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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Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, 1:00
pm, Raymond James Stadium
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The Packers are turning back the clock on their O-line, putting
tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher back into the starting lineup to protect Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is dealing with sprains on his feet and
toes, so protection is a must this week. The Bucs shouldn't provide
much of a challenge there, so Rodgers should find success hitting Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and
even touchdown vulture extraordinaire Spencer Havner in the red zone. Ryan Grant
really has a great chance to storm through the Bucs' front seven as
well. Tampa Bay will turn to rookie quarterback Josh Freeman, who spent part of his bye week visiting friends
and family in Kansas and not burning the midnight oil watching the
Packers' secondary. Moreover, the Bucs reportedly did very little
practicing during the bye week and won't be as prepared as most
teams are after an extra week of game prep. Tampa Bay will likely
come out riding Cadillac Williams
and Derrick Ward, keeping the
offense simple for Freeman. That should also include plenty of easy
short-area routes, which might benefit Kellen Winslow. The mid-range and deep stuff might be mixed in,
but it's not going to be very successful since the Packers have
excellent cornerbacks and are familiar with the Bucs' offensive
scheme. It's not going to be pretty for Tampa Bay.
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Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Paul Brown Stadium
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Both offenses should lean on their strengths and hope it's enough to
pull out a win. The difference is in the matchups: The Bengals'
defense doesn't pose nearly the threat that Baltimore's does. The
Raven offense should continue to revolve around Ray Rice, who torched the Bengals for 143 total yards and a
score in Week 5 and should do a number on them again. Joe Flacco will throw, too, and he'll have more time to do it
as the Bengals' pass rush has been tamed with Antwan Odom sidelined (three sacks in two games since his injury).
Cincy has been burned by big-play runners and receivers lately and
thus it wouldn't be a surprise to see Derrick Mason join Rice as a hero for the Ravens offense.
Cincinnati's offense line hasn't been a slouch, either, and they
handled themselves well in the first meeting with Baltimore. They
did a really nice job eliminating linebacker Ray Lewis from making a play and it made a big difference in
how they gained their yards. For all the amazing things Cedric Benson did against the Ravens in their previous meeting,
it's hard to imagine he'll do it again, but he's been too good to
sit and the Bengals' offensive line has played well. But don't
mistake Baltimore's pass defense as back after shutting down the
Broncos' timid gameplan last week; Carson Palmer will aim downfield and should be able to shake up
Baltimore's secondary with solid connections to Chad Ochocinco and Chris Henry
and short-range stuff to Andre Caldwell
and Laveranues Coles. The Bengals
have typically done a good job protecting their passer against the
Ravens and if they do it here, and if the Cincinnati defense does
its job, then the Bengals will have a shot at the season sweep.
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Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, 1:00
pm, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
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This actually is a very good matchup for Matt Cassel to test what might become a pass-friendly Chiefs
offense. With Larry Johnson out, Jamaal Charles will see more work and he's more of an outside
rusher and pass catcher. Look for the Chiefs to find creative ways
to use him against a Jaguars defense that struggled a week ago with
speedy back Chris Johnson. Plus,
using him on the outside will negate the Chiefs weak offensive line.
Jacksonville's secondary should get Rashean Mathis back but the rest is still far from spectacular,
which means Cassel should be able to come up with some decent
completions to Dwayne Bowe and
others. Remember, the more that Kansas City doesn't use a
traditional runner like Larry Johnson
to battle between the tackles, the more Cassel will throw. We might
see a much more entertaining Chiefs offense in this game. The
Jaguars should battle back with a heavy dose of Maurice Jones-Drew both running and receiving. David Garrard will also carry some of the workload as the Chiefs'
secondary isn't very good, and they lost free safety Jarrad Page for the season with a shoulder injury. To that extent, Mike Sims-Walker should have a big outing while Torry Holt also picks up some decent yards. Mike Thomas also brings an element of speed that the Chiefs
might have a hard time matching up with. The bottom line is that if
both of these versatile running backs get off to good starts, this
game might produce plenty of points.
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Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Georgia Dome
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The Redskins should continue to lean on their passing game and take
aim at the Falcons' safeties. They have to like what they've
uncovered with Fred Davis and he
should open things up for them. If the Redskins offensive line can
protect Jason Campbell, he'll have a
shot to connect on some long-range passes to Santana Moss -- the fast turf in the Georgia Dome will help him out
as much as the Falcons' iffy cornerbacks. Atlanta's run defense is
good, not great, but the Redskins' run game is decent, not good. The
onus will fall on Campbell in this one. The Falcons might shrug off
the Redskins' strong secondary, but it might be by force and not by
choice. The matchup seems tailor made for Michael Turner, but there's no way Atlanta will give him more than
20 total touches or so after giving him a big workload last week
against the Saints. Washington's done a good job corralling opposing
running backs (DeSean Jackson was
the one who hurt them the most on the ground in their last game) but
Turner's been running strong and shouldn't have too much trouble
behind his line. That might result in limited pass attempts for Matt Ryan, though it wouldn't be a huge shock to see him hit a
short-area touchdown to Tony Gonzalez
off of play action.
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Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Soldier Field
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The Cardinals' offense is predictable -- that much the Panthers
figured out last week when they picked apart Kurt Warner. Like so many other quarterbacks, Warner struggles
when there is pressure on him, and the Panthers brought it with Julius Peppers last week. The Bears as a unit can bring pressure
but don't have that one guy to do it, and that's where the Cardinals
might find success. Because the Bears will blitz, Warner can find
the openings and move the chains on Chicago. Furthermore, the Bears
have struggled with big receivers (Chad Ochocinco most recently) and
could yield some hefty stats to Larry Fitzgerald. As usual, Tim Hightower
and Beanie Wells will split their
complementary reps as running backs -- only Hightower is worth a
start. The Bears will try to run it on Arizona much like the
Panthers did, but they don't have the horses to do it. Arizona's
secondary has been lights out over the last three weeks and with Devin Hester hobbled, this might be a tough week for Jay Cutler. One key to the Cardinals' defense will be how
effective defensive tackle Darnell Dockett
is -- if he's playing well in spite of his injuries, the Bears will
have trouble no matter what they do.
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Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Gillette Stadium
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Tough spot for the Dolphins: Their passing game is in the gutter and
their run game is getting exposed a little bit. Last season the
Patriots were more than capable of slamming the Wildcat after they
were unprepared for it the first time around. Miami will surely
revolve its offense around the run game and not try and get fancy
with the pass, especially since New England has been good against
lesser quarterbacks all season. If the Dolphins had better receivers
they'd have a threat, but they don't and it would be a surprise to
see Chad Henne have a good game even
if they take elements of the Broncos' passing offense that upended
the Patriots a few weeks back. With that in mind, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams
aren't locks to put up big rushing efforts since the Pats will play
to stop them first. The Patriots' offensive mandate is clear: Throw
on the Dolphins. They've done this over their last four wins against
Miami and surely will test both of the Dolphins' rookie cornerbacks
as well as their shaky safeties. You shouldn't be shocked to read
that Randy Moss and Wes Welker will have big days, and Sam Aiken might sneak in a couple of passes too. Tom Brady's offensive line will need to be ready for the
Dolphins' front, but they should be -- Brady's only been sacked
eight times all year. If Laurence Maroney
and the Patriots' running backs get going, it might be in the second
half while sitting on a lead.
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Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Lucas Oil Stadium
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It's unchartered territory for the Texans: They enter this game with
a winning record and realistic playoff goals, without tight end Owen Daniels and with Matt Schaub
and Andre Johnson healthy. Never
before has Houston had these things going for it in a game against
the Colts, so it's a big deal. The Texans uncovered a new weapon in Ryan Moats last week, but the hunch here is that he plays
primarily on running downs and is off the field in pass situations.
Those will still go to Slaton, and with the Texans expected to pass
a bunch, he'll see more time on the field but probably not many more
touches than Moats. It also wouldn't be a huge shock to see Houston
use both backs at the same time -- remember, they need to make up
for the loss of Daniels any way they can. Indy plays good pass
defense at home but they've been burned plenty by Andre Johnson. We could see Schaub aim for Johnson a little more
often than normal which would result in his stats rebounding after
two weak games. One more point: Daniels' replacement will be Joel Dreessen, who is a better blocker than receiver and might
be in to help protect Schaub from the Colts' pass rush. The Colts
are taking the Texans seriously but Peyton Manning won't pass up taking shots at Texans cornerback Jacques Reeves when he's lined up across from Reggie Wayne. The Texans will play a lot of two-deep zone to keep
Wayne from beating them deep, and that will bode well for Dallas Clark. Remember, Vernon Davis
went to town on the Texans a few weeks back when the Niners were
forced to throw and they took full advantage of the Texans'
safeties. Look for more of the same here. Additionally, Joseph Addai's track record against the Texans is immaculate and
he should put up some nice totals even though he'll share touches
with Donald Brown. You know how
sometimes teams will try to run as much as possible on the Colts to
keep Peyton Manning sidelined? Don't
be surprised to see the Colts run more than normal now that Brown is
back to keep the Texans offense off the field.
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Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
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Sunday, 4:05 pm, Superdome
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The Panthers have owned the Saints in recent years, winning six of
their last seven in the series. Not only have the Panthers
habitually run over New Orleans, but Jake Delhomme has always played great ball against them.
Carolina should keep it close thanks to its running attack; the
Saints sorely missed defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis clogging up the line of scrimmage and they'll wish
they had him again here. The Panthers ran the ball effectively and
limited Jake Delhomme's chances for
error last week and they'd be smart to do the same thing this week
(and every week). DeAngelo Williams
and Jonathan Stewart will stay busy.
As for Steve Smith, who has torched
the Saints badly as recently as last season, the matchup isn't as
good for him as New Orleans' secondary has continued to play at a
strong level and Delhomme is still capable of making errant throws.
He won't dominate New Orleans as he did last season. Now despite the
records of both teams, this will be a challenge for the Saints.
They're playing on a short week and face a Panthers defense that is
much improved against the run and strong against the pass. This
isn't to say that Drew Brees will
hand off any more or struggle to throw, but an elite Fantasy stat
line seems out of place here. The Panthers will key in on Marques Colston and challenge Saints left tackle Jermon Bushrod to contain Julius Peppers.
That's a tall order, and the Falcons proved last week that they can
get to Brees through the middle of the Saints' O-line too, so the
Panthers will take some risks with their front seven to cut off the
head of the Saints' passing game. Take away last year's Week 17
battle where Brees was trying to break Dan Marino's single-season
yardage mark and he's had problems throwing on the Panthers. One
idea the Saints might have is to overload the Panthers with
four-receiver sets and look to attack the deep middle of the field
against rookie backup safety Sherrod Martin.
Granted, the Cardinals tried the same thing last week and Martin had
two interceptions (one off a tip). If the Saints vary their passing
game and do more short-area work than long, they should be all
right, but it might mean less-than-stellar stats for Brees.
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Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, 4:05 pm, Qwest
Field
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Could the Lions' offense actually be worse now than last season? Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson
both aren't close to 100 percent and rookie Matthew Stafford has had more down than up moments. The Seahawks
match up real well for the Lions, especially if Smith is limited or
out. If he is out, look for Maurice Morris
to have many chances to show-up his old squad, though not
necessarily overpower them. Detroit's offense is just in a bad place
right now -- unless Johnson is healthier than the team is letting
on, they'll struggle to score points. The Seahawks should be able to
play as they wish here. Julius Jones
has a tremendous matchup as his offensive line starts to jell and
get healthy. Matt Hasselbeck should
also get time to throw, which means T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson
will be back on the radar this week. Burleson's speed should
especially be tough for the Lions secondary to deal with. Two
sleepers: Olindo Mare and the Seahawks
DST since both should have plenty of good moments in Week 9.
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Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
Candlestick Park
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The Titans would be foolish to change anything from what they did
last week against the 49ers. San Francisco's defensive line was OK
against the Colts but they've been bullied several times this season
and should get bullied here. Chris Johnson
has played out of his mind, and even though the 49ers will stack the
box to stop him, expect the speedster to put up some good stats and
score his first road touchdown of the season. We also saw a spike in
carries for LenDale White last week,
partially because the Titans built a lead and grinded down the
clock. He could be worth a flier since he too might find some
success. And Vince Young did a nice
job against Jacksonville last week and took good care of the
football. The 49ers will be on to his 'keep it safe' mentality, and
that might make it easier for them to zone blitz the Titans and
possibly force a turnover or two. San Francisco will battle back
with the run, which it has stuck with for much of the season even
though Frank Gore hasn't always
delivered. The Titans couldn't wrap up Maurice Jones-Drew last week and should be better prepared for Gore
here, especially since Gore's offensive line isn't as strong as
Jones-Drew's. But the 49ers have found their go-to guy in Vernon Davis and the matchup is right for him against the Titans'
secondary. Play-action should be a key component to Alex Smith's success this week. Additionally, if Michael Crabtree can find single coverage (play-action!) he might
score his first NFL touchdown in front of the home folks. If
anything this game will be fun to watch because of all the young,
promising talent in it, all of whom have a shot to score and rack up
some yards.
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San Diego Chargers at N.Y. Giants
Sunday, 4:15 pm, Giants
Stadium
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The last three games for the Giants defense have been ugly, and the
Chargers will try to make it four in a row but might be challenged
to do so. DL Chris Canty should be
back for the Giants as might linebacker Michael Boley, and they'll hamper the Chargers' run game. With the
San Diego offensive line still sloppy, the offense will turn to Philip Rivers sooner than it has in the last couple of games. Look
for San Diego to isolate receivers on safety C.C. Brown, especially tight end Antonio Gates. The Giants have had their troubles with tight ends,
including last week against Brent Celek
and two weeks ago against Jeremy Shockey.
Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd will also see their usual workloads; the Chargers
will look for Jackson in matchups with cornerback Terrell Thomas, which might happen a lot unless Aaron Ross returns from his hamstring pull, which is possible.
The Chargers' run defense has looked as good as we've seen against
the Chiefs and Raiders but they'll have their hands full with the
strong Giants' O-line and Brandon Jacobs.
It would not be a surprise to see the Giants lean on their run game
here; Eli Manning has been off
target over his last three games (six interceptions) and the
Chargers' secondary has some good components. A heavy dose of Jacobs
and Ahmad Bradshaw would keep the
San Diego offense off the field, keep Manning fresh and attack the
weakness of the San Diego defense. That's a trifecta if there's ever
been one. If there is a receiver that might pan out for Manning it's Kevin Boss, as the Chargers have been weak against tight ends.
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Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, 8:20 pm,
Lincoln Financial Field
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The Cowboys have done a great job rejuvenating their offense over
the last few weeks and should have the personnel to overpower the
Eagles' secondary. One guy to look for: Jason Witten, who has been quiet this season but should come up
with a couple of big gains as the Eagles continue to struggle
against tight ends. With him playing alongside Miles Austin and Roy E. Williams,
he'll find single coverage quite often. And if he can open things
up, then all of the Cowboys' receivers would benefit as would the
run game. Marion Barber is still the
lead back for the Cowboys but it's clear that the team wants him to
share, and share he will. Even in blowouts he's not getting the ball
a ton. The Eagles did a nice job last week protecting Donovan McNabb but the Cowboys have been bringing a great pass
rush. McNabb is great when he has time to throw, but not so much
when he's feeling pressure. Look for the Cowboys to have some
success bringing that pressure, but they'll struggle containing DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see Philadelphia continue to score on
long explosive plays, possibly with a short catch taken to the
house. The Eagles will need the passing game to thrive -- Dallas
should be OK containing Brian Westbrook,
who still isn't playing at the level we're used to. Not sure either
defense will do much good in this one.
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Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Monday, 8:30 pm,
Invesco Field at Mile High
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The Steelers had the supreme benefit of watching the Ravens maul the
Broncos and will most definitely implement things that the Ravens
did into their gameplan, but mostly on defense. Offensively, expect Ben Roethlisberger to be the dominant figure. Even though the
Broncos have a solid secondary, the Steelers have so many weapons to
use on offense in their three-receiver set that it will be difficult
for the Broncos to cover them all. Mike Wallace stands out as a candidate for a big game since
he'll see more single or safety coverage that he can beat with his
deep speed. And if Hines Ward sticks
to lining up on the left, he'll rarely if ever see Champ Bailey, who plays on the right side (that's bad for Santonio Holmes). Sure, the Steelers will run it some with Rashard Mendenhall more than anyone else, but the Broncos' run
defense is now actually ranked higher than its pass defense and has
allowed fewer touchdowns! The Broncos offense must go back to the
drawing board if they're going to move the ball effectively. Last
week the Ravens figured out their quick-strike, short-area pass
attack and rattled Kyle Orton in the
process, and the Steelers will attempt to do the exact same thing.
The best plan for the Broncos is to no-huddle that short-range
attack with some deep shots mixed in. Problem is if the Steelers
bring their zone blitz as often as they potentially could, then
Orton won't have the time to connect deep. Additionally, the
Broncos' running backs aren't safe options here as they were limited
in their ground game last week in spite of Knowshon Moreno scoring. The onus will fall on Orton, and if the
Broncos can't out-smart the Steelers defense through the air, it's
going to result in another long game for Denver.
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