NFL Week 6 Preview
Fantasy Football Start Em’ Sit Em
Quarterback Start: Marcus Mariota (CLE), Blake Bortles (at CHI), Matthew Stafford (vs. LA)
Quarterback Sit: Philip Rivers (vs. DEN), Andy Dalton (at NE), Matt Ryan (at SEA)
Running Back Start: Christine Michael (vs. ATL), C.J. Anderson (at SD), Ryan Mathews (at WAS)
Running Back Sit: Matt Forte (at ARI), Isaiah Crowell (at TEN), Jeremy Hill (at NE)
Wide Receiver Start: Brandin Cooks (vs. CAR), Doug Baldwin (vs. ATL), Julian Edelman (vs. CIN)
Wide Receive Sit: Chargers receivers (vs. DEN), Allen Turns (at CHI), Terrelle Pryor (at TEN)
Tight End Start: Jimmy Graham (vs. ATL), Zach Ertz (at WAS), Travis Kelce (at OAK)
Tight End Sit: Hunter Henry (vs. DEN), Dennis Pitta (at NYG), Jason Witten (at GB)
Defense/ST Start: Steelers (at MIA), Titans (vs. CLE), Lions (vs. LA)
Defense/ST Sit: Rams (at DET)
Week 6 Game Picks
Broncos vs. Chargers: Denver failed to overcome the play of their rookie quarterback and had trouble covering Tevin Coleman on defense. Fortunately for them, Trevor Siemian will be back and their opponent lacks the offensive playmakers to give them much trouble. The Chargers seem to find a new way to lose every week and injuries have rendered them toothless in many aspects. The Broncos defense will have no trouble covering their receivers or getting after Philip Rivers. The Broncos should take this one especially considering the Chargers will find a way to lose anyway. Either way, both teams will look good in their color rush jerseys. So that’s sort of a win I guess.
Eagles vs. Redskins: Carson Wentz finally looked like a rookie last week and the Eagles suffered their first lost. Their opponent this week is Washington, who has been ‘meh’ even in victory this season. As long as Wentz avoids Josh Norman and takes care of the ball, the Eagles have a good chance to win this game. Their front seven can shut down the Washington running game and get after Kirk Cousins. I’ll pick the Eagles to win this one.
Steelers vs. Dolphins: The Steelers offense should be able to shred Miami’s defense rather easily. Pittsburgh takes this one.
Jaguars vs. Bears: The Bears offense has logged more than 900 yards in the last two weeks with Brian Hoyer under center. Also, the Bears have found a running game with Jordan Howard. It’ll be an interesting task for Jacksonville’s defensive front. The Jags have decent depth up front and could easily use a ball control style of offense to keep the Bears offense on the sideline. I’ll pick the Jags to win their first game in this country this season.
Browns vs. Titans: DeMarco Murray should have no trouble running over the Browns defense. And plus, the Browns are awful. Titans win.
Bengals vs. Patriots: It looks like the Bengals are beginning to sink. All of their losses have come against teams with winning records while their victories are against teams with a combined two wins so far this season. Typical Bengals. It doesn’t get much easier for them as they play against a coach who probably already has the perfect game plan to beat them. Plus, Tom Brady looked great in his first game back. The final nail in the coffin is the Bengals linebackers trying to cover Gronk and Bennett. Good luck with that. Patriots win this one.
49ers vs. Bills: Colin Kaepernick will get the start this week. So maybe his critics can finally shut up and stop deflecting the issues for which he stands for. On the field, Kaep has his work cut out for him. Confidence is at an all-time high in Buffalo with Rex Ryan seemingly hitting the right buttons. Kaep was apparently struggling with health and keeping weight on. So how he responds to getting hit will be interesting to watch. The Bills offense is simple. Tyrod Taylor does enough while a resurrected LeSean McCoy carries the load. I think the Bills make it four in a row and win this one.
Ravens vs. Giants: The last time the Ravens switched offensive coordinators during the season, they went on to win the Super Bowl. Just throwing that out there. Their new look offense has a nice start ahead of them against the Giants struggling defense. The Giants $200 million defense looks more like a $2 defense. Look for the Ravens to dial up some long passes against the Giants secondary. Odell Beckham Jr. is the only threat on the Giants offense, but the guy throwing him the ball is struggling. The Ravens should win this one.
Rams vs. Lions: Mistakes cost the Rams greatly last week against the Bills. Case Keenum is at his best when Todd Gurley gets it going on the ground. So that is imperative for the Rams success. For the Lions, they’ll have to rely on their offense to win this one. They could be without three or four starters along their defensive front seven. That should leave the door open just enough for LA to get it done this week.
Panthers vs. Saints: It’s desperation time for Carolina this week. They need to start racking up wins ASAP. Cam Newton will be back and there’s a chance Jonathan Stewart will play as well. Stewart would be the bigger return because he can take the pressure off of Cam in the running game. Their opponent his week will be a dangerous one. The Saints have had an extra week to prepare and the Panthers secondary is awful. Expect a high scoring game between these two teams. I’ll pick the Panthers to win this game because they have to have it.
Chiefs vs. Raiders: This could be the best game of the week. Expect the Chiefs to be well prepared since Andy Reid is notorious for winning following a bye week. Jamaal Charles is expected to be back at normal capacity against the Raiders suspect defense. Their defense should be motivated as well coming off of a beatdown in Pittsburgh two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Raiders have gotten back to their old owners credo: “Just win baby”. Oakland seems to always find ways to win this season. Their offense is propping them up with consistent performances across the board, but their defense hasn't lived up to the hype so far. If it’s close down the stretch, I trust the Raiders more to win this game.
Cowboys vs. Packers: The popular opinion is that this will be Dak Prescott’s first real test in the NFL. So what has he been doing these past five weeks? Oh yeah, winning football games. The team who’ll really be tested is the Packers. Their run defense is legit, but so is the Cowboys running attack. A great matchup to look forward to. The Cowboys have options in man coverage with Morris Claiborne finally living up to his draft selection. However, I still expect Aaron Rodgers to put the ball in the right place. It’ll be close, but I expect Green Bay to win.
Falcons vs. Seahawks: Defensively these two teams are mirror images. Falcons Head Coach Dan Quinn did come from Seattle after all. The real difference in these teams are the offensive units. The Falcons offense is way better and far more creative than the Seahawks. Richard Sherman will be on Julio Jones and their defense should be able to get after the running backs. The real question here is how the Falcons defense will get after Russell Wilson. Their pass rush isn’t all that and Wilson can always maneuver away from the pass rush. Ultimately I’ll pick the Seahawks to win at home.
Colts vs. Texans: The Colts defense is in big trouble this week. The Texans offense had it’s troubles last week, but that was against the Vikings. This week, the Hopkins, Fuller and Miller should find far more success against the Colts. Andrew Luck will keep them in the game, but it won't be enough in the end. Texans win.
Jets vs. Cardinals: The new word for the Jets this season is liability. Their QB and their secondary are both liabilities. Which means they’re in trouble against the Cardinals. Look for the Arizona offense to test the Jets secondary early and often. Meanwhile, their defense will work on forcing Ryan Fitzpatrick into turnovers. The Cardinals should win as long as Carson Palmer doesn’t turn into a liability himself.
