Prepare Thyself: Week 12
Ah, Thanksgiving is upon us. A day made entirely for eating and watching football. Oh, and that whole being with family thing and whatnot. But really, it’s for football. Unfortunately, my Thanksgiving is going to be fraught with worry. I am meeting my girlfriend’s side of the family. I’m not worried that they’ll hate me or not think I’m good enough. Lord knows I’m perfect in every possible way (especially modesty).
No, the problem is that I have no idea how much passion there will be for football at this Thanksgiving. Will they have the games on? Will I be scoffed at if I sit and watch the games for, I don’t know, six consecutive hours? If they don’t usually watch the games, would it be wrong of me to ask to turn them on? Will it be okay if I ask for their wireless Internet password so I can keep up with the stats on my iPod?
These are huge dilemmas for me! When I host Thanksgiving, we’re eating right in the entertainment room. Everyone will pile around the big screen TV and half-distractedly talk about what they’re thankful for. I can’t wait.
On to a mini Turkey Day Prepare Thyself.
Sneaky Turkey Day Start
LenDale White, Tennessee Titans (@ Lions): The Tennessee coaching staff continues to understand that Chris Johnson is really good and that White is, well, not. The biggest number of importance here, as usual, is yards per carry. Johnson stands at 4.5 (good) while White is turning in 3.8 per carry (bad). On top of tangible statistics, Johnson has taken the season and split carries in stride (good) while White has started up with the griping (bad).
Of course, all of that becomes somewhat moot when the Lions (bad) show up on the schedule. Johnson should still see a majority of carries (and is obviously a good start himself this week), but White has been promised an increased role as well. And, as always, White will get those goal line carries, which has helped him get those 11 rushing scores this season. All told, both backs should be fantasy forces this week against an awful Detroit defense.
Surprising Turkey Day Sit
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (vs. Seahawks): This is a two-fold surprising sit. The first is that the Seahawks have actually played well against the tight end position. While the pass defense as a whole has been brutal, Seattle has only allowed one tight end touchdown, and that was against Robert Royal all the way back in Week One. The other issue is that Witten hasn’t scored since Week Five against Cincy, and that’s not a coincidence. He has been beaten up a lot this season and is clearly dealing with nagging bumps and bruises. Do yourself a favour and leave Witten on your bench if you have a legit back-up option, like, I don’t know, Seattle’s John Carlson.
Good luck today. Have a safe and stuffing stuffed Thanksgiving!
