Zombie Hater's Week 8 Round Up

So this week I am taking a look at this and all I have to say about this season is damn. Where are the players that we expected to dominate? Where are the NFL teams that were going to carve up the league? Who are these new players coming in and giving are trustworthy old stand ins a run for there money? Well welcome to the wonderful world of football. Lets see what we have going on this week.

Bye Week Teams
Buffalo
Cincinnati
Baltimore
Houston


Injuries

Jake Locker (Ten QB)
(Non Throwing Shoulder) Well he is starting to practice just do not expect them to rush him back.

DeMarco Murray (Dal RB)
(Foot) Do not expect him to play this week

Trent Richardson (Cle RB)
(Rib Cartilage) Its all about if he can take a hit. He will be a game time decision.

Aaron Hernandez (NE TE)
(Ankle) Not his season this year.

Danny Amendola (Stl WR)
(Shoulder) Do not be fooled by questionable. He won't play.

Greg Jennings (GB WR)
(Groin) He is now having surgery. They say 3 weeks but lets not make any bets here.

Pierre Garcon (Was WR)
(Foot) Could lead to surgery. Do not expect him back soon.

Maurice Jones-Drew (Jac RB)
(Foot) Well we will have to keep an eye on him week from week.

Jimmy Graham (NO TE)
(Ankle) Game time decision

Rashard Mendenhall (Pit RB)
(Achilles) Maybe back week 9. We will see.

Cedric Benson (GB RB)
(Injured Reserve) Are we praying he will heal? Why is he in your line up?

Roy Helu (Was RB)
(Injured Reserve) Maybe he can replace Cedric Benson

Kevin Kolb (Ari QB)
(Ribs) Out for at least 2 months


Sit'em or Play'em
As stated previously no bye them or injured players will be included here.

Sit'em

Micheal Crabtree_-_He faces the 4th best pass defense and it will be a ground game more than a maybe he will do something game.

Mike Williams_-_A good defense and not as many throws at him a Vincent Jackson. Look for a better option.

Josh Freeman_-_11th ranked pass rush adds up to a bad game for him.

Russell Wilson_-_If you are looking here for a QB than Via Con Dios.

Micheal Vick_-_He is unable to hold onto the ball and he faces a Falcons team that likes to take it.

Brandon Pettigrew_-_I know, I know this is crazy but his knee is not at a hundred percent and the Seahawks are a tough on TE's/Tough overall defense.

Matt Hassleback_-_Do not let the Colts fool you...they are 7th against the pass.

Play'em

Ben Roethlisberger_-_ He faces the worse pass defense in the league. Enough said.

Malcom Floyd_-_He faces a Browns team that has given up 12 TD's this season to wide out. He will put an end to his TD dry season.

Josh Gordon_-_There is nothing that makes us think he will not see the end zone again this weekend.

Lawrence Tynes_-_He is capable to fill a slot

Giants_-_They are capable to fill the slot

Phillip Rivers_-_His match up deserves a second look.

Sam Bradford_-_The Patriots are 29th against the pass.

Reggie Bush_-_Why is he on the bench?

Dwayne Bowe_-_A possible explosive week, he should be in

Denarius Moore_-_Will do well this weekend. A good option.

Darrius Heywood-Bey_-_Another Oakland wide out that should see starting status.




Paint Huffing Warriors (TCM Revolver) vs Azoic Defender (GodofInsanity)

Tom Brady vs Alex Smith
I am not sure if the Rams being 14th against the pass will help them much here. Just a week ago they got lit up for 3 TD's by Aaron Rodgers. I am expecting that even if the Rams make a game of it and stay with in 10 points of the Patriots that Brady will still have an awesome game. Its a tough pull with Smith. He can have an awesome game and act like a top 5 QB or he can just be a game manager and fall flat for fantasy value. The Cardinals are tough on the pass but not so much against the rush so maybe this week will be one of those fall flat weekends. Tom Brady takes this match.

Robert Griffin III vs John Skelton
Well Griffin learned last week what happens when you give the ball back to a good team and QB facing his teams really bad secondary with 1 min 30 sec's to go. Add in the loss of a good TE with Davis out til next season. The Steelers are a good defense just not as good as we have seen the in previous seasons. There is not much to say about Skelton. He has talent but is a tad rusty at this time. And facing a 49ers defense that is hard on QB's fantasy value makes him a last ditch bye week choice. Robert Griffin III takes this match.

Matt Forte vs Frank Gore
Both of these guys are set for really break out weekends. Gore will fall in line with last weeks performance and have an easy run against the Cardinals. Forte faces a Panthers defense that allows 120 yards a week to running backs. That makes him very tempting. Add in that this should be a TD weekend for him and he is irresistible. Matt Forte takes this match.

Vick Ballard vs Alfred Morris
There is nothing explosive about Ballard. He has not done anything to really makes us think he has challenged Donald Brown for the #1 spot. He will make points against this Titans defense and just out of workload. I am thinking Morris has turned out to be a steady horse. He is not losing near as many yards to RG III as we thought he would initially. Plus he nearly tops 100 yards a game. Alfred Morris takes this match.

Wes Welker vs Vincent Jackson
Do not expect what you saw last week against the Saints from Jackson against the Vikings this week. He had a career day last weekend with 216 yards. The Vikings were better to start off the season but is not an easy defense to get by compared to the Saints. Well after 4 week over 100 yard receiving I guess we had to see a drop at least one week. Well this week he faces a team that gushes yards to opposing wide outs. So expect him back on it this weekend. Wes Welker takes this match.

James Jones vs Donnie Avery
There is still no word on Jennings if he will be back this week. Even then expect the Packers to take it easy on him with a lite workload and Jones will be still the #2 wide out against the Jaguars. This should work out well for him. Not a TD machine, Avery none the less gets a lot of work from Andrew Luck as teams scramble to keep Wayne under lock and key. Add in the Titans defense and he may just end that TD dry spell this weekend. Donnie Avery takes this match.

Coby Fleener vs Vernon Davis
Well we certainly did not expect a big fat 0 from Davis last weekend. And after the game he vented his frustration at the coverage on him as well as in his offensive coordinator not mixing his plays up to get him open. I think this week facing a tough Cardinals pass defense that he will get his looks as well as catches since he is too important an asset to overlook in any game. The Titans struggle against TE's but as we have seen Fleener struggles to be a TE. Maybe with some more games and he grows more into his role with the Colts he will end up producing better than nothing fantasy value. This match goes to Vernon Davis.

Josh Gordon vs Lance Moore
Well we can see who is actually a worth while Browns wide out. Gordon has had a TD for the last 3 weeks and has not done to bad in the yards as well. Moore picked up some work with the Saints TE Graham out. Graham may return this weekend but expect Moore to pick up right where he left off. The only issue being that there are a lot of other weapons available for Brees. Josh Gordon takes this match.

Bengals vs [COLOR="#FFD700]49ers
Bengals are on bye. The 49ers had another defensive slug fest last week. This week could well turn into that again. The only variable is that the Cardinals are not very good against the rush and with Frank Gore knocking that could be explosive. The 49ers take this match by default.

TCM Revolver takes this match up.

Get To Da Choppa! (Joosbawx) vs Mallers Da Winna (COsurvivor)

Drew Brees vs Aaron Rodgers
Talk about a powerhouse match up. Rodgers faces the Jaguars who are 28th in total defense and with the Packers not having the greatest running game, that means Rodgers will throw all day long and with little to slow or stop him from doing it. Brees has not been below 370 yards for 3 weeks. He has not thrown for less than 3 TD's save for once this season. I just do not see the Broncos slowing him down. This weekend will be a shoot out at Mile High Stadium. Aaron Rodgers takes this match but not by much.

Cam Newton vs Eli Manning
Newton needs to get his shit together. At first I felt this was just a bad sophomore season but after his fit last week (might be a little exaggerated) he needs to look at himself and dig deeper and go beyond blaming everyone else for his woes at QB. This week is going to be tough as the Bears this season are VERY good at stopping opposing QB's. When that loss happens he needs to look at inward and ask himself where he can improve. Manning showed us what it takes to come back from behind when another team thinks they have it locked up. Dallas is 3rd against the pass but do not let that make you think Manning will have a bad weekend. Eli Manning takes this match.

Doug Martin vs Darren Sproles
Sproles will be a WR in RB clothes this weekend. Add in that this game against Denver will be a shoot out and he should have an excellent day. The Vikings have lightened up against the rush the last couple of weeks. Martin may have to take advantage of that in case the Buccaneers passing game stalls this weekend. Darren Sproles takes this match.

Mike Leshoure vs Mike Goodson
1 good game this season does not mean Goodson should be in your line up, even if they fave the Chiefs. Expect very little from him. I would normally tout how the Seahawks should be able to shut down Leshoure but after what the Niners did to them rushing last week I am not so sure. Granted Leshoure is not Frank Gore but we will see and he will get the full work load so the chance is there. Mike Leshoure takes this match.

Jordy Nelson vs Micheal Crabtree
Another tough weekend for Crabtree. He has had only one good weekend this season. Not much else needs to be said there. Rodgers is going to throw all day against the Jaguars and Nelson is set to get a 3rd 100 yard game and TD this week. There is no downside here. Jordy Nelson takes this match.

Reggie Wayne vs Mike Williams
Williams seemed to have such possibility but he just seems to have petered out. He is not catching like he should and when you have a reliable wide out like Vincent Jackson then why target Williams even if the Vikings has lightened up on the pass rush this last couple weeks. Luck seemed to give Wayne a break last week to the dismay of his fantasy owners. Figure a rebound this week against the Titans. Reggie Wayne takes this match.

Kyle Rudolph vs Martellus Bennett
Rudolph did not perform as expected last week. This week looks much better as he is now the main TE and not sharing time with another TE. Plus the Buccaneers just do not seem able to stop much any type of offense, TE's included. Now last week was a little better for Bennett. Here is to hoping that they will involve him even more this week in the offensive scheme and just maybe see the end zone. Kyle Rudolph takes this match.

Eric Decker vs Brandon Marshall
Decker looks good this week even if he may have issues with stumbling. This game against the Saints will be a shoot out and Manning will spread the ball around. I truthfully felt Marshall was going to top out over 100 yards last week but this week against the Panthers he may make it up to me. Both these guys will have superb weekends. Brandon Marshall will have a better one. Brandon Marshall takes this match.

Falcons vs Bears
Between the turn overs that the Falcons have recovered and the turnovers that the Eagles like to give up, this should turn into a very good game defensively for the Falcons. The Bears face the Panthers who have a ton of potential to explode...just maybe not this week against this defense. The Bears take this match.

This is gonna be close. Get To Da Choppa! Takes this match.


Cats HateHitler (Mem) vs Clear Sights (Clear Sights)

Carson Palmer vs Jay Cutler
Palmer looks good this week with all his wide outs healthy and facing a Chiefs team that is just unable to stop the pass. If all goes well we should see him get above that 300 yard passing mark this week. Carolina has not done very well at stopping opposing wide outs and now will fare even worse with there best CB out. With no one there to match Marshall's explosiveness expect Cutler to have a great day passing to his favorite wide out. Jay Cutler takes this match.

Matt Hassleback vs Josh Freeman
Expect a heavy day of rushing for the Titans as the Colts are 27th against the rush. With them being 7th in the league against the pass do not expect Hassleback to be hugely productive. He will do enough to keep the defenders from stacking the box. The Vikings should not have too many problems slowing down Tampa's momentum from last week. Freeman is good and seems to be getting better as the season goes or better said as he gets more comfortable with Vincent Jackson. Josh Freeman takes this match.

Ahmad Bradshaw vs Arian Foster
Arian Foster is on bye. Bradshaw may have his struggles but he is pretty consistent at getting into the end zone at least once a week. A ripped the Cowboys at the beginning of the season. Ahmad Bradshaw takes this match by default.

Stevan Ridley vs Darren McFadden
Ridley has been in a bit of a slump for the last couple of weeks and do not think this week is going to be his break out week. He will get more touches than anyone else rushing for his team but will not be able to bust out of this box he has placed himself into. If McFadden is going to explode this is the week for it to happen. The Chiefs are 30th against the rush. If he does not break out this week it raises the question if his injury last season took the run out of Run DMC. Darren McFadden takes this match.

Calvin Johnson vs Larry Fitzgerald
Johnson will get his passes. He will make his catches and get his yards. The only question is if this week against this young upstart defense is if he will get his touchdowns. Between Skelton not throwing the ball Fitzgerald's way like we expected and add in that the 49ers tend to be really good at shutting down wide outs that face them makes good ole Larry not look like a great option this week. I cannot even say for sure if he will get the looks we should expect his way. Calvin Johnson takes this match.

Hakeem Nicks vs Roddy White
I a not so sure that Nicks will get that coveted #1 wide out slot back. Sure he is getting healthier and more back in the game every week. But with Cruz doing as well as he is the #1 tag may be in name only. I guess what I am saying here he just may not make those points you hope he will make this week against a tough Dallas pass defense. The Eagles are 12th against the pass, not something to ignore but also not something to worry too heavily about. White will have a good weekend even if he is sharing catches with Julio Jones. Roddy White will take this match.

Rob Gronkowski vs Antonio Gates
Before the bye week we saw what was finally a breathe of life into the game for Antonio Gates. The next few weeks could keep that momentum flowing starting this week with the Browns who are not very good at containing TE's. The Rams have done better than expected defensively. I just am not too sure how well they will be able to contain the Patriots as a whole which in turn would probably give Gronkowski more of an opening then other TE's. Rob Gronkowski takes this match.

Dez Bryant vs Steve Smith
I am going to be quite honest about Bryant. If he shows up to the game and can make sure he catches what is thrown at him...he will have a monster game. But these are 2 ifs that keep plaguing us fantasy owners all season. He has done well against the Giants before so there is the hope that he will do well again this week. Smith has not been explosive this season at all instead just muddling along. Add in a Bears secondary that will be all over him and this may be a week to bench him no matter how many targets he gets. Dez Bryant takes this match.

Packers vs Steelers
The Steelers passing offense facing the Redskins looks great. There defense facing RG III....well lets just say not so great. No Maurice Jones-Drew plus no other viable offense for the Jaguars makes the Packers look awesome. The Packers take this match.

Cats HateHitler should bounce back with a win in this match up.


Voodoo Children (Nikvoodoo) vs Team Braindead (Socali)

Matthew Stafford vs Matt Ryan
Well Stafford and his Lions are short staffed in the wide out position right now and face a tough Seahawks secondary. Even though do not discount the fact that he is a seasoned passer with the sure hands of Calvin Johnson on deck that can reel in just about anything sent his way. Ryan has a big question mark next to his name. After a strong start to the season he had a bit of a slump. But on the bright side he faces an Eagles defense that is not at the top of there game at this time. So with a week of rest under his belt and facing a weak defense this could be a strong week for him to rebound. Matt Ryan takes this match.

Russel Wilson vs Micheal Vick
Wilson was a big wavier wire pick up a couple weeks ago only for owners to find out that his big game was a big fluke. With the Lions defense starting to regain some semblance of self, do not expect another huge game to happen for him this week. Vick needs some of that stickum confiscated from the Chargers last week. He has given up 13 turnovers this season and Atlanta has 10 interceptions and 7 recovered fumbles this season. This does not look well for him at all. Micheal Vick takes this match.

Steven Jackson vs Micheal Turner
Between the emergence of a good back up to share time and a tough run defense this week makes Jackson not look very inviting. I am sure he would like some better play to show the possible teams looking at him for next season with his restructured contract but that won't happen this week. Turner is not the steady horse that we have grown used to when he is playing. Could it be the Falcons have choose not to rely on him or another RB is getting into the mix or the Falcons are having a decent throwing season so far is not known as the culprit. This week facing the Eagles shouldn't be a bad match for him if he can get the ball more than 20 times on any given Sunday. Micheal Turner takes this match.

Rashad Jennings vs Cedric Benson
Benson is IR...why is he in your line up? Jennings gets the go since Maurice Jones-Drew hurt his foot last week. He will get a huge work load but he does not have very good stats after getting the ball to make me think he will have a huge game. Rashad Jennings takes this match by default.

Brian Hartline vs Andre Johnson
Andre Johnson is on bye. Hartline was a explosive wavier wire pick up and then sputtered. Not of his own doing in my opinion. After that huge 253 yard game teams knew they had to make sure he was covered and he has been double teamed since. If the Dolphins can figure out how to get him open he will explode again. Brian Hartline takes this match by default.

Randall Cobb vs Sidney Rice
Cobb has really jumped at the chance to strut his stuff with Jennings and Finely being out for injuries right now. It may not be enough to keep him from being dropped back down the depth chart when those 2 players are back but this weekend he turns into a must play as you can expect Rodgers to spread the ball around against this weak pass defense. If Wilson can get that ball down field Rice will be there to make the catch. Being 100% healthy and ready to play is great but he relies heavily on a QB that has not done great but once this season. Randall Cobb takes this match.

Heath Miller vs Tony Gonzalez
Hell I honestly was surprised to see Miller on a line up. He has not had a bad season but it has only been a couple games that keeps him relevant. Granted the Redskins history against TE's this season does make him look tempting. Then we have Gonzalez. He will get his yards and almost can be guaranteed to be looked for in the end zone as his next TD is a mile stone that I am sure Matt Ryan wants to be the one to throw to him. Tony Gonzalez takes this match.

Antonio Brown vs Marshawn Lynch
Hmm lets take a look here. Redskins are 32nd against the pass. The Steelers are 6th in the league for passing. Antonio Brown is one of Big Ben's favorite targets with 57 targets and receiving 36 of them. Yeah too good to pass up. Lynch looks good too considering even if Wilson lights up the wide outs he will still get his carries. The Lions a weaker against the rush than the pass and the Seahawks are better at the rush than the pass right now. This is more easy math. Marshawn Lynch takes this match.

Patriots vs Dolphins
The Patriots game will go like this. They won't be able to stop the pass but will get there sacks and interceptions that will keep them from negative points. The Rams will have to stay in the air to keep up with the Patriots onslaught of an offense. If the do not stop the pass do not expect a huge score. The Dolphins look good defensively this season. They are still building and it will be interesting to see them next season. This week they face a not very exciting Jets offense. They should hold there own. The Dolphins take this match.

Team Braindead seems to take this match.


Winter Nom Noms (Mrscott101) vs Team Devil Dogs (USMCludwig)

Tony Romo vs Peyton Manning
Romo has unsurprisingly not awed us this season. And he has, even in a win against the Giants, not awed them either. He has the weapons and he has the toughness. I am just not sure what he is missing to pull it all together and do not think this weekend against these Giants he will find a way yet. Well lets see how this washed up noodle armed QB Manning looks. Hmm almost 2000 yards and 14 TD's in 6 games. Not bad for someone in Manning's situation. I am glad he came back strong. And this week against a Saints non defense against the pass he looks even better. Peyton Manning takes this match.

Christian Ponder vs Ryan Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick is on bye this week. Ponder looks good...wait looks bad. These analysts cannot figure out if they love him or hate him. I think he is a good QB and as long as he has a strong RB in Adrian Peterson you will not see him explode very often. He should do well against this weak pass defense with the Buccaneers. Not huge numbers but respectful ones. Christian Ponder takes this match by default.

Adrian Peterson vs LeSean McCoy
Even if the Bucs rush defense is 3rd in the league expect Peterson to run right over them. He may not get 200 yards but he will cross the century mark and get a TD. Mark that down. McCoy has been saddled with an ailing offense and that has hurt his numbers when he should be exploding more often than not. This week is one of those weeks but there is nothing for sure with this Eagles offense. Adrian Peterson takes this match.

Alex Green vs Chris Johnson
Well Green is getting the ball and he is not doing much with it. Look at it this way, he is there to keep defenses honest so Rodgers can spread the ball around on the pass. If they get lax he just may break out. Maybe, not likely but maybe. Well do not expect me to sing praises about Johnson just because he has found his feet it seems. But I will call it as the stats tell it. This week he faces a bad rush defense that is good against the pass. So expect him to get the ball often and should get another hundred yard game and maybe even a score. Chris Johnson takes this match.

Victor Cruz vs Mike Wallace
Okay Cruz seems to have steadied out now this season. He still dipped a couple weeks ago but it was not too bad. This week he faces Dallas which he has a tendency to explode against more often than not. Wallace is not getting the passes that state he is the #1 wide out for the Steelers. But he is not irrelevant either. And against the Redskins he is more than likely gong to explode. Victor Cruz takes this match.

Percy Harvin vs Marques Colston
Harvin faces the 2nd worse pass defense in the league. There is not much that needs to be said after that. Brees and Colston, not much should have to be said after that. Colston broke his dry spell in TD's 3 weeks ago and do not expect it to dry back up this week. Marques Colston takes this match.

Brandon Pettigrew vs Jared Cook
The Seahawks should have Pettigrew's number this weekend so do not expect any large numbers from him. Single digit about mid range. There is the chance of a TD but it is a small chance. Cook has not had a good week since Chris Johnson found his feet and C.J. Should still have those feet this weekend. Do not expect great numbers from Cook this week. Brandon Pettigrew takes this match.

Ryan Mathews vs Jamaal Charles
Mathews faces the 24th ranked rush defense and this week should be a good week for him as long as he is the only back to see the ball and Norv Turner does not screw things up...well lets at least hope he is the only back right. Charles has been having a huge up and down season but I will have to say my money is on him to have a good week. The Raiders defense just does not make me think that they will be able to stop him and I do not think there is anyone else that thinks so either. Jamaal Charles takes this match.

Cardinals vs Texans
Texans have a bye this week. I just want to say that the 49ers have only scored less than 20 points this season. I do not care what kinda of injuries they have right now the Cardinals are going to have to step it up to keep these Niners from the end zone. The Cardinals take this match by default.

This is going to be a close fight but Winter Nom Noms should keep there win streak alive.