Let the schedule be your guide

NFL coaches are always yapping to their players about not looking past the next game on the schedule. That motivational tool may work for Scott Linehan and pals, but what about us fantasy players?

We’re at a crucial point in our season, with the fantasy playoffs just a week away in most cases. For us, there’s no excuse not to look ahead on the NFL schedule as you begin sizing up your team’s chances in the postseason.

Let’s examine some key players and their remaining opponents, beginning with the upcoming Week 14. Most of you will want to pay special attention to their matchups in Weeks 15 and 16, as those will be the playoffs for the majority of fantasy leagues.

• Willis McGahee (Indianapolis, at Miami, at Seattle, Pittsburgh): He’s coming off his best game of the season (138 yards, TD), which surprisingly came against the stout New England Patriots. McGahee has a chance to do some real damage against the Dolphins (league-high 149 rushing yards allowed a game) and Seahawks (third worst in rushing TDs allowed).



• Justin Fargas (at Green Bay, Indianapolis, at Jacksonville, San Diego): Fargas helped a lot of folks out by emerging as the Oakland Raiders’ clear-cut starter in recent weeks. Be careful not to set your expectations too high, however, as he’s about to run the gauntlet against some challenging run-stoppers.

• Derek Anderson (New York Jets, Buffalo, at Cincinnati, San Francisco): He’s been written off as a fluke more times than global warming, but Anderson has been every bit as good as Peyton Manning this year, and he’s not cooling off any time soon – not with the Cleveland Browns pushing for a playoff spot against some of the league’s worst passing defenses.

• David Garrard (Carolina, at Pittsburgh, Oakland, at Houston): Garrard’s become a competent fantasy starter since winning the Jacksonville Jaguars’ starting job. He’s a risky play, however, against the Steelers and Raiders, who both rank in the league’s top five in fewest passing TDs allowed.

• Marshawn Lynch (Miami, at Cleveland, New York Giants, at Philadelphia): It’s hurt not having Lynch available the past three weeks because of an ankle injury. The Buffalo Bills are aiming to ease him back this week against the soft Dolphins, though, and perhaps he’ll be back to 100 percent against the almost-as-soft Browns. And if for some reason he can’t go, backup Fred Jackson isn’t a bad option.

• Thomas Jones (Cleveland, at New England, at Tennessee, Kansas City): It was really great seeing Jonesy score his first TD in 242 carries last week. He might even do it again this week. But the odds are against him when it really counts, against the tough Ravens and Patriots.