This week’s bye team: ClevelandAFC East
Buffalo — Doug Flutie will start this week against Seattle. RB Shawn
Bryson has had three solid games in a row and could continue the trend against a
Seattle defense that has been terrible against the run in the last four weeks.
Indianapolis — Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James could have monster
days against a Minnesota defense that hasn’t been very good. The Colts have their
backs against the wall and will be expected to keep pace with the stellar Vikings offense,
who likely will torch the Colts’ bad defense. It would be wise to stay away from the
Colts’ defense this week.
Miami — Lamar Smith could have a very good game against a New England run
defense that held him to 42 yards in Week Four, but has all but collapsed since. Jeff
Ogden will continue to return punts for the Dolphins, despite a few mistakes last
week. Ogden also will get a shot as the Dolphins No. 4 receiver, with the injury to Bert
Emanuel.
New England — Look for J.R. Redmond to get more looks and possibly have a
solid game against the Dolphins, who have also struggled against the run recently. Drew
Bledsoe might be a smart player to avoid starting this week, since he is facing one of
the top secondaries in the NFL.
N.Y. Jets — Avoid starting any Jets’ offensive players this week.
They’re playing the Ravens and aren’t expected to have an easy go at scoring
points or racking up yards.
AFC Central
Baltimore — The Ravens’ offense reverted to the form it displayed during its
October TD drought vs. Arizona, with QB Trent Dilfer looking especially shaky.
Things should improve Sunday vs. the Jets, though, since Baltimore will be facing a very
banged-up New York defense. One offensive player who has been steadily effective is rookie
RB Jamal Lewis. He has gained 90 or more yards in seven straight games and will be
motivated by the fact that he could become the 11th rookie in NFL history to
rush for 1,400 yards if he can gain 88 vs. the Jets.
Cleveland — The Browns’ season is over because they have the Week 17
bye.
Jacksonville — Fred Taylor will be running for his 10th 100-yard
rushing game in a row this week vs. the Giants. Don’t bet the house that it will
happen, though. Not only is Taylor facing one of the top run defenses in the NFL, but he
angered the Giants’ defenders with some trash talk earlier in the week. Taylor said
he didn’t think the Giants’ defense was that special, and indicated there are
some defenses that are a lot tougher in the AFC. It’s a good bet that the
Giants’ defenders will be looking to show Taylor how good they are on Saturday
afternoon.
Pittsburgh — The Bus may need a plow (despite the warm San Diego climate) to bust
through the phenomenal run defense of the Chargers, which held the Panthers to 11 yards on
the ground last week. Kordell Stewart could have more opportunities to throw the
ball if Bettis can’t get in gear.
Tennessee — The Titans finally may be get their passing game going Monday night
against the Cowboys, who will be starting rookie CBs Mario Edwards and Kareem Larrimore.
Tennessee’s mere 93 passing yards last week was because of the cold and snow the team
had to deal with in Cleveland. In fact, WR Carl Pickens didn’t even play. Said
head coach Jeff Fisher: "Carl is fine. I talked to Carl about it, and we just got
into the situation where we were running the football and it just didn't happen. We fully
expect him to be a part of our plans from here on out."
AFC West
Kansas City — Tony Gonzalez needs only nine catches in Sunday’s season
finale against Atlanta to break Ben Coates' league record for single-season receptions by
a tight end (96) set in 1994. The Chiefs said this week that they'd like to see their
fourth-year player, who has 88 catches in his second Pro Bowl season, become the most
prolific receiver among NFL tight ends, so expect him to be even more of a target for QB Elvis
Grbac. … RB Tony Richardson will continue to handle the bulk of the load
for the running game, as he basically is being tested to see if he can be the Chiefs’
every-down back next year.
San Diego — While QB Ryan Leaf has made the Chargers more competitive in
the second half of the season, his numbers still are not impressive enough to warrant
starting him in fantasy playoffs. Over the last five games he has thrown for 1,091 yards
and eight touchdowns, but he continues to have trouble with turnovers (12), which can
damage a fantasy squad.
Denver — QB Brian Griese is in, and RB Terrell Davis is (still) out.
The Broncos are still waiting to decide if Davis should go to injured reserve before the
playoffs, but it doesn’t look promising. Based on his performances in practice,
Griese probably deserves a start. However, the rust could be there in real game
situations, and Denver is facing a vastly improved 49ers defense.
Oakland — RB Tyrone Wheatley and QB Rich Gannon will both play
despite suffering leg injuries last week. WR Andre Rison also said he will go
despite a shoulder injury. The Raiders are playing for a first-round bye, so don’t
expect head coach Jon Gruden to pull out his stars unless they have a secure lead.
Seattle — WR Darrell Jackson and RB Ricky Watters continue to be
solid starting candidates. Watters is looking to cap off another solid campaign, while
Jackson, despite the occasional rookie mistakes, has come up big in the clutch and is a
favorite target of QB Jon Kitna.
NFC East
Arizona — Be wary of starting RB Michael Pittman this week against the
Redskins. While he has practiced some this week, and probably will play, he missed most of
the game last week with a concussion.
Dallas — While Emmitt Smith merits being played every week, he could
struggle on Monday night against the Titans. Tennessee has been very strong against the
run in the past several games, allowing an average of just 55.3 rushing yards in their
last three games.
New York Giants — Don’t worry about the Giants resting any of their top
players now that they’ve assured themselves a division title. They need to beat the
Jaguars on Saturday to assure themselves of homefield-advantage throughout the playoffs.
That means that Kerry Collins, Ron Dayne, Tiki Barber, Ike
Hilliard and Amani Toomer should play the entire game. … WR Joe
Jurevicius will miss this week with a knee injury.
Philadelphia — Count on seeing a lot of RB Chris Warren this week
against the Bengals. He signed with the Eagles before their Week 15 game but didn’t
see action. However, he spent the bye week cramming to learn the offense, and the Eagles
want to see what kind of spark he gives the running attack before the playoffs.
Washington — WR James Thrash should be a solid play this week. He caught
six passes for 102 yards in the first game against the Cardinals this season. … QB Brad
Johnson will be starting this game, as Jeff George is still suffering from a
sore back, which was suffered in last week’s loss to the the Steelers.
NFC Central
Chicago — With Shane Matthews back at quarterback, the Bears’ offense
has a chance to be effective. In his last game, Matthews completed a team-record 15
straight passes, finishing with 22-of-27 passing for 239 yards and two touchdowns. James
Allen carried 37 times for 97 yards and a touchdown, and Eddie Kennison caught
eight passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Matthews gives the offense a better rhythm,
and his teammates have much more faith in him than the currently benched Cade McNown.
Against a banged up Lions secondary and susceptible run defense, the Bears could give the
Lions a scare in the season finale.
Detroit — Whatever the condition of Charlie Batch’s ribs, the
quarterback will start for the Lions on Sunday. Speculation rose over the weekend that
Batch’s ribs, which were originally injured in the Thanksgiving Day win over New
England, might be broken. But no one has said as much. Batch wears a flak jacket to
protect his ribs. Despite his struggles, Batch still has Moeller’s support. In recent
weeks, Batch has regressed to his indecisive stage and has at times been hesitant to throw
the ball. But the Lions don’t seem to believe it’s a reflection on Batch as a
quarterback. They continually point to the practice time Batch missed from early June,
when he injured his leg, through September, when he finally returned to action.
Green Bay — How good is Brett Favre in the cold at home? Entering this
season, when the gametime temperature was 34 degrees or below, Favre completed 64.9
percent of his passes for 54 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions. His passer rating was
106.1 in those games. In two such games this season, Favre has a TD-interception ratio of
3-2 with one 300-yard game. Against a Bucs defense that allowed 35 points Monday night,
Favre is a must play
Minnesota — QB Daunte Culpepper, who is nursing a high-ankle sprain, will
be a game-time decision for Sunday’s game against the Colts. Culpepper wore a cast
until Wednesday this week, then a protective boot. He was expected to test the ankle
Friday. High-ankle sprains generally take a while to heal, so the prevailing thought is
that Culpepper won’t play. Backup Bubby Brister has been practicing a lot this
week, but no one knows for sure how he’d perform. Brister didn’t look very good
in the preseason — though he was playing with second- and third-teamers — and
he’s thrown two passes all season.
Tampa Bay — Continue to ride RB Warrick Dunn, who averaged 172.8
rushing-receiving yards and scored seven rushing touchdowns in the last four games. FB
Mike Alstott will not do enough to impact Dunn’s numbers, as evidenced by Monday
night’s game, in which Dunn carried 22 times to Alstott’s 3. Head coach Tony
Dungy said so himself, saying you have to look at what you’re doing that’s
making you successful. Dunn should have a favorable matchup this week against a Packers
defensive line that has been decimated by injuries, especially at defensive tackle.
NFC West
Atlanta — It looks like veteran QB Chris Chandler has been removed from the
doghouse and is back in the No. 1 driver’s seat for the Falcons’ regular-season
finale. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if rookie Doug Johnson still sees
considerable action at quarterback vs. the Chiefs. RB Jamal Anderson needs 83 yards
rushing for his fourth career 1,000-yard season, while WR Terance Mathis needs two
TD catches to set the club record.
Carolina — Look for the Panthers to continue the QB pattern they went with vs. San
Diego, which means Steve Beuerlein will start in order to keep his streak of
consecutive starts alive, and Jeff Lewis will still see significant action in
relief of Beuerlein. Keep an eye on WR Muhsin Muhammad, who needs five catches to
pass his career-season best of 96 — an achievement that would serve as vindication
for not being selected to this year’s Pro Bowl despite the same kind of numbers he
had last year when he made the team. Also keep an eye on PK Joe Nedney, who would
love to kick the Raiders to death for cutting him last year.
New Orleans — With RB Ricky Williams’ ankle still hurting, the No. 1
RB job again goes to late-season pickup Terry Allen, who has done an acceptable job
in the role and has kept improving every week. Both Chad Morton (shoulder) and Jerald
Moore (neck) are expected to see action vs. the Rams, with Morton figuring more in the
offensive mix. FB Terrelle Smith (bulging disc) is not expected to play Sunday and
will probably be replaced in the starting lineup by Brian Milne.
St. Louis — Look for the Rams to come out vs. the Saints Sunday with all their
guns blazing. If they can somehow manage 43 points, which isn’t impossible with their
offense, they could break the NFL record of 556 points held by the 1998 Vikings. RB Marshall
Faulk will also be motivated to try to surpass Emmitt Smith’s NFL-record TD mark.
Faulk (23 TDs) needs three TDs to break the record.
San Francisco — QB Jeff Garcia has a shot at breaking a pair of pretty
impressive team records vs. Denver Sunday. Garcia needs 81 yards passing to break the club
record of 4,170 by Steve Young in 1998. With two more TD throws, he would eclipse Joe
Montana’s career-best 31 of 1987. Look for WR J.J. Stokes to be fired up to
the max in the wake of Denver LB Bill Romanowski’s latest comments on the infamous
spitting episode the last time Denver played San Francisco. |
