To prepare you as best we can for your week of Fantasy Football, we've devised this series of previews for each NFL game. We'll give you a taste of what to expect, then rank each significant Fantasy contributor on a scale from 0-5 stars (with five stars suggesting can't-miss; a player or unit without any stars suggests you probably shouldn't start him under any circumstances). The rankings take the matchup into account, but injuries and other significant factors also contribute. You should be able to compare the ratings for the players on your team and make an educated pick on who should start -- and sit -- in your lineup .
Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers Sunday, 1:00 pm, Lambeau Field
So much for the Packers' run defense making a comeback. Their overall poor defensive display on Monday will provide optimism for the Panthers, especially since they prefer to run the ball in the first place. Look for DeAngelo Williams to shoulder the load with Jake Delhomme using Steve Smith in short routes more than the deep ball. The Saints were able to succeed with lots of yards after the catch, and that is Smith's specialty. Delhomme shouldn't do too bad here since the Packers' pass rush isn't that fierce. While the Carolina offense should dig in, the Packers are sure to test their run defense. In Carolina's last two games, they've allowed two 100-yard rushers and six total rushing touchdowns, so something isn't right there. Ryan Grant and the Packers' offensive line should have success grinding into them, taking some pressure off of Aaron Rodgers to fling the ball into Carolina's good secondary. Rodgers tends to post his best numbers either in a shootout or when the Packers are playing from behind, and I don't think either scenario will go down here.
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, 1:00 pm, Paul Brown Stadium
While I think the Ravens will run all over the Bengals, picking out who will do it is a tough task. Willis McGahee has had 16 carries in his last two games after surprising us three weeks ago with a 25-carry performance at Houston. His status is consistently up in the air with the Ravens not hinting at how they'll use him. The better option here is LeRon McClain, especially if the Ravens build a lead and run the ball to kill the clock. McClain is suited for that, and he's also clearly their goal-line punch man. He should have the best week among the Ravens' rushers. The Bengals had extra time this week to look at the Ravens film, but it's not going to matter much. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Cedric Benson are pretty much laughable at quarterback and running back, and it's limiting the upside in T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson. Housh has the better history against the Ravens (three TDs in his last five vs. Baltimore; Johnson has one TD), but the Ravens have been cagey against the pass of late. These guys can't be expected to be big factors on Sunday.
N.Y. Giants at Washington Redskins Sunday, 1:00 pm, FedEx Field
Traditionally, this has been a low-scoring rivalry, and there's no reason to believe this game will be any different. Both teams love to run and both defenses are playing pretty good football. The Giants' doctrine should continue to be pounding away with the run game and spreading the ball around with the pass attack when needed. That should result in a good game for whoever is playing for the Giants at running back. Clinton Portis will also be the preferred way to move the ball for the Redskins, but the going will be tougher for him. Portis seems to be a big hit away from incurring a serious injury, and the Giants will hit him with the intention of wearing him down (the Seahawks did the same thing last week). It's tough to expect a big game from Portis considering how strong the G-Men have been vs. the run and how banged up he appears to be. That might mean the game coming down on Jason Campbell's shoulders, and he hasn't been playing well enough against anybody to be considered for Fantasy. Don't expect a good game from him, and thus Santana Moss and Chris Cooley.
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, 1:00 pm, Raymond James Stadium
Drew Brees finds himself playing outdoors on grass against the second-ranked pass defense in the NFL. In similar spots against good pass defenses, he's struggled this year (at Washington, at Carolina). But with the Saints unlikely to run the ball well (or much at all) thanks to the Buccaneers' tough run defense, Brees is going to have to put the ball in the air. That does cater to the strength of the offense, but it's going to be a challenge for Brees to get to 300 yards as the Bucs will be ready for what the Saints throw at them. If Reggie Bush plays, figure him to have some rust and not be a candidate to be a huge stat machine this soon. The Bucs are going to do their best to keep Drew Brees off the field, but that may not mean just running the football even though in the past they've been pretty committed to the run. Warrick Dunn might be starting, but he's unlikely for even 20 carries a game at his older age, and Cadillac Williams can't be counted on as a chain-mover. Thus, Jeff Garcia should take a series of shots short and deep in an effort to challenge the Saints secondary, the likes of which could push him close to 250 yards passing. Antonio Bryant would likely benefit the most.
San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills Sunday, 1:00 pm, Ralph Wilson Stadium
Tough spot for the 49ers, especially heading west-to-east against a Bills defense that surprised everybody last week. While I know that Mike Martz knows how dangerous a weapon Frank Gore is, it's not a shock that he's opting to throw more with Shaun Hill under center, especially when the Niners begin to fall behind. Hill has been consistent and able to move around in the pocket and utilize all of his receivers, and it's left Gore out of the mix. The Bills are by no means studs against the run, but Gore's slightly limited reps and challenging environment doesn't suggest a strong game. In fact, no 49ers players are must-starts, including Isaac Bruce, who simply got a lot of work in against a Cowboys defense that didn't pay him much attention last week. Buffalo should come out of the gate balanced, using Marshawn Lynch just as much as their receivers. San Francisco's pass defense is not only awful but under the heat lamp after their botched strategy for Terrell Owens last week. With Josh Reed back and definitely forcing teams to cover him, look for Lee Evans to continue being effective, and the same goes for Trent Edwards.
Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns Sunday, 1:00 pm, Cleveland Browns Stadium
The Colts have done moderately well in their last two games outdoors on grass and should keep it going here. They may even view this game as a get-well matchup for Reggie Wayne, who has struggled in five of his last six games and has hurt Fantasy owners in most weeks. Joseph Addai should also see a good amount of work -- let's face it, the Browns will have a hard time with everybody on the Colts. The only guy who might not do well is Marvin Harrison, who tends to slow down on grass (17 catches, 152 yards, zero touchdowns in five such contests). How do the Browns combat the Colts? Running the ball will help, but Jamal Lewis won't be the only guy. Lewis' plodding style will be easy for the Browns to corral, but Jerome Harrison could make a dent as a speedy alternative. I don't know how many reps he'll see, but he could keep the ball with the Browns and out of Peyton Manning's hands. Derek Anderson may not be a great option for Cleveland to turn to, but he's got some motivation as he might consider himself auditioning for another team to trade for him and sign him to a new contract. He's also proven in the past that he can throw deep to Braylon Edwards but the Colts have been staunch against the pass.
Denver Broncos at N.Y. Jets Sunday, 1:00 pm, Giants Stadium
The Broncos might be happy with what they're getting out of their run game with Peyton Hillis leading the way, but it's not going to be enough for them against the Jets. New York continues to slam against the run, and that's going to force Jay Cutler to pass in this game. Of course, Cutler is usually good for lots of passing in every Broncos game. But what's he's learning is that Brandon Marshall can't always fend off double coverage and rookie Eddie Royal is slowing down. After that duo, his options aren't great, and the Jets will likely scheme to take them out of the game and force Cutler to go elsewhere, and that's when he can struggle. His completion percentage has been out of whack recently as well, failing to connect on 55 percent of his passes in three of his last four games, which coincidentally were games where he threw at least 37 times. Cutler's a risky Fantasy start this week. The Jets should be able to do as they wish here as Denver's defense has been awful. It's also good to see the Jets' offensive philosophy shift, and that's thanks to Thomas Jones' consistent play of late. Expect a balanced attack, maybe even a little more geared toward the run as Leon Washington has also proven to be a threat. Three of the last four wins for the Jets were one-sided affairs, and they were mostly unkind to Favre's stats, and thus the stats of his receivers. Unless the Broncos stuff the run, or unless the Broncos put up a ton of points, you can't expect Favre to throw for a bunch of yards, and his receivers haven't both put up good stats in the same week since the Jets' dominant win over the turnover-crazy Cardinals in Week 4.
Miami Dolphins at St. Louis Rams Sunday, 1:00 pm, Edward Jones Dome
The Dolphins are going to come off the plane running. The worst performance by a running back against the Rams in their last four games has been just over 100 rush yards and a touchdown. That said, which of Miami's rushers is more likely to do well? The guess here is Ronnie Brown, who has out-carried Ricky Williams in four of the Dolphins' last five including the last two. They won't pass very much but I still like Ted Ginn to get loose and go for a deep catch. The Rams' best weapon to combat the Dolphins is Steven Jackson, who looks like he's got a shot to play. Miami's run defense is solid, but Jackson can be a do-it-all weapon for St. Louis, which of course means a lot of yards. Marc Bulger may also return, helping the Rams' pass attack against a bad Dolphins secondary. Bulger's best games come at home, so this could be a week where he lights it up and connects with Torry Holt and Donnie Avery, especially deep.
Atlanta Falcons at San Diego Chargers Sunday, 4:05 pm, Qualcomm Stadium
While the Falcons are predominantly a running team, they're not going to be able to help themselves against a really bad pass defense. This game presents a terrific opportunity for the Falcons to use the run to set up the pass and utilize Roddy White on deep routes and Michael Jenkins on shorter stuff. Harry Douglas might even get into the act after his two scores last week. With the Chargers sure to key in on slowing down their ex-teammate on the ground in Turner, Ryan has a shot at getting back to over 225 yards passing with a couple of touchdowns. The Chargers have shown a tendency to start games off by running before taking to the pass and not changing back. Some of that has to do with LaDainian Tomlinson not getting off to a hot start, but he's got a chance to roll as the Falcons' run defense on the road has been shaky, allowing six rushing touchdowns in five games. The Falcons have allowed a 100-yard receiver in two of their last three games, so after the Chargers use Tomlinson to gash the front seven, Philip Rivers could hit oversized targets Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates over the Falcons' smallish defensive backs for quality gains.
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders Sunday, 4:15 pm, Oakland Coliseum
There's going to be a lot of running in this game. The Chiefs are all-too familiar with the Raiders' defensive tendencies, as evidenced by Larry Johnson's long-term historical success against the Raiders' run defense. Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez have had their troubles against the Raiders (Gonzalez was five minutes away from not scoring in his sixth-straight game against Oakland in Week 2 and Bowe has never scored against the Raiders). Look for the Chiefs to run more than we're used to seeing, keeping Tyler Thigpen's stats in relative check. His usual plan to target Gonzalez and Bowe over and over again won't work here. Oakland will be able to do just about the same thing -- run down the throats of the Chiefs defense. Justin Fargas should be good for over 100 yards, and Darren McFadden should have a chance at getting more touches this week than he did in his previous two weeks combine. This is the perfect game for the Raiders to experiment with his skills and let him attempt a pass or two and also catch the ball. The rest of the Raiders offense leaves much to be desired, so even with the great matchup it's tough to trust the likes of JaMarcus Russell or Ashley Lelie. (Am I breaking any news here? Didn't think so.)
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots Sunday, 4:15 pm, Gillette Stadium
With Willie Parker a question mark to play much if at all and the Patriots' run defense being what it is, figure that Ben Roethlisberger will do much of the heavy lifting. New England's secondary is still a weak spot and the Steelers can spread four receivers wide and still attack with Parker or Mewelde Moore out of the backfield. There's going to be a lot of short- and mid-range stuff heading Hines Ward's way, and deep lobs for Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington could also be in order. It only helps Roethlisberger's cause that the Patriots' pass rush isn't what it used to be. Expect the exact same formula from the Patriots, only their receiving game is pumping out the production like they did last year, and they might be willing to run the ball only a dozen times. Admittedly, the Steelers' pass defense has been very solid all year, and they've hung with the Colts, Giants and Chargers. That's going to present a challenge to Matt Cassel, but he's been mostly accurate of late, and his ability to squirm out of the pocket and run could defuse the Steelers' blitz. The Steelers' chances to score are better than the Patriots', but it wouldn't be a surprise if both teams topped 24 points.
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings Sunday, 8:15 pm, Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Kyle Orton hasn't been a factor for the Bears over the last two weeks, but he's going to have to be one here as it's hard to run on the Vikings. What Chicago should notice is how the Jaguars utilized Maurice Jones-Drew last week, making him much more of a factor in the passing game than the run effort. Matt Forte is built to do the same thing and could be a key part of the receiving attack here even though he wasn't in their first meeting, though he did score against the Vikings in Week 7. The bottom line is that Orton is going to have to throw, and with the Vikings' pass rush coming after him and his ankle still bugging him, it could mean trouble. Minnesota should battle back with its best weapon against Chicago, Adrian Peterson. He's dominated the Bears over three career meetings and should continue to do so in Week 13. Short of the Bears putting eight in the box on every play to try and take out Peterson, don't expect Gus Frerotte to do a ton of passing. Bernard Berrian will get his -- he's back indoors taking on his old team, which has struggled against the pass -- but Frerotte is no lock for big numbers.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans Monday, 8:30 pm, Reliant Stadium
Last week, Jacksonville's plan was to throw a ton. This week they'll be more balanced against a Texans defense that's had its problems against the run and the pass despite their nice play last week at Cleveland. The Texans' defensive game plan for the Jaguars of late has been to stuff the run and take their chances against the pass. That will suit Jacksonville as they've been pass oriented for much of the year anyway. David Garrard could come up with some decent numbers, especially if the Jags continue to utilize Maurice Jones-Drew out of the backfield. They should be able to find the end zone against Houston's soft defense. The Texans should also be able to have their way with the Jags, though it will be more of a collaborative effort. A good ratio between running with Steve Slaton and passing to Andre Johnson deep and Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels short should keep the Jags' heads spinning. Ultimately, this has potential for a high-scoring game.
Tennessee Titans at Detroit Lions Thursday, 12:30 pm, Ford Field
Titans coach Jeff Fisher spoke this week about getting back to the basics for his team's offense, and there's no better opponent for them to do that against than the Lions. With the NFL's worst-ranked run defense, the Lions should pose no threat to Chris Johnson and LenDale White. Look for Tennessee to make a strong effort to run the ball and not throw like they've done in three consecutive games. That'll do against the Lions, who probably have no choice but to try and emulate the Jets' game plan from a week ago in hopes of bringing down their first win. The bad news is that they don't have the Jets' talent, especially up front and at running back. Kevin Smith and Daunte Culpepper should get pushed around, though Calvin Johnson should continue to catch few passes but come up with big stats.
Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys Thursday, 4:15 pm, Texas Stadium
If the Seahawks are smart, they'll abandon their run game and focus solely on attacking the Cowboys' secondary, which has gotten healthy but still can be beaten. Maurice Morris is the better running back for Seattle at this point, and with his receiving ability, he might be able to come into some decent stats, but I wouldn't count on a touchdown. Matt Hasselbeck will likely throw a bunch, but I don't think he's got a shot at huge stats even though Shaun Hill torched them for over 300 yards last week. Seattle's receiving corps has struggled even with Hasselbeck back. Meanwhile, no pass rush on Tony Romo means no problem getting the ball deep to Terrell Owens. The Cowboys will take their shots deep while pounding the Seattle front seven with Marion Barber. A simple sentimental pick: WR Roy Williams grew up in Dallas and knows the significance of playing on Thanksgiving. No doubt, he'll try to do something special on Thursday, especially if he's covered by cornerback Kelly Jennings.
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles Thursday, 8:15 pm, Lincoln Financial Field
The Eagles defense is good, but not when they're on the field for a long time when their offense sputters. Such was the case last week, and the Eagles can't afford that this week. That's fine for the Cardinals, who prefer to throw and strike quickly. As they've done against tough competition all season, throwing the ball for lots of yardage will be easy for them. Expect the Cardinals to continue being active in the passing game, particularly since their run game has stalled with Tim Hightower starting. As for the Eagles, their slump has been caused in part by the lack of a run game. But that's not a bad thing here as the Cardinals are skilled against the run but sloppy against the pass. That said, the Eagles should trust Donovan McNabb to get after the Cardinals' defensive backs and connect on short-range stuff with Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett and deep stuff with DeSean Jackson. As for Westbrook, he's going to play hurt and with minimal depth behind him (Correll Buckhalter isn't a lock to work), so counting on him for decent but not great stats is about as good as we can get. This game definitely has high-scoring potential, as well as potential for a DST touchdown or two.
