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Wild Card: Fantasy Football Weekly
Rex Ryan expected to interview for Falcons' head-coaching job next week
Bengals WR A.J Green misses practice, deemed doubtful for playoff game
Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell ruled out for Wild Card Weekend
Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart to remain Carolina's workhorse in Week 18
Colts RB Trent Richardson questionable for Sunday

Wild Card: Fantasy Football Weekly

Posted: 03 Jan 2015 06:24 AM PST

A weekly recap of the big Fantasy Football headlines and must-know information.

Rex Ryan expected to interview for Falcons' head-coaching job next week

Posted: 02 Jan 2015 10:12 PM PST

Black Monday victim Rex Ryan is expected to meet with Falcons owner Arthur Blank on Tuesday to discuss the team's head-coaching vacancy. Ryan was interviewed by Blank back in 2009 but accepted the Jets' offer instead. Six years later, Atlanta is re-visiting the possibility of a Ryan-led franchise. FANTASY ANALYSIS: A defensive-minded coach with a flagrant inability to discern offensive talent, Ryan seems ideally suited for the gig in Atlanta. With QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones in place, the Falcons' offense already boasts plenty of elite weapons. Their 32nd-ranked defense, however, is an obvious disaster. Given Ryan's skill set, Atlanta could be a nice fit for the Jets' former HC. And as a coach with a run-first mentality, his hiring may also add value to a backfield that is full of question marks.

Bengals WR A.J Green misses practice, deemed doubtful for playoff game

Posted: 02 Jan 2015 09:34 PM PST

Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green took a step backward Friday in his recovery from a Week 17 concussion. After going through limited practice on Thursday, he showed up to Friday's session in sweatpants and didn't participate. Shortly after practice ended, the Bengals listed Green as doubtful on their official injury report. They will visit the Colts on Sunday. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Welp. The Bengals will also be without WRs Dane Sanzenbacher and James Wright, so there are only three wideouts on the active roster -- Mohamed Sanu, Brandon Tate, Greg Little -- who have caught passes this year. Tight end Jermaine Gresham might be a sneaky DFS choice since he caught 10 passes against Indianapolis back in Week 7, but he's fighting through a back issue that has him listed as questionable. Expect the Bengals to go run-heavy with Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard on Sunday versus the Colts' run defense, which has given up at least 115 yards on the ground in each of its past four games.

Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell ruled out for Wild Card Weekend

Posted: 02 Jan 2015 09:23 PM PST

As much as running back Le'Veon Bell would like to suit up for Saturday's playoff game, the fact is he won't. The Steelers officially ruled him out Friday. Bell didn't practice all week after suffering a hyperextended right knee in Week 17. He hasn't even tried running at full speed yet. Undrafted rookie Josh Harris is the next man up in Pittsburgh's backfield. Fellow rookie Dri Archer and recently signed Ben Tate might chip in against the Ravens as well. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Get that arm loose, Ben Roethlisberger. Harris has a nice mixture of size (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) and speed (ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at his 2014 pro day), but it's hard to fathom the Steelers leaning on the Wake Forest product in a win-or-go-home game. Roethlisberger threw for six touchdowns at home against the Ravens earlier this season. He, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant should be the foci of the Steelers' offensive attack. Baltimore's pass defense is much more lenient than its run-stopping front.

Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart to remain Carolina's workhorse in Week 18

Posted: 02 Jan 2015 06:17 PM PST

As of Friday, Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams (hand) was listed as quot;probable" on the team's injury report. After missing the last four games, Williams is apparently good to go against the Cardinals on Saturday. While the 31-year-old back was sidelined with a broken finger, RB Jonathan Stewart served as Carolina's workhorse and rushed for more than 400 yards. It is likely that Williams will see some time versus Arizona, but Stewart is expected to receive the bulk of the carries and remain the Panthers' lead back. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Fingers crossed head coach Ron Rivera can resist temptation and only use D-Will to spell Stewart, whose career is going through a bit of a renaissance. A large part of a running back's success comes from the ability to find a rhythm so it's not entirely surprising that, upon having the backfield to himself, J-Stew's numbers have spiked. Arizona has a formidable run defense but could be on the field frequently and therefore become exhausted with Ryan Lindley leading the offense. Assuming Stewart receives around 20 carries, he could produce for fantasy owners relying on the first game of the postseason.

Colts RB Trent Richardson questionable for Sunday

Posted: 02 Jan 2015 05:45 PM PST

Colts RB Trent Richardson (illness) did not practice on Friday. He is questionable to start versus the Bengals on Sunday. If the former Brown does not recovered in time, Indianapolis will look to second-year RB Dan Herron and rookie Zurlon Tipton to carry the load against Cincinnati's 20th-ranked run defense. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Over the past two weeks, Richardson's snaps have decreased considerably. In that time, Herron has out-touched his teammate and become the Colts' preferred option in the backfield. Interestingly, Tipton also out-touched T-Rich in Week 17. In fact, the rookie and quot;Boom" received an almost equal number of rushing attempts as well as targets in the passing game versus Tennessee. The timing of Richardson's illness seems a bit fishy, especially given his recent downturn in opportunities. After nearly two seasons of obstinate running, it appears as though head coach Chuck Pagano and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton are ready to concede that T-Rich is a wholly average back. If Tipton plays ahead of T-Rich, he could zap any remaining shred of fantasy value the 2012 first-round pick once possessed.