Sunday Six Pack: Week Ten

Jarrett Behar

sixpack

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We’re with you every Sunday to provide the Sunday Six Pack, an article featuring six of the biggest storylines heading into each and every week of the season. Keeping tabs on these events will keep you prepared and informed throughout the season – just don’t drive within six hours of reading this.

Can #1) WILSON!

Don’t worry Wilson, I’ll do all the paddling. You just hang on. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson has been fairly abysmal the last two weeks, throwing a combined one touchdown and one interception and averaging just 189 passing yards and 33 rushing yards per game. This week he gets two studs back on the field to protect him, C Max Unger and LT Russell Okung and maybe more importantly, gets to play the beaten up New York Giants at home who are left with only a gimpy Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from the top 3 CBs entering the season after Prince Amukamara tore his biceps in last week’s game (the Walter Thurmond III revenge game will have to wait). I’d look for a bounceback for Wilson this week and corresponding decent game from WR1-by-default Doug Baldwin. On the other side of the ball, look to see if the Giants move Odell Beckham Jr. around to keep him at least partially away from Richard Sherman, and if Corey Washington sees anymore time from the awful Preston Parker, who dropped at least four passes last week, but is listed as Probable with an ankle injury.

Can #2) Laces Out!

[inlinead]Einhorn is Finkle! Finkle is Einhorn! The Dolphins haven’t been this relevant since maybe the days of Ronnie Brown and the Wildcat. Winners of four out of their last five (and that one loss thanks to Aaron Rodgers’ late game heroics), the Dolphins travel to Detroit to play a Lions team that has gotten by without Calvin Johnson. They now get the best wide receiver in the game (yeah, still) back, ostensibly 100% healthy. Dolphins top CB Brent Grimes has been good this year, and is the number eighteen ranked coverage CB according to Pro Football Focus, but Megatron is Megatron and is healthy and motivated. Matthew Stafford is going to get him the ball and he’s going to have a big game. Golden Tate will drop out of the double digit target range back into the seven to nine target range, but that’s still enough to support WR2 with upside value. No one ever expected Tate to be a high-end WR1 anyway. It was just a nice bonus. Meanwhile, these two teams are numbers one and three in the league in total yards allowed per game, so I think you have to start your studs — Megatron, Tate and Stafford — but none of the Lions three-headed RB crew (Joique Bell, Reggie Bush or Theo Riddick) or anyone on Miami, including the resurgent Mike Wallace and the injured, but likely to play Lamar Miller are must starts in my opinion.

Can #3) Dazed and Confused

I only came here to do two things, kick some ass and drink some beer…Looks like we’re almost outta beer. Zach Mettenberger got his first start in week eight and looked pretty terrible until using garbage time to pad his stat line finishing 27/41 for 299 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The one bright side other than former DLF Podcast guest and current TE7 Delanie Walker, was that breakout candidate-turned flop Justin Hunter did see ten targets, catching four, one for a TD. Now with the benefit of a bye-week, Mettenberger and the Titans travel to Baltimore to play a Ravens team that is aggressive, but is ranked just 24th in the league against the pass (giving up 263.2 yards per game) and has lost top CB Jimmy Smith for the year. While the Ravens are ranked sixth against the run, I’d expect the Titans to lean a little bit more on Bishop Sankey and the running game to try to protect Mettenberger. Then we’ll see if Mettenberger and Hunter can work on their efficiency when the game is still undecided.

Can #4) When The Saints Go Marching In

Oh Lord, I want to be in that number. This is a game featuring two teams trending in the opposite direction. The 49ers have lost their last two games to fall to 4-4, including a brutal loss to the Rams in week nine on Colin Kaepernick’s goal line was-it-or-wasn’t-it fumble and look to be fading in the NFC West. The Saints, on the other hand, have won their last two to get to 4-4, including an impressive win against the Packers in Week 8, and look to be finally emerging from the jumbled mess that is the NFC South. The Saints are historically a better team at home, and have found a running game lately with UFA-to-be Mark Ingram. Although the 49ers rushing defense is ranked fifth in the league, giving up just 85.6 yard per game, Ingram’s play coupled with the fact that he has the backfield all to himself given the number of Saints running back injuries, make him a solid play this week, if not on volume and goal line work alone. In addition, Jimmy Graham looks like he’s finally healthy enough to play like himself (seven receptions on seven targets for 81 yards and one touchdown last week). On the other side of the ball, when the 49ers get desperate, they turn Kaep loose. I wouldn’t be surprised if he surpassed his season high of 64 rushing yards (week two against Chicago).

Can #5) Dreadful Pirate McCown

There’s not a lot of money in revenge. Ironically, Josh McCown’s last start was week three in Atlanta where the Buccaneers got bombed 56-14. Now McCown has been reinstalled as the Tampa starter to try and exact his revenge on Atlanta after the latest Mike Glennon experiment has failed. Meanwhile, rookie wide receiver Mike Evans broke out last week with seven receptions on eleven targets for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Hopefully, the switch back to McCown doesn’t impede that development. It certainly helps playing at home against the Falcons’ 30th ranked pass defense that gives up an average of 280.8 yards per game through the air. The Bucs also get Charles Sims back this week. The rookie with Matt Forte-like skills should help out in the passing game and make a decent one-two punch with Bobby Rainey who managed to hold on to the football last week on all of his nineteen carries. Tampa’s passing defense is slightly worse than Atlanta’s, ranked 31st in the league, and Matt RyanJulio JonesRoddy White makes for a nice little DFS stack this week.

Can #6) Circle the Wagons

It’s the Buffalo Bills! Don’t look now, but Captain Neckbeard (a/k/a Kyle Orton) has the Bills at 5-3 and winners of the three of the four games that he’s started. Since Orton took over as the starter in week five, he’s the fantasy QB10 in terms of average points per game. He’ll face a challenge this week as the Kansas City Chiefs and the number one ranked passing defense (giving up just 199.4 yards per game — the only team under 200) come into Ralph Wilson Stadium. Hopefully he’ll have stud rookie receiver (and likely 2015 startup draft first round pick) Sammy Watkins at his disposal. Watkins is questionable with a groin injury. On the other side of the ball, the Bills are ranked 8th in the league against the run, surrendering only 92.2 yards per game. However, there’s not a lot going in Kansas City outside of Jamaal Charles, so he’s obviously a must start based on volume alone. Hopefully, the Chiefs start getting JC Superstar more involved in the passing game. Charles is criminally ranked 28th in targets among running backs this year.

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