On the other hand, I know there are plenty of first-time readers out there who are searching for any insight or advantage they can get over the competition. Many “experts” are satisfied with using last year’s stats or defensive rankings as a way to predict this year’s fantasy numbers. While it’s a good thought, it’s a somewhat misguided approach in that NFL rosters pretty much experience a 20-25% turnover rate on average each season, so expecting a player/defense to repeat what he/it did last year is difficult simply because so much has changed. That is why I feel it is important to not only project the players, but also project the defensive effectiveness of each team as well.

Before I continue, let’s do an abbreviated – but updated – Q&A from a column that I wrote about this time last year:

Q: How often has a RB from the current AFC or NFC West finished among the top five since 2000?
A: Twenty-two times! Taken one step further, 39 of the 50 top-five RB spots since 2000 have gone to backs whose teams went up against the AFC and/or the NFC West that season. Even more impressive, the top-scoring RB in fantasy football each season played at least four games against the AFC and/or NFC West.

For those of you who believe that I should just refer to PSAs as “taking advantage of the AFC and NFC West”…if it were only that simple. Granted, the AFC and NFC West has had its share of standout three-down RBs over the years, but common sense should tell us that it is going to be difficult for a RB to post stellar numbers when a quarter of its games each year are against Pittsburgh and Baltimore (or more recently, Green Bay and Minnesota). While the aforementioned AFC and NFC North teams have been solid against the run recently, the last time a West team (AFC or NFC) finished in the top five against the run was 2005. In fact, it’s hard to remember the last time teams like the Chiefs, Rams or Raiders had good run-stopping defenses.

With any luck, I have opened your mind to my way of thinking. Along those same lines, allow me to clear up a couple of misconceptions about my schedule analysis approach right away:

1. this is not a strength of schedule article that uses 2009 results to predict 2010 and
   
   
2. the schedule contributes to the projection of a player in this system, but it is far from the only determining factor I use.
   
   

(^) - Projection represents the player’s floor; he has significant upside.
(+) - Projection may be selling the player short; he has some upside.
(-) - Projection may be overselling the player; he is a slight risk.
(!) – Projection represents the player’s ceiling; he is a significant risk.

Note: The grey highlight in each team’s schedule reflects a road game.

AFC South

Run: While father (Mike) and son (Kyle) Shanahan – Houston’s OC last season – trying to build something in Washington, former Broncos OL coach Rick Dennison takes another shot at calling the plays in Houston, with much emphasis being put on improving the league’s 30th-ranked running game from a season ago. Thankfully, the Texans get 10 total games, six against their division and four against the poor defenses of the AFC West. Houston kicks it all off against the Colts and Redskins, two teams I expect to be near league-average at stopping the run. The Texans then face a three-game stretch of teams with some upper-level capability at defending the rushing attack in the Cowboys, Raiders and Giants. The Week 6 matchup vs. the Chiefs should allow the running game to gain some confidence heading into the bye, but it is interesting to note the Texans will have played as many 4-3 defenses before the bye as 3-4 defenses.

Assuming Foster still has the starting job after Week 7, he could solidify his hold on the job in the three games following the bye (Colts, Chargers and Jags), none of which should be all that impressive vs. the run. However, after the Week 10 game in Jacksonville, Houston closes out the fantasy season with a difficult stretch, with each opponent (outside of Denver in Week 16) a team I have projected as a defense that is in the top half of the league stopping the run.

Note: It’s important to note that while I believe Foster could easily hold onto the job all season long, I am projecting here that Tate will bypass him on the depth chart at some point – in this projection, that point was Week 14. Whether or not Foster maintains some regular role in the offense in that scenario certainly remains to be seen. However, I am basing my projection of Tate overtaking Foster mostly on Kubiak’s history of late-season RB changes. It should be obvious by looking at my total numbers for Foster and Tate that I believe the Texans will be able to run the ball, so if Foster turns Tate into a five-carry-per-game player, Foster is set to have a huge season.

Pass: HC Gary Kubiak may be saying all the right things regarding the run game and his efforts to step up the team's production in that area. But when his team has the game's best WR and a QB who posted just four games of less than 268 yards passing, it’s a safe bet the passing game will determine the Texans' fate once again this year. The early season slate certainly does not lend itself to huge passing game numbers with three-fourths of the NFC East opponents coming in the first five games. Indianapolis (Week 1) and Oakland (Week 4) each feature above-average pass defenses, meaning Johnson is the only sure bet to produce early on. After that, the rest of the Texans' schedule opens up, particularly for Schaub and Johnson with Jones and Daniels also benefiting.

Following a second showdown in Week 8 vs. the Colts, the only CBs that should be able to reasonably control Johnson are the Jets’ Darrelle Revis (Week 11) and the Broncos’ Champ Bailey (Week 16), with the latter only qualifying if Denver's new DC Don Martindale opts to have Bailey shadow Johnson like Revis will. Just about every other team during the second half of the season suffers from questionable safety play, which should allow Jones to have his breakout season.

Note: I am projecting a slow start for Daniels because he is recovering from another ACL injury. Midseason will represent the one-year mark since the surgery.

Run: Addai’s 2009 numbers are almost laughable. Despite sporting an ugly yards/touch average (4.3), Addai cracked the top 10 in both PPR and non-PPR leagues because of his 51 catches and 13 total TDs. He’ll face another season of fending Brown off for touches and it is not a good bet he’ll be as successful this time around, meaning this could be a split backfield by the time the season ends. And what the schedule lacks in terms of stellar pass defenses (see below), it makes up for in teams that will likely be able to halt the Colts’ rushing attack, even though the Giants are the only team that fits that description over the first five weeks.

In Weeks 6-9, Indy may get one break against the Texans, but even that is a stretch as OLB Brian Cushing – a key run defender for Houston – will have returned by then. Otherwise, the Redskins, Eagles and Bengals all should have enough talent, size and depth up front to bottle up the Colts’ run game. The Pats and Chargers are teams in transition, but it would come as little surprise if both defenses had enough to contain Addai and Brown as well. Three of the final four games of the fantasy season (Dallas, Tennessee and Oakland) figure to test the ground game’s mettle as well, which is a big reason why the Colts may call on Brown, as last season showed the 2009 first-rounder has a little more burst than his backfield teammate.

Pass: While several very good pass defenses appear on the schedule, none of the 15 games above feature a team (outside of maybe the Bengals) that can go at least three-deep at CB and say they have a fighting chance at stifling the Colts’ WRs. Nevertheless, Indy faces a pair of underrated secondaries in the season’s first two weeks, although Houston is set to struggle early on as it will be breaking in rookie CB Kareem Jackson. In theory, the Giants (Week 2) have a very capable secondary, but it is anyone’s guess how healthy SS Kenny Phillips will stay and FS Antrel Rolle will be in just his second game with the team at that point. Champ Bailey could give Wayne some problems in Week 3 if Denver asks its top CB to shadow the Colts WR1, otherwise, the next four games pre-bye set up very nicely for Manning & Co.

A home date vs. Houston follows the Week 7 bye, which leads into the most difficult portion of a rather weak pass defense schedule. The Eagles and, in particular, the Bengals may keep the Colts in check for stretches of the game, but neither has a great answer for Clark, so typical Colts’ numbers should be expected. If Cincinnati can milk the clock with its running game, it has a chance to keep Manning on the sidelines. However, both games could just as easily be shootouts if the Colts come out firing on all cylinders. Dallas presents another decent challenge in Week 13 with its stout pass rush and 3-4 defense, but only Terence Newman would strike any kind of fear into the Colts’ offense. If Indy has the division wrapped up – as it has recently – by Week 16, Oakland will likely toy with backup QB Curtis Painter. If the Colts are still playing for something, though, it may be one of the few games where Manning and Wayne’s final numbers may be rather ordinary.

Run: Jones-Drew faces only two red matchups prior to the Jags’ Week 9, with three games in that time against weaker 3-4 run defenses (San Diego, Buffalo, Kansas City) and with an improved offensive line. Denver starts off Jacksonville’s pre-bye stretch of 3-4 defenses (five of their first eight opponents use the defense), but one has to think the Broncos’ defense will fall off considerably with the departure of DC Mike Nolan. San Diego will be plugging in a new Opening Day NT in its 3-4 for the first time in years and figures to have issues stopping the run as well, particularly if its offense misses its holdouts like I believe it will. Philly checks in as one of the three NFC East teams that warrant a red box on the Jags’ slate, but that leads into four consecutive matchups vs. average or poor run defenses before a road date in Dallas, which should represent MJD’s toughest competition of the season.

The second half of the Jags’ schedule rates about the same as the first half, with the major difference being the presence of five 4-3 defenses and only two 3-4 defenses. In fact, the final five fantasy weeks (Weeks 12-16) could actually be very difficult if the Raiders and Redskins each live up to the high grades I gave their respective run defenses. With that said, MJD is a good bet for at least 100 total yards, 3-5 catches and a TD each week, regardless of the opponent. With an improved passing attack Jones-Drew has a very good chance of improving on last season’s stellar numbers.

Pass: OC Dirk Koetter said earlier in the offseason that he wants his offense to throw the ball more often in 2010. It’s hard to say that is the method of attack they should be using after taking a closer look at the schedule, because while an improved passing game opens things up for their best player (Jones-Drew), Sims-Walker will need to take another huge step up and stay healthy if the Jags have any chance of following through on their OC’s wishes. Sims-Walker only faces a tough matchup in Week 1 if Champ Bailey ends up shadowing him, but even if he gets a break there, Weeks 3-4 represent hard times for the entire passing game with the Eagles and Colts. The next four games for the Jags alternate between above-average and below-average competition, with MSW likely seeing a heavy dose of Titans CB Cortland Finnegan and Cowboys CBs Mike Jenkins and/or Terence Newman in Weeks 6 and 8, respectively.

After somewhat relatively less difficult matchups vs. Houston and Cleveland, it doesn’t get much better after the bye with four consecutive difficult pass defenses (at least in Sims-Walker’s case). Even Washington could have a top-notch pass defense if the entire defense has bought into the 3-4 by that point. However, it should be noted that the schedule really is only as difficult as Garrard makes it. If he can bottle up his play at home (90.9 passer rating) and eliminate some of his ridiculously bad play on the road (75.1 passer rating) from 2009, Jacksonville could easily make the noise in the passing game (and in the standings) that its coaches expect. Two names to store away for possible early-season waiver-wire pickups: WR Mike Thomas and TE Zach Miller (the latter only in very deep leagues).

Run: If Chris Johnson owners are willing to put up with a bumpy first half of the season, they may get to collect the fruits of their (or his) labor in the second half. And I’ll reiterate (as I have at various points throughout the offseason already), the loss of C Kevin Mawae and TE Alge Crumpler hurts Johnson’s value more than people realize. Certainly, the team has been grooming C Eugene Amano for years, but Mawae was still one of the best players at his position in the league last season even at 38 years of age. Nevertheless, the Titans start out with what could be three above-average run-stopping units right out of the gate. In Week 4, there’s every chance Denver will be a good first-half defense again – although I don’t see it happening – so we’ll give him the benefit of doubt in that matchup.

A showdown in Dallas could be CJ’s fifth straight mediocre game, but he should be able to start living up to his reputation in Week 6 at Jacksonville. Philadelphia’s blitzing defense will likely make life hard again on any outside runs in Week 7 before Johnson has another opportunity to light it up in Week 8 in San Diego. Two more potential stout 3-4 defenses await on the other side of the bye in Weeks 10 and 11 before the schedule starts providing a bit of relief. It helps that Weeks 13-15 are all at home and Week 16 is a road date in KC, which doesn’t figure to do much to stop Johnson in what is the fantasy championship week for most leagues.

Pass: It’s hard to write off an entire passing game for the better part of the season, but given the nature of the Titans’ passing game (a spread-the-wealth WR corps on a running team where the RB and TE may be the leading receivers) and the schedule, there just isn’t much to like here. How bad is it? In the Titans’ eight pre-bye games, six of them could be poor matchups. First, the Titans face off against three NFC East defenses – each of which have enough talent to stifle Tennessee’s passing game – along with Oakland and Pittsburgh, two defenses which typically rate among the top passing defenses each season. And let’s not forget Denver, which may get another year of top-level play from Andre Goodman, who starts opposite Champ Bailey.

Two more potentially good defenses – Miami and Washington – await after the bye and each of those also feature 3-4 defenses that can rush the passer and have a pair of quality CBs as well. However, if fantasy owners can wait out the first 11 weeks of the season, then Titans’ WRs may be worth having on the roster at that point since only one more red matchup remains. Of course, any Jeff Fisher-coached team will be happy to run the ball all day, so as they have been over the last few years (and especially with Young at QB), Titans’ WRs figure to be a mixed bag again in 2010.

AFC West

Run: The arrival of Tebow makes predicting this running game one of the more difficult projections this season. How often will play early in the season? How often will he line up in HC Josh McDaniels' “Wild Horses” (Denver’s version of the “Wildcat”) formation? Will McDaniels go Urban Meyer on us and use Tebow as a goal-line specialist over Moreno? The last of these questions is my biggest concern regarding the running game, as very few people care about the 2010 fantasy value of Tebow, but the majority of us will be somewhat invested in any value (in the form of short-yardage scores) he might steal from Moreno. And there’s value to be had from Denver’s schedule, especially after the Week 9 bye.

However, the Broncos must complete the first half of the schedule, which gets considerably more difficult following the Opening Week matchup in Jacksonville, even though they get a break by drawing Seattle at Invesco Field and not at Qwest Field where the Seahawks generally play very well. Weeks 3-8, however, offer much more resistance. The Colts have a tendency to put a team down early and make their opponents pass much more often than they want in the second half, which obviously tends to bring the rushing attack to a screeching halt. Then, it will be hard to find a more difficult five-week stretch than the Titans, Ravens, Jets, Raiders and Niners, all of which have run defenses that I project to be in the top half of the league. Fortunately, the running game gets four opponents right out of the break – Chiefs (twice), Rams and Chargers – who do not offer near the challenge of the previous five defenses. Two of those teams also play a 3-4 defense – like the Broncos – but neither of which should be as good on defense as the one it will practice against. The slate wraps up with three opponents who could each easily exceed my defensive projections (if they can all stay healthy) in Arizona, Oakland and Houston. This threesome during the fantasy playoffs probably makes Moreno more of a RB2 than potential RB1 in 2010.

Pass: As much concern as Tebow causes for the short-term value of Moreno, he causes considerably more long-term stress on Orton. It’s doubtful that “stress” will manifest itself much this season in terms of getting Tebow regular snaps on the field, but if the season spirals downward quickly, it’s conceivable Tebow could be starting by Week 12 or 13, even though he has no business doing so. But without Brandon Marshall, everyone’s job just got a lot harder in Denver, although the team lucked out by drawing the AFC South and NFC West in 2010.

Both the Jags and Seahawks should have improved pass defenses, but just like it does in the run game, Weeks 3-8 will provide more headaches than relief as only the injury-ravaged Ravens secondary can be considered below-average. The slate lightens up post-bye with four games vs. the Chiefs, Rams and Chargers with a fifth contest in Week 14 at Arizona which could also be a slightly favorably matchup. Oakland hosts Denver in Week 15, which should make just about every Bronco passing game member bench-worthy at best; the same could probably be said about Houston in Week 16.

Run: Based off the “expert” drafts I have participated in so far, there appears to be a great deal of concern regarding: 1) Charles’ ability to carry the load, 2) Jones’ presence as a potential goal-line vulture or more and 3) both of the aforementioned choices. Of these concerns, I would only be concerned with part of the second option– a short-yardage thief. I believe it will become apparent early in camp that Jones is no longer running behind the Jets’ offensive line and that the Chiefs need a slasher like Charles to do damage on the ground more than a more physical back like Jones. And with the schedule Kansas City has, Charles should be able to carry over his success from last December over to this season. Charles’ should have ample opportunity to run his 100-yard streak to six games after the Chiefs get done with the 3-4 defenses of the Chargers and Browns in Weeks 1-2. A home game vs. San Francisco, another 3-4 defense, may halt the streak, but also give fantasy owners a pretty good indication as to whether Charles is the 2010 version of Chris Johnson.

After an early Week 4 bye, Kansas City will face only one more red matchup the rest of the season, and that is only if Arizona meets the expectations I have for its run defense. Indianapolis and Houston in Weeks 5-6 should both be high-scoring, high-yardage affairs while Jacksonville and Buffalo should offer plenty of running lanes for Charles, even behind the Chiefs’ less-than-impressive offensive line. Oakland (Week 9) may actually have one of the better run defenses on the schedule, but it might be the Raiders’ pass defense that forces KC to run the ball more often in that contest. Playing at Seattle (Week 12) will be no picnic, but after that, it’s hard not to like the image of Charles putting up fantasy points against the likes of the Broncos, Chargers and Rams in Weeks 13-15. Week 16 gives us a game featuring Johnson and Charles, so while the former has the advantage matchup, Tennessee’s run defense showed last year it can be beat by backs such as Charles – and it’s hard to say the Titans’ run defense got any better in the offseason.

Pass: The key to the Chiefs’ passing attack this season is Dwayne Bowe. HC Todd Haley has been effusive with his praise of his WR1 – a noteworthy achievement for those who know the coach’s reputation. Though Bowe has produced plenty already in his career already, he should be in line for a career so long as he keeps his head on straight and doesn’t challenge Haley’s authority again. His season (and Cassel’s, for that matter) could start off with a bang against the average secondaries of the Chargers and Browns, two 3-4 teams that I don’t believe will be top-notch pass-rushing units. Those teams, however, should be a good warm-up for Week 3 and a home date against the Niners, the best 3-4 defense KC will probably face all season long. The difficult Colts’ pass defense awaits after the Week 4 bye, but leads into another softer stretch of games (Houston, Jacksonville and Buffalo) in Weeks 6-8. Bowe and Cassel’s greatest challenge of the season comes in the following two weeks when he will likely be shadowed by Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha and (potentially) Denver’s Champ Bailey, although he has produced against both CBs quite well in the past. Arizona (at home) and Seattle (on the road) also pose a bit of a threat as each has a CB that is capable of athletically matching up to Bowe, although it is anybody’s guess if Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie or Marcus Trufant will live up to their reputations after they both turned in questionable efforts last season.

After another game vs. Denver in Week 13, Weeks 14-15 offer a great deal of hope for the passing game with road games in San Diego and St. Louis, the former which will give Chambers an opportunity to show up his old team for the second time. However, the fantasy season could end on a sour note for Bowe and Cassel if Tennessee follows through with using Cortland Finnegan as a shadow to opposing WR1s. Finnegan is physical enough to get into Bowe’s head; in that scenario, the passing game would only succeed if Charles and/or Chambers saved the day.

Run: After wasting a couple of seasons trying to split touches between three backs in an offense that could hardly support two RBs, Oakland let Justin Fargas go and has finally moved on. What he leaves behind is the Michael Turner-sized Bush and the supremely-talented McFadden, who has yet to meet an injury that he didn’t like in his NFL career. It seems almost criminal in a year where the rest of the team rushed for a combined 3.8 YPC, Bush sported an YPC a full yard better (4.8). This marked the second straight year Bush exceeded 4.4 YPC in an offense that gave opponents little to no reason to fear the passing game. Since the passing game has a chance this season (read below), it is well worth the price of fantasy admission to buy into this running attack – specifically Bush – in 2010 as only three potential top-notch run-stopping units appear on the slate. Tennessee, the opponent in Week 1, may be a fourth such team and may halt the breakout party I believe Bush will have. However, St. Louis should be overmatched in Week 2 and if Arizona hasn’t adequately replaced Karlos Dansby or is still waiting on ILB Gerald Hayes to return to 100% in Week 3, he may run over them too.

Houston will still be missing OLB Brian Cushing in Week 4 and San Diego will be average at best vs. the run, meaning one green and two red matchups in the first five games could easily turn into three greens and one red. A road game at the Niners will be difficult for all things Raiders, but Bush could easily coast into the Week 10 bye with three straight strong performances. Pittsburgh and Miami (Weeks 11-12) figure to bottle up the limited Raiders’ offense, but the rest of the season could serve as an exclamation point to Bush’s season, with the Colts’ defense possibly the best one of the bunch. Already an average unit at best, Indy could easily not have anything to play for that week, meaning a very capably Raiders’ rushing attack could post some quality numbers against an Indy defense just trying to stay healthy for another postseason run.

Pass: Even though Campbell may not be the fantasy world’s idea of a savior, he walks into a situation where his job status is no longer in question and will have more talent to work with than most people realize. The schedule will also give him a shot to succeed, particularly in the early going, with the first red matchup not coming until Week 6. This should give Campbell plenty of time to bond with Miller and potentially Heyward-Bey, if he can carry over his offseason dominance into the regular season. Tennessee’s pass defense may be a bit better than I projected two weeks ago, but the Rams and Cardinals will struggle to match up to Miller or the Raiders’ speed on the outside.

The Texans have a shot to be a legit defense, but will still be missing OLB Brian Cushing when Oakland hosts them in Week 4 while San Diego has been perpetually bad at defending the TE for several years. The Niners and Broncos should have enough to keep the Raiders in check in Weeks 6-7, but Oakland could field a solid fantasy numbers in the passing game with home dates against Seattle and KC before the bye. After Pittsburgh and Miami provide another stiff test for the improved Raiders passing game in Weeks 11-12, Oakland should be able to flex its muscles two more times in road contests at San Diego and Jacksonville. The last two weeks of the fantasy schedule are far from ideal, but at least the Raiders are at home in difficult pass-defense matchups against Denver and Indianapolis. With any luck, fantasy owners still carrying a Raider on their team at that point are only counting on Miller.

Note: The projections above reflect holdouts from LT Marcus McNeill and Jackson. With the Chargers likely to get off to another slow start because of the drop-off in talent, I believe management will cave in to public outcry for the holdout players by Week 6, meaning the projections will reflect the team being at full strength no later than Week 7.

Run: As optimistic as I am about Mathews’ future, the present leaves me more pessimistic than most current or future owners of the Fresno State standout. Even in this day and age, far too often fantasy owners convince themselves a shift from an aging RB to a rookie rusher is all that is needed to revitalize a running game. The line Mathews will now run behind – which did not improve talent-wise in the offseason – is the same one that kept Sproles at 3.7 YPC in 2009, a humbling total for a player who is so explosive. Setting that aside for the moment, as far as easing into a situation, it doesn’t get much better for a rookie RB like Mathews. First up on the schedule are two rush defenses that project to be below average against the run (Chiefs, Jags). The same could be probably be said about the opponent in Week 3 (Seattle), but the Seahawks are typically world-beaters at Qwest Field and should be much better against the run this year anyway if they can get a full season from MLB Lofa Tatupu. San Diego’s run game will need to step it up in Weeks 4-5 though as Arizona and Oakland should have two surprisingly good rush defenses.

In Weeks 6-9, only one potential red matchup exists (Tennessee), although New England and Houston could easily overwhelm the Chargers’ running game if the holdouts are still not playing at that point. The post-bye slate (assuming Jackson and McNeill have returned) looks easy enough in Weeks 11-14, but facing the Niners at home and the Bengals on the road is an awful daunting task for any running game. Thus, based on the potential holdouts and the fantasy playoff schedule, it’s hard to like Mathews as any more than a RB2 in fantasy this season.

Pass: Let this serve as yet another warning: the Chargers and GM A.J. Smith are kidding themselves if they honestly feel they can enter the season without the services of McNeill and Jackson and win the division easily, much less contend for a Super Bowl. Current LT Brandon Dombrowski and Naanee are fine backups (I actually think San Diego has greatly underutilized Naanee), but good defenses are going to swarm Gates and make Floyd and Naanee beat them week after week. Although Floyd has showed glimpses, he isn’t going to emerge as a WR1 in his sixth season after years of mediocrity. And McNeill’s absence is not good for the run or the pass game, but particularly the latter, as Dombrowski is not that accomplished as a pass blocker. San Diego established itself as a passing team last season and if it hopes to make another playoff run, it is going to need Rivers even more to overcome the absences of McNeill and Jackson. Getting a chance to open the season against the pass-rush-deficient Chiefs and Jags is a plus, but Seattle, Arizona and Oakland could all shut the Chargers’ WRs (minus Jackson) down, so Gates will need to earn his new contract if they have any hope of coming out of the first five weeks with a winning record.

St. Louis should serve a slight confidence boost for the passing game, but the Pats figure to make sure Gates is almost a non-factor in Week 7 (assuming Jackson is still not back). Even though Tennessee and Houston do not figure to be elite pass-rushing defenses, both teams have the personnel to punish to repeatedly beat San Diego’s offensive line leading up to the bye. Amazingly, if McNeill does hold out until Week 10 (the Chargers’ bye week), he will return just in time to face the likes of Elvis Dumervil, Dwight Freeney, Richard Seymour and Antwan Odom – not exactly the players the Chargers want Dombrowski blocking play in and play out. As for San Diego’s fantasy-eligible players, the post-bye schedule looks fairly imposing with four red matchups for the receivers not named Gates and Jackson, with Denver a possible fifth red matchup depending on whether Denver is able to maintain the kind of play it showed during the first half of last season under then-DC Mike Nolan.

Suggestions, comments, musings about the article or fantasy football in general? E-mail me.