Week eight of the NFL season will shine the spotlight on a few desperate teams with high expectations, like Dallas and Indianapolis, and a possible Super Bowl preview between the Steelers and the Giants. Read all our game previews and spread predictions for this weekend's games.
Tampa Bay +2 at Dallas Tony Romo will once again miss this game with a broken pinkie. This leaves the offense in the capable hands of Captain Checkdown, Brad Johnson. One has to wonder if Terrell Owens is just waiting to explode if he has one more bad game. Tampa will, in all likelihood, be without Warrick Dunn which means Earnest Graham will get the bulk of the carries. Look for Jeff Garcia to take advantage of the depleted Dallas secondary. Prediction: Tampa Bay
Washington -8 at Detroit
Where do you even begin with the Lions? Offense is a mess, defense is even worse. Their 0-6 record is slightly less worse than the 0-7 Cincinnati Bungles. Washington has had some uneven play recently. Jason Campbell hasn’t thrown an INT all season, but that could also mean he’s not taking any chances, and not pushing the ball into the secondary. Clinton Portis has been listed as questionable all week, but there is little doubt that he will play.
Prediction: Washington
Buffalo -1.5 at Miami
Buffalo has to be one of the better stories of the season, but they have yet to play a game inside their division. If they can prove to be as formidable inside the division as outside, they may be the team to beat in the AFC East. Marshawn #### owners are still waiting for a breakout performance, but keep in mind, last season his second half was much better than his first. Bill Parcells and company have done a fantastic job remaking the Dolphins. They’re not a playoff threat this season, but give them another draft or two and they will be.
Prediction: Buffalo
St. Louis +7 at New England
The Rams have started to turn around what looked like a miserable season, and interim coach Jim Haslett should get some of that credit. Perhaps in-season firings do work. Steven Jackson has a quad injury and his status has been iffy all week. Matt Cassell and Randy Moss hooked up for two touchdowns last week, but that was against a dreadful Denver defense. The Patriots running game however is in shambles. Laurence Maroney was put on the IR, so his season is done, and Sammy Morris will miss the next 2-3 weeks with a knee injury. This leaves the running game in the hands of veteran Kevin Faulk and rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Might be worth a pickup if you need a short term running back.
This game will be played in merry old London, but will be considered a home game for the Saints – whatever that’s worth. Okay, it’s meaningless. LaDainian Tomlinson keeps saying he is getting healthier by the week, yet his performances say otherwise. Chris Chambers is still questionable to play this week. Marques Colston returned from his thumb surgery last week, but did not have a catch. Jeremy Shockey returned from hernia surgery and promptly complained that he is still not recovered. Shockey has not practiced yet this week and is questionable for this week. One person who is not questionable is Reggie Bush; he will miss the next 3-4 weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Deuce McAllister is now the man for New Orleans, with Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker getting some touches too.
Trent Edwards has a favorable matchup this week against San Diego's 31st ranked pass defense, which is why he's one of our Week Seven Guarantees. Find this week's top matchups to exploit, top matchups to avoid, best sleeper starts and more.
Top Matchups to Exploit:
Quarterback-Wide Receivers Trent Edwards, Lee Evans and Josh Reed, Bills, will have a big game hooking up against San Diego’s 31st ranked pass defense, which has also allowed 10 passing TDs (3rd worst).
Gus Frerotte, Bernard Berrian and Bobby Wade, Vikings, will expose the injured ravaged Bears secondary, which is ranked 27th in passing yards allowed.
Running Backs Chris Johnson and LenDale White, Titans, will run wild on the Chiefs’ league worst 32nd ranked run defense.
Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk, Patriots, will combine to have a big day rushing against Denver’s 26th ranked run defense, which is allowing 137 yards per game.
Thomas Jones, Jets, will reach the end zone twice against the Raiders who have allowed 8 rushing TDs this season, tied for third worst.
Steve Slaton and Ahman Green, Texans, will trample over the cowardly Lions, who are have not been able to stop any running backs this season, ranked 31st and allowing a whopping 171 yards per game on the ground.
Sleeper Starts Mewelde Moore, Steelers, will start again for the third time in place of the injured Willy Parker and has a favorable matchup against the inept Bengals run defense, ranked 28th against the run with 8 TDs allowed.
Rudi Johnson and Kevin Smith, Lions, will be the only offense Detroit will be able to muster against Houston and their 24th ranked run defense in yards allowed and a league worst 10 rushing TDs allowed.
San Diego -2 at Buffalo
Trent Edwards is indeed a go to play in this one, although one has to wonder if that could change during the game if he takes another blow to the head. LaDainian Tomlinson has stated that this is the healthiest he has felt all year. Chris Chambers is expected to return to action for the Chargers.
Prediction: San Diego
Minnesota +3.5 at Chicago
Chicago’s secondary is riddled with injuries right now, so you should be starting Gus Frerotte and Bernard Berrian if you have them. Kyle Orton is starting to look like an NFL quarterback and he should be started as well.
Prediction: Minnesota
Pittsburgh -11 at Cincinnati
The Bengals are a mess. Carson Palmer will miss another game with his inflamed elbow. Ryan Fitzpatrick has not looked like an NFL quarterback. Cedric Benson, who just signed with the Bungles two weeks ago, will probably start at running back over Chris Perry. TJ Houschmandzadeh has missed the past two days of practice. For the Steelers, Willie Parker tweaked his already injured knee in practice on Tuesday (ran in a hole), and his status is questionable. Mewelde Moore will likely be the featured back again.
Prediction: Pittsburgh
Tennessee -8.5 at Kansas City
The big news here is that Larry Johnson has been de-activated for the game. No reason has been given, but apparently it is not related to the court case that has been made public this week. The Titans are coming off a bye and should not have a problem shutting down the Chiefs.
Prediction: Tennessee
Dallas -7 at St. Louis
If there was only some news coming out of Dallas as to what’s going on this week. Tony Romo is out four weeks with a broken pinky - oh wait, now he might play this week after Brett Favre pretty much told him to suck it up. Both Roy Williams’ will play, although I wouldn’t think the receiver would see many targets this week. Felix Jones is out 2-4 weeks with a torn hamstring. St. Louis is coming off their first win and this could be the week we see quarterback Marc Bulger look to put some points on the board.
Prediction: St. Louis
Read the rest of the Week 7 Preview & Predictions here: http://www.thefantasysportsforum.com/article.php ?ID=460
This past Sunday, the 49ers honored Steve Young with a halftime ceremony retiring his number. I always thought that despite his numerous accomplishments, Young was never appreciated as much as he should have been. It got us thinking here at The Fantasy Sports Forum about some excellent NFL players who never quite received the credit they probably should have. Here is our top ten list:
10. Phil Simms, QB, New York Giants: Not the strongest arm or the fastest runner, but an excellent leader who got the job done and had one of the greatest Super Bowl games of any quarterback. Could play for my team anytime.
9. Art Monk, WR, Washington Redskins: Yeah I know he was just elected to the Hall of Fame, but it took about 15 years for him to get there - even though when he retired he was the NFL leader in receptions. Wasn't flashy, didn't call attention to himself, just caught the football and kept the chains moving.
8. Jeff Garcia, QB, San Francisco 49ers: Had the impossible job of making 49er fans forget Joe Montana and Steve Young - good luck. His arm is nothing special, but all he does is win. I'm not sure anyone knows why, but he just has that something special.
7. John Taylor, WR, San Francisco 49ers: Maybe he was able to put up all those numbers because opposing defenses were worried about Jerry Rice, but he was a highlight machine himself, regularly turning five yard slants into 60 yard touchdowns. The perfect complement to Rice in that he didn't need the spotlight to shine on himself.
6. Drew Pearson, WR, Dallas: One of the best receivers of the 70s and a leader of the Cowboys. Best known for the Hail Mary completion against Minnesota in the playoffs. Has very similar numbers to Hall of Famer Lynn Swann and should probably be there himself.
5. Warren Moon, QB, Houston Oilers: Moon was a prolific offensive machine during the Oilers Run and Shoot era. And while he never won a Super Bowl, he was a multiple champion in the CFL, if that counts for anything.
4. Doug Flutie, QB, Buffalo Bills: Yes, Flutie was another quarterback who excelled in the CFL, but was never given a fair chance in the NFL, mostly due to being the anti-prototype size for an NFL quarterback. But anywhere he played, he managed to win. He should never have been passed over in Buffalo for an inferior and subpar talent like Rob Johnson. Wade Phillips would have lasted longer in Buffalo if he had picked the right man to lead his team.
QB Damon Huard, Chiefs: If you're looking for a bye week QB replacement, Huard has the chance to put up some solid numbers this week against Denver. Expect the Broncos to get in front early, forcing Huard to throw often. Despite seeing three different quarterbacks throwing them, Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe continue to pose matchup problems for opposing secondaries. The Broncos are ranked last in passing yards allowed and ranked 28th with 6 passing TDs allowed.
RB Michael Bush, Raiders: Justin Fargas is out and Darren McFadden is a gametime decision, which should leave Bush an opportunity to lead the team in carries and yards. The one thing the Raiders do well is run block, ranking 3rd as a team in rushing yards with 182 per game. They'll use a conservative offensive approach to keep the game close, and Bush will benefit the most with his best game as a pro.
Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, Browns vs. Bengals: The Bengals lack of a pass rush, (only 1 sack and ranked last in the league) will allow Anderson and his favorite targets plenty of time to get open and rack up the yards and TDs. This trio had their most productive games against Cincinnati last season, with Anderson totaling 7 TDs in the two games, connecting with Edwards in the end zone 4 times.
Chris Perry, Bengals vs. Browns: The Cleveland defense is ranked 25th against the rush and has allowed 6 TDs on the ground (ranked 29th).
Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams, Panthers vs. Falcons: The Falcons allow 137 rushing yards per game and had trouble stopping the only tough opponent they’ve faced so far, when they played Tampa in week two.
Trent Edwards, Lee Evans, Josh Reed, Marshawn ####, Bills vs. Rams: The Bills are not a prolific scoring team, but the Rams have shown to be inept, while earning the rank of dead last in total defense by allowing a whopping 7 passing TDs and 6 rushing TDs.
J.T. O'Sullivan, Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson, Arnaz Battle, Frank Gore, 49ers vs. Saints: New Orleans is allowing almost 28 points per game and is ranked 29th in yards allowed.
Selvin Young, Andre Hall, Michael Pittman, Broncos vs. Chiefs: While the running back by committee is the worst scenario for owners who have any of these backs, the opportunities will be plentiful to pile up the yardage against the Chiefs 31st ranked run defense, which is allowing a ridiculous 204 yards per game and 6 rushing TDs.
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The Rams are still a mess. Steven Jackson has reported, but has not seen any game action, so no live hitting. The offensive line has major question marks and there is little doubt that Marc Bulger can survive another beating like he did last season. Donovan McNabb and the Eagles are expecting a big year. The loss of Kevin Curtis for at least the first quarter of the season will put even more pressure on Brian Westbrook, as he will have to continue to be the focus of the offense.
Prediction: Philadelphia
Houston +8 at Pittsburgh
Houston is an improved team, just how improved is anyone’s guess. Matt Schaub has developed into a capable quarterback. The question is if their running game help them move the chains. As for Pittsburgh, their offense is loaded with playmakers, but there offensive line may be their undoing. No matter how good your receivers and running backs are, if your quarterback is running for his life, you’re not going anywhere.
Prediction: Houston
Cincinnati +.5 at Baltimore
Both of these teams are a mess. Let’s start with the Bengals. They just released Rudi Johnson, so Chris Perry has been named the starter. Chad Johnson has a partially torn labrum but will play through it. T. J. Houschmandzadeh hasn’t played this pre-season with leg problems and the defense was never any good. The Ravens have named rookie Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback. Troy Smith has had tonsillitis and lost a good deal of weight and strength. Kyle Boller has a severe shoulder injury and may have to go on injured reserve.
Prediction: Cincinnati
Detroit -4.5 at Atlanta
With Mike Martz gone, Detroit has sworn that they will run the ball more. That’s good news for the defense and running back Kevin Smith. With Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams manning the outside, they will stretch the field also. The recent signing of Rudi Johnson adds depth to the backfield. Atlanta may very well be the worst team in the NFC. Matt Ryan will lead the team, and free agent prize running back Michael Turner will try and control the clock.
Teams are listed in order of predicted finish with record in parentheses.
AFC East
New England Patriots, (14-2): Was there ever any doubt? They may not be as dangerous as they once were, but they are still the class of the East. Their offense is virtually unstoppable. Look for Tom Brady to continue to throw often. The defense however can be scored upon, which could lead to many high scoring games this season.
New York Jets, (10-6): The Jets spent quite a few dollars and some draft choices this off-season in order to upgrade their team. They’re not a Super Bowl contender, but they should be in the mix for the wild card. The addition of Brett Favre is sure to energize Gang Green. If he can play at a high level, the Jets could be the surprise team of the AFC.
Buffalo Bills, (8-8): Difficult team to judge. The defense, although not great, is certainly above average. The running game led by Marshawn #### is very productive and the strength of the offense. The big questions lie with the passing game and Trent Edwards. In order for the Bills to reach that next level, Edwards has to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback, and the jury is still very much out on that.
Miami Dolphins, (5-11): The Fish are sure to be selecting in the top five come next year's draft, but that doesn’t mean sunny days are not far behind. One thing you know about Bill Parcells, is that he can turn a team around somewhat quickly, as his track record has proven.
