Week 11 Fantasy Football Matchups

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 logos (with five logos suggesting can't-miss; a player or unit without any logos 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.

Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers Thursday, 8:20 pm, Bank of America Stadium

The Dolphins are too proficient at running to do anything but that against Carolina. The Panthers are only decent against the run, so Miami should exploit the defense with a heavy dose of Ricky Williams. The Panthers will know it's coming and they'll catch a break not seeing Ronnie Brown, who is out. They'll try to stuff Williams and force Chad Henne to pass. His best plan of attack to mix up the runs is with some outside quick-hitters and slants to help balance things out. The Panthers have a big advantage against the Dolphins pass attack so they'll try to build a lead and force Henne to beat them. How might they build that lead? It won't be easy: Carolina will be without Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross, its best offensive lineman, for the rest of the year and they'll take on a Miami defense that doesn't break down easily against running backs. Look for the Panthers to really grind away on the ground with DeAngelo Williams shouldering the load (Jonathan Stewart might not do well playing on only four days rest). The Dolphins' secondary is improving and should match up well with Steve Smith but could struggle against Carolina's trio of underrated tight ends. Athletic receiving tight end Dante Rosario strikes us as someone who could make a dent -- he's improving healthwise and might be useful. Short passes will also benefit the Panthers, especially with the Dolphins' fleet of pass rushers coming after a slow Jake Delhomme without his best pass protector. Ultimately, this is a playoff game as neither team can afford to lose. It shouldn't be high scoring.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Chad Henne		QB	Jake Delhomme
Ricky Williams		RB	DeAngelo Williams
Lex Hilliard		RB	Jonathan Stewart
Davone Bess		WR	Steve Smith
Greg Camarillo		WR	Muhsin Muhammad
Joey Haynos		TE	Dante Rosario
Dan Carpenter		K	John Kasay
Dolphins		DST	Panthers

San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers Sunday, 1:00 pm, Lambeau Field

This isn't going to be pretty for the 49ers; they're 1-3 away from home, 1-3 with Alex Smith playing under center and their win last week was more gift-wrapped for them than anything else. They're going to stick to their run game with Frank Gore, of course, but the Packers have been improving against the run and will know to stack the box against him. The Packers secondary match up very well with the 49ers receivers and could even follow the choices made by the Bears to blanket tight end Vernon Davis and take him out of Smith's plans on passing downs. It's going to be hard for the 49ers to put points on the board unless Gore dominates. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers probably took a few lessons from Jay Cutler's mistakes last week and will simply be cognizant of where he's putting the football when he drops back. That's something he's done all season (17 touchdowns, five interceptions) and as such he should put up some solid totals. Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley (if healthy) should do moderately well. The 49ers are far more proficient at stopping the run, and considering the Packers' run blocking it's safe to expect modest but not overwhelming totals from Ryan Grant, who has really only put up big weeks against the Lions and Buccaneers. The Packers defense has been playing really well, so if you need a DST you can look their way.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Alex Smith		QB	Aaron Rodgers
Frank Gore		RB	Ryan Grant
Thomas Clayton		RB	Brandon Jackson
Michael Crabtree		WR	Donald Driver
Josh Morgan		WR	Greg Jennings
Vernon Davis		TE	Jermichael Finley
Joe Nedney		K	Mason Crosby
49ers		DST	Packers

Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, 1:00 pm, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium

There's much upheaval in Buffalo, some of it possibly stemming from the decision to start Ryan Fitzpatrick this week at quarterback over Trent Edwards. Dick Jauron is out as head coach and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell gets a crack at trying to change the team's fortunes. Despite the fact that Jacksonville's defense ranks in the bottom half against the run, it should be stout enough to overpower the Buffalo offensive line and contain Marshawn Lynch's yardage. But there is hope for the Bills' passing game as they got creative last week on a number of plays and could hang around this week because of receiving weapons Lee Evans and Terrell Owens. Jacksonville has been atrocious against the pass, and without a strong pass rush to force Ryan Fitzpatrick into some errors, the Bills' receivers have a chance. You can count on the Jaguars to lean heavily on Maurice Jones-Drew as the Bills have been terrible at stopping the run. In fact, there might only be limited passing attempts by David Garrard because the Jags are expected to hammer away at the Bills' front seven. Rashad Jennings might even see a few extra touches. But all that running will set up the pass, and this is a decent week for Mike Sims-Walker to put up more numbers than last week. He's played much better at home than on the road.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Ryan Fitzpatrick		QB	David Garrard
Marshawn Lynch		RB	Maurice Jones-Drew
Fred Jackson		RB	Rashad Jennings
Lee Evans		WR	Mike Sims-Walker
Terrell Owens		WR	Torry Holt
Shawn Nelson		TE	Marcedes Lewis
Rian Lindell		K	Josh Scobee
Bills		DST	Jaguars

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys Sunday, 1:00 pm, Cowboys Stadium

The Redskins' win over the Broncos last week was surprising and might have been because backup quarterback Chris Simms was unprepared for the game and the Redskins were able to play well against him. The Cowboys present a myriad of problems for Washington's offense and should be a tougher challenge. But elements of last week's win like quick passes to different receivers should help against a very good pass rush. Ladell Betts might get over 15 carries by default but the Cowboys have been good against the run and should be able to penetrate the Redskins' offensive line and limit him. Expect the Redskins to throw plenty, particularly if they can't handle the Dallas offense. Look for the Cowboys to try and re-establish their run a little bit more than they did last week, but also take deep downfield shots. Remember, the Broncos were well in control of the game last week until Kyle Orton got hurt -- he connected on two long touchdowns before then. Miles Austin strikes us as the perfect weapon for Dallas to use on deep shots against Washington's sagging cornerbacks and safeties. Washington will come after Tony Romo and try to force him into mistakes, but if the Cowboys can negate that with a good dose of the run game and short-area tosses to the running backs and Jason Witten, they should be successful.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Jason Campbell		QB	Tony Romo
Ladell Betts		RB	Marion Barber
Rock Cartwright		RB	Tashard Choice
Santana Moss		WR	Miles Austin
Antwaan Randle El		WR	Roy E. Williams
Fred Davis		TE	Jason Witten
Shaun Suisham		K	Nick Folk
Redskins		DST	Cowboys

Atlanta Falcons at N.Y. Giants Sunday, 1:00 pm, Giants Stadium

The Giants can't sleep on the Falcons' run game just because Michael Turner is out. Given the chance, Jason Snelling will do his best Turner impersonation running behind an O-line that will keep the Giants' defensive line busy. The return of Jerious Norwood will also cause some problems on passing downs if he's healthy (Aaron Stecker would be in otherwise). The Giants defense should be back at full strength following their bye, which isn't good news for Matt Ryan. Not only must he fend off the Giants' pass rush but also throw into a solid Giants secondary. Given how he's played of late (three touchdowns, six interceptions in his last three games), he's not a safe choice. That puts the status of Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White into jeopardy; White has cooled off after a four-game hot streak and Gonzalez has seen more passes come his way. The Giants have had some trouble against opposing tight ends and it's expected that Ryan will continue to lean on Gonzalez while also involving White. The Giants have allowed a slew of touchdowns through the air recently, but the return of cornerback Aaron Ross and some iffy play by Matty Ice might turn that around. The Giants should battle back with a heavy dose of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, setting up the play-action pass for downfield strikes to Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks. It's a good matchup all the way around for New York, though typically the Giants will run it more than pass it when given the chance. Eli Manning should be OK, but look for Jacobs and Bradshaw (who had a week to rest his foot) to shoulder the load.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Matt Ryan		QB	Eli Manning
Jason Snelling		RB	Brandon Jacobs
Aaron Stecker		RB	Ahmad Bradshaw
Roddy White		WR	Steve Smith
Michael Jenkins		WR	Mario Manningham
Marty Booker		WR	Hakeem Nicks
Tony Gonzalez		TE	Kevin Boss
Jason Elam		K	Lawrence Tynes
Falcons		DST	Giants

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings Sunday, 1:00 pm, Mall of America Field

The Vikings' run defense should do enough against the Seahawks' iffy offensive line to limit Justin Forsett, plus the Seahawks know they can move the ball through the air. Matt Hasselbeck has thrown for over 300 yards in each of his last two games and will surely be called upon to make plays again here. John Carlson has a nice matchup against the Vikings' safeties, and even with Antoine Winfield expected to have a shot at playing we could see a bunch of passes go to Nate Burleson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. And while Forsett's rushing game will be limited, it wouldn't be a shock to see him used on screens to take advantage of the Vikings' aggressive pass rush. The Seahawks should find ways to put points on the board, which is music to the ears of all of Brett Favre's Fantasy owners. Minnesota will need Favre for it to win this game, and he's got a fine matchup against a Seattle defense that has struggled to sack the quarterback. Sure, Marcus Trufant is back for the Seahawks and surely is in game shape by now, but he was in last week against the Cardinals and Arizona still found ways to put up huge passing numbers. Look for Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin and Visanthe Shiancoe all to put up nice numbers. Adrian Peterson, of course, will be involved and should get good totals even though Seattle hasn't been horrible against the run.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Matt Hasselbeck		QB	Brett Favre
Justin Forsett		RB	Adrian Peterson
Louis Rankin		RB	Chester Taylor
T.J. Houshmandzadeh		WR	Sidney Rice
Nate Burleson		WR	Percy Harvin
Deion Branch		WR	Bernard Berrian
John Carlson		TE	Visanthe Shiancoe
Olindo Mare		K	Ryan Longwell
Seahawks		DST	Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, 1:00 pm, Arrowhead Stadium

This should be a lay-up for the Steelers. With Kansas City's defense sagging against the run and the pass, there aren't many players on Pittsburgh worth sitting. If anything, the Steelers might build a lead with Ben Roethlisberger hitting his receivers deep and then handing off to Rashard Mendenhall. The Chiefs have gotten good play out of their safeties, and chances are they'll assign Mike Brown to hassle Heath Miller. He's the only guy on the Steelers who might disappoint. One big reason why the Steelers should roll: The Chiefs offense doesn't have the potential to put up many points. Jamaal Charles has the toughest matchup of his career going up against the Steelers defense with his ugly offensive line -- he'll do more damage as a receiver than as a rusher but he'll be hard pressed to post numbers like he did last week. Kansas City also starts a four-game stint without Dwayne Bowe, who was suspended by the NFL. Pittsburgh's secondary will likely play a two-deep zone and jam up Chris Chambers at the line of scrimmage while bringing a pass rush that Matt Cassel will have a hard time escaping. It won't be pretty for Kansas City, but if you're desperate for a DST, the Chiefs special teams will test the Steelers' coverage unit, which has given up three special-teams touchdowns in four weeks.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Ben Roethlisberger		QB	Matt Cassel
Rashard Mendenhall		RB	Jamaal Charles
Mewelde Moore		RB	Kolby Smith
Hines Ward		WR	Chris Chambers
Mike Wallace		WR	Lance Long
Santonio Holmes		WR	Mark Bradley
Heath Miller		TE	Leonard Pope
Jeff Reed		K	Ryan Succop
Steelers		DST	Chiefs

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, 1:00 pm, Raymond James Stadium

On paper, this should be a white-washing by the Saints, but we thought the same thing last week when they played at St. Louis. Get this -- New Orleans has lost its last two games at Tampa Bay in games where they've failed to run the football and had the football run on them. Considering the state of the Saints' defense, there's a chance Cadillac Williams could put up some decent totals. The New Orleans secondary is also banged up, and with Antonio Bryant reportedly coming back this week, Josh Freeman will have an extra target to go along with Kellen Winslow. The Bucs could keep this one close. Of course, they'll have to hog the football in order to have a chance to win because the Saints offense should pummel the Buccaneers defense. Marques Colston has yet to have a bad game at Tampa Bay -- he's totaled 25 catches for 299 yards with two scores in three games at the pirate ship and should overpower the Buccaneers' secondary even if he's up against cornerback Aqib Talib. We know Brees will throw his way, but he'll also use up the rest of his receivers including Reggie Bush, who has been playing exceptionally well. Even with Bush's track record against the Bucs, he should be effective. If the Saints are smart, they'll continue to work on the ground with Pierre Thomas, Bush and Mike Bell; Thomas and Bell were ineffective last week but Tampa Bay breaks down against the run and should do so here, giving the Saints a shot to cash in on the ground once or twice. So long as they stick with the run, they should move to 10-0.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Drew Brees		QB	Josh Freeman
Pierre Thomas		RB	Cadillac Williams
Reggie Bush		RB	Derrick Ward
Marques Colston		WR	Antonio Bryant
Robert Meachem		WR	Sammie Stroughter
Devery Henderson		WR	Michael Clayton
Jeremy Shockey		TE	Kellen Winslow
John Carney		K	Connor Barth
Saints		DST	Buccaneers

Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions Sunday, 1:00 pm, Ford Field

Knowing they have a chance to win this game, expect a good effort from the Browns. Not that it means they'll win or even put up a ton of points, but they'll aim to attack a Lions defense that has been burned by the pass game after game. If you're desperate for a sleeper, we might see Mohamed Massaquoi land a couple of deep lobs as Detroit simply cannot defend against the pass. Brady Quinn might also see his tight ends as open targets and hit them as he did against the Ravens last week. This does not mean Jamal Lewis will have his way with the Lions -- his offensive line doesn't match up especially well here and the Lions have actually allowed fewer touchdowns on the ground than the Dolphins and Saints! Now, the Lions know this is a potential win too, and they are far more prepared to beat up the Browns defense. Detroit has not gotten away from using Kevin Smith and it's completely reasonable to expect him to put a hurtin' on them both on the ground and through the air. But this should be the week that Calvin Johnson erupts. He's played two games since returning from a knee sprain and showed signs of improved chemistry with Matthew Stafford last week. If he doesn't light up the Browns' fast but not overly physical secondary for a couple of deep grabs and end-zone jump balls, you should be worried. The Browns' pass rush is decent enough to force Stafford to make quick decisions, but his mobility and play-action can negate a lot of that. The Lions should be able to outscore the Browns offense.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Brady Quinn		QB	Matthew Stafford
Jamal Lewis		RB	Kevin Smith
Chris Jennings		RB	Maurice Morris
Mohamed Massaquoi		WR	Calvin Johnson
Mike Furrey		WR	Bryant Johnson
Steve Heiden		TE	Brandon Pettigrew
Billy Cundiff		K	Jason Hanson
Browns		DST	Lions

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens Sunday, 1:00 pm, M&T Bank Stadium

Priority No. 1 for the Colts will be protecting Peyton Manning against the Ravens' pass rush. Manning has seen this defense before and torched them -- he has seven touchdowns in his last two games against them. So long as the Colts keep Manning upright, which they should be able to do with ease since Terrell Suggs won't play, the Ravens defense will be in for a long day. The Ravens' cornerbacks will struggle to keep up with their receivers, but they should be able to contain Dallas Clark as they have in their last three games against him (including a playoff game). The only concern for the Colts is how Joseph Addai will perform; he's had a three-touchdown game against the Ravens but bupkis in his other contests against them and the Ravens run defense remains strong. Plus, we know Indianapolis will throw it more than run it, and Donald Brown might cut in to Addai's workload a little bit. He's a risk. The Ravens will do what everyone else does against the Colts: Run it. They'll be effective with Ray Rice taking a big part of the offense against a sinking Indy run defense. By using him they'll kill the clock, keep Peyton off the field and keep the heat off of Joe Flacco. The Ravens' passing game has gone limp over the last three weeks and this should be no exception. Defenses are focusing on limiting Derrick Mason and as a result the rest of Baltimore's receivers aren't coming up with huge grabs (Mason's stats have wilted, too). Plus Flacco is not throwing as much as he did earlier in the season. The Colts have been scrutinized for using rookie cornerbacks, but Jerraud Powers has played excellent football and Jacob Lacey has made some nice plays at the nickelback spot. It could be another long week for the Ravens' passing game.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Peyton Manning		QB	Joe Flacco
Joseph Addai		RB	Ray Rice
Donald Brown		RB	Willis McGahee
Reggie Wayne		WR	Derrick Mason
Pierre Garcon		WR	Mark Clayton
Austin Collie		WR	Kelley Washington
Dallas Clark		TE	Todd Heap
Matt Stover		K	Billy Cundiff
Colts		DST	Ravens

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams Sunday, 4:05 pm, Edward Jones Dome

The Rams might be able to say they're ready for the Cardinals after nearly pulling the upset against the Saints last week, but expect Arizona to do its thing and score enough to win. Larry Fitzgerald should continue his productive ways, and when the Cards go to their three-receiver set the Rams won't have the talent to keep up. Their pass rush is also weak, so Warner should have a pretty good game as should his wideouts. And whether a lead is built or not, the Cardinals will probably spend some plays running the football with Beanie Wells. The rookie has been impressive when he's been given the chance to accumulate carries, and this might be one of those games. The Cardinals ran well against St. Louis last season, something Tim Hightower was a part of, but with Wells there to take touches from Hightower we could see a good effort between the two of them. You probably know what the Rams are going to do -- hand off to Steven Jackson. They won the time of possession battle with the Saints last week because of Jackson's runs along with a suddenly improved passing game thanks to Donnie Avery and rookie Brandon Gibson. We like Gibson's route-running ability -- Marc Bulger does too -- and with him being a threat and Avery stretching the Cardinals defense, there is a chance for the Rams to test the Cardinals' secondary, especially if Marc Bulger can get the protection he had last week.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Kurt Warner		QB	Marc Bulger
Tim Hightower		RB	Steven Jackson
Beanie Wells		RB	Samkon Gado
Larry Fitzgerald		WR	Donnie Avery
Anquan Boldin		WR	Brandon Gibson
Stephen Spach		TE	Randy McMichael
Neil Rackers		K	Josh Brown
Cardinals		DST	Rams

N.Y. Jets at New England Patriots Sunday, 4:15 pm, Gillette Stadium

The Jets are catching Bill Belichick's Patriots at the wrong time -- coming off a rare embarrassing loss. The Jets have done well running the ball of late and will come off the bus handing off to Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene. But the Jets will know well in advance that the Patriots will stack up to stop the run and force Mark Sanchez to throw -- that's what all of their opponents have tried to do. With Dustin Keller wrapped up by safety Brandon McGowan, Sanchez will have to make really good use of Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery. The Patriots didn't see Edwards in their Week 2 meeting, and while their secondary is good, the team has struggled with opponents who have at least two very good wide receivers. In three games against teams with multiple capable receiving threats (vs. Baltimore, at Denver, at Indianapolis) the Patriots are 1-2 and have allowed at least 20 points per game. They don't have the defense to entirely shut down Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery and slow down the run. With their pass rush being good, not great, Edwards and Cotchery have a chance to do some damage. The Patriots' offense won't be lacking confidence in spite of last week's loss. Rather, they'll be out to win big. In that regard, the spotlight falls on Randy Moss, who has had a lot of trouble when he's covered by Darrelle Revis. Moss had Revis' number in their first meeting, but since then Revis has done a solid job of shutting him down. The Patriots won't ignore Moss, but they'll surely plan ahead and have alternatives to move the chains. One move will be using Laurence Maroney, as the Jets have struggled to slow down the run since they lost defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. Wes Welker should be called upon a lot and even Julian Edelman and Sam Aiken could see a few passes go their way, especially if Moss is blanketed, but the trend between Tom Brady and Rex Ryan's defenses combined with all of these factors make Brady a good but not great start. Temper expectations with him.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Mark Sanchez		QB	Tom Brady
Thomas Jones		RB	Laurence Maroney
Shonn Greene		RB	Kevin Faulk
Jerricho Cotchery		WR	Randy Moss
Braylon Edwards		WR	Wes Welker
Dustin Keller		TE	Benjamin Watson
Jay Feely		K	Stephen Gostkowski
Jets		DST	Patriots

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos Sunday, 4:15 pm, Invesco Field at Mile High

While the Chargers should be expected to keep up their aggressive pass attack, chances are they won't be able to ignore how bad the Broncos run defense has been over the last two weeks. Getting run over by Rashard Mendenhall and the Steelers is one thing, but Ladell Betts and the Redskins? Clearly the Chargers won't be afraid to run LaDainian Tomlinson at least 15 times, making him useful even with his offensive line still a little suspect. Philip Rivers' numbers should be fine even though the Broncos have done a good job containing tight ends, meaning that Antonio Gates might struggle for huge numbers. Vincent Jackson was clamped down by the Eagles last week and the rest of the Bolts put up nice totals -- don't expect the Broncos to try and do the same thing. Offensively, the Broncos will either roll out a hobbled Kyle Orton or a healthy Chris Simms. With a week of practice, Simms should be the better option considering Denver's typical offense. Orton rushed back last season from an ankle injury and was a totally different quarterback, enough to help harpoon the Bears' 2008 playoff run. Simms was unprepared last week but should step up enough to at least run the Broncos' short-area passing game and hand off. Look for Knowshon Moreno to take on a big role again this week as the Chargers' run defense was hardly tested last week but is still suspect. Also, the Broncos exploited the Chargers' coverage of Tony Scheffler in their Week 6 meeting, leading to a huge game from the tight end. If San Diego doesn't apply better coverage to him, and with Simms potentially leaning on his tight ends as security blankets, Scheffler could emerge this week. He's worth the gamble if you're thin at the position.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Philip Rivers		QB	Kyle Orton
LaDainian Tomlinson		RB	Knowshon Moreno
Darren Sproles		RB	Correll Buckhalter
Vincent Jackson		WR	Brandon Marshall
Malcom Floyd		WR	Eddie Royal
Antonio Gates		TE	Tony Scheffler
Nate Kaeding		K	Matt Prater
Chargers		DST	Broncos

Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders Sunday, 4:15 pm, Oakland Coliseum

Cedric Benson or not, the Bengals O-line should open up holes for Bernard Scott and Larry Johnson to scoot through on Sunday. Expect the Bengals to lean on the run game, and thus I suspect that Johnson will see some playing time. Scott doubles as the Bengals' kick returner and third-down back Brian Leonard only sees action so often, so Johnson should see some touches if Benson is out. Oh by the way, Johnson has seen these Raiders before and has crushed them in the past. The Raiders' secondary is solid, so between that and the Bengals' ability to run at will, don't be shocked to see less than typical totals from Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco. The Raiders will have their hands full here as the Bengals are great against the run and the pass, even as they turn to Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback. Tight end Zach Miller has a pretty good matchup but other than that, Cincinnati will load up to slow down the Raiders' running backs, play man-coverage on the Raiders receivers and wait for them to make mistakes. With games against the Raiders, Browns and Lions over the next three weeks, the Bengals DST should do wonders for your Fantasy team.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Carson Palmer		QB	Bruce Gradkowski
Bernard Scott		RB	Justin Fargas
Larry Johnson		RB	Michael Bush
Brian Leonard		RB	Darren McFadden
Chad Ochocinco		WR	Chaz Schilens
Laveranues Coles		WR	Louis Murphy
Darius Hill		TE	Zach Miller
Shayne Graham		K	Sebastian Janikowski
Bengals		DST	Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears Sunday, 8:20 pm, Soldier Field

Without Brian Westbrook, the Eagles become Donovan McNabb's offense and therefore they don't stick with the run as much as everyone else in the league does. LeSean McCoy might produce good totals simply because he's the running back in the Philly offense, but the matchup for him isn't overly favorable. The Bears defense played really well last week at San Francisco and also have had 11 days to rest up. So long as defensive tackle Tommie Harris helps crash the pocket and keep pressure on McNabb, they'll keep the Eagles' offense from being explosive. To that extent, DeSean Jackson is probably a safe start as is Brent Celek, but Jeremy Maclin might not do as well. The Bears' secondary isn't that bad. Surely, the Eagles will take their chances with Jay Cutler firing into their secondary with the hope they can pick up some turnovers. But to do that effectively, Philadelphia will have to plug up its run defense, have a man assigned to Matt Forte out of the backfield and double-cover Greg Olsen. Philadelphia has been terrible against opposing tight ends and if the Bears come out in a three-receiver set with Olsen and Forte, the Birds are going to have their hands full. Keep in mind that the Eagles' secondary is very thin behind their starters, and the Bears will take advantage of those mismatches. Expect Chicago to continue to lose faith in its run game and ultimately have Cutler throw, especially considering the aforementioned mismatches. Like other contests this week, this is a playoff game with the loser having their chances of making the playoffs really crippled.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Donovan McNabb		QB	Jay Cutler
LeSean McCoy		RB	Matt Forte
Leonard Weaver		RB	Adrian Peterson
DeSean Jackson		WR	Devin Hester
Jeremy Maclin		WR	Earl Bennett
Brent Celek		TE	Greg Olsen
David Akers		K	Robbie Gould
Eagles		DST	Bears

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans Monday, 8:30 pm, Reliant Stadium

Big game for both teams. The Titans have leaned on Chris Johnson making plays and Vince Young keeping the ball safe to build their current winning streak, and that should continue here. Even with Young coming home to play in Houston, don't expect the Titans to start changing their identity and throw the ball everywhere. Young has continued to show signs of developing and might begin to throw more in a couple of weeks, but with Johnson playing out of his mind and the Titans interested in keeping the Texans offense on the sideline, they'll run it. Meanwhile, Tennessee's defense has improved from the beginning of the season, but with the Titans' pass rush not consistent enough to scare the Texans, expect Matt Schaub to drop back plenty and hit targets deep and short. Andre Johnson is obvious, but also expect both Steve Slaton and Ryan Moats along with Kevin Walter and rookie tight end James Casey to get involved. Remember, Owen Daniels is long gone for Houston and so they'll need to utilize its other options if Johnson sees max coverage rolled his way. Casey is a legit sleeper this week. The Texans should be successful as they were earlier this season in Nashville.

Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Vince Young		QB	Matt Schaub
Chris Johnson		RB	Ryan Moats
LenDale White		RB	Steve Slaton
Nate Washington		WR	Andre Johnson
Kenny Britt		WR	Kevin Walter
Bo Scaife		TE	James Casey
Rob Bironas		K	Kris Brown
Titans		DST	Texans