Early look at week 17

The NFL is heading into to its final week of the regular season and that means the final week of pick'em for all of us. Week 17 is always a strange week because of teams resting their starters and this week is no different. Even though teams are resting players it seems like people are still picking the teams with the better record. This gives you a great opportunity if you need to make up a lot of ground.. Also a great week if you are out of it but want a shot to win the week. Very important to do your homework and find out who is in and who is out for this week.

Titans at Texans: 67% of people are picking the Texans in this one even though Vegas has the Titans as a 1.5 point favorite. Not much news has come out yet on who will be sitting for the Texans in this one. The Texans are locked into the 3 seed and have nothing to play for in this one so I would expect them to limit a lot of their stars. Houston has been hit harder than anyone by injuries and should be smart enough here to try to avoid more injuries. I would think the Arian Foster would not see too many carries this week if the Texans are smart. One guy that will play a little is Andre Johnson. Andre has been out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury and they would like to get him some in game reps.

The Titans on the other hand need to win this one to have a shot at the playoffs and should be playing all out. Chris Johnson said that his ankle wasn't feeling very good last week and can be to blame for his poor week. He said he is feeling much better this week and should be able to go all out. TE Jared Cook has also come on as of late and should make the Titans passing game tough to stop. Houston is on a 2 game losing streak and I think this game would be very close even if Houston played all their starters. Titans should be able to roll if the Texans sit guys like expected.

Being Matthew Stafford doesn't look like fun at all.

Lions at Packers: 66% of people are picking the Packers but the Lions are a 3.5 point favorite. People clearly blinded by the Packers 14-1 record here. The Packers are locked into the 1 seed and have no reason to play anyone in this one. Head coach Mike McCarthy has even hinted that Rodgers might not even start in this one saying, "Whether he starts, we’ll talk about that today," said McCarthy. "It’s important for the quarterbacks, we repped all three of ’em this week." Rodgers will most likely only play 1-2 series if he starts and I would expect most of the defensive stars to sit as well.

The Lions have clinched a playoff spot but they still have a lot to play for in this one. If they win the lock up the 5 seed. That means they would play either the Giants or Cowboys in round 1. If they lost and the Falcons won then they would have to go to New Orleans in round 1. That is a much tougher matchup and I am sure the Lions would like to avoid the Saints. Being the 5 seed also gives them the slight chance of dodging the Packers in round 2. Word is that running back Kevin Smith will sit this one out. He has been banged up for a month now and I dont blame them for this one. There was some talk that Calvin might sit because of an achilles injury but he practiced today and should be a go for Sunday. It sounds like the Packers are putting no effort into this one and the Lions should be able to win this one.

Also everyone should take notice of the great year Matthew Stafford is having this year. While Rodgers and Brees have stolen all the headlines Stafford has had a great year. He has 36 TDs on the year which ties him for 3rd in the NFL with Tom Brady. He is also 5th in total yards and 6th in passer rating. This is the 1st year he has been healthy and he is taking full advantage of that. He has been a top 5 fantasy QB this year and should be drafted like it next year. As long as Calvin is there, Stafford will be a stud.

Buccaneers at Falcons: 97% are on the Falcons are they are 11 point favorites. There has not been much attention payed to this game this week but this one might not actually mean anything for the Falcons. If the Lions win on Sunday then the Falcons are locked into the 6 seed. The Lions game is an early game, while the Atlanta game is a late game so the Falcons should already know what they are playing for before the take the field. Falcons head coach Mike Smith has said that he wont rest his starters this week but he might change his mind once he knows he has nothing to play for. With guys like Turner and Julio hurting it would be smart for them to sit some guys down. They cant afford to be without anyone against the Saints in the 1st round.

Tampa is on a 9 game losing streak and I am not sure they can win this one even against the Falcons 2nd team. I am not saying you should pick Tampa but you might want to put this one lower than usual. This could also be a great spot to win the week. No one should be on Tampa and If they were to win it should lead to an easy weekly win.

Bears at Vikings: 70% are on the Bears but the Vikings are a 1 point favorite. This game has nothing to do with resting starters but I wanted to point out the odd number of people on the Bears. This game is on of the 3 games this week that means nothing but both teams should still be going all out. I know the Vikings are 3-12 but they have played better over the past month. Adrian Peterson is out for this one but Toby Gerhart is a capable RB who should have a pretty good day. The Bears have been terrible without Cutler and Forte and I don't expect that to stop. I tend to think Vegas knows more than we do about these things so I am going with them on this one and picking the Vikings.


random tidbits about week 17: There has been some talk about the Saints resting starters but they have said there is no chance of that and expect the Saints to murder the Panthers on Sunday. Tom Brady has a shoulder injury that you might want to keep on eye on but he should be playing this week. Pats need the win and should get it against the Bills. Reggie Bush is rules out for the Dolphins this week. I am not really sure what to do with that game. Miami has played great but they dont have much to play for while the Jets need to win to still have a chance. No matter who you pick this should be on a 1 or 2 in confidence. Romo has been limited in practice with a bruise on his right hand but he is expected to go Sunday Night. Felix Jones, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham are also banged up but should be able to play in that game. this game is a toss up but 75% of people are on the Giants.

If you need to make up ground in confidence this week go big on the Lions and Titans. Also not a bad idea to go big on Minnesota. As I have said before you don't have to go crazy on a big underdog to make up ground. All 3 of those teams are the favorite and picking them should be able to help you out this week.