Courtesy Of: ESPN.com
Not so fast Jim; I came away with the decisive week five victory over TSC in the weekly competition to tie it up at 2-2-1 for each (man I hate writing that tie each week). Yes, it was unfortunate that you chose Brian Hoyer before the game in which he gets injured, but hey, that’s football, right? Let’s get to this weeks action, it’s a tale of two Thursday night quarterbacks. Let the best team win.
(This week’s preview was written by Ross Dunham of IHJJR)
Jim: QB- Jay Cutler (vs. NYG): I’m not going to lie, something feels a little wrong about this pick. Cutler has seen his fantasy value drop over the years due to his tendency to turn the ball over. Not much has changed this year in that respect; but what has changed is the general offensive schemes being run in Chicago. Matt Forte is having a solid year, keeping defenses honest and being involved heavily in the passing game as well. Brandon Marshall is Brandon Marshall, and Alshon Jeffrey is suddenly looking alot like Marshall himself. This week the Bears take on the Giants; the 0-5, 30th ranked defense against the pass Giants. This is a gamble, but one I’m willing to take this week.
Ross: QB – Eli Manning (@CHI): Yes, I’m picking a quarterback of an 0-5 team. And yes Thursday nights tend to be dominated by plays on special teams and defense, but there is no presence of a running game in New York without Wilson. What does that mean for Eli? 45-55 throws. I’m hoping the quantity turns into opportunities for scoring. Plus, Chicago has allowed 21 points or more to each of their opponents this year.
Ross: RB – Fred Jackson (vs. CIN): The funny thing about the situation in Buffalo is that Jackson has been more productive as a runner than C.J. Spiller. Jackson is a vulture on the goal line and looks better than ever. Both Jackson and Spiller will get a bunch of carries this week with the man, the myth, the legend Thad Lewis at QB.
Jim: RB- Danny Woodhead (vs. IND): Woodhead is the Darren Sproles of the west, active in the passing game, good hands, receives sporadic carries. It’s served him well to this point in the season especially considering Philip Rivers tendency to check down often. But this week, I expect he’ll also contribute in the ground game a bit more with Ryan Mathews out again. A dual threat this week at home against Indy.
Jim: WR- Terrance Williams (vs. WAS): He emerged last week as a second option for Tony Romo as the Cowboys engaged in an epic shootout with Denver. Romo looks great this year and going up against a Washington Defense that ranks 28th in points allowed to fantasy wide receivers, I think the pass catchers in Dallas will shine again. Williams will get a ton of targets with Miles Austin still sidelined so I’ll roll with him this week.
Ross: WR – Keenan Allen (vs. IND): Allen is quickly emerging as the top wide out in San Diego with Malcom Floyd sidelined with an injury. Allen finished with nine targets last week, just one behind the team leader in Antonio Gates. There won’t be a whole lot of opportunities to gain big yardage through the air for this Chargers team against the Colts’ sixth best pass defense, but I’m banking on a touchdown to Allen.
Ross: TE – Garrett Graham (vs. STL): Since I figured Rob Gronkowski is a must play at this point, and not really a sleeper with all of the news surrounding him, I’ll go with Graham. The injury to Houston’s primary TE Owen Daniels has opened the door for Graham to produce even bigger numbers than he already has. St. Louis has shown that they are fairly solid against the TE position this year, but that doesn’t mean Graham won’t be targeted.
Jim: TE- Jordan Reed (@DAL): The young Washington TE is quickly emerging as the main pass catching TE on a team that needs to pass a lot to stay in games. He has surpassed Fred Davis as far as number of passing snaps he plays and has caught nearly 90% of the passes thrown his way from Robert Griffen III. This week against a division rival in a game that will likely see a lot of passing, I expect Reed to have a breakout performance.
Jim: DEF- Colts (@ SD): The Indy defense has been a surprise this year as they’ve been able to force turnovers in every game this year. They’ve also scored TDs in each of their last two contests. This week they face Philip Rivers who, despite a solid statistical year, has continued to turn the ball over on a consistent basis. You can’t predict defensive touchdowns, but I can predict multiple turnovers in this one.
Ross: DEF – Bengals (@ BUF): Cinci is coming off of a week in which they held a future Hall of Fame quarterback to 197 yards without a TD and one interception. Who do they get this week? Thad “The Champ” Lewis. Although I’m sure Andy Dalton will find a way to keep this game close, the Bengals defense should dominate for the second straight week.
Team TSC: 2-2-1
Team IHJJR: 2-2-1
