Sunday Six Pack: Week Fourteen

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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) (500) Days of Hoyer

Misery, sadness, loss of faith, no reason to live… This is perfect for you.   All of the people (yours truly included) who thought it was finally Johnny Manziel time in Cleveland were handed the cold reality of another uninspiring start from Brian Hoyer for the Browns’ Week 14 matchup against the Colts. That being said, the Colts are ranked just 25th in the league against the pass, giving up an average of 257.0 yards per game and could be without top cornerback Vontae Davis, who suffered a concussion last week. Davis is the only thing keep the Colts from being right at the bottom, so his absence would be a big upgrade for the Browns passing game. Regardless, you are starting Josh Gordon. On the other side of the ball, I don’t expect much from the Trent Richardson revenge game storyline; give me Boom Herron every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Dwayne Allen should return for the Colts just in time to frustrate all those people who thought they could rely on Donte Moncrief this week. He may still have a good game, but it’s way less predictable with Allen in the picture.

Can #2) The Lions In Winter

What family doesn’t have its ups and downs? Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is just the QB14 in most scoring systems, certainly not what you expected going into this year, but perhaps explainable by the loss of stud wide receiver Calvin Johnson for three games with an ankle injury. Now Stafford gets the Buccaneers and their 20th ranked passing defenses as teams that squeaked into the playoffs with Stafford at the helm looks to see if he can redeem himself. If he can get you there, he’s got an absurd matchup with the Bears “defense” during Week 16.   After only catching nine of 24 targets with no touchdowns in his first two games back, Megatron seems to be fully-recovered, beasting his way to eleven receptions on sixteen targets for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions’ Thanksgiving roasting of the aforementioned Bears. With Reggie Bush returning from his own ankle injury to go with Joique Bell and Golden Tate, the Lions will provide numerous options for playoff-bound owners this week.

Can #3) The Birds

Don’t they ever stop migrating? This week, the Seahawks migrate to Philadelphia to face an Eagles team that destroyed the Cowboys last week. It’s an interesting game from the perspective that two players who probably got you into the playoffs (Jeremy Maclin and Marshawn Lynch) appear to have difficult matchups this week. Maclin figures to be covered by Richard Sherman for the bulk of the day and Lynch has been dealing with back injury. The Eagles rushing defense is actually ranked eleventh in the league, giving up just an average of 107.7 yards per game, and was able to hold the NFL’s leading rusher DeMarco Murray to 73 yards last week. I can’t imagine you would have better options than Maclin and Lynch, but it would be best to temper expectations. On the other hand, I think you have to start Jordan Matthews, who has shown a nice rapport with Mark Sanchez and has averaged a healthy WR2-ish 7.5 targets and a robust WR1-ish 20.8 FPs per game over the past four weeks.

Can #4) Passenger 7

Let me give you a word of advice. Never bet on Geno. DLF’s own Eric Hardter’s greatest heartbreak is the failure of Jets quarterback Geno Smith as a starting NFL quarterback. While the dumpster fire known as the New York Jets ostensibly takes a last look at Smith over the last few weeks of the 2014 season, the complete futility of the Jets offenses manages to drag down its wide receiver duo of Eric Decker and Percy Harvin. In last week’s loss to the Dolphins, Smith (who played the entire game) was 7/13 for 65 yards and one INT. Chris Johnson did manage 105 yards on fifteen carries, while Chris Ivory chipped in 62 yards on eleven carries. The Jets do get the Vikings’ 24th ranked rushing defense that is giving up an average of 123.8 yards per game this week, so Johnson and/or Ivory may be startable, but good luck trying to figure out which one is going to produce.

Can #5) Red Dawn

Wolverines! The Kansas City Chiefs visit the slumping Arizona Cardinals this week in a red tribute to offensive futility. The Cardinals offense has been stuck in quicksand the last two weeks minus Larry Fitzgerald, who should return this week in at least a limited capacity, a banged up Andre Ellington who looks like he will miss Week 14 with a hip injury and the inexplicably invisible Michael Floyd, who was only able to turn his ten Week 13 targets into five receptions for 53 yards. The loss of Carson Palmer looms large for the Cardinals, who may end up squandering that impressive 9-1 start. I’d have a hard time starting any Cardinals this week. On the other side of the ball, the Kansas City offense has to run through Jamaal Charles, who will be tested by the Cardinals’ sixth ranked rushing defense that is giving up only 89.2 yards per game, but should be able to make his hay in the passing game. After being criminally underused in that fashion through Week 11, Charles has averaged 6.5 targets per game over the last two weeks and has scored a receiving score in each of those games.

Can #6) Tim and Jarrett’s Excellent Adventure

I believe our adventure through time has taken a most serious turn. It is finally time for Tim to pay off the Cody Latimer bet made on the DLF Podcast back in May. Unfortunately for both of us, it looks like Tim and I will be each rooting for the other one’s team, so as not to ruin their draft position. The Titans look like they will be without Kendall Wright, so it should be the Delanie Walker show on Sunday with a sprinkling of Nate Washington sleeper appeal. On the other side of the ball, Rashad Jennings will be a gametime decision and its probably the worst case scenario if he plays at less than 100 percent and robbing Andre Williams of the full benefit of the matchup against the Titans’ league-worst rushing defense that is giving up a whopping 141.5 yards per game on the ground. Odell Beckham, Jr. has earned the right to be an every week starter at this point. Don’t worry, we’ll get a picture of Tim in his Giants hat up on Twitter.

Enjoy your Sunday!

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