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FANTASY FOOTBALL TIP SHEET

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By LUKE EASTERLING, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 20, 2007

Updated: 12/19/2007 11:33 pm

Welcome to Week 16, championship week for most fantasy leagues. Congrats to those of you who have made it to your league's final game, and to those of you who are still alive in the playoffs and looking for a berth in a championship game to be played next week.

My sincerest condolences go out to those of you who happened to need a Brian Westbrook touchdown in order to win your game this past week. What Westbrook did was brilliant strategy from a team standpoint, but such things will do nothing to calm the sting felt by those whose faces lit up as he broke into the open field, only to have their hopes dashed as he slid down at the 1-yard line.

That being said, here are your tips as we head into Week 16's fantasy action:

MATCHUPS AND LINEUPS

Here are some favorable individual matchups for Week 16. If you've got these guys on your team, make sure they're in the starting lineup.

Jaguars RB Fred Taylor: Taylor is arguably the hottest runner in fantasy football at the moment. Having run for more than 100 yards in each of the last four games, Taylor is over 1,000 yards rushing despite splitting time with Maurice Jones-Drew, and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Taylor is entering an attractive matchup this week at the perfect time, as he goes up against a porous Oakland run defense that has given up 21 rushing touchdowns this year (last in the NFL) and is allowing 143.8 yards per game (31st in the NFL). Taylor is a top-notch play this week, so if you own him, make sure he starts.

Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe: Bowe has been somewhat unspectacular over the course of the season as far as fantasy numbers are concerned, and he's only gone over 100 yards twice this season. However, this week could be the perfect opportunity for a breakout game, as Bowe goes up against the Lions, who are 31st in the league in pass defense (257.9 ypg) and have allowed more touchdowns passes this year than any other team (27). Bowe has managed at least 60 yards receiving in eight of his 14 games this year, and if there was ever a time for him to post some huge fantasy points, this looks like the week to do it.

INJURY REPORT

Tony Romo and Kurt Warner were full participants in their teams' respective practices on Wednesday, and both should be able to start this week. Matt Schaub missed practice Wednesday and will not start this week, giving Sage Rosenfels yet another start. Kyle Boller missed practice Wednesday and is still feeling the effects of a concussion he sustained in last week's overtime loss to Miami. If Boller can't go this week, and it seems likely that he won't, Troy Smith will get his first NFL start. Kellen Clemens (rib, shoulder) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, and his status for this week's game remains unclear.

Reggie Bush was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, and while he's unlikely to start this week, there's still a good chance he'll see some action in a relief role. Brian Westbrook missed practice on Wednesday in what has become a routine occurrence, and is still expected to start this week. Larry Johnson was limited in practice on Wednesday due to a nagging foot injury, and it's unlikely he'll see any action this week, though he still hopes to return at some point before the end of the season. Brandon Jacobs was limited in Wednesday's practice due to a hamstring injury, but he's still expected to play this week. Ron Dayne's ankle injury kept him off the practice field, but it's unlikely that it will keep him from starting in this week's game. Rudi Johnson was held out of practice Wednesday due to a tight hamstring, but it's unlikely to keep him out of the starting lineup. Jesse Chatman practiced with the first team on Wednesday despite still dealing with a sprained ankle, giving the impression that he will regain his starting role.

Roy Williams was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, ending any possibility of a comeback this season. Larry Fitzgerald (groin) and Anquan Boldin (toe) were limited in practice Wednesday, but both are likely to be in the starting lineup this week against Atlanta. Plaxico Burress was a non-participant in practice on Wednesday, as has been the case for many weeks now, but he'll still be in the starting lineup this week. Steve Smith participated fully in Wednesday's practice despite dealing with an unspecified illness, and he should be good to go for this week's game. Laveranues Coles was limited in practice Wednesday and remains questionable for this week's game, while teammate Jerricho Cotchery practiced fully and is likely to start.

Jeremy Shockey (broken fibula) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and will have surgery Friday.

WAIVER WIRE WONDERS

Raiders RB Dominic Rhodes: This is more for the deeper leagues out there. With Justin Fargas out for the rest of the season, the full load of carries likely will be split between Rhodes and LaMont Jordan. However, since Jordan was eventually benched due to his ineffectiveness when he held the starting spot earlier in the year, I'm willing to bet that Rhodes will be given a bigger opportunity to show his stuff. Obviously, we'd like to know that for sure before putting him in your lineup, but he's at least a good addition to stash on your bench if you have other questionable starters at RB. If you're in a league with 12 teams or more, go ahead and pick him up.

Titans WR Roydell Williams: If you're scanning the wire for a hot receiver to plug into your starting lineup for this week, Williams would be the perfect choice if he's still available. Williams is coming off a great performance last week in a road win over Kansas City, scoring twice and piling up 94 yards on just four catches. Williams has had a few other solid performances, but has been a bit inconsistent over the whole season. Still, Williams looks to be picking up steam off last week's performance, and looks to be a good bet to put together another one this week.

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