Sunday morning observations -- Week 12

Good morning, Fools. It's chilly out on my back patio this morning in beautiful, crime-free Flower Mound, Texas. Hope it's beautiful where you are, too, and that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

But now it's crunch time, boys and girls. Playoff berths and seeding are on the line. So put aside the leftovers and let's get rolling...

Tom Brady is dealing with a knee injury, but that won't keep him from playing today. That said, I'm not so sure he'll soar against a pesky Jets secondary.

Meanwhile, there's optimism surrounding Rob Gronkowski playing later this afternoon. He traveled with the team to New York, but we won't know for sure until the late inactives come out. If he plays, you probably have to start him. But there's risk here.

Latest word is that T.J. Yeldon will be active today, but Chris Ivory will carry the load for the Jags. Despite the minimal competition for touches, I don't like Ivory's chances against the Bills.

Mark Ingram is expected to play despite incurring a concussion last week. Look for Ingram to be limited, with Tim Hightower getting the majority of the RB snaps.

Jay Cutler (shoulder) is out. Hello, Matt Barkley. Goodbye, Bears offense.

Ryan Mathews has been ruled out of the Monday nighter with a "significant" knee injury, but Darren Sproles will tough it out with his broken rib. Wendell Smallwood is in line to get his most work of the season, and he's the preferred start in that game. I like his chances against a Packers D that has been falling apart of late.

It should be a great week for LeSean McCoy, who will play with his dislocated thumb in a splint. Mike Gillislee is out with a hammy, so the backfield will be all Shady's.

In that same game, I'm looking forward to seeing how Sammy Watkins looks on a presumably limited pitch count. I grabbed him off waivers in one league and am stashing him for the stretch run. If he plays well and nabs a handful of passes for 40-50 yards, I'll feel better about starting him next week in Oakland.

Travis Benjamin will be back for the Chargers, but he's got a tough matchup and, therefore, a low floor.

Latavius Murray and Michael Crabtree are expected to play today for the Raiders. Hopefully Crabtree will wipe the butter off his fingers during warmups.

That's it for now, Fools. Inactives and other late-breaking news coming shortly via Tweeter. Have a dominant day!