To prepare you as best we can for your week of Fantasy Football, we've
devised this series of previews for each NFL game. We'll give you a
taste of what to expect, then rank each significant Fantasy contributor
on a scale from 0-5 logos (with five logos suggesting can't-miss; a
player or unit without any logos suggests you probably shouldn't start
him under any circumstances). The rankings take the matchup into
account, but injuries and other significant factors also contribute.
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Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Thursday, 8:30
pm, Heinz Field
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This is a tough spot for the Titans as the road team in what amounts
to a homecoming game for the defending-champion Steelers. But Jeff
Fisher has always done well preparing his team for big games and
this should be no different. Chris Johnson
finished last season strong against tough 3-4 defenses, including a
70-yard, one touchdown performance against these Steelers, but this
is the first game of the year against a hyped and healthy defense.
Temper expectations with him and LenDale White.
Besides, with the Titans' improved pass attack, they'll want to see
where they're at with it and throw more than 30 times. The Steelers
should collect a couple of turnovers because of it. The Titans'
defense should pressure Ben Roethlisberger
enough, but his O-line is okay for now and he should be able to make
enough plays. Willie Parker
typically starts his seasons hot -- 138 rush yards and three
touchdowns vs. the Texans in Week 1 last year -- but with his
carries being shared and the Titans' run defense still stout, he
can't be counted on as a must-start. Like the Titans, the Steelers
will be forced to throw the ball more than they'd like, but the
matchup to look for is Limas Sweed
vs. Titans nickelback Vincent Fuller.
If Roethlisberger can find his lanky second-year receiver in single
coverage against the Titans' shorter defenders, some jump balls can
be had. Santonio Holmes' speed might
also be a difference-maker in this game.
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Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Georgia Dome
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Interesting matchup. The Dolphins have some tough choices to make as
to how they prepare for the Falcons' solid defense. They've won
their last seven games against 4-3 defenses and have a solid
offensive line to take on the young Falcons defensive front. Expect
Miami to run, setting up the play-action pass and some Wildcat
chicanery to keep the Falcons off-balanced. Atlanta will attempt to
get things going with Michael Turner
and then play everything off of that. Turner did not see many 3-4
defenses last year, but the ones he did see he lit up. That said,
Miami's run defense was good last year, allowing just six runs of 20
or more yards, and they've improved with safety Gibril Wilson. Turner should be good, not great, opening the door
for Matt Ryan to test a renovated
cornerback unit that features rookie Sean Smith. The Falcons will try and match up Roddy White against Smith and see if they can advance the ball
deep that way. Don't expect a high score, but you should see
prominent totals from the main Fantasy players in this one.
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Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, 1:00
pm, Lucas Oil Stadium
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I don't like the Jaguars' chances, and it's not just because they've
lost three of their last four to the Colts. New defensive
coordinator Mel Tucker takes over a defense that has some holes in
it, including a barely improved front seven, and Peyton Manning should feast in his home debut. The Jaguars did a
lot of battling last season with their run game against the Colts,
and it has a chance to be effective. Maurice Jones-Drew has owned the Colts in his career, posting four
100-total-yard games in six outings including both last year with
three 100-yard rushing games and six career touchdowns. Suffice to
say, expect the Jaguars' offense to revolve around him, and if
they're going to run a bunch, Greg Jones
should see a few more reps than normal. No Bob Sanders for the Colts, and that should help Jacksonville's
run game. Torry Holt also will play
on turf, which combined with being healthy should result in a decent
start for him. Indy will battle back with their usual mix of power
running and precision passing, taking advantage of weaknesses in the
Jaguars' defense. Look for Dallas Clark
vs. Sean Considine to be a favorite
of Manning's.
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Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Cleveland Browns Stadium
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Week 1 of the Adrian Peterson MVP
watch starts against a bumbling Browns defense that has some suspect
players other than run stuffer Shaun Rogers.
You wouldn't sit Peterson anyway, but he should have an excellent
Week 1. With that being the case, and with the Vikings expected to
have a big lead, don't expect much from Brett Favre. The Vikings want to limit his throws when they can,
and with Eric Mangini coaching against Favre (the two were together
in New York last season), some weaknesses could be exposed. Peterson
and Chester Taylor should be busy.
The Browns haven't named a starter, and it doesn't matter. The
Vikings will roll coverage to Braylon Edwards
and go with single coverage on Mike Furrey.
It would be interesting if the Browns utilized Josh Cribbs a bunch in the game, but they probably won't since
he's never been a regular offensive weapon before. Jamal Lewis will face the Minnesota stonewall, and the Browns
will be forced to throw as they play from behind. Don't trust any
Browns so long as you can help it this week.
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Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Raymond James Stadium
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This should be a one-sided affair with the Cowboys dominating. The
Bucs are thin at linebacker, so expect Dallas to attack there and
try to push some runs into the second level, which is right up Marion Barber's alley. A one-two punch with Barber and Felix Jones should be enough for the Cowboys, but they can also
fatten up on the Bucs' depleted safeties and create mismatches with Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett,
which is something they'll do a lot of this season. The Buccaneers
will be run-based and give a dose of Derrick Ward and Cadillac Williams,
but the Dallas defense typically starts strong under Wade Phillips'
tutelage. Eventually the Bucs will fall behind and be forced to
throw, and with Byron Leftwich under
center and a gimpy Antonio Bryant
and tight end Kellen Winslow as his
top targets, things could get ugly. Between that and the upheaval of
the play calling for the Buccaneers, it's not a great week to start
anyone from Tampa Bay.
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N.Y. Jets at Houston Texans
Sunday, 1:00 pm, Reliant
Stadium
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With this being Mark Sanchez's
debut, one would think the Jets would lean on their run game and
protect their rookie quarterback. Don't count on that entirely --
the Texans' secondary remains a sore spot and the Jets have some
unproven but talented receivers that should be able to beat them
deep. Throw in tight end Dustin Keller
and proven hands-man Jerricho Cotchery
and we could see a nice debut from Sanchez. Naturally, expect the
Jets to also lean on that run game and use their powerful offensive
line to bully the Texans' front seven. For Houston, running back Steve Slaton is not assured to have a good week. Against the Rex
Ryan-led Ravens defense last year, Slaton was held to 24 total yards
in an awful Texans defeat. Furthermore, Slaton has never run well
against 3-4 defenses, so seeing him run all over on the Jets would
be a surprise. Expect Matt Schaub to
throw more than his fair share, possibly capitalizing on the Jets'
outside linebackers (great for mid-range passes to Owen Daniels and perhaps Slaton).
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Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
M&T Bank Stadium
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This is about the worst place Matt Cassel
and his sprained knee could begin the 2009 season. The Ravens should
abuse the Chiefs' battered offensive line and get to Cassel quite a
bit. That also won't help Larry Johnson's
outlook for the game. Expect the Chiefs to limit their runs and
focus on a varied pass attack, possibly looking for isolation
matchups against linebackers Jarret Johnson
and Tavares Goodman and strong safety Dawan Landry. This isn't a good week to trust any Chiefs in
Fantasy, but it's a great week to lean on some Ravens. Kansas City's
front seven might surprise people this year, but with the Ravens
practicing against their own 3-4 front all week, the Chiefs won't
pose a huge challenge. Look for Baltimore to use the run to set up
its pass attack. Once a lead it built, we'll see a lot of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee.
Even Le'Ron McClain is a decent
flier this week if you're desperate. This should be an easy win for
the Ravens.
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Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Paul Brown Stadium
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This appeared to be a decent way for the Josh McDaniels era to start
in Denver, but now it's not a lock. Kyle Orton
should play but his finger is still on the mend, same with Knowshon Moreno and his knee, and Brandon Marshall hasn't played a preseason snap. About the only
thing you can say here is that you shouldn't expect anything huge
from the Broncos. One note: When McDaniels' Patriots played the
Bengals in 2007, they uncharacteristically ran the ball more than
they normally did that season. Expect Denver to attack the Bengals'
front seven with the run and with short-area passing before trying
to isolate their secondary with the pass. The Bengals will battle
back with a heavy dose of the run, led by Cedric Benson. It's actually a great week to start him over other
rushers with bad matchups because the Broncos' run defense was awful
and the Bengals' O-line is fairly underrated. Because of this, and
because the Broncos' secondary isn't entirely awful, don't count on
a huge yardage total from Carson Palmer.
He'll get good stats, and he'll utilize his receivers including Chad Ochocinco, but the chances of this game becoming a shootout
aren't good unless the Bengals' defense has a meltdown.
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Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Superdome
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The Lions are improved, but they're no match for the Saints, who
should easily outscore them. As much as the Lions want to run the
ball with Kevin Smith, expect them
to fall behind and throw. Smith will get his stats, but Calvin Johnson has a great matchup against the Saints' smallish
cornerbacks and should be a lock for a big game. That will help Matthew Stafford in his NFL debut, but he'll also make some
mistakes; he did not have a great preseason as far as decision
making goes. The Saints will battle back with a heavy dose of ...
well, everything. Expect a Pro Bowl day from Drew Brees as he'll attempt to isolate tight end Jeremy Shockey on rookie safety Louis Delmas
(or Kalvin Pearson) and then
challenge ex-Bucs cornerback Phillip Buchanon
versus his receiving corps. Pierre Thomas
should be healthy for the game and be a contender for a big day
grinding down the clock late; if he's out, Mike Bell is in play as a one-week sleeper. We'll know more as
the week develops. Reggie Bush
should also be involved early and often to give the Lions' matchup
headaches.
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Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers
Sunday, 1:00 pm,
Bank of America Stadium
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We're going to find out two things about the Panthers defense very
quickly: Will their defensive line be capable of stopping the run,
and will their secondary be as good as it was last year? The Eagles
have a rested Brian Westbrook
revving his engine, and with the Panthers' defensive line thin we
might see him make a lot of his runs inside instead of outside. The
Eagles' O-line should dominate at the line of scrimmage, meaning
that Donovan McNabb will have a
little extra time to make good throws. A balanced Eagles' attack
makes McNabb, Westbrook and DeSean Jackson
all good plays, with LeSean McCoy a
sneaky sleeper since the Eagles will run a bunch. The Panthers will
also have an edge running the ball against the Eagles' front seven.
Expect them to run a lot as it not only plays to their strength but
also keeps the Philly offense on the sideline. With Jonathan Stewart still sore (Achilles'), expect DeAngelo Williams to do most of the heavy lifting. Steve Smith might struggle a little bit as he'll see plenty of
rolled coverage his way, but he's healthy following a preseason
shoulder injury. The Eagles and Panthers should put up a decent
amount of points.
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Washington Redskins at N.Y. Giants
Sunday, 4:15 pm, Giants
Stadium
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This should be an excellent meeting between Albert Haynesworth and the improved Redskins run defense vs. Brandon Jacobs and the physical Giants run offense. Look for the
Giants to come off the bus running with Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. In last year's opener, Jacobs rumbled for 124
total yards and followed that up with 71 yards and a touchdown at
the Redskins. Expect more of the same with Bradshaw spelling him and
giving the G-Men another option to combat Haynesworth in the
trenches. It's pretty much their only option as Eli Manning has never thrown two touchdowns in a game against
the Redskins and only topped 300 yards passing last season because
of 75 receiving yards from running back Derrick Ward. With the Redskins' secondary healthy and stingy,
expect a low output from Manning. The Giants have done a consistent
job stopping the Redskins' passing offense over their last four
games, so unless Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly challenge the Giants' cornerbacks (which is a
possibility), the onus will fall on Clinton Portis' shoulders. His production against the Giants has
declined over his last three meetings, but he should benefit from a
healthy offensive line and a slightly undermanned Giants linebacking
corps. Ultimately count on a smash mouth, low-scoring contest.
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St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, 4:15 pm, Qwest
Field
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Seattle has won eight straight games in the series, and while we'd
typically suggest throwing that out the window because both sides
have new coaching staffs, you can expect some continuity from the
Seahawks while the Rams try out their new offense and defense for
the first time on the road. The Rams' best chance to win is to
hammer it down the Seahawks' throats with Steven Jackson. They've done exactly that in each of their last
four games, and Jackson has four straight 100-total-yard outings
with over 120 yards in each 2008 meeting. He should do it again
here, but the rest of the Rams will have trouble even though the
Seattle secondary will be without star cornerback Marcus Trufant. Marc Bulger's hurt
pinkie is still an issue. We should see the re-emergence of the
Seahawks' pass rush here. On offense, look for Seattle to be as
balanced as they can be before taking apart the Rams through the
air. One of Julius Jones' two
100-yard, one-touchdown games came vs. the Rams at home, and he
could have a shot at it again if the Seahawks can build a lead.
Expect a good outing from Matt Hasselbeck,
T.J. Houshmandzadeh and John Carlson as the Rams' pass rush and secondary are not up to
the level of even the good defenses around the NFL.
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San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, 4:15 pm,
University of Phoenix Stadium
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One of Mike Singletary's first games last year as 49ers coach was at
Arizona, and his defense limited the Cardinals' run game and forced
them to throw. Not such a good idea as Kurt Warner hammered them for over 300 yards and three
touchdowns, but the Niners were winning inside of five minutes to
play. They were able to do this by running Frank Gore a bunch and keeping their passing offense limited to
short- and mid-range passes, keeping the Cardinals offense off the
field. Expect that again in this game, which means plenty of
attempts for Shaun Hill and carries
for Frank Gore. The stud rusher has
topped 100 total yards in each of his last three against the
Cardinals and scored at least once in five of his last six contests
against them. The play-action pass could be quite valuable for the
Niners. The Cardinals need to get Kurt Warner
on track after a lousy preseason, and this might be the right
opponent for that. He has throttled the Niners in his last three
games against them in Arizona, totaling 1,113 yards, eight
touchdowns and two interceptions with three 300-yard efforts in that
span. If he does well, the receivers do well and the Cardinals move
the ball. Fantasy owners should be happy. As for the Cardinals'
running backs, expect Tim Hightower
to see the majority of reps and be decent with Beanie Wells also getting a few carries.
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Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Sunday, 8:20 pm,
Lambeau Field
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The Jay Cutler-led Bears have had a
grip on the Packers since Lovie Smith became the head coach, winning
seven of the last 10 meetings. But this is a different Packers
defense -- a 3-4 unit -- and it could have the Bears mixed up. Then
again, Cutler has destroyed 3-4 defenses in the AFC West for years
and will likely not be confused by the formation. Matt Forte has two 100-total-yard games and one touchdown in two
games against the Packers and should be the lead weapon for Chicago
here. Cutler will get his attempts too, but the Packers' secondary
has played well and it will be hard for Cutler to find an edge --
possibly tight end Greg Olsen up
against strong safety Atari Bigby.
Olsen has had at least four catches in three of his last four
against the Packers with a touchdown in two of those games. The
Packers will battle back with a powerful combination of run and
pass: The run led by Bear-beater Ryan Grant
(three touchdowns and two 100-yard games over his last three vs.
Chicago) and the pass led by Aaron Rodgers,
who will have a full complement of weapons at his disposal. With
cornerback Charles Tillman a
question mark to play, the Packers might attack the Bears'
secondary. This should be a bigger test for the Bears than for the
Packers.
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Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
Monday, 7:00 pm,
Gillette Stadium
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Great start for the Patriots, awful start for the Bills. Taking on
their division rival without punishing runner Marshawn Lynch is already a strike against the Bills, but doing so
with a green offensive coordinator, a patchwork offensive line and a
quarterback who has never done well against the Patriots really puts
the team in a corner. Edwards has one career touchdown pass vs. New
England and has been routinely hassled by the Pats over his career.
Not only is that bad for Terrell Owens,
but get this: The Patriots have long-time T.O. nemesis Shawn Springs on their side, and he's expected to handle the
veteran receiver. Owens has bested Springs in the past (a monster
173-yard, four-touchdown game in Nov. 2007), but with all the other
ills the Buffalo offense has, it's probably going to be tough
sledding for T.O. The only Bill with a chance is Fred Jackson, and that's because he'll touch the ball enough
against a good but not great, and now Richard Seymour-less, Patriot
front seven. The Patriots should have their way with the Buffalo
defense, but they've been more proactive running the ball instead of
passing it over their last two games in the rivalry. Expect Tom Brady & Co. to get their numbers, but it wouldn't be a
surprise if Fred Taylor put up some
decent numbers in his New England debut, especially if the Pats opt
to keep Sammy Morris and Laurence Maroney on the sidelines.
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San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
Monday, 10:15 pm,
McAfee Coliseum
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At least for one week, LaDainian Tomlinson
should play like LaDainian Tomlinson.
That's because he's run all over the Raiders for his entire career
and this game should be no different. Even in last year's
injury-plagued season Tomlinson had three touchdowns and nearly 200
rush yards over two games. Darren Sproles
will see his playing time, but L.T. should lead the way for the
Chargers. Philip Rivers' history
against the Raiders suggests that his yardage might be low, but he
should still have at least an efficient game with a touchdown or
two. The Raiders' offense is a mess, but they have a running weapon
of their own in Darren McFadden.
He's healthy, and he's really all they have, but the Chargers have a
long-standing tradition of halting Raiders running backs. In their
last six meetings, the Raiders have had a running back top 50 rush
yards once, and they've scored just twice in their last seven
matchups with the Chargers. Not a good track record for McFadden,
who might break both skids but is unlikely to post monster numbers.
Plus he didn't do much against the Chargers last year. Oakland
should ride him both on the ground and through the air, and it's
because they don't have much else. Tight end Zach Miller is the only other option for JaMarcus Russell, and he did well against the Chargers last year (13
catches, 159 yards and a touchdown).
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