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!

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Lance Moore (16) is one of many fantasy considerations in tonight’s Thursday Night Football clas between the Falcons and the Saints. Photo by Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday last week! We were treated to a couple of very good NFL games, but missed the trifecta as the Patriots made a mockery of the Jets in the nightcap. But, like the song says, two out of three ain’t bad.

This week fantasy football owners are eagerly awaiting the best Thursday night game in quite a few weeks as two high-powered offenses clash in Atlanta.

The Saints and the Falcons played in New Orleans just three short weeks ago, a game which saw the Falcons suffer their first loss of the season as the Saints prevailed 31-27. The game featured lots of scoring, lots of excitement and some fantastic fantasy performances with both QBs posting Top 5 fantasy numbers on the week. Not to be outdone, the teams’ TEs, Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzalez, finished 1-2 for the week pleasing owners with their 20+ fantasy point output.

While I don’t expect the TE production to be similar to that earlier meeting, I do expect lots of offense once again. Let’s highlight three players that you may consider for your fantasy rosters.

November 25, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles (43) flips San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith (99) over his back during the second quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

1. Darren Sproles

Sproles was simply an onlooker for the Week 10 game, as he was recovering from recent hand surgery. While the Saints managed to win without him, expect them to utilize his skill set quite a bit in tonight’s game. QB Drew Brees only completed 4 passes to his RBs in the first game versus Atlanta as the Saints chose to run often. In his first game back since the surgery, Sproles jumped right back into the mix posting a 7-catch 65 effort in Sunday’s game against the 49ers. I look for him to better that performance tonight against the Falcons catching 8 passes for 85 yards and a TD.

2. Lance Moore

Neither Moore nor counterpart Marques Colston had a huge game in the Superdome. Both finished with less than 10 fantasy points, Moore caught more passes but Colston benefitted from a TD grab. The Falcons’ defensive backs are dealing with some injury issues right now as both cornerback Asante Samuel and Dunta Robinson have been limited on a short week. I look for both Colston and Moore to have solid games, but I’ll call Moore as the start since most Colston owners won’t be benching him anyhow. Moore should post a similar line to the past game, in the neighborhood of 6 catches for 70 yards and a TD.

November 25, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers (32) runs with the ball during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Atlanta Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

3. Jacquizz Rodgers

The lone Falcon on this list, Rodgers has slowly been overtaking Michael Turner as the featured back in the Falcons’ offense. While Turner still has been the goal-line workhorse, he seems to be slowing down yet again late in the season and Rodgers is coming off his best game of 2012 against the Bucs. The Burner certainly burned owners in Week 10 with his sub-two point fantasy outing against the soft Saints’ defense and I look for the Falcons to use Rodgers as a key part of the attack tonight. An even better play in PPR leagues, I see Rodgers with close to 100 all-purpose yards and a good chance to find the end zone for the second week in a row.

After a long procession of crummy Thursday night contests, at least from a fantasy football perspective, we finally get a matchup that should feature lots of points and lots of fantasy value. Good luck this week, enjoy the game!