Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
Here we go with Week 5. As you know I list the yds rush vs the yds given up by the opposition right after the team name is listed.
Now a lot of this you can do yourself with the aid of the stats at NFL.com and also Doug Drinen has a terrific site called Pro-Football-Reference.com, and that's the bible for stat geeks. You can spend hours surfing around and looking at stats there...I would have never left my room as a kid had it been around...course I do that now
Have fun and sound off when your finished reading.
Buffalo 117/80 at Chicago 98/103
Willis McGahee: I nailed his yds down last week but he did manage to cross the goal line and that made owners get by with his output last week. Buffalo has 3 rush TD and Chicago has only yielded 1 this season. Look for McGahee to grind out his yds but I wouldn’t expect much more than last week and he has about a 50/50 chance of crossing into pay dirt this week. The Bears are allowing 4.0 ypc, so maybe 80 yds on the ground…10-12 points for the day.
Thomas Jones: 3.0 ypc for the Bears ground game. He had 2 rush TDs in a blowout of Seattle last week. I think if Grossman can keep up his end of the bargain and stretch the field…you have to like Jones going forward in most leagues. Teams are realizing they will get burned if they do not respect Grossman and the pass. So keep playing Jones if you have him. This is a decent match up for him. Buffalo is giving up 4.1 ypc.
Cleveland 71/129 at Carolina 110/149
Reuben Droughns: The Panthers were so manhandled the 1st week of the season that their stats are going to be behind for awhile. They seem to be getting things back on track and I expect Droughns to have a hard day running the football. If Bush and McAllister combined couldn’t get it done really on the Panthers…what is Reuben going to produce? The game is at home and Carolina is in the midst of what I think will be a 5 or 6 game run of wins for them…they are trying to salvage the season still and get back on track. Tough match up.
DeShaun Foster: I expect him to do well this week again. He has about 900 yds and 4 TDs over the past 8 games with Steve Smith in the line up from last season where he was declared the starter and following into this season. DeShaun should have about 100 Deyards on DeDay, and he is about 75% likely based on the 6 combined TDs the Panthers and Browns have collectively scored and given up on the ground so far this season. Good match up. Don’t worry about DeAngelo this week.
Detroit 70/89 at Minnesota 96/86
Kevin Jones: With his involvement in the passing game he is a must start right now. 3.8 ypc for the Lions, 3.6 ypc for the Vikes defense. I don’t think Kev Jones will rush for 100 yds very often this season but he should be good for 75-100 total yds many weeks and in PPR leagues he is a very nice RB2. I think he will score again this week. Detroit has 4 rush TDs on the season, MN has given up 3…divide by the 8 games they have played together, you get the idea. 80 yds and a score this week. Not an easy match up though.
Chester Taylor: What a disappointment last week. Detroit is pretty tough to run on, I expect Taylor to be relatively quiet…but he is force fed the ball. Maybe this is the week Mewelde Moore gets a little more action. Tough match up for Taylor, even though Detroit is 0-4. At some point the Lions rush defense may throw in the towel if they are heading for a 3-13 season, which is looking more and more likely. It’s a shame because there is talent on both sides of the ball. Well maybe not the Detroit pass defense, one of the reasons their rush defense has looked good. Look for the Vikes to challenge that this weekend.
Miami 89/91 at New England 154/94
Ronnie Brown: Miami will have their work cut out for them, fresh off a Texans loss they now must go on the road and play the Patriots who are coming off a blowout of the mighty Bengals on the road. I usually like Brown’s chances but this week I expect him to have a rough go of it. Owners will be lucky if they can squeeze 10-15 points out of him. He also might have a tough time flying into the end zone to offset the challenge in yds he will have.
Laurence Maroney: Had him #7 on the board last week. He came thru with flying colors. He isn’t going to do that every week. And he is still sharing the field with Dillon, however I think that’s the perfect scenario for him right now so he doesn’t burn out before the end of the season. He has a chance to post 100 yds and a score on almost anyone he faces. You must find room for him in your starting rotation every week for now.
Corey Dillon: Best as a flex in a start 2/2/1 format or 2/3/1. Will continue to get carries and goal line looks week to week.
St. Louis 103/98 at Green Bay 81/120
Steven Jackson: AJ Hawk sure looks like an improvement over what GB has had before. He is making a difference on the ground game for the opposition. SJax will have to work like he does every week. He had a nice game in a 41-34 backyard pitch and catch game last week with Detroit. GB has an overall lousy defense so he has a good shot at 100 yds and a TD this week. GB is giving up 1.2 TD a week on the gorund right now…look for St Louis to use SJax in and around the goal line after they exploit the secondary each time to move into the red zone. Decent match up.
Ahman Green: Check the injury report. The Rams rush defense is terrible. 120 yds a week and 4.5 ypc…if Morency is a go then I would think heavily about putting him into your line up. I expect a lot of points again this week.
Tampa Bay 43/108 at New Orleans 103/170
“Cadillac”: Lots of rumors circulating whether he is having back problems or not. Where there’s smoke there’s BBQ…I mean where there’s smoke there’s fire so owners beware. The Bucs got word this week that starting Tackle Kenyatta Walker is gone for the remainder of the season. If that’s true their rushing attack suffers another blow. If you have other options than Williams this week I would look at them. Till we see something with the rookie QB under center I think it’s better to be cautious. If he lights it up then we can adjust next week. NO rush defense is yielding 108 yds but 4.6 ypc…Hmmmm on 2nd thought maybe you should play him. The Bucs are going to have to run and NO is not that great at stopping the run…don’t tell that to the Falcons but 4.6 ypc!!! Maybe Williams can scrape 70-80 yds and a score this week.
Deuce McAllister: You have to keep playing him right now. He is scoring TDs and while his yds have been fairly low, he is popping 10-15 points a week for owners so keep him in there as your RB2 for right now. I never thought I would say the Bucs are an easy match up but they are having problems. Most of them are the fact their Safetys do not play the run very well.
Reggie Bush: I would only be starting him as a flex player in PPR leagues right now. He has not scored a TD yet.
Tennessee 70/155 at Indianapolis 100/177
TN RB: Henry, Brown, whatever…this is a good match up. Not sure the Titans can take advantage of it but it is a good week to start one of them. Now they are going to fall behind but maybe they can put together a couple of drives with their ground game…everyone else ahs against the Colts. Barlow was a good play last week…BARLOW!!! Keep up with the injury report but there are points to be had here.
Joseph Addai: I’m gonna give the nod to Addai this week for a simple reason. I expect Indy to blowout the Titans something like 42-14 so there will not be a need to run Rhodes as much in the game. He is a dangerous start right now and is splitting the carries fairly evenly. I think 70 yds and a TD is reasonable expectations.
Dominic Rhodes: He will see action too for sure. No reason to keep a Colt on your bench this week.
Washington 145/89 at NYGiants 115/79
Clinton Portis: Should be fine on Sunday. He tore up the Jags last week so he is quickly becoming a RB where you don’t pay attention as much to the match up. I like him to do well again this week. The Giants are only yielding 2.9 ypc, I should point that out…but the Skins are running 4.6 ypc. Look for another 100 yds and a TD this weekend. More if a shootout starts.
Tiki Barber: Will get his yds on Sunday. He racked 320+ yds on the Skins last season. Look for him to do well on Sunday.
Kansas City 127/144 at Arizona 70/118
Larry Johnson: Stud back with a good match up. Should be able to repeat his numbers from a week ago. I look for KC to get some easy turnovers and LJ to work on short field on Sunday…this could be one of if not his biggest games of the season. Could easily hit the 3 TD mark on Sunday. I’m not really going out on a limb with LJ, I know.
Edge: With a new QB they are saying Edge will get more carries…bummer cause they can’t run the ball worth a lick. Their OL is about as useful as poop flavored lollipops. A pathetic 2.8 ypc with one of the best all round RB in the backfiled…just awful. The cards are in big trouble this weekend.
NYJets 88/82 at Jacksonville 103/140
Kevan Barlow: Look for the Jags to take out some frustration of the past 2 weeks on the Jets…I wouldn’t be starting too many jets this weekend at any positions.
Fred Taylor: Terrible last week but will bounce back big this week. The jets are giving up 2 rush TDs a week. That’s 1 for Taylor and 1 for the next guy.
Maurice Drew: I like him in the flex this weekend. The Jets ground game let Rhodes and Addai slice them up last week, look for the Jags to do the same this week.
Oakland 106/119 at San Fran 112/145
Lamont Jordan: Pretty decent match up this weekend. 2 teams not going anywhere in the post season, although the Niners have more of a team thing going than the Raiders. Jordan is perfectly capable of running for 100 yds and a TD this weekend. SF is giving up 1.2 TDs a week on the ground so exploit it if you can.
Frank Gore: Really look for him to get back on track this week. 100+ yds and a TD for sure…book it.
Dallas 147/93 at Philly 129/83
Julius Jones: Will have a tougher road to get his points this week after slicing thru TN last week. Should still see a good amount of carries and I like him to come close to 100 yds but getting in the end zone will be tougher. Philly has secondary problems and I look for Dallas to unleash TO and TG a lot during this game.
MB III: You’re playing Russian Roulette right now if you are playing him every week. He is not the starter, he isn’t going to be the starter, and you’re going to get 20 yds rush and 10 yds rec a lot of weeks. Let him sit on your bench.
Brian Westbrook: What a disappointment he was Sunday Night…and he caused a lot of unnecessary grief in a lot of league too. They are saying his knee is bad and might require surgery after the Dallas game...2-6 weeks is the report I have read. Just pay attention to the injury report and you might also want to get online with the Philly newspapers that are local as well. This would be the 3rd season in a row where he might miss some significant time. The guy is all world when he is on the field but owners really need to pay attention here.
Correll Buckhalter: He fumbled twice inside the 5 yd line on MNF…that’s not good. I do like his style but he is also a major injury risk.
Pittsburgh 114/66 at San Diego 195/78
FWP: Fast Willie has his work cut out for him this week. I think this game will actually be a little more high scoring than some think. The Steelers have to score in order to compete…I would not sit Parker unless I had a really good option. Joseph Addai is NOT a good option compared to FWP who has the ability to turn in 100 yds and a TD every week. The Steelers OL is decent and SD is mighty deflated coming off the road loss where they were kicking the Ravens around for 3.5 quarters. Tough match up for sure.
Tomlinson: Had a tough week last week, not gonna be an easy day this week. If he can muster 100 total yds and a score, please be happy owners.
Baltimore 95/106 at Denver 150/63
Jamal Lewis: Tough match up. No air up there and he is going to have a hard night. I like Denver to win the game so I think McNair and crew will have to throw more than they would like on MNF. Lewis is not a good play right now.
Tatum Bell: Will not be easy but they will wear down the Ravens in the thin air of Mile High this Monday. 70-80 yds and a TD.
M.O.P. Cheatsheet
1-Larry Johnson
2-Clinton Portis
3-Steven Jackson
4-Frank Gore
5-Thomas Jones
6-DeShaun Foster
7-Tiki Barber
8-Lamont Jordan
9-LaDainian Tomlinson
10-Deuce McAllister
11-Joseph Addai
12-Laurence Maroney
13-Kevin Jones
14-Fred Taylor
15-“Cadillac”
16-McGahee
17-FWP
18-Julius Jones
19-GB RB
20-Corey Dillon
21-Chester Taylor
22-Tatum Bell
23-Maurice Drew
24-Ronnie Brown
25-Dominic Rhodes
26-Edge
27-TN RB
28-Westbrook…check the IR during the week
29-Reggie Bush
30-Jamal Lewis
31-Reuben Droughns
32-Kevan Barlow
33-MB III
Now a lot of this you can do yourself with the aid of the stats at NFL.com and also Doug Drinen has a terrific site called Pro-Football-Reference.com, and that's the bible for stat geeks. You can spend hours surfing around and looking at stats there...I would have never left my room as a kid had it been around...course I do that now
Have fun and sound off when your finished reading.
Buffalo 117/80 at Chicago 98/103
Willis McGahee: I nailed his yds down last week but he did manage to cross the goal line and that made owners get by with his output last week. Buffalo has 3 rush TD and Chicago has only yielded 1 this season. Look for McGahee to grind out his yds but I wouldn’t expect much more than last week and he has about a 50/50 chance of crossing into pay dirt this week. The Bears are allowing 4.0 ypc, so maybe 80 yds on the ground…10-12 points for the day.
Thomas Jones: 3.0 ypc for the Bears ground game. He had 2 rush TDs in a blowout of Seattle last week. I think if Grossman can keep up his end of the bargain and stretch the field…you have to like Jones going forward in most leagues. Teams are realizing they will get burned if they do not respect Grossman and the pass. So keep playing Jones if you have him. This is a decent match up for him. Buffalo is giving up 4.1 ypc.
Cleveland 71/129 at Carolina 110/149
Reuben Droughns: The Panthers were so manhandled the 1st week of the season that their stats are going to be behind for awhile. They seem to be getting things back on track and I expect Droughns to have a hard day running the football. If Bush and McAllister combined couldn’t get it done really on the Panthers…what is Reuben going to produce? The game is at home and Carolina is in the midst of what I think will be a 5 or 6 game run of wins for them…they are trying to salvage the season still and get back on track. Tough match up.
DeShaun Foster: I expect him to do well this week again. He has about 900 yds and 4 TDs over the past 8 games with Steve Smith in the line up from last season where he was declared the starter and following into this season. DeShaun should have about 100 Deyards on DeDay, and he is about 75% likely based on the 6 combined TDs the Panthers and Browns have collectively scored and given up on the ground so far this season. Good match up. Don’t worry about DeAngelo this week.
Detroit 70/89 at Minnesota 96/86
Kevin Jones: With his involvement in the passing game he is a must start right now. 3.8 ypc for the Lions, 3.6 ypc for the Vikes defense. I don’t think Kev Jones will rush for 100 yds very often this season but he should be good for 75-100 total yds many weeks and in PPR leagues he is a very nice RB2. I think he will score again this week. Detroit has 4 rush TDs on the season, MN has given up 3…divide by the 8 games they have played together, you get the idea. 80 yds and a score this week. Not an easy match up though.
Chester Taylor: What a disappointment last week. Detroit is pretty tough to run on, I expect Taylor to be relatively quiet…but he is force fed the ball. Maybe this is the week Mewelde Moore gets a little more action. Tough match up for Taylor, even though Detroit is 0-4. At some point the Lions rush defense may throw in the towel if they are heading for a 3-13 season, which is looking more and more likely. It’s a shame because there is talent on both sides of the ball. Well maybe not the Detroit pass defense, one of the reasons their rush defense has looked good. Look for the Vikes to challenge that this weekend.
Miami 89/91 at New England 154/94
Ronnie Brown: Miami will have their work cut out for them, fresh off a Texans loss they now must go on the road and play the Patriots who are coming off a blowout of the mighty Bengals on the road. I usually like Brown’s chances but this week I expect him to have a rough go of it. Owners will be lucky if they can squeeze 10-15 points out of him. He also might have a tough time flying into the end zone to offset the challenge in yds he will have.
Laurence Maroney: Had him #7 on the board last week. He came thru with flying colors. He isn’t going to do that every week. And he is still sharing the field with Dillon, however I think that’s the perfect scenario for him right now so he doesn’t burn out before the end of the season. He has a chance to post 100 yds and a score on almost anyone he faces. You must find room for him in your starting rotation every week for now.
Corey Dillon: Best as a flex in a start 2/2/1 format or 2/3/1. Will continue to get carries and goal line looks week to week.
St. Louis 103/98 at Green Bay 81/120
Steven Jackson: AJ Hawk sure looks like an improvement over what GB has had before. He is making a difference on the ground game for the opposition. SJax will have to work like he does every week. He had a nice game in a 41-34 backyard pitch and catch game last week with Detroit. GB has an overall lousy defense so he has a good shot at 100 yds and a TD this week. GB is giving up 1.2 TD a week on the gorund right now…look for St Louis to use SJax in and around the goal line after they exploit the secondary each time to move into the red zone. Decent match up.
Ahman Green: Check the injury report. The Rams rush defense is terrible. 120 yds a week and 4.5 ypc…if Morency is a go then I would think heavily about putting him into your line up. I expect a lot of points again this week.
Tampa Bay 43/108 at New Orleans 103/170
“Cadillac”: Lots of rumors circulating whether he is having back problems or not. Where there’s smoke there’s BBQ…I mean where there’s smoke there’s fire so owners beware. The Bucs got word this week that starting Tackle Kenyatta Walker is gone for the remainder of the season. If that’s true their rushing attack suffers another blow. If you have other options than Williams this week I would look at them. Till we see something with the rookie QB under center I think it’s better to be cautious. If he lights it up then we can adjust next week. NO rush defense is yielding 108 yds but 4.6 ypc…Hmmmm on 2nd thought maybe you should play him. The Bucs are going to have to run and NO is not that great at stopping the run…don’t tell that to the Falcons but 4.6 ypc!!! Maybe Williams can scrape 70-80 yds and a score this week.
Deuce McAllister: You have to keep playing him right now. He is scoring TDs and while his yds have been fairly low, he is popping 10-15 points a week for owners so keep him in there as your RB2 for right now. I never thought I would say the Bucs are an easy match up but they are having problems. Most of them are the fact their Safetys do not play the run very well.
Reggie Bush: I would only be starting him as a flex player in PPR leagues right now. He has not scored a TD yet.
Tennessee 70/155 at Indianapolis 100/177
TN RB: Henry, Brown, whatever…this is a good match up. Not sure the Titans can take advantage of it but it is a good week to start one of them. Now they are going to fall behind but maybe they can put together a couple of drives with their ground game…everyone else ahs against the Colts. Barlow was a good play last week…BARLOW!!! Keep up with the injury report but there are points to be had here.
Joseph Addai: I’m gonna give the nod to Addai this week for a simple reason. I expect Indy to blowout the Titans something like 42-14 so there will not be a need to run Rhodes as much in the game. He is a dangerous start right now and is splitting the carries fairly evenly. I think 70 yds and a TD is reasonable expectations.
Dominic Rhodes: He will see action too for sure. No reason to keep a Colt on your bench this week.
Washington 145/89 at NYGiants 115/79
Clinton Portis: Should be fine on Sunday. He tore up the Jags last week so he is quickly becoming a RB where you don’t pay attention as much to the match up. I like him to do well again this week. The Giants are only yielding 2.9 ypc, I should point that out…but the Skins are running 4.6 ypc. Look for another 100 yds and a TD this weekend. More if a shootout starts.
Tiki Barber: Will get his yds on Sunday. He racked 320+ yds on the Skins last season. Look for him to do well on Sunday.
Kansas City 127/144 at Arizona 70/118
Larry Johnson: Stud back with a good match up. Should be able to repeat his numbers from a week ago. I look for KC to get some easy turnovers and LJ to work on short field on Sunday…this could be one of if not his biggest games of the season. Could easily hit the 3 TD mark on Sunday. I’m not really going out on a limb with LJ, I know.
Edge: With a new QB they are saying Edge will get more carries…bummer cause they can’t run the ball worth a lick. Their OL is about as useful as poop flavored lollipops. A pathetic 2.8 ypc with one of the best all round RB in the backfiled…just awful. The cards are in big trouble this weekend.
NYJets 88/82 at Jacksonville 103/140
Kevan Barlow: Look for the Jags to take out some frustration of the past 2 weeks on the Jets…I wouldn’t be starting too many jets this weekend at any positions.
Fred Taylor: Terrible last week but will bounce back big this week. The jets are giving up 2 rush TDs a week. That’s 1 for Taylor and 1 for the next guy.
Maurice Drew: I like him in the flex this weekend. The Jets ground game let Rhodes and Addai slice them up last week, look for the Jags to do the same this week.
Oakland 106/119 at San Fran 112/145
Lamont Jordan: Pretty decent match up this weekend. 2 teams not going anywhere in the post season, although the Niners have more of a team thing going than the Raiders. Jordan is perfectly capable of running for 100 yds and a TD this weekend. SF is giving up 1.2 TDs a week on the ground so exploit it if you can.
Frank Gore: Really look for him to get back on track this week. 100+ yds and a TD for sure…book it.
Dallas 147/93 at Philly 129/83
Julius Jones: Will have a tougher road to get his points this week after slicing thru TN last week. Should still see a good amount of carries and I like him to come close to 100 yds but getting in the end zone will be tougher. Philly has secondary problems and I look for Dallas to unleash TO and TG a lot during this game.
MB III: You’re playing Russian Roulette right now if you are playing him every week. He is not the starter, he isn’t going to be the starter, and you’re going to get 20 yds rush and 10 yds rec a lot of weeks. Let him sit on your bench.
Brian Westbrook: What a disappointment he was Sunday Night…and he caused a lot of unnecessary grief in a lot of league too. They are saying his knee is bad and might require surgery after the Dallas game...2-6 weeks is the report I have read. Just pay attention to the injury report and you might also want to get online with the Philly newspapers that are local as well. This would be the 3rd season in a row where he might miss some significant time. The guy is all world when he is on the field but owners really need to pay attention here.
Correll Buckhalter: He fumbled twice inside the 5 yd line on MNF…that’s not good. I do like his style but he is also a major injury risk.
Pittsburgh 114/66 at San Diego 195/78
FWP: Fast Willie has his work cut out for him this week. I think this game will actually be a little more high scoring than some think. The Steelers have to score in order to compete…I would not sit Parker unless I had a really good option. Joseph Addai is NOT a good option compared to FWP who has the ability to turn in 100 yds and a TD every week. The Steelers OL is decent and SD is mighty deflated coming off the road loss where they were kicking the Ravens around for 3.5 quarters. Tough match up for sure.
Tomlinson: Had a tough week last week, not gonna be an easy day this week. If he can muster 100 total yds and a score, please be happy owners.
Baltimore 95/106 at Denver 150/63
Jamal Lewis: Tough match up. No air up there and he is going to have a hard night. I like Denver to win the game so I think McNair and crew will have to throw more than they would like on MNF. Lewis is not a good play right now.
Tatum Bell: Will not be easy but they will wear down the Ravens in the thin air of Mile High this Monday. 70-80 yds and a TD.
M.O.P. Cheatsheet
1-Larry Johnson
2-Clinton Portis
3-Steven Jackson
4-Frank Gore
5-Thomas Jones
6-DeShaun Foster
7-Tiki Barber
8-Lamont Jordan
9-LaDainian Tomlinson
10-Deuce McAllister
11-Joseph Addai
12-Laurence Maroney
13-Kevin Jones
14-Fred Taylor
15-“Cadillac”
16-McGahee
17-FWP
18-Julius Jones
19-GB RB
20-Corey Dillon
21-Chester Taylor
22-Tatum Bell
23-Maurice Drew
24-Ronnie Brown
25-Dominic Rhodes
26-Edge
27-TN RB
28-Westbrook…check the IR during the week
29-Reggie Bush
30-Jamal Lewis
31-Reuben Droughns
32-Kevan Barlow
33-MB III
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I only had him #7. You gotta do what your gut tells you, not what some guy on a site preaches so do what you think is best. also you are going to want to read FBG for their insight and projections too.
