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Fantasy Football Week 9 Q&A

Looking for Internet Fantasy Predictions then look no further than Dave B’s week 9 fantasy football watch list…

Watchlist Q & A – Week 9

After all of the weekly games are finished be sure to check our waiver wire column, studs and duds, a who’s hot, and who’s not report plus more in our fantasy football guide.

Week 9 of the NFL schedule promises to be yet another superb one, both for the average fans and for the Fantasy Football world. There are plenty of story lines that I will be watching this week with great interest. There are teams returning from byes, teams looking to rebound from bad losses last week, undefeated teams, and players looking to build on good season debuts. Of course there are injury concerns as well – one’s that will undoubtedly impact Fantasy decisions for the upcoming Week.

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So here we go with this Week’s edition of the Watchlist Q & A.

1. What will the returning bye week teams have in store for their competition this week?

Cincinnati Bengals – At home against a pretty good Baltimore team, the Bengals enter Week 6 with an impressive 5-2 record. Cedric Benson has been a monster and the passing game seems to be rounding into form. They Bengals are a good offensive team, but the defense still sucks. The Ravens are too good on Offense and Defense and should handle Carson and the boys.

Kansas City Chiefs – At Jacksonville this week, its now or never for the Chiefs. To be considered respectable, the Chiefs have to win this game. Look for Matt Cassel and his better knowledge of the playbook to have a better game. The Chiefs will be without Larry Johnson – Jamaal Charles takes over – I don’t think he will be much of a factor – it’s going to be Cassel’s day.

New England Patriots – Poor Miami. You have to face a rested Patriots team that is absolutely on fire right now. The running game continues to be a mystery, but you can count on Brady, Moss, and Welker to get their yards and scores. This game shouldn’t be close.

Pittsburgh Steelers – On the road in Denver on Monday night – should be fun!! The Steelers are playing some damn good football right now, and coming back from a week off, they could be scary. Roethlisberger and the boys should have their way with the over achieving Broncos. Troy Polamalu and the Steelers Defense is the best in the league and should dominate. What I am trying to say is – be confident about ALL of your Steelers this weekthey are gonna roll.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Ugh!! About sums it up. The Bucs face the Green Bay Packers this week and hopes of an triumphant post bye week return are laughable. There is nothing that the coaches could have done during the off week to prepare them for what is about to happen to them. It’s already been a long year in Tampa and it’s about to get longer.

Washington Redskins – Ugh again! I’m sure that the bye week was used more for rest and healing than it was for studying and game prep. The Skins are reeling on both sides of the ball and it seems the team is being sucked into a black hole.

2. Can some good teams bounce back from demoralizing losses last week?

NY Giants – Do the Giants need a win right now or what?? They host a good football team – the Chargers this week and we’ll know Sunday if the Giants are contenders or pretenders. Eli Manning is in a slump, Brandon Jacobs is in a slump and the whole Defense is in a slump. The boys need to right the ship fast, or their place in the top tier of NFL teams could be in jeopardy.

Denver Broncos – Tough task ahead for the Broncos this Week. Not only do they face the best Defensive unit on the planet, but they also face a bully of an Offense. It’s going to be tough to get Knowshon Moreno going, and Kyle Orton is no match for the Pitt. Defense. The Broncos will fall farther back to earth this week, but still remain 5-2.

Green Bay Packers – It’s like a doctor prescribed the Tampa Bay Bucs for the Packers this week. It seems that the Packers have been playing important games all year. Don’t think a laugher of a game won’t be welcome. Green Bay WILL get back into the win column and create lots of Fantasy points indeed!

Arizona Cardinals – Tough task marching into Soldier Field this week. The Cards are due for a big week aren’t they? My suspicion is that they are.

3. How will the replacement players fare in their 2nd week as Fantasy options

Alex Smith – San Francisco – Not a bad debut last week. I think that Alex Smith finally “gets it”. Mark my word, Smith is going to be a decent fantasy option going forward. Games against Tennessee, Chicago, and Green Bay coming up – you know that the Niners are going to have to throw a ton. With Crabtree emerging and Vernon Davis proving his worth and oh ya – Frank Gore, San Francisco looks like a competitive team going forward.

Vince Young – Tennessee – Another QB that appears to have turned a corner with maturity and with football sense. Young spent the better part of 1 ½ years being the unquestioned backup. I think it humbled him and made him realize his football identity. He’ using his arm and his legs to keep Defenses off balance. Young is better than he was – trust me!

Ryan Moats – Houston – I wouldn’t get too excited about the possibility of a repeat 3 td. performance. Steve Slaton is still the starter there and his benching last week was more like a Dad grounding his kid. Slaton will be back this week in full form, and Moats will go back to catching warmup balls for the starting QB.

4. How many undefeated team will we have going into Week 10?

New Orleans – Home to Carolina this week and its obvious that the Saints record will remain perfect. They are simply an Offensive tank that crushes everything in their way. Drew Brees and the passing game (Colston Shockey, and fill in the blank) will be huge but only Kreskin could figure out who the lead rusher in New Orleans might be.

Indianapolis Colts – Who’s gonna bet against the Colts against Houston this week? The Texans could actually make a big statement if they were to win the game but that’s unlikely to happen. Peyton Manning has thrown for over 300 yards in all but one game this year and I can’t see the Texans holding him down. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are money in the bank and the Defense with Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders strike fear into anyone. The Colts will roll and we’ll have 2 undefeated teams in Week 10.

5. After last week’s disappointments, will the marquee games this week live up to the hype?

Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals – The Ravens are going to need to win this game to earn a season split and I think they will get the victory. The combination of Ray Rice’s strong running and Joe Flacco’s efficient and effective throwing will produce enough points for the win while Knowshon Moreno, Kyle Orton, Brandon Marshall and the rest of the passing attack should have difficulty with a healthy, rested Baltimore Defense. It could be a low scoring game in which mistakes make the difference. The Broncos, to me, seem like the team more likely to make those mistakes.

San Diego Chargers @ New York Giants – The Giants are in shambles right now, and as previously mentioned, the whole team seems to be in a slump. This does not bode well for this week – they are playing a San Diego team that appears to have their Offensive and Defensive swagger back. This might also be a low scoring affair with the Chargers doing enough on Offense to pull this one out.

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles – They don’t get much bigger than this game in Week 9. Both teams are playing well and both go into the game HOT. The only advantage that I see is home field – that belongs to the Eagles. Unlike the other marquee matchups, this game figures to be high scoring. Brian Westbrook is coming back to full strength, Donovan McNabb is playing as well as he ever has, and the receiving combo of Jackson and Maclin figure to be huge in this game – Brent Celek is also a fine option this week. For Dallas, Romo will continue his mid season streak, with Miles Austin being Romo’s Man once again. This game should be fun folks – I will be watching for the entertainment value alone.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos – The Broncos, up until last week, were playing at a very high level – maybe over achieving. The Steelers have been doing what many thought they would. Aside from a couple of close losses, the Steelers remain an elite team in the NFL. I will be watching to see if the Broncos can keep up with the Steelers and establish themselves as a quasi-elite team too. I don’t think that it will happen, but it should warrant some attention from NFL fans.

6. Which injuries will affect the outcome of Week 9?

Aaron Rogers – Green Bay – Has injuries to both feet (no wonder with the sacks he’s taken) but it won’t keep him out Sunday – NO WAY!!!

Jake Delhomme – Carolina – Chest contusion – should be all right physically. Don’t know about his overall mental state.

Kevin Smith – Detroit – Technically a game time decision, but it looks favorable for him to be at full speed Sunday. Maurice Morris is looking good too – keep tabs to see if Morris might steal some carries from Smith.

Bryan Westbrook – Philadelphia – Amazingly, he has been cleared to play and it appears that he is ready to assume the full load once again.

Donald Brown – Indianapolis – Has a banged up shoulder that kept him OUT last week. Could be another game time decision – keep an eye on the situation.

Anquan Boldin – Arizona – 50/50 this week – if he does play, he will clearly be hindered by the bad ankle. He’s not the same with the injury and the injury doesn’t seem to be going away.

Calvin Johnson – Detroit – Game time decision but he’s closer to return than at any point in the last 3 or so weeks – could go this Sunday

Devin Hester – Chicago – Another game time decision – keep tabs.

Anthony Gonzales – Indianapolis – Doesn’t figure to play – target next week for his return.

Donald Driver – Green Bay – A little banged up – he’s a gamer – he’ll be there on Sunday.

Lance Moore – New Orleans – Ankle sprain – doesn’t look good.

7. Do I like Braylon Edwards yet?

Nope!

There ya go folks – lots of information there – hope it helps. Enjoy what should be a great week in the NFL.

By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.