Matt Snyder Posts

It's Thanksgiving, and that means one thing for football fans everywhere: we're going to be subjected to the Lions on television either before, during or after gorging ourselves with turkey and the fixings. For once, the Lions' franchise has real hope on the horizon, but Thanksgiving 2009 is really, really bad timing for them to display their skills to the nation. Matt Snyder and Tom Herrera discuss this, play some musical backfields, give you the "Starting Six-Pack" and leave you with a parting shot. It's all here in the fantasy football podcast. Take a listen after the jump.

With the Chicago Bears struggling through a season which began with such lofty expectations, many names are bound to be connected to the Bears. Most notably, people will start speculating about head coaches, defensive coordinators (to take pressure off Lovie Smith) and offensive coordinators who could replace the maligned Ron Turner.

A name that would make sense is Mike Martz -- who was head coach when Smith was the defensive coordinator in St. Louis for three seasons earlier this decade. Martz presently works as an analyst for the NFL Network, but -- according to the Chicago Sun-Times -- he would welcome being hired as the Bears' offensive coordinator.

It's no secret that kicker is the most fickle and unpredictable position in fantasy sports. Even the most seemingly sure-fire starters can throw up a terrible stat-line due to exterior variables (like Nick Folk last week, though he did miss a field goal).

Still, we have to plow forward and the best we can do is judge the stats in front of us or hope to find a high-scoring affair. In Week 12, we have a doozy of a Monday Night Football game with serious shootout potential. So we'll roll with those two kickers atop the rankings.

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Marion Barber came into the season regarded as a definite starter in all fantasy leagues. Though owners likely nabbed him in the second round, he has still be a pretty sizable bust in all formats. Coming off a 99-yard performance against Washington is good, though the lost fumble and lack of a touchdown might still make owners reluctant to trust him on Thanksgiving.

Worry not, my friends. Barber gets to face a porous Raiders run defense that ranks 30th in the NFL in rushing in terms of yardage. They have also given up an NFL-high 16 rushing touchdowns. Expect Barber to get nasty on Thanksgiving afternoon, even if you're napping from the tryptophan.

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Zebra Report is FanHouse's analysis of actual NFL rules and how they are to be applied ... because most fans think they could do a better job than the NFL officials, yet definitely could not. Click here for an introduction as to how we do things.

As the clock struck zero in the Lions-Browns game, there was a pass interference penalty called on Cleveland in the end zone. In the aftermath of the play, Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford laid on the field injured. The officials called an injury timeout for Stafford. Also, Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini took a timeout to seemingly do nothing more than lambast the officials for what appeared a pretty obvious interference call.

According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, both L.A.-area teams are in pursuit of Blue Jays' ace Roy Halladay via trade. The report cites sources familiar with talks from both teams and places the chances of the Dodgers getting the right-hander a "long shot," but it sounds like the Angels have a realistic chance at acquiring Halladay.

Reportedly, Halladay would cost the Angels a young starting pitcher, such as Jered Weaver or Ervin Santana, in addition to a prospect. New Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopolous is also said to be willing to allow a potential trading partner to negotiate a contract extension with Halladay before any deal is finalized.

According to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams will be without starting quarterback Marc Bulger for at least three weeks, and possibly the rest of the season. Bulger injured his knee in Sunday's loss to the visiting Arizona Cardinals. The injury is actually a fracture in the knee area, termed a tibial plateau fracture. The Rams are expecting to lose him for three-to-six weeks -- and there are only six weeks left in the season.

Kyle Boller will take the helm for the Rams. The team is 1-9, but has improved its play on both sides of the football as of late -- hanging with two of the better NFC teams in each of the past two weeks (New Orleans and Arizona). Boller appears to be a step down from Bulger, albeit a slight one.

Each Monday of the fantasy football season, we'll cut through the fantasy numbers put up by individuals and tell you what they really mean.

The 2008 New York Giants were a power football team. They led the NFL in rushing yards with more than 2,500. They had two runners go for over 1,000 yards while another averaged 5.3 yards per carry in limited action. Derrick Ward's departure wasn't supposed to matter, as Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw would continue to spearhead a dynamic rushing offense behind a great offensive line. In theory at least. Instead, the 2009 Giants are a shell of their former selves in terms of running the football.

With star running back Clinton Portis already sidelined as he deals with the aftereffects of a concussion, the Redskins were hoping backup running back Ladell Betts could shoulder the load. Instead, Betts left in the first quarter Sunday against Dallas with a knee injury. As it turns out, Betts has torn the medial collateral ligament in his knee and will probably miss at least a month. Portis will also reportedly miss next week's game as well, meaning Rock Cartwright will be the featured back for the Redskins against the stingy Eagles' run defense in Week 12.

Sunday, Cartwright filled in admirably for Betts (and Portis). He ran the ball 13 times for 67 yards (5.15 yards per carry), but was also greatly involved in the passing attack. He caught seven passes for 73 yards.

After a physical beatdown of the reigning Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals were riding high. "Just look at their next three opponents," observers proclaimed -- with good reason, as the Bengals were staring at the Raiders, Browns and Lions in succession on their schedule. The three teams had combined for four wins and 23 losses before Week 10, while the Bengals had won seven of eight since their fluky Week 1 loss.

Facing Bruce Gradkowski and the Raiders offense surely shouldn't be a problem for a team that held Ben Roethlisberger in check, right? Well, that's why they play the games.