This week the Dallas Cowboys announced that Tony Romo is definitely out for a few weeks. Finally, I do not have to hear about how Romo is going to gut out the pain and play. Fantasy owners can stop checking on his injury every five seconds and make a roster move for the next month. Pick up Brad Johnson or go with another starting quarterback like Jeff Garcia of Tampa Bay. If you have Chargers or Saints on your roster, check the weather in London before deciding on your lineup. The Bears, Broncos, Packers and Vikings have byes this week. For NFL Week 8, I attempt to shed some light on some obvious and not-so-obvious plays that will help you maximize your roster and give you a chance to win.
START ‘EM
Drew Brees, Saints. Yes, Brees struggled for the first time all year last week against the Panthers, but do not take him out of your lineup. The Saints’ offense is hurting with Reggie Bush out, Jeremy Shockey at half speed, and Marques Colston still rounding into shape. Those injuries just mean that Brees is going to have to throw the football more! Also, Deuce McCallister should run the football better than Bush between the tackles. The threat of the inside running game will bring the Chargers’ safeties up closer to the line of scrimmage, and Brees can hit some long throws off play-action fakes.
Jake Delhomme, Panthers. The Panthers are at home against the Cardinals, who are coming off the bye week. Hopefully, during the bye week, the Cards came up with some schemes to stop teams from scoring at will against them. But I doubt it. Delhomme should find receivers Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad open all over the field. This game is a high-scoring affair with Delhomme putting up over 250 yards passing.
Frank Gore, Niners. Mike Nolan is out, and Mike Singletary is in as the Niners’ head coach. Can Singletary control O-coordinator Mike Martz? Yes. Look for the Niners to try to run the football more with Singletary at the helm. Plus, they are playing the Seahawks at home. The Seahawks’ defense is undersized and simply not very good right now.
Jericho Cotchery, Jets. Cotchery has been up and down all season. Last week, the Raiders had the skill players in the secondary to match up with Cotchery and Laveraneus Coles on the outside. Cotchery is small and he is not great at beating press coverage and getting separation from defenders. Luckily, he will not have that problem this week against the Chiefs at home. The Chiefs were embarrassed last week against the run. Look for them to sell out to stop the run and for Brett Favre to throw about 45 times on Sunday.
Antonio Bryant, Buccaneers. Sometimes, we forget, just like we do against old bosses, that NFL players hold grudges against other teams. Although it was under the Bill Parcells regime, Bryant’s terrible time as a Cowboy has to fire him up this week. Bryant is a big wide receiver and he looks like he is improving every week. Here is the scenario: Bryant’s anger plus Garcia’s feisty toughness multiplied by Dallas’ terrible secondary equals big Fantasy points.
SIT ‘EM
Matt Ryan, Falcons. The Falcons are kind of my adopted team and Ryan looks like a great draft pick. He has a bright future, but this week will be a learning-on-the-job situation. Playing the Eagles reminds me of the Tampa Bay game – on the road, on grass, against a blitz-happy defensive coordinator, with a Pro Bowl caliber secondary. Ryan is the man for the Falcons, just not this week.
Brandon Jacobs, Giants. What a difference an NFL year makes in fantasy football. In the 2007 draft, Fantasy owners would have laughed if Jacobs was a high draft pick. This year he literally is running over defensive backs in every game. His highlight reel is going to be ridiculous. However, his matchup this week is bad. The Steelers’ defense is hard to run against, but even harder to score touchdowns against on the ground.
Justin Fargas, Raiders. When someone just reads the names of the Raiders’ offensive players, you might think, “Hey that’s not a bad lineup.” The problems start when those guys have to perform on the field. Unless you are out of options, I would sit every Raider player this week against the Ravens.
Vincent Jackson, Chargers. This NFL goes to London game is hard to predict. The teams have been across the Atlantic Ocean all week doing press, practicing, and getting ready for the game. The normal routine is non-existent. Last year, the weather was awful. This is a great matchup for Jackson, but only if the game were in America. Sit him this week.
Marvin Harrison, Colts. Harrison has lost a step. The knee injury and surgery from last year has slowed him down. In every game, you see at least one pass that in years past would have been a big-play completion. I wonder if Harrison is able to work with Peyton Manning and run routes in pre-game like he used to. Plus, the Titans’ secondary will blanket Harrison. This game might be an ugly loss for the Colts.
Last Week. Seven picks correct, three misses. My best pick last week was to start Steven Jackson of the Rams. Jackson had a monster game against Dallas. He gained over 175 yards and scored three touchdowns. I also correctly said to sit Jay Cutler and Julius Jones. Both players struggled in their opportunities to play well in prime-time games.
Fantasy Questions? Need lineup advice? Leave a comment below or e-mail your questions to me at jck.bender@gmail.com. Good luck this week!
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