The playoffs are either upon us or one week away in the majority of fantasy football leagues. With this in mind, Fantasy FanHouse is examining what you can expect from the fantasy relevant players on each team. Chicago Bears
The Opposing Defenses: vs. JAX (14th against pass, t19th against run), vs. NO (24th against pass, t19th against run), vs. GB (5th against pass, 27th against run)
The skinny: Playing three games at home is nice, and none of them are especially good run stopping defenses. You know what the Bears want to do, and that is run the football with Matt Forte. He's even performed beautifully against rock-solid fronts -- like the Vikings. They'll need to mix in the pass as well, though, and at least the Week 15 game should be a good opportunity for that.
The must-start: Matt Forte
The likely-starts: Greg Olsen, Robbie Gould
The spot-starts: Kyle Orton, Devin Hester
The no-starts: Rashied Davis, Desmond Clark, Brandon Lloyd
The D/ST: They are a great start against the sad Jags offense, which happens to be visiting in a second consecutive road game on a short week. Lick your chops if you own the Bears for this week. The Packers and Saints don't pose especially good matchups, so you may have to look elsewhere. Still, both games are at home and you know the Saints outside in the cold doesn't exactly bode well for them, historically.
Detroit Lions
The Opposing Defenses: vs. MIN (21st against pass, 2nd against run), at IND (6th against pass, 25th against run), vs. NO (24th against pass, t19th against run)
The skinny: We know they suck, but they do have a lone bright spot as far as fantasy football goes. His nickname is Megatron (if you don't know his real name, you'll see it listed next to "must-start." He is targeted so often, and has so much talent, that you should never bench him. Keep in mind they'll likely be far behind in all three of these games, and they'll have to throw often.
The must-start: Calvin Johnson
The likely-start: None
The spot-starts: Kevin Smith, Jason Hanson
The no-starts: Everyone else.
The D/ST: Seriously? I almost laughed at that thought, until I realized it was just sad. I'd rather start Daunte Culpepper.
Green Bay Packers
The Opposing Defenses: vs. HOU (13th against pass, 23rd against run), at JAX (14th against pass, t19th against run), at CHI (29th against pass, 6th against run)
The skinny: This looks very favorable, especially when you consider they're scoring a lot of points recently, and just shredded the Bears run defense. Sure, I expect the game to be much different in Soldier Field than it was in Lambeau, but the Packers will be confident they can run again. Keep an eye on the running back situation. Brandon Jackson has largely outplayed Ryan Grant, even though it's been in limited action. This past week with the injury and Jackson doing so well after Grant struggled may cause a shift.
The must-starts: Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Mason Crosby
The likely-start: Donald Driver
The spot-starts: Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson, Donald Lee
The no-start: Jordy Nelson, Ruvell Martin, James Jones
The D/ST: They've had a rough go on the scoreboard several times this year, but they are ball-hawking and find a way to get in the end-zone themselves quite often. The teams they are facing aren't exactly stellar offense, and the Texans and Bears have been throwing lots of picks. You could do much worse.
Minnesota Vikings
The Opposing Defenses: at DET (19th against pass, 32nd against run), at ARI (t17th against pass, 13th against run), vs. ATL (23rd against pass, 21st against run)
The skinny: Not that you should ever even think about sitting the dude pictured at the top of this article, but those are some enticing rushing matchups. Really, the passing situation looks like it will be an easy go as well.
The must-start: Adrian Peterson
The likely-starts: Bernard Berrian, Visanthe Shiancoe, Ryan Longwell
The spot-starts: Chester Taylor (yes, please play him against the Lions), Bobby Wade
The no-starts: I'd still avoid Gus Frerotte, just because he's so fickle and liable to erase all his points with turnovers. Also, Sidney Rice is too inconsistent.
The D/ST: They are going to absolutely pummel the Lions, and I like them at home against the Falcons to take the ball away a few times. They're always good for sacks, which brings me to the Cardinals. The Cards can rack up the stats at home, but Kurt Warner still turns it over from time to time, and, yes, they Vikes will get some sacks. I'd stick with them for all three weeks in most formats.
Note: Jacksonville and Houston defensive stats were compiled before the Monday night game. Rest assured, facing the Jags with either your offense or defense looks pretty desirable at this point).
