stolen writeups but good info IMO...
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rushing Offense vs Seattle Seahawks Rushing Defense (Good Matchup) The Bucs lost their only healthy fullback Byron Storer to a blown ACL last week, and Earnest Graham put the team first, shifting to a FB role vs. Carolina - he ended the day with a decent fantasy effort none-the-less, with 2/47/0 receiving to lead the team and 5/11/1 rushing. Warrick Dunn benefited from being the featured RB for a day, with 22/115/0 rushing and 3/18/0 receiving, helping his fantasy owners in all but basic-scoring leagues. FB Jameel Cook was signed Wednesday to provide blocking while B.J. Askew continues to recover from his hamstring woes, so Graham should shift back to RB this week. We'll see how the committee splits the carries this week - to date, Graham has 72/404/3 rushing and 12/110/0 receiving; Dunn has contributed 75/386/1 rushing and 16/113/0 receiving in fairly equal time sharing arrangement. The Seahawks' defense is buckling due to the lack of offense - currently they are 23rd in the NFL averaging 126.2 rushing yards allowed per game, with 5 rushing TDs given up - last week, Green Bay pounded the ball for 39/113/1 against Seattle and held the ball for 37:26. It's hard to hold teams under 100 yards rushing when they get almost 40 cracks at your line, no matter how good the players may be. Given what is going on with the whole Seattle team (especially on offense), this looks like a good matchup for Graham and Dunn owners, as the Bucs love to rush the ball and control the clock. Weather: Raymond James Stadium expects a high of 84F, with a low around 64F in the evening - with a 0% chance for rain on gameday, the cool of the evening should be a fine time to play and watch pro football in Tampa.
Seattle Seahawks Rushing Offense at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rushing Defense (Bad Matchup) With Charlie Frye under center, the Seahawks' backs faced a lot of stacked fronts and ended the day posting 23/113/0 as a team - Julius Jones did the bulk of the running with 12/44/0 (a 3.7 yards per carry average), Maurice Morris managed 4/16/0 on the ground (2/13/0 receiving), and T.J. Duckett chipped in 2/9/0. As you can see, there's not much here to get excited about in fantasy terms. With Matt Hasselbeck out due to a bulging disk in his back and knee woes, Tampa Bay figures to key on the backs again and dare either Frye or Seneca Wallace to beat them. Speaking of Tampa Bay, they are 9th in the NFL right now, averaging 89.7 rushing yards allowed per game, and have yet to give up a rushing TD. Over the last 3 weeks, they average 58 rushing yards allowed per game, with 20/40/0 allowed to Carolina's duo of runners last week. They are one of the best defensive fronts in the game, folks. Seattle's offense is in tatters - Tampa's defense is on a roll. Advantage, Tampa.
Seattle Seahawks Passing Offense at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Passing Defense (Tough Matchup) Seneca Wallace has an injured calf that keeps flaring up this year - he's a lifetime 58.5% passer with 117/200 for 1335 yards, 11 TDs and 9 interceptions (mostly during his 2006 stint as a starter, when he went 2-2). With Matt Hasselbeck out, Wallace is the Seahawks' best hope - if he can play. The latest as of Wednesday is that Wallace and Frye will split snaps in practice this week: "Just see how Seneca's leg responds to practice," coach Mike Holmgren said on Wednesday. "If everything is OK there, then Seneca will probably start the game. If it's not, Charlie will start. But they both have to practice just to see how Seneca feels." With Deion Branch out (again) last week, Bobby Engram and Koren Robinson tried to help Charlie Frye get off the ground last week and couldn't turn the trick. Frye ended the day with 12/23 for 83 yards passing, with 2 scores and 2 interceptions in the 27-17 loss. John Carlson (4/22/1) and Keary Colbert (1/5/1) scored the points, while Robinson led his team with 2/23/0 receiving. Considering the long road Robinson has been on in the league, it's nice to see him atop a tally sheet again, but fantasy owners wish there were more than 83 yards of offense to share around. Branch may be able to go on Sunday, but that is uncertain as of Wednesday - his heel's response to practice reps will determine his status later in the week. Robinson is expected to take Wednesdays off going forward as the trainers have determined his knees require an extra day of rest to hold up. The Bucs bring the league's 19th ranked pass D to the dance this week (at home in deafening Raymond James Stadium), averaging 222.5 net yards allowed per contest with 8 passing scores allowed. However, they lead the league in interceptions, with 11, and also have 11 sacks so far this year (the Seahawks have allowed 12 sacks, with 3 handed over to the Packers last week). Carolina's Jake Delhomme pitched into 20/39 for 242 yards, 0 TDs and 3 interceptions last week vs. Tampa. Ouch. Whether it is the hobbled Wallace or the journeyman Frye, the Seahawks have limited options at WR and face an aggressive defense in a hostile, noisy stadium on Sunday night - that spells a tough matchup for the visitors in our book.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rushing Offense vs Seattle Seahawks Rushing Defense (Good Matchup) The Bucs lost their only healthy fullback Byron Storer to a blown ACL last week, and Earnest Graham put the team first, shifting to a FB role vs. Carolina - he ended the day with a decent fantasy effort none-the-less, with 2/47/0 receiving to lead the team and 5/11/1 rushing. Warrick Dunn benefited from being the featured RB for a day, with 22/115/0 rushing and 3/18/0 receiving, helping his fantasy owners in all but basic-scoring leagues. FB Jameel Cook was signed Wednesday to provide blocking while B.J. Askew continues to recover from his hamstring woes, so Graham should shift back to RB this week. We'll see how the committee splits the carries this week - to date, Graham has 72/404/3 rushing and 12/110/0 receiving; Dunn has contributed 75/386/1 rushing and 16/113/0 receiving in fairly equal time sharing arrangement. The Seahawks' defense is buckling due to the lack of offense - currently they are 23rd in the NFL averaging 126.2 rushing yards allowed per game, with 5 rushing TDs given up - last week, Green Bay pounded the ball for 39/113/1 against Seattle and held the ball for 37:26. It's hard to hold teams under 100 yards rushing when they get almost 40 cracks at your line, no matter how good the players may be. Given what is going on with the whole Seattle team (especially on offense), this looks like a good matchup for Graham and Dunn owners, as the Bucs love to rush the ball and control the clock. Weather: Raymond James Stadium expects a high of 84F, with a low around 64F in the evening - with a 0% chance for rain on gameday, the cool of the evening should be a fine time to play and watch pro football in Tampa.
Seattle Seahawks Rushing Offense at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rushing Defense (Bad Matchup) With Charlie Frye under center, the Seahawks' backs faced a lot of stacked fronts and ended the day posting 23/113/0 as a team - Julius Jones did the bulk of the running with 12/44/0 (a 3.7 yards per carry average), Maurice Morris managed 4/16/0 on the ground (2/13/0 receiving), and T.J. Duckett chipped in 2/9/0. As you can see, there's not much here to get excited about in fantasy terms. With Matt Hasselbeck out due to a bulging disk in his back and knee woes, Tampa Bay figures to key on the backs again and dare either Frye or Seneca Wallace to beat them. Speaking of Tampa Bay, they are 9th in the NFL right now, averaging 89.7 rushing yards allowed per game, and have yet to give up a rushing TD. Over the last 3 weeks, they average 58 rushing yards allowed per game, with 20/40/0 allowed to Carolina's duo of runners last week. They are one of the best defensive fronts in the game, folks. Seattle's offense is in tatters - Tampa's defense is on a roll. Advantage, Tampa.
Seattle Seahawks Passing Offense at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Passing Defense (Tough Matchup) Seneca Wallace has an injured calf that keeps flaring up this year - he's a lifetime 58.5% passer with 117/200 for 1335 yards, 11 TDs and 9 interceptions (mostly during his 2006 stint as a starter, when he went 2-2). With Matt Hasselbeck out, Wallace is the Seahawks' best hope - if he can play. The latest as of Wednesday is that Wallace and Frye will split snaps in practice this week: "Just see how Seneca's leg responds to practice," coach Mike Holmgren said on Wednesday. "If everything is OK there, then Seneca will probably start the game. If it's not, Charlie will start. But they both have to practice just to see how Seneca feels." With Deion Branch out (again) last week, Bobby Engram and Koren Robinson tried to help Charlie Frye get off the ground last week and couldn't turn the trick. Frye ended the day with 12/23 for 83 yards passing, with 2 scores and 2 interceptions in the 27-17 loss. John Carlson (4/22/1) and Keary Colbert (1/5/1) scored the points, while Robinson led his team with 2/23/0 receiving. Considering the long road Robinson has been on in the league, it's nice to see him atop a tally sheet again, but fantasy owners wish there were more than 83 yards of offense to share around. Branch may be able to go on Sunday, but that is uncertain as of Wednesday - his heel's response to practice reps will determine his status later in the week. Robinson is expected to take Wednesdays off going forward as the trainers have determined his knees require an extra day of rest to hold up. The Bucs bring the league's 19th ranked pass D to the dance this week (at home in deafening Raymond James Stadium), averaging 222.5 net yards allowed per contest with 8 passing scores allowed. However, they lead the league in interceptions, with 11, and also have 11 sacks so far this year (the Seahawks have allowed 12 sacks, with 3 handed over to the Packers last week). Carolina's Jake Delhomme pitched into 20/39 for 242 yards, 0 TDs and 3 interceptions last week vs. Tampa. Ouch. Whether it is the hobbled Wallace or the journeyman Frye, the Seahawks have limited options at WR and face an aggressive defense in a hostile, noisy stadium on Sunday night - that spells a tough matchup for the visitors in our book.
