Well, this week we have to sit tons of fantasy players from the Seahawks, Brocos, Cardinals and Bengals. You GET to sit your Rams and Browns...just think of it that way. Anyways, here's 10 things to look for while you become one with your couch on Sunday.
- The Bears and Packers are back at it. The oldest and most played (188 games!) rivalry in the NFL. History will take a back seat this weekend though, because all we care about is fantasy football. Look for Aaron Rodgers to bounce back from a poor game last week and find Randall Cobb for at least one TD. Jay Cutler will also continue to struggle against the Pack, he's 1-9 career against them and his favorite target is banged up.
- Make sure you keep an eye on the inactive list. For the second week in a row, Arian Foster will be a game-time decision. If he doesn't go, it'll be Alfred Blue again, but I think if Foster starts, he's going to be a very sketchy play. He seems to do this every year, and doesn't hit his stride until later...or he's done for the season.
- Steve Smith is playing his old team, the Carolina Panthers, whom he spent 13 years with. Their parting wasn't totally a happy one, and while I'm sure that they will reconcile in order to make a metric shitton of money after he retires, for now he wants nothing more than to crush them. Smith is having a bit of a resurgence this year, already with 18 rec for 290 yds and 1 td, he is a must start against his old team.
- Andrew Luck is leading the league in fantasy points this season, and it appears as if he's taken the step into the elite tier of QB's (most of whom are not playing their best to start the year). With 80.88 pts, he's even ahead of Eli Manning, who had 33.1 points on Thursday night. This week, expect the Colts to roll this week and Andrew Luck to continue to impress.
- The Dolphins and Raiders are playing in London this week, the first of three games to be held in London this year. Coach Philbin seems to be losing the locker room, and with a big road trip on their plate, this could be trouble for the Dolphins. Lucky for them, they play the hapless Raiders. This game is going to go to whoever is the least jet-lagged.
- The Steelers run game last week was damn impressive, and while the now-famous kick in the face wasn't by a RB, it totally represents what their run game has looked like lately. The combination of Bell and Blount will smoke the Bucs and I predict that they combine for over 200 yards as the Steelers roll easily. This is a classic start all your Steelers, sit all your Bucs kind of game.
- Cecil Shorts is back! Everybody drink five. The Jaguars, however, are not back. They have looked better this year, and rookie Blake Bortles does look promising, but they are going to get moon-pounded in San Diego. Hope for some garbage TD's for Shorts and drink five again.
- The Falcons are coming off of a moon-pounding of their own, at the expense of the Bucs last week. This also means that Atlanta has had an extra few days of rest and planning for the Vikings, who have a rookie QB of their own going, not to mention a few other distractions. I don't expect much fantasy production outside of Asiata from the Vikings, but plenty of points will be had by the Falcons.
- The 49ers will get a chance to redeem themselves from failing to win on opening night at their new stadium...but they will fail. The Eagles are an impressive 3-0 so far this year, and the 49ers have looked vulnerable. This will be the game that LeSean McCoy breaks out, even though the 49ers are one of the best against RB's.
- Sunday night's game is going to feature a 2-1 team that is playing at home that is a Vegas underdog to a team that is 1-2. I don't think this is the wrong call either. The Saints have struggled on the road at times, but Drew Brees is 3-0 as a Saint in Dallas, with 9 TD's. This is the game where Brees returns to form. I saw Brian Billick predict that Brees will break the single game yardage record of 540 yards. I don't know if that's even remotely possible, but it sure would be cool to see. Just as long as I don't have to play against him.
Please wait...
