It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong, and I am nothing if not big. Sure I could blame my poor performance last week on having to pick games three days early and not having all the information that I usually have, but I won’t. Instead I’ll take full responsibility for my actions. But if this week’s picks don’t pan out, I’m blaming the schedule. Let’s take a look at last week’s picks:
Time to Shine:
QB Brady Quinn, Cleveland: While I wouldn’t expect the same kind of performance week in and week out just yet, Brady dismantled the Denver defense Thursday night to the tune of 239 yards and 2 touchdowns. He probably could have put up even bigger numbers had the Browns defense not imploded in the second half. Even still, this one is a hit.
RB Ryan Torain, Denver: For only a half of work, this was a pretty good outing. 68 yards and a score is only slightly below my prediction for him. There is the small matter of a torn knee ligament keeping him out for the rest of the year, but for this week, he’s a hit.
RB Jonathan Stewart, Carolina: Didn’t get near the number of carries I had hoped. It’s possible the heel isn’t 100%; it’s possible I’m an idiot. Either way, this one is a miss.
WR Matt Jones, Jacksonville: Clearly the Joey Porter mid-week smack talk threw Jones off his game. This may start a new trend in the NFL: trash talking players on teams you don’t play this week (or this season for that matter). If Porter can rattle Jones into a meager 62 yard performance, maybe he could shut down other receivers on teams the Dolphins don’t play (assuming the other receivers were arrested for cocaine possession over the summer). Miss.
WR Donnie Avery, St. Louis: Last time I trust a St. Louis receiver. Promise. Miss.
Ride the Pine:
QB Donovan McNabb, Philly: The three touchdown passes force me to call my pick a miss, but I’ve never seen an uglier three touchdown performance. If style points were involved, he would have been shut out, but the NFL isn’t about being pretty. Miss.
RB Joseph Addai, Indianapolis: 47 total yards and he shared time with Rhodes. Things don’t look good for Addai right now. Hit.
RB Ryan Grant, Green Bay: Maybe this Grant kid is better than I thought. His second decent performance against the much ballyhooed Minnesota defense makes for another miss.
WR Calvin Johnson, Detroit: 92 yards in another ugly Lion performance. Probably less than most Johnson owners hoped for, but good enough to call this a miss.
WR Roddy White, Atlanta: Only 68 receiving yards, but the touchdown is what matters here. Miss.
Week 10 totals: 3-7
Overall totals: 46-41-4
On to this week’s picks:
Time to Shine:
QB Tyler Thigpen, Kansas City: The best thing you can say about the Chiefs right now is that they’re not rolling over. They may not win, but they’re going down with guns blazing. This is the perfect game for Thigpen to go for big numbers. Herm is not afraid to let him throw it and the Saints defense isn’t afraid to let his receivers catch it. 220 yards and two scores for Tyler this week.
RB Matt Forte, Chicago: After watching Adrian Peterson destroy the Green Bay defense last week, Matt Forte had to be excited about the prospect of playing that same defense this week. Having Nick Barnett out of the middle only improves Forte’s chances. 100 yards and a score this week.
RB Kevin Smith, Detroit: Playing against a middle of the pack Carolina run defense helps, as does the fact that the Lions have absolutely no one at quarterback. Bottom line: someone has to gain the yards and it might as well be Smith. 80 and a score.
WR Donald Driver, Green Bay: Mike McCarthy is slowly abandoning the run after two weeks of trying to get his team’s rushing attack back up to speed. The Bears are not a team to run on, but they are susceptible to the pass. Look for 75 yards and a touchdown from Donald this week.
WR DeSean Jackson, Philly: As the Eagles find more ways to get Jackson the ball, the better fantasy threat he becomes. Couple that with a weak Bengal defense and that spells a big day for DeSean. 90 and a touchdown.
Ride the Pine:
QB Phillip Rivers, San Diego: No one passes on the Pittsburgn defense. Nobody.
RB Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants: Nobody runs on the Ravens defense. Nobody.
RB Marion Barber, Dallas: The Redskins have been surprisingly good against the run this year, and they hate the Cowboys too much to let Barber beat them.
WR T.J. Houshmazadeh, Cincinnati: T.J. has been the one constant on an otherwise lackluster offense. This week’s match-up against the Eagles will be more than even he can handle, however. With great cornerback play and exotic blitz packages, the Eagles will easily shut down the Bengal passing attack and T.J. will suffer for it.
WR Lavernaues Coles, New York Jets: In what looks like the biggest game of the year so far for both teams, you’ve got to go with the team with the proven track record. The Patriots seem to thrive in games like this whereas Brett Favre has seemed to have trouble in big games in the latter stages of his career. Coles numbers will dip because of Favre’s ineffectiveness.
