1. New Orleans Saints
With Matt Ryan unlikely to play, the New Orleans Saints should be feasting. Their defenses is built to produce in the fantasy world.

2. Baltimore Ravens
At home against the Lions? That’s music to a fantasy owner’s ears. The Ravens should put up points by the ton this week.

3. Tennessee Titans
The Titans are hosting the Rams and their improved defense will be on full display. The Rams are horrible when healthy. With Bulger injured? They are putrid.

4. New England Patriots
The Panthers have a good rushing attack but they are disaster in the passing game. The Patriots will likely take advantage of that.

5. New York Jets
Josh Freeman looks like he’s going to be a good QB down the line but a rookie against an aggressive defense like the Jets is a recipe for disaster.

Ray Lewis should have a busy week (Image: Zuma Press)

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1. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers won a Super Bowl last year thanks to their great defensive unit. In 2009 fantasy football, their defense should be dominant once again.

2. New York Giants
With a defense that can get to the quarterback and plays with impressive physicality, the Giants make things happen on the defensive end on a weekly basis.

3. Minnesota Vikings
Last year, it turned out that the Vikings defense was overrated. This year, they may be underrated. Draft the Vikings D with confidence.

4. Baltimore Ravens
It’s never safe to count out the Ravens on the defensive side of the field. They are talented and mean — a good combination to have on your side.

5. Tennessee Titans
The Titans loss of Albert Haynesworth is huge but Tennessee should be able to survive and thrive. You can count on the coaching to be top notch.

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The contract Collins signed is for two years and has approximately $8.5 million in guaranteed money. Although he doesn’t have a high ceiling as a fantasy football quarterback, this move definitely has some fantasy impact.

First of all, Young’s stock drops even further. If Collins would have signed elsewhere, Young would have had a chance to possibly start for the Titans. Now with Collins back in the fold, Young will likely be the backup once again.

As for Collins’ fantasy value, at its highest he may be a decent backup fantasy quarterback. The Titans love to run the ball so much that Collins doesn’t get many opportunities through the air. On top of that, Collins is aging and his wide receiving corps is rather weak.

Chris Johnson and LenDale White both see their fantasy stock rise a little bit with this move. With Collins at quarterback, those two running backs should be able to produce like they did last season. Even though Collins isn’t a prolific passer, he’s good at keeping defenses honest.

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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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RB Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
Clinton Portis has a lot of things going against him this weekend. First of all, he has to deal with a myriad of injuries that have slowed him in recent weeks. Equally as scary is the fact that he’s up against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14. Considering both aspects, this would be a good week to look elsewhere for production.

WR Justin Gage, Tennessee Titans
Although Justin Gage have had some big games over the last six weeks, he’s not a very good start this weekend against the Cleveland Browns. Gage is going up against a defense that has played well the last two weeks and although his stats have been good, the number of targets haven’t been enough to expect production week in and week out.

TE Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos
Although the Broncos have a good matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos will likely be running a whole lot. When they do pass, they’ll probably go deep to a wide receiver. Combine those two possibilities and Tony Scheffler doesn’t seem like he’ll have a lot of chances to impact Week 14 of the 2008 fantasy football season.

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RB Tatum Bell, Denver Broncos
If you are looking to strike gold on the Week 12 waiver wire, you definitely have to consider Tatum Bell a sleeper. Bell has been signed by the Broncos after a bevy of injuries depleted their running back corps. Bell has had success in that system before and could excel once again if given a shot.

WR Justin Gage, Tennessee Titans
With teams looking to defend the run, Kerry Collins and the Titans have been forced to pass more in recent weeks. When healthy, Gage has been the team’s number one receiver. He now has three touchdowns in the last two weeks and should continue to get plenty of looks going forward.

TE Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots
As Matt Cassel grows into his role, he seems to be looking more and more for Benjamin Watson. Watson had a big week in Week 11 and is now definitely a Week 12 waiver wire possibility. If he gets enough passes his way, he could easily end up as a top ten tight end over the course of the rest of the season.

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RB Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
Chris Johnson is quickly becoming one of the most feared running backs in all of the NFL. In Week 9, Johnson helped lead the Titans to victory with 89 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards and a touchdown. Although LenDale White steals some of his touchdowns, Johnson has become a must start each and every fantasy football week.

WR Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens
Coming off of a week where he only had three yards, many fantasy football owners were scared away from starting Derrick Mason in Week 9. Too bad for those owners because Mason was a fantasy football superstar in this game against the Cleveland Browns. He finished the contest with nine catches, 136 yards and a touchdown reception in the Ravens victory.

TE Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
A couple weeks ago, we said Owen Daniels was one of the most underrated fantasy football players in the NFL. We also said Daniels would be the best tight end this week. After his 11 catch, 133 yard performance in Week 9, Owens is no longer a secret in the world of fantasy football.

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RB Michael Pittman, Denver Broncos
Michael Pittman is banged up and is currently listed as questionable for the Week 9 game. But he was able to practice late in the week and should start the game and have a heavy workload. Against the Miami Dolphins, Pittman should be able to produce a nice fantasy football line.

WR Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chance are Joey Galloway is going to have a breakout game at some point this season. This week against the Kansas City Chiefs is a good bet to be that week. Galloway is as healthy as he’s been since his injury and should be able to get a long touchdown in this week’s game.

TE Donald Lee, Green Bay Packers
The Packers are facing a very tough defense this week when they take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 9. However, if the Packers are going to have any success against the Titans, it will likely be with Lee finding room in the middle of their secondary. That is the one weak spot in the Tennessee defense, as illustrated last week when tight end Dallas Clark had a pair of touchdowns.

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Don’t sleep on Kolby Smith in Week 8.

QB Matt Cassel, New England Patriots
Last week, Matt Cassel finally looked like he was getting comfortable as a NFL quarterback. This week, Cassel will go up against the Rams and try to prove that last week wasn’t a fluke. While the Rams are actually playing well right now, Cassel remains a sleeper who could bust out in a big way in Week 8 fantasy football.

RB Kolby Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
With Larry Johnson being held out once against for the Kansas City Chiefs, Kolby Smith will get the start. Last week, in a similar situation, Smith played poorly. But it must be noted that Smith was going against the Titans, who happen to be the best defense in the NFL. Smith should do much better this week.

WR Kevin Curtis, Philadelphia Eagles
Don’t forget that last year with Kevin Curtis was healthy that he was a good fantasy football player. Curtis hasn’t been healthy much in the 2008 fantasy football season, however he is getting close to 100%. Look for him to have a breakout week soon.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars
Prior to Jacksonville’s bye week, Marcedes Lewis had put together back-to-back games with a touchdown. Lewis will try to make it three games in a row with a touchdown. With Matt Jones’ future in doubt, Lewis’ value is definitely on the rise and he’ll remain a sleeper for the time being.

Photo: Newscom

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9) Carolina Panthers
With Steve Smith back in action, the Panthers should make a legitimate push for the playoffs and could be a sleeper Super Bowl pick.

8) Buffalo Bills
At 3-0 it is hard to ignore the Bills. However, they still have a lot more to prove before people believe they are ready for the playoffs.

7) Green Bay Packers
Without Brett Favre, the Packers are still very good. They lost against the Cowboys this week but they should bounce back.

6) Pittsburgh Steelers
A loss against the Eagles doesn’t hurt the Steelers’ rank too much. They remain very good defensively and explosive offensively.

5) Denver Broncos
Speaking of explosive offenses, is there a more unexpectedly explosive passing attack than the one found in Denver?

4) Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are playing very solid football in 2008. Their defense is deceptively fantastic and their offense is more than capable.

3) Tennessee Titans
The Titans have perhaps the most deadly defensive attack in the NFL. Their offense can be ugly but their duo at running back (Chris Johnson and LenDale White) is impressive.

2) Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are at 3-0 and appear to be the best team in the NFL at the moment. On both sides of the field, the Cowboys have a huge amount of talent.

1) New York Giants
The Giants are coming off of their 2007 Super Bowl championship and have started the season with three straight wins — which is good enough for the number one spot in the power rankings.

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