Giants at Cowboys

Looking at the depth charts on each team, I would not pick the Cowboys to be the 1-4 team.  But… here we are after 6 weeks and the Cowboys are at the bottom of the division.  Statistics aside, they are still alive in the playoff race and will be scratching and clawing for every win they can get until it is not a possibility.  They may be lacking on locker room leaders, but that can change if someone (Tony Romo… cough… cough) steps up so I am not panicking quite yet.  I like the Cowboys to win this home game to keep their divisional and playoff hopes alive.  I have not been impressed with the Cowboys secondary, so downgrade Bradshaw slightly and despite a shutout last week, I have left Hakeem Nicks in the top 10 with all the top receivers on Bye this week.  Prime-time NFC East divisional games are always great to watch so make sure your tuning in!

Vikings at Packers

After winning last week’s Panic Bowl, the Vikings will look to get their offense back to firing on all cylinders against a banged up Packers team that was expected to be at the top of this division.  A win here would do WONDERS for both teams’ hopes to win the division.  While it is a little to early to say this definitively, I am going to anyways… The loser of this game CAN NOT win the NFC North.  I think both of these teams rally to an elite level of play before long and this game could very well be the entire difference between the two and the end of the year.  Thankfully for us, this is also a prime time game so end your weekends on the couch like the rest of us and don’t miss this game.  The secondaries on each team are where most of the injury concerns lie and this could just end up in a shootout, so upgrade each of the receivers slightly… but match up makes very little defense for fantasy owners of any Vikings or Packers.  I like the Vikings to win and highlight the Packers need to fix their running game (which given the trade deadline having past, they can no longer do).  For now, it looks to me that it will take the Packers too long to get healthy and they will miss the Playoffs this year.

Patriots at Chargers

The injuries to the Chargers already-weak receiving corp are going to rob us of a truly great game, but if Ryan Mathews is able to make the most of his increasing workload and have a breakout game… it just may be a good one after all.  It is starting to look more and more like Antonio Gates will be able to play and if that happens the Patriots weak defense just may prove to be their Achilles heel.  Despite all the injuries at receiver, don’t downgrade Rivers this week, he is uniquely talented and capable of utilizing a variety of sub-par receivers as needed.  If he is indeed missing Gates then you still have to start him, but lower expectations as they would likely run as much as possible.  Ryan Mathews is about to have the best game of his career in my opinion so make sure you start him if at all possible.  As for the Patriots receivers… other than Welker and Hernandez, just sit them and wait for everything to calm down.  I like the Patriots to win a close road game.

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Cowboys @ Vikings

This is going to be one hell of a football game.  Both the Vikes and the Cowboys were popular Super Bowl picks and are now 1-3 struggling to stay alive for playoff consideration.  Neither team has really been able to establish a balanced offensive attack before last week.  The Cowboys have been among the worst rushing teams in the NFL but were finally able to get Felix Jones up over 100 yards last week vs the Titans on just 15 carries.  The Vikings made a high-profile trade to acquire Randy Moss to help them stretch the field and open up the passing game. On his 5th day back with his old team he was able to find the end zone in a losing effort to the Jets.  With some more time to learn the offense and scheme for their new weapon the Vikings should be able to get a big home victory to put them selves right back into the race for the NFC North.  They will be effective with an aerial assault against a secondary that looked foolish last week against the Titans.  Look for the usual studs to live up to their expectations. (Moss, Peterson, Harvin, Austin and Romo)  Stay away from Jones and Barber vs the front seven of the Vikes.

Ravens @ Patriots

I love playoff re-matches that occur in the first half of the season!  The Ravens ended the Patriots season last year and they will want their revenge.  The problem they will have won’t be the lack of Moss, but the inability of their defense to cover anyone down the field. Ray Rice had his best game of the season last week and if they are able to maintain that balance in their offense then I would expect a big game from Rice, Flacco  and Boldin.  The Patriots offense replaced Randy Moss with Deion Branch and will need to re-invent themselves.  Brady and Welker are the only fantasy players I trust against this great Ravens defense.  Many people have speculated that Welker is likely to see a lot of double coverage and his production should decrease as a result, but I don’t see that happening.  Welker is a possession receiver that runs his routes flawlessly every time.  You cannot double someone that is running a slant route because typically the double team would come from a safety and not someone lined up on the line of scrimmage.  If you put two people on Welker at the line, then you have one person on someone else and Brady will abuse this and get the deep play without Randy.  I like the Ravens in a very tough road game.

Saints @ Buccaneers

I am a sucker for divisional match-ups but with the Buccs beating the Saints last year and currently being higher in the standings, this game will show us the future of this division.  If the Saints fall this week then everyone will become a Buccaneers fan and for good reason.  Josh Freeman has been playing with poise and maturity that players his age don’t typically have.  Mike Williams rose ahead of a fellow (higher drafted) rookie, Arrelious Benn, on the depth chart and has scored in three of his first four games.  Smart money is on the Saints in this game and you can feel confident about starting any Saints you may have on your fantasy team (Thomas, Colston and Brees).  As for Buccaneers, Williams is too consistent to ignore at this point and is on his way to being a top 20 WR and if you are in a 2QB format you should be fine using Freeman as well.

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1. Packers
2. Jets
3. Ravens
4. Vikings
5. Chargers
6. Bears
7. Eagles
8. Texans
9. Saints
10. Falcons
11. Bengals
12. Jaguars
13. Giants
14. Lions
15. Rams
16. Colts
17. Cowboys
18. Titans
19. 49ers
20. Broncos
21. Bills
22. Panthers
23. Chiefs
24. Browns
25. Buccaneers

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Vikings at Jets

The Headline trade made yesterday morning to send Randy Moss back to the Vikings as they make their last ditch effort to regain their offensive firepower they had last season.  With Favre only in town for one year and the passing offense being pretty bad, Randy Moss is sure to provide a spark.  Every time Moss has changed teams he has used the fresh start to its maximum potential.  Sidney Rice will be returning from injury and the Vikings will likely have the best receiving corp in the NFL.  For now, they have to face the best defense in the league and Moss has to lineup against his ex-division rival Darelle Revis.  Expect this to be a low scoring game given the caliber of defense on each team.  Players like Moss, Keller and Peterson have to be started anyways, but if you have viable options instead of LT, Favre, Holmes and Greene you should use them.  I like the home team to squeak out a win with a healthy Revis shutting down Moss and the Vikings looking like they did before the bye for just one more game.

Chiefs at Colts

The Colts are pissed, they must be sick of hearing them mentioned along with the phrase “Super Bowl Hangover” and after losing to the third longest field goal in NFL history you can expect them to try and put on a show.  The Chiefs are the last undefeated team left in the league after their early bye week.  Even with the extra time to prepare, the challenge is the Colts at home and I don’t see them managing an upset.  The abysmal Colts run defense will allow Jamaal Charles and, to a lesser extent, Thomas Jones to have plenty of value to their fantasy owners in a losing effort.  Despite the Chiefs success thus far, Matt Cassell is not a quality QB and they will not be able to hold the division lead for too long.  Pierre Garcon participated fully in practice on Wednesday and with him back in the lineup Austin Collie will need to have a big day in order to keep the attention of Peyton Manning and hopefully the number 2 spot on the depth chart.

Titans at Cowboys

Both of these teams are at the bottom of competitive divisions.  The Cowboys are part of a wide-opening competition where every win is crucial and the Titans have to compete with the Colts and the newly-dominant Texans. Whichever team loses this game will probably go into crisis-mode and do something in an effort to shake things up.  Last season a mid-season shake up at QB led to a huge win streak to come back from an 0-6 start to be a part of the playoff hunt at the end of the season for Vince Young and the Titans.  Both teams are playoff contenders and this just may be the best game of the week.  I like the Cowboys to win a high-scoring game given their home field advantage as well as the match up of Miles Austin against the Titans secondary.  The Titans have allowed two straight 300 yard passers and Romo will also have a great game.  Don’t take a chance on a Cowboys RB or Titans WR unless you have no other choice, but Chris Johnson and Vince Young should do just fine if you are counting on them.

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1. Packers
2. Jets
3. Ravens
4. Vikings
5. Chargers
6. Eagles
7. Bears
8. Saints
9. Texans
10. Bengals
11. Jaguars
12. Giants
13. Falcons
14. Titans
15. Rams
16. Cowboys
17. Colts
18. Panthers
19. Lions
20. 49ers
21. Broncos
22. Bills
23. Chiefs
24. Browns
25. Buccaneers

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1. Steelers
2. Vikings
3. Ravens
4. Jets
5. 49ers
6. Eagles
7. Chargers
8. Packers
9. Patriots
10. Dolphins
11. Redskins
12. Bengals
13. Saints
14. Colts
15. Cowboys
16. Giants
17. Titans
18. Cardinals
19. Raiders
20. Panthers
21. Buccaneers
22. Chiefs
23. Cowboys
24. Texans
25. Jaguars

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1. Steelers
2. Ravens
3. Vikings
4. Jets
5. Packers
6. 49ers
7. Eagles
8. Patriots
9. Chargers
10. Dolphins
11. Bengals
12. Redskins
13. Saints
14. Cowboys
15. Colts
16. Giants
17. Cardinals
18. Titans
19. Buccaneers
20. Raiders
21. Panthers
22. Cowboys
23. Texans
24. Chiefs
25. Jaguars

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1. Packers
2. Eagles
3. Ravens
4. Vikings
5. Jets
6. Cowboys
7. Steelers
8. Chargers
9. Saints
10. Broncos
11. Patriots
12. Panthers
13. Titans
14. Bengals
15. Texans
16. Bears
17. Chiefs
18. Giants
19. Raiders
20. 49ers
21. Seahawks
22. Falcons
23. Jaguars
24. Dolphins
25. Redskins

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1. Packers
2. Eagles
3. Ravens
4. Jets
5. Vikings
6. Steelers
7. Cowboys
8. Chargers
9. Broncos
10. Saints
11. Patriots
12. Panthers
13. Bengals
14. Titans
15. Texans
16. Bears
17. 49ers
18. Chiefs
19. Giants
20. Raiders
21. Seahawks
22. Falcons
23. Jaguars
24. Redskins
25. Dolphins

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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.

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