Here's some of the NFL records that are in jeopardy of being broken over the next two weeks...

Rushing yards
NFL record: 2,105, Eric Dickerson, 1984
Current leader: 1,812, Adrian Peterson

Peterson needs to average 94 yards over the final two weeks of the regular season to hit the 2K mark on the ground, and he needs to rip off 146.5 per game to tie Dickerson’s record. Standing between Peterson and history is a Houston defense that ranks fifth in the league against the run, followed by a Packers D that watched Peterson rumble for 210 yards in Week 13.

Receiving yards
NFL record: 1,848, Jerry Rice, 1995
Current leader: 1,667, Calvin Johnson

Megatron has averaged 147 yards per game over his last seven outings. If he hits that number Sunday, he would need just 34 yards against Chicago in Week 17 — and that’s exactly what Johnson gained in an earlier loss to the Bears this season.

Receptions
NFL record: 143, Marvin Harrison, 2002
Current leader: 107, Brandon Marshall

Putting up 18 catches per game over the season’s final two weeks sets a pretty lofty bar for Marshall, but keep in mind that he has had 18- and 21-catch games in his career (though both came with Denver). What won’t help: Marshall figures to draw Arizona’s Patrick Peterson in Week 16, so he’ll have a tough time coming free too many times.

COMPLETE LIST (SI.com)

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Every week I’ll address some topics that have my head spinning after Sunday’s action:

Eli Manning
The season hit a low point for Manning in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals, his third straight game without a TD pass. He’s now gone five straight weeks without a multi-TD pass game while averaging just 212 yards in that span. It’s a far cry from his three two-plus TD days and 315 yards per game average output he displayed in the season’s first five weeks. Hopefully, the bye will help his “tired arm” and give the Giants a chance to regroup on offense. With a remaining schedule ahead that includes GB, @WAS, NO, @ATL, and @BAL I am optimistic he finishes strong.

Michael Vick
Any hopes of owners holding out hope for a turnaround from Vick this season may have been dashed in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys. Not only did the Eagles’ quarterback look awful once again, but he was knocked from the game it was being reported as a “serious concussion”. With the team already leaning towards turning to rookie Nick Foles after a dismal month plus by Vick, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Vick not take another snap this year. It may be a bit premature to write him off, but dumping for a more appealing option makes sense.

Chris Johnson
After being so critical of Johnson through most of the first half of the season, it seems only fitting to toss him a bone while things are going well. Following his 126-yard, one-TD effort on Sunday against the Dolphins, the Titans’ running back has now scored four times in his past three games and has averaged 116 yards per game on the ground over his past. Add in the 15 receptions he’s had during that same span and Johnson has emerged as a legitimate RB1, especially in PPR formats, once again. He has a bye in Week 11, but should be started with confidence going forward.

Chris Ivory
My hunch play in Week 10 was Ivory. Despite the muddled backfield in New Orleans, Ivory seems to run with a purpose. His 56-yard TD scamper showed off the best of his abilities. Still, he finished with just seven carries in the team’s win over previously undefeated Atlanta. In the two games since Sproles went down the once-forgotten running back has carried the ball 17 times for 120 yards and a TD in each game. Interim coach Joe Vitt hinted on Monday that Ivory deserves more looks and we agree. If he gets them Ivory could be a nice boost in the backfield for any fantasy team looking to make a playoff drive.

Calvin Johnson
It only took until Week 10 to do so but Calvin Johnson finally pulled in a Matthew Stafford pass for a TD. His only other touchdown this season came on a Shaun Hill pass. Johnson may have had some health issues linger over the past month or so, but his performance of late has been impressive. Johnson season highs in catches (12) and yards (207) in Week 12 and now has 19 receptions for 336 yards over his past two games and has reemerged as one of the top receivers in fantasy football.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
--Tony Romo, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Vincent Jackson, Brandon Lloyd, Vernon Davis
 
BIGGEST SURPRISES
-- Joe Flacco, Steven Jackson, Danny Woodhead, Danario Alexander, Donald Jones, Dennis Pitta

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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
For the first time in his brief NFL career Lions’ QB Mathew Stafford played in all 16 games in 2011. That coupled with Detroit’s wide-open attack led to some monster numbers. He finished the season with 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns through the air. The Lions had a league-high 666 pass attempts a year ago and lined up in the shotgun on 68 percent of their plays. With a great line and stellar weapons surrounding him, Stafford should finish as a top five fantasy option at the position if he can stay healthy again.

SCHEDULE
Playing against the NFC North foes six times should lead to plenty of shootouts and big offensive numbers.  Detroit gets the NFC West and AFC South as its cross-divisional opponents in 2012. The Lions six teams that finished in the top half of teams in 2011 in terms of fantasy points allowed to running backs. You have to like their fantasy playoff schedule – at Green Bay, at Arizona and home to Atlanta on a Saturday prime time affair.

STUD
Calvin Johnson is unanimously the No. 1 fantasy wide receiver entering the 2012 season after pulling in 96 balls for 1,681 yards and 16 TD’s. He is a big-play guy that had a league-high 32 catches of 20-plus yards. Over his past 29 games (including playoffs) Megatron has 80 yards and/or a TD 24 times in 29 contests. The team has gotten better and deeper in the offseason which suggests these trends will continue. The only bad thing surrounding Johnson is that he is on the cover for Madden 2013, which is widely considered sports’ biggest jinx.

DUD
In a PPR format tight end Brandon Pettigrew has pulled his weight, averaging 77 receptions over the past two seasons. While there’s no doubt he’s a top 10 name at the position, Pettigrew’s upside appears to be limited. He’s only managed to score 11 times through three years never going up the five-touchdown mark. In addition, his 9.6 yards per catch prevents him posting huge yardage numbers that some of the top producing tight ends have turned out in recent action. As long as you don’t overpay you won’t be disappointed.

SLEEPER
The speedy Titus Young is full of potential and with an ADP of 107.89 can provide great value for owners. Young is the deep threat in the Lions’ explosive offense, playing on 64 percent of the team’s snaps. He caught 48 balls for 607 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie and there are plenty of reasons to suggest a slight increase those numbers in 2012. He should be viewed as a solid WR4 that could emerge as a nice flex option more weeks than not.

NEW ADDITION
Detroit took wide receiver Ryan Broyles out of Oklahoma with the 54th overall pick in April’s draft. He had first-round talent, but a late-season ACL injury allowed him to fall. The team removed him from the PUP list on the outset of preseason action and it appears he’ll be ready to be in the mix in Week 1 for the Lions. He is going to push 31-year old Nate Burleson for playing time right away and could end up being 90-catch guy in the offense sooner rather than later.

POSITION BATTLE
The Lions’ backfield is a head scratcher for fantasy owners entering drafts and auctions. The explosive Jahvid Best is a major weapon and a perfect fit in this scheme. However, with multiple concussions he hasn’t been able to stay on the field and a huge risk. Mikel Leshoure’s rookie season ended before it started with an ACL injury. He has worked his way back from the injury, but now he has to deal with a two-game suspension for his off-the-field problems. Kevin Smith shined for a few weeks and is a sneaky add late as he could easily get his fair shake running the football again for the Lions in 2012.

BENCH BUILDER
For owners that go with Stafford in deeper formats where roster space is abundant handcuffing backup quarterback Shaun Hill is advised. Stafford made it through 2011 without missing time, but history suggests that is the exception rather than the norm. If Hill takes over his familiarity with the system and the talent surrounding him should lead to nice numbers.

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Detroit Lions star Calvin Johnson beat Carolina Panthers Cam Newton in the final online voting and will be on the potentially cursed cover of the "Madden 13" video game.

We've look at the Madden Curse before on this blog and regardless if you believe in it or not, the situation will be worth watching.

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QB Game Ball – David Garrard, Jacksonville – 17/21, 260 yards, 4 PaTD; 1 RuTD
Garrard only failed to complete four passes and looked invincible versus the Cowboys in Week 8. He’s been feast or famine in most weeks, but this past Sunday may have been his best effort yet. The Jacksonville signal caller has now tossed three or more scores in three of his seven games this season. He’s worth a look as a fantasy starter when the matchup is right.

QB Honorable Mention – Drew Brees 34/44, 305 yards, 2 PaTD, 1 INT (excelled despite bad matchup and shows why he’s a must start every week)

RB Game Ball - LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay – 22 carries for 120 yards, 2 TD’s
Last week’s hot waiver wire pickup picked up big numbers for owners that grabbed him versus the Cardinals. Blount had 22 carries to Cadillac Williams’ four touches in the game. He now has 192 yards over the last two games and appears to be a fantasy factor out of the Bucs’ backfield. Blount is averaging 5.2 yards per carry in limited action thus far this season.

RB Honorable Mention – Jamal Charles, Kansas City – 22 carries for 177 yards; 4 catches for 61 yards (averaging 6.5 yards per carry on season)

WR Game Ball – Calvin Johnson, Detroit – 9 catches, 101 yards, 3 TD’s
Welcome back Matthew Stafford! Johnson owners were happy to see the Lions get their starting quarterback back into the lineup. Johnson has now scored in four straight games and has found the end zone eight times so far this season. Despite struggling with injuries, Johnson remains an elite fantasy option at the position.

WR Honorable Mention – Mike Sims-Walker, Jacksonville – 8 catches, 151 yards, 1 TD (maybe his season-best effort will help turnaround his disappointing season)

THE GAME-USED SOCK AWARD
Marshawn Lynch, Seattle – 9 carries for 7 yards, 0 TD’s
It was Lynch’s worst game of his brief Seattle stint. I pimped all week on the blog, radio and our fantasy podcast and Lynch responded by giving owners a big goose egg. The Raiders got out to an early lead and that forced the Seahawks to a mostly passing offense and put Justin Forsett, the team’s third-down back, on the field and Lynch on the sidelines. If the Seahawks’ line can’t start opening some holes, Lynch is going to continue to struggle.

Stinky Sock Honorable Mention – Jonathan Stewart, Caronlina – 14 carries, 30 yards, 0 TD (he failed in his chance to start. He has yet to hit 50 yards in any game)

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After a solid first round things started to get interesting in Round Two of the GSI Mock Draft...

RECAPS: Round One

ROUND TWO
13. BROERING - WR L. Fitzgerald (ARI)
14. SIMON - WR R. Moss (NE)
15. DINSMORE - WR A. Johnson (HOU)
16. BRYANT - RB S. Slaton (HOU)
17. WETZEL - RB C. Portis (WAS)
18. SCHMITT - WR R. Wayne (IND)
19. SIMS - WR C. Johnson (DET)
20. MURDICO - RB B. Jacobs (NYG)
21. ANSELMO - WR A. Boldin (ARI)
22. CLASGENS - QB P. Manning (IND)
23. FISCHER - QB T. Brady (NE)
24. HUMBERT - WR G. Jennings (GB)

POSITION BREAKDOWN: WR (7), RB (3), QB (2)

MY PICK: There are three quarterbacks that I consider Tier 1 candidates - Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady. Brees (who was taken 4th overall) went in the opening round and I was a bit surprised to see Manning and Brady both fall to me with the 22nd overall pick. I was anticipating both of them going sooner and turning to my WR1 here, but I will take a franchise quarterback. Ultimately, Brady has more upside than Manning, but Peyton is the "safer" bet in my eyes. His '08 numbers were a bit disappointing for owners, but too many people disregarded his preseason knee surgery that limited him to just three TD passes in the team's first three contests. I'm not buying into the Harrison departing hurts him theory either. Harrison was a non-factor (no TD's or fewer than 50 yards) in 10 games last season and Manning still averaged 230 yards per game and threw 14 TD's in those outings.

BEST VALUE PICK: Some owners will be a bit gun shy to pull the trigger on Tom Brady, but they shouldn't be. The Patriots were confident enough in his recovery from knee surgery to send backup Matt Cassel to Kansas City. If the veteran signal caller even comes close to sniffing 2007 numbers, he will make the owners that passed him over for a wideout. Outside the top three or four receivers, the difference between No. 5 and No. 12 is marginal. The same can't be said at quarterback.

MOST LIKELY TO DISAPPOINT: Once again it's hard to nit pick some of the top 25 players taken in a fantasy draft, but if I had to pick a guy that could disappoint from this round I go with Steve Slaton. Just by looking at my Cheat Sheet you can see that I am not as high on him as Ron Bryant is as I have ranked as the No. 14 running back at this point. Slaton is solid and has the ability to score on any play. He may not carry a huge workload, but the production is there. However, I likely would have went after a receiver here.  It is a long time before Ron gets to pick again. He could have had a stud quarterback or an elite wideout and instead opted for a running back that most websites don't have in the Top 10. There will be more running backs to choose from in Round Three than there will be QB's and WR's.

FINAL TAKE: A solid round by all. As predicited the run on receivers came and came large. Expect Round Two in your league to be the same way.

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I plan on working on my own 2009 Cheat Sheet and Top 50 Overall list this weekend, but I wanted to share the one from Rotoworld.com's Gregg Rosenthaul.  Of all the big media fantasy gurus, he's the one I most frequently agree with. However, I will promise you one thing, my list will be drastically different than his initial top 10:

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Maurice Jones-Drew
3. Matt Forte
4. Marion Barber
5. Steven Jackson
6. Chris Johnson
7. Brian Westbrook
8. Frank Gore
9. Andre Johnson
10. Calvin Johnson
11. Larry Fitzgerald
12. Brandon Jacobs

Just Missed, in no particular order: Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams, Clinton Portis, Steve Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshawn Lynch, Jay Cutler

 
OTHER TAKES HE HAD AS THE SEASON ENDED...
--Fred Jackson ran for 136 yards against the Patriots in one of the most impressive displays I saw all season. New England stacked the box with eight and nine guys every play, and Jackson's vision and leg drive were remarkable. He carried defenders on his back. Jackson finishes with 888 efficient yards from scrimmage and 37 catches on the season. He averaged more yards-per-carry than Marshawn Lynch and is a better receiver. That's bad news for Lynch owners because Jackson has earned a spot as the lesser half of a committee long-term.

--I still need to watch the tape, but Cedric Benson's 462 yards in his last three games will get him some job offers this off-season. His best chance to start, by far, should be staying in Cincinnati.

--Tony Romo's poor finish to the season, against very difficult competition, should keep his price tag enticingly low in next year's drafts.

--LaDainian Tomlinson has undeniably looked fresher the last two weeks. He ran much harder against a collapsing Bucs defense and a terrible Broncos defense, but don't forget the first 14 mediocre weeks and how easy his schedule was. Two good weeks doesn't return him to top-five prominence next year.

COMPLETE ARTICLE

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Here are some injuries from Sunday that owners will want to keep their eyes on (from KFFL.com):

QUARTERBACKS
Ken Dorsey, Cleveland Browns - ribs - Status unknown

RUNNING BACKS
Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers - head - Status unknown
Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills - shoulder - Status unknown
P.J. Pope, Denver Broncos - hamstring - Status unknown
Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins - hand - Status unknown
Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams - hamstring - Returned to game

WIDE RECEIVERS
Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions - knee, ankle - Status unknown

TIGHT ENDS
Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints - ankle - Status unknown

COMPLETE LIST

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Fantasy Football week 16, lineup locks, matt cassel, shaun hill, matt schaub, phillip rivers, eli manning, tony romo, pierre thomas, kevin smith, brian westbrook, chris johnson, marion barber, tashard choice, tim hightower, randy moss, calvin johnson, antonio bryant, terrell owens, desean jackson, santonio holmes, john carlson, dustin keller, zach miller, antonio gates, chris cooley, heath miller

Here's some notes on the Pro Bowl selections (from Rotoworld.com):

--The Jets led all teams with seven players (Brett Favre, Thomas Jones, Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold, Leon Washington, Kris Jenkins, Darrelle Revis). Favre makes it despite -- brace yourselves now -- leading the league with 17 picks.

--Giants' Kicker John Carney (44) is the oldest Pro Bowler ever.

--After sending eight players last year, only two New England Patriots made it (first-timers Wes Welker and Stephen Gostkowski).

--Tennessee's Chris Johnson was the only rookie selection.

--You may think Joey Porter is a mouthy knucklehead, but he and his AFC-leading 17.5 sacks deserved a spot, while Dolphins teammate…

--...Ronnie Brown simply didn't. 10 TDs (4 in that fluky 'Wildcat-gone-wild!' game) were nice, but he has only three 100-plus-yard games and only one other game topping even 70 yards. Steve Slaton, Marshawn Lynch and even LaDainian Tomlinson deserved it more.

--The Bengals, Jags, Rams and Lions had zero reps. Shocker.

--Notable snubs: Atlanta's John Abraham (3rd in sacks with 15), Philip Rivers (#1 in passer rating/tied for #1 with 28 TDs, and Cutler goes?), Matt Ryan (Eli?), DeAngelo Williams (1,229 yards/14 TDs and they choose Portis?), Calvin Johnson, Brandon Jacobs, Chad Pennington (The Matt Ryan of the AFC…c'mon, Favre?). And Dallas Clark should have edged Antonio Gates.

COMPLETE PRO BOWL ROSTERS

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