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Rushing Game Matchups??? Here's how I see the matchups this week.? Please= =20 note, see thecheatsheet online?http://www.cheatsheets.net/week14sheet.htm?= =20 for exactly where I rank players and to determine who to start.? Just becau= se=20 one matchup may be more favorable than another, that doesn't necessarily= =20 mean I'd start the player with the best matchup.? The matchup info is mea= nt=20 to be just one more tool in your box when it comes to deciding between =20 players.???? Locks:? These games heavily favor the Offense?? Jamal Anderson (Atl) vs Seahawk Defense? If you=01,ve learned anything t= his=20 season, it=01,s start RBs facing the Seahawk defense.? Fo the year, they ra= nk #=20 26 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.? Over the last four week= s,=20 they=01,ve really tailed off ranking # 31 in rushing yards allowed per gam= e.? =20 They=01,re playing for pride and look for Anderson to make a statement. Warrick Dunn (TB) vs Cowboy Defense?? The Cowboys haven=01,t gotten any b= etter=20 against the rush this year as they still bring up the rear.? Over the last= =20 four weeks, they rank # 30 in rushing yards allowed per game.? For the=20 year, they=01,re ranked # 30 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RBs= .?=20 Dunn=01,s athletic style will give them trouble much like Charlie Garner d= id=20 earlier the season.??? Fred Taylor (Jac) vs Brown Defense?? Cleveland struggles against most any= =20 RB but especially tough, physical rushing teams.? Taylor and the Jaguars fi= t=20 that bill.? This season has seen some rushing performances of historical= =20 significance this year.? You might see another one this week.? On paper, i= t=01, s a dream matchup.??? Tyrone Wheatley (Oak) vs Steeler Defense?? I know it=01,s hard to believe = but =20 the numbers show that over the past four weeks, Pittsburgh ranks # 28 in=20 rushing yards allowed per game.? They=01,re allowing 171 yards rushing on= the=20 ground.? Granted, Fred Taylor, Eddie George and Corey Dillon figure into= =20 that number but a healthy Tyrone Wheatley isn=01,t too far down below thei= r=20 class.? He=01,s healthier now than he has been in a while. Ricky Watters (Sea) vs Falcon Defense?? I=01,ve been a Ricky Watters fan = since=20 the 49er days.? One of the best combinations of rushing and receiving in= =20 some time.? He=01,s had an age defying season and the roll should continue= =20 against a Falcon unit that=01,s been awful defending the run lately.? For = the=20 last four weeks, they rank # 27 in rushing yards allowed per game.? For th= e=20 year, they=01,re # 28 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.?? Eve= ryone=20 keeps wondering when Shaun Alexander will see time but unless Seattle gets= =20 blown out here (which I have hard time seeing) I think you=01,ll see plent= y of=20 Ricky Watters.? Corey Dillon (Cin) vs Cardinal Defense?? Like Fred Taylor vs. Cleveland, = =20 this one looks almost too good to be true on paper.? They don=01,t always t= urn=20 out that way in reality but you=01,ve got to be drooling over this game if= you=01, re a Dillon owner.? His running in the lack of a real passing game threat= =20 is an amazing feat.? Hopefully for him Scott Mitchell can be effective=20 throwing the ball which will help even more. ? ? Prime Matchups:? These games favor the Offense?? Tony Richardson / Kimble Anders (KC)? vs Patriot Defense?? Our support o= f=20 Christian Okoye last week for a Chief RB didn=01,t garner much support fro= m the=20 KC coaching staff so it looks like another week of Richardson / Anders.?= =20 Anders actually got plenty of carries last week and promptly did very litt= le=20 with them. Richardson appears to be the better back right now but who know= s=20 how this will play out.? It=01,s hard for me to advocate either.? But if y= ou do=20 go with one, know that they=01,ll be facing a pretty soft New England rush= =20 defense that ranks # 25 in rushing yards allowed per gameover the last fo= ur=20 weeks.? Tshimanga Biakabutuka / Brad Hoover (Car) vs Rams Defense??? Biakabutuka= =20 found there was no rehabilitation method quite as effective as 60,000 folk= s=20 chanting =01&Hoooooo-ver=018 on Monday night=01(? Amazing how that consis= tently=20 works.? Biakabutuka has been upgraded to probable but I=01,m not convinced= =20 Hoover just takes his place back on the bench.? You=01,ll likely see both = go.?=20 The Rams still give up a good bit of yardage on the ground lately averagin= g=20 127 yards per game over the last four weeks.? That ranks them # 24.? For= =20 the year, they rank # 23 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.??? J.R. Redmond (NE) vs Chief Defense?? The Patriots are a tough team to =20 figure and coach Bill Belichick is starting to remind me of Captain Queeg = =20 rolling the marbles while his crew forms a mutiny.? But if he can hold them= =20 together, I=01,ve got to think Redmond has a pretty good matchup here.? Th= e=20 Chiefs rank # 23 over the past four weeks in rushing yards allowed per gam= e. ? For the year, they rank # 24 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing R= B. ? Keep an eye on QB Drew Bledsoe as if he can=01,t go, all bets are off b= ut if=20 he can keep the defense honest, I like Redmond=01,s chances here.? Of cour= se,=20 you have to know the risks that Belichick could decide to go with Patrick= =20 Pass or Kevin Faulk at a moments notice if Redmond looks at him the wrong = =20 way=01( Edgerrin James (Ind) vs Jets Defense?? The NFL is the ultimate game of =20 watching to see what others do.? You can bet the Colts are aware of the=20 success Chicago=01,s James Allen had last week rushing (and fumbling) the = ball=20 against New York.? I think you=01,ll see a steady diet of Edgerrin doing t= he=20 same thing (hopefully not fumbling though)? James is a no brainer =01) star= t=20 him against virtually any team unless you=01,re so loaded at RB it=01,s no= t =20 fair.? Eddie George (Ten) vs Eagle Defense?? Philadelphia isn=01,t quite as tough= vs=20 the run as their reputation might have you believe.? Over the last four=20 weeks, they rank # 21 in rushing yards allowed per game.? For the year,= =20 they rank # 17 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.? But you can= =20 pretty much throw those numbers out when it=01,s Eddie George.? He=01,ll ge= t his=20 yards the hard way.? I=01,d be very surprised if you don=01,t see George e= xhibit=20 some leadership here and put together a solid effort. Curtis Martin (NYJ) vs Colts Defense?? It sounds like Curtis Martin is ju= st=20 going to have to play with the strained buttocks.? (you=01,ve heard enough = jokes=20 by now, I=01,ll spare you)? The Indy defense is definitely vulnerable to = the=20 rush.? For the season, they rank # 21 in Fantasy Points allowed to the=20 opposing RBs.? This game will be in New York and the Colts are soft when = it=01, s cold outside so Martin could have an edge.? James Allen (Chi) vs Green Bay?? Let=01,s give Allen the benefit of the d= oubt=20 and say the THREE fumbles Sunday were rain induced.? (although I didn=01,t = see=20 Curtis Martin fumble three times and he was there too=01()? If he can fin= d the=20 handle on the ball, he=01,ll be fine as he actually ran very while when he= =20 managed to hang on to the football.? Green Bay proved Monday night they can= =01, t stop much of anything and this could be a nice opportunity for the Bears= =20 and for Allen. ?? Even Matchups:? These games feature no real advantage either way? Travis Prentice / Jamel White (Cle) vs Jaguar Defense?? This is one of = =20 those games that may not play in reality the way it looks on paper.?=20 Jacksonville has yielded an average of 120 yards rushing per game over the= =20 last four weeks.? That ranks them # 20.? They also rank # 20 for the year i= n =20 Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RBs.? But they=01,re playing better = than=20 that now I believe.? And the Browns are just playing out the season.? And= =20 the bigger issue is Travis Prentice is fighting for playing time as Jamel= =20 White has looked impressive.? It=01,s a decent matchup for Cleveland but = I=01,d=20 probably shy from these guys if it were me.? Michael Pittman (Ari) vs Bengal Defense?? A case of both sides being bette= r =20 than what many people think.? Michael Pittman is a player.? Since Vince= =20 Tobin left, it=01,s been pretty much Pittman=01,s show on the ground much = to the=20 chagrin of Thomas Jones owners.? And on the other side of the ball, the =20 Bengals are a better defense than they get credit for.? On the ground, they= =20 rank # 17 in rushing yards allowed per game over the last four weeks.? For= =20 the year, they rank # 10 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.? S= o=20 this once could truly go either way.? I=01,d feel ok with Pittman if he was= my =20 guy but I wouldn=01,t be overly excited.? Robert Smith (Min) vs Lion Defense?? This isn=01,t the best matchup in the= =20 world for Smith but you have to start him.? If nothing else than to get an= =20 early lead on your opponent with a Thursday night game.? C=01,mon, that=01= ,s =20 worth something=01(? Seriously, Smith is one of the elite RBs right now bu= t=20 Detroit is playing pretty tough against the run ranking # 15 in rushing=20 yards allowed per game over the last four weeks.? He=01,s a starter though= ,=20 just play him.? Ahman Green (GB) vs Bear Defense?? Find a nice toasty place to watch this= =20 one.? Chicago in December.? At night.? That=01,s football.? With Dorsey Lev= ens=20 likely gone for the year, the Packers are looking to Green to be the Man.?= =20 Chicago has a tough run defense led by all world rookie Brian Urlacher.? I= =20 told you this Summer my cab driver in Chicago was calling him =01&Vanilla= =20 Freak=018 and now you=01,re seeing why.? I love this kid.? These guys are= =20 professionals but I can promise you Green thinks about the hard hitting guy= =20 with the wild eyes lined up across the way from him as the temperature=20 keeps dropping.??? Lamar Smith (Mia) vs Bills Defense? Smith practiced Wednesday and while it= =01, s awful early to make a definitive call, it looks like he=01,ll start Sund= ay.?=20 The Bufallo defense is solid against the rush.? They rank # 13 in rushing = =20 yards allowed per game over the last four weeks.? Although for the year, th= ey=20 rank # 5 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.? Although if Smith= =20 can return to his awesome form before the injury, he=01,ll be a load.? The= =20 Dolphins will rely on the running game with Jay Fiedler likely rusty plus= =20 not that good to begin with.? Marshall Faulk (StL) vs Panther Defense?? Let=01,s hope Faulk gets back to= his =20 old form.? And let=01,s hope the Panther defense gets back more their old= =20 rushing defense form.? Over the last four games, Carolina ranks # 12 in=20 rushing yards allowed per game.? But for the year, they come in at # 25 in= =20 Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.? It sounds to me like coach Mi= ke=20 Martz won=01,t make the mistake again of underutilizing one of his best we= apons=20 in Faulk. ?? Downside Matchups:? These games favor the Defense? Shawn Bryson / Sammy Morris / Antowain Smith (Buf) vs Miami Defense??=20 Believe it or not, the Dolphin Defense ranks just # 16 in rushing yards=20 allowed per game over the last four weeks.? Granted, 3 of those games don= =01,t=20 factor MLB Zach Thomas but that number is still higher than I would have = =20 thought.? The Bills rushing game is a mess.? The team is calling Morris=01= , =20 ankle questionable so we=01,ll have to wait and see.? Bryson has done very= =20 little with the opportunity and we know Smith didn=01,t produce or we woul= d=20 have never seen so much of Bryson and Morris.? With a healthy Zach Thomas= ,=20 I=01,d probably shy a bit from any of these guys.???? Emmitt Smith (Dal) vs Buccaneer Defense?? Emmitt Smith said he=01,d never = been =20 knocked out in his career but that=01,s what happened Thursday.? He=01,s bo= unced=20 back quickly and says he=01,ll certainly be the starter Sunday.? The Bucs= are=20 tough but not invincible.? Over the last four weeks, they rank # 11 in=20 rushing yards allowed per game giving up 95 yards per game on the ground.?= =20 Emmitt=01,s made a living running the ball against tough defenses over his= =20 career so I=01,m not overly concerned with the matchup.? He=01,s a gamer = and I=01,d=20 say he=01,s probably a starter for most owners this week even facing Tampa= Bay. Stephen Davis (Was) vs Giants Defense?? Be very leery here.? Stephen Dav= is=20 demonstrated last week that you have to take what he says with a grain of= =20 salt.? Players are notoriously optimistic about their chances for recoveri= ng=20 from injury.? Unless I could turn my lineup in very late this week and I w= as=20 sure he=01,d start, I=01,d think very hard about going elsewhere this week= .? It=01,s=20 not like he=01,s facing Seattle and this is a dream matchup or something.?= The=20 Giants are tough against the run ranking # 2 for the year in Fantasy Point= s=20 allowed to the opposing RB. ?So unless you know for sure he=01,s going, I= =01,d=20 strongly consider my other options.? Terrell Fletcher (SD) vs 49er Defense?? Fletcher is probable with a rib = =20 fracture which must sound worse than it is.? Either that or he=01,s one tou= gh=20 guy.? The problem is that San Francisco is playing much improved defense= =20 lately.? Against the rush over the last four weeks, they rank # 9 in rushi= ng=20 yards allowed per game.? That=01,s a marked contrast to their year long= =20 numbers where they rank # 27 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.= ?=20 Adding Fletcher=01,s ribs to the improved Defense, I don=01,t see much fro= m San=20 Diego on the ground Sunday.? Ron Dayne / Tiki Barber (NYG) vs Redskins?? To me, Barber is looking muc= h=20 more favorable in this game simply based on the opinion I don=01,t see New= York=20 taking a lead where they can grind out the clock.? If you=01,re a Dayne own= er,=20 you=01,re painfully aware that coach Jim Fassel puts Dayne on the shelf in= =20 favor of Barber when his team trails.? The Giants are a good team but I d= on=01, t see them jumping all over Washington.? Plus, the Redskins play very good= =20 rush defense.? For the year, they rank # 4 in Fantasy Points allowed to t= he=20 opposing RB and over the last four weeks, they rank # 8 in rushing yards= =20 allowed per game.??? James Stewart (Det) vs Viking Defense?? Stewart=01,s great game against Ta= mpa =20 Bay taught me not to discount him too much based on matchups but he=01,s go= t a =20 surprisingly tough situation here.? Minnesota over the last four weeks ran= ks=20 # 7 in rushing yards allowed per game.? For the year, they rank # 14 in= =20 Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.? Part of that has to do with the= =20 Vikings explosive offense which throws team into passing mode to catch up= =20 but part of it is that the Vikings are just improved there.? LB Dwayne Rud= d=20 should miss the game with a bad shoulder so that favors Detroit but I=01,m= =20 still not overly excited about the matchup.? Still though, Stewart is one= =20 of the better backs and I=01,d think he=01,s likely a starter for your team= unless =20 you=01,re loaded with RBs. ?? ? Defensive Slam Dunks:? These games heavily favor the Defense? Darnell Autry / Stanley Pritchett (Phi) vs Titan Defense?? The Eagle RBs= =20 have been very little factor and I don=01,t see them all of a sudden emerg= ing=20 against a very tough Tennessee defense.? Especially one in a foul mood afte= r =20 another last second loss from the kicker.? It=01,s a tough job, but QB Don= ovan=20 McNabb carries this team almost solely on his shoulders.? He could be the = =20 teams leading rusher again as Tennessee puts the clamps on the RBs.? For th= e=20 year, the Titans rank # 6 in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing RB.??= ? Mike Anderson (Den) vs Saints Defense?? I like Mike Anderson and he=01,s a= =20 great story but he=01,s got a very tough matchup this week with New Orleans= .?=20 The Saints rank # 3 for the year in Fantasy Points allowed to the opposing= =20 RB and over the last four games, they rank # 5 in rushing yards allowed pe= r=20 game.? They=01,ve just averaged 81 yards per game allowed rushing.? Anders= on is=20 still probably worth a start unless you=01,re really deep at RB but just b= e=20 aware he=01,s facing a tough defense.? Charlie Garner (SF) vs Charger Defense?? With a week off to prepare, Garne= r =20 comes back to face a rejuvenated Charger team coming off their first =20 victory.? They=01,re playing rush defense like we=01,re accustomed to seei= ng from=20 San Diego ranking # 4 in rushing yards allowed per game over the last four= =20 weeks.? Garner isn=01,t your normal back but he=01,s facing a tough game h= ere.? I=01, d still start him as he=01,s got that big play potential with the ability = to go=20 the distance at any time, but I=01,m not excited about the matchup.? Jerome Bettis (Pit) vs Raider Defense?? Jerome Bettis was built for =20 grinding down defenses in the December cold but he=01,ll have a tough match= up=20 this week against Oakland.? The Raiders rank # 2 over the last four weeks= =20 in rushing yards allowed per game.? That=01,s partly why their passing defe= nse =20 is so bad: teams can=01,t run so they go to the air.? I like Bettis and I t= hink=20 he=01,ll be able to grind out some yards at home but this is clearly a=20 difficult matchup here.? Jerald Moore / Chad Morton (NO) vs Bronco Defense?? Assuming Moore is ok= =20 with his neck stinger, he=01,ll be running behind his outstanding OL but t= his=20 is a tough matchup against the Denver Defense that=01,s remained tough vs = the=20 run.? Over the last four weeks, they rank # 3 in rushing yards allowed per= =20 game allowing an average of 74 yards per game.? Ricky Watters and Seattle= =20 only managed to post 85 against them Sunday.? Moore looks to get the=20 majority of carries and goalline work so he=01,s the better option at this= =20 point assuming he can go.? But even healthy, he=01,s got his work cut out = for=20 him. ? To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com
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