Week 21 Rushing Matchups

by Mark Wimer and Joe Bryant, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

[ARI] [PIT]

PLEASE NOTE: This does NOT replace the Cheatsheet ranking. The Cheatsheet rankings are the final say on where we see a player for that week. The Matchup Breakdowns are simply one more tool in the box when it comes to helping choose your lineup.

Also note, just because a player has a "bad" matchup, it does NOT mean he's not a starter in your league. If Peyton Manning is playing the toughest pass defense in the league, that just means he's got a tough matchup that week. He's also your starter unless you're loaded at QB. In the same way, if the worst QB on your roster has a "great" matchup that week, it doesn't necessarily mean he's your starter. It means we think he'll fare better than normal that week.

Bottom line is that the cheatsheets are the final say.

Pittsburgh Steelers Rushing Offense vs Arizona Cardinals Rushing Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Willie Parker had a hard time moving the ball against the Ravens' top-5 rush D, scraping up just 24/47/0 rushing, with 1/-2/0 receiving - Mewelde Moore managed just 1/6/0 rushing and 1/9/0 receiving before exiting the game due to a right ankle injury in the 3rd quarter. Parker has been the work-horse back for the Steelers during the playoffs, with 51/193/2 rushing in the 2 games (1/-2/0 receiving). Moore is in the change-of-pace role with 4/19/0 rushing and 3/21/0 receiving through 2 games. Whether or not Moore is healthy enough to play on Sunday, we look for Parker to lead the Steelers' rushing attack vs. Arizona. He's the best weapon they have in their RB stable entering this game.

"As a captain of the defense, hell yeah. Give it [some respect] to us," LB Karlos Dansby said on Tuesday. "We've done something great. We've changed gears all the way through the playoffs." Arizona's defense certainly has played stoutly during the 2nd season, with an average of 77.3 rushing yards allowed through 3 playoff games, and an average of 20.6 points given up per game. During the conference championship match vs. Philadelphia, Brian Westbrook could only generate 12/45/0 rushing (a 3.8 yards per carry average), although Donovan McNabb and Correll Buckhalter managed to chip in enough yardage to boost the total to 18/97/0 - Philly couldn't punch in a score on the ground, though. Atlanta and Carolina both managed only a single rushing TD in their games vs. Arizona - the Cardinals have gotten pretty stubborn in this phase of the game of late. The Cardinals have a couple of fairly significant injury worries up front on their D, though - DE Antonio Smith is nursing a sore knee, and OLB Travis LaBoy strained a biceps tendon in the NFC Championship game - rendering his arm useless and dangling at his side - he is iffy to play this week. The team is working to fit LaBoy in an arm brace that will allow him to play, but it remains to be seen how effective he can be with only 1 fully functional arm).

Parker and company will try and poke holes in the upstart Arizona defensive front (the Cards averaged 110.3 rushing yards allowed per game last year, although they have elevated their game during the playoffs as noted above) - this matchup looks about even to us from where we sit.

The official NFL injury report with Probable, Questionable, Doubtful and Out designations will be available by Saturday. Please refer to the week 21 injury report for the latest injury news regarding your players.

Arizona Cardinals Rushing Offense at Pittsburgh Steelers Rushing Defense (Bad Matchup)

Edgerrin James has proven effective (but not spectacular) during the playoffs, with 52/203/1 rushing and 3/34/0 receiving - he has managed to provide just enough of a threat to run the ball that the Cardinals have manageable 2nd- and 3rd- down and distance more often than not. Tim Hightower remains the short-yardage/goal-line threat for Arizona, with 34/132/1 rushing and 2/11/2 receiving to date (he's actually outscored James in fantasy terms during the playoffs). J.J. Arrington, struggling with an injured right knee entering this week (he didn't practice last week at all) is mainly a change-of-pace option for the offense (5/5/0 rushing with 5/23/0 receiving) who has made his presence felt in the return game. All in all, the Cardinals' rushing attack during the playoffs can be summed up as "adequate".

Pittsburgh has allowed 88 rushing yards during their 2 playoff games (an average of 44 per contest), with the vast majority allowed in the conference championship game vs. Baltimore (25/73/2 handed over to Willis McGahee and company - a 2.9 yards per carry average). San Diego managed just 12/15/0 rushing vs. the Steelers. During regular season, the Steelers gave up an average of 80.3 rushing yards per game, with just 7 rushing scores allowed over 16 games - they are tough as nails in this phase of the game.

The so-so Cardinals' RB stable will face the league's premier rush D this weekend. Anything can happen as the Cardinals have made a season of proving people wrong but this one looks like a big plus for Pittsburgh.