Bills' wide out Lee Evans historically torches the Dolphins secondary

Snap, Crackle and Pop is a weekly column that reviews the major injuries (Snap) and then projects both busts (Crackle) and sleepers (Pop) for the coming week.

SNAP

The Panthers’ quarterback situation is a mess no matter who is under center. David Carr (back/concussion) missed practice again Thursday and is out for Sunday’s game. The ageless Vinny Testaverde missed the teams Week 9 contest but appears poised to make his second start of the season. His first resulted in a win over the Cardinals in Arizona.  Carolina does not feel comfortable turning to rookie QB Matt Moore who has a grand total of seven pass attempts on the season.

Rookie running back sensation Adrian Peterson might have an easier time than expected against the normally solid Green Bay run defense due to injured free safety Nick Collins. The Packers will miss Collins, who has a reputation as an outstanding box-safety, and without his presence Sunday the Vikings tailback will again be the focus of the offense. With Kelly Holcomb out and Tarvaris Jackson less than one-hundred percent, third-string signal-caller Brooks Bollinger may get the nod allowing the Packers to disrespect the listless pass attack of the Vikings and load the box against Peterson.  There are good things to be said about Green Bay’s defense, like only four teams allow fewer points than they do, so expect them to make Brooks Bollinger beat them while they stack and spy Peterson.  

The Denver Broncos enter Week 10 with only three wins and injuries of their own. Wide outs Javon Walker and Rod Smith remain out while safety John Lynch and quarterback Jay Cutler remain questionable. With the injury and legal problems of Travis Henry, Cutler has held this team together, and his absence would likely spell doom for a desperate Denver organization.  Chiefs’ running back Larry Johnson will be out for this week’s game with Priest Holmes and undrafted rookie Kolby Smith sharing carries in his place. Holmes has played in 17 games in the last four seasons, and it will be very interesting to see how he handles the larger role.

The Rams got much needed rest during the bye week, but are still far from at full strength.  Veteran special-teamer and wide receiver Dante Hall will continue to miss the action, while quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson are both functioning at less than one-hundred percent.

Bengals’ quarterback Carson Palmer and the Cincinnati offense face a struggling Baltimore secondary Sunday afternoon. The Ravens injury woes haven’t improved much.  Last year’s impressive AFC North champions are still thin at the corners while the recent injury to star safety Ed Reed severely weakens the already damaged secondary.

The Seahawks have more than their share of uncertainty heading into Monday’s game against the 49ers. Seattle No. 1 wide receiver Deion Branch, starting tight end Marcus Pollard and MVP running back Shaun Alexander all missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday and are listed as questionable for the division battle.  San Francisco’s starting tailback Frank Gore isn’t practicing after being inactive for the teams Week 9 loss against the two-win Falcons and is an iffy-proposition for fantasy owners this week. 

CRACKLE

While RB Brian Westbrook’s rushing yards have been declining over the past three weeks, his receiving yards have been on the rise, nearly matching his rushing average (63.3 rushing to 58.7 receiving – yards per game). That said Westbrook as a tough test against a much-improved Washington defense.  The Eagles need to do a better job finishing off drives. The team is ranked ninth overall in total yards while ranking 20th in total scoring. 

Cardinals RB Edgerrin James registered a pathetic 15 yards rushing on nine carries against a soft Buccaneers rush defense last Sunday. The Cardinals’ All Pro faces a Detroit defense that stopped the Bronco rushers, Travis Henry and Selvin Young, to 43 total yards on the ground.  Beyond the direct match-up, expect the Cardinals to air-it-out more this Sunday. The Lions pass defense ranks 30th in the league and Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner has said that he wants to try and get the ball to his playmakers more-- specifically wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. These factors will combine to dampen Edge’s fantasy production.

POP

With uncertainty at the quarterback position for the Panthers, look for Deshaun Foster to find continued success against a struggling Atlanta rush defense.  When these two teams met in Week 1, Foster ran for 122 yards and a touchdown. He’s only had one touchdown run since, but going up against the Falcons might be the spark he and the offense needs.

Brett Favre and the pass-happy Packers will win on Sunday despite the Vikings' rookie running back as they go up against a Minnesota pass defense that is second-worst in the league. If that isn’t enough, cover corner Antoine Winfield is questionable to dress on Sunday. Fantasy owners should get solid production from starting wide outs Donald Driver and Greg Jennings this weekend.

Bills’ wide receiver Lee Evans historically torches the Dolphins secondary.  In six-games against the Dolphins, Evans is averaging over 21 yards-per-catch with six touchdowns and over 150 receiving yards-per-game the last two contests. Third-year signal-caller J.P. Losman will get his second straight start Sunday and his strong arm compliments the deep play ability of Evans. Expect the fourth-year receiver to have another big game Sunday.

Don’t expect Ben Roethlisberger (hip) to repeat his five-touchdown performance against the Browns this week, but you can expect two or three against a suspect Cleveland secondary. Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ offense are facing the league’s worst pass defense in the comfort of Heinz Field. With WR Hines Ward back and healthy and his speedy counterpart Santonio Holmes playing well, expect Big Ben to put up solid numbers for the second straight week. On a related note, this is as good a time as ever to start one of Roethlisberger’s favorite endzone targets, tight end Heath Miller. The second-year receiving end will be facing a Browns linebacking corps that gives up the third-most fantasy points to tight ends.

Bengals’ notorious wide receiver Chris Henry is eligible to play this week, and just like Priest Holmes, has picked a wonderful time to do so. The normally sturdy Baltimore pass defense is decidedly weaker due to cover corner injuries while Holmes faces one of the leagues worst rush defenses in Denver. Look for Henry to pick up Chad Johnson’s season-long slack Sunday if he can avoid a fight with stadium employees over five dollars.

It is hard to throw accolades at the Chicago fantasy options, but the Windy City may yield two solid fantasy performers this week. The first, Devin Hester, has displayed unbelievable skill as a special-teamer, but has not been enough snaps at the receiver position to be a fantasy starting option.  This week may be different for Hester as the Oakland Raiders are making what seems to me to be the biggest bonehead decision of the year, declaring they will kick to greatest return-man in the history of the league.

Raiders’ head coach Lane Kiffin “likes the challenge” of facing Hester and his return skills. Climbing Mt. Everest is a challenge. Doing the New York Times Sunday crossword is a challenge. Kicking the ball to the most talented man in the league is just stupid, and fantasy owners in the deeper leagues may want to think about capitalizing on this decision and taking the gamble on Hester as a starting wide out.

The second strong fantasy performer from Chicago this week will be running back Cedric Benson. Yes, he’s had a woeful season so far, but the Bears will attack the front seven of the Raiders.  Oakland is the 30th ranked run defense in the league, giving up 153 yards per game.