Breaking News

Ben Roethlisberger is out.

Steve Smith and Kurt Warner are listed as questionable and may not play. Warner has played over 40 straight games, and has said he expects to play.

Cedric Benson is listed as inactive.

Julius Jones will not play.

Thursday, November 26

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

Start – There’s nothing like sitting down with the family, busting out the cranberry sauce that drunk Uncle Teddy managed to not to knock over this year, and watching the Detroit Lions make fans rue the day the NFL decided they were mandatory Thanksgiving mainstays. They have the league’s worst scoring defense, an injury-riddled line-up, and are about to get lit up by Aaron Rodgers (seven total touchdowns in his last three games), Ryan Grant (129 yards against a solid 49ers defense last week), and the team's top two receivers Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. If Brady Quinn can put up four touchdowns, the only thing Rodgers is going to struggle with in this game is holding a straight face while claiming “This is going to be a tough matchup” in the pregame interview. Both tight ends in this one, Brandon Pettigrew and Jermichael Finley, are nice options. Green Bay's defense should also put some points on the table.

Sit – Matthew Stafford is a hero in Detroit this week after doubling the team's win total last week with an impressive, well… win, anyways, over the Browns. Unfortunately he, along with Calvin Johnson will be reliving the glory from the bench this Turkey Day with injuries. Bad news for Kevin Smith, who had a huge game last week (again, against the Browns). The Packers will stack the line and stop him. This one smells like a blowout, and taking Daunte Culpepper or Bryant Johnson is more than a tad risky.

Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys

Start – Is there anything better than a Jerry Jones vs. Al Davis showdown? You can almost smell the overindulgent senility through the television. If Jones wants to invite America into his brand new $1.4 billion government-subsidized home for a victory this Thursday, he’s going to need Tony Romo, Miles Austin, and Marion Barber to take advantage of Oakland’s 24th-ranked defense. All of them have favorable match-ups and should do very well on national television--especially Barber. Patrick Crayton is worth a flex or third wide receiver start and Zach Miller is a good pick for a mildly resurgent Raiders’ offense. Jason Witten is listed as questionable and may not play for the first time in a while. Check the inactives list just before kickoff and have a backup plan at the ready. But as of now keep him in the lineup.

Sit – JaMarcus Russell is already on the Rex Grossman train-to-nowhere, but Bruce Gradkowski isn’t that much better for fantasy. Against a Cowboys scoring defense that has looked solid lately, he and Louis Murphy should struggle along with a running game that boasts not one viable fantasy option. In “Big D” Felix Jones simply doesn’t receive enough carries to justify a start. Only 10 last week? Not exactly a shot to shine.

New York Giants at Denver Broncos

Start – What looked like a potential Super Bowl preview in week six has suddenly become a “one of you will not make the playoffs” battle in November. Eli Manning finally got back on track last week with a 384-yard, three touchdown game thanks to a balanced passing attack with Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith, and Kevin Boss (who all have at least four touchdowns through 10 games) and will match up against a Broncos defense that has gotten worse each week and is coming off of a game in which they let the San Diego Chargers dominate their secondary. With the amount of injuries around the NFL it’s difficult to not start Brandon Marshall, but expect decent – not spectacular – numbers with Kyle Orton still hurting. Knowshon Moreno has collected over 175 yards in the past couple weeks, but still struggles to get in the end zone. He had eight yards per carry last Sunday, and given the Broncos’ questionable passing game he should shoulder a huge load this week provided he's not in the dog house for fumbling at the goal line last week. Give him the flex start and pray he gets in the end zone.

Sit – At this point it’s unclear if Brandon Jacobs will play, and with the way Ahmad Bradshaw (questionable with an ankle injury) has struggled lately, Tom Coughlin will likely try to air it out.