Every Saturday morning, I'll take a quick look at all the week's games, offering my own take on what I think will happen, as well as touching on significant injury news since our Weekly came out. I'll check in every so often over the course of the day to answer questions, too.
Our official rankings and projections are in Fantasy Index Weekly. That's the content you're paying for. My goal here is to answer questions on players who are close, and on occasion I will have opinions that clash with the rankings -- sometimes I like a player a little more than Ian. Or a little less.
Kansas City at Panthers: No Jeremy Maclin, making it even easier to bench a disappointment. I wouldn't count on one of the three wideout possibilities being a reliable start, however. Travis Kelce seems the most appealing. Spencer Ware returns and the matchup is tough, but he'll be involved as a receiver.
Texans at Jaguars: Both running backs (Ivory and Miller) look good here. Texans had their top corner get hurt in practice, a plus for Blake Bortles and company. Allen Hurns still in concussion protocol, so we'll have to wait and see. Sounds promising, but not certain.
Broncos at Saints: Given the matchup, hard to be overly excited about the Saints passing game, but if anyone can produce against Denver pass defense, it's them. Michael Thomas playing too well to underestimate, Drew Brees too. Saints should run a lot and you can consider both backs. For Denver the assumption is Devontae Booker is the main back and the early-week Kapri Bibbs talk is just talk.
Rams at Jets: Don't know who the Jets will start at quarterback. Probably Ryan Fitzpatrick, but no one knows for sure. Can't get excited about either offense regardless; just Matt Forte, Kenny Britt and maybe Brandon Marshall. A lot of depressed New Yorkers have to watch this game Sunday.
Falcons at Eagles: No Tevin Coleman, so Devonta Freeman looks great. Picked up Taylor Gabriel in dynasty this week, what the hey. Maybe he'll be essentially the No. 2 in the league's top passing offense going forward. Younger than I thought (25). Always amusing to see former Browns making an impact elsewhere. Like the Eagles offense here too, notably Darren Sproles.
Bears at Buccaneers: Kind of think the Bears might win this game. Their defense is playing better than Tampa Bay's, which is just awful. Will sign off on the Bears offense, pretty much all of them. Doug Martin a gametime decision, so I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable using him unless my other options were very poor.
Packers at Titans: No interest in James Starks even if active, as discussed in Weekly. Packers passing game, however, looks good, as does the Tennessee offense in general; passing game, DeMarco Murray (despite bad matchup and toe injury and Derrick Henry also being available).
Vikings at Washington: Not a great spot to get lots of points. I like Stefon Diggs and Jordan Reed, and think I have to use Jamison Crowder somewhere. Washington is going with Rob Kelley as its starting running back. He shouldn't do a ton in this matchup, but starting running backs are hard to come by and might be some people's best option. I guess it's a good thing the Vikings have so many heartbreaking losses over the years, it prepared them for last week's shocker against Detroit. DeSean Jackson doubtful, another reason not to use him.
Dolphins at Chargers: No Travis Benjamin for San Diego, but this offense is quite familiar with losing receivers to injury so should still be fine. Both running backs look like nice options in this game, Gordon because the matchup is great and Ajayi because while the Chargers generally play the run well, they don't around the end zone.
49ers at Cardinals: Picked the Cardinals in my Survivor Pool (the one I'm still alive in). My first thought was the Ravens and wish I'd gone that way, obviously. Whatever, Arizona's offense should be great and San Francisco's should do very little. No real clarity on if Carlos Hyde will play or not. Watch the Sunday reports, that's about all I can say there.
Cowboys at Steelers: A matchup that brings me back to my youth in the late 1970s, when every little kid liked either the Steelers or Cowboys (I liked Pittsburgh). Should be a good game and definitely a winnable one for Pittsburgh, despite how well Cowboys have played all year. Sammie Coates and Eli Rogers seem viable. Both running back, obviously. I like Dez here too. Shame this isn't the night game, but at least it gives us a watchable one at 4 p.m.
Seahawks at Patriots: Plus the night game's also really good. I think Ian expects New England to just mow through Seattle. I give the Seahawks a slightly more fighting chance and like their passing game here. Christine Michael shows up as questionable with a hamstring injury, so grab C.J. Prosise if you have roster room because just maybe he'll start here (and catch a bunch of passes). Patriots might not have Chris Hogan (sounds like they won't) benefiting other receivers. Lived in Boston when Pete Carroll coached there, those were interesting years.
Bengals at Giants: I'm expecting the Giants offense to be great in this game and for them to win comfortably, which I suppose is when the Giants come out flat or something. But I'm certainly starting Odell Beckham and interested in Sterling Shepard. The running back situation is a little dicey; I'd rather have Paul Perkins on my roster than actually use him. For the Bengals, I'd use Green, Eifert and both running backs; don't see New York shutting Cincinnati down. Presume nobody is starting Victor Cruz, so the injury issue there is no big deal besides perhaps benefiting Shepard.
Enjoy the games.