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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Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers
Thursday, 8:20 pm,
Candlestick Park
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Flying to San Francisco and playing on a short week might be enough
to slow the Bears here, but cracks in the 49ers defense gives them
reasons for optimism. The Bears didn't run much last week but have
improved their ground attack since reshuffling their offensive line.
They'll see the 49ers' struggling defensive front as beatable and
run more than pass before inevitably putting the ball in Jay Cutler's hands as the game goes on. San Francisco's
secondary wasn't beaten by Vince Young
last week, but in the three weeks prior the likes of Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub and Matt Ryan put up big numbers on them, so count on Cutler to be
next in line. That doesn't spell huge stats for Matt Forte, but he proved last week that he can be a factor in
the passing game. Also, look for Greg Olsen
to continue his work in the end zone as the 49ers have had their
fair share of troubles with premier tight ends. The 49ers will lean
on Frank Gore as they've typically
done, but they have to like what they've seen from Alex Smith so far even though they haven't won with him. The
Bears' secondary has been charred in recent weeks and the Niners
won't be able to pass up the chance to take advantage. Vernon Davis seems especially likely to be a huge factor as he
matches up well against the Bears' smallish and banged up secondary. Josh Bullocks might draw Davis in coverage, a mismatch if there
ever was one. The 49ers will have to put up some points to win this
game, but between Gore and Davis they will get their chance.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Land Shark Stadium
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If the Dolphins' defensive line and linebackers weren't healthy, the
Buccaneers would have had a fighting chance. But linebacker Channing Crowder and nose tackle Jason Ferguson
are expected to play, and that will impact the Bucs' offense quite a
bit. Pass rusher Joey Porter might
not be a factor, but he hasn't been an impact player this season
anyway. The only reliable Buc is Kellen Winslow, who should tear into a Dolphins defense that has
struggled with opposing tight ends. With rookie quarterback Josh Freeman showing that he can extend plays, Winslow's value
is renewed, especially this week. The matchup is tailor-made for the
Dolphins, who should be able to run all over the Buccaneers (ranked
30th vs. the run). Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams should both have sensational totals as Miami won't
take chances with the football and instead go with its offensive
strength. That's really all there is to this game.
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Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 1:00 pm, Mall
of America Field
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The Lions' offense showed signs of life in the first quarter against
the Seahawks last week, but both of their short touchdown drives
came following Matt Hasselbeck
turnovers. The Lions were awful the rest of the game, and chances
are they won't have the opportunities to score against the Vikings
that they had early on at Seattle. But they are developing
offensively -- once Matthew Stafford
can really prove that fellow rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew is an impact player in the passing game, and once
Stafford can re-ignite Calvin Johnson,
the Lions could begin surprising people. There's a shot Pettigrew
keeps up his play from last week against the Vikings' safeties, who
aren't great at covering tight ends, but he's a risk, as are all
Lions. That includes Johnson, even though his history against the
Vikings isn't bad. The Vikings will come out running the football
and finding great success on the ground. Adrian Peterson should have a fantastic game, and if how the
Vikings have operated in mismatches earlier this year is any
indication, it's going to mean Brett Favre
won't pass that much. He's OK to start but is a longshot for
anything more than a couple of scores with some modest yardage.
Remember, the Vikings won't want to risk getting him hurt or sore or
anything that jeopardizes his availability in the playoffs. This
does diminish the overall expectation of the Minnesota receivers so
plan accordingly.
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Jacksonville Jaguars at N.Y. Jets
Sunday, 1:00 pm, Giants
Stadium
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Very tough spot for the Jaguars: Not only do they play poorly on the
road, but they'll be going against a rested Jets defense that
matches up extremely well with them. Maurice Jones-Drew will take on the brunt of the workload as usual,
but it's going to take David Garrard
utilizing receivers other than Mike Sims-Walker to give his passing game a chance. Sims-Walker
might get shadowed by shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis, and that will cripple his ability to be effective.
It's going to mean that Torry Holt
and Marcedes Lewis need to step up
for Jacksonville, but that might only result in marginal yardage.
The Jets should be willing to put eight in the box to stop
Jones-Drew, and that will make his day tough. Expect the Jets to
keep riding their run game as the Jaguars' run defense has slipped
in recent weeks and is definitely beatable. By implementing the run
they'll be able to use the play-action pass to hit Braylon Edwards and others for solid gains against a terrible
Jacksonville secondary. Last week even quality cornerback Rashean Mathis was burned by Chris Chambers
(playing in his first game with the Chiefs) for touchdowns late. Jerricho Cotchery should be decent also, but Thomas Jones will be the best Jet of the week.
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New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Edward Jones Dome
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The Rams will have had two weeks to prepare for this game, but it's
not going to matter. They simply don't have the defensive power to
even come close to handling the up-tempo offense of the Saints. Drew Brees will feast on Rams cornerback Jonathan Wade and nickelback Justin King
-- both relatively inexperienced -- and hit Marques Colston and Robert Meachem
for sizable gains. The Rams haven't given up huge yardage to tight
ends but have given up lots of touchdowns -- that's what you can
expect from Jeremy Shockey. The Rams
have given up plenty of yardage to running backs, however, so you
can count on Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush and even Mike Bell
getting a shot at some stats. The Rams won't keep up with the Saints
offense but you can be sure they'll hammer into their defensive
front with Steven Jackson. With
their starting defensive tackles out, Jackson has an excellent shot
to score and put up some good yardage, even with the Saints cramming
the box with eight defenders. But when Marc Bulger drops back to pass, it's unlikely he'll find success
as the New Orleans corners match up very well with the Rams' weak
wideouts. As usual, Jackson will be the only decent Ram (outside of
kicker Josh Brown) to consider in
Fantasy.
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Denver Broncos at Washington Redskins
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
FedEx Field
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The Broncos have been exposed in consecutive weeks by the Ravens and
Steelers, and the Redskins defense should have enough of an idea of
what to do to make Kyle Orton
uncomfortable in the pocket. Expect the Redskins to bring a heavy
pass rush, which they should have some success with because their
cornerbacks match up fairly well with Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler.
One thing Denver might try is to utilize Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter
on screens and dump-off passes more -- that would shake up the
Redskins defense some. Additionally, there could be opportunities
for Eddie Royal to play in the slot
in three-receiver sets and take advantage of mismatches against
either nickelback Fred Smoot or free
safety Reed Doughty. But until
Orton can regain some consistency, he has to be considered a risk.
And generally speaking, this isn't a great matchup for the Broncos.
The same can be said for the Redskins, who will be without Clinton Portis. The Broncos should overpower the Redskins offense
to the point where they'll struggle for multiple first downs on a
drive. The Steelers were able to gash the Broncos with the run, but
the Redskins haven't moved the ball on the ground against anyone
recently. The Steelers made waves and scored through the air; the
Redskins have struggled to even find time to throw the ball much
less be overly successful at it. There's a realistic chance that
Washington is limited to field goals here, which is too bad since Ladell Betts will be one of a few rushers with a crack at 20
touches this week but won't have the offensive line or matchup to
help him make good use of the workload.
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Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, 1:00
pm, Heinz Field
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This matchup sets up well for the Bengals, who will get the Steelers
on a short week while dealing with injuries to their defensive line.
The Bengals tend to hang around in their divisional games and not
break out to early leads. They'll try to control the clock with Cedric Benson here and lean on their quality offensive line
against the Steelers. Not having Chris Henry
won't hurt the Bengals offense as a whole much, and it might open up
opportunities for Laveranues Coles
and Andre Caldwell since Chad Ochocinco will easily draw double coverage on just about
every play. In fact, Ochocinco could struggle to post huge numbers
until the other Bengals receivers begin warranting more than single
coverage. Don't expect a ton of points from the Bengals, though
they'll surely try to run more plays that the Steelers. As for
Pittsburgh's offense, it has typically gotten by Cincinnati with a
lot of running. Willie Parker
totaled nearly 130 yards from scrimmage earlier this season and has
been their primary catalyst in recent meetings. That job will now
fall on Rashard Mendenhall's
shoulders. The Bengals' run defense is not foolproof and rushers
have totaled over 100 yards against them in two of their last three
meetings. But all this means that the Steelers will have to dedicate
themselves to rushing and not let Ben Roethlisberger pass all over the place. Possible? Sure, but
the Steelers have been more of a passing team than a rushing team in
2009. At the very least, expect some balance between the two -- at
least until the fourth quarter when they'll try to ice the game,
probably with Roethlisberger's arm and not Mendenhall's feet.
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Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Bank of America Stadium
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You know how some teams run the ball to keep the opposing team's
quarterback on the sideline? The Falcons will run the ball to keep
Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams
on the sideline. Not only that, but Michael Turner has once again become the face of the Atlanta
offense and the team isn't about to change its identity this week,
especially with Panthers weakside linebacker Thomas Davis on the shelf. The Panthers' run defense is much
improved compared to where they were at the start of the season, but
they're still giving up a touchdown on the ground per game. Turner
has scored five in his last two against the Panthers including one
in Week 2, so he'll keep it going. This isn't to say that Matt Ryan won't throw, but the Falcons limited him last week and
the team won big. With the Panthers secondary playing fairly well
and Julius Peppers always a factor,
it wouldn't be surprising to see Ryan attempt around 30 passes. That
kind of limited workload could hinder Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, but
their upside keeps them valuable in Fantasy. Look for the Panthers
to run the same kind of offensive attack, leaning on DeAngelo Williams and their offensive line to put up yardage, score
points and grind the clock. Jonathan Stewart
will help in that plan, though he hasn't delivered consistently this
year. The matchup isn't entirely awful for Jake Delhomme, who has had some success against the Falcons
lately, but the team will definitely keep the pressure off of him
for as long as they can.
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Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 1:00 pm, LP
Field
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Who will start at quarterback for the Bills? Does it matter? Signs
point to Trent Edwards reclaiming
his job from Ryan Fitzpatrick, but a
rejuvenated Titans defense (with a decent pass rush) should be good
enough to test the Buffalo offensive line and get to the
quarterback. That's going to impact the stats of Lee Evans and Terrell Owens, who
is hampered with an injury as it is. The Tennessee run defense has
struggled in recent weeks but it should be strong enough to keep Marshawn Lynch limited. As for the Titans' offense, this matchup is
perfect for Chris Johnson as the
Bills don't have the quality tacklers on the outside to keep Johnson
from burning them. Expect the Titans to lean on Johnson, again,
while the other parts of the offense take on limited roles. The
Titans will want to play this one conservatively since the Bills'
secondary has played well of late and Vince Young is not exactly a quality passer at this point. Rob Bironas might see some extra work if the Titans can't
convert in the red zone.
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Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
Sunday, 4:05 pm,
Oakland Coliseum
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The Chiefs won't be able to ignore the Raiders' sloppy run defense,
but their attempts to run over them won't be overly successful.
Remember, the Chiefs' offensive line is a mess and Jamaal Charles and Kolby Smith
aren't quite overpowering running backs. Neither one can be trusted
to put up huge stats, though Charles' receiving skills could make
him a decent option if you're looking for someone to total, say, 75
yards. The Raiders have been sound against the pass and are fairly
familiar with not only Dwayne Bowe
but also Chris Chambers from his
days with the Chargers. Matt Cassel's
success will be limited with half the field taken from him by
cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Hard to
trust any Chiefs, but the same can mostly be said for the Raiders.
Sure, Oakland's run game should find success against Kansas City's
run defense, but with Darren McFadden
returning, the Raiders will have a three-headed rushing attack
including Justin Fargas and Michael Bush. There's no telling who will do what in the run game
with so many cooks in the kitchen. The Chiefs' secondary is a joke
but so is the Raiders' passing game. If Chaz Schilens makes his 2009 debut for Oakland he could put up a
couple of catches -- JaMarcus Russell
looked his way a ton in camp and in the early preseason and clearly
has missed him so far this season. He's not a starter but is worth a
look if you have the roster room.
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Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
Lambeau Field
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Great matchup for the Cowboys. Tony Romo
has been passing the ball very well lately and isn't likely to be
harassed much by the Packers' pass rush. That's a bad combination
for Green Bay, even with its good cornerbacks. Dallas might struggle
to run consistently, but their pass attack should be very effective. Miles Austin is definitely getting attention from opposing
defenses, but last week's game against Philadelphia proved that Jason Witten, Roy E. Williams and
the Dallas running backs can put up some modest stats through their
receptions to keep defenses off-balance. That's going to hurt Green
Bay, just as the Packers' porous offensive line will hurt Aaron Rodgers. Dallas' pass rush has exploded and should remain
very effective here, and that means Rodgers will continue to get
beat up as he throws downfield. The matchup isn't that great for the
Packers passing game: Dallas hasn't allowed a 300-yard passer or
100-yard receiver since Week 2. Tack on the fact that the Cowboys
did a number on the Eagles (a West Coast offense like Green Bay's)
last week and it could be trouble for Rodgers. Ryan Grant isn't a great choice either -- the Cowboys haven't
allowed a 100-yard rusher all season and have given up just three
touchdowns on the ground (two to running backs). Behind that
offensive line, and probably playing from behind, Grant's chances at
big yardage seem slim.
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Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
University of Phoenix Stadium
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The Seahawks woke up last week after falling behind 17-0 against the
Lions to blow them out, but they were blown out in their last game
against Arizona because their offensive line couldn't protect
quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Seattle
will make that their top priority this week, and that should help a
little bit. Expect a lot of formations that include at least one
extra blocker from the Seahawks just so they have the chance to beat
up the Cardinals through the air. Hasselbeck's track record against
Arizona has been spotty -- sometimes good sometimes bad -- but you
have to figure that the only way he'll post good stats this week is
if he's playing from way behind and the Cardinals call off the dogs,
sort of like how Jay Cutler got his
numbers last week. That makes it tough to trust Hasselbeck or any
Seahawk this week in your typical "stud" range, but T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson
are good enough to round out rosters. The Cardinals should feast on
the Seahawks on the ground and certainly through the air. The
Seattle pass rush isn't good enough to get to Kurt Warner, nor is the secondary strong enough to limit Larry Fitzgerald. Throw Anquan Boldin
back into the mix along with Tim Hightower
running the ball and it will be too much for the Seahawks defense.
Arizona won't put up five touchdowns as it did last week, but it
should find plenty of success, making all the usual players worthy
Fantasy options.
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Philadelphia Eagles at San Diego Chargers
Sunday, 4:15
pm, Qualcomm Stadium
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We're not sure who will suit up at running back for Philadelphia,
but whoever it is should have a good game. The Eagles have been
pretty good up front in run blocking and take on a Chargers front
that has only slightly improved over their last few games. The
Eagles will throw more than run but their running back (let's assume
it's LeSean McCoy for now) should
be plenty involved. The matchup is also better for Donovan McNabb compared to recent weeks because the Chargers' pass
rush is average and their secondary won't be able to consistently
bottle up DeSean Jackson, not to
mention tight end Brent Celek (the
Bolts struggle with opposing tight ends). San Diego's offense will
have to put up some points to keep up, and that's right down Philip Rivers' alley. Like the Chargers, the Eagles are weak
against opposing tight ends, so expect Antonio Gates to be a huge contributor to the offense. Vincent Jackson will also be a huge factor as his size is
impossible for the Eagles' cornerbacks to deal with, and LaDainian Tomlinson should get the chance to do some damage. It would
not be a surprise if this became a high-scoring affair.
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New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, 8:20
pm, Lucas Oil Stadium
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Bill Belichick will take one look at the Colts' young cornerback
group and order plans for Tom Brady
to throw. Indy's run defense hasn't been anything great either, and Laurence Maroney should see a decent amount of work too, but it
would be a shock to see Brady not throw for 250 yards or more with
at least two scores. This is going to be the second week in a row
that Randy Moss will be covered by an
inexperienced corner -- he burned the Dolphins last week and should
do the same to the Colts this week. Wes Welker
will also get his and Sam Aiken
could stretch the thin Indy secondary further. Really excellent
matchup for the Patriots, and it should make all the difference.
Don't even be worried about the Colts' pass rush getting to Brady --
he'll be protected. Peyton Manning
doesn't have it as good as Brady this week because New England's
secondary has been doing well. Granted, they've played some pretty
weak quarterbacks over their last three games. Getting pressure on
Manning is another issue; the Pats have just 15 sacks on the season
(three one-win teams have more) but five have come in their last two
games. Look for New England to bring pressure up the middle as
others have done in recent weeks, not necessarily attack the edges.
Still, Manning should adapt and hit Reggie Wayne and his other receivers for downfield gains. We were
re-taught an interesting lesson last week from Professor Manning:
He's going to throw the ball to the open guy or the guy with bad
coverage. In this game, Pierre Garcon
might be that guy, as Belichick's Patriots have a solid track record
of blanketing Dallas Clark (one
100-yard game, no TDs in last six vs. Patriots) and Wayne (one
100-yard game, one TD in last six). Austin Collie will also have some passes go his way but Garcon's
deep speed makes him more appealing this week. So what about the
Colts' run game? It should be effective, and Indy will need it to
utilize play action and keep the Pats defense guessing. New England
ranks 20th vs. the run and is allowing opponents to gallop 4.5 yards
per carry, so Addai should be considered a solid option, especially
considering how well he's done from scrimmage lately.
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Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
Monday, 8:30 pm,
Cleveland Browns Stadium
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This should be a laugher for the Ravens as they take on an opponent
they've faced once already this year and dominated. In that game,
Baltimore was more than willing to throw even though they didn't
have to, which bodes well for Joe Flacco
and his receivers. Better yet for the Ravens, the Browns will play
without linebacker Eric Barton,
which means both of their starting inside linebackers are done for
the season. Ray Rice should have a
field day, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Willis McGahee get a little more work than what he's been getting.
There's just no way the Browns defense can contend with the Ravens
here. Brady Quinn will take over
under center but he's been more careful with the ball than
aggressive, and that's not going to lead to a ton of success. Not
that being aggressive would help. No Brown is expected to come close
to having a good game regardless of their offensive game plan, so
keep all Browns seated -- or on waivers.
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