Thursday Morning Quarterback - Week 6 Recommendations (Thu 10/14/10)
Hi everyone,
Randy Moss is back in Minnesota. Deion Branch is back in New England. What in the world is going on here? Did someone flip the calendar back to 2002 when I wasn’t looking? Wait, I guess not - Brett Favre’s the one now throwing passes to Moss, not Daunte Culpepper. Although if the 1-3 Vikings don’t get their act together soon, their 2002 record of 6-10 may actually look impressive. Here are my recommendations for Week 6 - all games are Sunday during the day unless otherwise noted:
Atlanta at Philadelphia (Sunday early) - Michael Vick’s likely absence from this game against his former team takes some of the luster off this matchup, but this contest should still be one of the better games of the weekend. Kevin Kolb and the Eagles’ passing game will get the better of Michael Turner and the Falcons’ running game. Philadelphia 28 Atlanta 24.
- Atlanta
- Yes (Should definitely be in your starting lineup): RB Michael Turner, WR Roddy White, TE Tony Gonzalez
- No (Should definitely NOT be in your starting lineup): WRs Harry Douglas & Michael Jenkins, DEF, K Matt Bryant
- Maybe So (Okay to start if you don’t have a better option): QB Matt Ryan
- Philadelphia
- Yes: QB Kevin Kolb (assuming he starts), WRs DeSean Jackson & Jeremy Maclin, TE Brent Celek (Probable-wrist), DEF
- No: QB Michael Vick (whether or not he starts), K David Akers
- Maybe So: RBs LeSean McCoy (Probable-ribs) & Jerome Harrison
Kansas City at Houston - Was Kansas City’s defeat last weekend at the hand of the Colts a bump in the road or a sign of things to come? Bet on the latter. Was Houston’s no-show last weekend against the Giants a bump in the road or a sign of things to come? Bet on the former. Houston 30 Kansas City 21.
- Kansas City
- Yes: TE Tony Moeaki
- No: WRs Chris Chambers & Dexter McCluster, DEF, K Ryan Succop
- Maybe So: QB Matt Cassel, RBs Jamaal Charles & Thomas Jones, WR Dwayne Bowe
- Houston
- Yes: QB Matt Schaub, WRs Andre Johnson (Questionable-ankle) & Kevin Walter, DEF, K Neil Rackers
- No: RB Derrick Ward (Questionable-ribs), WR Jacoby Jones (Questionable-calf)
- Maybe So: RB Arian Foster (Probable-knee) & TE Owen Daniels (Questionable-knee)
Cleveland at Pittsburgh - Ben Roethlisberger makes his “triumphant” return in front of an adoring(?) home crowd, while Cleveland prepares to start rookie Colt McCoy against the Steelers’ Defense. If you think this game has “trainwreck” written all over it, you would be correct. Pittsburgh 34 Cleveland 14.
- Cleveland
- Yes: TE Ben Watson
- No: QBs Colt McCoy, Jake Delhomme (Questionable-ankle), & Seneca Wallace (Questionable-ankle); RBs Peyton Hillis (Questionable-thigh) & Mike Bell, WRs Mohamed Massaquoi & Josh Cribbs (Questionable-ankle), DEF, K Phil Dawson
- Maybe So: None
- Pittsburgh
- Yes: QB Ben Roethlisberger; RB Rashard Mendenhall, WRs Hines Ward & Mike Wallace, TE Heath Miller, DEF, K Jeff Reed
- No: None
- Maybe So: None
Seattle at Chicago - Jay Cutler returns this week, mercifully putting an end to the Todd Collins Era in Chicago. Meanwhile the Beast Mode Era begins for Seattle as Marshawn Lynch makes his debut for the Seahawks. Unfortunately, he’ll have nowhere to run agains the Bears’ defense, and the Seahawks have no passing game to speak of. Chicago 27 Seattle 10.
- Seattle
- Yes: TE John Carlson
- No: QB Matt Hasselbeck; RBs Marshawn Lynch & Justin Forsett; WRs Mike Williams, Golden Tate, & Deon Butler; DEF, K Mason Crosby
- Maybe So: None
- Chicago
- Yes: QB Jay Cutler (Probable-concussion), RB Matt Forte, WRs Devin Hester & Johnny Knox, TE Greg Olsen, DEF, K Robbie Gould
- No: WRs Devin Aromashodu & Earl Bennett
- Maybe So: RB Chester Taylor
Detroit at New York Giants - Shaun Hill has played well in Matthew Stafford’s absence, and the Lions’ 44-point outburst against the Rams last week was impressive. However, after a rough start the Giants’ defense seems to be rounding into form, and the Giants should extend their winning streak to three games. New York 31 Detroit 17.
- Detroit
- Yes: WR Calvin Johnson (Questionable-shoulder), TE Brandon Pettigrew
- No: QB Shaun Hill, RB Jahvid Best (Questionable-toe), WR Nate Burleson (Questionable-ankle), DEF, K Jason Hanson
- Maybe So: None
- New York Giants
- Yes: QB Eli Manning, RB Ahmad Bradshaw, WRs Steve Smith & Hakeem Nicks, DEF
- No: K Lawrence Tynes
- Maybe So: RB Brandon Jacobs, WR Mario Manningham, TE Kevin Boss
Baltimore at New England - Call me crazy, but I just don’t see how New England can win this game. People will cite the Tom Brady factor, but unless he’s able to wave a magic wand and transform the Pats’ defense into a respectable unit, the Patriots will be watching this year’s playoffs at home on television. Baltimore 27 New England 17.
- Baltimore
- Yes: QB Joe Flacco, RB Ray Rice (Questionable-knee), WRs Anquan Boldin & Derrick Mason, TE Todd Heap, DEF, K Billy Cundiff
- No: None
- Maybe So: RB Willis McGahee, WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh
- New England
- Yes: WR Wes Welker, TE Aaron Hernandez
- No: QB Tom Brady, RB Fred Taylor (Questionable-toe), WRs Brandon Tate & Deion Branch, DEF, K Stephen Gostkowski
- Maybe So: RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis
San Diego at St. Louis - Last week the Chargers suffered an agonizing defeat (thanks, special teams), and the Rams suffered a crushing defeat (thanks, everyone). This week the Chargers will rebound, and the Rams will not. San Diego 35 St Louis 17.
- San Diego
- Yes: QB Philip Rivers, WRs Malcom Floyd & Legedu Naanee (Questionable-hamstring), TE Antonio Gates, DEF
- No: K Nate Kaeding
- Maybe: RB Ryan Mathews (Probable-ankle) & Mike Tolbert
- St. Louis
- Yes: WR Danny Amendola
- No: QB Sam Bradford, WRs Laurent Robinson & Brandon Gibson, DEF, K Josh Brown
- Maybe So: RB Steven Jackson
Miami at Green Bay - Miami figures to have trouble passing against Green Bay’s defense. Assuming Aaron Rodgers is able to play, this should be one of the more competitive games of the day. If the Packers are forced to start Matt Flynn instead of Rodgers, that won’t be the case. Miami 24 Green Bay 21.
- Miami
- Yes: RB Ronnie Brown, WR Brandon Marshall, TE Anthony Fasano, DEF
- No: K Dan Carpenter
- Maybe So: QB Chad Henne, RB Ricky Williams, WR Davone Bess
- Green Bay
- Yes: RB Brandon Jackson, DEF
- No: QB Matt Flynn (whether or not he starts), RB John Kuhn, WRs James Jones & Jordy Nelson, TEs Jermichael Finley (Out-knee) & Anthony Quarless, K Mason Crosby
- Maybe So: QB Aaron Rodgers (Questionable-concussion), WRs Greg Jennings & Donald Driver
New Orleans at Tampa Bay - On paper this game looks like a mismatch. On the field this game will look like even more of a mismatch. Somewhere John Karney is shedding a tear. New Orleans 30 Tampa Bay 17.
- New Orleans
- Yes: QB Drew Brees (Probable-knee), WR Marques Colston (Probable-ribs), TE Jeremy Shockey, K Garrett Hartley
- No: RBs Pierre Thomas (Questionable-ankle) & Julius Jones, DEF
- Maybe So: RBs Chris Ivory (Probable-knee) & Ladell Betts; WRs Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, & Robert Meachem
- Tampa Bay
- Yes: TE Kellen Winslow (Probable-knee)
- No: QB Josh Freeman; RBs Cadillac Williams, Earnest Graham (Questionable-hamstring), LeGarrette Blount, & Kareem Huggins; WR Mike Williams (Questionable-foot), DEF, K Connor Barth
- Maybe So: None
New York Jets at Denver (Sunday late) - It’s likely Jets’ cornerback Darrelle Revis will miss the game due to his hamstring injury. If that’s indeed the case, the Jets secondary will struggle to cover the Broncos’ talented wide receiver corps. Denver 28 New York Jets 24.
- New York
- Yes: RBs LaDainian Tomlinson & Shonn Greene, WR Braylon Edwards, TE Dustin Keller
- No: WR Jerricho Cotchery, DEF, K Nick Folk
- Maybe So: QB Mark Sanchez, WR Santonio Holmes
- Denver
- Yes: QB Kyle Orton, WRs Brandon Lloyd & Eddie Royal, DEF
- No: RBs Knowshon Moreno (Questionable-hamstring), Laurence Maroney, & Correll Buckhalter, WR Demaryius Thomas (Questionable-concussion), K Matt Prater
- Maybe So: WR Jabar Gaffney
Oakland at San Francisco - It seems like it’s been since the days of the late George Blanda that the Raiders had a better team than their Bay Area neighbors. The Raiders are far from being a Super Bowl contender, but there are finally some signs of life. Oakland 30 San Francisco 27.
- Oakland
- Yes: QB Jason Campbell, RB Michael Bush, WR Louis Murphy, TE Zach Miller, K Sebastian Janikowski
- No: QB Bruce Gradkowski (Doubtful-shoulder), RB Darren McFadden (Questionable-hamstring), WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, DEF
- Maybe So: None
- San Francisco
- Yes: QB Alex Smith, RB Frank Gore, WRs Michael Crabtree & Josh Morgan, TE Vernon Davis, K Joe Nedney
- No: DEF
- Maybe So: None
Dallas at Minnesota Two much-maligned coaches with 1-3 records face off against each other in the Underachiever Bowl. Randy Moss with a full week of practice under his belt with his new team makes enough of a difference to tilt the scales in Minnesota’s favor. Minnesota 27 Dallas 24.
- Dallas
- Yes: QB Tony Romo; RB Felix Jones; WRs Miles Austin, Dez Bryant (Questionable-ankle), & Roy Williams; TE Jason Witten
- No: RB Marion Barber, DEF, K David Buehler
- Maybe So: None
- Minnesota
- Yes: QB Brett Favre (Questionable-elbow), RB Adrian Peterson, WRs Randy Moss & Percy Harvin, TE Visanthe Shiancoe (Questionable-hamstring), DEF, K Ryan Longwell
- No: None
- Maybe So: None
Indianapolis at Washington (Sunday night) - The chances of Peyton Manning having two lousy games in a row are miniscule. The chances of Washington throwing the ball well against a suspect Colts’ defense are great. Combining the two means that this should be one of the better matchups of the weekend, but the Colts will keep pace with Houston and the Tennessee-Jacksonville winner atop the AFC South. Indianapolis 31 Washington 24.
- Indianapolis
- Yes: QB Peyton Manning; WRs Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie (Questionable-foot), & Pierre Garcon (Questionable-hamstring), TE Dallas Clark, DEF
- No: RBs Donald Brown (Questionable-hamstring) & Mike Hart (Questionable-hip), K Adam Vinatieri
- Maybe So: RB Joseph Addai (Questionable-neck)
- Washington
- Yes: QB Donovan McNabb (Probable-thigh), RB Ryan Torain, WR Santana Moss, TE Chris Cooley
- No: DEF, K Graham Gano
- Maybe So: WR Anthony Armstrong
Tennessee at Jacksonville (Monday night) - NFL schedule makers probably envisioned this game as a showcase for two of the best running backs in the game. However, with both Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew dealing with injuries, the outcome of the game will rest heavily on the teams’ quarterback play. Expect David Garrard to have a slightly better game than his counterpart Vince Young. Jacksonville 30 Tennessee 27.
- Tennessee
- Yes: RB Chris Johnson (Questionable-thigh), WRs Kenny Britt & Nate Washington, TE Bo Scaife, K Rob Bironas
- No: RB Javon Ringer, WR Justin Gage (Questionable-hamstring), DEF
- Maybe So: QB Vince Young
- Jacksonville
- Yes: RB Maurice Jones-Drew (Questionable-ankle), WRs Mike Sims-Walker & Mike Thomas, TE Marcedes Lewis, K Josh Scobee
- No: RB Rashad Jennings (Questionable-shoulder), DEF
- Maybe So: QB David Garrard
Good luck to your teams this weekend!The SherpaFantasy Football SherpaThe Sherpa’s Fantasy Football Blog@fantasy_sherpa on TwitterFantasy Football Sherpa’s fan page on Facebook“4th & Inches with Jana and The Sherpa“, Wed. nights 9:30-10:30pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio
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