Week 16 — Late-week fantasy tips

Kansas City Chiefs — There had been some speculation that Elvis Grbac would start at quarterback, but Rich Gannon will remain the starter. Expect the Chiefs to rely primarily on the running of Bam Morris, who had his best game as a Chief last week. Kansas City is 6-0 when it rushes the ball 30 or more times, 0-8 when it rushes fewer than 30 times.

Oakland Raiders — RB Napoleon Kaufman (groin) pulled himself out of practice on Wednesday, putting his status for Sunday in serious doubt. With RB Harvey Williams (hip; probable) also hurting, expect the Raiders to try to move the ball through the air against the Chargers, whose run defense is much better than their pass defense. Wade Wilson will get the call at quarterback for Oakland.

San Diego Chargers — Craig Whelihan will start again at quarterback, but Ryan Leaf will relieve Whelihan if he struggles, as happened last week. … Natrone Means (foot; doubtful) wants to play but probably won’t. Expect Terrell Fletcher and Tremayne Stephens to share the load.

Seattle Seahawks — Jon Kitna is coming off his worst game as a starter (three interceptions), so it’ll be interesting to see how he handles adversity. He did do a good job once again of getting the ball to WR Joey Galloway, who had seven receptions.

Baltimore Ravens — QB Jim Harbaugh has major motivation this week as he returns to Soldier Field for the first time to face his old team, the Bears. Harbaugh should have most of his receivers available, with Michael Jackson and Jermaine Lewis expected to return to the lineup. Lewis would take Floyd Turner’s place, meaning Turner, despite his recent production, would become the No. 3 receiver. The Bears may be without their top cornerback, Walt Harris, so Harbaugh & Co. could have a big day.

St. Louis Rams — Steve Bono will start at quarterback the final two weeks, but he may not be a good fantasy starter. The Rams want to get a look at backup QB Kurt Warner at some point before the season ends. … One guy who definitely merits starting consideration is RB June Henley, especially this week vs. the Panthers’ poor run defense. … Rookie Az-zahir Hakim, who has shown the ability to make big plays, will start at wide receiver over Eddie Kennison.

San Francisco 49ers — The 49ers had great success stopping the run last week, but it remains to be seen whether they can do that consistently without DT Bryant Young. … The 49ers’ recent success running the ball, and their desire to run it to keep their defense off the field, means that QB Steve Young probably won’t put up the monster numbers he did earlier in the season.

Carolina Panthers — RB Fred Lane likely won’t be a factor for the rest of the season, thrusting Tshimanga Biakabutuka into the every-down role. He has done pretty well so far, and that success could continue this week vs. the Rams’ rancid run defense.

Dallas Cowboys — Here’s the latest injury news in Dallas: WR Michael Irvin (back) didn’t practice Thursday but is expected to play; CB-PR Deion Sanders reaggravated his injured toe in practice on Wednesday and probably will not play; TE David LaFleur (knee) is expected to be out; and RB Chris Warren (groin) is expected to return to action. … WR Patrick Jeffers will play an increased role in the Cowboy offense. He reminds the Cowboys of Ed McCaffrey.

Jacksonville Jaguars — Untested rookie Jonathan Quinn will start at quarterback this week. He has a strong arm but has virtually no experience. Expect the Jaguars to try to run the ball first and foremost vs. the Vikings. Starting QB Mark Brunell (ankle) could return in Week 17 if the Jaguars need to win to make the playoffs.

New York Giants — Kent Graham will remain the Giants’ starting quarterback for the rest of the season. If you’re looking ahead to next year, the following scenarios are possible: Graham will battle Danny Kanell for the starting job; the Giants will sign Kerry Collins and give him a shot to be the starter; or the Giants will bring in a yet-to-be determined veteran to join the fray.

Washington Redskins — RB Terry Allen (ankle) is not expected to play, giving rookie Skip Hicks another opportunity to strut his stuff.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Running the ball will be the M.O. vs. the Redskins, so expect Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn to get a lot of carries. The Buccaneers may have their starting offensive line intact for the first time in weeks.

Chicago Bears — RB Edgar Bennett (knee) practiced lightly on Thursday but may not start this week. He would be replaced by James Allen. Bennett could contribute as a third-down back. … QB Steve Stenstrom has shown the ability to throw the deep ball, but Chicago’s receivers — Curtis Conway in particular — have had a tough time catching those bombs.

Green Bay Packers — With Darick Holmes nursing a shoulder injury, Dorsey Levens is expected to carry the load in the running game. … Look for TE Mark Chmura and WR Derrick Mayes to continue to play large roles in the Packer passing game with TE Tyrone Davis (hamstring) and WR Robert Brooks (hamstring) expected to be sidelined at least one more week.

Detroit Lions — Charlie Batch (strained lower back) is not expected to start, thrusting Frank Reich into the lineup. … WR Germane Crowell has a partially separated shoulder and likely will yield the No. 3 WR duties to Brian Stablein. … Barry Sanders’ recent struggles can be attributed mainly to the offensive line, which isn’t getting any push and isn’t giving Sanders any room to run.

Minnesota Vikings — RB Robert Smith will return to action this week, but he may not start. Expect Smith to get 10-15 carries, with Leroy Hoard also seeing significant playing time. … WR Jake Reed (back surgery) is recovering amazingly well, but he is not expected to return until the playoffs.

Tennessee Oilers — Steve McNair made it through last week’s game without aggravating his injured toe. The toe didn’t seem to affect his running, either. … RB Eddie George has been a first-half-of-the-season player throughout his career, and that pattern has continued this year.

New England Patriots — Scott Zolak will get the start at quarterback this week. Drew Bledsoe could return in Week 17, but that remains sketchy at this point. Zolak will be without the services of WR Terry Glenn (ankle) and could be without FB Tony Carter (ankle). The Patriots will try to pound away at the 49ers with RB Robert Edwards, but they could have trouble moving the ball.

Pittsburgh Steelers — Despite his emotional outburst on the sideline last week, Kordell Stewart will start again at quarterback for the Steelers. However, Pittsburgh likely will try to run the ball often against the Bengals’ weak run defense.

Buffalo Bills — Look for the Bills to use a lot of the five-WR package they have utilized lately. It was not yet installed the last time Buffalo faced the Jets. … The latest forecast for the Buffalo game calls for temperatures in the low 40’s, so rain could be a bigger concern than snow. … The Bills will be without top cover CB Thomas Smith (knee) for the rest of the regular season.

Miami Dolphins — RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar suffered a concussion last week but is listed as probable and is expected to start.

New York Jets — Two injured Jets are expected to give it the old college try on Saturday: CB Aaron Glenn (ankle), the Jets’ top cover man, and FB Keith Byars (arm), who has been an occasional threat out of the backfield. … With Leon Johnson (ribs) out for the rest of the season, the Jets have signed David Meggett to be their return specialist and third-down back.

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