We hand out some deserving awards from this weekend’s playoff action…

QB
Joe Flacco, BAL (284 PaYd, 2 PaTD) – The pending free agent came up in big way for the Ravens as they pulled away from the Colts.  Only two starting quarterbacks had fewer completions than Flacco on Wildcard Weekend, but he definitely got the most out of his 12 completions.

RB
Arian Foster, HOU (32 carries, 140 RuYd, RuTD; 8 catches, 34 ReYd) – After ending the regular season with some dismal outings, Foster ripped through the Bengals’ rushing defense for one of his best efforts of the season.  Marshawn Lynch was the only other running back to crack the century mark and find the end zone all weekend.

WR
Anquan Boldin, BAL (5 catches, 145 ReYd, ReTD) – Sunday’s tilt against the Colts was only the fourth game all season in which Boldin crossed the goal line. Add to it a season-high 145 total yards and the veteran turned out to be one of the week’s most pleasant surprises.

TE
Owen Daniels, HOU (9 receptions, 91 ReYd) – Despite not finding the end zone Daniels rewarded owners that gave him a shot, especially in PPR formats. No player at any position pulled in more than the nine balls Daniels registered (Reggie Wayne also had nine catches) in the win over Cincinnati.

PK
Shayne Graham, HOU (4/4 FG, 1/1 XP) – Graham led all kickers as he drilled four field goals against his former team. It was the third time in four games that the veteran kicker has had at least three field goals.

GAME-USED SOCK AWARD
Randall Cobb, GB (1 reception, 7 ReYd) – One week removed from being a scratch due to a knee injury, Cobb was active for the Packers’ playoff opener but he was limited in the team’s rout of the Vikings. He was only targeted twice all night.

Fantasy Football, NFL game balls, 2012 nfl playoffs, joe flacco, arian foster, anquan boldin, owen daniels, shayne graham, randall cobb

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

Bears Defense/ST
One of the top producers in fantasy football this season has been the Bears’ defense. Their amazing season continued in Week 9 as they scored another defensive touchdown taking their league-high total on seven. The unit finished with four fumble recoveries and an interception and a pair of sacks to boot. For the season they have racked up 97 fantasy points in just eight games for a 12.1 per game average. The next closest team is the Giants, who even with an extra game under their belts sit at 63 points. Chicago has doubled the amount of points scored per game by 27 other NFL teams.  Eight defenses that were likely drafted - Green Bay, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Miami, Seattle, Detroit, Dallas, and Philadelphia – have yet to even score on defensive touchdown and the Bears’ defense are on pace for 14 scores.

Mikel Leshoure
Lions’ running back Mikel Leshoure turned in his best day as a pro on Sunday as he scored three times and gained 70 yards on 16 carries. After averaging four receptions per game over his first five outings of the season though, Leshoure did not come up with a catch. Owners need not to over react to the performance turned in by the second-year back against the lowly Jaguars on Sunday. He remains a legitimate top 20-option and decent RB2 play, but will never play consistently enough or provide the big break-away runs that will allow him to achieve RB1 status.

Owen Daniels
Owen Daniels continues to produce for the Texans and fantasy owners alike. He scored for a fifth time in six games as he caught four balls for 62 yards, including the 39-yard touchdown. Daniels has been targeted at least five times in every game and 18 times over his last two. In standard formats only the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski is getting more than the 9.7 fantasy points per game than he has put up at the position. He may have a tough time scoring a TD for a third straight game next week versus a Bears’ defense that has only allowed to tight ends to find the end zone all season.

Reggie Wayne
Even the most optimistic fantasy supporters of Reggie Wayne couldn’t have envisioned that through eight games of playing with Andrew Luck that the 33-year old veteran would be on pace to set career numbers in receptions and yards. He’s on pace for 122 catches for 1,670 yards.  Though he turned in a season-low 78 yards in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins, Wayne did make his way into the end zone for just the third time this season. He’s clearly the top option in what has proven to be a very prolific passing attack in Indy. Wayne is making a strong case for being considered a Top 5 fantasy wideout and remains a high-end starting option.

Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco has really fizzled of late. After averaging 22.8 fantasy points per game in the first four games of the season, the Ravens’ quarterback failed to hit that mark for the fourth straight time. Flacco has thrown for a TD or less in his last five contests while throwing for under 188 yards three times in that span. While there may be a couple of weeks where he could make for a good matchup play, including Week 10 versus the Raiders, Flacco is better left out of fantasy lineups more often than not.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
--Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, Fred Jackson, Victor Cruz, Dez Bryant, Kyle Rudolph
 
BIGGEST SURPRISES
--Carson Palmer, Doug Martin, Joique Bell, Golden Tate, T.Y. Hilton, Brandon Myers

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, monday qb, bears defense, mikel leshoure, owen daniels, reggie wayne, joe flacco

It's getting to be slim pickings on the waiver wire, but just in case you need it...

PICKUP OF WEEK
Owen Daniels (HOU) – It finally appears as if Daniels is healthy a with fantasy-friendly matchups ahead with the Titans, Broncos and Jaguars he possesses top five potential down the stretch at a position that has been ravaged by injuries.

QB
Kerry Collins (TEN) – job security on his side
Alex Smith (SF) – too streaky, but did blowup in his return
Tavaris Jackson (MIN) – only if you are extremely desperate

RB
Rashad Jennings (JCK) – has scored in three straight games
Javarris James (IND) – Brown is terrible, every other Colt RB hurting
Toby Gerhardt (MIN) – with Vikes out of contention, will ailing AP rest?

WR
Louis Murphy (OAK) – Jason Campbell targets him frequently
Arrelious Benn (TB) – slowing living up to potential late in rookie season
Nate Washington (TEN) – nice matchup play for Week 15 vs. HOU

TE
Kevin Boss (NYG) – remaining a weekly red zone option for Eli Manning
Bo Scaife (TEN) – don’t count on two touchdowns again

DEF
Bucs (TB) – Like them in a must-win game at home vs. Drew Stanton
Cardinals (ARZ) – The weekly playing against the Panthers play
Browns (CLE) – Steady unit gets INT-happy Carson Palmer

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, waiver wire pickups, week 15, owen daniels

QB Game Ball - Carson Palmer, Cincinnati - 20/24, 233 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
While quite a few QBs threw for more yards than Palmer on Sunday, nobody had FIVE TD passes. The Bengals have been winning thanks to an improved defense and running game. And the play from their star QB has been mediocre at best. But if Palmer has more games like he did against the Bears, this could really be a good year in Cincy.

QB Honorable Mention - Tony Romo, Dallas - 21/29, 311, 3 TD (just needed to find a guy open.)

RB Game Ball - Shonn Green, NY Jets - 19 carries, 144 yards, 2 TD
What's the best way for a team with a rookie QB to win a game? Run the football. And that's just what the Jets did versus the Raiders. Thomas Jones had a nice day with 126 yards and a score. But it was the rookie Green who stole the show with a breakout performance. The Jets have assembled a nice young offense with Green, Mark Sanchez and Braylon Edwards. You may be hearing a lot about them for years to come.

RB Honorable Mention - Cedric Benson, Cincinnati - 37 carries, 189 yards, TD (humiliated the team that drafted and later cut him

WR Game Ball - Miles Austin, Dallas - 6 catches, 171 yards, 2 TD
Miles Austin is not a fluke. Two weeks ago against the Chiefs he had 10 catches for 250 yards and scored twice. So, with some quick math, that is two games 16 receptions 421 yards and 4 TDs. He has clearly become the top WR for Romo and the Cowboys.

WR Honorable Mention - Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati - 10 catches, 118 yards, 2 TD (yes, another Bengal, but 45 points against the Bears earns a few mentions.)

TE Game Ball - Owen Daniels, Houston - 7 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD
Daniels has clearly become one of the top TEs in the game. He leads all TEs with 497 yards and his five scores tie him with Visanthe Shiancoe. And, depending on the injury to Andre Johnson, his workload could increase in the Texans offense.

TE Honorable Mention - Vernon Davis, San Francisco - 7 catches, 93 yards, 3 TD (all the scores came from Alex Smith.)

The Game Used Sock Award - Matt Cassel, Kansas City - 10/25, 97 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
I am not sure who it was, but someone on one of the pre-game shows this morning picked the Chiefs to upset the Chargers. It really wasn't a bad call for the upset. San Diego has looked shaky this season and it's an intra-division game - anything could happen. Plus, the Chiefs showed some promise with their win against the Redskins last week (okay, they stink too.) But Cassel hasn't been too bad in recent weeks and he hadn't thrown an interception in the last four games. But that all changed against the Chargers. Cassel looked like the guy that most people thought he would look like outside of the Patriots offense. And so he gets to go home wearing his stinky socks. And if you can tell me who it was that picked the Chiefs to win that game, I'll send him one of the socks I wore today.

Stinky Sock Honorable Mention - Derek Anderson, Cleveland - 12/29, 99 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT (gets a sock every week until Quinn takes over - then he gets it.) 

Fantasy Football, NFL carson palmer, tony romo, shonn green, cedric benson, miles austin, chad ochocinco, owen daniels, vernon davis, matt cassel, derek anderson

There are more than a few fantasy owners that were burned by the dud turned out by the Texans' offense yesterday in a home loss to the Jets.

The unit was held without a score just 11 first downs and 183 total yards.

Matt Schaub was under constant pressure and it took its toll on the passing game. He completed just 18 of 33 passes for 181 yards with an interception. Highly-touted receiver Andre Johnson mustered just four catches for 35 yards and tight end Owen Daniels tallied just 44 yards on four receptions. Wide receiver Kevin Walter (hamstring) did not play

As bad as the passing game was, the running game was even worse. Steve Slaton did not live up to RB1 expectations, finishing with just 17 yards on nine carries. He did catch three balls for 35 yards, but fumbled on his longest catch of the day. Chris Brown only had five carries and wasn't much of a factor.

FINAL TAKE: While there is reason for concern after a dismal preseason showing, you shouldn't jump ship on the Texans just yet. The Jets are the NFL's most underrated defense and Rex Ryan just had a good game plan. The schedule isn't the best path to fantasy success, but it is fair to expect improvement in the weeks ahead.

Fantasy Football houston texans, matt schaub, andre johnson, owen daniels, kevin walter

Brian Westbrook, RB, Philadelphia - 33 carries, 131 yards, 1 TD, 6 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD
The Eagles running back has been a big disappointment this season. He's battled injuries and has struggled along with almost all of his teammates. But it looks as if Westbrook is back and, believe it or not, the Eagles are still alive in the NFC. Donovan McNabb still doesn't look great with only 191 passing yards on the day. But the Philly Defense showed up and held the Giants to just one offensive touchdown. The Eagles may need to win out to make the playoffs and with Westbrook playing like he did on Sunday they just might make it.

Matt Schuab, QB, Houston - 28/42, 414 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
After missing a month with a knee injury Schaub returned to the field big time against the Packers. Kevin Walter got things started for Schaub and the Texans with an early 58 yard touchdown. He finished the day with 146 yards on six catches. Tight End Owen Daniels also caught six balls for 65 yards. Andre Johnson was a bit quiet with just 55 yards from four catches but he did score a late touchdown. At 6 and 7 the Texans are shooting for their first winning season and even if they come up short, they certainly have the nucleus on offense to do hit it next year.

Wes Welker, WR, New England - 12 catches, 134 yards, 2 pt. conversion
The Patriots survived a scare in Seattle thanks in large part to their little receiver. Welker had nearly half of the teams' catches and exactly half of Matt Cassel's passing yards. Cassel completed 26 of 44 passes for 268 yards for those that don't do math. More importantly for the Patriots, he did not throw an interception. While the victory kept New England alive in the playoff race, the team is still looking for a running game and the defense did not look good against a struggling Seattle squad. But winning ugly is still winning.

Roddy White, WR, Atlanta - 10 catches, 164 yards
Not only did White have twice as many catches and yards than any player on either the Falcons or the Saints, Matt Ryan out-threw Drew Brees by 85 yards. So, you'd think the Falcons won, right? Well think again. The Saints picked up a win thanks to the running of Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush. The two combined for 215 total yards and three touchdowns. So the Falcons threw more than the Saints but the Saints won by running the ball? Go figure.

Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee - 19 carries, 136 yards, 1 TD, 4 catches, 30 yards
Despite a few mistakes by their quarterback, the Titans won their twelfth game of the season on Sunday. Kerry Collins was picked twice by the Browns, but it did not amount to much. The Titans defense held Cleveland to just three field goals while Collins just handed the ball off to his two backs. Along with Johnson, LenDale White had 99 yards on 24 carries and also scored. Want to do some more math? Awesome running game + solid defense = 12-1 record.

Brandon Marshall, WR, Denver - 11 catches, 91 yards, 2 TD
After losing three straight at home, the Broncos took care of business against the Chiefs. Their running game took another hit as Peyton Hillis left the game with an injury. But the 2008 Denver offense is all about throwing the ball. Jay Cutler completed 32 of 40 passes for 286 yards and the two touchdowns to Marshall. Tony Scheffler finished with 61 yards on five catches. Eddie Royal caught six balls for 42 yards.


THE GAME-USED SOCK AWARD
Tony Romo, QB, Dallas - 19/36, 210 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
It may seem harsh to give a Dirty Sock Award to a guy facing the league's best defense, on the road and in the cold. And Romo's numbers certainly are not the worst by a quarterback on Sunday. But those guys aren't Romo and don't play for "America's Team." And if you watched any of this game you may recall that there were many passes by Romo that weren't close to anyone. Not tips or slips or flubs. Just passes to nowhere. And if you don't believe me, wait until you hear T.O. talk to reporters this week. Anyway, the Cowboys have more than a few things to work on before they are going to the post-season. And now Romo has to work with a stinky sock. (Maybe he can shove it Owens' mouth for a while - or anywhere else for that matter.

Fantasy Football, NFL brian westbrook, donovan mcnabb, matt schaub, kevin walter, owen daniels, andre johnson, wes welker, matt cassel, roddy white, matt ryan, drew brees, chris johnson, kerry collins, lendale white, brandon marshall, jay cutler, tony scheffler, eddie royal, tony romo

Here is our Line-Up Locks for Week 13. Three games on turkey day and they could all be turkeys, especially the afternoon games. This means that's there good match ups and good reason to watch football closely on Thanksgiving. Here's a quick look at those who has favorable matchups (LOCK IN) and those who deserve a spot on your bench this week (LOCK OUT):

QUARTERBACKS
Lock In:
--Tony Romo vs. Sea
My take: Romo will likely be munching on one of those freakish 8 leg turkeys Fox serves after the game. Romo will have a fantastic statline against a miserable Seahawk team.

--Brett Favre vs. Den
My take: The Jets are hot and are being led by Favre. Champ Bailey might play, but don't expect that to hinder Favre's numbers who will shred a terrible Bronco defense and connect for at least two TDs.

--Matt Ryan @ SD
My take: This just in, the Chargers cannot stop the pass. The strong Falcon's running game does hurt Ryan's statline, a little, but it also means less blitzing and more open receivers. Ryan will throw two TDs this week.

Lock Out:
--Matt Cassell vs. Pit
My take: Cassell has been an absolute stud the last two weeks. He makes for a tough choice of whether to start him or not, but this week it's such a tough match up that Cassell should take a seat on the bench this week.

--Donovan McNabb vs. Ari
My take: The late night Thanksgiving Day game could be a real turkey for the Eagles quarterback. He was benched last week after yet another terrible performance. He's desperate and angry and has an inept offense, that spells trouble.

--Tyler Thigpen @ Oak
My take: Thigpen has been pleasantly surprising, throwing for multiple TDs in multiple games. However, this week he goes against a very underrated Raider defense.


RUNNING BACKS
Lock In:
--Chris Johnson/Lendale White @ Det
My take: Football on Thanksgiving is a great tradition, but Titans versus the Lions is not good football, unless you own the Titan running backs. Lendale White only touched the ball three times in Sunday's loss, and he complained, look for the Titan TD machine to remedy the situation while Johnson will rack up the yardage.

--Ronnie Brown @ StL
My take: The Dolphins are still stinging from the beatdown the Patriots gave them. They will get well and Ronnie Brown will rack up the stats versus the Rams.

--Michael Turner @ SD
My take: Turner is a fantasy stud and has made the surprising Falcons a dangerous team. In this match up, you cannot sit Turner.

Fantasy Football tony romo, brett favre, matt ryan, matt cassell, donovan mcnabb, tyler thigpen, chris johnson, lendale white, ronnie brown, michael turner, reggie bush, willie parker, larry johnson, anquan boldin, larry fitzgerald, roddy white, derrick mason, tj houshmandzadeh, marques colston, plaxico burress, dustin keller, jason witten, dallas clark, kellen winslow, owen daniels, heath miller

Here is our Line-Up Locks for Week 12. Thursday's night match up will not be included. Here's a quick look at those who has favorable matchups (LOCK IN) and those who deserve a spot on your bench this week (LOCK OUT):

QUARTERBACKS
Lock In:
--Matt Cassel @ Mia
My take: 400+ yards last week. You probably had him on your bench. Don't make that mistake this week in a great match up.

--Aaron Rodgers @ NO
My take: This is a very sexy match up for the Packers QB who has been very consistent of late.

--Tony Romo vs. SF
My take: He looked a little rusty last week, but the Cowboys were playing a much better opponent last week. This week Romo and the Boys get healthy quickly versus a vulnerable 49ers defense.

Fantasy Football matt cassel, aaron rodgers, tony romo, jake delhomme, brett favre, chad pennington, steve slaton, warrick dunn, marshawn lynch, thomas jones, maurice jones-drew, tim hightower, dwayne bowe, bernard berrian, donald driver, desean jackson, donnie avery, laveranues coles, owen daniels, chris cooley, greg olsen, lj smith, todd heap, anthony fasano

There were some interesting stroylines from Sunday in the world of fantasy football...

DYNAMIC DUO
Kurt Warner is getting all kinds of hype as a MVP canidate, and rightfully so, but it doesn't hurt that he throws it to two of the best receivers in football. Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald domintated the Seahawks on Sunday. The two combined for 23 catches on 30 targets and amassed 323 receiving yards. Both wideouts have made a home inside the top in our weekly rankings at receiver and that isn't going to change anytime soon.

WILLIE'S BACK
Steelers' running back Willie Parker played for the just the second time in six games and didn't appear to be limited by the shoulder harness he must finish the season wearing. Parker carried the ball 25 times for 115 yards and added a 4-yard reception. He ran well and even had a nice TD run, but it was called back due to penalty. With the Bengals on the slate in Week 12 Parker appears poised to be a stellar RB2 option moving forward.

ADDAI GOES OFF
Joseph Addai rewarded patient owners with a monster effort on Sunday vs. the Texans. The Colts' running back finished with 22 carries for 105 yards and a RuTD while catching 7 balls for 44 yards and a ReTD. The Colts' offense is coming on and Addai appears to be 100%. That couldn't be better news for owners that getting into the grind of a playoff stretch. The Texans' D has struggled lately, but the Browns, Bengals, and Lions still loom.

THE FALL OF DANIELS
Nobody has seen their fantasy vaule affected harded by the absence of Matt Schaub than Texans' tight end Owen Daniles. Prior to losing his quarterabck Daniels was on a tear and producing as good as any tight end in the league. In two games since Daniels has been a dud, catching just 2 balls for 27 yards and 0 TD's. Schaub is likely to miss at least two more games so you may want to look for other options until then.

DELHOMME A DUD
For the past two weeks I have endorsed Panthers' quarterback Jake Delhomme as viable starting fantasy option. However, following his second straight dismal display, this time against the Lions, I have lost faith in the Ragin' Cajun.  He managed to complete just 10 of 19 passes for 98 yards and 1 TD against the Lions. That was on the heels of a disaster in Oakland. Keep in mind both of the opponents gave up huge rushing yardage, but with bye weeks over Delhomme should find a spot on your bench.

Fantasy Football cardinals, kurt warner, anquan boldin, larry fitzgerald, steelers, willie parker, mewelde moore, joseph addai, colts, texans, owen daniels, sage rosenfels, matt schuab, jake delhomme, panthers

Here is our Line-Up Locks for Week 11. Bye weeks are finally over and this week's games have a lot of great match ups. I only list three, but there are plenty of good options this week. Here's a quick look at those who have favorable matchups (LOCK IN) and those who deserve a spot on your bench this week (LOCK OUT):

QUARTERBACKS
Lock In:
--Matt Ryan vs. Den
My take: Ryan has performed like a veteran for the very underrated Atlanta Falcons. This week his match up is so good, you have to consider Ryan a top 10 QB this week. Expect a couple of scores and at least 200 yards from him.

--Donovan McNabb @ Cin
My take: McNabb should have time to shred the Bengals defense, and can still scramble away from any pressure the defense might put on him.

--Trent Edwards vs. Cle
My take: Edwards has been hot and cold but is poised for a very nice week in what could be an offensive shootout.

Fantasy Football matt ryan, donovan mcnabb, trent edwards, chad pennington, eli manning, david garrard, deangelo williams, tim hightower, marshawn lynch, maurice jones-drew, earnest graham, justin fargas, santana moss, steve smith, roddy white, vincent jackson, bernard berrian, marvin harrison, chris cooley, owen daniels, kellen winslow, greg olsen, todd heap, kevin boss