Fantasy Breakdown of 4 O’clock Games + Sun and Monday Night – Week 7

By: Steve DeAngelo

Arizona (3-2) @ Seattle (3-2) 4:05 est

Seattle is probably the best team in the NFC West right now with their run game getting a boost with the addition of Marshawn Lynch and also having the 3rd ranked Run Defense in the NFL. This week Marshawn Lynch will help the Seahawks further themselves in the division as they beat Arizona. Lynch is going to have a field day against this 29th ranked Run D of Arizona. I have Lynch ranked #7 in my RB rankings this week, sounds a bit crazy but I think Lynch goes over 100 with two rushing TD’s. Hasselback should be able to move the ball against the Arizona Pass D which is also turrible so their will be plenty of scoring opportunities. Justin Forsett is worth a flex play this week in ppr leagues. Mike Williams had 100 yards last week and he should continue his rapport with Hasselback for this week and is a good start. Deon Butler should also get in the mix but is a low-end flex play. John Carlson could have a decent day at Tight end. A few weeks ago I said no Seahawk is worth owning, well against a team like Arizona they are but going forward I really only like Lynch to stay consistent.

Max Hall is definitely a better option than Derek Anderson, but he still is a rookie who will struggle on the road even against the 30th ranked pass D of Seattle. Still, it appears Steve Breaston and Early Doucet could both be returning this week so that should help Max Hall and Larry Fitzgerald tremendously, but keep both on your bench for now. Larry Fitzgerald should have a fairly good day, just don’t bank on it. Seattle’s 3rd ranked run D is tough but I don’t think they are good as the stat indicates. Beanie Wells is still more of a low-end flex play though however even though the yards might not be there he could have a couple of scoring opportunities. Tim Hightower appears to be out of the picture right now so you have to keep him on your bench for now.

New England (4-1) @ San Diego (2-4) 4:15 est

San Diego has some key injuries this week with Malcolm Floyd already being ruled out and Antonio Gates being a game-time decision. I think Gates will play however. Either way it’s hard to sit Phillip Rivers as he can make any wideout look good it seems. Because of the injuries Patrick Crayton will be the #1 wideout this week. He had 100 yards last week against St. Louis and should repeat that performance against New England. He makes for a great bye week filler this week as Rivers will target him a ton. Craig Davis should play this week (probable) and is a decent flex play against New England and their #29th ranked pass D.

Ryan Matthews is slowly taking back his full-time role from Mike Tolbert as he recovers from that High Ankle sprain. He has yet to show his true talents this year and is due for a big game soon. Not sure it comes this week but I think Matthews makes for a fairly solid #2 this week. Leave Tolbert on your benches. Matthews is a nice buy-low right now. Check in later for Gates Status.

New England remains a well-oiled machine even without the talents of Randy Moss. Out steps Moss in steps Deion Branch, Danny Woodhead and a bigger role for Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Tate. Branch will keep it going all year as long as he’s healthy. He and Brady’s chemistry was on point last week even after all that time off. Hernandez is also a must-start almost every week. I really like Danny Woodhead, he is a solid little runner and can squeeze through holes and I expect him to find success this week against a Chargers Run D that has been struggling of late. Woodhead makes for a nice flex especially in PPR leagues. I like Woodhead more than Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis going forward. Brandon Tate I would keep on your roster because he can be explosive, but keep him on your bench right now. Wes Welker hasn’t had a game over 75 yards all year but he will still get his 6-7 catches almost every game, just don’t expect a lot of TD’s although the yards should be coming.

Oakland (2-4) @ Denver (2-4) 4:15 Est

Kyle Orton had his worst game of the year against the Jets finally being held under 300 yards after doing it 4 straight times, but he will bounce back this week against Oakland. Oakland’s pass D has been tough ranked 8th but this Broncos receiving core goes deep and Nnamdi Asomugha can’t cover them all.

Eddie Royal is a gametime decision but even if he’s out Orton still has Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney and the young and extremely talented Demaryius Thomas to throw to. Mcdaniels stated earlier this week that he wanted to get Thomas more involved because of his talent, so Thomas could be a sleeper in this matchup. Also what helps the Broncos is that Knowshon Moreno is back and a lot healthier and should be able to do damage against this weak Raiders Run D that is ranked 30th in the league and letting up 149 yards a game. Knowshon has a juicy matchup and should open up the play action passing game with his effectiveness. Lawrence Maroney and Correll Buckhalter were really holding the Broncos back but now that Moreno is back, he’s makes that offense even deadlier.

Bruce Gradkowski is out again this week so Jason Campbell will fill in. Campbell hurts the effectiveness of this offense so downgrade Zach Miller, Louis Murphy, Michael Bush and Darren Mcfadden who is expected to play. The only person on the raiders worth starting this week is Miller, but even if he is not a good option this week. I think the raiders are in trouble this week unless they can get the run game going.

Minnesota (2-4) @ GB (3-3) Sunday Night 8:20 Est

Aaron Rodgers is an extremely talented QB and you know he wants this win more than ever against Farve and the Vikings after getting swept last year, but I just think he’s going to come up short unless Brett Farve hands them this game, which could definitely happen. Losing Finley hurts, but the bigger loss was Ryan Grant as Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn really have failed to establish the ground game and have hurt the fluidity of this offense. It looks like the rookie from Buffalo and hot waiver pickup James Starks will have to wait another week for his debut. Greg Jennings and Donald Driver will both be heavily targeted in this game so it will be interesting to see if they can carry the load and lead this team to victory with Rodgers. I think Rodgers will play a good game, but I just don’t think he will have enough the get the W. That said, Driver, Jennings and Rodgers are all solid starts this week. Andrew Quarless isn’t a terrible bye week filler at TE.

Will Brett Farve beat his old team yet again or will he throw the game away? This game falls on his shoulders. If he doesn’t turn the ball over and make a couple stupid mistakes the Vikings will win. Obviously Farve has the weapons to get it done and Randy Moss, Percy Harvin must be in lineups. Also I think Vishante Shiancoe has to be in your lineup this week. Reports were they were trying to get more Shiancoe more involved this week so get him in. If Clay Matthews is breathing down Farve’s neck , Shiancoe will be getting the ball along with Harvin.

Adrian Peterson is set for a big game against this Packers Run D ranked 21st in the league. Herm Edwards made a great point on the new Espn show “Audibles” when he said that the packers Defense won’t be prepared for Peterson this week because they haven’t been facing a good attack in practice. Their offense has been pass 1st, so their D hasn’t been prepped to stop a RB like Peterson. Adrian should go over 100+ with a TD or two and is the X-factor in this game. As long as the Vikings don’t turn the ball over they will win, they are the healthier and more talented team.

NYG (4-2) @ Dallas (1-4) Monday Night 8:30

Dallas lost their must win game last week, but get one more chance to salvage their season in what is truly a must win game. If they don’t win Monday night say goodnight to the Boyz because they will then only be able to lose one more game to make the playoffs. And with their upcoming schedule you can fughedaboutit.

So it’s crunch time for Tony Romo and the Boyz. Romo has been a great fantasy QB but has thrown costly picks at the end of games and already has 7 picks in 5 games. If Romo can stop the Int’s the Cowboys will win this game. This game comes down to Romo. Also it comes down to the Cowboys not continuing to burn themselves with penalties, although as Mike D pointed out on our radio show the refs aren’t helping them either.

The Giants Pass D is ranked 2nd in the league, but Romo is the type of QB that can throw 300 up on anyone. Still, the Giants pass rush has been fierce of late as we’ve seen and Romo could be forced into some tough throws. Jason Witten might see a lot of action this week as well as Roy Williams and Dez Bryant. Romo may have a tough time connecting with Miles Austin on the deep ball because of the pressure and with Corey Webster shadowing him, still you can never bench Austin. Can Romo hold up against this pass rush and not make the mistakes that will cost his team the game? Will see, either way he’s in your lineup regardless of the matchup against the stingy Giants Pass D.

Felix Jones will continue to be the main culprit in the ground attack, but this is a tough matchup for him against the Giants 7th ranked rush D. But, I see Felix breaking off a couple big runs in this game. He’s a good flex play. Marion Barber is still the goaline back but the Cowboys really like to pass the ball in the Redzone, so Barber probably won’t score unless the Boyz have a 1st and goal from the 5 or less. Leave him on your bench. Still waiting for Tashard Choice to get some looks, he really could help this team. At this point he’s more explosive than Barber and probably the better runner. Keep him stashed on your benches.

It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys defense does against this Receiving corps of the Giants with Nicks, Smith and Manningham. I think Eli can do some damage especially with Hakeem Nicks. They are going to look to match him up on Mike Jenkins and look to draw some pass interference calls. Jenkins has not played well the last 2-3 weeks and has drawn at least 3-4 PI’s. He really needs to step up this week for his team. Steve Smith will most likely be covered by Terrance Newman so he might have quiet day. Mario Manningham might prove to be the most effective wideout as he works against Orlando Scandrick, will see how the Cowboys use their corners, but this is what I’m expecting for most of the game. The Dallas Defense has been stingy only letting up 180 yards passing a game but still have let up 7 TD’s in 5 games. Nicks is a stud #1, Smith is a #2 and Manningham is back to being a decent flex play.

Ahmad Bradshaw looks like one of the most talented backs in the league right now, looking better than he ever has. This guy has such a strong lower body and has a great knack for breaking tackles and making defenders miss. Dallas is letting up 100 yards a game on the ground so Bradshaw could easily see the century mark. The only thing hurting Bradshaw right now is Brandon Jacobs has stopped tiptoeing and is getting the goaline carries. He stole two TD’s from Bradshaw last week. Still Bradshaw is producing like a #1 back with his yardage. Jacobs is a decent flex despite the matchup. He could finish with a TD and around 30-40 yards.

That’s it! Good Luck Today and Enjoy the games, God Bless!

Make sure to check my Departure from Fantasy Island Column on Tuesday Morning where I give my thoughts on the most important happenings from the previous week, guys to trade for, guys to sell high on etc………