As we all recover from a few days of gorging ourselves with turkey and mashed potatoes, week 12 continues Sunday headlined by the Steelers/Ravens, Falcons/Saints and Patriots/Bears matchups. Tiki Barber (998 rushing) and Chad Johnson (932 yards) are poised to break the 1,000-yard barrier, while Drew Brees enters with four straight 300-yard performances. This edition of the Weekly Forecast will break down the latest on the injury report, week 12’s weather and some matchup numbers.

Brett Favre (elbow) returned to practice on Friday and is expected to start in week 12 under the bright lights of Monday Night Football. He left last week’s contest after injuring his throwing arm in a blowout loss to New England, but it looks like his consecutive game streak will extend to 252. With Aaron Rodgers (toe) now out for the remainder of the season, Todd Bouman will be the legend’s backup.

Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown is expected to miss at least one, but possibly several weeks following recent left hand surgery. Sammy Morris will take over as their primary back with Travis Minor also getting some touches. Brown is a lefthander so he’s hoping he can grip the ball with a cast within a week or two.

Matt Hasselbeck is also expected to get the start for Monday Night. He’ll get his starting job back from Seneca Wallace, who went 2-2 as a starter with eight touchdown-passes. Green Bay ranks No. 31 against the pass, so Hasselbeck is worth putting in your starting lineups right away. His return also boosts the values of Darrell Jackson and Deion Branch. Shaun Alexander could get upwards of 20 carries in his second game back.

Marques Colston (ankle) will work out before Sunday’s game against Atlanta to determine if he’ll play. If he’s unable to go, Devery Henderson and Terrance Copper will each see increased reps along side Joe Horn. … Willis McGahee (ribs) will have his status determined in pregame warm-ups as well. McGahee is wearing a flak jacket and looks like he’ll be active against the dangerous Jacksonville defense. Anthony Thomas could still get some carries with McGahee definitely not 100 percent. … San Diego receivers Keenan McCardell (calf, questionable) and Eric Parker (neck, questionable) are both banged up this week. Philip Rivers could be in for a tough time against Oakland’s secondary, who ranks No. 2 overall against the pass.

Injuries
Quarterbacks
Daunte Culpepper (knee) – out indefinitely
Brett Favre (arm) – questionable, expected to start
Charlie Frye (wrist) – questionable, expected to play
Matt Hasselbeck (knee) – probable, expected to start this week
Byron Leftwich (ankle) – out for the season
Donovan McNabb (knee) – out for the season
Aaron Rodgers (ankle) – out for the season

Running Backs
Ronnie Brown (hand) – expected to miss week 13
Reuben Droughns (foot) – questionable, expected to play
DeShawn Foster (elbow) – questionable, game-time decision
Ahman Green (knee) – probable, will start
Cedrick Houston (knee) – questionable, expected to split carries
LaMont Jordan (knee) – out indefinitely, Justin Fargas will start
Willis McGahee (ribs) – questionable, game-time decision
Vernand Morency (back) – questionable, expected to be backup
Chester Taylor (calf) – probable, will start

Wide Receivers
Arnaz Battle (hand) – probable, expected to play
Marques Colston (ankle) – questionable, game-time decision
Braylon Edwards (arm) – probable, will start
Bobby Engram (thyroid) – out for week 12
Chris Henry (hip) – probable, likely will play
Andre Johnson (thigh) – probable, will likely start
Chad Johnson (hamstring) – probable, will start
Keenan McCardell (calf) – questionable, likely a game-time decision
Santana Moss (hamstring) – probable, will start
Eric Parker (neck) – questionable, will play
Jerry Porter (hip) – doubtful, likely will not play
Donte Stallworth (hamstring) – questionable, will play
Brandon Stokley (knee) – questionable, likely will not play
Hines Ward (knee) – questionable, game-time decision

Tight Ends
Todd Heap (foot) – questionable, expected to start
Kellen Winslow (knee) – probable, will start

Best/Worst Matchups in week 12
Up against toughest run defenses
1. Minnesota (60.3 YPG) – Edgerrin James, J.J. Arrington
2. New England (76.1 YPG) – Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson
3. Baltimore (82.1 YPG) – Willie Parker, Najeh Davenport
4. Dallas (85.7 YPG) – Carnell Williams, Michael Pittman
5. Denver (90.1 YPG) – Larry Johnson, Michael Bennett

Up against easiest run defenses
32. Indianapolis (155.1 YPG) – Brian Westbrook, Correll Buckhalter
31. St. Louis (153.2 YPG) – Frank Gore, Maurice Hicks
30. Tennessee (148.1 YPG) – Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs
29. New York Jets (146.2 YPG) – Wali Lundy, Samkon Gado
28. Cleveland (136.9 YPG) – Rudi Johnson, Chris Perry

Up against toughest pass defenses
1. Chicago (152.5 YPG) – Tom Brady, Ben Watson, Reche Cardwell
2. Oakland (157.1 YPG) – Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, Eric Parker
3. Indianapolis (165.0 YPG) – Jeff Garcia, Donte Stallworth, Reggie Brown
4. Philadelphia (180.3 YPG) -  Payton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne
5. Jacksonville (183.9 YPG) – J.P. Losman, Lee Evans, Josh Reed

Up against easiest pass defenses
32. Cincinnati (254.4 YPG) – Charlie Frye, Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius
31. Green Bay (241.3 YPG) – Matt Hasselbeck, Darrell Jackson, Deion Branch
30. Washington (237.6 YPG) – Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, Keyshawn Johnson
29. Atlanta (232.1 YPG) – Drew Brees, Marques Colston (?), Joe Horn, Devery Henderson
28. Tennessee (227.8 YPG) – Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, Jeremy Shockey

GAME/TIME/WEATHER
Week 12 Schedule High/Low, Chance of Precipitation
Thursday, Nov. 23
Miami 27 at Detroit 10
Tampa Bay 10 at Dallas 38
Denver 10 at Kansas City 19

Sunday, Nov. 26
Arizona at Minnesota 1:00 p.m. Dome
Carolina at Washington 1:00 p.m. 62/39, 0%
Cincinnati at Cleveland 1:00 p.m. 56/47, 10%
Houston at N.Y. Jets 1:00 p.m. 60/44, 10%
Jacksonville at Buffalo 1:00 p.m. 56/46, 10%
New Orleans at Atlanta 1:00 p.m. Dome
Pittsburgh at Baltimore 1:00 p.m. 63/48, 10%
San Francisco at St. Louis 1:00 p.m. Dome
Oakland at San Diego 4:05 p.m. 66/52, 10%
Chicago at New England 4:15 p.m. 56/41, 10%
N.Y. Giants at Tennessee 4:15 p.m. 71/43, 10%
Philadelphia at Indianapolis 8:15 p.m. Dome

Monday, Nov. 27
Green Bay at Seattle 8:30 p.m. Dome

Questions, comments, quandaries? Contact me at tycoon4477@hotmail.com