Earlier this week, Browns coach Mike Pettine said Russell Wilson wasn’t in the top tier of quarterbacks. On Friday, the Seahawks responded.

Defensive end Michael Bennett was quite vocal about Pettine’s comments, questioning the coach’s ability to evaluate quarterbacks. In particular, Bennett was trashing the team’s handling of Johnny Manziel, who the Seahawks will face off against this Sunday.

“Obviously he’s not good at picking quarterbacks,” Bennett said during an interview on 710 ESPN Seattle (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “Maybe he doesn’t know what elite is. I think that Russell Wilson is very elite. He’s been to two Super Bowls. It’s only his fourth year. I don’t think a lot of guys can say that.

“There’s a lot of guys with a lot of passing yards that haven’t had any success and don’t even go to the playoffs, like Philip Rivers and guys like that. Drew Brees hasn’t been to the playoffs in two years. So Russell Wilson is definitely an elite quarterback, and he can lead a team. … I think Russell Wilson has done a great job of proving that he is up there at the top tier of players.”

Let’s take a look at some more assorted notes from around the league…

• After spending more than a decade with the Jaguars, kicker Josh Scobee was traded to the Steelers this past offseason. Despite the surprising move, the 33-year-old wasn’t angry at his former team. “I was very fortunate to have been here for 11 years, and I’m happy I was here that long,” he told Garry Smits of Jacksonville.com. “I’ve never had any animosity to the team. I understand the business end of it and I’m looking forward to the next stage of his career. I’m always going to be a Jaguar at heart.”
• The veteran only lasted four games in Pittsburgh, as the squad cut him loose following an inconsistent start to the year. Scobee blamed his issues on a pair of muscle injuries in his kicking leg, but he acknowledged that he expects to play next season. “I’m just now healthy enough to where I’m open to going to a new team,” he said. “No one really knew about it [the injuries] because I just didn’t talk about it. After I got released, I didn’t talk about it.” The kicker said he’s been in contact with eight teams.
• Former rugby star Jarryd Hayne hasn’t had the best rookie campaign, as three fumbles led to him being demoted to the 49ers practice squad. Still, the running back has been pleased with his progress. “It’s definitely been a great year. I overachieved what I ever expected,” Hayne told Chris Biderman of the Associated Press. “I think what people don’t realize that every day for me is like a month to everyone else because of the way I pick things up and the way I learn…I just feel like in these short six weeks that I’ve been on the practice squad, I learned so much. There was two weeks where I literally took every single rep in the look-card squad. That was huge. The most reps I took in a row (before that) was probably three or four.”

Here are Saturday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, which we’ll continue to update throughout the day…

• The Vikings have put former third-round pick Scott Crichton on the season-ending injured reserve, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The 24-year-old defensive lineman has only compiled 10 total tackles in 21 career games. To take his spot on the roster, the team has promoted defensive end Zach Moore from the practice squad.

Happy holidays and Merry Star Wars, everyone! Hopefully you are celebrating a deep fantasy playoff run to boot, perhaps with a little guidance from this column.

This week features the 2015 season’s first Saturday night affair between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. Don’t forget to check in on your lineups before heading out to stand in line for The Force Awakens.

There is plenty to talk about for semifinal week in fantasy football, so let’s dive right in.

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Kudos go to fantasy football owners who have made it this far.

Don’t dwell on the congratulatory nature of advancement, though, not when heading into a week in which Denard Robinson and Tim Hightower suddenly look like great plays thanks to injuries and other factors. 

So it goes for owners on a week-to-week basis, with Week 15 already producing an epic performance by St. Louis Rams wideout Tavon Austin on Thursday Night Football. 

It’s going to be one of those weeks. Below, let’s look at value comparisons for each spot and common start-sit questions.

 

QB  

Start: Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. ATL)

Slowly but surely, the ownership percentage on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles continues to climb and now sits at 83 percent.

Better late than never, right?

Bortles has led one of fantasy’s more interesting passing attacks the entire season, having hit on 20 or more points seven times, including each of his last three outings.

Now Bortles gets to take his wild momentum, which includes 10 touchdown passes over those last three games, into an encounter with an Atlanta Falcons defense that has allowed four passing scores over its last two games.

In at least one sense, Bortles is a playoff quarterback.

 

Sit: Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (at SD)

In a normal week, Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill would look like a pretty good start.

Tannehill‘s had a down year, but weapons such as Jarvis Landry and Lamar Miller can usually help close the gap in a good matchup. The Dolphins have that this weekend thanks to a game against the three-win San Diego Chargers.

The problem? Miami’s season is over after just taking a loss on Monday Night Football. Now a team that has already experienced one coaching change has to travel across the country on a short week and find the motivation to play well against one of the league’s worst teams.

Owners can find better scenarios.

 

RB

Start: Tim Hightower, New Orleans Saints (vs. DET)

About Hightower. 

With Mark Ingram out of the picture, it was Hightower the New Orleans Saints turned to and found great results. The veteran ran 28 times for 85 yards and a score, good for 15 points.

It’s a work rate owners can expect to continue for the rest of the year, which is nothing but a good thing going into an encounter with the Detroit Lions.

Detroit has been spotty against the run all year, allowing 20 or more points to six opposing backfields, including last week’s allowance of 27 with two scores to St. Louis.

With a surefire usage, look for Hightower to put on another strong performance.

 

Sit: Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns (at SEA)

Isaiah Crowell of the Cleveland Browns had his breakout game last week, rushing 20 times for 145 yards and two scores for 26 points.

Crowell likely guaranteed himself the most usage of anyone in Cleveland the rest of the way, which makes him a good pickup for down the stretch. What it doesn’t do, though, is make him much of a smart play against the Seattle Seahawks.

The matchup looks as tough as it sounds, with Crowell hitting the road to face a defense allowing the fewest points to running backs on average, with just five opposing backfields finding enough room to record double digits against the unit.

Chasing points isn’t a great strategy sometimes. This would be one of those times.

 

WR

Start: Ted Ginn, Carolina Panthers (at NYG)

Owners haven’t caught on to the idea of Carolina Panthers wideout Ted Ginn Jr. yet because he’s been so inconsistent this year with just five outings of 10 or more points. 

Two of those have come in a row, though, as Ginn has 20 or more points over his past two games with a pair of touchdowns in each.

Granted, those scores came in easy matchups. That should give owners even more confidence as he heads into a game against the New York Giants, considering the Giants have let up double-digit outings to all but one opposing receiving corps this year.

Given a lack of other options, a good matchup and recent production, Ginn might be the player an owner needs to pull off a playoff win.

 

Sit: Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys (vs. NYJ)

It’s odd when a player such as Ginn is a start at playoff time, and the best course of action is to avoid a star such as Dallas Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant.

Again, it’s just been one of those seasons.

Bryant has been hurt and mostly without Tony Romo, so he has just two trips above 10 points this year.  The opportunities just aren’t there, either, as Bryant has received double-digit targets just once this year.

This is all terrible news going into an encounter with the New York Jets, a strong defense coming off a game in which it only allowed 10 catches to wideouts.

 

TE

Start: Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers (vs. MIA)

If owners are going to trust Antonio Gates of the Chargers, it has to be this week. 

Gates has 10 or more points in just two games this year as he’s battled injuries on a tanking team, but there’s little chance a future Hall of Famer wants to go out on such a sour note, if this is his last season.

In the Dolphins-Chargers showdown, Gates will continue to be the top target for Philip Rivers against a defense that just coughed up a score to a tight end last week and has allowed 80 or more receiving yards to the position four times. 

If Gates is going to explode again, it’ll be this week.

 

Sit: Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings (vs. CHI)

Again, don’t chase points. 

Washington’s Jordan Reed might have exploded for 18 points last week against the Chicago Bears, but it’s not a surefire thing Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph can do the same this week.

Rudolph has just one trip to double digits this year in a struggling passing attack that likes to spread it around.

On the flip side, the Bears have allowed just three touchdowns to the position all season. Rudolph isn’t as prominent in the Minnesota offense as Reed is in Washington, so owners need to look elsewhere for a sneaky play at the tough position.  

 

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of December 19. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com answered a variety of questions on Twitter last night. The conversation focused on the upcoming offseason, and the writer did his best to make some early predictions. We’ve compiled the best of them, which you can find below…

• Fitzgerald is convinced that the 49ers will be able to trade quarterback Colin Kaepernick. With a maximum $14.3MM cap hit (due to the $1MM savings if the team decides to deactivate him), the writer believes the Eagles could be a good fit for the embattled star.
• Among the big-name players who could switch teams in free agency are (according to Fitzgerald) Alex Mack, Matt Forte, Russell Okung, Prince Amukamara, and Lamar Miller.
• On the flip, Fitzgerald could imagine several big names being cut loose by their current teams, including Jamaal Charles, Jimmy Graham and DeMarcus Ware.
• One of Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins will be back with the Rams next year, with Fitzgerald predicting an $8MM contract for Jenkins and $6MM for Johnson.
• Assuming Marshawn Lynch‘s tenure in Seattle is over, Fitzgerald could envision the Patriots pursuing the running back. However, the writer is uncertain whether New England would have much interest.