Every Saturday morning, I'll take a quick look at all the week's games, offering my own brief take on what I think will happen, as well as touching on significant injury news since our Weekly came out. I'll check in every so often over the course of the day to answer questions, too.
What follows is a brief look at all the games with how I'd react in my own lineups to injury developments or other news. The official rankings are the ones in the Weekly. Those are the ones that subscribers are paying for. Sometimes players are very close in the rankings, and if I get questions like that, I'll offer opinions. Sometimes I like certain players more or less than Ian, and sometimes I have different risk tolerance with injuries/weather issues, etc.
Steelers at Ravens: Big game in the AFC North, with one of these teams seeming very likely to win the division (I realize the Bengals are 5-3). A lot of games between these teams have been defensive struggles, but they mix in the occasional slugfest too. I think that kind of game is possible, so I'm using some usual starters from both teams (e.g. John Brown). Alex Collins is banged up and Steelers as usual are better against the run anyway.
Bears at Bills: Chicago was a popular Survivor Pool pick, which it's hard to argue with, given that Buffalo will probably need to use Nathan Peterman at quarterback (not that Derek Anderson is better at this point). Watched all of Bills-Patriots and saw a Buffalo team that can play some defense but is simply incapable of scoring, which makes winning games difficult. Allen Robinson might not play, not like anyone should really want to use him. I have my weekly debate over whether to use Trey Burton, who seems to blow up when I sit him and do nothing when I start him. Frustrating. Tarik Cohen seems to be the best start in what will probably be a lower-scoring contest. And the Bears Defense, natch.
Bucs at Panthers: Ryan Fitzpatrick is back in the lineup, so the Bucs offense looks promising. Not as promising as the Panthers offense, which gets to face one of the worst defenses we can remember seeing. Start your Panthers with confidence. I guess the Bucs won't risk going back to Jameis Winston with the injury risk, although I think it's a little overblown -- the odds of him suffering the kind of injury that would prevent him from passing a physical in March are low. But possible I guess. Anyway, should be a higher-scoring game.
Kansas City at Browns: Whatever Hue Jackson has done to get himself into the delusional world he lives in where he wasn't given enough time as head coach, I want some of that. How anyone can look at the Browns and say they didn't win more games than they should have while he was running things into the ground is beyond me. I'm a little confused as to why Todd Haley was also fired considering he was John Dorsey's guy, and how being run by a defensive-minded dinosaur like Gregg Williams is a positive for anyone, but I guess options are slim when you fire guys in October. As for this game, I took Kansas City in the Survivor Pool. Some potential from the healthy Browns players (I'm using Chubb and would use Landry and Njoku), lots from all of Kansas City's players, as usual.
Jets at Dolphins: Two AFC East teams playing out the string, as is the case every year. Racing toward 6-10 at best. Nothing special about either defense, so some value in the healthy players. I'm using Kenyan Drake coming off his good game where I benched him. Probably no Kenny Stills, Robby Anderson or Quincy Enunwa, but hard to get really excited about either passing game with one young quarterback and the other bad. Isaiah Crowell looks promising.
Lions at Vikings: No Golden Tate of course, which makes Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones look a lot more appealing to me. Theo Riddick should return for the Lions, a slight drag on Kerryon Johnson (and I wonder if Riddick picks up some of the Tate targets). Minnesota is apparently going to use Dalvin Cook for 10-12 plays. Whatever, he shouldn't be used, and I still like Latavius Murray against a soft Lions run defense. Diggs didn’t practice all week but says he’s playing...some risk though.
Falcons at Washington: Atlanta's offense hasn't been as good on the road, and Washington's defense is playing really well. I'm fine using the passing game, but shouldn't be as good as usual (running game shouldn't do anything). Washington offense should be better than usual, and of course Adrian Peterson a must start. No Chris Thompson or Jamison Crowder. I like Jordan Reed and think I need to use Paul Richardson somewhere. Washington could actually win the NFC East.
Texans at Broncos: Nuts that Demaryius Thomas plays in Denver against his former team days after being traded. I think both offenses have some potential here. Denver pass rush will give Deshaun Watson some problems, but I like Thomas and for that matter his Denver replacement Courtland Sutton. And the No. 1 wideouts for both teams too. Tough to get excited about Lamar Miller, but Denver's run defense has struggled, and I'll sign off on Phillip Lindsay with Royce Freeman expected to be out again, too.
Chargers at Seahawks: Well, I benched Philip Rivers given the choice matchup for Derek Carr on Thursday night. Really tough spending three days looking at Carr locked into your lineup in multiple leagues. But it is a tough matchup for the Chargers offense, and you've got Melvin Gordon questionable with that hamstring injury which makes it a little nerve-wracking to use him. I am, but nervously. Seattle also has Chris Carson on the injury report. If you've got Carson close with another option, might be best to go the other way.
Rams at Saints: Here we go. Production was a teensy bit off in Rams-Packers last week, but I'm going back to the well with a wild shootout in this game. Saints shouldn't be able to slow down the Rams passing offense, and Rams should be similarly overmatched by Drew Brees and company. I'm trying TreQuan Smith again. Cooper Kupp returns and I'm using him. Saints ground game looks fine, though Mark Ingram definitely the No. 2, you can't say you didn't see this coming if you drafted Ingram.
Packers at Patriots: Ah, this matchup takes me back to my Brett Favre heyday Packer fan days, thrilling to the Super Bowl win, and then (living in Boston) going to their Monday night rematch the following season, where Favre carved up the Pete Carroll Patriots. Good time. As for this one, it should be a really high-scoring game. I know New England can't stop Green Bay's offense (I actually think the Packers might win this one) and doubt Green Bay handles the Brady to James White and his receivers particularly well. Arguably the game's best two quarterbacks right now. No Geronimo, so MVS a possibility.
Titans at CowboysFeels like forever since these teams played; with the bye it kind of is. Dallas should give a lot of targets to Amari Cooper, but I can't argue with the many who have burned by Cooper all season (like me). Should mostly be Ezekiel Elliott running roughshod all over the Titans. As for Tennessee's offense...no thanks. Maybe Dion Lewis, that's about it.
Enjoy the games.