After last week's Noreaster dashed fantasy hopes in Cleveland and New England, the big question for Week 16 is what the Doppler looks like across the NFL landscape. I'm no Brick Tamland, but my amateur perusal of weather.com tells me that weather could very well be a factor today in Chicago, Buffalo and Cincinatti.

Chicago - This one I can tell you just by looking out the window. The wind is howling out here and the forecast has some snow in it as well. Wind and snow are always worse on the shores of Lake Michigan, where Soldier Field resides. I'd be very judicious with how I use Brett Favre, Greg Jennings and Donald Driver and would cross kickers Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould off my list. You shouldn't be using anyone in the Bears passing game anyway.

Cincy - The Doppler looks clear in Cincy, but the wind could be a factor. I'm seeing wind reaching 30 mph throughout game time. Remember, the rain and snow and ice had subsided in New England last week, but the wind put a damper in Tom Brady's attack. Again, I'd cross the kickers off this list and would not use any periphery weapons in the passing games. While it's tough to bench studs like Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, you can justify sitting Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson if you have solid options. 

Buffalo - Between 12 and 2 pm, the Buffalo forecast calls for rain/thunder/wind. In other words, not good. The nice thing is that you were likely not counting on Eli Manning, Trent Edwards or Lee Evans. I think you have to think twice about Plaxico Burress. We saw last week how effective Eli was in the wind...not very. The good news is that Brandon Jacobs and Marshawn Lynch, who were the primary fantasy factors in this one to begin with, remain very much in play. 

Ask fantasy owners who Billy Volek is and you will undoubtedly here about the legend of the gunslinger who put his career clipboard down for a two-game stretch in 2004 and broke out for 918 yards and eight passing touchdowns on unsuspecting fantasy competitors in the crunch time of Weeks 14 and 15.

With that in mind, consider what Brian Westbrook just did on Sunday. In Week 15, generally the "conference championship" of fantasy leagues, one of the most valuable players in all of fantasy football had an opportunity to cap another solid effort off with a game-crushing blow in the waning moments of the Eagles-Cowboys game. As you of course know by now, rather than depositing another six pointer in his fantasy owners' laps, Westbrook took a knee at the one.

Don't tell fantasy owners it was a wise move. They simply don't care. All they know is that Week 15 is do or die, that the play came late in the day with their fantasy lives on the line. Depending on whether you owned Westbrook or faced him, it will long be remembered as one of the most heartbreaking or life-saving moments in the history of fantasy football.

Considering I've been cautioning about weather since Thanksgiving, you might be surprised to learn that I'm already nauseous over the up-to-the-minute weather reports about a major winter storm in New England on Sunday for the Pats-Jets clash.

Look, it's going to take a storm of mythical proportions for you to bench Tom Brady or Randy Moss in your fantasy playoffs. Might it affect how you use marginal guys like Ben Watson, Thomas Jones, Jabar Gaffney or Laurence Maroney? Absolutely.

But do me a favor; let's wait and see what the weather looks like on Sunday morning. After all, about the only thing that's as unpredictable as fantasy football is forecasting weather, especially four days in advance.

I just took an early-morning glance at a few of my lineups, and it bears mentioning that once again weather will likely be a factor in Week 14. In one league I've been carrying Shayne Graham and Phil Dawson, in case one had inclement conditions, and it appears both will in Cincy and New York, respectively. So rather than be beat by Mother Nature with my season on the line, I opted to grab Kris Brown in pleasant Houston, Texas. I wouldn't go overboard over-thinking weather issues as it pertains to quarterbacks, etc., but since kickers are as random as it gets, I prefer not to be beaten by field conditions.

Alternatively, if you're searching for a one-week sleeper defense -- perhaps you've got the Steelers drawing the high-octane Pats -- consider taking a quick look around the league for sloppy, ugly weather. The Bengals, as awful as they are on that side of the ball, do face Brock Berlin, for example.  

It's not official until Commish Modglin says it is, but since it's been a long time since we discussed the goings-on here in the internal PFW fantasy league, I figured it was time for an update -- especially with the regular season coming to a dramatic conclusion last night when the Patriots squeeked by the Ravens.

Earning the two division championships were esteemed Executive Editor Dan Arkush (9-4) -- who is annually in the mix with an amazing draft and a remarkable hands-off management style -- and the Commish himself, Trent Modglin. On the strength of one Randy Moss, Modglin (7-6) earned a tie-breaker win in a fiercely competitive division that saw five teams separated by a mere one win (keep your head up, Edholm). In fact, Modglin proudly wears the division crown thanks to a mere 3.5 points over Executive Editor Neil Warner. 

Justifiably, Warner gets a wild-card postseason berth as well, as does Senior Editor Mike Wilkening, on the strength of an 8-5 record in Dan's division, as well as in no small part due to the best team name in the league -- "Fantasy Doctor: The College Years." Rounding out the six-team bracket will be none other than Fitz on Fantasy himself -- who sports a frightening L.T.-A.P. backfield -- and yours truly -- who somehow scrounged an invite to defend the PFW title despite selecting S-Jax, Steve Smith, Marv and Cadillac in the first four rounds.

After a debaucherous locker room celebration, Arkush and Modglin will enjoy a hard-earned bye week. But it says here to watch out for Fitz: it's not been a year for fantasy backs, but Tomlinson and Peterson look awful tough to beat.  

You'd never have guessed it in August, but on Sunday, the Giants have themselves a patsy fantasy matchups against the Teddy Bear defense in Chicago. One look at what the Broncos -- specifically Andre Hall, Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler -- did last week in inclement weather against the Bears is all you need to know to understand just how far this once-elite defense has fallen.

Unfortunately, for fantasy owners invested in the Giants' backfield, it's going to be impossible to tell just which of their productive runners will have the best shot at running roughshod over the Cubby Bears. Brandon Jacobs looks like a no-go with his hamstring injury, but Derrick Ward is expected to return to practice, while Reuben Droughns remains the healthiest and safest play considering the rhythm he's in. 

Having said that, Ward was a dual-purpose beast in Jacobs' stead earlier this season, and if ready, is the more dynamic player than Droughns. On the other hand, Droughns has been taking the shorties at the stripe ever since Jacobs went down in Week 1 and continued to do so even while Jacobs was churning out 100-yard games.

Practice is going to tell us virtually nothing in this case. Jacobs may do some work by the end of the week, but it will likely be in anticipation of a Week 14 return.  Ward should do even more work, but that's hardly enough of an indication that he's ready to resume the role of 20 touches per game. Droughns should be the starter, but how many carries will he give up to Ward? 

The only situation in which I can see fantasy owners using a Giants back without hesitation would be if Ward simply isn't ready and is declared inactive, along with Jacobs, on Sunday afternoon, paving the way for Droughns to carry the load. Or if you're in a TD-heavy scoring format, Droughns is certainly worth a look. However, with a Thursday game and a full slate of early Sunday tilts off the board before then, can you really afford to wait for news on Ward and Jacobs?

And you thought the Giants' passing game was a mess.  

Across the country, hundreds of thousands of fantasy owners are asking themselves the same question this morning: "Am I really going to start Kolby Smith with my fantasy season on the line?"

The answer should be yes. Admittedly,the fifth-round rookie has done next to nothing this year, with only 10 carries, 19 rushing yards and zero touchdowns. Even in the two games sans Larry Johnson, Smith had only 15 total touches behind Priest Holmes.

However, Smith is the man today for the Chiefs, who will be without both Johnson and Holmes. Does that make you feel comfortable enough? Considering you've likely seen zero of this Kolby character, you probably need more persuasion. Well, here it is:

The even better news is that his 20-plus touches will come against the lowly Oakland Raiders. They rank 31st in the NFL in rushing defenses, allowing 153 yards per game on the ground and a league-worst 16 rushing touchdowns. But here's the kicker: It hasn't taken an All-Pro to make opportunities count against the Raiders this season. Check out this list of backs' production vs. Oakland:

Week 11: Chester Taylor (167 yards, 3 TDs)
Week 10: Cedric Benson (89 yards, 1 TD)
Week 9: Ron Dayne (122 yards, 1 TD); Ahman Green (81 total yards, 1 TD)
Week 8: LenDale White (133 yards); Chris Henry (48 yards, 1 TD)
Week 7: Larry Johnson (112 yards,  1 TD)
Week 6: LT (198 yards, 4 TDs)
Week 4: Ronnie Brown (207 total yards, 1 TD)
Week 3: Jamal Lewis (78 total yards)
Week 2: Travis Henry (128 yards)
Week 1: Tatum Bell (87 yards, 1 TD)

Chester Taylor? Ron Dayne? Tatum Bell? Clearly, it doesn't take a fantasy stud to produce against this defense. Start Kolby with confidence.  

In Week 11, the list of fantasy backs either out, doubtful or questionable is longer than an Adrian Peterson scoring scamper. In addition to Peterson, arguably fantasy's most valuable back this season, Larry Johnson and Ahman Green have already been ruled out. Marshawn Lynch, Travis Henry, and Shaun Alexander look pretty much unusable, as do question marks such as Kevin Jones and Earnest Graham. Lineup stalwarts Brian Westbrook, Reggie Bush, Willie Parker and LenDale White all look like they'll suit up, although they all missed workouts this week with their respective ailments.

What does it all mean for fantasy owners in must-win situations in Week 11? In most case, I'll opt for the safe play, unless there's a dramatic difference between the two options. That is, if I'm deciding between Earnest Graham and Jesse Chatman, I'll play the healthier player, even if Graham's matchup or offense is better. On the other hand, if it's Westbrook vs. Chatman, that's a different story. If Westbrook is active, his upside is just too significant to pass on.

Also consider your exact situation: your record, your opponent, the rest of your lineup, etc. That is, if you're playing the league's worst team and know you don't need a monster day from your back, playing it safe and penciling in a handful of points from a guy like Chatman or Warrick Dunn is the prescription. If you're playing the highest-scoring team in your league and your matchups at receiver and quarterback look terrible, well then it may just take a herculean effort from Westbrook to earn the W.

Only in this wacky, unpredictable and often preposterous game of fantasy football could Giants RB Brandon Jacobs, a short-yardage and touchdown machine in his first two season, be transformed into something more closely resembling Kevin Faulk, a between-the-20s yardage fiend.

In two seasons as a backup, Jacobs was a Tiki Barber owner's nightmare, showing up only inside the five-yard line to vulture touchdowns after Tiki carried the team to the stripe. Jacobs scored seven times on a mere 38 touches as a rookie and reprised that role with nine scores on 96 carries last season.

Coming into this year, Jacobs was handed the starting role, although no one knew how he'd handle a full workload, taking hits over 20-plus carries, catching passes out of the backfield, protecting his passer, etc. Well, since returning from a knee injury he sustained early in Week One, he's been outstanding in that regard. In the five full games he's played, he's posted 103.8 yards per game, a total that over the course of the season only Adrian Peterson bests. 

On the other hand, the one thing we were sure of, was that he'd get the money balls and convert them. Or maybe not. The man who was unstoppable at the goal line in his first two seasons as a specialist has two touchdowns and has been outright replaced at the stripe by journeyman Reuben Droughns, who has doubled Jacobs up with his four scores. 

Jacobs' owners would love nothing more than to blame Tom Coughlin, but in fairness, the Giants rank sixth in rushing and eighth in scoring, so it's tough to call Coughlin out and even tougher to expect it to be fixed if it ain't broken. 

And thus we're left to pray that Jacobs can break a long one so that the beast can reach paydirt every now and then...who woulda thunk it? 

Injuries are always a huge factor when setting your weekly fantasy lineup, but this week's schedule puts owners in an even bigger lurch than usual. Week 10 presents us with the usual dose of game-time decisions, but the fact that several of them fall in the Sunday and Monday night prime-time affairs puts owners in a terrible situation. Specifically, if Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark and Deion Branch are ruled out, chances are most of your bench options will have already played. Thus, you have to ask yourself: can you really afford to wait to see if they are active? Well, let's look at them on a case-by-case basis.

1. Colts WR Marvin Harrison: Marv has missed the last two games, and the better part of four overall, with his knee injury, so it's clearly not a minor injury. You could wait and see if Marv is listed as active and starting on Sunday night, especially if you're desperate at wideout, but you cannot afford to not have a backup ready to go in the event he's not dressing. Your options are fairly limited since the only teams still playing will be Indy, San Diego, Seattle and San Fran. If you have Chris Chambers, Bobby Engram, or D.J. Hackett, you're in fine shape. Other than that, your options are pretty lackluster, including Nate Burleson, Vincent Jackson, Arnaz Battle and Darrell Jackson. If those are your only free-agent options -- and don't forget you may have to add them to your roster before the early kickoffs -- I'd probably lean toward blowing Marv off and using your best early-game reserve. After all, let's not forget that Marv is no lock to play every snap and produce even if he is active.

2. Colts TE Dallas Clark: Clark missed Wednesday and Thursday workouts with a concussion but did participate in limited fashion on Friday. If this weren't a late game, it would be far less problematic. But if Clark is ruled out, you're left with options such as Colts backup TE Ben Utecht and Seahawks TE Will Heller. Seeing that, if you carry two TEs and have a nice play ready to go like Heath Miller or Greg Olsen, I would recommend that. If you're looking at a Utecht-level play either way, I'd roll the dice on Clark and resort to Utecht if necessary. 

3. Seahawks WR Deion Branch: With a Monday nighter on tap, the Seahawks get a chance to work Branch out on Saturday, and he did participate in limited fashion on Friday for the first time since sustaining his foot injury. He's likely to be a game-time decision, but two workouts would indicate to me that he'll be ready. If your lineup has produced without Branch the last month, I wouldn't mess with waiting on Branch. But if you're desperate, I don't mind the gamble, especially if you can add a Burleson, Jackson or Battle and have them waiting in the wings just in case.