Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
Just a reminder that I tend to highlight the players in green that I think might be slightly under the radar, or sometimes they are stud RB but I just feel they might have an explosive day that week. Red is an alert that I don't expect good things from that player. if you ever have a question about any of that, just post below and I will be glad to go a little more in depth. Cheers!
Detroit at Chicago
Kevin Jones: Has to be looked at as a potential solid play. The Bears are getting very little out of their interior DL right now, add to that their Safety Mike Brown is out for the season, and even though Urlacher is excellent, he can’t do a much when he is being blocked down on by 300 lb OL because they have clear shots at him. Will Mike Martz call Kevin Jones number enough times? I think he will. This is a big game with playoff implications…Detroit could be 5-2 after this week…scary.
Cedric Benson: On top of being ineffective, he also has been banged up a bit…he is killing FF owners this season. I wonder what Chicago is going to do long term because Benson does not seem like a good solution. Maybe the OL could block a little better but this for the most part same OL saw Thomas Jones be very effective running behind it.
Indy at Carolina
Joseph Addai: I tend to listen to Tony Dungy when he speaks and as much as I hate to write this, it seems like we have a split of sorts at RB. I still think Addai will get about 60% of the load, but the Colts are thinking about keeping Addai fresh for the playoffs, and if there is one area they are better than the Pats, it might be the fact they have a very fluid 2 back system. Even in this system, Addai is likely to put up 100 yds and a TD a week, I just think owners are going to get frustrated with seeing Keith rack up 50 yds and maybe a TD every other week. This is alos having quite an impact on the passing game as there really has been no need to sling it all over the place. The Colts can run the ball very effectively.
Kenton Keith: If you have bye week issues, this is not a bad option. The match up is not super but I expect he will get some touches. He has a different running style than Addai, fun to watch when he gets the ball.
DeShaun Foster: Watch the IR…it appears he will be a gametime decision. Either way he probably is going to split the load this week…however the Panthers may be playing from behind. The Colts passing defense is not going to allow Carr or Testaverde to get any rhythm going so expect the Panthers to try and run the ball as much as they can.
DeAngelo Williams: I like him with 6 teams all on bye weeks this week. Felx spot, I might play him. If he is starting, I definitely get him out there. ADP is not the only young back that needs to bust out…time for DWill to show what he’s got.
Cleveland at St Louis
Jamal Lewis: I expect him to play, he partially participated in Thursday’s practice. The Rams are not a great rush defense despite the fact no one RB has been able to rack 100+ yards on the ground. It’s just a matter of who will do it, but teams as a whole have been able to run on St Louis.
Steven Jackson: Says he is going to start. I am always leery of guys that have been out as long as Jackson has…like to see what they do for a week. However owners are probably desperate to get him on the field this week and when you add in 6 teams all on bye weeks…not a good situation for a lot of owners. The good news is Cleveland allows about 150 yards a game on the ground.
Oakland at Tennessee
LaMont Jordan: Be careful here. I have enjoyed the return of Jordan this season however there is a lot of rumors and rumblings that a slew of RB could be in the mix in Oakland. Let’s face it, they aren’t going anywhere and at some point they are going to try different guys in different situations to see what they want to keep. I don’t see Rhodes being a good fit in Oakland with the return of Jordan, the progression of Fargas, bush still waiting to see the field…Rhodes is older and while they did sign him, they could easily part ways with him at the end of the season. All that said, this is not a good match up as Tennessee is leading the league by allowing only 59 yards a game on the ground…YIKES!
FatDale White: Came thru great last weekend. Don’t worry about who is running behind him because the coaches are feeding White the ball a lot. He looked good and should fare well against an Oakland team that is allowing around 140 yards a game on the ground and at least a TD a week. He is a pretty strong play…although he does tend to be inconsistent.
Philly at Minnesota
Brian Westbrook: Tough match up this week but you can’t sit this guy ever. His receptions OOTB alone should get him close to 100 total yards.
Adrian Peterson: Childress says that ADP will be more involved in the offense moving forward…didn’t his 78 yd TD, 63 yd TD, and 35 yd TD all in one game the week before against the Bears…didn’t that give him some kind of clue? Philly will not allow ADP to run right through them so I hope that Childress doesn’t say after the game… “I gave him 25 carries and he just isn’t ready for a full load.” My point is I expect average numbers from ADP on Sunday no matter how many times they let him touch it, Philly is pretty strong against the run.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Willie Parker: Great match up, won’t hype him up too much as he has been a bit of a disappointment at times this year, but he has a real chance at top5 numbers this week. Cinci is terrible at the run and pass really.
Rudi Johnson/Kenny Watson: I don’t like either this week. Pittsburgh lost a close game in Denver, a game they should have won but didn’t. They played poorly, I expect them to come out and hammer the Bengals on Sunday, just a good ole fashion butt kicking. And I don’t expect the Bengals to be able to run the ball much.
New York Giants at Miami
Brandon Jacobs: Zach Thomas is likely not making the trip to England, I expect Jacobs to be able to run wild on Miami…also Ward is not practicing this week so Jacobs might get 20+ carries on Sunday. Really a must start this week.
Jessie Chatman: I know owners are looking for that handout and feel they found it with Chatman. I would really caution owners this week with any Miami RB…things are not good down here folks. There is a lot of dissension in the locker room right now…even if you don’t have a link, I talk to a lot of the local beat writers and radio hosts down here in Miami and that locker room right now is not pretty. I still maintain that Cam Cameron might not be here all that long if they keep losing. This isn’t a great match up for Miami anyways…the Giants are destroying bad teams and Miami is a bad team. Chatman being in the top10 at FBG is disturbing to me.
Buffalo at NY Jets
Marshawn Lynch: Jets are allowing 138 yarda a game on the ground, 9 TD on the season, this is a great week for Lynch owners. No reason to keep this guy on your bench. The Bills are playing well right now and there is a good feeling about the team right now. All that is great for owners out there. Lynch is a top10 RB this week.
Thomas Jones: Henry, Parker, Maroney and McGahee have all had 100+ yard games on the ground. Last time these two teams met, TJ only mustered 35 on the ground. I would think he should fare better this weekend. He’s a start, probably a good middle of the pack RB2 this week.
Leon Washington: Had 8 catches on 8 targets and a rushing TD last time these 2 teams met. Probably won’t duplicate those numbers but again with bye week issues, he might not be a terrible flex option this week.
Houston at San Diego
Ahman Green: Continues to disappoint each and every week including a lot of nagging injuries. San Diego won’t be an easy team for him this week. I likely let him ride the pine in most leagues.
LaDainian Tomlinson: I hear he’s pretty good
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay
Fred Taylor: MJD did not practive Wed, partial practice on Thursday…Taylor might get more carries however I expect this game to be very low scoring and I expect the Bucs to stack the line in order to stop the Jags rushing game. Taylor is not a good play even with more potential touches.
MJD: I wouldn’t be in a hurry to get him in your lineup this week.
Earnest Graham: Did he produce for owners last week. 13 receptions really padded his numbers to go with almost 200 yards of offense. He won’t see anything close to that this week. Jax is pretty nasty on defense despite getting beat up against the Colts who are just a better team. The final scor in this game might be 10-6 or 9-7…there won’t be much scoring all the way around IMO.
Washington at New England
Clinton Portis: Did score twice last week but only managed about 40 yards on the ground, in what many felt would be his best day of the season. You can’t like the match up this week but I think Washington will stand toe to toe with new England and really give them a run for their money until the 4th quarter.
Ladell Betts: I just have a funny feeling about him this weekend…not sure why.
Laurence Maroney: Was not needed to do much in the blowout last week in Miami. I expect him to be more involved this week and should be worth a start.
Kevin Faulk: Nice guy but always proves that he has never and will never be a 20 touch type guy no matter what the circumstances.
New Orleans at San Fran
Reggie Bush: Green light for the rest of the season really. Not tearing it up but he is producing solid numbers, especially in PPR leagues where his value is top10.
Frank Gore: Had a bad week last week as I predicted and then let loose on the coaches after the game…nice. He should do much better this week as NO is middle of the road at best against the run. Gore was nicked up a bit too this week so stay on top of the IR as well.
Green Bay at Denver
DeShawn Wynn: They have named him the starter this week. I like th e move and think Wynn can have some success against Denver who is terrible at stopping the run. I wouldn’t hesitate with him as an RB2 this week.
Travis Henry: Not sure what to say…he has been very disappointing all the way around. Few to almost none in the TD department. He has not posted good numbers since the drug charges against him surfaced. I think he will have a hard time running this week assuming he is healthy. Green bay has allowed 2 rushing TD all season.
And finally I wanted to add a new song I heard this week thanks to Colin's thread in the FFA...really good rock song from the Foo Fighters, I am going to post the link in here to youtube so you can enjoy it as well. If you haven't heard it and you are a rock fan, I think you'll like it. Good way to end my post this week.
The Pretender 
If you want to highlight a RB or get more in depth about a match up, please feel free to fire away and let’s discuss. Good luck to everyone!
Detroit at Chicago
Kevin Jones: Has to be looked at as a potential solid play. The Bears are getting very little out of their interior DL right now, add to that their Safety Mike Brown is out for the season, and even though Urlacher is excellent, he can’t do a much when he is being blocked down on by 300 lb OL because they have clear shots at him. Will Mike Martz call Kevin Jones number enough times? I think he will. This is a big game with playoff implications…Detroit could be 5-2 after this week…scary.
Cedric Benson: On top of being ineffective, he also has been banged up a bit…he is killing FF owners this season. I wonder what Chicago is going to do long term because Benson does not seem like a good solution. Maybe the OL could block a little better but this for the most part same OL saw Thomas Jones be very effective running behind it.
Indy at Carolina
Joseph Addai: I tend to listen to Tony Dungy when he speaks and as much as I hate to write this, it seems like we have a split of sorts at RB. I still think Addai will get about 60% of the load, but the Colts are thinking about keeping Addai fresh for the playoffs, and if there is one area they are better than the Pats, it might be the fact they have a very fluid 2 back system. Even in this system, Addai is likely to put up 100 yds and a TD a week, I just think owners are going to get frustrated with seeing Keith rack up 50 yds and maybe a TD every other week. This is alos having quite an impact on the passing game as there really has been no need to sling it all over the place. The Colts can run the ball very effectively.
Kenton Keith: If you have bye week issues, this is not a bad option. The match up is not super but I expect he will get some touches. He has a different running style than Addai, fun to watch when he gets the ball.
DeShaun Foster: Watch the IR…it appears he will be a gametime decision. Either way he probably is going to split the load this week…however the Panthers may be playing from behind. The Colts passing defense is not going to allow Carr or Testaverde to get any rhythm going so expect the Panthers to try and run the ball as much as they can.
DeAngelo Williams: I like him with 6 teams all on bye weeks this week. Felx spot, I might play him. If he is starting, I definitely get him out there. ADP is not the only young back that needs to bust out…time for DWill to show what he’s got.
Cleveland at St Louis
Jamal Lewis: I expect him to play, he partially participated in Thursday’s practice. The Rams are not a great rush defense despite the fact no one RB has been able to rack 100+ yards on the ground. It’s just a matter of who will do it, but teams as a whole have been able to run on St Louis.
Steven Jackson: Says he is going to start. I am always leery of guys that have been out as long as Jackson has…like to see what they do for a week. However owners are probably desperate to get him on the field this week and when you add in 6 teams all on bye weeks…not a good situation for a lot of owners. The good news is Cleveland allows about 150 yards a game on the ground.
Oakland at Tennessee
LaMont Jordan: Be careful here. I have enjoyed the return of Jordan this season however there is a lot of rumors and rumblings that a slew of RB could be in the mix in Oakland. Let’s face it, they aren’t going anywhere and at some point they are going to try different guys in different situations to see what they want to keep. I don’t see Rhodes being a good fit in Oakland with the return of Jordan, the progression of Fargas, bush still waiting to see the field…Rhodes is older and while they did sign him, they could easily part ways with him at the end of the season. All that said, this is not a good match up as Tennessee is leading the league by allowing only 59 yards a game on the ground…YIKES!
FatDale White: Came thru great last weekend. Don’t worry about who is running behind him because the coaches are feeding White the ball a lot. He looked good and should fare well against an Oakland team that is allowing around 140 yards a game on the ground and at least a TD a week. He is a pretty strong play…although he does tend to be inconsistent.
Philly at Minnesota
Brian Westbrook: Tough match up this week but you can’t sit this guy ever. His receptions OOTB alone should get him close to 100 total yards.
Adrian Peterson: Childress says that ADP will be more involved in the offense moving forward…didn’t his 78 yd TD, 63 yd TD, and 35 yd TD all in one game the week before against the Bears…didn’t that give him some kind of clue? Philly will not allow ADP to run right through them so I hope that Childress doesn’t say after the game… “I gave him 25 carries and he just isn’t ready for a full load.” My point is I expect average numbers from ADP on Sunday no matter how many times they let him touch it, Philly is pretty strong against the run.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Willie Parker: Great match up, won’t hype him up too much as he has been a bit of a disappointment at times this year, but he has a real chance at top5 numbers this week. Cinci is terrible at the run and pass really.
Rudi Johnson/Kenny Watson: I don’t like either this week. Pittsburgh lost a close game in Denver, a game they should have won but didn’t. They played poorly, I expect them to come out and hammer the Bengals on Sunday, just a good ole fashion butt kicking. And I don’t expect the Bengals to be able to run the ball much.
New York Giants at Miami
Brandon Jacobs: Zach Thomas is likely not making the trip to England, I expect Jacobs to be able to run wild on Miami…also Ward is not practicing this week so Jacobs might get 20+ carries on Sunday. Really a must start this week.
Jessie Chatman: I know owners are looking for that handout and feel they found it with Chatman. I would really caution owners this week with any Miami RB…things are not good down here folks. There is a lot of dissension in the locker room right now…even if you don’t have a link, I talk to a lot of the local beat writers and radio hosts down here in Miami and that locker room right now is not pretty. I still maintain that Cam Cameron might not be here all that long if they keep losing. This isn’t a great match up for Miami anyways…the Giants are destroying bad teams and Miami is a bad team. Chatman being in the top10 at FBG is disturbing to me.
Buffalo at NY Jets
Marshawn Lynch: Jets are allowing 138 yarda a game on the ground, 9 TD on the season, this is a great week for Lynch owners. No reason to keep this guy on your bench. The Bills are playing well right now and there is a good feeling about the team right now. All that is great for owners out there. Lynch is a top10 RB this week.
Thomas Jones: Henry, Parker, Maroney and McGahee have all had 100+ yard games on the ground. Last time these two teams met, TJ only mustered 35 on the ground. I would think he should fare better this weekend. He’s a start, probably a good middle of the pack RB2 this week.
Leon Washington: Had 8 catches on 8 targets and a rushing TD last time these 2 teams met. Probably won’t duplicate those numbers but again with bye week issues, he might not be a terrible flex option this week.
Houston at San Diego
Ahman Green: Continues to disappoint each and every week including a lot of nagging injuries. San Diego won’t be an easy team for him this week. I likely let him ride the pine in most leagues.
LaDainian Tomlinson: I hear he’s pretty good
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay
Fred Taylor: MJD did not practive Wed, partial practice on Thursday…Taylor might get more carries however I expect this game to be very low scoring and I expect the Bucs to stack the line in order to stop the Jags rushing game. Taylor is not a good play even with more potential touches.
MJD: I wouldn’t be in a hurry to get him in your lineup this week.
Earnest Graham: Did he produce for owners last week. 13 receptions really padded his numbers to go with almost 200 yards of offense. He won’t see anything close to that this week. Jax is pretty nasty on defense despite getting beat up against the Colts who are just a better team. The final scor in this game might be 10-6 or 9-7…there won’t be much scoring all the way around IMO.
Washington at New England
Clinton Portis: Did score twice last week but only managed about 40 yards on the ground, in what many felt would be his best day of the season. You can’t like the match up this week but I think Washington will stand toe to toe with new England and really give them a run for their money until the 4th quarter.
Ladell Betts: I just have a funny feeling about him this weekend…not sure why.
Laurence Maroney: Was not needed to do much in the blowout last week in Miami. I expect him to be more involved this week and should be worth a start.
Kevin Faulk: Nice guy but always proves that he has never and will never be a 20 touch type guy no matter what the circumstances.
New Orleans at San Fran
Reggie Bush: Green light for the rest of the season really. Not tearing it up but he is producing solid numbers, especially in PPR leagues where his value is top10.
Frank Gore: Had a bad week last week as I predicted and then let loose on the coaches after the game…nice. He should do much better this week as NO is middle of the road at best against the run. Gore was nicked up a bit too this week so stay on top of the IR as well.
Green Bay at Denver
DeShawn Wynn: They have named him the starter this week. I like th e move and think Wynn can have some success against Denver who is terrible at stopping the run. I wouldn’t hesitate with him as an RB2 this week.
Travis Henry: Not sure what to say…he has been very disappointing all the way around. Few to almost none in the TD department. He has not posted good numbers since the drug charges against him surfaced. I think he will have a hard time running this week assuming he is healthy. Green bay has allowed 2 rushing TD all season.
And finally I wanted to add a new song I heard this week thanks to Colin's thread in the FFA...really good rock song from the Foo Fighters, I am going to post the link in here to youtube so you can enjoy it as well. If you haven't heard it and you are a rock fan, I think you'll like it. Good way to end my post this week.
The Pretender If you want to highlight a RB or get more in depth about a match up, please feel free to fire away and let’s discuss. Good luck to everyone!
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Interesting thought here. Maybe Betts makes a nice RB3/Flex option this weekend? 
Interesting thought here. Maybe Betts makes a nice RB3/Flex option this weekend? 
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