Ever since the Arizona Cardinals drafted running back Chris Beanie Wells fantasy football players have waited for him to break out. In all this time, we’ve all known that sooner or later this stud was going to take over the starting job from Tim Hightower but no one could say exactly when.

Now, it appears that Wells is ready to help fantasy owners as a top end No.2 fantasy running back after his strong performance against the 49ers. In that contest Hightower fumbled early and head coach Ken Whisenhunt gave Wells the feature role for the rest of the game.

Wells responded with 103 total yards and a critical touchdown run that put the Cardinals back in the game. Not only did Wells produce solid stats, but he showed the burst of speed that has been missing from the Cardinals’ backfield, since I don’t know when.

A Chance To Shine

Assuming the Cardinals continue to feed the ball to Wells (get him ready for the post season), he will have an amazing opportunity to help produce strong numbers for fantasy football owners in the next two weeks.

This week Wells gets to play the Lions and next week he will face off against the Rams in Arizona.

The two main things I want to see from Wells (other than holding onto the football) is for one he will need at least 18 carries to be a strong producer in each game. Secondly, he needs to find the end zone like he was able to do last week.

I believe Wells can and will accomplish these objectives because he is playing at a high level coming out of the 49er game and the Cardinals need this runner to be a factor in the playoffs.

Beyond being a factor, it would also help this team for their opponents to have something extra to fear from this offense than just their great passing game. If Wells has a strong ending to the season than playoff opponents will be forced to game plan and respect what this team can do on the ground.

That respect can only help insure the Cardinals’ success when the games start counting in the playoffs.

Chris Beanie Wells Fantasy Football Ranking

Beanie Wells is a must start fantasy football option in the next two weeks. This kid is at least a great flex play option if not a solid No.2 running back. Wells is playing his best football (Hightower his worst) coming into these next two all important games for fantasy owners.

Many fantasy football leagues end their playoffs in week 16 so this gives you two great games at the very end of your fantasy run.

Start Wells and you should enjoy some solid fantasy production from this future fantasy football stud.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

The start of this season was a rough one for Rams’ receiver Donnie Avery. In the preseason Avery injured his knee and this help contribute to his slow start.

After the first eight weeks of the season Avery had only 22 receptions for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Since the Rams’ bye in week nine Avery has turned his production around with 12 catches for 180 yards and three touchdowns in his past three games.

Part of the turnaround for Avery has been his new attitude and approach to the game of football since embarrassing his team in week five against the Vikings. That week Avery scored a touchdown late in the game and started dancing around.

Seeing that the team was losing by four touchdowns at the time it didn’t seem to be the greatest time to celebrate and Avery took heat from local and national media.

Since that time Avery has dedicated himself to turn his game around and the performance from a fantasy stand point is starting to look good.

Can Avery Be Trusted?

This week Avery makes for a good third receiver option as he plays on the road against the Bears. After that game Avery and the Rams will travel to Tennessee and face the Titans, now healthy secondary.

I wouldn’t recommend using Avery next week against the Titans as he will be blanketed by corner back Cortland Finnegan all game long.

After that game Avery finishes up with three games that fantasy owners can take advantage of. In the final three weeks of the NFL season, Avery will face the Texans, Cardinals and 49ers.

Look for Kyle Boller to go Avery’s way often from this point on as he is the one solid target this team has in the passing game.

Heading into 2010

Next year Avery will be in his third year as a receiver and I believe he will be a good bet for consistent production. This season the Rams new offensive line has had a full year to work together and by next year they should be ready to provide good protection in the passing game.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rams draft a quarterback like Colt McCoy or Jimmy Clausen, so Avery may have a rookie under center next year.

At this time, I would say one of those rookie’s can’t do much worse than Boller or Marc Bulger have done this season.

With a new dedication to the game, Avery should be a nice late round pick in 2010.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

What a game it was to see the Saints’ stomp all over the Patriots in all phases of the game. Drew Brees headlined a monumental victory that has now officially landed New Orleans on the map of true elite football teams.

As for Tom Brady and the Patriots, I haven’t given up hope for them to make a playoff run but the defense needs to step it up.

Below we have a short right up on the top ten teams on our power rankings for this season. These teams are important to know as they are playing well and should continue to help fantasy teams.

Furthermore, pay attention to the worst teams on the list as they are the teams you want to have your players going against down the stretch.

1. Saints (11-0)

After a huge decisive win against the New England Patriots the Saints are now a top our NFL Power Rankings once again. Drew Brees probably won the MVP award after he blasted the Patriots’ defense for five touchdowns and 371 yards passing on only 23 pass attempts!

This was an amazing performance and is one of those games that will be looked back on for a long time when people mention Brees and the Saints from this era. Look for New Orleans to roll over the Redskins next week and move to twelve and zero.

2. Colts (11-0)

The Colts haven’t won games in a pretty fashion the last month or so but they have won all their games. The Saints were this way until they stomped on the Patriots in a big time national televised game.

This up coming week the Colts will host the Titans in a big time clash of two strong teams. Look for the Colts to find a way to pull out another close victory.

3. Vikings (10-1)

It’s almost hard to remember the Steelers actually beating this team because the Vikings have played so well since that game. I actually had to look back at the schedule just to remember who actually beat this great team from Minnesota.

The Steelers had a few lucky turnovers and won the game in the fourth quarter, and I would suspect that is the only way a team can beat this squad. The Vikings are firing on all cylinders and are taking no prisoner’s.

Expect them to beat the Cardinals in Arizona this weekend by a decent margin.

4. Chargers (8-3)

This is a team I truly thought would never reach the top five teams in the NFL power rankings after the first month of play. Since losing to the Broncos in week six the Chargers haven’t lost a game and are winning in convincing fashion.

I fully expect them to smash the Browns next week in Cleveland. Get your fantasy football players in for that game.

5. Bengals (8-3)

After a quick dip to the Raiders two weeks ago the Bengals polished off the Browns at home. With Cedric Benson out the team turned to Bernard Scott and Larry Johnson to put the game away.

Both running backs had strong games and Johnson ran for over 100 yards. This week Benson is back and Scott has turf toe, so expect the Bengals to run Johnson and Benson together. There is no reason they shouldn’t beat the Lions this weekend.

6. Cowboys (8-3)

The Cowboys need to beat the Giants this weekend if they are going to win their division. Dallas has already lost to the Giants this year, and if they lose this game, they will only be one win better than the Giants.

That means if the Giants should mount a comeback and have the same record as Dallas than they will win the division. Look for the Cowboys to run the football and control the clock on the road.

7. Patriots (7-4)

Watching the Patriots get rolled over by the Saints only goes to show you that this team does not have the defense to be a Super Bowl team right now. I will never put it past this organization to put a run together in the playoffs but right now they are not a top five team in the NFL power rankings.

8. Cardinals (7-4)

The Cardinals lost a heart breaker to the Titans without Kurt Warner on the field. This weekend they may be without Warner again as they take on the Vikings at home. If the Cardinals lose this week and the 49ers win, than next week will be a huge game between the two in San Francisco.

It’s still a long shot for the 49ers to win the division, but if they do beat the Cardinals next week they will have the season sweep against them. If both teams comedown to a tie in record at the end than the 49ers would win the division in that scenario.

9. Eagles (7-4)

The Eagles pulled out a win against the lonely Redskins, but they had to do it in comeback fashion. In that game DeSean Jackson suffered a concussion and may miss this weeks tilt against the Falcons in Atlanta.

Even if Jackson is out I expect the Eagles to win the game with Matt Ryan and Michael Turner likely out.

10. Broncos (7-4)

The Broncos were able to stop their four game skid on Thanksgiving against Giants and won in convincing fashion. It looks like quarterback Kyle Orton is back and healthy as he had no problems finding his receivers all game long.

Expect the Broncos to make quick work of the Chiefs this weekend in Kansas City.

• 11. Packers (7-4)
• 12. Ravens (6-5)
• 13. Steelers (6-5)
• 14. Titans (5-6)
• 15. Giants (6-5)
• 16. Jaguars (6-5)
• 17. Falcons (6-5)
• 18. Texans (5-6)
• 19. 49ers (5-6)
• 20. Dolphins (5-6)
• 21. Jets (5-6)
• 22. Seahawks (5-6)
• 23. Panthers (4-7)
• 24. Bears (4-7)
• 25. Bills (4-7)
• 26. Chiefs (3-8)
• 27. Redskins (3-8)
• 28. Raiders (2-9)
• 29. Lions (2-9)
• 30. Buccaneers (1-10)
• 31. Browns (1-10)
• 32. Rams (1-10)

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

The 49ers needed to build some confidence this week with a solid victory against the Jaguars. Win the 49ers did as their defense dominated the Jaguars all day and Alex Smith was sharp in the shot gun.

Alex Smith is Coming Along

If the 49ers can get some good offensive linemen in free agency this offseason than I believe Smith will have solid success in the future.

In this game, the 49ers allowed Smith to throw the football out of the shot gun offense, and he looked solid. For the game Smith was 27 of 41 passing for 232 yards and two touchdown passes.

Five different players had at least four receptions as the 49ers rolled to a 20 to 3 victory over Jacksonville.

Jags Loss Important Game

This was the game the Jaguars needed if they were going to be a playoff team. The 49ers are a losing team and if Jacksonville has any hope of being a playoff team this year, or in the future they need to win these games.

MJD and the rest of the offense were basically shut down all day as this team has had a horrible time playing on the west coast.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

In the second half of Thanksgiving predictability the Cowboys won another easy game against a bad football team on national television. I’m not sure who schedules the Cowboys’ game on Turkey day, but they must like to see Dallas blast an easy opponent.

Miles Austin Produces

The Cowboys’ star receiver Miles Austin has had a few quiet games of late but in this game the Raiders did him a favor by not using Nnamdi Asomugha against him most of the time. The Raiders tend to use Asomugha on one side of the field most of the time (very dumb idea) and the Cowboys were actually smart enough to put Austin away from him.

This mismatch allowed Austin to burn up the Raiders secondary for seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.

While this was a nice game to see from Austin, I would still expect him to struggle when a team lines their top corner on him all day. He has had trouble beating top coverage for big days and that will probably continue more often than not.

Running the Rock

What was refreshing to see from Dallas was their running game burned the Raiders for huge runs. Most of the big plays were from Tashard Choice and Felix Jones as Oakland bottled up Marion Barber most of the game.

Seeing Barber struggle isn’t that surprising against the Raiders as they tend to stop bigger sized running backs. Their horrible weakness in the run game is against small, shifty backs like Choice and Jones.

If the Cowboys can run like this in December, they will win their division and should win at least on playoff game.

Bruce Gradkowski to Darrius Heyward-Bey

One connection the Raiders’ organization is hoping will pay off more is when new quarterback Bruce Gradkowski can hit Darrius Heyward-Bey for a touchdown like he did in this game.

Heyward-Bey will always be compared to fellow Bay Area rookie receiver Michael Crabtree because Bey was drafted before the ultra talented star from Texans Tech.

So far, Bey has been a horrible failure when compared to what Crabtree has done for the San Francisco 49ers this year. Heck even if Crabtree wasn’t having a good year (or wasn’t on a team still) Bey would be a disappointment anyway.

This young receiver needs to go out in the offseason and catch a million balls to make his hands at least average for the pro game. Too many times Bey has dropped key passes that have hurt his team and made him look bad.

You could easily say that Bey isn’t even the best rookie receiver on his own team as Louis Murphey has put together a decent year for the Raiders.

For the future, I haven’t given up hope on Bey because he still has great talent. At the same time, he may need another year to mature and grow until his is ready.

Look for Bey to be a dangerous late round pick in two years when he walks into his third year as a fantasy football receiver. That season in many receivers bust out and put it together.

Just look at this years third year men like Sidney Rice, Mike Sims-Walker and Steve Smith out of New York.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

It’s been a disappointing season for Anquan Boldin’s fantasy football owners. Boldin had a strong season a year ago and was one of the top ten fantasy receivers heading towards this season.

Coming into last week’s game against the Seahawks, Boldin only produced 35 receptions for 404 yards and one touchdown on the season. These are not the numbers you want to see from a player that fantasy owners drafted somewhere around the third or fourth round of most fantasy drafts.

While these numbers are disappointing I do believe Boldin may be ready to produce on a consistent basis for fantasy owners.

Getting Healthy

Boldin made it known in the press that he was very unhappy about being benched two weeks ago, but truthfully it was probably the best move for his future play. The Cardinals went on to crush the Bears without him and the time off allowed Boldin to recover from his high ankle sprain from a few weeks before.

Last week against the Seahawks, Boldin was back in the lineup and had eight receptions for 105 yards. Those totals were both a season high’s for the pro bowl receiver and this production shows that he is ready to bounce back.

Now that Boldin is relatively healthy again I expect him to continue his success this weekend against the St. Louis Rams. Not only do I expect him to have strong reception and yardage totals, but he should find the end zone at least once.

Getting Boldin back and playing like himself should only help the Cardinals’ chances of winning their division out right by mid December.

As it stands right now the 49ers are the only team that has a realistic chance of beating the Cardinals for the division title. This is mainly because the 49ers beat the Cardinals in Arizona.

If the 49ers can beat them again in San Francisco than it could make things interesting down the stretch.

Fantasy Football Outlook for Boldin

Look for Boldin to be a solid every week starter for the rest of the fantasy football season. Now that he is healthy it should be expected that Boldin will give you solid fantasy numbers from here.

That being said I’m not sure you will see him amass the type of numbers, he was putting up a season ago when he was healthy. The Cardinals are starting to run the football better than ever before with the emergence of Chris “Beanie” Wells.

Because of this and the continued progress of third receiver Steve Breaston, Boldin is not going to get as many big days as before.

Even still I do like him and especially after this week against the Rams. Mainly, because the team will play three defenses in a row that are stout against the running game. When the Cardinals can’t use their running backs to close out games than they will lean on their receivers more often.

Start Boldin on your fantasy football squads and expect production.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

Chicago Bears’ running back Matt Forte has had a bust season for fantasy football owners in 2009. Forte was a top four draft pick in many fantasy leagues, and he’s been unable to get things going most of the year.

Even this past week against the 49ers when Forte had 161 total yards from scrimmage he only had 41 yards rushing on twenty carries.

For the season Forte has 143 carries for 482 yards and a woefully bad 3.4 yards per carry. I don’t believe Forte will do much better in this area for the rest of the season as his offensive line just doesn’t run block well.

Beyond the line blocking issues the Bears will face the Eagles, Vikings, Rams, Packers, Ravens and Vikings for the rest of the fantasy football season. The one strong matchup Forte has for the rest of the fantasy season (unless you’re in a league that plays week 17 when the face the Lions) and that’s not great news for fantasy owners.

Catching the Ball for Production

If Forte is going to be a consistent fantasy player for your fantasy team than he will need to continue his production in the passing game.

In the past two weeks Forte has 14 receptions for 194 yards in the air. This is especially useful for fantasy owners in PPR leagues as you receive points just for his catches alone.

Another area that needs to improve is Forte’s touchdown total that stands at three for his first nine games of the year.

If Forte can sustain consistency in these area’s than he can still help fantasy owners earn a playoff spot this season.

Fantasy Football Ranking for Matt Forte

Forte’s fantasy football value has dropped from a top four pick this year to a No.2 running back on your team for next year. The Bears offensive line changes this offseason didn’t do Forte any favors, and it seems the coaching staff is content with Jay Cutler slinging the football.

As long as Cutler continues to find Forte underneath than the Bears starting running back is still a starter in fantasy.

Look for Forte to help your team as the season winds down but don’t expect him to be a driving force for your success.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

This game was just another reason why I don’t like that the NFL has these Thursday night games. Teams lose three extra days for rest and preparation and tonight’s sorry game showed just that.

49ers Win On Cutler Turnovers

Outside of Matt Forte and Frank Gore’s performances this was a very unproductive game for fantasy football.

Jay Cutler was picked off five times and couldn’t seem to get much done except throwing the ball to Greg Olson and Forte. His five picks helped the 49ers win the game 10 – 6 and snapped their four game losing streak.

I’m not sure what was worse, the fact that Cutler had another sad performance or that the 49ers could only score 10 points with so many opportunities to score.

In the end, it was nice to see that Forte is starting to assert himself in the passing game the last two weeks. The Bears just can’t run block, and it’s about time they started giving him the ball more in the short passing game.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

After the Cardinals upset loss to the Panthers last week I’m sure Kurt Warner wanted to atone for his poor play. This week Warner’s performance was a complete 180 from last week as he tossed five touchdowns and led his team to a win.

Warner and Fitzgerald Lead the Way

Warner and Larry Fitzgerald got the party started as the hooked up for two first half touchdowns and produced a big lead. This passing game just seemed to have the Chicago Bears number for most of the day as they passed at will.

For the game Warner tossed five touchdowns and Fitzgerald had nine receptions for 123 yards and the two touchdown scores.

Seeing that the 49ers lost again this week to the Titans, the Cardinals now have a commanding lead in the NFC West.

Greg Olsen Scores Three Times

This season has been a disappointment for fantasy football owners with tight end Greg Olsen. The Bears talented receiver was projected to have a pro bowl type season this year and help fantasy owners all yearlong.

While Olsen hasn’t had a great year so far he did have a huge game in this contest. For the game Olsen had five catches for 71 yards and three touchdown catches.

Hopefully, Olsen can continue his recent success and have a strong second half of the fantasy football season.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

This was a big matchup for both teams as the Saints and Falcons clashed for supremacy in the NFC South. In the end, the Saints would hold onto win the football game but the Falcons gave them everything they could handle.

Michael Turner Turns on the Burners

Fantasy football owners with Michael Turner have waited for him to breakout all season. While Turner had seven touchdowns coming into this game he really only had one big week against the 49ers before this contest.

For the game Turner rushed for over 150 yards on only twenty carries and posted another touchdown. What was nice to see from Turner was that he consistently broke of long runs from the start of the game to the end.

This performance was a great sign for Turner’s chances to have a strong second half of the fantasy season.

Hopefully, Turner can continue his strong performance next week against the struggling Redskins.

Pierre Thomas Breaks Out

The past few weeks have puzzled fantasy football owners with Pierre Thomas on their teams.
Thomas has failed to produce and the team seems to be content with running Mike Bell, Reggie Bush and Thomas as a three man committee.

In this contest Thomas scored on the ground and through the air. He also had more than 90 yards rushing.

This is the kind of production fantasy owners need from Thomas going forward if they are to make it to the playoffs.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com