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Wall of Champs Is Up! If you've made your playoffs or won your league, let the world know about it. We've got our Wall of Champs up and running and waiting for you. Check it out here http://footballguys.com/wall2001.cfm You can add your team here http://footballguys.com/addwall.cfm There's not much better than flaunting your success in front of your league members... Enjoy. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ ***Correction - In the rushing Matchups I just sent, I mentioned Stacey Mack playing the Raiders last week. Obviously, I meant the Vikings as I wrote about in the week 15 matchups. Thanks. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Hi Folks, 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. Jeff Garcia may have a horrible matchup one week but unless you're sitting on Kurt Warner or Brett Favre, Garcia'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 ESPN.com. Let's get to it. Joe /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Passing Game Matchups to Avoid and Exploit /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Locks: These games feature Defenses that have struggled lately. Arizona Passing Game vs Carolina Defense Jake Plummer came up small last week with just 144 yards against a hot Dallas pass Defense. Surprisingly, David Boston was a non factor with just 26 yards. Although he still had a ton of balls thrown his way so there's nothing to worry about. Carolina ranks # 30 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 28 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 22 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Cleveland Passing Game vs Tennessee Defense Tim Couch threw for 203 yards and a TD last week against Green Bay which was the 12th best day among QBs last week ahead of guys like Manning, McNair and Garcia. Clearly, the matchup helped him out. Kevin Johnson, as usual, was his primary target although it was good to see RB Jamel White involved in the passing game with lots of passes thrown his way. The Titans have been awful lately against the pass ranking # 29 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 30 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 31 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Again, some people have a hard time understanding what these matchups provide - I'm not saying Couch will have a great game. Check the cheatsheet rankings for where we have him. What I'm saying is that he has a great matchup here against the Titans who've struggled against the pass all year. Miami Passing Game vs Atlanta Defense Jay Fiedler exploded for 320 yards and a TD last week. Finally, Footballguy Favorite Chris Chambers got a start and delivered big time with 124 yards on 7 receptions. He did tweak an ankle but is expected to be ok this week. TE Jed Weaver also saw lots of passes thrown his way. The Falcons rank # 31 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 29 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 30 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. New York Jets Passing Game vs Buffalo Defense Vinny Testeverde refuses to fade away. He rolled up 285 yards and 2 TDs (with 2 Interceptions) against Indy Sunday. Wayne Chrebet was the primary WR with Laveranues Coles seeing less action. TE Anthony Becht produced another TD. The Bills rank # 27 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 24 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 20 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. St. Louis Passing Game vs Indianapolis Defense Kurt Warner had an "off" day for him with "just" 217 yards and 2 TDs. Of course, he's a must start every week. The trouble with him is he spreads the ball around so well, it's tough to predict which WR will see action but I'd have a very hard time benching guys like Holt, Bruce or even Proehl. Keep an eye on the thumb he tweaked but he's saying he's ok. The Colts rank # 28 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 27 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 27 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Prime Matchups: These games feature Defenses that haven't been strong lately. Chicago Passing Game vs Detroit Defense Marty Booker catching 74 yards worth of passes isn't as remarkable until you realize QB Jim Miller only threw for 98 yards. I guess that makes Booker the # 1 WR... He's clearly the favored option. This team is all about Anthony Thomas and their defense though so I'm not too excited about any of these guys outside of Booker even with the matchup. The Lions rank # 22 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 31 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 29 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Green Bay Passing Game vs Minnesota Defense Brett Favre made the most out of 139 yards throwing for 3 TDs last week. He's too good to sit against anyone. Antonio Freeman and Billy Schroeder are solid options and Bubba Franks seems to have picked up where he was earlier this year. The Vikings rank # 17 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 21 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 24 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Indianapolis Passing Game vs St. Louis Defense Manning was back on track again with 228 yards, 1 TD and 0 Interceptions last week. The interceptions have hurt him this year but the fact is he's still one of the leagues best QBs. Marvin Harrison was incredible catching nearly everything in his sight. The Rams rank # 24 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. Remember, Chris Weinke rolled over them last week. For the year, they rank # 15 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 8 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Oakland Passing Game vs Denver Passing Game It's funny when people get excited about Gannon throwing just 249 yards but that's what's happening. He's spoiled us. I'm not worried about him as along with Jerry Rice and Tim Brown, they're still one of the better passing units in the game. Charlie Garner is a nice target too. This week, they'll face a suddenly vulnerable Denver team that ranks # 23 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 9 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 25 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Tampa Bay Passing Game vs Baltimore Defense Brad Johnson put together a great game with 3 TDs and 0 Interceptions on 207 yards. Keyshawn Johnson is of course the receiver of choice and outside of him, I don't see many other viable FF options. Johnson to Johnson is the name of this passing game. Baltimore ranks # 26 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 17 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 19 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Even Matchups: These games feature no real advantage either way Carolina Passing Game vs Arizona Defense Weinke's 312 yard day last week against the Rams was surprising as the Rams were ranked as the # 9 passing defense over the last 4 weeks going into last week. Donald Hayes was ultra active and may need to be again this week as Muhsin Muhammad is very iffy and TE Wesley Walls tweaked his knee. The Cardinals rank # 14 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 26 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 26 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Denver Passing Game vs Oakland Defense Brian Griese should be back and ready to go. Gus Frerotte is out for the year so Jarius Jackson will be the # 2 guy. Rod Smith is the only receiver of note and he's a guy you can never count out. The bye week helped and he's reportedly feeling better than he has in a while. Oakland has struggled lately on defense ranking # 21 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 10 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 13 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Jacksonville Passing Game vs Kansas City Defense Brunell had a Brunell-like day last week with 217 yards and a TD. Jimmy Smith is a must start and Keenan McCardell deserves a hard look in just about any league. The Chiefs rank # 18 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 14 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 12 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Kansas City Passing Game vs Jacksonville Defense Trent Green put together a decent day with 203 yards, 1 TD and 2 Interceptions. Snoop Minnis was the preferred WR while Derrick Alexander did very little. Tony Gonzalez was fairly involved although not as much as his owners would like to see. He's still a must start for TE leagues. The Jaguars rank # 20 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 19 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 6 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Minnesota Passing Game vs Green Bay Defense Stay tuned this week for whether Todd Bouman or Spergon Wynn gets the call. The Vikings have imploded. If Bouman starts, it's much better news for Moss. If Wynn starts, Cris Carter seemed to be the favored target. Although it was pretty clear that they were forcing the ball to Carter because it could've been his last game in Minnesota. Honestly, it's tough to sit Cris Carter or Randy Moss regardless of who is at QB. WRs are rarely a sure thing. The Packers rank # 19 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 12 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 5 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Philadelphia Passing Game vs New York Giants Defense The Eagle passing game is all about McNabb to RB Duce Staley now. Good for Staley owners but not the ideal situation for McNabb. James Thrash and Freddie Mitchell saw most of the action at WR but they weren't too effective. Todd Pinkston is in the mix which makes it even tougher to pick a WR. The Giants may be without Jason Sehorn this week which would be big. They rank # 6 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 18 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 28 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Pittsburgh Passing Game vs Cincinnati Defense Kordell Stewart continues to prove his critics wrong as he rolled up 3 TDs last week and 221 yards. There's serious MVP talk about him and deservedly so. WRs Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress both deserve a look for most any team. Burress, in particular, is coming on lately. The Bengals are tougher than many realize against the pass lately. They rank # 7 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 16 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 21 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. San Diego Passing Game vs Seattle Defense Doug Flutie was awful early, but made a great recovery to finish with 175 yards and 2 TDs with no Interceptions. There's a lot of talk about letting Drew Brees see action with the season basically over but one has to think we would've seen him last week if that was the case. Either way, Flutie's probably not worthy of a start except for the larger leagues. Of the WRs, Curtis Conway was clearly the go to guy with TE Freddie Jones seeing action as well. The Seahawks rank # 9 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 23 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 17 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Seattle Passing Game vs San Diego Defense Matt Hasselbeck hasn't carried many FF Teams this season and I doubt it'll start now. He's still a below average player. WRs Koren Robinson and Darrell Jackson are the primary guys while Shaun Alexander will be involved in the passing game as well. The Chargers rank # 15 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 22 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 15 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Washington Passing Game vs New Orleans Defense Tony Banks threw for 236 yards last week in a tough game with Chicago. Michael Westbrook and Rod Gardner both saw roughly equal numbers of passes thrown their way. He only caught a couple, but TE Zeron Felmister saw 6 passes thrown his way. You could do a lot worse for a TE. Plus, he's got a cool name... The Saints rank # 13 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 25 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 23 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Downside Matchups: These games feature a Defense that's been pretty strong lately. Buffalo Passing Game vs New York Jets Defense Van Pelt put together a 208 yard / 1 TD passing game last week. As usual, Eric Moulds and Peerless Price were featured fairly evenly. This week, the Bills face a pretty tough Jets team that ranks # 11 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 1 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 4 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Dallas Passing Game vs San Francisco Defense I can't imagine you're in contention in week 16 with many of these guys on the roster. Quincy Carter's given me very little to make me think he'll do much of anything. Of course, for the gamblers, Rocket Ismail or Joey Galloway can make something happen with just one throw, but they're definite risks. San Francisco is ranked # 8 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 13 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 18 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Detroit Passing Game vs Chicago Defense Rookie Mike McMahon gave a valiant effort but it's still very clear he's a rookie QB. Granted, he's got talent and potential but he's still very green. Johnnie Morton is the WR of choice but TE David Sloan actually saw more balls thrown his way last week than any other Lion receiver. That's not unusual for a new QB to focus on the shorter routes of a TE and it could continue. The Bears rank # 12 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 8 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 2 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. New Orleans Passing Game vs Washington Defense Few people expected Tampa Bay to start a track meet with New Orleans last week but that's what happened. Aaron Brooks had 3 TDs late as the Saints tried to rally from a big deficit. Stats are stats though and Brooks owners will take them any way they can get them. Joe Horn and Willie Jackson saw tons of action. With Cam Cleeland shockingly injured again, Boo Williams is back as the # 1 TE so that's good news. The Redskins rank # 4 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 5 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 11 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. New York Giants Passing Game vs Philadelphia Defense Kerry Collins quietly finished with nice numbers last week. He threw for 338 yards and 1 TD. Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard saw lots of action with Joe Jurevicius seeing plenty of balls thrown his way too. The Eagles have cooled lately where they rank # 16 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 2 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 1 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Their blitzing style can cause young QBs plenty of trouble but Collins' experience should help him. Tennessee Passing Game vs Cleveland Defense Steve McNair played a gutsy game last week at well less than 100%. He managed 178 yards, 1 TD and 2 Interceptions. Derrick Mason is still the primary guy and saw more looks than TE Frank Wycheck which is saying something. This week, they'll face a surprising Brown defense that ranks # 10 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 3 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 14 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Defensive Slam Dunks: These games feature a Defense that's been very strong lately. Atlanta Passing Game vs Miami Defense Chris Chandler continued his up and down season with a monster game last week throwing for 431 yards and 2 TDs against Buffalo. Terance Mathis, Tony Martin and Footballguy Favorite Brian Finneran all had great games. As you know though, these guys are very inconsistent. This week, they'll face a Miami Defense that ranks # 1 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 6 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 10 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Baltimore Passing Game vs Tampa Bay Defense Elvis Grbac continues to at least not hurt the offense. He threw for 181 yards last week with no TDs or Interceptions. Qadry Ismail is the preferred target at WR with Shannon Sharpe always threatening to make an impact. The Ravens face the Bucs who are hot right now ranking # 3 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 11 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 9 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Cincinnati Passing Game vs Pittsburgh Defense You pretty much have to avoid all these guys. Jon Kitna threw for 153 yards and 3 Interceptions. His most newsworthy accomplishment was a sideline shouting match with WR Chad Johnson. Peter Warrick was benched for fielding a punt on his own 3 yard line. Warrick should start this week. They teased us early , but these are clearly still the Bengals. Pittsburgh ranks # 5 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks. For the year, they rank # 7 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 7 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. San Francisco Passing Game vs Dallas Defense Garcia only had 136 yards and 1 TD (although he was very close on another) but he's still a must start in my book. He's too good and has too many weapons. Terrell Owens is of course a starter but J.J. Stokes or Tai Streets could be worth a look. TE Eric Johnson is still very involved in the passing game. Dallas ranks # 2 in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game over the last four weeks so they've been tough. For the year, they rank # 4 in Fantasy Points Allowed to QBs and # 3 in Fantasy Points Allowed to WRs. Tough matchups but I don't see how you can sit Garcia and Owens unless you're just loaded. See our cheatsheet rankings for exactly where we see these guys ranked. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 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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