Posted by Rob in Defenses,Fantasy Advice,Kickers,Projections,Quarterbacks,Running Backs,Tight Ends,Wide Receivers on Nov 25th 2009 and last modified on Nov 27th 2009. (Print This)
F.F.B. wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving.
The Thanksgiving Day games are here and while many people are demanding a change away from the same old teams that play on Turkey Day, notably the Detroit Lions, let’s just be thankful that there is something to watch. While the slated games don’t scream must see t.v., they are better matchups than one might think.
This does not include the matinee game that pits the injury-riddled Detroit Lions against the Green Bay Packers. This game might have been more competitive if QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson were playing, but chances are they will miss the game. The Packers have been playing better football as of late and WR Greg Jennings has re-emerged as fantasy owners’ say to themselves, “Why did I trade this guy for Glen Coffee?” This one will be a blowout and NFL fans will demand that a new team play on Thanksgiving forgetting that two of the leagues young stars were sitting on the sideline.
About the time your Thanksgiving dinner is ending the second game of the day begins. While many fans’ see this as a mismatch, it is actually a pretty decent game. The Cowboys come in this game struggling offensively and the past three games they have put only 34 points on the board, that’s about 11 points a game for you math majors out there. The Cowboys offense has hit a wall, TE Jason Witten is not producing and WR Miles Austin has crashed back to earth. They are 2-1 in that span which tells you that their defense is playing pretty well, even when they are fighting their coaches on the sidelines. Oakland is coming off a huge win against Cincinnati last week and Head Coach Tom Cable and Owner Al Davis, if he was awake, were the only ones who thought they had a chance late in that game. The Raiders’ defense comes in giving up only 17 points in their last two games. The Raider defense is better than people think and they are led by CB Nnamdi Asomugha who can shut down the entire side of the field in passing situations. The Raiders have turned to QB Bruce Gradkowski who threw two TD’s last week against the Bengals, but more importantly is that he took zero sacks. Considering QB JaMarcus Russell has been sacked 24 times in 9 starts is telling. Gradkowski can manage the game and will give them the chance to win week in and week out.
The third game of the day, just about the time you have your first leftover turkey sandwich, or third piece of pumpkin pie is the best matchup of the day. These two teams are mirror images of each other, the Giants won their first five games of the season, only to drop the next four in a row. They won last week against the Atlanta Falcons, but they struggled to put them away late in the game. That’s what the good Giants teams’ of the past did, when they went ahead, they went ground and pound on teams with their bruising running game. That has been missing this year as their record sits at 6-4 and they are still a team looking for an identity. The Broncos won their first six games of the season, only to drop the next four in a row. While people were ready to crown Head Coach Josh McDaniels the next “genius” Bill Belichick disciple, football fans knew this team was smoke and mirrors. The Broncos offensively have averaged 9 points per game over their last four games and the defense that was much talked about after the Patriot’s game has been giving up 29 points per game over their last four. The Broncos record also sits at 6-4 and they have lost control of the AFC West to the San Diego Chargers. Needless to say this is a pivotal game for both teams.
The player projections have been reduced by the number of players as the bye weeks in the NFL are over and your full fantasy roster is at your disposal. No longer will you see a player listed who might have 2 receptions for 25 yards (think Brian Finneran or Deion Branch here). If you have these players on your teams it’s time to do some waiver wire shopping.
Before we get to the projections Fantasy Football Brothers would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones. We are very thankful to our wives and girlfriends who have put up with our incessant football talk since the NFL combine. Each and everyone of us are more than thankful for your love and support that no words could ever properly measure or show our gratitude for their patience with our fantasy football obsession. We are also very thankful for you the reader who with your support and readership have made us more successful than we thought we could have ever been close to achieving this year.
Enough of that, let’s get to the Turkey Day Projections:
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (12:30 p.m. Thursday, November 26, 2009)
Game Projections for Green Bay Packers:
QB-Aaron Rodgers—-23 com./34 att.—-283 yards—-3 TD’s—-1 INT
RB-Ryan Grant—-19 ru.—-121 yards—-1 TD—-1 rec.—-7 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
WR-Donald Driver—-5 rec.—-80 yards—-1 TD
WR-Greg Jennings—-6 rec.—-87 yards—-1 TD
TE-Jermichael Finley—-6 rec.—-71 yards—-1 TD
K-Mason Crosby—-8 points
D/ST- (11) points
Game Projections for Detroit Lions:
QB-Daunte Culpepper—-19 com./38 att.—-257 yards—–1 TD—-3 INT’s
RB-Kevin Smith—-19 ru.—-72 yards—-1 TD—-3 rec.—-35 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
WR-Bryant Johnson—-5 rec.—-62 yards—-0 TD’s
TE-Brandon Pettigrew—-5 rec.—-75 yards—-1 TD
K-Jason Hanson—-7 points
D/ST- (3) points
Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys (4:15 p.m. Thursday, November 26, 2009)
Game Projections for Oakland Raiders:
QB-Bruce Gradkowski—-18 com./30 att.—-204 yards—-1 TD—-2 INT’s
RB-Darren McFadden—-7 ru.—-40 yards—-0 TD’s—-1 rec.—-10 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
RB-Justin Fargas—-12 ru.—-51 yards—-1 TD—-2 rec.—-15 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
RB-Michael Bush—-8 ru.—-48 yards—-0 TD’s—-1 rec.—-6 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
WR-Chaz Schilens—-3 rec.—-42 yards—-0 TD’s
WR-Louis Murphy—-3 rec.—-45 yards—-0 TD’s
TE-Zach Miller—-6 rec.—-74 yards—-1 TD
K-Sebastian Janikowski—-6 points
D/ST- (5) points
Game Projections for Dallas Cowboys:
QB-Tony Romo—-22 com./33 att.—-281 yards—-2 TD’s—-1 INT
RB-Marion Barber—-17 ru.—-95 yards—-1 TD—-2 rec.—-15 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
RB-Felix Jones—-12 ru.—-79 yards—-1 TD—-3 rec.—-27 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
WR-Miles Austin—-3 rec.—-41 yards—-0 TD’s
WR-Roy E. Williams—-5 rec.—-80 yards—-1 TD
TE-Jason Witten—-6 rec.—-78 yards—-1 TD
K-Nick Folk—-10 points
D/ST- (10) points
New York Giants at Denver Broncos (8:20 p.m. Thursday, November 26, 2009)
Game Projections for New York Giants:
QB-Eli Manning—-23 com./36 att.—-279 yards—-2 TD’s—-1 INT
RB-Brandon Jacobs—-18 ru.—-73 yards—-1 TD—-1 rec.—-7 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
RB-Danny Ware—-10 ru.—-56 yards—-0 TD’s—-1 rec.—-10 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
WR-Steve Smith—-5 rec.—-54 yards—-0 TD’s
WR-Mario Manningham—-6 rec.—-78 yards—-1 TD
WR-Hakeem Nicks—-4 rec.—-59 yards—-0 TD’s
TE-Kevin Boss—-5 rec.—-71 yards—-1 TD
K-Lawrence Tynes—-8 points
D/ST- (8) points
Game Projections for Denver Broncos:
QB-Kyle Orton—-19 com./32 att.—-241 yards—-1 TD—-1 INT
RB-Knowshon Moreno—-20 ru.—-85 yards—-1 TD—-1 rec.—-7 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
RB-Correll Buckhalter—-10 ru.—-51 yards—-0 TD’s—-2 rec.—-19 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
WR-Brandon Marshall—-6 rec.—-89 yards—-1 TD
WR-Eddie Royal—-5 rec.—-64 yards—-0 TD’s
TE-Tony Scheffler—-3 rec.—-31 yards—-0 rec. TD’s
K-Matt Prater—-6 points
D/ST- (5) points
Good luck in Week 12 and Happy Thanksgiving.