Post by Trent Matsunoshin on Oct 13, 2007 7:41:27 GMT 1
It's Week 6, and the NFL trade deadline looms near, but this isn't baseball, and the news isn't looking at this, the news (and every NFL fan on earth) is looking at this week's clear cut marquee matchup (and possible Super Bowl preview): Patriots at Cowboys. Last week, we had major injuries (Matt Leinart -- collarbone, Jake Delhomme -- elbow surgery, Marc Bulger -- ribs, Steven Jackson -- groin), shining backups (Brian Leonard, Kurt Warner, Gus Frerotte, Sammy Morris -- again), amnesiac QBs (Tony Romo), and possibly the game of the season in primetime on Monday Night, where Romo's Cowboys and rookie K Nick Folk split the uprights -- and the spirits of Bills fans everywhere -- in the final seconds to push the Cowboys to 5-0 and get Romo out of the locker room doghouse. On to this week:
Sunday
Texans at Jaguars: Houston looked pretty shaky last week in holding off Miami, and are really missing injured RB Ahman Green, but K Kris Brown nailed a career-long 57-yarder to keep the Texans afloat. The Jags had running issues of their own until RB Maurice Jones-Drew broke a 52-yarder in the second quarter to break out of his sophomore slump. My pick: Jaguars. The Jags D looked pretty sharp against an anemic KC offense, and should continue to be sharp against an injury-riddled Texan offense.
Rams at Ravens: The Rams revived a dormant offense last week against a surprisingly good Cardinals D by putting the ball in the hands of rookie RB Brian Leonard (18 car, 102 yds), who was alsmot mistaken for injured RB Stephen Jackson for a football game, nevertheless, the Rams and QB Gus Frerotte (3 TDs) lost. The Ravens meanwhile showed no offensive pulse whatsoever against the 49ers, but the defense (3 sacks, 1 int, 1 FF) looked sharp by allowing just 6 first downs. My pick: Ravens. Always pick a good defense, plus, we don't know if the Rams are fully revived or if last week was just an aberration.
Redskins at Packers. Green Bay has to be reeling after the Bears knocked them off the undefeated pedestal last week, and will need to establish a running game if they hope to continue their success that was so prevalent so far this season. The Redskins had a coming-out party for very efficient QB Jason Campbell (23/29, 248 yds, 2 TD) and gave the high-powered Lions a humble thrashing last week. My pick: Packers. Yeah, the 'Skins are looking good, but Favre and Co. should get back on track this week as the Packer D is much tougher than the non-existent Lions D. Plus, the 'Skins don't have WR Santana Moss and WR Antwaan Randle El is a game-time decision, so Campbell's options might be limited.
Bengals at Chiefs: Cincy is coming off a much needed bye, as they looked to be reeling after losing to New England a couple weeks ago. The Chiefs are pretty horrible right now, but they do have some good fantasy fodder this week as RB Larry Johnson, TE Tony Gonzalez, and WR Dwayne Bowe should rack up a lot of points against an big-play prone Bengals D. My pick: Bengals. The O should get back on track this week against a soft Chiefs D, plus they get RB Rudi Johnson back from injury this week, which means lots of opportunities for the offense and quite a bit of ball-control.
Dolphins at Browns: OK, the Browns lost last week to the best team in the NFL because they were simply outmatched and an early Derek Anderson INT basically sealed it. The Dolphins also lost last week, but they lost starting QB/savior Trent Green to a concussion, making a winless season (the first since the late '70s Bucs era) a real possibility. My pick: Browns. Cleveland's high-powered offense should be able to wear down the 'Phins aging D in much the same fashion that Oakland did a couple weeks ago.
Vikings at Bears: Shit-talking: Check. Joking replies: Check. Grossman on the bench: Check. Looks like the Bears came out of hibernation last Sunday Night on national TV when QB Brian Griese kept finding open TEs. Vikings S Darren Sharper (and probably most of the new Purple People Eaters -- who happen to be at or near the top of the all of the Defensive Rankings in fantasy) believe that what happened in Green Bay is not happening to them this week. My pick: Bears. Vikings' QB Tarvaris Jackson is back this week, which is not a good time, as the Bears thrived on two big plays made by shutdown CB Charles Tillman (2 FF) that kept the Bears close enough to pull it off late. The Bears woke up last week, so they should be rejuvenated and confident this week.
Titans at Buccaneers: The Bucs signed veteran RB Zack Crockett this week to back up defaulted starter Earnest Graham; regardless, it's looking to get pretty rough with both Cadillac Williams (torn tendon) and Michael Pittman (cracked fibula) out. The Titans are coming off a 7-point victory against the lowly Falcons and have looked so solid that it's almost surprising they have a loss. My pick: Buccaneers. It's tough to go against VY and his playmaking ability, but the Bucs D is a really solid crew and they may be able to stop him in much the same way they used to stop Michael Vick.
Eagles at Jets: Philly has had bye time to lick their wounds and regain TE L.J. Smith (groin) from injury. The Jets played surprisingly solid in a 35-24 loss against the Giants, but haven't really established a running game this season. My pick: Eagles. The Jets lost last week thanks in large part to QB Chad Pennington's 3 INTs, a couple more bad performances like that one and Pennington could be riding the bench with Grossman. The Eagles meanwhile get RB Brian Westbrook back this week, thanks in large part to last week's bye.
Cardinals at Panthers: QBs Jake Delhomme and David Carr are both unlikely to play this week, so this week, the Panthers brought in Vinny Testaverde, whose old enough to be your dad and probably shoots his age in 9-holes of golf. The Cardinals are riding high after their first road victory last week. My pick: Cardinals. Warner's team is playing pretty good football right now, the O is starting to settle in and the D is already getting solid review. Note to fantasy owners everywhere: Sit WR Steve Smith until further notice.
Raiders at Chargers: The Bolts delivered lightning strikes early and often last week in a 41-3 ass-kicking in Denver. The Raiders get their first real test of the season without RB LaMont Jordan, which means the bye week came too early for them. My pick: Chargers. If the Bolts are in fact back in last season's form, this should be a pounding for the ages. The fact that I will be subjected to this bloodshed because I don't have that DirecTV NFL package is almost blasphemous.
Patriots at Cowboys: Heh, the game I wanted to see this week, man I need that DirecTV package, promises to be one for the ages. The Pats are on cruise control, as they not only beat their opponents, they beat their opponents efficiently and convincingly. The Cowboys got an impromptu pop quiz last week as it looked like Buffalo was gonna win for 57 minutes of that game, but Romo decided to catch amnesia and K Nick Folk had ice in his veins, and the Cowboys got the win. My pick: Patriots. That sudden test last week gave Dallas a huge heap of momentum, and proved that they can be clutch, but if Romo performs even half as bad as he did last week (6 turnovers -- 5 INT, 2 of which were returned for TDs, and 1 FF), forget a Dallas win.
Saints at Seahawks: The Saints are pretty much toasted, as they are obviously a different team without injured RB Deuce McAllister. The Seahawks were on the wrong end of a shutout last week at Pittsburgh, so they are trying to recoup and bounce back this week. My pick: Seahawks. The Saints have looked abysmal, and there is no one thing that needs to be addressed, it looks like a complete collapse. 'Hawks QB Matt Hasselbeck should have a field day on a horrible Saints secondary, even without top WR Deion Branch out.
Monday:
Giants at Falcons. The Giants have looked impressive, the Falcons, not so much. The G-Men have done it with offense (last week against the Jets) and with defense (Week 4 against the Eagles, where they sacked QB Donovan McNabb 12 times), so they are suddenly looking good again. The Falcons are slowly becoming laughable, and they might be the first to go winless in some 30 years. My pick: Giants. This will be a blowout.
Byes:
Bills: If I were you, I'd still be throwing anything I can get my hands on.
Broncos: Well, at least the Rockies are in the NLCS and are the hottest team in baseball.
Lions: Bruised egos aside, the Lions needed the bye this week.
Colts: Just the right time, this will let WR Marvin Harrison and RB Joseph Addai fully recover from nagging injuries.
Steelers: They probably wish they were playing this week after such an impressive win last week.
49ers: "Alright Gentlemen, who hid the Offensive Playbook?"
My quick picks:
Jaguars
Ravens
Packers
Bengals
Browns
Bears
Buccaneers
Eagles
Cardinals
Chargers
Patriots
Seahawks
Giants
Sunday
Texans at Jaguars: Houston looked pretty shaky last week in holding off Miami, and are really missing injured RB Ahman Green, but K Kris Brown nailed a career-long 57-yarder to keep the Texans afloat. The Jags had running issues of their own until RB Maurice Jones-Drew broke a 52-yarder in the second quarter to break out of his sophomore slump. My pick: Jaguars. The Jags D looked pretty sharp against an anemic KC offense, and should continue to be sharp against an injury-riddled Texan offense.
Rams at Ravens: The Rams revived a dormant offense last week against a surprisingly good Cardinals D by putting the ball in the hands of rookie RB Brian Leonard (18 car, 102 yds), who was alsmot mistaken for injured RB Stephen Jackson for a football game, nevertheless, the Rams and QB Gus Frerotte (3 TDs) lost. The Ravens meanwhile showed no offensive pulse whatsoever against the 49ers, but the defense (3 sacks, 1 int, 1 FF) looked sharp by allowing just 6 first downs. My pick: Ravens. Always pick a good defense, plus, we don't know if the Rams are fully revived or if last week was just an aberration.
Redskins at Packers. Green Bay has to be reeling after the Bears knocked them off the undefeated pedestal last week, and will need to establish a running game if they hope to continue their success that was so prevalent so far this season. The Redskins had a coming-out party for very efficient QB Jason Campbell (23/29, 248 yds, 2 TD) and gave the high-powered Lions a humble thrashing last week. My pick: Packers. Yeah, the 'Skins are looking good, but Favre and Co. should get back on track this week as the Packer D is much tougher than the non-existent Lions D. Plus, the 'Skins don't have WR Santana Moss and WR Antwaan Randle El is a game-time decision, so Campbell's options might be limited.
Bengals at Chiefs: Cincy is coming off a much needed bye, as they looked to be reeling after losing to New England a couple weeks ago. The Chiefs are pretty horrible right now, but they do have some good fantasy fodder this week as RB Larry Johnson, TE Tony Gonzalez, and WR Dwayne Bowe should rack up a lot of points against an big-play prone Bengals D. My pick: Bengals. The O should get back on track this week against a soft Chiefs D, plus they get RB Rudi Johnson back from injury this week, which means lots of opportunities for the offense and quite a bit of ball-control.
Dolphins at Browns: OK, the Browns lost last week to the best team in the NFL because they were simply outmatched and an early Derek Anderson INT basically sealed it. The Dolphins also lost last week, but they lost starting QB/savior Trent Green to a concussion, making a winless season (the first since the late '70s Bucs era) a real possibility. My pick: Browns. Cleveland's high-powered offense should be able to wear down the 'Phins aging D in much the same fashion that Oakland did a couple weeks ago.
Vikings at Bears: Shit-talking: Check. Joking replies: Check. Grossman on the bench: Check. Looks like the Bears came out of hibernation last Sunday Night on national TV when QB Brian Griese kept finding open TEs. Vikings S Darren Sharper (and probably most of the new Purple People Eaters -- who happen to be at or near the top of the all of the Defensive Rankings in fantasy) believe that what happened in Green Bay is not happening to them this week. My pick: Bears. Vikings' QB Tarvaris Jackson is back this week, which is not a good time, as the Bears thrived on two big plays made by shutdown CB Charles Tillman (2 FF) that kept the Bears close enough to pull it off late. The Bears woke up last week, so they should be rejuvenated and confident this week.
Titans at Buccaneers: The Bucs signed veteran RB Zack Crockett this week to back up defaulted starter Earnest Graham; regardless, it's looking to get pretty rough with both Cadillac Williams (torn tendon) and Michael Pittman (cracked fibula) out. The Titans are coming off a 7-point victory against the lowly Falcons and have looked so solid that it's almost surprising they have a loss. My pick: Buccaneers. It's tough to go against VY and his playmaking ability, but the Bucs D is a really solid crew and they may be able to stop him in much the same way they used to stop Michael Vick.
Eagles at Jets: Philly has had bye time to lick their wounds and regain TE L.J. Smith (groin) from injury. The Jets played surprisingly solid in a 35-24 loss against the Giants, but haven't really established a running game this season. My pick: Eagles. The Jets lost last week thanks in large part to QB Chad Pennington's 3 INTs, a couple more bad performances like that one and Pennington could be riding the bench with Grossman. The Eagles meanwhile get RB Brian Westbrook back this week, thanks in large part to last week's bye.
Cardinals at Panthers: QBs Jake Delhomme and David Carr are both unlikely to play this week, so this week, the Panthers brought in Vinny Testaverde, whose old enough to be your dad and probably shoots his age in 9-holes of golf. The Cardinals are riding high after their first road victory last week. My pick: Cardinals. Warner's team is playing pretty good football right now, the O is starting to settle in and the D is already getting solid review. Note to fantasy owners everywhere: Sit WR Steve Smith until further notice.
Raiders at Chargers: The Bolts delivered lightning strikes early and often last week in a 41-3 ass-kicking in Denver. The Raiders get their first real test of the season without RB LaMont Jordan, which means the bye week came too early for them. My pick: Chargers. If the Bolts are in fact back in last season's form, this should be a pounding for the ages. The fact that I will be subjected to this bloodshed because I don't have that DirecTV NFL package is almost blasphemous.
Patriots at Cowboys: Heh, the game I wanted to see this week, man I need that DirecTV package, promises to be one for the ages. The Pats are on cruise control, as they not only beat their opponents, they beat their opponents efficiently and convincingly. The Cowboys got an impromptu pop quiz last week as it looked like Buffalo was gonna win for 57 minutes of that game, but Romo decided to catch amnesia and K Nick Folk had ice in his veins, and the Cowboys got the win. My pick: Patriots. That sudden test last week gave Dallas a huge heap of momentum, and proved that they can be clutch, but if Romo performs even half as bad as he did last week (6 turnovers -- 5 INT, 2 of which were returned for TDs, and 1 FF), forget a Dallas win.
Saints at Seahawks: The Saints are pretty much toasted, as they are obviously a different team without injured RB Deuce McAllister. The Seahawks were on the wrong end of a shutout last week at Pittsburgh, so they are trying to recoup and bounce back this week. My pick: Seahawks. The Saints have looked abysmal, and there is no one thing that needs to be addressed, it looks like a complete collapse. 'Hawks QB Matt Hasselbeck should have a field day on a horrible Saints secondary, even without top WR Deion Branch out.
Monday:
Giants at Falcons. The Giants have looked impressive, the Falcons, not so much. The G-Men have done it with offense (last week against the Jets) and with defense (Week 4 against the Eagles, where they sacked QB Donovan McNabb 12 times), so they are suddenly looking good again. The Falcons are slowly becoming laughable, and they might be the first to go winless in some 30 years. My pick: Giants. This will be a blowout.
Byes:
Bills: If I were you, I'd still be throwing anything I can get my hands on.
Broncos: Well, at least the Rockies are in the NLCS and are the hottest team in baseball.
Lions: Bruised egos aside, the Lions needed the bye this week.
Colts: Just the right time, this will let WR Marvin Harrison and RB Joseph Addai fully recover from nagging injuries.
Steelers: They probably wish they were playing this week after such an impressive win last week.
49ers: "Alright Gentlemen, who hid the Offensive Playbook?"
My quick picks:
Jaguars
Ravens
Packers
Bengals
Browns
Bears
Buccaneers
Eagles
Cardinals
Chargers
Patriots
Seahawks
Giants