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

It looks like the Tennessee Titans are alive and well for the 2009 season after all. With Vince Young leading the team to its fifth straight win this week they still have a chance for the playoffs.

Next week the Titans play against the Colts and that game should be another close game for the Titans that comes down to the end of the game.

Below I have some observations from the 12th week of the regular season and how I see those points of interest playing out from a fantasy perspective.

2009 NFL Regular Season Week Twelve

• Packers vs Lions
• Cowboys vs Raiders
• Broncos vs Giants
• Colts vs Texans
• Seahawks vs Rams
• 49ers vs Jaguars
• Titans vs Cardinals
• Ravens vs Steelers
• Saints vs Patriots

Regular Season First Eleven Weeks

• Week One
• Week Two
• Week Three
• Week Four
• Week Five
• Week Six
• Week Seven
• Week Eight
• Week Nine
• Week Ten
• Week Eleven
  

Fantasy Football Regular Season Week Twelve Notes:

Brandon Jacobs: A Huge Disappointment

Hopefully, this season doesn’t mark the end of a short stay in the top twenty fantasy football running backs for Brandon Jacobs. This season only marks the third year that Jacobs has been the starting tailback for the Giants and fantasy owners have been very disappointed in this big backs performance.

Coming into this season Jacobs was a clear top twelve fantasy running back after he had a big year in 2008.

Sure, Jacobs missed three games last year and has always been a little injury prone, but you could count on him to have some big rushing days and always score touchdowns. Those expectations were backed by his four games with over 100 yards and 15 touchdowns from a year ago.

This year through week twelve of the fantasy football season Jacobs has zero 100 yard games and only three touchdown scores.

Because of his lack of production the Giants were rolled over by the Broncos and have lost five of their last six games.

If Jacobs can’t turn his season around, I fully expect the Giants to miss the playoffs this season.

From a fantasy perspective, I wouldn’t recommend starting this runner until he starts showing signs of playing the way his is capable.

For the third game in a row, Seahawks second year running back Justin Forsett has had a solid fantasy football week. In this game he shredded the Rams defense for big plays and touchdowns in a win for Seattle.

Taking Over

Forsett has had a tough go to get into the starting lineup in the NFL as even the Seahawks released him after the preseason last year. After a short stay with the Colts, Forsett came back to the Seahawks and handled special team’s duties at the end of the year.

This season Forsett has played strong all year but until three weeks ago he was mostly used as a special teamer and a third down back.

Upon Julius Jones’s injury against the Cardinals, Forsett has played very well for three straight weeks now.

Every week Forsett has had at least one touchdown and in two of those games he has over 120 yards rushing. As long as Jones is out because of health reasons, Forsett will make for a solid fantasy play.

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

It’s been a long road for Vince Young since the start of last season but he is back and better than ever. Since taking over the starting job from Kerry Collins five weeks ago the Titans are undefeated.

A Playoff Run?

Now that the Titans have pulled of a five game winning streak it is time to think about their odds of making the post season. At this time, the Titans are now five and six on the season, and if they beat the Colts next week they could finish ten and six.

With Young playing steady ball control offense at quarterback and Chris Johnson running for 2,000 yards, this team could pull off a ten game winning streak.

Speaking of Johnson he had another fabulous game with over 150 yards rushing and a 85 yard rushing touchdown.

Beyond Johnson’s accomplishments the headlines were all about Young hitting rookie receiver Kenny Britt for a touchdown at the end of the game.

Another player that had a good game was tight end Bo Scaife as he collected five receptions for 68 yards on the game.

Congratulations Young and hopefully this is the start of a great career from here on out.

Matt Leinart a Game Manager

The Cardinals’ backup quarterback Matt Leinart lost another final play game to Young as he also lost the National title game against him in college.

Besides this unfortunate outcome Leinart didn’t play that bad as he gave his team a chance to win the game with steady play on the road.

Next week Kurt Warner should be back but once Leinart becomes the starter for this team in future years he should help this team be a winner.

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

The Texans had a great opportunity to make a playoff surge with two straight games at home against the Titans and Colts. While the Texans started each game strong, they gave both games away late in the fourth quarter will unfortunate play.

Giving Away Playoff Dreams

The Colts were down until a 4th quarter touchdown from Peyton Manning to Dallas Clark. After that touchdown throw the Colts took the lead 21 to 20 and never looked back.

Matt Schaub could have been a hero but on the next drive, he threw an interception for a touchdown and the score was 28 to 20.

Then on the next drive Schaub fumbled the football and the Colts ran a touchdown in from 23-yards out to put the game away.

This was a very disappointing ending for the Texans for the third straight week in a row as they are now five and six on the season. Unless they can win out for the rest of the year the Texans will miss the playoffs once again.

Manning and Colts have Game Handed to Them

This was another shaky game for Manning and the Colts’ offense as they had to play from behind most of the game.

If this team is going to stay undefeated next week against the Titans one has to think they need to pick up their play for the future.

From a fantasy perspective, Manning has been slipping for the last month and today was just a continuation of his struggles. If fantasy owners with Manning hope to make a dent in the playoffs, they will need Manning to turn things around fast.

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

Last week was definitely a weird one in the world of fantasy football. Players like Bernard Scott and Jason Snelling came out of the wood work and helped fantasy owners win crucial games down the stretch of the season.

We even saw a flash from the past as players like Ricky Williams and Chris Chambers help lead their teams to victory.

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. Colts (10-0)

The Colts made it out of Baltimore with another victory but just barely as they won the game 17 to 15. This up coming week the Colts will travel to Houston to take on the Texans. The last time these two teams played in Indianapolis the Colts won a close game.

Look for the Texans to give the Colts everything they can handle, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win.

2. Saints (10-0)

The Saints beat the Buccaneers for their tenth win of the season. Next week they will play the Patriots on Monday night, and I believe they will lose that game.

Fortunately the Saints will get back key players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Drew Brees should have a huge fantasy football scoring day against the Patriots as the game will be a scoring extravaganza.

3. Vikings (9-1)

If it wasn’t for the Saints and Colts being undefeated the Vikings would be on the top of our list of the power rankings. This team is strong in just about every category and this team should have home field advantage in the NFC when the regular season is over.

With Brett Favre playing on top of his game and Adrian Peterson in the backfield the Vikings should roll to the super bowl.

4. Patriots (7-3)

The Patriots bounced back strong after losing to the Colts at the last minute. This week they should put up a big scoring game against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.

Look for Brady, Moss and Welker to have big days as the Patriots need to put up a lot of points to win in New Orleans.

5. Chargers (7-3)

Since losing to the Broncos in week six the Chargers have won their last five games. Just when you thought this team was down for the count with a bad offensive line, a defense that couldn’t stop the run and LT not playing up to his standards, they turn it all around.

Expect the Chargers to win the AFC West and probably finish in the AFC with the third or fourth best record.

6. Bengals (7-3)

After two big division wins the Bengals dropped a disappointing game to the Raiders in Oakland. This week they will come back home and play their final game in their division for the regular season against the Browns.

Look for Bernard Scott to continue as the starting tail back if Cedric Benson is out for this week. Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco should have strong games.

7. Cardinals (7-3)

The Cardinals are moving past the Cowboys in our NFL power rankings more because Dallas has played that bad than the Cardinals have played that good. Last week the Cardinals held on to beat the Rams without Kurt Warner, but it wasn’t pretty.

It looks like Warner will be a go this week against the Titans and that is good because they wouldn’t win this game without him.

8. Cowboys (7-3)

This season has been a major up and down year for the Cowboys’ passing game. All of a sudden, defense are putting their top corner on Miles Austin, and he is having problems beating coverage.

If the Cowboys’ struggle on Thanksgiving against the Raiders I wouldn’t be surprised.

9. Steelers (6-4)

The Steelers lost a gimmy game against the Chiefs and one has to think it’s because they failed to dominate in the running game. Rashard Mendenhall is a capable running back but if the Steelers don’t start showing a need to run the ball they will lose more games like this past week to the Chiefs.

Sooner or later the Steelers will have to run the ball to either keep Ben Roethlisberger healthy or because Roethlisberger is knock out and injured.

10. Eagles (6-4)

The Eagles make it back to the top ten teams on our NFL power rankings because the Broncos are backsliding into outer space.

This past week the Eagles won a hard hitting road game and proved they could run the football when they needed to. Running the ball is very important for all teams in the NFL and now that the Eagles have shown success under pressure it should help open up the deep ball again.

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

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

The Texans and Titans squared off for the second time this season and in the end the Titans pulled out a victory. Tennessee has now won their last four games in a row after starting the season losing their first six games.

Vince Young is Making a Difference

You can tell that Vince Young has matured since the last time he was the Titans starting quarterback. Tonight Young did an excellent job of managing the game and giving his team a chance to win.

Young isn’t the great fantasy football play as he only threw for 116 yards passing and one touchdown pass, but he is helping his team win ball games. One area Young is excelling at for a quarterback is in the running game as he rushed for 73 yards in this game.

Another player that is making a huge impact is running back Chris Johnson. This running back is on pace for over 2,000 yards rushing this season as he rushed for another 151 yards on the ground.

Look for Johnson to continue his serious run towards 2,000 yards on the season with an effective game next week against the Cardinals.

Steve Slaton Starts

Texans running back Steve Slaton did start this game as this coach promised on Saturday, but he only touched the football ten times. On the positive side Slaton had a touchdown catch and didn’t fumble the football for the second game in a row.

If Slaton is going to be a strong fantasy impact player again he will need more touches. Look for Slaton to start again next week again the Colts.

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

This season has been a bumpy ride for Texans star running back Steve Slaton. The season low for fantasy football owners with Slaton had to be when he was benched against the Bills and Ryan Moats had a huge game.

Because of Slaton’s fumbling issue’s head coach Gary Kubiak continued to go with Moats as his starter when the Texans faced off against the Colts a week later.

Bye Week Magic?

After the Texans lost a close game to the Colts they went into their week ten bye with question marks still looming around their running game.

Over this time off Slaton was busy working on his ball handling skills and watching film of Tiki Barber running the football. Barber was a smaller running back like Slaton and in the early part of his starting career, he had trouble holding onto the football.

Barber corrected his fumbling mistakes with a new ball holding technique, and it saved his career as a starting runner.

Not only did Slaton watch film of Barber, but he went back and talked to old college coaches from West Virgina to see if they had any pointers on what he was doing different.

This commitment and attention to detail must have paid off in the eye’s of his head coach because two days before their Monday night game against the Titans, Slaton has officially won his starting job back.

Fantasy Game Plan for Using Steve Slaton

This week is a tough matchup for Slaton and the Texans running game, so I wouldn’t recommend starting Slaton as more than a flex play at best. However, if Slaton shows that he has used his off time well and starts playing the way we all know he can then he could do some damage down the stretch.

After this week Slaton has the Colts, Jaguars, Seahawks, Rams and Dolphins for the rest of the fantasy football season. Those last three opponents listed are all games during the fantasy football playoffs.

Look for Slaton to shine now that he’s back in the saddle again.

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

The Tennessee Titans have now won three games in a row now as they took care of the Bills this week. Not only are the Titans winning games but their star running back is putting together one heck of a season.

Johnson goes for 100/100 Game

In this contest Chris Johnson put together another massive day as he had 132 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving.

On the ground Johnson had 26 carries for the 132 yards and rushed for two touchdowns. In the passing game Johnson had nine receptions for 100 yards.

This performance is the reason why Johnson will be the number one pick in many fantasy football leagues next year. His production is just too solid to ignore as he has the best skill set overall for fantasy owners.

Look for Johnson to continue his strong season as he helps fantasy owners win games and take them to the playoffs.

Lee Evans Scores Twice

Not much went well for the Bills in this game but wide receiver Lee Evens did have two scores in the game. It seems that Evens is benefiting from having Terrell Owens on the team as he now doesn’t have to face heavy coverage.

One of the touchdowns came on a wildcat play as running back Fred Jackson threw him a 22-yard touchdown pass.

The Bills aren’t a very good team but Evens and Lynch still make for half way decent starters for fantasy football. Other than that you would want to stay away from this team.

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

This week’s waiver wire is headlined by wide receiver Chris Chambers. Chambers was released by the Chargers last week and then signed days later with the Chiefs.

I personally wondered if Chambers was done because he didn’t produce much in the Chargers passing game.

This past weekend Chambers proved other wise as he had two touchdowns and should help the Chiefs improve.

Below we have the top players you might want to pay attention to, for waiver pickups. Even if you don’t select a waiver (or have already done so) it’s good to keep these names in mind for the future weeks.

Quarterbacks

Titans- Vince Young

I suggested that fantasy owners grab Vince Young off the waiver wire last week, and I’m doing so again. The Titans have turned things around in the past two weeks and are starting to finally get their team healthy.

Young is progressing as a quarterback and has three talented receivers to throw to. He also has Chris Johnson out of the backfield and Young can still score on the ground.

Running Backs

Raiders- Darren McFadden

Many fantasy football owners have already given up on Raiders running back Darren McFadden and cut him weeks ago. This week McFadden is back at practice from his knee injury and is expected to start against the Chiefs.

As long as McFadden doesn’t have a setback this week in practice I would suggest you grab him off the waver wire. McFadden has had lots of success against the Chiefs in his first two years in the league.

Redskins- Ladell Betts

It is already being reported that Clinton Portis will likely miss this weekend’s game against the Broncos because of a concussion. This means backup Ladell Betts will get the starting job and is a sneaky one week play for fantasy owners.

Betts helped fantasy owners a few years ago in getting to the fantasy playoffs, and he had a respectable game last week against the Falcons. If you need a decent flex play option for this weekend you could do worse than Betts.

Wide Receivers

Chiefs- Chris Chambers

Last week was a busy one for wide receiver Chris Chambers. First he was released by the San Diego Chargers and then was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs. On Sunday Chambers played his first game with the Chiefs and had three receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns.

The Chiefs aren’t a very good team and will give up a good amount of points most weeks. This means the Chiefs will have to throw the football.

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