Clement’s Weekly Picks & Prognostications…Week 13

13 weeks and there are 5 questions you have to ask yourself this time of the season:

1) Is my team in the playoff hunt?
2) Is my fantasy team contending for the regular season championship?
3) Is my favorite player healthy?
4) What is the odds on Super Bowl?
5) Where in the standings are the team(s) I hate the most?

Unfortunately, several people have negative answers for all of them.
To you, I say…stop rooting for the Lions and drafting them in fantasy football.

Let’s roll on towards our push for 40 correct picks before Week 15.

Ike Taylor will need more than motivation from head coach Mike Tomlin come Sunday.
Mission: Cover Randy Moss
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

…Turkey Day results included…
NFL Picks: 35-19 (With prospective, my Iggles prediction was a little crazy.)
Upset Special: 9-10 (This isn’t the ‘Year of the Upset’.)

…Sportsbetting.com gets the honors (but don’t bet!)…

Indianapolis Colts @ Cleveland Browns (+4.5)
Not sure what the Colts did to keep this game under a touchdown spread; however, I’m not buying for one second that Peyton and co. will have to squeak this one out. Derek Anderson is going to be a well paid backup next season. Colts win BIG.

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4)
Never rely on the ‘Aints. The Bucs are quietly becoming one of the more solid teams in the NFC this past month. Nevertheless – even though I’m picking them to cover this week – who doesn’t believe this is the team you want to play come playoff time.

Carolina Panthers @ Green Bay Packers (-3)
Two tricky teams for me all season, I’ll take the Pack at home to be a little more desperate than the Panthers. I also don’t trust Carolina on the road. Memo to the Pack: run run run with Ryan Grant. Preferably away from Julius Peppers.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots (-1)
Just about a pick’em game, this is the type of game the experts love to avoid. NOT ME! While Roethlisberger can pick apart the Patriot secondary, I’m looking at another Pro Bowl Steeler – Troy Polamalu – to make the plays this team needs to win. He will. Steelers win a brutally tough road game. Somehow, someway.

Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings (-3)
Major game in the NFC North as 7-5 might be the driver’s seat to a title (especially with a Pack loss earlier in the day). As much as I love Matt Forte’s impact with da Bears, I’m taking Apete at home to break off a big run or five against a Jekyl and Hyde defense from Chicago.

Ten Fantasy Insights this Weekend
1) There were a TON of major fantasy plays this weekend, especially Warner/Romo/TO/Westbrook/McNabb/Titan RBs/Calvin Johnson/Cardinal WRs/Marion Barber III/anyone else I didn’t mention. Thursday may have impacted fantasy games more than Sunday.
2) For all of you who picked up Shaun Alexander after the Skins signed him…ha ha.
3) Kevin Walter may catch 10 TDs this season. AJ…5 or less. Wow.
4) Don’t start Zach Miller. He’s still a Raider.
5) Tyler Thigpen had the ’09 KC QB job before the turnover-fest began last week.
6) When do we get a Peyton Manning/Greg Oden commercial?
7) Chester Taylor is worth a flex start.
8) Jabar Gaffney is not.
9) Santonio Holmes is a risky play if you need a TD out of your receiver badly this week.
10) How many of you sat Brian Westbrook??? Ouch.

See you next week!!!