Since I’m in a reflective mood, I decided to compile an all-star fantasy team. Here’s a quick look back at the players that dominated their positions, as well as my overall MVP of the season and an incredibly early look at the potential No. 1 pick in drafts next year.

QB: Michael Vick
I know he missed multiple games, but he was still the leading scorer at his position. That’s simply remarkable. The runner-up, Tom Brady, played in every single game and still finished several points short of Vick’s impressive season. Vick sitting out Week 17 might have cost some a championship, but you probably made it to the game because of Vick in the first place.

RB: Arian Foster
Surprise! I loved him coming into the season, but I had no idea that he would end up as the No. 1 scoring RB. There’s not much else to say about him that hasn’t already been said. He’ll be picked in the top three of next season’s drafts.

RB: Jamaal Charles
Technically he was the third leading scorer at his position, but I like his consistency more than the true second place point’s scorer. I was also really high on Charles, and he did have a great season, but I can’t help but feel disappointed. Imagine if the workload was solely his or at least 75 percent his. He could have rushed for 2,000 yards. Seriously.

Flex: Adrian Peterson
Peterson is mainly here in the flex because of his 3 point total in Week 17. Lost me a championship. Not cool.

WR: Brandon Lloyd
I thought Jabar Gaffney was going to be the hot pickup off of the Broncos at the start of the season. I was wrong. Lloyd finally capitalized on the promise that he had shown sporadically throughout his career and really could have a few more solid seasons in him.

WR: Roddy White
He was the No. 3 scorer at WR behind Dwayne Bowe, but I love his consistency. Sure, Bowe had a solid midseason span where he put up ridiculous totals, but besides that stretch, he was terrible. White was there every week with his comforting 12 or so points. I like comfort.

TE: Jason Witten
Tony Romo got hurt and Witten took off. Go figure. If he would have played, Antonio Gates would have run away with this, but as I’m sure his owners know all too well, he didn’t play much. I remember reading something in Week 11 or 12 about Gates not going to be able to play until the playoffs, like the Chargers making of the playoffs was a foregone conclusion. Bet that guy wishes he could have that headline back.

D/ST: Steelers
The Patriots defense ended the season on an incredible hot streak, but they were roasted a few times too. I’ll take Troy Polamalu and his licensed hair any day.

K: I don’t really care enough to list anyone here.

MVP: Michael Vick
If you claimed him off the waiver wire then you either a) kept him and made it into the playoffs or b) traded him to fill a position of weakness on your team and probably made the playoffs. No one had a bigger impact on the fantasy season than Vick.

Very Early #1 Pick Next Year: Adrian Peterson
Why? Leslie Frazier is the new coach, he’s a defensive coach, wants to run the ball frequently, will probably install a new offense that will take the stretch to the right play permanently out of the Vikings playbook (it’s infuriating, Peterson never gets any blocking and the play always results in a loss), and a rookie first-round QB will more than likely be behind center. Peterson has had back-to-back lackluster seasons by his standards. I think he’ll be huge next year.

The Champion

Well Arian Foster certainly knows how to finish. After opening this season with a 41-point explosion, he closes it with a 31-point outburst. The guy probably led a lot of his owners to championships, but I must say, I wish he would have gotten those 10 extra points. I don’t hold grudges, but c’mon.

Other Champs

Ryan Mathews–I left him on my bench. Lost by 10. Would have won by 20. A lot is going to be made about how well Mathews finished this year over the offseason, but don’t believe it. He played the Broncos. We could both rush for 100 yards against their defense.

Tim Tebow–He might be the most valuable QB in the fantasy playoffs with 22, 22 and 27 point showings. Ridiculous.

Michael Bush–Run DMC didn’t play and Bush took advantage. Page the Chiefs, they were supposed to play a game yesterday.

Brian Westbrook–He killed me with 2 TDs in what seemed like a 5-second span. For this, you are dead to me, old man.

Guys That Left You Wanting More…a Lot More

Jason Witten–10 points on the final drive…none before that. It’s nice that he got the 10, but playing against third stringers all game, you’d think he would do a lot better.

All QBs–No one really did that great. Hate to paint with a broad brushstroke, but yeah. It’s true.

Rashard Mendenhall–He did have 2 TDs, but easily could have had 3 or even 4. With that many points left out there, you have to feel at least a little bit cheated.

Players You Now Hate (Because They Lost You a Championship)

Adrian Peterson–Seriously? Only 30 yards against the Lions, a matchup which Peterson has absolutely owned in the past. This killed A LOT of teams.

Peyton Hillis–He reaaaaaalllly stunk it up in the postseason. Hopefully the Browns can bring in some other talent on offense to take advantage of his skillz.

Players I Love/Hate Score-Tracker

Jamaal Charles: +1
Kevin Kolb: +1
Larry Fitzgerald: +1
Brandon Marshall: +1
Chris Johnson: -1
Justin Forsett: -1
The Rams: +1 (ironic that they have virtually no fantasy relevance in a game they HAD to win)
Joe Flacco: -1
Tom Brady: -1

Last week’s score: +1
Current standing: +12

I was more right than wrong. You’re welcome.

Check out all the articles from the Players I Love/Hate series. Players I Love: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V. Players I Hate: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V.

These attributes all describe one of the greatest athletes in the history of the NFL. One who had merely gotten by in the past on sheer talent alone, and then in one magical season, finally managed to combine his immense ability with the knowledge of how to play the position of quarterback. He did this all for a team which took a chance on him, signing him to a contract after he had spent a year out of football, having failed to revive the franchise that drafted him with such high hopes.

What a year Randall Cunningham had for the 1998 Minnesota Vikings.

Trying Times

Lost in all the talk about the season Mike Vick is having are the remarkable similarities between his 2010 and Cunningham’s 1998 season. Just consider the facts. After years as the Philadelphia Eagles starter, Cunningham was benched in favor of a veteran QB you’ve likely never heard of–Rodney Peete. Cunningham retired young in 1995, frustrated with his role as a backup and assuming that his better days were behind him. It was billed as a monumental waste of potential. Then after a year out of football, the Vikings called and Cunningham joined the team as a backup to their promising young QB, Brad Johnson, who, himself, was replacing a future Hall of Famer in Warren Moon.

As the Vikings were nearing the end of the 1997 season in full playoff chase-mode, Johnson was injured, forcing Cunningham into the spotlight. Cunningham managed to play the 9-7 Vikings into the playoffs, where, behind his arm, the Vikings completed a comeback victory against the New York Giants in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Vikings then lost in the Divisional round to the San Francisco 49ers.

At the start of the 1998 season, Cunningham was relegated once again to the bench in favor of the young Johnson, but after an injury to Johnson in just the second week of the season, Cunningham took over and directed what was, at the time, the highest scoring offense the NFL had ever seen. They were beyond explosive with the most talented group of WRs in the league and a running game that could break off a long one at any time. Cunningham’s mobility allowed him to extend plays and get the ball deep to standout rookie Randy Moss.

It was breathtaking to watch. Cunningham would let the ball fly, swinging his arm back and then around as if he were a human slingshot. The ball would soar through the air, its high arc rising and then ultimately falling into the hands of rookie WR Randy Moss for a long TD. You just always knew it was going to be completed when the rubber-man corked that bullet back. Ultimately, however, the Vikings ended the season with a 15-1 record and a loss in the NFC Championship game that Vikings fans still have trouble talking about. Does at least two-thirds of this sound familiar yet? I’ll make it easier.

Here’s a brief summary of the similarities between Vick’s 2010 and Cunningham’s 1998.

Kevin Kolb = Brad Johnson
LeSean McCoy = Robert Smith
Andy Reid (established offensive head coach taking a chance on talented QB) = Dennis Green (doing basically the same thing)
3 great Eagles WRs = 3 great Vikings WRs
2010 Eagles offense = 1998 Vikings offense (in the way that they actually score TDs, quickly)

Thus the 2010 version of Michael Vick = the 1998 version of Randall Cunningham.

Now, of course there are some notable differences between the two and I’ll be honest about this: Tuesday night, I was fully expecting to write this article about how in his greatest season, Mike Vick took apart the team that afforded Cunningham his greatest season, but apparently fate had something different in store. So what can be learned from Cunningham’s season? Can Vick really continue this hot streak, or does history dictate something different?

Similarities Gone Unnoticed

Let’s be clear here–Randall Cunningham’s early success and eye-opening abilities largely led the way for Mike Vick to be selected first overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 draft. Before him, NFL teams would never have selected a running QB that high. Cunningham really rewrote what the position could do and where it could go in the future as a second round draft pick for the Eagles. Sure, there had been other running QBs, but none who possessed the skills that Cunningham held.

To begin with, he had an arm that ranks among the best of all time (seriously, just watch the highlight of him throwing a 95 yard TD pass–60 of which it flew through the air–as he scrambled around in his own endzone). His speed and moves have really only been since surpassed by Vick, but there was just more to Cunningham. Whereas Vick jukes and spins his way around defenders, Cunningham would kind of…bend around them. It’s like he was made out of rubber or was the living incarnation of Gumby himself. Buddy Ryan, the former Eagles head coach and Bears defensive coordinator, ran an offense where Cunningham was instructed to think run first in order to seemingly maximize his talents. That resulted in a 942 yard rushing season in 1990; a record for the position and one which would eventually be broken by Vick in 2006 with over 1,000 yards rushing. Cunningham was deemed “The Ultimate Weapon” by Sports Illustrated, a title which contributed to Cunningham’s ultimate downfall.

Like Vick, Cunningham wasted his gifts. Sure, he had some nice statistical seasons as a passer, but he never excelled the way he should have. These two gifted athletes were content to skate by on their exceptional skill set, never learning how to truly quarterback a team. Once Cunningham was humiliated by his benching in Philadelphia and subsequent early retirement, he joined the Vikings as a much more receptive student to the game. It didn’t hurt that he possessed future Hall of Fame WRs in Randy Moss and Cris Carter at his disposal, but as the triggerman for their deadly offense, he piled up a career high in TD passes with 34, and would have shattered basically every career record for himself if he had played in every game. Vick was also humiliated (albeit with a year in prison) and has already passed for more yards and TDs than he ever did in Atlanta with what has been an abbreviated season for him due to injury.

Their similarities are astounding. These two passers, both of which stand head and shoulders talentwise above any others who played the position were both knocked down, became more susceptive to coaching and working hard at their craft, and flourished.

Eventually Cunningham proved unable to duplicate the success of his 1998 season, as in the following year he was benched in favor of another QB with wasted potential in Jeff George after throwing 9 picks in only 6 games. Cunningham was released after the season and bounced around for a few years, performing mostly spot duty for teams like the Cowboys and Ravens before ultimately retiring. So does any of this point towards a similar future for Mike Vick?

Future Concerns

Yes and no. I don’t believe that Vick will end up falling back down to earth the way that Cunningham did, mainly due to his athletic skills. For as good of an athlete as Randall was, in 1998, he was mainly a pocket passer. Years of injuries and the culmination of the pounding he had taken as a run-first QB in Philadelphia had eroded his once feared mobility. In 1998, he only rushed 32 times for 132 yards and one TD; compare that to Vick this season where he has rushed 100 times for 679 yards and 9 TDs. If Vick goes through a rough passing period, he will still be able to use his legs to make plays. This is a luxury that Cunningham did not have late in his career.

As last night’s game showed, however, Vick will always be prone to injuries. At barely 6 feet tall and only 215 pounds, and the seeming inability/desire to slide after running, Vick leaves himself open to a ton of shots. Cunningham only weighed 212 pounds while he played, but he stood at an impressive 6-foot-4. Keep in mind that defensive players are much bigger, faster and stronger today than what they were in the 90s as well. With Vick’s style of play, you just have to wonder for how long he can keep this up. Sure, he’s become a much better passer this year, but as the Vikings exposed on Tuesday, if you are able to blitz him, he’ll take off and you’ll be able to get your hits on a relatively small guy.

Still, I think that Vick will be able to capitalize on the opportunity in front of him and make the most out of his immense talent. He has the coaching staff and talent in front of him and after this season, a contract more than likely to justify his playing time won’t be benched. Cunningham, for the large part, wasn’t able to fully utilize his gifts. He had his one season where it all for the most part came together, but that was it. Vick stands now with an opportunity to fulfill the promise that both his and Cunningham’s talents initially presented.

From a fantasy standpoint, Vick is a lock to be a Top 5 pick in next year’s drafts. From a real life standpoint, Vick being able to keep up his exceptional play is a bit of an unknown. He may continue to score rushing TDs and pile up the yards, but it’s wins that make a player great. Vick is winning this year and putting on a show doing it, and it’s a joy to watch, honestly. There is nothing better than seeing an immense talent finally figure it all out. Will he keep this up? Has he turned a corner? Was his Monday night performance against the Washington Redskins the peak of his career like Cunningham’s 400 yard, 4 TD performance was for him against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night?

I don’t know the answers to these questions and I don’t think Vick does either. Yet, with a seemingly perfectly set-up for him to succeed in the future, hopefully we’ll get a chance to see this redemption story continue for a little bit longer. Cunningham gave us a taste; Vick can give us a second half of his career-long meal.

Come to think of it, maybe I got this all wrong. That Joe Webb did look fairly Cunningham-ish last night…

Best QB

34 points from Aaron Rodgers as he was returning from a concussion (bet you haven’t heard that line yet) and playing in a must-win game for both teams. Rodgers beat down the Giants, accounting for 4 TDs and 400 yards passing. You probably didn’t make it to your championship round, however, if you own Rodgers since he was knocked out of Week 14 before posting really any numbers and missed Week 15 altogether. Oh well.

Runner-Up QBs

Josh Freeman–5 TDs. I love Josh Freeman. He’s had just one game this year when he scored in single digits, and that was in Week 3. I want him next year, bad.

Carson Palmer–Raise your hand if you started the Chargers defense expecting them to just destroy the Bengals; I know I’m one of them. Palmer was next to unstoppable as he passed for 4 TDs and 269 yards. It was frankly his best game in years. The pundits have been calling for the Bengals to get rid of Palmer for the majority of this season, but look what he did with his ball-demanding, big mouth receivers both on the bench. Palmer distributed the ball to open receivers instead of forcing it to his “names.” Cincinnati should seriously consider restructuring the talent around Palmer.

Matt Cassel–With or without an appendix, Matt Cassel can still throw TDs.

Jay Cutler–His 3rd quarter was fantastic.: 3 TDs and over 100 yards passing. He also rushed for a TD earlier in the game. That’s neat.

Other Players at Other Positions That Did Pretty Well

Johnny Knox–Knox was the main recipient of Cutler’s hot streak with close to 100 yards receiving and 2 TDs. Before the season began, I wrote that the one Bears WR you wanted to own was Knox. Turns out I was right.

Jamaal Charles–The one knock on Charles is that he doesn’t score a lot of TDs but piles up the yardage. Well, he scored 2 TDs and accounted for over 100 yards of offense this past week. I will never understand how woefully underused he has been this season, but I don’t think anyone has ever done more with so little touches. He’s second in the league in rushing while averaging a sick 6.3 yards per carry on only 216 carries.

LeGarrette Blount–He didn’t score a TD, but he did have 164 yards rushing on only 18 carries. Two big runs helped his cause, including one ridiculous highlight-reel stomp, but his other 16 carries weren’t that bad either.

Players You Now Hate (Because They Lost You a Championship)

Peyton Hillis–30 yards. Hillis bulldozed your way into the playoffs and then ran you right out of them.

Darren McFadden–45 yards rushing and around 70 total yards. The Colts’ suddenly stingy run defense has greatly disappointed both Maurice Jones-Drew and McFadden in back-to-back weeks. Who would’ve thought it?

Waiver Wire Claim of the Week: No One

Sorry, it’s the final week of the season and if your championship round continues for one more week, then you’re stuck with who you got. There are no notable players. I guess grabbing the Atlanta Falcons defense as they play against the Carolina Panthers will count as a claim, but really, that’s all I got.

Players I Love/Hate Score-Tracker

Jamaal Charles: +1
Kevin Kolb: +1
Larry Fitzgerald: -1
Brandon Marshall: +1
Chris Johnson: +1
Justin Forsett: -1
The Rams: -1
Joe Flacco: -1
Tom Brady: -1

Last week’s score: -1
Current standing: +11

Check out all the articles from the Players I Love/Hate series. Players I Love: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V. Players I Hate: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V.

Not the most exciting game out there. At least it’s fantasy relevant. So start these guys, sit these dudes, and hope that the Miami Heat get schooled.

Start These Guys

Jon Kitna–He throws for a lot of yards a good amount of TDs. The Cardinals are bad on defense across the board. Kitna might even get a rushing TD if you’re lucky. Happy holidays!

Larry Fitzgerald–Say what you want about the Cardinals’ QB situation, but John Skelton FINALLY got the ball to Fitzgerald last week. I see another 100 yard game for Fitz with a TD in the early portion of the game.

Tashard Choice–I choose you, Tashard (if Felix Jones is hurt and Choice gets the majority of the touches, which looks very probable right now)!

Tim Hightower–He was AWFUL last week after I encouraged y’all to start him. I think he’ll be able to have an impact against the Cowboys, but he’s still not much better than a flex play.

Sit ‘Em, Dudes!

Both defenses–Arizona needs a return TD to be worthy of a start, but you’re playing with fire. The Cowboys…nope. Don’t do it.

Miles Austin–It’s the Jason Witten show through the air in Dallas and Austin just doesn’t get enough looks. He’s been dropping a lot of passes this year too.

Felix Jones--Let’s face it–he’ll never be the elite fantasy option that we all have hoped he would turn into.

Anyone else playing–Let me paint with a broad brush stroke. No one else has fantasy value, except for Jason Witten, but you’re starting him anyway regardless of what I say. Sit everyone else.

Well, this matchup is even worse as we, the viewing public, are supposed to watch the wretched Carolina Panthers attempt to hang with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are looking for a bounce-back win. There are really only a few reasons to watch this game: you’re a Steelers fan, a Panthers fan hoping that Jimmy Clausen will show you SOMETHING or you just get some sick pleasure out of having your eardrums tortured by the full-court press that is Joe Theismann and Matt Millen.

But no matter, we don’t judge here at RantSports. Let’s get to the Start/Sit’s.

Start ‘Em

Mike Wallace–The guy needs one play to have a fantasy impact. I like his odds.

Rashard Mendenhall–Back-to-back 100 yard games with a TD is a near certainty. Bank it, I think he could actually end up in the Top 5 of scoring at his position this week.

Jonathan Stewart–The Steelers have a great rush defense, but I see one TD in the cards for Stewart. He receives the majority of the carries and is a threat receiving as well. A solid flex option.

Steelers Defense–They may give up at least one TD, but I think that’s all. Clausen will hand them a score too.

Don’t Even Think About Playing ‘Em!

Ben Roethlisberger–I just don’t think he’ll need to pass that much. He’ll get Wallace his points but will probably max out at 10 or 11 himself.

Mike Goodson–Both of the Carolina RBs can’t succeed against the rough Steelers D.

Steve Smith–He’s a name, but one that you shouldn’t even remotely consider starting.

Hines Ward--30 yards. That’s what I predict.


QB: Carson Palmer vs. the San Diego Chargers

Hey look, the Bengals win a game if they don’t let Carson Palmer throw it. What do you think will happen here?

Runner Up: Ben Roethlisberger vs. the Carolina Panthers

Ben has been putting up mediocre numbers in the past few weeks…and the Panthers are really easy to run on. He’ll still get 10 or so points, but that’ll be the best he does.

RB: Mike Goodson and Jonathan Stewart vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers

The only source of offense that the Panthers have is their running game. I like one of these for a score late in the game, but which one? Stewart is the better play, but it’s awfully risky.

RB No. 2: Matt Forte vs. the New York Jets

When the Bears successfully run the ball, it’s for around 80 yards for Forte. You need a score here and I don’t think you’ll get it. Cutler is due for a 3 INT game, too. If he forced it to DeAngelo Hall, imagine what he’ll do to Revis Island. That equals fewer touches for Forte.

Runner Ups: Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs vs. the Green Bay Packers

I really don’t like starting Bradshaw at all anymore. Sure, he’ll get his touches, but Jacobs is just the better runner right now. He’s fresh after riding the bench for the majority of the year and the Giants will pound the ball with him first. Forget Bradshaw and start Jacobs.

Flex: Peyton Hillis vs. the Baltimore Ravens

He beasted against them earlier this season…but that was a long, long time ago. Hillis has dropped back down to earth in recent weeks; this trend will continue.

WR: Roddy White vs. the New Orleans Saints

You’re not NOT starting White. He’s as matchup proof as they come.

WR No. 2: Chad Ochocinco vs. the San Diego Chargers

Ochocinco will get like 50 yards. If that works for you, then feel free to start him.

Runners Up: Mike Wallace vs. the Carolina Panthers

Wallace only needs one play to have a great fantasy day. Logically, he will be on the field for quite some time, so his chances of having one good play are actually pretty high. All of Roethlisberger’s points will come from Wallace.

TE: There are no relevant matchups with anyone you would be considering starting, so forget it.

K: Does it matter?

No. Don’t start someone on a bad offense and you’ll be fine.

D/ST: The Buffalo Bills vs. the New England Patriots

Why would you start a defense playing the Patriots?

Runner Up: The Minnesota Vikings vs. the Philadelphia Eagles

The Vikings are phoning it in, big time. Worse than the Cowboys earlier this season. The Eagles could score 60 points.

Top Performer

At one point Mike Vick had 1 fantasy point in the 2nd quarter and things didn’t look like they were going the get any better. In fact, I was in a bar with a concerned Vick owner who was losing his mind. Here is a brief sample of our conversation:

Him: Oh God, I knew I should have started Philip Rivers! I’m going to lose in every league now! God I’m going to be out of the playoffs….(hangs his head).

Me: Don’t worry, it’s only the 2nd quarter. He’s going to get at least 20 points. There’s no way that the Giants can hold him in check like this for the entire game. He’ll get at least one rushing TD.

(Vick throws a pick)

Him: (face goes white) Well, there you go… I’m done.

37 points later, he was singing a different tune. I only hope that he will still end up losing anyway; we’re in the same league and I would rather not play Vick for the championship.

Studs

Ray Rice–The Ravens decided to pound the ball against the Saints, much as they did last year as they were heading down the playoff stretch. 33 points equals the next-best point total of the weekend and the Ravens have cushy matchups against the Browns and Bengals. Now both those teams can play spoiler to the Ravens and the Bengals did beat the Ravens in Week 2, but neither team presents an overwhelming challenge for Rice. 20 points per game for the next two weeks is not out of reach.

Vincent Jackson–I wrote a start/sit for this game and one of my starts was Malcom Floyd. I wrote something along the lines of “forget about Vincent Jackson, Floyd is the guy here.” 3 TDs and 100 yards later for Jackson and a no-show for Floyd (he sat out with injury), I was badly wrong. Sorry there.

Eli Manning–Lost in the Eagles exciting comeback win was Manning’s exceptional game. 4 TDs, only one turnover and close to 300 yards passing is an exceptional game. Too bad it was wasted (for him) in defeat.

Rex Grossman–How bad is the Cowboys defense? They allowed Rex Grossman to pass for 4 TDs, two 2-point conversions and over 300 yards. Of course, he also had three turnovers but hey, at least his scores outweighed his turnovers. Who knows if Mike Shanahan will want to see anymore from Grossman next week or if he’ll give John Beck a shot, but either way, I wouldn’t trust Grossman to duplicate this stat line.

Underachievers

Tim Tebow–Why is he here? Because his 4th string RB dropped a 30 yard TD pass. Otherwise his performance was impressive; at least from a fantasy perspective.

The 100 yard receivers–Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Kenny Britt, Mike Wallace, and Josh Morgan. All had over 100 yards receiving, but all also failed to score. You’ll take the 100 yards, but that extra 6 points would have been helpful.

LeGarrette Blount–He only got 15 carries but still managed to rush for 110 yards and a TD. So what’s the problem here? Well, why did he only get 15 carries?

Duds

Peyton Hillis–Hillis has pulled a disappearing act so far in the playoffs as defenses have keyed off on him, limiting him to, at best, 5 fantasy points. With looming games against both the Steelers and Ravens…well, though Hillis probably got you into the playoffs, he’ll also probably get you out of the playoffs.

Maurice Jones-Drew–Six straight games of at least 100 yards came to an end against the least likely of defenses…the Colts. When push came to shove, the Colts simply wanted it more and they shut down Jones-Drew. Hopefully, he’ll apologize to his owners again.

I know, I almost can't believe it, either. A Colts running back??

Waiver Wire Claim of the Week: Donald Brown

He finally played like the 1st round draft pick that the Colts hoped he would be. 129 yards rushing and a TD off of a limited amount of carries make for a very impressive fantasy day. With Joseph Addai still expected to miss a few more games, the Colts would be wise to continue feeding the ball to Brown. The Raiders aren’t exactly the best run defense in the world either. Brown is a solid flex.

Players I Love/Hate Score-Tracker

Jamaal Charles: +1
Kevin Kolb: +1
Larry Fitzgerald: +1
Brandon Marshall: -1
Chris Johnson: -1
Justin Forsett: -1
The Rams: -1
Joe Flacco: +1
Tom Brady: +1

Last week’s score: 0
Current standing: +12

Check out all the articles from the Players I Love/Hate series. Players I Love: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V. Players I Hate: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V.

I guess it’s just payback for the NFL Network’s ongoing feud with cable providers everywhere that forces large amounts of a football guzzling nation to watch the box scores of games update on their computer screens for a little over three hours.

So yes, this is a terrible game, but not one without any fantasy significance.

Start Those Chargers

Philip Rivers--I only include Rivers because he has been going through some sub-par fantasy weeks (for him) and you may be thinking about switching him out for someone like Jon Kitna or even Alex Smith. Are you crazy? You have to start Rivers. His downside is like 10 points while his upside is around 30. Make no mistake, this is a passing offense and the Chargers will pass a lot early to open up a big lead. Then they’ll pound the ball to run time off the clock, but Rivers will already have his points.

Michael Tolbert/Ryan Mathews–Last week, both of these frustrating runners ended up with a fairly equal distribution of touches and something tells me this usage pattern will continue. They ended up with 13 and 12 points respectively, too. I have no problem with starting either at a flex spot.

Malcom Floyd–Forget Vincent Jackson, Floyd is the man. That is all.

Antonio Gates (if healthy)–The best TE in fantasy football may or may not play and you really don’t want to start any of his backups. Find out before the game if he’ll play and either plug him in or send him to the bench.

Chargers Defense–Do you think Alex Smith is actually capable of back-to-back good games? I don’t either.

Sit Those 49ers

Alex Smith–I think I just covered this one…

Brian Westbrook/Anthony Dixon–Neither one possess the skill set anywhere close to the one that Frank Gore possesses…Westbrook had a nice catch and run last week, but that was against the Seahawks…Foreboding periods should imply that both of these guys should be benched.

Michael Crabtree–He kind of maxes out at 80 yards and a TD, and I don’t think he’ll reach either mark.

Vernon Davis–Davis is really talented, but the Chargers won’t let the 49ers’ best offensive player beat them.

49ers Defense–Clearly I’m projecting a lot of points for the Chargers, so just simple math tells me that this defense will not have a good game. They will need a turnover converted into a TD or a special teams score (which can occur against the Chargers) to be worth a start, and I don’t want to depend upon either.

Chargers win the game 42-3.

Here are the players who feature the worst fantasy matchups for Week 15:

QB: Alex Smith vs. the San Diego Chargers

Once again, the Chargers are the best fantasy defense against QBs…and this week here comes Alex Smith. Smith did throw for 3 TDs last week against the Seahawks, so you may be intrigued by his potential, but c’mon. You’re not going to start Smith playing on the road against a team that just shut out their division rival and this is all on a short week.

Runner Up: Joe Flacco vs. the Saints

You can run on the Saints, but you can’t pass the ball. The Ravens seem confused about how they want to attack opposing defenses and I expect John Harbaugh to demand a return to the Ravens pounding the rock once they open up a lead on opposing teams. I have the feeling this will be a shoot out, but I think Flacco’s point totals will be low. Don’t start him.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene vs. the Steelers

Have you watched the Jets’ offense lately? They can’t run the ball, they can’t pass the ball, they can’t even block. Tomlinson has seen his performance steadily drop off as the season has gone on and Greene really hasn’t done anything this season. You know that you can’t play either.

RB No. 2: Rashard Mendenhall vs. the Jets

On the flip side of the coin, the Jets have done a fantastic job shutting down the opposing team’s running game and the Steelers have really struggled with their offense as of late. I’ve been down on Mendenhall for a while now and not much has changed. He’s definitely not matchup-proof. Don’t start.

Runner Ups: BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead vs. the Packers

Let’s face it, any Patriots offensive player is matchup-proof. This week they’re playing against a Packers team which more than likely won’t have Aaron Rodgers behind center. What does that mean? Another blowout and the Patriots pounding the ball late. They’ve been going to Fred Taylor late in games, but I think that both the Law Firm and Woodhead are worthy flex plays.

Flex: Chris Ivory vs. the Ravens

Ivory was well on his way to another 100 yard day last week when he tweaked his hamstring and the Saints decided to err on the side of caution by not letting him back in the game. With the return of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, the Saints’ backfield is back to being as muddled as it has been for the past several seasons. Ivory is probably the best runner out of all of them, but Sean Payton doesn’t care about things like that. He’s too risky to roll with.

Flacco's telling him, Anquan, I love you man, but even I wouldn't start you this week against the Saints.

He’s been kind of disappointing this season from a statistical standpoint. Derrick Mason has been getting the majority of targets anyway, including 2 TDs in Monday night’s win over the Texans. Sit him.

WR No. 2: Larry Fitzgerald vs. the Panthers

Fitzgerald showed that he can somewhat function with rookie QB John Skelton starting by putting up around 70 yards, but this offense will clearly switch to a more run-based attack with Skelton under center. It’s not clear whether or not Derek Anderson will return from his concussion this week, but does it really even matter? The Panthers have a unique strategy, shut down the pass by allowing everyone to rush on them. Bench Fitz.

Runners Up: Deion Branch vs. the Packers

This will be short, start him. The Patriots’ offensive machine will guarantee that he gets at least 10 points.

TE: Antonio Gates vs. the 49ers

Here’s another easy decision. If he’s healthy, you play him. If not, you don’t. Since he’s playing this Thursday, you have plenty of time to put in another TE, but I wouldn’t consider any of his backups.

Runner Up: Kellen Winslow vs. the Lions

Once again, I skipped down a little to find a TE that you would even consider starting with a less-than-favorable matchup, so here’s Winslow. He’s been playing very well in recent weeks, but he is also very dependent upon big catches yardage wise and TDs. Still, when a player is hot, I think you kind of have to go with him. Start Winslow.

K: Does it matter? No. Don’t start someone on a bad offense and you’ll be fine.

D/ST: The Packers vs. the Patriots

New rule: never start a defense if they’re playing the Patriots. Just don’t do it.

Runner Up: The Giants vs. the Eagles

The Giants managed 8 points against the Eagles on the road a few weeks ago and I think that they could get a turnover or two. Still, a Mike Vick-led offense is not exactly ideal. Avoid this if you can.