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The fantasy football season has reached the most crucial point of the year, as many fantasy owners are in the final week or two of the regular season, while others have already reached the playoffs.
This means that the most crucial personnel decisions have to be made prior to Week 13 games, and those decisions have to be based on talent, matchups and overall health. The latter category may be the most significant, because healthiest players have a chance to play their best game for 60 minutes.
A healthy and productive running back who is at his best in the fourth quarter can be a devastating weapon. That kind of player can get double-digit touches in the final 15 minutes, and that can turn defeat into victory at this critical point in the season.
Quarterbacks
A number of top-flight quarterback matchups are on deck this week, but no one has a better situation than Drew Brees, who faces the Detroit Lions secondary.
Brees has been on top of his game for several weeks, and the Saints are rolling at home these days. New Orleans is averaging 34 points per game at home this season, and the Saints are coming off a 49-point effort at the Superdome versus the Los Angeles Rams.
The Saints have the top-ranked offense in the league this season, and Brees is averaging 314.9 yards per game with 30 touchdowns to eight interceptions.
The Lions are a first-place team that has a knack for registering come-from behind victories, but they rank 15th in yards allowed, so Brees should be able to take advantage of this group. The Lions are worthy of respect, but this may be one of the worst matchups for head coach Jim Caldwell.
Another factor that is working against the Lions is their 30th-ranked running game, which means they are unlikely to hold onto the ball for long stretches. Meanwhile, Brees will be firing the ball to Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas and Coby Fleener on a regular basis.
Some observers may look at the New York Giants' six-game winning streak and improved defense and take it as a sign to avoid Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We are not in that group. From this corner, it appears that the Steelers are finally starting to hit their stride.
They have won two games in a row following their Thanksgiving victory over the Indianapolis Colts, and no team has a better fantasy trio than Roethlisberger, running back Le'Veon Bell and wideout Antonio Brown.
The Giants have one of the most improved defensive backs in the league in Landon Collins, who leads the team in tackles and interceptions, but Roethlisberger will not hesitate to fire the ball against New York.
The Steelers rank eighth in passing yards this season, and it took them quite a while to hit their offensive stride. Roethlisberger has thrown six touchdowns and has not thrown a pick in his last three games, and we expect him to keep the Giants on their heels throughout the game.
Running backs
LeSean McCoy has been one of the best and most productive running backs in the league throughout his career, and he is once again enjoying a stellar season with the Buffalo Bills.
He came back after enduring a medical procedure on his left thumb prior to the Bills' Week 12 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns to lead Buffalo to a much-needed victory.
The Bills have a tough assignment when they go across the country to play the Oakland Raiders, but once you get past the fact they are playing in the Black Hole against perhaps the most exciting and improved team in the league, McCoy still has a shot at a sensational outing.
The Bills need to win nearly every week if they are going to make the playoffs. Head coach Rex Ryan knows that McCoy, who has rushed for 819 yards with a 5.2 yards-per-carry mark and nine touchdowns, is his team's best offensive weapon. McCoy has also caught 28 passes for 175 yards and a score.
The Raiders may have an elite offense, but their defense has been giving up big yards and big plays all season.
Oakland ranks 29th overall in yards allowed and 26th against the run, and that should have McCoy salivating at the thought of attacking that defense.
Additionally, the Raiders will be looking ahead to their Week 14 Thursday night matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Head coach Jack Del Rio will never acknowledge this, but after losing at home to the Chiefs earlier this season, the Raiders have to find a way to even the series against Kansas City if they want to win the AFC West.
Look for McCoy to put big numbers against the Raiders.
This should also turn out to be a dominating week for LeGarrette Blount of the New England Patriots.
The Pats return from their road game with the New York Jets to play the punchless Los Angeles Rams at home. The Rams have turned to rookie quarterback Jared Goff, and New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia should be able to goad the rookie signal-caller into making a slew of turnovers.
That will manifest into numerous opportunities for the Patriots while they are working on a short field. In most cases, the payoff would go to tight end Rob Gronkowski, but he is fighting chest and back injuries.
Blount has run for 869 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, and when he is near the goal line, he is selling out to score touchdowns. He nearly scored on his final carry of the game against the Jets and seemed quite annoyed when he was bumped out of bounds on the 3-yard line after a 23-yard gain with 1:32 remaining.
The Rams have the ninth-rated overall defense, but they are 20th against the run. It will be hard for Los Angeles to bounce back from its performance against the Saints in Week 12, especially with Goff at quarterback.
Blount will make the Rams pay.
Wide receivers
Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons is an every-week lineup fixture, and he appears to be poised for one of his best games of the season when the Falcons host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13.
The Chiefs pulled out a dramatic and important 30-27 overtime victory on the road against the Denver Broncos last Sunday night, and they have a vital home game coming up against the Raiders in Week 14.
As a result, this game against an NFC opponent may not get head coach Andy Reid's full attention. We're not saying that the Chiefs don't need a win, but division games are more important than interconference games for tiebreaker purposes.
Kansas City is vulnerable on defense, ranking 20th in passing yards allowed. Jones has caught 65 passes for 1,140 yards and five scores, and he should have a big game here.
We are also expecting Green Bay's Jordy Nelson to have one of his best games of the season. The Packers finally ended their four-game losing streak with a 27-13 victory at Philadelphia Monday night, and Nelson was quite instrumental in the victory with his ability to make the tough catch in traffic.
Nelson caught eight passes for 91 yards, and his ability to make catches on the Packers' final drive allowed quarterback Aaron Rodgers to bleed the clock and turn a tough road assignment into a victory.
Nelson has caught 61 passes for 754 yards and nine touchdowns this season, and the Packers should be able to dictate the pace of a second consecutive game when the Houston Texans come visiting.
While the Texans have impressive talent throughout their defensive lineup, they are flawed thanks to the presence of head coach Bill O'Brien and quarterback Brock Osweiler. These two were supposed to be difference-makers for the Texans, but it has worked out the wrong way.
Osweiler has 12 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, and the Packers should take advantage of a team that rarely plays up to its potential against motivated opponents.
Tight Ends
Jimmy Graham of the Seattle Seahawks has gone a long way toward re-establishing himself as one of the better tight ends in the NFL.
Graham has the speed, athleticism, length and hands to make big catches at key moments. He should be in a position to do plenty of damage when the Seahawks host the Carolina Panthers Sunday night.
Carolina will be on the West Coast for the second consecutive game, and it is coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Oakland Raiders in which it staged a major second-half rally, only to lose to Derek Carr in the final minutes.
The Panthers have fallen hard this season, and Graham will make them pay Sunday.
The other matchup to consider is Fleener against the Lions.
We already went into the advantage that Brees should have against the Lions, and Detroit will focus most of its attention on stopping Cooks and Thomas. As a result, Fleener should find the open spots against the Detroit secondary.
He should be good for at least eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Waiver Wire
A couple of big moves were made on the waiver wire during the most recent week, as Sammy Watkins returned to the Buffalo Bills and Thomas Rawls took over as the primary running back for the Seattle Seahawks.
Watkins is one of the most talented receivers in the NFL, but he has played in just three games this season. He caught three passes for 80 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars after returning from a foot injury that had rendered him inactive since Week 2.
According to ESPN.com, Watkins was added to 26.1 percent of fantasy rosters over the last seven days.
Rawls gets a big opportunity as a result of the broken scapula suffered by C.J. Prosise, who had the look of a No. 1 running back prior to getting hurt in Week 11.
Rawls had just 38 yards against Tampa Bay, but he could justify his addition to 19.2 percent of fantasy rosters with a big game against Carolina this week.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
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