|
|
Enron Mail |
?=20
Rushing Game Matchups??? Here's how I see the matchups this week.? Please= =20 note, see the cheatsheet online http://www.cheatsheets.net/week15sheet.htm?= =20 for exactly where I rank players and to determine who to start.? Just =20 because one matchup may be more favorable than another, that doesn't=20 necessarily mean I'd start the player with the best matchup.? The matchup= =20 info is meant to be just one more tool in your box when it comes to decidi= ng=20 between players.??=20 Locks:? These games heavily favor the Offense=20 Stephen Davis (Was) vs Cowboy Defense?? New Coach Terry Robiskie=01,s be= en=20 saying he=01,ll run Davis into the ground.? Against a run defense as soft a= s=20 the Cowboy=01,s, no telling how many yards he=01,ll gain.? The arm seems o= k and I=20 look for a huge game here.? RBs roll up 200 yards on Dallas like it=01,s = an=20 average day=01( Darnell Autry / Chris Warren (Phi) vs Brown Defense??? It remains to be se= en=20 what effect (if any) newly signed Chris Warren will have this week.? It=20 wouldn=01,t surprise me a bit if Andy Reid isn=01,t able to come up with a= t least=20 a small package of plays that feature Warren.? He=01,s a thousand times b= etter=20 than Darnell Autry.? If he can=01,t go this week, I=01,d look for him to b= e a=20 factor next week for sure.?? The Browns defense ranks # 30 in rushing yard= s=20 allowed per game over the last four weeks so the matchup is enticing. Fred Taylor (Jac) vs Cardinal Defense?? Every once in a while, those =01&t= oo =20 good to be true=018 matchups don=01,t pan out.? This is certainly one of t= hose=20 =01&too good to be true=018 situations but I=01,d be shocked if Taylor doe= sn=01,t just=20 roll over the Cards.? They can=01,t stop the run even when they know what= =01,s=20 coming at them.? Arizona ranks # 29 in rushing yards allowed per game over= =20 the last month.? That number won=01,t go down any after this week. Mike Anderson (Den) vs Seahawk Defense?? Starting any player facing the = =20 Seahawks is not a bad rule of thumb.? They=01,ve been pretty bad and this = week=20 they don=01,t stand a chance against the dominating OL of Denver.? Anders= on=20 practiced fully Thursday so he looks good to go.? Keep an eye on the weathe= r=20 as they=01,re expecting snow in Denver but I=01,m not too worried about ho= w it=01,ll=20 effect Anderson. Ron Dayne (NYG) vs Steeler Defense?? This was the type of game they draft= ed=20 Dayne for.? A ground war vs Pittsburgh in December.? It=01,s not likely t= he=20 Steelers will jump to a big lead and force the Giants to catchup mode whic= h=20 means pretty much no Dayne.? This is shaping up to be a classic battle wit= h=20 Bettis on one side and Warren on the other. ? Prime Matchups:? These games favor the Offense? Sammy Morris / Shawn Bryson (Buf) vs Colts Defense?? Keep an eye on who c= an=20 go for the Bills this week but whoever starts will likely have some good= =20 rushing numbers on the carpet in Indiana.? There were some semi encouraging= =20 signs that Morris might be back. The Colts rank just # 25 over the last 4= =20 weeks in rushing yards allowed per game.? They=01,re soft on the run and= =20 someone could make a big splash on Monday Night.? Charlie Garner (SF) vs Saints Defense?? Just as they are with their pass = =20 defense, the Saints rush defense is overrated.? Over the last four weeks,= =20 they rank # 23 in rushing yards allowed per game.? And Garner is liable = to=20 explode at any time.? He=01,s too good in both the rushing and passing gam= e to=20 consider sitting down unless you=01,re just loaded.? Warrick Dunn (TB) vs Miami Defense?? It was surprising to me to see the = =20 Dolphins slide this far on rush defense.? Over the last four weeks, they= =20 rank # 23 in rushing yards allowed per game.? Doesn=01,t seem right but t= hat=01,s=20 what the numbers say.? Either way, Dunn=01,s a must start given what he=01= ,s done=20 lately.?=20 Robert Smith (Min) vs Ram Defense?? Like the passing defense, the Rams ru= sh=20 defense has improved over the year.? It doesn=01,t matter though.? You=01= ,ve got=20 to start Robert Smith.? End of story.? He may be the best RB in the leagu= e=20 if truth be told.??? Emmitt Smith (Dal) vs Redskin Defense?? I think I may be the only one who = =20 sees it this way, but I believe the Chris Warren booting was a real=20 statement for Smith.? Sure, he still may not get the 3rd down carries as= =20 they get a look at Michael Wiley but Emmitt is pretty much working without= a=20 net here.? He proved his mettle once again last week hammering against a= =20 tough Tampa team.? The Cowboys also showed how little faith they have in= =20 their passing game as they continued to feed Smith the ball even when=20 trailing badly. Washington ranks # 21 over the last four weeks in rushing= =20 yards allowed per game so they=01,re very beatable.? Tony Richardson (KC) vs Panther Defense?? Another week, another RB shakeu= p=20 in KC as this time it=01,s Kimble Anders who=01,s out of the mix.? I hones= tly =20 have a hard time trusting coach Gunther Cunningham with any of them but it= =20 looks like Richardson will get the bulk of the work right now.? The Panthe= rs=20 can be run on.? Keep an eye on the weather in this one as the passing game= =20 could be limited. James Allen (Chi) vs Patriot Defense?? What a mess Chicago finds itself = =20 in.? The messiah QB is now healthy but still on the bench while the =01&gu= ru=018=20 offensive coordinator has left (been run out of?) town for Utah and both= =20 starting WRs are gone for the year with injuries.? James Allen may be the = =20 bright spot as he=01,s run hard and effectively.? The New England defense c= an=20 be vulnerable to the run and this may be another week where they rely on= =20 Allen to carry a heavy load. ? Even Matchups:? These games feature no real advantage either way? Edgerrin James (Ind) vs Bills Defense?? Edgerrin may be having one of th= e=20 best =01&poor=018 seasons in NFL history.? He=01,s posting great numbers ov= erall but =20 you=01,ll have a hard time finding a James owner who=01,s real happy with h= im.? If=20 he=01,s your guy, you have very little choice but to start him in the Mond= ay=20 Night game.? The Colts are tougher at home and hopefully they won=01,t fin= d=20 themselves playing catchup again.? Although with his receiving ability, he= =01,s=20 still active in that situation but it=01,s not the ideal scenario for any R= B =20 when his team is playing from behind.? The Bills rank # 18 over the last= =20 four weeks in rushing yards allowed per game so it=01,s a pretty average= =20 rushing defense.? Tyrone Wheatley (Oak) vs Jets Defense?? I=01,ll keep an eye on this one fo= r =20 you but I=01,m hearing while the ankles may be better, a broken finger may = be =20 giving him trouble.? Some are speculating this is the cause of his 2 fumbl= es=20 last week.? The Jets play pretty solid rush defense so it=01,s truly a mat= chup=20 that could go either way.? I=01,ll try to see what I can find out on this = one.? Michael Pittman (Ari) vs Jaguar Defense?? The Pittman injury watch=20 continues as he=01,s still battling turf toe.? He sat out of practice Thu= rsday=20 and may not know his status until Friday or Saturday.? If he can=01,t go, = it=20 looks like Clarence Williams could get the start.? If you=01,re scrambling= for=20 RBs, he=01,s likely available in your league.? Even assuming Pittman can = go,=20 it=01,s not a great matchup as the Jags have picked up the level of their = play=20 lately.? Lamar Smith (Mia) vs Buccaneer Defense?? Don=01,t let the Buc defense scar= e=20 you.? They=01,re a very good unit but as Emmitt Smith proved last week, a= =20 determined rusher can fare ok there.? Lamar Smith surely falls under that = =20 =01&determined=018 class.? If he=01,s your guy, I=01,d still go with him.?= Tampa ranks=20 # 16 over the last four week in rushing yards allowed per game.? They=01,re= =20 allowing an average of 108 yards per game over that time so it=01,s not li= ke=20 they=01,re Baltimore (48 yards per game over their last 3) ? Curtis Martin (NYJ) vs Raider Defense?? Like Tampa, the Raiders rush defen= se=20 has a bark that=01,s a little worse than their bite.? They=01,re solid but= not a=20 defense that sends RBs running for cover.? They rank # 17 in rushing yards= =20 allowed per game over the last four weeks.? Martin looked great last week= =20 and looks to be guy they=01,re counting on to carry the offense.? =20 ? Eddie George (Ten) vs Bengal Defense?? Most people have this image in the= ir=20 heads of the Bengal defense laying down against the run.? Not so.? Over the= =20 last four weeks, only 8 teams are tougher in allowing rushing yards per=20 game.? Maybe that=01,s because teams choose to pass the ball where Cincinn= ati=20 is weak but the bottom line is teams don=01,t run a tremendous amount on t= hem.?=20 However, if QB Steve McNair is limited with a bad ankle and knee,? you=01,= ll=20 see a team that runs the ball as their 1st, 2nd and 3rd option.? (pretty= =20 much their style with a healthy McNair too=01()?? George is a must start = even=20 though it=01,s no slam dunk on the matchup. ? James Stewart (Det) vs Packer Defense?? Depending on the weather and Charl= ie=20 Batch=01,s ribs, Stewart could be asked to carry the load this week.? Gree= n =20 Bay is hurting on Defense with DT Steve Warren the latest injured Packer on= =20 defense.? On the flip side, they=01,re playing pretty stingy rush defense= =20 averaging 104 rushing yards allowed per game over their last 4 which ranks= =20 them # 14.? =20 ?? ? Downside Matchups:? These games favor the Defense Brad Hoover (Car) vs Chief Defense?? With Tshimanga Biakabutuka revertin= g=20 back to his normal =01&can=01,t stay healthy=018 form he=01,s displayed fo= r most of his=20 career, Hoover gets another shot this week.? The Chiefs are tough at home a= nd=20 the weather could be a factor (possibly in his favor) but Hoover will take= =20 his power rushing style into Arrowhead and see how he fares.? Kansas City= =20 ranks # 8 over the last four weeks in rushing yards allowed per game so th= ey=01, re pretty solid. Travis Prentice / Jamel White (Cle) vs Eagle Defense?? Neither of these gu= ys=20 is doing a great job and they=01,ll both likely struggle against an Eagle = team=20 that=01,s serious about defense.? If it were me, I=01,d look elsewhere if= these=20 were my guys. Marshall Faulk (Stl) vs Viking Defense?? While they=01,re under appreciate= d, =20 the Viking rush defense is pretty good.? Over the last four weeks, they ra= nk=20 # 11 in rushing yards allowed per game.? They=01,ll have all they want wi= th=20 Marshall Faulk but the defense is one of the tougher one=01,s Faulk will f= ace.?=20 He=01,s still a no brainer to start regardless of the opponent.? He=01,s= =20 reportedly feeling ok with the knees although he admits to being worried= =20 about them both.? Coach Mike Martz has talked about using him on special= =20 teams to help turn that unit around. J.R. Redmond / Patrick Pass / Kevin Faulk (NE) vs Bears Defense?? With=20 Redmond still ailing, the Patriot RB situation is a mess.? And Bill Belichi= ck=20 certainly isn=01,t shedding much light on anything.? Unless Redmond shows= he=20 can be 100%, I=01,d probably shy away from all 3 of them as it=01,s too mu= ch of a=20 shot in the dark trying to predict Belichick.? The Bears are playing pretty= =20 tough rush defense with rookie sensation Brian Urlacher. Ahman Green (GB) vs Lion Defense?? One bright spot for the Packers this= =20 year has been the outstanding play of Ahman Green.? Coach Mike Holmgren in= =20 Seattle could have likely saved a # 1 pick on Alexander if Green was still= =20 in Seattle.? Green=01,s always had the physical skills but he lagged behin= d in=20 other areas.? Now, he seems to have brought the mental part of the game up= =20 significantly and the results are showing on the field.? It=01,s a tough ma= tchup=20 as the Lions rank # 7 over the last four weeks in rushing yards allowed pe= r=20 game but I think he=01,s up for it. ?? Defensive Slam Dunks:? These games heavily favor the Defense Ricky Watters (Sea) vs Bronco Defense?? Denver evidently didn=01,t take k= indly=20 to Corey Dillon hanging a Hall of Fame type day on them several weeks ago = as=20 they=01,ve been tough against the run since then.? Over the last four weeks= ,=20 they rank # 2 in rushing yards allowed per game allowing just 57 yards pe= r=20 game.? Watters is a solid player and not unlike an Emmitt Smith, he=01,s a= guy=20 that=01,s made a living performing against the tough teams in tough games.= ? So=20 it=01,s not like I=01,m terrified of this matchup.? Just be aware, it=01,= s a tough=20 one.? One thing you might want to consider is that coach Mike Holmgren has= =20 said at some point, he wants to see more of rookie Shaun Alexander,=20 especially in the passing game.? How much he=01,d like to see isn=01,t kn= own=20 right now.? Terrell Fletcher (SD) vs Baltimore Defense?? Let=01,s not go there.? =20 Baltimore is allowing an average of 48 yards rushing per game over their = =20 last 3 games.? I don=01,t see Fletcher as the guy who breaks that trend.? Jerald Moore / Chad Morton / Terry Allen (NO)? vs 49er Defense??? Early= =20 this week, both Moore and Morton were injured and feared to possibly miss= =20 Sunday=01,s game.? They appear to be healing ahead of schedule and now it = looks=20 like both may play.? Allen spent time running with the first unit in=20 practice so it=01,s really murky right now.? I=01,d tend to shy away from a= ll these=20 guys as I think they=01,ll let QB Aaron Brooks throw the ball like he did = last =20 week.? Besides, the 49ers are deceptively stingy against the rush ranking = #=20 3 over the last four weeks in rushing yards allowed per game.??? Corey Dillon (Cin) vs Titan Defense?? Yes, this is a tough matchup.? But s= o=20 was Denver and the jersey Dillon wore in that particular tough matchup is= =20 now hanging in Canton, Ohio.? I learned (and I hope you did too) to go wit= h=20 the young man pretty much regardless of the opponent.? Tennessee is very go= od=20 in defending the rush but I see very little way you could bench Dillon=20 unless you=01,re just loaded.? Jamal Lewis (Bal) vs Charger Defense?? Lewis is clearly the class of the = =20 rookie crop offensively.? I hear some say they think his early season elbo= w=20 injury was actually a blessing as it let him stay fresh.? I don=01,t know = =20 about that but I do know he=01,s running very hard and effectively.? He doe= s=20 draw a tough matchup this week against a Charger defense that=01,s only=20 allowing 81 rushing yards per game over the last 4 games which earns them = a=20 ranking of # 5.? Still though, you pretty much have to ride Lewis if he=01= ,s=20 your guy.? Jerome Bettis (Pit) vs Giant Defense?? This could be a classic battle =20 between two big backs in Ron Dayne and Jerome Bettis.? Bettis lives for the= se=20 kind of games and he=01,ll get to lay it on the line Sunday.? He=01,s a l= ikely=20 starter in your league but the Giants are tough against the rush.? Over th= e=20 last four weeks, they rank # 6 in rushing yards allowed per game.? I=01,= d=20 still feel good about starting Bettis if he were on my roster but you need= =20 to be aware it=01,ll likely be tough going.=20 ? To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com
|