If you are going to be playing playoff fantasy football, you obviously should be well aware of the NFL playoff picture. Here’s the NFL playoff schedule for the first week of the playoffs so you can start to figure out which fantasy players you want to get on your team in playoff fantasy football.

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

QB Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Tony Romo has a good matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving and should be able to put up a very productive fantasy football line. He’s as healthy as he’s been since returning from his broken pinkie and his wide receivers are playing well. At least 250 yards and two touchdowns is what you should expect.

RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
In four out of his last five games, Adrian Peterson has at least one touchdown. That bodes well for his Week 13 game against the Chicago Bears. While the Bears have a solid defense, it isn’t as good as it has been in years past. Peterson will be able to run for at least 80 yards and a touchdown.

WR Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals
There isn’t a hotter fantasy football wide receiver than Anquan Boldin. He’s been a monster when healthy this season. Although he missed a few games due to facial fractures, he hasn’t lost a beat since coming back. Expect at least eight catches, for 95 yards and a touchdown this week against the Philadelphia Eagles.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
With a very nice matchup this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, Antonio Gates is a must start. Gates should get a touchdown this week as the young Falcons aren’t quite equipped to shut down this pass catching tight end. In fantasy football, there isn’t a better tight end start in Week 13 than Gates.

QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Although Peyton Manning hasn’t had the best of seasons, he has a very easy matchup in Week 12. Going against the San Diego Chargers, who have statistically the worst pass defense in the NFL, Manning should have a big day. Look for the Colts to pass early and often — as this game has the possiblity of being a shootout.

RB Marion Barber III, Dallas Cowboys
With Tony Romo back at quarterback, running room will open up for Marion Barber. While Romo was out, Barber struggled — which wasn’t too surprising. Against the San Francisco 49ers, look for the Cowboys to try to establish the run early. If Dallas can get a second half lead, expect them to have Barber run it to end the game.

WR Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
Andre Johnson has had a somewhat streaky season but Week 12 promises to be a good one for the Texans receiver. Johnson is up against the Cleveland Browns and he’ll be targeted plenty of times. While he’s had a little bit of trouble scoring touchdowns this year, Week 12 looks like a week in which AJ will get at least one TD.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Going up against the Colts with a healthy offense, Antonio Gates should be free to roam and cause damage. With the wide receivers playing well, the running backs playing well and the quarterback having his best season, Gates sometimes is the forgotten man. In Week 12, the Chargers will make the Colts pay if they forget about Gates.

QB Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks
Don’t forget about Matt Hasselbeck. After missing a huge chunk of the season due to injury, he’s going to start this week for the Seahawks. With his wide receivers playing well and his running backs healthy, Hasselbeck has the weapons to have a good game. If you need a starter and he’s on the waiver wire, Hasselbeck is a good start.

RB Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals
While he doesn’t have a very good matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cedric Benson is coming off of one of the best games of his career. With Carson Palmer still out injured, Benson will get plenty of touches in the Bengals’ offense. He very well could score a touchdown this week and end up with a decent amount of yards.

WR Chris Chambers, San Diego Chargers
After a very strong start to the season, Chris Chambers has struggled with injuries. But now he’s as healthy as he’s been in weeks and should be able to get back to his old ways. With his speed back, he’s going to be a deep ball threat for the rest of the season. In Week 11, expect Chambers to once again be a big part of the Chargers offense.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars
Don’t look now but Marcedes Lewis has had at least three catches in each of his last four games. Last week, Lewis even led the Jaguars in receiving yards. As he continues to become a bigger and bigger part of the Jacksonville offense, his fantasy football value in 2008 will continue to rise.

QB Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have actually turned it around offensively and that has allowed them to win their last three games. In that span, the Ravens are averaging 31 points per game. Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco deserves a lot of credit and with two touchdowns in each of his last two games, he’s a good bet to be productive in his Week 10 matchup against the Houston Texans.

RB Darren Sproles, San Diego Chargers
With the Chargers hosting the Kansas City Chiefs this week, it’s a great time to gamble on a big game from Darren Sproles. The Chiefs have a horrible run defense and they very likely could get blown out this week. If Sproles gets at least eight touches this week, there’s a chance he could put up a solid fantasy football line.

WR Koren Robinson, Seattle Seahawks
In recent weeks, Koren Robinson has quietly become the most productive wide receiver on the Seahawks. Last week, he had a 90-yard reception for a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. This week against the Miami Dolphins, Robinson should be able to get four or five catches and his speed gives him the capability of breaking a long one.

TE Kevin Boss, New York Giants
Kevin Boss hasn’t been as productive as many fantasy football owners thought he’d be during the 2008 season, but he’s been more productive lately. In his last two weeks, he has a touchdown in each game and a total of seven receptions. With Eli Manning looking for him more, there’s a chance he can get another touchdown this weekend in Week 10.

QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Arguably the best fantasy football quarterback in 2008 has a good matchup in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons. Although the Falcons are better than expected, opponents have had some success passing against their defense. Expect Brees to have approximately 300 yards and two touchdowns.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
A lot of fantasy owners have considered LaDainian Tomlinson somewhat of a bust this season. But Tomlinson should rise to the head of the pack in Week 10 against the amazingly weak run defense of the Kansas City Chiefs. LT has looked better recently and this could be the huge breakout game fantasy owners have been waiting for.

WR Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
Andre Johnson has been the best fantasy wide receiver over the last month and he should be productive yet again in Week 10. Although Sage Rosenfels is in and Matt Schaub is out due to injury, that shouldn’t have too much of an adverse effect on Johnson’s production. Rosenfels has proven to be one of the better backup QBs in the NFL.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Things are looking good in Week 10 for Tony Gonzalez. He has a quarterback in Tyler Thigpen who is actually playing pretty well. He’s going up against the San Diego Chargers — a team that has been destroyed by tight ends this year. If you have Gonzalez on your fantasy football team, make sure you start him this week.

Santana Moss leaves the competition behind once again.

QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Playing in London, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was phenomenal. Brees finished the game against the San Diego Chargers with 339 yards and three passing touchdowns. He also completed 30 of his 41 pass attempts. Brees has quickly become arguably the best fantasy football quarterback in 2008.

RB Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
After missing a few weeks due to injury, Brian Westbrook was back in action and looking 100%. In a dominant performance against the Atlanta Falcons, Westbrook had 167 yards rushing, 42 yards receiving and two total touchdowns. Any injury questions should be muted after this performance.

WR Santana Moss, Washington Redskins
Coming into the 2008 fantasy football campaign, Santana Moss was a fantasy question mark. This year, he has exceeded virtually all expectations. In Week 8, Moss was again dominant as he had nine catches for 140 yards and one touchdown. He now has five touchdowns in his seven games.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Antonio Gates has once again claimed his spot at the top of the tight end mountain. It’s no surprise that he was the top performer in fantasy football for all tight ends. He finished Week 8 of the 2008 season with a touchdown to go along with 96 receiving yards.

Photo: Newscom

QB Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
Coming off of a bye week, Donovan McNabb should have a fine week in fantasy football. Not only will he be rested, but his wide receiving corps seems to be getting healthy. Expect McNabb to have at least two touchdown passes against the Atlanta Falcons.

RB Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
Not only has Clinton Portis been the best running back in fantasy football, he is going against the Detroit Lions this week. That combination makes Portis a fantastic start in Week 8. Over a hundred yards and at least on touchdown should be his minimum production.

WR Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
As of late, Andre Johnson has been on fire. The Cincinnati Bengals, his Week 8 opponent, won’t be able to do much to slow him down. Expect Johnson to get at least six catches and at least 90 yards receiving this week.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Playing in London against the New Orleans Saints, Antonio Gates is the best tight end for Week 8. He has overcome his early season injuries and has regained his footing as a top flight fantasy football tight end.

QB Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams
The Rams are alive! Two straight wins and St. Louis looks like a real team. That is great news for Marc Bulger, who now has two legit targets in Torry Holt and rookie Donnie Avery. Bulger still has time to raise his level of play to become a decent fantasy football option.

RB Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints
With the news that Reggie Bush will miss at least a couple of weeks, Pierre Thomas now moves into a role where he’ll share carries with Deuce McAllister. While he may not get more than 10 to 12 carries per week, he’ll be a touchdown threat every week.

WR Malcom Floyd, San Diego Chargers
Chris Chambers is down injured and Malcom Floyd is doing a good Chambers impersonation. He’s using his long length to his advantage and is a great target in the end zone. As long as Chambers is out and Philip Rivers remains on fire, Floyd is a good start.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings
Since Gus Frerotte has taken over as quarterback of the Vikings, Vishanthe Shiancoe has emerged as a very good fantasy football tight end option. If he’s still available on your league’s waiver wire and you need a tight end, be sure to pick him up.

QB Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
After starting the season with three straight three-touchdown games, Rivers has had just two touchdowns in his last two games. He’s still rated highly by a lot of fantasy football owners due to his fast start, so sell him high if you can.

RB Steve Slaton, Houston Texans
While Steve Slaton is a great story and has been a fantastic fantasy football pick this season, his stock likely won’t get any higher. Now would be a good time to sell considering that he’s a rookie who could hit a rookie wall at some point. Not only that, Ahman Green may start to split carries with him at some point.

WR DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
Like Slaton, DeSean Jackson is a rookie — which means he hasn’t proven himself. For savvy fantasy football owners, that’s a reg flag. Add to that the fact that Kevin Curtis is coming back and Donovan McNabb has looked poor the last few weeks and now is a good time to shop Jackson.

TE Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins
After a huge Week 5 performance, selling high on Chris Cooley makes a lot of sense. A good chunk of his stats came off of trick plays, which can’t be counted on going forward. If you can sell Cooley at an inflated value, don’t hesitate.