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Saying goodbye, why is it sad?
Makes us reeeemember the good times we've haddddd
-- The Muppets, "Muppets Take Manhattan"

Such a sad time, Week 17. There's very little advice Hail Mary can offer, since most leagues are either finished, or deep in the final games of a championship run. Overall, it's been a fun year for us here at Hail Mary. We've had some ups (Najeh Davenport, Maurice Morris) and some downs (Ashley Lelie, commenters who couldn't fully grasp the concept of the column), but managed to make it to the very end, where the column is ushered out with class, dignity, and respect … by the Muppets.

Still, because it's always kind of cheesy and banal to pat oneself on the back and tearily reminisce about the Ghost of Season Past, we're going to offer up some actual analysis for the final Hail Mary of the year. No keeper talk (that's reserved for baseball), no jokes at Ashley Lelie's expense (that's on hiatus for the holidays) and no "great picks of the year" (that's reserved for dorks). Instead, I give to you the teams who have already locked up playoff berths, and the Hail Mary picks from each squad.

Will they rest starters? Most likely, after playing all their starters early and then jumping out to a big lead against the Giants' second-teamers.
Will anyone have value? Kevin Faulk probably benefits most here, as Matt Cassel may replace Brady around halftime, but Faulk could replace Maroney early and often. For those in the deepest of deep leagues, Kyle Brady may be worth a flier.

Will they rest starters? Without a doubt.
Will anyone have value? In 2006, Jim Sorgi threw for 444 yards and three touchdowns over the final two games. He is not your average backup, and should be good for maybe 175 yards against the Titans. Also, you may see a decent effort from Craphonso Thorpe, with Harrison out again and Wayne most likely being rested.

Will they rest starters? Since Indianapolis and New England have already wrapped up byes, there's a pretty good chance.
Will anyone have value? With Willie Parker out for the season, expect Najeh Davenport to see very little action as a cautionary move. That leaves Carey Davis, Gary Russell and Verron Haynes in the backfield. Davis carried six times for 28 yards in Week 16, but that was when he was pressed into emergency duty. For a true Hail Mary, look for Russell to gain possibly 50 yards on the ground.

Will they rest starters? All signs point to yes. Since they are in as the wild card, they can't grab a home-field game, even with a better record than Pittsburgh or San Diego.
Will anyone have value? If anyone does, it will be marginal. If you rest Fred Taylor, for instance, you give carries to Maurice Jones-Drew. So keep an eye on the inactives Sunday, and if LaBrandon Toefield's name doesn't show up, he might be a great Hail Mary play. Also, Matt Jones has 68 yards and two touchdowns over his past three games.

Will they rest starters? They already have.
Will anyone have value? Darren Sproles and Michael Turner may cancel each other out at running back, so we turn our attention to Billy Volek, who will see some snaps behind center in relief of Philip Rivers, and whom we all fondly remember from his 2004 quasi-breakout season in Tennessee. Also, Buster Davis may see some catches as Chris Chambers, Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson rest.

Will they rest starters? With home field clinched, there is no reason not to.
Will anyone have value? Terry Glenn's return will highlight this team's resting starters. He should play more often than any other receiver returning from injury, just to give the Cowboys an idea of how he performs in a game situation. And expect to see the name "Anthony Fasano" in the box score Monday morning, as the second-year tight end will probably slide into Jason Witten's spot as the pass-catching tight end.

Will they rest starters? Most likely. Especially with a banged-up Brett Favre.
Will anyone have value? Aaron Rodgers is the name being bandied about, and for good reason. But there's also good reason to consider Brandon Jackson and Koren Robinson. Keep in mind that with Rodgers behind center, he'll most likely be playing with second-string receivers, with whom he practices every day. There's most likely a rapport there with Robinson and Ruvell Martin, either of whom would be a decent Hail Mary for the final week of the season.

Will they rest their starters? With the division wrapped up, and an injury-plagued season almost over, it would be the smart move.
Will anyone have value? Take a long, hard look at Micheal Spurlock (yes, that is how you spell his first name) Spurlock. You may remember him as the man who ran back the first Tampa Bay kickoff touchdown in team history, but with Galloway and Hilliard older and most likely being rested early, and Maurice Stovall out with a broken arm, Spurlock may see a bundle of passes thrown his way. And don't forget Michael Bennett, who has 82 rushing yards over the past two games.

Will they rest their starters? Mike Holmgren said it best to The AP this week: "I believe in momentum going into the playoffs. At the same time, everyone holds their breath that no one gets hurt. So how do you balance that?"
Will anyone have value? Chances are you'll see Seneca Wallace and Maurice Morris, but not until later in the game, which may negate any value they'd otherwise have. If you want a Hail Mary pick from anywhere on this team, go with Ben Obomanu, who had 72 yards receiving in Week 6, then pulled a disappearing act. With Deion Branch unlikely to play, and Holmgren most likely working in second- and third-string receivers, he's the best bet from the cast of reserves to do anything that may give your stretched fantasy team some nugget of value.

Will they rest their starters?: Now this is a tough one. If they can play New England tight, there'd be no better momentum builder for the team going into the playoffs than preventing the Pats from going 16-0. Then again, if the Pats open up a big lead early -- and chances are they will -- expect the Giants to pull their starters and rest them up for their first-round dance with the Bucs.
Will anyone have value?: Although it would be fun to see Jared Lorenzen out there chucking balls to Sinorice Moss and David Tyree, Tom Coughlin has hinted that he may keep Manning in the game longer than usual to help get a rhythm down for the playoffs (plus, Moss is hurt while Tyree was inactive this past week). If the score gets out of hand, we may see flashes of a Bizarro Giants universe, but it may be too little too late to make any kind of fantasy impact for your team.

Because it was the end of the season, the New Orleans Saints' signing of Martin Gramatica before Week 15 went largely unnoticed by the fantasy community. In his first two NFL games in more than a year, Gramatica is 4-for-4 on field goal attempts, tying a personal best with a 55-yard kick in Week 16 against the Eagles. Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune has reported that Gramatica also has not missed a field goal try in any of his attempts in practice.

It's been a fun year for Hail Mary. Best of luck and a Happy New Year to everyone, and we'll see you when baseball begins in 2008.

Adios, Senorita!
--Mouth, "The Goonies"

Nando Di Fino is a fantasy baseball and football analyst for ESPN.com.