parfait Bitee made two free throws to make it 80-74.

Rhode Island took a 29-6 lead in the game's first 10 minutes as Georgia Southern hit just three of its first 21 shots from the field.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:40 PM to URI Basketball | Permalink | Comments 0

Classical's Flowers breaks national weight-throw mark

Courtesy of Bob Gourley:

Victoria Flowers set a new national high school 20# weight throw record of 61’00.75” at the 26th Annual Brown University Track & Field High School Invitational on Friday, December 28, 2007.

This performance was indoors at Brown University’s Olney-Margolies Athletic Center in Providence, RI, and broke the record of 60’10.50” set by Maureen Griffin (JR/Pocatello, ID) at the 1997 National Scholastic Indoor Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, Roxbury, MA on March 8, 1997.

Flowers (1/17/90) SR - Classical High School, Providence, RI
Series: LSF 61’00.75” 60’04.50”

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:17 PM to High School | Permalink | Comments 0

Fantasy football position-by-position player rankings for Week 17

By David Ferris

Below are complete fantasy football rankings based on this week's matchups for all the major positions (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, team defense). They are based on a combined yardage/scoring system (4 points for a passing touchdown, 6 points for a rushing/receiving touchdown, one point for every 25 passing yards, one point for every 10 rushing/receiving yards).
Last Updated: 12/29/07
* = check status

Quarterback
1. Kurt Warner, ARI vs. STL
NOTE: 207 pass attempts last five weeks.
2. Drew Brees, NO at CHI
3. Tom Brady, NE at NYG
4. Derek Anderson, CLE vs. SF
5. *Jay Cutler, DEN vs. MIN

6. Carson Palmer, CIN at MIA
7. Donovan McNabb, PHI vs. BUF
8. Vince Young, TEN at IND
NOTE: His better games have come in prime time.
9. Marc Bulger, STL at ARI
10. Todd Collins, WAS vs. DAL
11. Chris Redman, ATL vs. SEA
12. Jon Kitna, DET at GB
13. Sage Rosenfels, HOU vs. JAC
14. *Kellen Clemens, NYJ vs. KC
15. Eli Manning, NYG vs. NE
16. Brodie Croyle, KC at NYJ
17. Cleo Lemon, MIA vs. CIN
18. Kyle Orton, CHI vs. NO
19. Tarvaris Jackson, MIN at DEN
20. Chris Weinke, SF at CLE
NOTE: Not best-in-show but should play full game.
21. Brett Favre, GB vs. DET
NOTE: One of many partial-game risks.
22. *Philip Rivers, SD at OAK
23. Trent Edwards, BUF at PHI
24. *Tony Romo, DAL at WAS
25. *Matt Hasselbeck, SEA at ATL
26. Matt Moore, CAR at TB
27. Troy Smith, vs. PIT
28. Peyton Manning, IND vs. TEN
NOTE: Unlikely he'll play very long.
29. David Garrard, JAC at HOU
30. *JaMarcus Russell, OAK vs. SD
31. *Ben Roethlisberger, PIT at BAL
NOTE: Looking at a short day.
32. *Jeff Garcia, TB vs. CAR

Running Back
1. Adrian Peterson, MIN at DEN
2. *Brian Westbrook, PHI vs. BUF
3. Clinton Portis, WAS vs. DAL
NOTE: They need the game and he's rolling.
4. Kenny Watson, CIN at MIA
NOTE: Underrated back, good matchup, Rudi out.
5. Jamal Lewis, CLE vs. SF
6. Steven Jackson, STL at ARI
7. *Frank Gore, SF at CLE
8. Kolby Smith, KC at NYJ
9. *LaDainian Tomlinson, SD at OAK
NOTE: Will he hang around for rushing title?
10. T.J. Duckett, DET at GB
NOTE: Last back standing in Motown.
11. Edgerrin James, ARI vs. STL
12. LenDale White, TEN at IND
13. Adrian Peterson, CHI vs. NO
14. *Darius Walker, HOU vs. JAC
15. *Marshawn Lynch, BUF at PHI
16. Laurence Maroney, NE at NYG
17. Musa Smith, BAL vs. PIT
NOTE: Steps in with McGahee and Anderson hurt.
18. *Selvin Young, DEN vs. MIN
19. Thomas Jones, NYJ vs. KC
20. Dominic Rhodes, OAK vs. SD
21. DeAngelo Williams, CAR at TB
NOTE: Ridiculous that he hasn't played more.
22. Chester Taylor, MIN at DEN
23. *Pierre Thomas, NO at CHI
24. *Darren Sproles, SD at OAK
25. LaBrandon Toefield, JAC at HOU
NOTE: Taylor and MJD will both sit.
26. *Brandon Jacobs, NYG vs. NE
NOTE: Partial game likely.
27. *Aaron Stecker, NO at CHI
NOTE: Game-time decision.
28. Chris Brown, TEN at IND
29. *Najeh Davenport, PIT at BAL
30. Shaun Alexander, SEA at ATL
31. *Kenton Keith, IND vs. TEN
32. *Jerious Norwood, ATL vs. SEA
33. Julius Jones, DAL at WAS
34. Jesse Chatman, MIA vs. CIN
35. Ryan Grant, GB vs. DET
36. Ladell Betts, WAS vs. DAL
37. Maurice Morris, SEA at ATL
38. *Reggie Bush, NO at CHI
39. *Marion Barber, DAL at WAS
NOTE: I doubt he stays in long.
40. Reuben Droughns, NYG vs. NE
41. *Ron Dayne, HOU vs. JAC
42. Sam Gado, MIA vs. CIN
43. Jason Wright, CLE vs. SF
44. *Joseph Addai, IND vs. TEN
45. Michael Bennett, TB vs. CAR
46. Kevin Faulk, NE at NYG
47. Heath Evans, NE at NYG
48. Leon Washington, NYJ vs. KC
49. DeShaun Foster, CAR at TB
50. *Correll Buckhalter, PHI vs. BUF
51. *Michael Pittman, TB vs. CAR
52. *Fred Jackson, BUF at PHI
53. Brandon Jackson, GB vs. DET
54. Warrick Dunn, ATL vs. SEA
55. *Travis Henry, DEN vs. MIN
56. Mike Sellers, WAS vs. DAL
57. Vernand Morency, GB vs. DET
58. Garrett Wolfe, CHI vs. NO
59. LaMont Jordan, OAK vs. SD
60. *Tatum Bell, DET at GB
61. *Michael Turner, SD at OAK
62. *Lorenzo Booker, MIA vs. CIN
63. Jerome Harrison, CLE vs. SF
64. *Andre Hall, DEN vs. MIN
65. *Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG vs. NE
66. *Earnest Graham, TB vs. CAR
NOTE: Probably won't dress.

Wide Receiver
1. Braylon Edwards, CLE vs. SF
2. *Larry Fitzgerald, ARI vs. STL
3. *Andre Johnson, HOU vs. JAC
4. Randy Moss, NE at NYG
NOTE: He'll score once, maybe twice.
5. *Anquan Boldin, ARI vs. STL
6. Marques Colston, NO at CHI
7. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, CIN at MIA
8. Brandon Marshall, DEN vs. MIN
NOTE: A superstar before end of decade.
9. Chad Johnson, CIN at MIA
NOTE: Hasn't been on same page with Palmer.
10. *Torry Holt, STL at ARI
11. Roddy White, ATL vs. SEA
12. Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ vs. KC
13. Steve Smith, CAR at TB
14. Bernard Berrian, CHI vs. NO
15. Kevin Curtis, PHI vs. BUF
16. Santana Moss, WAS vs. DAL
17. David Patten, NO at CHI
18. Lee Evans, BUF at PHI
NOTE: Can beat injury-wrecked Philly secondary.
19. Isaac Bruce, STL at ARI
20. Dwayne Bowe, KC at NYJ
NOTE: New York defense has improved significantly.
21. Wes Welker, NE at NYG
22. Justin Gage, TEN at IND
23. Calvin Johnson, DET at GB
24. Antwaan Randle El, WAS vs. DAL
25. Shaun McDonald, DET at GB
26. Reggie Brown, PHI vs. BUF
NOTE: Hasn't improved in Year 3.
27. Chris Chambers, SD at OAK
28. Jabar Gaffney, NE at NYG
29. *Santonio Holmes, PIT at BAL
30. Derrick Mason, BAL vs. PIT
31. *Hines Ward, PIT at BAL
NOTE: Beware the partial game.
32. Reggie Wayne, IND vs. TEN
33. Amani Toomer, NYG vs. NE
34. Donald Driver, GB vs. DET
35. *Plaxico Burress, NYG vs. NE
36. Chris Henry, CIN at MIA
37. *Sidney Rice, MIN at DEN
38. Reggie Williams, JAC at HOU
39. Drew Bennett, STL at ARI
40. Roydell Williams, TEN at IND
41. *Javon Walker, DEN vs. MIN
42. Bryant Johnson, ARI vs. STL
43. *Brad Smith, NYJ vs. KC
44. Ronald Curry, OAK vs. SD
45. Bobby Engram, SEA at ATL
46. *Arnaz Battle, SF at CLE
47. Mike Furrey, DET at GB
48. Darrell Jackson, SF at CLE
49. Ted Ginn, MIA vs. CIN
50. *Marvin Harrison, IND vs. TEN
NOTE: Set to make a cameo, anyway.
51. Laurent Robinson, ATL vs. SEA
NOTE: Decent sleeper with others hurt.
52. Donte' Stallworth, NE at NYG
53. Jerry Porter, OAK vs. SD
54. Patrick Crayton, DAL at WAS
55. Kevin Walter, HOU vs. JAC
56. *Muhsin Muhammad, CHI vs. NO
57. *Marty Booker, MIA vs. CIN
58. Nate Burleson, SEA at ATL
59. James Jones, GB vs. DET
60. *Joe Jurevicius, CLE vs. SF
61. *Nate Washington, PIT at BAL
62. *Bobby Wade, MIN at DEN
63. *Ike Hilliard, TB vs. CAR
64. Sam Hurd, DAL at WAS
65. Dennis Northcutt, JAC at HOU
66. Devery Henderson, NO at CHI
67. Lance Moore, NO at CHI
68. Devin Hester, CHI vs. NO
69. *Greg Jennings, GB vs. DET
NOTE: A decent chance he sits.
70. Justin McCarerins, NYJ vs. KC
71. Josh Reed, BUF at PHI
72. *Deion Branch, SEA at ATL
73. Andre Davis, HOU vs. JAC
74. Devard Darling, BAL vs. PIT
75. Ernest Wilford, JAC at HOU
76. Jason Avant, PHI vs. BUF
77. *Mark Clayton, BAL vs. PIT
78. Roscoe Parrish, BUF at PHI
79. Josh Cribbs, CLE vs. SF
80. *Terry Glenn, DAL at WAS
81. Jacoby Jones, HOU vs. JAC
82. Cedric Wilson, PIT at BAL
83. *Anthony Gonzalez, IND vs. TEN
84. *Joey Galloway, TB vs. CAR
NOTE: Won't dress this week.

Tight End
1. *Kellen Winslow, CLE vs. SF
2. Tony Gonzalez, KC at NYJ
3. Chris Cooley, WAS vs. DAL
4. Tony Scheffler, DEN vs. MIN
5. Antonio Gates, SD at OAK
NOTE: Quiet of late, not too much to gain.
6. Vernon Davis, SF at CLE
7. Owen Daniels, HOU vs. JAC
8. Jason Witten, DAL at WAS
9. Desmond Clark, CHI vs. NO
10. *Chris Baker, NYJ vs. KC
11. Heath Miller, PIT at BAL
12. Dallas Clark, IND vs. TEN
13. Bo Scaife, TEN at IND
14. Donald Lee, GB vs. DET
15. Billy Miller, NO at CHI
16. Jeff King, CAR at TB
17. Greg Olsen, CHI vs. NO
18. Brent Celek, PHI vs. BUF
19. Alge Crumpler, ATL vs. SEA
20. Robert Royal, BUF at PHI
21. Alex Smith, TB vs. CAR
22. Randy McMichael, STL at ARI
23. Leonard Pope, ARI vs. STL
24. Kevin Boss, NYG vs. NE
25. Zach Miller, OAK vs. SD
26. Bryan Fletcher, IND vs. TEN
27. Marcedes Lewis, JAC at HOU
28. *Marcus Pollard, SEA at ATL
29. David Martin, MIA vs. CIN
30. *Ben Watson, NE at NYG
31. Reggie Kelly, CIN at MIA
32. Mike Vrabel, NE at NYG

Kicker
1. Phil Dawson, CLE vs. SF
2. Shayne Graham, CIN at MIA
3. Neil Rackers, ARI vs. STL
4. Shaun Suisham, WAS vs. DAL
5. Stephen Gostkowski, NE at NYG
6. Ryan Longwell, MIN at DEN
7. Rob Bironas, TEN at IND
8. Kris Brown, HOU vs. JAC
9. Josh Brown, SEA at ATL
10. Jeff Reed, PIT at BAL
11. Mike Nugent, NYJ vs. KC
12. David Akers, PHI vs. BUF
13. Robbie Gould, CHI vs. NO
14. Martin Gramatica, NO at CHI
15. Nick Folk, DAL at WAS
16. Mason Crosby, GB vs. DET
17. Matt Bryant, TB vs. CAR
18. Jason Elam, DEN vs. MIN
19. Adam Vinatieri, IND vs. TEN
20. Jason Hanson, DET at GB
21. Josh Scobee, JAC at HOU
22. John Carney, KC at NYJ
23. Matt Stover, BAL vs. PIT
24. *Nate Kaeding, SD at OAK
NOTE: Dinged up, why take a risk?
25. Jeff Wilkins, STL at ARI
26. Rian Lindell, BUF at PHI
27. Lawrence Tynes, NYG vs. NE
28. Morten Andersen, ATL vs. SEA
29. John Kasay, CAR at TB
30. Sebastian Janikowski, OAK vs. SD
31. Joe Nedney, SF at CLE
32. Jay Feely, MIA vs. CIN

Defense
1. New England at New York Giants
NOTE: Eli's always good for a few turnovers.
2. San Diego at Oakland
3. Philadelphia vs. Buffalo
4. Pittsburgh at Baltimore
5. Green Bay vs. Detroit
6. Cleveland vs. San Francisco
7. New York Jets vs. Kansas City
NOTE: Unit better of late, Chiefs have OL issues.
8. Jacksonville at Houston
9. Washington vs. Dallas
10. Indianapolis vs. Tennessee
11. Denver vs. Minnesota
12. Tampa Bay vs. Carolina
13. Chicago vs. New Orleans
14. Dallas at Washington
15. Seattle at Atlanta
16. Minnesota at Denver
17. New Orleans at Chicago
18. Buffalo at Philadelphia
19. Tennessee at Indianapolis
20. Kansas City at New York Jets
21. Cincinnati at Miami
22. Detroit at Green Bay
23. Houston vs. Jacksonville
24. New York Giants vs. New England
25. Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh
26. Arizona vs. St. Louis
27. Miami vs. Cincinnati
28. Carolina at Tampa Bay
29. San Francisco at Cleveland
30. St. Louis at Arizona
31. Atlanta vs. Seattle
32. Oakland vs. San Diego

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Fantasy football injury update

By David Ferris

In addition to the normal bumps and bruises, we'll also make some educated guesses as to who's playing hard and who's hardly playing for Week 17. Good luck negotiating the final weekend, which is more slippery than usual.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) did very little this week and probably won't play at Baltimore. If he does make an appearance, it will be a short one, with Charlie Batch then taking over.

Colts QB Jim Sorgi is expected to play at least a half against Tennessee. Unless you're totally stuck for an option, sit Peyton Manning this week.

Cowboys QB Tony Romo (thumb) is expected to start at Washington, but don't look for a long stint. Brad Johnson is the backup.

Broncos QB Jay Cutler has a sore knee, but he'll go nonetheless against Minnesota.

Redskins QB Todd Collins makes another start, as Jason Campbell (knee) won't play again in the regular season. If Collins rallies this club into the playoffs, Joe Gibbs has an interesting choice on his hands for the Wild Card round.

Texans QB Sage Rosenfels picks up another start as Matt Schaub deals with his shoulder injury.

Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle (hand) had a solid week and should start at New York.

The 49ers roll with the well-traveled Chris Weinke under center at Cleveland. Shaun Hill is out with a back injury.

Jets QB Kellen Clemens (ribs/shoulder) was limited in practice all week but nonetheless he's expected to start against the Chiefs on Sunday.

Ravens QB Troy Smith gets another start this week, against division rival Pittsburgh.

Dolphins QB Cleo Lemon will start against Cincinnati.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (hamstring) still isn't practicing, so if the Packers rest Brett Favre early, Craig Nall will come in.

The Bucs aren't expected to play QB Jeff Garcia much this week, if at all, against Carolina. Luke McCown is the next option.

Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell picks up his first career start against San Diego, as Oakland downshifts into experiment mode.

Panthers QB Matt Moore makes his third straight start, in part because Vinny Testaverde (ankle) isn't healthy.

The Jaguars are expected to rest both Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew against Houston, so say hello to RB Brandon Toefield, if you're desperate.

Eagles RB Brian Westbrook (knee) finished the week with two full sessions and is probable for Sunday's game with Buffalo. I see no reason to sit him.

Bengals RB Rudi Johnson (hamstring) is out for Miami, in addition to third-stringer DeDe Dorsey, which means more work for the underrated Kenny Watson.

Titans RB LenDale White (knee) looked good the last two days and should be heavily involved at Indy.

Colts RB Joseph Addai (back/shoulder) will likely start against the Titans, but don't expect him to play very long.

Saints RB Reggie Bush (knee) is out for this week and Aaron Stecker (toe) is very questionable, so Pierre Thomas will probably get the start at Chicago.

Bucs RB Earnest Graham (ankle) missed time this week and is expected to sit against the Panthers. Teammate Michael Pittman (ankle) is expected to play, though he was limited in practice.

Texans RB Ron Dayne (ankle) might get some time against Jacksonville, but Darius Walker is expected to start.

Steelers RB Willie Parker (broken leg) is done for the year, and it's not clear how much the club wants to expose Najeh Davenport at Baltimore.

Chiefs RB Larry Johnson (foot) finally went on IR this week, so Kolby Smith makes another start against the Jets.

49ers RB Frank Gore (ankle) missed time this week but nonetheless will go, and take a full workload, at Cleveland.

With Ravens RB Willis McGahee out, RB Musa Smith gets the ball against Pittsburgh.

Giants RB Brandon Jacobs is expected to start tonight but he probably won't play much in the second half, if at all. RB Ahmad Bradshaw (leg) is listed as questionable.

Raiders RB Justin Fargas (knee) went on injured reserve this week, so Dominic Rhodes gets another start against the Chargers.

There are whispers that the Cowboys aren't going to use RB Marion Barber much at Washington. Caveat emptor.

Lions RB Kevin Jones (knee) is done for the year and RB Tatum Bell is dealing with a sore foot, so it looks like T.J. Duckett's show again this week. The Detroit coaching staff has hinted that Duckett will receive a healthy amount of carries.

Cardinals WRs Anquan Boldin (toe) and Larry Fitzgerald (groin) are expected to start against the Rams despite limited practice weeks. I'd use either guy here.

Cowboys WR Terrell Owens (ankle) is out for Week 17 but hopes to be ready for the team's playoff opener in two weeks.

Giants WR Plaxico Burress (ankle) did more work than usual this week and could be active for a while against the Patriots, albeit the game means nothing to New York. From a fantasy perspective, I'd be looking to use someone else.

Saints WR Marques Colston (chest) isn't on the week injury report, so give him some run at Chicago.

Packers WR Greg Jennings (ankle) had a limited workout Friday but isn't a good fantasy bet for Week 17. The club has no incentive to use him here.

Seahawks WR Deion Branch (calf) didn't work the last two days, so forget him for Week 17. D.J. Hackett (ankle) is expected to get some snaps, but he's a risky play as well.

Panthers WR Steve Smith (shoulder) isn't on the injury report, so go ahead and use him at Tampa Bay.

Colts WR Marvin Harrison (knee) worked in full Thursday and Friday and is expected to start Sunday night against Tennessee. He could play a half, a quarter, one series, it's anyone's guess (the same goes for Reggie Wayne). The Colts probably won't have WR Anthony Gonzalez (ankle), who didn't practice all week.

Texans WR Andre Johnson (knee) was limited the last two days but is still expected to go against the Jags.

Bears WR Bernard Berrian (knee) had a full session Friday and will start against the spotty New Orleans secondary. Muhsin Muhammad (ankle) is listed as probable.

Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (ankle) did well the last two days and is no longer on the injury report.

The Bucs won't dress Joey Galloway for their meaningless finale, and don't expect to see much of Ike Hilliard (knee), either. Jon Gruden clearly is going to treat this weekend as a final-week preseason game.

Vikings WR Bobby Wade (knee) did some work Friday and may go at Denver. WR Sidney Rice (high-ankle sprain) is considered a game-time decision.

Broncos WR Javon Walker (knee) is on the improve and should start against Minnesota. He'll be needed more than usual with Brandon Stokley (knee) out for another week.

Jets WR Brad Smith (back) was limited all week but should go against Kansas City.

Falcons WR Michael Jenkins (quad) isn't practicing and probably won't play in the finale. WR Joe Horn (foot) has been limited this week. Laurent Robinson benefits from these two injuries.

Cowboys WR Terry Glenn (knee) remains limited in practice and if he does play this week, it will likely be for just a possession or two.

Steelers WR Nate Washington (ankle) is questionable for Week 17.

Browns TE Kellen Winslow (knee) might need surgery after the year, but it isn't expected to keep him out this week. He's also been dealing with a shoulder problem most of the year.

Ravens TE Todd Heap (hamstring) won't play in Week 17.

Broncos TE Daniel Graham (ankle) is probably out for another week.

Jets TE Chris Baker (back) missed reps in practice this week but is expected to play against the Chiefs.

Patriots TE Ben Watson (ankle) didn't do a lot in practice and is a risky play for tonight's finale.

Chargers PK Nate Kaeding (bruised leg) should be able to handle placement kicks this week, but the team wants someone else for kickoffs. If you can still make a move, I'd opt for a safer, healthier kicker.

Titans DT Albert Haynesworth (ankle) worked the last two days and should go Sunday night at Indianapolis, as Tennessee fights for a playoff slot.

Panthers DE Julius Peppers (knee) is out for the year.

Ravens LB Ray Lewis (finger) is iffy for the finale with Pittsburgh.

Vikings CB Antoine Winfield (shoulder) might be able to play at Denver.

Saints CB Mike McKenzie (knee) is out for the year, a notable hit to an already-terrible pass defense.

Cowboys CB Terence Newman is out this week, a boost for the Washington passing game.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments 0