On the Rise, On the Fall - Wildcard Weekend Dec 29, 2008 | More

Welcome to “On the Rise, On the Fall” for Week 1 of the NFL Playoffs! For those that still need their fantasy fix, I have included my playoff analysis for players that are worth taking and avoiding come January. After a crazy Sunday of football, the matchups are finally set. Check out this week’s playoff edition and let the postseason begin!

BYES: Tennessee , Pittsburgh, NY Giants, Carolina

On the Rise

Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles : After their loss in Washington, the Eagles came back with a vengeance and dominated the Dallas Cowboys in every facet of the game. McNabb will have favorable conditions in the dome against the Vikings and should be able to have a good day against the Minnesota secondary. The potential second-round matchup in New York may not be as friendly, though.

Michael Turner, RB, Falcons : The Falcons get the Cardinals in weather-friendly Arizona in the first round of the playoffs. The Cardinals have not been playing good football of late and look like a one-and-done team. In what should be the most entertaining game of the first round, Atlanta should score a lot. Turner is the key to their offense, as well as their top WR.

Roddy White, WR, Falcons : I am on the Falcons this weekend and I am looking at them playing at least two games in the playoffs. Roddy should be able to have a big day against the Cards. If the Eagles and Falcons win, Atlanta would battle with division rival, Carolina. In divisional matchups, it’s anybody’s game. If they have to play the Giants in the second round, that’s a different story with the New Jersey winter weather.

Any Indianapolis Colt * : The Colts come into the playoffs red-hot and they’ll head on the road for the playoffs. That shouldn’t be a problem, though, as the Colts are clicking on all cylinders. The Titan or Steeler matchup in round two won’t be easy, but the opposing team won’t be happy to see Peyton Manning on the other side of the field.

*Proceed with caution if you take a Colt RB. That is the only position that cannot be relied on in the Indy offense.

Ravens Defense : Baltimore faces the Dolphins this weekend and if they win, they’ll head to Tennessee for another defensive battle. They should be in low-scoring games and potentially have plenty of opportunities against Kerry Collins.

On the Fall

Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings : He is running into a bad situation against the Eagles, who come in hot after their romping of the Cowboys. Other than his 67-yard TD rush on Sunday, he ran for just 36 yards on 20 carries. His fumbling problem also continued. The defense will stack the box and force Tarvaris Jackson to make plays, which he will be incapable of.

Chad Pennington, QB, Dolphins : First off, congrats to the Dolphins for making the playoffs after they finished 1-15 last season. Their five-game winning streak and 9-1 record in their last 10 games is a great accomplishment. However, they will face the Ravens, who are playing well not only on defense, but on offense with rookie QB Joe Flacco as well. The Ravens will pose too many problems for Miami this week and I have them knocking off the Titans in round two in a regular-season rematch, a game the Titans won 13-10 back in October.

Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins : If you have been following the Dolphins of late, you know Brown is not putting up big numbers. Ricky Williams is taking away his carries and Brown has not scored a TD in December. The Raven defense should be all over Miami just like in their first meeting, a 27-13 Baltimore win.

First round predictions

Eagles @ Vikings – The Eagles should be able to handle Minnesota as long as they key on one player on the Vikings. If they control Adrian Peterson, they should shut down the Viking offense. The only negative in this game for the Eagles is that they are on the road. Other than that, you can’t find a reason they should lose this game. Eagles win, 27-13.

Falcons @ Cardinals – The Cardinals are not playing well despite their win vs. Seattle on Sunday. Atlanta is playing better football on both sides of the ball. Arizona = no running game, Atlanta = a Top 5 running game. Falcons win, 31-21.

Colts @ Chargers – Even though Indy is hot, this is probably the only play they wouldn’t want to go. However, the Chargers have been too inconsistent this season, but they have the talent to play with anyone. If the Chargers have indeed caught fire, they could go deep into the playoffs. However, I’m not sold on them even after their great December. Colts win, 23-17.

Ravens @ Dolphins – The Ravens defense should be able to handle the Dolphins offense in Miami. Joe Flacco should be able to shake the playoff nerves and join Matt Ryan as rookie QBs to win their first playoff game this weekend. Ravens win, 20-6.

I like all of the road teams this weekend, so you know that won’t happen.

That’s all for this week’s edition. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail me at pags2122@yahoo.com. Thanks for all of your e-mails so far!