Ok, now that we've gotten through the first week of the season and got to see what teams are really up to and who's coming up to the next level, time to make some more accurate predictions. I wasn't as good as I thought I'd be on the beasts last week, but I was pretty solid on the busts. Once again for those of you with the benefit of internet connectivity my top 3 beasts and busts for each position.
Quarterback Beasts.
1. Matt Ryan. Ryan had an amazing game to open the season and he will continue to hold serve on amazing games. I believe that Ryan will be the league MVP this year (yes, that may be a stretch to some, but I believe that he will dominate). He'll be at home and wanting to outshine Peyton Manning; look for Ryan to post 300 and 2 more touchdowns.
2. Drew Brees. After getting outshined by rookie RG3 last week, look for Drew Brees to bounce back against the Panthers. Brees will torch the Panthers defense for 300 and 2 scores.
3. Peyton Manning. Arguably, the greatest regular season quarterback is back. Denver will be tested in the Georgia Dome and it should be a high scoring game. Look for Manning to go for 275 and 2 TD's.
Quarterback Busts.
1. Michael Vick. After a dreadful performance in the dog pound, Vick gets released from that nightmare into a ravenous defense. If the Browns could force Vick into 3 INT's, then don't be surprised if that happens again against the Ravens. Vick will be running for his life and will make mistakes. Look for Vick to be sacked at least 3 times, throw 2 picks and lose 1 fumble. Sit him if you can.
2. Kevin Kolb. Well, Kolb got the starting job back for now, because of John Skelton's injury. Kolb has looked gunshy and he will be confused by the looks the Patriots will throw at him. Kolb will put up some yards, because they will have to throw to try and catch up, but he will make mistakes. Look for Kolb to get sacked 4 times and throw 2 picks and about 250 yards.
3. Blaine Gabbert. Yes, I know Gabbert looked surprisingly good last week, but he's taken a step up in defenses. The Texans defense will pressure him and he will look like the scared rabbit he was last season. Look for Gabbert to throw for about 150 and no scores, while getting sacked 5 times and throwing up 3 picks.
Running Back Beasts.
1.Adrian Peterson. I didn't want to make a prediction on him last week, but I must say it was nothing short of amazing the way he was able to come back from major knee surgery so fast and look like the AP of old. He will be rewarded with a suspect Colts defense. Look for AP to pop for about 150 and 3 scores this week, as the Vikings will run the ball down the Colts throat.
2. C.J. Spiller. Spiller will get the chance to start for the injured Fred Jackson. Spiller lit up the Jets defense when he stepped in for Jackson, like he did at the end of last season when Jackson went down. Spiller will get the carries against the Chiefs to try and settle down quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Look for 100 yards rushing and 1 score for Spiller.
3. Jonathon Dwyer. Be very quiet here comes my sleeper pick. This is a big limb to reach for, but I'm going there. Dwyer appears to be the most solid back in the Steelers arsenal right now and he should get more touches this week. I look for Dwyer to have a big impact getting about 80 yards and 2 scores for the Black and Yellow.
Running Back Busts.
1. Kevin Smith. Smith would have better luck being a mallrat this week against the 49er defense. By the end of the game you might even hear him say he's not even supposed to be the starting running back. Look for the niners to shut him down to the tune of 20 yards rushing and about 20 receiving and no scores.
2. Shady McCoy. Tough day for Shady this week against the Ravens. The Ravens will do their best to take him out of the offense and will succeed. Shady will have about 75 total yards and no trips to the end zone.
3. Michael Turner. Look for another slow day from the former burner as Jacquizz Rodgers steals carries away from him. Turner will pop about 50 total yards, but he will punch a short yardage score in this week.
Wide Receiver Beasts.
1. Julio Jones. Julio is turning into Matt Ryan's big play guy and he benefits so much from having Roddy White on the other side of him. Jones is going to have another big game against the Broncos. Look for about 150 and 2 scores for Julio.
2. Brandon Marshall. Marshall is a big time threat for Jay Cutler and will be once again this week. Cutler will target him many times against a Packer secondary that has problems with big receivers. Marshall will post up 125 yards and a score this Thursday night.
3. Demaryious Thomas. No one is going to benefit more from having #18 throwing him the ball. Thomas is a home run hitter, who can also play the role of a possession receiver. In the Monday night shoot out look for Thomas to put up 100 receiveing yards and a score for the Broncos.
Wide Receiver Busts.
1. Wes Welker. Wes is off to a slow start and is got to get himself back in tight with the family. Brady is loving his tight ends right now and is pushing the ball thier way, evcentually Welker will be the playmaker he has been, he just has to serve his sentence in the doghouse. Look for Welker to only amass 50 yards and no scores.
2. Steve Smith. The Panthers are hurting right now, only problem is they are going to have an angry bunch of Saints come marching in. Cam is not going to have time to throw the ball downfield and the Saints will take Smith away. Look for Little Steven to get about 50 yards and no touchdowns.
3. Any Cleveland Browns receiver. They are all going to have a long season, with Branden "I wish I was Joss" Weeden. Look for all Browns receivers to barely get over 100 yards receiving combined.
Tight End Beasts.
1. Rob Gronkowski. No surprise here, Gronk is the legitimate #1 tight end in the league and will continue to get a lot of targets especially in the red zone. He'll be in the 100 yard range and get you 1 score.
2. Jimmy Graham. Again, no surprise, but Graham will always be a top target at this position. Graham will get a lot of touches this week, as the Saints try and rebound from a loss. Graham will get you 80 yards and a score.
3. Jermichael Finley. Finley is always a favorite target of Aaron Rodgers and Finley always seem to have good games against the Bears. This is a favorable matchup this week. Look for 75 yards and 1 score.
Tight End Busts.
1. Ben Watson. I had high hopes for Watson, a good tight end that gets underutilized and will continue to be with Weeden throwing inaccurate passes. Look for Watson to get you < 20 yards this weke.
2. Jermaine Gresham. This is a bad matchup for Gresham. The Browns have a very good defense, which is a shame for the dreadful offense the Browns have. Gresham is normally a solid option for the tight end slot, but not this week. Gresham will get about 40 yards and zero trips to thee end zone.
3. Heath Miller. Miller is underutilized in the Steeler offense and will continue to be so. They will keep Miller in for protection to help the offensive line instead of using him as a weapon. Miller will be too busy blocking to put up enough numbers to make him a viable starter this week (maybe all season). Miller will get around 50 yards and no scores.
Kicker Beasts.
1. David Akers. After Akers hit his NFL record tying 63 yard field goal last week, he shows once again why he is one of the most reliable kickers in the league. He will get you points this week, I look for 3 FG's and an extra point in a hard fought game this week.
2. Dan Carpenter. The Dolphins should have success moving the ball in between the 20's against the Raiders, setting up a nice game for Carpenter. I expect him to get 4 FG's this week. Yes, I realize that this makes him better than Akers, but after Akers's accomplishment last week, I' choosing to put him at #1. Showing a little respect.
3. Robbie Gould. The Bears offense will find success moving the ball against the Packers defense, but they should run into some trouble punching it in. Look for Gould to have 2 FG's and 2 PAT's, making him a solid option this week.
Kicker Busts.
1. Alex Henery. The Eagles have a tough matchup this week with the Ravens and I don't see them scoring a lot of points in this one. Give him a FG and a PAT, but that's about all.
2.Connor Barth. The Bucs will have a tough road with an angry Giant team, that feels like they gave away a game last Wednesday night. The Bucs will have a tough time moving the ball all day, but will at least get one FG out of Barth.
3. Sea Bass. Janikowski will have problems, especially if the Raiders can't fix their long snapper issues before Sunday. Nevertheless, they would have had a tough day against the Dolphins defense. Look for an extra point but not much more from Sea Bass on Sunday.
Defense Beasts.
1. Houston Texans. The Texans defense looked strong against the Dolphins and will continue to do so against the Jaguars. Blaine Gabbert will have a tough day as he will get sacked 5 times and will give the Texans 3 of the 4 total turnovers that the defense will force against the Jaguars.
2. New York Giants. The Giants are angry that they blew the season opener and they will unleash the pass rush on Josh Freeman. The Giants will force 2 turnovers and get 5 sacks.
3. Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens will come in trying to shut down Michael Vick. Vick may help them out if he plays like he did against the Browns. I look for the Ravens to come after Vick, they are confident they can stop him outside the pocket so they will try and beat him up. Look for the Ravens to force 3 turnovers and sack Vick 3 times as well.
Defense Busts.
1.Seattle Seahawks. This defense got a lot of hype preseason, but as I stated in my review I believe it is unwarranted. This defense, even at home, is going to get embarrassed by a suddenly explosive Cowboy offense. Look for the defense to give up 400 yards and over 30 points scored against them. The only reason to play this defense is if you have faith in Leon Washington returning a big kick, but that's a risk I won't take.
2. Carolina Panthers. Again this defense is not to the level that head coach Ron Rivera would like; add to that an upset saints team looking to stay with the Falcons in the NFC South and this is going to be a long day for the Panthers. Saints will drop over 400 yards of offense and score over 30 on the Panthers.
3.Arizona Cardinals. This could be a bad day for the Cardinals defense, one that is a very solid group, but playing against the Brady Bunch and with a backup quarterback running your offense, will lead to a bad day even for the best group. I envision the Pats running up 400 yards of offense and scoring at least 28 points, while committing no turnovers.
Well, since we have a Thursday game every week, it's going to be fun rushing these out every week. But, I enjoy it and I hope that it helps some of you out there in cyber land. Good luck in your games. I was 3-1 in my leagues, just to give you all a frame of reference.
No comments:
Post a Comment