By Jeff Erickson
Week 13: Thursday Game: Green Bay at Dallas
Here are our rankings for the coming week at each position to help you decide your starting lineup. Our rankings are based on the following scoring system: three points for a passing touchdown; six points for a rushing/receiving touchdown; one point for every 20 passing yards; and one point for every 10 rushing/receiving yards.
Last updated November 27. * = check status (not necessarily injury status)
Quarterback
- *Tom Brady NE at BAL -- Note: Non-throwing elbow is a little banged up. He'll likely show up as his usual "probable" again on the injury report this week.
- Derek Anderson CLE at AZ
- *Tony Romo DAL vs. GB -- Note: Minor injury to his pinkie finger.
- Brett Favre GB at DAL
- Ben Roethlisberger PIT vs. CIN
- *Kurt Warner AZ vs. CLE -- Note: Sore ribs added to the medley of injuries he'll try to play through.
- Peyton Manning IND vs. JAC
- Carson Palmer CIN at PIT
- *Matt Hasselbeck SEA at PHI -- Note: Ribs feeling much better than they did last week.
- *Jon Kitna DET at MIN -- Note: Sat out practice on Monday with a sore knee, but is slated to return on Wednesday.
- *Marc Bulger STL vs. ATL -- Note: CAT scans for his concussion on Monday came up negative. We'll likely see him over Gus Frerotte this week, pending the NFL's standard post-concussion tests.
- Drew Brees NO vs. TB
- *Vince Young TEN vs. HOU -- Note: Mild ankle sprain.
- Matt Schaub HOU at TEN
- Jason Campbell WAS vs. BUF
- David Garrard JAC at IND
- Eli Manning NYG at CHI
- *Jeff Garcia TB at NO -- Note: Early back injury was a fantasy killer last week. Status for this week is still up in the air. He can't throw a ball yet. We might see Bruce Gradkowski or Luke McCown instead.
- Philip Rivers SD at KC
- *Kyle Boller BAL vs. NE - Note: Named the starter over Steve McNair again this week.
- *Donovan McNabb PHI vs. SEA -- Note: McNabb's status is up in the air for this week - coach Andy Reid said that he wanted to make sure that he's 100 percent before committing to starting him over A.J. Feeley.
- *Trent Dilfer SF at CAR
- Jay Cutler DEN at OAK
- Brodie Croyle KC vs. SD
- *Daunte Culpepper OAK vs. DEN
- Rex Grossman CHI vs. NYG
- Kellen Clemens NYJ at MIA
- Tarvaris Jackson MIN vs. DET
- *Joey Harrington ATL at STL -- Note: Will start even with Byron Leftwich available to play again. Somewhere, a tree fell in the forest.
- *Trent Edwards BUF at WAS -- Note: Named the starter for the rest of the year.
- *Vinny Testaverde CAR vs. SF
- John Beck MIA vs. NYJ
Running Back
- LaDainian Tomlinson SD at KC
- *Brian Westbrook PHI vs. SEA
- Joseph Addai IND vs. JAC
- Steven Jackson STL vs. ATL -- Note: Got banged up a little bit last week, but should be good-to-go again this week.
- Willie Parker PIT vs. CIN
- Willis McGahee BAL vs. NE
- Edgerrin James AZ vs. CLE
- Justin Fargas OAK vs. DEN
- Frank Gore SF at CAR
- LenDale White TEN vs. HOU
- *Earnest Graham TB at NO
- *Kolby Smith KC vs. SD
- *Ryan Grant GB at DAL
- Jamal Lewis CLE at AZ
- Clinton Portis WAS vs. BUF
- Marion Barber DAL vs. GB
- *Adrian Peterson MIN vs. DET - Note: Looks like he'll return to action, but how many carries will he get?
- *Maurice Morris SEA at PHI
- Maurice Jones-Drew JAC at IND -- Note: Late touchdown salvaged an otherwise ugly day.
- *Reggie Bush NO vs. TB -- Note: Played despite a painful shin injury last week.
- Ron Dayne HOU at TEN
- *Reuben Droughns NYG at CHI
- *Selvin Young DEN at OAK -- Note: Expected to return this week against the Raiders - how many carries will he get, and how many will Andre Hall get (if he can play)? All three running backs have question marks, and it's a late game again for the Twins - seems like the perfect set-up for a Shanahan screw job. If he's clearly the guy this week, he could very well be a top 10 back.
- Adrian Peterson CHI vs. NYG -- Note: Starting now that Benson is out for the year. Garrett Wolfe may take away some carries.
- Fred Taylor JAC at IND
- *Rudi Johnson CIN at PIT -- Note: Is he really back, or was that just a case of the Titans really missing Albert Haynesworth?
- Thomas Jones NYJ at MIA
- *Kevin Jones DET at MIN
- Warrick Dunn ATL at STL -- Note: Jason Snelling is now the new short-yardage back, taking away basically any chances Dunn might have had near the goal line.
- Julius Jones DAL vs. GB
- *Laurence Maroney NE at BAL
- Chester Taylor MIN vs. DET
- *Chris Brown TEN vs. HOU
- Najeh Davenport PIT vs. CIN
- *Brandon Jacobs NYG at CHI -- Note: Could very well miss a second game (hamstring).
- *Jesse Chatman MIA vs. NYJ -- Note: Left with a neck injury in addition to his ankle injury.
- *DeShaun Foster CAR vs. SF -- Note: What's it going to take for DeAngelo Williams to get more of a chance?
- *Andre Hall DEN at OAK -- Note: High ankle sprain against the Bears.
- Kenny Watson CIN at PIT
- Correll Buckhalter PHI vs. SEA
- *Anthony Thomas BUF at WAS -- Note: Dealing with a calf injury.
- *Aaron Stecker NO vs. TB -- Note: More carries than Reggie Bush last week.
- DeAngelo Williams CAR vs. SF -- Note: What's it going to take to get him some more work? Just four carries last week.
- Kenton Keith IND vs. JAC
- *T.J. Duckett DET at MIN
- *Fred Jackson BUF at WAS -- Note: In the mix with the Bills' running back injuries.
- *Michael Pittman TB at NO
- Adimchinobe Echemandu HOU at TEN
- Leon Washington NYJ at MIA
- Kevin Faulk NE at BAL
- Leonard Weaver SEA at PHI
- Greg Jones JAC at IND
- Ladell Betts WAS vs. BUF
- Musa Smith BAL vs. NE
- *Maurice Hicks SF at CAR
- *Jerious Norwood ATL at STL
- Jason Wright CLE at AZ
- Michael Turner SD at KC
- *Dwayne Wright BUF at WAS
- Brian Leonard STL vs. ATL
- *Ahmad Bradshaw NYG at CHI
- Michael Robinson SF at CAR
- *Shaun Alexander SEA at PHI -- Note: Status will be determined on Wednesday.
- *Travis Henry DEN at OAK -- Note: Expects to be healthy enough to play, if he's not suspended. We'll see.
- *Patrick Cobbs MIA vs. NYJ
- *Ahman Green HOU at TEN -- Note: No change in his status yet (knee).
- *Marshawn Lynch BUF at WAS -- Note: Unlikely to play again this week due to his high ankle sprain.
- *Larry Johnson KC vs. SD
Wide Receiver
- Randy Moss NE at BAL
- Terrell Owens DAL vs. GB
- Reggie Wayne IND vs. JAC
- Braylon Edwards CLE at AZ
- Larry Fitzgerald AZ vs. CLE
- Andre Johnson HOU at TEN
- Hines Ward PIT vs. CIN -- Note: Always feasts against the Bengals.
- Greg Jennings GB at DAL
- Wes Welker NE at BAL
- T.J. Houshmandzadeh CIN at PIT
- Marques Colston NO vs. TB
- Chad Johnson CIN at PIT
- Anquan Boldin AZ vs. CLE
- Bobby Engram SEA at PHI
- Joey Galloway TB at NO -- Note: Value hinges upon the health of Jeff Garcia.
- Torry Holt STL vs. ATL -- Note: Same issue as Galloway - no Bulger, big drop in value.
- Brandon Marshall DEN at OAK
- Donald Driver GB at DAL
- Chris Henry CIN at PIT
- *Plaxico Burress NYG at CHI
- Deion Branch SEA at PHI -- Note: Targets should go up with Hackett out.
- Bernard Berrian CHI vs. NYG -- Note: Amazing catch to put the game in overtime last week.
- Roy Williams DET at MIN -- Note: Should be productive if Antoine Winfield is out again, but then again, he should have been having a better year anyhow.
- Roddy White ATL at STL
- Jerricho Cotchery NYJ at MIA
- *Calvin Johnson DET at MIN
- Dwayne Bowe KC vs. SD
- Kevin Curtis PHI vs. SEA
- Derrick Mason BAL vs. NE
- Arnaz Battle SF at CAR
- Reggie Brown PHI vs. SEA
- Shaun McDonald DET at MIN
- Lee Evans BUF at WAS
- Justin Gage TEN vs. HOU
- Chris Chambers SD at KC
- *Patrick Crayton DAL vs. GB -- Note: Should return from the ankle injury that kept him out last week.
- Kevin Walter HOU at TEN
- Donte Stallworth NE at BAL
- *Steve Smith CAR vs. SF
- Reggie Williams JAC at IND
- *Isaac Bruce STL vs. ATL -- Note: Sprained left hand.
- *Santana Moss WAS vs. BUF -- Note: Heel injury is still bothering him.
- David Patten NO vs. TB
- Anthony Gonzalez IND vs. JAC
- Sidney Rice MIN vs. DET
- Muhsin Muhammad CHI vs. NYG
- Bryant Johnson AZ vs. CLE
- Roscoe Parrish BUF at WAS
- Ronald Curry OAK vs. DEN
- Marty Booker MIA vs. NYJ
- *Brandon Stokley DEN at OAK -- Note: Tweaked his knee in the loss to the Bears.
- Ike Hilliard TB at NO
- *Joe Jurevicius CLE at AZ
- Amani Toomer NYG at CHI
- Ted Ginn MIA vs. NYJ
- *Jerry Porter OAK vs. DEN
- Roydell Williams TEN vs. HOU
- Keenan McCardell WAS vs. BUF
- Brandon Jones TEN vs. HOU
- James Jones GB at DAL
- Mark Clayton BAL vs. NE
- Ernest Wilford JAC at IND
- Nate Burleson SEA at PHI
- Dennis Northcutt JAC at IND
- Vincent Jackson SD at KC
- Mike Furrey DET at MIN
- Devery Henderson NO vs. TB
- Andre Davis HOU at TEN
- Josh Reed BUF at WAS
- Drew Carter CAR vs. SF
- Laurent Robinston ATL at STL
- Brad Smith NYJ at MIA
- *Laveranues Coles NYJ at MIA -- Note: Probably a game-time decision again this week.
- *Santonio Holmes PIT vs. CIN -- Note: Probably won't know until later in the week whether he can return from his ankle injury.
- *Marvin Harrison IND vs. JAC -- Note: Colts are "hopeful" that Harrison can return from his knee injury this week. This is a pretty big game for them - potentially bigger, strategically, than the Patriots game earlier this year.
- *Drew Bennett STL vs. ATL -- Note: Aggravated his hamstring injury again last week.
- *Darrell Jackson SF at CAR
- *Javon Walker DEN at OAK -- Note: Only on the field for eight plays last week - should get more work this week.
- *Demetrius Williams BAL vs. NE
- *Antwaan Randle El WAS vs. BUF
- *James Thrash WAS vs. BUF
- *D.J. Hackett SEA at PHI -- Note: Out at least two weeks after re-injuring his ankle.
Tight End
- Kellen Winslow CLE at AZ
- Antonio Gates SD at KC
- Jason Witten DAL vs. GB
- Jeremy Shockey NYG at CHI
- Dallas Clark IND vs. JAC
- Donald Lee GB at DAL
- Owen Daniels HOU at TEN
- Tony Gonzalez KC vs. SD
- Chris Cooley WAS vs. BUF
- Tony Scheffler DEN at OAK
- Heath Miller PIT vs. CIN
- Ben Watson NE at BAL
- Vernon Davis SF at CAR
- *Alge Crumpler ATL at STL
- L.J. Smith PHI vs. SEA
- Chris Baker NYJ at MIA
- Greg Olsen CHI vs. NYG -- Note: A couple of bad drops last week.
- Marcedes Lewis JAC at IND -- Note: The only remaining healthy tight end for the Jags.
- Bo Scaife TEN vs. HOU
- Alex Smith TB at NO
- Leonard Pope AZ vs. CLE
- Eric Johnson NO vs. TB
- Randy McMichael STL vs. ATL
- Jeff King CAR vs. SF
- Desmond Clark CHI vs. NYG
- Quinn Sypniewski BAL vs. NE
- *Todd Heap BAL vs. NE
Note: Still a week-to-week (hamstring) proposition. - Will Heller SEA at PHI
- Ben Utecht IND vs. JAC
- Zach Miller OAK vs. DEN
- *Robert Royal BUF at WAS
Kicker
- Nick Folk DAL vs. GB
- Stephen Gostkowski NE at BAL
- Rob Bironas TEN vs. HOU
- Robbie Gould CHI vs. NYG
- Jeff Reed PIT vs. CIN -- Note: Check out the status of the quagmire before making your starting lineup decision.
- David Akers PHI vs. SEA
- Phil Dawson CLE at AZ
- Jeff Wilkins STL vs. ATL
- Ryan Longwell MIN vs. DET
- *Adam Vinatieri IND vs. JAC
- Shayne Graham CIN at PIT
- Josh Brown SEA at PHI
- Neil Rackers AZ vs. CLE
- Mason Crosby GB at DAL
- Nate Kaeding SD at KC
- Matt Stover BAL vs. NE
- Kris Brown HOU at TEN
- Lawrence Tynes NYG at CHI
- Jason Elam DEN at OAK
- Jason Hanson DET at MIN
- Sebastian Janikowski OAK vs. DEN
- Rian Lindell BUF at WAS
- Joe Nedney SF at CAR
- Morten Andersen ATL at STL
Defense
- New England at Baltimore
- Minnesota vs. Detroit
- Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati
- New York Giants at Chicago
- Indianapolis vs. Jacksonville
- Tampa Bay at New Orleans
- St. Louis vs. Atlanta -- Note: Quietly, this unit has improved considerably.
- New Orleans vs. Tampa Bay -- Note: Watch for Jeff Garcia's status. If they're going up against Gradkowski or McCown, they could be a huge play this week.
- Chicago vs. New York Giants
- Tennessee vs. Houston
- Kansas City vs. San Diego
- San Francisco at Carolina
- Seattle at Philadelphia
- Denver at Oakland
- San Diego at Kansas City
- Jacksonville at Indianapolis
- Washington vs. Buffalo
- Miami vs. New York Jets
- New York Jets at Miami
- Philadelphia vs. Seattle
- Detroit at Minnesota
- Cleveland at Arizona -- Note: Lots of yards given up, but also decent potential for turnovers. Adjust accordingly to your league's scoring system.
- Oakland vs. Denver
- Dallas vs. Green Bay
- Carolina vs. San Francisco
- Buffalo at Washington
- Green Bay at Dallas
- Baltimore vs. New England
- Cincinnati at Pittsburgh -- Note: Playing better as a unit, but unless the turf monster rises up again, this is a bad spot for them.
- Houston at Tennessee
- Arizona vs. Cleveland
- Atlanta at St. Louis