Fantasy reality: Trying to set the table for a fantasy feast

Your turkey loves you. And you love your turkey. It's a stable relationship. The key is both parties have clearly laid out their expectations. Turkey: I'll go into your oven, then you eat me, then you go into a coma on the couch. Human: You're dead. I'm hungry. It's just not that complicated. What is complicated is fantasy football. This is the season of unstable relationships. Expectations don't match. Fantasy geek: I drafted you, and now you need to play well every Sunday. Player: I'll play well some Sundays, and make you throw the remote and say bad words on others.

LenDale White, Terrell Owens, Ben Roethlisberger -- we're looking at these Turkeys of the Year when we talk about unstable relationships. They might go off, or make us go off. Too much hype and potential to bench, too inconsistent to rest easy. Zero fantasy points this week or 20? This kind of madness always makes choosing a starting lineup fun, doesn't it?

And since unstable relationships have no place on holidays and at family gatherings -- chuckle, chuckle -- let's have an expanded Line (call it the Elastic Waistband Edition!) and hope to avoid any unstableness and unthankfulness in Week 13:

THE LINE whom to start Week 12: 1-1-1 • Season: 16-15-7

Speaking of elastic waistbands, you know you miss John Madden on T-Day. Trying to fill a hole in your otherwise solid roster? Here are some ideas:

Jamal Lewis -4 over Darren McFadden If Cleveland's smart, they try to feed Lewis all day long vs. Indy's soft run D. Derek Anderson looked horrible in replacing Brady Quinn. Lewis is on a cold streak (four consecutive games under 65 yards rushing) but he's rested. Sunday is an opportunity for him to bounce back big. Tempting, but you can't trust McFadden yet.

Julius Jones -2 over Lorenzo Booker If you're desperate at RB, Jones gets the start today vs. his former team. He's fresh and healthy, and at this late stage of the season that's a big advantage. He scores one in Dallas. Booker should be Philly's starter in tonight's Tryptophan Bowl because of RB injuries, but trusting any Eagle at this point is risky.

Domenik Hixon -5 over Davone Bass Two receivers you should be picking up if you're hurting. Bass should start in Greg Camarillo's spot (IR) and gets to face St. Louis. Hixon shines when Plaxico (questionable) is out.

Devin Hester -1 over Lance Moore Moore's red-hot, but he has a tough matchup in Tampa. If you're looking for a sleeper receiver, try Hester. He got some Wildcat work last week, and the Bears might mix in a Sunday night surprise or two in the Metrodome.

Sage Rosenfels -3 over Matt Cassel Cassel slams into the Steel Curtain. Sage is second only to your leftover turkey sandwich on Monday night.