NFL: Week Four Fantasy Football Preview
As we get closer to week four of the NFL season it is time to start looking at this week’s games and figuring out who to play this week for your fantasy teams. The Pickle is here to preview this week’s games.
Teams with Byes this week: Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals
New York Jets vs. New Orleans Saints
Only matchup of two unbeaten teams this week. This one features two teams with contrasting styles. The Saints are now the “Greatest Show on Turf” while the Jets favor an in your face smashmouth approach to playing football.
The Jets are going to run, run, and run some more in an effort to control the ball and keep Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints offense off of the field. The Jets definitely do not want to put the game in the hands of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez and would prefer to win it by playing stifling defense and running the football.
Look for the Saints to flip the ball out to Reggie Bush in space in an effort to keep the Jets blitzing linebackers at bay.
One should not expect a huge day from Drew Brees. He should be solid but the Jets have a strong secondary that should be able to slow the Saints receivers down a bit. He should do better than the 172 yard zero touchdown performance he had in Buffalo last week.
Lance Moore has been limited in practice this week, is listed as questionable, but is expected to make a go of it on Sunday.
Mike Bell is listed as questionable and has not practiced this week. With Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas healthy and producing ond should not expect the Saints to rush Bell back too soon.
Defensive backs Lito Sheppard, Jim Leonhard, and Donald Strickland did not practice on Wednesday and are listed as questionable for Sunday.
Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes were limited in practice and are listed as questionable, but one can expect that they will be ready to go come Sunday.
Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots
This is key matchup for both squads. The Ravens are being hyped as the best team in the league and the Patriots are out to show they are still one of the elite teams in the league.
The current forecast is calling for a 40% chance of rain.
Statistically speaking the Pats defense is better than the Ravens and the Pats have played a stronger schedule than the Ravens thus far.
Look for the Ravens to establish the run early to take some of the onus off of Joe Flacco’s shoulders. Flacco is still growing as a quarterback and Belichick is still good at confusing them at times. Teams have had some success running between the tackles against the Patriots and with Jerod Mayo out and Vince Wolfork fighting an ankle injury look for the Ravens to exploit that by running Willis McGahee and Ron Rice between the tackles early and often.
The Patriots need to stick to the same balanced offensive attack they used agains the Falcons if they want to win this one. If they go back to throwing the ball 50 times and running 20 the Ravens will simply start teeing off on Brady. The flow on offense is much better for the Patriots when Fred Taylor or Laurence Maroney gives them 80 to 100 yards on the ground.
Look for the Pats to take some shots down the field with Randy Moss. If Vincent Jackson can burn the Ravens for 23.8 yards per catch then Moss should be able to get open down field as well. Moss should end the drought and finally get his first touchdown or two this weekend.
Todd Heap is listed as questionable for the Ravens and was limited in practice earlier this week with a back injury. This could be a good week to play L. J. Smith who could see the bulk of action at tight end if Heap is not able to go full speed on Sunday.
Receiver Kelley Washington is also questionable for the Ravens with groin injury. This is bad news for Washington who is just starting to come into his own as the Ravens #2 receiver.
Mayo is officially out for the Pats.
Vince Wolfork, Wes Welker, Randy Moss, and Shawn Springs are listed as questionable for the Patriots. If Springs is unable to go Derrick Mason could be in line for a big day.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos
A matchup of two teams trying to show they should be taken seriously. Both Cowboys victories have come against winless teams while the Broncos hold victories against the Browns, Raiders, and Bengals and the win against the Bengals came on a last minute fluke play.
The Cowboys secondary is a mess right now and one can expect the the Broncos to exploit that in an effort to loosen up the defense so they can run the ball with Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter. Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal are good candidates to have break out games this weekend.
The Cowboys defense has also struggled against the run at times and are allowing 4.7 yards per carry so expect Moreno and Buckhalter to get their touches and yards this weekend as well.
Denver’s defense is vastly improved this season allowing only 214 yards per game and surrendering a mere 21 points on the season. It remains to be seen how legit the defense is though as two of their games have been against the two lowest rated offenses in the league and their third game was against a Cincinnati team currently sitting at 24th. Dallas is third in the league in total yards and will provide the Broncos with their first real test this season. To their credit, thought, they did hold Cedric Benson, who has averaged 4.8 yards per carry since week one, to just 3.6 yards per carry.
The key to this one could be how well Dallas LT Flozell Adams pass protects against Elvis Dumervil who has six sacks in his last two games. Adams needs to keep Dumervil at bay to give Tony Romo time to throw the ball. When Romo gets pressured he tends to throw the ball all over the field and start throwing interceptions.
Felix Jones is likely out for this weekend, but, Marion Barber is expected to play for the Cowboys. Dallas needs to run the ball to keep Denver’s attacking defense honest.
Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Brett Favre makes his first appearance against Green Bay since the Packers’ sent him packing last summer.
The wildcard in this game is going to be Brett Favre. Will he stick with the game plan or is he out to show the Packers he still has soemthing left? He has talked a good game all week but let us see if he gets caught up in the moment or not on Monday.
Green Bay has struggled agains the run allowing over 128.7 yards per game on the ground so expect a heavy dose of Adrian Peterson from the Vikings.
Do not expect the Vikings to throw very much unless they have to.
Aaron Rodgers has struggled to find a rhythm against the better defenses he has faced this year. Pass protection has been an issue for the Packers this season so look for Jared Allen to wreak havoc on Rodgers forcing him to throw the ball before he wants to.
Charles Woodson missed Thursday’s practice with a bum wheel and is listed as questionable for the Packers.
San Diego Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are reeling losing their last two games to the Bears and Bengals while the Chargers are looking to find some consistency and keep up with the Broncos in the AFC West.
Steelers’ running back Willie Parker has not practiced this week due to a turf toe injury and is listed as quesiontable for this weekend. If he cannot go then Mewelde Moore is the likely starter making the Steelers offense that much weaker.
Chargers’ runner LaDanian Tomlinson participated fully in practice on Wednesday and Thursday and is expected to play on Sunday. I know everyone seems to think Darren Sproles it the better option and more explosive player but Tomlinson is the more consistent runner of the two so one should expect him to see his share of carries this weekend.
Troy Polamalu was cleared to start running again this week and is looking like he might be a game-time decision for the Steelers. Since he has not been able to run the past two weeks he has likely lost some conditioning and is not likely to be at full speed if he does play. Look for Philip Rivers to take his shots down field to Vincent Jackson as the Steelers’ secondary has been giving up a lot of throws down field this year.
If Polamalu is sidelined again this weekend expect Antonio Gates to have a big day against a Pittsburgh defense that has been soft over the middle against the pass without Polamalu on the field.
The Steelers still defend the run with the best of them and with the Chargers line a bit dinged up do not expect a lot out of Sproles or Tomlinson in the ground game. Sproles is always good for several catches in the passing game though.
The Chargers have struggled to stop the run this year so the Steelers may not need Parker. Whoever the Steelers featured back is this week he figures to have a pretty strong game.
Shawne Merriman has been limited in practice this week with a groin injury and is listed as questionable for the Chargers.
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears
The Lions are coming off their first win in 20 games while the Bears are on a roll the last two weeks after their week one disaster against the Packers.
The current forecast calls for a 20% chance of rain on Sunday.
Detroit’s defense is still a work in progress and its secondary has been prone to giving up the big pass plays this year and has given up 3 touchdowns of 39 yards or more this season. Look for Jay Cutler to take some shots deep with Devin Hester and Johnny Knox. Expect one of those two guys, if not both, to come down with a big catch or two.
Do not expect a lot from Matthew Stafford this weekend as the Bears are going to bring pressure early and often on Stafford, who has never shown an ability to succeed under fire.
I keep waiting for Matt Forte to do something this year. Maybe this is the week?
Kevin Smith, who suffered a shoulder injury in the win against Washington, is listed as questionable for this week’s game and is expected to be a game-time decision. The Lions need to establish a running game to keep the Bears pass rush at bay and without Smith in the lineup it will be a very tall order in deed with Maurice Morris as the projected starter.
Chicago MLB Hunter Hillenmeyer is listed as questionable after leaving last week’s game with a rib injury.
Desmond Clark returned to practice this week in a limited role but is still listed as questionable for this week’s game.
Lions’ defender Ernie Sims returned to practice this week after missing the Redskins’ game with a shoulder injury but is still listed as questionable for this Sunday.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are off to a 3-0 start and the offense has been hot the last two weeks while the Seahawks have lost two in a row since a season opening win against the Rams.
Matt Hasselbeck and Walter Jones have officially been ruled out of this week’s game. With that said look for the Seahawks to establish the Julius Jones led running attack early against a Colts defense that is allowing 125.7 yards per game.
Do not look for a lot out of Seahawks receivers as Seneca Wallace is not known for his ability to throw the ball down field.
Reports have Dwight Freeney (strained quad) wanting to play this week against Seattle but it seems unlikely that it will. Jim Caldwell needs to ask himself if he needs Freeney out there to beat the Seahawks and the answer that question is no. So, why risk him further injuring himself by playing him this Sunday?
The Seahawks rank 25th in the league at stopping the run so look for Joseph Addai and/or Donald Brown to put up solid numbers this weekend.
With Seattle’s linebackers ailing and their safeties only being so-so in pass coverage look for Manning to exploit that by featuring Dallas Clark over the middle.
Colts linebacker Gary Brackett is still listed as questionable with a knee injury.
Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu is still quesiontable with a hamstring injury but is expected to try and play this Sunday.
New York Giants vs. Kansas City Chiefs
This is not expected to be much of a contest as the Chiefs have been handled by both the Eagles and Ravens this year.
Weather is not expected to be a factor in this game.
Kansas City struggled to find any kind of a rhythm in the passing game against Philadelphia and one can expect more of the same against a Giants team that excels at getting after the quarterback.
Teams have been able to run the ball with some success against the Giants so look for the Chiefs to try and establish Larry Johnson early on.
Given the Chiefs inability to pressure the quarterback look for Eli Manning to pick them apart the way Kevin Kolb did last week for the Eagles. This could be a carbon copy of the Cowboys’ game with Steve Smith and Mario Manningham both catching 8 to 10 balls and going for 100 yards.
With Ahmad Bradshaw missing practice and Danny Ware still out of action the likelihood of the Giants featuring the pass increases that much more.
Dwayne Bowe is still limited at practice with a hamstring injury and is expected to be a game-time decision for the Chiefs.
Giants’ receiver Hakeem Nicks is back at practice in a limited role this week but it is still not known if he will play this week.
New York corner back Aaron Ross is questionable with a hamstring injury.
Kansas City linebacker Derrick Johnson practiced this week and is expected to play on Sunday.
St. Louis Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers
The Niners are looking to rebound from their first defeat of the year and strengthen their stranglehold on the NFC West agains the winless, hapless Rams.
Glenn Coffee is expected to start in place of injured running back Frank Gore. With the Rams allowing almost 150 yards per game on the ground expect Coffee to have a big day for the Niners.
Marc Bulger has not thrown in practice all week and it is expected that Kyle Boller will be under center this Sunday against the Niners.
With top receiver Laurent Robinson done for the year and Donnie Avery struggling to get up to speed look for the Niners to stack the line of scrimmage and dare the Rams to throw the ball.
With Robinson on IR Steven Jackson is the only player on the Rams worth playing right now.
The Rams allowed Seattle’s John Carlson to catch six passes in week one and Washington’s Chris Cooley grabbed seven balls in week two. Look for Niners’ tight end Vernon Davis, who appears to be having a breakout year for the Niners, to follow up on last week’s 7-catch two-touchdown performance last week in Minnesota with another strong performance.
Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are looking to win their first game of the year against the scuffling Bills.
The current forecast has a 30% chance of rain for Sunday.
Second year quarterback Chad Henne is expected to make his first career start on Sunday. One should expect the Bills to dial it up a notch and come after Henne. Given the state of the Dolphins receiving corps one should not expect a lot from Henne regardless.
The Bills are allowing 117 yards per game on the ground so expect a lot of the Wildcat with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams piling up the rushing yards.
Petyon Manning and Philip Rivers each torched the Dolphins secondary for 300 yards the past two weeks so look for the Bills to open up the offense and take some shots down the field with Lee Evans and Terrell Owens.
With Marshawn Lynch back in the fold one can expect Fred Jackson to see fewer carries this week. Do not expect a lot from either of these two though given the Dolphins are only allowing only 66 yards per game on the ground through the first three weeks.
Buffalo has struggled defending other team’s tight ends this year allowing three touchdowns to opposing tight ends this year. Miami’s Anthony Fasano is a guy to keep an eye on this Sunday. He has gotten off to a slow start this year but he did average 13.4 yards per catch and scored 7 touchdowns last season.
Buffalo defensive tackle John McCargo has not practiced this week and is listed as questionable with a strained calf injury.
Buffalo’s Donte Whitner missed practice on Wednesday and is listed as questionable for Sunday.
The Bills placed corner back Leodis McKelvin on injured reserve Thursday meaning his out for the balance of the season.
Miami’s Joey Porter has not practiced this week and is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns
The Bengals have gotten on a roll since losing on a last second play to the Broncos in week one while the Browns are arguably the worst team going right now.
The current forecast calls for a 20% chance of rain on Sunday.
The Browns benched Brady Quinn after a lackluster first half last week in favor of Derek Anderson. Anderson will get his first start of the season this weekend despite throwing three interceptions and posting a 30.9 passer rating in the second half last weekend.
Braylon Edwards should benefit from Anderson being in there as he loves to air it out but do not expect Anderson’s presence to cure any of the other offensive woes for the Browns. It can be argued that it really does not matter who the quarterback is at this point.
Look for Cedric Benson to chew up some significant real estate against a Browns defense that is allowing 184.3 yards per game on the ground this season.
Expect the Bengals to exploit the Browns lack of a pass rush and take some shots deep with Chad Ochcocinco and Chris Henry.
Cleveland running back Jamal Lewis is still listed as questionable with a hamstring injury but it is expected that he will try and play this weekend. One really wonders when Lewis is going to shut it down for the year as he has been known to do in the past when his team is not playing well.
Browns’ defenders Shaun Rogers and Kamerion Wimbley have been limited in practice this week and both are listed as quesiontable.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Redskins
This game features a matchup of two teams going nowhere fast. The Bucs come to D. C. sporting an 0-3 record while the Redskins are licking their wounds after a losing to the Lions last weekend.
Weather is not expected to be a factor in this game.
The Bucs benched veteran quarterback and team captain Byron Leftwich after an awful first half last week and have opted to go with Josh Johnson, a second year player, as the starting quarterback this weekend. It is an interesting choice given this will be Johnson’s second career appearance he really showed nothing against the Giants to warrant getting the start this week. It is also an interesting choice in that they opted to go for Johnson over top pick Josh Freeman.
Look for the Bucs to run as much as humanly possible and throw only when necessary.
Earnest Graham could see more action with Cadillac Williams fighting a sore knee and Derrick Ward missing practice time this week with a knee injury.
The Bucs are allowing 187 yards per game on the ground so look for a heavy dose of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts from the Redskins.
Tampa has given up 5 touchdown passes of 35 yards or more this season so look for the Skins to take some shots down field with Santana Moss who is coming off a big day in Detroit that included a 57-yard touchdown strike from Jason Campbell.
A good tight end can be a young quarterback’s best friend. When the Bucs have to throw the ball look for them to go Kellen Winslow’s way as often as possible.
Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Another matchup of teams going nowhere fast. The Titans have been one of the league’s most disappointing teams this year following up a 13-win year with an 0-3 start to the season while the 1-2 Jags are coming off an unexpected road win in Houston this past weekend.
The current forecast calls for a 20% chance of rain.
Despite losing Albert Haynesworth to the Redskisn the Titans are still one of the best teams in the league when it comes to stopping the run allowing just 60 yards per game and 2.2 yards per carry. Maurice Jones-Drew is coming off his best game of the year with 119 yards and three touchdowns against Houston, but do not expect him to be anywhere close to those numbers against a stifling Titans’ defense.
The Titans and the Jaguars are tow of the worst teams in the league in terms of defending the pass. The Titans rank 29th in passing yards allowed while Jacksonville is dead last in the league in that category. Look for both teams to try and take some shots down the field. Look for the Titans to take some shots down the field with Nate Washington and Kenny Britt being the primary targets. Expect one if not both to come up with long catches on Sunday. As for the Jags if Torry Holt has anything left in the tank this very well could be a 100-yard game for him. Keep an eye on Mike Sims-Walker as well for Jacksonville. He has caught at least six passes and posted at least 81 yards in each of the last two games and he is a good candidate to go for 100 yards as well against what has been a porous Titans secondary this season.
Jacksonville’s run defense has been decent but teams have been able to move the ball against them on the ground, so there is no reason to think Chris Johnson will not approach 100 yards on the day.
Defensive back Vincent Fuller is out this week for the Titans and star corner back Cortland Finnegan is listed as quesionable with a hamstring injury making it all the more likely the Jags will look to throw the ball on Sunday.
Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans
A matchup of two teams that had optimistic outlooks at the beginning of the season only to flounder in the early going. The Raiders looked like a much improved team taking the Chargers to the limit in week one, but, it would appear as though they peaked in week one as they barely got past the Chiefs in week two and were embarrassed by the Broncos this past weekend. The Texans were a chic pick to be a breakout team this season only to see them lose badly at home to the Jets in week one and again to a winless Jacskonville team this past weekend. Their only victory has come on the road against the winless Titans.
JaMarcus Russell is a complete mess at quarterback right now and until he starts showing signs of improvement or the Raiders finally pull the plug on him there really is no need to consider playing any of the Raiders’ receivers. Since week one the Raiders have thrown for exactly 189 yards, total.
The Texans have allowed a 100-yard rusher in every game they have played this season and are giving up over 200 yards per game, so the potential for a huge game from Darren McFadden and/or Michael is there.
The Raiders are allowing 155 yards on the ground themselves so look for Houston’s Steve Slaton to build on last week’s game and possibly post his first 100-yard effort of the season.
Matt Schaub is throwing the ball as well as anyone in the league right now but with Oakland likely assigning Nnamdi Asomugha to Andre Johnson the likelihood of a third straight 300-yard game seems pretty remote. Instead of Johnson look for the Texans to feature Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels in the passing game this weekend. They seem like good candidates to catch 7 to 10 passes this weekend.
Oakland safety Michael Huff has missed practice time this week and is questionable with rib and quad injuries.
