Year: 2012

Cowboys rule Jay Ratliff and Phil Costa out again, as well as Gerald Sensabaugh

stevenlourie Cowboys, News

As they were last week, the Cowboys will be without the middle of their offensive line and defensive line once again this week as center Phil Costa will miss with back problems and nose tackle Jay Ratliff will miss with an ankle problem. Costa left during their week 1 game against the Giants, while Ratliff has yet to play a snap this season after injuring himself in the preseason.

Ryan Cook, who was acquired from the Dolphins for a late round pick right before final cuts, will get the start once again at center. He played surprisingly well last week, but he represents a weakness on the offensive line for the Cowboys, as do new starters Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings. Livings was awful in 2011 with the Bengals and Bernadeau is a career backup and former 7th round pick so I have no idea why the Cowboys paid him starter’s money to start for them. In Ratliff’s absence, defensive end Sean Lissemore has played more inside, while Josh Price-Brent has been starting at nose tackle. Defense hasn’t really been an issue for the Cowboys so far this year, as they rank 10th in yards per play, but Ratliff was ProFootballFocus’ 7th rated defensive tackle last year, so the sooner he returns, the better.

The Cowboys will be without one other starter this week on defense, a new injury, as starting safety Gerald Sensabaugh is expected to miss. Sensabaugh is a solid starter at a position that is otherwise a weakness for the Cowboys. Mediocre starter Barry Church, who is also nursing an injury, will play and Danny McCray will play in the absence of Sensabaugh, who is listed as doubtful with a calf problem. It’s a weakness area.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Rams list Steven Jackson as a game time decision, rule Michael Brockers out

stevenlourie News, Rams

Steven Jackson left the game and did not return last week against the Redskins for reasons many thought were related to a penalty. However, the Rams denied that was the reason and denied a benching at all saying Jackson left the game with a groin injury. Almost a week later, that appears to be true and Jackson is reportedly going to be a game time decision. The good news for his fantasy owners is that the game is a 1 PM start so you’ll have your full lineup of options available if you find out before the game that he can’t go. Backup Daryl Richardson, who rushed for 83 yards on 15 carries in Jackson’s absence last week, should be owned in all formats and makes for a possible flex play if he starts, even against a tough Chicago defense.

Jackson isn’t the only injury St. Louis has to worry about. Eerily similar to what happened last year, the Rams are getting killed with injuries on the offensive line. Scott Wells is probably done for the season. He was signed to a 4 year, 24 million dollar deal this offseason to solidify the center position. Robert Turner, an unproven starter, moved from left guard to center to fill the void and then Turner’s replacement at left guard, 5th round rookie Rokevious Watkins, also got hurt. He will miss this week again, so veteran journeyman Quinn Ojinnaka will once again start in his absence. Meanwhile, oft injured left tackle Rodger Saffold will miss this week and a few more with a knee problem, meaning Wayne Hunter, who was awful with the Jets at right tackle last year, will start at left tackle.

The good news is that Sam Bradford was 8 of 13 with a touchdown under pressure last week, in spite of 2 drops. Good quarterbacks can succeed in spite of poor offensive lines. Bradford couldn’t do it last year, but the 2010 #1 overall pick really looks like a different quarterback this year. If that’s true, the Rams will remain competitive, as they have been so far this season. Bradford gets his toughest test yet this week against the Chicago Bears. One other injury note, rookie 1st round pick Michael Brockers will once again miss this week. He’s yet to play this season with a high ankle sprain and the Rams rank dead last against the run without him. Michael Bush, who will be the every down back in place of the injured Matt Forte, makes for a very intriguing fantasy option this week.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Packers unsure about Greg Jennings for Monday Night Football

stevenlourie News, Packers

The Packers were without Greg Jennings on Thursday Night Football with a groin injury and despite having 11 days between games, they are still unsure about the star receiver’s availability for Monday Night Football against the Seahawks. He’s been limited in practice all week, though, for what it’s worth, he says he’ll play, saying “It’s going to be something I’m going to have to push through right now. If I can get close to 100 percent, that’s all I’m looking for. I’m not looking to be 100 percent because that will never happen, ever, probably in my career. Ever.” The Packers have listed him as questionable.

At this point, it sounds more likely than not that he’ll be out there, but he will probably be limited and facing a tough Seattle defense, he’s less than an ideal fantasy option, especially since he does play on Monday Night Football. He doesn’t sound like a true game time decision, but if he’s a late scratch, you could be left without another option and he doesn’t have a true handcuff because in his absence, James Jones caught just 2 passes for -1 yards last week. Jones and Randall Cobb should continue to split snaps in his absence and cancel each other out in fantasy. Unless you have a startable option in that game (not a whole lot of those after Jordy Nelson, who should be in your lineup regardless), I’d say bench Jennings unless you absolutely have to start him.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Steelers rule out James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, and Rashard Mendenhall again

stevenlourie News, Steelers

The Steelers have an early bye week this season, week 4, and it’s coming at the right time as they have several key players nursing injuries. However, before they can get to the bye, they’ll have to go to Oakland to play the Oakland Raiders without starting safety Troy Polamalu, starting outside linebacker James Harrison, and starting running back Rashard Mendenhall once again.

Harrison and Mendenhall both are yet to play this season with knee problems and Polamalu will miss his 2nd straight game this week with a calf problem. As talented as Mendenhall and Harrison are, Polamalu is the one they need healthy the most. The played well against the Jets last week without him, but prior to last week, over the last 3 years, when he plays, the Steelers are 27-8 and allow 14.4 points per game and without him, they’re 6-7 and allow 21.5 points per game. That’s not all him, but a lot of that is him. He’s their only irreplaceable defensive player and his mere presence can disrupt passing plays and running plays.

Still even without that trio, they have an obvious advantage on paper over the lowly Raiders, who are also very banged up with injuries and coming off an embarrassing 35-13 loss at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. The Steelers do have a tendency to fall flat on the road over the last 2 years, especially against inferior opponents. This team is -40 on the road since the start of last week, including playoffs, and +137 at home. They beat Indianapolis by just 3, Kansas City by just 4, and Cleveland by just 3 last year. However, heading into a bye, they should be very focused and dominate the Raiders as they’re supposed to. Road favorites of 3+ and home favorites of 7+ are a combined 34-18 ATS heading into a bye since 2002, as long as their opponent isn’t also heading into a bye.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Seahawks expect to have Russell Okung back this week

stevenlourie News, Seahawks

He missed last week with a knee injury, but after practicing in full Saturday, it appears the oft injured left tackle Russell Okung will suit up for Monday Night Football against the Packers. Veteran journeyman Frank Omiyale did an admirable job in his absence last week, allowing just 1 quarterback hit on 25 pass block snaps and getting penalized once, but the Seahawks have to be happy that Okung is able to suit for this one. The 6th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Okung will likely see an awful lot of Clay Matthews this week and given the way he’s playing (7 sacks, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback pressures), there might not be a tougher matchup in the league at the moment.

The Seahawks would obviously like to get Okung going and healthy. He’s missed a lot of time in his first 2 plus years, but he’s definitely flashed. Playing 23 full games (including playoffs) out of a total 36 possible, Okung has allowed 9 sacks, 8 quarterback hits, 41 quarterback pressures and been penalized 16 times, all on the left side. If he can stay healthy here on out and finally reach his potential, it would be a huge boost for a largely subpar Seattle offensive line. For this week, however, coming off an injury, he’s at a huge disadvantage against Clay Matthews.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Redskins list Pierre Garcon as doubtful, expect Josh Wilson to play, put two on IR

stevenlourie Commanders, News

The Redskins were dealt crippling blows to their defense last week, losing starting cornerback Josh Wilson, top pass rusher Brian Orakpo, and starting defensive lineman Adam Carriker in the game against St. Louis. The trio played 52, 18, and 2 of 71 snaps respectively. The Redskins’ poor defense had a ton of trouble stopping a Rams offense that isn’t great to begin with and after the game, they were forced to put Orakpo and Carriker on IR. Carriker’s loss isn’t huge. He’s a marginal starter and they have 2011 2nd round pick Jarvis Jenkins waiting in the wings. However, Orakpo was their best pass rusher and they had no depth behind him. The mediocre Rob Jackson, a 2008 7th round pick and a career backup, will take his place in the lineup, a huge downgrade.

The good news is that Wilson is expected to play this week despite suffering a concussion last week. He’ll continue to start opposite DeAngelo Hall. Neither of those cornerbacks are that great, but if Wilson had to miss and Cedric Griffin were forced to start, it would have been bad for the Redskins’ defense. Griffin is a decent nickel back, but he’s struggled when counted on to start in the past.

Luckily for the Redskins, they get an easy matchup at home against the Bengals this week. Cincinnati ranks 31st in points per play differential and their defense might be just as bad as the Redskins’ defense. Andy Dalton and compnay will move the ball in this one, but Robert Griffin should have another huge game in an eventual winning effort.

Griffin will be without top receiver Pierre Garcon again, but he didn’t miss him too much last week, completing 20 of 29 for 206 yards, 1 touchdown, and an interception, while rushing for another 82 yards and 2 scores against a solid Rams defense. The Redskins have plenty of wide receiver depth with Santana Moss, Aldrick Robinson, Josh Morgan, and Leonard Hankerson, who had the big game last week, catching 2 passes for 68 yards and a score. Unfortunately for Garcon owners in fantasy leagues, it’s still unclear who the Washington receiver to own in his absence his. 7 players had between 3 of 5 targets last week. They like to spread it around.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Eagles rule Jeremy Maclin and King Dunlap out, place Jason Kelce on IR

stevenlourie Eagles, News

Heading into a surprisingly crucial match up with the Arizona Cardinals in Arizona, one of two this week between 2-0 teams in a league that has just 6 such teams remaining, the Eagles will be without several starters. Jeremy Maclin, who attempted to play through a hip injury last week, before having to leave again, has been ruled out, as have two starters on the offensive line, left tackle King Dunlap and center Jason Kelce, the latter of whom was placed on season ending IR with a torn ACL. However, in spite of this, the Eagles do have a significant advantage in Arizona.

The Eagles lead the league in points per play differential, which is my favorite stat because I feel it does the best job of predicting future success and of judging how teams have played in the past. The Eagles were without Maclin for most of last week, as he played just 44 of 80 snaps, and yet they were still able to total 485 yards against the Ravens in a win. They were also without Dunlap and Kelce, mediocre starters, for most of that game as well.

Demetress Bell, a proven starter in Buffalo, will replace Dunlap at left tackle, while the much less proven Dallas Reynolds will replace Kelce at center. Talent slot receiver Jason Avant and undrafted rookie Damaris Johnson will replace Maclin. They should still be able to beat a Cardinals team, which actually has a negative points differential, with ease.

The Cardinals have a good defense, but eventually they’ll have to do something offensively and right now they rank dead last in points per play. I don’t trust either of their quarterbacks (Kevin Kolb will get the start in this one against a Head Coach who knows all of his tendencies having coached him for several years) and neither of their running backs have gotten anything going on the ground. Meanwhile, their offensive line is still the horrendous line people were worried about before the season.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

 

It’s unclear how Lions will divide backfield carries with Mikel Leshoure returning

stevenlourie Lions, News

After serving a 2 game suspension and missing his entire rookie year with an Achilles tear, 2011 2nd round pick Mikel Leshoure is ready to finally make his regular season debut for the Lions. It’s known that he’ll get carries, but it’s unclear how many he’ll get and if he’ll start over Kevin Smith, who has rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries in 2 starts in Leshoure’s absence.

The Lions have only said that he will “certainly be involved heavily in the game plan and we’ll go from there,” which is about as vague as it gets, though some people in the know, such as ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen believe he’ll be heavily involved. It’s looking like a less than ideal situation in fantasy leagues so I wouldn’t start either until I had a better understanding of how the carries will be divided up, which should take at least a week. For what’s it’s worth, in the offseason, the plan was reportedly to use Leshoure like the Saints use Mark Ingram and Smith like the Saints use Pierre Thomas (with the currently injured Jahvid Best as Darren Sproles). That would make Leshoure the lead back and the goal line back.

It’s also unclear if Leshoure is healthy enough to add anything positive to their running game. Achilles injuries normally take more than a year to bounce back from and Leshoure didn’t look good in the preseason rushing for 44 yards on 20 carries. A player in a similar situation, 2011 2nd round pick Ryan Williams, has rushed for just 22 yards on 18 carries in 2 games and he looked better than Leshoure did in the preseason.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Bengals expect to have Carlos Dunlap and Jason Allen back this week, not Dre Kirkpatrick

stevenlourie Bengals, News

The Bengals have been one of the worst teams in the NFL through two games, getting blown out in Baltimore against an overrated Ravens team that has uncharacteristically surrendered 808 yards in 2 games and then barely beating the terrible Browns in Cincinnati. They rank 31st in the NFL in yards per play differential.

A lot of their issues have been on the defensive side of the ball. They rank dead last in the NFL in yards per play allowed, 31st in yards per carry allowed, and 29th in yards per attempt allowed despite not battling the toughest group of quarterbacks. Those two are a combined 34 of 77 for 325 yards, 1 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in their other games. Part of that has to do with their competition’s competition. Both Weeden and Flacco have also faced Philadelphia, one of the league best defenses, but Cincinnati has really done a poor job in pass coverage this year.

The biggest issue defensively for the Bengals has been injuries. They are without two key cornerbacks, free agent acquisition Jason Allen and rookie Dre Kirkpatrick. This has forced washed up veterans like Nate Clements and Terence Newman to see a ton of action in the secondary, next to a still not 100% Leon Hall. Hall is just 10 months removed from an Achilles tear and has been uncharacteristically torched in 2 games thus far, surrendering 10 completions for 143 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts. They’ve also been without top pass rusher Carlos Dunlap.

The good news for the Bengals is that Dunlap and Allen will be back this week. The bad news is that Kirkpatrick is expected to be out until late October. They also lost every down linebacker Thomas Howard for a season with a torn ACL and could struggle to fill that hole. This week, they face a very tough Washington offense that even a solid St. Louis defense couldn’t do much to slow. This is their toughest test so far so even though they’re healthier than they’ve been, they could still get torched. It’ll be up to Andy Dalton and the offense to keep pace against a banged up Washington defense.

[switch_ad_hub}

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Titans say Kenny Britt, Nate Washington will not be on a snap count this week, Colin McCarthy out

stevenlourie News, Titans

The Titans have had a less than optimal start to their season as they are currently one of just six 0-2 teams left in the NFL. They haven’t been competitive in either of their first 2 games and possess the league’s worst point differential at -49. However, they’ve had a very tough schedule early in the season and things are looking up, especially in the passing game. 1st time starting quarterback Jake Locker hasn’t been great in his first 2 games, completing 61.3% of his passes for an average of 6.5 YPA and 2 touchdowns to 2 interceptions, but he’s been working with a receiving corps that’s seen far too much of rookie Kendall Wright and mediocre talent Damian Williams, who lead the unit in snaps played.

This week, Locker will have Kenny Britt and Nate Washington, arguably his top 2 receivers, back at full strength. Britt missed the opener with suspension and then was on a snap count last week, playing just 19 snaps. Washington left the opener with an injury and then was on a snap count last week, playing just 22 snaps. This week, both are much closer to full strength and will not be on a snap count. Expect both to be starters, leaving Kendall Wright in the slot as a 3rd receiver.

Britt has caught 56 passes for 1146 yards and 12 touchdowns over his last 13 full games over the last 2 seasons. Only 24, he should be able to bounce back from a pretty major injury. Meanwhile, Washington was their leading receiver last year in Britt’s absence, catching 74 passes for 1023 yards and 7 touchdowns. Between those two, the rookie Wright in the slot, and tight end Jared Cook, an above average pass catcher, Locker will have one of the better receiving corps in the NFL. Facing a banged up Detroit secondary that wasn’t very good to begin with, he should be able to move the ball much easier this week than in recent weeks now in his 3rd NFL start. He should also get much more help from Chris Johnson this week. Johnson has been prone to dud performances in the last 2 years, but he’s destroyed bad run defenses, rushing for 100 yards in 4 of 5 games against run defenses ranked in the bottom 3rd last season. Detroit ranked 30th.

The bad news for the Titans is that 2nd year linebacker Colin McCarthy will also miss this week. The young linebacker is the leader of their defense and they have definitely missed him as they’ve been torched in each of their first 2 games. Tom Brady and Philip Rivers have represented tough challenges so far for this defense, but Matt Stafford and the Lions aren’t exactly a walk in the park. It remains to be seen if their young defense (8 of 11 starters drafted since 2009) can find their 2011 form (8th in scoring defense) now without Cortland Finnegan (signed in St. Louis) and McCarthy (injured). This game figures to be a high scoring one, but the Titans may be able to pull the upset at home over the Lions if the Lions come in flat off an emotional week 2 loss to the 49ers and expect to walk all over the “lowly” Titans.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]