So last week I tried really hard and screwed up on a lot of picks...the two weeks before I didn't try hard and wasn't stressed about exams and did great. This week I'm going to take the latter of the two and hopefully come up with some stuff that will please my critics. So here goes nothing ladies and gents here comes some of the best predictions on the web....Were not like the other guy over here; we tell you what we think - not what you want to hear...

Quarterbacks...STARTS
Seneca Wallace vs. Rams - This past week he didn't throw for too many yards but he sure got the Job done when it came to putting up some touchdowns and fantasy points. No one probably would have had this guy in their lineup but I suggest that this week you do so if your lacking QB depth. Branch is his boy and expect Wallace to hook up for a TD or 2 with his WRs or RBs and carry a few teams to the next round.

Jason Campbell vs. Cincy - Campbell wont be putting up 300yds and 2TDs but you can expect 200 and possibly two scores if your lucky. He has to be started however in 2QB leagues because he is going to ensure you some solid points...I do think that a different Redskin will be having a career game but because of that it will allow Jason to stand out with solid numbers.

Donovan McNabb vs. Cleveland - Expect McNabb to take the momentum from the last two games and carry them forward into this weeks showdown against the Browns. Cleveland has showed the world that they are really just an unable defense and McNabb will have a field day padding his own and his WRs numbers.

Tony Romo vs. NYG - Stop sweating because of a bad game for Mr.Romo; He'll be back this week putting up some numbers that will remind you of the Romo that carried you to a solid record in the first quarter of the season. The WR options for Romo are endless and because of that he will be able to make throws right, left and center. Expect him to top 250yds and bring home 2 scores....

Don't get too excited ya digg....
Drew Brees vs. Chicago - It would just be unnecessary for the Saints to go pass crazy against the Bears...This will ultimately result in the Bears going up against Brees' boys Bush and P.Thomas. Obviously Drew will get a score (maybe 2) but don't expect him to gooo CRAZY like he has all season...if you don't understand let me say this "interceptions and fumbles" Brees will have them.

Sit'em down mr.brown...
Matt Ryan vs.Tampa - Sure he's going to bring home the rookie of the year award but he won't be throwing the ball around like some sort of godsend this week. He will be handing it off to Turner and hoping for the best...Maybe one score but nothing that will get you that edge over your opponent.

RUNNING BACKs...STARTS
Joseph Addai vs. Detroit - His time is now and I expect him to rack in over 100yds and a score...Definitely start this guy cause his ceiling is about 3Scores for 200yds...

Ryan Grant vs. Jacksonville - Another random start is Ryan Grant; The former free agent came back last year late in the season to get people some wins and guess what....HERE IT COMES. Start Ryan Grant with confidence and recognize that he is going to save your week if you decide to plug him in...

Matt Forte vs. The Saints - I know that Forte is one of the best rookie running backs in the league and so do the Saints. The only problem is that Forte is going to score early and often until the score is out of reach by such a distance that they have to depend on Orton.

Dont get excited...
Ronnie Brown vs. 49ers - This guy is a total bust right now...let it go...let it go....
Sit'em...?
Jamal Lewis vs. Philly - Theres not too many choices this week because a lot of guys have good matchups so yeah...leave him on your bench...

Wide Receivers Start'ems...
Marvin Harrison vs. Detroit -Marvins back like Ma$e after he went to the church and he's gonna take the Lions secondary to church this upcoming week. He was ranked fairly high on rotoworlds rankings over this season as they refused to lose hope...well if you hung on for this long now is the time to plug'em in, plug'em in...

Lee Evans vs. NYJ - Lee Evans has the ability to just make 2 big plays a week and thats all he needs to be a solid start this week. Start him with confidence over a good chunk of players like A.Bryant, S.Holmes or even B.Edwards...

Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson vs. Washington - Yeee you know Chad Johnson the guy who you haven't seen for quite some time now...Check this out: OCHO CINCO HAS HIS BREAK OUT GAME!

Sit'ems...
Hines Ward & Santonio Holmes - The Steelers cannot do it in the air this week against Baltimore trust me...

OH OK, the old blaming it on "final exams" excuse. Nice try bud. Wow, your not really stretching on QB's as far as picking Romo and mcnabb. Then just picking 2 horrible defenses for the other 2. But if you start Senecca Wallace in the first round of the playofss, then you have big issues with your team. He cant be trusted.
Zero reason to think Brees wont destroy the chicago secondary. All NO does is pass,and all chicago gives up is td's and yds thru the air. Sounds like a match made in heaven and very exciting
I guess if someone were to keep picking addai to start, eventually he will have a good game. But that doesnt make up for the fact that he has had 6 bad games in a row.But keep plugging away Joe Addai
Chad Johnson= horrible start for this week. Playoffs on the line and you choose to start a guy with one good week all year long, going against 3rd ranked pass D? No thanks
Also, SA Holmes went for 98 and a td last game against balt. For his career he avg's 78 yds/gm and has 4 tds in 5 gms against them...He is actually a decent start this week.

Hey Head,

Instead of being a jerk here, why don't you nicely give us some of your predictions? Too many people these days trying to tear people down instead of just trying to be positive and constructive. I don't understand. It takes so much more effort to be a jerk than to be nice.

I like Thigpen as a start'em QB for this week

hey scott,
In no way was i being a jerk. Just giving my opinion on some of his opinions. I mean, that is what this forum is about right? to give opinions? He put out this thread so that people would look at it and to start conversation. What would you want me to do? Agree with everything he says? Even tho i dont? Stop being so sensative. Too many people are just too ultra sensative these days

Don't quite get this one. The Bears have one of the worst pass defenses in the league and just recently lost Vasher for the season. The Bears DO have a good run defense so I would expect more tossing after the 2nd half..

Hey biggz, any IDP breakouts this weekend that may be on the WW right now??

Theres a few in the IDP Breakout thread check it out...Dawkins is probably my #1 pick right now though...

For once, I do agree with Biggz on sitting Brees this week. I will defend his pick since he appears not willing to. Believe me, even though I am from the CHI area there is no way Brees will put up his usual eye popping stats. Its hard to sit Brees but if you have another good QB with a more favorable matchup then I would consider an alternative for Brees. If I had to guess I dont see Brees topping 12 fantasy pts this week.

First, the game is at CHI and the weather forecast is looking at snow. Hell, we just got about 3 inches just today. Brees will not be able to relax in a dome instead the forecast is 20 degrees, windy, and snow. All these conditions do not favor Brees. If the wind is bad, expect it to effect Brees. This will be more of your grind it out game with these unfavorable conditions.

Secondly, CHI's strong point is creating TO's. While their pass D may not be the greatest as they have battled with injuries in the secondary between Vasher and Peanut Tillman. Even with the loss of Vasher for the season, a rookie or 2nd year guy named Graham was praised so much by Lovie that he was debating starting Graham over Vasher. I do expect the Bears to create at least 1 TO in which Brees is a part of. Ball will be slippery and we all know what can happen then.

Finally, the Bears now what is at stake for them in this game. They must win out to give them a shot at winning the division. If Brees goes off this game will depend on Reggie Bush. I expect many dump off passes and screens to Bush this game. I believe the last time Bush faced the Bears he killed them single handedly.

Either way, I will be catching this game live on Thurs and will definitely be rooting against the Bears. Instead, I will be rooting for Bush due to the fact he is on my squad and we have a fantasy playoff game to win this week.

he put out this thread to give his thoughts/predictions for particular players, not to be shot down or challenged (in almost a pissed off tone) by you and/or others. i agree that if you are so righteous, you should put your list out there. his picks are not top 5 players. if you had romo you would feel confident in playing him against a solid giants d? i own brees and live in chicago and am worried about the weather and the turnovers.

nobody is asking you to agree with everything he says, just try not to sound like a prick with your own opinions...

i know we got a shot of terrible weather today, but it is supposed to be decent thursday- cold but no snow or strong winds. i've checked numerous weather reports. if you can let me know where you are reading or hearing otherwise i would appreciate it. (considering benching brees if the conditions are as you mentioned).

Really? I checked the forecast toward the beginning of this week and it showed me a picture of a cloud with a snow flake.

Just checked again and your right now. but the weather changes in this area hourly. So, I am still not buying their forecasts. Regardless, the forecast now says it will feel like 18 degrees with 10 mph winds. So, take that for what its worth for those who own Brees.

i was thinking along the same lines, but the weather forecast for thursday night in CHI is getting better and better each day... it was projected to be below 10 degrees last night, but it's been updated to 19 degrees today with 10 mph winds which is a much more managable temperature...

here some other info to take note of...

-brees played 4 years in purdue, so he's played in cold weather games before
-brees put up 35/60 for 320yds, 3tds, 2ints @ CHI in 2007 (wk 17)
-brees put up 27/49 354yds 2tds, 1int @ CHI in 2006 (nfc championship game)
-CHI's dline is breaking down with dvorcek on IR and tommy harris gimpy hamstring, which should benefit the offense as a whole

Just checked again and your right now. but the weather changes in this area hourly. So, I am still not buying their forecasts. Regardless, the forecast now says it will feel like 18 degrees with 10 mph winds. So, take that for what its worth for those who own Brees.
[/quote]


Brees' line at Chicago last December 30th.

35/60 for 320 yards. 2 TD's and 3 picks.


Pierre's line (Bush DNP).

20/105 yds. 12 catches/121 yds. TD.

Tommie Harris has actually been improving the past few weeks and has actually been doing something. Their Dline depends on what Harris does. They have a pair of nice ends in Adewale and Brown but Harris makes this dline go. So, I do not think Brees will benefit in this area. Harris is getting stronger and looks better each week. I dont know what the hell Harris' deal was last week vs Jags, since his stats look like crap. But the 2 weeks before that he had accumulated 3 sacks.

I know Brees has played at Purdue but he really has not had to experience the freezing temperatures currently this season which CHI can bring. Another knock is this is a night game so no sun to speak of for Mr. Brees. I just feel the odds are stacked against him this week. People can disagree with this but I have a different opinion on this matter

harris sat out the 2nd half of last week's game... while he might be getting healthier, he's obviously still hobbled...

Ah, good to know. I was at work that Sun so I was forced to catch it on the radio that week and still only caught what was going on periodically.

Was it his knee/leg again? Either way at his size and athleticism, Harris is no easy cover for an oline men even if playing at 80%. I see they just limited his snaps 2nd half. So, he should be good to go vs NO.

apparently he sat as a precaution, not because of an injury...

Hey Biggz,
I saw another poster also touting Dawkins this week but I just don't get it. With Dorsey at QB and Winslow still possibly out, I would expect Cleveland's offense to be very ineffective. Are you touting Dawkins on the basis that he is due for some INT's this week? I'm considering playing him in place of Adrian Wilson but i'm in a tackle heavy league. Care to share some insight? Thanks

I also agree with Seneca Wallace as a potential great start this week. He looked very good and showed great touch throughout the game. He also said it's the first time in awhile that he's been a 100% healthy and is excited about playing. Shrug.
Here's the highlight game footage:
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d...campaign=ec0009

Sure hope your right...IM up aginst brees this week. Its supposed to be very cold thursday night and I am thinking of starting bess over colston as well.

Evans will draw Revis.. he's been shutdown by lesser players, and Revis is playing lockdown D.. Wouldnt touch Evans.
Antonio Bryant vs a cover 2 D with one corner who cant guard a chair(CGriffin).. would be the way i'd lean.. especially with both teams needing to win the game.

Here's the weather from last year when Brees threw for 32o and 3 tds:

http://www.covers.com/pageLoader/pageLoade...52.html&t=0

Here's tomorrow's forecast:

http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/...=hrly_graph_tab

28 degrees with 30% chance of flurries for a couple of hours and 13 mph winds? Not scared here.

Don't bench Brees.

Check the weather forecast before dispensing advice, guys!

Biggz....not sure about Addai as a must start RB....He's been one of the biggest first round flops this year and I don't think even playing the Lions makes him start-worthy. In addition, he
s turning ino "Fragile Fred Jr".....every game he leaves with an injury of some sort. I think his ceiling is closer to 60 yards and a TD.

I'm benching Evans for Bryant in one of my leagues.

And Brees goes for 300 and 2 TD.

Problem with Addai is Rhodes. Addai is leaving every game with an injury. Colts go up early and Rhodes plays most of the snaps as Indy gets Addai healthy for the playoffs. Probably looking at 70 and a TD. You'd have to hope to get 2 quick TDs to really get what you want.

Brees will have a good game. The Bears D are too injured to completely shut down Brees. I would only sit em if you have another top-5 option which is very unlikely. By the way the Bears are 28th in the league against the pass while facing Detroit and Minnesota twice, two teams with great QB play.

Brees is going to have huge game. He had a huge game last year in Chicago in the December and he'll do it again. 300 yards and 3 scores

The Bears can't tackle, Brees will burn them all game. Don't expect much pressure put on Brees either, especially off the short week. You can expect NO to convert a lot of 3rd and longs though.

Can you believe that you are actually the one who is wrong? Temps will feel like they are 18 degrees. One step ahead of you there. The winds are still predicted to be 10 MPH. Try and check a real weather site like accuweather.com instead of listening to your Tom Skilling. And I see the chance of precipitation is only 10%. So either you are one damn good liar or the site you use for weather is awfully shotty.

Did you know Brees has played 2 games vs CHI in his career? So, you just decide to post the game in which he put up the better stats? Nothing like trying to persuade your audience without giving them the whole story. That is laughable though, nice work

Not a Bears fan but their last 3 weeks, they have shut down the pass for the most part. The best QB vs them in this span was Trent Green statistically who finished with 220 pass yds and 4 INT's. Their opponents in this span have been MIN, JAX, and STL. Yes, I know that we really shouldnt count Frerrote in this but he still plays

Coming from the guy starting Brees this week in a fantasy playoff matchup.........

in both of his games @ CHI, brees put up monster numbers from a fantasy perspective...

brees put up 35/60 for 320yds, 3tds, 2ints @ CHI in 2007 (wk 17)
brees put up 27/49 354yds 2tds, 1int @ CHI in 2006 (nfc championship game)

the impact of bitterly cold weather or high winds shouldn't be underestimated, but all the weather reports are telling a different story... of course this can all change and the weather may dip below 10 degrees tomorrow night, but until then i wouldn't worry too much about starting brees

They haven't been able to tackle for 2+ years now. Mike Brown can lay a big his but can't wrap up, Briggs has been missing all year, Alex Brown is only good against the run, Tommie Harris is still banged up and didn't practice yesterday, Tillman can be burned by a speedster, the rest of the secondary is inexperienced and flawed in their own ways. I could go on and on and on, but I'm not going to waste my breath on the most overrated D in the league. Add the fact that Brees now has a new weapon in Moore that he hasn't had in his previous matchups, and a more effective Pierre Thomas then Duece, I think Brees will be just fine.


COMING FROM THE GUY WHO ROOTS FOR THE BEARS

And you forgot the real weapon. Prolly because he is on my team and not yours: THE Reggie Bush. You are one of the most unloyal fans anyway. I hope unloyal is a word..... You gave up on the Cubs so early (Understandable) and you are doing the same here with the Bears. The Bears secondary sucks because Lovie's such an idiot and too stubborn to switch out of the cover 2 scheme. Teams have figured out how to beat the cover 2 and have been laying it to Lovie's defense as of late. Its time for Lovie to wake up and realize that maybe his defensive scheme needs to be adjusted. Too predictable, why dont you try and play some man to man, bump n run coverage? Switch it up and dont let the opposing offense feel comfortable.

Not going to debate how "loyal" of a fan I am here, that's a pretty ridiculous statement. If you want to continue with that, then PM me.

The secondary isn't Lovie's fault, it is Babich's fault. He runs the worst scheme I have ever seen. If you knew anything about Lovie, you would know that he will not wake up and realize he needs to make a change. The guy is afraid of change and has never once came out in the second half with a new game plan. He is an awful coach and needs to go. No chance of any new defensive scheme this year, he and Babich both need out though.

not sure where this is coming from considering you already stated that you're not a bears fan (you're just forced to watch them since you reside in CHI)...

the cover 2, as a base defensive formation, has been proven to be effective when you have decent talent at the corner and safety spots as well as LBs who can tackle... the weakness of CHI's defense this season has been it's corner play... simply put, vasher and tillman, tillman in particular, are not as good as CHI expected them to be at this point of their careers... honestly, peanut doesn't really deserve to have a nickname

This is wrong on about all counts. How can the cover 2 be effective when your CB's are simply not healthy? ex. Vasher, Tillman They were forced to put out their 2nd and 3rd string corners when these 2 were both injured. Vasher is still a very good corner regardless of his size. Tillman, I do agree is on the downslope of his career. I still like this Graham kid who they are grooming to take over for either Till or Vasher.

The only real safety this team has to speak of is Mike Brown that other safety is just mediocre or below. I believe his name is Payne but that guy is always late on his rotations and gambles too much. I see this guy getting beat deep and beat altogether on so many easy pass attempts

Guys like Briggs and Urlacher are not exactly monsters of the midway either this year. These two have missed so many tackles this year compared to previous years. Overall, their D has been crap this year. The Dline which is supposed to be their strength has been so inconsistent. Some games they get their sacks and their others like against ATL in which Ryan is allowed as much time in the pocket as he wants. Simply put, Lovie's overall D schemes are just terrible this year compared to years past. Like that ATL game, Lovie did not blitz Ryan and instead relied on his front 4 to bring pressure. Very stupid on Lovie's part and Ryan made them pay especially on that last second drive with 13 seconds left. That game still haunts Bears fans to this day

I will never start Lee Evans again this year. And after saying I bet he has the game of his life.
I think TJ has a better game than #85. He just gets more passes thrown his way.

I totally agree with you on most of your points.

Just wanted to point out that the Bears use Cover 2 not all the time but about 1/3 of the time. At least that's been my observation. They do go "Man".
BUT- It's not working when they do use the Cover 2 due to the under-talented, injury-ridden Secondary you mentioned and the Bears LBs being a step slower this season (and the fact the league has been figuring out how to exploit the huge gaps in Cover 2 and Tampa 2 Coverages, especially against teams utilizing it in spite of the fact their MLB is too slow for the scheme to work effectively).

When they Man-up it's pretty damn soft, and they hardly ever bump-and-run.

Either way, Lovie relies on the cover 2 way too much especially in crunch time situations. This cover 2 is his base defense. Even the local announcers are getting sick of seeing the cover 2 as much as Lovie is utilizing it. If you are constantly getting beat with it, why not try something else out?

Lately, I have seen him try and not use the Cover 2 as much but I still see this garbage in crucial situations. I would use a base D of man to man for this D especially with the talent of their Corners. Although, it doesnt help when Peanut is wearing a cast on his arm. I just feel Lovie is playing it too conservative and their are betters way to attack an offense. This D has its spurts of where it looks good but other times I feel like I am watching the Chicago Rush defense out there.

Nevermind.

Brees cant produce in these conditions to the ability he has all season....I dont think he was a Sit'em this week he was a dont get too excited. I mean sure he will score thats without question but I think you should temper your expectations. As for my boy Dawkins, I think his spark has ignited after the last two great games by the eagles and he will look to have an impact on the overall future of the team. He knows he's aging and with reports in Philly flying around on the radio stations he lost his step he will bounce back into form to shut the critics up...I don't see too many sacks taking place against the Browns but I do see some INTs as the QB will look for Braylon and company to get some padding on their stats...Dawkins doesn't run when on the field he transports...

I keep seeing people focus on that December matchup last year. A couple things about that game however. First, it was a Week 17 end of the season matchup, which is usually a perfect game for padding stats, while guys sit out. Colston scored twice and was an animal at the end of the season last year. Last week, he just looked slow. Pierre Thomas, also had a freak game receiving (120 yards!), which I guess he could do again, shrug. The Bears ran Adrian Peterson (who didn't do too bad), but nobody has been better this season than Forte, and he'll limit Brees oppurtunties by at least a series or two. And lastly, Brees had 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles in that game. He'll score, but I'm not expecting 3 TD's and 300+yards in this one. And if it gets real cold, snowing and/or windy, then it only goes down from there. I just don't trust any QB's in nasty weather conditions (not saying it is going to be nasty). A big game can happen, but if the ball is moving all over the place and feels like throwing and catching a rock, it only gets more difficult. Sure, Schaub went crazy last week, but a couple of those long passes were pure luck, especially the Walters one, where he came back for a flying duck and the two defenders smashed into each other in a three stooges type act.

Not too good this week.

I know, you guys deserve better from me..