Out on a Limb
Fantasy Football Predictions

Aerial Assault?

As a reminder to all of our readers who may be interested, we have set up a group with Yahoo's Pro Football Pick'em which will determine who picks our college game of the week with a weekly winner and we'll have a special prize at the end of the season for the overall winner.

Link to Yahoo Pro Pick'em

When you get there, all you have to do is take your Yahoo ID and sign up for free by joining private group #28217 with a password of "FIC" (please note that it's cap sensitive). So far, only three members have joined, and I was hoping that quite a few more of you might be interested.

Congrats to last week's winner(s): Pick Me a Winner v3 and Steel Wheel

Aerial Assault?

There were a bunch of surprises in the first week of the season... most notably, Cleveland not just knocking off Baltimore, but absolutely embarassing them. Some of these teams, including the Browns, will take their show on the road this week to try and prove that they're for real. Can they do it? We'll find out tomorrow, but I've definitely got a shocker or two in here with my picks.

Two of the teams that didn't disappoint will be showcased on Monday night, and in our game of the week. Monday Night Football had a pretty decent run with their games last season after a couple of weak seasons that featured quite a few lemons. While Carolina certainly didn't put up too much of a fight against the Packers last week, the Vikings and Eagles should provide plenty of fireworks Monday.

Game of the Week: Minnesota at Philadelphia

When Minnesota has the ball: You just know that Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss are going to hook up a few times in this one, and you can bet that the Eagles have gameplanned to focus on limiting Moss' impact. Moss had a solid game last week that was aided by two touchdowns, but he certainly didn't put up the yardage numbers he's accustomed to. Expect non-stop double teams on Randy again all night long, opening up the ground game for the Vikes. This could be where the game is decided.

Philadelphia returns a defense that was stellar against the pass and relatively weak (at least between the twenties) against the run. With Onterrio Smith expected to play again (see, suspension not yet being served), the Vikes will indeed have an explosive presence in the backfield. With a healthy Moe Williams or Michael Bennett, the Vikes have the edge hands-down, but neither will be in the lineup. Smith has to get going early and try and take some pressure off of the passing game. If he can get out of the gates quickly, Philly will have to move their safeties up in the box a little more often and clear out some room for Randy and Co. downfield. Philly's safeties are stellar, but their corners are kind of a question mark.

When Philadelphia has the ball: Much like it will be for the Vikings, the key won't be the passing game (which should do fine), but the ground game. Brian Westbrook had a terrific start to the season last week with 119 yards on the ground, and the Eagles desperately need him to continue to gain 4+ yards a carry the rest of the way. While Donovan McNabb can seem to find countless ways to spread the ball (and finally has a real target in Terrell Owens), a legitimate feature back is what has kept this team from heading to the Super Bowl the last three years.

Speaking of McNabb, he'll do what he always does: buy a lot of time for his receivers to get open and be incredibly efficient and accurate.... and yeah, he'll scramble a few times. Owens got a lot of credit for his three touchdowns last week, but the first two were almost totally created by McNabb. First he pumped and juked to give T.O. time to get open in the corner, and then he avoided the rush for about six seconds and carried the secondary over to the sideline with him to free T.O. for his second score. If McNabb can continue to buy time for his receivers and Owens continues to provide him with that huge target, the Eagles offense should be scary good.

Special Teams: There's a definite edge to the Eagles here, with David Akers squaring off against ageless wonder Morten Andersen. As fantastic as Andersen has been over his career, and as much as he's most likely the greatest place kicker of all-time, he just doesn't have the leg that he used to. Andersen hasn't made a kick over 50 yards since 2002, and Akers is arguably the best long range kicker in football. The return games are about even now that Westbrook's focus is in the backfield.

Coaching/Intangibles: It could certainly be argued that Andy Reid doesn't really have an edge as a big game coach, as he's coached his team to three straight losses in the NFC title game. Doesn't it take some big games to get there, though? Mike Tice became a custodian for Denny Green's legacy a few years ago, and he hasn't really proven that he's ready to take them to the next level yet. In fact, in the last big game scenario that Tice had the Vikings in, they blew a twelve point lead in the last minute and a half to the Cardinals. The Eagles are at home, which means that they'll definitely get booed if they don't win this game big considering the class that Philly fans have shown over the years.

The Verdict: Let's see.... we're looking at a 3/1 edge for the Eagles with our breakdown, but I'm going with my gut. Onterrio Smith will run for 130 yards and two scores, and Culpepper and Moss will hook up on another. The underrated Viking defense will come up with a key pick late in the game to seal the deal, but it should be tight. Vikings 30, Eagles 26

Lock of the Week: Green Bay over Chicago

After watching much of the Packers-Panthers game last week, it definitely looks like Mike Sherman's got his team ready to defend their NFC Central title. Their running game was unbelievable, and those 50 blitzes they threw at Jake Delhomme rattled the defending NFC champs bigtime. Think it'll work against second-year QB Rex Grossman? So do I. Packers 27, Da Bears 6

Upset Special: Cleveland over Dallas

The Brownies came out and shocked the world last week when they upset the heavily favored Ravens last week, but they've been given little respect and are five point dogs against the Cowgirls in Dallas this week. While part of what made Dallas look so bad in Week One was that they were facing a legitimate Super Bowl contender, they still have a lot of room to improve. Their defense will look much better this week, but old man Vinny will start to cool off. Browns 17, Cowgirls 13

And now, as I continue to ponder just how my fantasy team is going to get knocked out of the playoffs because of a John Reidling hold in which he didn't even record an out! Aaaaahhh, to heck with it, let's move on to the rest....

Houston at Detroit - The Lions won their first road game in 25 tries last week, but lost their best receiver for the season for the second year in a row. It won't matter this week, but man are they gonna miss Charles Rogers. Lions 24, Texans 13

Denver at Jacksonville - Clinton who? For all the Tatum Bell/Garrison Hearst talk in the preseason, it appears that incumbent Quentin Griffin doesn't want to give up his job. Jags haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in almost a year, but they will this week. Broncos 27, Jags 20

Pittsburgh at Baltimore - Fantasy player of the week: Jerome Bettis.... 5 carries, 1 yard, 3 TD's. Don't bank on a repeat. After getting blown out in Cleveland last season, the Ravens really need this one, and the Steelers just don't have the talent to stick with Baltimore if they're firing on all cylinders. Lenore 23, Steelers 9

Indianapolis at Tennessee - Arguably our game of the week, but the Colts were in there last week. Indy won both matchups last year, and the Titans aren't exactly the same team. The Colts won't blow them out, but they won't get out of the gate 0-2 either. Colts 30, Titans 20

Carolina at Kansas City - Admit it. I wasn't the only one smokescreened into thinking that the Panthers would be surprisingly strong again. I know it's just one game, but Steve Smith and Stephen Davis won't be helping that offense chug along for a while. Green Bay's blitz-happy scheme gave Jake Delhomme fits last week, and blitzing is all that Gunther Cunningham knows. DeShaun Foster should have a solid week, but you can bet Kansas City won't let him tag them and bag them like Quentin Griffin did last Sunday. Chiefs 34, Panthers 17

San Francisco at New Orleans - From the As if the Niners Quarterback Situation Didn't Completely Suck Already Department: Starter Tim Rattay won't play because of a shoulder injury, so backup Ken Dorsey will start despite a neck injury. The Saints didn't look great against the 'Hawks in Week One, but I have a feeling a lot of teams will struggle against Seattle this year. Whodat! 27, 49ers 10

Washington at New York Giants - Quentin who? Portis was phenomenal in his Washington debut, pushing aside any critic who said he only flourished because of Denver's offensive line (I don't think there were many anyway). The Giants? All I have to say is that San Diego's going to be happy with the first round pick they got in next year's draft as part of the Eli Manning trade. Speaking of Manning, it'll only be about three more weeks until they've given up on the season and he's starting. 'Skins 28, Giants 13

St. Louis at Atlanta - OK... Bulger stayed up against the Cardinals. He weebled and wobbled, but he didn't fall down. Mike Vick may be starting to wish he'd played a little more in the preseason by the end of this one. If Mike Martz has truly learned to use his running game (see 178 yards on 29 carries between Faulk and Jackson combined) and he's learned that the Tight End reverse that he tried last season will never work at any level of organized football, the Lambs may turn out to be a pretty solid team. Lambs 31, Falcons 27

Seattle at Tampa Bay - Will Shaun Alexander play? This is the question that is haunting many a fantasy owner this week. He remains a game-time decision, though I really don't think that it matters as far as the game is concerned. With Charlie Garner still at about 80% and Tampa's top three receivers out due to injury or (in Keenan McCardell's case) holdouts, Seattle shouldn't have to score too much to win. 'Hawks 23, Bucs 10

Buffalo at Oakland - Talk about your disappointing starts.... both these teams lost on the last play of the game in Week One (Buffalo on a TD pass and Oakland on a field goal). Expect the Bills to be the more resilient team in this one, primarily because of their depth at running back. Bills 20, Raiders 17

New England at Arizona - The Pats are just three wins away from the all-time record for consecutive wins in the NFL. Don't expect the hapless Cardinals to stop them. Pats 34, Cardinals 16

New York Jets at San Diego - Is Drew Brees for real? Don't bank on it. The Jets looked awfully tough against a legit playoff contender last week against Cincinnati. They should have no problem with the doormat they'll face in San Diego this week. Remember.... they'll go into New England in Week Seven at 5-0. J-E-T-S 37, Bolts 27

Miami at Cincinnati - It took Miami all of one week to change their QB, and they didn't even make it to the season opener without changing their RB. Neither Feeley or Gordon are the answer, though. Carson Palmer looked terrific in his first start until he was picked off on the final drive. Expect plenty more of that, though they won't need much against the Mammals' offense. Bungles 26, Mammals 9

On the Year

Overall: 9-7 (might get me into the playoffs in a thin year?)
Game of the Week: 0-1
Lock of the Week: 1-0
Upset Special: 1-0
College Game of the Week: 1-0

---