NFL Team Rankings

Seattle Seahawks (+2.5) at Dallas Cowboys

Seattle is a team in disarray right now. Their defense is absolutely horrid against the run (allowing 189 yards per game), and you should expect to see some younger faces on that side of the ball this week. There's been some talk that Alexander could be pushed aside in favor of Maurice Morris. That would be a shocker. What is definitely happening is Alexander and the rest of the Seattle offense isn't getting the job done. If the Seahawks don't show some progress over the 2nd half of the season, you'd have to think Mike Holmgren could feel some heat. Things aren't exactly smooth in Dallas either. Quincy Carter is out as the starter, and Chad Hutchinson will take the helm. Also, the offensive line has experienced nothing but one injury after another. The good news for Dallas fans is Emmitt Smith is 93 yards from becoming the NFL All-time rushing leader. He'll get those 93 yards this week. On defense, the Cowboys are generally average. The one area they excel is in RB fantasy points allowed (where they rank 3rd) so don't expect great things from Alexander this week. Still, you must start the Seattle back as he is talented enough to explode (as he did against the Vikings in week four).

The pick: Dallas 19-18.

Tennessee Titans (-5.5) at Cincinnati Bengals

The Tennessee offense is just hobbling along this season. They seem capable of so much more but just seem to meander through the motions. Even more troubling is the defense. Only once have they held their opponent under 20 points, and they are horrible in defending the pass. Lucky for them they don't face an actual QB this week. It looks like (for all intents and purposes) the Bengals are mailing this season in. The Cincinnati defense is even worse than Tennessee's (the Bengals have allowed 20 or more points in every game this season). They can't stop the run, and everyone is scoring against them. To make matters even worse, Corey Dillon is complaining again. He's had a couple of very good games though and could easily explode versus this Tennessee team. He'll try to carry this team, but a team effort from the Titans will be too much for Dillon to counter.

The pick: Tennessee 28-17.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7) at Carolina Panthers

Once again, the Buccaneers possess one of the top defenses in the league. They allow few yards and few points. That will continue for at least another week. On offense, though, Tampa Bay is still struggling to find consistency. There will be a Johnson of a different sort behind center this week as Rob will replace the injured Brad. Luckily for the Bucs, Rob is the better Johnson to face Carolina. Over the past three weeks, the Panthers have seen Jake Plummer, Quincy Carter, and Michael Vick (all mobile QBs) make enough plays to lead their respective teams to victory. While Rob Johnson is notorious for giving up sacks, he is a surprisingly good running QB. Carolina will counter Rob with their own Randy. Yes, Randy Fasani will start in place of the concussioned (is that a word?) Chris Weinke (who was starting in place of the injured Rodney Peete). Call me crazy, but I'm not too confident in any team's 3rd string QB going against the Tampa defense. More bad news in Carolina finds rookie RB Deshaun Foster on the Injured Reserve list and officially out for the year.

The pick: Tampa Bay 16-3.

Detroit Lions (+7) at Buffalo Bills

One thing's for sure: this Joey Harrington will make things happen. It's not always the good kind of things, but things are definitely happening. With Harrington at the helm, the Detroit offense has certainly perked up. Too bad the defense is just as bad as ever. The Lions are just getting torched through the air, and they're allowed opposing RBs to score tons of fantasy points. The Buffalo defense is only marginally better. However, the Buffalo offense is one of the most exciting in the league. Drew Bledsoe is absolutely the 'man' for the Bills and has already thrown for 400+ yards on two occasions. Watch him get #3 this week.

The pick: Buffalo 40-28.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5) at Baltimore Ravens

The Steelers have been excellent since their week three bye. After getting pummeled by New England and Oakland, Pittsburgh took a week off and righted their sinking ship to win three games and narrowly lose to the hot Saints. Their running game has been nothing short of phenomenal the last two weeks (of course playing the Bengals and Colts will make anyone look good). Jerome Bettis is out this week, and Amos Zereoue will start in his place. This is not a great spot for Zereoue as the Ravens are stingy on the ground. On defense, Pittsburgh is still tough against the run and looked impressive defending Peyton Manning last week. Similarly, the Ravens have gone 3-1 over their last four games. Their defense is not among the NFL elite, but they have been surprisingly tough considering the number of players lost. That said, they are a bit soft defending the pass so the Pittsburgh WRs should be a good play this week. Overall, this should be one of the hardest-hitting games of the week.

The pick: Pittsburgh 18-17.

Cleveland Browns (+3) at New York Jets

Meet the new Browns. Same as the old Browns. Cleveland still can't rush the ball (six games of fewer than 100 yards rushing), nor can they stop the run (four games of more than 150 rushing yards allowed). No team will win consistently playing like this. Still, Cleveland seems to find enough offense to be competitive (only the Buccaneers blew them out), and the Jets defense hasn't exactly been stingy (31st in rushing yards allowed and 31st in RB fantasy points allowed). This run defense is so bad that they've held only one team below 142 rushing yards and allowed 200+ on three occasions. The Jets offense has picked up the pace lately (which coincided with Chad Pennington taking over as starting QB). Of course, the last couple of opponents (Kansas City and Minnesota) have the two worst pass defenses known to mankind. Lots of things point to a close game that the home team should win. However, I can't bring myself to predict two straight wins by the Jets.

The pick: Cleveland 24-14.

Atlanta Falcons (+4) at New Orleans Saints

This Saints offense in general (and Aaron Brooks in particular) is on an absolutely roll. They've scored over 20 points in every game this year and hit for 30+ on four occasions (including the last three weeks straight). The Atlanta defense will provide a quality test for them, but New Orleans believes they can score on anyone. And they can. That's the sunny side of things for the Saints. The dark side is that the defense has allowed 20-something points in every game this season. If the offense falters, the defense can't pick up the slack. For Atlanta, things are going better than most expected for this season. The defense is very good defending the pass and average against the run. On offense, Michael Vick is extremely exciting, and the running game has picked up a bit lately (although TJ Duckett is hobbled right now).

The pick: New Orleans 27-24.

Chicago Bears (+1) at Minnesota Vikings

The Bears are reeling right now after dropping four straight (including one against the woeful Lions). Chris Chandler once again starts for the ailing Jim Miller in an attempt to notch the team's third win. Considering how horrid the Vikings are defending the pass, Chandler is worth much consideration as a starting fantasy QB this week. On defense, Chicago has allowed, well, a lot. A lot of everything. Teams have run on them. Teams have passed on them. And everybody (except Atlanta) has scored on them. Minnesota will continue the trend as Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss will each bounce back from a disappointing week seven contest against the Jets. The Vikings defense will once again allow large numbers to be posted by their opponent. Will this unit ever be fixed?

The pick: Chicago 28-24.

Oakland Raiders (-3) at Kansas City Chiefs

Oh my, this one will be a ball to watch. The Oakland offense has struggled the last two weeks. The passing game has thrown up huge yardage totals, but the rushing game has been stuffed. Without a great ground game, the Raiders have failed to score many points. That will change this week as the Chiefs defense couldn't stop water from flowing up a mountain. Kansas City is so bad against the pass that Oakland has three sure starters at the WR position. That's unheard of. Don't forget Charlie Garner either as the Chiefs don't exactly stonewall their opponent's rushing attack. As bad as the defense is, the Kansas City offense is equally as good and are the top-scoring team in the NFL (at 34 points per game). Obviously, the key to their success is Priest Holmes. Holmes has become the elite fantasy RB and will likely be the #1 RB selected next season. He scores big on everyone. He'll score big on Oakland, but it won't be enough.

The pick: Oakland 40-38.

Arizona Cardinals (+8) at San Francisco 49ers

Looking at the preseason expectations, the Cardinals were predicted to field a horrible defense. To everyone's surprise, this unit has been OK. They're a little soft against the pass, but the run defense has been mediocre. Usually, descriptors like 'OK' and 'mediocre' don't mean much, but for the Arizona defense they point to great improvement. Too bad for them the offense has failed to keep pace. Much of the cause falls to David Boston's health. He's been hobbled by a foot sprain and simply can not be as active as he needs to be. Also, RBs Thomas Jones and Marcel Shipp have been unable to stay healthy (although they both look pretty good at the moment). These injuries (and of course Jake Plummer's natural tendencies) have kept the Arizona offense from discovering anything resembling consistent play. The 49ers offense has found consistency over the last four games. This is in large part due to their dominating ground game. However, Garrison Hearst has a hamstring problem and will not be a full strength this week. He is questionable, and Kevan Barlow will likely get his first start ever. Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens will find good success this week. It's hard to imagine the Cardinals being involved in a game that will decide the division lead. But they are. Arizona is actually tied with the 49ers (at 4-2). However, they really haven't been tested since a hard-fought week three loss to the Chargers. In that game, the Cardinals played well but came up a bit short. The same thing will happen here.

The pick: San Francisco 20-16.

Houston Texans (+10.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

While Houston did catch headlines with their week one victory over Dallas, they've been little more than a speed bump for opponents since. The pass defense is doing well, but the run defense has been quite vulnerable. On offense, there simply isn't enough talent around to strike fear in opposing defensive coordinators. That said, Corey Bradford is turning into 'The Expansion One'. Yes, with most expansion teams, there is one player that is worth starting most weeks. Bradford is the one for Houston. This week, the Jaguars have a stud by the name of Freddie Taylor. Obviously, if this guy's healthy, he's a sure starter every week. This week, he'll carry Jacksonville to victory.

The pick: Jacksonville 24-10.

Denver Broncos (+3) at New England Patriots

This is a very good Denver team. They've lost two (by a total of three points). They've passed for 300+ yards for four straight weeks. Their defense is 1st in rushing yards allowed and at least respectable in every other major category. They have an exciting young RB in Clinton Portis. They match up well against the Patriots as New England is among the worst in the NFL at stopping the run. After scoring a whopping 115 points in their first three games, the Patriots offense has struggled to total only 37 points in their three most recent match-ups. Their passing game has gone south in a big way while their rushing offense has turned in inconsistent performances. Big game for both teams as each sits at 3rd in their respective division. It's hard to go against Bill Belichick at home after a bye week.

The pick: New England 24-23.

Indianapolis Colts (pick 'em) at Washington Redskins

This is not the Indianapolis offense that we all know and love. Sure, the passing game is gaining good yardage, but the ground game (specifically Edgerrin James) is not up to par. After coming back from his knee surgery of a year ago, James just doesn't seem to be his old self. Don't misunderstand, he's still a sure starter every week. However, he isn't that dominating threat week in and week out. James should post better numbers this week as the Redskins are prone to giving up big ground numbers. This could lead to reduced output from Peyton Manning. For the Redskins, Shane Matthews is back in the saddle to once again ride the nag that is Steve Spurrier's offense. Yes, after a bad outing against Green Bay (the 9th best passing defense in the league), Patrick Ramsey received the hook. This reinforces the 'short leash' mentality of Spurrier and should preclude you from relying upon a Washington QB. You can rely upon Stephen Davis this week as the Colts are extremely weak against the run. Definitely be wary of any aspect of the Washington passing game. The Colts are very good in this area. This is where Indianapolis will get the win.

The pick: Indianapolis 23-20.

New York Giants (+7) at Philadelphia Eagles

The Giants offense is averaging a measly 14 points per game. That doesn't get it done too often. Over the last four games, they've averaged around 12 points per game. They desperately miss the presence of Jeremy Shockey (who has been hobbled by a bad toe). Shockey missed practice on Friday and is the dreaded game-time decision. If he's out, the Giants have little chance of staying with Philadelphia. The Eagles are coming off their biggest win of the season (a 10-point victory over Tampa Bay). This offense is playing very well, and Donovan McNabb is looking like an MVP candidate. Philly simply has too much.

The pick: Philadelphia 28-13.