FANTASY FOOTBALL IN-SEASON FEATURES

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Prediction: KC 10, OAK 24 (Line: OAK by 3 )

Players to Watch: Jamaal Charles, Darren McFadden

Here's a game that only fantasy football could like. This is a replay of the week eight game that the Raiders won 26-16 in Kansas City. The 2-11 Chiefs are the AFC equivalent of the Cardinals only without wins to start the year but all the dysfunctionality. The 3-10 Raiders are on a six game losing skid and need a win here before hitting the road for the final two weeks. The bottom line is that this game has two running backs of note and not a lot of any thing else.

Pregame Notes: The season continues to swirl down the drain for the Chiefs who followed up their upset win over the Panthers by getting decimated by the Browns. Even with all players healthy, the Chiefs have not score more than one touchdown in a road game since week three. The season is winding down with virtually nothing accomplished in Romeo Crennel's first season as head coach. Even the parts that sort of worked in the past went bad.

Worst of all, now Dwayne Bowe has injured his ribs and will be out for the rest of the season in what could only be considered a mercy killing. Bowe struggled to bring any sense of production and continuity to the passing game and could never compensate for who was throwing the ball. His departure now pretty much seals the fate of the Chiefs once they fall behind in games sometime early in the first quarter.

Matt Cassel was the starter in the previous meeting and passed for 218 yards and one touchdown to Dexter McCluster who has been a complete nonfactor since that game. Brady Quinn gets the start still searching for that elusive game with more than 201 passing yards. Quinn has only two touchdowns on the seaosn and both came in the upset of the Panthers.

Jonathan Baldwin is now the best receiver left even though he only has one touchdown (Carolina of course) and never reaches the heights of 40 yards per week. Tony Moeaki is the other notable receiver though he has only one touchdown (Carolina of course) and just last week was held to only one catch for ten yards. Moeaki managed four receptions for 57 yards in the first meeting.

Jamaal Charles holds the only fantasy value on this entire team and even he was held to an incredible four yards on five carries in the last meeting in a game that left everyone scratching their head. Charles has topped 100 rushing yards in four of the last five games and is now being fed 20+ carries because there is nothing else worth doing with the ball on every play.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
RB Jamaal Charles, KC	@DEN	60	0	3	20	0	0	0	0
The Chiefs' lone offensive weapon needs 44 yards to reach the 1,500-yard mark. He hit triple digits against a tough Broncos' run D in the earlier meeting, and you assume he'll get the carries necessary to hit his milestone. Then again, we've gone broke trying to understand what Romeo Crennel is thinking so there are no guarantees.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
RB Dexter McCluster, KC	@DEN	0	0	5	30	0	0	0	0
McCluster is putting up numbers that make him the Chiefs' WR1. That's more an indictment of KC's passing game than an endorsement of McCluster's productivity.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Jonathan Baldwin, KC	@DEN	0	0	5	60	0	0	0	0
Baldwin has the only Chiefs WR TD in the past two months. Sorry, that's just not enough to warrant a fantasy start.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Donnie Avery, KC	@DEN	0	0	4	60	0	0	0	0
Avery has been an inconsistent wingman to Reggie Wayne, and the last time Indy faced the Texans it was TY Hilton who had the more productive game. With playoff positioning at stake expect Andrew Luck to lean heavily on Wayne once again, and the Texans have a soft spot for TEs as well. That leaves Avery and Hilton splitting scraps, making either one a tough fantasy start.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Devon Wylie, KC	@DEN	0	0	3	40	0	0	0	0
Bonus points if you were able to identify Wylie as the "other" Chiefs' WR. Sorry, those bonus points do not translate to fantasy points.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
TE Anthony Fasano, KC	@DEN	0	0	2	20	0	0	0	0
Fasano only had one catch in the last meeting with the Pats. No fantasy value here.

	Opp	fga	FGM	xpa	XPM	ConFac
K Ryan Succop, KC	@DEN	2	1	1	1
The Chiefs have more games with single-digit points (five) than games with 20-plus (four). That means limited scoring opportunities for Succop.

Pregame Notes: It has been a while since the Raiders last won. Seven games in fact. Back to the last time they got to play the Chiefs. This is the final home game of the year and a chance to finish with a positive before heading off to Carolina and San Diego for the final losses. Like the Chiefs, the season is winding down without really any progress geing made other than proving definitively that Darren McFadden is never going to play a full season and that the Raiders defense is never going to hold anyone to under 20 points. Except for the Chiefs.

Carson Palmer passed for 209 yards and two scores in the last meeting with the Chiefs and he has notched a touchdown in all but one game this season. He's thrown two scores or more in six of the last seven outings as well but there is one small caveat to know about using Palmer this week. HC Dennis Allen has picked up along the way that this season is really over already. And he wants to get a look at Terrell Pryor at quarterback. What better place than at home agianst the Chiefs? Pryor may not play at all but at least this raised the specter that Palmer may not get a full game this week or the final two.

Allen also is considering changing Taiwan Jones from running back back to cornerback which he played in college and Jones is open to the change having noted that he is going nowhere as a running back anyway.

Darren McFadden rushed for a season best 29 carries for 114 yards and added four receptions for 23 more yards in Kansas City this season. He has not gained more than 52 rushing yards in any other game and missed four games already. He was back last week and ran for 52 yards on 11 runs versus the Broncos and scored on a reception as well. He is the only safe play - such as it exists on this team. At least this week should see him end the year with at least one more decent game.

If Pryor was used, that would impact the passing game to some unknown extent. In the last meeting with the Chiefs, Darrius Heyward-Bey scored on his only catch and Denarius Moore also scored with five receptions for 96 yards. This is a chance to use your Raiders receivers but there is more risk at least potentially than there would be midseason.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
QB Terrelle Pryor, OAK	@SD	10	1	0	0	0	150	0	0
Both Pryor and Matt Leinart are taking first team reps and both may end up playing. No matter - there is no fantasy start here regardless who does what.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
RB Darren McFadden, OAK	@SD	50	0	3	20	0	0	0	0
McFadden only gained 32 yards on 15 runs versus the Chargers in the season opener and has done little since. Three of his road games this year failed to produce even 35 rushing yards and the Chargers at home have been better against the run. McFadden always has potential since he can break a long gainer but has been ineffective in most games this year. He is a huge risk to gain anything more than moderate yardage and has not rushed in a score since back in week six.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Denarius Moore, OAK	@SD	0	0	3	40	0	0	0	0
Moore only caught 3-12 last week with Matt Leinart starting and now Terrelle Pryor may get to play. No reason to consider him.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Rod Streater, OAK	@SD	0	0	4	30	0	0	0	0
Streater actually started the year with a TD vs SD but only caught 4 passes for 24 yards then. He only managed 2-16 just last week with Leinart starting so no reason to consider Streater.

	Opp	fga	FGM	xpa	XPM	ConFac
K Sebastian Janikowski, OAK	@SD	2	2	1	1
OAK using either Matt Leinart or Terrelle Pryor at QB means leave Seabass on your bench.

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