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| NFC North-Insights Intelligence |
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NFC North - Insights Intelligence |
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AFC Intelligence Reports |
NFC Intelligence Reports |
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AFC East - BUF, MIA, NEP, NYJ
AFC South - HOU, IND, JAX, TEN
AFC North - BAL, CIN, CLE, PIT
AFC West - DEN, KAN, OAK, SD |
NFC East - DAL, NYG, PHI, WAS
NFC South - ATL, CAR, NO, TB
NFC North - CHI, DET, GB, MIN
NFC West - ARZ, STL, SF, SEA |
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Insights Intelligence is a free product of Fantasy Insights. Our writers submit their reports on a voluntary basis each week and, although we strive to post updated reports for every team each week, reports may not always get updated before the Friday deadline.
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| Chicago Bears |
By: Jan Sawicki
Updated: 12/27/2007
Please access our Premium Products for the Chicago Bears Team Capsule, Player Rankings/Statistics, Crystal Ball Projections, Fantasy Recommendations and much more.
Last Week:
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Last Week
The wind was whipping around in Soldier Field as the Bears looked like everyone expected them to look all season, impressive. They took it to the Green Bay Packers by running the ball right at them. They controlled the game from the start. Ron Turner had a solid game plan and the offense looked in sync. The wind was blowing and made passing an adventure. Kyle Orton looked solid connecting on several passes and one for a touchdown to tight end Desmond Clark. He should have had a second but Muhsin Muhammad could not hang on to one in the end zone. He looked poised and more relaxed. Look for Kyle to have a good game this week against New Orleans. Adrian Peterson ran the ball well. He had 27 carries for over 100 yards and a score.
The defense looked sharp and aggressive. They were helped as Brett Favre and his receivers could not adjust to the windy conditions. The one poor play was when they allowed Ryan Grant to scamper 60 yards for a score. The defense was all over Favre and stuffed the running game. They forced Favre into a couple of interceptions which Urlacher took in for a score. A few plays earlier, Urlacher dropped a sure interception. The defense also played without Lance Briggs. His replacement, Jamar Williams played very well and will likely be the starter if they choose not to sign Briggs.
This Week:
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This Week
This week the Bears travel to New Orleans. They will play the Saints who will have play off hopes riding plus revenge from last year’s play off loss on this game. Look for the Bears to spoil it for them again this year. I like Orton to have a big day against a week secondary of New Orleans. Look for him to hook up on 2 big scores, Berrian and Hester to get in the end zone this week. Adrian Peterson should have a solid day but nothing great. It is still unsure of who they plan on playing this week and who will be getting some additional healing time.
Drew Brees will come out firing and put pressure on the Bear’s secondary. The Bears will be without Nathan Vasher as they have shut him down for the year. Look for Brees to have a good game. He should end up with 250 yards and a couple of scores. He will get pressured though and that can turn into a couple of turnovers. The key will be for the offense to turn those into touch downs.
The season ends with plenty of disappointment. Injuries really hurt the defense and inconsistency on offense made it worse. The Bears could win 2 in a row for the first time this season this week and it could go a long way in building for 2008. The team is not as bad as they played. They need to make a few additions and some additions through subtraction as well. They need to get a running back that wants to play. Adrian Peterson is a solid change of pace back and Cedric Benson lacks some desire. The wide receivers need to learn to hang on to the ball. It goes back to game one when Berrian dropped a sure touchdown and the Bears went on to lose to San Diego. The offense needs to get younger on the line. Look for Orton and either Grossman or Griese (not both) to be back in the saddle next season. Ron Turner needs to find some rhythm on offense while Bob Babich needs to find ways to develop some back ups to starters. The Brown and Vasher injuries killed the secondary and did not find itself until too late in the season. A preseason injury to Dusty Dvorcheck plus the beating Tommie Harris took all season hurt the defensive front. One thing for sure is this defense will be back next season and it won’t cost you too dearly to draft them. Look for the Bears to finish 8-8 with a 27-24 win.
Rumors:
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Injuries:
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Position Analysis:
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Quarterbacks:
Kyle Orton will have a better game this. Look for two deep scores. 250 yards and 2 scores.
Running Backs:
Adrian Peterson to get 20-25 touches and gets about 100 combined yards. Plus a score.
Wide Receivers:
Look for Berrian to score once and Hester to join in. Not sure what they plan on doing with others.
Tight Ends:
Greg Olsen will get most of the touches which should get him 50-60 yards.
Defense/Special Teams:
Robbie to gets 2 field goal and 3 PATs.
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| Detroit Lions |
By: Gordon Dean
Updated: 12/30/2007
Please access our Premium Products for the Detroit Lions Team Capsule, Player Rankings/Statistics, Crystal Ball Projections, Fantasy Recommendations and much more.
Last Week:
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Here is what I said last week: "...I really don't think it matters who they play but this week it is Kansas City. This is actually a game they could win even given the recent history of total and complete failures on all fronts..." And then the Lions actually went out and beat the KC Cheifs(thank you Snickers for a great commercial) but it was mostly due to the KC coaching staff and their inability to recognize that the best thing they could do was to pound Kolby Smith 30+ carries since the lions wouldn't know a run defense if it came up and hit them in the head with a 2x4.
This Week:
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It is likely your season is over but if it isn't, you might try Duckett as he is the only RB left standing. Kitna is good for his 225+ yds a TD or 2. Macdonald and Johnson are the only WRs worth a look.
Rumors:
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Shaun Rogers joins the crowd and wants out of Detroit
Both Kevin Jones and Roy Williams are looking to get out of Detroit.
Read this article:
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2007/12/williams_jones_likely_to_leave.html
Few Lions meet Marinelli's standards
read this article:
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2007/12/few_lions_meet_marinellis_stan.html
Injuries:
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Roy Williams done (officially on IR) for the year.
Position Analysis:
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QUARTERBACKS:
Kitna will continue to hand the ball off to Jones (look for 15+ carries this week) and throw the ball when they fall behind. You might play Kitna this week but if you have an alternative, use it. Look for him to get 225-250 yards and 1, possibly 2 TDs.
RUNNING BACKS:
The way TJ Duckett was running the ball, maybe he should have been starting all year. He will get his chance now. Kevin Jones is out for the year.It is hard to guess what he will do but, maybe 60-80 yds and maybe 1 TD
WIDE RECEIVERS:
Calvin Johnson (struggling with back problems) , Sean MacDonald and Mike Furrey. If they continue to play from behind again this week, the game may open up a little for Kitna. Calvin Johnson is playing but his back is messed up. Furrey and MacDonald fill in the blanks. MacDonald is a WR#3 and Johnson and Furrey as #4. Macdonald is outplaying Johnson and Furrey and seems locked in at 5-6 receptions for 60+ yards.
TIGHT ENDS:
The Lions will be using whoever the TE is for an outlet if all else fails and for blocking normally. Stay away. There are 20 other TEs that are better in fantasy football.
PLACE KICKER:
Jason Hanson is no surprise. He falls into the #6-12 kickers slot in most leagues and should be counted on to act like one. Draft him in the last 2 rounds of most drafts and he will be functional.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS:
They are playing well. They are probably worth a start against most teams these days. They are aggressive, fast and opportunistic. Of course, they have lost every NFL game since getting to 6-2 but so what.
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| Green Bay Packers |
By: Dave Klutz
Updated: 12/21/2007
Please access our Premium Products for the Green Bay Packers Team Capsule, Player Rankings/Statistics, Crystal Ball Projections, Fantasy Recommendations and much more.
Last Week:
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The Packers took a giant leap toward the #1 Playoff spot with a victory last week. They absolutely destroyed the Rams. Brett Favre had 227 yards and 2 TDs, but also had 2 INTs. Ryan Grant only had 55 yards, but got his 1 TD. Donald Driver had the most catches with 5 for 80 yards. Greg Jennings had anohter long TD catch and finished with 66 yards. Donald Lee struggled with only 1 catch for 4 yards, but at least it was for a TD. Defensively it was the Nick Barnett show with 2 sacks. Hawk and Kampman added two more. The other big winner was Bigby with 2 INTs.
This Week:
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Green Bay at Chicago. It's time for revenge. The Packers have been taking the Bears abuse the last couple of years and lost to them earlier in the year.
Rumors:
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Injuries:
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Position Analysis:
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QUARTERBACKS: In the first game against the Bears Brett Favre had 322 yards and 1 TD. If you are still playing it is the Super Bowl and Championship Game and you are there because of Brett. You can't sit him now! Expect over 300 yards and 2 TDs.
RUNNING BACKS: Ryan Grant struggled last week against the Rams, but the Bears can't stop the running game. Grant also has scored in the last five weeks. In the first match up Grant wasn't starting yet, but this week look for Grant to exploit a terrible Bear run defense. Grant will get 80-100 yards and 1 TD.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Greg Jennings has scored in seven of eight games. In the first match up against the Bears he had 83 yards and 1 TD. Expect close to the same this time. Donald Driver isn't much of a scoring machine this year. Then again he never was much of a threat against the Bears. He has scored once in 7 games against the Bears. Driver isn't on your starting roster and shouldn't be on the roster this important week.
TIGHT ENDS: Donald Lee scored again and has a TD in four of six games. He didn't have a very good games the first time they played the Bears. He will not get a lot of yards but might be good for a TD.
PLACE KICKER: Mason Crosby is averaging over 2 FGs a game. He had 2 FGs in the first match up and should get another 2 FGs and 3 XPs this week.
DEFENSE: The Bears are only averaging 17 yards a game and have been terrible lately. The Packers defense destroyed a much better offense last week. This would be a good week again to start a Packer defense. The Bears turn the ball over every week and struggle to score. That is what you want when you have the opposite teams defense. The Packers will get 1-2 sacks at least 1-2 turnovers and could pitch a shut out.
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| Minnesota Vikings |
By: Karen VanDyke
Updated: 12/13/2007
Please access our Premium Products for the Minnesota Vikings Team Capsule, Player Rankings/Statistics, Crystal Ball Projections, Fantasy Recommendations and much more.
Last Week:
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Minnesota 27 San Francisco 7 – The Vikings beat the 49ers to win their fourth consecutive game and put themselves in 6th place in the NFC. San Francisco’s game plan was to stop Adrian Peterson to beak the Vikes. They contained the rookie sensation to just 3 yards in 14 carries, but the rest of the offense picked up the slack. The highlight of the day was defensive lineman Kevin Williams taking the ball into the endzone just 14 seconds into the game. Minnesota moved the ball efficiently and had San Francisco 27-0 at the half. Jackson passed for 163 yds, and Chester Taylor had an exciting 84 yard touchdown run to help seal the deal. The Vikings defense put on another strong showing keeping the offense on the field where they should be.
This Week:
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Chicago @ Minnesota, Dec 17 , Mon. 8:30 pm est – The Vikings will be going up against the Bears third string QB, Kyle Orton since starter Rex Grossman is out for the rest of the season with a sprained knee. The top ranked run defense, Minnesota Vikings should not have a problem with the 5-8 Bears struggling offense. Even though the Bears held Washington to 31 yds on the ground, their 24th ranked run defense will be no match for the high powered Vikings. Peterson will have fire in his belly coming into this week with a dismal showing last week against the 49ers. He will put up another astounding set of stats, continuing his outstanding rookie season. Minnesota will quietly maintain their position to get into the playoffs with a lopsided win against the Chicago Bears on Monday night.
Rumors:
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Just news this week: James has third ACL surgery on left knee – December 12, Minneapolis Star Tribune: “Vikings defensive end Erasmus James underwent successful surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.”
Injuries:
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Mike Doss (SS) – Hamstring – Doubtful
Tank Williams (FS) – Knee – Doubtful
Troy Williamson (WR) – Concussion - Questionable
Position Analysis:
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QUARTERBACKS:
This week will have Jackson putting up another decent week’s stats and might be worth starting this week. With all the QB injuries around the league, Jackson could bring in fantasy points hitting Bobby Wade and Rice on the run.
RUNNING BACKS:
Chester Taylor has certainly pulled his weight when Peterson went down and will come in this week on a more limited basis. Adrian Peterson seems to be at full strength even though he only rushed for 3 yards last week. He will plow through the Bears OL and should be your starting RB this week on any fantasy league roster.
WIDE RECEIVERS:
Bobby Wade and Sydney Rice will have decent games but won’t post significant numbers to be starting fantasy wide receivers.
TIGHT ENDS:
Minnesota’s TE position doesn’t offer enough situations for them to be viable fantasy players at this time.
PLACE KICKER:
Longwell has 87 points so far this season and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. He should be your starting kicker this week since he will have many opportunities to kick extra points with the second worse rushing offense trying to stop Peterson, Taylor and Jackson who have helped the Vikings average almost 35 points in the last four games.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS:
Minnesota’s defense should get the nod this week if you have their defense on your fantasy roster. Holding their opponents to just an average of 47.6 yds in their last five home games, makes them a force to be reckoned with in the Metrodome. Start ‘em.
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