A look at some key fantasy football questions and answers

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WHICH UNDER-THE-RADAR PLAYERS HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR BIG GAMES THIS WEEK?We don’t recommend making many wholesale changes to your lineup in the fantasy playoff semifinals that typically happen this week.However , if you’re looking for a little magic at the QB position, Derek Carr of the Raiders has averaged 303 passing yards over the past two weeks with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He faces the Bengals, who allow the second most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to QBs.The Bengals have also allowed at least one rushing TD to running backs in eight straight games and given up the most FPPG to the position. Raiders RB Doug Martin is averaging just 54 rushing yards per game in his last seven starts but has TDs in three straight.The Jets have allowed the third most FPPG to WRs. Bills WR Robert Foster has at least 94 receiving yards in three of his last four games and with Kelvin Benjamin and Andre Holmes no longer on the team he’s likely to be heavily targeted by QB Josh Allen.Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah has a plus matchup against the Raiders, who’ve given up the most FPPG to TEs. Panthers TE Ian Thomas has a tougher matchup against the Saints but has 14 catches over the past two weeks including nine in Week 14.CAN CAM NEWTON BE TRUSTED THIS WEEK?Newton has been on the Panthers injury report for the past few weeks due to a shoulder injury but has been able to play. His shoulder woes may be more serious than the Panthers are letting on. His average yards per pass attempt has decreased from a high of 9.65 in Week 11 to just 6.31 this past week. Even Newton’s rushing yards have decreased in each of the past three weeks. In addition, he’s failed to reach 200 passing yards in his last three games against the Saints, his Week 15 opponent. Combine those factors and you’ll be better off keeping Newton on your bench if you have a viable alternative.IS JOSH ALLEN A BETTER START THAN AARON RODGERS OF CAM NEWTON THIS WEEK?Allen has scored the second most fantasy points among QBs over the past two weeks. During that time Rodgers has been a QB12 and Newton has been QB 21 in total fantasy points scored. Since Week 12, Allen has averaged 112 rushing yards per game. That’s 11 fantasy points in standard scoring systems. His rushing provides a nice floor to his fantasy production. Rodgers has averaged 209 passing yards over the past three weeks and visits Chicago this week. The Bears have allowed the second fewest FPPG to QBs.CAN TITANS RB DERRICK HENRY HAVE ANOTHER BIG WEEK?Recent history suggests the answer is no. Including the playoffs, Henry has rushed for at least 109 yards three times in his career. His rushing totals in the weeks following those games were 13, 20 and 28 yards. Henry takes on the Giants on the heels of a tremendous 238-yard rushing performance. The Giants gave up just 43 rushing yards to Redskins RBs last week but in their previous five games RBs torched them for an average of 130 rushing yards. Henry’s 17 carries in Week 14 were his most since Week 3 and Dion Lewis is still playing significantly more snaps than Henry every week.WHICH BRONCOS WR IS THE BEST FANTASY START?Fade Courtland Sutton. He’s averaging just over two catches per game and he’s been dealing with a quad muscle injury that could limit him. Tim Patrick and DaeSean Hamilton are two Broncos WRs who are both in play this week.Patrick plays on the outside and is coming off of a 10-target, seven-catch, 84-receiving yard performance. He should benefit from top Browns CB Denzel Ward missing his second straight game.Hamilton plays most of his snaps from the slot, and slot receivers have enjoyed success against the Browns. He led Broncos wideouts in routes run , caught a TD pass and had seven catches for 47 yards last week.WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE PATRIOTS BACKFIELD?Earlier in the season Sony Michel and James White were both startable in fantasy every week. Michel got the majority of carries and goal line opportunities and White was a reliable change-of pace-option whose specialty was catching balls out of the backfield. Fast forward to Week 14 and FB James Develin scored his third TD in two weeks, and he, Michel and White all have snap percentages north of 40 percent. Even Rex Burkhead’s snap percentage is over 20 percent. You obviously can’t start Develin or Burkhead but they do cut into Michel and White’s fantasy production. Continue to start Michel, but lower your expectations. He’s not the RB1 we expected him to develop into based on his early-season usage. White is still valuable in points per reception (PPR) scoring formats, but his production isn’t as consistent as it was earlier in the season. OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — As he worked diligently for more than a month to return from a potentially dangerous hip injury, Joe Flacco watched the Baltimore Ravens flourish without him.Now that he’s healthy, Flacco must adjust to a role he’s never experienced during his 11-year NFL career: backup quarterback.Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Wednesday selected rookie Lamar Jackson as his starter, opting to play the hot hand rather than a former Super Bowl MVP who’s been starting since his inaugural season in 2008.After Flacco hurt his right hip in a loss to Pittsburgh on Nov 4, the fleet-footed Jackson took over as the starter following a bye week. Under his guidance, the Ravens ramped up their running game and went 3-1, the only loss in overtime last Sunday on the road against the powerful Kansas City Chiefs.With Baltimore desperate to end a three-year playoff drought , Harbaugh decided the Ravens would be best served with Jackson running the offense.“Every decision is based on making us the strongest possible team we can be,” Harbaugh said. “Whether it’s quarterback or defensive line, that’s the bottom line. That’s what it boils down to. That’s how we feel about this decision, and we’re rolling.”Jackson will start Sunday when the Ravens (7-6) host Tampa Bay (5-8).The 33-year-old Flacco has 163 career starts compared to Jackson’s four and has guided the Ravens into the playoffs on six occasions. He was Super Bowl MVP in 2012, when he led Baltimore past San Francisco to cap a postseason in which he threw 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions.But in a league that doesn’t give a hoot about the past, Flacco realized his future in Baltimore would be in jeopardy as soon as the Ravens selected Jackson out of Louisville with the 32nd overall pick in April.“They drafted Lamar in the first round. At some point, something was going to happen between the two of us,” Flacco said. “Who knows what that was going to be? This is just what it is at this point.”Flacco retained the starting job until he banged up his hip against the Steelers. He finished the game and wanted to play in the next one, but the doctors wouldn’t allow it.“The risks of going back out there and playing were just a lot,” Flacco said. “If I just let it play the course and get to where we are today, the risks are nothing.”He was talking about his health, not losing his grip on the starting job.“I’ve obviously had five weeks to think about and prepare myself for this situation and the possibility of it ,” Flacco said. “And yeah, I’m disappointed I can’t be in that locker room in the same capacity that I’ve always been. But this is my situation right now, and I’m going to do my best to handle it the right way.”Cleared to practice at full capacity for the first time since his injury, Flacco returned to work Wednesday with the second-team offense. His role now is the same as every backup he’s had for years, from Troy Smith in 2008 to Jackson in the early stages of this season.“Always got to be ready and stay sharp,” Flacco said.With Jackson running the offense, the Ravens have racked up an NFL-best 914 yards rushing over the past four weeks. More importantly, they’ve won three of four to put themselves in the middle of the playoff picture. Baltimore trails Pittsburgh by a half-game in the AFC North and currently holds the No. 6 wild-card spot.And that is why Flacco returns to a role on the bench.“I can’t say I was surprised,” he said.Jackson was the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner because of his ability to run, a skill he’s carried with him to the NFL. His 336 yards rushing are most by a rookie quarterback in his first four starts during the Super Bowl era. Still, one misstep could put an end to his run of success.“They always tell me to protect myself, but I’m going to put it all on the line. I want to win ,” Jackson said.Harbaugh and Flacco have been a team since the quarterback entered the league as a first-round pick soon after Harbaugh was named Baltimore’s coach. They’ve won 15 playoff games together and hoisted the Super Bowl trophy on one memorable evening in New Orleans.So, it was probably a bit uncomfortable for both when Harbaugh called Flacco into his office Tuesday afternoon.“I don’t know if it was the hardest conversation,” Flacco said, “because in both of our minds we probably knew that the talk was coming at some point.”And now, for the first time since his college days, Flacco is a backup.“You have to be a professional about it. It’s out of my hands,” he said. “I just have to go out there and prepare and be ready to go.”

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