It's Game Day: Everything you Need to Know

We're about 30 minutes from the kick-off of the early games. Here's your one and only stop for all you need to know about the 1:00pm (eastern time) games and updates of the games.

I'll be gathering information from sites such as NFL.com, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, ESPN.com, SI.com and more, so no need to go anywhere else.

12:30 pm: I will be continually updating the page, so be sure to keep checking back for more.

12:32 pm: If you're lucky, maybe there will be some live blogging during the early games as well.

Key Inactives:

Vikings @ Bears (1 pm)

MIN: Percy Harvin (ankle)

CHI: Alshon Jeffrey (knee)

Raiders @ Bengals (1 pm)

OAK: Darren McFadden (ankle), Mike Goodson (ankle), Richard Seymour (knee, hamstring)

CIN: Andrew Hawkins (knee)

Steelers @ Browns (1 pm)

PIT: Ben Roethlisberger (shoulder, ribs), Byron Leftwich (ribs), Antonio Brown (ankle), Jerricho Cotchery (ribs), Troy Polamalu (calf)

CLE: Dimitri Patterson (ankle), Josh Cooper (knee)

Bills @ Colts (1 pm)

BUF: Mark Anderson (knee), Aaron Williams (knee)

IND: Coby Fleener (shoulder), Vontae Davis (knee)

Titans @ Jaguars (1 pm)

TEN: Jamie Harper (ankle)

JAC: Blaine Gabbert (forearm), Maurice Jones-Drew (foot)

Broncos @ Chiefs (1 pm)

DEN: Willis McGahee (MCL), Tracy Porter (illness)

KC:

Seahawks @ Dolphins (1 pm)

SEA:

MIA: Lamar Miller

Falcons @ Buccaneers (1 pm)

ATL:

TB: Arrelious Benn (shoulder)

Ravens @ Chargers (4:05 pm)

BAL: Jimmy Smith

SD: Eddie Royal (hamstring), Jared Gaither (groin)

Rams @ Cardinals (4:25 pm)

STL: Mario Haggan (elbow)

ARI:

Niners @ Saints (4:25 pm)

SF:

NO:

Packers @ Giants (8:20 pm)

GB: Greg Jennings (groin), Clay Matthews III (hamstring), Sam Shields (ankle)

NYG: Domenik Hixon (ankle)

Panthers @ Eagles (Mon., 8:30 pm)

CAR:
PHI: Michael Vick (concussion), LeSean McCoy (concussion), Jason Avant (hamstring)

Additional Injury/Player Updates

*Jay Cutler (concussion) will be starting for the Bears today after missing last week's loss to the 49ers. No Jason Campbell this week, Bears fans.

*With both Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich out, Charlie Batch will be making the start under center for the Steelers today. The newly-signed Plaxico Burress is active and will be available in mostly red zone packages today as well.

*With Willis McGahee out and on the IR (would be eligible to return if Denver makes it to AFC Championship, however), Knowshon Moreno will be making the start at RB today.

*Haven't received official word yet, but reportedly San Francisco's Alex Smith was told that Colin Kaepernick would make the start today. Smart move if he does.

*Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy (both concussions) will miss the Eagles' Monday night match-up with Carolina. As if the Eagles weren't already worried about being embarrassed on National television...

Key actives: NO RB Darren Sproles, ARI RB Beanie Wells, BUF RB Fred Jackson, KC WR Dwayne Bowe, ATL WR Julio Jones, STL WR Danny Amendola

In-Game Talk

2:10 pm: Pittsburgh's offense has gotten off to a slow start, as expected. Cleveland just extended its lead to 13-7 with a 32-yarder off the foot of Phil Dawson. Charlie Batch is showing rust, making his first NFL start since December 24 of last year, but it's just his 8th start with the Steelers.

*Dawson's field goal is his 27th consecutive made FG, tying a team record.
*Steelers have turned the ball over three different times: a fumbles by running backs (Mendenhall, Redman and Dwyer). Longest play from scrimmage for PIT has been 11 yards (from Charlie "check down" Batch to Emmanuel Sanders).

2:13 pm: Cincinnati is drowning the Raiders at this point, up 21-0 at the two minute warning. Andy Dalton is 10/15, 116 yards and 2 TDs while BenJarvus Green-Ellis has run for 74 yards and a TD on offense.

2:20 pm: Matt Bryant shanks a last-second field goal for Atlanta as the Falcons (9-1) and Bucs (6-4) head into the half with a 10-10 tie.

2:22 pm: Speaking of domination, the Bears are up 25-3 over Minnesota thanks in part to Jay Cutler's 80 yards and 1 TD and Michael Bush's 2 rushing TDs. Under two minutes to play in the first half in Chicago, between two NFC North teams in the playoff hunt.

2:29 pm: Well, just before the half Pittsburgh's offense finally gets in to the end zone with a Chris Rainey 1-yard run. 14-13 Pittsburgh at halftime.

2:30 pm: Other halftime scores include DEN 7, KC 6...SEA 7, MIA 7...TEN 6, JAC 7. Lots of low-scoring games thus far today.

2:56 pm: Rookie Russell Wilson is looking great for Seattle, throwing his 2nd TD pass on the day to Michael Robinson. Early in the third the Seahawks are up 14-7.

2:58 pm: Down 13-10 early in the third qtr, Matty Ice and Julio Jones hooked up for an 80-yard touchdown. Originally questionable for today's game, Jones now has 4 catches for 123 yards and a TD on the day.

3 pm: Oops. Seahawks/Dolphins game has temporarily been delayed because the sprinklers came on. That doesn't happen during an NFL game very often, I'll say that much.

3:04 pm: It's all good though, the delay only lasted a couple of minutes.

3:05 pm: Offensive explosion in Tampa. Both the Falcons and Bucs offenses have had 5 plays go for 20 or more yards.

3:06 pm: Pittsburgh's woes have continued. Charlie Batch has a pass intercepted by Sheldon Brown, leading to a rare rushing TD, ran in from 15 yards out by rookie Trent Richardson. Cleveland elects not to go for 2, so it's 20-14 Cleveland.

3:12 pm: Peyton Manning's latest touchdown to Demaryius Thomas has the Broncos up 14-9, and that TD pass looked prettier than ever off the right arm of Manning. He may not be as explosive as his Colt days, but he's still got the Manning touch.

3:14 pm: T.Y. Hilton now has a 75-yard punt return TD and an 8-yard TD catch under his belt today. Andrew Luck's Colts are up 20-6 over the Bills.

3:19 pm: Pittsburgh's rookie OT Mike Adams was just carted to the locker room. Adams was the Steelers' 2nd round draft pick this past April.

3:23 pm: News on the late games...St. Louis wideout Danny Amendola has been announced as active and Arizona's Beanie Wells will be active for the first time since Week 3. Darren Sproles will be active for the Saints, and in that same game it's been announced that Colin Kaepernick will, in fact, make the start for the Niners. Nothing shocking there.

3:29 pm: Fifth turnover of the game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is getting out of hand and is very uncharacteristic of this offense. Exactly why I felt the Steelers should have signed David Garrard to a contract, he's been ready to play for quite some time now.

3:31 pm: Tampa Bay has re-taken the lead from Atlanta thanks to a Doug Martin 1-yard TD and a Connor Barth 48-yard field goal. 10 unanswered from Tampa. 23-17. Great game in Tampa.

3:32 pm: Clearly that was a late update on my part (^^^), because a Michael Turner 3-yard run and a Bryant extra point gives Atlanta a 24-23 lead. Probably the best game on at the current moment. I advised you flip the channel.

3:46 pm: Adrian Peterson with another 100 yard game. The rushing leader now has 5 consecutive games with 100+ and has accumulated over 1,200 on the season. His 108 yards, however, has not been enough for the Vikes to overcome Chicago, as they still trail 28-10 with just over seven minutes to play in the game.

3:51 pm: Atlanta just missed a long field goal, giving Tampa the ball back trailing 24-23. The problem is that Josh Freeman has just :08 to get into field goal range to win the game. Interesting end to this one.

3:53 pm: Tampa's last-second hail mary fails and Atlanta pulls away with a fourth consecutive victory of six or less points, 24-23. The Falcons improve to 10-1, tying the Texans with the best record in the league.

4 pm: Seven. Yes, seven turnovers for Pittsburgh's offense. A Chris Rainey fumble just gave Cleveland the ball back at the 2 minute warning. With a 6-point lead, appears as if the Browns will come away with a 20-14 victory.

4:03 pm: Two more final scores...Denver fends off the Chiefs, 17-9 as the Dolphins defeat Seattle 24-21 with last heroics from kicker Dan Carpenter, who kicked one through the uprights from 43 yards away as time expired.

4:06 pm: With Chad Henne the starter, Jacksonville captures its second win of the season with a 24-19 victory over Jake Locker's Titans. Henne threw for 261 yards and 2 TDs in the win. Breakout receiver Cecil Shorts completes his third 100-yard season and catches his 6th TD of the season. Fantasy stud at its finest (Henne would be a great pick-up if you're one of those owners who picks up quarterbacks on a weekly basis).

4:12 pm: Last play for Pittsburgh results in yet another lost fumble while attempting a desperation lateral. Ugly game all around for the offense, as the Browns force 8 turnovers. Browns win 20-14. Lets face it, Charlie Batch is more of a game manager. If you aren't running for 100-150 yards and running the ball early and often, you can't count on him to win you the game. Batch didn't lose it, the running game just didn't get the job done.

4:14 pm: Colts defeat Bills 20-13, Bears over Vikes 28-10, Bengals destroy the Raiders 34-10.

Well, that just about wraps up the early game coverage. Unfortunately I may not be able to stick around and do the same for the 4 pm ET games, but recaps and analysis of the day's action will be coming soon, and possibly even a separate thread for tonight's Packers/Giants SNF match-up tonight.

Thanks for following along this afternoon!

Start 'em, Sit 'em: Week 12 Edition (Game Picks Included)

A majority of fantasy football leagues' regular seasons should be winding down at this point, which means the "new" season, also known as the playoffs, are right around the corner. Keeping up with your team's roster and making the right decisions when it comes to starting, and benching, certain players is very crucial from here on out.

Whether you've already locked up a playoff spot or are fighting for a chance to play in the winner's bracket, these are the guys you want to have in your lineup this week. I added some guys who you may want to stay away from, as well.

Quarterbacks

Start:

Ben Roethlisberger, vs. Buffalo

To me, I think this is rather obvious. Roethlisberger has racked up 275-plus yards and three touchdowns through the air in two consecutive games and has thrown just four interceptions in his six starts this season. Buffalo's defense has allowed 20 touchdown passes this season and has allowed the second-least turnovers with 11 (tied with Denver). Huge mismatch in Pittsburgh's favor.

Brett Favre, vs. Washington

Tough to predict what will happen with Favre at this point, but if you don't have an elite quarterback on your roster then Favre may be your best bet. He has a favorable matchup against the 29th-ranked passing defense in Washington, plus Favre's favorite target from 2009, Sidney Rice, seems to be close to getting back on track. Perhaps tomorrow is his breakout game.

Kyle Orton, vs. St. Louis

Orton has shown he belongs on the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks list this season. With at least one touchdown pass in all 10 of Denver's games, Orton has done everything he can for the Broncos, despite their 3-7 record. He hasn't been a winner in reality, but fantasy and reality can very easily have different outcomes when it comes to the National Football League. Orton has protected the ball well with just six interceptions and two fumbles. A matchup with St. Louis should produce solid numbers for Orton, but that doesn't necessarily mean Denver will come out victorious.

Matt Cassel, vs. Seattle

One of the more underrated quarterbacks, fantasy-wise at least, Cassel has a nice looking matchup Sunday against Seattle's 30th-ranked pass defense. Fighting to stay alive in the AFC West race, the only thing going against Cassel in this game is the fact that the Chiefs are 1-4 on the road and the game will be played in Seattle. Seattle has allowed at least 290 passing yards and a combined 10 touchdown passes in their past four games. Cassel is sure to be licking his chops right now.

Sit:

Eli Manning, vs. Jacksonville

This may surprise everyone, other than Eli's skeptics, considering the younger Manning brother has currently scored the sixth-most fantasy points among NFL quarterbacks (according to my league on ESPN.com). But after throwing three picks in last week's loss and losing leading receiver Hakeem Nicks for at least a couple weeks, I think a hot Jags team--on a season-high three game win streak--will be able to contain Eli and keep him from lighting up the scoreboard.

Matt Ryan/Aaron Rodgers, playing each other

Both are elite quarterbacks, but seeing as they are both signal callers for Super Bowl contenders coming out of the NFC, they each have tough defenses and will need to play safe football. Atlanta and Green Bay are both top six scoring defenses (Green Bay is tied with Chicago for least amount of points allowed with 146) and have intercepted 15 passes this season. Theses two elite quarterbacks may be seeing themselves throwing touchdown passes to the defenders, instead of their own receivers.

Running Backs

Start:

Peyton Hillis, vs. Carolina

Hillis has had a huge breakout season thus far, with three 100-yard games and eight touchdowns for the lowly Cleveland Browns. Facing off against Carolina, at home, is already great news for Hillis. What makes it even more of a no-brainer (starting Hillis, that is) is the fact that Jake Delhomme will be making his return to the lineup after rookie Colt McCoy suffered a high ankle sprain. This likely means Hillis will see more carries/touches come his way in order to take pressure off Delhomme.

Michael Turner, vs. Green Bay

It may look like I'm contradicting myself after listing Matt Ryan under the sit category and saying the game will be dominated by the defenses, but Turner has had some solid games and the ground game will be crucial against a defense that revolves around rushing the quarterback and stopping the pass. The only team Turner didn't fare well against in the past three games was Baltimore's smash-mouth defense led by veteran Ray Lewis. Turner will be the key to Atlanta coming out on top in this NFC showdown.

Ahmad Bradshaw, vs. Jacksonville

Jacksonville will be so focused on stopping Eli Manning that they will likely forget all about Bradshaw, who has done a nice job stepping in for the overrated Brandon Jacobs and has had a solid 2010 campaign. This success will continue as long as he works on that fumbling problem. Bradshaw is one of those bruising tailbacks who is bound to break-free nearly every time he touches the ball.

Mike Tolbert, vs. Indianapolis

With rookie Ryan Mathews still ailing, Tolbert has been forced to step up and recorded his second 100-yard game last week against the Broncos with 111 and a touchdown. Tolbert now has eight rushing touchdowns this season as a fill-in and has a favorable matchup against Indy's 29th-best run defense. Tolbert is a must-start if your backfield has been hit with the injury bug.

Sit:

Maurice Jones-Drew, vs. New York Giants

Jones-Drew has turned his disappointing season around the past few weeks, but an unfavorable matchup with the league's fourth-best run defense on the road in New York doesn't look like good for MJD and his Jags, who currently hold the lead in the AFC South. P.S. Their division lead will be short-lived with Peyton and Co.

Fred Jackson, vs. Pittsburgh

Sorry, Buffalo fans! But your current win streak will end tomorrow, at your house, against the phenomenal run defense of Pittsburgh. As will Jackson's two-game 100 yard-plus streak. But hey, it was great while it lasted, right?

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Start:

Mike Wallace, vs. Buffalo

Ben's favorite target will sure to get some looks against a defense that has allowed 20 touchdowns through the air this season. Buffalo has picked off just four of their opponents' pass attempts this season and I wouldn't be surprised if Roethlisberger tried to hook up with Wallace on a couple deep passes throughout the game.

Vernon Davis, vs. Arizona

Listed as probable, Davis seems to be gaining his health back. And after an off-game (1 catch for three yards against Tampa before leaving the game) last week Davis seems poised to break out with a solid performance against Arizona's weak pass defense, who has allowed the second-most points in the league this season.

Sit:

Roddy White, vs. Green Bay

I will most likely end up regretting the decision to put White on the sit list, but it's tough when he has such an unfavorable matchup against a defense like Green Bay's. Expect Matt Ryan to be pressured most of the game, meaning his passes may not be quite as on-target as usual. Therefore hurting White's number of targets.

Randy Moss, vs. Houston

Another big, superstar name on my sit list. But, if you are an active NFL fan then you know Moss's, and the Titans', story this season. Moss has been merely a decoy, leaving other Titan receivers with single coverage. With the injury to Vince Young, the rookie Rusty Smith will make his first career start, furthermore hurting Randy's stock. Maybe it's time for him to hang up his cleats? Just a thought.

Defense and STs/Kickers

Start:

Pittsburgh D/ST

Expect a couple of INTs and sacks of Buffalo's immobile Ryan Fitzpatrick as well as a stout run defense against Jackson. Maybe a touchdown or two as well?? We'll see.

Sebastian Janikowski, vs. Miami

The highest-scoring kicker this season may get quite a bit of opportunities tomorrow with a close game likely headed our way. Oakland has relied quite a bit on Janikowski and he has really pulled through. With Bruce Gradkowski returning to the lineup as the starter, we may see quite a few Sebastian field goal attempts.

Sit:

Chicago D/ST

Ok, yes, I understand that Chicago's defense has been the best there is this season, leading the league in several defensive categories. But they have yet to try and stop Vick, who is making a strong case for league MVP this season. In eight of Philly's 10 games the offense has put up 20 or more points. This very well may be the game of the week.

Tennessee D/ST

Houston knows they will be facing a rookie quarterback in Rusty Smith, so on offense I wouldn't be surprised if the Texans came right at Tennessee early and often, putting more pressure on Rusty Smith and his right arm.

------------

Game Picks:

Thanksgiving picks: Pats over Lions (correct), Saints over Cowboys (correct, barely), Jets over Bengals (correct).

Sunday November, 28, 2010

Giants over Jags

Steelers over Bills

Vikings over Skins

Browns over Panthers

Falcons over Packers

Texans over Titans

Chiefs over Seahawks

Raiders over Dolphins

Eagles over Bears

Rams over Broncos

Ravens over Bucs

Chargers over Colts

Monday November 29, 2010

Niners over Cardinals

Photo Credit

Kyle Orton: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski

Peyton Hillis: AP Photo/Mark Duncan

Fred Jackson: AP Photo/Ed Behrman

Vernon Davis: AP Photo/Paul Sakuma

Steelers' defense (James Farrior and Ryan Clark): AP Photo/Don Wright

Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis: AP Photo/Rick Osentoski