Game Previews
Week 3
9/23/04

Final Score: Falcons 23, Cardinals 10

Cincinnati is somewhat of an enigma. The first mistake was going with Palmer at QB. How does a guy throw for over 3000 yards and get benched? I know you want to move to the future but winning now keeps your job not five years from now. I digress. Carson stunk it way up against the Dolphins. He performed ok with 147 yards, no TD's, and a pick. I know it is the Dolphins but he looked like a deer caught in headlights. But the Bengal's D impressed me. Again it was the Dolphins and their absolutely horrendous offense but they looked very impressive. 2 sacks, 2 picks and crazy pressure on Feeley all night. I think that this will a tough one to win because as good as Miami's D is Baltimore defines defense.

Not an easy choice but I will go with Baltimore winning by a TD

Final Score: Ravens 20, Bengals 13

Chicago at Minnesota (-9), 1:00 pm
Minnesota lost a heartbreaker Monday night. Made too many mistakes against a good Philly team at home. When you get inside the 10 three times and come up with 6 points you are not going to beat that team. Culpepper looked incredible as he shredding the Eagles D going 37/47 (78%), 343 yards, and one TD. Also rushing for another 41 yards. Problem being is that he got tackled on the one on third down which caused a field goal and he fumbled on the one as well. That was the shitty part. In all likelihood they should have won this game by 2 touchdowns as T.O.'s touchdown would have been overturned on replay as the ball did hit the turf and he was out of bounds when he had control. But again you can't make those kinds of mistakes in the opponent's own barn. Moss was relatively quiet but did catch a TD at the end, but no big plays. I have a feeling he will have a few in this game. He has yet to really break out but the time will come. Don't worry.

Chicago looked great against the Pack as they surprisingly punked them at Lambeau. That was a shameful performance by the Pack after beating the Panthers the week before. Uninspired crap from a team that is supposed to be a contender. Anyway, Lovie Smith has them fired up in deep-dish land as they looked like a train coming through on the ground with Thomas Jones looking like Jim Brown with 152 yards and a score. No shows by Grossman and Terrell but who cares when you run the ball like that. I think it is a mirage though. Chicago is about a year and a receiver away.

Final Score: Vikings 28, Bears 14

Cleveland at N.Y. Giants (-3), 1:00 pm
Folks were ready to throw in the towel on the Giants season after a big-time beating by Philly in Week 1. But Sgt. Coughlin's G-Men responded with a great effort against the overrated Redskins. Warner turned back the clock with 232 yards and a TD. I think the Giants will be better than what people think. Once they get passed Coughlin's stupid rules they should get settled. I agree with sharp though I wouldn't play for that Nazi idiot for all the money in China. He just looks like an ass. But he does have football knowledge and can win. They should be an average team. Play Warner, Toomer, and Barber this week.

The Browns celebration was short-lived after their win against the Ravens. Last week they got a dose of Roy Williams and the Cowboys. Strange but I thought they would get handled much easier than only losing by 7 points. I thought it was a typo but Garcia with 71 yards is ridiculous. 3 freaking interceptions??? The Cowboys D is a good one but after getting blasted by Minnesota the week before you would think they would have gained more than 71 yards. Face it. This team is bad and caught a Ravens team unprepared. They must improve or this will be another long season for Butch Davis. Play nobody from this team as injuries decimated them with Winslow and half of the defensive line going down. Mark them up as done!!

Final Score: G-Men 24, Browns 10

Houston (+9.5) at Kansas City, 1:00 pm
While Houston's semi-meteoric rise as a franchise has been as much fun as baby's first steps, this team is starting to resemble Drew Barrymore's career in its infancy. We loved Drew in E.T. and Firestarter, just like so many football fans enjoyed watching Houston beat Dallas in 2002 and play the future Super Bowl champion New England Patriots into overtime last year. They won four in 2002 and five in 2003, prompting pundits to predict a playoff appearance this season. But just as Barrymore and so many other child stars toppled briefly under the pressure of being the next great prodigy, the Texans have continued to show evidence of their growing pains and noticeable immaturity during the past two weeks. David Carr in Week One actually reminded me of Drew dancing in Studio 54 in the early 1980s with the drink in her hand - they both looked to be having fun, but they were making poor decisions. Carr looked better last week, which could represent Drew's performance in Cat's Eye. Just like Drew in the mid-late 80s, he's got a long road ahead of him.

With San Diego and Detroit as opponents in its first two games, the Texans had their shot at a 2-0 start. But after two poor defensive performances, they are now 0-2 and facing the toughest part of their schedule - weeks 3 through 14. With two games each against Indy and Tennessee, and non-division and conference opponents like Green Bay, Denver, the Jets and Minnesota mixed in, it doesn't get any easier until Week 15 at Chicago, and Week 17 in Cleveland. Jacksonville, who is 2-0, play them in weeks 8 and 16. The Texans do have some bright spots, especially in terms of fantasy football. Names like Domanick Davis and Andre Johnson figure to be good starts all season unless something drastic changes in their depth chart. They are great plays against a weak Kansas City defense that is already making a poor reputation for itself. I like Carr, too, and think that he can add some more TDs and cut down on those few bad throws a game that haunt both the final score and stat line. As far as individual defensive performers, I'm a bit confused by the absence of Jamie Sharper and predominant fantasy lines of Jay Foreman and Kailee Wong. Anyway, as the caliber of opponents changes over the next few weeks, so should Sharper's production. At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

The Chiefs have problems of their own, including an ankle injury to Priest Holmes. Holmes missed the last half of the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to Carolina with a sprained ankle and if he can't go, Derrick Blaylock would be the starter and featured halfback. With whomever they give the carries to, KC should be able to knock out Houston with its offense. Last week, Larry Johnson was still listed as the backup to Holmes on the Chiefs' official depth chart, but there are a couple things everyone should know about this situation. First, FB Tony Richardson is a good runner and threat to catch passes out of the backfield and might assume more of a feature role if Holmes is unavailable Sunday. Johnson is totally unproven at this level, not to say he couldn't perform if given the chance, and Blaylock averaged about 5 yards a carry in his limited use last season. We'll probably see these three backs divide much of the fantasy value that Holmes currently keeps to himself, but if you want to play it safe and listen to ESPN and reports from the team - Blaylock is the guy.

Holmes, though still the an otherworldly fantasy back, isn't a great guy to handcuff with a sure-thing backup simply because there isn't one, and probably won't be one on Sunday. On a hunch, I would actually take Richardson over both Johnson and Blaylock this week, though, if Holmes can't go. Stay tuned on the Holmes situation, since it looks like it might be a game-time decision. Coach Vermeil isn't crying yet, and said it's not a serious sprain and every guy is different in terms of recovery from injuries of this nature. In any event, there should be lots of scoring, so the Chiefs RB of your choice, Johnnie Morton, Tony Gonzlaez and even Trent Green (who busted in the first two weeks) should be good plays. On defense, this Monty Beisel character is looking awfully tempting and should be picked up to start along with LBs Scott Fujita and Shawn Barber.

Final Score: Chiefs 31 Texans 27

Jacksonville (+6) at Tennessee, 1:00 pm
Jacksonville finally gets some real competition in Tennessee and faces a good offensive unit (that knows just how to exploit defensive weakness) and a tough defense (that knows how to stop offenses without a whole lot of punch). So far, the Jags look like they've been getting it done with smoke and mirrors, joining along list of other teams in the league (Detroit comes to mind) that have played above their heads during one - or both - of the first two weeks of the season. Because I've got some players on these teams myself, I'm really hoping for a free-wheeling scoring affair. But discretion is the better part of valor (and prognostication) and I'm not going out on a limb to predict a wild scoring game, especially following the Jags-Broncos game and given the situation in week one with the Titans-Dolphins debacle.

The Jaguars best offensive weapons are obviously Byron Leftwich, Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith, but I like Smith the best this week against Tennessee. He always seems to get his catches in games like this, but with Taylor still nursing a mild foot injury and Leftwich due for a three-interception endeavor, Jime-me, as my brother-in-law Dan calls him, will be the one who tallies the most substantial fantasy numbers. Defensively, LBs Mike Peterson and Akin Ayodele are the two most consistent, but DT John Henderson and S Donovan Darius will be the best lineman and defensive back this week.

The Titans seemingly on top of things last week when they collapsed in the fourth quarter and lost to a visibly-incensed Colts team. I'm still waiting for my boy Derrick Mason to get his TD catch, since he nearly had two last week against Indy that just weren't meant to be. Steve McNair owners should go ahead and give him the play this week, although I think the Jags defense will hold him to average fantasy numbers. But as they say, you play your studs every week and hope for the best. Speaking of studs, I couldn't have been more wrong about Chris Brown, who is obviously more than I cracked him up to be. Sure, I've had plenty of other guys this year that had dead to rights in my scope, but Brown didn't strike me as anything special. As whole, I like the Titans defense against Jacksonville, and would play Keith Bulluck, Tank Williams and rookie lineman Antwan Odom in IDP leagues. I think this will be Odom's breakout game as he should be able to get to Leftwich and the Jaguars offensive line is due to give up a few sacks.

Final Score: Titans 20, Jags 13

New Orleans (+7) at St. Louis, 1:00 pm
I've been waiting for this game in terms of fantasy production, which features two underachieving 1-1 NFC teams with something to prove. There are more guys on these teams looking for some fantasy points than there are porn messages in my Yahoo bulk mail. Actually, it's about time I emptied that.

The Saints will be without Deuce McAllister for the next few weeks, which again proves my point that a high draft position can often be the kiss of death with the expectant determinism of NFL injuries looming over every season. Right about now, I'm glad I had the 12th pick in my draft because I didn't have to worry about when to pick Deuce, who isn't going to break Jim Marshall's ironman record anytime soon, in case you were paying attention. Aaron Stecker is a capable backup, and the Rams have given up a lot of fantasy points to running backs this year. And please, don't start giving me this nonsense about Ki-Jana Carter getting lots of carries. Carter is more likely to tear an ACL jogging out onto the field than scoring fantasy points in the next few weeks. He's had more failed comebacks than Scott Baio. I think Aaron Brooks will be a good play this week as these teams should light up the scoreboard. Brooks, Joe Horn, Donté Stallworth and Stecker are great plays, and TE Boo Williams should rebound from his absence last week by catching a TD on Sunday. Some are even considering former Rams TE Ernie Conwell, but that's too risky a play, with Boo ready to bounce back.

The Rams, although not as wonderful as they once were, have found their place - 2nd in the NFC West, where they should remain for the rest of the year. They'll need some big wins in upcoming weeks, but should get back to the playoffs. With that said, why did they struggle against Arizona and lose to Atlanta. Two reasons - first game jitters and Mike Vick. On offense, Marc Bulger may have some additional problems this week with the Saints virtual lockdown on receiving touchdowns, but I'll take my chances. I still like Faulk, obviously, and give a big ol' green light to Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. On defense, It looks like I can stop playing Leonard Little and hope none of you other IDP guys has made the same mistake. Just because I don't seem to know, does ANYBODY out there know what's wrong with this guy other than the fact that he likes to drive drunk and run over people? Play it safe in IDP with safety Adam Archuleta and stay away from everybody else.

Final Score: Rams 28 Saints 24

Philadelphia (-4) at Detroit, 1:00 pm
It was a nice run, Detroit, it really was. Now it's time to say nanu-nanu to the King of Grolgon, thank him for his krelomp of unlimited cravishons and make your way back to planet Earth, where the Philadelphia Eagles are waiting to officially welcome you to the 2004 NFL season. I'm not really big on sure things in this world - it's too easy to become emotionally scarred by building up expectations only to have them explode all over your tender psyche. But I'm giving a go-ahead to everybody out there that's left in their last man standing pools to pick Philly. I would wager my first born and all of my measly paycheck that Philly covers here.

The Eagles have been doing a great job getting Terrell Owens the ball at crucial times and should continue to look his way against Detroit, a team that has an entire secondary of defensive backs under 6'0". Donovan McNabb will keep being everything his fantasy owners hoped he would be, and RB Brian Westbrook should get a score this week, the only detail that's held him back from "next big thing" status. I also like TE L.J. Smith, who got a score Monday night against the Vikes. I'm going to try and not overanalyze this one, since it's pretty obvious that the Eagles are a great team that should have success against the Lions. There are several good IDP plays for Philly this week, including CB Sheldon Brown, S Michael Lewis, LB Nate Wayne and DE Jevon Kearse. There will be a few more defensive stars mixed in, but they should have the best chance at great IDP numbers. The Lions are a much more complex fantasy story this week, since two out of QB Joey Harrington, RB Kevin Jones and WR Roy Williams probably won't put up great numbers. Look elsewhere at QB since Harrington will definitely turn the ball over against Philly, and scratch Jones since he hasn't faced a defense as good as this yet this season. Williams and Tai Streets are the best options at receiver, with Williams the better play of the two. On defense, I'd keep it confined to IDP standouts LB Earl Holmes and DB Brock Marion.

Final Score: Eagles 38, Lions 17

Pittsburgh (+1) at Miami, 1:00 pm
I've seen fire and I've seen rain, but I've never seen a more pitiful display of single digit fantasy football performances than Sunday night, when the boring Dolphins and the equally sterile Bengals played footsies for four quarters. It was as soft-core as late night HBO, but with commercials, Joe Theismann and Pat Summerall. The least Paul Maguire could have done was argue with Theismann once in a while and refill Summerall's vodka tonics. I've seen infomercials with more entertainment value, and this week doesn't prove to be much more promising. The Steelers, at least, can put up some points, although they'll have to do it with rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger (I actually spelled that right on the first try!). Tommy Gunn Maddox is out six weeks with a rotten elbow and Jerome Bettis still has three TDs and just one yard rushing, as he didn't get a carry against Baltimore. Now might be the time to play Staley, although I like his chances of catching one more than running one in until "The Fat One" gets hurt or retires. In any event, you can't play Bettis because he's just not an option at Miami. WRs Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress aren't great plays, although Ward should be in your lineup every week since he's the prototypical possession receiver.

The Dolphins remain an offensive enigma, and will continue to lose as long as Randy McMichael is their best fantasy performer. Don't get me wrong, McMichael is a great fantasy TE and I wish him and his many fantasy owners all the best, but Chris Chambers needs to get involved for this team to win. It would also help for them to find a quarterback and serviceable running back, something that disappeared when the Artist Formerly Known As Dreadlocks took up tantric masturbation as his full-time job. On defense, the usual suspects of Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas and Sammy Knight are always great plays, although you could also throw in another defensive back of your choice (CB Patrick Surtain, CB Sam Madison or FS Antuan Edwards) as I believe Gentle Ben will throw numerous picks this week.

Final Score: Dolphins 16, Steelers 13

San Diego (+10) at Denver, 4:05 pm
What happened to the Broncos last week? I know, I know, I had Jacksonville, but I thought both teams would combine for more than 13 points. Oh, THAT'S right, Jake Plummer is Denver's QB. Never mind. The Chargers have a lot of tricky plays this week against a Denver defense that looks pretty darn good starting off the year. Suffice to say that studly RB LaDainain Tomlinson and TE Antonio Gates are always solid plays, but the rest of the lineup is not. Drew Brees is not an option against a strong Broncos secondary, and neither are WRs Reche Caldwell or Eric Parker. In a pinch, I'd go with Caldwell, who has a couple of scores already this year, but if you have better options, explore them. On defense, there's always IDP standouts in LB Donnie Edwards and DB Terrence Kiel.

The Broncos are poised for a big fantasy day, and that even includes Plummer, who I really have never liked. As soon as they started comparing him to Joe Montana after his rookie season, I tuned out. Since then, he's given me no real reason to think any differently, but since the Chargers are pathetic against the pass, even he is could be construed as a viable fantasy start this week. RB Quentin Griffin is a must-play, as are both Rod Smith and Ashley Lelie (we're all still waiting, Ashley).

Final Score: Broncos 30, Chargers 23

Green Bay at Indianapolis (-6), 4:15 pm
What a difference a week makes. Green Bay looked indestructible against the Panthers and laid a complete egg against the Bears. At home against the freaking Bears!!! As you can tell I had some coin on this one. As good as Bret is he makes some impossible throws and takes way too many chances sometimes. As evidence with his 2 picks last week. The 95-yard Mike Brown fumble recovery of Ahman Green didn't help either. Who knows what real Pack team will show up. I know they suck on turf and the Colts are on a roll. I think Green will be a good start but look elsewhere for Favre this week. But you can't bet I will avoid this game like the plague. Favre is the "Sible" of fantasy football. Who will show up…Mistake prone or productive?

As we all know FFToday predicted the Colts win last week. I think the Colts looked good against a team that looked like they were going to put the boot to them in the first half. Chris Brown was pulling his best Barry Sanders impersonation on the first drive. It was bad and looked like a long day. However the Colts showed some heart and outscored the Titans 21-0 in the 4th quarter. Something the Colts have been lacking….or Tony Dungy teams in general…heart. Manning was efficient with 254 yards and 2 TDS. No mistakes, which is key. James looks like the Edge of old with 124 yards and 2 TDS. A 30 yarder to boot. But as usually the bad news comes with James injuring his hammy on that play and at press time was doubtful for this game. It hurts the spread a little but I still think the Colts will come to play at home and will reap some havoc on Farve.

Final Score: Colts 28, Pack 16

San Francisco at Seattle (-10.5), 4:15 pm
A beating is a coming as the old saying goes. Seattle covered the spread last week but didn't score as many points as expected. The Bucs held Seattle to only 10 points and Hasselbeck to only 147 yards passing and 1 TD. Not good…not good. Shaun Alexander looked a little timid trying to still recover from his knee injury. He only covered 45 yards of turf and no scores. Koren Robinson looks to be coming out with 66 yards and a score. This kid has got skillz but has chopped liver for hands. Seattle pretty much won an ugly game against a great defense and piss-poor offense. As usual Hasselbeck, Alexander, Jackson, and Robinson are recommended. They should take their offensive frustration out on the 49ers and light up the scoreboard like a pinball machine.

The 49ers hung in there and tried to make a game out of it. I have said this from the beginning that they have to utilize Barlow more on offense. Barlow is the ONLY weapon they have and should hand him the rock as much as possible. We had a Curtis Conway showing on Sunday. He made his usual 100-yard performance of the year. We won't see him until this time next year. Seattle's defense is too good to start any of these players other than Barlow. Cedric Wilson will be returning to the line-up and I think might be the best receiver they have. The 49ers are in for a long day and should easily be kissed in the face by the Seahawks by 2 TDS.

Final Score: Seahawks 30, 49ers 16

Tampa Bay at Oakland (-3), 8:30 pm
The RAAAIDERS played the most boring game is history last week with the bills. It seemed to like 200 yards offense by both teams. In any event, the Raiders squeaked out one against the Bills by 3. Gannon does not look comfortable in Norv Turner's offense and they can't get Wheatley out of the driveway. Some guy named Ronald Curry caught 89 yards of balls and was the leading receiver. You know Rice's days are numbered when he can't beat out some practice squad bum like Ronald Curry. Rice could really help a contender but it looks like Oakland is content on playing the younger folks. If they are so into this movement why don't they put in the best, young, QB on the team….Kerry Collins. I think we all know he is better. Jerry Porter again has been disappointing. I think the have to call a spade a spade and say he might not be all that. Bucs defense is tough and might not allow them to get too much going. I wouldn't start many people on this team. Leave them alone this week.

The Bucs tried to will their way past the Hawks in Week 2. Limiting the Hawks and their mighty offense last week. Plain and simple is that if Alexander couldn't get over 50 Wheatley and Co. will be lucky to get to 20. The old man (Gannon) will be running for his life trying to wait for Ronald freaking Curry to get open. But this offense is worse. They need Pittman to come back because I do not think there is much left in Garner's tank. Chris Simms looked much better sans his mistake at the end. But they are content on starting Johnson. This team needs McCardell to come back but it seems they are happy with not paying him the bucks (no pun intended). Michael Clayton has some wheels. Again this will be a low scoring affair so no starters from this team other than the D.

I think Sapp gets his revenge.

Final Score: Raiders 17, Bucs 10

Dallas (+2) at Washington, 9:00 pm
I'm a Cowboys fan, and my buddy Shove is a Redskins fan. I'm a Yankee fan, and he loves the Red Sox. It's going to be one hell of a weekend, with the festivities to continue Monday Night as the incomparable Bill Parcells squares off against his old boy Joe Gibbs in what will come down to a battle of coaching genius. While I think the Red Sox might be able to get a couple back this weekend, I firmly believe that the Redskins are going to need more than Patrick Ramsey to beat the Boys. Parcells who won't require seven Skins turnovers to notch a six-point victory, and if you are listening, Mr. Tom Coughlin (which I'm sure you are not, since you probably hate anything fantasy football) I'm not convinced of your genius just yet. Keep winding your watch back, or forward, or whatever you need to do to prove you have what may resemble testicles. The rest of us will be watching Kurt Warner look up to his wife in the stands as he gets sacked by Kenard Lang. Just be glad I'm not writing that game preview.

The Cowboys will miss Julius Jones, whom they thought would carry the load this year so Eddie George could concentrate on flexing for the first three quarters on the sidelines and scoring touchdowns when needed. Without Jones, George is likely to split carries with ReShard Lee and FB Richie Anderson, who should also get some catches out of the backfield. The smart play, however, is to stay away from the entire Cowboys RB situation until further notice. The bulk of fantasy points will be scored by QB Vinny Testaverde and receivers Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn. I'd say the odd man out this week will be Antonio Bryant. He's a good enough option on deep routes, but I think Parcells will count on sticking to a conservative passing game against a Joe Gibbs team just looking to capitalize on Dallas mistakes. TE Jason Witten is also a good play this week, and may find the end zone. In IDP leagues, I'd go with DB Roy Williams, LB Dat Nguyen and stay away from the rest.

The Redskins should have beaten the Giants, and if they had, I'd have gone 8-0 straight up and 7-1 in my picks last week. But they didn't, and since Mark Brunell is hurt, I'd like to take the time to say it won't get any better for Patrick Ramsey until he's the undisputed number one guy. You can't get better if you don't get reps, and while Ramsey is young a a little bit crazy, both Shove And I like his toughness and think he should have been the starter from day one last season. Ramsey only got hurt and made so many mistakes because he had no protection last year and couldn't get into a groove. He'll be better this week, but still won't be a great fantasy play because of the capable Dallas defense. With that said, I'd also downgrade Clinton Portis this week to your number two RB position, which means that although you should start him, you may want to register a formal complaint with the turnover gods for allowing this unfortunate situation to develop. WRs Rod Gardner and Lavernues Coles are not excellent plays this week, but you should start one of them based on the probability that there will be one huge secondary breakdown and one of these two guys will get a bonus touchdown. I wouldn't hold my breath in search of a viable TE, since Chris Cooley probably isn't the answer. On defense, it's safe to play LB Lavar Arrington, LB Marcus Washington and DB Sean Taylor, although I'd stay away from the rest of the Skins secondary, which includes Fred Smoot, Shawn Springs and safety Matt Bowen.

Final Score: Cowboys 23, Redskins 19