The Hive – Week 11 edition
Short and sweet this week kiddies, no bye weeks so no time to diddle daddle!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
How we rank `em!
Giddyup! – YEEEHAW!!
SINS! – solid if not spectacular
Hellno! – Get it? Got it? Good.
New York Jets @ New England Thursday 5:15pm PT
NYJ
Giddyup! – Calvin Pace
SINS! – Jets DB’s, Kenyon Coleman, Eric Barton, Bryan Thomas
Hellno! – David Harris
NE
Giddyup! – Brandon Merriweather
SINS! – Mayo/Bruschi, Ellis Hobbs, Seymour/Warren
Hellno! – Gary Guyton
Game notes: Pace has been the most consistent Jets IDP this season, and I expect a good game out of him. Rhodes has been more hit and miss this season, but I think this is an up week for the Jets FS. Abram Elam is now starting at SS, and makes a good IDP play this week as well. Dave Harris is still out, and those of you in redraft leagues should cut bait. So much for his big blow up season. For the Pats I like Merriweather against the human pick machine known as Brett Favre, and if your league is CB required I also like Ellis Hobbs quite a bit. Gary Guyton is one to watch in dyno leagues, but he’s not for IDP use this season.
Denver @ Atlanta Sunday 10am PT
DEN
Giddyup! – Niko Koutavides, Jamie Winborn
SINS! – Wesley Woodyard, Karl Paymah
Hellno! – DJ Williams, Nate Webster
ATL
Giddyup! – John Abraham, Erik Coleman, Chris Houston
SINS! – Dominique Foxworth, Falcons LB’s, Lawyer Milloy
Hellno! – Brent Grimes
Game notes: The Broncos are a M.A.S.H. unit right now, with 3 scrubs starting at LB in a tasty matchup. All three of these bozos are good wire material this week, with Koutavides probably looking at the shortest stay in his starting gig out of the lot. Winborn has the most job security, so ride him while you can. He’s always been injury prone, so it might not last long. With no running game to speak of right now and an electric passing attack, Denver coming to town means big things for the Falcons DB’s. Grimes is down to special teams duty and former Bronco Dominique Foxworth will start against his old mates. John Abraham faces rookie stud Ryan Clady, but I highly doubt you have anyone else on your roster that should be starting above Abraham.
Detroit @ Carolina Sunday 10am PT
DET
Giddyup! – Ernie Sims, Daniel Bullocks, Leigh Bodden
SINS! – Paris Lenon, Lions DL’s
Hellno! – Dewayne White
CAR
Giddyup! – Julius Peppers, Jon Beason, Chris Gamble
SINS! – Ken Lucas, Charles Johnson, Thomas Davis, Chris Harris
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
Game notes: After barely squeaking one out against my terrible Raiders, expect the Panthers to unleash a massive can of whoopass on the lowly Lions. Move along, nothing to see here.
Philadelphia @ Cincinnati Sunday 10am PT
PHI
Giddyup! – Stewart Bradley, Trent Cole, Quintin Mikell, Brian Dawkins
SINS! – Omar Gaither, Juqua Parker
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
CIN
Giddyup! – Dhani Jones, Nedu Ndukwe
SINS! – Bengals DL’s, Brandon Johnson, Marvin White
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
Game notes: This game will probably be a lot more competitive than most pundits believe it will be. The Bengals have been showing some fight lately, and if they can beat the Jags they can likely give Philly a game. Stew Bradley was huge last week, and I expect him to have another good game against a surprisingly decent Bengals running attack. For the Bengals
New Orleans @ Kansas City Sunday 10am PT
NO
Giddyup! – Jonathan Vilma, Kevin Kaesviharn
SINS! – Roman Harper, Scott Fujita
Hellno! – Mike McKenzie
KC
Giddyup! – Bernard Pollard, Brandon Carr
SINS! – Maurice Leggett (downgrade if Brandon Flowers comes back this week)
Hellno! – all of the injured Chiefs
Game notes: Vilma had a rotten game last week, but don’t even think about benching him because of it. He’s still the Saints leading tackler by a mile, and LB’s have done well against Kansas City this season. The Chiefs are a mess, most of their IDP relevant players are hurt and most of the replacements are not worth a damn. CB Maurice Leggett might be an interesting plug and play candidate if Flowers cant go, as Brees will most assuredly pick on him.
Baltimore @ New York Giants Sunday 10am PT
BAL
Giddyup! – Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs
SINS! – Jim Leonhard, Haloti Ngata (in DT required leagues)
Hellno! – Ed Reed, Samari Rolle
NYG
Giddyup! – Antonio Pierce, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka
SINS! – Kenny Phillips, Aaron Ross
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
Game notes: This is going to be a good old fashioned slobberknocker! Two tough defenses and 2 solid running attacks. The MLB’s on both sides should be busy. For the defending champs their DE’s have to be salivating at this tasty matchup. The Ravens OL gives it up like a fat girl on prom night.
Minnesota @ Tampa Bay Sunday 10am PT
MIN
Giddyup! – Chad Greenway, Kevin Williams, Jared Allen, Antoine Winfield, Madieu Williams
SINS! – Ben Leber, Cedric Griffin, Napoleon Harris
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
TB
Giddyup! – Barrett Ruud, Sabby Piscatelli
SINS! – Derrick Brooks, Gaines Adams, Bucs CB’s
Hellno! – Jermaine Phillips
Game notes: The Bucs and Vikings will renew their old NFC Central rivalry this weekend, and it looks to be a great game. The Vikings are providing plenty of IDP goodness this season, expect that to continue. Jared Allen has a pretty severe shoulder injury, but you can expect him to continue to put up studly IDP numbers for as long as he can tolerate the pain. For the Bucs I think Ruud and Piscatelli are obvious starts this week, and ol’ Derrick Brooks should put up good numbers against ADP as well.
Oakland @ Miami Sunday 10am PT
OAK
Giddyup! – Kirk Morrison, Gibril Wilson (make sure he practices Friday)
SINS! – Thomas Howard, Jay Richardson
Hellno! – Raiders DB’s
MIA
Giddyup! – Joey Porter, Joey Porter, Joey Porter (listed once for each sack he will get on Sunday), Yeremiah Bell, Channing Crowder
SINS! – Vonnie Holliday, Renaldo Hill
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
Game notes: Ugh. As a Raiders fan this is getting to be extremely painful. Jim Harbaugh is going to have quite the mess on his hands next season. At least I have Joey Porter in my dynasty league, that will take some of the pain away. Well, not really, but he is going to score a crapload of points.
Chicago @ Green Bay Sunday 10am PT
CHI
Giddyup! – Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs, Kevin Payne
SINS! – Brian Urlacher, Adewale Ogunleye
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
GB
Giddyup! – AJ Hawk, Atari Bigby, Nick Collins
SINS! – Brandon Chillar, Charles Woodson
Hellno! – Nick Barnett
Game notes: The Bears will look to pretty much end the Packers’ playoff hopes with a win on the frozen tundra. Urlacher is obviously not the same player he used to be, so unless you get extra points for your IDP’s acting tough in deodorant commercials or having illegitimate kids, you can probably do better than this guy. For Green Bay Hawk moves to MLB with the injury to Barnett, and Brandon Chillar has a shot at IDP relevance with his move to Hawk’s old spot.
Houston @ Indianapolis Sunday 10am PT
HOU
Giddyup! – DeMeco Ryans, Mario Williams
SINS! – Texans DB’s
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
IND
Giddyup! – Bob Sanders, Robert Mathis, Antoine Bethea
SINS! – Tim Jennings, Dwight Freeney, Freddy Keiaho, Gary Brackett
Hellno! – Melvin Bullitt
Game notes: Just as many IDP’ers had given up on him, DeMeco Ryans rose from the ashes last week with a big game. Apparently Zach Diles was holding Ryans back after all! For the Colts start the usual suspects, but I wouldn’t mess with Bullitt even though he had a good game last week. He is in a rotation and will get snaps, but I wouldn’t trust his play count enough to make him an IDP starter.
St Louis @ San Francisco Sunday 1:05pm PT
STL
Giddyup! – OJ Atogwe
SINS! – Will Witherspoon, Rams DL’s
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
SF
Giddyup! – Pat Willis, Justin Smith, Michael Lewis
SINS! – Nate Clements, Walt Harris, Manny Lawson, Takeo Spikes
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
Game notes: YAWN. Next.
Arizona @ Seattle Sunday 1:05pm PT
AZ
Giddyup! – Karlos Dansby, Adrian Wilson, Darnell Dockett
SINS! – Cardinals CB’s, Travis Laboy, Bert Berry, Antrel Rolle, Gerald Hayes
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
SEA
Giddyup! – Seahawks LB’s
SINS! – Darryl Tapp, Seahawks DB’s
Hellno! – Pat Kerney
Game notes: This could be quite the scoring affair with the high-flying Cardinals visiting the struggling (but getting healthy) Seahawks. With Hasselbeck back on the field the `Hawks might actually put up enough offense to make the Cardinals IDP’s relevant, and I think they will. Adrian Wilson was making some massively boneheaded plays on MNF, but he is back and he is scoring IDP points, so get him in your lineup. For the Seachickens Pat Kerney is probably done for the year, but no one up north is ready to admit that yet. Lofa Tatupu looked like Lofa Tatupu again in week 10, which I’m sure is welcome news to his IDP owners.
Tennessee @ Jacksonville Sunday 1:15pm PT
TEN
Giddyup! – Cortland Finnegan, Keith Bulluck, Albert Haynesworth, Nick Harper
SINS! – Stephen Tulloch, Chris Hope, Michael Griffin
Hellno! – Kyle Vanden Bosch
JAX
Giddyup! – Daryl Smith
SINS! – Justin Durant, Reggie Nelson, Rashean Mathis
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
Game notes: For Tennessee its looking like Vanden Bosch might give it a go this week, but I wouldn’t trust him until he puts in a couple of back to back solid games. On the Jags side MLB Mike Peterson has been reinstated, but I wouldn’t mess with him until he puts in work. He was quoted this week saying that the Jags are phasing him out so that young guys can play, so I expect Daryl Smith and Justin Durant to continue doing the lions share of the Jags LB work.
San Diego @ Pittsburgh Sunday 1:15pm PT
SD
Giddyup! – Stephen Cooper, Clinton Hart, Antonio Cromartie
SINS! – Tim Dobbins, Shaun Phillips
Hellno! – Derek Smith
PIT
Giddyup! – James Harrison, James Farrior
SINS! – LaMarr Woodley (as long as he is a go), Troy Polamalu, Aaron Smith
Hellno! – no one you would normally start
Game notes: The Chargers cut Derek Smith this week, so Tim Dobbins looks like a decent pickup if you need LB help. Cromartie played a little more than expected last week due to other injuries in the San Diego secondary, so he should be good to go against Hines Ward this week. For the Steelers check the Thursday and Friday injury reports regarding Woodley, if he is a go he should probably be in your lineup.
Dallas @ Washington Sunday 5:15pm PT
DAL
Giddyup! – Zach Thomas, Demarcus Ware
SINS! – Greg Ellis, Bradie James
Hellno! – Cowboys DB’s
WAS
Giddyup! – London Fletcher, Carlos Rogers, Chris Horton
SINS! – Rocky McIntosh, Andre Carter
Hellno! – Shawn Springs, Deangelo Hall
Game notes: Zach Thomas should be a solid start even if Portis cannot go, as Betts & Alexander are easy for old people to tackle. For the `Skins do not look for Deangelo Hall to make an immediate impact, as he is the 3rd or 4th corner at best right now, and that’s with Springs out. I cannot see him remaining behind Smoot for long, but I also cannot see him being IDP relevant again this year unless Carlos Rogers gets hurt.
Cleveland @ Buffalo Monday 5:30pm PT
CLE
Giddyup! – D`Qwell Jackson, Sean Jones, Shaun Rogers (in DT required leagues)
SINS! – Brodney Pool, Eric Wright
Hellno! – Brandon McDonald
BUF
Giddyup! – Kawicka Mitchell, Paul Posluszny, Terrance McGee
SINS! – Bryan Scott, Ryan Denney, Ko Simpson
Hellno! – Donte Whitner, Aaron Schobel
Game notes: For the Browns D`Qwell Jackson has been an absolute stallion this season, and is a top 3-5 LB in most IDP formats. Sean Jones had a rough week last week, but I expect him to bounce back. Brandon McDonald is looking at being benched. More proof that a human turnstile cannot hold a job as an NFL CB for very long. On the Buffalo side of things Mitchell had a huge game last week, and with the depleted status of the Bills’ front 7 I expect that to continue. Its about time to give up on Aaron Schobel as well, as the whispers from Buffalo are that IR is in his future.
That about wraps it up for week 11! Best of luck to you in all of your IDP matchups this week!