Teams on bye: San FranciscoAFC EAST
Buffalo — Rob Johnson took advantage of a modified offensive scheme to
throw two TDs and rush for one. Since the Bucs have a pretty good run defense typically,
and they will be without John Lynch, look for the Bills to pass the ball a lot more
than normal. Eric Moulds continues to step up and make clutch catches. The RB
situation continues to be muddled, but Sammy Morris is expected to return this
week.
Indianapolis — One school of thought says that you should avoid starting Colts
against the strong defense of Miami. But the other school of thought says that the
"triplets" are the type of players that step up in such situations. Three of Edgerrin
James’ five 100-yard games have come against good teams this year. But, the
Dolphins are a much better run defense with Zach Thomas in the lineup. The
Dolphins’ secondary has racked up 21 interceptions, and SS Brian Walker leads
the AFC with five.
Miami — An abundance of injuries has now hit the Dolphins. Jay Fiedler
won’t start this week, but will suit up, just in case. Lamar Smith was
downgraded to doubtful this week, and it doesn’t look promising for him to play
either. O.J. McDuffie’s toe is bothering him again, but probably will be a
game-time decision. The one piece of good news out of Miami is that Zach Thomas
will return to the starting lineup this week. Tony Martin also is expected to get
more touches in the offense after complaining that he wasn’t being used to his
ability.
New York Jets — RB Curtis Martin’s status remains up in the air.
Choose carefully if you want to start him this week. He may not play with an unidentified
back/pelvis injury. Vinny Testaverde’s inconsistency lately might come back to
bite him against a Bears secondary that has emerged a bit recently, forcing turnovers. Laveranues
Coles is expected out this week.
AFC CENTRAL
Baltimore — RB Jamal Lewis, who leads all NFL rookies with 925 yards
rushing, is on a roll heading into this weekend’s game vs. Cleveland. After racking
up 187 yards on the ground in 28 carries in Baltimore’s Week 12 win over Dallas,
Lewis is just 83 yards short of the Ravens’ single-season rushing mark of 1,008. He
appears to getting stronger and more effective with each carry and should be considered a
top-flight fantasy option vs. Cleveland’s 29th-ranked rushing defense.
Also, consider yourself in great shape if you have the Ravens’ defense on your
fantasy team. Going up against a weak and battered Cleveland offense, Ray Lewis & Co.
have a pretty good shot at tying the Steelers’ league record of five shutout
victories in a season.
Cincinnati — QB Scott Mitchell has been upgraded from doubtful to
questionable. His sprained knee has kept him out of practice this week, but the knee felt
significantly better Thursday and he isn’t being ruled out of Sunday’s game.
Cleveland — If ever there was a week in which the Browns could be headed for a
shutout, this could be it. First of all, Cleveland is facing one of the toughest defenses
in the NFL — the Ravens. Furthermore, the Ravens are gunning for their fifth
shutout of the season, which would tie an NFL record. The Browns’ offense is littered
with rookies and players with little NFL experience. This would be a good week to keep all
Cleveland players on the bench.
Jacksonville — Fred Taylor is on a roll, and there are no indications that
he’s going to slow down. Last week he ripped off 234 rushing yards with three TDs vs.
a tough Pittsburgh defense. That was his fourth 100-yard rushing day in a row. Even though
the Jaguars face a solid Titans defense, definitely play Taylor. In the first meeting of
the season, Taylor topped 100 yards rushing.
Steelers — The Steelers had a quality passing game in their Week Seven meeting
with the Bengals. Of course, Kent Graham was the quarterback at the time. This will
be Stewart’s first start against the Bengals this year. Jerome Bettis had a
101-yard game against Cincinnati in Week Seven, but scored no touchdowns. It would
probably be a mistake to not start the Bus this week. The Bengals couldn’t stop him
last time.
Tennessee — QB Steve McNair may not play this week after injuring his thumb
on the last play of practice Thursday. McNair banged his hand on the helmet of Mike Green
and suffered a sprained thumb. He did not practice Friday, meaning Neil O’Donnell
could start his second game of the season Sunday at Jacksonville. … WR Carl
Pickens should return to action this week, but don’t expect much. He’s still
very rusty, and the Titans don’t want to overexert him with the playoffs drawing
near. But the team does expect more from Yancey Thigpen, who has been back in
action.
AFC WEST
Denver — The Broncos have ruled RB Terrell Davis out of Sunday’s game,
as his foot problem persists. QB Gus Frerotte and the WR tandem of Ed McCaffrey
and Rod Smith should be starters this week vs. a Seattle secondary that has been
exposed due to a lack of consistent pass rush.
Kansas City — It might be a good idea to sit QB Elvis Grbac if you have a
worthy replacement. Grbac has been very limited in practice this week after suffering a
finger injury last week. The injury wasn’t believed to be serious, but he has had
trouble clutching the ball. Word out of Kansas City is that Warren Moon likely will
get the nod vs. San Dego if Grbac’s status doesn’t improve.
Oakland — With RB Tyrone Wheatley’s ankles still bothering him, look
for Zack Crockett and Napoleon Kaufman to continue to share responsibilities
— though Crockett has proved to me more valuable in the red zone. Newcomer Terry
Kirby may need a few weeks to get up to speed in the Raiders’ system.
Seattle — QB Brock Huard will be back in the starting lineup following an
extended stay on the sideline with post-concussion symptoms. When Huard was healthy and
playing earlier this season, the production level of Seattle’s wide receivers was a
lot higher than it was with Jon Kitna because of Huard’s strong arm and
patience to look downfield.
NFC EAST
Arizona — WR David Boston must really like playing the Giants. In three pro
games against New York, Boston has topped 100 yards twice and scored three touchdowns. In
the first meeting of the year with the Giants, Boston caught nine passes for 128 yards and
two scores. If he’s on your fantasy roster, he should be in your lineup this week.
New Giants — It doesn’t look like Ike Hilliard will be able to go this
week because of bruised lungs and sternum suffered in Week 12. That means that Amani
Toomer is going to be asked to pick up the slack. He could be in for a big day vs. the
Cardinals. Also expected to tee off on the Cards are RBs Ron Dayne and Tiki
Barber. Dayne rushed for 78 yards and a score in the first meeting with the Cardinals,
and Barber did even better, rushing for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Against the weak
Arizona defense, the Giants’ rushers should be able to turn in a repeat performance.
Washington — If you have Jeff George on your roster, he should do you some
good for just one more week. He will start this week against the Eagles, but it appears as
if he’s headed back to the bench for Week 14, when Brad Johnson is expected to
be healthy enough to start. … While it appears as if Stephen Davis will be
able to play this week despite a fractured forearm, you may want to think twice about
starting him. He was held under 100 yards in the first meeting with the Eagles.
Furthermore, there are some fumbling concerns for Davis. He will likley be carring the
ball in his left hand rather than right hand because of the injury. He doesn’t have
nearly as strong a grip on the football with his left hand.
NFC CENTRAL
Chicago — Don’t expect many big plays from the Bears’ offense with QB Shane
Matthews running the show. Though head coach Dick Jauron said his game plan for last
week’s game vs. Tampa Bay wasn’t conservative, WR Marcus Robinson said
the Bears didn’t run any deep routes. That said, Matthews took what the defense gave
him in completing 20-of-34 passes for 165 yards. Still, Matthews doesn’t have the arm
strength of Jim Miller or Cade McNown, so expect him to be more efficient
than explosive. … Speaking of McNown (shoulder), he’s expected to be the
emergency No. 3 quarterback Sunday vs. the Jets. Apparently, he’s still a week or two
away from returning.
Green Bay — QB Brett Favre should play on his injured foot Monday night at
Carolina. Favre has had a fair amount of success vs. the Panthers, throwing 12 TD passes
in his last four meetings, including one playoff game. He should also make a fine fantasy
quarterback down the stretch with two remaining home games. Consider: In games at Lambeau
Field when the temperature is 34 degrees or lower, Favre has a TD-interception ratio of
56-14, a completion percentage of 64.8 and a passer rating of 105.6.
Tampa Bay — With FB Mike Alstott (sprained left knee) out for the at least
the remainder of the regular season, look for the Buccaneers to use more three-WR sets
with RB Warrick Dunn as the lone back. The Bucs already have started using more
three-wide than in recent seasons, but Alstott’s injury necessitates increased use,
not to mention increased of Dunn. Rabih Abdullah will take some of Alstott’s
carries, but not many. Abdullah is a physical, straight-ahead runner with a little speed,
but he’s not nearly the threat that Alstott was. Dunn should get a few more carries a
game to compensate for his fullback’s loss.
NFC WEST
Atlanta — The Falcons hope staying in the Bay Area after their loss to the 49ers
will help them this Sunday at Oakland. It’s questionable how well they’ll play,
though, considering how terrible the offensive line has been. With the line’s best
player, OT Bob Whitfield (neck), listed as doubtful, QB Chris Chandler could have
another tough game ahead of him, although the Raiders’ pass rush has hardly been
overwhelming this season. If Chandler starts off the game looking as bad he did last
Sunday vs. San Francisco, don’t be shocked if he’s pulled early and replaced by
rookie Doug Johnson, who could start to get more playing time with the Falcons out
of the playoff picture. RB Jamal Anderson and WR Shawn Jefferson are
expected to play despite nagging calf and ankle injuries, respectively.
Carolina — WR Donald Hayes, who leads the team in receiving yards (731), is
very questionable at this writing for the Monday night game vs. Green Bay. If he
can’t start, Isaac Byrd will take his place as the No. 2 receiver. RB Tshimanga
Biakabutuka (toe) is champing at the bit to play vs. Green Bay Monday (he thinks the
grass field will help him). However, Biakabutuka is still questionable and could again be
very well replaced by Brad Hoover, who didn’t do all that bad a job replacing
him last Sunday vs. the Vikings. FB Chris Hetherington, who scored a rushing TD vs.
the Vikes (a real rarity for the Panthers this season since they only have five rushing
TDs all year), again replaces the injured William Floyd.
New Orleans — After impressing a lot of people under extremely difficult
circumstances last Sunday following the season-ending injury to Jeff Blake, QB Aaron
Brooks makes his first full-fledged start vs. the Rams this Sunday. A big factor in
his favor this weekend is his opposition — the Rams’ defense is now tied with
the 49ers for most points allowed this season. The Saints were also satisfied for the most
part with the three-pronged combination of RBs Jerald Moore, Chad Morton and
FB Terrelle Smith in place of the injured Ricky Williams. Morton, who also
served as a solid receiving threat out of the backfield, has the most fantasy potential.
Smith, it appears, could be more of a rushing threat than first expected. WR Willie
Jackson (two TDs vs. Raiders) also is expected to be more of an offensive factor as
the No. 2 WR, as offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy hopes to keep defenses off balance
with as many different weapons as possible. Moore (ribs) is a little nicked up but should
play.
San Francisco — on bye
St. Louis — RB Marshall Faulk appears firmly back in the mix after
gaining121 yards rushing and receiving and scoring his league-leading 15th
touchdown on a 19-yard TD pass in the Monday-night loss to Washington. Faulk had missed
the previous two games with a knee injury. Look for QB Trent Green to go all out in
what figures to be his last start in a while with Kurt Warner expected to return
next week. PK Jeff Wilkins (quad) is listed as questionable for the Saints, and we
hear the Rams will probably keep him out another week in favor of Jeff Hall, who
has done a pretty decent job. |
