|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Week 9 Game PreviewsCarolina
Panthers (5-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) The Panthers will head into Tampa with a full head of steam after dismantling the Vikings. The Panthers really look like they are hitting their stride right now and seem to be clicking on all cylinders, but they will be facing a Tampa defense that will still show it's teeth despite losing it's starting QB. The Bucs rank 1st in both passing and rushing defense in the NFL, so don't expect the 3 TDs that you got out of Jake Delhomme like you got last week against the Vikings. If you have better options at QB, you may want to think about taking them. You still want to start Steve Smith no matter who the opponent. Delhomme could throw for just 200 yards, but 150 would probably be to Smith. Starting anyone else on the Panthers is a bit of a risk, since this game figures to be a defensive battle. Stephen Davis has been a stud in scoring only leagues and he is a guy you may want to take a look at. The Panthers are No. 1 red zone offense in the league, converting 81.8 percent of the time they get inside the 20 and Davis is a big reason for that. The Bucs head into this game coming off a demoralizing loss to the Niners. Without a short catch and long run by Joey Galloway, Chris Simms had a rough day vs. the WORST pass defense in the NFL. Simms will be starting again this week, but things aren't getting any easier. He will face a Carolina defense that is ranked 23rd in the league vs. the pass, but tends to put a good deal of pressure on the QB. Even though the Panthers D is a little softer against the pass, we don't recommend starting Simms in this contest. Cadillac Williams returned in week 8 but didn't look like the same back we saw in the first 3 weeks of the season. You're going to want to think long and hard about starting him against the Panther defense that is ranked 2nd in the league at giving up fantasy points on the ground. Take a look at your roster and see if you have better options. You still have to start Joey Galloway because he keeps proving himself week after week. He is the go-to receiver in this offense, despite all of the off-season hype surrounding Michael Clayton. Clayton has to be on of the bigger fantasy busts this season. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings Carolina: Offense: 10 Rush
12 Pass Defense: 2 Rush 23 Pass Detroit Lions (3-4) at Minnesota Vikings (2-5) Key Fantasy Players Detroit: QBJoey Harrington, RB Kevin Jones, WR Roy Williams, WR Charles Rogers, WR Mike Williams, K Jason Hanson Minnesota: QB Daunte Culpepper, RB Mewelde Moore, WR Nate Burleson, WR Travis Taylor, WR Troy Williamson,TE Jermaine Wiggins, K Paul Edinger The Lions are coming off a tough overtime home loss to the Bears in which they lost ground in the fight for the NFC North division lead. Joey Harrington will start in place of Jeff Garcia this week after Garcia took a pounding against the Bears. We don't know if you want to take a chance on Harrington even if he is going against a Vikings defense that is ranked 26th in the league at defending the pass and will be getting two of his bigger weapons on offense back. Both Roy Williams and Charles Rogers will be back for this contest and it will be interesting to see how Harrington produces when he has some quality targets to throw to. You may take a shot at starting Williams since he is the No.1 receiver on the Lions and is a threat to have a big game each week he suits up. We would hold off on Rogers though, who is coming off a four week suspension. You will want to start Kevin Jones this week. Jones has to start proving himself and he should be able to do that against the Vikings 26th ranked rushing defense. With Harrington back at QB, the Lions would be smart to concentrate on running the ball and only passing it when they have to. The Vikings are coming off a game in which they were figuratively and literally torn apart by the Carolina Panthers. QB Daunte Culpepper was lost for the season after going down to a knee injury and will be replaced by veteran QB, Brad Johnson. It will be very interesting to see what Johnson can do with a team that has some skilled players, but no sense of direction. If you've acquired Johnson, we don't suggest starting him this week. See how he performs and if he fills in nicely, you could wind up giving him a spot start here and there. Johnson should be able to put up decent fantasy numbers, since the Vikings will be trailing in many of their games. You may want to give Mewelde Moore the start in this game. Moore has been an all-around threat for the Vikings, gaining tough yards on the ground and serving as a reliable receiving target out of the backfield. He may not be a stud, but he is sure to give you a few points each week. Marcus Robinson has been a surprise the last couple of weeks and Johnson looked to him when he came into the game last week. You may want to give him a start as a 3rd or 4th receiver. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings Detroit: Offense: 19 Rush
26 Pass Defense: 11 Rush 13 Pass N.Y. Giants
(5-2) at San Francisco 49ers (2-5) The Giants head into this game after a huge win at home over the Redskins. The development of QB Eli Manning into a legitimate fantasy QB has been stunning. He has thrown at least one TD pass in the past eight games and that should continue this week against the Niners who own the worst passing defense in the NFL. Make sure to start Manning this week, since he should be good for multiple scores. You'll also want to plug Plaxico Burress in the lineup as well, since he is Manning's main target and should get a ton of targets and probably a scoring opportunity. The Giants are one of the top scoring offenses in the league and the Niners are one of the worst red-zone defenses out there, allowing opponents to score a TD over %60 of the time that they get inside the twenty. If you have Giants on your roster, start em. Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey should both have good days and you may be leaving a good chunk of points on the bench if you don't plug them in your lineup. You may even take a chance with Brandon Jacobs in this game, since the game should be a blowout in the second half and he could see some carries. He needs to work his way out of HC Tom Coughlin's doghouse and he could get an opportunity in this game to do so. The Niners are coming off a shocking win over the Bucs last week in which their defense looked, not so bad. Don't expect a repeat performance in this game, since they will be going against Eli Manning, not Chris Simms. Cody Pickett is expected to start at QB in this game but he is not a suggested start. Even though the Giants rank 30th in pass defense in the NFL, it will be Pickett's first start and we're not expecting big numbers out of him or any of the Niners offensive players. Arnaz Battle is still listed as questionable and did not practice on Thurs. so we don't expect him to play. If you are desperate, Brandon Lloyd may be a decent start, just because he would be Pickett's main target and he's also averaging 18.4 yards per catch. Kevan Barlow must be feeling the heat of rookie Frank Gore. He stepped up big-time last week and rushed for over 100 yards for the first time this season. You may want to give him the nod, since his production has stepped up over the past few weeks the Giants are slipping in run defense. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings NY Giants: Offense: 7 Rush
16 Pass Defense: 12 Rush 30 Pass Tennessee
Titans (2-6) at Cleveland Browns (2-5) The Titans head into this game coming off a home loss to the Raiders. They should have a shot at a 'W' this week as the travel into Cleveland to face the Browns. Steve McNair is still having back spasms, but figures to play in this game. He may be a good start, since Cleveland doesn't put much pressure on opposing QBs and their defense ranks 19th in the NFL at giving up fantasy points through the air. Brandon Jones and Tyrone Calico are both listed as questionable on the injury report this week, but both practiced and are expected play this week. Calico has been a bit of a disappointment this season while Jones has been a pleasant surprise. You may want to stick Jones in the lineup this week if you are thin on receivers. He currently leads all rookie wide receivers in receptions with 21. We really like Chris Brown this week since he has shown that he is healthy and will be facing a Browns defense that is ranked 24th in the league at defending the run. Travis Henry may get around 10 carries this game, but is not a suggested start in most leagues. The Browns are coming off a disheartening loss to the Texans in Texas. It was the first win of the year for the Texans and a punch in the belly to the Browns. Trent Dilfer will start this game, but we're not so sure he will finish it. It seems like it is only a matter of time until Charlie Frye is taking snaps from center and you may see him get some action in this game. The Titans like to pressure the QB and Dilfer had made his share of bad decisions this season. Don't be surprised to see Frye in the second half of this matchup. As you can guess, we don't recommend starting Dilfer this week. RB Rueben Droughns may be a good start this week even after being arrested for a DUI during the week. Droughns is the Browns only healthy running back this week as William Green is listed as doubtful with a sprained ankle and Lee Suggs is still recovering from a broken thumb. Droughn may have his best day as a Brown, since he won't be sharing any of his carries with another back. Braylon Edwards may be a good start in this game. Edwards will share the No. 2 receiver spot with Dennis Northcutt and we expect Dilfer to try to get him the ball more than he has to this point. The Titans are ranked 20th in the NFL at defending the pass, so you may want to give consideration to both Edwards and Antonio Bryant. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings Tennessee: Offense: 23 Rush
13 Pass Defense: 17 Rush 20 Pass Seattle
Seahawks (5-2) at Arizona Cardinals (2-5) The Seahawks will be coming off a much needed bye week in which some of their key players were able to get healthy. The biggest addition to the team this week will be the return of WR Bobby Engram, who has missed the past four games with a rib injury. Engram should have a productive day, as he will be facing a Cardinals defense that is ranked 16th in the league at defending the pass and will be the No. 1 option for QB Matt Hasselbeck. As always, you will want to start RB Shaun Alexander since he is one of the few stud RBs out there and leads the NFL with 12 TDs. The Cardinals are also ranked 16th in the league at giving up fantasy points on the ground, but you can throw that out the window when they face Alexander. You'll probably want to take a shot at starting Matt Hasselbeck also. The Seahawks offense has been too lethal lately to leave him out of the lineup. Getting Engram back should also help his game. You'll want to downgrade Joe Jurevicius and Peter Warrick because of the return of Engram also. After being the preseason darling of many, the Cardinals are struggling mightily this season. The key to their struggles has been their offensive line that has been banged up throughout the year. They are not giving their QB, whoever that may be, enough time in the pocket and not opening up any holes for the RBs to gain any significant yards. Speaking of the QBs, Coach Dennis Green has made the decision to go back to veteran Kurt Warner at QB. This may be a desperation move, but Green may feel that he has to give the veteran another chance. We don't suggest starting Warner this week, since he will be going against an aggressive Seahawks defense that will be sure to put the pressure on him. He will also be without WR Anquan Boldin, who will be out 2-4 weeks with a bruised knee. WR Bryant Johnson could see more action with Boldin out of the lineup, but he is still a risky start. You'll probably want to start Larry Fitzgerald, since he figures to be Warner's main target on the day. Neither of the Cardinals RBs, Marcell Shipp or J.J. Arrington are really worth a start. If you do wind up plugging them in, don't expect much out of them. Huddlegeeks
Team Fantasy Rankings Pittsburgh
Steelers (5-2) at Green Bay Packers (1-6) The Steelers head into Green Bay coming off a close Monday night victory over the Ravens. QB Ben Roethlisberger's knee was injured in the contest and needed to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to repair the damage. Big Ben will be out at least this week and quite possibly the next week vs. the Browns. Charlie Batch will step up and start in place of Big Ben but we don't expect too much out of Batch. The Steelers passed the ball too much the last time Big Ben missed a game and paid dearly for it. Expect them to keep the chains moving on the ground as much as possible with Willie Parker. Jerome Bettis will also miss this game with a knee injury, so expect Parker to get most of the work over Duce Staley who will suit up for the first time this season. If you're in a league that requires a tight end, you're going to want to plug in Heath Miller. Miller has been impressive of late and is a prime target when the Steelers get in scoring position. The Packers are coming
off of another loss in a losing season. Despite being losers from a won-loss
perspective, the Packers are fantasy darlings. They rank as the 6th best
red zone scoring offense in the league, find the endzone over %63 of the
time they get inside the 20-yard line. Brett Favre continues to be a fantasy
force despite his age and the crumbling team around him. He is currently
tied for second in the league in TD passes with 15. Expect him to get
a couple more in this game, as the Steelers defense is a little more susceptible
to the pass than they are the run. Donald Driver and Antonio Chatman could
have a productive game against the Steelers secondary, so you are going
to want to consider them. If we had to pick one, it would be Chatman,
since defenses are focusing more on Driver. Tony Fisher is not a suggested
start in this game, since Pittsburgh is so tough against the run. They
currently rank 4th in the NFL against the run, so hopefully you have better
options than Fisher at RB this week. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings Pittsburgh:
Offense: 8 Rush 24 Pass Defense: 4 Rush 15 Pass
The Falcons come into this game at 5-2 and you'd think that they haven't won a game if you listen to the Atlanta sports talk stations. Everyone needs to realize that Vick doesn't do things the normal way, but he does do one thing very well - win. He will never make for a great fantasy quarterback, but he can fill in during this time of year when bye weeks and injuries start to take a toll. Very few teams present any real match up problems for Vick because if you take his legs away he will find Crumpler and if you take his receivers away he'll take off and run. The receiving corps isn't very good and this week they could be thin because Michael Jenkins is listed as questionable. The only receiver that has any fantasy value is Alge Crumpler and if you have him you should be playing him at tight end every week. The Dolphins have a balanced defense that isn't weak against the run or the pass. Look for the Falcons to use plenty of Warrick Dunn out of the backfield. We really like his chances to go over a hundred yards. We aren't sure that if it will be running or catching but Dunn looks like a great play this week. The Dolphins find themselves at a somewhat surprising 3-4 and in the AFC East hunt. The Ricky Williams experiment is starting to show some results without sacrificing the production and carries of Ronnie Brown. We still think that starting Ricky is way too risky, he could go for a hundred but he could just as easily get you 5 yards. We do like Brown this week. The Falcons are a little inexperienced on the d-line and Brown should be able to be fresh in the fourth quarter and get some chances then. It's really hard to get excited about any other player on the Dolphins. Chris Chambers occasionally has a decent game but he's too unreliable to be an every week receiver. Even Randy McMichael has fallen off a bit. Gus Frerotte could be a sleeper this week. The Falcons are only average against the pass and Frerotte does have eight touchdowns this year. Frerotte currently ranks as the 22 quarterback. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings
Even though the Bengals sit atop the AFC North at 6-2 they can't be feeling very comfy. They face a Baltimore team that plays much tougher than their won/loss record and they have the Steelers breathing down their necks. For those of you that are tempted to sit quarterback Carson Palmer because he is going against the Ravens, keep this in mind, in Palmer's last meeting against the Ravens he threw for three touchdowns. Sit Rudi Johnson. He is not only going against a top third rushing defense but, quite frankly, he just isn't producing that well. In the last seven weeks, he's been in the single digits in fantasy scoring 6 of those times. Chad Johnson was dinged up a bit last week but he should be ready to play this week. This game will play much closer than the records would indicate. The Ravens played inspired ball on Monday against the Steelers but it just wasn't enough. For them to win this week they need to get Jamal Lewis back on track. He's been held under the hundred yard mark in seven straight games. Even Chester Taylor was flat last week running the ball although he did contribute catching the ball. We don't advice playing either back this week. Even though Wright looked surprisingly poised against the Steelers, we'd be crazy to suggest that you start him.. We don't recommend starting any Ravens players, except Derrick Mason. Mason makes for a great number 3 receiver and this deep into the season, number 3 receivers are pretty important. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings Cincinnati: Offense: 22 Rush
3 Pass Defense: 27 Rush 11 Pass Houston
Texans (1-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3) That thud you heard last week was the monkey falling off of the Texans back. They finally got their first win of the season and are now looking to get on a winning streak. It's not going to be easy because they go up against a tough Jacksonville team at home. It's actually pretty easy to do previews for Houston games because there is really only one player to think about playing in your league and that is Domanick Davis. Davis is on pace for around 1100 yards this season, which on this team, he should be considered for the MVP. Davis is a given. One player to start keeping a watch on is KR/WR Jerome Mathis. Mathis is second in the league with a 30.4 return average. He is starting to see action as a receiver also. Last week, he caught the Texans only touchdown against the Browns. It's still too early to grab Mathis but he's a player to write down and keep an eye on for next season. Jacksonville will try to bounce back after a tough loss to the Rams. The worst part of that game is the way St. Louis shredded the front seven for over 200 rushing yards. The Jags are supposed to have a pretty solid defense and that isn't supposed to happen. In fact, it won't happen this week. Part of the reason that they gave up so many yards to the Rams is because the Jags had to respect the pass. They don't need to nearly worry as much about the pass this week. They will be able to load up on the line to stop Davis. One of last week's geeks of the week, Fred Taylor, really came through. If we liked him last week, you know that we like him against Houston. They are a little better against the pass but that won't stop us from recommending Leftwich and Jimmy Smith. Smith has let us down the last couple of weeks, but look for a bounce back game at home. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings Houston: Offense: 25 Rush
31 Pass Defense: 31 Rush 18 Pass
The Raiders are really beginning to roll thanks to the legs of LaMont Jordan. Jordan has seven touchdowns in the last four games and the Raiders are 3-1 in that span. Jordan should be considered an every week start even against an improved defense like the Chiefs. In addition to Jordan, the whole offense seems to be kicking it into gear. Collins had one of his better games of the year last week when he threw for three touchdowns against the Titans. The good news is that the Chiefs are horrible against the pass. Collins should have a great game. The only question is who is going to be catching those passes. Last week Jerry Porter did his usual second half rebirth and he went off for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Who knows if he will be able to come close to that this week. He definitely has the talent to produce every week. Moss is getting healthier and is practicing this week. Look for his stats to gradually improve each week until he's completely healthy again. Doug Gabriel really disappointed us last week. He was coming off two really solid games and we were hoping he could keep it going. Instead, he responded with zero catches for zero yards on three targets. He's still a sleeper but beware that he will probably disappoint more than he will surprise. Kansas City enters this week with several questions marks surrounding the team. How will the defense, already hurting from injuries, handle the passing attack of the Raiders? Will Larry Johnson ever be happy? Will Priest Holmes play? Holmes is listed as questionable but HC Vermeil expects him to play. If the coach expects him to play then we do too. If he doesn't play then Johnson will get the start and the Chiefs will morph into a power rushing team instead of the screen passes that Holmes is famous for. When they do pass they can build on the success of last week. Trent Green finally broke out of the lackluster fantasy performances that he's been stuck in. There should be plenty of opportunities for the receivers, the Raiders aren't terribly good against the pass and Charles Woodsen remains out with an injury. We will keep a close eye on Tony Gonzalez this week. He finally broke out of his mediocre year with a score and just under a hundred yards. He seemed very motivated last week to be going up against the new best tight end in football. Will he be able to keep it going this week against another division foe? We hope that this is the start of several quality games for Tony but we are skeptical. The same thing for Eddie Kennison, he has a couple of good games mixed in with some lousy games. We do like the KC receivers this week because of the Oakland defense. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings Oakland: Offense: 18 Rush
6 Pass Defense: 18 Rush 22 Pass Philadelphia
Eagles (4-3) at Washington Redskins (4-3) The Eagles head into this game coming off a blowout loss to the Broncos in which they lost their top WR, and fantasy stud, Terrell Owens to a sprained ankle. Owens may miss next week as well, trying to recover from a sprained ankle on the same leg that was broken at the end of last season. We have to wonder how hurt Owens is. Is he really hurting, or is this payback for the Eagles not giving him a new contract?? Either way, the Eagles will have to find someone to replace him. Attempting to fill Owens shoes will be rookie WR Reggie Brown. Brown really impressed us in preseason and that's why we are picking him as our deep sleeper of the week. The Eagles are still going to pass the ball and someone has to catch the passes that Donovan McNabb is tossing. Why can't it be Brown? You will also want to upgrade Greg Lewis for this week and expect his regular production to go up a notch. You still have to start Donovan McNabb even though Owens is out. The Eagles throw the ball way too much to have this guy on the bench any week. The Redskins are tough against the pass (4th) but still expect some fantasy worthy numbers out of McNabb. The Redskins are coming off a big blowout loss of their own to the Giants. It was a pretty big loss for the Skins as they needed to prove themselves as a contending team in the NFL. Mark Brunell had a dismal game last week and may be wearing down. You may want to take a shot at starting him this week, since the Eagles defense is ranked 25th in the league at defending the pass. Look for the Eagles to put some pressure on the veteran though and make things tough on him. You definitely want to start Clinton Portis since the Eagles are ranked 21st in the league at stopping the run. Huddlegeeks Team Fantasy Rankings Philadelphia: Offense: 31
Rush 1 Pass Defense: 21 Rush 25 Pass
|
|
|
Home This Week Draft Prep Articles Stats Links Contact Us Sign Up Copyright©Huddlegeeks.com 2005 |