Good Matchups
Wes Welker, WR, Patriots: Welker would be a fantasy god if he could get into the end zone. Still, he has caught at least six passes in every game this season and had seven catches for 72 yards in his first meeting with the Jets. With Matt Cassell getting more confident and having thrown for at least 200 yards in three straight weeks combined with the stout Jets run defense (5th in the league); expect another seven or eight catch game out of Welker this week and look for the same the following week against the 25th-ranked Dolphins pass defense in a big revenge game for the Patriots.
Jake Delhomme, QB, Panthers: Shakespeare could not describe how poorly Delhomme played last week. The numbers were horrifying, and yet the Panthers were able to win behind DeAngelo Williams. Historically, Delhomme bounces back fairly well from bad outings, and he has two excellent matchups to heal fantasy owners form last week's disaster. The Lions continue to be near the bottom of the league in pass defense, ranking 29th in yards allowed, last in passer rating allowed and 30th in touchdown passes allowed. Next, Delhomme gets his second game with the improving Falcons. Delhomme threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 4 win. The Falcons rank 22nd in passing yards allowed and are tied for 20th in touchdown passes allowed. Look for Delhomme to get back on track the next two weeks.
Steve Slaton, RB, Texans: Slaton ran into the wall known as the Ravens run defense to the tune of seven yards last week. The next two weeks should take some of the sting out of that performance with the Colts and Browns on the schedule. Slaton ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns in his first matchup with the Colts this season and then faces the Browns defense which is ranked 26th in rushing yards allowed and tied for 23rd in rushing touchdowns allowed. The next two weeks should allow Slaton to get over his tough day against Baltimore.
Santana Moss, WR, Redskins: Simply put, Moss is Jerry Rice against the Cowboys. He has 25 catches for 381 yards and two touchdowns in his last three games against the Cowboys. Moss faces a defense that while ranked 11th in passing yards allowed, is tied for 20th in passing touchdowns allowed. Moss then faces the Seahawks who are 31st in passing yards allowed, tied for 27th in passing touchdowns allowed and 29th in passer rating allowed. For the next two weeks, this Moss may be the NFL's best Moss.
Brandon Jones, WR, Titans: The Titans don't throw the ball a lot, but teams are starting to put eight and nine men in the box to force them to throw. Kerry Collins proved he can still throw the ball, and Jones proved that given the opportunity he could be a nice flex option for fantasy owners. Jones has caught 16 passes in the last three weeks, including eight last week. While the Jaguars are 17th in yards allowed, they are tied for 30th in touchdown passes allowed. The Jets in Week 12 should provide another still test for the Titans run game and Jones should benefit. The Jets are fifth against the run, but just 20th against the pass. Jones could be a nice sleeper as the Titans passing game gets more active to combat defenses taking away the run.
Bad Matchups
Brett Favre, QB, Jets: Favre was held to 181 yards passing in his first matchup against the Patriots and has been throwing the ball less the last several weeks. Favre has attempted just 47 passes the last two weeks, but the formula has worked, as the Jets got two easy wins. Since his six-touchdown outburst, Favre has thrown just four touchdowns in the last five games. Expect the Patriots and the Titans -- ranked second in the league in passing touchdowns allowed -- to keep Favre in check.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR, Bengals: In a PPR league, Houshmandzadeh, much like Wes Welker, is a must play every week. Both will get catches regardless of what defenses do. In standard leagues, Houshmandzadeh is a much riskier proposition. He hasn't scored a touchdown in four weeks and has cracked 100 yards receiving just once this season. Expect these numbers to continue against the sixth-ranked Eagles and top-ranked Steelers defense. Houshmandzadeh will get catches, but don't expect big numbers if you are playing in a standard league.
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Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars: It is usually either feast or famine with Jones-Drew. Last week it was a three-touchdown feast, but the next two weeks could be famine. Jones-Drew faces the Titans defense which held him to 50 total yards in Week 1 and has held him to two total touchdowns in five career games. Jones-Drew then faces the third-ranked Vikings run defense, which has been a graveyard for fantasy running backs the past three seasons. Expect Jones-Drew to go back to frustrating fantasy owners before coming back with a big game in Week 13 against Houston.
Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions: Johnson may be the most talented wide receiver in the NFL, but he has yet to play with a quarterback who matches his talent. Johnson has 100-catch, 1,500-yard ability but can only do so much with the current signal callers. With two top-5 pass defenses in the Panthers and Buccaneers back-to-back, and Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton still getting familiar with the offense, don't be surprised if all the talent in the world doesn't help Johnson in these matchups.
Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens:Matt Ryan has gotten all the hype regarding his rookie season, but Flacco has been nearly his equal the last two weeks, throwing for 433 yards and four touchdowns. Look for the second-ranked Giants and sixth-rated Eagles pass defenses to remind Flacco he is still a rookie, as both are surrendering less than 200 passing yards and are third and fourth, respectively, in sacks. Pressure can make any quarterback look bad, and Flacco will se a lot of pressure the next two weeks.
Kyle Fisher is a writer for RotoWire. For more information, visit rotowire.com.
