Game Previews
Week 2
9/16/04

Final Score: Panthers 27, Chiefs 21

Final Score: Jags 23, Broncos 20

Indianapolis (+1.5) at Tennessee, 1:00 pm
If I was Peyton Manning, I might just be a little envious of Tom Brady, who has two Super Bowl rings (along with some additional Lombardi hardware), a hot girlfriend, and a 1-0 record this year. Some words of advice, Peyton:

"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on." - from Othello, Act III, Scene 3.

The Colts will try to rebound from a tough week one loss in front of former crackhead Mary J. Blige, current airhead Jessica Simpson, and thousands of screaming, unsympathetic Patriots fans holding bobbleheads. I don't think there's too much to say about the Colts offense that hasn't already been said. You have to play Manning, Marvelous Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James every week, if you have them, and there's other fantasy options who will emerge from week to week, including WRs Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokely, TEs Dallas Clark and Marcus Pollard and backup RB Dominic Rhodes, who gets carries to spell James. This week, I'd say Clark and Wayne have the best chance to emerge, but would sit Stokely, Pollard and Rhodes. On defense, DB Nick Harper's role takes on more importance with the Mike Doss injury, but the Colts will have trouble with Tennessee.

The Titans look to establish a passing game that they will need to defeat Indy, who is not Miami and will score some points. After Week One, Steve McNair owners are looking for some serious compensation for his 73 yard, one TD performance and Chris Brown owners don't have that "I've got the steal of the draft" look on their faces anymore with his status questionable. I'm also owed major stats from my boy Derrick Mason, who had just three catches. Mason should get a score and some good numbers against a weakened Indy secondary. On defense, it's all about safe IDP choices, and LB Keith Bulluck and DB Tank Williams are the best two.

Final Score: Titans 24, Colts 29

San Francisco (+7.5) at New Orleans, 1:00 pm
While I expected the Saints to drop their first game to Seattle, I didn't think the Niners would be this bad. Then again, I never thought Michael Jackson still had a penis, but plenty of adolescents have apparently seen that.

The 49ers are in dire straits and have dumped money for nothing. Ouch, I'm on a roll. Football pundits are seriously debating whether the 49ers will win a game this season, and many Kevan Barlow owners are appropriately dismayed. Fear not, gentle people, for Ken Dorsey will lead San Francisco out of the shadow of fantasy death and into the bright light of productive offensive output. Dennis Erickson hopes so, and so does just about every resident of the city where Tony Bennett left his heart and lots of cocaine residue on dressing room mirrors (rim shot). Okay, Krueger, I'll reel it in. The Saints defense wasn't too impressive in Week One, so start Barlow, Cedrick Wilson - who I thought might have a nice surprise performance - and Eric Johnson, if he hasn't already been snatched by somebody in your league. On defense, go with LBs Julian Peterson, who blew up the Falcons last week, LB Derek Smith and DB Tony Parrish, who should get lots more tackles this week.

The Saints should be able to move the ball better against the Niners, with Aaron Brooks getting more opportunities to throw comfortably to the flats via McAllister and TE Boo Williams and downfield to Horn and Stallworth. The Saints should also provide more defensive pressure and get to Dorsey at least twice, so start DL Charles Grant, DB Jay Bellamy and LB Courtney Watson, who put up nice numbers in the middle. While the Saints should win this one, they will allow the Niners to put up some fantasy numbers and stay close.

Final Score: Saints 31, Niners 27

Washington (-3) at N.Y. Giants, 1:00 pm
How the mighty have fallen. Does anybody remember when the Giants had a stalwart defense and capable offensive weapons who piled up big numbers in big games? It wasn't too long ago, but it seems like ancient history. However, it seems like just yesterday that the Redskins were like a team of Capuchin monkeys jumping around on the shoulders of hand-cranked organ grinder Daniel Snyder, just itching to sink their pointy little teeth into his neck and free themselves from his tyrannical abuse.

The Redskins have come along way in a short time with Joe Gibbs. They did when he was their coach in the 1980s (pre-NASCAR), and they have now that he's back on board with his winning touch. Some guys know how to motivate without asking players to be more than five minutes early to team meetings (pay attention, Tom Coughlin). Portis is more than ready to take the Skins back to greatness, and Brunell is a capable quarterback. Whether he'll be a fantasy option remains to be seen, as Tampa Bay still has a good pass defense that can shut down virtually all NFL teams on any given Sunday. At WR, I think Gardner will continue to put up better numbers than Coles. Skins IDP options include LB Lavar Arrington, LBs Pierce and Washington as well as strong safety Matt Bowen, who had a big game last week against the Bucs.

The Giants have an old school coach with some ridiculous rules. Why not just start the meetings five minutes earlier, and tell everybody to be on time. It reminds me of those people that set their watches late 10 minutes so they hurry to get to work on time. You KNOW the damn time's wrong, because you did it yourself! It really doesn't matter who these guys start at QB, because no self-respecting fantasy owner should be messing around with either Eli Manning or Kurt Warner, at least not at this point. The Giants may encounter the same kind of problems they did against the Eagles, and only Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey look like sure starts this week. On defense, there's Michael Strahan and MLB Kevin Lewis, who responded well to just his second NFL start (the only other came in 2002) and racked up IDP points at Philly.

Final Score: Skins 27, Giants 19

Chicago at Green Bay (-9), 1:00 pm
Week 2 starts off with an age old match up between the Monsters of the Midway against Brett Favre and the Pack. This will be the 166th meeting between the two storied franchises however it seems that both teams are at different points of the football spectrum. The Packers will try to continue their strong play after their surprise dominance over the Carolina Panthers Monday night. As Mike Sherman has mentioned the Packers are no longer the great passing team they have been for the better part of the last ten years as evident Monday night when Favre passed for only 143 yards and one TD. Not typical Favre-like numbers fantasy owners are used to. I think the wise move would be to go with a different option at QB if you have one stashed away. I just believe the Packers are committed to the run and will stay in that direction. So that would mean a drop in numbers for Donald Driver and Javon Walker as well. On the other hand, Ahman Green had a tremendous game with 33 carries, 119 yards, and 3 total TDS. He is simply a stud that is a #1 RB in all leagues. The one thing I did notice was that the offensive line did a great job protecting Favre and creating holes against a great Carolina defensive front. The defense was also impressive as the Packers seemed intent on blitzing practically the entire game reaping much havoc on Delhomme. Although they only produced one sack and one interception I see this group as a must start for fantasy owners at home against a below average Chicago offense.

The Bears are a work in progress. They played a good game against a much-improved Lions team last week. The defense shut down the run limiting Kevin Jones to a disappointing 36 yards rushing. Grossman made two many mistakes and had unspectacular numbers with 227 yards, no TDS, and 2 int's. However it looks like David Terrell has risen from the dead and is trying to become the go-to guy in Chicago now that Marty Booker has departed. With 5 catches and 126 yards he is worth a pick-up in most leagues where he is still available. I think he will continue to get most of Grossman's throws for the foreseeable future. He is worth a start against the right match up. Not this week though. Thomas Jones had great TD totals with 2 however his rushing totals were low with 67 yards. I think he will have trouble against a Pack team that only allowed a combined 38 yards to Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster who are much better talent-wise than Jones. He is not a suggested start.

Final Score: Packers 23, Bears 10

Houston (+3) at Detroit, 1:00 pm
Not an age old match up. This one is the battle of former lottery teams looking to make a serious playoff run this year. Changes were made in Houston as Domanick Davis burst on to the scene last year as a premiere back with a ton of potential. He is the go to man on this team with 21-87-2 last week against a poor San Diego defense. Add 70 yards receiving and you have just defined a stud. However not as much can be said for Houston as a team. They absolutely got embarrassed at home against the Chargers. A team many predicted may not win 2 games this year. So much for that as David Carr threw for 229 yards and 2 picks. He looked very indecisive in the pocket and unsure of himself. He has the talent around him with Johnson, Gaffney, Bradford and the aforementioned Davis to have a high-powered offense. The jury is still out as to if he can rise to fantasy stardom. For this week I would start Davis but leave the rest of these scrubs on the bench. Tomlinson and Antonio Gates smoked the Texan defense last week it was a weak start for them as well. Find another option.

Next up on the mediocre list are the Lions. Much was said about how the Lions would be improved, high-powered offense. Blah.Blah.Blah. Harrington's line on Sunday 187 yards, 1 TD, 1 pick against a slightly below average Bears team. Let's face it. Harrington sucks. He won't lead anyone to fantasy or any other prominence any year. You heard it hear first. His days are numbered. As predicted Roy Williams had a decent game with an awe inspiring one-handed catch in double coverage and 69 yards total. Hakim will get the start in place of Rogers who broke some hearts by getting injured for the remainder of the season. I guess Millen will use that as an excuse for Harrington's ineptness. As mentioned above Kevin Jones got held in check with 36 yards. Until Harrington proves he can thrown more than a screen pass Jones will get a stacked line against him. The Texans will be out for blood after getting embarrassed last week and Capers will be sending my grandmother on a blitz. Don't start anyone from this team unless your team sucks and these are the only players you have. Go with the "upset".

Final Score: Texans 20, Lions 17

Pittsburgh at Baltimore (-3.5), 1:00 pm
Prime Time?? More like watch another game time. Jesus was it me or did the Ravens look weak against a Browns team they had dominated over the last two years. Jamal Lewis…57 yards?? I suppose the Browns defense got tired of looking at Lewis' cleat marks on their backs. Decided to shut up the team with the most mouth and the weakest offense among the contenders. Or more like pretenders last week. Try this on. Boller- 198 yards 2 picks. I don't blame it all on Boller. After getting jilted at the alter by T.O. they have nothing for WR. A very overrated Kevin Johnson, an underachiever in Travis Taylor, and one star in Todd Heap. But again this team was built on defense right? Prime Time, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed. They didn't allow any big plays but the Browns didn't need any with a short field most of the day. The defense will be a good start at home. You can't shut them down after one game of 1 sack and no turnovers. But on offense Lewis and Heap are the only stars. They should see a good deal of action from a Pittsburgh defense that allowed Rich Gannon 305 yards and 2 TDS. If Boller can get it to him. The defense should be fired up this week a home.

Pittsburgh grinded one out with the Raiders last week. They won with the help of a fluke call that went against the Raiders (imagine that?). Hines Ward was his excellent self with 7 catches and 91 yards. Pittsburgh looks like a running team with 107 total yards on the ground. But against Baltimore they are not accustomed to allowing 100-yard rushers so don't look for much from Staley and Bettis. Maddox is normally a good start but again against Baltimore go in another direction if possible. Ward is a must start, Burress will not be. I just think that the Ravens will be fired up. Looking for a win after losing to the lowly Browns

Final Score: Ravens 17, Steelers 10

St. Louis (+2.5) at Atlanta, 1:00 pm
Call in a hunch but that wasn't your normal high-powered Rams offense last week. The Rams are becoming much more (gasp!) conventional. But with Faulk and Jackson that would change my approach as well. Though they started slow we are still talking about the Rams here. Bulger went 272 with 1 TD and 1 INT. Faulk looked great with 22 carriers and 128 yards. When healthy he is a great start. Bruce, Holt, all good starts this week. They have dominated Atlanta over the years and I have seen nothing from Atlanta to show me that this is going to change. St. Louis looked great in the second half against Arizona as they only scored 7 points in the 2nd half.

The Falcons were in celebration mode after beating a weak 49ers team they should have slaughtered. Vick look unimpressive with 163 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 10 rushing yards. Dunn was 63 yards and 2 TDS. I think that St. Louis's defense is tailored made to stop Vick with their speed. Vick just doesn't look right to me. He still looks tentative. Crumpler is the real deal and has become Vick's favorite target. I thing in the end Atlanta will lose and Vick will make the mistake. The West Coast offense may not work for him. Only time will tell. I think this is the game of the week as far as a spread is involved. I think the Rams will drop the hammer on them.

Final Score: Rams 27, Atlanta 13

Buffalo (+3.5) at Oakland, 4:15 pm
In this battle of aging quarterbacks and backfields, there's not a lot to go on in terms of solid fantasy information. It's anybody's guess if either Bledsoe and Gannon can put up decent enough numbers to warrant a starting position. They are not bad backups, as certain matchups can be beneficial to signal callers who take Viagra, water pills and various OTC medicines.

The Bills were outplayed by the Jags in the second half last Sunday, and with Travis Henry cramping up, the Buffalo brass got a chance to see Willis McGahee in action. He looked okay, although the Bills receivers -other than Eric Moulds - weren't as impressive. Keep playing Henry until he gets hurt - which he will at some point. On defense, there are several options, including Troy Vincent, London Fletcher, Coy Wire, Nate Clements and Takeo Spikes.

The Raiders were beaten by Steelers kicker Jeff Reed's 42-yard field goal, but looked good moving the ball upfield with lots of different receivers. The best were WR Doug Gabriel and WR Jerry Porter, who should continue to see lots of looks throughout the season. The running game was terrible, with nothing from Tyrone Wheatley or Justin Fargas. The Raiders ran 22 times for just 61 yards - 2.8 yards a carry. On defense, Travian Smith and Philip Buchanon were solid, and should do well again this week against Buffalo.

Final Score: Raiders 23 Bills 20

New England (-8.5) at Arizona, 4:15 pm
Ouch. This one could get painful. If I was Josh McCown, I would seek shelter immediately, preferably at the Playboy Mansion like so many other horny young quarterbacks (See Tim Couch, Drew Brees, and Cade McNown). McNown, McCown, see what I'm getting at? They are both poop.

The Patriots are finally getting some much-deserved respect, although there are still some Tom Brady doubters out there. At this point, Brady's detractors - fantasy or otherwise -don't have much to stand on except scouting reports from 2000. If you have Brady, start him and hope he doesn't pull a Bulger against the Cardinals, who are shaping up to be this year's Bengals, without the bald-headed, competitive quarterback. With Corey Dillon, fantasy owners will just have to be patient in terms of touches and scores. The Pats like to throw, but might try to establish more of a ground game against the Cards. Brady's favorite targets may be WR Deion Branch and TE Daniel Graham, but Belichick will force him to continue looking at other receivers, including WRs Bethel Johnson and David Givens. TE Christian Fauria is not a good play right now, since Graham's hands have improved, but what tight end you start should be the last thing you decide each week anyway. On defense, there's tons of great IDP plays, including all the starting linebackers, DB Rodney Harrison, and DL Richard Seymour.

The Cardinals best performances last week were from RB Emmitt Smith, WR Larry Fitzgerald and TE Freddie Jones. I don't really like any offensive starters from Arizona against the Pats, but if you had to go with Fitzgerald, it might be a decent move in the end. The Cards will most definitely fall behind, and Fitzgerald might get some garbage points - even though the Patriots don't like to ever take it off full throttle. Jones is also a reasonable option, but under no circumstances should you be playing Emmitt or McCown.

Final Score: Pats 34, Cards 10

Seattle at Tampa Bay, 4:05 pm (no line)
Seattle my friends. This is my pre-season favorite for the Super Bowl. They are the complete package. They have the passing, rushing, defense, special teams, young, and with experience. They could be good for some time. Anyway, Alexander put a large foot in New Orleans's behind this weekend. Rushing for a mind-boggling 135 yards and 3 scores as he also had 31 receiving yards. There was a little scare with Alexander apparently bruising his knee at the end of that game. I have no freaking clue why you would have him out there 2:00 minutes to go with a 14-point lead and the ball. Pretty stupid Mike. In any event, Maurice Morris may take his spot that has lead to the "no line" this week. Hasselbeck had a decent game with 246 yards and 1 TD. There were many dropped passes by Robinson and Jackson. That has go to improve if they want to reach the Promised Land. Seattle's defense looked pretty physical and should look to be a good start vs. a ridiculous Tampa offense.

Speaking of Tampa, that battle with the Redskins was pretty tough to watch. Brad Johnson clearly has nobody to throw to. By the way, how does Keyshaun look to you now? No Galloway as he is out 4-6 weeks. Johnson finished the game with a dismal 169-0-1 line. Running game was non-existent with Garner finishing with 25 yards rushing. Start nobody from this team…. I repeat nobody. I know this is an improved Redskin team but the Bucks made them look like the 76 Steelers. Also this is not your dad's Bucks defense. No sacks, 1-forced turnovers against a piss-poor Redskin line that was missing two starters. They will get smashed with or without Alexander. This should be one to turn off by half time.

Final Score: Seahawks 28, Bucks 9

Cleveland at Dallas (-4), 4:15 pm
Cleveland rocks…Cleveland rocks. They were celebrating in big numbers as Cleveland knocked off the Ravens last week. I think they showed much heart, which usually is not a trait of a Butch Davis team. Garcia was efficient but not fantasy worthy against a tough Ravens D. Threw for one score. Ran for a score. William Green took the load with Lee Suggs injured. Performed ok with 65 yards however a dismal 2.9 per carry average ain't going to cut it. Suggs will be rightfully taking that job soon and should be back this week. However I would not start him until he is assured of some serious playing time. Players to watch would be Quincy Morgan who might have some big gains on the Dallas weak, other than Newman, side of the defense.

Big D had some major problems dealing with the smoking hot Culpepper and that insane Viking offense. Allowing a remarkable 5 TD's and close to 300 yards total passing. But they will be fired up after Big Bill calls them out and runs them like Smarty Jones at the Derby this week. I think they will stop the Browns offense cold. The offensive side of the ball was much better however. Testaverde to Johnson was better than advertised and the "Vin Man" racked up 355 yards passing, 1 TD, and no turnovers. Beauty game that may have fantasy owners taking notice. But do not expect to see him toss the rock 50 times a game again anytime soon. This week look for the Tuna to establish the run game with George, Anderson and Rashard Lee. I think Johnson is a good starting option this week. Big D will roll big at home.

Final Score: Cowboys 24, Browns 14

N.Y. Jets at San Diego (+3), 4:15 pm
Call me stupid. But I am buying it. I watched the Texan/Charger game from start to finish and I liked what I saw from the Chargers. Brees looks like he has a mission. They have the tight end nobody knows about. Let me tell you; Antonio Gates is the real deal. This guy is special and if he is still available. Go get him. Fast. Of course they have L.T. In my opinion, he is the Michael Jordan of the NFL. He is the next Barry Sanders. When he gets it going he is unstoppable. He rushed for 121 yards and a score against a stacked Texan front. I think they will surprise some people. Not too many people, but some.

The Jets took advantage of a surprisingly bad Bengals D. In route to a 31-24 barnburner. Curtis Martin dusted off the mothballs to rush for 196 yards and a score. Pennington was his usual self with 224 yards and 2 TDS. His is a good start this week with Martin as long as his body holds up like that. He is looking like he has something to prove. But I just have this feeling last week was a fluke and the Chargers get a monster game from Tomlinson to pull of the victory.

Final Score: Chargers 26, Jets 21

Miami (+4.5) at Cincinnati, 8:30 pm
I don't know if I've ever seen an offense in worse shape than Miami's is in right now, but I don't know of a better medicine for that than playing Cincinnati. The Dolphins should be able to score more than one touchdown in Cincy, which has several defensive injuries that could come into play, making scoring drives easy for whatever quarterback starts this week. Regardless, Jay Fielder and A.J. Feeley sound a lot alike, so you could probably call in your picks and leave a voice-mail message with a mouthful of food and get away with picking the starter, if you've got them both. And if you do have them both, please send me $5.00 in cash for finding one of the worst fantasy football owners in America. Chris Chambers and Randy McMichael are about the only two guys I would consider playing all season long, unless something drastically changes with the running back situation. This week both Chambers and McMichael are good plays. IDP plays include DL Jason Taylor (who should get a sack this week), LB Zach Thomas, DB Sammy Knight and LB Junior Seau.

The Bengals will have trouble moving the ball against Miami, especially if Tennessee did. Tenderfoot QB Carson Palmer is NOT a good play this week, so look elsewhere. Rudi Johnson ran well against the Jets and still might have what it takes to accumulate some yardage and punch one in this week. Chad Johnson is the only receiver you should consider, since Miami has a tough secondary with lots of speed, but even he will struggle. Defensively, if safety Kim Herring is starting, he should be in there, but rookie DB Madieu Williams also plays well and is around the action. DL Justin Smith, and LB Kevin Hardy (both capable of getting a couple sacks) are the best other options in terms of IDP production against Miami.

Final Score: Bengals 24, Dolphins 17

Minnesota (+3.5) at Philadelphia, 9:00 pm
My hunch is T.O. will not be end zone dancing for three scores this week. No Giants bums to walk over. Minnesota looks like an improved defense but still a little weak in the secondary with Ken Irvin out for the year. Running and passing game looked strong. 5 sacks and 2 turnovers for the defense. McNabb looked awesome with 330 yards and 4 scores. Three to T.O. I think you should put the ticker tape parade away for just a second. Culpepper is as hot as they come with Moss and company. I think we will see how the new Philly secondary will respond against a much better offense with multiple weapons. This will test how much they miss Taylor and Vincent.

Minnesota opened a can on Dallas last week with Culpepper throwing for 242 yards and 5 TDS. Completed passes to nine different receivers. Mark this up. Culpepper will be MVP of the league barring injury. Moss didn't have much in the way of yards but scored twice. Onterrio Smith had a solid game with 76 yards rushing and led the Vikings with 63 yards receiving and a score. Obviously Culpepper, Moss, Smith are great starts. This will be close and Phily may win it. But give me the points

Final Score: Vikings 28, Eagles 27