Can Cutler bounce back?
We had a rough going in Week 12, missing on start calls for Matt Ryan (injury) and Jason Snelling (Michael Turner returned), while missing on all of our sleeper picks.
We learned not to trust in Browns players, and that even though a quarterback (Tony Romo) is struggling and going up against a very solid pass defense, he can still go off and make you look like a fool.
With that said, accept our apologies for the off week, and allow us to make it right with a set of picks that will steer your in the right direction for Week 13:
Start
Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears
In any other week, Cutler is among three quarterbacks who have thrown way too many interceptions in 2009 to even remotely consider. However, he has a nice match-up with a weak St. Louis Rams defense, and he’s too talented to stay down at this level for long. Get a good week out of him before you ride someone else through the playoffs.
Prediction: 22-30, 301 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Smith has been playing well as of late, and has a solid match-up this week against a Seattle pass defense that can’t stop tight ends to save their life, and really hasn’t been very good against the pass, overall. We like Frank Gore to do his thing this week as well, but there’s a very good chance Smith hooks up with Vernon Davis a couple of times this week, making him a solid play if you need him.
Prediction: 20-29, 266 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Fred Jackson, RB, Buffalo Bills
Jackson totaled 116 yards last week and has a firm grasp of the Bill starting running back gig, supplanting former starter, Marshawn Lynch. He’s facing a New York Jets defense that definitely can be run on, and the only thing stopping him is some poor play from Ryan Fitzpatrick. At the very worst, he should be a very strong Flex option going forward.
Prediction: 17 att, 89 yds, 1 TD, 4 rec, 36 yds, 0 TD
Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers
Stewart and the rest of the Carolina rush offense were very mediocre last week, but that was largely due to the Panthers relying on Jake Delhomme way more than they should have been. Delhomme has an injured finger and could be seeing the bench very soon, so expect a heavy dose of the rushing attack this week. That, and starter DeAngelo Williams is nicked up again, so we like Stewart’s chances.
Prediction: 14 att, 75 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec, 14 yds, 0 TD
Malcom Floyd, WR, San Diego Chargers
We’ve been down on Floyd ever since he stepped into the starting line-up, and while he still hasn’t had a game with more than three catches, his 80+ yard performance last week showed us he has the big-lay ability worthy of a WR3 spot. Only use him if you really need to, but we like his chances this week against the Browns horrible pass defense.
Prediction: 4 rec, 89 yds, 1 TD
Sit
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
Manning is shrugging off yet another issue with his foot, but we’re not being so quick to excuse it this time around. The Giants still haven’t done a great job reverting back to their supposedly strong running game, so Manning may be forced into action. That may not mean for good numbers against a Dallas Cowboys defense that looks much better than they did in the first meeting earlier this year.
Prediction: 17-33, 244 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Ryan Grant, RB, Green Bay Packers
Grant did okay last week against the Detroit Lions, but he wasn’t good enough for us to feel comfortable about deploying him against a strong Baltimore Ravens run defense. Grant has extreme issues against stout run defense, so stay away from his this week if possible.
Prediction: 13 att, 49 yds, 0 TD, 4 rec, 33 yds, 0 TD
Joseph Addai, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Addai has still been solid, even when going up against stout run defenses, but he’s bound to hit a wall, and in Week 13, that wall happens to be a much improved Tennessee Titans defense. They’re better in all facets of the game than they were the last time they faced the Colts, and while Addai’s role should remain solid, we don’t like his chances for elite production this week.
Prediction: 14 att, 50 yds, 0 TD, 5 rec, 37 yds, 0 TD
Jerricho Cotchery, WR, New York Jets
The Jets have gone back to running the ball and controlling the tempo on offense, and with Mark Sanchez going up against a solid Buffalo Bills defense that intercepted five passes the last time they faced him, you’d be best advised to steer clear of any of the rookie’s passing options. Cotchery should still be active, but his numbers won’t be great.
Prediction: 6 rec, 66 yds, 0 TD
Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons
White scored the game-winning touchdown last week and was fairly solid overall, but he was facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and now he’ll be without Matt Ryan and Michael Turner again. He’s facing a potentially very tough match-up in the Philadelphia Eagles, so look for him to get contained fairly well.
Prediction: 5 rec, 72 yds, 0 TD
Sleeper
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Buffalo Bills
We still remember this noodle-armed Harvard grad stinking it up for the Bengals last year, but he’s looked solid enough in his last two outings to earn a start if you’re hurting at quarterback. We strongly suggest scouring over all other options, but two straight games with a touchdown pass and 230+ yards tell us you could do a lot worse.
Prediction: 19-29, 244 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 att, 29 yds, 0 TD
Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders
McFadden has struggled a bit the last two weeks, but we’ve also see his role increase each week, and he’s bound to get more touches. His match-up with a strong Pittsburgh Steelers defense doesn’t bode well at all, but if you need someone in a pinch, McFadden still has the talent to make things happen as a receiver, and could always spring a big play.
Prediction: 10 att, 44 yds, 0 TD, 4 rec, 36 yds, 1 TD
Jerious Norwood, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Michael Turner is almost certainly going to miss Week 13’s action, and judging by last week, the Falcons should choose to ride Norwood’s speed and play-making ability over the gritty power running of Jason Snelling. We’ll get our first real look at Norwood as a feature back, and we may not want to miss it with him on our bench.
Prediction: 16 att, 78 yds, 1 TD, 5 rec, 46 yds, 0 TD
Bernard Berrian, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Berrian scored a touchdown two weeks ago and was a big target of Brett Favre’s last week, suggesting he may finally be finding his niche in the Vikings’ offense. He’s still dealing with nagging hamstring injuries, but the possibility of him going off against a very leaky Arizona Cardinals pass defense is too tempting to ignore.
Prediction: 6 rec, 90 yds, 1 TD
Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee Titans
Britt has been slowly creeping to WR3 status and broke-out last week with a huge 100+ yard game, including the game-winning touchdown grab from Vince Young as time expired. Young loves him and he’s the top guy in Tennessee’s receiving corps right now, so it’s time you take advantage.
Prediction: 6 rec, 84 yds, 1 TD
