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 Detroit Lions
Thursday, 12:30 pm,
Ford Field
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Let's see ... if Brady Quinn and the
Browns can find a way to put up over 300 passing yards and four
touchdowns on the Lions, then Aaron Rodgers
shouldn't have a problem. Rodgers won't deal with much pressure from
the Detroit front, nor should Ryan Grant
from the Lions' run defense, so expect all Packers to have a shot at
really nice stats. The Lions might move cornerback Anthony Henry to safety, and that's a dream matchup for tight end Jermichael Finley. Additionally, Donald Driver
has put up some nice stats on the Lions in his recent past and
should combine with Greg Jennings
for a solid afternoon. Rodgers might be the best Fantasy quarterback
in Week 12. Meanwhile, all the momentum the Lions had coming off
their heart-stopping win last week is shot as Matthew Stafford isn't expected to play and Calvin Johnson won't be at full strength if he even gets on the
field. With those weapons gone, Daunte Culpepper will command an offense void of defense
stretchers. The Packers defense lost key starting cornerback Al Harris and outside linebacker Aaron Kampman to season-ending injuries last week but won't miss
them much here, especially if Johnson sits. Kevin Smith might make more of a dent as a receiver than a rusher
-- Culpepper has had a tendency of flipping passes to him in the
flat. But unless Culpepper tries to make use of Brandon Pettigrew, who has a favorable matchup against safety Atari Bigby, the Lions' efforts to put points up will be futile.
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Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys
Thursday, 4:15 pm,
Cowboys Stadium
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The Cowboys have seen lambs come to their stadium for slaughter over
the last three years on Thanksgiving and this year is no different
as the Raiders walk in. Dallas' defense has been amazing of late,
allowing one rushing touchdown and four passing touchdowns in their
last four games. The Raiders won't be able to run the ball
effectively here and you already know what to expect from their
passing attack. Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski
won't have a target with a good matchup to throw to and the pass
rush will be too much for the Raiders' O-line to handle. If they
went to short screens and draw runs they might have some success but
they're headed for a long day. Typically we've seen Tony Romo play great ball on Thanksgiving -- he has two 300-yard
games, 10 career touchdowns and two picks over three Turkey Days --
but his back got banged up last week. Because of that, there's a
chance the Cowboys take the ball out of his hands a little bit and
run at the Raiders' 30th-ranked run defense. Marion Barber should have a field day and Felix Jones and Tashard Choice
might get into the act a little bit if the game gets one-sided. This
does suggest that the Cowboys won't throw a lot, but they have
pretty much put the ball up in the air close to 30 times at a
minimum per game, so they won't completely abandon the pass in this
one. We might see a lot of the run game to get the Cowboys into the
red zone, then the pass would be used to score. For this reason,
Romo remains a fairly appealing Fantasy quarterback though his
receivers aren't as great.
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N.Y. Giants at Denver Broncos
Thursday, 8:20 pm, Invesco
Field at Mile High
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What looked like an impossible matchup for the Giants four weeks ago
has considerably changed. Expect Big Blue to follow the pattern of
Denver's last four opponents and run the ball right at the Broncos'
front seven. That won't mean they'll keep the ball out of Eli Manning's hands, especially if safety Brian Dawkins isn't playing or is limited. Dawkins actually has
lots of familiarity with the Giants offense, and between his
knowledge and the Broncos' secondary's skills, this might be only a
decent outing for Manning. The one to watch is Brandon Jacobs, who should see close to 20 touches, along with Danny Ware getting some work on third downs and in other spots
since Ahmad Bradshaw is out with two
bad ankles and a broken bone in his foot. The Broncos' offense might
be in for a long week -- they don't have the powerful inside runner
to match up with the Giants' defensive front and don't have a
reliable passing attack that can withstand both the Giants' pass
rush and the Giants' talented secondary. Kyle Orton proved to be ineffective last week playing on a badly
sprained ankle and Chris Simms got
pulled after a weak showing. The Broncos will have to reel in their
passing game and that's not good for Brandon Marshall, who should see plenty of rolled coverage to his
side. The Broncos might have a real hard time scoring here, just as
they struggled to score last week against an aggressive Chargers
defense.
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Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, 1:00
pm, Lincoln Financial Field
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Down to their third-string running back in Rock Cartwright and against an opponent they've had a hard time
with, now's not the time to expect a turnaround from the Redskins.
Even with their defense keeping them in games, Jason Campbell has proven to be ineffective under center and his
receivers, in spite of their talents, cannot make up for it. Santana Moss has never done well against the Eagles as a Redskin
and essentially the entire passing offense is shipwrecked anyway.
The only spot where Campbell might have some success is by going
back to tight end Fred Davis, though
the Eagles have come around against defending top-tier tight ends,
limiting their yardage and touchdowns but not their receptions. The
Eagles have had problems in the past against the Redskins, Donovan McNabb especially, and if not for DeSean Jackson's speed in their first meeting the Redskins might
have won. Expect the Eagles to lean on their speedy receivers again,
using not just Jackson but Jeremy Maclin,
too. The Redskins have been exposed as giving up big plays to fast
receivers, so both of these guys have a chance to do something. It
will take protecting Donovan McNabb
in the pocket for this to work, and that will be a tough task for
the Philadelphia offensive line since the Redskins pass rush has
been good. Now, if speed is what will beat Washington, then
Philadelphia will also use LeSean McCoy
both running the ball and as a receiver out of the backfield. He
should do better than the 67 total yards he gained against them in
Week 7.
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Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Paul Brown Stadium
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The Browns have a much tougher matchup this week than last week, so
don't expect any repeat performances from Brady Quinn or Mohamed Massaquoi.
The Bengals match up extremely well with the Browns offense and
should be able to stifle them. Massaquoi broke out for a big game in
their first meeting this season, but he snuck up on the Bengals --
that shouldn't happen here. Quinn also won't have as much time to
make plays as he did last week, a key factor in why his stats were
what they were. As for the Bengals, the expectation here is that
they continue to lean on their running game, even without Cedric Benson. Bernard Scott was
more than effective last week and should provide the primary burst
for Cincinnati, though Larry Johnson
will reportedly begin taking a little more work away from him. The
Bengals have a good matchup here through the air, too, but they're
not throwing nearly as much as you might think. Part of the reason
might be because Chad Ochocinco is
seeing lots of double teams and the rest of the receiving corps
isn't that good. Palmer threw for 230 yards and two scores against
the Browns earlier this season but it was on a season-high 44
attempts. He's probably not going to be needed to throw and might
only be good for pedestrian totals. He'll be okay but not great, but
the Bengals should come away with a solid win. Their DST is a
must-start, but that goes without saying.
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Carolina Panthers at N.Y. Jets
Sunday, 1:00 pm, Giants
Stadium
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Expect a game with plenty of rushing. It's only natural for Carolina
to see how poorly the Jets have done against the run over their last
couple of games and immediately plan to lean on their strong rushing
attack. DeAngelo Williams has been
consistent while Jonathan Stewart
has had plenty of time to rest his sore Achilles after underwhelming
against the Dolphins. Both should be candidates to score on the
Jets. Furthermore, the Panthers really have no choice but to run as Steve Smith will get the Darrelle Revis
treatment from the Jets, which might further limit his receptions
and overall totals. The Jets will also give Thomas Jones a heavy workload against a Panthers run defense that
was slammed by Ricky Williams last
week and has allowed a rushing touchdown in every single game this
season! The Jets, like the Panthers, won't like their matchup
through the air, but at the very least Mark Sanchez will continue to lean on Jerricho Cotchery, and he might do just enough to give the Jets
offense some flexibility. One thing's for sure: The Panthers would
like to force Mark Sanchez into
throwing the ball, and the Jets probably want to get away from that
as much as they can.
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Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
Sunday, 1:00 pm, Reliant
Stadium
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These teams just met in Week 9, so there's going to be a lot of
familiarity. Houston opted to cover Dallas Clark with linebacker Brian Cushing
for much of their first meeting and Clark had 14 catches. They'll
likely change that here so that Clark doesn't routinely bash them.
But otherwise, the Texans don't have the secondary to keep up with Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon.
The Texans struggled with Chris Johnson
last week, allowing 151 yards, but they're really done a good job
vs. the run of late. Addai is such a touchdown maven that you can't
really sit him, but his modest yardage output will probably
continue. Manning should continue to be the star of the Indy
offense. The Texans really need this game but they're going to face
an improving Indy defense. Not only have the Colts seen solid play
out of their (previously) inexperienced cornerbacks but their run
defense is moving in the right direction. Aside from the hiccup
against the Patriots, the Colts haven't allowed more than 17 points
in a game since Week 2. The Texans will have to wind up throwing in
this one, leaning on Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. Their running game is a mess and Steve Slaton has a shoulder injury to boot. Schaub's stats really
haven't dipped much since losing Owen Daniels,
but to win this game he'll have to do more of what he did last week
-- take what the defense gives him and learn to lean on Kevin Walter, James Casey and Jacoby Jones if he plays. That will result in solid yardage but
his touchdowns might be hard to come by. I don't know if this game
will be as close as their meeting from four weeks ago.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Georgia Dome
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Josh Freeman had a pretty bad game against the Saints, and
the Falcons won't treat him much better. The Buccaneers will see
what the Giants did last week against Atlanta and try to copy it
with their receivers and tight ends. It could be successful as the
Giants will have their hands full with Kellen Winslow, and Antonio Bryant
showed some signs of life last week. Cadillac Williams also has a chance to put up some numbers, and
watch out for Earnest Graham to
overtake Derrick Ward as the No. 2
back in Tampa Bay; Ward's been banged up and ineffective while
Graham is relatively fresh and runs with lots of physicality -- kind
of like Brandon Jacobs, who scored
on the Falcons last week. The Falcons will do their fair share of
running and should be very successful with Jason Snelling working behind a solid offensive line. Snelling
scored twice last week and could be good for two more this week,
especially if he's not splitting reps with anyone. Matt Ryan also showed signs of life last week against the Giants
and is continuing to learn to take what the defense gives him.
That's good, and it's important to note that the Bucs defense is
expected to revert back to a Cover 2 scheme, which might mean an
absolute field day for Tony Gonzalez
hitting mid-range gains up the seams. Additionally, Gonzalez's best
games have come against 4-3 schemes and he's scored in every home
game this season. He's a lock to do well.
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Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
Sunday, 1:00 pm, Ralph
Wilson Stadium
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The Dolphins have proven to be a one-trick pony on offense, but
they'll ride that pony as much as possible against the Bills. I'm
talking about Ricky Williams, who
will work against a Bills defense ranked 31st against the run. The
Bills might try to sell out to stop Williams, but with safety Bryan Scott playing linebacker and the rest of the front seven a
mess it's going to be real tough for them. Chad Henne's been working
well with Davone Bess and his
meandering tight ends, and that will cause some problems for the
Bills but expect the Dolphins to run with Williams plenty. As for
the Bills, they've solved some problems in their passing game but
are even worse up front than they were at the beginning of the
season. This should be an excellent game for Jason Taylor and Joey Porter,
both of whom will pin their ears back and come after Ryan Fitzpatrick early and often. With the Buffalo line a huge
mess, it's hard to expect anyone from the Bills to have a good game.
The O-line won't be able to give the run game any sort of push at
all. And yes, this also means that Fantasy owners who benched Terrell Owens last week (we said the
Bills receivers would have a chance in Week 11) will not
see similar production from him this week since Fitzpatrick will
face a very heavy blitz. And yes, the Dolphins start two rookies at
cornerback, but they've been improving and aren't pushovers. The
Bills will take their lumps.
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Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams
Sunday, 1:00 pm, Edward
Jones Dome
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Sure, you see the Seahawks playing against the Rams and think it'll
be a slam-dunk week for Matt Hasselbeck
&Co., but the offense has really struggled in four of its last five
games. In theory they should bowl over St. Louis with a solid dose
of the run game and some downfield passing, but they've been so
inconsistent that it's hard to really trust Seattle. Additionally, Julius Jones will return and probably wind up sharing reps with Justin Forsett. Both should do well as the Rams have been burned
badly by the run all season, though neither have the pedigree to
consider as any better than No. 3 Fantasy rushers. That will set up
Hasselbeck to throw short to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and long to Nate Burleson. The Rams haven't given up long receiving
touchdowns in a while, so that might favor Housh. Everyone in the
dome will know that Steven Jackson
will get the bulk of the work for the Rams, which might mean a lot
of nine-in-the-box for Seattle. The Seahawks are beatable through
the air, though, especially down a safety (Deon Grant isn't expected
to play). Kyle Boller will start for
the Rams and he's shown a liking to his short-area targets,
including his tight ends, in the past. That might not bode well for
Seattle. Brandon Gibson dropped his
fair share of passes but will remain in the lineup because no one
else is there to unseat him, while Danny Amendola has been fairly reliable and Donnie Avery brings deep speed. The Rams might hang in there and
give the Seahawks a run for their money here.
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Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers
Sunday, 4:05 pm,
Qualcomm Stadium
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For the Chiefs to have a chance, they'll have to sew up the play
clock, create some turnovers and run the ball especially well. Good
luck with that -- the Chargers' run defense has been getting better
(no 100-yard rush games since their Week 5 bye), they've come up
with four takeaways in their last two games, ruled the time of
possession last week and haven't lost since Week 6. The Chiefs
offense did get creative last week and it helped them beat the
Steelers. They'll need to do it again here, and it sure seems like Chris Chambers' and Jamaal Charles'
efforts are helping coach Todd Haley open up the playbook. It
wouldn't be surprising to see the Chiefs go after Chargers strong
safety Kevin Ellison and cornerback Antonio Cromartie, or if he's out because of off-field trouble, Antoine Cason. Because of Haley's bag of tricks, along with some
nice play out of Charles, Chambers and even Matt Cassel, it's not wrong to think Kansas City has a chance to
put up some points. But putting up points is the Chargers'
specialty, and they've done a very good job balancing the run and
the pass and keeping defenses unbalanced. They'll even get a boost
with the expected return of center Nick Hardwick, and there's talk that veteran right tackle Jon Runyan will join the team. Both will immensely help an
offense that has great skill position players but needs a bit more
consistency along the O-line for the playoff push. As for this game,
everyone with a bolt on his helmet should be expected to be good for
Fantasy, especially Vincent Jackson
as the Chiefs' cornerbacks can't keep up with him.
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Jacksonville Jaguars at San Francisco 49ers
Sunday, 4:05
pm, Candlestick Park
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Not the worst road matchup in the world for David Garrard as the 49ers have allowed three 300-yard rushers in
their last four games. That said, the Niners match up fairly well
with the Jaguars and should be able to sink their claws into Mike Sims-Walker. He might score for the third straight week,
but it's tough to expect him to have several long catches if the
49ers apply double coverage to him. Making it easier for Garrard is
a 49ers pass rush that hasn't been nearly as effective as the team
had hoped. If Garrard has another threatening receiver to go with
Sims-Walker, he'd be a candidate for 300 yards, but with Torry Holt slowing down over the last month and no one else
really stepping up, it's unlikely Garrard has a bang-up day.
Naturally, Maurice Jones-Drew will
be a big part of the Jacksonville offense and he'll be motivated to
play well near his hometown (he's originally from Oakland). The
Niners have given up over 100 total yards to running backs in their
last three games, so it should be a solid game for Jones-Drew. While
Garrard might have a hard time passing, Alex Smith is primed for a huge game. The Jacksonville secondary
is atrocious -- how else can you explain a 98-yard touchdown to Terrell Owens? -- and won't be able to match up with Vernon Davis at all. Michael Crabtree
also has a real nice shot to score and deliver some decent yardage.
Those are the only two San Francisco receivers playing regularly and
seeing passes from Smith, so look for them to have a good week. Frank Gore didn't get much work last week but should rebound here
to see at least 15 carries. Jacksonville's run defense has been good
-- only Chris Johnson had more than
100 yards on the ground against them this season. Gore should total
close to 100 yards but the Jags will make it hard for him to create
long touchdown runs. All the better for Smith to throw -- we might
see the best game of his career.
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Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 4:15 pm, LP
Field
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This is a tough spot for the Cardinals, who clearly are in control
of their division and are probably starting to think about their
playoff seed. With the likelihood that they won't get a bye week
judging by how the Saints and Vikings are playing, the intensity
might be down a little bit for this matchup (remember last year when
they played at New England and got buried?). Moreover, the Titans
defense is playing with all sorts of enthusiasm and actually match
up well with the Cardinals offense. It's going to be a tough week
for Kurt Warner because of the
quality Titans secondary. They're coming off a game where Andre Johnson was targeted 11 times and caught just four passes.
Furthermore, no wide receiver has gone for over 100 yards against
Tennessee since its secondary got healthy (really since Week 4).
Warner has a shot at 300 yards but he'll have to mix up his targets
and involve everyone, something that should bode well for Tim Hightower. As for Beanie Wells,
he's played great in the Cardinals' blowouts, not so much in close
games. Again, this is going to be a big challenge for the Cardinals,
so Wells isn't a lock for a monster. Now, the Titans will obviously
continue to lean on Chris Johnson,
and while the Cardinals defense ranks in the Top 10 against the run,
they've allowed back-to-back 100-yard efforts to Justin Forsett and Steven Jackson.
Johnson should be fine, and Vince Young
has continued to do an excellent job managing the offense. He's been
throwing a little more week after week and really has done well.
He's not a stat machine -- yet -- but he's got all sorts of
potential. He's fun to watch and the Cardinals will have problems
containing him. They've also had trouble holding quarterbacks'
yardage down, so it's possible that Young gets to 200 yards (that's
like 300 for him). The Titans receivers are all iffy for Fantasy but Kenny Britt has stepped up a little bit with Justin Gage out. Young and Britt connected on a score last week
and have combined for 97 yards on six connections over two weeks.
He's a sleeper worth a look off waivers. Tennessee will have a shot
to win here and go into Week 13 with a chance to run off six
straight wins after six straight losses. No one in the AFC is hotter
(well, besides Indy, who they'll play).
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Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 4:15 pm, Mall
of America Field
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This is a ridiculously tough matchup for the Bears offense. They
limp into the game lacking confidence, lacking a run game and
lacking an opponent with a weakness. The Bears have to know by now
that they need to freshen the offense up, and it wouldn't be a
surprise to see them vary their offense; to win this game will mean
winning the time of possession battle. Matt Forte's been good
against Minnesota in two career games (TD, 70-plus yards in each)
but he's been struggling and the Bears will likely give Kahlil Bell a little more work. They'll also have to come up with
creative ways to get Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett the
ball as defenses have taken out Greg Olsen
of late and Cutler's been stymied because of it. Will their plans
work? Will they even do it? the Bears offense has been so vanilla
for much of the year that you can't expect them to suddenly get
clever. Thus, don't trust any Bears this week so long as you can
help it because the Vikings match up well with them and will
probably get them one-sided offensively pretty early. Cutler will
then be under a lot of pressure and make some mistakes. All that
said, Lovie Smith has used a game plan to attack Brett Favre in the past and it's worked wonders: From 2005 to
2007, Favre had two touchdowns and 13 interceptions against Chicago.
Granted, Favre is with a whole new team now, but it's the same
offense and the same defensive coordinator coming after him. One guy
the Bears haven't figured out is Adrian Peterson, who has completely owned the Bears over his
career. In four games Peterson has 554 rushing yards and eight
touchdowns -- jaw dropping totals! He's had at least 120 yards
rushing in three of four meetings and at least one score in all four
games. The Vikings will give him the ball and let him steamroll
Chicago's defense. And even with Smith's grip on Favre, you have to
expect the vet to play moderately well as he leans on the likes of Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe,
both of whom have good matchups in this contest.
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Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, 8:20 pm, M&T
Bank Stadium
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Typically the Steelers struggle with the Ravens defense -- they
don't have a good history of running the ball on Ray Lewis &Co. and Ben Roethlisberger
has only had one monster game of late against them. This week, the
Steelers will need Roethlisberger to throw to take advantage of the
Ravens' depleted secondary, but he's a little risky since he's
coming off a concussion and played
poorly the last time he came back a week after getting his bell rung.
Baltimore will come hard after him, which is something they've done
before -- but playing without Terrell Suggs
doesn't help their cause. Then again, Roethlisberger will be without
guard Chris Kemoeatu, so it might be
advantage Ravens after all. When Roethlisberger does pass, the one
player he has a great shot to connect with is -- you ready for this?
-- Santonio Holmes. Holmes has
scored in five straight games against the Ravens (including
playoffs) with at least 60 receiving yards in five of his last six
games. Granted, Holmes has been the speed receiver for the Steelers
and Mike Wallace has cut into that
role some, but Wallace has been slowing down over the last couple of
weeks. Holmes has a lot going for him, and if Roethlisberger's head
is on straight and he can avoid the Ravens' pass rush, watch out.
The Ravens essentially have no choice but to battle back with a big
dose of Ray Rice. Rice should have
a shot to accumulate yardage on the ground and especially through
the air; he led the Ravens in receiving yards in their playoff loss
to Pittsburgh last year (43 yards on three catches). He's still a
useful option. Joe Flacco's been
ice cold of late and against the Steelers (one TD, five
interceptions in three 2008 games) but he'll get some good
protection from his offensive line. With Troy Polamalu out, the Ravens might be able to generate some
offense out of Todd Heap in seam
routes, Derrick Mason running crisp
routes and Rice making plays out of the backfield. It also wouldn't
be a shock to see Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron try a trick play against the Steelers, which might
especially benefit Mark Clayton
since he's a speedy and unassuming receiver for Baltimore. Knowing
what we know about Roethlisberger's condition, a surprise home win
for the Ravens wouldn't be a big shock.
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New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints
Monday, 8:30 pm,
Superdome
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Even with the Saints boasting a strong defense, this matchup favors
the Patriots. Not only should New England pick on cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Malcolm Jenkins
along with strong safety Roman Harper,
but they have been lights out against 4-3 defensive schemes this
season. Tom Brady and Ben Watson
have especially been drastically better in matchups against 4-3
teams than 3-4 teams -- Brady completes 10 percent more of his
passes against them and has 15 touchdowns vs. the 4-3 (five vs. the
3-4 in as many games, five each). Watson is averaging more yards per
catch and has three scores against the 4-3, only one TD vs. the 3-4.
We're highlighting Watson because he'll draw Harper on coverage a
lot of the time with free safety Darren Sharper
playing center field against the Patriots' passing attack. Look for
New England to be successful throwing the ball, though they'll run
it to for the same reasons why anyone runs against the Saints: To
keep Drew Brees off the field. The
Saints will also run it (to keep Brady from torching their defense)
but they might have to keep pace with the Patriots by throwing it.
That's their strong suit, and it wouldn't be shocking to see Brees
launch several deep passes. One thing in New Orleans' favor is that
New England's pass rush isn't a huge threat here. That's going to
give Brees time to see his receivers get open and hit them deep. Robert Meachem should continue his productive play and Devery Henderson might even get some looks deep. Jeremy Shockey won't be a good option because the Patriots cover
tight ends well, and Marques Colston
will also be a guy the Saints will keep tabs on. Where the Patriots
will almost definitely struggle is in containing Reggie Bush -- assuming he plays, Bush will be an interesting
challenge for Bill Belichick. Based on how Bush has played of late,
he has to be considered for Fantasy use as a No. 3 or flex option.
We'll all enjoy this game come Monday.
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