Prediction: Vikes 34, Lions 17

New Orleans (1-1) at Tennessee (1-1), 1:00 PM
The Saints finally started to look like the offense unit football fans expected last week. Actually, they came back from their coma in the second half against Houston. Deuce McAllister picked up some nice yards, Brooks opened up the passing game and connected with both Joe Horn and Donte Stallworth for some offense, and the Saints managed to pull out a score worthy of their potential. The task will be a bit tougher this week in Tennessee. The Titans' defense seemed to be on track until they ran into Edgerrin James last week. There have only been two games, but the Titans have had trouble with the running backs in both games: Edge tore them a new one last week and Charlie Garner enjoyed a great game in Week 1 (although, it should be noted, he did a huge chunk of that damage through short passes rather than rushing from behind the line). Deuce will certainly give them a true test again this week. If the first two games are an accurate indicator, Deuce should get lots of chances to get his numbers. It will be necessary for the Saints to win: if the running game does not take off, the passing game will suffer (as is the history of this Saints' group: Brooks needs the running threat to keep him free from pressure).

The Titans seemed to be a different team in Week 2 than the team that beat the Raiders in Week 1. Steve McNair struggled to throw, only gaining 138 yards last week. Eddie George failed (again) to reach fantasy worthy numbers. Nothing was working right at all for the Titans. In this way, they are very similar to the Saints: it seems that if the running game cannot produce a serious offensive threat, the passing game is nothing more than a sitting duck. All that said, it is fair to place some of the blame for this performance on the Colts' defense. They were awesome last week and kept McNair on his heels (or on the sideline after nearly breaking his finger). The Saints' D is nothing like the Colts: they are average at best, and closer to below average when you look at the numbers. They are especially vulnerable to the passing attack: David Carr did find some nice yards in the air last week and Rich Gannon did the same in Week 1. This plays, unfortunately for the Saints, right into the strengths of the Titans' offense. McNair is the gas in this offensive engine. If he can take advantage of the Saints' lousy pass D, then the Titans should be able to match whatever Deuce is able to accomplish. It would be nice to see George find some production, you know Derrick Mason will be a player, and newcomer Tyler Calico looks to be a great prospect at WR for the Titans. This may be closer than one would expect (thanks to Deuce), but the Titans D should show form against Brooks and keep the Saints in check. It may not be pretty, but take the Titans in a low scoring match.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Deuce McAllister, Titan Defense, Steve McNair, Derrick Mason

2nd String: Donte Stallworth, Joe Horn, Tyler Calico, Aaron Brooks, Eddie George, John Carney

Prediction: Saints 14, Titans 17

Jacksonville (0-2) at Indianapolis (2-0), 1:00 PM
The Jaguars were brought back to earth last week by the Bills. Fred Taylor kept it respectable until the 2nd, well, quarter. In Week 1 the Jags were a real surprise, barely losing to Carolina and putting up a respectable 23 points against a top-notch defense. However, the magic ran out versus Buffalo last week. The inevitable happened late in that game: Mark Brunell was pulled for rookie Byron Leftwich (it was reported during the preseason that Leftwich would open the season as the starter; this was later changed as Coach Jack Del Rio convinced Jags ownership that Brunell deserved to lose the job after years of success). The Jags only managed 192 yards of passing offense last week: 92 yards of that passing came from Leftwich. This is not a good time to run into the Colts. The Colts D put on a clinic last week versus the Titans. Dwight Freeney was all over Steve McNair and the Colts held the Titans to only 7 points. Tony Dungy has already started to turn this defensive unit into a force. The Jags are not the Titans. Fred Taylor is the only respectable threat on the team and he cannot do it by himself. At the time of print, Brunell is still the starter for the Jags. If he struggles at all, if the Colts' D is all over him like the previous week, then don't expect Brunell to stay the starter for long.

Meanwhile, the Colts have started to play themselves into a formidable team. Edge James was awesome against the Titans: he ran like the Edge of two years ago (you know, the Edge that led the NFL in rushing) and could not be stopped. If he gets as many carries this week as he did against the Titans (30), he'll be the player to watch in this match up. Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison hooked up for their first TD last week as well. Harrison is uncoverable, especially when your defensive backfield is as lack luster as the Jags. One thing was made very clear about the Jags' defense last week: they really too heavily on John Henderson and Hugh Douglas. If they are not playing well, this defense is bad. Keep this in mind as well: Hugh Douglas is spending his first year in Jacksonville (on grass) after coming from the Eagles (on turf). Every player that makes the switch from turf to grass finds struggles in their game: they lose speed and have to "reform" their game to the slower surface (want proof? See Johnnie Morton, WR, KC last season). This defense is not capable of stopping all these weapons, especially Edge. The Colts should reach 3-0 at home in the dome this weekend.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Edgerrin James, Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Colt Defense, Fred Taylor, Mike Vanderjagt

2nd String: Mark Brunell, Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, Kyle Brady

Prediction: Jaguars 10, Colts 31

New York Jets (0-2) at New England (1-1), 1:00 PM
The Jets are in for a long year. The loss of Chad Pennington has damaged this team, seemingly, beyond repair. The real problem with this team is Curtis Martin. Martin is now officially over 30 years old and history has shown that 30 years (especially with the years of wear Martin has) is a bad number for veteran running backs. He has been horrible so far and has shown no signs of getting better. It is true he started out this slow last year and then found form later in the season. However, Martin had suffered a preseason injury last season and this is not the case this year. It is time for the Jets to look at LaMont Jordan as the candidate for starting running back. He has the tools needed to be a productive back in the NFL. Jordan didn't get a single carry last week. Of course, Martin got only 10, and when the team you play for is down 21-3 at half time that can be expected. The Patriots defense seemed to pull together despite all the controversy (Lawyer Milloy, the feelings for their coach & ownership) and played very well in beating Philly last week. They sacked McNabb 7 TIMES last week. 7 TIMES!!! One thing is certain: Vinny T. is not as big as McNabb, he's not as fast as McNabb, he's not as strong as McNabb, and if Rosevelt Colvin and company can throw McNabb down 7 times then Vinny is in for what we in the business call an "ass whoopin'."

The Patriots also got the offense rolling last week. Tom Brady played like the Tom Brady of two seasons ago and led the offense to a rout of the Eagles. The running game for the Pats was still sub par, but the passing was all the Pats needed to beat up the struggling Eagles' defense. The many injuries have put a real hurt on the Eagles' defense, especially the loss of Brian Dawkins. Philly's backfield is still talented, but Dawkins gave the Eagles an added dimension: he could pass rush, he could cover, and he can put a lick on you that will make you see double. Without those threats out there, the Pats kicked up the passing game and showed their abilities. They will need to do that again this week versus the Jets. The Jets' defense is not very tough: they have some players (John Abraham, Mo Lewis, Shawn Ellis) but they are not functioning well under all the pressure due to lack of offense. It is very understandable: when you spend so much time on the field because the offense can't produce, fatigue will take effect. The key to taking advantage of this is the running game. Look for Kevin Faulk to get carries early and often to soften up the defense. Before too long, Brady will open up the long ball and the Pats will be full force against the Jets. Expect another week of struggle for the Jets; they just are not a good team right now.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Tom Brady, Patriot Defense, Adam Vinatieri

2nd String: Troy Brown, Deion Branch, Kevin Faulk, Santana Moss, Curtis Conway, Anthony Becht

Prediction: Jets 10, Pats 24

Tampa Bay (1-1) at Atlanta (1-1), 1:00 PM
How about that Tampa/Carolina game last weekend? When is the last time you sat and watched an exciting game that ended at 12-9? 3 blocked kicks is something the Bucs would like to forget. You can expect the Bucs to come out mad this week. The Bucs offense is very suspect. Keyshawn Johnson has become, basically, and possession receiver. He is not a deep threat any more. The only real deep threat, Joe Jurevicius, is out for 6 weeks with a tore MCL. Keenan McCardell is the go to guy, and he's a good receiver, but he cannot carry this team. Brad Johnson is a good QB, but he's not showing us anything spectacular. Michael Pittman is not a RB that would start on most NFL teams. To put it honestly, the defense HAS to score to make this team a sure winner. The Atlanta defense is nothing special, but with this offense it should perform better. Brad Johnson will have to find a way to get this done in order to keep the game from being decided by an OT field goal.

Atlanta's offense seemed to take off last week against Washington. Unfortunately, it seems they forgot there are two halves to a football game. They did very little in the second half, the Redskins came back, and despite a last minute surge they lost the game. Point the finger at the defense. Patrick Ramsey, normally an average quarterback (only in his second year, he is coming around), threw for over 300 yards. Laveranues Coles was catching everything in the air. It is obvious the Falcons miss Mike Vick, even more than they thought they possibly could. Although they scored 31 points on Washington, they didn't put up impressive offensive numbers: they threw for 184 net yards, Warrick Dunn ran for a whopping 62 yards, and TJ Duckett ran in the TD's from short yards. Alge Crumpler is the only player on this team you can point at as a solid performer. Against what may be the best defense in the NFL, the Falcons' prospects for offense this week are even worse. Tampa did show they can be run on last week (Stephen Davis rushed for 142 yards), but Atlanta does not have a RB the caliber of Stephen Davis. This game will be a typical Tampa Bay game: very little scoring, lots of defense, and not too much hope for a poor defensive team like Atlanta.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Buc Defense, Alge Crumpler, Martin Gramatica

2nd String: Peerless Price, Brad Johnson, Keenan McCardell, Jay Feely

Prediction: Bucs 17, Falcons 9

Pittsburgh (1-1) at Cincinnati (0-2), 1:00 PM
The Steelers have to be disappointed. They were really putting the wax to the Chiefs early last week. Plaxico Burress looked like he was going to have a career day. You could say out of nowhere, but its Priest Holmes. Holmes came out of the direct line of sight and proceeded to beat the living crap out of the Steelers. Donte Hall returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD to start the comeback, but Holmes did the damage. The Steelers' defense is struggling to stop the run: they held Jamal Lewis to a respectable 69 yards in Week 1, but to allow Holmes 3 TD's in Week 2 seems significant. It better, as the Bengals' strongest offensive power is Corey Dillon. The Bengals will need Dillon to get at least 30 carries and make good on a majority of them to compete. Jon Kitna, Chad Johnson, and Peter Warrick (tell me THAT name doesn't surprise you) have played well and could produce some offense. However, it is obvious the Steelers' biggest weakness defensively is against the run (the pass D is pretty good; they held Trent Green to 125 yards last week and also nabbed two interceptions).

On offense, the Steelers have answered concerns about the passing game. More to the point, Tommy Maddox has answered concerns about the passing game. He has been solid: he throws deep, he throws with accuracy, he throws with confidence, and he makes big time use of the Steelers' biggest weapons: WR's Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward, and Antwaan El Randle. He has made the Steelers a formidable offensive threat and has been a problem for two tough defenses thus far. RB Amos Zereoue has been good as well. He's not a breakout runner, he's not a Sportscenter film star, but he gets the job done and gives Maddox a solid running game to keep defenses honest. The Bengals are getting better on defense, especially versus the pass, but the three Steeler receivers are too much for them to handle this weekend. Bill Cowher and his team will get back on the good side of .500 and should beat the Bengals fairly convincingly.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Plaxico Burress, Tommy Maddox, Hines Ward, Steeler Defense, Corey Dillon, Chad Johnson

2nd String: Amos Zereoue, Jay Riemersma, Jon Kitna, Peter Warrick, Jeff Reed

Prediction: Steelers 30, Bengals 18

Kansas City (2-0) at Houston (1-1), 1:00 PM
The Chiefs are one of the best teams in the NFL right now. They have it working on all fronts: running the ball, passing the ball, defense, kicking, everything is flowing. The Chiefs don't have a dominant receiver (Tony Gonzalez could be, if he was 100% healthy) yet Trent Green is able to spread the wealth to several receivers and make it work well. Priest Holmes is the best rusher in the game today. Now, the Texans do have a decent defense. They did a great job of shutting down Ricky Williams in their first game, but they suffered a little letdown last week as Deuce McAllister racked up 96 yards. Both are solid backs, but Holmes is at the peak of the NFL right now (late note: he's just been added to Injury Report as questionable, so keep your eyes on him!). It is hard to see how this Texan defense will stop him. He opens the entire offensive game up for the Chiefs: he runs, they can't stop it, they stack the line to try to slow him down, and Trent Green goes downfield with a pass. It should be another successful game this weekend for the Chiefs: they are too good right now for the Houston Texans.

By the way, the Chiefs defense is playing well too. They put the clamps on the Steelers for the final 3 quarters last week. After scoring 17 points in the first quarter, the Steelers could only manage one more field goal in the remaining quarters. To add to the pain, the Chiefs also returned an interception 46 yards for a TD in the 2nd quarter. The Texans are not ready to face a tough D like this, just like they aren't ready for the offense of the Chiefs. They did face Miami's D in Week 1, but apparently someone had forgotten to tell the Fins they were suppose to be there. Houston snuck up and bit off an upset. Don't plan on another upset this week. Dick Vermeil has these boys kickin' and Houston is next on the list.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Priest Holmes, Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, Chief Defense

2nd String: Andre Johnson, Jabar Gaffney, Eddie Kennison, Johnnie Morton

Prediction: Chiefs 34, Texans 12

St. Louis (1-1) at Seattle (2-0), 4:05 PM
To say the Seahawks are baffling is an extreme understatement. For instance, you see the score of the game last weekend? They beat the Arizona Cardinals down proper: 38-0. Now, to say fantasy players were not all over this match-up is to not know fantasy players. If you had Matt Hasselback, Koren Robinson, Shaun Alexander, and even Darrell Jackson on your roster they were likely starters. Then you go to the box score. Hasselback with only 175 yards? Shaun Alexander with 51 yards? KOREN ROBINSON DIDN'T PLAY??? Well, at least Jackson racked up 133 yards. But take a look at the first week too. Hasselback had only 137 passing yards. Koren Robinson had only 3 catches for 56 yards. It's amazing: the Seahawks have a total of 65 points on 593 net yards of total offense (do the math: they average one point for every 9 yards of offense!). They need to put up some numbers this weekend. This game will be a shoot out. The Rams' defense is not terrifying. Seattle has the complete package of offensive weapons and should be able to produce plenty of points. Robinson needs a break out game. He is due and after having last week off he should be full of energy, motivation, and playmaking ability.

We all know the Rams. Well, we thought we knew the Rams. The high-powered offensive weapons are still there, they just don't seem to use their big dog enough. Marshall Faulk needs to get the ball more. The good news is that he will: Marc Bulger has been named the starter for the Rams as of this week. With Kurt Warner at the helm, Faulk averages about 17 carries a game. With Marc Bulger behind center, Faulk averages a little over 21 carries a game. He becomes very important: he gets the ball to help take pressure off of the younger Bulger. But to be honest, 21 carries a game is not enough for a game with Seattle. Seattle's defense has been ok thus far, but they have had one of their two games against the worse NFL team (Arizona). If Emmitt Smith can get 60 yards against the Seahawks, there is every reason to think Faulk could go well over 100. He is also a great short receiver and can provide the strong 4th option Bulger will need to succeed. This is going to be an all-out scoring extravaganza! Alexander vs. Faulk; Hasselback vs. Bulger; Robinson vs. Holt. Here is the key stat for the game: St. Louis, in the two games thus far, has given up an average of 148.5 rushing yards a game. You say its only two games? True, but the rushers in those two games were Tiki Barber and Garrison Hearst. Neither is considered a top NFL rushing threat, and most NFL fans would agree Shaun Alexander is. Give the edge to Seattle, the better defense, and the home field advantage.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Shaun Alexander, Marshall Faulk, Koren Robinson, Matt Hasselback, Marc Bulger

2nd String: Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Darrell Jackson, Jeff Wilkins, Jerramy Stevens

Prediction: Rams 26, Seahawks 32

New York (1-1) at Washington (2-0), 4:05 PM
The Giants tried to come back to 2-0, but they made one bad mistake. One kicking mistake is the difference between a win and a lose (say what you like, and I know it would have been an ugly win, but a win is a win and in 3 weeks no one will care if the win was ugly, they'll just see the win). The Giants seemed to lose their identity in the first half and it revealed the flaw to their offense: if they can't run then they can't do anything. If you play nice passing coverage, and if Tiki Barber can't hold on to the ball (he has a history for fumbles) or get any production going, then the offense is not very good. Collins is more than capable of hitting the skids, Barber is more than capable of a bad game, and if they don't play well then it can be a long game for fans of the Giants. The good thing is they play Washington this week. Washington's D has some great players but has not done a good job of keeping opposing scoring down: they've given up 44 points in two games (and one of those opponents was the Jets). They do, however, keep a good wrap on the yards. In their two games they've given up an average of 142 passing yards and 78 rushing yards. Not too bad. It will be interesting. If the Giants can pass or throw with success, they have the talent to make either (or both) work well enough to win. Kicker Matt Bryant is the secret weapon. The youngster has a great leg and has done a good job in tough situations thus far. By the way, it will help if Shockey can hold on to those touchdown passes (don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but if you're going to run your mouth then back it up and catch the damn ball!).

That said about the Giants, they do play nice defense. They shut down St. Louis in their first game, and last week, despite their top efforts, the Cowboys scored almost all of their points on field goals. They may have lost, but they did awesome in the red zone and kept Dallas out of the end zone. That game could have and should have been a blowout, but the Giants kept the Boys out of the end zone and almost came back. Washington's offense will give them more trouble this weekend. Patrick Ramsey is turning, slowly but surely, into a solid NFL QB. He led the Redskins to a strong comeback victory against the Falcons, throwing for 356 yards. With Laveranues Coles trolling the field, it makes it a little easier for Ramsey and a lot tougher for defensive backs. Rod Gardner is a solid WR as well. Trung Candidate stepped up as the lead RB last week and performed well. All this is good, but it may not be the same story against the Giants this weekend. The Giants will put much more pressure on Ramsey than the Falcons did last Sunday (at least in the second half). The Giants are also more than capable of keeping both Trung Candidate and Ladell Betts in their places, behind the line of scrimmage. Ramsey, Coles, and Gardner could find some openings and keep this game respectable. It is just hard to believe this defense would give up 300 passing yards in two consecutive games. The Washington D is nice, but don't count on Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey being shut down. Let's keep the score close, but give the edge to the Giants and their defense.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Amani Toomer, Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey, Kerry Collins, Giant Defense, Laveranues Coles

2nd String: Patrick Ramsey, Rod Gardner, Ike Hilliard, Trung Candidate, Matt Bryant, John Hall

Prediction: Giants 27, Redskins 23

Green Bay (1-1) at Arizona (0-2), 4:05 PM
Here's my upset special of the week! Cardinals 48, Packers 12! Ok, back to reality. The Cardinals have become my new "worst team in the NFL" and, thus, will become the most common place for my sarcasm and bad jokes. Do you think Emmitt Smith really believed himself when he said he was staying in the NFL as long as "he could play for a winner," then signed with the Cardinals? I would like to suggest the following: Emmitt Smith is still playing, with the lowly Cardinals, because of one thing and one thing only, and it's not the money (though the money doesn't hurt). He clearly wants to pad his stats. How many football fans and experts would, at this very moment, put Emmitt Smith in the top 5 RB's of all time? I would guess MAYBE 10% of knowledgeable people asked would say Emmitt Smith is one of the top 5 RB's of all time, AND HE IS THE ALL TIME LEADING RUSHER IN NFL HISTORY! Do you think that makes Emmitt happy? Just something to ponder.

This game is going to take place. Here's some stats to sum it all up. One: the Cardinals have allowed 80 points in two games, worst in the NFL. Two: the Cardinals are coming off a shutout to a team with a defense similar to Green Bays. Three: in Week 1 the Cardinals threw for 363 yards, and lost by 18 points. Four: the Green Bay Packers are 16-0 when Ahman Green rushes for 100 yards or more, and Ahman Green will rush for 100 yards in this game (unless, much like Seattle experienced last week, they start beating the Cardinals so badly they put the 2nd string players in to keep the starters out of the heat). This game is a slam-dunk if there ever was one in the NFL. Let's go way out on the limb: the Cardinals don't have a good sniff at a win until Week 13, when they play the Bears.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Ahman Green, Brett Favre, Javon Walker, Ryan Longwell, Packer Defense

2nd String: Robert Ferguson, Bubba Franks, Anquan Boldin, Bryant Johnson, Emmitt Smith, Jeff Blake

Prediction: Packers 38, Cardinals 13

Baltimore (1-1) at San Diego (0-2), 4:15 PM
The Ravens enjoyed a nice rushing performance last week by Jamal Lewis. Don't know if any of you heard, but Lewis broke the NFL record for rushing yards in a single game. You may have also heard Jamal Lewis has ruled the Browns for two years now. He is the Baltimore offense, and believe it or not that is not a good thing. The running game is obviously solid, but the passing game is horrid. Rookie Kyle Boller has struggled mightily to get the arm flowing. However, as is often the case for rookie QB's, this season is obviously a lesson year and the potential of things getting significantly better is not good. This makes things hard for the Ravens: every team knows if you can stop the run then you can beat them. This week they play the Chargers. Guess what? The Chargers have not stopped the run at all this year. Priest Holmes dismantled them in Week 1; Clinton Portis was on his way to challenging Jamal Lewis' one hour old record before he suffered a minor chest injury and had to leave the game. It is safe to say Jamal Lewis could have another big game, and it is safe to say the Chargers need to stop him or they will lose.

The real key to this game is the match up between the Ravens' defense and LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson finally started to get his game in order in the second half of the Denver game last week. The Ravens are (and have been for a few years now) notorious for shutting down the running game of any and all comers in the NFL. In their two games thus far, the Ravens have held their opponents (the Browns and Steelers, both teams with solid RB's) to an average of only 74 rushing yards a game (throw in the fact teams average 27 attempts a game and the number is even more impressive). It stands to reason that Tomlinson could find some success in this game, but he won't have the type of game that will carry the Bolts to victory. It will be on Drew Brees to win it, and he's played well. He has received little to no help from his receivers. Anyone that has watched the Bolts this year at all will agree the performances of the Charger receivers have been atrocious. They drop balls, they drop more balls, and they proceed to drop even more balls. Until we see differently, the Chargers are a team in trouble and the Ravens are likely to continue this trend.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Jamal Lewis, LaDainian Tomlinson, Todd Heap, Raven Defense

2nd String: Drew Brees, Travis Taylor, David Boston (listed as Questionable)

Prediction: Ravens 23, Chargers 13

Cleveland (0-2) at San Francisco (1-1), 4:15 PM
The Browns are winless. They came into last week with the game plan set to stop Jamal Lewis and make Kyle Boller beat them. Lewis then rushed for 295 yards. In Week 1, Cleveland lost in a game with Indy that may go down as the most exciting game of the year, as two kickers battled it out to a 9-6 victory for Indy. The problems are numerous in Cleveland. Willie Green has run the ball fairly well (you can't expect big numbers against the Ravens). The receivers are all there to be used: great young talent and great young legs. The problem on offense has been Kelly Holcomb. Holcomb impressed last year and won games with a no holds barred style. He threw long early and often, he threw with confidence to all areas of the field, and he actually used the passing game to open up the running game for Green. This year, after being given the starting job outright over Tim Couch, he has not played like himself. He's played like Tim Couch. He tries to rely on short passes. He doesn't seem to have the confidence he once carried. He won't go down field. This has affected the entire offensive scheme of the Browns. Green is running ok, but his numbers would be better if defenses feared the pass. The 49ers defense is not very good and gives the Browns a great opportunity to allow Holcomb to get his confidence back. He'll have opportunities to go deep, to throw to open receivers, to send those receivers out in force to cover the field and find holes in the defense. They Browns have to get the passing game working, or it could be long season.

The 49ers are a team that has played well thus far. They lost a heart breaker to St. Louis last week in St. Louis and enjoyed a massive feast over Chicago in Week 1. Terrell Owens didn't do much last week (he did catching the TD to tie the game before OT) and seemed a little peeved, as he has not been getting enough looks to keep him happy. Jeff Garcia has played well and is throwing the ball with zip. His back problems in the preseason don't seem to be bothering him and he is at full strength. Garrison Hearst is proving, as he does every year, that he owns the fountain of youth and is the best running back the 49ers have at their disposal. It seems this offense is set to take a beating to the Browns. This may not be so easy. Cleveland's D has been surprisingly solid. They are starting 3 LB's this year that had never started an NFL game before this season. This may sound stupid, but even in allowing Lewis to run for 295 yards they played very well at times (sounds stupid, but look at the numbers: basically, Lewis averaged 50 yards a carry for about 4 carries; the other carries he only averaged about 3.5 yards a carry-it's crazy but it's true! You don't ignore the big runs, but if you break down the numbers it amounts to 4 big runs by Lewis, including a couple of key penalties to take away some yards from Lewis!). In Week 1, the Browns did a great job against the Colts: they contained the Manning and Harrison show to nothing and kept Edge to respectable numbers. It may seem outrageous, but (as the numbers and games show thus far) the Cleveland D is a unit that is vulnerable to the big running play and is good against the pass. If they can step up and keep Garcia from throwing to Owens over and over again, they could pull out an upset. It's a total gamble, but I'm taking Cleveland in the upset on the road in San Francisco.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Terrell Owens, William Green, Jeff Garcia

2nd String: Garrison Hearst, Kelly Holcomb, Kevan Barlow

Prediction: Browns 18, 49ers 14

Buffalo (2-0) at Miami (1-1), 8:30 PM
The Bills have been riding on cloud 9. They've blown out two opponents in two games and seem completely unstoppable. Drew Bledsoe looks to be at the peak of his career. He is blessed with great WR's in Eric Moulds, Bobby Shaw, and Josh Reed. He's throwing all over the field with amazing accuracy and plenty of strength to go deep as often as he would like. After two games Drew has totaled yards passing with 3 TD's and only 1 pick. Not too shabby. Travis Henry seems to be running even better since the Bills drafted Willis McGahee. He's totaled only 115 yards in two games, but he had 5 TD's (equal to Priest Holmes). On offense it would seem the Bills are on a role that won't be easily halted. Miami's defense looks on paper like they could be up for the challenge. However, they have not performed very well thus far. They gave up 21 points to a not-so-good Houston team in Week 1, allowing them to come from behind for the win. In Week 2, they performed better, but that is to be expected against a struggling Jets team. Which defense will show up for this week's game? Miami could fair better against the Bills than their previous opponents. They have the talent to do well, especially against the run as they have in the two previous games. Unfortunately for Fin fans, they have not done well against the pass at all. The Texans threw for 266 yards and the Jets threw for 373 yards: neither is impressive in the least, especially when you consider David Carr and Vinny Testaverde are not the caliber of Drew Bledsoe. This passing attack may be too much for the Dolphins to contain once again. Bledsoe has done it in every game thus far and don't gamble on him not doing it again.

On offense, the Fins have one of the best RB's in the game in Ricky Williams. Even when you "contain" him he gets decent yards and it is virtually impossible to keep him out of the red zone. That said, the rushing of Ricky Williams is not enough for the Dolphins to win. WR Chris Chambers has come on strong thus far, racking up a total of 209 yards and 2 TD's so far. It would be a more comfortable game plan for the Fins if Jay Fiedler were not behind the QB. Not that Fiedler isn't at capable QB, but he's not outstanding and often struggles to get the ball to the weapons in the field. He has completed 60% of his passes, and has gone deep (has a 57 yarder on record already this year), but the real problem comes against a strong pass rush. He is vulnerable to sacks and has a history of fumbles. You better believe the Bills have a pass rush. Their D looks to be one of the best units in the NFL this year. Takeo Spikes has REALLY enjoyed his new found freedom: he can rush the QB or make an interception or just spy on the QB and freelance. He's a defensive stud, and his supporting cast is loaded with potential Pro Bowlers. Lawyer Milloy, London Fletcher, Jeff Posey, and Sam Adams have all made big plays in both games, they've all been key to the pass rush, and they will keep Jay Fiedler in a very uncomfortable position. The Dolphins will have to run early and often to keep this defense honest, and he could find some success (Kevin Faulk gained 62 yds in Week 1 and Freddie Taylor got to 72 yds last week). That said, Ricky Williams will have to pick up about 200 yards and at least 4 TD's to keep up with the Bills big time offense. It won't happen, he can't do it alone, the Buffalo D will contain Fiedler just fine, and they will keep Buffalo on the winning side of the game again this weekend.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Drew Bledsoe, Eric Moulds, Ricky Williams, Travis Henry, Buffalo Defense

2nd String: Chris Chambers, Randy McMichael, Bobby Shaw, Josh Reed, Rian Lindell, Olindo Mare, Miami Defense

Prediction: Bills 31, Dolphins 17

Oakland (1-1) at Denver (2-0), 9:00 PM
The Oakland Raiders have looked their age thus far this season. Rich Gannon has struggled to throw well and to find open receivers. Then again, his receivers haven't been very open. He misses Jerry Porter more than you or I can imagine. Charlie Garner has been the go-to guy and he's not rushing a lot, he's catching passes. This offense is not competing at all like it did last season. This is not a good time for a big Monday night game in Denver against your biggest NFL rival. Not only is it not good timing, it's horrible. The Denver D has played very well. They are not perfect, but they are the most complete unit they've had in a few years in Denver. They've played very well, getting great QB pressure and doing an even better job against the rushing game. Their only visible weakness right now is the defensive backfield. They do have trouble covering downfield. Too bad the Raiders don't have the capabilities to take advantage of this weakness. Jerry Rice and Tim Brown have both been awful and the chances of that changing this week are slim and none. If they are relying on Garner to save them, he could do well but not THAT well. He may find some rushing yards, but it won't be much. He'll most likely be receiver #1 again, catching short yard passes and doing his damage after the catch. That won't be nearly enough to stay in this game.

The Broncos are a little dinged up on offense, but it appears at time of print that all will be well by game time. Clinton Portis has been weapon #1 for the Broncos and has been awesome thus far. He was on pace to gather about 300 yards rushing last week versus the Chargers before he left the game with a chest bruise. He is fine and is already back in practice. The passing game struggled in Week 1 but looked great last week. Plummer went down with a separated shoulder early, but had already thrown 3 TD's by that time and the damage was done. He is starting to click with both Rod Smith and Ashlie Lelie on long pass plays. These guys will become a big factor as the season progresses. It is being reported in Denver that although Plummer is listed as questionable, he looks ok in practice and it is believed he will be able to come out and play with the boys. Shannon Sharpe is himself: a top notch NFL TE and making play after play. The offensive weapons are just too deep for the old Raider D to contend with. This game should be a blowout. It's Monday Night Football, its in Denver, and Coach Shanahan would love nothing more than to stick to Al Davis in an embarrassing way. It should be too hard for his team to accomplish.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Clinton Portis, Jake Plummer, Bronco Defense, Charlie Garner, Shannon Sharpe

2nd String: Rod Smith, Rich Gannon, Jerry Rice, Ashley Lelie, Doug Jolley, Sebastian Janikowski, Jason Elam

Prediction: Raiders 13, Broncos 28