Play Action - Week 9

As we boldly head into the second half of the 2007 Fantasy Football season, we are given what is being hyped as "The Game of the Century" between the Patriots and the Colts. If this game fails to be anything but a unique combination of "The Catch", This Play, and the end of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, it will not live up to the hype. Should be an excellent game, both in reality and in fantasy.

Let's break down that game and all the rest of the Week 9 action for the purposes of Fantasy Football.

BYES: Bears, Dolphins, Giants, Rams

1:00pm EST Games

Chargers @ Vikings - Dome
Charger Offense - Receiving: 208.4 (23), Rushing: 123.4 (12)
Viking Defense - Receiving: 304.7 (32), Rushing: 74.4 (3)

Viking Offense - Receiving: 167.4 (29), Rushing: 155.3 (2)
Charger Defense - Receiving: 255.9 (27), Rushing: 88.9 (7)

START: Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Chris Chambers, Antonio Gates, Charger Defense, Adrian Peterson
CONSIDER: None
BENCH: Vincent Jackson, Tarvaris Jackson (check), Chester Taylor, Viking Defense

LT faces a tough test here against a stout Viking rush D, but he's way too good to ever even consider benching. Phil Rivers should slice and dice the feeble Viking pass D, so look for Gates and Chambers to flourish. Beyond All Day, the Viking offense is a joke, so trot out the Charger Defense.
Adrian Peterson also faces a tough test, but you never know when he'll bust a long one. No other Viking offensive player should ever be considered. With the way the Charger offense is rolling, you should also bench the Viking D.

Panthers @ Titans
Panther Offense - Receiving: 198.3 (25), Rushing: 129 (10)
Titan Defense - Receiving: 230 (18), Rushing: 64.3 (1)

Titan Offense - Receiving: 167.4 (29), Rushing: 150.9 (3)
Panther Defense - Receiving: 232.4 (19), Rushing: 113 (19)

START: Panther Defense, LenDale White (check), Titan Defense
CONSIDER: Steve Smith, Jeff King
BENCH: David Carr (check), DeShaun Foster, DeAngelo Williams, Vince Young, Roydell Williams, Brandon Jones (check), Bo Scaife

There shouldn't be much offense to speak of in this game, especially through the air.
A banged-up David Carr should be starting for the Panthers...considering how bad a healthy David Carr is, just imagine the production from an unhealthy one. This makes Steve Smith benchable if you have more attractive options. Start the Panther D, and hope that they can slow down the mighty LenWhale. The Titans are the NFL's #1 rush defense, so don't expect much from DeShaun and DeAngelo in DeRunningGame.
LenDale White has been carrying a huge portion of the Titan offense recently, and it should continue. He does have turf toe issues, but should still be good to go here. The Titans are ferocious against the run, so their defense should give up very few points and David Carr is always a good bet for a few turnovers.

Cardinals @ Buccaneers
Cardinal Offense - Receiving: 241.4 (12), Rushing: 103.1 (19)
Buc Defense - Receiving: 187.2 (2), Rushing: 124.5 (22)

Buc Offense - Receiving: 225.2 (19), Rushing: 106.9 (17)
Cardinal Defense - Receiving: 213.6 (9), Rushing: 108.4 (15)

START: Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Earnest Graham, Joey Galloway
CONSIDER: Kurt Warner, Jeff Garcia, Buc Defense
BENCH: Bryant Johnson, Michael Bennett, Ike Hilliard (check), Alex Smith (check)

A tough pass D against a solid passing O.
Fitz and Quan have a tough test, but you never bench your studs. The Bucs do struggle against the run, so Edge is a very nice play this week. Warner is worth consideration if you have no other options, but he is very fragile at this time.
Galloway also faces a tough test, but like every week, he's always a home run threat. Earnest Graham is the focal point of the Buc offense and he should continue putting up decent numbers here. Warner still fumbles too much, so the Buc D is a plausible option for leagues that reward defensive turnover recoveries.

Redskins @ Jets
Redskin Offense - Receiving: 196.9 (26), Rushing: 105 (18)
Jet Defense - Receiving: 245.9 (26), Rushing: 134.2 (27)

Jet Offense - Receiving: 209.9 (22), Rushing: 90.9 (24)
Redskin Defense - Receiving: 228.9 (16), Rushing: 90.9 (9)

START: Jason Campbell, Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley, Redskin Defense
CONSIDER: Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Thomas Jones, Jerricho Cotchery
BENCH: Ladell Betts, Kellen Clemens, Laveranues Coles (check), Chris Baker

The Redskins look for redemption while the Jets begin a new era.
The Redskin gave up against the Patriots last week and they should be playing angry this week. Look for them to exploit a terrible defense that is without their leader (Jonathan Vilma). Look for their defense to thrive against an inexperienced QB.
The Kellen Clemens Era begins in New York, with a very tough match up. The fact that Lavernaues Coles is virtually certain to miss this game with a concussion doesn't help his cause. The Jets are a bad team, and don't look for them to suddenly get right because they switched out their QB.

49ers @ Falcons - Dome
49er Offense - Receiving: 159.1 (32), Rushing: 88 (27)
Falcon Defense - Receiving: 228 (15), Rushing: 126.4 (23)

Falcon Offense - Receiving: 225.7 (18), Rushing: 90.9 (24)
49er Defense - Receiving: 229.6 (17), Rushing: 123.3 (21)

START: Frank Gore (check), Vernon Davis, 49er Defense, Roddy White, Falcon Defense
CONSIDER: Jerious Norwood
BENCH: Alex Smith (check), Darrell Jackson, Joey Harrington, Warrick Dunn, Alge Crumpler (check)

Not quite up to "Game of the Century" status here. Look for points to be hard to come by.
If Frank Gore struggles once again in this game, it's time for his owners to enter a full-blown panic that their first round pick is a complete bust, injuries or no injuries. Vernon Davis finally showed up last week, look for him to put up decent numbers again as the 49ers most dependable option.
Jerious Norwood has announced that the Falcon game plan changed during their bye week in order to get him more touches. It's great if it's true, but it's safer to wait and see for now. Roddy White continues to thrive in a terrible system. Alge Crumpler is likely to miss the game, not that it should really matter for your team. The Joey Harrington Era returns in Atlanta...and that really shouldn't matter for your team.

Bengals @ Bills
Bengal Offense - Receiving: 274.6 (5), Rushing: 97 (21)
Bill Defense - Receiving: 260.1 (29), Rushing: 127.9 (24)

Bill Offense - Receiving: 165.4 (31), Rushing: 100.3 (20)
Bengal Defense - Receiving: 256.4 (28), Rushing: 139 (28)

START: Carson Palmer, Kenny Watson, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Marshawn Lynch, Lee Evans
CONSIDER: Rudi Johnson
BENCH: J.P. Losman

Defense? Defense?!
The Bengal Offense shouldn't have much trouble moving the ball here. Week 9 will determine whether rumors of Kenny Watson taking over the role of feature back are true or not. Look for him to get more looks than Rudi. Palmer will continue to sling it against a defense that can't stop the pass...or anything. Ocho Cinco and Ocho Cuatro should be in store for big games. If the Bengals lose this game, we could see a full-blown team implosion.
Marshawn Lynch begins an easy stretch of games, get him in your lineup. Lee Evans finally makes a triumphant return to the "START" list. As for other Bills, well, you shouldn't own any other Bills.

Broncos @ Lions - Dome
Bronco Offense - Receiving: 238.6 (14), Rushing: 124.6 (11)
Lion Defense - Receiving: 277.7 (31), Rushing: 108.9 (18)

Lion Offense - Receiving: 270.9 (6), Rushing: 90.3 (26)
Bronco Defense - Receiving: 201.1 (6), Rushing: 166 (32)

START: Jay Cutler, Travis Henry, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, Kevin Jones, Roy Williams
CONSIDER: Brandon Stokley, Jon Kitna, Calvin Johnson (check)
BENCH: Selvin Young, Mike Furrey, Shaun McDonald

A battle of 2 defenses with massive holes in them.
The Lions D has improved lately, but they generally wait for teams to enter the red zone before they toughen up. Look for Cutler, Henry and Marshall to have very nice games. Stokley is also a plausible option. Travis Henry's substance abuse appeal has been pushed back until possibly after Thanksgiving, he may be able to retain the starting job all season long.
The Lions have become a more balanced offense with the return to starter status for Kevin Jones, to the detriment of Jon Kitna owners. The Bronco pass D has shown some chinks in the armor the past couple of weeks, look for Kitna to finally toss a TD this week, but Jones is the player that you really want in this game. Megatron's re-aggravation of his back injury is of concern, so if you have options, play it safe.

Packers @ Chiefs
Packer Offense - Receiving: 292.3 (2), Rushing: 71.3 (32)
Chief Defense - Receiving: 218.7 (11), Rushing: 108.7 (17)

Chief Offense - Receiving: 229.7 (15), Rushing: 82.1 (28)
Packer Defense - Receiving: 241 (23), Rushing: 98.4 (11)

START: Brett Favre, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Larry Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, Tony Gonzalez
CONSIDER: James Jones, Donald Lee, Packer Defense, Damon Huard
BENCH: Ryan Grant, Koren Robinson, Priest Holmes

Can Favre get his first victory against the Chiefs?
The Packers are still a pass-first team, Ryan Grant's performance on Monday Night Football was a mirage against an awful rush defense. Driver hasn't separated himself from the rest of the Packer WR corps, but you've still got to start him. Jennings is still always a deep threat, as shown in overtime of MNF.
The Chiefs continue on as one of 2007's biggest enigmas. They shouldn't be winning as many games as they have been, yet they are. Look for Damon Huard to remain serviceable against a shaky pass defense. Also look for the Chiefs to continue feeding LJ the ball.

Jaguars @ Saints - Dome
Jaguar Offense - Receiving: 185.3 (28), Rushing: 146.3 (4)
Saint Defense - Receiving: 243.4 (24), Rushing: 98.1 (10)

Saint Offense - Receiving: 247.1 (10), Rushing: 91.7 (23)
Jaguar Defense - Receiving: 235.1 (21), Rushing: 108.4 (15)

START: Maurice Jones-Drew, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston
CONSIDER: Fred Taylor
BENCH: Quinn Gray, Jaguar Defense

Are the Saints all the way back?
MJD should be unrestricted this week. He'll still lose touches to Taylor, but he's the main scoring threat. Fred Taylor is a serviceable flex option if you're in a pinch. Quinn Gray looked much, much better in Week 8 than in Week 7, but he's still not a legit Fantasy option.
The Saints seem to have righted the ship and are rolling now. They can prove it's for real this week against a tough opponent. Brees rediscovered Colston last week, look for him to look his way more often from here on out. Reggie Bush remains the top option for the Saints.

4:00pm EST Games

Seahawks @ Browns
Seahawk Offense - Receiving: 244.4 (11), Rushing: 92.6 (22)
Brown Defense - Receiving: 276.9 (30), Rushing: 139.4 (29)

Brown Offense - Receiving: 254 (9), Rushing: 117.6 (14)
Seahawk Defense - Receiving: 236.6 (22), Rushing: 107.4 (13)

START: Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander, D.J. Hackett, Bobby Engram, Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow
CONSIDER: None
BENCH: Deion Branch (check), Jamal Lewis (check), Jason Wright, Joe Jurevicius

There's more than one late game on Sunday?
The Browns can't stop anything, so unleash all of your Seahawks. Hasselbeck should be in for a big day. Hackett should be rusty in his first action since the first half of the first week, but he really couldn't hope for a much better match up, especially given that Deion Branch should be very limited if he's even active at all. It's now or never for Shaun Alexander.
The Seahawks aren't especially good against the pass either, so expect Derek Anderson to continue his improbable run. Look for Braylon Edwards to continue to flourish. Look for the Browns to utilize a RBBC with Jamal Lewis still limited, killing all of their fantasy values.

Texans @ Raiders
Texan Offense - Receiving: 275.8 (4), Rushing: 80.5 (30)
Raider Defense - Receiving: 191.3 (3), Rushing: 148.9 (30)

Raider Offense - Receiving: 187.3 (27), Rushing: 138.1 (6)
Texan Defense - Receiving: 220.9 (13), Rushing: 120.6 (20)

START: Texans Defense, Raider Defense
CONSIDER: Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels (check), Ronald Curry (check)
BENCH: Sage Rosenfels, Andre Davis, Ahman Green (check), Adimchinobe Echemandu, Andre Johnson (out), Josh McCown, LaMont Jordan, Justin Fargas, Jerry Porter

Seriously, there's more than one late game on Sunday?
There shouldn't be many points in this snoozer, so start both defenses.
Andre Johnson is out this week but is fully expected to return in Week 11. Owen Daniels is expected to play, despite a high ankle sprain, it remains to be seen how limited he will be. Kevin Walter has been hot, but this is a tough match up and he has his backup QB throwing to him. Ahman Green should be active, but it's hard not to be worried about his knee, plus he'll be in a RBBC.
Josh McCown takes back the reigns for the Raiders, and the tenure of Daunte Culpepper, starting NFL QB, is likely over permanently...barring injury. LaMont Jordan is a shell of his early season self, his back injury is clearly hindering him. Ronald Curry has a nice match up, but he should only be used if you have other late game options that you could replace him with, should he be inactive.

Patriots @ Colts - Dome
Patriot Offense - Receiving: 309.2 (1), Rushing: 135.8 (8)
Colt Defense - Receiving: 174.4 (1), Rushing: 107.4 (13)

Colt Offense - Receiving: 263.1 (7), Rushing: 140.3 (5)
Patriot Defense - Receiving: 204.4 (7), Rushing: 87 (5)

START: Tom Brady, Laurence Maroney, Randy Moss, Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark
CONSIDER: Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker
BENCH: Kevin Faulk, Ben Watson (check), Kyle Brady, Patriot Defense, Marvin Harrison (check), Anthony Gonzalez, Colt Defense

Anybody heard that they're playing this game on Sunday?
2 explosive offenses against 2 solid defenses. 2 undefeated teams, one of them is the beneficiary of The Incredible Hype Machine...the other is the defending Super Bowl Champions.
Roll out your usual Patriots, but if you have more attractive options than Stallworth and Welker against the NFL's #1 pass defense, you need to give them a long look. There shouldn't be any garbage time with Brady out there shamelessly padding his stats in this game. Look for Maroney to get more touches than usual in this game, so keep him active. The Colt rush D is much improved over last season, but they still have their moments of struggling. Ben Watson is still too banged up to be in your lineup, Kyle Brady will likely start.
Marvin Harrison is looking like he'll be inactive, so bench him and be safe. Dallas Clark is the primary beneficiary of an absent Harrison. Anthony Gonzalez will get more looks than usual, but you should have better options. They are facing a rock solid D, but the Colts will not quit like the Redskins. Peyton Manning is way too smart to be locked down.
Look for the Colts to pull out a squeaker here. If you're in Vegas, put your money on the Colts, take the points at home and smile.

Sunday Night Football

Cowboys @ Eagles
Cowboy Offense - Receiving: 283.4 (3), Rushing: 130.4 (9)
Eagle Defense - Receiving: 232.6 (20), Rushing: 90.4 (8)

Eagle Offense - Receiving: 254.3 (8), Rushing: 120 (13)
Cowboy Defense - Receiving: 225.7 (14), Rushing: 87 (5)

START: Tony Romo, Marion Barber, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Reggie Brown
CONSIDER: Patrick Crayton, Cowboy Defense, Kevin Curtis
BENCH: Julius Jones, L.J. Smith, Eagle Defense

Enjoy the rivalry after the earlier rivalry.
The Cowboy offense should be pumped up and ready to go against their biggest rivals on national TV. The Boys still curiously insist on giving Julius Jones starts, so that hampers the value of MB3, but the guy still puts up numbers. Look for Romo to continue slinging it to TO and Witten and then smiling pretty for the cameras.
Likewise, the Eagles should be pumped up and ready to go. No word on how much of a distraction the Andy Reid Drug Emporium is going to cause, ideally the Eagles should be ready to rally behind their coach. The Cowboys are bad against the pass, so D-Mac should see plenty of action, as usual. Westbrook will struggle to pound the ball, but will continue being highly involved in the passing game, also as usual.

Monday Night Football

Ravens @ Steelers
Raven Offense - Receiving: 226.3 (17), Rushing: 110 (16)
Steeler Defense - Receiving: 197.3 (5), Rushing: 77.7 (4)

Steeler Offense - Receiving: 219 (21), Rushing: 159.1 (1)
Raven Defense - Receiving: 208 (8), Rushing: 71.9 (2)

START: Willis McGahee, Derrick Mason, Raven Defense, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Steeler Defense
CONSIDER: Todd Heap (check), Willie Parker, Santonio Holmes
BENCH: Steve McNair, Mark Clayton, Ben Roethlisberger, Najeh Davenport

More rivalry.
The Raven offense is terrible. Still, McGahee is their most likely option to score, he's been playing well recently and shouldn't be benched at this point, despite a tough match up. Mason should continue catching plenty of short passes. Todd Heap is too banged up to trust in this game, but he'll likely be active.

It'd be awfully tough to bench Willie Parker, but this is a brutal match up and I would expect the Steelers to look towards Heath Miller in the red zone. The Raven pass D has come around since early this season, still, if the Steelers need somewhere to attack, that should be it. The Steeler D is a must-start against an anemic offense.

Check back on Sunday for Game Day Inactives.