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
,
On the Rise
Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles
: After their loss in
Michael Turner, RB, Falcons
: The Falcons get the Cardinals in weather-friendly
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,
Any
: 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
:
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
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
First round predictions
Eagles @ Vikings – The Eagles should be able to handle
Eagles win, 27-13.
Falcons @ Cardinals – The Cardinals are not playing well despite their win vs.
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
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!