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| | RK | PLAYER /TEAM | VS | COMMENTS |
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| 1. |
Peppers, Julius (CAR) |
@ SD |
Peppers gets a chance to school a young offensive tackle, the Rams' Alex Barron, who led the league in false starts last year. He'll be jumpy again with Peppers rarin' to go. |
| 2. |
Taylor, Jason (MIA) |
vs NYJ |
Taylor is a stud facing another stud, Chris Samuels. But Samuels is dinged up and rusty from skipping the preseason. |
| 3. |
Kampman, Aaron (GNB) |
vs MIN |
Will Donovan McNabb be a pocket passer moreso than in the past? Great matchup between Kampman and aging OT Jon Runyan. |
| 4. |
Umenyiora, Osi (NYG) |
vs WAS |
Forget his last appearance against Dallas, when he was returning from an injury. Umenyiora has a sack in each of his 3 prior games with the Cowboys. |
| 5. |
Kerney, Patrick (ATL) |
vs DET |
A lot of defenders gave Bucs OT Jeremy Trueblood a hard time in his 2006 rookie season. Kerney picks up 2007 where they left off. |
| 6. |
Williams, Mario (HOU) |
@ PIT |
Williams is due for a breakout season, and he gets to start it against a shaky Chiefs O-line. |
| 7. |
VandenBosch, Kyle (TEN) |
vs JAX |
New QB David Garrard is pretty mobile. Vanden Bosch should give him plenty of reason to run. He'll also have tackle chances against the Jags' rushing duo. |
| 8. |
Burgess, Derrick (OAK) |
vs DEN |
Detroit was one of the worst pass-protecting teams in the league last year. Mike Martz believes in minimal protection. Burgess believes in maximum QB harassment. |
| 9. |
Smith, Justin (CIN) |
@ BAL |
Just a hunch that Smith will take advantage of Jonathan Ogden's hyperextended toe, against both the run and the pass. |
| 10. |
White, Dewayne (DET) |
@ ATL |
Oakland has revamped their O-line. White will test it. QB Daunte Culpepper doesn't move like he used to. |
| D-LINE | SLEEPER OF THE WEEK | | Jamaal Anderson, Atlanta - I don't normally recommend rookies in their first games. But Anderson should be able to take advantage of an absymal Vikings right side. As good as the left side is, Minnesota's right side is that bad.
| | D-LINE | PLAYER TO BENCH THIS WEEK | | Leonard Little, St. Louis - Carolina's Jordan Gross is back at RT, his natural position. He'll keep Little far away from Jake Delhomme and the Panthers' RBBC. | | D-LINE | THIS WEEK'S TOP FREE AGENT PICKUP | |
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| | RK | PLAYER /TEAM | VS | COMMENTS |
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| 1. |
Ryans, DeMeco (HOU) |
@ PIT |
I don't care who he plays, he's the top dog until proven differently. |
| 2. |
Thomas, Zach (MIA) |
vs NYJ |
This is a great week for fantasy scoring opportunities: a steady diet of Portis and Betts, Cooley running short routes, and a young QB ready to be picked on. |
| 3. |
Ware, DeMarcus (DAL) |
@ CLE |
Just a feeling that Wade Phillips is about to crank a jack-in-the-box on Sunday night, and Ware is going to jump out, all over Eli Manning. |
| 4. |
Pierce, Antonio (NYG) |
vs WAS |
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Pierce will be all over the field making plays, especially against Julius Jones and Marion Barber. |
| 6. |
Hawk, A.J. (GNB) |
vs MIN |
Get ready to see this guy in the Top 10 a lot. He finds a way to score points each week, and it's not always the same way as the week before. |
| 7. |
Merriman, Shawne (SDG) |
vs CAR |
Bears RT Fred Miller has a hard time with speed rushers. How about speed rushers who weigh 270 pounds and get a running head start? |
| 8. |
Farrior, James (PIT) |
vs HOU |
Cleveland shapes up as a game of opportunities for Farrior to collect tackles and disrupt Charlie Frye in coverage and with blitzes. |
| 9. |
Urlacher, Brian (CHI) |
@ IND |
So Urlacher is reportedly mad that L.T. made a commercial in which he scores on an 80-yard run against the Bears? You don't want this Bear angry, L.T. |
| 10. |
Bulluck, Keith (TEN) |
vs JAX |
Steady Bulluck gets plenty of tackle opportunities against the Jaguars' running game. |
| 80. |
Crowell, Angelo (BUF) |
vs SEA |
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| LINEBACKERS | SLEEPER OF THE WEEK | | Ahmad Brooks, Cincinnati - Ravens C Mike Flynn isn't physical enough to handle this monstrosity.
| | LINEBACKERS | PLAYER TO BENCH THIS WEEK | | Kirk Morrison, Oakland - Detroit is simply not a good matchup for this run-stuffing MLB. They'll throw the ball all over the field, and they'll send shifty Tatum Bell running away from him. In other words, not many opportunities for IDP scoring.
| | LINEBACKERS | THIS WEEK'S TOP FREE AGENT PICKUP | |
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| | RK | PLAYER /TEAM | VS | COMMENTS |
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| 1. |
Wilson, Adrian (ARI) |
@ SF |
The game's best safety gets to strut his stuff on Monday night. |
| 2. |
Jones, Sean (CLE) |
vs DAL |
Mr. Jones, meet Mr. Parker. Again. And again. And again... |
| 3. |
Hope, Chris (TEN) |
vs JAX |
We'll see if the Titans have improved their run defense. If it's like last year, Hope will be the last line of defense, and will get plenty of tackle opportunities. |
| 4. |
Rhodes, Kerry (NYJ) |
@ MIA |
Bill Belichick insulted Rhodes, saying he couldn't start for the Patriots. Rhodes laughed. He'll laugh again after he makes Belichick eat his words. |
| 5. |
Dawkins, Brian (PHI) |
vs STL |
Yeah, Dawkins missed a lot of time this preseason. Well, the bright lights are now on, and Brett Favre is going to lob some crazy throws for the picking now and then. |
| 6. |
Bailey, Champ (DEN) |
@ OAK |
J.P. Losman takes care of the ball pretty well, but Bailey fools young QBs. Champ also piles up tackle points every week with his intuition and speed. |
| 7. |
Winfield, Antoine (MIN) |
@ GB |
One of the best corners in the game gets to face Joey Harrington and the outside rushes of the Falcons' Dunn and Norwood. Yum! |
| 8. |
Barber, Ronde (TAM) |
@ NO |
Why? Just because he's Ronde, one of the most consistent DBs to ever score fantasy points. |
| 9. |
Huff, Micheal (OAK) |
vs DEN |
All summer, Lane Kiffin has been on Huff to become a playmaker. Jon Kitna's reckless passes are a great opportunity for Huff to put lessons into practice. |
| 10. |
Whitner, Donte (BUF) |
vs SEA |
The Bills' young LB corps just isn't ready for Denver's rushing attack. Travis Henry could roll up 150 yards (he posted 135 against them as a Titan in '06). Whitner will clean up what the linebackers miss. |
| DEFENSIVE BACK | SLEEPER OF THE WEEK | | Cedric Griffin, Minnesota - Harrington will throw to both sides of the field; in fact, he'll throw more at Griffin than at Winfield. Griffin will win some and lose some. You're interested in the "win some" part.
| | DEFENSIVE BACK | PLAYER TO BENCH THIS WEEK | | Ed Reed, Baltimore - It's strange, but Carson Palmer just eats up the Ravens' formidable D and doesn't turn the ball over. Reed's game is all turnovers. If there are none, he doesn't score much.
| | DEFENSIVE BACKS | THIS WEEK'S TOP FREE AGENT PICKUP | |
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