The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders face off again tonight in a Thursday Night Football showcase. Check out who should be in your fantasy football lineup from tonight’s game. Photo by Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Week 14 is upon us. If you are a fantasy football owner, and you are reading this breakdown, it likely means that your fantasy football squad is either in the playoffs or still in the hunt for the playoffs. Congratulations! (Or, it may mean that your teams are out of the running and you are addicted to either fantasy football or my commentary on these Thursday night games. Either way, I kindly suggest seeking some counseling.)

I’m not sure what it is about this Thursday night schedule, but even the games we expect to be fantasy-relevant fall flat. I’m looking at you Drew Brees. On behalf of fantasy football owners everywhere, thanks for the 3-point outing last week in a game your team needed to stay in the playoff hunt. Ugh.

This week we have one of the top offenses (Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning) going against one of the bottom defenses (Oakland Raiders and whatever player you’d like to name) in an AFC West showdown. Let’s hope that we see a lot of scoring and a lot of TDs and given that the fantasy playoffs are upon us, here are three players you should consider playing, even on a Thursday night:

December 2, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

1. Knowshon Moreno

It pains me to type his name actually, but once Willis McGahee went down and Coach John Fox pulled the Hillman-Shuffle on us, you have to consider Moreno if for no other reason than opportunity. Since Moreno was given the starting job two weeks ago, he has averaged over 24 touches. While he hasn’t found the end zone and certainly isn’t lighting the field on fire with a sub-4 yard per carry average, Moreno should see a lot of action against the Raiders’ D which ranks dead last versus opposing RBs over the past five weeks. Expect Moreno to rush for 80 yards and to catch 3 passes for another 18 yards.

2. Darrius Heyward-Bey

DHB has been a DHBust since his double-digit effort against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10 but since fellow-WR Denarius Moore will likely match up against Denver’s top DB, Champ Bailey, Heyward-Bey should benefit from seeing more single-coverage during the game. In the season’s earlier meeting, Heyward-Bey wasn’t active as he was recovering from a concussion — having him on the field this week will allow QB Carson Palmer another veteran receiver to look for. As long as the Raiders’ OL can keep Palmer relatively clean, I look for DHB to grab 5 catches for 65 yards and score a TD.

3. Brandon Myers

December 2, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tight end Brandon Myers (83) catches a pass in front of Cleveland Browns strong safety T.J. Ward (43) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

If you own Myers you probably don’t need me telling you to start him, but some owners might be debating Myers over a more familiar TE name like Antonio Gates, Brandon Pettigrew or even Tony Gonzalez. Myers has been fantasy football’s number-two TE over the past five weeks, falling short of the number-one spot to Jimmy Graham by less than a point. Myers has been fantasy’s most-targeted TE during that span, and this doesn’t look to change against the Broncos’ tonight. I expect Palmer to be playing from behind, and expect Myers to be an early and often target – pencil him in for at least seven catches for 60 yards and a TD.

Let’s hope this game pans out for fantasy football owners better than last week’s did, and good luck in your matchups this week!

Brandon Myers (83) is heating up and finding the endzone as we make our way into the fantasy playoffs. He leads our list of 10 yop pickups off the waiver wire. Photo by Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy Playoffs are here! Chances are you have been owning your league’s waiver wire and that’s why you’re in the playoffs. OR you drafted a mega-team and everyone else in your league hates you. Either way, it feels good, doesn’t it?

I have a couple of guys, and I’m sure you do too, that I’d like to see healthy in Week 14 to help garner my team a spot in the semi-finals. They are Percy Harvin and Darren McFadden. Guys like Mike Wallace and Larry Fitzgerald really need to bounce back, as well, in order to help owners. If you’re unsure of any of these guys and want some help, below I’ve got 10 possible suitors to help get you to the next round.

1. Brandon Myers, TE, Oakland Raiders– Owned in 22.1% of leagues (ESPN) Denarius Moore owners and Darrius Heyward-Bey owners alike HATE this guy. Absolutely hate him. He carried the Raiders pass attack during Week 13. He’s been a hefty contributor all year and this past Sunday was no exception. The Big No Name (patent pending) is a top 5 fantasy tight end this season and had 14 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. In fact, he’s had 53 catches for 493 yards and 4 touchdowns since the Raider bye week (Week 5.)

Dec 2 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Dallas Clark (44) reacts after his eleven yard touchdown reception with running back Doug Martin (22) in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

2. Dallas Clark, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Owned in 5.1% of leagues (ESPN) Much like old Colts stalwarts Peyton Manning and Brandon Stokley, Dallas Clark is also having somewhat of a rebirth year, albeit a bit quieter. In his last four games Clark has had 15 catches for 147 yards and 3 touchdowns. Stellar? No. Consistent heading into the fantasy playoff stretch? Yes.

3. Donnie Avery, WR, Indianapolis Colts– Owned in 9.5% of league (ESPN) Inconsistent for some of the year, Avery and Luck are finally carving out a nice rapport. In fact, Luck seems to be loving ALL of his wide receivers lately. This hurts Reggie Wayne owners slightly but helps Avery and TY Hilton owners. In his last five outings, Avery has amassed 21 catches for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. Solid production from a guy that you can get in 90% of leagues!

4. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks– Owned in 17.7% of leagues (ESPN) If the playoffs started today, there would be TWO rookie starting quarterbacks leading their teams into the Wild Card round…Andrew Luck (Duh!) and Russell Wilson. This kid has been money for much of the year, especially lately. He’s maturing fast at the NFL level and he says he lives for close games that go down to the wire. Just ask the Chicago Bears. In his last five games Wilson has thrown for 1,114 yards, 11 touchdowns and 1 interception. His next two contests are Arizona (at home) and Buffalo (in Toronto.) Two fairly good match-ups. Roll the dice!

December 2, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon (13) catches a pass and runs for a touchdown against Oakland Raiders cornerback Ron Bartell (21) during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

5. Josh Gordon, WR, Cleveland Browns– Owned in 24.3% of leagues (ESPN) I can’t believe this guy is only owned in ¼ of ESPN leagues! I own him in two of my leagues and he plays on a fairly consistent basis. He’s a “can’t miss” wide receiver when Brandon Weeden is out there throwing the ball. Since Cleveland’s bye in Week 10 Gordon has 15 catches for 229 yards and a score. Not to mention he was playing pretty well before the bye too.

6. Chris Givens, WR, St. Louis Rams – Owned in 7.6% of leagues (ESPN) The routine winner of the “Oh-no-looks-like-Danny-Amendola-can’t-play-today” award, Chris Givens has been shredding defenses and Sam Bradford has definitely noticed and given him the ball, early and often. The past two games have seen Givens catch 16 balls for 207 yards and a touchdown. Yep, in only two games. The Rams visit the Bills whose defense has been suspect on more than one occasion this season.

7. Danario Alexander, WR, San Diego Chargers – Owned in 26.8% of leagues (ESPN) Okay this guy didn’t even play this season until Week 8 (and he scored a goose egg!) Since Week 9, Alexander has totaled 26 catches for 467 yards and 3 scores. That’s not bad for FIVE games! Robert Meachem has fallen off and Danario Alexander has picked up the ball and is running with it.

8. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts– Owned in 33.6% of leagues (ESPN) See Donnie Avery (above.) Andrew Luck is coming of age this year for the 8-4 Colts and Young Hilt is definitely flourishing as a result. Hilton has grabbed 21 passes for 335 yards and 4 touchdowns in four of his last five. He also returns kicks and he actually ran one back against the Bills two weeks ago. He will certainly be in the running (along with teammate Luck) for Offensive ROY.

DEc 2, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back James Starks (44) scores on a 22 yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

9. James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers– Owned in 7.0% of leagues (ESPN) It would appear that Starks’ turf toe is behind him. He rushed 15 times for 66 yards and a score while catching 2 passes for 16 yards against the Vikings this past week. That was Green Bay’s first rushing TD since Week 3…10 weeks ago…Cedric Benson got it. Who? Exactly. Starks has a favorable matchup at home this week against the Detroit Lions in primetime. The Lions haven’t been able to stop anybody.

10. Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers – Owned in 45.7% of leagues (ESPN) I realize Kaepernick is owned in almost half of leagues but it’s the glass half empty/half full philosophy. He just may be out there for you! Since the 49ers bye in Week 9, Kaepernick has thrown for 799 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception and he’s rushed for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. He’s been pretty solid. I don’t think Smith necessarily warranted his benching BUT they did draft Kaepernick after all, he’s younger, and he wasn’t going to sit forever.