It’s only week nine of the NFL season, but I just can’t keep from thinking about and predicting who will play in the Super Bowl.
My picks?
The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.
Why?
As of now, both teams are unbeaten, each standing at 7-0 and looking unstoppable and at the top of their division standings.
Also, I can’t help but imagine watching two of the best quarterbacks in the league, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, in a shoot-out for the championship.
Story lines would include Manning facing his hometown team and a surprising Saints defense that has scored more touchdowns so far this season (6) than the entire Browns’ offense (5). Imagine a team, a fan-base and a city torn apart by Hurricane Katrina just four years ago, fighting for glory.
I suppose I’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the season plays out, so let’s get back to week nine.
Here is my list of guys I believe will standout this week, and guys that should ride the fantasy pine:
- Quarterbacks
Start:
Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks—Sore ribs and all, Hasselbeck racked up 249 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys on Sunday, a week after he posted a disappointing career-low 32.5 quarterback rating. It’s nice to see that he could bounce back from such an outing and should be able to build more momentum this week against the Lions.
Detroit has allowed 18 touchdowns through the air this season, which makes Hasselbeck a must-start in week nine.
Bench:
Matt Ryan, Falcons—Not that I believe Atlanta will lose this week to the Redskins, or that I think the game will even be close, I just don’t like this matchup.
Last week Ryan had 289 yards and one touchdown. But, he also threw three interceptions. Washington doesn’t pick the ball off nearly as much, (three on the season) but they do rank second in total passing defense.
In the end, Ryan and the Falcons will do enough to get a win, but be aware of the downside here.
- Running backs
Start:
Ray Rice, Ravens—Rice totaled 143 total yards of offense in week five against the Bengals. He led the team in rushing with 14 carries for 69 yards, and also led the team in receiving with seven catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Against Denver, Rice received 23 carries for 84 yards and a score—his largest workload this season. Look for Baltimore to turn to Rice to carry the load again this week.
Bench:
Steve Slaton, Texans—Fumbled. Benched. Houston inserts Ryan Moats. Moats then carries the ball 23 times for 126 yards and three touchdowns.
While this is likely to never happen again, expect the Texans to at least give Moats a chance to prove that it wasn’t just a fluke huge game against a Buffalo team that ranks dead last in total rushing defense.
What I’m saying is, bench Slaton this week until we see how Moats performs against the Colts.
- Wide receivers
Start:
DeSean Jackson, Eagles—Jackson may not catch 12 passes a game, but then again, he doesn’t really need to.
Through seven games, Jackson has caught four touchdown passes of over 50 yards. Jackson probably wont run very many curl or cross routes, but what he will definitely do is burn you deep, or catch you sleeping on an end-around.
Don’t forget he also returns punts if your league awards points for that sort of thing.
Bench:
All Miami receivers—Miami is a run-first team, and none of their receivers are anywhere near starter-worthy. Ted Ginn Jr. had a huge game Sunday against the Jets, but all of his yards and points were kickoff returns, as he didn’t haul in a single pass in the game.
If your league awards kick-return and punt-return yards you might consider playing him in the flex, but how likely is it that he’ll return three kickoffs for a touchdown in two games?
Jonas Swecker can be contacted at swecker@marshall.edu.
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