Ocho TO: Week 8

The universe is more resilient than I thought. A week after Where's My D-fense? notched it's first victory of the season, by knocking off the #2 seed no less, the universe remains in tact and not ripped at the seams as previously hypothesized. So with the future of everything safe for at least one more week, we make our way into November, the month of turkey, holiday shopping and football on the occassional Thursday. Yeah, not going to do an over done Halloween themed column.

AnyGivenSunday (1-6) vs. Where's My D-fense? (1-5-1)

The new bottom of the standings takes on the former doormat this week, in everyone's favorite bickering couple battle. Sunday looks to regain her preferred spot (on top) with a win this week. QB Aaron Rodgers will face a daunting Jets defense this week, and without a running game expect the Jets to lock in on shutting down receivers Greg Jennings and Donald Driver so that they can rush Rodgers continuously. On the surface the wide receivers all appear to have great matchups this week, however, after last week's debacle against the Raiders, is it safe to assume that Jabar Gaffney and the Denver passing game will have any success in London? And while Percy Harvin faces a young and inexperienced New England secondary that gives up the big play - he may be dealing with Tavaris Jackson under center. As for Chad Ochocinco, he has Carson Palmer as his quarterback, who only had a good game last week because I faced him in 2 leagues. So this week he goes back to not being very good. The running back situation is solid and TE Brandon Pettigrew should get a boost from the return of Matthew Stafford.
Celebrating their first victory of the season, Where's My D-fense? would love to create something the others in the league call "a winning streak". It won't be easy this week with QB Joe Flacco on a bye, so young Chad Henne was brought in as a spot starter. The receivers, Randy Moss and Greg Jennings have each played well the past 2 weeks, however Jennings is sure to be left out on Revis island while Moss may be suffering from the same Tavaris Jackson problem as Harvin. If Moss where still a bright eyed youngster it wouldn't be an issue (he made Daunte Culpepper look capable), but we all know that the older Moss has no time for over exerting himself. Additional pass catchers Danny Amendola and Nate Burleson will have easier matchups since they aren't #1s on their team, but could do some heavy damage if they can horde in the catches. RB Jonathan Stewart is getting the start only because real life teammate DeAngelo Williams is hurt and Matt Forte is on a bye. It remains to be seen who his backfield running mate will be on Sunday.

Weinenators (2-5) vs. Pussies (5-2)

The Weinenators are looking for a third win this season, which with some good fortune, could put them back into playoff contention. QB Mark Sanchez continues to be very good at not turning the ball over, yet has not had a breakout fantasy game. In a game projected to be as close as this one is, perhaps the Sanchize's slow and steady pace is the key to a win. WR Hines Ward is enjoying a bump thanks to the return of Bad Ben in Pittsburgh, while it may sound crazy but Roy E. Williams may experience the same thing now that Jon Kitna is taking over for Tony Romo in Dallas. Remember, these two played together in Detroit and it has not been reported that Kitna has the same man love for Jason Witten that Romo does. Meanwhile Kevin Walter remains in the shadow of Andre Johnson and Arian Foster in Houston, so it'll be interesting to see how many touches he gets on Monday Night against the Colts, since the only way this game should be a blow out is if Houston is on top. Running backs Marion Barber and Beanie Wells shouldn't be expected to do much this week, so let's shift our focus to TE Dustin Keller. Keller is a top 5 tight end this season and should have some room to operate in the middle of the field with Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards occupying the sidelines in the Jets passing attack. A solid running game will keep the linebackers up, meaning that Keller should be able to get behind them for space at an 8-15 yard clip.
Pussies could use another win like I could use a new digestive system. Quarterback remains an issue as Matt Cassel is the only signal caller on the roster. Perhaps they should explore trading with a team who has a few extras, such as Where's My D-fense? Correction: Just noticed Josh Freeman on the bench. Anyway, the team is vulnerable this week as WRs are again lacking. Mike Sims-Walker is hit or miss no matter who the Jags QB is and Johnny Knox is a deep threat on a team with no offensive line and a QB who enjoys throwing the ball to the other team to show that he's not scared of them. Brilliant. With the Ravens on their bye this week, Rashard Mendenhall will have to carry the load all on his own, although it could be said he's been doing that all season as Ray Rice has been a disappointment. Flex play Dez Bryant had an outstanding game last Monday Night against the Giants in what amounted to garbage time, but fantasy points are fantasy points and if he can duplicate his performance this week it may put the Pussies on a pedestal.

Winning my $$ League (2-5) vs. Wide Right (4-3)

Peyton Manning certainly has his work cut out for him now that TE Dallas Clark is out for the season. How much of a hit will this be to Winning my $$ League's QB remains to be seen. Afterall, he is Peyton Manning. If he is in need of assistance from his teammates though, looking over the roster he isn't going to be thrilled with his options. Best hopes seem to be WR Nate Washington and TE Jason Witten, although no one is sure what sort of rapport Witten and new QB Jon Kitna have. As for Washington, he will have to coral wild passes from Vince Young. And if the Titans do make the move to Kerry Collins, he's already made it clear that he favors former Rutger's Scarlett Knight Kenny Britt. The flex spot remains open and Winning my $$ League could make an early morning move tomorrow as there isn't a need to hold on to 3 defenses.
Wide Right is currently enjoying their most successful season that I can remember. After a surviving a decision to bench Darren McFadden last week, the team is over .500 and in playoff position. Well this week McFadden is in along with Ryan Torrain and Knowshon Moreno. I suspect 2 of the three will be the focal points of the offense this week, but if all 3 get clicking it could be a big win for Wide Right. QB Drew Brees is struggling heading into a matchup with the Steelers on Halloween Night, but he potentially has his 2009 Drew Brees costume in his closet and can break it out for a special one night only "what the hell?" type performance. Still he'll need help from WRs Mike Williams and Larry Fitzgerald. A contribution from Michael Crabtree would be like getting a king-sized Twix bar in your trick-or-treat bag, you're not counting on it but it'll make your night.

You PUNT! (2-5) vs. Stay Puft (3-3-1)

Just barely in the playoffs vs just barely on the outside. You PUNT! is the team trying to make their way in, lead by QB Matt Hasselbeck who know has a bit of an offense thanks to the acquisition of Marshawn Lynch. Against an Oakland team Hasselbeck should be able to provide more pop than his projected 12 points. Still, he won't be able to do it on his own and will need significant contributions from WRs Terrible Owens and Miles Austin. The duo's QB issues have been previously described so I won't reiterate that it's a shaky proposition to rely on these guys. The running situation isn't any better however, as Ricky Williams and C.J. Spiller are both backups who may see a very limited number of carries. Hope comes in the form of tight ends Vernon Davis and Mercedes Lewis, two security blankets for whatever quarterback is unfortunate enough to be under center for their teams. In Davis' case however, it's unlikely that he's taken many reps with Troy Smith. Still, his first name is Troy and not Alex, so it's possible that he's smart enough to get the ball to Davis.
Let's be honest, Halloween is the holiday for Stay Puft. Despite being perfectly mediocre record-wise, this is their week, and the projections show that. QB Matt Schaub may be in for a shootout on Monday Night with Peyton Manning, or he may just need to do a little to get his team the win and let the other guys go nuts. WR Mike Wallace is glad to have Roethlisberger back, as he's scored in each of the games since Ben's return. Kenny Britt is an emerging start at wideout and Reggie Wayne may be Peyton's only reliable weapon left. RBs Adrian Peterson and Ronnie Brown face defenses they can exploit and TE Owen Daniels may have some success if the Colts can't get their pass rush into high gear. Flex play Thomas Jones could be a starting back for any other team, just to give you an idea of how ready to explode this team is this week.

DingleBarrySanders (4-3) vs. NomNomNom (5-2)

The family is at it again, as DingleBarry takes on his older cousin. Bad Ben is in at quarterback while Eli is taking the week off, and he inherits a spoil of riches. WRs Brandon Marshall and Wes Welker to go along with a strong running game. Marshall is in prime position for a good week against a depleted Cincy secondary and no pass rush up front. Wes Welker has had his production decrease significantly since Randy Moss was moved out of town, but after a few weeks to adjust you have to figure that Belicheck has as way to get him back flowing in the offense. MJD is having a disappointing season and it probably won't get any better against the Cowboys. While the G-men were able to run on Dallas last week, the Jags offensive line is nowhere near as good. Steven Jackson will go for St. Louis against the Panther's despite being injured, again. But like always, he's playing. And the player to keep your eyes on? At the flex it's Arian Foster looking to run all over the Colts again.
Despite losing to previously always beaten Where's My D-fense? last week, NomNomNom remains in 2nd place. They look to rebound this week with the help of a loaded passing game featuring Steve Smith (Car), Andre Johnson, Davonne Bess and flex play Calvin Johnson. Each is a number 1, except for Bess who usually just contributes 5+ catches a game anyway. With so much talent on the outside it almost doesn't matter that Carson Palmer is their quarterback. The running game is centered around Jahvid Best who should have some running room against Washington now that Matthew Stafford is back at quarterback. Shonn Greene may seem some increased touches this week against a solid Packer's defense as the Jets have had 2 weeks to prepare and may begin to try to save LT for the post-season. KC TE Tony Moeaki is having an impressive rookie season and with the sudden re-emergence of Dwayne Bowe in the passing game, Moeaki should see less quality coverage, giving him a chance to fact highly in the Chiefs passing game.

And finally, our GAME OF THE WEEK:

#3 GreenZone (5-2) vs. #1 The I.F.F. (7-0)

The GreenZone can make a huge statement this week if they can knock off the current #1. Philip Rivers will be throwing all day, both because the Titans are solid against the run and because that's all he does anyway. The passing game includes WRs Dwayne Bowe and Pierre Garcon whose value is on the rise as well as Brandon Lloyd and Marques Colston who's value may have peaked already. However, if all 4 players can put in a quality effort this week, it may be enough to add the first blemish to the I.F.F. RB Frank Gore is currently looking for a running partner as Panther's back DeAngelo Williams is unlikely to play this week against the Rams. Personal favorite TE Heath Miller is just another of the Steelers who is getting the Bad Ben bump since the return of the team's quarterback. A favorite target for years he's a vital piece to perhaps one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL. This week, his contributions could lead his fantasy team further up the standings.
The Indefinable Franken Furter (hey, it's Halloween) remains unbeaten for now, however with their top two receivers on bye this week, will the current #1 make some early morning moves to keep the win streak alive, or will they take the loss and try not to disturb team chemistry? So that leaves WR Patrick Crayton all alone with the receiving duties this week. Kyle Orton showed signs of coming back down to Earth last week and the poor play of his team has the local fans clamoring for the rookie Tim Teabow. Could it be that the people of Denver deal the most damaging blow to the top seeded team by having his quarterback replaced? With Jay Cutler waiting on the bench that can't be a comfortable position for the I.F.F. to be in. Running backs Chris Johnson, Michael Bush and Jamaal Charles will have to shoulder the burden if the team goes into the game this week with only one pass catcher. Fortunately those are 3 solid backs. Unless Darren McFadden goes nuts again and Bush has to watch it all from the bench. TE Antonio Gates is still hampered by a foot injury which may limit his production, creating an ere of a perfect storm coming together to topple the I.F.F.'s run at perfection.

Just a quick announcement, there likely won't be a preview next week as I'll be in the hospital recuperating from surgery on Tuesday. So, feel free to look over your team's week 9 matchup and make pithy little comments about it to yourself, while I lay in bed hopefully with a supply of pain killers.