Sports Commentary
Whether you're 2-0, 0-2, or somewhere in between, it's far too early in the season to set that lineup on autopilot. That's why we're here to arm you with the following list of players with good and bad Week 3 matchups.
Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart (7) is a solid play this week against a Ravens defense that is surprisingly giving up 227 passing yards per game this season.
QUARTERBACKS
Derek Anderson, Browns - START at Raiders
Was it the five touchdowns last week that inspired you to fish Anderson out of the free agent pool? The good news is he has one more favorable matchup before the clock strikes midnight. Actually, Deke fared quite well at both Pittsburgh and Baltimore last season so a trip to the Black Hole shouldn't faze him too much. As for last year's top-ranked pass defense, thus far this season the Raiders have allowed an average of 279 passing yards and two touchdowns per game.
Matt Leinart, Cardinals - START at Ravens
Wha?!? Start Leinart against the vaunted Ravens? Yeah, like Edgerrin James and his three yards per carry are going to produce anything against that run defense. Ken Whisenhunt was with the Steelers last year when Willie Parker totaled 51 yards on the ground, so the obvious path of least resistance will be through the air. And you might be surprised to learn that the Ravens are giving up 227 passing yards per game thus far this season.
Eli Manning, Giants - BENCH at Redskins
On the one hand you've got Eli's history of averaging just 187 passing yards and one touchdown in his last four matchups with the Redskins. On the other hand you've got a Redskins' secondary that's surrendered just one touchdown pass thus far this season. It appears these hands are in agreement: hands off of Eli this week.
Matt Schaub, Texans - BENCH vs. Colts
Normally we'd be giddy about Houston's stylish new gunslinger hosting an AFC South showdown with the defending Super Bowl champs. However, Schaub will be without his best weapon, wideout Andre Johnson, who'll miss this tilt with a sprained left knee. Seeing as AJ accounted for more than half of Schaub's yardage and all of his touchdowns, we're down on his chances here. Mix in the Texans' typical game plan against Indy of running the ball in hopes of keeping Peyton Manning off the field and a Colts defense that has surrendered just one passing score this season and it's shaping up to be a rough week for Shaub.
RUNNING BACKS
Carnell Williams, Buccaneers - START vs. Rams
Gotta admit, Caddy showed us a little something by playing through those bruised ribs and grinding out a couple touchdowns last week. He should find the going significantly easier against a Rams defense that is allowing 137 rushing yards per game, and that means he should find his way into your lineup as well.
Ahman Green, Texans - START vs. Colts
Remember what we said above about how the Texans always get their run on against Indy? They've rushed for better than 100 yards in five of their last six meetings, and with Ron Dayne nursing bruised ribs you can expect Green to handle the vast majority of that workload. Even with Bob Sanders back in the mix, the Colts are surrendering 123 rushing yards per game.
Derrick Ward, Giants - START at Redskins
Ward has been doing a more than serviceable impersonation of Tiki Barber, rolling up solid combo yardage in Brandon Jacobs' absence. With Big Jake out again this week and the Redskins fresh off surrendering 160 yards from scrimmage to Brian Westbrook, you have to believe Ward can have similar success.
Edgerrin James, Cardinals - BENCH at Ravens
Funny how the yin and yang of the running game and passing game work. You've noticed that quarterbacks we don't like this week give way to running back teammates we do, and the converse holds true as well. One of the reasons we're high on Leinart this week is that Edge is poised for a downer of a Sunday against the Ravens. He's averaged just 3.2 yards per carry and a paltry 67 yards per game in three previous meetings, and odds are this week's get-together isn't going to go much better for him.
Marshawn Lynch, Bills - BENCH at Patriots
The NFL schedulers did neither Lynch nor his fantasy owners any favors with back-to-back road dates in Pittsburgh and New England. While it's true that Lynch hasn't looked half bad against the Broncos and Steelers, there's little room for optimism as he runs into the New England buzz saw… even if they don't have illegal scouting photos to work off of.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Santana Moss, Redskins - START vs. Giants
Moss is still looking for his first touchdown of 2007, but he showed a pulse last week against the Eagles and should really enjoy his matchup with a Giants' secondary he's blistered for 263 yards and four touchdowns the last two times they've met. Oh yeah, and the Giants rank last in the NFL allowing 315 passing yards per game and have already surrendered seven passing scores. It's conceivable Santana could be the more productive Moss this week - and that's saying something, given Randy's cushy matchup with the Bills.
Ronald Curry, Raiders - START vs. Browns
So you got all jacked up about Curry's big Week 1 and picked him up - maybe even tossed him into your lineup. Forgot about Champ Bailey, eh? As the Browns clearly demonstrated last week against the Bengals, there are no Champ Bailey's on their roster to prevent Curry from dazzling the home faithful. Bet you didn't know he's averaging 10 catches and 100-plus yards per game in his last three at the Black Hole, didja?
Wes Welker, Patriots - START vs. Bills
The Bills lost yet another member of their secondary to injury last week, bringing the total to three - and that doesn't include Nate Clements' departure via free agency in the offseason. You know what's left of Buffalo's defensive backfield will be focused on finding Randy Moss, leaving Welker to roam the middle of the field unchecked. He's already averaging seven catches per game, and we don't see anyone in the Bills' secondary to hold him under that number this week.
Lee Evans, Bills - BENCH at Patriots
Sigh. One of these weeks Evans is going to get a matchup that's not downright brutal, and J.P. Losman is going to connect with him on a deep ball or two. This weekend in New England, however, doesn't promise to be that week.
Plaxico Burress, Giants - BENCH at Redskins
Rather than have you sweat out Plax as a game-time decision, we'll make this easy for you. For starters, you saw we weren't all that keen on his quarterback, and we're also more than a little concerned he hasn't scored in his last two visits to our nation's capital. That's grounds for benching right there, and if you factor in the bum ankle and the uncertainty about him even being in the lineup it's a no-brainer to look for help elsewhere.
TIGHT ENDS
Owen Daniels, Texans - START vs. Colts
With Andre Johnson and his 14 catches sidelined, the remaining wideouts and tight ends on the Texans roster have a combined 11 receptions. Daniels has six of those 11, and he'll be Matt Schaub's primary option against the same Cover-2 that just surrendered a big game to Eric Johnson. There's a good chance that lengthy scoreless streak is about to be snapped.
Vernon Davis, 49ers - BENCH at Steelers
The Steel Curtain has allowed one tight end touchdown in its last nine home games, and Alex Smith hasn't exactly been knocking down Vernon's doors with opportunities thus far this season.
