QBs: (1 pt per 25 yds passing; 6 pts for all TDs, -2 pts/INT or fumble)
RBs/WRs/TEs: (1 point per 10 yards rushing/receiving, 6 points per TD)

Note: Teams that have a fantasy relevant TE will be included. Also, for the first weeks, projected fantasy points allowed will be used as teams have yet to establish any trends. After the first month of the season, this column will take on the look it had last season as there will be enough information to start analyzing trends.

Bye Weeks: Bucs. Jets, Patriots, Texans

ATL @ CAR | BUF @ MIA | CLE @ PIT | DEN @ KC | JAX @ TEN | MIN @ GB | PHI @ WAS
STL @ NO | CIN @ BAL | CHI @ OAK | DAL @ NYG | DET @ ARI | IND @ SD | SF @ SEA

Falcons @ Panthers
Joey Harrington/RoddyWhite/Michael Jenkins/Alge Crumpler
Warrick Dunn/Jerious Norwood (vs. CAR)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Panthers this season: Falcons
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Panthers this season: Falcons
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 26.8
F Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 29.9
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 13
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 11.9
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 15.7/13.9/4.5
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 23.9

Passing Game Thoughts: Up until last week, we could at least count on White getting 60 yards per game. So much for that. In only two games has this offense eclipsed 273 passing yards, however, one of those games was Harrington’s season-high 361 yards vs. the Panthers. In that game, White exploded for 127 yards and a TD. And quite simply, just about any WR that has flashed deep speed and a decent pair of hands has had a big day against Carolina. And if Crumpler can’t go this week, it would be a shame, as Crump’s one double-digit fantasy performance this season came in the first meeting against the Panthers.

Running Game Thoughts: Carolina has allowed back-to-back 100-yard rushers and Atlanta posted its first such game last week in its win over the Niners. Don’t be fooled though, the Panthers are surrendering just 3.8 yards per rush to opposing RBs. The Falcons were able to hit up their division rival for 134 total yards in their Week 3 meeting. If Norwood’s ankle makes him questionable for this game, owners could do worse than use Dunn as a very low-end #2 RB as he should easily get 20 touches vs. an offense that figure to be starting Matt Moore or a less-than-100% Vinny Testaverde this weekend.

Projections:
Joey Harrington: 255 pass/1 TD/1 INT
Michael Jenkins: 65 rec
Roddy White: 100 rec/1 TD
Alge Crumpler: ???
Warrick Dunn: 75 rush/10 rec
Jerious Norwood: 25 rush/15 rec

Matt Moore/Steve Smith/Drew Carter/Jeff King
DeShaun Foster/DeAngelo Williams (vs. ATL)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Falcons this season: Panthers
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Falcons this season: Panthers
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 18.6
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 7.9
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 12.4
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 30.1
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 8.8/11.9/6.9
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 17.2

Passing Game Thoughts: Very few teams can brag about possessing one of the game’s best receivers and having an underrated TE and not being able to effectively use either one. After seeing David Carr do the exact same thing that got him booted out of Houston, I feel terrible I ever defended his abilities. He is just not a quick-enough decision-maker under center and that is being displayed yet again in Carolina. Testaverde can make Smith and King relevant, but he isn’t healthy, which brings up Moore. I, like many other owners, am hardly encouraged by a QB making his first NFL start. There is nothing to like about this situation this week.

Running Game Thoughts: Foster has quite a history against the Falcons, going for 100 yards in four of his last five games against them. And quite honestly, Foster owners need to generate some hope with their rusher as he has only scored once (and has not posted a 100-yard game) since Week 3. Now, assuming that this game is low-scoring early on, Foster should have every opportunity to end both streaks. However, it has to be troubling that an offense that prides itself on the running game has only been able to afford Foster at least 20 carries in one game this season. The Falcons are allowing 4.4 ypc to opposing RBs and eight total RB scores, so long-suffering Foster owners may be able to get something from their mid-round pick this week.

Projections:
Matt Moore: 170 pass/1 TD/1 INT
Steve Smith: 50 rec
Drew Carter: 30 rec
Jeff King: 30 rec/1 TD
DeShaun Foster: 90 rush/1 TD/15 rec
DeAngelo Williams: 40 rush/10 rec

Bills @ Dolphins
JP Losman/Lee Evans/Roscoe Parrish
Marshawn Lynch (vs. MIA)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Dolphins this season: N/A
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Dolphins this season: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 28.5/32.5
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 13.6

Passing Game Thoughts: Three straight wins? Three total passing TDs from their QBs this season? Yuck. If there was ever a game that the Bills could put together (gasp) two passing TDs in the same game, this would be that game. The Fish have surrendered 15 passing scores to just four INTs (and the only reason that isn’t more was due to a rain-soaked game against the Giants in London). So while I’d be lying if I said I was giddy about Losman being a good fantasy play this week, he is better than average – just as every QB facing Miami is right now. If Losman makes for a good play, of course, Evans does as well. Prior to the London game, the worst performance from a leading WR against the Dolphins’ was a 7.9 point performance from Andre Davis.

Running Game Thoughts: This offense would prefer to make their living via the running game. And why not? Lynch’s worst fantasy game this season is an 8.5-point performance against the Steelers in Week 2. Lynch rewarded Buffalo and his fantasy owners with a career-high 29 carries and 153 rushing yards last week vs. the Bengals. There’s little reason why the Bills will go away from Lynch against the Dolphins, who have already surrendered three 100-yard rushing performances this season and two other near-misses.

Projections:
JP Losman: 225 pass/2 TD/1 INT
Lee Evans: 85 rec/1 TD
Roscoe Parrish: 45 rec
Marshawn Lynch: 90 rush/1 TD/30 rec

Cleo Lemon/Marty Booker/Derek Hagan
Jesse Chatman (vs. BUF)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Bills this season: N/A
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Bills this season: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 13/17.4
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 16.2

Passing Game Thoughts: More on the sad state of the Dolphins. John Beck was drafted to be the QB of the future. With a pretty decent running game and a team going nowhere fast, how does getting Beck an extended look hurt the team? Certainly, I’m not suggesting that Lemon has disappointed, but why not make the most out of a season that the team already knows is a “wasted” year? In terms of this game, only one QB (Chad Pennington) has scored fewer than 13 fantasy points against this defense, and given Lemon’s running ability, he should be able to match that at the very least. Throughout the course of the year, opposing teams’ #2 WR have experienced success against the Bills’ secondary more often than not. Now that would seem to make a Hagan a fair play, but he has only turned 15 targets into nine receptions for 113 yards since Lemon took over. In short, play Lemon in a pinch and leave the rest of the passing offense on the waiver wire.

Running Game Thoughts: Chatman is no Ronnie Brown, but he is going to make for a pretty nice fill-in assuming Lemon does not continue to steal every red zone score from now until the end of the season. Since Brown went down in Week 7, Chatman has averaged 6.6 ypc on 23 carries against the Patriots and the Giants, meaning more success should be in line for him against a weaker defense like the Bills. Do not read too much into last week’s run defense success against the Bengals, who are experiencing much more turnover due to injuries than any good offense can overcome. Read much more into the 5.3 ypc they allowed in wins over the Ravens and the Jets.

Projections:
Cleo Lemon: 210 pass/1 TD/1 INT/30 rush/1 TD
Marty Booker: 50 rec
Derek Hagan: 50 rec
Jesse Chatman: 80 rush/1 TD/40 rec

Browns @ Steelers
Derek Anderson/Braylon Edwards/Joe Jurevicius/Kellen Winslow
Jamal Lewis (vs. PIT)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Steelers this season: Browns
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Steelers this season: Browns
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 8.8
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 8.6
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 9.4
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 10.4
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 13.9/16.3/5
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 12.2

Passing Game Thoughts: It’s hardly an exaggeration to suggest the Browns offense that faced the Steelers in Week 1 has improved many times over since. Remember, Charlie Frye was running the offense for the better part of the first half in that game. However, it would be foolish to expect the Browns to score 24 or more points for the seventh time in nine games after tallying a mere seven-spot against Pittsburgh in the season opener. At this point, fantasy owners may not have another great QB option (having turned to Anderson to be their regular starter), but for those that do have some QB depth, this may be a week to use it. Anderson may get a score or two, but the yards will be lower than usual and he will probably be forced into a mistake or two. Keep playing Edwards as well, but expect a second rough week for him after registering just his second single-digit fantasy performance of the season last week. The one player that has been steady all season long has been Winslow, who has scored no fewer than 8.3 fantasy points. With the pressure likely to be coming all day long from the Steelers’ blitz, Winslow should be targeted around 10 times in Week 10.

Running Game Thoughts: It’s a good thing that Lewis and the Browns’ running game scored four times last week, because they don’t figure to cross the stripe this week. And while Lewis also contributed quite nicely in the passing game, he rushed for just 37 yards against Seattle. Figure on a similar effort yardage-wise for Lewis this week. In other words, there are much better options than Lewis this week.

Projections:
Derek Anderson: 245 pass/1 TD/2 INT
Braylon Edwards: 55 rec/1 TD
Joe Jurevicius: 30 rec
Kellen Winslow: 90 rec
Jamal Lewis: 40 rush/10 rec

Ben Roethlisberger/Hines Ward/Santonio Holmes/Heath Miller
Willie Parker (vs. CLE)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Browns this season: Steelers
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Browns this season: Steelers
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 30.5
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 22.6
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 16
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 15.2
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 19.7/34.3/2
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 16.1

Passing Game Thoughts: I’m still trying to get used to the fact that Steelers vs. Browns may decide who represents the AFC North this season. While I don’t expect a repeat of Week 1’s 34-7 thrashing in which the final score didn’t really do justice to how much difference there was between the teams that day, the Steelers are just a notch below the Browns offensively while light years ahead of them defensively. Roethlisberger lit Cleveland up for four scores in the first game, a number he could very well hit this week if Pittsburgh can come close to forcing the number of turnovers they did on MNF vs. the Ravens or against the Browns in the first meeting. Obviously, if Big Ben is going to throw for four more scores, it makes everyone associated with the passing game a good play. Holmes should go deep at least once, Ward should be targeted frequently and Miller should get looks in the red zone. Even Nate Washington would make for a decent #3 WR this week.

Running Game Thoughts: Parker’s 8.7 point performance is the worst fantasy point total by a lead back vs. the Browns defense this season. While teams have found it much easier to score via the air (20) than the ground (2), that is really more of an indictment on just how easy it is to pass against the Browns. I like Parker to at least match his 27-carry, 109-yard performance in Week 1, this time, without a fumble.

Projections:
Ben Roethlisberger: 240 pass/4 TD
Hines Ward: 75 rec/2 TD
Santonio Holmes: 95 rec/1 TD
Heath Miller: 50 rec/1 TD
Willie Parker: 110 rush/1 TD/15 rec

Broncos @ Chiefs
Jay Cutler/Brandon Marshall/Brandon Stokley/Tony Scheffler
Travis Henry/Selvin Young (vs. KC)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Chiefs this season: Texans
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Chiefs this season: Texans
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 12.9
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 22.5
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 1.4
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 13.2
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 17.9/25.9/6.9
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 12.2

Passing Game Thoughts: For most of this decade, this matchup has meant something to the AFC West. And while this game may still go a long way into determining the eventual winner in the division, this matchup is losing its luster almost by the week. I’ll discuss KC in a bit, but Cutler will be less than 100% as he plays with a deep left leg bruise and against one of the best pass defenses in the league. Last week, Brett Favre was the first QB to go over the 20-fantasy point mark against the Chiefs, a feat Cutler is unlikely to duplicate. However, one WR has gone for more than 10.5 points against KC in each of their last four games and, for most of the year, the opposing team’s best deep threat has been doing the most damage. Marshall, who drew 18 targets last week, should receive the bulk of attention from the Chiefs, meaning Stokley should have the slightly better game. As expected against a tough cover 2 defense, TEs have experienced a relatively fair amount of success. While KC has yet to allow a TE to score this season, they have allowed at least 45 yards to an opponent’s TE in five of its last six games.

Running Game Thoughts: After a great start to the season, most Henry owners would probably prefer their RB would just start serving his suspension rather than post 15 total fantasy points over a four-game stretch, one of which he did not play. I expect more than the 45 rushing (and 75 total) yards the Broncos were able to muster against Detroit, but for the first time in the Mike Shanahan era, it can not be assumed this running game will post 100 yards in just about every game, in large part due to the absence of center Tom Nalen, a highly underrate part of the glue that has held the line together for most of his career. Even though the Chiefs have improved against the run lately, the rushing attacks they have faced (Bengals, Raiders, Packers) do not classify as some of the more elite running games in the NFL. Selvin Young is probably the RB to own going forward – suspension or not – as he is healthier (and as such, more explosive) than Henry.

Projections:
Jay Cutler: 225 pass/1 TD/1 INT
Brandon Marshall: 70 rec
Brandon Stokley: 45 rec/1 TD
Tony Scheffler: 60 rec
Travis Henry: 60 rush/10 rec
Selvin Young: 35 rush/25 rec

Damon Huard/Dwayne Bowe/Eddie Kennison/Tony Gonzalez
Priest Holmes/Kolby Smith (vs. DEN)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Broncos this season: N/A
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Broncos this season: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 26.2/32/10.8
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 15.5

Passing Game Thoughts: As promised here last week, Gonzalez had a pretty fair game in Week 9. Expect a similar occurrence this week as well. The absence of Johnson for at least a week or two may cause KC to pass a bit more, but expect the team to still lean on the running game. That said, Denver has allowed a starting QB to score at least 15.4 fantasy points in six straight games, meaning Bowe and/or Gonzalez stand to have a pretty fair day. Gonzo is probably the best bet, but expect Bowe to play with a vengeance after being limited for most of Week 9’s game due to a bum hamstring. Since we won’t really know when CBs Champ Bailey and Dre Bly are fully healthy until they start shutting opposing WRs down – they have surrendered at 11.4 fantasy points to at least one WR in four straight games – we have to assume the Broncos secondary is one that you actually want to play your receivers against going forward. Lastly, Denver has faced three quality TEs (Dallas Clark, Antonio Gates, Heath Miller). The fewest fantasy points any one of those three scored? 17. That should be all that needs to be said in regards to Gonzo’s play-ability.

Running Game Thoughts: Larry Johnson is out this week and, defending on who you believe, the season. This makes the Chiefs RB to own going forward…Kolby Smith? Holmes will be in line for about 15 touches as long as LJ is out in my opinion, meaning I think Smith will at least be part of a 50-50 split at the very least. It just so happens they get to work out the rotation against one of the league’s worst run defenses in the Broncos, who have allowed at least one opposing RB to score 10.8 fantasy points in all but one game.

Projections:
Damon Huard: 235 pass/2 TD/1 INT
Dwayne Bowe: 70 rec/1 TD
Eddie Kennison: 30 rec
Tony Gonzalez: 90 rec/1 TD
Priest Holmes: 55 rush/20 rec
Kolby Smith: 50 rush/1 TD/20 rec

Jaguars @ Titans
David Garrard/Dennis Northcutt/Reggie Williams
Fred Taylor/Maurice Jones-Drew (vs. TEN)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Titans this season: Jags
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Titans this season: Jags
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 16.6
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 19.2
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 5.6
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 13.3/21.8
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 10.3

Passing Game Thoughts: It’s a good thing that Garrard is due back this week, because if the Jags have any chance of slaying the defensive juggernaut the Titans have become, it figures to be a result of Garrard’s right arm and his legs. Quinn Gray actually did a better job than I expected in the two games Garrard missed, but the East Carolina product gives this team its best shot to defeat a quality opponent. And until the Indy game in Week 7 – the game in which he was injured – Garrard had not thrown an INT. Figure any Jacksonville scores that come in this game will be either defensive (or special teams) or through the passing game, as very few opponents have fared well rushing the ball against the Titans. However, only Sage Rosenfels’ huge fourth-quarter in Week 7 accounted for the only game in which Tennessee surrendered more than 16.6 fantasy points to the QB position. In the first meeting, John Broussard was able to get deep against the Titans, one of the few WRs to do just that this season. Garrard targeted Northcutt nine times and one should expect a similar number this time as well. In short, this contest should be for the football purists out there that like defense and running the ball more than the passing game – a game that truly should be determined by who wins the turnover and field position battles.

Running Game Thoughts: Remember when you could count on Jones-Drew to turn 15 touches into 15 fantasy points? Boy, it sure seems it was longer than just a season ago. And don’t expect MJD to suddenly get back on track this week either as the Titans have the third-stingiest run defense (in terms of fantasy points allowed to RBs) this season. Opponents have been slightly more successful over the last two weeks, but opposing RBs are averaging just a hair over 3.5 ypc against them in 2007. As much as it pains me to say, if there is a less heralded player on your bench with a better matchup, play them over Taylor or MJD this week. MJD may be able to give you a few yards receiving, but his chances of scoring don’t look all that good and Taylor has yet to score this season.

Projections:
David Garrard: 200 pass/1 TD/0 INT/25 rush
Dennis Northcutt: 55 rec
Reggie Williams: 30 rec/1 TD
Fred Taylor: 40 rush/15 rec
Maurice Jones-Drew: 50 rush/25 rec

Vince Young/Roydell Williams/Eric Moulds
LenDale White/Chris Henry (vs. JAX)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Jags this season: Titans
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Jags this season: Titans
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 9.3
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 4.4
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 25.7
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 23.3/26.4
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 23.3

Passing Game Thoughts: It’s a familiar refrain. This team just doesn’t pass enough to make any receiver relevant. Two of the three 100-yard receiving games from the Titans have come because of Williams, but none have come with Young under center since Week 3 against a then-struggling New Orleans defense. And quite honestly, with the success that the Titans experienced running the ball in their first meeting and a pretty fair Jags pass defense, there isn’t much reason to believe Young will air it out 25 times this week.

Running Game Thoughts: White has seemingly taken on the load of the running game with open arms, going over 100 yards rushing in three straight weeks. And while it would make for some kind of poetic justice that Chris Brown, who ran for 175 yards in Week 1 vs. Jacksonville, would make his return against the team he tortured in September, he figures to play a very secondary role at best with White going so well. And while the Jags defense has given up an uncharacteristic 70 fantasy points to opposing RBs over the last three weeks, I don’t like the chances of a White-led running attack adding on 23 fantasy point per game average that Jacksonville has permitted to Indy, Tampa Bay and New Orleans over the last three games.

Projections:
Vince Young: 150 pass/1 TD/1 INT/25 rush
Roydell Williams: 45 rec
Eric Moulds: 30 rec
LenDale White: 65 rush/1 TD/10 rec
Chris Henry: 55 rush/15 rec

Vikings @ Packers
Brooks Bollinger/Troy Williamson/Bobby Wade/Visanthe Shiancoe
Adrian Peterson/Chester Taylor (vs. GB)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Packers this season: Vikings
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Packers this season: Vikings
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 14.3
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 24.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 3.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 17.8
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 15.9/10.6/14.2
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 17.8

Passing Game Thoughts: As I’ll get into below, the present (Kelly Holcomb, Brooks Bollinger) for this team is better for this team right now than the hopeful future (Jackson) right now. Once Bollinger took over last week, Sidney Rice again became a factor and Peterson went crazy on the ground. If Bollinger gets the start for the Vikes this week, the best play from this group by far is Shiancoe. While the presence of Bollinger helps Rice, the Packers have been pretty good against opposing WRs, although the South Carolina rookie has the best fantasy performance for an opposing WR against GB since the teams last met in Week 4. The real weakness for the Packers most of the season has been defending the TE – five of the last six leading TEs to face Green Bay have scored 8.8 points or better – with Shiancoe the lone exception.

Running Game Thoughts: Allow me to apply just a little bit of rain on Peterson’s record-breaking parade. As much as coaches are not allowed to use injuries as excuses for why a certain unit’s production drops off, well over 200 of AD’s 296 rushing yards in Week 9 came after the injury to Chargers DE Luis Castillo. And let us not forget just how great of a season Taylor put up last season behind the same line. Also, San Diego’s defense basically quit after about three quarters after watching their offense not do a thing against a team that they should have matched score for score. Also, please do not use the “Minnesota was down to their third-string QB” excuse, because in a weird way, having at least an average passer under center (Holcomb, Bollinger) actually opens things up for AD more than does Jackson. Did anyone notice that most of Peterson’s yards came after Jackson left? That said, Peterson is already an elite back and the numbers he puts up this year will be indicative of how much better he is than Taylor. Fortunately for the Packers, they have seen this show once already and benefited from HC Brad Childress using the rookie on just 12 carries. In fact, Green Bay has faced most of fantasy’s most elite backs and held them all to fewer than 15.5 points before Week 9’s hiccup against Kansas City. There is a chance that AD matches that the 21-plus points Larry Johnson posted last week with the full load this week, but only if Bollinger or Holcomb are under center.

Projections:
Brooks Bollinger: 190 pass/1 TD/1 INT
Troy Williamson: 40 rec
Bobby Wade: 35 rec
Visanthe Shiancoe: 40 rec/1 TD
Adrian Peterson: 125 rush/1 TD/30 rec
Chester Taylor: 30 rush/15 rec

Brett Favre/Donald Driver/Greg Jennings/James Jones/Donald Lee
Ryan Grant (vs. MIN)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Vikings this season: Packers
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Vikings this season: Packers
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 23.9
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 32.2
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 7.6
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 8.3
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 13.5/18.1/4.5
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 20.6

Passing Game Thoughts: Even though it was quite impressive, I’m going to chalk the Vikings’ strong showing against the pass vs. the Chargers to a San Diego team that was shocked that Minnesota could blitz. And the few times that the Vikings didn’t bring the pressure, Philip Rivers was apparently so surprised he didn’t want to bother to step up in the pocket. And quite honestly, when opponents have been torching the pass defense as often as Minnesota’s opponents have this season, it’s going to take a great showing against Favre to get me to change my mind. With teams seemingly unwillingly to let Driver beat them, the door has opened for Jennings, Jones and sometimes Lee to take advantage. Jennings is quickly establishing himself as a must-start (scoring six times in his six games) and since quality deep threats have had a great deal of success this season vs. the Vikings, look for Jennings to continue his solid play, much like Jones. Lee had 66 yards in Week 4 as well and given the lack of success Minnesota has had in bottling up the TE, I look for a similar result in this contest.

Running Game Thoughts: One of the league’s worst running games vs. one of the league’s best run defenses…I think we know how this one turns out. Grant has turned in two of the better rushing performances for the Packers thus far, but if the last meeting was any indication, Green Bay will run about 20 times for 2.5 ypc and throw 45 times. And given the success the Packers had with that formula the first time, it only makes sense they would try it again. Yes, Minnesota has allowed RB scores in each of the last three weeks, but considering the level of competition (Marion Barber, Tomlinson, Westbrook), I believe they get a pass on that. Of all the RBs right now that have the full-time job in the NFL, Grant may actually be the worst play of them all this week.

Projections:
Brett Favre: 300 pass/2 TD/1 INT
Donald Driver: 70 rec
Greg Jennings: 85 rec/1 TD
James Jones: 60 rec/1TD
Donald Lee: 60 rec
Ryan Grant: 35 rush/15 rec

Eagles @ Redskins
Donovan McNabb/Kevin Curtis/Reggie Brown/LJ Smith
Brian Westbrook (vs. WAS)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Redskins this season: Eagles
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Redskins this season: Eagles
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 11.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 12.8
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 2.4
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 18.7
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 31.1/26.1/7.2
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 15.3

Passing Game Thoughts: I think we can assume that the loss of CB Carlos Rogers is going to hurt this defense significantly, so much so that whoever the split end is from week-to-week, he should get an instant bump in fantasy potential. This week’s candidate is Curtis, who really doesn’t need all that much help in that regard. Week 2’s meeting was filled with plenty of targets for Curtis – but very few catches – something I expect to change in this contest. Outside of one game both ways, McNabb has actually been a fairly unspectacular fantasy-point producer, nothing great and nothing horrible. The Redskins, who got off to such a great start against opposing QBs, have been touched up for 93.4 fantasy points over the last three games, meaning McNabb should improve upon his 240-yard, no-TD performance in Week 2. Brown has been stepping up as of late and Smith made a little noise last week, but this game should be all McNabb, Westbrook and Curtis in the passing game.

Running Game Thoughts: Except the one game he sat out due to injury, Westbrook has been arguably the most consistent force at RB this season. He has scored at least 11.9 points in every game and just went over the 1,000 total-yard mark last week in only his seventh game. He’s averaging nearly 20 fantasy points per game and is one of the few fantasy backs that WILL produce regardless of the matchup. Maybe no so coincidentally, his 16.2-point game against Washington in Week 2 is the highest such point total against the Redskins defense this season. There is no reason he can’t hit that mark again, if not exceed it. He has only been held under 119 total yards once this season and has scored in each of the last two weeks.

Projections:
Donovan McNabb: 260 pass/2 TD/0 INT
Kevin Curtis: 80 rec/1 TD
Reggie Brown: 75 rec
LJ Smith: 30 rec
Brian Westbrook: 75 rush/1 TD/60 rec

Jason Campbell/Santana Moss/Antwaan Randle El/Chris Cooley
Clinton Portis (vs. PHI)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Eagles this season: Redskins
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Eagles this season: Redskins
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 16.3
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 13.3
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 10.3
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 18.4
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 20.8/19.9/12.9
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 18

Passing Game Thoughts: I find it mildly amazing how in today’s NFL an entire WR corps can go half a season without a TD catch. The only thing that can really be said from the handful of games I’ve watched is that getting the ball in the hands of the receivers – regardless of the matchup – is just really not all that important to the Redskins. Moss has dominated the targets lately over Randle El, but the only fantasy property that seems to matter to Washington is Cooley, who has really only posted two weak efforts all season long, especially when you consider how weak the passing attack has been. The trends look like they will continue in this matchup as well as bigger receivers have been the only ones to fare all that well against the Eagles. And Cooley, who posted an 8.5 point game in the first meeting, will look to extend Philly’s streak of allowing at least 11 points to the opponent’s best TE to three in Week 10.

Running Game Thoughts: It’s not a big shock that a Joe Gibbs-Al Saunders-run offense is leaning heavily on the run; it’s the degree to which they are doing it. Portis, who was supposed to have his load lightened by Ladell Betts this season, has relegated him to about three carries a week, at least until last week’s OT affair. In all, Redskins RBs carried the ball 46 times, compared to 23 pass attempts against the Jets. In a game that went into overtime, that is almost unheard of nowadays. The point is that Portis can be counted on for roughly 10 points/game just based on the sheer volume of touches he will see each week. On the other hand, Philadelphia had actually fared well vs. the run until last week when the Cowboys tore them up for 29.5 points, but outside of that, Portis’ 13.6 total in Week 2 was the second-best performance against the Eagles prior to Week 9. With Betts clearly not a major factor, feel fortunate to have someone like Portis plugged in as your #2 RB each week. He won’t be spectacular more than likely, but he will produce.

Projections:
Jason Campbell: 200 pass/1 TD/1 INT
Santana Moss: 65 rec
Antwaan Randle El: 50 rec
Chris Cooley: 50 rec/1 TD
Clinton Portis: 85 rush/25 rec

Rams @ Saints
Marc Bulger/Torry Holt/Isaac Bruce/Drew Bennett/Randy McMichael
Steven Jackson (vs. NO)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Saints this season: Falcons
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Saints this season: Niners
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 17.5
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 30.7
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 1.4
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 9.5
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 17.8/25.6/6.8
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 9.4

Passing Game Thoughts: The numbers say to play all your Rams involved in the passing game. I’m just not so sure. Bulger has yet to pass for more than one TD in a single game and while the yards have been plentiful on occasion against the Saints in the passing game, the chances are just as good the Rams will run Jackson and Brian Leonard for as long as they can in an effort to keep the Saints rejuvenated offense off the field. However, I do suspect that the Saints will give up a fair share of passing yardage – especially against CB Jason David – who can’t seem to help but get beat deep at least once a game. A passing TD does seem relatively certain given the fact that New Orleans has allowed at least one in each game, but I would honestly be surprised if Bulger goes crazy. Holt remains an every-week play despite being far from 100% and I suppose owners could do worse than play Bruce and hope he gets paired up with David on a handful of passing plays, but the Rams are so banged up and in so much disarray up front, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to put a lot of faith in their passing game. For what it’s worth, the only time the Saints surrendered fewer than 10.3 points to an opponent’s leading WR was against the Niners in Week 8. I look for Holt to continue that trend this week.

Running Game Thoughts: Jackson looked good early on vs. Cleveland before bowing out due to injury in Week 8. On the other hand, the Saints run defense has been looking good all game lately, not permitting a single rusher to top 10 fantasy points since their Week 4 bye. There is no reason that can’t continue in Week 10 as the Saints should force the Rams to play catch-up early on. Assuming Jackson can make it through a game for the first time in two months, he has shot to hit double-digits in fantasy points in rushing and receiving, but a score appears unlikely against a run defense that has allowed four RB scores all season long.

Projections:
Marc Bulger: 275 pass/1 TD/1 INT
Torry Holt: 75 rec/1 TD
Isaac Bruce: 60 rec
Drew Bennett: 40 rec
Randy McMichael: 30 rec
Steven Jackson: 60 rush/1 TD/30 rec

Drew Brees/Marques Colston/Devery Henderson/David Patten/Eric Johnson
Reggie Bush (vs. STL)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Rams this season: N/A
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Rams this season: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 22.8/21.6/11.6
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 14.8

Passing Game Thoughts: Brees has been absolutely brilliant lately and fortunately for him, the Rams have been more than accommodating to opposing QBs. Four of the last five opponents have seen their QB score at least 17 fantasy points (Baltimore was the only one that did not) and 2007’s upper-echelon QBs has scored nearly 30 per game, making Brees one of the better plays of the week. Colston has definitely found his stride and the long ball is also back, all things that were missing early on. Colston should be in line for another solid game as Braylon Edwards, Larry Fitzgerald and Patrick Crayton (all of which share some similarity with Colston) have torched this defense. Patten has seemingly taken the #2 job away from Henderson and makes for a very solid #3 WR play from here on out. The Rams also haven’t defended the TE all that well either as of late, allowing three scores to Will Heller and Kellen Winslow over the last two games.

Running Game Thoughts: St. Louis has fared well against the run recently, but some of that has to be attributed to the struggling running games they have faced (Arizona, Baltimore, Seattle, Cleveland) over the last few weeks. They haven’t really faced anybody quite like Bush yet (Frank Gore may be the closest in an all-around sense) and with the former Trojan coming off his best of the season against Jacksonville, the stage may be set for another strong second-half run for Bush. He has scored no fewer than 11.3 fantasy points in any game since taking over as the full-time starter and has went well over 100 total yards in every game but one since Week 3. There’s no reason Bush can’t repeat last week’s performance if he sees the ball 24 times again like he did against the Jags.

Projections:
Drew Brees: 300 pass/3 TD/0 INT
Marques Colston: 90 rec/1 TD
Devery Henderson: 40 rec
David Patten: 85 rec/1 TD
Eric Johnson: 40 rec/1TD
Reggie Bush: 80 rush/1 TD/40 rec

Bengals @ Ravens
Carson Palmer/Chad Johnson/TJ Houshmandzadeh/Chris Henry
Rudi Johnson or Kenny Watson (vs. BAL)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Ravens this season: Bengals
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Ravens this season: Bengals
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 19.8
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 24.5
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 6
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 20.5/28.1
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 14.2

Passing Game Thoughts: Welcome back, Chris Henry…oh, how the Bengals offense has missed you! We have seen this season what the number suggested last season – the Bengals had a winning record and averaged around 27 points per game with Henry playing and had a losing record and averaged about 14 points per game in the games he did not play in. Granted, there were/are other factors at work here, but suffice it to say that Henry opens up the Bengals’ passing game in much the same way Wes Welker has opened up the Patriots’ attack, even though they are completely different receivers. As for the Ravens defense, they definitely need to get at least CB Chris McAlister back this week or another five-passing TD effort may be in the offing this week as well. This defense, just like any other defense, is merely average without its top two corners. If Chad Johnson is able to go and McAlister is not, this game could be just what the Bengals need to get their offense going again. I believe Palmer’s value skyrockets down the stretch while CJ and Housh lose just a bit of theirs as Henry settles in and starts doing damage (hopefully, just on the field). Don’t read too much into that though, CJ and Housh will remain every-week starters for the rest of the season.

Running Game Thoughts: The Steelers had little success running the ball on MNF even though they were torching the Ravens through the air. It stands to reason that a struggling Cincinnati running game does not figure to do much better than Pittsburgh on the ground this week. Expect enough rushes to keep the Baltimore defense halfway honest, but the Ravens’ obvious weakness right now is in their decimated secondary, which also may be without S Ed Reed, who suffered a concussion against the Steelers. As a result, it should come as little surprise to sit all your Bengals RBs for this game, as it is one of the four games each year (Steelers, Ravens) that all good fantasy owners know that Cincy rushers will likely struggle in, even before the season starts.

Projections:
Carson Palmer: 290 pass/3 TD/1 INT
Chad Johnson: 50 rec/
TJ Houshmandzadeh: 100 rec/2 TD
Chris Henry: 50 rec/1 TD
Rudi Johnson: 20 rush/10 rec
Kenny Watson: 45 rush/25 rec

Steve McNair/Mark Clayton/Derrick Mason/Todd Heap???
Willis McGahee (vs. CIN)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Bengals this season: Ravens
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Bengals this season: Ravens
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: -1.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 13.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 2.9
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 20.9
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 21.2/31.9/6.8
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 18.8

Passing Game Thoughts: Blame the weather if you want, but the Ravens passing performance on MNF last week was nothing short of abysmal. I hope for McNair’s sake that he is battling through more injuries than we know about because HC Brian Billick did not even bother to call a pass play for more than 10 yards while he was in the game. (And the first drive Kyle Boller takes over, lo and behold, there was downfield passing.) Granted, this offense misses Heap, but Mason and Clayton are easily good enough to stretch the field a little bit. (And where has early-season sensation Demetrius Williams been?) So, after one of the worst offensive performances I have ever seen, the Ravens are probably quite happy to welcome in the Bengals, who just surrendered 33 points to a pretty vanilla offense in the Buffalo Bills. Even with a very favorable matchup though, at this point, I can’t recommend anyone besides Mason from this passing game until Heap comes back or Boller takes over, and if/when the latter happens, I’m not sure how much better I feel about the Baltimore passing offense.

Running Game Thoughts: I’ll assume McGahee can go after suffering a concussion last week. And for the Ravens to win this game, they will need a strong performance from whoever lines up in the backfield. With at least CB Samari Rolle out yet again, the Bengals figure to be able to attack through the air and should be good for at least 20 points, meaning the running game will be asked to get into the end zone at least twice. McGahee, who is only one of two lead RBs not to rush for 100 yards against Cincinnati this season, should be given every opportunity to do so this time around. In the Week 1 meeting, the offense turned the ball over six times, much like they did last week. So, whichever RB can go for the Ravens (McGahee or Musa Smith, more than likely), he should be in line for a solid week provided the Baltimore offense does not turn the ball over 4-5 times again this week, or else Cincinnati will light up the scoreboard much like Pittsburgh did.

Projections:
Steve McNair: 175 pass/1 TD/1 INT
Mark Clayton: 35 rec
Derrick Mason: 75 rec
Todd Heap: ???
Willis McGahee: 105 rush/1 TD/25 rec

Bears @ Raiders
Brian Griese/Bernard Berrian/Muhsin Muhammad/Desmond Clark/Greg Olsen
Cedric Benson/Adrian Peterson (vs. OAK)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Raiders this season: N/A
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Raiders this season: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 6.9/8.5/4.2
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 26

Passing Game Thoughts: It wouldn’t be a huge shock if Chicago runs 40 times in this game. For starters, they may need that many carries to sort out if they need to go RBBC or hand the starting job to Peterson. Secondly, the Raiders are much more capable in the secondary than in the front seven. Lastly, Oakland hasn’t surrendered more than 13.1 fantasy points to the QB position since Week 3. And if there is one constant that holds true for just about every NFL team, if they can run it successfully, they won’t bother passing a whole lot. Granted, much of the “success” that Oakland has experienced in shutting down opposing QBs lately has come from the fact that only Damon Huard has thrown more than 25 passes against the Raiders since Week 3. With that said, expect an average game at best from this passing attack. If I had to pick a Bear WR to start, it would be Muhammad this week, as he may get to take advantage of the possible absence of CB Fabian Washington. Olsen is starting to make Clark expendable fantasy-wise, but I don’t expect either one to get all that involved in this contest.

Running Game Thoughts: This game is really a perfect opportunity for the Bears to do what their team says they try to do each week: run the ball. The Raiders have allowed no fewer than 14.1 fantasy points to at least one RB in all but one game. Now, the question becomes whether it will be Benson or Peterson that gets the chance to take advantage of a soft matchup. The smart money would seem to suggest that Benson will get the first crack again, but Peterson will get more of an opportunity if Benson isn’t getting anything done. Quite honestly, I have to believe the offensive line – as silly as it sounds – just likes Peterson more than they do Benson. It was only early last season when we heard how selfish and immature Benson was acting in regards to his timeshare with Thomas Jones. I don’t think that feeling has been forgotten by his blockers. So, if you are looking to jump on a RB before he becomes a real hot waiver wire pickup, Peterson makes a lot of sense. Look for him to match Benson’s production at the very least this week.

Projections:
Brian Griese: 210 pass/1 TD/1 INT
Bernard Berrian: 45 rec
Muhsin Muhammad: 65 rec/1 TD
Desmond Clark: 25 rec
Greg Olsen: 50 rec
Cedric Benson: 60 rush/1 TD
Adrian Peterson: 40 rush/25 rec

Josh McCown/Jerry Porter/Ronald Curry/Zach Miller
Justin Fargas/LaMont Jordan/Dominic Rhodes (vs. CHI)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Bears this season: N/A
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Bears this season: Lions (2)
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 14.7
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 13.7/19.6/5.1
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 15

Passing Game Thoughts: The only real advantage that McCown seems to offer the Raiders offense right now is that they are not forced to use the shotgun as much, thereby allowing their running game to do more than just run draws and delays. Much like the Raiders, the Bears have been pretty solid against the pass (only Tony Romo has topped 20 fantasy points) but unlike Oakland, Chicago has regularly faced at least 25 pass attempts per game. As a result, I don’t like anyone associated with the passing game all that much this week. Judging by their track record, Porter would figure to have the better game as deep threats have been a bit more productive than their possession receiver counterparts, but he is just too inconsistent to gauge, meaning Curry remains the better play despite the matchup. As for Miller, the Raiders haven’t made a great effort to involve him and the Bears have done a pretty solid job on TEs all season long, so avoid him as well.

Running Game Thoughts: This may sound like a broken record, but Oakland may want to run the ball close to 40 times themselves. After a memo that apparently the whole fantasy world received before I did, Fargas was named the starter prior to the Week 9 game and exploited the soft matchup I had Jordan pegged for last week. Either way, if its Fargas for now (until he inevitably get injured in two weeks), he has another chance to give his owners a fair amount of production vs. the Bears, who find themselves much higher on the fantasy points allowed to RBs list than usual (fourth) at 22 points per game. That said, that average was skewed quite a bit by Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson and the Dallas Cowboys’ running game, so that number is somewhat more inflated than it should be. A more reliable assessment of how Fargas may do is to look at how the rest of the opponents they faced fared. In the six other games Chicago has played (excluding Dallas and Minnesota), they have allowed a total of 97.8 fantasy points to opposing rushers, an average of 16.3 per game. Since I don’t quite have Oakland labeled as an upper-level rushing team quite yet, I don’t see them hitting that mark this week. In short, Fargas is a solid #2 play this week, but don’t expect last week’s numbers either.

Projections:
Josh McCown: 180 pass/0 TD/2 INT
Jerry Porter: 30 rec
Ronald Curry: 60 rec
Zach Miller: 25 rec
Justin Fargas: 80 rush/1 TD/30 rec
LaMont Jordan: 20 rush/10 rec
Dominic Rhodes: 20 rush/10 rec

Cowboys @ Giants
Tony Romo/Terrell Owens/Patrick Crayton/Jason Witten
Julius Jones/Marion Barber (vs. NYG)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Giants this season: Cowboys
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Giants this season: Cowboys
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 42.9
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 36.9
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 17.6
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 23.1
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 12.6/18.7/3.4
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 13

Passing Game Thoughts: Oh my, how nine weeks can change a team! When we last saw Romo face this defense, he was busy throwing four TD passes against them. In the seven games since, they have surrendered only eight more, including three in Week 2. What has changed? A few things, that’s for sure. 1) A converted DE is no longer covering one of the game’s top TEs, 2) CB Aaron Ross has solidified New York’s secondary, 3) both units have improved due to the other unit, as Mathias Kiwanuka’s re-addition to the pass rush gave the Giants the opportunity to send four good pass rushers on passing downs, cutting down the amount of time the secondary has to cover. Let’s remember the Giants haven’t exactly faced a who’s who of offenses since Week 2 (Redskins, Eagles, Jets, Falcons, Niners, Dolphins), so let’s not make more of this than what it is. How does this affect the Cowboys’ offense the second time around? No team has really shown all that much ability to stifle the Cowboys’ attack consistently, so they will score. Owens and Witten, who had so much success in Week 1, figure to be right in the middle of things again this week. Despite allowing just three 10+ point performances to the WR position and none to the TE position since Week 1, expect both trends to come to a halt as the New York defense may get slightly exposed. And even though Romo will feel a bit more heat than he did the first time, there is no way his fantasy owners dare sit him against a defense I feel has just taken advantage of some average offenses since their first meeting.

Running Game Thoughts: While the Giants’ pass defense has improved dramatically, the rush defense is just about the same as it was in Week 1. Only the Jets in Week 5 did not get at least one rusher to the 10-point fantasy mark against the New York defense. While I don’t foresee Jones or Barber becoming the second back to eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark vs. the Giants, Barber is a good bet to score each week and total 80-100 total yards, making him a low-end #1 RB play. Jones, as usual, is little more than a bye-week filler.

Projections:
Tony Romo; 280 pass/3 TD/1 INT/25 rush
Terrell Owens: 100 rec/1 TD
Patrick Crayton: 45 rec
Jason Witten: 75 rec/2 TD
Julius Jones: 40 rush/15 rec
Marion Barber: 65 rush/1 TD/30 rec

Eli Manning/Plaxico Burress/Amani Toomer/Jeremy Shockey
Brandon Jacobs/Reuben Droughns (vs. DAL)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Cowboys this season: Giants
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Cowboys this season: Giants
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 35.2
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 43.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 4.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 20.7
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 7.8/11.8/2
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 19.9

Passing Game Thoughts: The best news since the trip overseas for the Giants is that Burress was healthy enough to practice a little bit this week. Considering the lack of practice over the last two months hasn’t seemed to diminish Manning’s trust in him all that much in the red zone, Dallas had better be prepared for Plax to attempt a repeat of his 144-yard, 3-TD performance from Week 1. That’s not to suggest it will happen, but that Burress will be, in all likelihood, involved in at least a couple short-yardage TD attempts. Assuming the weather isn’t anything like it was for the Giants in London, Manning makes for a solid play against a defense that has really only struggled vs. Tom Brady and Manning. Once again, no way do I expect a Week 1 redux, but given how well Manning is playing this season – even getting Toomer involved more throughout the season – makes every member of the passing game a good play, perhaps with the exception of Shockey, who is still looking for his first 10+ point performance of the season. I’m not suggesting that his owners sit him, just don’t expect him to go off fantasy-wise anytime soon with Burress and Jacobs clearly the main targets in the red zone.

Running Game Thoughts: It’s a thing of beauty to watch good running teams at their craft. I’ve seen the Giants run their counter play so many times over their last three games to know that the defense knows it is coming and they still can’t stop it. And quite honestly, with the exception of the Week 6 MNF game vs. the Falcons in which New York was trying to “show off” Droughns just before the trade deadline, Jacobs has had little trouble posting three #1 RB type of games. Even though Dallas has allowed just three 10+ fantasy point producers at the RB position this season, one of those was against New York’s Derrick Ward (and with Ward doubtful again this week), there is little reason Jacobs can’t keep it going, even against one of the tougher run defenses. Once again, nothing outrageous, but Jacobs should easily push 100 total yards and a score.

Projections:
Eli Manning: 245 pass/2 TD/1 INT
Plaxico Burress: 100 rec/2 TD
Amani Toomer: 65 rec
Jeremy Shockey: 45 rec
Brandon Jacobs: 90 rush/1 TD/25 rec
Reuben Droughns: 25 rush

Lions @ Cardinals
Jon Kitna/Roy Williams/Calvin Johnson/Mike Furrey/Shaun McDonald
Kevin Jones (vs. ARI)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Cardinals this season: N/A
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Cardinals this season: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 9.5/14.5
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 21.4

Passing Game Thoughts: Kitna, after a three-game TD hiatus, reminded his owners why they used a mid-round pick on him last week when he threw for two scores against Denver. Part of the reason that Detroit has been able to survive during that time without Kitna flinging TD passes every where is due to Jones’ effectiveness, but the other part was just plain surviving without a fully-functioning Johnson. The rookie phenom is said to be healthy now, so expect a few more aerial fireworks if that ends up being true. With Arizona being mostly an aggressive, man-to-man defense, it is not a stretch to assume that the passing game will take center stage again in Week 10. Now, be realistic with the expectations, as no opposing QB has scored more than 22.6 fantasy points against the Cardinals this season. Given the success of deep threats against Arizona, it would not be a shock to see Johnson be the best play of the group this week. Be patient with Williams because all I can tell you is that he has received more attention from defenses that have seen quickly for themselves that Johnson was not 100% at the start of each game. The other thing that has kept his numbers down is the number of passes Kitna has had to throw in order for the Lions to win recently. I expect that to change a bit in this contest. McDonald is a strong #3 WR play while Furrey is an acceptable bye-week option.

Running Game Thoughts: One big reason that Jones has stepped up big (at least before the Broncos game) was because the Lions faced three solid pass defenses at the time they played them (Redskins, Bucs, Bears). The other part of that was an un-Mike Martz approach to run the ball when defenses were playing pass. KJ has been a pretty consistent #2 RB for the owners who were smart/patient enough to draft him. He will have the pleasure of facing a run defense that has kept only one starting RB under 12.1 fantasy points all season long (Willie Parker). I expect Jones to join the majority of Arizona’s opponents, that is, push the 100-yard rushing mark and reach the end zone at least once.

Projections:
Jon Kitna: 255 pass/2 TD/1 INT
Roy Williams: 70 rec/1 TD
Calvin Johnson: 65 rec/1 TD
Mike Furrey: 40 rec
Shaun McDonald: 50 rec
Kevin Jones: 85 rush/1 TD/20 rec

Kurt Warner/Anquan Boldin/Larry Fitzgerald
Edgerrin James (vs. DET)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Lions this season: N/A
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Lions this season: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 14.1/19.1
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 14.5

Passing Game Thoughts: With Detroit likely to make this a fairly high-scoring game, I expect Edge to get his usual 22-25 carries in an effort to soften up the defense for play-action passes to Boldin and a couple of deep shots to Fitzgerald. Even with better pass defense over the last couple weeks, the Lions are still allowing 69% of pass attempted against them to be completed. If Arizona has that kind of average vs. Detroit, Warner will likely have a field day. Five of the Lions’ eight opponents have thrown for at least two TD passes and with Arizona’s passing game being one of the better ones Detroit has faced, that spells trouble. As for the WRs, the “shorter” WR (as in the receiver who makes his living more on the short routes as opposed to the downfield ones) has fared very well against this defense, making Boldin the better play although it would hardly be a shocker to see both Fitz and Boldin excel this week.

Running Game Thoughts: Let’s be honest. I have to see Detroit do more than shut down a wretched Chicago Bears running attack and a struggling Denver Broncos running game before I start accepting it as a quality defense. If you forget their two meetings against Cedric Benson and one against the Broncos, their best defense against a starting RB was the 11.8 fantasy points they “limited” Adrian Peterson to in Week 2. They are still an average run-stopping unit at best and I would be plenty optimistic if I saw them on the upcoming schedule for one of my fantasy RBs. What they are is opportunistic, which helps them more in the passing game. As far as the Cardinals running game is concerned, James will produce solid numbers almost regardless of the competition.

Projections:
Kurt Warner: 275 pass/3 TD/1 INT
Anquan Boldin: 105 rec/1 TD
Larry Fitzgerald: 85 rec/1 TD
Edgerrin James: 75 rush/1 TD/20 rec

Colts @ Chargers
Peyton Manning/Marvin Harrison/Reggie Wayne/Dallas Clark
Joseph Addai (vs. SD)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Chargers this season: Patriots
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Chargers this season: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 27.4
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 34.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 10.9
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 11.4/16.1/7.1
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 36.9

Passing Game Thoughts: The prevailing media opinion is that since this game features arguably the two of fantasy’s top players at their position, it will be high-scoring. If it is though, I would expect it to be one-sided. Just like I expect every team to do to the Colts from now until the end of Manning’s career, I expect the Chargers to sit back a bit more often and hope they can stop the running game as opposed to let Manning, Wayne (and maybe Harrison this week) beat them. That said, there is chance that Indy may be without both Harrison and Clark, which would drastically alter the way they should attack the Colts. However, assuming they both can go, San Diego has been pretty solid against some mediocre passing games, not having faced a decent one since the Packers in Week 3. But unlike Favre, there should be no reason for Manning to throw 45 times against the Chargers when the run defense that was just gashed by Adrian Peterson is still missing one of its better run stoppers in DE Luis Castillo. The Colts will make sure to pass enough to keep defenses honest, but the real weakness in the San Diego defense right now is against the run. Whatever combination of injured Colts WRs/TEs can go this weekend, Wayne should remain the best play as the last good WR to face San Diego – Dwayne Bowe – torched them for 150+ yards and a score. In short, I expect Manning to maintain and hit his 2007 average of 21.7 fantasy points. The defense and run game are good enough that he shouldn’t need to do much more than that.

Running Game Thoughts: Addai and the running game proved just how good they were vs. the Patriots last week. I think there are a handful of defenses out there that can limit the Colts rushing attack, but it is become clearer to me by the week that Addai will put up 100 total yards and a score against just about any defense. And how nice is it then they get to take on a defense that will undoubtedly be anxious to overcome an embarrassing performance but is missing one of its most vital run-stuffing cogs. What most people don’t understand is that all it takes is losing one of your best defensive linemen for your defense to go from above-average to below-average real quick (well over 200 of Peterson’s rushing yards came after Castillo was injured). As a result, I expect Indy to be merciless in running the stretch play to see if they can’t rack up 200 rushing yards themselves, if for no other reason than to keep Tomlinson off the field. And since all bets are really off until we see how resilient the Chargers defense can be, there isn’t much reason to believe that teams will not try to run the ball all day against them.

Projections:
Peyton Manning: 250 pass/2 TD/0 INT
Marvin Harrison: 40 rec
Reggie Wayne: 100 rec/1 TD
Dallas Clark: 60 rec/1 TD
Joseph Addai: 120 rush/2 TD/35 rec

Philip Rivers/Vincent Jackson/Chris Chambers/Antonio Gates
LaDainian Tomlinson (vs. IND)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Colts this season: N/A
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Colts this season: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 11.2/15.3/3.4
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 17.1

Passing Game Thoughts: As bad of a game as this unit played last week, there are two reasons they should be able to make this a close game: 1) they can’t be as bad as they were last week; 2) they are at home. I must say though that in all my years of watching Rivers (college and pro), I cannot recall any stretch in which I have seen him this inconsistent. Granted, his line did not do him many favors vs. the Vikings, but the addition of Chambers should make this offense nearly unstoppable. What the Chargers do need to keep in mind every game though is that Gates and LT are more than enough to get them to where they need to go; Chambers and Jackson should really only be targeted when teams are obsessing over stopping the first two options. In the games in which San Diego struggles, it seems like the Chargers forget their identity. After one catch for 10 yards last week, expect San Diego to go back to the basics of its passing offense and find Gates early and often. There is very little defenses can do to stop someone with his talents and the cover 2 is tailor-made for someone of his abilities to dominate. Indy’s defense is also the type that will make sure Chambers or Jackson will not likely get deep. That said, the Chargers need to try (and be effective) every so often with the long ball to get S Bob Sanders out of the box. It can be done, the Chargers need only apply common sense to their game day approach.

Running Game Thoughts: Much like Rivers needs to lean on Gates, San Diego needs to remember to make sure LT gets the ball 25 times a game every game with no questions asked. Sometimes, that could be 15 runs and 10 receptions; other games, that could be 25 runs. The point is that the game’s most dynamic player should have the ball in his hands at least a third of the time. I don’t expect a huge performance from Tomlinson vs. the Colts, but there is also no reason he can’t beat Travis Henry’s 13.1 fantasy point score – the biggest number allowed by the Colts to an opposing RB this season. As most fantasy already know, more touches mean more opportunity, a thought that seems to be missing a bit too often with Charger play-calling nowadays.

Projections:
Philip Rivers: 215 pass/1 TD/1 INT
Vincent Jackson: 35 rec
Chris Chambers: 45 rec
Antonio Gates: 85 rec/1 TD
LaDainian Tomlinson: 80 rush/1 TD/40 rec

Niners @ Seahawks
Alex Smith/Arnaz Battle/Ashley Lelie/Vernon Davis
Frank Gore (vs. SEA)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Seahawks this season: Niners
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Seahawks this season: Niners
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 1.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 7.1
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: 0.7
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 13.9
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 6.8/14.5/8.3
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 23.5

Passing Game Thoughts: I’m not sure I’m going to have much to say about this unit the rest of the season. It would seem the departure of former OC Norv Turner has stymied two offenses. The passing game has not produced more than 209 yards through the air yet, which has made stopping a battered Gore all that much easier although Davis’ strong return (71 and 77 yards the last two weeks) gives owners at least one fantasy property from the passing game. And that doesn’t figure to change this week as Seattle has yet to surrender more than 21.8 points to an opposing QB or 11.3 points to a WR not from Cincinnati. Quite honestly, I expect something in the neighborhood of the 1.1 fantasy-point effort from Trent Dilfer in the Week 4 meeting between these teams, meaning once again, just about every player – outside of Davis – will be useless in fantasy lineups this week.

Running Game Thoughts: The offensive line is battered, Gore is injured and I’m not even quite sure running against the Raiders or the Jets right now would perk up this rushing attack. Gore has not scored since Week 2 (and sat out last week), but is due back for a team he owned last year. But as we know in the fantasy world, last year means next to nothing halfway through the following season. Amazingly, just like the team Turner joined (the Chargers), the team he left (the Niners) need to be more creative with how they get their franchise player the ball. Gore needs to have 25 touches per game, regardless of the opponent. Only then will San Francisco be able to manufacture any kind of offense. But it’s generally a good idea for fantasy owners to wait until you see it happen as opposed to predicting when it will happen, so feel free to bench Gore if you have two other full-time quality options. While his all-around numbers figure to be decent, Seattle – outside of the fluky four-TD game Jamal Lewis posted against them last week – has held up pretty well from a fantasy perspective. Continue to start Gore if you have been, but as you know by now, don’t expect a flashback to 2006 anytime soon.

Projections:
Alex Smith: 180 pass/1 TD/1 INT/20 rush
Arnaz Battle: 45 rec
Ashley Lelie: 30 rec
Vernon Davis: 55 rec/1 TD
Frank Gore: 75 rush/30 rec

Matt Hasselbeck/Deion Branch/Bobby Engram/DJ Hackett
Maurice Morris (vs. SF)
Similar passing attacks that have faced the Niners this season: Seahawks
Similar rushing attacks that have faced the Niners this season: Seahawks
FF Points Allowed vs. similar QBs: 20.8
FF Points Allowed vs. similar WRs: 25.3
FF Points Allowed vs. similar TEs: N/A
FF Points Allowed vs. similar RBs: 14.4
FF Points Allowed vs. QBs/WRs/TEs over the last 3 weeks: 19.4/23.8/5.5
FF Points Allowed vs. RBs over the last 3 weeks: 21.4

Passing Game Thoughts: It is starting to look more and more like Branch will need at least another week to recover, meaning Engram is a solid play in his stead yet again. And quite honestly, Hasselbeck trusts him enough that he would be a decent play even with Branch. The only thing that has really changed since the last time these division rivals met in Week 4 are their records, so I expect something close to the 20.9 point effort Hasselbeck posted in the first meeting, especially considering the Niners defense has yet to do much against a decent passing offense. Branch had a huge 130-yard game in the first go-round, something I expect from Engram if he has to once again fill the former Patriot WR’s void. Meanwhile, there is no reason Hackett can’t match his six-catch, 58-yard, one-TD performance from last week as HC Mike Holmgren promises a more wide-open approach to make up for a struggling running game.

Running Game Thoughts: The loud cheer you just heard could very well be the thousands of fantasy owners who are happy they have been liberated from the decision to start Shaun Alexander, who may not be able to go this week. Mind you, while he is hardly the greatest runner in the world, I’m not entirely sure he is Seattle’s biggest problem, so be careful of what you wish for. I’m not sure Morris is the answer so much as it is the Seahawks’ inability to consistently run block. I don’t think the team has ever really addressed the void of LG Steve Hutchinson left – physically or emotionally – as most of the time, they don’t appear to be all that fired up to complete their assignments. That may get a one-game reprieve, though, with the Niners’ pathetic offense. Morris or Alexander may get enough carries late to be worth a start at a #2 RB slot or a flex start. And let’s face it, you could do much worse than start any RB vs. the Niners, who have allowed at least 8.3 points to a running back in every game this season.

Projections:
Matt Hasselbeck: 255 pass/3 TD/1 INT
Deion Branch: 75 rec/1 TD
DJ Hackett: 60 rec/1 TD
Bobby Engram: 65 rec/1 TD (substantially higher if Branch cannot go)
Maurice Morris: 65 rush/25 rec