Must Start:
Dwayne Bowe
@ OAK: He has a tough match up against the Oakland secondary,
but Kansas City is routinely trying to get the ball into his hands.
Last week showed opposing defenses that focusing too much on the
rookie wide out will just free up Tony Gonzalez. The Raiders will
keep closer track of Gonzo and trust their corners to man up on
Bowe, leaving him lots of running room.
Patrick
Crayton v. MIN: Tony Romo is looking like the real thing and
Crayton is benefiting in a big way. While Terrell Owens whines
and drops passes, Crayton is quietly racking up some nice stats.
He has scored four times during the last three games in Dallas’
high-powered offense. The Cowboys will beat the Vikings and they
will do it, like everyone else, through the air.
Bobby Engram v. STL: He filled in nicely with nine catches for
120 yards last week. Branch won’t be back this week, making
Engram an easy start against the porous St. Louis secondary. This
one may quickly turn into a shoot out, making fantasy owners everywhere
very happy.
Laveranues
Coles @ CIN: Expect the Bengals to jump all over the Jets
this weekend. Even though Chad Pennington can’t throw the ball
more than ten yards, Coles will see a lot of balls coming his
way. When will the Jets staff realize what the rest of the world
has known for years? Pennington might be good at a lot of things,
but playing quarterback isn’t one of them. The ability to occasionally
throw either a deep ball or a spiral is considered essential by
most football fans.
Going Out On a Limb:
Lee Evans
v. BAL: He made it clear to the media that he would rather
have Losman at quarterback. Rather than isolate him from new quarterback
Trent Edwards, the coaching staff will try to get him on their
side, targeting him early and often. In his first start, Edwards
opened the game throwing everything to Evans but got away from
that in his second start. The Bills will have to loosen up the
Ravens’ defense and a long touchdown to Evans might do the trick.
Grab Some Pine:
Larry Fitzgerald
@ WAS: Let’s see…Anquan Boldin is expected to return this week.
The Washington Redskins’ secondary is looking really good. And,
worst of all, Tom Rattay will be trying to throw the ball. Wait
a week or two until Kurt Warner returns before sticking Fitzgerald
back into your starting lineup. When the season began, who would
have thought we would be anxiously awaiting Warner’s return to
the line up?
Kevin
Curtis v. CHI: He has two great weeks and three bad ones.
Play the odds and assume this one will be sub par. It isn’t the
Chicago defense that needs to be feared but the chaotic Philadelphia
offense. The team is inconsistent and the catches split between
so many players that counting on one of them is too risky for
all but the most desperate owners.
Ronald
Curry v. KC: Counting on Daunte Culpepper to get you the ball
is not the best way to make a living. Curry also hasn’t had a
touchdown since Week Three. Until he can consistency put up a
decent number of catches every week, owners can’t afford to trust
him. Curry has been held to three catches or less in three of
his five games.
Darrell Jackson @ NYG: Jackson must be missing the coffee shops
of Seattle by now. The San Francisco offense has been laughable
and Jackson hasn’t caught more than four balls or broken
the 70 yard mark in any game. The New York Giants defense is playing
better than the stats indicate.
Brandon
Marshall v. PIT: Marshall has been a borderline fantasy starter
for most of the season for one simple reason: Javon Walker has
been injured. Now that Walker may be returning, Marshall turns
into a bye week or good match up guy. A date with the Steelers
second ranked pass defense is not a good match up. If Walker can’t
go, Marshall will be a serviceable option for one more week.
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