Week 5 Matchups

Week 5 Fantasy Football Matchups
Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons
October 1, 2006 - Georgia Dome
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Fantasy Spin - Cardinals at Falcons Fantasy Preview

There will be a lot of offensive firepower on the field as the Falcons return home to face the Cardinals. QB Kurt Warner has played poorly in recent weeks, but the Cardinals are resisting the urge to insert rookie Matt Leinart into the starting lineup. The Falcons' offense is built around its explosive rushing attack led by QB Michael Vick and RB Warrick Dunn. Cardinals defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast will try and design a creative game plan that forces the Falcons to attack through the air, while containing Atlanta's ground game. Warner, a former league and Super Bowl MVP, can be expected to come through with a solid effort to keep his job, but it won't come in a win. Atlanta's run game will keep the Cardinals guessing, and Arizona will be playing from behind the entire afternoon.

Arizona - Warner (S), James (Z), Fitzgerald (S), Boldin (S), Pope (B), Cardinals D (Z)
Atlanta - Vick (S), Dunn (S), R. White (B), M. Jenkins (Z), A. Crumpler (S), Falcons D (Z)

Week 5 Fantasy Football Matchups
Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills
October 1, 2006 - Ralph Wilson Stadium
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Fantasy Spin - Vikings at Bills Fantasy Preview

A pair of teams coming off divisional losses will meet this Sunday in Buffalo, as the Bills host the Minnesota Vikings at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Minnesota Vikings have proven their defense. They have been stout stopping the run and aggressive defending opponents passing attacks. The Vikings haven't scored an offensive touchdown in the last two games, but Buffalo has been inconsistent defensively. The Bills may have taken the Jets for granted last week and played a sloppy football game. That was a game they should have won, but this week they have a tougher matchup against the Vikings. Minnesota's offensive line should control the line of scrimmage, and Taylor will have his best game of the season as a result. McGahee will also get his share of yards for Buffalo, but it won't be enough to help his team avoid an 0-2 start at home.

Fantasy Spin - Cowboys at Titans Fantasy Preview

The Cowboys are coming off a bye and should be fresh. Will Terrell Owens be able to play after having a plate put in his broken hand? The Cowboys need a win against the Titans to keep up with the division leading Eagles. The Titans are 0-3 and struggling on offense. All the attention will be focused on whether or not Owens plays, but it won't matter either way. Expect Parcells to emphasize the ground game and for Julius Jones to have a field day against Tennessee's soft run defense. The Titans will be good for a couple of costly turnovers as well, which should create more scoring chances for a rested Dallas offense that should be revved up following the bye.

Fantasy Spin - 49ers at Chiefs Fantasy Preview

The 49ers are playing hard right now and even though it is not showing up in the box score every week, they are getting better. Second-year QB Alex Smith has taken a giant leap forward, and he is starting to make a lot of plays. The Chiefs are coming off a bye and have a chance this week to get their season going in the right direction. The Chiefs are something less than a well-oiled machine on the offensive side of the football at this stage, but their opponent this week will offer the perfect fuel to get them jump-started. San Francisco has shown defensive flaws over the first three weeks that Huard and Johnson should be able to exploit. Smith will have trouble contending with the noise at Arrowhead, will make a couple of key mistakes that play into the Chiefs' hands, and will leave with a loss.

Fantasy Spin - Colts at Jets Fantasy Preview

The surprising Jets have two wins on the road and put a scare into the Patriots in Week 3. The win was New York's second on the road this season, after going 0-8 away from the Meadowlands in 2005. The Colts are undefeated and coming off a tough divisional win over the Jaguars. The Colts may not be the perfect football team in every facet of the game, but they're better than New York in every area that's likely to matter on Sunday.Expect Manning to especially shred a vulnerable defensive backfield, and, unless turnovers keep it close longer than likely, expect him to be comfortable on the bench sometime in or near the fourth quarter.

Indy - P. Manning (S), Rhodes (Z), Addai (B), Harrison (S), Wayne (S), Clark (Z), Colts D (S)
New York - Pennington (Z), Barlow, (B), Coles (S), Cotchery (Z), Baker (B), Jets D (B)

Fantasy Spin - Saints at Panthers Fantasy Preview

Even though the Panthers may have saved their season last week, they now face another tough divisional foe in the Saints. The return of Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith elevated the Panthers' offense last week. Saints head coach Sean Payton will rely on his passing attack to set up the run with RB Deuce McAllister. The Saints love to spread the field with RB Reggie Bush to create individual mismatches they can attack and exploit in certain situations. NFL games are not won on paper, a moral that the Saints have helped prove over the season's first month, and New Orleans will undoubtedly hang around against the Panthers both because they're more sure of themselves at this stage and due to the fact that their own talent base is beginning to jell. But they certainly won't sneak up on Carolina, which will force a couple of key mistakes, play its most complete game of the season to date.

Carolina - Delhomme (S), Smith (S), Johnson (B), Foster (Z), Williams (B), Panthers D (Z)
New Orleans - Brees (S), R. Bush (S), Mcallister (S), J. Horn (Z), Colston (Z), Saints D (B)

Fantasy Spin - Chargers at Ravens Fantasy Preview

The NFL will have one less unbeaten team this week, after the Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers duke it out at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. This should be an extremely physical, hard-hitting game that features two of the elite defenses in the game right now. Running room will be extremely difficult to come by and both quarterbacks should take a beating against nasty pass rushes. If you like defensive football, you can't miss this one. The Chargers have best scoring offense in the NFL this season (33.5 points per game) and that has largely been due to the success of their running game. The Ravens have averaged 109 rushing yards per game and are 17th in the league in that category. The Chargers defense will hold its own against Baltimore's offense, but it won't be enough to get the tough road win.

Fantasy Spin - Dolphins at Texans Fantasy Preview

The Miami Dolphins won a squeaker on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. The Houston Texans, meanwhile were dominated by the Washington Redskins at home. This game is going to pit two struggling offenses. But the Texans have a weak defense while the Dolphins still have a good defense. The objective for Saban and company this week will be 60 minutes of consistent football from a team that sits one game back of the division co-leading Jets and Patriots as Week 5 commences. The Texans aren't a good football team, but they surely realize that Week 5, which precedes an open date and games against the Cowboys and Jaguars, represents their best chance at a win for a while. Look for Houston to force Culpepper into a couple of mistakes, take advantage of some short fields, and give Kubiak win number one of his NFL head coaching career.

Fantasy Spin - Lions at Rams Fantasy Preview

Lions head coach Rod Marinelli is looking for something to get his team to rally around, and a win on the road could help ignite the Lions and give them some momentum. Mike Martz returns to the city in which he coached the "Greatest Show On Turf" for six years, but as offensive coordinator instead of head coach. Martz was 56-36 as the Rams' coach from 2000-05. The Lions - 5-11 last season - are a disappointing 0-3 after three games in 2006, having already drawn attention not so much for their play as for the victory guarantees issued prior to weeks 2 and 3 by controversially outspoken wide receiver Roy Williams. The Rams have taken steps toward becoming a complete team with the emergence of Jackson and an opportunistic defensive unit. Meanwhile, though loaded with individual talent, the Lions have self-destructed their way through three weeks. That trend will likely change at some point based on talent alone, but it doesn't figure to be this week against a revved-up Rams team.

Detroit - Kitna (S), Jones (B), Williams (S), Furrey (B), Pollard (B), Lions D (Z)
St. Louis - Bulger (S), Jackson (S), S. Davis (B) , Holt (S), Bruce (Z), Curtis (Z), Rams D (B)

Fantasy Spin - Patriots at Bengals Fantasy Preview

The New England Patriots will visit Paul Brown Stadium in Week 5, and the Bengals' objective will be to dispose of the league's two most recent owners of the Lombardi Trophy in a two-week span. The Bengals won an ugly game that was littered with mistakes, turnovers and sacks against the Steelers last week, but walking away with the win under those circumstances is commendable and demonstrates their improving maturity. Though run defense is still perceived as a Patriots strength, New England comes off a week in which they allowed the Broncos' Tatum Bell to amass 123 yards on 27 carries. New England's passing attack has lost some swagger, but it did finally show signs of life once the Patriots were behind against Denver and went exclusively to their hurry-up attack. Look for more heroics from Palmer in a winning effort, and for Brady's frustration at his team's direction to show for a second consecutive week.

Fantasy Spin - Browns at Raiders Fantasy Preview

The Silver and Black, under the guidance of head coach and face from the past Art Shell, opened the 2006 season with embarrassing blowout losses to the Chargers (27-0) and Ravens (28-6), defeats that have helped the Raiders corner the market on league laughingstock status. The Browns are still playing hard, but after another disappointing setback this will be a long road trip to the West Coast. Young QB Charlie Frye continues to be up and down, but he and receiver Braylon Edwards will look for some more explosive plays this week. If Walter has a little more time to throw, or Jordan finds wider holes through which to run, that has nothing to do with what looks for all the world to be a lack of desire. The Raiders haven't looked desperate to avoid defeat, and the Browns have. That factor, and not talent, will be the difference on Sunday, as Cleveland leaves Oakland with a win for the second straight season.

Cleveland - Frye (Z), Droughns (Z), Edwards (B), Winslow (S), Browns D (Z)
Oakland - Brooks (B), Jordan (S), Moss (S), Curry (B), Witted (B), Raiders D (B)

Fantasy Spin - Jaguars at Redskins Fantasy Preview

The Washington Redskins earned their first win of the season last week, and will try to continue the trend on Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars come to town for a non-conference matchup at FedEx Field. The Jaguars are playing solid defense, and the offense is moving the ball behind quarterback Byron Leftwich and the running of back Maurice Jones-Drew. Washington has the fourth-best run offense in the league thanks to Portis and backup running Ladell Betts, who rushed for a game-high 124 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries versus Houston. Portis is the X-factor on Sunday, and if he can perform the same way or better than last week, Jacksonville will play from behind the entire afternoon. Don't expect Taylor to have a productive day running between the tackles, leaving the receiving corps responsible for reaching the end zone. Leftwich is the sexy pick for top quarterback on Sunday, but it will be the defenses which decide the outcome of the game.

Fantasy Spin - Seahawks at Bears Fantasy Preview

The Seahawks and Bears lead their respective divisions and have been getting their wins with outstanding defensive play. Both teams are talented at all three levels on defense (defensive line, linebacker, secondary), and enter the game undefeated. This game could very well be a preview of this year's NFC Championship and features two quality teams that have been virtual mirror images of each other thus far. Both have outstanding defenses that can smother the run and excel at pressuring the quarterback. On offense, each has been able to pass effectively while lacking a consistent ground game. The clear advantage of this matchup lies in where's it's being played. The Bears have been nearly impossible to score on at Soldier Field since the start of last season and Seattle isn't nearly as good on the road as at home. Add in the loss of Alexander, and Chicago should be able to assert itself as the team to beat in the NFC with a solid win.

Seattle - Hass (S), Morris (Z), Jackson (S), Branch (Z), Burleson (Z), Engram (Z), Hawks D (S)
Chicago - Grossman (S), Jones (Z), Muhammed (S), Clark (Z), Berrian (B), Bears D (S)

Fantasy Spin - Packers at Eagles Fantasy Preview

Favre figures to come after a depleted Eagles secondary, one that could be without three potential starters on Monday night. Cornerbacks Lito Sheppard (ankle) an Roderick Hood (heel) are both listed as doubtful for the game, while free safety and emotional leader Brian Dawkins (concussion) is questionable. Pressure will be on the healthiest Eagles starters, cornerback Sheldon Brown (9 tackles) and strong safety Michael Lewis (20 tackles, 2 sacks), to pick up the slack. McNabb will be seeking to attack a Green Bay defense that has allowed 301 passing yards per game, the second-worst figure in the league as Week 5 began. The Packers are still looking for an impact from cornerback and much- publicized offseason acquisition Charles Woodson (14 tackles), who has yet to make a big play. If football fans want to watch two great quarterbacks, they will tune in Monday night. Philadelphia is a better football team than Green Bay on both sides of the football, needs a win to keep control of the contentious NFC East, and will never take their foot off the gas for four quarters.

Green Bay - Favre (S), Green (Z), Driver (S), Jennings (Z), Robinson (B), Packers D (B)
Philadelphia - McNabb (S), Westbrook (S), Stallworth (Inj) (S), Brown (Z), LJ Smith (S), Phili D (Z)