Week 15 — Late-week fantasy tips

Pittsburgh Steelers — One week after he failed to log a rushing attempt for the first time in his two seasons as a starter, the Steelers are expected to unleash QB Kordell Stewart this week. Look for more designed running plays in an attempt to get Stewart out in space.

Cincinnati Bengals — Jeff Blake will start at quarterback this week. He plans to revert to his old, big-play self, and that could be good news for big-play WR’s Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott. Blake, who probably won’t be a Bengal next season, will go into this game with a nothing-to-lose attitude.

Denver Broncos — Teams have been putting eight men in the box to stop RB Terrell Davis. They would rather have the Broncos beat them with the pass than the run. It hasn’t affected Davis’ TD production much, but his yardage has been down the last two weeks. … Look for WR Ed McCaffrey to have a big game this week vs. the Giants, who cut him a few years back.

Kansas City Chiefs — Rich Gannon (arm) is listed as questionable this week but is expected to start. Consider starting WR’s Derrick Alexander and/or Andre Rison if Cowboy CB Deion Sanders is unable to play.

Oakland Raiders — Wade Wilson will start at quarterback this week, and Harvey Williams is expected to start in place of Napoleon Kaufman (groin) at running back. Translation: The Raiders probably won’t score a lot of points vs. a pretty good Bill defense.

San Diego Chargers — TE Freddie Jones really has come on in recent weeks and might merit starting status in certain leagues. … RB Natrone Means (foot) is unlikely to return this week but could be back in the lineup in Week 16.

Seattle Seahawks — The offense has scored more points under new QB Jon Kitna, who has done an excellent job of throwing the bomb to WR Joey Galloway. … You may want to steer clear of RB Ricky Watters this week. Seattle’s offensive line is banged up, and the Seahawks face the Chargers, who have the top-ranked run defense in the league.

Dallas Cowboys — CB Deion Sanders (toe) practiced Wednesday but was held out Thursday for precautionary reasons because the Cowboys had to practice indoors on artificial turf. Monitor his status if you’re considering playing any Chief receivers this week. … RB Emmitt Smith is still scoring touchdowns, but his yardage production has been way down the last three weeks. … TE David LaFleur (knee) is out this week, so look for Eric Bjornson to have more passes thrown his way.

Jacksonville Jaguars — The Jaguars are concerned about Mark Brunell’s high-ankle sprain, which could sideline him for the rest of the regular season. Jamie Martin did a nice job in relief last week, but he still must prove that performance wasn’t a fluke. … Rookie RB Fred Taylor is getting better every week. Taylor is now breaking the initial tackle and falling forward when he does get wrapped up.

Arizona Cardinals — The Cardinal defense is decimated by injuries, especially up the middle, so this could be a good week to start Eagle RB Duce Staley.

Philadelphia Eagles — Speaking of Staley, he is now clearly the No. 1 running back, with Charlie Garner (rib) being placed on injured reserve this week.

Washington Redskins — With Michael Westbrook (neck) and James Thrash (clavicle) on injured reserve, the Redskins’ main pass catchers will be WR’s Leslie Shepherd and Albert Connell, and TE Stephen Alexander.

New York Giants — The Giants are making more big plays with QB Kent Graham in the lineup, but he has been very inconsistent, and head coach Jim Fassel won’t hesitate to insert Danny Kanell if Graham struggles.

Baltimore Ravens — This doesn’t look like the best week to start Raven skill-position players. Baltimore’s offensive line has been decimated by injuries, especially at the OT spots. WR’s Jermaine Lewis (ankle) and Michael Jackson (foot) are iffy to play, at best.

San Francisco 49ers — Look for the 49ers to re-emphasize their running game, not because the offense is playing poorly, but because they want to keep their injury-depleted defense off the field. Both Garrison Hearst and a rejuvenated Terry Kirby will play a bigger role in the offense down the stretch. … WR Jerry Rice has been bothered by a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee (not the one that was twice operated on last season), and his production has suffered as a result. Rice’s loss has been Terrell Owens’ gain.

St. Louis Rams — June Henley is getting a one-week tryout as the Rams’ main running back. He is a little shiftier than Jerald Moore and Robert Holcombe and is considered the team’s second-best pass-catching threat out of the backfield behind Amp Lee. The Rams face a Patriot defense missing MLB Ted Johnson (biceps). … WR Isaac Bruce (hamstring) has been put on injured reserve. … Look for rookie Az-zahir Hakim to get more playing time in place of the ineffective Eddie Kennison.

New Orleans Saints — Ray Zellars is gone, but that doesn’t really help clear things up in the muddled Saint backfield. Mike Ditka will continue to use a RB-by-committee system in hopes of finding the right guy. Wilmont Perry and Troy Davis got most of the work last week.

Atlanta Falcons — Atlanta WR’s Tony Martin and Terance Mathis could find themselves in a lot of single coverage this week vs. the Saints, whose defense is likely to sell out and go after QB Chris Chandler. Also look for the Falcons to throw a lot of screen passes to RB’s Jamal Anderson and Bob Christian to offset the Saint blitz.

Carolina Panthers — RB Fred Lane will suit up this week, but expect Tim Biakabutuka to get most of the carries. The Panthers want to showcase Biakabutuka in the hopes that the new Cleveland Browns will select him in the expansion draft, freeing up valuable space under Carolina’s salary cap.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — WR Bert Emanuel reinjured his ankle before last week’s game vs. the Packers. The injury will linger for the rest of the season.

Green Bay Packers — The Packers have all sorts of injuries on offense. Wide receiver is the most problematic area. Antonio Freeman (jaw) probably will play this week, though he may not start. Derrick Mayes (knee) is also listed as questionable but is expected to play. Brian Manning, an ex-practice-squader who has been very impressive in practice, could play a role this week. Look for TE Mark Chmura, who caught two TD passes last week, to be more involved in the passing game with fellow TE Tyrone Davis (hamstring) likely shelved. QB Brett Favre has a turf toe but will start. He’ll rely heavily on RB’s Dorsey Levens and Darick Holmes, both in the running game and the passing game.

Detroit Lions — One offshoot of Herman Moore’s recent resurgence is that Johnnie Morton has fallen off the map from a fantasy standpoint.

Minnesota Vikings — WR Cris Carter (calf) has been upgraded from questionable to probable and should start this week.

Tennessee Oilers — QB Steve McNair has barely thrown this week because of a turf toe. His mobility is shot, he’s playing hesitantly because of the injury, and head coach Jeff Fisher says he has no qualms about playing backup Dave Krieg if McNair can’t go.

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