To prepare you as best we can for your week of Fantasy Football, we've
devised this series of previews for each NFL game. We'll give you a
taste of what to expect, then rank each significant Fantasy contributor
on a scale from 0-5 logos (with five logos suggesting can't-miss; a
player or unit without any logos suggests you probably shouldn't start
him under any circumstances). The rankings take the matchup into
account, but injuries and other significant factors also contribute.
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Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Heinz Field
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Derek Anderson was plagued by dropped passes just as much
as errant passes last week, so he and his receivers better get on
the same page here for the Browns to have a chance. Jamal Lewis will be stuffed even with the Steelers losing end Aaron Smith for the season, so the Browns' chances will fall into
the hands of Anderson. He'll struggle, especially with the Steelers
getting Troy Polamalu back, but he
could come through for a garbage touchdown or two. Jerome Harrison might be the best weapon the Browns have since he
can exploit blitzes on draw runs and also make a play with the ball
in space as a receiver. A trick play or two by the Browns isn't out
of the question, either. Who's not to like for the Steelers? Expect
to see a more balanced attack from Pittsburgh since they don't have
a difficult matchup to worry about, other than neutralizing
defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. Rashard Mendenhall should get the majority of rushes even with Willie Parker returning to pitch in, and Heath Miller should continue to be a regular outlet for Ben Roethlisberger. Hines Ward
has been a Browns beater over his career and Mike Wallace will continue to see chances deep. Does this leave Santonio Holmes in limbo? He has a get-well matchup here to be sure,
but he hasn't been great since Week 1 and seems to be lost in the
shuffle in the Steelers offense. He should be useful, but expecting
a huge performance seems unlikely -- especially if Pittsburgh
doesn't get much of a challenge from Cleveland and has the game in
hand by the second half.
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N.Y. Giants at New Orleans Saints
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Superdome
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We'll find out what the Giants are made of here. Brandon Jacobs has been struggling and Ahmad Bradshaw tends to dazzle in good matchups; the Saints are
rested and healthy up front on defense, so this will present a
challenge to the Giants rushers and offensive line. Eli Manning will also find it tough to throw as the Saints'
secondary has been stingy. Look for the Giants to try and negate the
Saints' blitz efforts with draw plays to Bradshaw and short routes
to Steve Smith. If they can slow
down the blitz, they can make up some yards on the ground. New York
is familiar with Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from
his days with the Redskins, but the Giants always ran better than
passed in those games. That might change here since the Saints' run
defense is stout. As for when the Saints are on offense, some weird
dynamics are in play: The Giants have faced inept offenses over the
last three weeks, so this will be a big test for their defense, and
the Saints have been running far more than passing, so this will be
a big test for them too. With Pierre Thomas
banged up and Mike Bell an
unintimidating figure to the Giants, expect the Saints to throw more
than they have been as they try to find matchups against the Giants'
safeties. Jeremy Shockey makes sense
as a contributor but his lack of yardage is a problem. Reggie Bush and Devery Henderson
will probably be regular targets for Brees because they'll have the
chance to be open (Bush in the short area, Henderson deeper) when
the Giants bring the blitz, and Brees is excellent at delivering big
when the blitz is coming on. Marques Colston
has been invisible over New Orleans' last two games, and the Giants
will definitely key in on him, which could open things up for Brees
to find other targets.
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St. Louis Rams at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
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A ray of hope for the Rams this week? The team gets Marc Bulger back at quarterback and saw a glimpse of good play
from receiver Donnie Avery late last
week, and they'll play against the Jaguars' 30th-ranked pass defense
this week. Don't get too excited yet because St. Louis' offense is
still very predictable. Steven Jackson
will carry the load as usual, and the only receiving threat the
Jaguars will have to deal with is Avery, who frankly isn't that much
of a threat anyway. Avery was step-for-step with a second-string
cornerback when he made his touchdown catch in the final minutes of
their blowout loss to Minnesota last week. Avery doesn't seem to be
as fast as he once was because of the foot surgery he had this
summer. Plus he's playing on grass, which is typically a slow
surface for those receivers used to the FieldTurf in their indoor
stadiums (10 catches, 97 yards, no TDs this year on grass for
Avery). Even the Jaguars' pitiful pass defense should be able to
hold him down, especially if the offense builds a lead. Jacksonville
running back Maurice Jones-Drew
essentially called out his offense this week, but he did it at the
right time as the Rams' entire defense is bad and Jones-Drew should
find holes to wiggle through for long runs. He's been hot and cold
this season but has thrived in good matchups like these. David Garrard has too, though quarterbacks against the Rams this
season haven't put up dazzling numbers because their running backs
do a lot of the work. So even with Mike Sims-Walker expected to be active, it might be just a
decent week for Garrard (two touchdowns) and not one where he totals
250 yards. The big stats should be reserved for Jones-Drew.
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Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Lambeau Field
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With Calvin Johnson banged up and
possibly out, much of the game plan will come down on Kevin Smith's shoulders. He's the best offensive weapon the Lions
have this week and he'll keep the Packers offense off the field so
long as he keeps rushing and catching for first downs. He should be
good for 100 total yards even though the Packers have been pretty
good against the run. Look for Stafford to trust in Dennis Northcutt more than in previous weeks if Johnson is out
because Northcutt's hands are the best of the remaining Lions. He
might even draw coverage other than Al Harris
and Charles Woodson because he plays
in the slot, so he's a decent sleeper. But the Lions' offense (or
defense) won't have anything on what the Packers do. Aaron Rodgers loves playing Detroit and should be good for a
third-straight 300-yard game. The Packers should come out with a
balanced attack, and Rodgers should find time to throw since the
Lions' pass rush isn't strong enough to bowl over the Packers' so-so
offensive line. Expect Ryan Grant to
be heavily involved, especially killing the clock when the Packers
have the lead. And everyone knows to expect good totals from Donald Driver and Greg Jennings,
but Jermichael Finley is a great
bye-week replacement as well since the Lions have struggled with
tight ends this season. A good game by Finley this week might signal
that Rodgers plans on going to him regularly.
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Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Paul Brown Stadium
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You almost can't help but expect the Texans to throw a lot in this
game, even against the Bengals' pesky secondary. Texans coach Gary
Kubiak has even said he'll throw it a lot if that's what it will
take to win. Houston's offensive line must be up to the challenge of
protecting Matt Schaub since the
Bengals do come after the quarterback efficiently, but Schaub has
been playing very well and utilizing his receiving options nicely.
They'll continue to play well, but Steve Slaton is a question mark. He's been awful away from
Houston and only topped 20 carries in a blowout win against the
Raiders, but the Bengals aren't exactly run-stuffers. Slaton should
do well if given the chance, and that's the problem here. He
could end up with 13 carries and a handful of catches. Houston has
not stuck to the run much this season, so even with the decent
matchup there could be some concern over Slaton's production. The
Bengals won't have any such worries with their running game as Cedric Benson should continue to produce. Stats indicate that
Houston's run defense has improved over its last two games, but they
have only seen running backs come at them 32 times over two games!
Expect Houston's run defense to struggle as the Bengals will run the
ball plenty. The only way Carson Palmer
will put up huge numbers is if Houston throws and scores on its
possessions. That's a possibility, which could make this a fairly
high-scoring game. Palmer might have a stat line like his outing
against the Packers, which Fantasy owners should be happy with.
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Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, 1:00
pm, Raymond James Stadium
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Why hasn't DeAngelo Williams been a
Fantasy stud? He hasn't been given much of an opportunity to be.
Through four games he has 59 carries, which is about 15 per game. He
did get a season-best 18 carries last week, so maybe the Panthers
are waking up and realizing that he needs to be a part of the
offense. He should run early and often against the Bucs, who have
struggled against the run. Jonathan Stewart
will also see some work, and both guys have a shot to score. Jake Delhomme should use plenty of play-action, and Steve Smith should see a good amount of targets. He's got a great
history against the Bucs, who couldn't handle speedster Jeremy Maclin last week. Tampa Bay will get a crack at the
Panthers' run defense, but they were fairly respectable last week
holding Clinton Portis to minimal
yardage. Nick Hayden and newcomer Hollis Thomas should continue to make a difference at defensive
tackle for the Panthers. It's going to be hard to trust Cadillac Williams this week after he struggled last week, especially
with Derrick Ward pushing for his
starting job back with the limited reps he gets. Be wary of both
running backs, as well as any wide receiver on Tampa Bay since
Carolina has been strong against the pass. Kellen Winslow should end up leading the Bucs in receiving yards.
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Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Redskins
Sunday, 1:00
pm, FedEx Field
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The Chiefs have a tough matchup here: They've been getting better at
throwing the ball but the Redskins have been excellent against the
pass. Washington has faced subpar offenses for four straight weeks
and have allowed one passing touchdown in each game. That doesn't
bode well for Matt Cassel, and Larry Johnson has been running in cement recently. This might not
bode well for Kansas City, but Washington should find the matchup to
its liking. The Chiefs have been trounced by the run, and while they
hung in there against the pass for most of their game last week,
their secondary is still making mistakes. Expect Washington to be
balanced offensively, utilizing Clinton Portis
a good deal and then hitting Santana Moss
and Chris Cooley off of play action
and other passing situations. Moss especially has a chance at having
a good outing as the Chiefs' defensive backs aren't especially fast
and probably can't keep up with him on long routes.
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Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
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Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will have a lot on his
plate this week against a very good Vikings defense. The Ravens will
take their shots with the running game, but it's probably a very
good thing that Joe Flacco has been
throwing so much because he probably will continue to do that here.
Look for Todd Heap to be a primary
weapon as teams have been using tight ends and slot receivers up the
seams against the Vikings' Cover 2 defense (Jermichael Finley and Vernon Davis
each had big games against Minnesota). That suggests a big game for
Heap, and Derrick Mason might also
make some plays as he's a crafty route runner who should be just
open enough to make some catches. Any sort of passing efficiency by
Flacco will give the Ravens the chance to run as the Vikings
safeties won't be able to cheat and drop into run coverage or
blitzes. The Vikings will also have their hands full, but they'll
see the Ravens cornerbacks as beatable, especially when they go to a
four-wide formation. The Ravens will blitz in those instances, but
then it will be on Brett Favre to find
the open short-area receiver, someone like Visanthe Shiancoe, Percy Harvin or
even Adrian Peterson. Sidney Rice also tends to show up in games where Favre throws a
lot, so consider him. As for the Vikings' run game, they will not
abandon it at all and should actually lean on it. Their run blocking
must continue to be good if Peterson is going to be effective, and a
lot of his success will be determined by how well the interior
linemen cover Ray Lewis; the Bengals'
ability to limit Lewis when running the ball made a big difference
in how Cedric Benson ran last week.
Look for the Vikings to do the same.
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Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, 4:05 pm,
Qwest Field
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There should be plenty of passing in this game. The return of Matt Hasselbeck took the Seahawks' offense to a new level last
week and should continue to do so here as the Cardinals' secondary
has been shredded by opponents and hasn't had the pass rush to try
and negate it. If Hasselbeck is throwing, then both T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson
should be catching. Furthermore, this should be a good week for
tight end John Carlson as the
Cardinals have had trouble with tight ends. By the way, Arizona has
gotten its run defense down to a science, which means Julius Jones will struggle and more passing for Hasselbeck. Now,
take the above statements and apply them to the Cardinals -- they'll
have the same exact kind of success. Kurt Warner has dominated the Seahawks when their secondary has
been good -- now it's not so good, so it's going to be bombs away.
All three of Arizona's receivers should be in line to be productive,
and in the case of the Cardinals' running backs, you can always
count on Tim Hightower to snag some
passes and have a shot at a touchdown.
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Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland Raiders
Sunday, 4:05 pm,
Oakland Coliseum
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The Eagles have always been prepared when they travel across the
country and there's no reason to believe they won't be here. The
Raiders cannot stop the run and the Eagles have two running backs in Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy
who can burn defenders. Expect the offense to build momentum with
them before going over the top to DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin
for long gains. Those receivers might vanish in the red zone, which
is where Brent Celek shines. All of
the Eagles' offensive players should get a chance to make plays, and
in the case of Maclin and McCoy, could play deep into the game with
the second-team offense as the Eagles are expected to build a big
lead. The Raiders' offense continues to be a punchline. Expect the
Eagles to bring a heavy blitz to JaMarcus Russell to force some turnovers. Oakland is doing very
little to challenge defenses, though tight end Zach Miller could continue to produce a semblance of a threat
since he's the Raiders' most sure-handed receiver. Expect a blowout.
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Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
Gillette Stadium
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The Titans' best bet is to get Chris Johnson
going, then use play action to strike against the Patriots. Even
with New England getting Jerod Mayo
back and maybe even counting on Junior Seau
to help slow down the run, Johnson should find some numbers. The
Titans need to stay committed to him, even when they're down. That
shouldn't be a problem since he's had at least 16 touches in all but
one game this season, and the one game was last week. Additionally,
the Patriots have struggled with opposing No. 1 receivers over their
last two games, so there might be chances for Nate Washington to find some room, though Kenny Britt is also a sneaky choice since he will provide a
mismatch against the Pats' corners. When the Patriots have the ball,
the expectation is that they'll throw a lot to exploit the Titans
secondary. Both of Tennessee's starting cornerbacks are hurt, and
with no threat of a pass rush coming after Tom Brady, he'll make more efficient throws than he did last
week. Randy Moss and Wes Welker are obvious targets, but tight end Benjamin Watson could also get into the act. Once a lead is built,
look for Sammy Morris to grind down
the clock and put up some numbers, making him good enough to be a
low-end No. 2 option even though the matchup suggests that he'll
struggle.
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Buffalo Bills at N.Y. Jets
Sunday, 4:15 pm, The Meadowlands
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The Bills are scrapping the no-huddle at the worst possible time:
The Jets are coming off a tough Monday loss, so they're on a short
week (and ornery). The no-huddle would actually be perfect here to
keep the Jets defense honest and to wear them down. Granted, the
Bills weren't able to really implement the offense after a couple of
weeks because the O-line is so terrible and Trent Edwards pretty much went to his check-down receiver on
every play. Don't expect anything strong from any Bills this week as
the Jets have a huge advantage on defense both against the run and
the pass. If you haven't mustered up the courage to sit Terrell Owens or Lee Evans by now,
you should this week as Edwards will be pressured all game long. Marshawn Lynch is a fair option after the Dolphins ran all over the
Jets, but we're reasonably sure that head coach Rex Ryan will demand
a better performance from his front seven and that could make
Lynch's day miserable. Buffalo is getting a couple of good defenders
back this week in linebacker Paul Posluszny
and safety Donte Whitner, but the
defense is still in trouble. Look for the Jets to lean on their run
game initially, then take to the air. If Jerricho Cotchery is out, that could make life tough on Braylon Edwards since the Bills will roll coverage his way. Leon Washington might break some runs or short catches, David Clowney might make a deep catch or two, and Dustin Keller could pop out of his shell for a couple of gains if
Cotchery is out. But expect Sanchez to be handing the ball off a lot.
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Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, 8:20 pm, Georgia
Dome
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The Falcons might have found a replacement for defensive tackle Peria Jerry in free agent Thomas Johnson,
but the Bears will be sure to test him with Matt Forte. Whether or not Forte gets going, Jay Cutler will still be throwing a lot. The Falcons'
cornerbacks have been tested a bunch but still rank low -- the unit
is the second-worst among pass defenses that have played four games.
Look for Cutler to ultimately throw a lot to his primary targets,
possibly in an effort to keep up with the Falcons' offense. Johnny Knox should be healthy after a shin injury and could be
useful in three-receiver sets. The Falcons got great play out of
their offensive line last week and will be in for a tougher street
fight against the Bears' front this week. Michael Turner should score but not have huge yardage totals as
Chicago has done well against the run and should get linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa back to help clamp down on Turner. Where the
Falcons might really thrive is throwing the ball. Tony Gonzalez is probably salivating over his matchup against
rookie safety Al Afalava, and
that's sure to be a go-to matchup for Matt Ryan. The Lions really exploited the Bears' safeties with Brandon Pettigrew and Will Heller a
couple of weeks back, so Gonzalez should be busy. The Bears have
also struggled with speed receivers, so Roddy White should be counted on for another good week. Both
quarterbacks might wind up with as many as three touchdowns.
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Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers
Monday, 8:30 pm,
Qualcomm Stadium
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Kyle Orton might be popular enough to run for mayor in
Denver, but this matchup is made for Knowshon Moreno. Even if Correll Buckhalter
comes back to pitch in some reps, Moreno's speed and quickness
should be no match for the Chargers' D-line or linebackers. A steady
diet of running the ball, while uncharacteristic for the Broncos,
would keep the chains moving and Philip Rivers
on the sidelines. Remember, the Broncos will try to tailor their
game plans each week to their opponents' weaknesses, and there's no
doubt that the Chargers' biggest weakness is run defense. The run
can set up Orton to connect with Brandon Marshall and even tight end Tony Scheffler, if healthy, can contribute against the Chargers'
iffy linebackers. LaDainian Tomlinson
had an extra week to rest his ankle, so the Chargers will be sure to
trot him out and see if he can get going against the Broncos. We've
doubted Denver's run defense for weeks, but with the Chargers O-line
a mess and Tomlinson not exactly proving that he's a stat machine,
this matchup might not be so good for San Diego. Expect Rivers to
eventually start passing, though that may not be so good either as
Denver has a good enough secondary. The best outlet might just be Darren Sproles, who can get open in space and take off. He won't
be covered by any of the Broncos' best defensive backs and could
make a couple of plays. He's a sneaky Fantasy option this week. As
for Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates, they have the potential for good games but are far
from locks to do well against the Broncos' defense.
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