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Hi Folks,
Trying to get this to you earlier as many people had asked for it sooner. Hope you have a great and joyful Thanksgiving. Here's how I see the Passing Game Matchups this week. PLEASE NOTE: See the cheatsheets online at www.footballguys.com for exactly where I rank players and to determine who to start. I always receive emails asking me how I can have a guy ranked highly on the cheatsheet but listed under a matchup that favors the Defense. Just because one matchup may be more favorable than another, that doesn't necessarily mean I'd start the player with the best matchup. Peyton Manning may have a horrible matchup one week but unless you're sitting on Kurt Warner or Daunte Culpepper, Manning's your guy no matter who he's lining up against. The matchup info is meant to be just one more tool in your box when it comes to deciding between players. Note: I've used the player stats sorted by performance over the last four weeks extensively in developing these write-ups. Stats are provided by Mike Hall's excellent FLM League Management Software. http://www.fflm.com/ for more info. The points scored by position data is from our Footballguy Clayton Gray. Let's get to it. Joe /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Passing Game Matchups to Avoid and Exploit Locks: These games feature Defenses that should be overmatched against the Offense. Arizona Passing Game vs San Diego Defense We rated Plummer as a "Lock" matchup and he delivered with 334 yards and 4 TDs. If only they could play Detroit each week... This week, they'll face a San Diego team that ranks just # 26 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks and # 23 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. WR David Boston is unstoppable and a must start. Frank Sanders played well too last week but had what looked to be a pretty serious hamstring injury on the TD reception. Check Plummer's status as he has a bruised tailbone but I'd feel good about him again this week. Atlanta Passing Game vs Carolina Defense Chris Chandler continued his up and down season with a nice outing last week leading the Falcons to a huge upset over the Packers. He threw for 352 yards and 2 TDs. Terance Mathis led the way with 7 receptions. Mathis suffered a concussion but the early reports are that he'll be able to go. This week, the Falcons face a soft Carolina defense that ranks # 21 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 30 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 23 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs so this is looking pretty enticing. Chicago Passing Game vs Minnesota Defense Jim Miller to Marty Booker looked more like Montana to Rice Sunday. I don't recall the last time I saw two consecutive bomb TDs to the same player like that Sunday. Miller's been up and down but clearly, Booker is a guy to watch. Dez White and David Terrell are in the mix but this seems to be Booker's show. The Viking defense ranks # 29 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks so it looks like the Bears may be able to continue to roll. Green Bay Passing Game vs Detroit Defense Favre isn't as red hot as he was but he's still a premier QB. He threw for 262 yards and 2 TDs last week. He spread the ball pretty well between Billy Schroeder, Antonio Freeman and Corey Bradford. Bradford had the big yardage while Schroeder and Freeman scored. All 3 are solid plays. TE Bubba Franks continues to be a non factor. The Pack draw a great matchup this week in Detroit that ranks # 27 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. They rank # 31 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs so you have to like that. Minnesota Passing Game vs Chicago Defense If you'd been thinking about benching Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss, or Cris Carter, you got your answer Monday night. These guys should always be in your lineup as they're too explosive to sit against any matchup. The Bears rank # 31 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks so clearly, this is a must start for these guys. The only downside to the Moss / Carter explosion was that TE Byron Chamberlain was left out of the party. San Francisco Passing Game vs Indianapolis Defense You don't need me to tell you to start Jeff Garcia. He's clearly one of the premier QBs in the game. Terrell Owens is freaky good and is obviously a must start. J.J. Stokes had a breakout game last week so he deserves a look. Tai Streets is not a bad reach and TE Eric Johnson is getting more involved in the offense each week. It's sort of like St. Louis where any of these guys are worth a gamble. Indy ranks # 23 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. They rank # 25 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 26 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs so the 49ers are looking good here. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Prime Matchups: These games feature Defenses that should have trouble stopping the Offense. Baltimore Passing Game vs Jacksonville Defense Does anyone else find the Baltimore's self destruction amusing? The Grbac tear thing on the sidelines (which looked like sweat to me) and then Shannon Sharpe's posturing as the self appointed spokesperson shouting about interceptions was pretty funny. Can Brian Billick hold it all together? Where's Trent Dilfer when you need him? Grbac will be fine I think. Sharpe is always a good play if you can stand having him on your team. Qadry Ismail and Travis Taylor are both decent options as they're seeing plenty of action and TE Todd Heap even got a score. Lots of weapons in this passing game. They'll be facing a Jaguar defense that's reeling and beat up. They rank # 25 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. Jacksonville ranks # 18 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs for the year. All in all, a good matchup here. Detroit Passing Game vs Green Bay Defense A perfect example of how sometimes the NFL does NOT mirror Fantasy. Charlie Batch is becoming a desirable QB simply because his team is so bad and he's forced to throw on every down. Regardless of the reason, you have to give this guy some credit as he's clearly becoming more comfortable in the system. He threw an amazing 62 attempts last week for 436 yards and 3 TDs. I'll take that. WR Johnnie Morton led the way with 153 yards. RB Lamont Warren had 11 catches but his status is up in the air with the return of James Stewart. Green Bay is nothing special against the pass lately ranking # 22 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they are pretty tough on QBs though ranking # 8 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 3 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Kansas City Passing Game vs Seattle Defense Trent Green had a week off to get everything together but you have to wonder how much can be done in a week. Derrick Alexander is supposedly ready to play this week but you know how that goes. I'd be leery until I see him play some. Snoop Minnis is still nursing an ankle injury and is iffy. As always, TE Tony Gonzalez is the primary threat. Seattle has been below average lately ranking # 20 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 29 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 25 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. New England Passing Game vs New Orleans Defense Coach Bill Belichick raised some eyebrows when he announced Tom Brady would be the starter until further notice. Great news for Brady fans who'd been sweating a Bledsoe comeback. Brady's come back down to earth lately with a mediocre 185 yard day last week but he's still showing promise. WR Troy Brown is by far the favored target and the only real receiver worthy of a start in most leagues. New Orleans has been very vulnerable lately to the pass ranking # 30 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 16 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. New Orleans Passing Game vs New England Defense Aaron Brooks once again offers some vindication for those (including us) who'd been sweating it after giving him lots of preseason hype. 2 passing TDs plus another TD rushing Sunday made his owners happy. I'd go with the hot hand and keep him in your lineup. Joe Horn is clearly the WR of choice as Willie Jackson is up and down. TE Boo Williams is not a bad reach if you need a guy there. He caught 2 TDs and looked good doing it. New England ranks # 24 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks but be careful, as Bill Belichick seems to sometimes pull out something special to confuse young QBs. Oakland Passing Game vs New York Giants Defense You have to like Rich Gannon here against the Giant defense that was torched by Minnesota last week. Gannon threw for 311 yards and 4 TDs Sunday and looks as in control of this offense as ever. Jerry Rice looked half his age running all over the field and played outstanding. Tim Brown is as good as ever. This team has serious weapons and should go deep in the playoffs, if not all the way. The Giants rank # 15 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks but for the year they rank # 3 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. Pittsburgh Passing Game vs Tennessee Defense Kordell Stewart once again looked like a real NFL QB. He threw for 266 yards and a TD. Most importantly, he didn't fold up when Jerome Bettis was held down. Hines Ward caught 9 passes for 112 yards and a TD and looks to be a good play most every week as he's clearly the go to guy. Tennessee ranks just # 19 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. They rank # 26 for the year in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs so these Steelers could have a chance to do something through the air here. San Diego Passing Game vs Arizona Defense Doug Flutie's magic trick bag seems to be fairly well empty lately. Losing TE Freddie Jones last week surely didn't help even though Jones wasn't being thrown to as much as we'd like to see. Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham struggled with Flutie. This Arizona defense could be the ticket though as Charlie Batch discovered last week. They rank # 17 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks but are playing softer than that. They rank # 27 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 24 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. St. Louis Passing Game vs Tampa Bay Defense Kurt Warner's a must start, obviously. As are Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Both are outstanding. Bruce had the big yards Sunday while Holt got the TD. RB Marshall Faulk catches as many passes as the WRs, just another reason why he's the best. Tampa is limping but they rank # 9 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. They do have 13 sacks over the last 4 games so they're obviously putting pressure on the QB. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Even Matchups: These games feature no real advantage either way Carolina Passing Game vs Atlanta Defense Are you really down to starting Chris Weinke? I didn't think so. Muhsin Muhammad could miss this week's game with a shoulder injury. That means Donald Hayes would be the go to guy assuming his sore ribs allow him to go. TE Wesley Walls is always a threat although he seems to be less of the focus lately. Maybe he needs to have another "Keyshawn Fit" and yell about not getting the ball enough. That worked pretty well for him last time. The Falcons rank # 12 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks but for the year, rank # 28 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. They rank # 30 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs so they're definitely toastable. Cincinnati Passing Game vs Cleveland Defense It doesn't appear to be the best thing for the Bengals, but Jon Kitna continues to air it out. He threw 42 passes Sunday for 234 yards and 1 TD / 2 Interceptions. The Bengals have about 25 WRs it seems and all are pretty good. Ron Dugans got into the act scoring a TD Sunday. Darnay Scott is the # 1 but it's a crowded group there making it tough to pick out any one player. The Brown defense ranks # 28 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks so you'd think Cincinnati would be able to throw the ball. For the year, Cleveland ranks # 5 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs though so it's not like it's a cakewalk. Cleveland Passing Game vs Cincinnati Defense Tim Couch is winning the "real" NFL games even though he's not doing much for your FF team lately. His 144 yard / 0 TD / 3 Int game Sunday is an example of that. He'll get back on track though. Kevin Johnson and Dennis Northcutt seem to be his primary guys with Quincy Morgan there too. Honestly, I wouldn't count on too much from anyone but Johnson. The Bengal defense ranks # 10 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks so they've been tough lately. For the year, they rank # 22 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. Indianapolis Passing Game vs San Francisco Defense Peyton Manning looked solid even with the broken jaw. Jerome Pathon is gone for the year and Reggie Wayne's knee is an issue. It looks like it'll be his old reliable target, Marvin Harrison. Keep an eye on TE Marcus Pollard as he could easily be the best receiver after Harrison. San Francisco ranks # 13 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks and # 19 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. You never know when Manning will throw that monster game though so it's tough not to play him if he's on your roster. Philadelphia Passing Game vs Washington Defense Donovan McNabb didn't wow anyone with his numbers Sunday but he didn't need to in order to win the game. He threw for 129 yards with 1 TD. James Thrash is still the go to guy with Todd Pinkston worth a roll of the dice in larger leagues. TE Chad Lewis was pretty active and caught a TD so you like to see that. The Redskins are starting to believe in themselves and now rank # 18 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. A dangerous game against the Redskins who have nothing to lose and can play with abandon. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Downside Matchups: These games feature a Defense that could pose trouble for the Offense. Buffalo Passing Game vs Miami Defense As a consistent Rob Johnson basher, Alex Van Pelt kept me from looking bad by playing extremely well Sunday with 2 TDs and 316 yards. And he actually finished a game... Clearly, he gives the Bills a boost. Eric Moulds is still the #1 WR but Peerless Price had a huge game with 138 yards and a TD. Larry Centers was also extremely involved and TE Jay Riemersma caught a TD. Miami is hurting without CB Sam Madison. They rank # 6 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks so they're still tough. Denver Passing Game vs Dallas Defense Brian Griese just keeps losing weapons. From Ed McCaffrey to Terrell Davis, now Rod Smith is limited with a bad ankle. There's only so much a QB can do without his weapons. Smith is saying he'll try to tough it out and play Thursday but it's very questionable how effective he'll be if he plays. My friend (and Denver local) B.J. Miller says his guess is that Smith will dress but likely not finish the game after re-aggravating the ankle. I'd agree with that prediction. TE Desmond Clark needs to become a bigger part of the passing game here. The Cowboys are solid on defense ranking # 5 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks and # 10 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs so it's a tough matchup here for the Broncos. New York Giants Passing Game vs Oakland Defense Kerry Collins threw for 321 yards but couldn't find the endzone Monday night. Ike Hilliard continues to improve and actually was more effective than Amani Toomer. Tiki Barber remains a strong force in the passing game and that should continue. All 3 of these guys are solid starters. Oakland is very solid lately against the pass ranking # 4 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 15 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 16 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Seattle Passing Game vs Kansas City Defense Matt Hasselbeck posted 134 yards and 1 TD Sunday. With the way Shaun Alexander is running, that's probably enough. Koren Robinson and Darrel Jackson are the primary targets but Hasselbeck is really spreading the ball around. Kansas City ranks # 14 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks although for the year, they rank # 6 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. Tampa Bay Passing Game vs St. Louis Defense Brad Johnson rolled up 399 yards Sunday without throwing a TD. That's hard to do. Keyshawn Johnson remains TD-less which I admit is cruelly amusing. That'll have to break soon though as he's just catching too many passes not to score. I wouldn't be surprised to see him explode with a couple of multiple TD games as the odds even out. Johnson to Johnson is really all there is to talk about with this passing game. The Rams are solid ranking # 7 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 12 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. Washington Passing Game vs Philadelphia Defense Tony Banks left with a concussion Sunday but Kent Graham did a fine job filling in. WR Michael Westbrook has shown nice maturity this season hanging in there and now looks to be the quality WR everyone has always expected him to be. He had 9 receptions for 104 yards and a TD last week. The Eagle defense can be troublesome with all their blitzing so it'll be a challenge. Philadelphia ranks # 11 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks and for the year, they rank # 1 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. Should be a tough game. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Defensive Slam Dunks: These games feature a very tough Defense posing major problems for the Offense. Dallas Passing Game vs Denver Defense Ryan Leaf did little to impress anyone Sunday with a 102 yard / 0 TD / 2 Interception game. I can't get excited about anyone on this offense. Joey Galloway could be worth a shot just for his home run potential but it's pretty bleak overall. Denver ranks # 8 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks and that doesn't help any. Jacksonville Passing Game vs Baltimore Defense Mark Brunell is looking very iffy again and it'll likely be Jonathon Quinn again. (Has there ever been a good QB named Jonathon?) That's bad news for the Jaguar WRs Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell although both played decent last week. With Fred Taylor out again, Baltimore should have a field day. The Ravens rank # 16 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks but for the year, rank # 7 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. I'd shy away from these guys unless I had few options. Miami Passing Game vs Buffalo Defense Jay Fiedler looked lost last week throwing for 188 yards, 0 TDs and 3 Interceptions. He'll have his up and down games but he seems to be settling back more toward the downside. His WR corps is solid with James McKnight, Oronde Gadsden and Chris Chambers but it's hard to put a lot of faith in Fiedler. I do like Chambers and his big play ability. Buffalo has been tough lately ranking # 3 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. It's actually not so much an issue of them being tough as it is teams just don't need to throw to beat them. Regardless, offenses haven't been putting up a lot of yards on them. For the year, they rank # 24 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs. Tennessee Passing Game vs Pittsburgh Defense A typical Steve McNair week: Major questions all week as to whether he'll be healthy enough to play. Guts it out through the game, rushing for more yards than George, throwing for 172 yards and 1 TD. It might win NFL games but that probably won't carry your FF team. Derrick Mason and Kevin Dyson are both decent players at WR while TE Frank Wycheck remains his best receiver. The Steelers bring a great defense though ranking # 2 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. They rank # 2 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs not to mention the fact they've logged 18 sacks over the last 4 games. Tough matchup here. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Bryant Analytics, Inc. All Rights Reserved 1999-2001 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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