What is this? Well, in addition to our own Power Rankings, we are going to post this top 15 called the Ultimate Football Rankings (UFB Rankings). It’s compiled of a bunch of rankings of a bunch of good sites, including ours (see bottom) and adds a contrast to our regular Power Rankings. More sites will be added as the weeks go on.

(1) 1. Green Bay Packers (9)  –  5 – 0   next vs St. Louis Rams

The win over Atlanta on prime time football ranks as their second best effort this season (behind season opener to the Saints). Isn’t that scary? Atlanta’s offense walked all over the Packers at the beginning of the game, while the Falcons D stuffed the Packers. Things changed in the second half, despite Rodgers playing without his top-two offensive tackles. The game against Falcons was more lopsided than the score indicates. Packer defense constantly pressured Matt Ryan to the point that he didn’t look like Matty Ice. Their defense is fierce and offense is on season long hot streak. Unless they suffer major injury issues, they are the favorite to win the Super Bowl again.

(3) 2. New England Patriots (1)  –  4 – 1   next vs Dallas Cowboys

 Still very little D in New England, but the offense can’t be stopped.  It was good game against the Jets. Patriots were able to mask their weakness (defense) and play their strength (offense) Tom Brady wasn’t stellar but he did enough job to dissolve Jets’ defense.  This weeks game against Cowboys will be interesting as the defense will be exposed by Cowboy’s explosive offense.

(2) 3. New Orleans Saints  –  4 – 1   next at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

They had some trouble against the Panthers, but the Panthers has a dangerous offense even though Cam Newton, their quarterback, is only a rookie. However, Saints’ defense has not had a good game in this season except against the Bears. Saints look like they will win the NFC South as Falcons and Buccaneers all have underachieved this season. They’re cruising into the easiest part of the schedule and should easily extend their win streak to 7 or 8 games.

(5) 4. Baltimore Ravens  –  3 – 1   next vs Houston Texans

Sure they had a bye week and Lions just beat Bears, but if we have to guess who would win if Ravens and Lions play, we would pick Ravens any day, any where. They have been inconsistent this season and offense is still somewhat struggling, but Ravens were always about defense and its defense is still strong. Look for them to dominate Texans this week.  Every one is so looking forward to Thanksgiving match-up with Green Bay.  Will be the must see game of the regular season!! 

(4) 5. Detroit Lions  –  5 – 0   next vs San Fransisco 49ers

 Matthew Stafford to Megatron……….Best QB/WR Duo in the league….Hands down.  Still looking for this team to have quality wins, schedule starts getting harder this week, lets see what they are really about.

(12) 6. Buffalo Bills  –  4 – 1   next at New York Giants

Bills held off a strong comeback attempt by Michael Vick.  With Fred Jackson approaching 500 yards rushing and 350 yards receiving, he’s turning in to a true MVP candidate. Next up is an inconsistent New York team, depends on which Eli shows up on whether they can go into New York and steal another or not.

(14) 7. San Fransisco 49ers  –  4 – 1   next at Detroit Lions

49ers are the most surprising team in the league, hands down. Everyone always picked Lions to be a good team ever since Mathew Stafford was drafted and now they are but no one and we mean no one picked 49ers to be 4-1 at this point of the season. We are still not sold on them yet but win against the Lions in Detroit will definitely help convince us that they are for real.

 

(6) 8. Houston Texans  –  3 -2   next at Baltimore Ravens

Last week was close, losing on the last play. However, the Texans have a propensity to do this. Derrick Mason isn’t the answer.  Matt Schaub threw for a lot of yards, but this was a bad game made worse by the loss of Mario Williams.  Andre Johnson needs to return and Arian Foster needs to return as leagues top rusher for this team to be contenders. 

(8) 9. San Diego Chargers  –  4 – 1   next bye

No more slow starts for Chargers. Even though Phillip Rivers isn’t playing as well as he has last few seasons, entire team has stepped up. Running game, despite slowing start, has picked up and defense is playing very well. However, Chargers had fairly easy schedule but it gets harder with 6 games against possible playoff contenders.  We will start to see if they are a top ten team, can they keep their momentum?

(11) 10. Pittsburgh Steelers  3 – 2   next vs Jacksonville Jaguars

 Amazing how good Ben Roethlisburger plays when hes hurt…..Must be a “testosterone” thing.   Led by Big Ben’s 5 TDs, that could be the win that gets the Steelers back on track.  This weeks game should give them the chance to flex and build confidence.

(NR) 11. Oakland Raiders  3 – 2   next vs Cleveland Browns

 Sure, the Raiders’ win in Houston was spun as a tribute to Al Davis, but this is not a bad team.  Cleveland Browns should provide Oakland with a good close game, but the Silver and Black will show us why they are deserving of being in the top 15.

(13) 12. Washington Redskins  3 – 1  next vs Philadelphia Eagles

Gained ground in the power rankings by not playing.  Their schedule has helped them begin with a 3-1 record and sole possession of first place in their division.  Their schedule gets harder and we will see them soon slip to the bottom, where we all predicted at beginning of the season.

(NR) 13. Dallas Cowboys  2 – 2   next at New England Patriots

Romo and Company get Brady and Company right outta the bye….Talk about tough luck.
Huge test for Romo and Co. in New England this week.  Lets see if the bye is enough to help Dallas get their act together or will they let Tom Brady have his way.

(9) 14. Tennessee Titans  3 – 2   next bye

Are the Titans overrated after all?  After looking good against the likes of Cleveland and Denver, Tennessee got absolutely clubbed by the same Pittsburgh team that lost to Tennessee’s division rival Houston the week prior. Tennessee now has a bye to prepare for a home game against a banged up Houston team. That’s easily their biggest game of the season.

(NR) 15. Atlanta Falcons  2 – 3   next vs Carolina Panthers

Anyone who watched the Falcons’ loss to Green Bay knows how frustrated that loss had to be for them. They jumped out to an early 14-0 1st quarter lead, scoring in their first 2 possessions, and held a 14-6 halftime lead, limited Green Bay to 2 mere field goals. On top of all that, Green Bay’s top offensive lineman, Chad Clifton, got hurt and was done for the night. However, Matt Ryan completed less than 50% of his passes after the first 2 drives, while Aaron Rodgers threw for nearly 400 yards in a 25-14 comeback win. Now the Falcons have the feisty Panthers coming to town before they have to head to Detroit. Their season is definitely in danger.

( ) left of rankings indicates previous weeks rankings

( ) next to teams indicates first place votes 

UFB Power Rankers are:

Frank Hyun of Patriots Review

Ronnie Kohrt of Ronnie K’s Blog

David Calagis of CJ Sports NFL Talk

Mr. Kangaroo of CJ Sports NFL Talk

Brandon Clark of Titan Sized

Steven Lourie of Football Fan Spot

Mr. C.J. Sports of CJ Sports NFL Talk

Adam Hughes of Naptown’s Finest

Walter Cherepinsky of Walter Football.com

Nolan Vasan of NFL Draft Geek

Ryan Mc Crystal of Draft Ace

Brian Goldsmith of Hair of the Dog Sports Blog

 

 

 

10/6/11 9 PM ET

California at Oregon

CB Cliff Harris (Oregon) #13

Cliff Harris has top 15 talent, but got into some of the field trouble in the offseason. He was pulled over for going 118 MPH when the cops smelled weed. He also failed an intelligence test. When asked who had the weed, he said “we smoked it all.” He was suspended for the opener, but will be back for this game. He’s still got a chance to go in the first round, but last year Christian Ballard and Justin Houston each fell about 2 rounds from where they were projected to go after failing drug tests at the Combine. At the same time, Aqib Talib went 20^th in 2008 despite a drug arrest so we’ll see. He’s definitely got talent.

RB LaMichael James (Oregon) #21

If this were 2006, LaMichael James might be being talked about as a top 3 pick. James’ 2010 season (1939 total yards and 24 total touchdowns) mirrors Reggie Bush’s 2005 season (2218 total yards, 18 total touchdowns) and both have similar games. However, small running backs are not popular in the NFL right now and neither is taking running backs with premium picks (no one told the Bills this however). Plus, having the tag of “the next Reggie Bush” attached to him is not exactly a good thing. He should still be a 2^nd round pick with another good season and he’s at 613 yards and 7 score on 65 carries with 11 catches through 4 games, but he’s hurt by his frame (5-9 185).

10/7/11 9 PM ET

Boise State at Fresno State

RB Doug Martin (Boise State) #22

Martin put himself into day 2 consideration with 201 carries for 1260 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2010, with 28 receptions for another 338 yards and another 2 scores. He’s gotten off to a rocky start this season, but he looked good against Toledo, better than his stats would suggest, when I spotlighted Kellen Moore in that game. He’s got 325 yards and 4 scores on 85 carries this season, with 13 catches for 158 and another score. He had 126 rushing yards and 2 scores in his last game against Nevada so there’s definitely hope. He’s a physical runner, who refuses to go down on first contact, and he’s got decent speed, athleticism, and pass catching ability to boot. I’m excited to watch a Boise game, spotlighting him this time.

DT Billy Winn (Boise State) #90

Winn is having a disappointing year with just 11 tackles, .5 tackles for loss, and .5 sacks and it appears the once potential day 2 pick is falling more into day 3 range. However, in his past two seasons, he has a combined 24 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks so he’s been better. At 6-4 290, he’s best suited to be a 3-4 end, but he can also play the 4-3 as an under tackle.

10/8/11 12 PM ET

QB Landry Jones (Oklahoma) #12

Following in the footsteps of Sam Bradford, Jones has put up really nice numbers over 2 years as a starter (remember, Bradford missed most of his final year with injuries). In 2009, he completed 58.1% of his passes for an average of 7.1 per attempt and 26 touchdowns to 14 picks as a redshirt freshman. In 2010, he completed 65.6% of his passes for an average of 7.6 per attempt and 38 touchdowns to 12 picks. This year, he leads the undefeated Oklahoma Sooners and completing 71.6% of his passes for an average of 9.3 yards per attempt with 10 touchdowns to 5 picks, including a tough road win against Florida State. He and Matt Barkley are currently the best two quarterbacks after Andrew Luck.

OLB Travis Lewis (Oklahoma) #28

A stat sheet filler since he became a starter in 2008 as a redshirt freshman, Lewis had 343 career tackles, 5.5 career sacks, and 8 career picks coming into this season. He amazingly only missed 1 game after breaking his foot before the season and he already has 25 tackles in 3 games this season. He’s a fringe first round prospect. 

 

10/8/11 3:30 PM ET

Florida at LSU

CB Morris Claiborne (LSU) #17

A rapidly rising prospect, Morris Claiborne has shined in the absence of Patrick Peterson, the 5th overall pick in last year’s draft, and with Dre Kirkpatrick and Stephon Gilmore both slipping a bit early this season, Claiborne has a chance to become the top cornerback in this class if he keeps this up. He has 22 tackles, 2 picks, and a kick return touchdown on the year and will be matched up with the same speed receivers that gave Dre Kirkpatrick trouble last week. 

DT Jaye Howard (Florida) #6

Howard had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks this year, but the projected mid rounder is the type of player who has value beyond the stat sheet. At 6-3 305, Howard is the nose tackle in Florida’s 4-3 defense and frequently takes on multiple blockers, opening things up for his teammates.

Georgia at Tennessee

10/8/11 7 PM ET

CB Brandon Boykin (Georgia) #2

After 3 picks in each of the last 2 years, Boykin, a mid rounder, has 1 so far this season, along with 3 pass break ups. A former stud return man as well, Boykin showed his amazing athleticism and speed on a 80 yard run from scrimmage in their week 1 loss to Boise State. 

G Cordy Glenn (Georgia) #71

Glenn, a former guard, is lining up at left tackle for Georgia this year. The big 330 pounder is doing an excellent job and is gaining momentum as a potential first round either at guard, right tackle, or even staying at left tackle. With his size and lack of foot speed, right tackle or guard makes the most sense for him long term. 

10/8/11 10:30 PM ET

TCU at San Diego State

QB Ryan Lindley (San Diego State) #14

One of the highest rated small school quarterbacks, Lindley has all the tools you like in a quarterback, but he seems to be regressing this season. After completing 57.7% of his passes for an average of 9.1 yards per attempt and 28 touchdowns to 14 interceptions last year, he’s completed just 51.5% of his passes for an average of 6.7 yards per attempt this season and 8 touchdowns to 1 pick. He struggled mightily against Michigan and doesn’t get a lot of chances to prove himself against highly ranked defenses. He’ll get one here against TCU.

OLB Miles Burris (San Diego State) #9

Miles Burris plays the outside linebacker in SDSU’s 3-3-5 defense, so he essentially is a rush linebacker. However, at 6-3 235, there are questions about his ability to play that position in the NFL. He might be just a situational player in a 4-3. He had 79 tackles, 18 for loss, and 7.5 sacks last year, and he has 26 tackles, 5 for a loss, and 2 sacks this season, but his level of competition and his size make him a day 3 prospect.

ESPN3 Replays

10/8/11 12 PM ET

Louisville at North Carolina

DE Quinton Coples (North Carolina) #90

Robert Quinn was a candidate for the #1 overall pick in 2011, before a season long suspension. He eventually went 14th. Quinn’s replacement at end at North Carolina was Quinton Coples. Coples, who had 5 sacks as a rotational player in 2009, burst onto the scene with 10 sacks in his first year as a starter in 2010. At 6-6 280 with 4.7 speed, Coples figures to be the first defensive player off the board in this April’s NFL draft and could challenge Matt Kalil to be the first non-quarterback taken if he keeps this up. He has 2.5 sacks in 4 games so far this season, all while providing a huge force against the run.

WR Dwight Jones (North Carolina) #83

The massive Dwight Jones has not yet become a popular projected first round pick, but after 62 catches for 946 yards and 4 scores in 2010, the 6-5 Jones already has 33 catches for 514 yards and 6 scores in 3 games this season. Even more impressive, he’s doing this with inconsistent play at the quarterback position. He has 6 of his school’s 11 receiving touchdowns and almost half of their receiving yards. If he keeps this up, he’ll be a first rounder.

Florida State at Wake Forest 

10/8/11 12:30 PM ET 

DE Brandon Jenkins (Florida State) #49

Jenkins burst onto the scene with 13.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss last season and has bulked up to 6-3 265 for the 2011 season, in an effort to remain a 4-3 player as he heads to the NFL after this season. Jenkins will need to pick up it if he wants to remain a first rounder. he has just 2 sacks and 4 tackles for loss in his first 4 this year. 

OT Andrew Datko (Florida State) #67

After Matt Kalil, Jonathan Martin, and Riley Reiff, this is a very thin offensive tackle class. For this reason, the athletic 320 pound Datko has a good chance to move into the mid-to-late first round range and go to a tackle needy team. He plays on Florida State’s left side.

10/8/11 3 PM ET

Boston College at Clemson

OLB Luke Kuechly (Boston College) #40

Luke Kuechly’s a statistician’s wet dream. He had 325 combined tackles in his first 2 seasons at BC and now he already has 83 this season through 5 games. He’s had 10+ tackles in 24 of his last 25 games (the other game he had 9) and if he were 10 pounds bigger and a little faster, he’d be a sure top 10 pick. Still, the 6-2 235 pounder is a top 15 pick at this point.

DE Andre Branch (Clemson) #40

Branch, a day 2 pick coming into this year as a 3-4 linebacker/4-3 end type, burst onto the scene last week with a huge 3 sack day against Virginia Tech in a win. Now he’s getting first round consideration. At 6-5 265 with good speed, he’s a fit for either scheme and has potential to move up if he can keep having good games. Through 5, he has 4 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, and 33 total tackles. Last year, he had 54 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, and 6 sacks.

 

 

32. Buffalo Bills 0-5

The Bills had a good chance to win this week, with the Jaguars coming to town, worn out after giving Indy everything they had the week before. The Bills led, but they blew it. It could be a while before they get a legitimate chance to win a game again. They do face Cleveland, Kansas City, and Detroit this year, but those are the only three teams they play the rest of the way that had worse than .500 records in 2009. All 3 of those teams, Detroit, Kansas City, and Cleveland are better than them, and if they lose all three, getting a single win is going to be tough for them to do, unless they surprise a team like Cincinnati or Miami.

31. Cleveland Browns 1-4

Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme are both expected out this week, so Colt McCoy will make his NFL debut. The timing isn’t great as he has to go into Pittsburgh. McCoy was listed as 3rd on the depth chart this season for a reason. They didn’t feel he was NFL ready and didn’t want to throw him out there before he was ready. He really struggled in the preseason and was almost cut, despite being drafted as a supposed savior in the 3rd round in 2010. If McCoy struggles against Pittsburgh and in any starts he may have after that (New Orleans, New England) this team might finally have no choice but to go quarterback in the first round yet again, even though the last two (Brady Quinn, Tim Couch) didn’t turn out too well.

30. Carolina Panthers 0-5

Carolina quarterbacks have a 43.6 QB rating this season. For comparison, Derek Anderson in 2009 had a 42.1 QB rating and JaMarcus Russell in 2009 had a 50.0. Hell, even Jake Delhomme had a 59.4 last year. A lot of the blame for that has to be put on the offensive line. Once one of the best in the league, their line has given up 17 sacks on 150 passing attempts this season. Their wide receivers can also be blamed, but of course some of the blame has to fall on Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen themselves. The two of them couldn’t even beat Todd Collins, who threw 6 completions to 4 interceptions last week for the Bears. While Matt Moore is likely never going to become a solid NFL signal caller, Jimmy Clausen, being only a rookie, still has some potential, but they need to improve around him if they still feel he is the future

In order to build around him, I think the Panthers should trade DeAngelo Williams. They could probably, at worst, get a 2nd rounder and a mid rounder for him. He’s a free agent after the season anyway and they do have Jonathan Stewart. Those picks would be necessary to rebuilding this team because it’s going to take a lot. They need an elite wide receiver, some major help on the defensive line, help in the secondary, and help on the offensive line. 

29. San Francisco 49ers 0-5

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York says the 49ers will win the NFC West. That could actually happen. The NFC West is that bad. But, they should probably win a game before they make big proclamations. However, they still face Arizona twice, St. Louis twice, Seattle once, as well as Carolina and Oakland. They’ve shown flashes of good things. Alex Smith looks great out of the no huddle spread and I believe they should go to that full time. He’s simply so much more comfortable in it than their normal offense. His best work has come in the 2 minute drill, leading late drives in losses to Philadelphia and New Orleans.

28. Oakland Raiders 2-3

The Oakland Raiders have won the Super Bowl!!! Well, not THE Super Bowl, but THEIR Super Bowl. They played their hearts out against San Diego and beat the team they hadn’t beaten in 7 years. In the scheme of things, it probably won’t matter. This team is probably still going to end up with double digit losses for the 7th straight year, but don’t try to tell them or their wins that this week. To them, they just won their Super Bowl.

27. Detroit Lions 1-4

I can’t remember the last time an 0-4 blew out a team as badly as the Lions blew out the Rams, winning by 38. Because of all their close losses earlier this season, they actually now have a differiental of +14, despite being 1-4. Imagine if Matt Stafford was healthy. As long as Stafford heals from his injury well and doesn’t get re-injured, they finally have a bright future, especially with what seems like another top 10 pick on the way. Speaking of injuries, the Lions stupidly left their starters out in a blow out and Calvin Johnson got hurt as could miss this week’s game. The Lions averaged 5 points a game with Johnson out last year and now they have to face the Giants. Bad timing. 

26. Jacksonville Jaguars 3-2

At 3-2, with a win over the Colts, the Jaguars are actually in position to be in first place after this weekend, if they beat the Titans at home on Monday Night and if the Texans lose to the Chiefs. However, that doesn’t mean they are good. They’re 3rd in the league in points allowed, behind Buffalo and Arizona and have a differential of -30. They don’t play good defense at all and can’t stop anyone, especially through the air, and its not like their quarterback is that great either. They’re still going to finish with about 6 or 7 wins.

25. St. Louis Rams 2-3

Maybe everyone overrated the Rams. After winning two in a row and looking to be in prime position to take over the division going to Detroit to play the winless Lions with Arizona playing New Orleans and Seattle on bye, the Rams lost by 38 in Detroit. I guess the Rams couldn’t possibly win 3 in a row without the world imploding in on itself. The Rams look to get back on track with the road sick San Diego Chargers coming to town. The Chargers have already lost to Seattle, Oakland, and Kansas City on the road this season.

24. Seattle Seahawks 2-2

Bye

23. Arizona Cardinals 3-2

If I were a team in the NFC West other than the Rams, I think I’d rather lose the division than win it. I’d rather lose it and get a top 10 pick to use on one of the top 3 quarterbacks than win it and make the playoffs win 6 or 7 wins and get my ass handed to me and have to look forward to starting Matt Hasselbeck/Charlie Whitehurst, Alex Smith/David Carr, or Max Hall/Derek Anderson in 2011.

Speaking of Max Hall, everyone is singing his praises after he “outplayed” Drew Brees to beat the defending Super Bowl champs. Hall for 17 for 28 for 168 yards and didn’t even throw a touchdown. He also threw a pick. The rest of the team played amazing and unlike Derek Anderson, Hall didn’t mess anything up. That the type of quarterback he is. If everything goes right, he won’t get in your way.

22. Cincinnati Bengals 2-3

I guess their poor play at the end of last season was no fluke. This team just really isn’t that good. I don’t think they can be until Carson Palmer is no longer their quarterback. This is a talented team and Palmer still isn’t taking them anywhere. He’s never won a playoff game. If they get a chance in the first to take a quarterback that they view as a guy who they can win the Super Bowl with, they have to take him. If not, they have to at least take a developmental guy in the mid rounds. The answer isn’t on their roster.

21. Denver Broncos 2-3

The Broncos got their asses handed to them against Baltimore, but that was to be expected. Just goes to show, one dimensional teams that are “soft” don’t do very well against Baltimore. As notable from that game, Kyle Orton threw for 314 yards against a Baltimore pass defense that was #1 in the league and hadn’t given up more than 167 yards to a quarterback all season. Granted most of that was in garbage time, and it didn’t matter because Denver couldn’t run, and because Denver stinks in the red zone, but in Kyle Orton’s pursuit of Dan Marino, it definitely helps. Orton is on pace for 5536 yards, which would break Marino’s record of 5084. Baltimore was easily his toughest test. I would find it hillarious to see Kyle Orton holding the record for most passing yards in a season. Imagine if Denver could run, or stop anyone, or do anything in the red zone. They’re only averaging 20.4 points per game thanks to their red zone “offense.” In fact, quarterbacks this year are 1-8 when throwing for 400 yards. Reason why, if you have to throw that much, it normally means you’re trailing. Orton is also on pace for 682 passing attempt, 9 back of Drew Bledsoe’s record from 1994.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-1

The Buccaneers got their win over Cincinnati this week, to improve to 3-1. Cincinnati, believe it or not, was probably their best win so far, because their first two wins were against Cleveland and Carolina, who are a combined 1-9. This week they have the defending Super Bowl champs coming into town, their biggest game in years. If they can win that one, they’re a legit playoff contender, as they would have a 1.5 game lead over New Orleans and own the tiebreaker. More importantly, a win over the Super Bowl champs, however reeling they are, would be the best way for them to say, we are here and we have arrived. Huge game for Josh Freeman and company. Huge game for Drew Brees and his company too as a loss to Tampa Bay would be crushing to any remaining hopes of repeating they may have.

19. Kansas City Chiefs 3-1

The Chiefs may have lost to the Colts, but everyone knew they would. What I didn’t expect was how legit their defense would look. Peyton Manning was held to no touchdowns, something that rarely happens for him, and the Colts were held under 20 points, another rarity. However, they still lost thanks to their offense. The Colts defense isn’t even that good and Matt Cassel still couldn’t lead a touchdown drive as the Chiefs scored a mere 9 points. Good news though, for the first time this season, Todd Haley gave more carries to Jamaal Charles than Thomas Jones. Charles had 109 more yards than Jones on 15 fewer carries going into week 4 and than rushed for 87 yards on 16 carries and caught 3 balls for 14 yards week 4. It’s clear he is the better back by far and it looks like Todd Haley may have finally realized it. Charles fantasy owners may rejoice, including one of the workers at CBS, who posted the following on screen during the Colts game (real screen shot). Said worker was likely fired, but he’s still my hero.

18. Miami Dolphins 2-2

Bye

17. Philadelphia Eagles 3-2

Kevin Kolb gets hurt, Michael Vick comes in goes 16 for 24 for 175 yards and a touchdown, rushes for 103 yards, and then goes 21 for 34 for 284 yards, 2 touchdowns and 34 rushing yards the next week against a bad Detroit defense and gets the starting job. Michael Vick gets hurt, Kolb comes in goes 22 for 35 for 201 yards, a touchdown, and interception, with 21 rushing yards and then goes 21 for 31 for 253 yards, a score, and 17 rushing yards and Vick’s still the starter? Huh? Keep in mind that Kolb, is younger, isn’t a free agent after the season, was the starter to begin the year, and didn’t kill dogs.  Huh?

 

16. Dallas Cowboys 1-3

This team needs to get themselves together. This week’s game against the Vikings is essentially a win or go home game. They aren’t going to make the playoffs if they fall to 1-4 and the Vikings are playing better than them right now. The Cowboys looked disfunctional against the Titans, while the Vikings showed some good chemistry offensively late once the rain cleared up, with Brett Favre and Randy Moss playing like they were old teammates.

15. Tennessee Titans 3-2

When Chris Johnson goes over 100 yards, this team is 3-0. In fact, in Johnson’s career, the Titans are 15-4 when Chris Johnson goes over 100 yards. This team’s offense relies on the run first, especially Vince Young (11-2 when CJ goes over 100) Unfortunately, unlike last year, CJ2K no longer goes over 100 yards every week and the Titans have yet to win back-to-back games. They’ll aim to do that this week against the Jaguars, who don’t have a great run defense normally, but will be fired up taking on a divisional opponent at home on Monday Night Football.

14. Minnesota Vikings 1-3

The Vikings really seemed to click in the 2nd half last week after the end of the world esque rains stopped and the football was actually able to be gripped. Brett Favre and Randy Moss clicked like they were old teammates and this wasn’t some cupcake defense they were doing this against. It was the New York Jets in the Meadowlands. Favre’s injuries and possible sexual harassment allegations should be concerning for this team, but their play in the 2nd half last week has to have them feeling good going with Dallas coming into town in a must win for both teams.

13. Washington Redskins 3-2

The Redskins won last week in overtime against the extremely banged up Green Bay Packers, their 2nd overtime game and 1st overtime win after they blew it at home against Houston week 2.  The NFC East has not been as beastly as it was projected at the beginning of the season so the Redskins, who was everyone’s favorite pick to come in last in this division, could end up winning the whole thing. Dallas is underacheiving, Philly can’t stop anyway one keep anyone out of the backfield, and the Giants are inconsisnent.

12. Houston Texans 3-2

The Texans looked really bad this week. They won’t be that bad every week, obviously, but they aren’t an elite team anymore and they really have to be to win 10+ games against their schedule. They still have games against Indy, San Diego (midseason form), Tennessee (twice), Philly, The Jets, and Baltimore this season. In the tough AFC, I am starting to think that my early season projection that this is not a playoff team, at least not this year against this schedule, is correct.

11. New York Giants 3-2

The Giants have looked great in the past two weeks against Houston and Chicago, but I just get the feeling with this team that they could just start underachieving again at any time. They are an extremely talented team capable of being one of the best teams in the NFC when right, and with no clear favorite in the NFC right now with Green Bay hurt and New Orleans hungover, they could win this league, but at the same time, I saw how bad they looked against Indy and Tennessee.

10. Chicago Bears 4-1

Has a worse quarterbacking performance ever led to a 17 point win before? Todd Collins threw 6 completions to 4 interceptions on 23 throws against Carolina in a 23-6 victory. Luckily for him, Matt Forte ran crazy on Carolina’s defense and both Jimmy Clausen and Matt Moore played ever worse for the Panthers. Ugh, what’s with all these bad quarterbacks.

9. New Orleans Saints 3-2

I’m really interested to see if last week’s loss was a wakeup call for this team. In their first 4 games, they didn’t play well. They were favored in all 4 games and failed to cover all 4 times, but they were still 3-1 and that one loss was against the Falcons, who are a very good team in their own right, so on paper they didn’t look like they were having a bad season. Having lost to the Kurt Warner less Cardinals, who by the way they beat last week when they did have Kurt Warner, you can no longer say they look good on paper. They obviously have a Super Bowl hangover. They are a talented team, however, so that loss to Arizona could be the cold water to the face that they needed to snap them out of their hangover. Big game this week against Tampa Bay. If they lose this one, I think they can kiss repeating goodbye.

8. San Diego Chargers 2-3

I almost don’t want to write anything here. We need to see what they look like in midseason form before we can determine whether or not this is really a bad team. They’ve shown flashes, but they’re still 2-3 at the same time with their 3 losses coming against Kansas City, Oakland, and Seattle. If they lose this week in St. Louis, what would be their 4th straight loss on the road, they are in trouble. I hope they realize that and play like it because this has been one of the sloppiest, if not the sloppiest team in the league this year. Philip Rivers is outthrowing Kyle Orton, yet like the Broncos they are 2-3.

7. New England Patriots 3-1

The Patriots had a bye last week, but I do want to say something about the Deion Branch trade. The price was a bit head scratching. We got a 3rd rounder only for Moss, but then give up a 4th for Deion Branch. Is Moss only one round better than Branch? However, We did have 2 4th rounders and got one in a steal for Laurence Maroney, so that makes it a little better. I love the fit in New England for Branch. Branch is still talented if he can stay healthy and he knows Brady and this scheme well. It also shows a switch to a more spreading the ball around approach. Brady would often force the Moss to ball when he had Moss because Moss was so good. Brady’s at his best when he doesn’t play favorites, when he can spread the ball around to a bunch of different receivers. That’s how they won 3 Super Bowls. Branch was one of those many receivers who were productive catching from Brady in Brady’s Super Bowl years and while they’ll miss Moss’ deep threat ability, I do like their switch in philosophy back to something that worked. Expect them to spread the ball around to Wes Welker, and Branch, and Brandon Tate, and Aaron Hernandez, and Rob Gronkowski, and Julian Edelman and all those guys. 

6. Green Bay Packers 3-2

I don’t understand this. First I pick the Red Sox to go all the way in Spring Training and their whole team gets hurt. Then I pick the Packers to go all the way in the preseason and their whole team gets hurt. Jermichael Finley is probably done for the year. Ryan Grant, Justin Harrell, and Morgan Burnett are done for the season, as is Derrick Martin. Mark Tauscher’s hurt. Donald Lee’s hurt. Clay Matthews’ hurt (don’t tell him that though, or he might eat you). Ryan Pickett’s hurt. Nick Barnett’s hurt. Even Aaron Rodgers could miss this week’s game due to a concussion sustained in overtime last week, marking the first time a Green Bay backup has had to start a game at quarterback since 1991. If they can avoid more long term injuries, they could still go far this season, but it’s certainly not looking as good as it was before the season.

5. New York Jets 4-1

I still say Mark Sanchez has an elite quarterback is what’s keeping this from being a Super Bowl team. Despite excellent protection, Sanchez couldn’t complete more than 50% of his passes against the Vikings last week. I would blame the rain, but he didn’t look all that much better in the second half and it’s not like Minnesota’s pass defense is that amazing. Everything else is there though on this team and they’re very efficient. Sanchez hasn’t thrown a pick all season and they haven’t committed a turnover since week 1. 

4. Baltimore Ravens 4-1

Like the Jets, this team has all the pieces. They’re just waiting on the quarterback. Could Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez win a Super Bowl for their respective teams. Yeah, they could with the talent around them. Are they likely going to? I’m going to say no. Flacco has certainly looked better since that Cincinnati game, but he struggled against Pittsburgh until that last drive (though everyone struggles against Pittsburgh) and the other two games were against Cleveland and Denver, so let’s not get too excited. I need to see more out of Flacco.

3. Atlanta Falcons 4-1

Like the Jets and Ravens, this team is on the verge of being elite. They are all young at the quarterback position, but I’d take Ryan over Flacco and Sanchez right now and that’s why they’re ranked higher. Atlanta’s defense isn’t elite like Baltimore or the Jets, but they are playing much, much better than I expected. The running game is certainly there too with Michael Turner and Jason Snelling.

2. Indianapolis Colts 3-2

After a 3-2 start, all the talk is about how the Colts just aren’t as good as they normally are. Their two losses were against teams that were playing their hearts out to beat them, and one of those was only because the other team’s kicker nailed an amazing shot at the end of regulation. They didn’t throw for a touchdown against Kansas City, but that’s because Kansas City’s stop unit has suddenly become good, especially through the air. No need to worry in Indy. Much like when they started 3-4 in 2008, they’ll be okay. I expect them to win 12-4 once again and have an advantage going into the playoffs over all these young, up and coming teams, in that they’ve been there before.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-1

Bye

 

 

WR Mike Williams- Tampa Bay

Percent owned (ESPN): 35.4%

No idea why he’s not universally owned. In 4 games, he has 19 catches for 238 yards and 3 scores. He’s Josh Freeman’s favorite target and since he’s a rookie, he’s only going to get better as the year goes on.

WR Danny Amendola- St. Louis

Percent owned (ESPN): 11.3%

Amendola had 21 catches for 208 yards as St. Louis’ #2 coming into week 5, but with Mark Clayton going down early in the game, Amendola exploded for 12 catches for 95 yards in his absence. Clayton is reportedly done for the year.

WR Deion Branch- New England

Percent owned (ESPN): 3.3%

Branch is going back to New England. He knows their offense. He knows Tom Brady. They paid a 4th round pick for him so it seems like they really wanted him, which indicates that they plan on featuring him in their explosive offense.

WR Jabar Gaffney- Denver

Percent owned (ESPN): 19.3%

Gaffney is worth owning as the #2 receiver on one of the most explosive passing offenses in the league. He’s caught 31 balls for 337 yards and a score in 5 games.

WR Mike Thomas- Jacksonville

Percent owned (ESPN): 6.0%

Thomas has been the Jaguars best receiver this year catching 21 passes for 258 yards. He’s not amazing, but he’s consistent and he’s young so he has upside.

RB Mike Hart- Indianapolis

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.4%

Joseph Addai and Donald Brown could both miss next week’s game against Washington. Mike Hart would be the lead back in their absence. Indy doesn’t run a ton, but Hart wouldn’t really have anyone to steal his carries and he’s a good pass catcher in Indy’s pass heavy scheme. The 3rd year former 6th round pick out of Michigan rushed 11 times for 50 yards and a score in relief of Addai week 5.

 

WR Brandon Tate- New England

Percent owned (ESPN): 18.9%

Someone has to take over Randy Moss’ role in New England. If not Branch, then Tate, an electrifying 2009 3rd round pick out of North Carolina, seems like the favorite to do so.

WR Roy Williams- Dallas

Percent owned (ESPN): 37.0%

He’s alive!!! Roy Williams has seemingly finally come back to life in Dallas’ offense with 15 catches for 257 yards and 3 scores in his last 3 games.

WR Anthony Armstrong- Washington

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.3%

Armstrong is an undrafted rookie receiver, but he’s 27. He could leap frog Joey Galloway on the depth chart very soon and he’s a very talented receiver with 4 catches for 141 yards and a score in the last 2 weeks.

TE Benjamin Watson- Cleveland

Percent owned (ESPN): 4.6%

He has 23 catches for 230 yards and a score this year and has been Cleveland most…er only consistent target. You could do a lot worse with your tight end in a deep league.

TE Tony Moeaki- Kansas City

Percent owned (ESPN): 6.1%

In 4 games, he has 16 catches for 173 yards and 2 scores. He’s a rookie so he’ll better as the year goes on and Matt Cassel loves checking down to his tight end. Again, you could do a lot worse with your tight end in a deep league.

TE Andrew Quarless- Green Bay

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.0%

Really digging deep, but Quarless caught 4 passes for 51 yards after coming in for the injured Jermichael Finley and the injured Donald Lee week 5. Finley and Lee are both out for at least this week and possibly longer. Quarless is a talented tight end and should be fantasy ownable simply because he is a starter in Green Bay’s explosive offense.

 

Last week overall: 7-7

Last week ATS: 8-6 (+$680/+19%)

Overall picks: 44-32 (.579)

ATS Picks: 37-36-3 (+$430/+2%)

Lock picks: 4-1

Upset picks: 7-5

Sports Betting FAQ 

Seattle Seahawks 13 Chicago Bears 23 

Spread: Chicago -6.5

Pick against spread: Chicago 2 units -220

Seattle sucks on the road. They are 3-15 on the road since the start of 2008 and 6-20 since the start of 2007. Chicago is getting Jay Cutler back so they won’t have to worry about Todd Collins going 6 for 16 with 4 picks. Seattle’s defense is not as good as the Giants, especially in terms of a pass rush, so Cutler should have a good game. Matt Hasselbeck does really bad under pressure. He’s done all right this season because he’s only been sacked 9 times. The reason, they haven’t really faced a good pass rush, like the Bears possess. Julius Peppers could have a huge game here against Seattle’s mediocre line in a win.

Baltimore Ravens 21 New England Patriots 24

Spread: New England -2.5

Pick against spread: New England 1 unit +100

This one was tough. We saw how badly the Ravens beat the Patriots last year in the playoffs, but what are the chances Tom Brady throws 4 picks again. That’s the only reason Baltimore won that game and, if you remember, Baltimore actually lost to the Pats earlier last season. The Ravens destroyed the Broncos and their one dimensional offensive attack last week, but the Patriots aren’t quite as one dimensional. They can run and they also convert in the red zone much better than the Broncos do. The Patriots also haven’t lost off a bye week since 2003. In fact, they’ve only lost one game where they’ve had more than 2 weeks to prepare (season opener, coming off bye) since 2003. I’m taking the Patriots, but not putting a lot of value on it.

Detroit Lions 20 New York Giants 23

Spread: -10 NY Giants

Pick against spread: Lions 2 units +200

The Lions have covered all 4 times they have been underdogs this season and are 5-0 against the spread this season. They’re coming off a 44 point outburst, yet are unexplicably being given roughly 10 points here. The Giants are coming off two great wins, but something about this team suggests to me that they could go from good right back to bad once again. Maybe it was the fact that they failed to blowout the Bears, who played like crap offensively. Maybe it’s the fact that Eli Manning through 2 desperate picks against the Texans…when leading by 3 touchdowns. Whatever the reason, I’m not picking the Giants to cover a large spread against a team that’s 5-0 against the spread.

Atlanta Falcons 31 Philadelphia Eagles 21 Upset Pick

Spread: Philadelphia -3

Spread against spread: Atlanta 5 units -550

The Eagles can’t stop the pass. Bad news, the Falcons passing offense is the strength of their offense. The Falcons also have a surprisingly strong pass rush to get after the quarterback and the Eagles offensive line is playing like complete crap of late. The 49ers sacked Kevin Kolb 4 times. Imagine what the Falcons will do to him. I love this matchup for the Falcons here, even on the road. I have no idea why they are underdogs here. The Eagles are incredibly overrated. 

Cleveland Browns 10 Pittsburgh Steelers 20

Spread: -14 Pittsburgh

Pick against spread: Cleveland 2 units -220

14 point spreads always make me nervous. That’s a lot to win by. The Steelers are better than the Browns by a lot, but here’s my thinking. The Steelers defense has been playing 110% with Ben out. Ben’s back now and they are playing the lowly Browns. Why would they play 100%. They could easily hold Colt McCoy and the Browns to single digits if they tried their hardest, but I don’t expect them to do so. If they give up 10+, I need to Steelers to score 24+ to win and I don’t feel comfortable picking them to do that. I’m not putting a lot on them, but I got the Browns.

Miami Dolphins 20 Green Bay Packers 27

Spread: -4 Green Bay

Pick against spread: Green Bay 1 unit -110

The line has officially been posted for this one, a -4 line favoring the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is expected to play, but he probably won’t be 100% and any wrong hits could force the Packers to pull him and put in Matt Flynn. Chad Henne has not won a game this season against a team that can either take away his run game (New York) or put points up on the board in a hurry with their passing game (New England). The Packers can do both. However, they have so many injuries on both sides of the ball and they’re really struggling right now. The line value is more than a field goal so I’m put 1 unit on the Packers in a shaky play.

San Diego Chargers 24 St. Louis Rams 21

Spread: -9 San Diego

Pick against spread: St. Louis 2 units +200

The Chargers have yet to win on the road, but this is right around the time they start playing better every year. This can also be seen as a must win game for them. If they start 2-4, their backs will be up against it with a good Denver team and a good Kansas City team in their division. I expect them to come out and play better than they normally do against inferior teams on the road, but that spread is pretty huge. I’m not going to take them to cover that spread after what I’ve seen from them this season on the road.

New Orleans Saints 36 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26

Spread: -4 New Orleans

Pick against spread: New Orleans 3 units +300

I think that loss to the Cardinals was a wake up call. The Saints had been underachieving and still winning up to that point, but now they sit here at 3-2 and facing the possibility of falling to 3-3 if they lose on the road to an “inferior” Bucs team. If they fall to 3-3, Tampa will sit at 4-1 and Atlanta will sit at either 4-2 or 5-1 and both of those teams will hold tiebreakers over them. That’s not a place they want to be. I expect a much better effort out of them offensively this week and for them to convert in the red zone, something they haven’t done to this point. The Bucs will score points with Josh Freeman against this injured New Orleans defense, but not enough to win or cover.

Kansas City Chiefs 17 Houston Texans 28

Spread: -4.5 Houston

Pick against spread: Houston 5 units -550

The Chiefs defense played their hearts out against Indy, but still lost because their offense is incompetent. They won’t play nearly as well this weak against a Houston offense squad that just looked like crap last week. With a fully healthy Andre Johnson, their offense should be back to normal. The Texans defense is weak against the pass, but Matt Cassel isn’t good enough to hurt them in any significant way. Unless the Texans throw a pick six or allow a special teams turnover, they’ll cover this week.

Oakland Raiders 20 San Francisco 49ers 23

Spread: -6 49ers

Pick against spread: Oakland 1 unit -110

Interesting spread. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an 0-5 team favored by 6 points before. The Raiders won’t be 100% after playing their hearts out last week, with an 0-5 team on tap so I expect the 49ers to win this game, but I’m not taking them giving up that many points to the spread. I don’t trust them to win this game by more than 6, especially if Jason Campbell plays like he did late against San Diego.

Dallas Cowboys 21 Minnesota Vikings 28 

Spread: -1.5 Minnesota

Pick against spread: Minnesota 2 units +200

This game is basically a playoff game. If you lose, you go home basically. Neither of these teams are going to be able to come back from 1-4. However, you win and you’re right there at 2-3 and a 9-7/10-6 season isn’t that far out of reach. Who do you trust more in a playoff game? Brett Favre? Or Tony Romo? I’m going with the elder of the two, at home, a place where Favre is 10-1 since joining the team before last year. Yeah, they are 1-1 there this year, but they are a better team now with Randy Moss and having had their bye than the one that lost at home earlier this year. I expect them to beat the Cowboys in Minnesota and eliminate them the way they eliminated them in Minnesota last January.

New York Jets 31 Denver Broncos 19 

Spread: -3 NY Jets

Pick against spread: NY Jets 4 units +400

The Broncos lost last week because Baltimore’s defense is too good for one dimensional teams. They will lose the same way this week and for the same reason. This should be an easy cover for the Jets even on the road in Denver, a tough place to win.

Indianapolis Colts 37 Washington Redskins 21 Lock Pick

Spread: -3 Indianapolis

Pick against spread: Indianapolis 5 units -50

It’s crazy how out of favor the Colts have fallen this season. Easy money. All Peyton Manning has to do is outscore the Redskins by 3 and the Redskins can’t stop anyone through the air. I’m going to take the Colts every week until people remember who their quarterback is and start giving them some repsect again.

Tennessee Titans 20 Jacksonville Jaguars 27 Upset Pick

Spread: -3 Tennessee

Pick against spread: Jacksonville 3 units -330

The Titans are 0-2 this year coming off a win. The home team is 8-3 against the spread on Sunday and Monday night this season. The Jaguars are 6-1 against AFC North opponents since the start of last season. The Jaguars haven’t had a home Monday night game in what seems like forever. They play well when they’re fired up and on Monday Night Football against a division opponent, they’ll be fired up plenty against a Titans team that can’t win 2 in a row.

RB Ray Rice- Baltimore

Missed some practice time this week, but as has been the case for the past two weeks, Rice will play through an injured knee. Rice rushed for 133 yards last week against Denver and it’s not like New England’s run defense is any better than Denver’s. In fact, it might be worse. You’re going to want him in your lineup.

QB Jay Cutler- Chicago

Cleared to play and good to go.

RB Peyton Hillis- Cleveland

Didn’t practice until Friday this week, but his coach maintains that he will play through a quad injury. However, that quad injury limited him to 28 yards on 10 carries last week and he does face Pittsburgh this year, who held Chris Johnson and Michael Turner under 50 yards this season. Also, the Browns acquired Mike Bell this week, a sign that they could be using him to spell Hillis from time to time and cut into his carries. I’d look at other options this week.

QB Matt Stafford- Detroit

He has practiced this week for the first time since injuring his shoulder week one and the results have been surprisingly positive. The Lions have yet to name a starter, but if you own Stafford, don’t get too excited. I doubt Stafford plays this week, with a bye week coming next week. The Lions are 1-4 and going nowhere fast so I doubt they’ll rush him back this week when they can just start him 100% week 8 after the bye.

WR Calvin Johnson- Detroit

Practiced a little this week and is still listed as a game time decision, but I’d say it is more likely than not that he sits. Check back tomorrow or follow me on twitter, but you probably want to have other options. Even if he does play, he could be severely limited.

QB Aaron Rodgers- Green Bay

He has yet to be officially cleared, but it looks like he will play against Miami this week. Have him in  your lineup.

TE Jermichael Finley- Green Bay

Out.

WR Donald Driver- Green Bay 

Pulled a quad at practice on Friday, but is still expected to play.

WR Andre Johnson- Houston

He took it light in practice this week in attempt to once again play this week through an ankle injury. He should be closer to 100% than he was last week, when he caught 5 passes for 95 yards.

WR Jacoby Jones- Houston

Practiced Friday and is expected to play, but didn’t practice before Friday and is still listed as questionable. I wouldn’t start him this week. He’s not a fantasy stud and there’s a chance that he doesn’t even play or is limited behind Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter on the depth chart.

TE Owen Daniels- Houston

He’ll play through his hamstring and knee problems, but as I say every week, wait until he produces before starting him. Last week he caught a season high 3 passes for a season high 45 yards and hasn’t scored all year.

RB Joseph Addai- Indianapolis

After missing practice earlier this week, Addai practiced Friday fully and without problems with a neck injury, but is still listed as questionable. I’m going to say game time decision with him, which could be risky as he doesn’t kick off until 8:20. He also only has 278 yards through 5 games, so I’d look at other options this week to be on the safe side.

RB Mike Hart- Indianapolis

Has a hip problem but still could play and even start if Addai doesn’t start. However, because of that 8:20 kickoff and the fact that they never run the ball well anyway, I’d avoid the Indy backfield for this week.

WR Pierre Garcon- Indianapolis

Missed practice time with his hammy problem, but like last week, he should play through it.

 

RB Maurice Jones Drew- Jacksonville

He has a swollen hand, but after practicing Friday, they’re calling him probable so I’d feel safe starting him even though he doesn’t kick off until Monday Night.

QB Brett Favre- Minnesota

Favre missing a game? I’ll believe it when I see it. However, his shaky play this season and his elbow problem don’t instill a lot of confidence in him for me as a potential starter this week. However, if you’ve been rolling with him as your guy this year, feel free to do it again this week. Dallas’ defense is playing like crap this season.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe- Minnesota

Limited Wednesday and Thursday, but practiced Friday and is expected to play.

RB Fred Taylor- New England

Out. 

RB Pierre Thomas- New Orleans

Out.

RB Reggie Bush- New Orleans

Out.

WR Marques Colston- New Orleans

Practiced all week and should be fine.

RB Darren McFadden- Oakland

He’s a game time decision with a hamstring problem, but with the way Michael Bush ran last week, it’s easy for Tom Cable to give Bush some of McFadden’s carries even if he does play. I’d look at other options this week. I’d also only start Bush if McFadden is out. They could very easily cancel each other out.

QB Michael Vick- Philadelphia

He won’t start, but he may be in uniform this week so he could play if something happens to Kolb. Don’t bet on it though.

TE Brent Celek- Philadelphia

Practiced all week and with his BFFL Kevin Kolb at QB, he should have another big week. 

WR Legedu Naanee- San Diego

Expected to be out with a hamstring problem.

TE Kellen Winslow- Tampa Bay

Once again will play through knee problems.

RB Chris Johnson- Tennessee

Was given an off day Thursday with a quad problem, but he’s going to play Monday Night.

QB Donovan McNabb- Washington

Listed as questionable with a hamstring problem, but practiced all week. Mike Shanahan just loves the questionable label.

 

 

RB Jackie Battle (Kansas City)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.4%

Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster haven’t fared that well this season running the ball so Todd Haley decided to give career backup Jackie Battle a shot. He turned 19 carries into 119 yards and also caught 2 balls for an addition 21 yards. If Haley is smart (questionable), Battle will be the lead back the rest of the way.

RB Bernard Scott (Cincinnati)

Percent owned (ESPN): 4.4%

At some point Cedric Benson is going to start his suspension. It might be this week against Indianapolis. Bernard Scott will be the lead back in his absence, 3 games. He’s worth a pickup for that reason. You’ll be able to drop him once Benson returns.

WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (Oakland)

Percent owned (ESPN): 2.4%

For the first few weeks of the season, it was flavor of the week at wide receiver for Oakland, Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford, Derek Hagan all had big games. However, Heyward-Bey has had 2 straight strong weeks now with 7 catches for 99 yards and a score last week after 4 catches for 115 yards the week before. He is arguably the most immediately criticized top 10 pick of all time, but he was a borderline first round pick going into the draft so he does have talent and he appears to be breaking out in his 3^rd year, a year when a lot of young receivers break out. He’s got upside going forward as potentially Jason Campbell’s favorite target.

QB Tim Tebow (Denver)

Percent owned (ESPN): 2.8%

It’s Tebow Time! We’ll presumably it is. John Fox has not officially named him the starter going forward, but he is expected to do so, otherwise he’s a moron because Tebow almost led a 16 point comeback against San Diego after he was put in during the 3^rd quarter last week. Tebow is good. He’ll put up stats for you with passing and rushing touchdowns.

RB Delone Carter (Indianapolis)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.7%

Joseph Addai left last week with an injury (what else is new). He is expected to miss a few games. In his absence, Carter and Donald Brown split carries, but Carter led the way with 12. He only turned that into 22 yards, which is why he’s not higher on this list, but that is probably a fluke. The rookie is reportedly very talented.

 

WR Doug Baldwin (Seattle) 

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.8%

The Seahawks broke the bank to get Sidney Rice, but Seattle quarterbacks seem to prefer throwing to former undrafted free agent Doug Baldwin. He has 80+ yards in 3 of 5 games this year and has scored twice. Last week he had a career high 8 catches for a career high 136 yards. He’d be higher on this list if he wasn’t so inconsistent (23 or fewer yards in his other 2 games), but he’s put together two straight good games so he’s worth mentioning.

WR Kevin Walter (Houston)

Percent owned (ESPN): 2.0%

It was Kevin Walter, not Jacoby Jones, who stepped up in Andre Johnson’s absence last week, leading Houston wide receivers with 5 catches for 81 yards and a score. Johnson should miss at least another week so Walter is worth picking up.

TE Jared Cook (Tennessee)

Percent owned (ESPN): 6.6%

In 2 games without Kenny Britt, Cook has 6 catches for 152 yards and a score. The talented 3^rd year tight end could be breaking out so he has upside moving forward.

WR Early Doucet (Arizona)

Percent owned (ESPN): 9.7%

Doucet caught 8 passes for 92 yards and a score last week to give him 21 catches for 309 yards and a score in 5 games this year. He doesn’t have a lot of upside, but he’s worth a look in deeper leagues.

WR Damian Williams (Tennessee)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.1%

With Kenny Britt out, there’s no true #1 receiver in Tennessee. I really liked Damian Williams coming out of USC in 2010 and he caught 6 passes for 66 yards and a score last week. There’s some upside here.

 

Week 6 Injury Report 

Week 6 Pickups 

 

What is this? Well, in addition to our own Power Rankings, we are going to post this top 15 called the Ultimate Football Rankings (UFB Rankings). It’s compiled of a bunch of rankings of a bunch of good sites, including ours (see bottom) and adds a contrast to our regular Power Rankings. More sites will be added as the weeks go on.

(1)  1. Green Bay Packers (8)  –  4 – 0   next at Atlanta Falcons

Green Bay’s offense is unstoppable, putting up 27 points in each game so far, while the defense has improved in every game as well.  We just want to know why Aaron Rodgers remained the starter when the score was 42-17. You can blame his second interception of the season on a tip that happened at that point.  Peyton Manning’s injury should of been a wake up call, get your second string QB as familiar as possible, you never know.

(2)  2. New Orleans Saints  3 – 1   next at Carolina Panthers

 A decent win in Jacksonville considering that the yard markers on the field were pointing the wrong way. Blaine Gabbert was confused by this, but Drew Brees, the veteran, was not.   Brees’ air attack continues to rule the day for New Orleans.  This week Brees should have another fantasy day, little struggle against a struggling Carolina defense.

(3)  3. New England Patriots (1)  –  3 – 1   next vs New York Jets

 The Patriots don’t like to lose, and seldom do so twice in a row.  It’s all about the defense for New England, their offense is dominant and cannot be stopped, but unfortunately the defense has many weak spots and is thin. They can beat any team in the league at any time, but games like Buffalo this past week can also happen.  Nice rebound against Oakland, now it’s off to play Big Mouth Rex Ryan and the New York Jets, should make for a great game.

(4)  4. Detroit Lions  4 – 0   next vs Chicago Bears (Monday Night)

Did the Cowboys choke?  Maybe, but the Lions were relentless.  With 7 more home games left, unless Stafford goes down…No way they miss the playoffs…..We have never seen a WR like Calvin Johnson, EVER!. Might be the best jump ball receiver.

(5)  5. Baltimore Ravens  3 – 1   next bye

 Outside of that weird Week 2 loss at Tennessee, the Ravens have been very impressive this season. Despite Joe Flacco’s mid-game struggles, they were dominant against the Jets.  With big home win over Jets, Ravens remain in the top 5.

(6)  6. Houston Texans  3 – 1   next vs Oakland Raiders

 The Defense (yes, capital ‘D’) returned against the Steelers.  We are finally seeing a well rounded team, a team we all knew Houston could be.  Can they keep it???  Next challenge is the surprising Oakland Raiders, will the defense stop Mc Fadden?

(10) 7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  3 – 1   next at San Fransisco 49ers

 They could have lost to the Colts … but they didn’t.  Team is young and raw, but due to losses from 3 teams ahead of them last week, the Bucs move up three spots this week.  Josh Freeman is a gamer and is gonna be something big in this league.  Pretty evenly match up this week, lets see if they can handle the pressure.

 

(13) 8. San Diego Chargers  3 – 1   next at Denver Broncos

 The Chargers are fattening their record against patsies like the Dolphins.  Their wins have come against teams with a combined record of 1-11.  Sure it is a change for them to start the season off on a winning note, but it is hard to tell how good they are with such a weak schedule.

(NR) 9. Tennessee Titans  3 – 1   next at Pittsburgh Steelers

It feels odd to have the Titans ahead of both the Steelers and Jets. But, Pittsburgh is old and slow. As for New York, Tennessee has the better offense and defense (at least statistically).  Titans kept pace with Texans with win over Browns.

(12) 10. New York Giants  3 – 1   next vs Seattle Seahawks

Giants got second-straight road win by holding off Cardinals.  We might start moving these guys up. When Manning is on, they’re great. Too bad it’s one quarter of the game.  Won’t get a better look at this team due to easy opponent, but Buffalo comes to town next week.

(9)  11. Pittsburgh Steelers  2 – 2   next vs Tennessee Titans

No team is hurting more, O line is horrible. Big Ben will be on a stretcher by week 10 if this keeps up and now Mendenhall?  Defense has to be bigger then they ever have been just to stay in the hunt.  This is starting to look like the real Steelers, and it’s not a pretty picture.

(7)  12. Buffalo Bills  3 – 1   next vs Philadelphia Eagles

Ugly collapse in Cincinnati.  This is why we were one of very few power rankings that didn’t move them up inside the top 5 just because they beat New England.  Eagles looking for redemption this week, might knock Buffalo out of the top 15.

(NR) 13. Washington Redskins  3 – 1   next bye

Look who’s in first place after a month!  Shanahan has always had a decent team, always hangs around 8-8…But can never do better or worse, do you really believe this is a major playoff threat?  We don’t…

(NR) 14. San Fransisco 49ers  3 – 1   next vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 The comeback against the Eagles is the kind of game that makes a season.  Can they continue playing the way they have and still win?  We are betting not.

(8) 15. New York Jets  2 – 2   next at new England Patriots

 The Jets’ offense was abysmal against the Ravens.  They should have an easier time against a weak Patriots defense, but can an over rated defense keep up with the Brady and Welker show?  Look for the mismatches, maybe an Ochocinco kind of weekend?

( ) left of rankings indicates previous weeks rankings

( ) next to teams indicates first place votes

UFB Power Rankers are:

Frank Hyun of Patriots Review

Ronnie Kohrt of Ronnie K’s Blog

David Calagis of CJ Sports NFL Talk

Mr. Kangaroo of CJ Sports NFL Talk

Brandon Clark of Titan Sized

Steven Lourie of Football Fan Spot

Mr. C.J. Sports of CJ Sports NFL Talk

Adam Hughes of Naptown’s Finest

Walter Cherepinsky of Walter Football.com

Nolan Vasan of NFL Draft Geek

Ryan Mc Crystal of Draft Ace

 

9/29/11 8 PM ET

South Florida at Pittsburgh

DE Brandon Lindsey (Pittsburgh) #7

One of the nation’s best pass rushers a year ago, Lindsey had 10 sacks and now is the guy at Pittsburgh with Jabaal Sheard gone. He’s only listed at 6-2 250, which means his primary position right now is going to be 3-4 rush linebacker, but if he can bulk up, he could be a fit for the 4-3. He has 3 sacks this season.

G Lucas Nix (Pittsburgh) #52

A right tackle and a right guard at Pittsburgh, Nix projects as a guard at the next level. He seems to have settled into that position at the college level as well. He’s not much of a pass protector, but he’s paved the way for some pretty impressive Pittsburgh rushing attacks over the years and could sneak into day 2 with a strong year. He’s got nice size at 6-6 310.

9/30/11 8 PM ET

Utah State at BYU

S Travis Uale (BYU) #23

Uale is a 6-2 200 safety and one of the few seniors on BYU’s defense. He had 42 tackles last season and already has 18 tackles and a pick in 4 games. If he keeps this up, he could get drafted.

MLB Bobby Wagner (Utah State) #9

The 2011 preseason WAC defensive player of the year, Wagner has 246 tackles in his last 2 seasons. He’s a bit undersized at 6-1 230, but projects as a nice depth linebacker and special teamer at the next level. He’ll have a chance to prove he can be more than that. He started the season well with 10 tackles and a sack against Auburn. He’s now at 38 tackles through 3 games.

 

10/1/11 12 PM ET

Northwestern at Illinois

QB Dan Persa (Northwestern) #7

Persa took over for Mike Kafka in the 2010 season after Kafka got drafted by the Eagles in the 4^th round of the 2010 draft. He did his best Kafka impersonation, game managing Northwestern to a surprising 7-3 record in 10 games before missing their last 3 games with an injury, all 3 of which they lost. He’s small at 6-1 210 and doesn’t have the biggest arm, but he completed 73.5% of his passes last season for an average of 8.5 yards per attempt, and 15 touchdowns to just 4 picks. He has missed their first 3 games of this season, but will return for their 4^th game here against Illinois. He’s a late round pick who could move up with a strong season.

DE Vince Browne (Northwestern) #94

The big physical Vince Browne had 16 sacks in his first 3 seasons for Northwestern and he provides great play against the run at 6-5 265. He’s got an excellent motor and plays better than the stat sheet would say, but he only has 1 sack this season in 3 games and he needs to get it going. He looks like a mid to late round prospect currently as a left end.

10/1/11 3:30 PM ET

Michigan State at Ohio State

QB Kirk Cousins (Michigan State) #8

Kirk Cousins came into 2011 as a 2^nd round prospect with the upside to move up into the 1^st round. However, he’s probably closer to the 3^rd round or later now than he is to the 1^st round. He’s a 3 year starter and put up nice numbers in 2009 and 2010, while leading the Michigan State Spartans to more wins than they were projected to win. However, he’s disappointed a bit as a senior. He’s completed 69.2% of his passes for an average of 8.1 per attempt and 5 touchdowns to 2 interceptions, but the reports on him haven’t been that great, especially in their loss to Notre Dame. He’s got a big arm, but can he put it all together?

DT Jerel Worthy (Michigan State) #99

After back to back seasons of 4 sacks, the 6-2 300 pound Worthy looks poised to be a first rounder in 2012, taking advantage of a weak defensive tackle class. He’s said to have more of any impact than the stat sheet will show and I’ll definitely be watching for that here to see if he’s worthy (pun intended) of being the top defensive tackle in this class. So far he has 1 sack and 2.5 tackles for loss in 4 games.

10/1/11 8 PM ET

Alabama at Florida

RB Trent Richardson (Alabama) #3

Trent Richardson had 700 yards and 8 scores on 112 carries as Mark Ingram’s backup in 2010 and showed his abilities with 100+ yards against Penn State with Mark Ingram out. He’s now the lead back and already has 441 yards and 8 scores on 67 carries so far. He also has 9 catches after 23 last year. He’s got better measurables than Mark Ingram, 5-11 225 and a 4.4 40, but looks to be the full package at running back. He should be the first back off the board.

CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama) #21

A heavily recruited player, Kirkpatrick didn’t disappoint in his first year as a starter in 2010. He’s played better in 2011 and has solidified himself as the top cornerback in this draft class. He’s a big physical 6-3 200 player with low 4.4 high 4.3 speed. He could go as high as higher than Patrick Peterson did last year, depending on need.