Start 'Em:
Quarterbacks Who Will Outperform Relative
To Their Draft Position And Recent Hype
Tyler Thigpen @ SD
In his last 2 starts (@ NYJ, vs. TB), Thigpen has 3 passing TDs
and 0 INTs - and a 37-yard TD reception. I’m not ready to
roll him out every week, but I do think he can continue his solid
play against the Chargers. San Diego has given up more passing
yards than any other NFL team and only the Cardinals (16) have
given up more aerial scores than the Chargers (14). This game
has the makings of a good ol’ AFC shootout.
David Garrard @ DET
Garrard was a disappointment against the Bengals and I am not
thrilled about rushing him back on this side of the list. But
even the erratic Rex Grossman managed to pass and run for a TD
against the lowly Lions. DG will bounce back despite the unimpressive
receiving options (save Matt Jones) and shoddy offensive line.
Remember 6 of 8 QBs to face the Lions this year set a career-best
in passer rating.
Joe Flacco @ HOU
During the Ravens current 3-game win streak, Flacco has thrown
for 620 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs. The rookie signal caller brought
his team back from a 14-point 3rd quarter deficit @ Cleveland
last week. I like him to continue his rise this week. The Texans
will not bring too much heat (only 14 sacks on the season) and
the composed Flacco should deliver another 230 yards and a TD.
Matt Ryan vs. NO
From one impact rookie QB to the next, the former Boston College
Eagle with 2 first names has done a great job spreading the ball
around and avoiding sacks. Of the 9 TDs he has thrown on the season,
7 have come in the last 4 games. The Saints have given up lots
of points and an average of 237 passing YPG on the season. Ryan
plays better at home and should delight both his owners and Falcons
faithful this week.
Philip Rivers vs. KC
Rivers has 9 TDs / 2 INTs in his last 4 games and has posted a
100+ QB rating in 3 straight games. He has thrown at least 1 TD
pass in every game he has played this season. The Chiefs are playing
better of late, but they still cannot stop anyone, especially
a QB coming off bye with several talented weapons at his disposal.
I expect there to be plenty of points scored in this game with
Rivers leading the way.
Bench 'Em:
Quarterbacks Who Will Under Perform
Relative To Their Draft Position And Recent Hype
Gus Frerotte vs. GB
Frerotte was solid last week (3 TDs / 1 INT) versus the Texans,
but over the past two weeks he has thrown 5 TDs / 5 INTs and his
season stands at 8/8. This week he faces the Green Bay Packers,
who defend the pass well and lead the NFL with 13 INTs. They are
vulnerable against the run though, opening the door for a big
game from Adrian Peterson, thereby limiting Gus’s opportunities.
Donovan McNabb vs. NYG
McNabb was back to his old ways last week against the Seahawks,
but a Michael Turner-like pattern is developing here: Donovan
has played well against the weaker passing defenses of the Rams,
Cowboys, 49ers, and Seahawks; yet struggled against the better
passing defenses of the Steelers, Bears, Redskins and Falcons.
You don’t need me to tell you that the Giants have one of the
best defensive units in football.
Ben Roethlisberger/Byron Leftwich vs. IND
The Colts are 1 of only 6 NFL teams that have more interceptions
(6) than TD passes allowed (2). They are very good at defending
the pass and not so good at defending the run, leading me to believe
that the Steelers will be leaning on Fast Willie Parker. Check
on Ben’s status before game time, but I don’t think either Steeler
QB is a quality option this week.
Trent Edwards @ NE
When the Bills started the season 4-0 the play of Trent Edwards
was thought to be a huge part of their success; through those
4 games he had thrown 4 TDs / 2 INTs. In retrospect, all 4 games
came against substandard passing defenses. In his last 3 games
Trent has 2 TDs / 3 INTs. He has not thrown 2 or more TDs in a
game since 12/23/07 and it isn’t about to happen in Foxboro.
Matt Cassel vs. BUF
Lots of people talk about the strides Cassel has made; frankly
I just don’t see it. His last 4 games have produced 4 TDs,
but 3 of them came against the Broncos in Week 7. If you take
that game out of the equation he has 1 TD / 4 INTs against the
Chargers, Rams and Colts. While the Bills pass D isn’t lighting
the world on fire, they have only allowed 7 aerial scores through
8 games. He’ll get a deep ball to Moss and 7 short passes
to Welker, but you can’t expect much else.
Running Backs
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