Week 10 Matchups

Week 10 Fantasy Football Matchups
Cleveland Browns at Atlanta Falcons
November 12, 2006 - Georgia Dome
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Fantasy Spin - Cleveland Browns at Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Preview

The Atlanta Falcons will try to regroup from a tough loss when they welcome the struggling Cleveland Browns to the Georgia Dome on Sunday afternoon. To put it plainly, Michael Vick will be far too much for the Cleveland Browns to handle on Sunday. With Vick's ability to hurt defenses with his legs, and the emergence of a much-improved passing game, a depleted Cleveland defense will find it difficult to keep pace, especially on the fast surface of the Georgia Dome. On the other side of the ball, and injury-riddled Frye will be harassed into some mistakes, and the Falcons will notch their sixth win to at least keep pace with New Orleans in the NFC South.

Cleveland - Frye (B), Droughns (Z), Edwards (Z), Winslow (S), Browns D (Z)
Atlanta - Vick (S), Dunn (S), J. Norwood (B), M. Jenkins (Z) , A. Crumpler Inj (S), Falcons D (Z)

Week 10 Fantasy Football Matchups
San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals
November 12, 2006 - Paul Brown Stadium
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NFL Gameday Handicapping Info >>
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Fantasy Spin - San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Preview

The Cincinnati Bengals will try to battle their way back into the AFC playoff picture when they host the San Diego Chargers this Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. Few teams have been able to slow down Tomlinson and the Chargers rushing attack this season, and Cincinnati has given little reason to believe it will be the defense to do so. San Diego's defense has also encountered few offenses that can run the ball against it this year and the Bengals' makeshift offensive line isn't equipped to win the battles in the trenches. Palmer will also be under a great deal of pressure from San Diego's pass-rushers (even without Merriman), and that should lead to some turnovers for the Chargers defense.

San Diego - Rivers (S), L.T. (S), Gates (S), Mccardell (B), Parker (B), Chargers D (B)
Cincinnati - Palmer (S), R. Johnson (Z), C. Johnson (S), T.J. Housh (S), Henry (B), Bengals D (B)

Fantasy Spin - San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions Fantasy Preview

For the Detroit Lions, who will meet the San Francisco 49ers at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon, winning streaks have been mighty hard to come by. But the beleaguered Lions franchise, which last week shocked the NFL world by dealing the Atlanta Falcons a 30-17 loss, will know just what the experience feels like should they take down San Francisco. With consecutive games against the Cardinals and Dolphins to follow this week's tilt with San Francisco, the Lions have a golden opportunity to get something going and get close to .500 heading into the final month of the season. The offense is finally clicking the way Marinelli and offensive coordinator Mike Martz expected entering the year, and the defense received a huge boost of confidence by limiting Michael Vick last week. But the 49ers, who have been defeated by a composite score of 82-10 in their past two road games, have something to prove, and figure to hang around against an opponent that they match up with fairly well. Kitna and the Detroit offense will have the final word, but Alex Smith and the Niners will keep things interesting.

San Fran - Smith (B), Gore (S), Bryant (S), Davis (B), E. Johnson (B), 49ers D (B)
Detroit - Kitna (S), Jones (S), Williams (S), Furrey (Z), Pollard (B), Lions D (Z)

Fantasy Spin - Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans Fantasy Preview

Steve McNair hopes to make his return to the Music City a triumphant one, as the veteran quarterback leads the Baltimore Ravens onto LP Field in this Sunday's game with the Tennessee Titans. McNair has grabbed most of the headlines this week makeing his return to Nashville, but the Ravens defense will lead the team to victory. Young has been mistake-prone during his rookie campaign and that doesn't seem like a problem that gets better when facing this tough Baltimore defense. Also, expect Lewis to have his best rushing day of the year, as his offensive line manhandles the Titans' struggling front four.

Baltimore - McNair (Z), Lewis (S), Mason (S), Heap (S), Clayton (S), Ravens D (S)
Tennessee - Young (B), Henry (B), White (B), Bennett (B), Scaife (B), Titans D (B)

Fantasy Spin - Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Preview

The Indianapolis Colts are the only unbeaten team remaining in the NFL, and will try to make history this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at the RCA Dome. The Colts can become the first team in NFL history to open consecutive seasons with nine victories by topping the Bills. Manning is playing on an MVP level, and so are Harrison and Wayne, meaning that even if the Colts struggle on defense, the offense can keep them in the game until the final whistle. Buffalo is sporting a banged-up running game, and Losman hasn't put together consecutive strong starts this season. Both teams are riding high after posting wins in Week 9, but the Colts have the obvious advantage in this matchup. Tony Dungy will have his squad prepared to send Dick Jauron and the Bills home with their fourth loss in five tries.

Buffalo - Losman (Z), McGahee Inj (B), Thomas (Z), Evans (S), Price (Z), Buffalo D (B)
Indy - P. Manning (S), Rhodes (Z), Addai (Z), Harrison (S), Wayne (S), Clark (B), Colts D (S)

Fantasy Spin - Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins Fantasy Preview

Was the Miami Dolphins' stunning upset victory over the Chicago Bears last Sunday an aberration, or was it a springboard? That question will be answered this Sunday, when Nick Saban and company try to put together their first two-game winning streak of 2006 against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs. The Miami Dolphins proved last week that they should be judged by their talent, not their record, as a team that many expected to contend for a playoff berth finally looked the part in Chicago. The victory was a huge confidence-builder on both sides of the football, and Miami should be able to build on that effort in just their second home game in seven weeks. Kansas City has been a remarkably efficient football team during its current 5-1 stretch, but look for their string of good luck to run out in south Florida. Johnson and Huard will have trouble getting moving against a rejuvenated Miami defense, and Brown and Harrington will cash in on a few short fields en route to a second straight victory.

KC - Huard (S), Johnson (S), Kennison (Z), Hall (B), Gonzalez (S), Parker (B), Chiefs D (Z)
Miami - Harrington (Z), Mcmicheal (Z), Chambers (S), Brown (S), Dolphins D (Z)

Fantasy Spin - Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Preview

This weekend's North Division matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will more than likely end the losing team's prospects - as fleeting as they might already be - for earning one of the six spots in the conference's postseason tournament. The Vikings are already behind the divisional 8-ball with a three-game gap between them and the front-running Chicago Bears, but they remain in a muddled chase for a Wild Card berth with a 4-4 record after eight games. Green Bay is prolific through the air...Minnesota is 18th in the league at stopping the pass. Minnesota is "offensively challenged"...Green Bay is in the lower echelon of the league's defenses. Something's gotta give. So, in case of a push, go with the team that's got Favre and whose injury report doesn't resemble the casualty report of a MASH unit.

Green Bay - Favre (S), Green (Z), Driver (S), Jennings Inj (Z), Martin (Z), Packers D (S)
Minni - Johnson (B), Taylor (S), Williamson (B), T. Taylor (B), Wiggins (Z), Minni D (Z)

Fantasy Spin - New York Jets at New England Patriots Fantasy Preview

atriots quarterback Tom Brady had thrown four interceptions in a game four times prior to last Sunday night's four-pick meltdown in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. If Brady's history following those multi-miscue games is any indication, then this week's Patriots opponent, the New York Jets, are in a bit of trouble. The Jets always seem to catch the Patriots at a bad time, when New England is coming off a tough loss or is trying to advance its position in the division or postseason race. That scenario holds again this week, as Brady and the Patriots look to take out last week's frustrations on their old friend Mangini and a Jets team that still isn't quite ready for prime time. New York will have trouble getting to Brady and won't consistently stop the run, and the Jets simply don't have the horses on the offensive side of the ball to keep pace with the New England attack. Look for the Pats to run their win streak against the Jets to eight, and to keep Mangini and company at arm's length throughout.

New York - Pennington (S), Washington (B), Barlow (B), Coles (S), Cotchery (Z), Jets D (B)
New England - Brady (S), Dillon (S), Maroney (Z), Watson (S), Gabriel (Z), Pats D (S)

Fantasy Spin - Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles Fantasy Preview

More than a month after seemingly announcing their re-emergence among the NFL elite with a win over Terrell Owens and the Dallas Cowboys, Andy Reid's team will look to again pump their fists in triumph, when the Washington Redskins invade Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles' three-game losing streak has caused some to announce their demise, but in reality, this team is too good to go through an extended funk. The offense is still outstanding, it just needs to execute. The defense has holes, but has enough strengths, such as Trotter and the pass rush, to keep Philly in games if necessary. Washington, on the other hand, is a sinking ship, with an ailing offense and a defense that has made few plays all year. The second half of the NFL season, which begins on Sunday, is when the league's elite seperate from the weak. Look for McNabb and company to make a statement about their place in the postseason race against the Redskins, who will finally give up the ghost about a return playoff trip.

Washington - Brunell (B), Portis (S), Moss (Z), Lloyd (B), El (B), Cooley (S), Washington D (B)
Philadelphia - McNabb (S), Westbrook (S), Stallworth (S), Brown (S), LJ Smith (B), Phili D (S)

Fantasy Spin - Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy Preview

The Jaguars, who will welcome the Houston Texans to Alltel Stadium on Sunday, were humbled by their AFC South rival by a 27-7 count back in Week 7, and chances are that the sting of that defeat will be fresh on the minds of all wearing the teal, black, and gold uniforms this week. The Jaguars are heavy favorites in this game, which is an indication that the masses (or at least the oddsmakers) feel that the Texans' three-week-old blowout of Jacksonville was nothing more than an aberration. But Houston has actually played well for the better part of the past month, with Kubiak's offense at least beginning to click and the defense gaining some confidence amid Mario Williams' emergence. There is little reason to think that the Texans are going to get blown out in this game, especially against a Jacksonville team that has suffered through its own inconsistency on both sides of the football this year. The Jags are the more seasoned, more efficient team, so they'll win, but not without a lot of fight from a determined division foe.

Houston - Carr (B), Lundy (Z), Johnson (S), Moulds (B), Daniels (B), Texans D (B)
J -Ville - Gerrard (S), Taylor (S), D. Jones (Z), Williams (B), Jones (B), Lewis (B), J-Ville D (S)

Fantasy Spin - Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders Fantasy Preview

The Raiders are 2-6 heading into Sunday afternoon's test against AFC West rival Denver at McAfee Coliseum, and progress for the once-proud franchise, particularly on the offensive side of the football, has been non-existent. The Silver and Black are last in the league in total offense (227.9 yards per game), scoring offense (11.5 points per game), passing offense (122.8 yards per game), sacks allowed (44), touchdown passes (4), and are tied for the league-low in rushing touchdowns (2). Their starting quarterback, second-year-pro Andrew Walter, has a 51.1 passer rating, which ranks 34th out of 34 NFL signal-callers. Oakland comes off a 16-0 loss at the hands of the Seahawks on Monday night. Bashing the Raiders is becoming something of a sport, though it is impossible to ignore the fact that for all of its missteps, Oakland has two wins to its credit this season. Those victories have come as a direct result of defensive play, and the Raiders' defense is good enough that any spark of offense whatsoever should allow the Silver and Black to hang around most weeks. That offensive spark has been missing more often than it has been present, however, and there's little to suggest that it will be ignited on Sunday against a strong Denver defense. Look for the ineptitude to continue from the most poorly-designed offensive scheme of the modern era, and for the Broncos to keep the Raiders at arm's length because of it.

Denver - Plummer (S), M. Bell (Z), T. Bell (Z), Walker (S), R. Smith (B), Broncos D (S)
Oakland - Walters (B), Jordan (B), Moss (S), Curry (B), Porter (Z), Raiders D (Z)

Fantasy Spin - Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Preview

Not a gimme game for the Cowboys, who are 4-4 and have to have it. Arizona is a huge underdog at home, and a decent cover (plus seven? I know they're bad, but still.) Dallas just managed to make Brunell look half decent, and Matt Leinart, as bad as he's been the last few games, will make this interesting. Romo has energized the Dallas offense through his play, but his presence is not the end-all, be-all for a team that still has its share of problems. The offensive line is far too weak to expect this team to move the football at a consistent pace every week, and thus, teams like Arizona can hope to stick around and have a shot at winning ball games such as this. One would expect the Cardinals to come out with some fire following the bye week, and play inspired football in the interests of claiming win number two on the season. But Arizona's own line problems will be its undoing here, as Leinart and James are harassed throughout by the Cowboys' talented front seven. Dallas will come out a bit flat in the Arizona heat, but will flex its muscles on defense and have the game's final word.

Dallas - Romo (S), J. Jones (S), Glenn Inj (B), Owens (S), Witten (S), Cowboys D (Z)
Arizona - Leinart (Z), James (Z), Fitzgerald (S), Boldin (S), Pope (B), Cardinals D (Z)

Fantasy Spin - New Orleans Saints at Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Preview

The most pleasant surprise of the 2006 NFL season will meet the year's biggest disappointment to date this Sunday in Pittsburgh, where the New Orleans Saints will take on the defending world champion Steelers at Heinz Field. Are the Steelers really this bad? The answer is yes when they turn the ball over as much as they've done over the past three weeks and Roethlisberger is dropping back to pass 40-50 times a game. When Pittsburgh does take care of the football and runs it with authority, the Steelers can still play with anybody. New Orleans isn't a great run-stopping team and hasn't generated a lot of turnovers, while its offense - as good as it has been lately - is becoming more one-dimensional by the week. That dimension is pretty strong, however, and Pittsburgh will have its hands full with Brees and his receiving contingent if it isn't able to generate a pass rush. But the Steelers should run the ball well enough to keep the Saints' explosive offense on the sidelines, and also producing less mistakes out of the quarterback position en route to a win.

New Orleans - Brees (Z), R. Bush (B), McCallister (Z), J. Horn Inj (B), Colston (S), Saints D (Z)
Pittsburgh - Roethlisburger (Z), Parker (S), Ward (S), Washington (B), Miller (Z), Steelers D (S)

Fantasy Spin - St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks Fantasy Preview

Seattle, now 5-3, leads the division by one game and can assume the all- important two-game-plus-season-sweep lead over St. Louis with just seven games to play and no other competition likely to rise from the flotsam that is the rest of the four-team group. The Seahawks will probably still be undermanned, however, with both starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (knee) and MVP running back Shaun Alexander (foot) listed as doubtful on the weekly injury report. Were it not for the injuries, this would be an easy pick. Seattle is more talented on paper, is home, and is more accustomed to these sorts of mid- and late-season barometer games. In the absence of Hasselbeck and Alexander, it may still be an easy pick, however. Look for the Rams to maximize Holt, Jackson and Bulger in a three-pronged offensive attack, hitting the Seahawks defense with everything they have. The Hawks Defense a unit that is playing better and at home will bend but not break, and Seneca Wallace, Maurice Morris will squeak out a home victory for the Seahawks. This could very well be yet another Josh Brown field goal for the win.

St. Louis - Bulger (S), Jackson (S), S. Davis (B) , Holt (S), Bruce (Z), Curtis (Z), Rams D (B)
Seattle - Wallace (Z) , Morris (S), Jackson (S), Branch (Z), Burleson (B), Engram (B), Hawks D (Z)

Fantasy Spin - Chicago Bears at New York Giants Fantasy Preview

Both the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants get a chance to "flex" their muscles before an awaiting nationwide audience this Sunday night, when the teams clash in a midseason encounter at Giants Stadium that will likely impact the NFC playoff picture down the road. The Miami loss, as well as Chicago's near-defeat at Arizona a few weeks back, has shown some chinks in the Bears' armor. The defense has become more vulnerable to the run after the understated loss of Mike Brown, and Urlacher likely won't be at 100 percent. That could provide a big advantage for New York, which runs the ball as well as anyone. The Giants' significant losses on defense are a huge concern, but New York should still be able to contain Chicago's so-so ground game. That puts the onus on Grossman, who clearly isn't playing well right now and will be hindered by Berrian's absence. Barber's the x-factor here, and his strong running and the Giants Stadium crowd gives the home team the edge.

Chicago - Grossman (Z), Jones (Z), Muhammed (Z), Clark (S), Berrian Inj (B), Bears D (S)
NYG - E. Manning (Z), Barber (S), Burress (S), Carter (B), Shockey (S), Giants D (B)

Fantasy Spin - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers Fantasy Preview

The last time the Carolina Panthers faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bucs quarterback Chris Simms was knocked around to a degree that he suffered a season-ending ruptured spleen. On Monday night, Tampa Bay will be the team trying to bring the pain, as Jon Gruden's club seeks to extend the Panthers' losing streak to three games at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The Panthers may or may not be for real, but a good read on their ability to hang around in the NFC playoff race is unlikely to be derived from Monday night's game. The Buccaneers are simply too punchless on offense and depleted on defense to hope to take down an opponent of Carolina's at-least-decent quality on the road. Look for some big plays out of Delhomme, Steve Smith, and DeShaun Foster for the Panther offense, and don't expect Gradkowski and the Tampa offense to be able to keep pace.

Tampa Bay - Gradowski (B), Cadillac (Z), Galloway (S), Clayton (B), A. Smith (B), Bucs D (Z)
Carolina - Delhomme (S), Smith (S), Johnson (B), Foster (S), Williams (B), Panthers D (S)