Week 8 Game Picks

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner…

It was a little better in week 7 as I finished 8-6 for the week in game picks, my first week over 500. If this season has taught me anything it’s that anything is possible in the National Football League. I think that is what draws us to it with such fervor. I was talking to a patient last Friday who use to play college football and went on the semi-pro and Arena Football. He talked in length about how the game has changed and how all these hitting rules are ruining the sport (which I agree with), but he also talked about why Americans love the game so much. Football is a sport of emotion, an act of harnessing and controlling your anger and aggression and coming together in a common goal to achieve victory. The team that is together in their actions wins the game. How many of you saw the Browns beat down of the Saints coming? I didn’t think so.

We are at week 8, the mid way point of the season. Only 6 more games in the fantasy regular season and my league is getting intense. I have trade offers abound and the one wrong, or right, decision can make or break the season. All I know is this is an exciting year for football.

Bill @ Chiefs: The Bills have been quite the surprise this over their last 4 games with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm. As the starting signal-caller, Fitzpatrick has thrown for 11 touchdowns and 969 yards in the last 4 games. Steve Johnson and Lee Evans have broken out as fantasy beasts over that time span and will continue to thrive in an offense that has found its swagger. While the run game hasn’t been the best, Fred Jackson was able to post respectable numbers against a stout Raven defense last Sunday. The Chiefs are a legitimate contender with the dynamic duo of Thomas Jones and Jamal Charles in the backfield. The resurgence of Dwayne Bowe has given the Chiefs a deep threat and Tony Moeaki is a consistent receiver in the short game. This will be a much better game than first expected and the Bills will put up big numbers again. However the lack of a run game will be their down fall. Chiefs win 28-24.

Jaguars @ Cowboys: The Cowboys have been dreadfully awful this year as they crawl out of a Monday night beating served up by the Giants with their tails between their legs. “The Injury Bowl” will be a very interesting to watch on Sunday. Will Maurice Jones-Drew return to form? Will the Cowboys recover from loosing their franchise quarterback? Will the Boys’ defense play better this week? Jon Kitna takes over as quarterback in Dallas and with a 1-5 record and no playoffs in sight look for Felix Jones and Dez Bryant to get more attention in the offense as they are considered the future of the team. MJD will need to be big in the passing game for the Jaguars to have any chance. Kitna plays well in his first start since 2008, Cowboys win 17-10

Panthers @ Rams: Matt Moore came out like a new man on Sunday against the 49ers, throwing for 308 yards and 2 touchdowns. Deangelo Williams is dealing with a foot strain and shouldn’t play to well this week. Steven Jackson will continue to shine despite finger surgery and Sam Bradford should have a decent day despite the most likely throwing at least one interception. The Panthers just got their first win and with Steve Smith opening things up I think they can continue to put a nice streak together. Inconsistencies in the running game and a defense that makes the occasional stop means one thing…John Kasay will be the Panthers savior for yet another year.  Panthers win a good one 24-21.

Dolphins @ Bengals: Miami is coming off a tough one-point loss to the Steelers that left a pretty big wound on their season. The Bengals played their best offensive game of the year and still lost. Carson Palmer is by no means back on track and will struggle to put two good games together. Terrell Owens has reemerged as a fantasy stud and will continue to do so as no team can afford to double cover him or Chad Ochocinco. Chad Henne is having a career year and Davone Bess has benefited more than anyone from the Brandon Marshall trade. If Ronnie Brown can put a good game together the Bengals have no chance of winning. The Bengals gave up 201 yards to Roddy White and Marshall may just have the same success. Unfortunately for the Bengals, the Dolphins will be eager to take their anger out on someone. Dolphins win 27-20

Redskins @ Lions: Matthew Stafford makes his return to the field against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Although if last week was any indication of how the defense will play from now on, I would avoid DeAngelo Hall at all costs. Ryan Torain had a good week last week and will continue to perform well against a weak run defense. Santana Moss will continue his solid production and should get close to the 100 yard mark. Jahvid Best is coming off well needed rest as he recovers from a toe injury. Expect an uptick in his production going forward but not this week. Calvin Johnson and Tony Scheffler

Broncos @ 49ers: Coming off of two rough losses in there own respect, these teams look to right the ship…advantage Broncos. Even “the Greatest Show on Turf” struggled at times, as Kyle Orton and the Broncos did against the Raiders on Sunday. Orton will turn things around starting with good protection up front. Knowshown Moreno will transition back to being the top 10 back he can be and will give respectable numbers this week. Frank Gore will have a monstrous game as the lack of a quarterback as well as the lack of a worthy defensive opponent equal huge numbers for an elite back. However it won’t be enough to match the high powered offense of the Broncos. Denver wins, 27-14.

Packers @ Jets: Mark Sanchez has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league, throwing only 2 interceptions through the first 6 games. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have shown amazing resilience in the face of season-changing injuries on both sides of the ball. While the Packers offense has been clicking they are in for a tough test come Sunday. The Jets will shut down any attempt at a run game so don’t expect a lot from Brandon Jackson, and with two of the best cover-corners in the game Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are in for a long day. Ladanian Tomlinson will find just enough room to be productive and Braylon Edwards will continue to have a career year. Sanchez said after the Jets’ week 1 loss to the Raven, “there’s nothing wrong with going 15-1.” Approaching the midway point, that seems to be more a possibility than ever. Jets win 31-21

Titans @ Chargers: Tennessee is playing better defense than anyone right now and I don’t think that is going to change any time soon. They rush the passer very well and effectively stop the run, which won’t be to hard against the Chargers. The Rams sacked Phillip Rivers 7 times two weeks ago and Ryan Matthews has yet to find his legs. Chris Johnson had a bad week last week so keeping with his usual trend he should have a monster game that effectively destroys a fantasy win for someone (that being me). Whether Kerry Collins or Vince Young are at the helm is irrelevant because both will manage the game well and get the ball in the hands of their playmakers. Kenny Britt won’t have another 40 point day but he will put up solid numbers. Rivers will rely strongly on his tight end fantasy stud, Antonio Gates. The Chargers are spiraling out of control and unless their receiving corp. gets healthy that won’t change. Titans are the better team, they win 28-21. 

Buccaneers @ Cardinals: If you hadn’t watched football this season I’ll put this one in perspective for you: take the Cardinals team and the Bucs team from last year and switch their uniforms and that’s what you get in 2010. These two teams have done a complete 180 from where they were this time last year. Josh Freeman has been as confident in the pocket as any signal-caller and having a consistent threat in Mike Williams has made life a lot easier. Cadillac Williams had a decent day last week but the running game hasn’t been there for the Bucs this year. Look for LaGarrett Blount to get more touches this week after his 11 carry, 75 yards performance from last week. The Cardinals are struggling to get their offense going and they will rely on Beanie Wells to get things going on the ground. Wells is in store for a minimum 25 carries as the Cardinals need to hold onto the ball and limit mistakes to have a chance. The Cardinals do just that, but it’s still not enough. Bucs win, 17-16

Vikings @ Patriots: Oh, the Vikings…remember when it was a good idea to bet on the Vikings to get to the Super Bowl? Remember when Brett Favre was a great idea as a fantasy starter? Remember when Randy Moss caught 8 passes a game for 100 yards and a touchdown? Well that’s over, as Favre is dealing with stress fractures in his ankle and the Vikings are in jeopardy of having one of their worst seasons in franchise history. Tom Brady continues to be Tom Brady and the allure of this game is washed away with every less-than-impressive game for the Vikes. Deon Branch and Aaron Hernandez will have solid days, but it’s hard to pinpoint anyone on the Patriots worthy of starting consideration outside of Brady. Percy Harvin will have a good day and I hope Tavaris Jackson, who I think could really improve the Vikings offense with his versatility, puts Favre out of his misery. Patriots win 20-10.

Seahawks @ Raiders: Again, what a difference a year makes. Marshawn Lynch has ingrained himself in the offense as the starting back and will continue to improve over the next few weeks. Although, you can’t count on him to score as the Hawks seem to hurt themselves with ineffective play and penalties in the redzone. Numerous times last week were the Hawks with the 10 yard line and finished with a field goal because of these issues. Mike Williams will continue to produce as he has become the best option for Matt Hasselback. Darren McFadden is on his way to his best season since college and it is way overdue. If Jason Campbell can put together another good game the Raiders can pull it out. The Seahawks have the second-ranked run defense in the league so Campbell will need to be effective. I think this will be a great game, possibly ending in overtime. These teams are a lot alike and in the end it’s a tough call. Seahawks win 20-17.

Steelers @ Saints: Goliath was bound to fall hard eventually, and maybe it was just what he needed. The Saints will get Reggie Bush back this week which means good things for the offense. I don’t think Bush will do anything worth noting this week but he will open the offense up for Drew Brees. Marques Colston, Robert Meachem and Lance Moore will need to step it up against the tough Pittsburgh defense. Rashard Mendenhall will find more running room this week as the Saints are giving up over 100 rushing yards a game. Look for Heath Miller to put up adequate numbers and Mike Wallace to break off a big play. Steelers win with defense 26-14

(MNF) Texans @ Colts: This will be a great rivalry for years to come and what better way to showcase it than on Monday Night Football. “The Tail of Two Offenses…without Any Defense” comes to you live Monday night when Peyton Manning carves up the Texans “defense” and Arian Foster runs right down the Colts’ throat. Manning will spread it out but Pierre Garcon win be the victor for the Colts. I love the Texans…on offense. They have a lot of fire power but defensively can’t stop anyone, which will make life hard for Foster in the ladder weeks of the season. Either way, it’s extremely hard to beat Peyton Manning twice in one year. Colts pull out the win, 34-28