Week 6 Matchups

Week 6 Fantasy Football Matchups
New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons
October 15, 2006 - Georgia Dome
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Fantasy Spin - Giants at Falcons Fantasy Preview

The Giants seemed to have fixed their problems in Week 5 with an impressive divisional win. However, they must now go on the road and face a good Falcons team that leads the league in rushing offense. Atlanta headed into its open date on a strong note, with a 32-10 home victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. New York, which was previously an NFL-worst 3-14 following the bye week, emerged with an important 19-3 home victory over the Skins. Falcons running back Warrick Dunn is 11th in the league in rushing with 365 yards on 82 carries. Dunn has played well against the Giants of late. Tiki Barber should test Atlanta's sixth-ranked defense, and will be trying to build on a game that saw him revert to his fine 2005 form (1,860 rushing yards, nine touchdowns). Barber posted his second 100-yard game of the season. Manning is up to sixth in the league in passing this season, and improved his passer rating to an impressive 97.1. Vick and running back Jerious Norwood are the only duo in the league averaging eight yards per carry.

NYG - E. Manning (S), Barber (S), Burress (Z), Toomer (B), Shockey (INJ) (S), Giants D (Z)
Atlanta - Vick (S), Dunn (Z), J. Norwood (B), M. Jenkins (B), , A. Crumpler (Z), Falcons D (B)

Week 6 Fantasy Football Matchups
Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys
October 15, 2006 - Texas Stadium
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Fantasy Spin - Texans at Cowboys Fantasy Preview

The Texans won their first game against the Dolphins and their defense finally stepped up to the plate with a solid performance. Now they travel up the road to Dallas for the championship of the state of Texas. The Cowboys are coming off a tough loss in Philadelphia. David Carr enters Week 6 atop the league in passer rating (108.9), has a sterling 73.0 completion percentage, and has developed a good working chemistry with receivers Andre Johnson (30 receptions, 2 TD) and Eric Moulds (18 receptions, 1 TD). Running the ball figures to be a major struggle for the Texans all season. As for Bledsoe (885 passing yards, 5 TD, 7 INT) can it get any worse than the game the he experienced in Philadelphia last week? Running back Julius Jones (388 rushing yards, 2 TD) has arguably been the most consistent offensive player on the Dallas roster this season, averaging a healthy 4.5 yards per carry and eclipsing the 100-yard plateau in each of his last two games.

Fantasy Spin - Bills at Lions Fantasy Preview

Which Buffalo team will arrive at Ford Field on Sunday? The inconsistent offensive unit with a generous defense or the explosive offensive machine racking up yards. The Lions will try for their first win of both Marinelli's tenure and the 2006 season on Sunday. Detroit's pass rush has been weak, accumulating just six sacks through its first five games. Losman, who now has 914 yards passing with four TDs and four INTs this season, sits near the bottom of several NFL statistical categories, with his 78.6 passer rating serving as one such dubious number. McGahee keeps defenses honest, and is now third in the NFL with 439 rushing yards. He was stopped in his tracks against the Bears last week. Carrying the ball for Detroit is Kevin Jones, who ranks second among NFL backs with 25 catches for 173 yards but has been slow to get moving on the ground. Losman should have plenty of time to throw this week in the face of a poor Detroit pass rush, Kitna won't be able to keep pace with a depleted supporting cast on the offensive side of the ball, and Detroit will be saddled with its sixth straight loss.

Buffalo - Losman (S), McGahee (S), Evans (Z), Price (Z), Buffalo D (S)
Detroit - Kitna (B), K. Jones (Z), Williams (S), Furrey (B), Hakim (B), Pollard (B), Lions D (B)

Fantasy Spin - Seahawks at Rams Fantasy Preview

The battle for the West. The Rams are playing very good football this year and stand alone atop the NFC West. The Seahawks are coming off a bye week. Two weeks ago, they suffered a vicious beating by the Bears. This weeks clash will take place in the Edward Jones Dome the scene of last years 4th quarter victory by the Seahawks, which propelled them to the Super Bowl in Detroit. This will be a good defensive battle between both teams, as each team tries to break away in the NFC West race. The absence of Alexander will put more responsibility into the hands of Hasselbeck, who has been strong both against the NFC West and on the road as of late. He's won seven straight starts against division opponents and has a 95.8 passer rating. Running back Maurice Morris makes his second consecutive start in Alexander's place and will look to build on season stats of 101 rushing yards on 33 carries. Engram is out Branch is in. has surpassed 300 passing yards in two straight games against the Seahawks and has completed 102-of-169 passes for the season. Holt leads the team this season with 29 catches (second in the NFC) and 372 yards. Steven Jackson is leading the NFL with 649 yards from scrimmage and tying for first in the league with 465 rushing yards. Expect points in this one.

Fantasy Spin - Eagles at Saints Fantasy Preview

This game features two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL in Drew Brees and Donovan McNabb, and two of the top passing offenses. This game could see a lot of scoring. If you're looking to devise a short list of NFL MVP candidates at this stage of the season, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (1602 passing yards, 11 TD, 1 INT) should be at the top of your list. Donte' Stallworth (12 receptions, 2 TD), who was nursing a hamstring injury last week and is expected to miss this game as well. Upgrade Reggie Brown, L.J. Smith and Brian Westbrook, they will need to step up for Phili to win this one. New Orleans D ranks 23rd in the league against the run. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees (1234 passing yards, 5 TD, 2 INT) has been extremely productive for the Saints thus far, posting a healthy 91.6 passer rating. Rookie phenom receiver Marques Colston (23 receptions, 3 TD) has been on fire for New Orleans. Reggie Bush leads NFL receptions list as a first-year player. Brees completed 11 passes for 63 yards to Bush last week. Expect New Orleans to give Philadelphia its best shot and possibly pull an upset.

Philadelphia - McNabb (S), Westbrook inj(S), Stallworth (Inj) (B), Brown (S), LJ Smith (S), Phili D (Z)
New Orleans - Brees (S), R. Bush (S), Mcallister (S), J. Horn (Z), Colston (S), Saints D (B)

Fantasy Spin - Bengals at Buccaneers Fantasy Preview

The Bucs did show some progress on offense last week with Bruce Gradkowski, a rookie quarterback who started his first professional game. Cincinnati, on the other hand, should be fresh and rested after its bye week, and that extra week allowed the Bengals to get some injured starters back on the field. With a loss this week, the Buccaneers will be off to their first 0-5 start since Tony Dungy's first year as head coach in 1996. Quarterback Carson Palmer has a solid 88.8 passer rating despite being held under 200 yards in two of his four games this year. His stats 917 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT aren't to shabby though. Running back Rudi Johnson carries the load for the Bengals and has 87 of the team's 107 rushing attempts. (353 yards, 4 TD). Gradkowski made the most out of his opportunity last week, completing 20-of-31 passes for 225 yards and two touchdown passes. The rookie's favorite target was wide receiver Joey Galloway (four balls for 110 yds TD). Second-year running back Cadillac Williams (218 yards, 1 TD) had rushed for a total of 107 yards over his first three games of the season, but busted out with 111 yards last week.

Cincinnati - Palmer (S), R. Johnson (S), C. Johnson (S), T.J. Housh (Z), Bengals D (Z)
Tampa Bay - Gradkowski (B), Cadillac (S), Galloway (S), Clayton (B), A. Smith (Z), Bucs D (Z),

Fantasy Spin - Titans at Redskins Fantasy Preview

Tennessee is coming off a moral victory of sorts, as it held the potent Indianapolis offense to just 14 points in Week 5. Residing in last place in the NFC East, the Redskins seek to improve to 3-0 against AFC South teams when they host the winless Titans on Sunday. Last week Vince Young threw for only 63 yards on 10- of-21 passing and was intercepted once in the narrow loss to Indianapolis. But did rush for 43 yards and scored the team's lone touchdown with a great 19- yard TD scramble. Tennessee's 27th-ranked aerial attack (174.6 ypg) may get a boost against a Washington defense which has been disappointing against the pass. Brunell was terrific during the Redskins' two victories, completing 24-of-27 passes for 261 yards in the Week 3 triumph over Houston and registering a 329-yard, three-touchdown performance against Jacksonville the following week. Tennessee's secondary has allowed opposing signal-callers to complete a whopping 67.8 percent of their throws this season. Portis and Betts figure to be salivating over the thought of facing a Tennessee run defense that's yielding a league-worst 172.4 yards per game.

Fantasy Spin - Panthers at Ravens Fantasy Preview

This game pits two physical clubs that pride themselves on playing great defense and controlling the line of scrimmage. Both teams will be in the playoff hunt and this is an important out-of-conference contest. The Panthers were a popular preseason favorite to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLI this February, but a disappointing 0-2 start and a bevy of injuries helped drop their stock in the eyes of most pundits. Delhomme will face a significant challenge in going up against a Baltimore defense that ranks third in the NFL against the pass. In search of a third straight 100-yard game for the first time in his career is Panther running back DeShaun Foster (373 rushing yards, 1 TD, 13 receptions), who will receive plenty of opportunities in the absence of backfield mate DeAngelo Williams. Steve McNair carries a 67.0 passer rating with him into Week 6, which would be the lowest of his career. Look for McNair to bounce back, the Ravens defense to make some key plays, and for Baltimore to move to 5-1.

Fantasy Spin - Dolphins at Jets Fantasy Preview

The Dolphins have had a poor start to the season with four close losses. The Jets were embarrassed by the Jaguars in Week 5. They had their best rushing output of the season, but QB Chad Pennington had his worst performance. Chad Pennington started out hot this year with two 300 yard games that had two scores in each. Then he cooled down to a couple of 200 yard games with one score. Rookie Leon Washington ran 23 times for 101 yards against a very stout Jaguars defense. Have the Jets discovered a new elite runner? Last week Joey Harrington completed 26 of 41 passes for 232 yards and two interceptions against the Patriots. Ronnie Brown has only averaged 40 rushing yards per game on the road this year though all his scores have come on the road. Look for Chad to bounce back, for the Jets to win more battles than they lose on the line of scrimmage, and for New York to even its record at 3-3.

Miami - Harrington (B), Mcmicheal (Z), Chambers (S), Brown (S), Dolphins D (Z)
New York - Pennington (S), RBBC (B), Coles (S), Cotchery (Z), Jets D (Z)

Fantasy Spin - Chiefs at Steelers Fantasy Preview

Kansas City has won two straight and veteran QB Damon Huard is getting the job done. For Pittsburgh, the season is on the line this week. Baltimore and Cincinnati are creating a lot of separation at the top of the AFC North, and the Steelers need to keep up. Huard has been successful by making minimal mistakes, and contributing the occasional big play. He's got 4 decent WR's making catches for him downfield, Hall, Gardner, Kennison, and Morris, throw in Larry Johnson, and Tony Gonzalez and they can present some problems. Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau could have to be very careful about how he attacks Huard. Roethlisberger's numbers (569 passing yards, 0 TD, 7 INT) pretty much speak for themselves. The Chiefs secondary has played extremely well so far, and has been the impetus for a defense that ranks fourth in the NFL against the pass. Top wideout Hines Ward (13 receptions, 1 TD) has been invisible. For the Steelers to win look for Porter or Polamalu to goad Huard into some meaningful mistakes, in turn opening the door for Roethlisberger, Parker, and the Pittsburgh offense to cash in.

Fantasy Spin - Chargers at 49ers Fantasy Preview

The development of 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has been a big story line all season. He has improved from his rookie year. The Chargers have been playing "Marty Ball" very well and will continue to do so with the running game behind LaDainian Tomlinson. On the way up is Philip Rivers. He is coming off his best game of the season when he threw 24 of 37 for 242 yards and two scores against the Steelers. Go-to running back LaDainian Tomlinson has 130 or more rushing yards in three of his last five games against NFC foes Maybe it took finally facing the Raiders, but Alex Smith comes off his first ever three touchdown game when he threw for a very efficient 15 of 19 for 165 yards last week. Frank Gore comes off a career high 134 rushing yards on 27 carries against the Raiders that had 38 more yards on three receptions. San Diego has averaged 350.8 total yards per game through four, second in the AFC. Antonio Bryant, is tied for third in the NFL with seven catches of 20 yards or more. San Francisco is averaging 328 total yards per game. The Niners though don't appear to have the talent to contend, on either side of the ball in this one. Advantage Marty Ball.

San Diego - Rivers (S), L.T. (S), Gates (S), Mccardell (Z), Parker (Z), Chargers D (S)
San Fran - Smith (B), Gore (S), Bryant (Z), Davis (Z), E. Johnson (B), 49ers D (B)

Fantasy Spin - Raiders at Broncos Fantasy Preview

This is a rivalry game and even though the Raiders have been struggling of late, they always seem to get up for the Broncos. There is some bad blood between Denver head coach Mike Shanahan and Oakland owner Al Davis so this matchups should have fireworks. Now how are the Raiders going to win? I'm not sure I'd even play the top Raiders, so to speak, in LaMont Jordan and Randy Moss. Not a good week ahead. Tatum Bell is going to run wild. Really wild. And the schedule is kind for the next few weeks after as well. Oakland's passing defense is ranked second in the NFL (144.5 ypg), but that could be because teams are simply running the ball at will against them. The Broncos live for games like this week's test against Oakland. They are at home against a team that has difficulty stopping the run. Once Shanahan establishes the running game he will give Plummer a chance to roll out and put the game away Looks like the prime time games this weekend might not be the most compelling.

Fantasy Spin - Bears at Cardinals Fantasy Preview

The Bears take their act to the Valley of the Sun, as Arizona fans get a chance to watch an elite team play football. Chicago is the most complete team in the NFL. Sit your Cardinals, including Boldin and the guy tied for the No. 10 spot among running backs this season, Edgerrin James. Rex Grossman should be good for two more scores, probably one to the No. 1 receiver in fantasy, Bernard Berrian. Thomas Jones has been cruising with a couple of home games recently that served up around 100 yards in each and allowed him to score twice against the Seahawks. To adequately appreciate what Matt Leinart did in his debut is to realize that his 253 passing yards were 80 yards better than any other team has managed against the Chiefs this year. Larry Fitzgerald will miss at least the next two weeks and likely up to a month. Bryant Johnson will step up and he had six catches for 82 yards last week with Leinart in there. The Cardinals are not running well against average opponents and now face the Bears who had not allowed a running back to score a touchdown this year. Leinart's debut on national television as a professional provides a reason to tune in, but there's a good chance this game will be over by halftime.

Chicago - Grossman (S), Jones (Z), Muhammed (S), Clark (Z), Berrian (S), Bears D (S)
Arizona - Leinart (B), James (B), Fitzgerald Inj (B), Boldin (Z), Johnson (B), Cardinals D (B)