The Red Zone Report

Leave Ryan on your bench.

Mike Holmgren Officially Turns Down Seattle Seahawks

This wasn’t a surprise. Holmgren, formerly the head coach in Seattle, has been rumored to be very interested in the Cleveland Browns job, which entails more responsibility, and would have him working directly under the owner.

Holmgren may be done with coaching, and now he wants a seat at a desk where he has total control, and can focus on building a team from scratch. That’s exactly what he’ll have to do in Cleveland.

Regardless, Seattle, who was at least slightly in the mix for Holmgren’s services, will now have to look for help elsewhere.

Matt Ryan and Michael Turner Still Iffy For Sunday

Both players could go if they absolutely had to, but with Dallas beating the Saints last night, the Falcons are now eliminated from the playoffs, and Atlanta now has to reason to rush their stars back.

Turner’s last attempted return went horribly, and even if he does play, he has the 11th ranked New York Jets run defense, on the road, and in snow. Ryan’s match-up wouldn’t bode well, either, as Roddy White is sure to be locked-up by Darrelle Revis all day.

If you were hoping one or both of these guys were going to save your playoffs, quickly look elsewhere.

Larry Fitzgerald Expected to Face Detroit

He’s been practicing on a limited basis all week, stated on Twitter that he’d be fine, and several reports the past few days suggested the same.

There’s a good chance he only plays one full half, as the Lions have a terribly leaky defense, and this game should be over fairly quickly.

Still, he’s almost certain to play, so it’s suggested that you use him as normal in your fantasy line-ups.

Sidney Rice “Ready to Go” Against Carolina

We were never worried about his statue, but with Percy Harvin likely out, you had to be at least a little concerned for Minnesota that their best receiver this week could have potentially been Bernard Berrian.

It looks like Rice will make the start against the Panthers’ strong pass defense. Use him as a strong WR3 this week if you can, as Carolina has been known to shut-down elite receivers.

Seattle to Use Rotation at Running Back

The Seahawks are reportedly going to try a new system with their two running backs, Julius Jones and Justin Forsett, that would rotate them in and out every series.

This may cause rythmn issues, but will at least give them the look of a feature back on any given drive. We like Forsett as a solid Flex after hearing this news, but hoping for anything more out of a Seattle backfield that is rotating, well, is quite a reach.

Correll Buckhalter Unlikely to Go in Week 15

Buckhalter has been listed as “doubtful” all week, and with solid depth at running back, Denver is unlikely to rush him back to face the very beatable Oakland Raiders.

Don’t bank on Buckhalter playing this week, and expect a larger load for Knowshon Moreno, while little-used Peyton Hillis could get some more grind than usual.