2. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers
If you want a solid wide receiver who will thrive in the physical matchup between the Steelers and Ravens, look no further than Hines Ward. He’ll find a way to haul in some catches and make plays. When Ben Roethlisberger gets in trouble, Ward is the player he looks to pass it to.

3. Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals
Sure, Anquan Boldin is injured. He missed last week’s game and though he’ll play this week in all likelihood, it’s easy to worry about his production. But he’s so talented and his potential every week is so high that he’s worth rolling the dice on.

4. Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens
If the Ravens are going to move the ball through the air at all, it’ll be due to Derrick Mason having a big game. He’s an underrated talent at the wide receiver position and he has enough experience in big games to trust that he’ll come through this weekend.

5. DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
Although he’s a rookie, there’s no question that DeSean Jackson is both the Eagles’ most talented and most explosive wide receiving option. With a very good matchup against the Cardinals, Jackson could very well end the week as the talk of the NFL and make owners happy in playoff fantasy football.

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Saturday, January 3rd – 4:30 PM Eastern
Atlanta Falcons at the Arizona Cardinals

Saturday, January 3rd – 8:00 PM Eastern
Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers

Sunday, January 4th – 1:00 PM Eastern
Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

Sunday, January 4th – 4:30 PM Eastern
Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

Bye Week: Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers

Photo credit: Newscom

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QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Forget about the walking boot. Brady is going to be ready to dominate in the Super Bowl. While he faces a tough defense, Brady is good enough to overcome just about anything at this point. With a chance to cement this Patriots team as perhaps the best team of all-time, expect Brady to bring his A game.

RB Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
Maroney was a fantasy bust for much of the regular season. However, he has come on strong as of late and is playing like a beast right now. Maroney is a tough, physical back who enjoys contact. This Super Bowl could be his coming out party as he cements his spot as the starting running back going forward for the Patriots.

WR Plaxico Burress, New York Giants
If you watched Burress dominate the Green Bay Packers, it’d be hard to bet against him in the Super Bowl. Burress willed his team to victory, even though he was playing with a bum ankle on the frozen tundra. The Patriots will have their hands full trying to contain Burress on this big stage.

TE Kevin Boss, New York Giants
Boss is a big, sturdy target for Eli Manning in the red zone. He won’t rack up a lot of catches but he has a decent shot at grabbing a touchdown pass. Boss is also playing for a shot at a starting gig – either in New York or elsewhere.

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In pictures snapped of Brady while he visited Gisele Bundchen, his girlfriend, Brady is seen with a walking cast. Recently, though, more and more players have used walking casts for minor injuries. All a walking cast does is immobilize and/or protect an injury. While it can be used to protect a broken bone, it can also be used to protect something as simple as a slightly sprained ankle.

With the Super Bowl two weeks away, there’s little doubt that Brady will be 100%. Even if he’s not, he doesn’t need much mobility to be effective for the Patriots. If you have Tom Brady on your playoff fantasy football team, start him in the Super Bowl with the utmost confidence.

However, if something unforeseen happens during practice in the upcoming weeks, just know that Matt Cassel is the backup quarterback on New England.

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RB Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
Maroney continues his late season tear. He had 122 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers and was arguably the best player on the field for the Patriots. He’s running hard and should be a force in the Super Bowl. His early season struggles have been forgotten at this point.

WR Plaxico Burress, New York Giants
Burress is a big reason why the Giants are headed to the Super Bowl. Burress had 11 catches for 154 yards and almost single-handedly willed their offense at times. Although he battles a chronically injured ankle, Burress looked very healthy on Sunday. With a couple weeks of rest until the Super Bowl, he could be in line for another big performance.

TE Donald Lee, Green Bay Packers
Lee was easily the best tight end on Sunday. He a touchdown, 35 yards and three catches for the Packers. Lee will head into the 2008 season as a draftable tight end in the fantasy world – especially if Favre returns. Lee has emerged as a legitimate tight end for the Packers that should be a nice fantasy player for the next couple seasons.

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RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
Tomlinson missed time last week but should be fine this week. Even with an unsettled quarterback situation, Tomlinson is a safe start. Norv Turner likes to run the ball and he’ll stick with the run even if he’s down. Make sure Tomlinson gets the start. If he’s a late minute scratch, Michael Turner becomes a fantasy football viable player.

WR Plaxico Burress, New York Giants
Burress has a tender ankle that won’t be helped by the freezing temperatures in Green Bay. Unless you are desperate, look elsewhere. It’s being reported that this could be the coldest game since the Ice Bowl, so you don’t want a guy on your fantasy team who is trying to play on one leg on the frozen tundra.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Gates remains doubtful for the Chargers, however he is expected to play. If he’s in the starting lineup, he’s probably the best tight end option this weekend – even if he’s at only 50% of his regular self. The Chargers will need to pass to win and Gates is their best receiver.

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RB Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants
Bradshaw doesn’ t even start for the Giants but he’ s been impressive when carrying the ball. He actually leads the Giants in rushing yards in the playoffs and has just four less carries than Brandon Jacobs. The Green Bay Packers are a very good defensive team which could mean more Bradshaw because Bradshaw has big play ability that Jacob lacks.

WR Donte Stallworth, New England Patriots
Although it wasn’ t noticed by many people, Stallworth actually led the Patriots in receiving yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stallworth had a rollercoaster ride of a regular season statistically but he seems to be a valued weapon in the playoffs. There’ s a pretty good chance he’ ll breakout for a long touchdown against the aggressive Chargers defense.

TE Donald Lee, Green Bay Packers
Quietly, Lee has become one of Favre’ s favorite targets. When Favre is in trouble, he’ ll oftentimes look Lee’ s way. This becomes especially true around the endzone. Lee is a good athlete who greatly improved his route running this season to become a player who is on the doorstep of becoming an elite tight end.

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RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
Tomlinson left the Colts game with a knee bruise in the first half. Michael Turner and Darren Sproles finished the game and both produced rather well. While obviously Tomlinson is the best running back on the team, don’t be surprised to see split carries next week if Tomlinson isn’t 100%. As shocking as this is to say, you might want to avoid Tomlinson in fantasy football this coming week.

WR Plaxico Burress, New York Giants
Burress was held to five yards against the Dallas Cowboys. Battling an ankle injury all season, Burress just doesn’t have the explosion that he had earlier in the season. Since this is a chronic injury, chances are he’ll continue to struggle next week against the Green Bay Packers. It’d be best do avoid Burress this week unless you want to take a chance on a high-risk, high-reward investment.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Gates shocked a lot of experts when he suited up for the Chargers against the Colts. While he wasn’t very effective (two catches, 28 yards), Gates showed great toughness by just being out on the field. If he feels better this coming week, he’s someone you could conceivably start – even against the Patriots. Gates is too good of a player to avoid for injuries or a bad matchup.

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QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Manning got the monkey off of his back last season with his Super Bowl victory. Now he comes into these playoffs without nearly as much pressure as in years past. With that in mind, expect him to play well against the Chargers. He has Marvin Harrison back and should be able to throw at least a couple touchdown passes.

Peyton Tribute video …

RB Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
Jacobs has been an underrated player in the last six weeks of the NFL season. He’s entering this game against the Cowboys with a lot to prove. If he can have a big afternoon, he can catapult his name into the top echelon of running backs in the league. With the Giants’ hopes riding on his shoulders, expect him to have a productive outing.

WR Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys
Owens practiced during the week, although he wasn’t to practice the whole week. Even with that in mind, Owens should have a big Sunday. He’s a player who likes to play on the big stage and he’s shown an ability to heal fast. A touchdown this weekend wouldn’t surprise anyone.

TE Antonio Gates or Brandon Manumaleuna, San Diego Chargers
It remains a long shot that Gates is able to play. If he’s not able to go, Manumaleuna is actually a pretty decent start. The Chargers will still need to complete passes, especially near the endzone. Manumaleuna has good hands, good size and should be a touchdown threat against the Colts.

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RB Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers
Grant has been a very good running back for the Packers during the second half of the season. With the weather cold and the Packers looking to lean on their defense, Grant should get a lot of carries this weekend. If the Packers get up early, expect Grant to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 carries.

WR Jabbar Gaffney, New England Patriots
Gaffney has become somewhat of a safety valve for Tom Brady. When things are tough and his stars are covered, Brady has complete confidence in Gaffney to come up with a big grab. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, there’s no doubt that Gaffney should be a part of the game plan. The Patriots are going to have to spread the ball around against a solid Jaguars defense.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars
If the Jaguars want to have a shot to beat the New England Patriots, David Garrard is going to have to have a huge game. While Lewis wasn’t a very active player in the regular season, he has the size and strength to take advantage of some of the age on the Patriots’ defense. Look for the Jaguars to target him in the red zone.

K Nick Folk, Dallas Cowboys
Folk has already shown that he’s a clutch kicker, so you don’t have to worry too much about the playoffs overwhelming him. Against the New York Giants, there’s a good chance he’ll see at least two field goal attempts.

D New York Giants
The Giants have been a very good defensive team this year. After getting off to a slow start, they’ve really turned it on. In the first round of the playoffs, their defense dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the Dallas Cowboys show any signs of rust or nervousness, expect the Giants to be there to take advantage.

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