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Late News November 9, 2007:
Some developments since our week 10 newsletter went out on Thursday morning:Some developments since our week 10 newsletter went out on Thursday morning:
Travis Henry (knee, ribs) looks 50-50 at best. He didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday and was limited at practice on Friday. He's officially listed as questionable. If Henry can't play, the Broncos would plug in Selvin Young. Henry is appealing a drug test that would result in him being suspended for a year by the league. That grievance will be heard next Friday, with Henry likely to be suspended after the team's week 11 game (which, coincidentally is against the Titans, Henry's former team).
Zach Thomas (migraines) won't play. When he's not on the field, Miami's run defense goes from bad to awful. Take this as evidence that Marshawn Lynch will have a good game on Sunday.
Chad Johnson (neck) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (knee) both missed a day of practice this week, but they'll both play. Both practiced fully on Friday, and both are listed as probable on the injury report. Houshmandzadeh, Johnson and No. 3 WR Chris Henry could be very productive against an injury-depleted Baltimore secondary.
Washington's receiving corps has been hit by injuries. Santana Moss (heel) didn't practice all week and is listed as questionable. There's a good chance he won't play. Nor is Antwaan Randle El (hamstring) sure to play -- he's listed as probable but didn't practice on Thursday or Friday. The team could be down to guys like David Thrash, Brandon Lloyd and Keenan McCardell at wide receiver.
Frank Gore (ankle, questionable) indicates he'll play, but he's definitely not 100 percent. He could lose some work, and he could be forced out of the game early.
Steven Jackson (back) looks ready to roll. He's listed as probable, and he participated fully in practice on Thursday and Friday.
Dallas Clark (concussion) and Marvin Harrison (knee) both are questionable on the team's injury report. Our leaning is that they'll play. Harrison was able to participate, albeit in a limited fashion, all week in practice. Clark sat out Wednesday and Thursday but was able to do some work on Friday.
Jerious Norwood (ankle) is questionable. He didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, but he did some limited work on Friday. Sounds like Warrick Dunn will get more carries than usual. If Norwood doesn't play, then Atlanta will plug Artose Pinner into the change-of-pace role. Also for Atlanta, Alge Crumpler was a limited participant at practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; he's probable.
Shaun Alexander, Deion Branch and Marcus Pollard are all questionable. More will be known after the team practices Saturday (Seattle's playing on Monday night, so it's on a different schedule this week). Branch ran a few routes at practice Friday. Alexander hasn't been practicing all week, but he's been doing some conditioning work on the side. And Pollard has been idle.
For Baltimore, Todd Heap (hamstring) practiced fully on Friday. He should be good to go.
Reggie Bush isn't 100 percent after bruising his knee last week. He didn't practice Wednesday and was limited on Thursday and Friday. Bush is expected to play, but the team may lighten his load slightly.
Chris Brown (ankle) was limited in practice all week and is questionable on the injury report. Sounds like Chris Henry will be the team's No. 2 back for Sunday's game, even though Brown ran for 175 yards against Jacksonville on opening day. LenDale White should get the bulk of the carries; White has a toe injury but was a full participant in practice on Friday.
Vinny Testaverde (Achilles, questionable) did not practice on Friday. If Testaverde can't play, the Panthers would be down to youngster Matt Moore. That would probably hurt Steve Smith's production.
For Minnesota, it looks like Brooks Bollinger will start at quarterback. And receiver Sidney Rice (hamstring, questionable) definitely isn't 100 percent. Rice didn't practice on Thursday and was limited on Friday. Bobby Wade looks like their No. 1 guy for this week -- he was a full participant at practice on Friday.
Green Bay tailback Ryan Grant (concussion) practiced fully on Friday. He's ready to roll.
Denver's Jay Cutler (ankle) practiced fully all week and is probable on the injury report. So in theory, he should play, and he should be fine. Mike Shanahan, however, has been known to pull some dirty tricks with the injury report over the years.
Both of Buffalo's second and third pass-catching targets, Roscoe Parrish (thigh) and Josh Reed (back), are listed as questionable on the injury report. Both are expected to play.
Jerry Porter (knee, questionable) didn't practice on Friday. He practiced fully on Wednesday and Thursday.
Josh Scobee (quad, doubtful) was limited in practice all week. He appears to be at least a week away.
Kellen Winslow (shoulder) was banged up against Seattle, but he'll definitely play. He's not even on the injury report.
Plaxico Burress (ankle) is listed as questionable and didn't practice on Thursday or Friday, but he'll definitely play.
Arizona (vs. Det.):
Head coach Ken Whisenhunt likes to emphasize the run over the pass, but that probably won't be how things go this week. The Lions are dramatically weaker against the pass (30th) than the run (12th); six Detroit opponents have passed for at least 248 yards against them, while only two of the last five have rushed for even 70 yards. Much of the credit goes to the disruptive presence of run-stuffing nose tackle Shaun Rogers, who's having his best season. The one caveat is that the Lions are leading the league in forcing turnovers; if Arizona calls too many pass plays, a few of those could turn into touchdowns going the other way. We'll stick with the idea that the Cardinals will find less resistance through the air, but there's an outside chance they'll attempt to play things a little more conservatively than the matchup might suggest. ... It's an above-average matchup for Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Only two teams have allowed more passing yards and only four have allowed more passing touchdowns than the Lions. Detroit has allowed opposing quarterbacks to throw for at least 2 touchdowns in five of its eight games. The Cardinals come off by far their worst offensive output of the season, putting up just 195 total yards at Tampa Bay, but this is a lesser defense and Arizona tends to play better at home. These teams met here a year ago (a 17-10 Cardinals win) and Matt Leinart threw for 233 yards and a TD. Assuming Warner protects the football -- he's thrown 2 interceptions in each of the last two weeks -- he should post solid numbers. He could also get some extra motivation from seeing his former coach, Mike Martz, on the opposing sideline. ... Larry Fitzgerald has just 1 TD on the season, but he's been a model of consistency in terms of yardage. He's put up at least 85 receiving yards in seven straight games, averaging 7 receptions per game over that span. He has only himself to blame for not scoring his second touchdown last week, carelessly stepping out of bounds halfway through a play that would have gone for an 80-yard touchdown. He might be a slightly better yardage candidate than Boldin, although Boldin is getting more red-zone looks. He's caught 4 of the 5 TDs Warner has thrown when both are playing. ... Tough matchup for James, who comes off one of the worst games of his career (9 carries, 15 yards) at Tampa Bay. James did rush for 96 yards against the Lions a year ago, but Shaun Rogers didn't play in that game. ... The Cardinals are just 3-5, but they could still be a playoff team. In the weak NFC West, they're just a game out of first place, and they play one of the league's three easiest schedules in terms of opponents' wins and losses and points allowed the rest of the way. Good news for Warner and these receivers, too: No team has an easier remaining schedule in terms of pass defenses than the Cardinals.
Atlanta (at Car.):
Warrick Dunn could be a significant fantasy player this week -- perhaps Atlanta's only significant fantasy player. Dunn comes off his first 100-yard rushing game in more than a year, and although it was against a lesser San Francisco group, he looked pretty spry for an older (32) player, darting through holes and bouncing outside on a third-and-1 carry to score a 9-yard touchdown. It's a good matchup this week; the Panthers are just 20th against the run, and Dunn ran well against them in a week 3 meeting (11 for 55); he also put up 132 yards in this matchup a year ago. Carolina's last two opponents have averaged 136 rushing yards against them; the team has allowed 8 rushing touchdowns in its last five games. LenDale White had plenty of openings to run through last week. The biggest threat to Dunn's production, Jerious Norwood, sprained an ankle last week; he missed practice Wednesday and might miss this game. Norwood says he'll be ready, but he's definitely not 100 percent. Good matchup for Dunn, who says he's feeling fully healthy (after preseason back surgery) for the first time all year. Dunn, by the way, is still getting short-yardage and goal-line opportunities; he was in the backfield (at tailback in an I-formation) when fullback Ovie Mughelli punched in a 1-yard touchdown last week. ... Joey Harrington looked pretty bad against San Francisco last week, overthrowing and underthrowing receivers en route to completing just 56 percent of his passes. Harrington, remember, has already been benched this year, but an injury to Byron Leftwich forced him back into the lineup. (Leftwich remains at least a week away from returning.) On the plus side of the ledger for Harrington is the fact that he had by far his best game of the season against this opponent back in week 3, throwing for 361 yards and 2 TDs in a 27-20 loss. Both of these offenses looked stronger then, however; Jake Delhomme was starting for Carolina. This week will probably be more low-scoring, with Harrington taking a back seat to the running game and putting up more modest numbers. The over-under of 36 for this game is one of the lowest of the week. ... Even with the passing game expected to be secondary, it's tempting to roll the dice with Roddy White. White has emerged as this team's clear No. 1 receiving option, and he had his biggest game of the year in the first meeting: 7 catches, 127 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown. He's put up at least 55 receiving yards in every game since week 2 -- impressive for a player who had hit that total just five times in his first two seasons, and entered the year not even assured of a roster spot, let alone a starting job. It's a below-average matchup, but White is playing well enough that he could post decent yardage totals anyway. ... Alge Crumpler (knee/ankle) isn't certain to return this week; he was limited in practice on Wednesday. ... If your regular defense has a poor matchup, consider the Falcons this week. The Panthers' three options at quarterback (aged Vinny Testaverde, inexperienced Matt Moore, or inept David Carr) all look pretty shaky, and their coverage units were lousy against Tennessee returners last week.
Baltimore (vs. Cin.):
This is a choice matchup for the Baltimore offense. Cincinnati's defense is the worst in the league right now. It ranks in the bottom 5 against both the pass and run, and it's allowed more points than anyone -- over 30 per game. This defense has given up at least 3 TDs in seven straight games. The Ravens are also at home. Before you pencil them in for huge numbers, however, keep in mind that this might be the league's worst offense. Baltimore ranks in the bottom 10 in yards and only 26th in scoring, even though it has played probably the easiest schedule in the league. The Ravens have faced plenty of bad defenses, and they've scored only 9 TDs in eight games -- they haven't scored 3 TDs against any opponent. In Baltimore's last three games against truly woeful defenses -- St. Louis, San Francisco and Cleveland -- it has scored a total of 2 TDs. And it scored only one offensive touchdown in its 27-20 loss at Cincinnati back in week 1. Steve McNair can't play anymore, the offensive line is a wreck, and the Ravens have the look of a team that's going to finish the year about 6-10. ... Willis McGahee is Baltimore's best offensive player right now. Despite the turmoil around him, he's playing pretty well. He's averaging 86 yards per game, 4.4 per carry and he's scored three weeks in a row. He'll face a soft defense that's allowing 144 rushing yards per game. He should run for 90-plus yards and a touchdown. McGahee left the Pittsburgh game with a concussion, but that won't affect him for this game. ... Steve McNair should be benched before long. At 34, he doesn't have it anymore -- he's lost too much mobility and arm strength, and he's making too many poor decisions. McNair has turned the ball over eight times; he's finished only two of the five games he's started. And he's throwing nothing but harmless little dink passes underneath -- he's averaging only 8.4 yards per completion. His only win was a 9-7 yawner at San Francisco. The Baltimore Sun ran an online poll, and 89 percent of the respondents said they wanted Kyle Boller to start this week. Brian Billick says that McNair remains the starting quarterback, but the veteran is probably a bad half away from heading to the bench for good. ... Derrick Mason is catching lots of passes -- he's on pace to finish the year with 124 receptions -- but they're not doing enough damage. He's averaging only 9.1 yards per catch, which is a below-average number even for a tight end. He's at his best, obviously, in a points-per-reception format. But Mason's role could change when the Ravens make the inevitable switch at quarterback -- more balls might get sent to Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams, who haven't been big factors. When Boller started at Buffalo, Clayton caught 5 passes for a season-high 49 yards. ... Todd Heap has sat out three of the last four games with a hamstring injury. Billick indicates that Heap should return this week. Heap was limited at practice on Wednesday.
Buffalo (at Mia.):
It's a little worrying that the Dolphins are winless. Sitting at 0-8, they'll be playing hard -- knowing that this is one of the games they potentially could win. But all of the statistical trends indicate that this should be another good game for Buffalo's offense, with the team probably scoring 24-plus points and moving to 5-4. ... Marshawn Lynch is an improving, emerging force at tailback, and he'll face a defense that ranks next-to-last against the run. The Dolphins are allowing 4.5 yards per carry, and they've given up at least 140 rushing yards in 75 percent of their games. They've also allowed 11 rushing touchdowns, 2nd-most in the league. If all goes to plan, it seems, Lynch will grind out about 120 yards and a touchdown or two. ... J.P. Losman will start again at quarterback. That's great news for Lee Evans. There's definitely a rapport between these two. That was apparent on the opening drive against Cincinnati, when Losman hooked up with Evans on three straight pass plays, including a touchdown. Evans has caught both of Losman's touchdown passes the last two weeks, and he's also finished with 138 and 165 receiving yards. He's got the speed to score from anywhere on the field, and with Lynch pounding away at Miami's front seven, you can be sure that Losman will try to go deep to Evans a few times in this game. Evans has been a disappointment this year, but he's still one of the premier deep-threat receivers -- probably one of the five fastest receivers in the league. Evans wasn't a factor when Buffalo won 16-6 at Miami last year, but he scored 5 TDs in his previous two games at Pro Player Stadium, with three of those scores from outside 40 yards. Losman, meanwhile, seems to be finding a comfort zone, and he's won all three of his career starts against the Dolphins. In hindsight, people have been too critical in trying to run off Losman when he started this season slowly. He put up lousy numbers in September, but look at the opposition: Denver (which has the great cornerbacks and was on top of its game), at Pittsburgh and at New England. A lot of quarterbacks would have struggled in those three. Losman has completed 69 percent of his passes the last two weeks, with 2 TDs and 1 interception (which granted, came on an underthrown ball that should have been a touchdown to Lee Evans). Losman is OK. He'll probably play well enough here to remain the starter. The team has a tough three-game stretch coming up, however: New England, at Jacksonville and at Washington. Losman has thrown 7 TDs versus only 1 interception in his three career starts against Miami, finishing with 224, 83 and 200 yards in those games. The Dolphins rank 5th in pass defense this year, but they're actually not that good -- teams haven't passed that often against them because Miami is so soft against the run. The Bills are 5-1 in this series the last three years. ... Roscoe Parrish (who's from Miami and played his college ball at the U) likely will be questionable for this game with a thigh injury. This could result in a few more balls, perhaps, getting sent to Josh Reed. Reed is playing reasonably well; he's caught at least 4 passes in all but one of his last five games. Parrish didn't practice Wednesday. ... Robert Royal is playing well enough that he might be a good game away from being considered a top-20 tight end. He's gone over 30 receiving yards in three of his last five games.
Carolina (vs. Atl.):
We're not DeShaun Foster fans. We're not sure why he's still getting twice as many carries as DeAngelo Williams, the team's first-round pick from a year ago, particularly considering Williams is averaging over a yard more per carry. But certain matchup histories are too good to ignore, and one of those is Foster versus the Falcons. Foster has rushed for over 100 yards just six times over the past three years: four times (in five games) against the Falcons, twice against the rest of the NFL. He's averaging 115 rushing yards with 4 total TDs in those games, and went for 122 (with a touchdown) in the team's 27-20 win at Atlanta in week 3. And who's to say it won't happen again: The Falcons are worse defending the run (22nd) than pass (13th), and have allowed at least one rushing touchdown in each of their last four games. All that is why Foster, limited though he is, appears unusually high in our rankings this week. ... When Foster rushed for 102 yards at Atlanta last season, the Panthers were without quarterback Jake Delhomme, and let backup Chris Weinke attempt only 7 passes. A year later, not much has changed: Delhomme is on injured reserve, and the Panthers will again be starting a quarterback who they'd probably prefer to spend most of his time handing the ball off. It could be Vinny Testaverde (Achilles), who returned to practice Wednesday, instead of David Carr (concussion), who sat out; that would benefit this offense. Inexperienced third-stringer Matt Moore would get the nod if injuries sideline Testaverde and Carr. Whoever it is will likely play second fiddle to the running game regardless. ... In the last two games in this series, Steve Smith has caught one pass for 10 yards. Total. Part of that has to do with Carolina's run-based approach in those games, and part has to do with being covered by shutdown cornerback DeAngelo Hall. That matchup, actually, is one of the more intriguing elements to this game; in week 3, a beaten Hall dragged Smith down for an interference penalty rather than give up a possible long touchdown, then drew a pair of personal foul penalties in a bizarre meltdown that helped the Panthers come away with a win. The war of words continued after the game ("That's the kind of player he is," said Smith). No doubt Smith would love to get in the end zone against Hall; these guys hate each other. Testaverde's return to the lineup would help; Smith's biggest game (10 for 136, TD) since week 2 came with the 43-year-old at quarterback (at Arizona). Smith was targeted on a pair of end-zone throws last week but was draped in defenders on both plays. He missed practice Wednesday with a hip contusion but is expected to be fine for Sunday's game. ... If you're in a TD-only league and hurting at the tight end position, you have to consider Jeff King. It's not exactly a Foster-like trend, but King has caught touchdowns against Atlanta in each of the past two seasons -- the only scoring plays of his career. ... Joey Harrington has thrown interceptions in three of his last four games and taken multiple sacks five times. It's a better than average week to start the Carolina defense.
Chicago (at Oak.):
Cedric Benson has been one of fantasy's biggest disappointments. He's averaging just 3.1 yards per carry and has lost as many fumbles (2) as he's scored touchdowns. Benson, however, has a chance to make it up to his owners here: The Raiders are a dismal 30th against the run, allowing 153 rushing yards per game; they've given up more than that in three of their last four and 126-plus in five straight. They've given up 12 rushing touchdowns, more than any other team -- a whopping 8 in the last four weeks. If Benson can't run on this group, he probably can't run on anyone. If that happens, maybe Lovie Smith would finally consider giving Adrian Peterson or even third-rounder Garrett Wolfe more opportunities to get this running game going. Our feeling, though, is that Benson will have plenty of success this week, rushing for 100-plus yards and maybe 1-2 TDs. ... The extremely favorable matchup for the running game, along with Oakland's own offensive struggles -- they haven't scored more than 17 points since week 4 -- have us cool on the passing game here. The Bears should be successful with their running plays, and the Raiders themselves probably won't score enough that the Bears will need to get away from that approach. That's been the case against Oakland for most of the season: Five straight opponents have passed for fewer than 200 yards and rushed for more than 125 (in some cases much more). Brian Griese (who typically struggled against the Raiders while with the Broncos) probably won't throw very often. When he does throw, he may not have much success anyway. The Raiders have a solid secondary, allowing just one touchdown pass in their last four games, and 7 on the season (only two teams have allowed fewer). So Griese, Bernard Berrian, and the team's other receiving options appear lower than usual. ... Although we like Benson here, a good game won't mean he's turned his season around -- in fact, it could make for a good time to shop him in a trade while his value is high. Chicago's schedule the rest of the way averages out to being just about middle of the pack in terms of run defenses, but that's skewed somewhat by a game against the bottom-ranked Broncos in week 12. His other games over the next month are at Seattle (13th), Washington (9th), and Minnesota (2nd), plus a home game against the Giants (11th). With the possible exception of Seattle, it's tough to see Benson posting good numbers in any of those contests. As banged-up as the Bears are defensively right now, they might be playing from behind in a lot of those games as well. It's tempting to hang onto Benson for that game against Denver, but he might not be a solid start in any other game this season. ... Oakland coach Lane Kiffin says the Raiders will kick the ball to Devin Hester (rather than away from him, as other opponents have done) this week. "We're excited about the challenge," said Kiffin. Good news, obviously, for owners of Hester and the Bears defense/special teams.
Cincinnati (at Balt.):
If the Ravens are without their starting cornerbacks, Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle, then this is a choice matchup for Cincinnati's passing game. That became apparent on Monday night, when Ben Roethlisberger tossed 5 TDs in the first half against this defense. And that's the way it's looking right now. Rolle definitely won't play, and McAlister (knee) couldn't finish practice on Wednesday. Billick says he's hopeful that McAlister will play, but the odds seem stacked against it -- and he wouldn't be healthy if he did line up. So this looks like an above-average matchup for Carson Palmer and company. Baltimore's defense, when healthy, is solid. It allowed 8 TD passes in its first seven games this year, and it did a solid job against Palmer back in week 1, limiting him to 194 yards and 2 TDs. When these teams split last year, Palmer finished with below-average numbers -- 194 and 234 yards, with 1 TD pass in each game. Palmer did much better in his three previous games against the Ravens, finishing with 382, 248 and 302 yards, with 8 TDs, but that's dipping back into the area where the results aren't as meaningful. For this game -- with the defense banged up -- we envision good numbers for Palmer (maybe 280 yards and 2 TDs). Outside of a monster game at Cleveland, Palmer has been just OK this year, averaging 256 yards per game, with 10 TDs in seven starts. ... This is a poor matchup for Rudi Johnson. The Ravens are remarkably resilient against the run, allowing only 2.8 yards per carry. In the Pittsburgh debacle, for example, they still managed to limit Willie Parker to 42 yards on 23 attempts. In his last two games against this defense, Johnson has run for only 47 and 50 yards, averaging under 3 yards per attempt in both games. And he's also playing the worst ball of his career right now; he gained only 11 yards on 9 carries on Sunday at Buffalo. Look for Johnson to split time with Kenny Watson, whose elusiveness and pass-catching ability probably makes him a better fit against this defense anyway. ... Chad Johnson was knocked out of the Buffalo game with a neck injury, but he hasn't been ruled out. He's not 100 percent, but there appears to be a very good chance he'll play. He practiced on Wednesday while wearing a neck roll under his helmet. ... Cincinnati's receiving corps gets a major boost this week with Chris Henry returning from an eight-game suspension. With his height and speed, he's a big weapon -- he'd be a starting receiver on almost every other team in the league. Henry has been practicing with the team, so rust shouldn't be a big factor. Henry frequently winds up getting single coverage against lesser defensive backs, so look for him to be a big part of the team's offense. He's got to stay out of trouble, of course, and that's always been a challenge for him. On Tuesday, Henry was involved with a dispute over a parking fee, which resulted in the parking attendent calling the police. Probably nothing, but with Henry, it could be just a matter of time before he winds up getting suspended again, by either the league or team. ... T.J. Houshmandzadeh has scored eight weeks in a row. He's also tended to come up big against Baltimore's defense over the years. In his last seven games against them, he's caught 53 passes and 5 TDs. Chad Johnson has caught 45 passes and 4 TDs in those same seven games. Both Houshmandzadeh and Johnson could be hurt by the return of Henry -- it gives Palmer another viable pass catcher to use, particularly in the red zone. Henry scored in both Baltimore games two years ago, but he caught only 2 passes for 79 yards in the Ravens games last year.
Cleveland (at Pitt.):
Cleveland's offense has been rolling through the league so far. Only three teams have gained more yards and only three teams have scored more points. But the Browns should grind to a halt in this one, probably getting held under 20 points. The Steelers might have the league's best defense right now; no team has allowed fewer points or yards, and Pittsburgh has been particularly tough at home, where they've allowed only 26 points (2 TDs and 4 field goals) in four games. Pittsburgh, of course, crushed the Browns 34-7 back on opening day, coming up with 6 sacks and limiting Cleveland to only 221 total yards. In the last seven years, the Browns are 1-13 against Pittsburgh. ... Jamal Lewis comes off a 4-TD game, but look for him to struggle. Pittsburgh ranks No. 4 against the run and hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 33 straight games. It's also allowed only 11 rushing TDs in its last 24 games -- tough to move these guys off the line of scrimmage. And Lewis actually isn't playing that well. He had the one monster game -- 216 yards -- against Cincinnati's porous defense, but otherwise he's averaging only 3.0 yards per carry and 51 rushing yards in his five complete games. He had 11 carries for 35 yards in his earlier game against Pittsburgh. ... Derek Anderson has been the biggest surprise of the season, passing for 275 yards per game, with 16 TDs and 8 interceptions in the seven games he's started. But this could be his worst game. Pittsburgh is allowing a league-low 183 passing yards per game, with only 7 TDs. So the guesstimate here is that Anderson will slip down to something like 210 yards and 1 TD. He's definitely going to post below-average numbers (for him), but we'll still rank him ahead of some quarterbacks. He's got the hot hand right now, and he's had at least some success against the Steelers in the past. In the week 1 game, he came off the bench to go 13 of 28 for 183 yards and a touchdown in two and half quarters. He played very well in a 27-7 loss at Pittsburgh last year, completing 21 of 37 for 276 yards, with 1 TD, 1 interception and a lot of drops. ... Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards are in the same boat as Anderson: definitely below-average matchups for these guys, but they're also pretty darn good, which will result in them being ranked higher than a lot of players at their positions. Edwards averages 98 receiving yards per game with Anderson in the lineup, and he's caught 9 of the team's 17 TD passes. He played well in both Pittsburgh games last year, totaling 11 catches, 223 yards and a touchdown. He's a handful for any cornerback. And Winslow is on top of his game, coming off an 11-catch game against Seattle. Regardless of matchup, tough to drop him behind many tight ends. Winslow has caught 4 balls in each of his last three games against the Steelers. ... Joe Jurevicius caught a season-high 7 passes for a season-high 111 yards in his last game at Pittsburgh -- his only 100-yard game as a Brown. But we see that as more coincidence than meaningful. He's caught only 3 passes for 44 yards in his other two games against Pittsburgh (as a Brown), and he's averaging only 3 catches and 38 yards per game this year, with one touchdown in his last six games. ... Cleveland probably will lose this game, but this team could be very good the rest of the way. Of the team's final seven opponents, none has a winning record -- only two (Buffalo and Baltimore) are even 4-4. With that in mind, Phil Dawson could be a nice option at kicker the rest of the way.
Dallas (at NYG):
Dallas beat New York 45-35 in a wild game in week 1, but this one should be different -- far more defensive. The lines for this game are out of whack. The Cowboys are a 1-point favorite and the over-under is at 49 points. But the Giants, at home and on a six-game win streak, probably should be the favorite, and the over-under should be a least 5 points lower. The Giants got shelled in their first couple of games -- giving up 45 and 35 points. But now they've made it past their injuries and they've jelled. Over the last seven weeks, they're allowing a league-low 13 points per game, and they're allowing only 255 yards per game -- 3rd-best in the league. A lot of those games were against tomato cans -- Jets, 49ers, Falcons, Dolphins -- but this is a much better team now. It might have the league's best pass rush. The Cowboys aren't going to come into the Meadowlands and waltz up and down the field this time. ... Tony Romo is playing great. He's got 19 TD passes in eight games, and he's averaging 289 passing yards per game. But this is a tougher defense than everything he's faced except New England (and he had only 199 yards in that game). Romo had the big game against the Giants on opening day, but that was against an injury-riddled defense. It's dialed in now. In six quarters against the Giants last year, he threw 5 interceptions and only 2 TDs. With the NFC East lead at stake, this will be a highly charged atmosphere. Wind and weather could be a factor as well. Definitely a below-average matchup for Romo, in our opinion. In his last game at the Meadowlands, Romo went 20 of 34 for 257 yards, with 2 interceptions and no touchdowns. The Cowboys escaped in that game with a 23-20 win. ... Jason Witten killed the Giants on opening day: 6 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. They couldn't cover him. The guess here, however, is that the Giants will keep that in mind when they're drawing up their game film. They'll make him more of a priority, and Witten should finish with more usual numbers -- something like 4 catches for 45 yards. ... Terrell Owens scored 2 TDs but caught only 3 passes in the earlier meeting. He'll probably be busier -- definitely if the Giants do more things to account for Witten. Owens caught 14 passes and a touchdown in the two New York games last year. ... In each of the last three games in this series, Marion Barber has been far more effective than Julius Jones. Jones has gained only 110 yards on 40 carries in those games. Barber has been up at 170 yards on 11 fewer attempts. Look for this pair to continue to split the work, with Barber getting most of the goal-line touches and doing far more with his share of the load.
Denver (at K.C.):
Javon Walker (knee) says he thinks he can return in week 11. This would help Jay Cutler, but it would be a hit to the values of Brandon Stokley and Brandon Marshall. With Walker out, the Broncos have kind of a two-man passing game. If and when Walker gets back to full speed, the passes would be more spread around. Marshall has caught 25 passes in his last four games, while Stokley is at 14 receptions in his last three. Whether Walker actually makes it back in week 11, of course, remains to be seen. ... Travis Henry is hanging in there. He'll play this week. And he has a good chance to play in week 11 as well. The league is currently scheduled to hear his appeal of a flunked drug test on Nov. 16, but that date might be delayed. And the decision on the appeal probably wouldn't come until early the next week. Our guess is that Henry will play in the next two games, then get suspended for the season. He also has a court case pending that could potentially overturn that suspension -- he could potentially get suspended, miss a game or two, and then have the court overturn the suspension. The league is trying to get that court case thrown out. Denver plays Kansas City this week, which is slightly above-average against the run, and then faces Tennessee, which is currently No. 1 against the run. Henry, of course, played for the Titans last year. His backup is Selvin Young, who played college ball with Vince Young. Henry is playing with bruised ribs; he left the Lions game early after tweaking his knee but says that he could have return. Henry didn't practice Wednesday, but Mike Shanahan says he's fine. ... Jay Cutler left the Detroit game with a leg injury. He's definitely not 100 percent, but he's expected to play -- he practiced on Wednesday. ... Kansas City ranks a respectable 14th against the run, so don't look for a big game from Henry. Largely because of offensive line problems, Denver's running game has sputtered this year. Since a nice outing in week 3 at Indianapolis, the team has averaged only 74 rushing yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry. They're just not getting it done. This is a below-average team -- a team that's going to finish about 6-10 -- with a suspect offensive line. ... It's only an average matchup for Denver's passing game as well. Kansas City ranks 20th in passing yardage (236 per game), but it's allowed only 8 TD passes in eight games. ... Tony Scheffler has caught 14 passes and 2 TDs in the last three games, but his role will decline if Walker is able to come back. With Walker out, Scheffler has become the team's No. 3 receiving option. When Walker returns, Brandon Stokley will slide back into a slot receiver role and Scheffler's role will diminish.
Detroit (at Ariz.):
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz may have never met a pass play he didn't like, but there's at least a chance he'll favor a run-based game plan this week. In each of the last three seasons, Martz has brought his pass-happy offenses into Arizona -- while with the Rams in 2004-2005, and the Lions a year ago -- and come away with 3 offensive touchdowns (total) and just one win, the 2005 contest where Steven Jackson rushed for 93 yards and the only one where his quarterback attempted fewer than 30 passes. This Cardinals defense is also much weaker against the run (19th) than pass (9th); it's allowed nearly as many touchdowns rushing (7) as passing (9), including four of the last six it's given up. So it's a favorable matchup for Kevin Jones -- maybe he finishes up around 80-90 yards. Perhaps higher: Arizona has allowed a 100-yard rusher in three of its last four games. One uncertainty is whether T.J. Duckett played his way into a share of the work last week (5 for 48, TD); he looked a lot better than he did at any point in Washington last season, albeit in a mop-up capacity. Of course, it came against the Broncos' bottom-ranked run defense. ... Even if the running backs get a few extra carries here, these are the Lions. "Emphasizing the run" in a couple of recent games hasn't resulted in them abandoning the pass. Facing a Broncos defense far more lopsided (7th against the pass, last against the run) than the Cardinals last week, Jon Kitna still attempted 31 passes and threw for 252 yards and a pair of scores. In this offense, Kitna is always a threat to throw for 250-300 yards and 2 TDs. Maybe more if the game turns into a shootout, which is possible; the over-under of 45 is one of the highest of the week. ... As we've detailed in the past, Martz tends to favor running plays in the red zone. That explains why the team has scored 4 of 6 TDs during its current three-game winning streak via the run, and why Jones has scored 4 TDs since returning to the lineup while Roy Williams hasn't scored since week 3. Kitna's touchdown passes last week went to Mike Furrey (who started ahead of Calvin Johnson) and No. 4 Shaun McDonald, who led the team in receptions and yards. Williams and Johnson are still the best options here -- they're the ones actually getting the end-zone throws -- but the team is playing spending enough time in three- and four-receiver sets that the other players are as likely to score from long range, as well as dividing up the receptions and yards. ... The Lions lead the league in forcing turnovers. Kurt Warner has thrown 4 interceptions in his last two games and -- although he's taking fewer sacks -- is still prone to fumbling (5 in his last five games). A good week to start the opportunistic Lions defense. ... The Lions play the league's 2nd-toughest schedule in terms of opponents' wins and losses the rest of the way, and it looks particularly bad in the key fantasy weeks of 14-16: Dallas, at San Diego, Kansas City.
Green Bay (vs. Minn.):
It should be pass, pass, pass for the Packers this week. That's what they do well, and that's the best way to attack Minnesota's defense anyway. Green Bay ranks 2nd in passing and last in rushing, while the Vikings defense ranks No. 2 in run defense but last against the pass. Put that yin and yang together, and we could be looking at something like 300 passing yards versus only 60-70 yards on the ground. That's the way it played out in week 4, when the Packers won 23-16 at the Metrodome. Brett Favre completed 32 of 45 for 344 yards, with 2 TDs, while Green Bay's running backs combined for only 45 rushing yards on 15 attempts. And the same type of numbers held last year, when Favre finished with 347 and 285 yards, but Ahman Green didn't get over 2.5 yards per attempt in either game, finishing with 55 and 42 rushing yards. It should be a pass fest, with probably all of the Packers' touchdowns coming on pass plays. Green Bay has scored 13 of its 18 TDs offensively on passes, while Minnesota has allowed a similar ratio -- 10 pass versus only 3 run. ... Donald Driver is Green Bay's best receiver and has built a solid rapport (and friendship) with Favre over the years. That's the theory, anyway. But Greg Jennings keeps outperforming him. Jennings has scored in five of the six games he's started this year -- 6 TDs overall. Driver, meanwhile, hasn't scored in any of his last five games. If you're a fan of streaks, slot Jennings higher (and here, there are two streaks to work with). But Driver is certainly long overdue for a big game. He historically plays his best ball against the Vikes. In his last six games against them, he's caught 46 passes and 5 TDs. He went 7 for 99 in the earlier meeting. ... Donald Lee is doing a nice job at tight end. The Packers like him enough that they just signed him to a four-year extension worth $11.9 million. Lee has scored only 1 TD but is on pace to finish the year with 58 receptions and 764 yards. He'll face the only defense that hasn't allowed a touchdown pass to a tight end all year, but Lee caught 4 for 66 against them in week 4. ... Ryan Grant left the Kansas City game with a concussion. He's expected to be available, but that will need to be confirmed later in the week. He was limited at Wednesday's practice. Grant ran for 104 yards against Denver's 32nd-ranked run defense, but he was held to 55 yards on 19 attempts against a slightly above-average Kansas City defense. Grant shouldn't do much against a Minnesota defense that's almost impossible to run against -- maybe 40 yards tops. If Grant can't go, Brandon Jackson will start.
Houston (bye):
The running game for this team is up in the air. Ahman Green is the starter, but he has a knee issue that's going to bother him all year. He's missed three of the past six games and left Sunday's game against the Raiders early. "I feel like I've been playing with a flat tire all season," Green says. "A car doesn't run right with a flat tire; eventually, I'll get it fixed but I don't think it'll be until after the season." With Green, we're waiting for the seemingly inevitable news that he's going to opt for some kind of season-ending tuneup operation. Ron Dayne ran for 122 yards against Oakland, but he's not necessarily the answer for the stretch drive. That production came against a defense that's probably the worst in the league against the run; the Raiders are giving up 5.1 yards per carry -- they're making everyone look like Adrian Peterson right now. Dayne is awfully slow, and he'll definitely struggle against some defenses; prior to Sunday, he was averaging only 2.9 yards per carry. The other back in the mix is Adimchinobe Echemandu; he looked very good -- fast, powerful and explosive -- in week 8 at San Diego but hardly played at Oakland, in part because of a hamstring injury. With an additional week to heal, he could be a much bigger factor -- even their featured guy in some of the closing games. The Texans are at home in their next game against New Orleans; the Saints have a good run defense, so don't look for much rushing production in that one. In week 12, they're at Cleveland, which has one of the league's worst defenses. Then it's at Tennessee in week 13, which currently ranks No. 1 against the run. ... Andre Johnson (knee) and Matt Schaub should return in week 11.
Indianapolis (at S.D.):
The Colts offense has been a lot more conventional this year. They've run the ball a lot more than they have in the past, while being careful not to overuse Peyton Manning. He's averaging only 257 passing yards per game and is on pace to finish the year with only 28 TD passes -- subpar numbers for him. Joseph Addai, meanwhile, is putting up huge numbers. He's averaging 101 rushing and 130 total yards per game, with 9 TDs in seven games. But all those trends might mean nothing on Sunday. San Diego's defense is a lot better against the run than pass, so this could be a game where the Colts turn Manning loose. ... Marvin Harrison (knee) has sat out three of the past four games. He's expected but not certain to play. The Colts want to have him healthy for the playoffs. Harrison was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, which is a step in the right direction for him -- he didn't practice at all last week before being a game-time scratch. If Harrison doesn't play, Aaron Moorehead will take his place in the lineup; Anthony Gonzalez started against New England but dislocated his thumb early, which will sideline him for 2-3 games. For those in larger leagues who are stuck for a receiver this week, Moorehead could be their guy -- if Harrison gets ruled out late in the week. With Harrison gimpy even if he does play, Reggie Wayne should catch lots of passes; Wayne had 10 receptions when San Diego shocked Indianapolis 26-17 two years ago, with the 13-0 Colts on the doorstep of finishing the year undefeated. ... Adrian Peterson shredded the Chargers for 296 yards and 3 TDs last week, but this is nevertheless one of the league's best run defenses -- a group that should make things very sticky for Joseph Addai. Prior to the Peterson debacle, the Chargers were allowing only 89 rushing yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry. And they play a 3-4 front, which caused the Colts problems two years ago. When San Diego won at the RCA Dome in 2005, Edgerrin James ran for only 25 yards on 13 carries. We're putting down Addai for numbers well below his usual averages. ... Instead, we expect to see Manning throw for over 300 yards for the first time since week 2 and probably finish with 3 TD passes for the first time since week 4. San Diego's defense has been a little soft against the pass this year. Brett Favre hit them for 369 yards and 3 TDs, and Damon Huard managed to upset them at Qualcomm with 284 yards and 2 TDs. ... Dallas Clark caught only 2 passes for 15 yards against New England, but with Marvin Harrison gimpy (or not even playing), Clark looks like the No. 2 receiving option in the Colts offense. Prior to the last two games, Clark was averaging 61 receiving yards, with 6 TDs in six games. After suffering a concussion against New England, Clark didn't practice Wednesday. He'll likely be fine, but his status needs to be confirmed later in the week.
Jacksonville (at Tenn.):
These teams met in Jacksonville back in week 1, with the Jaguars playing their worst game of the season in a 13-10 loss. Their worst game until last week, that is, when they got blown out at New Orleans by the Saints. The Jaguars have problems, including injuries along the offensive line, at quarterback, and now the loss of top defensive tackle Marcus Stroud to a four-game suspension. The Titans, in contrast, are one of the league's biggest surprises -- and feature one of its best defenses (No. 2 overall). It won't be surprising if the Jaguars struggle again in this one. ... Jacksonville is a run-based offense, but that approach may not be possible here. The Titans haven't allowed an opposing team to rush for even 100 yards all season, and haven't allowed a rushing touchdown since week 3. Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is having an outstanding season (not so coincidentally, it's a contract year for him); there just aren't many opportunities for big plays in the running game against this group. Ordinarily that might be good news for a passing game, but the Titans have been pretty solid (15th) against the pass, as well, holding the David Garrard-led Jaguars to just 204 passing yards in week 1. It's also not clear who the quarterback will be: Early in the week Jack Del Rio thought that Garrard (ankle) would return to the starting lineup, but after Wednesday's practice, with Garrard limited, he said "I'm not sure we'll get David back. It could be right up to game time before we know." The guess is that Quinn Gray will make his third straight start, although this game has huge playoff implications for the 5-3 Jaguars; maybe they'll rush Garrard back for that reason. In any case, it's not a favorable enough situation to gamble on unless you have no other options. The Jaguars are just 24th passing the ball and have been up over 220 yards just three times all season. Similar numbers to the first meeting (200ish yards, 1 TD) are probably the best-case scenario. ... Reggie Williams comes off a huge day (6 for 128 and an 80-yard TD), but we're not buying. Williams isn't starting and is one of just five wide receivers in the mix right now. He caught an 80-yard touchdown at New Orleans against a blown coverage; big deal. Another backup, John Broussard, caught the team's only touchdown in the first meeting and had a deep ball thrown his way against the Saints last week. Let someone else gamble on back-to-back solid performances from Williams. ... Tennessee's dominance against the run should mean poor numbers from Fred Taylor, but Maurice Jones-Drew still has some value this week. He was more effective in the earlier meeting (7 for 32 compared to 6 for 16 for Taylor), and more importantly will contribute in the passing game. Every week he gets sent out on routes as a receiver, including near the goal line last week (on a ball that was tipped away). Jones-Drew suffered a knee injury against the Colts, but he looked fine while taking a kick back 100 yards for a touchdown last week. He put up 145 total yards and a touchdown in the game at Tennessee last year. ... Jacksonville has won three of the previous five meetings, but we're not putting much stock in those earlier games (aside from the low-scoring week 1 meeting). The Jaguars averaged a whopping 31 points in those games, but this is a vastly improved Titans defense.
Kansas City (vs. Den.):
Larry Johnson is out for at least one week with foot and ankle injuries. More likely, he'll miss 2-4 games, and he could be done for the season. A huge blow, obviously, to an offense that already ranks 29th in scoring at just 15.5 points per game. They'll replace him with some combination of Priest Holmes and Kolby Smith. Holmes is 34; he's not suited to handle the ball more than about 15 times per game -- he's not the same runner he was a few years back. And Smith is just a fifth-round rookie; maybe Kansas City gets lucky and he develops into something. Smith carried the ball 20 times for only 70 yards in the preseason (that's a 3.5-yard average), and he hasn't carried the ball in the regular season. We expect these guys to split the workload fairly evenly, with Holmes getting a slight edge. But if one of them is going to shock the world and start rolling off 80-yard games, it would be more likely to be Smith. When we put out the revised overall rankings on Tuesday, we had Holmes at 35th among running backs. On our board right now, we'd drop him down to about 43rd and move Smith up to about No. 50. That's overall value, of course. One of these guys might be pretty good in the next few weeks, when two of the team's next three games are against arguably the worst two run defenses in the league -- Denver and Oakland. The Broncos are allowing a league-high 162 rushing yards per game. Holmes and Smith -- limited as they are -- have a real chance to combine for about 120 rushing yards in this game. Kansas City, by the way, ranks 30th in rushing at only 80 yards per game. ... Dwayne Bowe and Eddie Kennison both have hamstring issues (Kennison hasn't played since week 5, and Bowe left early last week), but both are expected to start on Sunday. Kennison practiced fully on Wednesday and Bowe isn't even on the team's injury report. We'll call this an average matchup for them. Denver has the heralded pair of cornerbacks, but its defense has slumped badly in recent weeks; the Broncos have allowed at least 2 TD passes five weeks in a row. Kansas City, however, has only 9 TD passes in eight games, and only 4 of those have gone to wide receivers. ... Definitely an above-average matchup for Tony Gonzalez. He's playing terrific ball -- he's on pace to finish the year with 104 catches and 8 TDs -- and Denver's defense has allowed 6 TDs to tight ends. Gonzalez has caught only 17 passes and 1 TD in his last six games against Denver, but this is a completely different defense now. ... Damon Huard is playing just OK. He's completing 64 percent of his passes, but he's got more interceptions (9) than touchdowns (8) and the offense isn't scoring enough points. Herman Edwards indicates that if the offense doesn't turn around soon, he may try putting Brodie Croyle in the lineup.
Miami (vs. Buff.):
This will surprise some, but the trends indicate that the winless Dolphins might actually put up above-average passing numbers in this game. They actually pass the ball pretty well. Prior to the game played in rain and mud against the Giants, Miami was averaging 232 passing yards per game, which is well above the league average. And they'll face a Buffalo defense that's up at 261 yards per game -- only four teams have allowed more passing yards. The Bills defense has been better recently, while Miami's offense has been worse, but there's some potential here. While they haven't won any games, the Dolphins surprisingly rank 14th in scoring right now at 21 points per game. We'll put them down for about 17 points. ... Jesse Chatman merits some consideration. He could be a top-20 back this week -- definitely in formats where he'll get credit for the 4-5 passes he'll probably catch. Chatman isn't anything special as a runner, but he should get plenty of carries, and this isn't a great defense he'll face. The Bills held Cincinnati to 28 rushing yards on Sunday, but they allowed an average of 128 yards in their previous seven games, which is well below average. ... Chris Chambers is gone, but we're not sure yet if another Miami receiver will step up and fill that void -- or whether Marty Booker, Ted Ginn, Jr. and Derek Hagan will all post mediocre numbers. Ginn has the most big-play potential, of course, and caught his first touchdown in his last game, but that was his only reception in that game. ... Cleo Lemon is still Miami's starting quarterback -- he's actually playing pretty well -- but the Dolphins are starting to calculate how to get John Beck on the field. Beck and Lemon have been splitting the reps with the first-unit offense. So that makes Lemon a major risk every week -- there's now always the potential that Beck will replace him midway through the third quarter. ... David Martin (groin) didn't play at Wembley but is practicing.
Minnesota (at G.B.):
This is a below-average matchup for Adrian Peterson. Green Bay's defense is very good against the run. But as Peterson showed last week against an even better San Diego run defense, he might be too good to risk sitting down in any matchup. He'll get held in check at times, but it seems like it's only going to be a matter of time before he breaks loose for a 40-plus yard run. He ran for 112 yards on 12 carries when Minnesota lost 23-16 to Green Bay back in week 4 -- the Vikings would have won that game if Brad Childress had simply given Peterson the ball more often. Childress seems to have wised up now. He's taken Peterson off the kickoff team and gave him 30 carries against the Chargers. The expectation here is that Peterson is going to continue rolling off big games, probably going over 2,000 yards for the season. He should be just fine, by the way, on Lambeau's surface. In his previous two games on grass this year, Peterson ran for 102 yards at Kansas City and 224 yards at Soldier Field. ... Tarvaris Jackson (concussion) and Kelly Holcomb (neck) are banged up, so Brooks Bollinger almost certainly will start at quarterback. That shouldn't really affect the offense. Bollinger isn't anything special, but he might be better than Jackson and Holcomb. He looked pretty good against the Chargers, completing 7 of 10 for 95 yards and a touchdown in essentially a half. He went to college at Wisconsin, so he's familiar with the terrain. The Packers are much better against the run (8th) than pass (21st), so Bollinger could be asked to do a little more this week -- maybe even attempt 20 passes. Green Bay has allowed 12 TDs passing versus only 3 rushing, but we're not putting too much weight in that trend -- this Peterson guy looks like a trend-buster. ... We have interest in Sidney Rice, though more as a keeper prospect than a player to use right now. He has the physical tools to be a No. 1 receiver, and he seems to be picking things up. With Troy Williamson dealing with a death in his family and Bobby Wade playing with a bad knee, Rice got expanded playing time last week and responded, catching 4 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. His other pro touchdown came in the other Green Bay game. He's good enough that we expect the Vikings to leave him in the starting lineup, likely at the expense of Williamson. Both Rice (hamstring) and Wade (knee) were limited at Wednesday's practice, but both are expected to play.
New England (bye):
When the Patriots return from their bye, it will be to face an opponent they've already seen for the first time: they'll be at Buffalo. In the previous meeting between these teams, New England started slowly (trailing after the first quarter) before rolling to a 38-7 win. Had the Bills not given away a game against the Cowboys, they'd be on a four-game win streak right now, but they don't appear to have enough talent to spring an upset. Maybe the weather will be unusually nasty, which could make this the trickiest game left on New England's schedule. Other potential pitfalls include a home game against Pittsburgh in week 14, and road games against the Ravens (week 13) and Giants (17). There's an excellent chance, in our opinion, that the Patriots are going to become the first team to win 16 regular-season games. ... Bill Belichick says the team isn't interested in adding any additional running backs, decreasing the likelihood that Corey Dillon will come out of retirement. For the foreseeable future, look for Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk to get most of the work at tailback, with Heath Evans probably the featured runner in most goal-line formations (though the team tends to pass a lot in that area). Maroney probably will get about twice as much playing time as Faulk. In the past seven weeks, Faulk averages 25 rushing and 27 receiving yards per game, with 1 TD in seven games. Maroney, remarkably, hasn't scored any of the team's 41 offensive touchdowns. ... Tom Brady has thrown at least 3 TDs in every game. He needs 17 TD passes in the final seven games to become the first to reach 50 in a season. ... Some may be worried that the Patriots will start resting players in their final games -- they may have home-field advantage sewn up in mid-December. We don't see that happening, particularly when the possibility of an undefeated season is still there. Bill Belichick, historically, has been one of the last coaches to start pulling guys out of games. The Patriots, for example, had a meaningless game in week 17 last year at Tennessee (against a Titans team still hoping to get in the playoffs) but played their regulars and hammered them 40-23, even though New England knew it would play a home playoff game the following week. The Patriots certainly don't figure to be holding back at all in week 15, when they're at home against the rival Jets, who embarrassed New England on opening day by reporting to the league that they were filming coaches' hand signals. ... The Patriots have activated Chad Jackson (knee) off the PUP list. He's unlikely to play much, but he could make Kelley Washington expendable.
New Orleans (vs. St.L.):
The Saints offense is playing as well as any team |
