Rookies at rest (USAT)

There's nothing major on the line when the Browns and Steelers meet up in Week 17, and Cleveland certainly isn't making the game a priority. Make sure you buy a scorecard on the way to Heinz Field; you might not recognize some of the visitors.

For starters, the Browns will have third-string quarterback Thaddeus Lewis under center. Brandon Weeden and Colt McCoy are both battling shoulder injuries and won't be available. Lewis, a 25-year-old who piloted Duke from 2006-2009, has yet to throw a pass in the NFL. And don't look for Trent Richardson (ankle) to smooth things over; the rookie tailback is out of action, too. Montario Hardesty moves up to the first string.

If this news won't talk you into the Pittsburgh defense, nothing will. I've moved the Steelers D/ST to the No. 4 position for the week, only trailing the three slam dunks (Niners, Broncos, Seahawks).

• Mike Wallace (hip) won't go against Cleveland, which means Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders will be the primary Pittsburgh receivers. The Steelers also won't have tight end Heath Miller, who tore his ACL and MCL in the Week 16 loss to the Bengals.

• Roddy White (knee) missed the full workout week and carries the questionable tag into Week 17. With the Falcons set as the NFC's top seed, there's no reason to risk a thing with White against Tampa Bay. As for Matt Ryan and Company, no one really knows how long Mike Smith will play his primary guys. I'd look for safer fantasy options, players with incentive-driven games.

• Matt Forte (ankle) had a complete workout Friday, and while no one sees him as fully healthy at the moment, the Bears are calling him probable for the must-have game at Detroit.

• Randall Cobb (ankle) did some work Friday after sitting out the entire Thursday session. The Packers are calling him questionable for the game at Minnesota. Figure on a game-time decision, and unfortunately this game is a late start, in the second wave of the slate.

Working Class Hero (ABC)

For the last decade or so, Michael Salfino and Scott Pianowski have been putting together an email exchange centered around (but not limited to) the NFL. You might enjoy listening to them haggle. You might prefer a swift kick into the stomach. The Table isn't for everyone; we hope some of you enjoy it.

From: Michael Salfino
Date: Wed, Dec 26, 2012 at 9:34 AM
Subject: Week 17 Breakfast
To: scott pianowski

It's the prelude to the playoffs, I guess. We have exactly one game that really seems to matter -- the Sunday night NFC East-deciding showdown between the Cowboys and Redskins.

Everything else but the seeding appears essentially set. Okay, at the bottom of the NFC, you have the Vikings, Bears and Giants fighting. Really, it's the Vikings and Bears because there is no way Chicago is losing to the collapsing Lions. Or do you disagree? Vikings are the team that wins and gets in, period. (I don't think the Giants even beat the Eagles and Michael Vick.)

The Texans could lose out on the top seed with a loss in Indianapolis, where they've never won. But it's the Colts that don't care now. Plus the Colts are terrible even if they do care, we both know. I mean, 500 yards allowed to the Chiefs and Andrew Luck struggling against that pass defense? Of course, they win again anyway, somehow. One and done, I guarantee it, come January.

So let's spend a lot of time talking about the Redskins and Cowboys. Is Tony Romo underrated as I laid out in my Yahoo! Scouting Notebook? Is RGIII even the best rookie quarterback this year? On the other hand, is he the MVP? I can go either way on both of those questions, somehow. And of course, there's Dez Bryant, who suddenly seems reliable.

Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year, too. And congratulations for schooling us all in Mark Stopa's Law Firm league. I'm sure that made the holidays brighter. Well played. Week 17 Breakfast is served.

Too Liuget to Quit (USAT)

Because some of you are still fighting that good fantasy fight, here's another batch of Stealing Points, the placekicker and defense ranks. If you feel good about your methodology at these positions, terrific. Keep doing what you're doing. If you need someone to break a tie for you, here's why you might want me to be that guy. It's your team. It's up to you.

Generally speaking, I'd like my kickers and defenses to be from teams expected to win - the bigger the favorite, the better. Let's get game flow in our corner. Additionally, I'm not sure the Falcons or Bengals will take Week 17 seriously (they have nothing to play for), so they're slotted lower than you might expect.

Good luck in the last dance, gamers. Make us proud.

Defense/ST Ranks, Week 17
1. San Francisco 49ers (SF vs ARI)
2. Denver Broncos (DEN vs KC)
3. Seattle Seahawks (SEA vs STL)
4. San Diego Chargers (SD vs OAK)
5. Chicago Bears (CHI at DET)
6. New England Patriots (NE vs MIA)
7. Houston Texans (HOU at IND)
8. Buffalo Bills (BUF vs NYJ)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (CIN vs BAL)
10. Atlanta Falcons (ATL vs TB)
11. New York Jets (NYJ at BUF)
12. New York Giants (NYG vs PHI)
13. Green Bay Packers (GB at MIN)
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT vs CLE)
15. New Orleans Saints (NO vs CAR)

The Big Three are fairly simple, name-brand defenses at home and in games they need. The Niners and Broncos also get to face weak opponents. The Chargers get a big boost after the 11-sack show in New York last week. I love the Bengals defense and wanted to go a lot higher with it, but how seriously will the Bengals take this game? When in doubt, I want to ride with a club that clearly has incentive.

You're the best, Seattle (USAT)It's Christmas Eve. I've got just two tasks on the docket: get sauced on egg nog, and mumble "championship" every 15 minutes or so. It's going to be a good day.

And yes, I've got a brunch to prepare for you.

I generally find myself in a philosophical mood at the end of a fantasy season. Here are some snippets to digest as you look back at the elegant violence we just witnessed and enjoyed.

• Head to head is more fun. Total points is more fair. As Ron Washington might say, that's how roto go.

The skill of a fantasy team is scoring points, ostensibly so you can make the playoffs. The short run, what happens to you in the playoffs, is the biggest luck of all. Don't let the results of Week 15 and Week 16 define your season; the big picture tells the truest story.

• There's been a lot of debate as to who was first on the Russell Wilson Bandwagon, but I know it was my friend and colleague Doug Farrar. Exhibit A and Exhibit B; I thank you, amigo. Wilson was on several of my teams (including a pair of championship teams in 2-QB leagues), and it was primarily because of our tireless Seattle scribe. (Sorry to crush the Wilson Discovery Myth out there. And while we're at it, Al Gore didn't invent the Internet, either.)

I could talk about Wilson all day, albeit it's been a story we've been through all season. When I saw his preseason tape against Kansas City, a perfect game, I just about fell out of my chair. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell did a masterful job with Wilson in 2012, letting the rookie get his feet wet before the offense became more complicated and multiple. Wilson also started to run more liberally in the second half, once he had his NFL bearings. There was nothing fluky about that second-half surge.

A precocious handicapper weighs in (USAT)

Five picks against the number, that's how we roll. The lines come from Yahoo! Pro Football Pick-Em. Only games with a posted number are eligible for selection. Time to get in character.

Saints +2.5 at Cowboys: The general Dallas distrust applies here. The Cowboys are 12-20 ATS at home since Jerry World opened in 2009; no one is afraid to visit this stadium. And we also have to consider the Steelers hangover; teams are 34-54-1 ATS following a game against Mike Tomlin's crew.

While the Bucs did plenty of things wrong in last week's abomination at New Orleans, I also give some credit to the Saints defense. The Steve Spagnuolo schemes seem to be coming around. You can laugh with the sinners, I'll be crying with the Saints.

Alexander and Floyd back in happier times (USAT)

Normally we give you an Injury Wrap in this space on Fridays, and we will get to plenty of injuries after the jump. But with less in-flux injury news than usual this week, and a few non-injury situations worth discussing, we're broadening the scope of today's piece. Good luck to everyone in their playoff games.

I've enjoyed the Danario Alexander run as much as anyone. I picked him up where I could, started him aggressively, blogged about him constantly. Until the Week 15 bagel, it was a fun and rewarding ride.

But in Week 16, a one-game season, there's no time for sentimentality and future speculation. If you don't like someone's chances at points this weekend, you cut the cord. And with that in mind, Alexander is no longer part of my roster for the championship game in the Stopa Law Firm 5K League.

Alexander's shutout against the Panthers last week is part of the thought process, of course. But this decision is also about three other players: Malcom Floyd, Antonio Cromartie and Philip Rivers.

Floyd (ankle) went on injured reserve this week, which probably guarantees Cromartie, New York's surging corner, will be on Alexander most of Sunday. Cromartie is the No. 4 coverage corner this season according to Pro Football Focus. And I don't have a lot of confidence in the accuracy and decision making of Rivers these days; his YPA has dwindled to 6.3 over the second half, and he stands 24th in fantasy points per game at the quarterback position. Trust the Chargers passing game at your own risk, and the same goes for Alexander.

Steamed hams? (USAT)

For the last decade or so, Michael Salfino and Scott Pianowski have been putting together an email exchange centered around (but not limited to) the NFL. You might enjoy listening to them haggle. You might prefer a swift kick into the stomach. The Table isn't for everyone; we hope some of you enjoy it.

From: Michael Salfino
Date: Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 10:18 AM
Subject: Week 16 Breakfast
To: scott pianowski

Sorry to interrupt you from enjoying #QBsbetterthanSanchez trending on Twitter. (I would take Uncle Rico now, for sure. Even this far removed from 1982.) But it's time again to dish up this week's Breakfast.

We have coaching changes coming in many NFL cities: Philadelphia for sure, probably not Dallas now, Detroit seems like a lock to me but that's your backyard, I don't think in New York with Rex Ryan. Kansas City, too. And then possibly two more jobs no one would want: Oakland and Jacksonville.

Dallas has gone from finished to possibly winning the NFC East. But that assumes they win in Washington in Week 17. This week, they host the Saints, which unbelievably shut out the Bucs with the NFL's worst defense, destroying many fantasy football seasons in the process.

The Giants, once the heavy favorite, are now least likely to win the division. But somehow, despite being the ninth seed right now, they still control their own destiny with two more wins. This confuses me. Big Blue faces its AFC counterpart when it comes to suddenly tripping down a few flight of stairs -- the Ravens. John Harbaugh says the team has to run the ball better. I think that Joe Flacco needs to throw it better, myself. He and Eli Manning are a lot alike in their maddening inconsistency. Do you know that Eli has four games this year with a QB rating under 60 and his brother Peyton has two since November -- 2008?

In stark contrast to the losing teams and teams with struggling QBs stands the 49ers. Aaron Rodgers weighs in this week. Unwanted Alex Smith will get his shot next year with another team and make a fortune. But for now, are the Niners with Colin Kaepernick off the win in New England the heavy favorite in the NFC? Or do we credit the certain No. 1 seed, Atlanta, for the thumping of the Giants more than we blame Eli and company? By the way, Tom Brady after the score was 31-3 had probably the best stretch of play I've ever seen not just from him but from any QB ever. He did everything perfectly for so many plays in a row against arguably the best defense in the league with everyone knowing he had to pass. And it wasn't just the passing in all depths and directions but the pace of his play and crossing SF up with runs, too -- even his own on audibles when the defense tried to get wider splits to improve their pass rush.

Week 16 Breakfast is served.

Do it for the cat lady (USAT)

If you're still reading our 2012 fantasy football content, good for you. This means you're still playing games of consequence this season, and that's a good thing. (Or it means we're locked into some co-dependent relationship that's oddly functional. Okay, we can live with that, too.)

You want to fight for every last point in any fantasy game, and it's common for some sharp fantasy owners to play the one-week rental game with respect to defenses and kickers. These two positions always have good options floating around the waiver wire, in part because their week-to-week value is largely matchup-dependent. With that in mind, here is my 1.0 version of rankings at the rental spots in Week 16.

Disagree with what's here? You should, at least on some level. Disagreement is why we have a game in the first place. And given how well you've done to this point in the year, maybe you don't need any outside help. But if you're looking for a way to break a tie between options, allow me to flip the coin for you.

General defense and kicker methodology: Whenever possible, ride with someone tied to a team that's likely to win (the more lopsided, the better). Game flow is essential for these positions. Sure, sometimes the process seems good but the outcome is a Shark Sandwich (waving at you, Week 15 Lions), but over the long run this is a proven way to go about it. Seriously, it works.

Make the jump and the ranks will follow. I'll be tweaking this list as the week goes along, on the Yahoo! site and on Fantasy Pros as well.