Matchups of the Week - Week 5

Wes’ Matchups of the Week 

QB 

Eli Manning – I have him 4^th overall this week, I expect him to have another huge game. I’m high on all the Giants this week, as the Seattle defense has been mediocre on the road this year, giving up 33 to the Niners and 24 to the less-than-potent Steelers offense so far. Projection – 275 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT. 

RB 

Darren Sproles – Reggie Bush was an electrifying player in New Orleans, but Sproles has taken over and is proving that you can be great in the return game and actually help the offense too! He has the 10^th most fantasy points at the RB position, making him at minimum a top 20 back the rest of the way, especially this week against a poor Carolina defense. Start with confidence. Projection – 40 yards rushing, 70 yards receiving, 1 TD. 

WR 

Marques Colston – I was going to try and stay away from the same team on this list, but I have a gut feeling that Colston is in line for a huge game. Brees and Colston have had a lot of chemistry in the past, and now that he’s healthy, I have a hard time thinking he’s not a top 15 WR the rest of the way. Projection – 8 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD. 

TE 

Owen Daniels – Probably the most “duh” name on my list this week, but I have him at number 1 overall. With Andre Johnson out, Schaub is going to look at his favorite red zone target even more. Oakland’s LB are better known for their play against the run, so look for Daniels to have a huge game here. Projection – 9 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD. 

D/ST 

Kansas City Chiefs – A bit of a homer pick here, but not really if you look at what the Colts are dealing with in terms of injuries. They lost a good portion of their offensive line last week, and Tamba Hali already has 4 sacks in 4 games. Painter only completed 13 of 30 last week, and Tamba dropped at least 2 sure INT’s. Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers won’t drop them. Projection – 3 sacks, 2 INT’s, 10 points allowed.

Monty’s Matchups of the Week

QB 

Kevin Kolb – The Minnesota Vikings are ranked 28thagainst the pass, giving up 286 per game this season.  They are among the lead leaders in rush defense, so I see the Cardinals having to throw the ball this week, at least until the game gets out of hand.  Kolb has shown signs that he can be a big time NFL QB.  Look for more of those signs this week. If you’ve got someone like Romo or Flacco on a bye this week, Kolb could be a good option. Projection – 315 Yds, 2 TDs, 0 INT

RB 

Chris Johnson – I know, I know, listing a first round pick isn’t exactly earth shattering for this post.  BUT, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, you’ll know CJ hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire this season.  At first glance you might think twice about CJ since they are playing the Steelers, but Pittsburgh has been fairly bad against the run this season (22nd in the NFL against the run).  I expect CJ’s upward trend of production to continue this week.  Projection – 115 rush yds, 55 rec yds, 1 TD 

WR 

Dexter McCluster – This may be a deep cut here, but if you’ve got guys on their bye week, and you’re looking for a #3 WR or a Flex, McCluster could be your guy.  We know that McCluster is going to get touches at RB and WR this week, and the Colts are very banged up on defense. When you take into consideration that they couldn’t stop the run when they were healthy, he might have a very good opportunity to get some yards.  Freeney and Mathis will probably be putting the pressure on Cassel throughout the game, and McCluster could also be a good safety valve for him in short yard pass options.  Projection – 85 rec yds, 60 rush yds 

TE 

Brandon Pettigrew – Matthew Stafford has made it clear that Pettigrew is his 2nd favorite receiver this season.  When you take into consideration that they are playing against the Bears and their 29^th ranked pass defense, Pettigrew will probably see a lot of passes.  The Bears secondary will be so concerned with Megatron, I could see Pettigrew getting a lot of passes down the middle of the field.  Projection –135 yds, 1 TD

DST

Cincinnati – The #1 overall defense in the NFL.  I know, that doesn’t always translate into the #1 FANTASY defense, but for this week, it might.  It is on my projections at least.  The Bengals are taking on the Jaguars, in the battle of the rookie quarterbacks.  If the Bengals can bottle up MJD, like they’ve done to most RB’s this season, then the Jags might be forced to throw the ball, and thus could get a healthy number of sacks, and interceptions.  Start ‘em if you got ‘em. Projection – 4 sacks, 3 INTs, 1 TD, 13 Points allowed.