Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Deuce McAllister, John Carney, Alge Crumpler

2nd String: Aaron Brooks, TJ Duckett, Joe Horn, Donte Stallworth, Peerless Price (Questionable), Kirt Kittner, Jay Feeley

Prediction: Saints 21, Dirty Birds 14

Baltimore (3-2) at Cincinnati (1-4), 1:00 PM
For several years now, the Ravens have been all about defense. They won a ring with one of the most dominating defenses of all time. This year, they are all about Jamal Lewis. The running game of Lewis is the only consistency of their game: the passing game is beyond horrible (ranked dead last in the NFL, averaging less than 100 yards passing a game, and starting QB rookie Kyle Boller threw for 60 YARDS in their last game!) and their defense can play well but has laid some eggs. The Ravens' D did pick it up this last week versus Arizona: although they allowed plenty of yards, they kept the Cards out of the end zone, and they won the game with turnovers (namely, interceptions) turned into touchdowns. If you happen to be new to the NFL: INTERCEPTIONS TURNED INTO TOUCHDOWS TURN INTO WINS (fyi, a blocked punt returned doesn't hurt either, but that play was just nice work by Reed and bad blocking by Zona). The Ravens need to keep this kind of effort up in all their games. They don't get great QB pressure like they used to, they are not capable of shutting down the running game like they used to, but they can cover and make plays like they used to. Jamal Lewis has become one of the best offensive weapons in the NFL today, but he can't carry this team to a win in every game by himself. The passing game isn't going to help at all, so the defense had better kick it into gear against this Bengals team.

The Bengals may be the second most improved team this year. I realize they are 1 & 4, but in case you haven't noticed they've been very competitive. The only team to really work them was Denver in Week 1. Since then, they have lost by 3 to Oakland, lost by 7 to Pittsburgh, beat Cleveland, and lost to Buffalo by 6. Granted, none of those teams are among the NFL's best, but neither is Baltimore. Marv Lewis may not be Bill Parcells, but the things he's doing with this team are almost as progressive and productive. The offense is talented, led by veterans Jon Kitna and Corey Dillon and reinforced with young talents like Chad Johnson and Peter Warrick. This team is capable of big points, and they could upset anyone. The defense is the big question in Cincy. Cincy's weakness is Baltimore's strength: the Bengals give up about 120 yards rushing a game. Truth be told, Jamal Lewis can't be stopped and even if he is it does not guarantee victory. The Bengals need to score early and often in this one. A healthy Corey Dillon will help: his running can eat up the clock and help open up the passing game. The real question is this: will this be a shoot-out, or will it be a defensive battle. It is fair to believe Baltimore, who may have turned a corner this last week with a defensive win over Arizona, can make this a defensive battle, especially by giving Jamal Lewis the rock. Take the Ravens, but it will be closer than you think.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Jamal Lewis, Chad Johnson, Corey Dillon (Questionable), Todd Heap

2nd String: Jon Kitna, Baltimore Defense, Peter Warrick, Matt Stover

Prediction: Ravens 17, Bengals 13

San Diego (0-5) at Cleveland (3-3), 1:00 PM
It would be easy to look at the Chargers and say they are the league's worst team. They are not. They may have the NFL's most dismal defense (currently ranking 22nd versus the pass and 5th worse defense versus the run), but on offense they have the potential to score with and on any team in the league. Tomlinson can run, and run fast and strong, but he can't get it down when he's double or triple teamed by opposing defenses. Opponents don't spy on LT as much as they sit in wait. The passing game for the Bolts could be better, but Drew Brees is a true talent and has done well considering the rag-tag group of receivers he's played with. David Boston could be the man, and at times he has been. Eric Parker is coming into his own. Tim Dwight is no slouch. IF THEY COULD CATCH THE BALL, IT WOULD REALLY HELP. We'd like to see Boston just get his butt on the field. The others have tried valiantly, but have struggled time and time again with dropped balls. This offense can get it done if they can avoid mistakes, if Boston can get on the field and play, and especially if they can get the passing game some respect so they can hand it off to #21 more often. And believe me, they need to score, 'cause they aren't going to stop anyone else from doing the same to them.

Can we officially file a quarterback controversy claim for Cleveland with the NFL? Not yet. I realize I stated that if Tim Couch could beat the Raiders they would "officially" have a problem. And he did win. However, he did it ugly, only throwing for 127 yards, 0 TD's, and 0 INT's. Not very good against such a horrible offense like Oakland, who came into the game giving up a smidge less than 220 yards passing a game. Here is the big thing: Couch has some kind of mental block when he's in Cleveland. He struggles at home and excels on the road. I realize it all comes down to winning, but Coach Davis has given us every reason to believe Kelly Holcomb will get his job back when he is available. One guy who can be counted on to start this game is RB Willie Green. All but left for dead by most fantasy owners, Green has come on strong the last two games, totaling 260 yards and a TD. The kid has skills, and if he gets a chance he can run well (a soft defense helps too). San Diego defense isn't soft, it's more like a Jell-O type substance, yet void of substance. Willie Green will run, and so will Tomlinson. The one thing the Browns don't want is a scoring frenzy. The Browns did score 33 on Pittsburgh, and, once again, that was Tim Couch on the road. At home, Cleveland is averaging 11 points scored (6, 13, and 14), and even with the 33 points total versus Pittsburgh the Browns are averaging only 15 points a game. Not very good, and the Chargers are more than capable of scoring that much. Every team has to win SOMETIME, and this is the week for the Bolts. The Cleveland defense is improved, but they are weak against the run. Expect Tomlinson to come out getting the ball often, expect Brees to go the air with confidence as he has all year, and if Boston can show up and play to his potential, the Chargers should score enough to win this one, especially if Couch gets the start.

LATE NEWS: Tim Couch will once again get the start.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: LaDainian Tomlinson, Willie Green

2nd String: Drew Brees, David Boston, Tim Couch, Quincy Morgan, Andre Davis, Cleveland Defense

Prediction: Bolts 23, Browns 14

Dallas (4-1) at Detroit (1-4), 1:00 PM
How 'bout them Cowboys? Wait… we are in the Parcells era. The Boys suck. They are awful. They aren't passing with the efficiency they would like, they need to run more, their special teams are….. you know what? I just can't do it. I'm not Parcells, and unlike Bill, I am impressed. Bill is like General Patton: victory isn't victory until the war is over. Every game is a battle, and winning the battle is great, but its small potatoes to winning the war. THAT is why Parcells is the greatest coach of this era in the NFL. He can motivate like no other, and the success in Dallas is no fluke. Granted, McNabb's lousy play definitely helped the Cowboys win, but not every team would capitalize on such opportunities (i.e. Washington and Buffalo). It would be nice to see more from Hambrick: he has potential and could be a weekly 100, well, 80 yards and a TD guy. He'll get his chances against the Lions. Detroit is coming off they bye, which means they are still giving up about 130 rushing yards a game. They are almost as bad defensively as San Diego: they rank 25th versus the pass and 25th against the run (nice consistency at least). Scoring shouldn't be the problem for Dallas this week.

Detroit is in for a rude awakening this week. They've lost WR phenom Charles Rogers to a broken collarbone for 4 to 6 weeks. This is beyond devastating. Harrington just lost his main target, the RB-by-committee just lost it's insurance for covering their pathetic performances, and Detroit fans just lost their reason to watch their team. To say Harrington-to-Rogers is the future of this organization is a huge understatement: they are the now of the organization. Without Rogers, the Dallas front line, along with super stud Roy Williams, will have a field day on Joey Harrington. The offensive line struggles as it is, but without a serious deep threat (and, I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to consider Az-Zir Hakim and Bill Schroeder a "serious" deep threat) Williams (and Derek Ross for that matter, who the Cowboys were happy to get back last week) will have plenty of opportunities to rush the passer. If you are in need of a defense for your fantasy team this week, this is a great chance to see if Dallas is available. This game could be a blowout: Detroit is void of a serious scoring threat, their best player (Harrington) has absolutely no support in defending him or creating consistent scoring target, and even if they had Rogers the Dallas defense would create all kinds of havoc for this team.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Dallas Defense, Quincy Carter, Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn, Billy Cundiff

2nd String: Joey Harrington, Mikhael Ricks, Troy Hambrick, Antonio Bryant

Prediction: Cowboys 27, Lions 9

Green Bay (3-3) at St. Louis (3-2), 1:00 PM
The Packers are on a role, at least offensively. They dress up nice, go to the prom in the nice limo, danced like Justin Timberlake and were the hit of the party, were ready for the night of passion, and the out-of-town geek stole their girlfriend. In other words, they came and played great just to lose out in the end (and KC isn't the equivalent of a "geek," but it fits the stupid symbolism). Once again, the Packers fall to the loss column and their primary weakness is shown yet again: defense. This is a team that cannot get comfortable with ANY lead. The Rams, though not playing as well as they would like, have found the passing game behind Marc Bulger. They may be able to take advantage of the struggling Packer defensive backs. It's no secret how the Packers are finding success: his name is Ahman Green, his teammates lovingly refer to him as "Sweaty," went to Nebraska, maybe you've heard of him. The guy is making a bid for MVP, and if you look at his last 3 games you'll see why: Week 4 he rushed for 176 versus Chicago (SHOCKER), Week 5 he rushed for 118 versus Seattle, and last week he lit up a good KC defense for 139 (topping top fantasy stud Priest Holmes). If the Packers are going to win this one, they can't afford to get into a touchdown sprint with the Rams. Green will be the key once again, as the Rams' defense is pretty good and a nice dose of smash-mouth running will only help the Packers' cause (keeping their offense on the field, and keeping their defense off).

The Rams, even in kicking the collective butts of the Falcons, showed some problems. Bulger did throw for 352 yards, but he also threw two ugly interceptions. The biggest problem for St. Louis may be the coaching. Martz is no dummy, but he's pretty pig-headed when it comes to using his RB's. Lamar Gordon is a great backup, and could start right now for several NFL teams. The Rams are blessed to have this guy backing up Marshall Faulk, yet even when the Rams win a game 36 to 0, Gordon gets only 19 carries. I don't care if the passing game is working that well, Gordon deserves 25 to 30 carries a game, as does Faulk when he is healthy, and Martz consistently fails to do so. If he thinks he's going to go into this game throwing bombs on 2nd and 2 and 3rd and 1, he's wrong. GIVE THE BALL TO THE RUNNING BACK. Every other aspect of the NFL team game will benefit from a strong running performance: the defense gets more rest, the team can play control-the-clock football (have you picked up that I love the strategy yet?), you can open up the passing game by making teams respect the threat of a run, it can really help the Rams win this game. If the Rams were not at home, we could plan on watching the Rams surely get to a quick deficit, Martz will become enamored with the thought of getting the ball in the air more and more often, and the Packers could role them over. This game being at home for St. Louis makes it more interesting. The Pack is averaging 29.3 points a game; the Rams are averaging 27.2. The offenses are closely matched. Here is the key for the game: the health of Adam Archuletta. If he can go, he could keep Favre honest and make a big play or two. This game will hinge on special teams (advantage Packers) and turnovers (without Archuletta, advantage Packers). Green will run, who knows if Martz will let Gordon run, and both Bulger and Favre will take it to the air. Right now, it looks like Archuletta will be out, and that is enough to sway me towards the Packers. Arch is that big for the Rams, this game is that close of a match up, and without the serious playmaker in the Rams' defensive backfield the will suffer in more ways than one.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Ahman Green, Brett Favre, Marc Bulger, Donald Driver, Torry Holt

2nd String: Bubba Franks, Javon Walker, Isaac Bruce, Rams Defense, Ryan Longwell, Jeff Wilkins

Prediction: Packers 27, Rams 21

New England (4-2) at Miami (4-1), 1:00 PM
Now, they time has come to give both of these teams their due. Let's start with the Patriots. They have been decimated with injuries, they lost a key defensive player just before the season started to a division rival, they are void of a serious running threat, yet they continue to win. They are doing with defense, no secret there. The key is defensive scoring: 4 defensive scores thus far. Tom Brady has found his stride, and that definitely helps, as does the reemergence of Troy Brown as a serious receiving threat. The addition of Mike Cloud to the offensive backfield adds the element of speed, where regular starter Kevin Faulk gives you the power run. For a team missing so many key players, they have played very well and got it done. Now, you look at the schedule and see who the Pats have beaten: Philly in Week 2 (struggling), NY Jets in Week 3 (struggling doesn't cover the situation there), the Titans in Week 5 (WHAT?), and the Giants this last week (um, Kerry Collins, interceptions, 'nuff said). I'm not taking anything away from the Pats: winning is winning and this team is impressive defensively. The real question will be answered this weekend: can the Pats beat a team with a REAL running game? They currently rank 7th overall in rushing defense, but Tiki Barber and Travis Henry aren't Ricky Williams. Williams has had a rough couple of weeks as he's failed to reach 100 yards in his last two games (not that he's been given much of a chance). The Patriots will have their hands full with the Predator, and Fiedler has shown the passing game can do something's without a significant contribution from Ricky too (and the Pats' defense is the 9th WORST in the NFL right now, giving up almost 240 yards a game).

The key to Miami's recent success has been defense. Great things were expected of this squad coming into the year, and they struggled for a while to find themselves. However, the Miami D has held their last 4 opponents to 10 points or less (impressive). Jason Taylor is amazing, Zach Thomas is Zach Thomas, and the real improvement has been in the defensive backfield, as Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain have been able to shut down some nice QB/WR tandems (Leftwich/Smith, Bledsoe/Moulds). They have 10 interceptions, tied for 3rd most in the NFL, and have also recorded 10 sacks (a nice number, especially considering the slow start). They key stat: Miami has allowed only 2 passing TD's. They are tied with only one team for the low number here, and that other team would be the Patriots. Ironic. So one might assume that passing TD's will be at a premium for this match. The real killer of this Miami D is the performance against the run: they are currently the 2nd best rushing D in the land, having given up only 2 rushing TD's (tied for lowest number in the NFL), are giving up just over 70 yards rushing a game (2nd best), and have given up exactly 0 runs for over 20 yards. THAT is amazing, and that killer D will more than shut down the rushing of New England. They will make it close to impossible for Brady to get comfortable. They will stick it to Brown, Deion Branch, and David Patten. They may get the short yardage stuff, but forget about going downfield (which has been a staple for New England these last few weeks). The Miami passing game isn't super impressive, but Chris Chambers can be. Along with Ricky the Predator, look for Miami to use the run a little more in this match up, allowing Ricky to pound that defense into submission and soften them up for some air strikes later in the game. The Pats will keep this interesting, but Miami at home is very tough, and Ricky without his yards is even tougher. By the way, just to make you wonder some more, both these teams are averaging exactly 21 points a game thus far: this will be a good game, and take the Fins by a couple of kicks.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Ricky Williams, Tom Brady, Miami Defense

2nd String: Chris Chambers, Randy McMichael, Troy Brown, Patriot Defense

Prediction: Patriots 15, Fins 21

Denver (5-1) at Minnesota (5-0), 1:00 PM
Are you kidding me? Yet ANOTHER tough game? If you had told me at the start of the season that the Vikings would be 5 & 0 at this point, I wouldn't have laughed but I would have been a little worried about your mental well being. If you had told me Moe Williams would be a rushing powerhouse and showed me his current stats, I would have officially stopped talking to you. Every different show or paper or magazine or website I read talks about how improved the Vikings are, but never in the same aspect: one talks about the running game, one discusses the maturity of Randy Moss, one mentions the mental growth of Daunte Culpepper, others talk about the amazingly efficient offensive line, and yet some have recently taken notice of the big time improvements on defense. It's all true, and it's adding up to big time wins for the Vikes. They will need it all this week and Denver comes to town in what promises to be one of, if not the, best test of this Vikings team this season (they do go to St. Louis later in the year, and KC comes to Minny in Week 16). Denver is either feast or famine thus far, but no matter what the Broncos throw at the Vikes, they may have an answer. They have been strong versus the run (we'll get back to this momentarily), but they are also good versus the pass. They get great QB pressure, having recorded 12 sacks and 13 interceptions (best in the NFL right now at picking off the ball). This will be key: Plummer, who may or may not play, has a history of interception problems and Minnesota will keep him guessing. It will be key to keep him in the pocket: though they have done well versus the run, they are vulnerable to long running plays (if Plummer doesn't play, Beuerlein is not much of a running factor and these comments can be easily ignored!). The defense will have their chance to shine this weekend, and Denver won't make it easy.

The Steelers may have given the other NFL teams, like Minnesota, the game tape they really wanted last week. The Black Curtain defense, for all intensive purposes, shoved Clinton Portis into a well and let him rot. Denver really struggled as Portis couldn't get the legs going and Plummer sat on the sideline. Now, I realize Steve Beuerlein is not Jake Plummer; however, the truth is that if Portis can be contained then the Broncos will be forced to go to the air. This could be good, or it could be bad. Regardless, one thing Minnesota has shown is that it can win the scoring marathon that a game like this can be. Denver has a nice defense that has shown they can play against the run or pass well. Too bad no one can cover Randy Moss this year; when he is in his mode, he is the best WR in the game. The Vikes are at home, their fans will make things more than difficult for Plummer and company (remember, the Broncos don't have much experience in Minnesota or any dome for that matter), and with the return of Daunte Culpepper the Vikings can pull out all the stops. I don't think this Vikings team will go undefeated, but this isn't the game they will lose first. Look for the Vikings to follow the game plan laid out by Pittsburgh: shove the holes for Portis full of tacklers, keep him as "contained" as possible, and don't let the running game get a hold on this game. Let Moe Williams and Onterrio Smith run, let Culpepper throw to Moss and Burleson, and let the defenses do the dirty work. Denver will score, but not as much as the Vikes. Throw in the fact the Vikes come in off the bye ("but Bryan, the Vikes historically play poorly after the bye week!" Yeah, well, screw history!), they play at home, and they have everyone (well, not Michael Bennett, but almost everyone) healthy, and it almost seems too much for Denver to handle.

LATE NEWS: Plummer has been official listed as "Out" and local Denver news has reported he will be gone for about a month with a broken foot (just before print time).

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper, Clinton Portis

2nd String: Moe Williams, Nate Burleson, Rod Smith, Jim Kleinsasser, Shannon Sharpe, Ashlie Lelie, Minnesota Defense, Steve Beuerlein

Prediction: Broncos 23, Vikes 31

Philadelphia (2-3) at N.Y. Giants (2-3), 1:00 PM
Does anyone believe me about the Eagles yet? I believe many out there thought the Eagles had "turned it around," and they were going to prove Bill Parcells and Dallas as the unfit team they really are. Yeah, that worked out really well. The time is here to recognize: Donovan McNabb is in a slump. He looked straight up awful last week. It's the same problems he's faced every week this season: his passes are thrown without confidence or accuracy, he is reluctant to run as much as he used to, he's not 100% healthy, and he's out there almost all alone. Say what you like, but James Thrash, Todd Pinkston, Deuce Staley, Brian Westbrook, Freddie Mitchell, Correll Buckhalter: these are not names you will see on Pro Bowl rosters very often, you won't see big numbers by their names in the box scores on a weekly basis, and they are not the kind of player that can take a game over when Donovan can't. The Eagles are lucky to have two wins: they beat a struggling Buffalo team by 10 points and beat Washington by exactly one bad Patrick Ramsey pass. They have to break out of it some time, right? I would argue the defense won't be at full go until Brian Dawkins comes back. They have players on defense still, but they are not stopping anyone from scoring: they've done very well versus the run, but if you can throw you can beat them. That's what makes this game interesting: can the Giants pass?

The Giants have to be considered the most disappointing team thus far this year. They were supposed to be primed for a run to the playoffs, ready to make a go at the big game. Yet they already have 3 losses after only 5 games. They have so much talent, yet they are the living proof of the age-old adage of the NFL: you can't win if you turn the ball over. They have recorded only 8 offensive touchdowns, and with offensive weapons like Amani Toomer, Jeremy Shockey, and Tiki Barber, that number is disappointing. The defense has to be worried as well: they give up about 107 yards rushing a game and 237 yards passing a game. Those two numbers together do not bode well for winning, especially when your offense can't score. So, after you really look at this game, it turns out to be a good match up, though not the match up we all hoped for when the schedule was made. Who will turn it around? Will the Giants get back on track, stop turning the ball over, and put some points on the board for their own team? Or will the Eagles rally behind their struggling (and supposedly wounded) QB superstar and pull it all together for their 3rd win? I'm voting for the Giants: one thing the Giants can do is put pressure on the QB. This year, the opposite of the normal approach towards defending McNabb has been true: get him on the run. He can still run like a RB, but he can't throw on the run at all. Let him run, but contain him to small yards and you can make him make mistakes. The Giants do have 17 sacks, one of the tops in the NFL for the stat. Throw in the Giants better-than-average run defense (and Philly's inability to run consistently), the Giants offensive weapons, Jeremy Shockey's undying love for Rush Limbaugh and his strong desire to prove him right, and (by the way, I completely made that last one up), and home field advantage ("But Bryan, the Giant's two wins were both on the road!" Well, they have to win at home SOMETIME, right?), and I'll take the Giants
.
Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Jeremy Shockey, Amani Toomer

2nd String: Donovan McNabb, Kerry Collins, Tiki Barber, David Akers, Brian Westbrook (Questionable), Duce Staley

Prediction: Eagles 10, Giants 17

Tennessee (4-2) at Carolina (5-0), 1:00 PM
NOW THIS IS A GAME! Steve McNair comes riding into Carolina on his mighty steed to battle the stellar defense of the Carolina Panthers. McNair has been en fuego: in his last two game he's thrown 41 completions for 781 yards and 3 TD's with one pick. Not too shabby, as they currently come in 2nd for passing offense. Derrick Mason has been target #1 and keeping McNair busy. With 177 yards and 3 TD's in his last game, he'll be the focus of most any team they play any time soon. McNair may seem unstoppable, but he's not: both Indy and Pittsburgh kept him responsible and under 200 yards (Indy turned it into a win, Pitt failed to take advantage of its efforts). McNair and Mason will need their A games to win this week: Carolina has taken to every comer thus far, including pass-happy offenses like Indy, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Jacksonville. Another thing to notice: all of those teams, one could argue, has a much better running game than Tennessee right now. Eddie George has been a disappointment thus far: only 304 yards thus far (that's only an average of about 50 yards a game, 2.8 yards a carry) with 1 TD. Those numbers, to be perfectly honest, are freakin' horrible. This team is not going to run to victory, and a passing effort from McNair is more than necessary for a win. Against the Carolina defense, that may not be enough (as Indy, Nawlins, Tampa, and Jacksonville have all proved).

Here is the amazing thing about the Carolina defense: the numbers are not all that impressive. They give up an average of 240 yards passing a game, have given up 5 passing TD's, only have 4 interceptions thus far, 11 sacks to show (not bad), and then you look at the rushing numbers and it's not much better! They give up about 102 yards rushing a game, they've given up a couple of big runs, but the key is this: they've given up only 2 rushing TD's. After 5 games in the NFL, that is amazing red zone defense. Otherwise, there is only one other stat worth noting, maybe the key to understanding the Panther's success: they give up an average of only 13.6 points a game. Stephen Davis can normally cover that himself, and he needs to, as the Carolina passing game has struggled. Now, I really like Jake Delhomme, and he's shown some progress (slowly but surely, he's getting better). He started off rough, but he's thrown only 1 INT in the last three games (now, he's thrown only 2 TD's, but that is more TD's than INT's, and that's good!). He's learning to not lose it for his team with costly turnovers and forced plays. Carolina may have discovered it's greatest offensive threat this last week in playing RB DeShaun Foster for injured Stephen Davis. Remember Foster? You fantasy heads should: this kid was lined up to be the rookie of the year last season, was a hot item draft pick in most leagues, and the job currently occupied with Stephen Davis was going to be Fosters before he blew out his knee in the first game of the year. Foster gives Davis a nice complimentary runner, a speedster with quick moves and cuts, thus giving Carolina the power runner to go between the tackles and wear on defenses as well as the guy that can go around the corner and keep opposing teams on their heels with quickness. Now the Titan's D has been pretty tough, especially versus the run (giving up about 85 yards a game rushing, 4th best in the NFL). However, they haven't kept the RB's out of the end zone, and this is Davis' specialty. You give Stephen his carries, you'll get 100 yards and at least 1 TD to boot. Indy and Tampa have both done a better job of keeping RB's out of the end zone than Tennessee, and they couldn't stop Davis. It looks like if Carolina can follow its recipe, they should find success again. This will be another top notch test for the Panthers, but there is no reason to suggest they aren't up to the task. They will stop Eddie George with ease, they will take the pressure to Steve McNair, and they will keep these guys out of the end zone. As long as the score twice, they have been able to win, and Stephen Davis (with some assistance from DeShaun Foster) should be able to cover those scores. Go with the Panthers: this team won't go undefeated, but this Titans team is not going to knock them off their current pedestal. If anyone was going to pass the Panthers into a loss, it should have been Indy.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Steve McNair, Carolina Defense, Stephen Davis, Derrick Mason

2nd String: DeShaun Foster, Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, Erron Kinney, Eddie George

Prediction: Titans 13, Panthers 18

N.Y. Jets (1-4) at Houston (2-3), 4:05 PM
The Jets have officially entered the winning column, picking up a convincing W over Buffalo. It's pretty amazing how they did it: Curtis Martin had his best day yet but was not overly impressive, none of the receivers had over 50 yards or 3 catches, and Vinny threw for only 130 yards. The key was the short passing game: TE Anthony Becht picked up 2 TD's on 3 catches as Vinny chipped his way, along with Martin, down the field and basically nibbled Buffalo to death. Plus, the defense was stellar. Jason Ferguson & Shaun Ellis are amazing talents and had an awesome game versus Bledsoe: 4 sacks total for the two as well as a forced fumble by Ferguson. They will need that kind of defensive effort to win most games as their offense has struggled. The good news is that it sounds like Chad Pennington may be back before the month is over, which would be WAY ahead of schedule for the talented QB. Houston presents an interesting challenge as their offense hasn't been stellar but is improving. Their defense isn't so hot either, giving up 111 yards rushing a game and 268 yards passing a game (the worst pass D in the NFL right now). It's safe to say the Jets shouldn't feel comfortable with those numbers: they haven't been able to take advantage of weak defenses yet and the game plan they used versus Buffalo will have to be the recipe until they find a way to make the big play more consistently. Look for a nice mix of Curtis Martin, LaMont Jordan, the short passing from Testaverde to try and move the ball, control the clock, and keep the ball away from Houston.

The word out of Houston is that coaches have taken notice of a player that may solidify their most vulnerable position: Domanick Davis has taken care of the ball when given the opportunity to play RB. In Houston's last game, Davis picked up 59 yards on only 7 carries and picked up another 70 yards on 7 receptions. Great numbers, though they are only a one game test. Expect Davis to get another chance to prove himself: the RB-by-committee will still be in place, but Davis will get more carries than usual. He needs to step it up as his talents fit the weakness of the Jets' defense. The Jet's D can clamp down the passing game (giving up only 160 yards passing a game, and have allowed only 3 passing TD's); however, versus the run the story is not the same. The Jets currently have the 3rd worse running D in the league, giving up 150 yards rushing a game. They did fare better versus Travis Henry this last week. However, Houston is likely to run the ball more than 18 times this week, and they will try to benefit from this weakness of the Jets. David Carr needs the running game to open up opportunities and keep defenses guessing. Andre Johnson is a great weapon, and if Houston is going to get it done he'll be key. If you take a look at the schedule and results thus far, one thing about Houston stands out: there losses have come versus mainly tough NFL teams that have come with a balanced attack and a strong running game. If you can't bring it both running and passing, Houston has been able to stay with it and pull out victories. Right now, there's no evidence to support the Jets can bring it with any consistency, and there's no reason to believe this Jets team can shape up versus the run until they do it on a weekly basis. The Jets' defense is looking better, and they will get to Carr, but he's used to being sacked by now and won't be rattled. Houston is at home, they will bring Davis and company with regularity, and they will pull out a close one.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Andre Johnson, Santana Moss

2nd String: David Carr, Domanick Davis, Vinny Testaverde, Houston Defense

Prediction: Jets 14, Texans 16

Tampa Bay (3-2) at San Francisco (2-4), 4:15 PM
The Bucs came back to life last week, as expected, and put a smack on the Redskins. The defense is back to looking like the league's best, and this 49ers team is the next victim. I could seriously end the review right here. But I don't want you to feel cheated. Let's take a look at the Bucs' numbers: giving up 93 yards rushing a game (nice), only 2 runs over 20 yards given up thus far (nice), allowing only about 182 yards passing a game (nice), 10 interceptions and 13 sacks so far (impressive, as you would expect), only 3 passing TD's allowed (really nice), giving up an average of about 15 points a game (pretty damn good), 2 interceptions and 1 fumble returned for touchdowns (always helps). I'm tired of typing that stuff: just trust me, the Tampa defense is still awesome. The will take it to the struggling San Fran offense. With Garcia injured in multiple ways, Terrell Owens dropping more passes than he dropped f-bombs on his offensive coordinator or temper tantrums he's dropped on the media, and a defense that is just down right bad, the Bucs have to be feeling good about this match up. The defense alone could win this game, but Tampa likes to field an offensive unit too.

The Bucs offense has been a great story this year. Veteran QB and team leader Brad Johnson has been great, throwing all over the field for big yards and touchdowns, not to mention he's thrown to 15 different receivers this year already. TD's to Warren Sapp? How many TE's does Tampa have, and are they all going to score TD's every week, and do they all LOOK just like Mike Alstott (at least in body size)? Is it true Johnson has thrown TD's to 8 different players this year so far? Yep, and that's not all the Bucs are doing with offensive success. They are running the ball like I can't ever remember this team running. Mike Pittman is apparently using his off-field troubles as motivation, as he is averaging 4.5 yards a carry, no to mention he does it through the air too. He battles the fumble bug a little, and he hasn't scored a lot, but he's been a solid player for Tampa and has solidified the offensive presence of the defending champs. I don't see how the 49ers stop these guys. They can't compete against this defense: if not for the 49 to 7 point destruction of Chicago in Week 1 and the 24 to 17 point win over Detroit (yep, they let Detroit score 17) in Week 5, this team's numbers would be harder to look at than Oprah Winfrey without makeup (admit it, she' not a looker without the cake, and many would argue she's not with). They are struggling in a major way, and though they have fought in nearly every loss and made it close (except versus the Vikings, they got killed), this Tampa team is not one to let you just hang around. Here is all you need to know: the 49ers defense has allowed 11 passing TD's, 2nd most in the NFL. They can't stop the pass, they do ok versus the run but it hasn't helped in too many situations, and their offensive line can't stop anyone from getting to Garcia (he's been sacked 13 times, not a good number for a QB battling a constant fight versus injury). Indy may have lit up this defense through the air, but the Niners won't.

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Tampa Bay Defense, Keenan McCardell

2nd String: Michael Pittman, Terrell Owens, Brad Johnson, Martin Gramatica

Prediction: Bucs 28, Niners 13

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Laveranues Coles, Patrick Ramsey, Eric Moulds (Questionable), Travis Henry, Redskins Defense, John Hall

2nd String: Ladell Betts, Rod Gardner, Bobby Shaw, Drew Bledsoe

Prediction: Redskins 26, Bills 15

Chicago (1-4) at Seattle (4-1), 4:15 PM
The Bears are trying to win (no, really, they are). It seems like Seattle is often trying to lose. It is safe to say that the Seahawks would like to be winning more convincingly (I know, I said a win is a win, but you don't want to sweat out so many games). They beat the Niners by 1 point last week and they beat St. Lou by 1 point in Week 3 (the other two wins were blow outs, but they were against Arizona and New Orleans, so can we REALLY count those?). They should fair better this week versus the Bears this week. The passing and running games for Seattle are both solid and capable of taking any game over. Shaun Alexander is a great RB, may have the best vision in offensive football, and should have a field day versus the injury-plagued defense of Chicago. The Bears are giving up 160 yards rushing a game, second (yes, Oakland is worse) worse in the NFL. Not only does Chicago give up the run, they give up the passing (191 yards a game and 9 passing TD's thus far) and the scoring (giving up an average of 30.4 points a game, the worse number in all the NFL). Seattle should rule this game offensively, without question. They will double Urlacher, as everyone does, and allow the others to try and stop them, and they won't.

The Bears' offense is, well, improving. It's hard not to improve for this unit. Anthony Thomas has become the show pony for this team offensively. He's put together 3 nice games, rushing for 96 versus the Saints, 123 versus Oakland, and 110 against the hated Packers. However, Seattle's rushing D is better than all of those units, and now that Thomas has become the primary target for opposing defenses it is safe to say Thomas will have a much tougher time getting those yards this week. They will take Thomas out of the game and let Kordell Stewart try to beat them. Rumor is Rex Grossman may start seeing more reps (considering he has seen few to none thus far, "more" would be good) in practice and Stewart may be on the hot seat. REALLY? YOU THINK KORDELL SHOULD BE A CONCERN? WHY? HE HAS 7 INTERCEPTIONS TO 4 TD'S, HE SPENDS MORE TIME RUNNING THE NOTRE DAME OPTION THAN, WELL, NOTRE DAME, AND THE CHICAGO FAITHFUL PUKE EVERY TIME HE GETS THE BALL (WHICH, BY THE WAY, IS AT LEAST ONCE EVERY OFFENSIVE PLAY). Grossman shouldn't play behind this offensive line. If Stewart can't get away from the constant pass rush, Grossman will suffer even worse. That said, this team needs to do something. What, I don't know, but this game will be another loss, another step into NFL oblivion, and another step in the wrong direction for the Bears. I don't look at the lines for these games until I'm done writing them up, and games like this is why.

LATE NEWS: Local Chicago press is reporting that both Kordell Stewart and Anthony Thomas are injured and will be replaced on Sunday by Chris Chandler and Adrian Peterson. Translation: the Bears will get beat even worse than my predicted score (this news JUST came to me as I'm sending this out on Wed!) and the local Seattle hospitals have been put on alert to watch for a concussion prone QB fitting Chandler's description. BRING ON REX GROSSMAN!!!!

Key Fantasy Players

1st String: Shaun Alexander (Questionable), Koren Robinson, Matt Hasselbeck

2nd String: Seattle Defense, Marty Booker (Questionable), Darrell Jackson

Prediction: Bears 13, Hawks 32

Kansas City (6-0) at Oakland (2-4), Monday, 9:00 PM
Well, this match-up doesn't look nearly as good now as it did two months ago. The Chiefs are rolling: they win the close ones, they win with passing, they win with rushing, they win with defense, they win with special teams, they just win. The last three weeks have been impressive for the Chiefs. There is no such thing as a safe lead versus these guys. They can beat you in every way imaginable, they are never down on themselves, they are mentally and physically tough, and they keep it coming. Priest Holmes may be the MVP of this team, Dante Hall may be the MVP of this team, the defense may be the MVP, Trent Green may be. It's such an unbelievably solid team, there is no conceivable way this Raiders team is going to challenge them. You KNOW KC isn't' looking past them. They could be playing a team of my dead relatives and be more pumped to come out and win than Hulk Hogan after a couple of body slams and the crowd yelling for Hulkamania, runnin' wild baby (any old school wresting fans out there?). They are the best team in the NFL right now: the only arguments you could make are Minnesota and Carolina. This team just gets it. They do it all, the do it well, and they have the mental game to beat anyone. The Raiders are just another blip on radar to you and me, but believe the Chiefs have studied this team up and down and will come out more prepared and more ready for blood than they need to be to win.

The Raiders are officially dead. I'm calling it, time of death, Week 6 versus Cleveland. They can't get it done. Even if Jerry Porter comes back now and rejuvenates the offense, all the other problems of this team would still keep them in the bottom realm of the NFL. They are, in no way, shape, or form, up to the challenge of playing this Chiefs team. Granted, many would argue that this is an upset waiting to happen. The Chiefs could come in soft, let the Raiders hang around in the score, and pull off an upset. It won't happen. The Chiefs have shown no sign of this kind of mental weakness, the Raiders have shown no sign of this kind of offensive capability, and the Raider defense has DEFINITELY shown no sign of life to make you believe they are capable of stopping anyone on this team. They won't stop Holmes (worst rush defense in the NFL), they won't stop Trent Green or Tony Gonzalez or Johnnie Morton, they won't stop the KC defense from making plays and attacking Rich Gannon like a pit bull after a bloody rope, and they won't stop the special teams of KC from making every kickoff and punt an adventure. Do I have to say it? Take KC, and I'm betting they will cover WHATEVER spread is on this one.

Key Fantasy Players

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

2nd String: Charlie Garner, Doug Jolley, Sebastian Janikowski, Johnnie Morton

Prediction: Chiefs 34, Raiders 13