Category: NFL (Page 624 of 1282)

Fantasy Quick-Hitters: Calvin, Moreno, Stover, Cotch and Sims-Walker’s “lady friend”

Calvin Johnson misses practice, “hobbling” on sideline. The Packers are mediocre against the pass and are likely to jump out on the Lions so Dennis Northcutt, Bryant Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew could all see a lot of work on Sunday. Northcutt is a pesky possession receiver, so he’s a sleeper in PPR leagues.

Buckhalter practices, but Moreno still working with first team. The Chargers can’t stop the run, so look for Moreno to have a nice game. Keep an eye on Buckhalter, however. If he’s probable heading into the game, he could steal touches from Moreno. If he’s questionable or out, Moreno becomes a better start.

Adam Vinatieri out for six weeks; Colts sign Stover. This is actually good news — it just didn’t seem like fantasy football without Matt Stover. He’s a solid kicker and should score well with the Colts. It’s not often kickers make fantasy news, but it’s safe to cut Vinatieri if you have him on your roster.

Jerricho Cotchery may not play. He tweaked his hamstring on Monday night and may need to shut it down for a week. The arrival of Braylon Edwards and a matchup with the Bills make it likely that the Jets will proceed with caution. David Clowney played pretty well on Monday night and would be a sleeper in 12-team leagues if Cotch can’t go.

Mike Sims-Walker was suspended for missing bed check.
Apparently, he was out with a lady friend. The Jags really struggled without their top WR, but his presence probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference. He did it all for the nookie, the nookie, the nookie.

2009 NFL Week 6 Odds & Point Spreads

Along with a complete listing odds, here are previews for some of the Week 6 matchups in the NFL.

Ravens (3-2) at Vikings (5-0), 1:00PM ET
This is a matchup that features two teams heading in different directions. The Vikings are soaring with Brett Favre under center, while the Ravens have dropped two in a row after starting the season 3-0. Opponents are loading up the box to stop Adrian Peterson and Favre is beating them through the air. The Ravens need to figure out a way to pressure Favre or else they’ll be victim No. 6 for the Vikings. It’ll also be interesting to see how Minnesota’s defense does after surrendering 400 total yards to the lowly Rams last week in St. Louis.

Giants (5-0) at Saints (4-0), 1:00PM ET
After scoring over 40 points in each of their first two games, the Saints’ offense has been held to “only” 27 and 24 points, respectively, in their last two contests. Drew Brees and company will get a huge test this weekend against a Giants defense that ranks No. 1 in the NFL. That said, New Orleans will be well rested coming off a bye and has been playing outstanding defensively so far this year. The Saints will also have their full complement of backs, as Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell are both healthy and will form a trio with Reggie Bush in New Orleans’ backfield. This matchup will determine which of these teams is the best in the NFC, if not the NFL.

Bears (3-1) at Falcons (3-1), 8:20PM ET
The Sunday night matchup pits two teams that produced one of the more thrilling finishes in 2008 when Matt Ryan led the Falcons to a last-second victory after the Bears had taken a late lead. Chicago will be fresh coming off its bye, but Atlanta is 2-0 at home and exploded for 45 points last week in San Francisco. The Bears have had issues in their secondary this year, but Jay Cutler had plenty of success against the Falcons’ defense last year in Atlanta as a member of the Broncos. This primetime matchup could turn out to be a shootout in the Dome.

Broncos (5-0) at Chargers (2-2), Monday, 8:30PM ET
Before the season started, many people figured that these teams would have reverse records when they met in Week 6. But it’s Denver that has run away with the AFC West lead in the early going, while San Diego was left searching for answers heading into their bye last week. This has the makings of a great matchup, because the Bolts can score at will but not many teams are playing better defensively than the Broncos are right now. A win for the Chargers could help turn the tide in the division, while a loss would once again put them in catch up mode in the second half (much like last year).

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Report: Chiefs down on Glenn Dorsey

Brady

According to NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora, the Chiefs are already down on former first round pick Glenn Dorsey and are willing to trade him. La Canfora writes that the new coaching staff isn’t high on Dorsey and that the salary cap ramifications wouldn’t be a deterrent in dealing him before the October 20 deadline.

This isn’t shocking news considering that Dorsey isn’t a fit for the Chiefs’ new 3-4 defensive front. He excels at shooting the gaps as a 4-3 tackle, which is what he played at LSU. He isn’t big enough to play nose in a 3-4, and his pass-rush talents are wasted as an end in a 3-4.

If the report is true and the Chiefs do plan to trade him, one team that could be interested in Dorsey is the Falcons. They were reportedly deciding between Dorsey and Matt Ryan in last year’s draft and there was also a rumor that the Falcons were interested in trading for the D-tackle before this year’s draft.

The Falcons addressed their defensive tackle need in April with the selection of first round pick Peria Jerry. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 and the Falcons could use an interior pass-rusher to go along with Jonathan Babineaux. Once Jerry is healthy, the Falcons could have a fantastic defensive tackle rotation in Babineaux, Jerry and Dorsey (assuming they trade for Dorsey).

But would it be worth it for the Falcons to part with draft picks next year to acquire Drosey? Again, they’ve already addressed the need with Jerry, who will return to health next year (hopefully) and they also don’t have a second round pick in 2010 because of the trade for Tony Gonzalez. I doubt the Chiefs would part with Dorsey for a third rounder, so would the Falcons part with a first rounder? It’s doubtful.

Trades rarely happen in the NFL, so it’s unlikely that Dorsey will be dealt. But considering Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff and Chiefs GM Scott Pioli have a sound relationship from their days in New England, a Dorsey-to-Atlanta deal would be intriguing.

Polamalu back, but Steelers lose Smith for season

Head coach Mike Tomlin feels confident that Troy Polamalu will return to action this Sunday for the first time since suffering a knee injury in Week 1.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that defensive end Aaron Smith has been placed on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury and his season is now over. Look for Travis Kirschke to take over Smith’s defensive end spot, although first round pick Ziggy Hood will get snaps there as well.

This is the type of injury that tests a team’s ability to find depth in the offseason and given that Pittsburgh always drafts well, they should be fine. But Smith’s injury is a major blow to the Steelers’ vaunted run defense, one that has stifled opponents over the years. Kirschke and Hood (and maybe even Nick Eason) need to step up and fill the void or the Smith’s end position will become a weakness opponents can take advantage of.

That said, getting Polamalu back is massive. The Steelers are great without Polamalu, but with him they are exceptional because he freelances so well. Quarterbacks have to know where he is at all times and even then, he still finds a way to make plays.

After sitting out the past four weeks, Polamalu should be hyped up to play on Sunday against Cleveland.

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