Week 13 NFL Picks and Fantasy Implications

Unlucky Week 13, as some may call it, is upon us. With several understandable wins last week and a few upsets, I figured that I’d try my hand at predicting these games in public. Below you can find my predictions for each game Sunday through Monday. These are simply predictions, nothing more. For more fine tuning and discussion, please visit the Cafe forums. Now, let’s give predicting this week’s games a shot!

Sunday Early Games:

Cardinals @ Rams: 24-21

Yes, I’m picking my Cardinals to win here!!!! I am 2-0 when predicting them to win.

Edgerrin James should be able to finally break the 100-yard mark versus a Rams rushing defense that allows 155 yards per game. Matt Leinart should be able to find Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald often. Marc Bulger and Torry Holt will have their rebound game as well, since the Cardinals are the best remedy for a struggling offense in North America. The three TD passes by Brad Johnson, of all people, will attest to that. Steven Jackson is a must start, no need to remind you of that.

The Cardinals will win because they don’t want a #1 pick in next year’s draft, and because they usually win when they have a chance to run on an opponent. Since they already have great passing personnel, the ability to run will be the difference this week for the Cardinals.

Falcons @ Redskins: 29-21

The Falcons are a better team than the Skins overall and they will come out of their slump on the road. Michael Vick, Alge Crumpler, and Warrick Dunn will be key starters. So will Jason Campbell, Santana Moss, and Ladell Betts. This game will be a high-scoring affair, so both defenses should be avoided at all costs.

Lions @ Patriots: 17-28

Brady Quinn will seem more of a reality after this game is over for the Lions. Tom Brady and both Patriots runners will have fun, and who will emerge as the most targeted Patriots wide receiver is anyone’s guess. All I know is the Lions don’t have enough in their tank to beat New England. Roy Williams and Jon Kitna will be okay versus the Patriots secondary, but not great.

Colts @ Titans: 42-17

The Colts still remember that they had to stage a fourth quarter rally to squeeze out a win the last time these two teams met, so I think this time the Colts will come out swinging and finish this game by halftime. Travis Henry has a chance to post good numbers against a poor Colt’s defensive front, but somehow I think the Titans will be forced to throw a lot. Just a guess! Start Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and even Joseph Addai as you normally would. They will reward you this week. Vince Young will have a respectable day along with Drew Bennett.

Chiefs @ Browns: 24-10

Start the Chiefs’ defense versus the worst offense in the NFL. Don’t forget to start Larry Johnson, who will make good use of the fact that the Browns are 25th in the league verse the run! Even Trent Green and Tony Gonzalez will have a good day.

Charlie Frye will have to go to work along with Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, but it doesn’t mean that they’ll post good numbers against the good Chiefs’ secondary. At least they will get a shot at some yards.

Vikings @ Bears: 10-21

If Rex Grossman can stay away from turning the ball over, then the Bears should win easily. It will be hard to enforce any type of running game on the Vikings (sit Thomas Jones) who have only allowed 68 total rushing yards in the last three games. Bernard Berrian and Muhsin Muhammad are must starts. Brad Johnson will go back to his TD drought and Chester Taylor will have a decent day. Remember, the Bears are very mortal if you can run effectively on them. The Bears have four more winnable games the rest of the way, so I don’t think I’ll pick against them again this year!

Jets @ Packers: 17-24

The Packers will somehow find a way to win at home as Brett Favre alternates good and bad games, trying to come off a tough last week with three INT’s. The Jets are not that great away from home anyway. Brett Favre, Ahman Green, and Donald Driver should all be started and I’m expecting solid production out of them. Same goes for Chad Pennington, Coles, and Jerricho Cotchery on the other end. Stay away from any Jets running back.

Chargers @ Bills: 31-20

The resurgent Bills squeezed out a win versus the Jaguars last week, but the Chargers are not the Jaguars by any means as they lead the league in scoring and have been very stable during the course of the season. LT is a must start, I hope we agree… I also think Philip Rivers will have a decent day this week passing to Antonio Gates whom I dare anybody to sit! Willis McGahee won’t have another two TD day. Losman and Lee Evans may connect on a few plays, but nothing extraordinary.

49ers @ Saints: 14-35

The Saints are just too hot and you should ride Drew Brees, Colston, Deverey Henderson, Terrance Copper, and Joe Horn to fantasy glory! The Niners will be able to throw some versus the Saints and Frank Gore will have his usual good day at the office. Watch for Alex Smith to throw often as the Saints will take an early lead with a couple of 80 Yard Hail Mary’s as is the norm these days in New Orleans. Deuce McAllister and Bush are starters with lower than normal stats this week.

Sunday Afternoon Games:

Texans @ Raiders: 16-22.

Well, if Houston can win three games overall, so can the Raiders. The Texans only hope here is to run the ball, and that’s not something they are able to do on a consistent basis. This is a problem as they won’t be able to pass versus the NFL’s #1 passing defense! Therefore, having to rely on the poor RBBC, the Texans will go back home with a 3-10 record. Both kickers should have a great day, so start them. Justin Fargas and Randy Moss will be ok starts… I never thought I’d say that earlier in the season.

Jaguars @ Dolphins: 13-21.

The Jaguars aren’t that good away from north Florida, and with a tough Dolphins defense awaiting them, they will have a hard time getting Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew on track, not to mention their quarterback and wide recievers. Start Joey Harrington, Marty Booker, and Randy McMichael. Sammy Morris and Chris Chambers should be started as well, but with lower expectations.

Cowboys @ Giants: 28-17.

Both teams are on a three game streak! I foresee those streaks continuing as the Cowboys will have a four game winning streak and the giants a four game losing streak after this game is over. There is too much turmoil in the Giants organization right now, while in Texas the Cowboys finally bought into Bill Parcells’ system. That same system will allow you to get great fantasy production out Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, and Marion Barber. Not so much should be expected out of Julius Jones, Patrick Crayton, and Jason Witten.

Tiki Barber will be quiet on the field but not off of it as he’s one of the turmoil reasons. But, for some reason, a stud is a stud, and he could prove me wrong at a moment’s notice turning in a long run out of a broken defensive assignment. Studs will exploit those break downs. New Yorkers will ask for Eli Manning to be traded on Monday morning after chanting his name over Kurt Warner’s name not even a year ago! That’s how fast life is in the Big Apple, my friends.

Buccaneers @ Steelers: 17-24.

The Steelers will salvage what they can in the final weeks of an embarrassing season, and will get another win with Willie Parker running wild. Even Big Ben will successfully distribute the football to his wide receivers, interception free, as I do not think any Tampa players can get their hands on any of his passes this week. The Buccaneers to start are Joey Galloway and Bruce Gradkowski. Cadillac Williams should be benched again versus a Steelers team that can only do one thing right – stop the run!

Sunday Night Game:

Seahawks @ Broncos: 21-28.

Shaun Alexander will have another great day, and may even score a touchdown. Matt Hasselbeck will throw some more cheap low yardage touchdowns to his mix of wideouts, thanks to Shaun. The Broncos will be able to run the ball on the Seahawks with whomever they start at RB, and Javon Walker, Rod Smith, and Co. will benefit tremendously from the insertion of Jay Cutler to the lineup. Cutler comes in at the right time to start his NFL career, as the Broncos face five weak passing defenses the rest of the season, including this one!

Monday Night Football Game:

Panthers @ Eagles: 24-20.

Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith will connect fantastically here and even Deangelo Williams and/or DeShaun Foster should enjoy a great statistical day. The Eagles will put up a worthy fight, but the Panthers are needing to win if they want to stay in the playoff race, and that should provide enough motivation to the Panthers! Brian Westbrook will have his usual great day. Jeff Garcia, Reggie Brown, Stallworth and LJ Smith will be somewhat useful, but should be benched over better options if you have them. This will officially be, should they lose, the end of the season for the Eagles as we know them. We should start to see some new faces and discover what kind of depth they have.

Some tough games to predict… I had to pick only one team per game, so that is my reasoning behind my picks for week 13. Good luck to all.

 
<i>Antonino Buccellato is one of a growing number of fantasy experts who write for the Cafe. You can catch up with Antonino in the Cafe's forums where he posts under the name of</i> FANTASY Dr X.
 

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