FANTASY FOOTBALL IN-SEASON FEATURES

Prediction: DAL 24, PHI 23

Update: Both Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson are listed as questionable but have not practiced and are not expected to play. Sam Hurd has been ruled out because of a concussion.

The Eagles have clinched the #3 seed and the NFC East title and have nothing to play this game for other than to keep banged up stars out of harms way. Expect the Eagles to either bench or sparingly use the players you wanted to see this week. That actually gives the Cowboys a chance to win the game against a team that doesn't really care and won't risk the better players.

QUARTERBACK: Jon Kitna is likely to miss this game with strained oblique muscles which allowed Stephen McGee to play in Arizona where he completed 11 of 17 for 111 yards and one score and no turnovers. McGee gets his first NFL start this week against a ferocious pass rush that probably will all be playing cards on the sideline rather than playing since the Eagles have nothing to win here.

Four weeks ago, Kitna passed for 242 yards and two scores against the visiting Eagles. What McGee will do is hard enough with no track record but mixed with the unknown level of play of the Eagles makes it all a risk. Opportunities to be sure, but risk all the same.

RUNNING BACKS: The fantasy apocalypse happened last week when all three running backs were used and Marion Barber's first game in four weeks had him gain 58 yards and a score on eight carries. Felix Jones gained 77 yards on 16 runs while Tashard Choice was once again odd man out with for runs for 16 yards and three catches for 16 more yards.

In week ten, Jones ran for 51 yards on 14 carries and added one touchdown on three catches for 85 yards on the Eagles. Barber had 47 yards on eight runs in that matchup.

It's all a guess here but the Cowboys will want to work on the run and it may be raining anyway. All three runners figure in but mostly to reduce their individual contributions.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Roy Williams is still hampered by his groin injury and the absence of Tony Romo. He only had two catches for 33 yards when the Eagles visited in week ten and remained around that level in every game since. Miles Austin had 68 yards and one score in that game but almost no yardage in any since until last week when he turned in six receptions for 115 yards and one 37-yard score thanks to McGee. Sam Hurd has never replaced Dez Bryant.

With the Eagles a big question mark and the Cowboy using a brand new quarterback, there is no reliability in any of the wideouts. Austin is the only one with any upside here but even a pared down defense will know that as well.

TIGHT ENDS: Jason Witten is closing out a career year for him that already has 90 catches for 956 yards. There is no doubt he gets that 44 yards to top 1000 yards. If nothing else happens in this game, Witten gets 44 yards.

Pregame Notes: Chances are best that all the notable stars are going to sit for the Eagles who cannot get a first round bye so they can use this week as a pretend bye. Vick has a quad injury and DeSean Jackson hurt his foot. No reason to subject them to any potential harm and HC Andy Reid has said as much. That makes anything in this game unreliable and risky.

QUARTERBACK: Kevin Kolb gets the start and he is no slouch as the week one starter who lost his job when injured because Uber Vick showed up. Depending on who he gets to throw to, Kolb could have a really nice game here against a horrible secondary that allowed Vick to pass for 270 yards and two scores in Dallas. Basically everyone starts out around that level against the Cowboys.

DeSean Jackson is likely out which leaves Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek - maybe. Or does it leave Garrett Mills, Chad Hall and Jason Avant?

RUNNING BACKS: LeSean McCoy is healthy and he may play but why get your running back banged up? The Eagles will likely go with Jerome Harrison and he'll face the team that allowed McCoy to gain 149 yards on 16 carries. Though he has yet to be used in that capacity, Harrison is also an excellent receiver from the backfield.

It's all a guess but Harrison is bound to show up sooner than later and McCoy is a huge risk to rely on.

WIDE RECEIVERS: DeSean Jackson is out this week. No word on Jeremy Maclin though he seems a lock to at least get yanked later in the game. Jackson already had 210 yards and a score on Dallas and that's like two games in one anyway. Maclin only had one catch for 11 yards in that game. This is all a guess and all a mess.

TIGHT ENDS: Brent Celek had no catches in the Dallas game but he could get some love from his old buddy Kolb this week - If Celek plays.