The Sunday Special

It’s time to get fired up fantasy fans, because Week 8 kickoff is just a few hours away.  I’m live from Pittsburgh for the Steelers/Giants afternoon showdown, and the town is going nuts.  Hats off to the Big Blue faithful, you guys travel and drink like champions.   More on the my trip later this week, but for now, let’s get down to business. 

INJURY REPORT

1.    Anquan Boldin    Arizona Cardinals:  Boldin is expected to play today, but is NOT going to see a full work load.  You should consider leaving him on the bench, since his targets will be limited and he is going against the NFL’s 5^th ranked defense. 

2.    Willie Parker    Pittsburgh Steelers:  No official word on FWP as of yet.  Stay tuned, but plan for the worst. 

3.    Steven Jackson    St. Louis Rams:  Jackson is 50/50 to go today, meaning he will be active, but is not expected to see a full work load.  You may want to make a last minute substitution.

4.    Joseph Addai    Indianapolis Colts:  Addai has not been ruled out of Monday’s game at Tennessee as of yet, but he is not a good RB option regardless.  Even if he does play, he will split carries and is playing on the road against the NFL’s 3^rd ranked total defense. 

5.    Chris Chambers    San Diego Chargers: After sitting out the last two weeks with an ankle injury, Chambers is expected to be back in the lineup in London today against the Saints.  If the weather turns nasty, he will not be a good start. 

6.    Brian Westbrook    Philadelphia Eagles:  B West is going to play today and not only that, word out of the locker room is that Westbrook is close to 100%.  Get him back into your lineups. 

7.    Laveranues Coles    New York Jets: Coles is expected to play today.  Put him in your lineup. 

8.    Felix Jones    Dallas Cowboys:  Jones has not practiced for over two weeks since suffering a hamstring injury against the Cardinals in Week 6.  He is not a reliable option today. 

9.    Joey Galloway    Tampa Bay Buccaneers: After missing almost the entire season with a foot injury, Galloway returns to action today at Dallas.  He will need to get back to game shape, so a stellar performance today is not very likely. 

10.  Sammy Morris    New England Patriots:  Morris is out for today’s game against the Rams. 

LAST SECOND START EM

New York Jets Defense:  If you are looking for a spot start defense this weekend, look no further then the Big Apple (actually, they play in Northern Jersey, but that doesn’t sound as cool).  The Jets try to rebound from last Sunday’s loss at Oakland when they play host to the Tyler Thigpen-led Kansas City Chiefs.  The Chiefs have the 29^th ranked offense in the NFL, averaging only 12.5 points and 257.3 total yards per game.  In addition, starting running back Larry Johnson is out due to a suspension.  This should be a beat down. 

LAST SECOND SIT EM

Dominic Rhodes    Indianapolis Colts:  We recommended you pick him up off waivers last week, and Rhodes came through and made us look good.  In a humiliating loss at Green Bay, Rhodes stepped up and looked terrific, gaining 114 total yards and scoring two touchdowns.  Unfortunately, the party has come to an end.  While it is possible starting RB Joseph Addai could return on Monday Night, the bigger problem is their opponent.  Indy heads to Tennessee to take on the Titans and the 8^th ranked rushing defense.  Rhodes is not an option this weekend. 

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers:  The 4-2 Cardinals head to Carolina today to take on the 5-2 Panthers in a game that has NFC playoff implications written all over it.  Arizona is in the driver’s seat in the NFC West (you ever think you would hear that?), but has had big time problems playing on the east coast.  Losses at Washington and New York (Jets) put the Cardinals at 0-2 for the season when heading east, and today’s matchup against the league’s 5^th ranked defense will be no walk in the park.  Expect to see healthy doses of the Panthers’ two-headed backfield beast, Jonathan Stewart (start him) and DeAngelo Williams (start him), as well as a productive day from WR Steve Smith, who will be looking to take advantage of his matchup against the league’s 20^th ranked passing defense.  Can Warner and the Cards get it done?

WATCH OUT FOR…

San Diego Chargers (OVER 46) at New Orleans Saints (London):  Anytime the NFL’s top offense is taking on the league’s worst passing defense, you would expect to see big time points put up on the board.  However, that may not be the case today in London as the Chargers 32rd ranked pass defense takes on the NFL’s #1 offense.  The weather forecast for today’s game in London at Wembley Stadium is not promising and in addition, this field is set up for soccer games, meaning its slicker than what NFL teams are used to playing on.  It rained last night in London, so expect the field to play a major factor in today’s game. 

MUSH PICK OF THE WEEK…

BILLS (-1) at Dolphins:  The mush streak ended last week with the Steelers coming through and covering the spread against the lifeless Cincinnati Bengals.  So far on the season, I’m currently sitting 2-1 in mushing teams’ chances of pulling out a win/covering the spread.  Today, the unfortunate team heading under the bus is the Buffalo Bills.  The Bills have won 7 of their last 8 meetings with the Dolphins, and have outscored Miami 88-33 in their last four contests.  In addition, WR Lee Evans has 8 career TDs against the Dolphins, while quarterback Chad Pennington is 3-5 as a starter against Buffalo.  With starting NT Jason Ferguson out for today’s game, look for Marshawn Lynch to have a big day between the tackles.  So it’s official:  I love Buffalo today, which means you should feel comfortable in picking Miami.  Good Luck!

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