Week 2 is upon us and it is pretty light on the exciting match-ups in my opinion.  There is a lot of appeal on the surface of the Manning Bowl Sunday night, but more on that later.

Patriots at Jets

This is going to be one hell of a game.  It would be one hell of a surprise to have a team of the caliber of the Jets start 0-2, but their offense will need to show some drastic improvement to keep up with the high-powered Patriots offense.  Luckily for Sanchez and the Jets, the Patriots defense is terrible and they should be able to find the end zone with some decent regularity.  The battle everyone will be watching could well be what decides the game, Moss vs Revis.  History says that Randy will get shut down, but a guy of his talent cannot be benched because it takes only one play for him to have a good day.  Welker will be used much like the Ravens used their wide outs vs the Jets, to attack the other corner backs in order to move the ball down the field.  Look for Welker to have a huge day and Moss to… well… not.

Giants at Colts

The Manning Bowl certainly has a great storyline… brothers that only meet in the regular season once every 4 years. But they will never be on the field at the same time and really the Colts are a much better team than the Giants so I do not think it will be all that close of a game.  I know they lost to the Texans, but there is something to the Super Bowl hangover effect and the Colts have never started the season playing their best football.  Because of this I expect to see a much better Colts team this week.  I do have a big sleeper coming out of this game in Ahmad Bradshaw.  We all saw what Foster did the Colts with his speed and elusiveness last week, but what you may not realize is that Ahmad Bradshaw is shorter, faster and quicker than Foster.  I am in no way predicting similar statistics, but I do foresee a big performance in prime-time.  My best advice… don’t bet against Peyton Manning, it doesn’t work out too often.

Ravens at Bengals

This very well might end up the most entertaining game of the week to football purists, as two stout defenses with a lot of play makers on offense square off in a heated divisional game.  Last year the Bengals won every divisional match-up they had, but as Carson Palmer gets older the passing game gets less and less dynamic.  In the ’09 season it was common-place to see Cedric Benson have 30 carries a game which is how they will need to beat the Ravens… on the ground.  This is not typically a winning strategy against this team, however typically the Ravens have not had so many offensive weapons that you were concerned with keeping them off the field.  I expect Ray Rice and the Ravens to win this physical slug-fest and advance to 2-0 on the season.  In this match up I think the stars of this game will be the Running Backs, Cedric Benson and Ray Rice.  Also, Boldin was able to be productive against the Jets and I see no reason why that should not continue.  I don’t anticipate a HUGE game, but 100 yards receiving sounds right.

No Comments »

Vikings at Saints

There are no shortage of big games to kick off the 2010 NFL season and none are bigger than the Thursday night kickoff game.  The much-anticipated rematch of the NFC Championship game is sure to be one hell of a show with two high-powered offenses squaring off against opportunistic defenses.  To me this match up boils down to how much pressure the Vikings can get on Drew Brees with just the front four.  Last season the Vikings led the NFL with 48 sacks and they are facing the offensive line that had the fewest sacks allowed.  If the Vikings can get Brees uncomfortable in the pocket and leave seven people in coverage they should be able to control the ball with AP and get a few big plays on the Saints suspect secondary.  Brett Favre has significantly fewer weapons at his disposal this year, however if the Saints can limit the effectiveness of the ground game or force a few turnovers they should win this prime time slug-fest.  Pierre Thomas owners should look to their bench for an adequate replacement, but don’t look too far because with the release of Ladell Betts and only Reggie Bush to contend with Thomas should have a decent game… nothing too big is really possible facing last years best run defense and Bush getting the majority of the passes.  Look for big games from Marques Colston and Percy Harvin as each secondary has its issues defending against the deep ball.

Ravens at Jets

There is no denying how much Darelle Revis means to the Jets as they try to improve upon last year’s loss to the Colts in the AFC Championship game.  New York is missing its best vertical threat in Santonio Holmes and will need to rely on its ground game to win what is bound to be a fierce, defensive,  field position battle.  If Sanchez can keep from throwing interceptions to the Ravens defensive backfield that will be lacking ball-hawk Ed Reed, then the Jets should be able to win this in a close battle.  Anquan Boldin makes his debut in a Ravens uniform this week, but he is stuck on Revis Island and should not have a productive week compared to how he will do down the stretch.  I think Shonn Greene and Ray Rice owners should lower expectations for this week given the caliber of defense on the other side of the ball, but you are likely still going to be starting them anyways so no real change made there.

Bengals at Patriots

This match-up does not have quite the same appeal as the Vikings Saints offensive showdown, but for old school hard nosed football fans this could be the most exciting game of the week.  The Bengals swept their division by having a punishing run game and a stout, opportunistic defense.  The Patriots are a nightmare on third down and are never out of a game.  I think we will see a heavy dose of Cedric Benson on Sunday in an effort to keep Brady and the Pats offense off the field.  I have concerns about Wes Welker mentally having enough confidence in his knee to make the kinds of cuts that he used to.  He will be fine overall on the season  but is not likely to be quite as effective as he has been in recent years.  Still feel free to use him in your flex and WR2 in PPR leagues.  Ochocinco is still the only receiver on the Bengals worth starting this week, but big plays are certainly a possibility from TO, though they will be unpredictable and inconsistent.

Colts at Texans

The Texans are a better team than most people realize and starting the season at home against the Colts is their best chance at beating them in the regular season.  The Texans are 1-15 in franchise history against this team and the best way to convince these guys they can win the division is to beat the annual champions of it.  The Texans will be hoping to get Arian Foster the ball upwards of 20 times and Steve Slaton around 10 times by the end of the game.  If they can use their run game to supplement their explosive passing offense they should be able to remain competitive.  The Colts can’t reliably cover all the receiving threats that Matt Schaub has at his disposal this year and Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones are exceedingly difficult to cover inside the red zone.  In order to win the Texans will need to force turnovers and find a way to pressure Manning without Brian Cushing, who is serving a suspension for violating the substance abuse policy.  The Colts are not a strong preseason team, and if they can’t get off to a fast start could find themselves on the ropes.  I think the Texans and Matt Schaub will play a solid game, but I never bet against Peyton Manning.  Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon are both favorites of mine this week.

No Comments »

1. Chris Johnson
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Frank Gore
4. Steven Jackson
5. Maurice Jones-Drew
6. Ryan Mathews
7. Ray Rice
8. Ronnie Brown
9. Cedric Benson
10. Ryan Grant
11. Rashard Mendenhall
12. DeAngelo Williams
13. Beanie Wells
14. Jamaal Charles
15. Jerome Harrison
16. Arian Foster
17. Felix Jones
18. Matt Forte
19. Shonn Greene
20. Joseph Addai
21. Jonathan Stewart
22. Pierre Thomas
23. CJ Spiller
24. Knowshon Moreno
25. Ahmad Bradshaw
26. Ricky Williams
27. Jahvid Best
28. LeSean McCoy
29. Justin Foresett
30. Clinton Portis
31. Marion Barber
32. Reggie Bush
33. Carnell Williams
34. LaDanian Tomlinson
35. Brandon Jacobs
36. Thomas Jones
37. Tim Hightower
38. Darren McFadden
39. Chester Taylor
40. Fred Jackson
41. Donald Brown
42. Fred Taylor
43. Steve Slaton
44. Darren Sproles
45. Laurence Maroney
46. Leon Washington
47. Correll Buckhalter
48. Willis McGahee
49. Isaac Redman
50. Peyton Hillis

No Comments »

Week 2 of the preseason is in the books and fantasy football drafts are coming up rather quickly.  As the preseason continues we all carry on our search for sleepers in this years draft.

Eagles vs Bengals

Kolb continues to look strong through week 2, but most surprising to me so far is the involvement of DeSean Jackson in the intermediate passing game.  The primary reason for DJax not being a part of the elite group of receivers this year is that when McNabb left the team so did the deep ball.  Not entirely, but not many people throw long balls like Donovan.  Kolb has been making completions to Jackson over the middle and inside of 20 yards with much more frequency than McNabb did.  This won’t upgrade Jackson in my rankings but it will hold him firm at number 9 and removes a lot of the doubt I had about his consistency. I have yet to see much of anything from LeSean McCoy and I am starting to expect very little from him.  I recommend not taking the risk on McCoy on draft day, not when guys like Joseph Addai and Ronnie Brown should still be available in the next round.

My dislike for Carson Palmer is still growing after this last game.  2 interceptions and a bad decision that got his star receiver leveled in a preseason game.  Good judgment.  Also, there is a lot of talk about how well T.O. has done thus far.  They are trying to get the fan base excited and as much as the fans may love 85, they won’t get excited about him catching balls in the preseason.  My expectations for T.O. are for him to be marginally better than last season.  Someone will be reaching for him on draft day, don’t let it be you.  Lastly, I want to point out that Bernard Scott should never go undrafted this year (except for maybe 8 team leagues).  He has performed well whenever given that chance and with Benson being such a workhorse he is bound to miss a game or two.

Redskins vs Ravens

Even though the ‘Skins were only able to put a field goal up on the board McNabb was able to demonstrate why players on this team will be fantasy-relevant again.  Throughout his time in the game McNabb was able to use his play-making ability to extend drives and keep the defense rested.  Being able to convert on third and long allows Portis to get more carries and receivers to get more catches and yards as well.  McNabb allows this team to have more offensive plays in a game than Campbell or any other option available to them.

The Ravens looked flat this week, even with Ray Rice on the field.  I am certainly not concerned about Flacco as the Redskins were among the better pass defenses in the league last year and they were a much worse team then they are now.  The only player on the Ravens that I do have concerns about is Derrick Mason. He has been hobbled by leg injuries through camp, is getting older and saw only one target on Thursday.  Flacco has a new toy to play with and he is good enough to make him forget that Mason is still on the field.

Dolphins vs. Jaguars

Henne is a great backup option for you this year.  I think he will develop into a top 10 QB by the end of the season, but there could be some growing pains early.  There weren’t any this week however… The Dolphins offense looked very strong and even incorporated Brandon Marshall quite nicely.  Look for Anthony Fasano in the late rounds if you really want a backup TE.  If anyone has the chance to do what Celek did last year, its this guy right here.

David Garrard was having a pretty good night before he got hurt and was pulled out of the exhibition game.  I have seen very little about his injury since it happened which leads me to think it is minor.  He has just enough skill to make Mike Sims-Walker a WR2 or flex play but Maurice Jones-Drew will remain the star of this offense.

Bears vs Raiders

We saw some good things from the Bears this week.  Forte had a nice TD run of 89 yards, which is a great example of how a Mike Martz offense creates holes in the opposing defense.  Cutler had a solid outing, no interceptions as well as finding Johnny Knox in the end zone in the second quarter.

The Raiders played good, solid football in all three phases of the game this week and won the game because of it.  This is a sign of good coaching and a franchise on its way back to prominence.  Not yet though, because there is not one receiver that can be relied on week-to-week.

Other Week 2 one-liners

Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee are not to be taken lightly, they will perform in Vincent Jackson’s absence.

Ryan Mathews should be a consistent performing RB2.

The Cowboys will have a few bad offensive games until they solidify their offensive line.

Miles Austin will produce consistently anyway.

Thomas Jones – 3.63 YPC and a fumble, Jamaal Charles 5 YPC and 23 yards receiving… Stop drafting Thomas Jones above round 8 or 9.

Mike Williams should be drafted in a 12 team league.

Arrelious Benn should not be.

Hasselbeck has something left in the tank, but it’s not what it used to be.

Aaron Rodgers really should be everyone’s number 1 ranked Quarterback.

No Comments »

The Bengals were a heart wrenching team last season.  They won every game against divisional opponents with a devastating running game and stout defense.  Late in the year a team member passed away, and the team seemed to never recover from that.  They lost two consecutive games to the New York Jets in week 17 and then in the playoffs to end the season and left us all wondering if Carson Palmer has enough left in the tank to try and make one last playoff run.  Cedric Benson will continue to be the driving force of the offense and the addition of Antonio Bryant should give the passing game a significant boost as well.  I am torn about the allegations made against Benson recently.  It took quite a long time to hear about it which leads me to believe the incident was pretty low key.  I am an innocent until proven guilty kinda guy and will be treating the situation as though he wont miss any time.

Top Fantasy Players

Cedric Benson – This guy was robbed of comeback player of the year last year because of the league’s love affair with Tom Brady.  Benson was a workhorse for the Bengals, he carried the team to one of the best regular seasons they have ever seen.  Benson will not have quite as productive of a season, but should be a great RB2 option.

Chad Ochocinco – I know, he talks better than he catches. With that said he still catches pretty damn well, and now there is a very talented WR on the other side of the ball in Antonio Bryant.  Chad may just have his best season in a while… assuming I am wrong about Carson Palmer being done playing competitively in this league.

Antonio Bryant – Sleeper Alert! Bryant was a WR3 or flex option when he played in Tampa Bay, and now he upgrades offenses and quarterbacks.  With a back like Benson there is no way defenses will be scheming against the number 2 receiver.

No Comments »

Round One
Pick 1 (1) – Chris Johnson: CJ has an absurd mix of power and speed that makes him a threat to score every time he touches the ball.  A guy his size and speed should have trouble between the tackles, but as he proved last season he does not.

Pick 2 (2) – Adrian Peterson: The emergence of Chris Johnson is not why I rank Peterson at number two.  Peterson is in my opinion the most complete running back in the league, but has had some issues with fumbles and is seeing fewer touchdowns with Favre pulling the trigger.

Pick 3 (3) – Maurice Jones-Drew: MJD has a similar skill set to Johnson, but has a bit of trouble running up the middle.  He is a very capable goal line back due to his elusiveness, but does not have the supporting cast to have a breakout year.

Pick 4 (4) – Frank Gore: The Niners had an excellent draft, they appear to be lining up behind Alex Smith and opted to bolster their offensive line in a big way with Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati.  Iupati is one of the most athletic guards I have seen come out of college in a while and will do an excellent job pulling to seal the corner for Gore this year.  The Niners also appear to have rededicated themselves to a physical smash mouth style that matches their coach Mike Singletary.

Pick 5 (5) – Ray Rice: This guy came out of nowhere, and I do not expect him to be the next Matt Forte at all.  Until draft day Rice was my number four back.  After adding a deep threat and much needed talent at the WR position with Anquan Boldin, the Ravens ensured that they will still see consistent production from Rice.  It will be exceedingly difficult to stack eight in the box to stop this guy.

Pick 6 (6) – Michael Turner: Turner has dropped a fair few spots from last season, but it has little to do with him.  The emergence of the 49ers and Ravens on the offensive side of the ball are the primary reasons why Turner is not fourth on this list.  The injury at the end of last year certainly does not help, but I’m not going to downgrade him for it until he proves it was not an isolated incident.

Pick 7 (7) – Ronnie Brown: The Dolphins have a more balanced attack now with Marshall at wide receiver, but Henne is still unproven and the one-two punch of Brown Williams is still going to be the driving force of this offense.  Brown could see better productivity with a passing game to balance the defense.

Pick 8 (8) – Drew Brees: Yes, the Saints lost some talent on both sides of the ball, but regardless of the situation the only player that was always are the center of their success was Brees.  He repeatedly rallied the Saints whether it be the fourth quarter of a game, or after losing to the lowly Buccaneers, and then needing to make a playoff run.

Pick 9 (9) – Andre Johnson: The Texans have their issues, and it is impossible to know what Coach Kubiak is thinking when he puts Arian Foster or Ryan Moats on the field instead of Steve Slaton.  With that said they are a playoff caliber team with a very efficient passing game.  Johnson is the most consistent receiver in fantasy football.

Pick 10 (10) – DeAngelo Williams: With the question at quarter back and the best tandem of running backs in the league to lean on you can expect the Panthers to do just that.  Use the talent at the Running Back position to develop either Matt Moore or Jimmy Clausen into their Quarterback of the future.

Pick 11 (11) – Steven Jackson: He may be on the decline, but during a 1-15 season Jackson played through injury and was there for every game giving all the effort he had.  He can still be my  first round pick without a doubt.

Pick 12 (12) – Rashard Mendenhall: It is worth noting that the option of taking Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning was available, but you cannot snub the RB position like that with the last pick. Mendenhall is likely to see an increased workload during Big Ben’s suspension, and he will remain the feature back the rest of the season.

Round 2
Pick 13 (12) – Reggie Wayne: This is the only wide receiver on the best passing offense in the AFC that we know their spot on the depth chart.  Whether Gonzalez or Garcon gets the number two job is still unknown and very possibly subject to change.  Wayne has been with Manning for a long time and has developed into an elite receiver.

Pick 14 (11) – Aaron Rodgers: If you’re scratching your head, then you need to look at the stats from the last two seasons.  Rodgers is likely going to be the highest scoring fantasy QB this season, but Brees is likely to have more passing yards.

Pick 15 (10) – Peyton Manning: Comes down to Moss or Manning here, and with Brady and the Patriots on the decline, Manning is the safe pick and the right one here.

Pick 16 (9) – Ryan Grant: Not taking a running back in the first round means you have to take the best one available to you in the second.

Pick 17 (8) – Cedric Benson: Carson Palmer finally has the best receiving core of his career, and he can’t use it because his career is over.  Benson will see 30 carries a game this year just like last year, as long as he is healthy.

Pick 18 (7) – Randy Moss: Despite his teams fall from the elite, they are still a Playoff quality team with great coaching, and more than enough experience to make a deep playoff run.

Pick 19 (6) – Pierre Thomas: Bush will never be an every down back, and Bell is not there to vulture red zone touches.

Pick 20 (5) – Miles Austin: Austin’s productivity was among the best last season, and considering he did not even start until week 5.  I would hardly be surprised if Austin ended up the top fantasy WR by the end of the season.

Pick 21 (4) – Shonn Greene: The Jets showed that they trust and believe in this young guy the way they used him in the playoffs.  Since Rex Ryan has yet to make a decision that didn’t work out for him, I am going to trust him.

Pick 22 (3) – Tom Brady: Brady has not fallen off.  It took a little to recover from his season long injury, but he’s back.  The difference is the team around him is not as good as it has been.

Pick 23 (2) – Larry Fitzgerald: Larry is still the most talented wide receiver in the league, and it only takes one play for a receiver to have a good day for you.  Fitz will remain a red zone matchup nightmare.

Pick 24 (1) – Joseph Addai: Towards the end of his career, but not there yet.  He will not have quite the year he did last year but he should be close.

Round 3
Pick 25 (1) – Vincent Jackson
Pick 26 (2) – Phillip Rivers
Pick 27 (3) – Roddy White
Pick 28 (4) – Matt Schaub
Pick 29 (5) – Beanie Wells
Pick 30 (6) – Tony Romo
Pick 31 (7) – Jamaal Charles
Pick 32 (8) – Ryan Matthews
Pick 33 (9) – Clinton Portis
Pick 34 (10) – LeSean McCoy
Pick 35 (11) – Ricky Williams
Pick 36 (12) – Joe Flacco

No Comments »

This is an interesting time to do some scouting very early for next year’s fantasy football team and now is the best time to start taking notes on players that made the Playoffs.

Among the biggest stand-out teams in this year’s playoffs are the New York Jets.  The player everyone will want to know about is Mark Sanchez, and I don’t see any way that Sanchez is a viable fantasy option outside of very deep formats.  The forecast that I see for him is similar to that of Joe Flacco.  His performance this season was streaky, but he made plays when it mattered most and he will continue to do so.  I think the Jets are likely to repeat a playoff berth and possibly even win the division.  With that said the player I see making the biggest impact on fantasy rosters next season is Shonn Greene.  The way Ryan and the Jets used him at the end of the season led me to believe that Thomas Jones was worn out.  I would expect Greene to take the majority of the work starting early next year so that Jones is able to contribute the entire season.  I envision Jones getting most the short yardage work and splitting goal-line carries with Greene, who will take up the primary rushing role.  Braylon Edwards will likely remain a Jet going into next season but when you think about drafting him think about the pass that bounced off his face mask in the the open field against Buffalo, because no matter who throws the ball Edwards has a problem with drops.

Another team that I felt stood out was the Baltimore Ravens.  With how young Flacco is it would be hard for them to be playing instead of Manning and the Colts, but all this post-season time he is seeing early in his career will help him to develop into a premiere QB in the league.  He may not yet be a starting Fantasy Football QB but that is not much his fault… If the Ravens can get some deeper talent at WR he will end up top 10 at his position next season.  Ray Rice never slowed down, all season.  He gained respect among Fantasy owners every time he touched the football this season and the Playoffs was no different.  He is a threat in both dimensions of the offense and will mature with the rest of that offensive unit.  I also respect the Ravens because of their Defense, which at times struggled and faced injuries to big play-makers but they kept Flacco and their offense in almost every game and they will lead the Ravens back to the Playoffs again next year.

The biggest disappointment this post season was the Cincinnati Bungals.  They swept their division by playing smart and disciplined in all three phases and with a punishing run game.  These are the most important elements to playoff football, but they still broke down at the end and took an early exit against the Jets.  I saw great things come from the Bengals all season and after the unfortunate passing of their teammate, they never quite seemed the same.  Not that this is why, but it definitely crushed the momentum they had built for themselves and following that incident Cedric Benson was ROBBED of Comeback Player of the Year and they were snubbed by the Pro Bowl.  All these distractions broke the focus of the team down and cost them a chance to make a deep run into the playoffs.  Next season they are hopefully able to retain focus deep into the year and Palmer has one last shot to win a Super Bowl because after that they may need a new QB.

Hard to call losing with such a profound effort a disappointment but I expected the Packers to go deep this year, not out in the first round.  It made for a fitting end to Warner’s career who is too often forgotten as one of the most incredible football players of our time, but I view it like the Packers do, a loss, and a big one.  Rodgers has yet to step up and really fill the shoes of Favre, and lasting long enough to beat him (or even face him) in the Playoffs would have done just that.  Next year will be another phenomenal fantasy campaign for Rodgers and a fair few Packers, but that is little consolation if they are one and done in the post season again next season.

No Comments »

Love

Tom Brady (NE) – Not the best match-up but the Patriots never let up, and I don’t see them starting to now.  If the lead is big they will sit people… however the Pats want the win even if they don’t need it.

Tony Romo (DAL) – Division rivals playing in Week 17 to decide who wins the Division… I can’t wait to see this game, shootout is inevitable.

Ray Rice (BAL) – Who doesn’t love Ray Rice!?  Oh yea, playing the Raiders too!

Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC) – I love every RB against the Browns, and I think we can expect a very big game from MJD in this incredibly soft match-up.

Antonio Bryant (TB) – Your definitely taking a risk here, but this is a VERY talented receiver that is only hindered by his average at best team.  With that said they just beat the Saints so they are definitely full of confidence getting ready to play against a pretty bad secondary.

Greg Olsen (CHI) – The match-up is great and the offense found some rhythm last week.  He’s good to start again!

49ers (D/ST) – They came it at number five in my ranks this week but will be going up when I update i’m sure.

Hate

Hines Ward (PIT) -

Cedric Benson (CIN) – Don’t see them risking his injury in a meaningless game.

Chad Ochocinco (CIN) – If he plays the whole time, he is against Darelle Revis which makes him an auto sit anyways.

Drew Brees (NO) – Don’t see him playing all four quarters, you should still probably start him as the offense needs to find its rhythm again…

No Comments »

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Chris Johnson
3. Cedric Benson
4. Maurice Jones-Drew
5. Frank Gore
6. Ryan Grant
7. Beanie Wells
8. Thomas Jones
9. Ricky Williams
10. Ray Rice
11. Marion Barber
12. Rashard Mendenhall
13. DeAngelo Williams
14. Steven Jackson
15. Jamaal Charles
16. Laurence Maroney
17. Knowshon Moreno
18. Pierre Thomas
19. Jason Snelling
20. LaDainian Tomlinson
21. Justin Forsett
22. Joseph Addai
23. Fred Jackson
24. Jerome Harrison
25. Jonathan Stewart
26. Quinton Ganther
27. Tim Hightower
28. Brandon Jacobs
29. Ahmad Bradshaw
30. Cadillac Williams
31. Matt Forte
32. Maurice Morris
33. Reggie Bush
34. Ryan Moats
35. Chris Jennings
36. Felix Jones
37. Jerious Norwood
38. Justin Fargas
39. Marshawn Lynch
40. LeSean McCoy
41. Michael Bush
42. Larry Johnson
43. Derrick Ward
44. Shonn Greene
45. Darren McFadden
46. Michael Westbrook
47. Larry Johnson
48. Derrick Ward
49. Mike Bell
50. Darren Sproles

No Comments »

Love

Randy Moss (NE) – Jaguars allow the 6th most yards per game in the air, and Moss is coming off a good game against a really good secondary.  Moss is set to have a great game for your Super Bowl match-up.

Aaron Rodgers (GB) - Oh, what it must be like to have one of the hottest QB’s in the league go against the worst ranked passing defense in the league.  You’ve been looking at this match-up hoping it would be relevant, and if it is congrats!

Vincent Jackson (SD) – He has been an elite guy all year until his brief cold streak, and boy has he bounced back (Just in time to get you into the Super Bowl too).  The Titans passing defense has its wholes and has been burned by the big play all year, although less since they found an offense in week 6 or so.  Rivers loves his favorite target and should be set to have a big game this week.

Drew Brees (NO) - If there is any team you want to play after your first loss it’s the Bucs.  The Saints are going to let a little frustration out against this two win ball club.

Adrian Peterson (MIN) – He only had 35 rushing yards last week but with his long passing play in junk time he was able to get a very respectable fantasy total last week.  The Bears are not as good as the Panthers, and the Vikes have a chip on their shoulder with the media TOTALLY OVER-REACTING about a sideline conversation that was “heated” although for the life of me it looks like they are talking normally to me… We all need to remember these are two passionate guys trying to win a game… will they get carried away when talking to people? Yup! Do we all get carried away when discussing what we are passionate about? YUP!  With the hits that Favre took Peterson will get his chance to establish the run in order to slow the pass rush.

Frank Gore (SF) – The 49ers offense has been striving for balance lately and they have a really soft defense to practice on this week.  Anyone you have from the 9ers is worth a start and an upgrade from how you would normally use them.

Cedric Benson (CIN) - Jerome Harrison just had the third biggest rushing performance in NFL history and Benson had been one of the most often used backs in the league despite missing two games with an injury.  He is set to have a great game this week and could possibly top 200 yards himself.

Beanie Wells (ARI) – Wells broke a hundred yards last week and might well do it again as they face the terrible Rams.

Ryan Grant (GB) – Two weeks ago he had a breakout game, and last week he held his own against a very stout rush defense.  This week its the struggling Lions that might be without Stafford, which means that the offense wont even be able to allow their defense to rest.

Fred Jackson (BUF) - With the Bills turning their failed hopes and dreams to a new QB this week there is no downside here.  Either he is inconsistent and can’t often utilize all the offensive weapons, or Brian Brohm’s mobility helps him extend plays and make positives out of negatives.  Early in this game you have to expect them to try to get going on the ground.  This would help Brohm find a rhythm and get going at his own pace.  Freddie just eeked out a top 20 spot this week, or will have once my updated ranks come out  against the 20th ranked rushing defense allowing 118 yards per game!  (Oh and you faithful few actually reading during the very beginning… you remember? just read the Terrell Owens section)

Jason Snelling (ATL) – I don’t see Turner rushing back after a third straight ankle injury, so the guy that is proven to get the most carries in his absence is Snelling.  This Bills defense is the worst in the league against the run, and they are very picky through the air.  I don’t have any idea why you would drop back to pass unless you absolutely had to against the Bills.

Michael Crabtree (SF) - He’s been more and more a part of the offense since he came onto the team, and there will be plenty of yards to be shared this Sunday.

Steve Smith (CAR) - Ever since Matt Moore has started taking the snaps Smith has been relevant again.  All them INTs clearly had Delhomme too afraid to take a chance and let that stud

Brent Celek (PHI) – The Broncos have a strong enough defense that they can limit DeSean Jackson’s chances deep.  In order to do this they are going to have to drop 3 back deep almost every play and Celek should have a big day over the middle.

Vernon Davis (SF) – Davis is making a bid to be considered the top TE in football this season.  He’s among the top TD catchers in the league and is facing the Lions, gotta love it!

Hate

Visanthe Shaincoe – I’ve said it before, Bears linebackers are very good at covering TE’s.

Matt Ryan – Bills shut down Brady fantasy-wise.

Ray Rice – Tone down expectations given the match-up.

Rashard Mendenhall – Tone down expectations given the match-up.

Kyle Orton – I would have a tough time starting Orton this week with the ball hawks in the secondary for Philly.

No Comments »