Atlanta's Michael Turner has run for more than half of his 831 yards in the last three games.
As expected, Chris Simms will start in place of the injured Kyle Orton today when Denver hosts San Diego in their pivotal AFC West clash.
Now, unless something has drastically changed from last week to this week, or from the rest of Simms’ NFL career, there’s no reason to consider starting him.
Falcons’ Turner Out Vs. Giants
Atlanta won’t have their biggest offensive weapon on the field today for a key road game against the slumping Giants, as Michael Turner’s sprained ankle will keep him sidelined.
As with the above bit, it’s not unsurprising, but it’s still a bummer for Turner and Turner owners, as he’d been on fire before going down in the second quarter last week’s 28-19 loss at Carolina, rushing for 422 yards and three touchdowns in his last nine-plus quarters.
To compound the misery for the Falcons, Jerious Norwood will also be out for a fifth straight game because of his hip.
So, the load today, as it did after Turner went out against the Panthers, will fall on Jason Snelling. Snelling ran for 61 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against Carolina, and he also caught three passes for 32 yards. Though the Giants have a solid run defense, Snelling is very much worth a start because he provides value as a runner and a receiver.
Betts Active, Will Start Vs. Cowboys
Ladell Betts (ankle) will make his second straight start in place of Clinton Portis (concussion) for Washington when the Redskins take on Dallas this afternoon.
Dallas has one of the better run defenses in the league, and they’ve allowed only four rushing touchdowns this season, but Betts is more than worth a go today. He’s filled in more than adequately for Portis, running for 114 yards and a score in last week’s win over Denver and tallying 70 yards and a score the previous week at Atlanta.
He has 17 catches this season, so he should also see some looks from Jason Campbell in the passing game.
