Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
This week I did not even look at the point spreads and left them off the write ups. Just trying something different for a week. I feel like at times I have allowed Vegas to get in the way with what I am looking at in terms of stats and such.
Next couple weeks I will be on vacation and away so hopefully I will be back to pick this up week 11 or 12 which is Thanksgiving.
Tampa Bay (5-2) at Atlanta (5-2)
These two teams are squaring off in a battle for 1st place in the NFC South. The Bucs come in with a season ending injury to rookie DT Brian Price. He wasn’t exactly stopping the run anyways and has been in and out for the line up much of his rookie campaign but the Bucs can’t stop anyone rushing the ball anyways so it stand to reason that Turner should have a gigantic day this week. The bucs inability to stop the run will be their major undoing in this football game. The last guy to get excited when they were “5 dash 2” was Sam Wyche and the Bucs went on to finish 7-9. Kareem Morris thinks the Bucs are the best team in the NFL.
LaGarrette Blount – I say it all the time but it is worth repeating…don’t chase points. Atlanta is only giving up 95 yds rushing at home on the season. They have made major strides since their early season lack of run support on defense. Blount was impressive last week in the desert but if you are thinking 120 yds and 2 TDs this week you’re nuts. Blount and the Bucs will be bottled up pretty good this week.
Michael Turner – Bucs are allowing 165 yds rushing the last 5 games, not much else you need to know. The bucs are way ahead of schedule record wise and will probably look bad this weekend. A team that is not as good as their record would indicate(sorry Bucos) and Turner and Atlanta will have their way with them this weekend. Turner should be a top5 contender this week.
Final Score: Atlanta 30…Tampa Bay 16
Miami (4-3) at Baltimore (5-2)
Miami comes in allowing an avg of only 80 yds rushing the last week against GB, Pitt and CInci, not exactly chopped liver. They are 2-1 over those 3 weeks and some would argue they should be 3-0 with a better call form the refs a couple weeks ago. Still the Phins Nation(small country) must be feeling high winning some games that did not look like wins early in the season. They have a shot at 9 or 10 wins now but they are going to be put to the test in Baltimore coming off a bye week this week. The Ravens have allowed 127 and 132 yds the past 2 weeks against NE and Buff…something is not right in B-town right now.
Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams-Despite a decent match up these guys have a total of 2 TDs on the season. No way I can project them as good starts this week. Brown was quoted as saying the team has made no attempt to try and extend him beyond the season. I think he is keeping a stiff upper lip but his mind is elsewhere right now. These 2 guys will not be in Miami next year.
Ray Rice – Buff was a dud but people shouldn’t put too much stock in that game. Rice was pretty good the previous 2 weeks and Miami has allowed some rushing yards to better backs like Adrian Peterson in Minnesota. Rice might not be a strong start but he should be good for 12-15 in most PPR formats.
Final Score: Baltimore 24…Miami 16 (Look for the Ravens to pick off Henne and take one to the house)
Chicago (4-3) at Buffalo (0-7)
Lot of folks have Forte up sky high this week and understandably so…or maybe not so much. Buffalo is atrocious at rush defense. I told you last week 300 yds rushing was on the table for KC and they racked up about 275 so I wasn’t kidding. Buffalo is allowing 220 yds rushing the last 5 weeks and are dead last in rush defense. The problem is outside of Carolina where the Bears rolled up 200+ rushing, they are not a good running football team…not even close. So you run the risk that Forte has a mediocre day and while I think you have to start him I would not be projecting him top3 this week.
Matt Forte – Again, I understand why folks will start him for the reasons I went into above but I am not sold he is a lock this week. Sometimes teams will rear themselves up and show a little backbone. Chicago has not looked good in several weeks. Even though buffalo is 0-7 they are playing hard.
Fred Jackson – I start him and here is why. The bears are only giving up 3.6 ypc and you start saying “MOP are you crazy?”(We all know the answer to that) Seriously though the Bears are allowing 125+ on the ground the last 4 weeks. Did you know that Buffalo has avg 120 yds rushing their last 6 games? They are 9th in ypc on offense with 4.5 per clip. This is going to be one of the upsets this week.
Final Score: Buffalo 21…Chicago 20
New Orleans (5-3) at Carolina (1-6)
Carolina has avg 50 yds rushing on offense since their bye week…meouch! The saints meanwhile have allowed 41 to AZ, 42 to TB, 125 to Cle and the Browns are a decent rushing team, and then 108 to the Steelers and kept Mendenhall pretty bottled up last week. As long as NO does not turn the ball over I think you have to like them in a rout this week.
Ivory/Betts/Bush/Jones – Looks like Reggie bush is not ready so they wait till after the bye week for both him and Thomas. They won’t need them that much in this game. Ivory and Betts will hold the fort down 1 more week.
Stewart – I don’t like the panthers and I think New Orleans will get out in front of the m early. Maybe Stewart can catch them not looking once the game is out of control. Nothing shows that he will tear it up this week. If you roll the dice understand that you might get results like last week.
Final Score: New Orleans 28…Carolina 7
New England (6-1) at Cleveland (2-5)
Logan Mankins checks back in for the Patriots this week. The Pro Bowl Guard will try and get on the field asap but I would not expect him to play the entire game. The browns are playing hard and actually have done alright in rush defense. Allowing 165 to Atlanta and 140 to KC but outside of that the past 2 weeks they allowed 121 to the Steelers and 58 to New Orleans. The Patriots on rush offense have posted 119 against Miami, 127-Balt, and 122-MN last week so even though they have very subpar backs they keep rolling along. This team is starting to look a lot like the 2000 New England patriots that we kept saying couldn’t win and didn’t have the talent and were actually 2-4 at one point but they play as a team and they keep finding ways to win ball games.
BJGE – When he has over 15 carries he has games of 16-98-TD, 16-76-TD, 17-112-2TDs…and he has 6 TDs in his last 5 games. You own him, you gotta play him right now but understand he might also get 10-25 if things don’t go right. He is not a dual threat either with only 2 receptions on the season.
Danny Woodhead – He is avg about 13-14 PPG in PPR the last 3 weeks. He can be a nice flex option but I am not sold on inserting a guy that will only touch the ball maybe 10-12 times a game.
Peyton Hillis – His rush stats the past 3 weeks are 10/28, 12/41, and 16/69 with just 1 rushing TD over those 3 games. He does chip in as a receiver but he’ll have his work cut out for hi against New England. Certainly he should not be a top10 candidate this week.
Final Score: New England 20…Cleveland 17
New York Jets (5-2) at Detroit (2-5)
If you told me the Jets would outgain the Pack 350 to 237 yds on offense and lose 9-0 I would not have believed you. The Jets have lost to Balt 10-9 and GB 9-0…both of these games their defense played outstanding but they still have some inconsistencies on offense that prevent them from being a truly dominant team. The Lions have been up and down this year at rush defense but they have allowed an avg of 170 yds rushing per game against the NYG, PHI, and MN…I would look at LT and Greene as strong plays this week as the Jets are going to take their frustration out on Detroit this week.
LT – I want to say good start but traditionally he does very mediocre inside domes. I’m not saying bench him as I think the Jets will do well but he doesn’t have a lot of big games on his resume inside domes. Solid but nothing special this week.
Shonn Greene – I think he will have a surprise game this week. Last week I said one of these weeks he is going to win the battle and have better stats. I like him this week on the road and the fact the Jets offense is sputtering a bit. Maybe they get him involved and find a spark they need on the road. It’s a gamble but if you have bye week issues you might find some points in here. We can discuss this more below.
Jahvid Best - His dual threat should keep him in flex status at least.
Final Score: NY Jets 28…Detroit 20
San Diego (3-5) at Houston (4-3)
The problem for owners with San Diego RBs is all 3 of them eat parts of the pie. This is not a 1 back show although that is what many were led to believe before the season started. Houston is avg 150 yds on rush defense as of late, that does not bode well for them to hold serve at home this week. They played terrible coming off a bye week against Indy last week. This is a tough match up for Foster as San Diego has allowed 51 against NE and 65 last week against TN, both good teams.
Ryan Mathews – I would consider him for a flex spot right now.
Darren Sproles – 2 solid games the past 2 weeks posting 16 and 17 in PPR formats. So many injuries to their WR and TEs, maybe Sproles will just be lined up in the slot and turned loose.
Arian Foster – Not loving this match up but Houston needs to lean more on the running game right now.
Final Score: San Diego 28…Houston 27
Arizona (3-4) at Minnesota (2-5)
23 turnovers on the season for Arizona. 9 of them their last 2 games. Things look bleak in the desert and they are turning to Derek Anderson this week, puke! The Vikings are not in much better shape as they have no continuity between the front office, coaching staff, and the players. This is an ugly football game no matter how you slice it. I assume Favre will be starting? What a mess. Jared Allen will have 3 sacks this week, write it down.
Beanie Wells – Liked him last week, not liking him much this week.
Adrian Peterson – I’m sure he’s licking his chops after watching what Blount did a week ago. I am interested to see how the team responds. Wilf spoke to the team this week and they needed some assurance that everything is going to be OK. I would have feared mutiny or a total loss of discipline like what we saw in Dallas a week ago.
Final Score: Minnesota 18…Arizona 12
New York Giants (5-2) at Seattle (4-3)
Normally I heavily slant the Nest as home field advantage for the Seahawks and try not to get too caught up in the numbers however…last week I said I had some doubts about their rush defense and they were ripped apart for 239 yards by Oakland. The Giants in 3 of their last 4 games have racked up 189, 167, and 200 yds rushing. They are 4th in rush yards, 2nd in rush TDs, and 6th in yds per carry. They are a strong offensive team that only stops themselves with turnovers. On the flipside they have allowed a TOTAL of 185 yds rushing over their last 4 games!!! An avg of only 45 yds per game and other than a 1 yd Ward plunge in Houston they have not yielded a rushing TD to a major opposing RB their last 4 weeks. In many ways I doubt Tom Coughlin was looking for a bye week for these guys. They have been playing excellent football except for the turnovers which could play a huge part in Sunday’s game.
Ahmad Bradshaw – I wouldn’t sit him.
Brandon Jacobs – I wouldn’t start him.
Marshawn Lynch – Expect a very mediocre day as new york has been lights out in rush defense the last 4 games.
Final Score: New York 27…Seattle 17
Kansas City (5-2) at Oakland (4-4)
When was the last time these 2 teams played a meaningful football game. These teams are similar. They both have 2 pretty strong RBs, well KC has an edge but Bush is no slouch for Oakland. In fact these 2 teams might not need to attempt a pass all day. KC the last 3 games has allowed Foster to get 70/TDs, MJD 120 total/TD, then buffalo was able to rush for 137 last week but Fitzpatrick got some of those yards. I like the match up both ways. Oakland in 3 of their last 4 games has allowed 91-SD, 75-Den,a dn 47-Sea…but KC is a strong running team and I expect good numbers form them.
Jamaal Charles –Start him with confidence
Thomas Jones – Avg day but with bye weeks most will need to start him.
Darren McFadden – Has 335 yards and 4 TDs the past 2 weeks. Ride the wave.
Bush – 160 total yds and 2 TDs the last 2 games. Like Jones I think he will be avg but I don’t see Oakland blowing out KC so he might be
limited this week.
Final Score: Oakland 24…Kansas City 21 Things tighten up in the NFC West
Indy (5-2) at Philly (4-3)
The Colts could have a shopping cart with a mannequin’s arm attached to it and Manning would turn it into a Pro Bowl WR. They wheeled out Tamme, Garcon, White, and Hart Monday night and still managed to win convincingly. I think this week with Vick back and the Eagles coming off a bye week, add in Indy on a short week and I think you have the makings of a an impressive win for Philly this week. Manning vs Vick, all eyes that can watch this game will on Sunday. Both teams have been good against the run the past 3 weeks. Indy has been at least avg with 113-KC, 113-Was, and 108-Hou while Philly has 74-SF, 65-Atl, and 75-TN before their bye week.
Mike Hart and Joseph Addai – Likely out this week
Donald Brown – Was not great last week but he was feeling his way back on the field. I worry about his pass blocking but Indy doesn’t have much choice so look for brown to get carries and short passes when he is in the game. James is going to be active but as a UM fan for a very long time, I promise you he is nothing like Edge…NOTHING. I saw the thread dedicated to him in the SP, good luck with that folks.
LeSean McCoy – Should be getting over those cracked ribs. I don’t like huge numbers but he should be good for at least 75 total yds and a score.
Final Score: Philly 27…Indy 24
Dallas (1-6) at Green Bay (5-3)
Dallas is yielding an avg of 150 yds rushing the last 4 games. CJ-25 points, ADP-13 points, Bradshaw-13 points, same game Jacobs-13 points, MJD-14 points. Green Bay’s rush defense has not been very good either allowing 155 yds rushing on avg the last 3 weeks, but they did manage to slow down the Jets last week.
Felix and MB III – Match up looks better but they still are shooting holes in owners rosters. Risky is the words I would use to describe most Dallas skill position players at this point. Amazed Wade has a job.
Brandon Jackson – I like him this week. He had 19 @Wash, 11-MIA, 19-MN, and 9 @NYJ last week. He should be involved a lot in the offense.
Final Score: Green Bay 38…Dallas 17
Pittsburgh (5-2) at Cincinnati (2-5)
Here is what you need to know. The Steelers are awesome at shutting down the run even when they lose football games like last week and the week before…oh yeah they won that game. Cinci is allowing 4.5 ypc and their last 4 games they have allowed 116, 125, 153, and 137 yards on rush defense.
Mendenhall – Has been pretty subpar since Ben came back but look for him to have a nice performance on MNF. The Bengals are not very good at stopping the run and have had some injuries along their DL which further weakens them. Secondary is banged up too, they are in Barney this week.
Cedric Benson – He was great on the opening drive last week when Scott was being worked into the lineup too and then he went into the tank rest of the way and Scott never got another carry. I don’t like the offensive scheme right now.
Final Score: Pittsburgh 24…Cincinnati 16
And finally I want to dedicate this thread/write up to my good friend Jeff Tefertiller who most of you know from FBG. Jeff lost his father this past week. Jeff worked tirelessly to ensure his father lived comfortably these past few months as his health was ailing. I speak for many in the Shark Pool, our thoughts and prayers are with you friend.
Next couple weeks I will be on vacation and away so hopefully I will be back to pick this up week 11 or 12 which is Thanksgiving.
Tampa Bay (5-2) at Atlanta (5-2)
These two teams are squaring off in a battle for 1st place in the NFC South. The Bucs come in with a season ending injury to rookie DT Brian Price. He wasn’t exactly stopping the run anyways and has been in and out for the line up much of his rookie campaign but the Bucs can’t stop anyone rushing the ball anyways so it stand to reason that Turner should have a gigantic day this week. The bucs inability to stop the run will be their major undoing in this football game. The last guy to get excited when they were “5 dash 2” was Sam Wyche and the Bucs went on to finish 7-9. Kareem Morris thinks the Bucs are the best team in the NFL.
LaGarrette Blount – I say it all the time but it is worth repeating…don’t chase points. Atlanta is only giving up 95 yds rushing at home on the season. They have made major strides since their early season lack of run support on defense. Blount was impressive last week in the desert but if you are thinking 120 yds and 2 TDs this week you’re nuts. Blount and the Bucs will be bottled up pretty good this week.
Michael Turner – Bucs are allowing 165 yds rushing the last 5 games, not much else you need to know. The bucs are way ahead of schedule record wise and will probably look bad this weekend. A team that is not as good as their record would indicate(sorry Bucos) and Turner and Atlanta will have their way with them this weekend. Turner should be a top5 contender this week.
Final Score: Atlanta 30…Tampa Bay 16
Miami (4-3) at Baltimore (5-2)
Miami comes in allowing an avg of only 80 yds rushing the last week against GB, Pitt and CInci, not exactly chopped liver. They are 2-1 over those 3 weeks and some would argue they should be 3-0 with a better call form the refs a couple weeks ago. Still the Phins Nation(small country) must be feeling high winning some games that did not look like wins early in the season. They have a shot at 9 or 10 wins now but they are going to be put to the test in Baltimore coming off a bye week this week. The Ravens have allowed 127 and 132 yds the past 2 weeks against NE and Buff…something is not right in B-town right now.
Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams-Despite a decent match up these guys have a total of 2 TDs on the season. No way I can project them as good starts this week. Brown was quoted as saying the team has made no attempt to try and extend him beyond the season. I think he is keeping a stiff upper lip but his mind is elsewhere right now. These 2 guys will not be in Miami next year.
Ray Rice – Buff was a dud but people shouldn’t put too much stock in that game. Rice was pretty good the previous 2 weeks and Miami has allowed some rushing yards to better backs like Adrian Peterson in Minnesota. Rice might not be a strong start but he should be good for 12-15 in most PPR formats.
Final Score: Baltimore 24…Miami 16 (Look for the Ravens to pick off Henne and take one to the house)
Chicago (4-3) at Buffalo (0-7)
Lot of folks have Forte up sky high this week and understandably so…or maybe not so much. Buffalo is atrocious at rush defense. I told you last week 300 yds rushing was on the table for KC and they racked up about 275 so I wasn’t kidding. Buffalo is allowing 220 yds rushing the last 5 weeks and are dead last in rush defense. The problem is outside of Carolina where the Bears rolled up 200+ rushing, they are not a good running football team…not even close. So you run the risk that Forte has a mediocre day and while I think you have to start him I would not be projecting him top3 this week.
Matt Forte – Again, I understand why folks will start him for the reasons I went into above but I am not sold he is a lock this week. Sometimes teams will rear themselves up and show a little backbone. Chicago has not looked good in several weeks. Even though buffalo is 0-7 they are playing hard.
Fred Jackson – I start him and here is why. The bears are only giving up 3.6 ypc and you start saying “MOP are you crazy?”(We all know the answer to that) Seriously though the Bears are allowing 125+ on the ground the last 4 weeks. Did you know that Buffalo has avg 120 yds rushing their last 6 games? They are 9th in ypc on offense with 4.5 per clip. This is going to be one of the upsets this week.
Final Score: Buffalo 21…Chicago 20
New Orleans (5-3) at Carolina (1-6)
Carolina has avg 50 yds rushing on offense since their bye week…meouch! The saints meanwhile have allowed 41 to AZ, 42 to TB, 125 to Cle and the Browns are a decent rushing team, and then 108 to the Steelers and kept Mendenhall pretty bottled up last week. As long as NO does not turn the ball over I think you have to like them in a rout this week.
Ivory/Betts/Bush/Jones – Looks like Reggie bush is not ready so they wait till after the bye week for both him and Thomas. They won’t need them that much in this game. Ivory and Betts will hold the fort down 1 more week.
Stewart – I don’t like the panthers and I think New Orleans will get out in front of the m early. Maybe Stewart can catch them not looking once the game is out of control. Nothing shows that he will tear it up this week. If you roll the dice understand that you might get results like last week.
Final Score: New Orleans 28…Carolina 7
New England (6-1) at Cleveland (2-5)
Logan Mankins checks back in for the Patriots this week. The Pro Bowl Guard will try and get on the field asap but I would not expect him to play the entire game. The browns are playing hard and actually have done alright in rush defense. Allowing 165 to Atlanta and 140 to KC but outside of that the past 2 weeks they allowed 121 to the Steelers and 58 to New Orleans. The Patriots on rush offense have posted 119 against Miami, 127-Balt, and 122-MN last week so even though they have very subpar backs they keep rolling along. This team is starting to look a lot like the 2000 New England patriots that we kept saying couldn’t win and didn’t have the talent and were actually 2-4 at one point but they play as a team and they keep finding ways to win ball games.
BJGE – When he has over 15 carries he has games of 16-98-TD, 16-76-TD, 17-112-2TDs…and he has 6 TDs in his last 5 games. You own him, you gotta play him right now but understand he might also get 10-25 if things don’t go right. He is not a dual threat either with only 2 receptions on the season.
Danny Woodhead – He is avg about 13-14 PPG in PPR the last 3 weeks. He can be a nice flex option but I am not sold on inserting a guy that will only touch the ball maybe 10-12 times a game.
Peyton Hillis – His rush stats the past 3 weeks are 10/28, 12/41, and 16/69 with just 1 rushing TD over those 3 games. He does chip in as a receiver but he’ll have his work cut out for hi against New England. Certainly he should not be a top10 candidate this week.
Final Score: New England 20…Cleveland 17
New York Jets (5-2) at Detroit (2-5)
If you told me the Jets would outgain the Pack 350 to 237 yds on offense and lose 9-0 I would not have believed you. The Jets have lost to Balt 10-9 and GB 9-0…both of these games their defense played outstanding but they still have some inconsistencies on offense that prevent them from being a truly dominant team. The Lions have been up and down this year at rush defense but they have allowed an avg of 170 yds rushing per game against the NYG, PHI, and MN…I would look at LT and Greene as strong plays this week as the Jets are going to take their frustration out on Detroit this week.
LT – I want to say good start but traditionally he does very mediocre inside domes. I’m not saying bench him as I think the Jets will do well but he doesn’t have a lot of big games on his resume inside domes. Solid but nothing special this week.
Shonn Greene – I think he will have a surprise game this week. Last week I said one of these weeks he is going to win the battle and have better stats. I like him this week on the road and the fact the Jets offense is sputtering a bit. Maybe they get him involved and find a spark they need on the road. It’s a gamble but if you have bye week issues you might find some points in here. We can discuss this more below.
Jahvid Best - His dual threat should keep him in flex status at least.
Final Score: NY Jets 28…Detroit 20
San Diego (3-5) at Houston (4-3)
The problem for owners with San Diego RBs is all 3 of them eat parts of the pie. This is not a 1 back show although that is what many were led to believe before the season started. Houston is avg 150 yds on rush defense as of late, that does not bode well for them to hold serve at home this week. They played terrible coming off a bye week against Indy last week. This is a tough match up for Foster as San Diego has allowed 51 against NE and 65 last week against TN, both good teams.
Ryan Mathews – I would consider him for a flex spot right now.
Darren Sproles – 2 solid games the past 2 weeks posting 16 and 17 in PPR formats. So many injuries to their WR and TEs, maybe Sproles will just be lined up in the slot and turned loose.
Arian Foster – Not loving this match up but Houston needs to lean more on the running game right now.
Final Score: San Diego 28…Houston 27
Arizona (3-4) at Minnesota (2-5)
23 turnovers on the season for Arizona. 9 of them their last 2 games. Things look bleak in the desert and they are turning to Derek Anderson this week, puke! The Vikings are not in much better shape as they have no continuity between the front office, coaching staff, and the players. This is an ugly football game no matter how you slice it. I assume Favre will be starting? What a mess. Jared Allen will have 3 sacks this week, write it down.
Beanie Wells – Liked him last week, not liking him much this week.
Adrian Peterson – I’m sure he’s licking his chops after watching what Blount did a week ago. I am interested to see how the team responds. Wilf spoke to the team this week and they needed some assurance that everything is going to be OK. I would have feared mutiny or a total loss of discipline like what we saw in Dallas a week ago.
Final Score: Minnesota 18…Arizona 12
New York Giants (5-2) at Seattle (4-3)
Normally I heavily slant the Nest as home field advantage for the Seahawks and try not to get too caught up in the numbers however…last week I said I had some doubts about their rush defense and they were ripped apart for 239 yards by Oakland. The Giants in 3 of their last 4 games have racked up 189, 167, and 200 yds rushing. They are 4th in rush yards, 2nd in rush TDs, and 6th in yds per carry. They are a strong offensive team that only stops themselves with turnovers. On the flipside they have allowed a TOTAL of 185 yds rushing over their last 4 games!!! An avg of only 45 yds per game and other than a 1 yd Ward plunge in Houston they have not yielded a rushing TD to a major opposing RB their last 4 weeks. In many ways I doubt Tom Coughlin was looking for a bye week for these guys. They have been playing excellent football except for the turnovers which could play a huge part in Sunday’s game.
Ahmad Bradshaw – I wouldn’t sit him.
Brandon Jacobs – I wouldn’t start him.
Marshawn Lynch – Expect a very mediocre day as new york has been lights out in rush defense the last 4 games.
Final Score: New York 27…Seattle 17
Kansas City (5-2) at Oakland (4-4)
When was the last time these 2 teams played a meaningful football game. These teams are similar. They both have 2 pretty strong RBs, well KC has an edge but Bush is no slouch for Oakland. In fact these 2 teams might not need to attempt a pass all day. KC the last 3 games has allowed Foster to get 70/TDs, MJD 120 total/TD, then buffalo was able to rush for 137 last week but Fitzpatrick got some of those yards. I like the match up both ways. Oakland in 3 of their last 4 games has allowed 91-SD, 75-Den,a dn 47-Sea…but KC is a strong running team and I expect good numbers form them.
Jamaal Charles –Start him with confidence
Thomas Jones – Avg day but with bye weeks most will need to start him.
Darren McFadden – Has 335 yards and 4 TDs the past 2 weeks. Ride the wave.
Bush – 160 total yds and 2 TDs the last 2 games. Like Jones I think he will be avg but I don’t see Oakland blowing out KC so he might be
limited this week.
Final Score: Oakland 24…Kansas City 21 Things tighten up in the NFC West
Indy (5-2) at Philly (4-3)
The Colts could have a shopping cart with a mannequin’s arm attached to it and Manning would turn it into a Pro Bowl WR. They wheeled out Tamme, Garcon, White, and Hart Monday night and still managed to win convincingly. I think this week with Vick back and the Eagles coming off a bye week, add in Indy on a short week and I think you have the makings of a an impressive win for Philly this week. Manning vs Vick, all eyes that can watch this game will on Sunday. Both teams have been good against the run the past 3 weeks. Indy has been at least avg with 113-KC, 113-Was, and 108-Hou while Philly has 74-SF, 65-Atl, and 75-TN before their bye week.
Mike Hart and Joseph Addai – Likely out this week
Donald Brown – Was not great last week but he was feeling his way back on the field. I worry about his pass blocking but Indy doesn’t have much choice so look for brown to get carries and short passes when he is in the game. James is going to be active but as a UM fan for a very long time, I promise you he is nothing like Edge…NOTHING. I saw the thread dedicated to him in the SP, good luck with that folks.
LeSean McCoy – Should be getting over those cracked ribs. I don’t like huge numbers but he should be good for at least 75 total yds and a score.
Final Score: Philly 27…Indy 24
Dallas (1-6) at Green Bay (5-3)
Dallas is yielding an avg of 150 yds rushing the last 4 games. CJ-25 points, ADP-13 points, Bradshaw-13 points, same game Jacobs-13 points, MJD-14 points. Green Bay’s rush defense has not been very good either allowing 155 yds rushing on avg the last 3 weeks, but they did manage to slow down the Jets last week.
Felix and MB III – Match up looks better but they still are shooting holes in owners rosters. Risky is the words I would use to describe most Dallas skill position players at this point. Amazed Wade has a job.
Brandon Jackson – I like him this week. He had 19 @Wash, 11-MIA, 19-MN, and 9 @NYJ last week. He should be involved a lot in the offense.
Final Score: Green Bay 38…Dallas 17
Pittsburgh (5-2) at Cincinnati (2-5)
Here is what you need to know. The Steelers are awesome at shutting down the run even when they lose football games like last week and the week before…oh yeah they won that game. Cinci is allowing 4.5 ypc and their last 4 games they have allowed 116, 125, 153, and 137 yards on rush defense.
Mendenhall – Has been pretty subpar since Ben came back but look for him to have a nice performance on MNF. The Bengals are not very good at stopping the run and have had some injuries along their DL which further weakens them. Secondary is banged up too, they are in Barney this week.
Cedric Benson – He was great on the opening drive last week when Scott was being worked into the lineup too and then he went into the tank rest of the way and Scott never got another carry. I don’t like the offensive scheme right now.
Final Score: Pittsburgh 24…Cincinnati 16
And finally I want to dedicate this thread/write up to my good friend Jeff Tefertiller who most of you know from FBG. Jeff lost his father this past week. Jeff worked tirelessly to ensure his father lived comfortably these past few months as his health was ailing. I speak for many in the Shark Pool, our thoughts and prayers are with you friend.
(Gore on his bye)
