Teams on bye: JacksonvilleAFC East
Buffalo — Doug Flutie will start at quarterback this week, but Rob
Johnson could be ready to go next week. … WR Eric Moulds has averaged 147
yards receiving in the last three games but has only scored once. Moulds could break out
of that scoring funk this week vs. a subpar Patriots pass defense. … RB Sammy
Morris has five touchdowns in the past four weeks and could continue that streak this
week vs. the Patriots. … The Bills have allowed only one team to rush for more than
100 yards against them, shutting down prolific rushers such as Curtis Martin, Robert
Smith, Edgerrin James and Eddie George. Patriots RB J.R. Redmond
faces this trend.
Indianapolis — With Jim Miller taking the helm of the Bears’ offense,
you might shy away from starting the Colts’ defense, which has struggled. Miller is a
much more comfortable quarterback and seems to have a better grasp on the offense than Cade
McNown does.
Miami — Oronde Gadsden looks to have stepped into the role of Jay
Fiedler’s go-to guy on offense. Last week Gadsden caught five passes for 70 yards
and a touchdown, and two weeks ago in the Monday-night game, Gadsden caught 7-119-0.
New York Jets — Don’t expect Curtis Martin to reproduce Bengals RB Corey
Dillon’s 278-yard performance two weeks ago against the Broncos. Aside from the
407 yards given up in Week Eight, Denver has allowed only one team to rush for more than
80 yards.
AFC Central
Baltimore — The Ravens’ offense didn’t look much better last Sunday with
Trent Dilfer replacing Tony Banks at the QB position, but head coach Brian
Billick said he thought Dilfer did a decent job. Billick also said the Ravens’
offense might become a little more wide-open this Sunday vs. the Bengals than it has been
and pointed to WR Patrick Johnson, who replaces rookie Travis Taylor (out
five weeks with a shoulder injury) in the starting lineup, as a possibly potent weapon.
Johnson, who has seen only limited action this season because of a broken collarbone
suffered in the preseason, owns the highest average per catch in team history (16.2) and
has exceptional speed. … The Ravens’ ground game improved last week, with rookie
RB Jamal Lewis having a strong game. He might have another good game vs. the
Bengals’ suspect run defense. … FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo (toe) is out again
but should be back next week.
Cincinnati — It might be a good idea to give WR Peter Warrick a break,
considering how much Dick LeBeau likes to run the ball. Corey Dillon is clearly the
go-to guy in Cincinnati. And when LeBeau gives the signal to throw the ball, his
quarterback hasn’t been especially effective. Akili Smith has thrown for only
two touchdowns this season, with five interceptions. He has completed just 43 percent of
his passes this season, which is worst in the NFL. In the last four games, Smith has
passed for no more than 97 yards.
Tennessee — Be wary of how defenses are altering their schemes to defense WR Derrick
Mason and TE Frank Wycheck, the Titans’ hottest pass catchers. Without the
ability of nicked-up WRs Carl Pickens and Yancey Thigpen to stretch the
field, teams have begun leaning their coverage inside, giving the Titans the sideline
deep. Wycheck should continue to clean up underneath, but until Pickens and/or Thigpen
regain their form, Mason’s production could take a hit. It’s already been slowed
in recent weeks. … Look for RB Eddie George to play Sunday vs. Pittsburgh.
George was practicing as of this writing Friday afternoon and looking good.
AFC West
Denver — Benefiting from a bye last week, the Broncos are healthier than
they’ve been in a long time. Both RB Terrell Davis, who has been hurting most
of the year with a nagging ankle injury, and FB Howard Griffith (knee) are expected
back in the lineup vs. the Jets. So is WR Robert Brooks, who has been out with a
hamstring injury.
Oakland — With RB Tyrone Wheatley hindered by an ankle injury, look for RB Napoleon
Kaufman to get the lion’s share of carries vs. Kansas City this Sunday. … WR
Andre Rison will probably play but could be slowed down by a toe injury. …
After his five-FG effort in the win last Sunday night over the Chargers, rookie PK Sebastian
Janikowski’s confidence is sky-high.
San Diego — Jim Harbaugh is starting this week for the fifth straight game.
The last time the Chargers faced Seattle (Week Four), Ryan Leaf started the game.
TE Freddie Jones caught eight passes in that game for 82 yards. There’s no
reason to think he will do much worse this week.
Seattle — WR Derrick Mayes will get the start this week, bumping Darrell
Jackson out of the lineup. The Seahawks are saying Jackson and Mayes will still share
the playing time pretty equally. RB Ricky Watters will likely play Sunday, despite
being questionable with an injured toe.
NFC East
Dallas — Troy Aikman will miss this week because of back problems, which
means that Randall Cunningham gets the nod at quarterback. … This might be a
good week to start TE Jackie Harris, as he scored a touchdown in each of the two
games that Cunningham started earlier this season.
New York Giants — Keep on playing Ron Dayne. He says that he is getting
stronger as the season moves on, and he really likes to play in foul weather — which
should be just around the corner. The Giants want to get him the ball 25 times a game, so
you don’t have to worry about him not getting enough carries due to the presence of
change-of-pace guy Tiki Barber. Dayne should be able to run wild on a Browns
defense that has given up 11 rushing touchdowns.
Philadelphia — You might want to stay away from Eagles running backs, even though
they are playing the Cowboys — a team that surrendered 300 rushing yards to the
Eagles in Week One. The problem with the Philly backfield is that so many people are
involved. Darnell Autry, who didn’t even get a carry last week, will start
again this week. He should see more touches vs. Dallas. But so will Stanley Pritchett,
Brian Mitchell and Amp Lee. Also, Natrone Means worked out with the
Eagles on Tuesday, but the team decided not to sign him at this time.
Washington — QB Brad Johnson will sit out this week with a Grade 2 sprain
of his MCL. That means Jeff George will get the start. This could be the start of
the end for Johnson if George looks good, especially considering that Johnson threw three
interceptions in last week’s Monday-night loss to the Titans. If you have either
Johnson or George, keep a close eye on this situation after the team’s Week 11 bye.
NFC Central
Chicago — If you’re in dire need of quarterback, Jim Miller may be
your man. Miller will make his first start of the year Sunday in place of the injured Cade
McNown (shoulder). Miller has had two weeks to prepare for this week’s game vs.
the Colts, and Bears players have been genuinely excited and enthusiastic about his return
to action. It was Miller, you’ll remember, who passed for 1,125 yards and seven
touchdowns in a four-game stretch last season. In those four games, WR Marcus Robinson
caught 21 passes for 438 yards and two touchdowns. Both are must plays vs. a susceptible
Colts defense.
Green Bay — The Packers don’t know what to make of RB Dorsey Levens’
latest injury, a bruise underneath his right kneecap that left him questionable for Monday
night’s game vs. Minnesota. Head coach Mike Sherman couldn’t guarantee
Levens’ status for the coming weeks — there is a fear that Levens could have
suffered worse damage that an MRI can’t detect — and the running back’s
constant injury problems have the team disgusted. He is not a recommended play this week. Ahman
Green will likely carry the load in Levens’ place.
Tampa Bay — On the Wednesday before the Bucs’ win over Minnesota, WR Keyshawn
Johnson went to QB Shaun King’s house to discuss the receiver’s role
in the offense. Johnson did most of the talking in the meeting — which lasted nearly
four hours — stressing a need for the ball to be thrown his way. The meeting worked,
with Johnson catching six passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in the game. But Johnson
wasn’t the only Bucs receiver to speak with King. Reidel Anthony and Jacquez
Green also met with the quarterback (though not at his house) to discuss what patterns
they like and what have you. What’s the point of all this? Buccaneers wide receivers
may be fantasy-worthy after all, especially considering King’s four-TD performance
last week. Johnson earned back his role as a fantasy starter. Keep an eye on Green and
Anthony to see if they’ll follow suit.
NFC West
Atlanta —RB Jamal Anderson continues to make strides in his comeback from
last year’s devastating ACL injury, totaling 229 yards and two TDs in the
Falcons’ last three games. Keep a close eye on him this week vs. Tampa Bay; if he
continues to make strides vs. the Bucs’ imposing defense, he might qualify as a real
second-half stud. … In addition to Anderson, two other offensive performers of note
are also suddenly feeling a lot healthier. WR Terance Mathis, who had been bothered
all season by a left tibia injury that wasn’t showing up on the injury list, said
last Sunday was the best he’s felt all season. The same goes for WR Shawn
Jefferson, who has been hindered by shoulder and knee injuries. … There is some
concern building over PK Morten Andersen, who has missed four of his last 10 field
goals.
Carolina— As a result of TE Wesley Walls’ devastating season-ending
knee injury suffered last Sunday in the loss to the Falcons, look for Carolina to use a
lot more three-WR formations the rest of the season. That means WR Isaac Byrd, who
has been as good as any receiver on the team the last couple of games, could be a guy you
should keep your eye on for fantasy purposes. Replacing Walls this Sunday is no-name Casey
Crawford, who impressed the Panthers in training camp with some eye-opening catches.
It’s more likely, though, that Kris Mangum, who is doubtful for this
Sunday’s game vs. the Rams with a shoulder injury, will become Walls’ full-time
replacement starting next week. Just a thought: Crawford might be a real interesting
one-time dark horse this week vs. a Rams defense that has had real trouble with tight ends
underneath this season.
New Orleans — RB Ricky Williams could be looking at a monster fantasy
performance vs. a 49ers defense that has shown a penchant for wearing down in the second
half, when Williams has been at his steamrolling best. Last week the Niners couldn’t
handle rushing-receiving threat supreme Marshall Faulk, who scored four TDs vs.
them, and they could have similar problems with Williams, who had nine catches for over 90
yards last week vs. the Cardinals. WRs Joe Horn (knee) and Keith Poole
(neck, concussion) are listed as questionable for the 49ers, but they both say
they’ll be ready to go on Sunday.
St. Louis — Even though RB Marshall Faulk needs knee surgery, he plans on
waiting until after the season and continuing to play this year. Obviously, Faulk’s
knee and shoulder problems this season have hardly affected him on the field. He feels
that, as long as he can avoid lots of head-on contact and continue to excel in space and
out of different formations that keep opposing defenses off balance, he will continue to
play at a high level. However, Faulk could finally get some help this Sunday vs. the
Panthers from rookie RB Trung Canidate, who is listed as probable. Canidate, who
has been out with a high ankle sprain since the Week Two game vs. Seattle, has been told
that there is no structural damage to his ankle and that he will just have to tough it
out. Faulk, who is expected to see very limited practice time the rest of the season,
could really use his help.
San Francisco — It should be interesting to see how the 49ers’ offense plays
vs. the Saints’ second-ranked defense this Sunday after head coach Steve Mariucci
reportedly read his offense the riot act after it closed down vs. the Rams last Sunday,
failing to score in the final 23 minutes. … Keep an eye on RB Charlie Garner,
who needs to keep producing at a high level to augment his value on the open market. He
becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. |
