NFL Week 10 Preview
Fantasy Football Start Em’ Sit Em
Quarterback Start: Eli Manning (vs. CIN), Jameis Winston (vs. CHI), Trevor Siemian (at NO)
Quarterback Sit: Kirk Cousins (vs. MIN), Andy Dalton (vs. NYG), Ryan Tannehill (at SD)
Running Back Start: Chris Ivory (vs. HOU), Jeremy Hill (at NYG), Terrence West (vs. CLE)
Running Back Sit: Ryan Matthews (vs. ATL), Christine Michael (at NE), Isaiah Crowell (at BAL)
Wide Receiver Start: Alshon Jeffery (at TB), Randall Cobb (at TEN), Mike Wallace (vs. CLE)
Wide Receive Sit: Julian Edelman (vs. SEA), Willie Snead (vs. DEN), Brandon Marshall (vs. LA)
Tight End Start: Tyler Eifert (at NYG), Antonio Gates (vs. MIA), Zach Miller (at TB)
Tight End Sit: Coby Fleener (vs. DEN), Julius Thomas (vs. HOU), Gary Barnidge (at BAL)
Defense/ST Start: Ravens (vs. CLE), Jets (vs. LA)
Defense/ST Sit: Seahawks (at NE), Steelers (vs. DAL)
Week 10 Game Picks
Browns vs. Ravens: Behold, one of the games I believe the Browns can win. It’s a short week, the Ravens are inconsistent and frankly the Browns play far too hard to be flirting with 0-16. So for no real statistical or factual reasoning, I’m picking the Browns to take this game simply out of believe they’re better than their winless record.
Chiefs vs. Panthers: Cam Newton and the Panthers are now winners of two-straight games and will look to make it three against the Chiefs. A few things to note for Kansas City: my prognostication is coming together. Justin Houston has been activated and could return, Alex Smith is expected to return and Spencer Ware has passed the concussion protocol. Time to see if the Chiefs will be as dangerous as I expect in the second half of the season. Furthermore, the Chiefs have been unbeatable at home with a 10 game winning streak at Arrowhead. Problem is, they’re not in Arrowhead. Problem is, the Panthers are putting it together on offense and their defense is good against the run. Carolina will make it three in a row this week with the win.
Broncos vs. Saints: This matchup features the number one passing offense and the number one passing defense. Typically it’s wise to side with the defense in games like this, but I have real concerns about the Broncos offense. Over the last four weeks, the Broncos have only scored 20 points once (last week against the Raiders). And I know the Saints defense isn’t all that great, but neither were the Raiders a week ago. On top of that, the Raiders were able to push the Broncos around in the trenches. These are the reasons I’m picking against them. The Saints offense has few weaknesses. They can run the ball and they can certainly throw it down the field. On the other side, the Broncos have no offensive identity. And until they find it, their slide will continue. I’m picking the Saints to win this one.
Rams vs. Jets: It’s time for Rams fans to begin their protest for Jared Goff to take the field. Since the Rams 3-1 start, their offense has fallen off a cliff. At this point, there would be no harm in throwing the rookie out there and seeing what he can do. Who knows, he may be the spark that turns it around in LA. This week would’ve been perfect to put Goff out there. The Jets are very beatable. And if for some reason you cannot beat them, they’ll do you a favor and beat themselves. I’m expecting a low scoring affair, but ultimately I’ll side with the Jets to win an to spark change for the Rams.
Packers vs. Titans: Everyone has been stressing about the play of Aaron Rodgers, but he actually hasn’t been playing that bad. Since Week 7, he’s thrown 10 touchdowns and one interception. In reality, he just needs some help from the rest of his team. Plus, the NFC North is wide open with the Vikings falling apart. The Titans are also in a wide open division, but they ran into some ball control issues against the Chargers last week. Their running game will run into the league’s best rushing defense and that spells doom for them. Look for the Packers to win this game.
Falcons vs. Eagles: The Eagles have officially fallen back to earth and now have a mismatch on their hands against the Falcons. While the Eagles pass rush is to be respected, they simply don’t have the secondary to make it elite. MVP candidate Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are coming to town and shouldn’t have much trouble shredding them. Speaking of the Falcons, now is the time to prove they’re for real and not the team that fell apart in the second half of last season. Falcons take this one.
Vikings vs. Redskins: Nothing has changed for the Vikings coming into this week. Their offense is still rudderless mostly due to offensive line issues and lack of game changing weapons. On defense, they’ve taken a few steps back as a whole. Washington will attack the Vikings defense in a similar fashion as the Lions did just a week ago. If they’re able to yield enough points, I just don’t believe that the Vikings defense can match them. I’ll pick Washington to win this game.
Texans vs. Jaguars: I have no faith whatsoever in the Jaguars at this point. The sad part is that my faith in the Texans isn’t much higher. Still though, Houston is the superior team and should win this game.
Bears vs. Buccaneers: The Bears have yet to win a game on the road this season, and the Buccaneers have yet to win at home. So something has to give here unless we see another tie. Mike Evans has been on a roll lately and I expect Winston to find him early and often. However, the Bears have Jordan Howard to balance out their offensive attack and keep the Bucs offense on the sideline. As long as Jay Cutler doesn’t go full Jay Cutler out there, the Bears will win this one.
Dolphins vs. Chargers: The city of San Diego made history on election night. They became the first city I can remember to tell the NFL no when it comes to using taxes for a new stadium. A ballsy move, but not one without consequence. NFL football in San Diego is coming to an end after this season and LA inherits another team with a sub-500 record. As a team, the best statistic to describe the Chargers would be turnovers. The Chargers defense has forced the most turnovers in the league with 18. On the other hand, they’ve also committed the second-most turnovers in the league. Job number one this week for them will be to stop Jay Ajayi and maintain balance on offense. It took them awhile, but the Chargers will finally climb out of the hole and get to .500 with a victory.
49ers vs. Cardinals: The Niners are awful. Cardinals win.
Cowboys vs. Steelers: Two flagship franchises in the NFL meet. I certainly expect Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense to be better this week. However, this game is another mismatch on paper. The Cowboys offensive line and running game were tailor made to keep offenses like the Steelers on the sidelines. Furthermore, the bizarro Steelers defense has trouble against big offense lines. Remember what the Dolphins did to them? With that in mind, Dak will do what he does best and make good plays without crashing the car. The Cowboys will win this game.
Seahawks vs. Patriots: Easily the game of the week, we get a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX. Expect the crux of the game to remain the same. Tom Brady will attack the Seattle defense with short and quick passes that almost no defense can defend. Also expect a healthy dose of running from the Patriots to balance it out. The Seahawks game plan will be different however as their offense has drastically changed since that Super Bowl. They’ll attempt to establish the running game, but Jimmy Graham and Russell Wilson are the faces of that offense. Expect them to link up a lot in this game. In the end, Bill Belichick is 11-4 coming off of bye weeks since becoming the Patriots head coach. He specializes in removing strengths and magnifying weaknesses in his opponents. The Patriots will win this game.
Bengals vs. Giants: The Bengals must be ecstatic that the AFC North is still attainable despite their average at best play. They may save Marvin Lewis’ job yet. The Bengals have a few advantages in this game. First, their pass rush led by Geno Atkins should be able to get after Eli and clog the run since the Giants will be miss one of their starting guard Justin Pugh. Secondly, the Bengals are deep at cornerback and should be able to throw everything they have at Odell Beckham Jr. I’m picking the Bengals to win a close game.
