It's November, which means it's that time of year when in addition to injuries, matchups, and global pandemic-related absences, you have to pay attention to what Mother Nature might be doing out there. And it looks like weather will have an effect on several games.
Some disclaimers. We're not weathermen, and forecasts are wrong sometimes. And as Ian likes to point out, these games aren't played in parking lots; they're played in football stadiums with walls of stands all around them. If winds in a certain city are going to be up to 50 miles per hour, that doesn't mean player are going to be blowing around the field like kites -- there's some wind resistance provided by the stadium itself that reduces the impact of high winds.
But: high winds and rain can certainly create adverse situations for passing games, particularly longer passes, and make longer field goals less likely. If you have the luxury of choosing a kicker in a dome over Florida over one where conditions will be lousy, it's worth at least considering.
Buffalo: It should be windy and rainy throughout the Bills-Patriots game. New England has about the league's worst passing game anyway, and it won't have its top 2 wide receivers available. Buffalo's offense has been a huge disappointment lately -- no touchdowns against the Jets last week -- so you should be careful who you start from Buffalo, too. I think Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley and Tyler Kroft still look OK, for short passes if not long ones. But if you're considering one of those guys versus someone close in the rankings (by close I mean, not somebody ranked 20 spots below Diggs), reasonable to let weather break the tie against them.
Cleveland: Report I just saw suggests rain won't be an issue, but winds up to 50 mph might be (BTW, "up to 50 mph" doesn't mean it will be 50 mph winds throughout...just means winds might reach that at some point during the game. Weather.com shows winds of about 25-30 mph at kickoff. Still high, but Auntie Em and Toto aren't going to be blowing about like rag dolls). The Browns and Raiders should be able to pass some in these conditions, but running and short passes should be more prevalent. We didn't have Henry Ruggs ranked particularly favorably anyway, and this sounds like reason to drop the deep threat even further. And neither kicker is so awesome that you couldn't look elsewhere.
Green Bay: Looks like winds around 20-25 mph during the game. Somebody asked me a question of how that affects Aaron Rodgers. I think it knocks him down a couple of spots, but I'd be reluctant to drop him behind just anyone. Hurts deep passes, but I still expect to see the main wideouts for these teams catching plenty of short balls.
Chicago: This is a later kickoff, and it seems like conditions will improve throughout the course of the game. Winds around 22-24 mph midday, but by 4 p.m. it should be down around 17-19 mph. I would not be afraid to use Allen Robinson, TreQuan Smith or the tight ends.
Cincinnati: Winds in the 20 mph range. No rain expected. Could affect kickers and passing games, but not terrible conditions.
--Andy Richardson