One problem with this new format is that it takes a level of coordination that we generally don't possess, hence the 12:30 on Sunday update this week. Please bear with us as we work out the kinks, and hopefully we'll be posting mid-week before you know it. On to the Picks!
Week 6 Picks
Falcons at Bears (-3.5)
James: Guess who's 3-2? Both these teams, and they're two of the most pleasant surprises this season. Atlanta's guaranteed themselves at the very least, respect as a legitimate team again, and Chicago has found not only a quarterback, but a diamond in the rough in Matt Forte at running back. Kyle Orton and Da Bears will host Matty Heisman and the Dirty Birds in a game that will send one team to .500 and solidifying the other team as the real deal. Michael Turner has run very well against softer defenses, but was shut down by Carolina and Tampa Bay. He had a good game against Green Bay, and is going to be a major factor. His ability to run the ball is maybe the most important aspect of Atlanta's ability to win this game.
James' pick: Chicago wins 28-24
Fantasy Love: Matt Forte
Fantasy Hate: Michael Turner
Ravens @ Colts (-2)
James: Refer to my last post about the Texans game to gauge my feelings on where the Colts are as a football team and how this momentum may carry over for them. The Colts' offense is slowly but surely clicking, and with the offensive line this Sunday the same as last week, I expect a much better rhythm. That being said, none of this matters if Indianapolis can't make plays. Joseph Addai's going to need to rush more than 50 yards, Peyton Manning needs to pick up on the Ravens' blitz packages and make them pay, and the team needs to minimize mistakes on a whole. The Ravens are a tough team that grinds it out for a full 60 minutes, and the Colts can't play 4 good minutes and win the game this Sunday. They need to play hard and better than Baltimore for the full hour.
James' pick: Indianapolis wins 20-16
Fantasy Love: Reggie Wayne
Fantasy Hate: Joe Flacco
Lions @ Vikings (-10.5)
Adam: Let's get one thing clear: the Detroit Lions are a hot mess. And there's only one guy who can pull them out of it... Superstar Dan Orlovsky. I really only know about the guy because my girlfriend is from Connecticut and I know James, but it's hard to root against a guy from UConn making an impact in the NFL. All the QB play in the world won't make that horrible defense look any better however, and I see Adrian Peterson putting on a clinic here. Also, a week after Kyle Orton looked all-world against the Lions, this might be a good time to get aboard the Gus Bus once again.
Adam's prediction: Minnesota, 31-10
James's prediction: Detroit over Minnesoter, 28-24
Fantasy Love: All Day Purple Jesus
Fantasy Hate: Rudi Johnson
Raiders @ Saints (-7)
Adam: The Raiders come off the bye week with a new head coach, their starting RB back in the lineup, and very little hope of beating the Saints, in my opinion. The Crypt Keeper managed to replace Lane Kiffin with an even more obscure name (Tom Cable?) who's spent most of his career coaching linemen. Considering how well the Raiders run the ball, he's obviously done a good job... but he's in a little over his head now. The Saints shot themselves in the foot last week and didn't finish out their drives. This week they won't have that problem, especially if Marques Colston finally returns from his thumb injury. Oh, and I guess it's worth noting that Reggie Bush is starting to look as good as he did in college, and that should make every coach in the league shudder just a little bit.
Adam's prediction: Saints, 31-17.
James's prediction: New Orleans over Oakland, 17-0.
Fantasy Love: Reggie Bush
Fantasy Hate: JaMarcus Russell
Bengals @ Jets (-7.5)
James: The Bengals need to win this game. After this week, the Bengals play Houston on the road (and I don't think Houston's going to give up another heartbreaker), and their next winnable game is week 16. If you haven't gotten a win by week 16, you've already thrown in the towel and given up. Ryan Fitzpatrick gets the start for Cinci this Sunday, and Bengal faithful are crossing their figures he's the right ingredient to make their offense click. The Jets are coming off a bye week and a romping of Arizona where their defense showed some signs of life. One of Brett Favre's biggest concerns was the fact that his knowledge of the Jets playbook wasn't quite there yet. The bye week definitely helped him get the plays down, and while he might not throw for 6 TD's this week, you can almost guarantee he'll find the end zone once or twice.
James' pick: New York wins 38-10
Fantasy Love: Ocho Cinco
Fantasy Hate: Thomas Jones
Panthers @ Buccaneers (+3.5)
Adam: The wacky NFC South has a battle for 1st place in the division here. The Panthers are up to their old 2-RB system tricks... just when you felt good about benching DeAngelo Williams and starting Jonathan Stewert, Williams breaks out and has the game of his life. I've always been high on Williams, and even I had him on my bench last week. I still wouldn't bet on any consistency from that duo, however, and especially not against the Bucs. Tampa is crazy good at home, and that week 3 win over the Bears is starting to look even more impressive. Tampa also has the opposite situation as Carolina, where both Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn are dependable fantasy options every week. I see Tampa controlling the ball at home and pulling into a tie for the division lead.
Adam's prediction: Tampa Bay, 21-17
James's prediction: Carolina over Tampa Bay, 22-21
Fantasy Love: Graham and Dunn
Fantasy Hate: Steve Smith
Rams @ Redskins (-13.5)
James: When referring to this game, Adam called it a bloodbath. St. Louis can avoid this becoming truth if they do 2 very simple things. First, they need to defend against Washington's plethora of weapons. Wait, let me go back. First, the Rams need to have a defense on the field to defend against Washington. If their 32nd ranked defense can so much as contain Jason Campbell, Santana Moss, Chris Cooley, Clinton Portis, and Antwaan Randle El, then they need to score. This should be slightly easier, because their offense is ranked slightly better, at...oh wait, they're also last in the NFL in points per game. I really don't know the Rams' strategy going into this game. I think they'll try to run the ball, because that makes the game go faster, and aside from that, they'll just try to get through the 60 minutes without embarrassing themselves too much.
James' pick: Washington wins 42-0
Fantasy Love: Clinton Portis
Fantasy Hate: Marc Bulger
Dolphins @ Texans (+2.5)
Adam: Let me put this in the plainest terms possible: The Texans do not lose this game. The Dolphins do NOT win their third straight game against a more talented opponent. Greg Camarillo does not yet cement himself as the next Wes Welker. Sage Rosenfels does NOT scramble with a lead and under 5 minutes left. Bing. Bang. Boom. Houston wins.
Adam's prediction: Texans, 28-14
James's prediction: Miami over Houston, 30-20.
Fantasy Love: Andre Johnson
Fantasy Hate: Chad Pennington
Jaguars @ Broncos (-3.5)
James: The Jags and their two tiered running game find themselves in the Mile High city, and their ability to switch between Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor is certainly a key factor in exploiting the Broncos defense. David Garrard shouldn't have a tough time picking apart Denver's defense, and if the Jaguars can keep the Bronc's offense off the field, they stand a chance in this game. However, Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall don't need a lot of time to make some points. This season's most dangerous quarterback and wide receiver combo will certainly have a tough time scoring if they get too one dimensional with Eddie Royal out. The best part about the Broncos offense is that they have three running backs who can hold their own. Selvin Young has been getting the big yards for the team while Michael Pittman is a beast in short yardage situations. Andre Hall is a wild card who will return a kick for a touchdown by the end of the season. Expect a close matchup this week.
James' pick: Jacksonville wins 21-20
Fantasy Love: Maurice Jones-Drew(Ed. note - Fingers crossed! He's been awful this year.)
Fantasy Hate: Eddie Royal
Cowboys @ Cardinals (+3.5)
James: The Cowboys started off this season looking hot, but they quickly found themselves grounded after losing to Washington. There was drama with T.O. not getting enough looks from Romo, and now Pacman "Adam" Jones is once again finding himself in trouble. A lot of problems with the team can probably stem back to the fact that Wade Phillips is a players' coach, and not a disciplinarian. Right now Phillips has the respect of his team, but if he doesn't be careful, they all might just take advantage of him and walk all over his authority. If the Cowboys want to be a team with a chance at the Super Bowl, they need to tighten up on defense and eliminate any clubhouse drama. Jason Witten has really been their workhorse this season, but while he can run routes and block pass rushers better than most receivers and linemen, those other 10 guys with him need to live up to their potential. Arizona officially knocked Buffalo out of contention for going 19-0 last week, and aside from their awful outing against the Jets, look like a solid team. There's kinks to work out, Anquan Boldin is hurt, and Kurt Warner is the next oldest person in the NFL after Al Davis, but this is a team full of surprises.
James' pick: Arizona wins 34-31
Fantasy Love: Felix Jones
Fantasy Hate: Steve Breaston
Eagles @ 49ers (+4.5)
Adam: This is one of those games that gives me a weird feeling. I know the Eagles SHOULD be better than the Niners... but they don't have Brian Westbrook and recently lost to the Bears and Redskins. That either means those two teams are a lot better than we expected (likely) or that the Eagles just can't stay afloat with so many key players injured (even more likely). Meanwhile San Fran, though not looking like contenders, are playing much more entertaining football than they have in years past, and JT O'Sullivan and Frank Gore have the most to do with that. When it comes down to it though, Philly seems a lot less likely to lose 3 straight than San Fran.
Adam's prediction: Eagles, 34-24
James's prediction: Philly, 38-30
Fantasy Love: Donovan McNabb
Fantasy Hate: Isaac Bruce
Packers @ Seahawks (+4)
Adam: At last update, Matt Hasselbeck was not cleared to play in this game, which means Charlie Frye will get the start. Couple that with Deion Branch being out again, and this game gets a lot easier to call. Aaron Rodgers didn't practice all week on his ailing shoulder, but that's probably for the best. I also see this as a game where Ryan Grant finally breaks out. He missed a lot of camp, and is just starting to get up to speed now. Also, Charlie frickin Frye. I'm starting to see why Seattle is the source of almost all depressing rock music.
Adam's prediction: Packers win, 28-13
James's prediction: Green Bay over Seattle, 13-10
Fantasy Love: Ryan Grant
Fantasy Hate: Julius Jones
Patriots @ Chargers (-1.5)
Adam: What was supposed to be a playoff preview between two of the best teams in the AFC has turned into a matchup of two teams limping around after recently getting humbled by the Miami Dolphins. Tomlinson usually loves playing the Pats, but he's not been his normal self all year with the toe injury. Matty Cassel finally got the green light to go deep last week, which I've been asking for all year, and he ends up connecting with Moss on a play that keeps Moss on-board with the team. Seriously, if they didn't connect big in that game, I felt Randy was mentally checked out for the rest of the season. Go back and look at his body language, it was REALLY close. Also, Laurence Maroney is questionable and I've benched him on every fantasy team... which clearly means he'll have an unbelievable game. So with both of these teams struggling, I let the coin flip in favor of my blatant homerism.
Adam's prediction: Patriots, 28-27
Jame's prediction: Chargers, 17-13
Fantasy Love: Matt Cassel
Fantasy Hate: Ladanian Tomlinson
Giants @ Browns (+8)
James: I just ordered a shirt that says UNBELIEVABLE. I was promptly made fun of by every single person I told, but if it comes in by Monday night, you can rest assured I'll be wearing it out. The Giants have shut every single person up this season. They have, without a doubt, the best all around team in the NFL, and are looking to tie Tennessee's NFL best record at 5-0. Cleveland was a team full of promise prior to the season, and now they can only scratch their heads and wonder what happened. Jamal Lewis, Derek Anderson, and Braylon Edwards were expected to be a lethal combination, but they've been fairly easy to stop. Right now Derek Anderson is playing for his job. Brady Quinn is chomping at the bit to get an NFL start, and there is no bigger stage for this controversy to play out than on Monday Night Football against the best team in the NFL. We're likely to see one of three things. The first is Derek Anderson finding his game and looking like he did in 2007. The Browns pull off an upset, or at least keep it very close, and come out of the game with some confidence. The second is like the first, except Anderson sucks, Brady Quinn gets called to bat and comes through, and almost brings the team back from 4 touchdowns behind. The third is that Anderson stinks, the Browns defense stinks, and the Giants run all over them to 5-0. If this game wasn't on Monday Night Football, I wouldn't think the Browns would have a chance, but anything can happen on Monday Night.
James' pick: New York wins 41 - 13
Fantasy Love: Eli Manning
Fantasy Hate: Jamal Lewis
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