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How did your fantasy team do this week? Here are the five guys you wish you had.

It’s Week 12 already! Can you believe we only have five weeks of regular season games after this one? It’s also the last week of byes – which is good news for fantasy football fans.

There are some tasty looking divisional match-ups this weekend, most notably the league’s hottest team against the defending champions right up in the Pacific north west. Can Drew Stanton lead the Cardinals to yet another victory? A win in Seattle will pretty much secure their play-off spot. Larry Fitzgerald didn’t practice this week because of a knee injury. If Arizona gets to 10&1 they’ll be well on their way to having home advantage right through the post season. Let’s not forget that the Super Bowl is also in their own backyard! There’s talk of Richard Sherman playing Wide Receiver to help the Seahawks’ passing woes. That’ll be worth looking out for.

The Cowboys are in action for the first time since their Wembley win. They’re up against their NFC East rivals, the New York Giants. Eli Manning threw five interceptions last weekend. Can lightning strike twice? DeMarco Murray will be a threat for Dallas against a defense that’s struggled to tackle the rush.

The Lions failed on offense in Arizona last weekend. It doesn’t get easier for them this week as they travel to Gillette Stadium. Detroit’s position at the top of the NFC North is under threat from the in-form Packers, so the pressure is on them to beat the Patriots. Can anyone stop Brady at the minute? Will Jonas Gray be a flash in the pan?

Green Bay take on NFC North rivals Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Packers have scored 50+ points two weeks running. They will be full of confidence going into this one against a stuttering Vikings team. Teddy Bridgewater needs more protection if they’re going to turn over this electric Green Bay side.

The Cleveland Browns slipped from top of the AFC North to the bottom last week. They travel to a 4&6 Falcons team that surprised everyone when they topped the NFC South last weekend. Atlanta doesn’t lose many at home, but the Browns have been resilient this season.

Andrew Luck was taught another lesson by the Patriots late last Sunday. He will be hoping to amend some of his mistakes against the 1&9 Jacksonville Jaguars at home.

With wild card places at a premium, the Eagles will not want to slip up at home to the Titans on Sunday. Philly travel to Dallas on Thursday for their Thanksgiving Day clash and host the Cowboys in Week 15. The NFC East might be sorted by early December.

San Francisco stumbled to victory against the Giants last time out. Did Eli gift them the win, or was it down to great defending? They can make it three wins on the bounce on Sunday night when they host a Washington Redskins team that appears to be cracking from their foundations. RGIII fell out with his team mates, again. His coach fell out with him, again. Interestingly, both teams played each other at this stage last year. The 49ers were 6&4 and the Skins were 3&7. San Francisco went on to win every game until the Championship game, whilst the Skins lost all their remaining games.

Chicago finally won a game at Soldier Field last week. They host the Bucs this weekend and will be confident of making it two wins on the bounce. In the AFC, the Bengals travel to Houston and top the North division. How will Andy Dalton fair against the mighty J.J. Watt. Watt’s got more touchdowns than Calvin Johnson this year. Surely that makes him a legitimate MVP candidate?

The Rams must feel they can beat anyone after they stopped Peyton Manning and his Denver Broncos. They travel to San Diego; the Chargers found out how to win again in Week 11. Meanwhile, Peyton has an intriguing match-up at home to Miami.

The Jets fly to Detroit to play the Bills. The snowstorm that hit Buffalo this week has left the town under meters of the white stuff. The game has been moved to Monday, which the Bills must be grateful for because their preparations were halted for a few days.

A losing team might end up winning the NFC South. It took New Orleans 11 games to lose at home and now they’ve lost two in a row. They’re at home again this week, against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have happy memories of the Superdome, having won football’s biggest prize there in the 2012 season. On paper the Saints have the easiest run-in in the NFC South, but they need Drew Brees to find some form. It’s going to be tougher for him now that Wide Receiver Brandin Cooks is out for the season.

So, let’s sit back and enjoy another week of drama from the NFL. We need to start savouring every bit we can because it’ll soon be over for another year.

It’s coming up to crunch time in Fantasy Football. How did your team do in Week 11? Click here to view the week’s top five scorers.

Week 11 TV Schedule

Sunday 6pm: Seahawks @ Chiefs – Sky Sports 2

Sunday 9:25pm: Lions @ Cardinals – Sky Sports 2

Monday 1:30am: Patriots @ Colts – C4

Tuesday 1:30am: Steelers @ Titans – Eurosport 2

The week has already begun. The Bills look like they’re out of the AFC play-off race after their 22-9 defeat in Miami on Thursday night. What’s worrying for Bills fans is their lack of touchdowns. They’ve not scored a TD since the start of the Chiefs game in Week 10. Buffalo had a few chances to beat their AFC East rivals, but failed to convert turnovers into winning drives.

The Dolphins are chasing New England in their division. The 7&2 Patriots are currently the Number 1 seed in the AFC and fantasy football fans will be glad to see Brady and Gronkowski return to their rosters after their bye week. The Pats travel to Indianapolis for the late night Channel 4 game. It’s the old master versus the pretender to his thrown. Will Andrew Luck lead his Colts to victory at home?

We’re spoilt for games this week. The big NFC battle is in Phoenix as the Number 2 seed Detroit Lions take on a Number 1 seeded Cardinals team without Carson Palmer. Arizona have been rigid this season, but will Stafford and Calvin Johnson prove to be too much for them? It’s an intriguing match-up.

We have another exciting prospect at Lambeau Field in the second Sky game of the day. The 7&2 Philadelphia Eagles face the red hot Green Bay Packers who had Aaron Rodgers pass for six touchdowns in the first half last weekend. Will Chip Kelly’s quick-fire offense be too much for the Packers D in freezing conditions?

We love this part of the season because so much is at stake. Just look at the match-up at Arrowhead. Here we have two teams on 6&3, both of them right in the play-off mix inside their respective conferences. Seattle’s passing game has gone to pot this season, but that’s not surprising given they’ve let their two main receivers go. Alex Smith is having a very good season and he knows how to beat the Seahawks. This game might come down to who can run it further between Charles and Lynch.

It’ll be interesting to see how Andy Dalton acquits himself after last week’s shambolic performance. Whatever knocks you down makes you stronger, right? Perhaps not with AD because he always seems to freeze when the primetime cameras are on him, and he doesn’t learn. Could this trip to the Superdome against the Saints be the nail in Dalton’s Bengals coffin?

San Francisco stayed in touch with the group of teams chasing the NFC play-off spots after their win in New Orleans last week. They fly across the country again this weekend to take on the 3&6 Giants. Tom Coughlin’s team gave up more than 350 rushing yards against the Seahawks last time out. Meanwhile, the 49ers rediscovered their running game against the Saints. Kaepernick, Gore and Hyde may prove too much for a depleted Giants team.

Teddy Bridgewater leads his Vikings side to Soldier Field. The Bears are still licking their wounds after last week’s shocking display against Green Bay. Chicago have yet to win a home game in 2014 and Mark Trestman’s head will be on the block if they fail to win this NFC North clash.

Shaun Hill starts as quarterback against the Broncos in St Louis. Philip Rivers returns from his bye week to face the Raiders in San Diego. Antonio Gates scores touchdowns for fun at home and the 0&9 Raiders might be the perfect tonic to end the Chargers’ three-game losing streak.

The Falcons will be looking to keep the pressure on New Orleans in the NFC South when they travel to Carolina, and it’s the battle between Brady’s understudies when table-topping Cleveland host the Houston Texans. There’s nothing but pride at stake in DC between the Redskins and the 1&8 Bucs.

The week ends with Monday Night Football as Big Ben Roethlisberger and his Steelers hope to return to winning ways at the 2&7 Titans.

 

The Dallas Cowboys came and conquered at Wembley. Tony Romo returned from injury to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-17 and end their two-game losing streak.

It started so well for the Jags. They held Dallas to a Field Goal on their opening play. Jacksonville responded by scoring a touchdown on their first drive.

Running Backs DeMarco Murray and Denard Robinson were electric for their respective teams.

Things turned sour for the Jaguars when they fluffed a punt return as Ace Sanders dropped the catch and the Cowboys recovered deep in Jacksonville territory. The scene was set for Romo as he picked out Jason Witten for a 2yd TD.

Open the floodgates

Romo then hit Dez Bryant with a short pass and the big receiver ran it home for a 35yd touchdown. It could have been closer, but Robinson fumbled after rookie QB Blake Bortles carried his team down the field.

Tony Romo picked out Bryant again, who was wide open and raced down the sideline for another touchdown, this one 68yds.

Dallas were feeling comfortable going in 24-7 up at half time. The Jags came out and were forced to punt at the start of the second half. Dallas then carried the ball 87yds down the field for a touchdown in six plays.

As the game entered the 4^th quarter many of the Wembley crowd headed towards the exits to get their early trains home. The Jags, however, did manage a couple more scores – including a safety and another Denard Robinson TD. UK fans were even given a glimpse of Brandon Weeden when Jason Garrett hauled off his star QB.

It was an electric atmosphere as London embraced the boys from the Lone Star State. There was also huge support for our adopted team, the Jaguars. Gus Bradley is building something special in Florida and we look forward to seeing their development next year when they host the Buffalo Bills. It’s a shame about the wait.

UK gridiron fans have a lot to look forward to in Week 10. We’ve got our third International Series game of the season and we’re being spoiled as America’s team tackles London’s adopted side. All eyes this week have been on Tony Romo and it looks like he’s going to play. That’s exciting news for the neutral because, having missed out on seeing Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush last time out, we want to see the NFL’s best players on the Wembley turf.

If Romo plays it’ll be difficult to predict anything other than a Cowboys win. But, if Brandon Weeden starts it can be a different story altogether. The back-up QB looked poor in practice, consistently missing passes. He struggles to read the field and can’t spot the open receivers because he’s too locked in on a single target. Fantasy owners should expect big points from running backs DeMarco Murray and Denard Robinson.

The big battle in the NFC is between the two .500 teams at the Superdome. The Saints and 49ers are both 4&4 and San Francisco travel two thirds of the country off the back of a disappointing loss at home to the Rams. The 9ers were a fumble away from victory last week, but their division is so tight that a loss in New Orleans would most likely end their season.

Apart from their humiliating defeat to Denver the 49ers’ losses have been marginal and the Saints haven’t been too hot. Don’t forget that San Francisco should have won in the Dome last year, but a poor refereeing decision cost them. Revenge is sweet so expect Colin Kaepernick to clock up a few fantasy points on Sunday. Frank Gore is convinced that his team will make the play-offs. Will he carry them there? Also, Jim harbaugh has never lost three games on the bounce with this team.

The in-form Dolphins travel to Detroit to face a Lions team coming off their bye week. Stafford and co will be buoyant after their last-gasp victory at Wembley last time out. Ryan Tannehill has been on fire in Miami’s three-game winning streak, but he struggles in domes. This will be an interesting contest with Detroit getting some key men back onto their offense.

Jamaal Charles has been in excellent form recently. He’s one of fantasy football’s biggest hitters. This weekend he faces stiff opposition in one of the league’s best defences. Rain’s expected in Buffalo so it’ll be interesting to see how rookie Sammy Watkins copes with the conditions.

Can Ben Roethlisberger make it a hat-trick of 6 TD games? He faces the perfect opposition for it in the Jets. The Steelers will be desperate for the win to stay in the hunt in the AFC North. The Browns sit pretty at the summit after their win in Cincinnati on Thursday night. Also, expect nothing less than a Ravens victory at home to the struggling Titans.

If you’ve got Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas and Wes Welker in your fantasy team then you will be expecting big points this weekend. The Broncos face the 0&8 Oakland Raiders.

The Rams will be looking to make it a hat-trick of divisional scalps against the Cardinals. The struggling Giants have a daunting trip to Seattle, whilst one of the oldest rivalries in football continues at Lambeau. The 3&5 Bears will have to stop Aaron Rodgers and the 5&3 Packers if they want to maintain any hopes of making the post season.

The week ends with another NFC match-up. Monday Night Football comes from Lincoln Financial Field as Geno Smith makes his first start for the Eagles at home to a struggling Cam Newton and his 3-5-1 Panthers.

There are some tasty match-ups this week and we’ll have a clear indication of who will be in contention for the play-offs come Tuesday morning.

 

5thDownUK were at the Dallas Cowboys’ practice session on Friday. Tony Romo took part in training for the second consecutive day. Check out the gallery here.

America’s team have wowed the British fans and press during their visit to London this week. Make no mistake this is no publicity tour for the Dallas Cowboys; this team means business. When asked for his thoughts on bringing his team to London, Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli said, “The environment can change but we don’t.” Marinelli came to Wembley and won with the Chicago Bears in 2011. He added, “I don’t care where we’re at, just do your job”.

“It’s a Dallas Cowboys thing. It’s what we do”

Marinelli doesn’t take fools likely, “This job is about taking the opportunity when it comes. If you work hard and give your best, I like you. If you don’t, I don’t like you”.

Head Coach Jason Garrett has embraced his team’s trip to the UK and he’s using it as an opportunity to improve comradery. “We’re all going to see the Tower of London and the crown jewels”, said Garrett. “We’ll then go out and have a nice meal together (in London). It’s a Dallas Cowboys thing. It’s what we do”.

Garrett was looking confident on Friday and walked with a swagger. Romo took part in his second practice session and worked on routes with the first team. They’ll be hoping to end their two-game losing streak against the 1&8 Jaguars. A lot will depend on whether their star signal caller can play.

Jack Crawford is enjoying showing off his native city to his Dallas team mates. Speaking on Friday, he admitted that the Cowboys’ schedule in the UK has limited how much his team could see, but he did take his defensive line out for a meal on Thursday.

“I’m not a fan of English food, but if you know where the top places are there’s no doubt our cuisine is far better than theirs”, said the former Oakland Defensive End.

It looks unlikely that Crawford will play as he remains sidelined with a calf injury.

When asked who he thinks the potential London should be called, the Londoner said “It’s got to be the London Royals”.

We’ve seen three British players return to our capital with their respective teams in the last two years. With the sport becoming increasingly popular in the UK, any dreams of a British superstar in the NFL look they might come true.