Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
What a week. Scoring was up across the board and we saw a lot of owners get burned by playing RB that at best might touch the ball 5-10 times over RB that touch the ball 15+ on a weekly basis just because of the match ups. Sometimes owners over think things too much.
Let’s jump to the games and get ready for week 7
Carolina 102/140 at Cincinnati 97/115
DeShaun Foster: DeAngelo may be on the shelf for a month with a high ankle sprain so even though Foster has been sort of average, he will continue to post good RB2 numbers for most owners. This week he has a very good match up as Cinci is giving up 4.7 ypc and 7 TDs in 5 games this year. Go ahead and start Foster and look for 100+ yds and a TD this weekend.
Rudi Johnson: The Panthers are giving up 4.0 ypc and 115 a game on the ground…however over the last 3-4 weeks those numbers are a lot different because of the yds allowed in the opening weeks 1 and 2 losses. They are much tougher now even without Dan Morgan. The offense has looked rather bland the past few weeks and Rudi should be moved down accordingly right now. You do not bench him but you need to keep an eye on his stats as he is going to face an even tougher part of the schedule in the coming weeks. This is not an easy match up for Cinci.
Detroit 72/145 at NY Jets 97/94
Kevin Jones: I hate to say I told you, but I did talk about him going over 100 and scoring last week. This week he will face a Jets team that is giving up 4.4 ypc, 145 on the ground and 12 TDs thru 6 games or an avg of 2 per week. KJ is a must play this week and even if he does not exploit it as much as he should, it’s the right move. Great match up.
Leon Washington/Kevan Barlow: I don’t really like either although Shaun Rogers being suspended for the next 4 weeks for the Lions creates a major hole up the middle for Detroit. I don’t think the Jets are talented enough to exploit it like they should, plus the RBBC is not good for anyone.
Curtis Martin: He is scheduled to come off the PUP list this week but I wouldn’t expect anything from him…he is heading to Canton.
Green Bay 89/93 at Miami 91/102
Ahman Green: He practiced this week and is expected to start. However Miami is only giving up 3.0 ypc and only 1 TD total for the season. Green is a tough start this week. I would not expect a ton of production out of him as Favre will likely take to the air with Driver and Jennings and try to exploit the Phins secondary.
Ronnie Brown: GB is allowing 102 yards a game and a TD per game. Perfect, right? Well they are only giving up 3.7 ypc so it is coming the hard way. Brown will do OK but don’t look for a ton of yards. Check the weather because even though it is cold and snowy in some parts of the country it may still be 88 degrees with 92% humidity in Miami which means GB will wear down in the 2nd half allowing for some possible big runs.
Jacksonville 118/145 at Houston 67/92
Fred Taylor: The Texans allow a lot of yds and a TD rushing is likely against them right now. Taylor is not an exciting play but he will put up points this week.
Maurice Drew: He will not get as many touches as Taylor, but he makes a nice flex play in leagues.
Houston RB: Whether it’s Dayne, Gado, Lundy…they just cannot run the ball. The Jags rush defense is pretty stingy so look for low output on any Houston Texan RB right now.
New England 139/117 at Buffalo 101/85
Corey Dillon: Both he and Maroney struggled in the last game they played. But Buffalo is giving up 117 a week, 4.2 ypc and almost a TD per week. Look for NE to have their way with the Bills on Sunday. Fairly good match up here.
Laurence Maroney: There is a risk with him as we saw 2 weeks ago. But if you have a flex position he is perfect to start in that spot. He was consistent before the game 2 weeks ago so I look for him to bounce back.
Willis McGahee: I talked preseason about McGahee being a fringe top20 RB with the offense that is put together…so far I’m not far off. NE is not the best against the run but they only yield 3.6 ypc and 85 yds a week. It’s not a great match up for McGahee, look for subpar numbers again this week. McGahee is not capable of single handedly winning football games right now. Owners think they have an LT on their squad just waiting to bust out with McGahee…that just isn’t the case right now. He has great skills but the OL is below avg and he can’t do it all on his own right now.
Philly 111/141 at Tampa Bay 88/103
Brian Westbrook: As long as he can play you have to start him. Westbrook is explosive and can put up 20-30 points on any given week. The Bucs are playing better as of late but they can get pushed around by Philly. TB is giving up 4.7 ypc right now.
“Cadillac”: He is putting up better numbers but owners want more. Philly gives up 3.6 ypc but they have allowed 4 TDs in 6 games so they can be rushed on in short yardage. When you give up short first downs on the ground, drives extend, and they end up giving away points on their defense. Not the worst match up.
Pittsburgh 125/107 at Atlanta 232/78
Willie Parker: The Falcons got manhandled last week by the Giants. Pittsburgh got healthy in a hurry. Parker will work for his yds but should have a decent game.
Warrick Dunn: Should always start him. Atlanta lost last week but they rushed the ball just fine. I expect them to be able to run this week again. Dunn will not rip a 90 yd TD but he will get his yds.
Miachael Vick: Oh he’s a QB?
San Diego 158/129 at Kansas City 91/71
LT: What do you want to hear? KC is giving up 129 a week and a TD…LT should score 2 of them and rack up 125 yards.
Michael Turner: You see the risk of playing a Turner over a Kevin Jones now? I had an owner bench Jones for Michael Turner in one of my leagues last week…that’s just ridiculous. He’s not starting for the Chargers even though some of you wish he was…let it go and leave him on your bench except in a pinch.
Larry Johnson: Had a rough game last week and will struggle this week again. Won’t come anywhere close to what LT will on Sunday.
Denver 142/143 at Cleveland 75/101
Tatum Bell: I was disappointed he didn’t get more last week. 100 yds and a TD is about the best you can hope for out of the Broncos right now. Their offense is just not good right now…however I expect the running game to get better in the weeks ahead. Play Bell if you have him. Many owners got him on the cheap in the draft as a possible RB3…he’s better than that at this point.
Reuben Droughns: Sit him. Denver has allowed NO RUSHING TDs for the season and 3.7 ypc.
Arizona 69/149 at Oakland 111/108
Edge: How many points will the Cardinals put up this week? 20? 30? 40? Will Denny ensure they keep scoring this week and do not let up for awhile…I think so. Even with a bad OL Edge should find the end zone this week. The Raiders are giving up almost 150 and a TD per week right now.
Lamont Jordan: What can I say? Jordan and the Raiders are unreliable right now. Zona is giving up about a TD per week and 108 on the ground so there are points to be had.
Minnesota 104/74 at Seattle 109/75
Chester Taylor: The Vikes offense is challenged to say the least but Taylor gets a lot of carries. Seattle is coming off a very emotional win. They only give up 3.4 ypc so I would not expect a big day out of Taylor.
Maurice Morris: Pass. Vikes are tough to run on and Morris has done a lot of nothing to this point. Look for Seattle to continue throwing the football.
Washington 130/166 at Indy 111/111
Clinton Portis: Great match up. Booger McFarland was traded for this week by Indy. He might need a week or two to get settled. I expect him to improve the Colts but not as much as some are thinking. He’s no Sapp, he’s no Jamal Williams, he’s no…he’s “Booger”. Portis should find room to run on Sunday…and he moaned about his lack of touches last week. I agree. Look for him to have a good week but can the Skins slow down the Colts offense coming out of a bye week? We shall see.
Dominic Rhodes: He is still the starter a this point. The Skins are allowing 3.8 ypc…this is an avg match up and I expect very average numbers from Rhodes and Addai this week.
Joseph Addai: See Rhodes.
New York Giants 151/67 at Dallas 151/113
Tiki Barber: On paper this is a bad match up. Dallas allows a league low of 2.9 ypc…that’s right!!! 67 yds rushing a week. 4 rushing TDs so that’s encouraging, but Tiki doesn’t run much inside the 5 anyways. Tiki destroyed the Falcons last week. I expect a more average game from him this week.
Julius Jones: Just keeps rolling up 100 yd rushing performances. But he seems to not make the end zone much. A good RB2 in most leagues. Giants are giving up 4.1 ypc so look for him to find room to run at home.
Marion barber III: Keeps putting up TDs so if you have bye week issues and need a flex player you could do much worse than MB III. Of course the week you play him you will get burned.
Ministry Cheatsheet
1-LT
2-Clinton Portis
3-Brian Westbrook
4-Kevin Jones
5-Tatum Bell
6-DeShaun Foster
7-Willie Parker
8-Tiki Barber
9-Julius Jones
10-Fred Taylor
11-Larry Johnson
12-Rudi Johnson
13-Chester Taylor
14-Edge
15-Cadillac
16-Warrick Dunn
17-Ronnie Brown
18-Willis McGahee
19-Corey Dillon
20-Dominic Rhodes
21-Lamont Jordan
22-Ahman Green
23-Laurence Maroney
24-Maurice Drew
25-Leon Washington
26-Joseph Addai
27-Kevan Barlow
28-Marion Barber III
29-Reuben Droughns
30-Maurice Morris
31-Houston RB
And to the board specifically. Last week we had some good debate in this thread. Now if a guy is on your team and you are trying to convince folks that he will do well simply because he is on your team, not so good. Many people were very sure McGahee and Buffalo would storm Detroit last week. Banter is great but make sure you take a peek at the stats and also try and look at it objectively...I know it's hard sometimes.
People do not want to look like fools for who they picked at the draft. And they are slow to admit that player "A" is not living up to expectations. Just because a guy is underperforming doesn't mean you were had on draft day. Many things contribute to a player underachieving. Coaching, blocking, OL injuries, blocking, reps, blocking, red zone touches, blocking...you get the idea. Try to dig and find out about why your guys are doing as they are.
And if your guy is over achieving it's almost more important to find out why. Is he really as good as being billed or is it the competition? Will that competition continue down the stretch? Get your head out of just the stats and find out everything you can. I trust you will or you wouldn't be here(the boards).
Good luck this weekend and kick some ###!!!
Let’s jump to the games and get ready for week 7
Carolina 102/140 at Cincinnati 97/115
DeShaun Foster: DeAngelo may be on the shelf for a month with a high ankle sprain so even though Foster has been sort of average, he will continue to post good RB2 numbers for most owners. This week he has a very good match up as Cinci is giving up 4.7 ypc and 7 TDs in 5 games this year. Go ahead and start Foster and look for 100+ yds and a TD this weekend.
Rudi Johnson: The Panthers are giving up 4.0 ypc and 115 a game on the ground…however over the last 3-4 weeks those numbers are a lot different because of the yds allowed in the opening weeks 1 and 2 losses. They are much tougher now even without Dan Morgan. The offense has looked rather bland the past few weeks and Rudi should be moved down accordingly right now. You do not bench him but you need to keep an eye on his stats as he is going to face an even tougher part of the schedule in the coming weeks. This is not an easy match up for Cinci.
Detroit 72/145 at NY Jets 97/94
Kevin Jones: I hate to say I told you, but I did talk about him going over 100 and scoring last week. This week he will face a Jets team that is giving up 4.4 ypc, 145 on the ground and 12 TDs thru 6 games or an avg of 2 per week. KJ is a must play this week and even if he does not exploit it as much as he should, it’s the right move. Great match up.
Leon Washington/Kevan Barlow: I don’t really like either although Shaun Rogers being suspended for the next 4 weeks for the Lions creates a major hole up the middle for Detroit. I don’t think the Jets are talented enough to exploit it like they should, plus the RBBC is not good for anyone.
Curtis Martin: He is scheduled to come off the PUP list this week but I wouldn’t expect anything from him…he is heading to Canton.
Green Bay 89/93 at Miami 91/102
Ahman Green: He practiced this week and is expected to start. However Miami is only giving up 3.0 ypc and only 1 TD total for the season. Green is a tough start this week. I would not expect a ton of production out of him as Favre will likely take to the air with Driver and Jennings and try to exploit the Phins secondary.
Ronnie Brown: GB is allowing 102 yards a game and a TD per game. Perfect, right? Well they are only giving up 3.7 ypc so it is coming the hard way. Brown will do OK but don’t look for a ton of yards. Check the weather because even though it is cold and snowy in some parts of the country it may still be 88 degrees with 92% humidity in Miami which means GB will wear down in the 2nd half allowing for some possible big runs.
Jacksonville 118/145 at Houston 67/92
Fred Taylor: The Texans allow a lot of yds and a TD rushing is likely against them right now. Taylor is not an exciting play but he will put up points this week.
Maurice Drew: He will not get as many touches as Taylor, but he makes a nice flex play in leagues.
Houston RB: Whether it’s Dayne, Gado, Lundy…they just cannot run the ball. The Jags rush defense is pretty stingy so look for low output on any Houston Texan RB right now.
New England 139/117 at Buffalo 101/85
Corey Dillon: Both he and Maroney struggled in the last game they played. But Buffalo is giving up 117 a week, 4.2 ypc and almost a TD per week. Look for NE to have their way with the Bills on Sunday. Fairly good match up here.
Laurence Maroney: There is a risk with him as we saw 2 weeks ago. But if you have a flex position he is perfect to start in that spot. He was consistent before the game 2 weeks ago so I look for him to bounce back.
Willis McGahee: I talked preseason about McGahee being a fringe top20 RB with the offense that is put together…so far I’m not far off. NE is not the best against the run but they only yield 3.6 ypc and 85 yds a week. It’s not a great match up for McGahee, look for subpar numbers again this week. McGahee is not capable of single handedly winning football games right now. Owners think they have an LT on their squad just waiting to bust out with McGahee…that just isn’t the case right now. He has great skills but the OL is below avg and he can’t do it all on his own right now.
Philly 111/141 at Tampa Bay 88/103
Brian Westbrook: As long as he can play you have to start him. Westbrook is explosive and can put up 20-30 points on any given week. The Bucs are playing better as of late but they can get pushed around by Philly. TB is giving up 4.7 ypc right now.
“Cadillac”: He is putting up better numbers but owners want more. Philly gives up 3.6 ypc but they have allowed 4 TDs in 6 games so they can be rushed on in short yardage. When you give up short first downs on the ground, drives extend, and they end up giving away points on their defense. Not the worst match up.
Pittsburgh 125/107 at Atlanta 232/78
Willie Parker: The Falcons got manhandled last week by the Giants. Pittsburgh got healthy in a hurry. Parker will work for his yds but should have a decent game.
Warrick Dunn: Should always start him. Atlanta lost last week but they rushed the ball just fine. I expect them to be able to run this week again. Dunn will not rip a 90 yd TD but he will get his yds.
Miachael Vick: Oh he’s a QB?
San Diego 158/129 at Kansas City 91/71
LT: What do you want to hear? KC is giving up 129 a week and a TD…LT should score 2 of them and rack up 125 yards.
Michael Turner: You see the risk of playing a Turner over a Kevin Jones now? I had an owner bench Jones for Michael Turner in one of my leagues last week…that’s just ridiculous. He’s not starting for the Chargers even though some of you wish he was…let it go and leave him on your bench except in a pinch.
Larry Johnson: Had a rough game last week and will struggle this week again. Won’t come anywhere close to what LT will on Sunday.
Denver 142/143 at Cleveland 75/101
Tatum Bell: I was disappointed he didn’t get more last week. 100 yds and a TD is about the best you can hope for out of the Broncos right now. Their offense is just not good right now…however I expect the running game to get better in the weeks ahead. Play Bell if you have him. Many owners got him on the cheap in the draft as a possible RB3…he’s better than that at this point.
Reuben Droughns: Sit him. Denver has allowed NO RUSHING TDs for the season and 3.7 ypc.
Arizona 69/149 at Oakland 111/108
Edge: How many points will the Cardinals put up this week? 20? 30? 40? Will Denny ensure they keep scoring this week and do not let up for awhile…I think so. Even with a bad OL Edge should find the end zone this week. The Raiders are giving up almost 150 and a TD per week right now.
Lamont Jordan: What can I say? Jordan and the Raiders are unreliable right now. Zona is giving up about a TD per week and 108 on the ground so there are points to be had.
Minnesota 104/74 at Seattle 109/75
Chester Taylor: The Vikes offense is challenged to say the least but Taylor gets a lot of carries. Seattle is coming off a very emotional win. They only give up 3.4 ypc so I would not expect a big day out of Taylor.
Maurice Morris: Pass. Vikes are tough to run on and Morris has done a lot of nothing to this point. Look for Seattle to continue throwing the football.
Washington 130/166 at Indy 111/111
Clinton Portis: Great match up. Booger McFarland was traded for this week by Indy. He might need a week or two to get settled. I expect him to improve the Colts but not as much as some are thinking. He’s no Sapp, he’s no Jamal Williams, he’s no…he’s “Booger”. Portis should find room to run on Sunday…and he moaned about his lack of touches last week. I agree. Look for him to have a good week but can the Skins slow down the Colts offense coming out of a bye week? We shall see.
Dominic Rhodes: He is still the starter a this point. The Skins are allowing 3.8 ypc…this is an avg match up and I expect very average numbers from Rhodes and Addai this week.
Joseph Addai: See Rhodes.
New York Giants 151/67 at Dallas 151/113
Tiki Barber: On paper this is a bad match up. Dallas allows a league low of 2.9 ypc…that’s right!!! 67 yds rushing a week. 4 rushing TDs so that’s encouraging, but Tiki doesn’t run much inside the 5 anyways. Tiki destroyed the Falcons last week. I expect a more average game from him this week.
Julius Jones: Just keeps rolling up 100 yd rushing performances. But he seems to not make the end zone much. A good RB2 in most leagues. Giants are giving up 4.1 ypc so look for him to find room to run at home.
Marion barber III: Keeps putting up TDs so if you have bye week issues and need a flex player you could do much worse than MB III. Of course the week you play him you will get burned.
Ministry Cheatsheet
1-LT
2-Clinton Portis
3-Brian Westbrook
4-Kevin Jones
5-Tatum Bell
6-DeShaun Foster
7-Willie Parker
8-Tiki Barber
9-Julius Jones
10-Fred Taylor
11-Larry Johnson
12-Rudi Johnson
13-Chester Taylor
14-Edge
15-Cadillac
16-Warrick Dunn
17-Ronnie Brown
18-Willis McGahee
19-Corey Dillon
20-Dominic Rhodes
21-Lamont Jordan
22-Ahman Green
23-Laurence Maroney
24-Maurice Drew
25-Leon Washington
26-Joseph Addai
27-Kevan Barlow
28-Marion Barber III
29-Reuben Droughns
30-Maurice Morris
31-Houston RB
And to the board specifically. Last week we had some good debate in this thread. Now if a guy is on your team and you are trying to convince folks that he will do well simply because he is on your team, not so good. Many people were very sure McGahee and Buffalo would storm Detroit last week. Banter is great but make sure you take a peek at the stats and also try and look at it objectively...I know it's hard sometimes.
People do not want to look like fools for who they picked at the draft. And they are slow to admit that player "A" is not living up to expectations. Just because a guy is underperforming doesn't mean you were had on draft day. Many things contribute to a player underachieving. Coaching, blocking, OL injuries, blocking, reps, blocking, red zone touches, blocking...you get the idea. Try to dig and find out about why your guys are doing as they are.
And if your guy is over achieving it's almost more important to find out why. Is he really as good as being billed or is it the competition? Will that competition continue down the stretch? Get your head out of just the stats and find out everything you can. I trust you will or you wouldn't be here(the boards).
Good luck this weekend and kick some ###!!!
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Yes they have. Their defense is shaky. Cadillac racked up some yards on them last week and the Bucs OL is shaky at best. Remember Maroney's game agaisnt them? Cinci is not stout against the run.
Westbrook is probable. He damn well better start. 
With Gore and Jackson on bye, I've got him in a offensive utility player spot. His scoring in my league has been incredibly consistent. But this, as you suggest, will be his first time off my bench...so hoping you are wrong about that last part....
