Week 3 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. 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 .

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Bills' Fantasy options are hardly appealing, and chances are you won't start them regardless of what I say, so I'm going to use the next few sentences to lay out what I'd do if I was gameplanning for the Patriots: I'd keep quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on the sideline, and with a nod to my colleague Jamey Eisenberg, I'd use the option. It was two years ago when the Patriots were embarrassed at home by the Dolphins when the Wildcat was born out of desperation. The Bills should use the option, and perhaps the Wildcat, to do the same thing. A big difference is that the Patriots' defense is much faster now, but any sort of creative use of C.J. Spiller in a role he can easily understand would do wonders for this team. Back to reality with the Patriots, who have shown a propensity for big statistics against Buffalo through the years. Obviously the passing game is going to be a factor, including young tight end Aaron Hernandez staying in the mix, but it wouldn't be a shock to see the Pats run the ball a bit more than normal. They're down to a three-headed monster between Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris and the guy I think could end up being a real asset down the stretch, BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Starting any of these backs is a crapshoot, but the long-term potential for Green-Ellis makes him worth stashing on your bench.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Ryan Fitzpatrick		QB	Tom Brady
Fred Jackson		RB	Fred Taylor
Marshawn Lynch		RB	BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Lee Evans		WR	Wes Welker
Roscoe Parrish		WR	Randy Moss
Jonathan Stupar		TE	Aaron Hernandez
Rian Lindell		K	Stephen Gostkowski
Bills		DST	Patriots

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Jahvid Best will have a hard time scoring two touchdowns on the ground in this game. The Vikings' run defense is as strong as they come, and with the team desperate for a win they're going to focus on him like he's Barry Sanders. Detroit gave up on the run fairly easily on their last visit to Minnesota, and the same thing could happen here even with Best in their backfield. Expect Minnesota to play with a single-high safety with the other helping cover Calvin Johnson. While that could open the door for the Lions' tight ends to put up some catches, it will ultimately make it hard on Shaun Hill to be a strong passing choice, though there's always a chance of him ending up with a nice stat line with some garbage-time success. The Vikings should instill confidence in their offense pretty easily against a Lions defense that's never been able to contain Adrian Peterson. Expect the Vikings to lean on him while letting Brett Favre run a toned-down gameplan, especially if Percy Harvin doesn't play.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Shaun Hill		QB	Brett Favre
Jahvid Best		RB	Adrian Peterson
Calvin Johnson		WR	Percy Harvin
Bryant Johnson		WR	Bernard Berrian
Brandon Pettigrew		TE	Visanthe Shiancoe
Jason Hanson		K	Ryan Longwell
Lions		DST	Vikings

San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The 49ers have seemingly righted their ship and should continue to lean on Frank Gore here. The Chiefs have done well against the run but haven't played against an elite rusher like Gore yet. Expect a good game from him. The Chiefs have also shown some deficiencies against tight ends, so those people who have been patient with Vernon Davis should get rewarded. And because the Chiefs have been burned by a long touchdown catch in each game this year, the door is open for Michael Crabtree or Josh Morgan (or Ted Ginn Jr. if he's healthy) to make a play. Alex Smith isn't awful this week if you need help there. Matt Cassel has been awful every week, so hopefully he's not someone you have to trust. The 49ers secondary looked a lot better against the Saints than the Seahawks, which tells you that Week 1 was a bit of an aberration. The Chiefs are going to struggle if they lean on Thomas Jones all game -- the 49ers' front can shut him down. If they get creative with Jamaal Charles and Dexter McCluster, they can really throw off the Niners and find ways to throw the ball halfway decently. But of those are big ifs. When you look at the Chiefs offense and see that rookie tight end Tony Moeaki is leading the team in receptions (eight) and receiving yards (79) through two weeks, you know something's not working right in the offense. Expect the 49ers' blitz to hamper Cassel early, and if the Chiefs can't negate it with their versatile weapons, this one will be over with quickly.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Alex Smith		QB	Matt Cassel
Frank Gore		RB	Jamaal Charles
Anthony Dixon		RB	Thomas Jones
Michael Crabtree		WR	Dwayne Bowe
Josh Morgan		WR	Chris Chambers
Vernon Davis		TE	Tony Moeaki
Joe Nedney		K	Ryan Succop
49ers		DST	Chiefs

Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Panthers' defense -- be it the run or the pass -- has played to low expectations and will be very challenged against a Bengals offense looking to get on track. This game will be a good opportunity to get the Bengals' run game going while taking advantage of a beleaguered secondary that's given up five passing touchdowns, four to wide receivers. Cedric Benson should have a big game, as should Chad Ochocinco and perhaps Terrell Owens even though he's begun to show his age a little bit (11-yard receiving average). Meanwhile, the word is out on how to beat the Panthers: Load up vs. the run, play a single-high safety on Steve Smith's side and react accordingly. The Bengals have the perfect defensive personnel to do this, and facing rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen will only make it easier. Clausen has a big arm and should connect at some point with Smith, but the Panthers will call for a lot of runs and simple passing plays just to get their young quarterback acclimated. They should be able to contain the Bengals' pass rush, but Cincinnati's secondary will be able to make it hard for Clausen to make any easy reads. It's going to be tough sledding for the Panthers.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Carson Palmer		QB	Jimmy Clausen
Cedric Benson		RB	DeAngelo Williams
Bernard Scott		RB	Jonathan Stewart
Chad Ochocinco		WR	Steve Smith
Terrell Owens		WR	David Gettis
Jordan Shipley		WR	Dwayne Jarrett
Jermaine Gresham		TE	Dante Rosario
Mike Nugent		K	John Kasay
Bengals		DST	Panthers

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Expect a safe, ball-control type of game plan from the Falcons in an effort to win the time of possession battle. The longer Michael Turner and Matt Ryan make plays, the more it keeps the Saints' offense off the field. Tony Gonzalez should have a pretty good game -- he should at least double his receiving totals on the year. The Saints are going to see a Falcons defense that has yet to allow a passing touchdown and go right after them. Drew Brees has been especially consistent against the Falcons, tossing two scores in each of his last five against them with at least 296 yards in four of those meetings. Atlanta's secondary is better with the addition of Dunta Robinson, but the Saints will still look for mismatches against the likes of Chris Owens and Thomas DeCoud. One major sleeper: Lance Moore, who picked up a lot of catches in 2008 when Reggie Bush was out. Bush is on the shelf again, so look for Moore to get in and replace him as far as the passing game is concerned; Pierre Thomas will have a huge workload on the ground which should help him total a good stat line.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Matt Ryan		QB	Drew Brees
Michael Turner		RB	Pierre Thomas
Jason Snelling		RB	Ladell Betts
Roddy White		WR	Marques Colston
Harry Douglas		WR	Robert Meachem
Michael Jenkins		WR	Devery Henderson
Brian Finneran		WR	Lance Moore
Tony Gonzalez		TE	Jeremy Shockey
Matt Bryant		K	Garrett Hartley
Falcons		DST	Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
With or without Charlie Batch under center, this is a tough matchup for the Steelers. Through two games the Buccaneers have allowed a total of 21 points, 420 pass yards and 223 rush yards this season with four sacks, four interceptions and four forced fumbles. Their defensive front is maturing quickly against the run (DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart collectively averaged 3.88 yards per carry last week) and their secondary is underrated. They could pin down the run like they did last week and force Batch to throw. If that's the case, and it could very well be, Rashard Mendenhall could struggle a bit and the Pittsburgh receivers could flounder. Protecting the quarterback on passing downs will be huge for the Steelers because the Bucs will come after their statuesque passers. Not that it's going to be easy for Tampa Bay to move the chains, either -- the Steelers come into this game allowing a total of 20 points, 467 pass yards, 104 rush yards over two weeks with six sacks, four interceptions and six forced fumbles. Don't even think about using Cadillac Williams because the Bucs will be hard pressed to use him. Instead, figure Tampa Bay to use Josh Freeman's mobility and have him make mid- and long-range passes on bootlegs and other out-of-the-pocket plays. Ultimately, this could be a low-scoring game; both kickers could do all the scoring and both DSTs could be valuable. I wouldn't be shocked to see Antwaan Randle El attempt some passes, either.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Charlie Batch		QB	Josh Freeman
Rashard Mendenhall		RB	Cadillac Williams
Mewelde Moore		RB	Earnest Graham
Hines Ward		WR	Mike Williams
Mike Wallace		WR	Sammie Stroughter
Heath Miller		TE	Kellen Winslow
Jeff Reed		K	Connor Barth
Steelers		DST	Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans at N.Y. Giants - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
A curious matchup for the Giants: They know they'll have a tough time running the ball but might not have a good idea about how they'll do throwing. The Titans have looked great against the pass in home games against the Jason Campbell-led Raiders and the Dennis Dixon/Charlie Batch-led Steelers. Not exactly world-class offenses. Expect the Giants to be balanced but to have their hands full. They should have some success passing in a three-receiver set and finding single coverage. Steve Smith might catch a decent amount of passes on the underneath stuff. Tennessee should be able to get back to running the ball here as the Giants' run defense couldn't contain the Colts on the ground a week ago. Expect the Titans to follow suit with a lot of Chris Johnson and over-the-top play-action from Vince Young. That's about it. Should be a close game.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Vince Young		QB	Eli Manning
Chris Johnson		RB	Ahmad Bradshaw
Javon Ringer		RB	Brandon Jacobs
Nate Washington		WR	Hakeem Nicks
Justin Gage		WR	Mario Manningham
Kenny Britt		WR	Steve Smith
Bo Scaife		TE	Travis Beckum
Rob Bironas		K	Lawrence Tynes
Titans		DST	Giants

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Browns offense has little chance to score more than 13 points here. The run game has stalled, their best receivers are Benjamin Watson and Josh Cribbs, their quarterback this week is a career backup and their offensive line isn't pulling the weight it used to. As they typically do against the Browns, the Ravens will smell a chance for a convincing victory and try to dominate. I don't see anyone on Cleveland who will help Fantasy owners this week because the Browns will have a hard time even moving the football consistently. If anything, they'll get a little creative and utilize Josh Cribbs more than they have. The Ravens offense has been in neutral since the season kicked off, and this is offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's chance to get out of the mud. Don't expect an intricate game plan that will have Joe Flacco throwing a ton -- instead, figure that the Ravens will lean on the ground game. Not only does that play to their strength, but it takes pressure off of Flacco after throwing five interceptions in two games. Flacco should be fairly decent, but as I said in our weekly Faceoffs, it's Ray Rice and Willis McGahee who have the overwhelmingly successful history against Cleveland, not Flacco.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Seneca Wallace		QB	Joe Flacco
Peyton Hillis		RB	Ray Rice
James Davis		RB	Willis McGahee
Josh Cribbs		WR	Anquan Boldin
Mohamed Massaquoi		WR	T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Brian Robiskie		WR	Derrick Mason
Benjamin Watson		TE	Todd Heap
Phil Dawson		K	Billy Cundiff
Browns		DST	Ravens

Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
To be honest, there's not much the Cowboys are doing wrong offensively. Tony Romo has played well, the offensive line was better in Week 2 and the team has simply been on the wrong end of two close games. This is going to be another close one with a lot of offense, and the Cowboys will like their matchup. Houston's secondary got exposed a little bit last week against Washington and it's not going to take long for Dallas to start throwing downfield. Houston has had trouble with tight ends through two weeks and Jason Witten should be deployed enough to make some things happen. Marion Barber remains the only worthwhile rusher for the 'Boys, and with Houston giving up a pair of goal-line TDs to Clinton Portis last week, it's certainly fair to expect Barber to have a chance to punch one in. Houston's run defense has barely been tested -- opponents have run a total of 27 times on them over two games. Wow. The Texans will fight back with their passing game -- this isn't an easy matchup for Arian Foster though he could contribute as a receiver. Dallas' safeties have been a bit of a problem as the Bears got some good gains down the middle of the field last week -- perhaps this is a chance for Owen Daniels to break out. If not, look for Andre Johnson to run a bunch of post routes and to clear out chunks of the field for Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones to make plays. All told, Matt Schaub should pass for well over 300 yards for the second week in a row.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Tony Romo		QB	Matt Schaub
Marion Barber		RB	Arian Foster
Felix Jones		RB	Steve Slaton
Miles Austin		WR	Andre Johnson
Dez Bryant		WR	Jacoby Jones
Roy E. Williams		WR	Kevin Walter
Jason Witten		TE	Owen Daniels
David Buehler		K	Neil Rackers
Cowboys		DST	Texans

Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars - Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Michael Vick should have another excellent outing as he takes on a terrible secondary for the second week in a row. Between the threat of him moving around and out of the pocket and him throwing deep to any of the Eagles' speedy receivers, the matchup is impossible for the Jaguars -- especially when you also consider how LeSean McCoy has been playing. There's no way Jacksonville will be able to contain this offense, arguably the fastest offense in the league. The Jaguars will have a hard time keeping up on the scoreboard if they get too far behind. One way to avoid that is to control the clock with a big, big dose of Maurice Jones-Drew. A week after the Eagles were trounced by Jahvid Best, it's clear that Jacksonville will look that way with a lot of screens and dump-off passes to MJD. It also wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Mike Sims-Walker in the end zone again. It's unlikely they'll keep up, but they should still boast a couple of good Fantasy performers.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Michael Vick		QB	David Garrard
LeSean McCoy		RB	Maurice Jones-Drew
Mike Bell		RB	Rashad Jennings
DeSean Jackson		WR	Mike Sims-Walker
Jeremy Maclin		WR	Mike Thomas
Brent Celek		TE	Marcedes Lewis
David Akers		K	Josh Scobee
Eagles		DST	Jaguars

Washington Redskins at St. Louis Rams - Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
These teams met in 2009 and St. Louis nearly won. The Redskins' coaches have changed, but one thing remains the same: Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo is familiar with who he's going up against. Spags probably knows Donovan McNabb personally from their days together in Philadelphia, and Spagnuolo coached pretty well against him when he went to New York. One problem: His personnel isn't the same, and so whatever scheme the Rams put in place probably won't be as effective. In the wake of their release of Larry Johnson, look for the Redskins to utilize Clinton Portis quite a bit. His rushing average is awful so far (3.1 yards per) but the Rams have been torched by Tim Hightower and Darren McFadden this year, and Portis should follow suit. The Redskins will likely use play-action following their established run attack and look for Chris Cooley and Santana Moss in space. Moss was blanketed in the meeting vs. St. Louis last year and will likely draw a lot of attention here too. Don't laugh: Joey Galloway could end up being a solid contributor. The Redskins will expect a lot of Steven Jackson but they'd be unwise to stack eight in the box on every play. Sam Bradford has played pretty good football and has made his receivers much better. That's saying something. The Redskins will do their diligence on Mark Clayton and try to keep him under wraps, but with Laurent Robinson unlikely to play, Clayton is the most likely scoring candidate.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Donovan McNabb		QB	Sam Bradford
Clinton Portis		RB	Steven Jackson
Keiland Williams		RB	Kenneth Darby
Santana Moss		WR	Mark Clayton
Joey Galloway		WR	Danny Amendola
Roydell Williams		WR	Mardy Gilyard
Chris Cooley		TE	Daniel Fells
Graham Gano		K	Josh Brown
Redskins		DST	Rams

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos - Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Ten. That's the number of touchdowns Peyton Manning has thrown against the Broncos in his last three regular-season games against them, including a four-TD outing last December (Dallas Clark caught three). That was when the Broncos had Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman, two guys they very well might be without here. This shouldn't be close if those guys are out and two rookies have to play, as Manning should be able to connect with all of his receivers for good stats. That's not a cop-out -- that's a reality. By the way, with Pierre Garcon missing practice Friday, don't be surprised if he's out, boosting Austin Collie 's value big time. How do the Broncos' battle back? They'll likely start with a ball-control-type of offense, especially now that Knowshon Moreno is out. Correll Buckhalter is a sneaky flex play since he could get close to 15 touches; I wouldn't trust Laurence Maroney in his first game coming off an injury with a new team. Look for lots of screen passes from Kyle Orton as well as longer stuff. The Broncos could end up spreading five wide themselves and look for mismatches. Demaryius Thomas will absolutely get recognition by the Colts defenders based on his play last week and could end up catching a couple of big passes as he'll be a matchup nightmare for Indy's cornerbacks. And if they play too much to his side, Jabar Gaffney could see easy coverage on his side. Expect Denver to settle for underneath routes, which ultimately helps everyone so long as one receiver is stretching the defense. It wouldn't be a shock to see both teams put up over 24 points.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Peyton Manning		QB	Kyle Orton
Joseph Addai		RB	Correll Buckhalter
Donald Brown		RB	Laurence Maroney
Reggie Wayne		WR	Jabar Gaffney
Austin Collie		WR	Eddie Royal
Pierre Garcon		WR	Demaryius Thomas
Dallas Clark		TE	Daniel Graham
Adam Vinatieri		K	Matt Prater
Colts		DST	Broncos

San Diego Chargers at Seattle Seahawks - Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Philip Rivers is red hot right now, and with Ryan Mathews nursing a high-ankle sprain, the time couldn't be better for the Chargers to lean on the passing game. The time also couldn't be better to give Mike Tolbert a bunch of reps against the Seahawks. Tolbert -- and Darren Sproles -- could find room to run in this game given the state of the Seattle run defense after last week. Rivers should continue to bomb away on the Seahawks. Antonio Gates should be excited about a potential matchup with either rookie Earl Thomas or uber-veteran Lawyer Milloy. Seattle has been leaning on Matt Hasselbeck so far this year, partially because they've had to. Their run game has not done well, partially because the split between three backs has hurt any one of them to get into a rhythm. The playcalling hasn't been very good, and this matchup doesn't look to be very good. If there's one receiver who has a shot it's Deon Butler, who leads all wideouts with 71 yards and a 13.5 receiving average. Hasselbeck liked him a lot at the start of Week 2 and could check him out a little more in Week 3. His numbers aren't much, but he's been targeted nearly as much as Deion Branch and has way more potential. P.S. He's unowned in 98 percent of CBSSports.com Fantasy leagues.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Philip Rivers		QB	Matt Hasselbeck
Mike Tolbert		RB	Justin Forsett
Darren Sproles		RB	Leon Washington
Malcom Floyd		WR	Deon Butler
Legedu Naanee		WR	Mike Williams
Antonio Gates		TE	John Carlson
Nate Kaeding		K	Olindo Mare
Chargers		DST	Seahawks

Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals - Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Another matchup made in heaven for Darren McFadden; the Cardinals last week got destroyed by the Falcons' ground game and McFadden has the speed, hands and agility to keep this defense struggling. That's good, because even though Bruce Gradkowski had a nice second half last week, it came at home against the Rams. Arizona's secondary should match up real well with the Raiders' receivers and Adrian Wilson could be a big reason why Zach Miller disappoints in Week 3. The Cardinals are fortunate to have another matchup where they can run the ball well. It sounds like Beanie Wells will play, but expect the Cards to ease him into action and not completely take away Tim Hightower's big role. Remember, Wells was a clear backup to Hightower during the preseason -- all bets are off as to what he'll do coming off of arthroscopic knee surgery. Hightower's 80-yard touchdown run last week was very unexpected, just as were the remainder of his carries for a 3.5-yard average. Oakland can get away with dropping a safety and pressuring Derek Anderson because they'll have Nnamdi Asomugha on Larry Fitzgerald for a good portion of the game, if not the whole game. Oakland made a philosophical change this offseason and is expected to let Asomugha shadow Fitzgerald instead of keep him on one side. We saw Asomugha do this last week against Mark Clayton. This could spell trouble for Fitzgerald, not to mention Anderson, though Clayton did post two touchdowns last week, including one that needed a review to get counted. Point is, with Anderson struggling to attain accuracy and the Raiders able to take away a chunk of the field and put on a semblance of a pass rush, it's not a guarantee that the Cardinals will put up a lot of stats.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Bruce Gradkowski		QB	Derek Anderson
Darren McFadden		RB	Tim Hightower
Michael Bush		RB	Beanie Wells
Louis Murphy		WR	Larry Fitzgerald
Darrius Heyward-Bey		WR	Steve Breaston
Zach Miller		TE	Stephen Spach
Sebastian Janikowski		K	Jay Feely
Raiders		DST	Cardinals

N.Y. Jets at Miami Dolphins - Sunday, 8:20 p.m.
What would you do if you were Rex Ryan and you had to determine Braylon Edwards' playing time? The right thing to do is bench him and send the right message. But this is a must-win game for the Jets to avoid a 1-2 start, and they're short on receivers as it is. Odds are the Jets are desperate enough to use Edwards in some capacity, but that doesn't mean Fantasy owners have to. The Jets got creative last week to upend New England and they'll get crafty here too. One idea, if they bench Braylon, is to use LaDainian Tomlinson out of the slot and put Shonn Greene in the backfield. Certainly that would eliminate any box-stacking by the Dolphins. Don't put stuff like that past the Jets, nor should you expect the Dustin Keller stat-train from slowing down. It's so obvious that Keller and Mark Sanchez have chemistry, and the Dolphins' TE-covering woes from a season ago reared its ugly head last week at Minnesota. Keller had a touchdown in his last game vs. Miami and could again this week. The Jets' run game will attack the Dolphins' front, but judging by the way they've been playing the only trustworthy guy is Tomlinson, who could end up playing as a receiver as suggested earlier. The Dolphins, meanwhile, are going to continue to do what they do best: Run the football. Yes, the Jets have been strong against the run this year but Ronnie Brown had their number in a home game last season and should have the opportunities to have their number again. One big difference is Brandon Marshall; if you don't think the Dolphins will test the Jets secondary without cornerback Darrelle Revis, you're crazy. Marshall should have his biggest game as a Dolphin, and his presence forces the Jets to play two safeties back on most downs. That helps Brown, not to mention the rest of the Dolphins offense. No doubt the Jets will be a little tight heading into this game with a lot riding on the line and a week's worth of distractions bothering them.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Mark Sanchez		QB	Chad Henne
LaDainian Tomlinson		RB	Ronnie Brown
Shonn Greene		RB	Ricky Williams
Jerricho Cotchery		WR	Brandon Marshall
Braylon Edwards		WR	Brian Hartline
Dustin Keller		TE	Anthony Fasano
Nick Folk		K	Dan Carpenter
Jets		DST	Dolphins

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears - Monday, 8:30 p.m.
For all intents and purposes, this is a playoff game in September. The winner will be 3-0, in total control of the NFC North and in control of its own destiny for a playoff bye. Head coach Mike McCarthy's admission this week that the Packers will run by committee only cements that the Packers' game plan will run through Aaron Rodgers' hands. You probably knew that already, though. This should be an excellent opportunity to use both Brandon Jackson out of the backfield and tight end Jermichael Finley on the seams against Chicago's safeties. Those targets could open up the deep passing attack and give the Packers some chances to score -- chances the Cowboys couldn't cash in on against Chicago last week. One key point is how the Packers protect Rodgers from Julius Peppers and the Bears' pass rush; the Cowboys used plenty of personnel to keep Tony Romo clean last week, and the Packers are likely to follow suit. A lot of two-tight end sets and/or blocking running back John Kuhn taking on more work could impact how the Bears defend against just two or three receiving targets. It won't be easy for Rodgers, but he should still do enough to get some nice totals. The Bears also have protection issues to solve, namely keeping Clay Matthews off of Jay Cutler's back. Last week Chicago negated the Cowboys' blitz with a lot of short-area passing, and that was enough to move the chains and lull the Dallas defense into giving up the big play. The Packers aren't that much different from the Cowboys and the Bears should be able to take a lot of keys from their Week 2 game and apply them here. This also means that Matt Forte is likely to contribute as much or more as a receiver than as a rusher. A high-scoring game wouldn't be a big surprise.
Name	Rating	Pos.	Name	Rating
Aaron Rodgers		QB	Jay Cutler
Brandon Jackson		RB	Matt Forte
John Kuhn		RB	Chester Taylor
Greg Jennings		WR	Johnny Knox
Donald Driver		WR	Devin Hester
Jermichael Finley		TE	Greg Olsen
Mason Crosby		K	Robbie Gould
Packers		DST	Bears