Week 9

Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle) – In terms of yardage, Hasselbeck has been up and down this season.  In four games, he has thrown for at least 248 yards.  In his other three games, he has thrown for less 223.  He has, however, been fairly steady in the touchdown department, throwing for at least two scores in four of his last five games.  If RB Shaun Alexander continues to struggle, which he has done all season, look for Hasselbeck to have one of his better games of the season.  The quarterback will be facing a Cleveland defense that ranks 31st against the pass (271 ypg.) and has allowed an NFL-high 18 TD passes this season.   

Jay Cutler (Denver) – In his last three games, Cutler has passed for an average of 248 yards, with four TDs and three INTs.  Those are solid numbers, especially when you consider that they came against three good defenses (San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay).  This Sunday, he’ll face a not-so-good defense at Detroit.  The Lions rank 30th against the pass, allowing more than 258 yards per game.  They have also allowed an NFC-high 13 scores through the air.   
 

J.P. Losman (Buffalo) – The QB field is pretty thin this week, and Losman is right on the fringe of the top-12 because he’s facing the lowly Cincinnati defense.  The Bengals are allowing more than 246 passing yards per game, and they have given up at least 230 yards in six straight games.  They are also tied with the Browns for most TD passes allowed.   

Kurt Warner (Arizona) – Since the advent of fantasy football, a number of head coaches have been vilified for the way they handle their running backs.  For example, we never know who Mike Shanahan will start half of the time, and then there are guys like Wayne Fontes, who pull Barry Sanders near the goal line.  Arizona’s Ken Whisenhunt has added an unheard of wrinkle to annoy fantasy owners – he plays games with his quarterbacks.  In the Cards’ last game, he pulled Warner, who played well despite his bulky left elbow, at the goal line for Tim “I don’t know the plays” Rattay.  Rattay came in for one play and threw a TD pass, but couldn’t Warner have done the same thing?  This week, I would expect Warner to play the entire game, but you never know with Whisenhunt.  More importantly, Warner will be facing the Bucs’ second-ranked pass defense that has limited opponents to an average of 156 yards in its last six games. 

Joseph Addai (Indianapolis) – In order to beat the Patriots on Sunday, the Colts will have to use a strategy that has been used against them for years – they’ll have to run the ball effectively to keep New England’s high-powered offense off the field.  The Pats come into the game ranked fifth against the run, but they are allowing 4.2 per carry, which is one of the higher averages in the league.  Addai, meanwhile, is averaging 4.8 per attempt and ranks seventh in the NFL with 592 rushing yards.  When these two teams met in last season’s AFC Championship, the Colts had good success on the ground, as Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined for 125 yards and one TD on 28 carries. 
 

Clinton Portis (Washington) – The Redskins were totally embarrassed last week, and they’ll be looking to take out their frustrations on the floundering Jets.  With QB Kellen Clemons making just the second start of his pro career and WR Laveranues Coles not expected to play due to a concussion, the Jets may struggle to sustain drives and score points.  And even if they don’t, you know that the conservative Redskins won’t abandon the running game.  Look for Portis to get 20-plus carries against a New York defense that ranks 27th against the run (134 ypg.).   

LaMont Jordan (Oakland) – After a quick start, Jordan has cooled off considerably in his past three games.  Look for him to get on track against the Texans, who have allowed an average of 161.3 rushing yards in their past four games.   

Willis McGahee (Baltimore) – Most certainly, there are a lot of options worse than McGahee this week, but if you do start him, don’t expect much.  He’ll be facing the Steelers, who are allowing less than 78 rushing yards per game and have given up only one TD on the ground all season.  Pittsburgh has also gone five straight games without allowing more than 91 rushing yards. 

Chad Johnson (Cincinnati) – Everyone appears to be down on No. 85, but let’s not forget that he is second in the league in receiving with 731 yards, trailing only Randy Moss.  The problem is that Johnson has scored just three TDs this season, and that number looks meager when compared to the nine scored by his teammate, T.J. Houshmandzadeh.  Johnson is a safe bet to have to have at least a solid day against the Bills’ 29th ranked pass defense.  The last time he faced Buffalo, he caught nine balls for 117 yards and a score.   
 

Dallas Clark (Indianapolis) – After catching at least four balls and scoring at least one TD in five consecutive games, Clark had a disappointing two catches for 22 yards and no scores against Carolina.  However, with WR Marvin Harrison iffy due to a bone bruise, the tight end figures to be one of Peyton Manning’s primary targets on Sunday against the Pats.  In last year’s AFC Championship, Clark caught six balls for 137 yards.   

Roy Williams (Detroit) – Williams hasn’t scored since Week 3, but I like his chances this week.  He has scored in five of his last seven games against AFC teams, and Denver’s vaunted pass defense suddenly looks vulnerable.  In their past two games, the Broncos have allowed 585 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.  Granted, part of the problem has been injuries in the secondary, but nevertheless, they head into Detroit with CB Champ Bailey and S John Lynch at less than 100 percent.  The Lions’ deep receiving corps, led by Williams, is a tough matchup for any secondary, especially now that RB Kevin Jones must be accounted for as well.  
 

Bobby Engram (Seattle) – As noted above, I like Matt Hasselbeck’s matchup against the Browns, and his favorite target will likely be Engram, who leads the Hawks with 34 receptions.  WR Deion Branch (foot) and TE Marcus Pollard (knee) are not expected to play, leaving Engram, Nate Burleson, and D.J. Hackett to catch the majority of the balls.   

Donald Driver (Green Bay) – Brett Favre has been spreading the ball around quite a bit this season, and though Driver leads the Packers with 39 receptions, he can no longer be counted on for big numbers every week.  The 32-year-old receiver has been held to less than 59 yards and without a score in four straight games, and there is a good chance that he won’t snap out of his slump this week at Kansas City.  The Chiefs have held six of seven opponents to less than 214 passing yards, and only three defenses have given up fewer TDs through the air (6). 

San Diego Defense – The Chargers have allowed just 27 points in the past three games, and over the same span, they have racked up eight sacks and 11 takeaways.  This week, they get to feast on a Minnesota offense that has scored 17 or fewer points in five of its last six games and will be starting an unproven quarterback, who has a broken finger on his throwing hand.   

Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland) – The Polish cannon hasn’t missed a field-goal attempt since Week 2, but I like him this week mainly because he’s facing the Texans, who have allowed an NFL-high 21 FGs this season, which is four more than any other team.   
 

Atlanta Defense – The Falcons’ defense has been nothing special this season (ranked 23rd overall), but they could put up some fantasy points against a 49er squad that might struggle to score on a college team.  San Francisco has scored fewer than 17 points in five straight games, and no more than 20 all season.  The Niners’ offensive line has allowed 26 sacks, the third highest total in the league, and to make matters worse, their biggest offensive weapon, RB Frank Gore, is playing on a tender ankle.   

Colts Defense – The Colts have the fourth-ranked defense in the league, but you certainly want no part of that unit against the Patriots.  New England is scoring more than 41 points per game, and ranks third in both fewest sacks allowed (3) and fewest interceptions thrown (3).