Popular Patriots and Withering Washington
1. New England Patriots - The Patriot's 7-game winning streak should speak for itself, but if it doesn't, their margin of victory (+140) in those 7 games sure does.2. Green Bay Packers - The only player that might be hotter than Brady at this point is Aaron Rodgers. Their match-up this Sunday should be one for the ages.
3. Dallas Cowboys - As much as I despise the Cowboys, they deserve this spot more than any team below them. Dez Bryant and Demarco Murray have swiftly become the most prolific weapons in the NFC.
4. Denver Broncos - Peyton Manning is having another outstanding season, but the Broncos are in the midst of a bit of a slump as a team. Their defense is failing them on a more consistent basis, but look for an all out assault against the Chiefs on Prime Time.
5. Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton look to be a QB-WR combination for years to come, especially with Hilton treating Luck passes as his own children.
6. Philadelphia Eagles - As much as I would love to drop any Butt Fumble-led team out of the top ten, Chip Kelly's offense put on a show this past week and earned their ranking.
7. Arizona Cardinals - This team is sliding and fast. Without Carson Palmer, I have a hard time believing they can still win this division. At least they still have the most gifted corner in the NFL, Patrick Peterson.
8. San Diego Chargers - The Chargers typically play well for 8 games, and terrible for 8 games. We're 10 games in and their 7-4, so they are due for a 9-7 stumble to the finish line.
9. San Francisco 49ers - Although the 49ers are having locker room issues and winning close games against bad teams, they are winning nonetheless, and the winner of this week's match-up will go to the playoffs.
10. Seattle Seahawks - Given the disarray following the trade of Percy Harvin and Marshawn Lynch's antics, the Seahawks are in good shape. This week will be huge in deciding their future.
11. Detroit Lions - Very surprised that Stafford's production has not took off since the return of Calvin Johnson, but look for their offense to return to form against the Bears this week.
12. Cleveland Browns - The return of Josh Gordon came at the right time for the Browns. The end of the season is near, and his production on the outside helps out everyone on offense. I see playoffs in their future.
13. Cincinnati Bengals - Tough schedule coming up for the Bengals, as each of their last 4 games are against teams above .500. The tie gives them a chance to sneak in at 9-6-1, but I wouldn't bet on it.
14. Baltimore Ravens - Steve Smith Sr. has lit a fire under this team with his spirit, and I expect it to carry them into the postseason.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers - They were up and down before the bye week, and I expect more the same from this mediocre Steeler's squad.
16. Kansas City Chiefs - A loss to the 0-10 Oakland Raiders is disgraceful. Lucky to be this high.
17. Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins put up their best effort against the Broncos, but allowing such a comeback is devastating to a team's momentum.
18. Buffalo Bills - The Bills are trending upward, and that 35 point win against the Jets shows their upside as an explosive team.
19. Atlanta Falcons - It is truly confounding that a team led by Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Roddy White continues to struggle. This same offense dominated the league for Ryan's first 5 years in the league.
20. New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees leaves it all on the field, but this team does not have the weapons it had when it went to the Super Bowl a few years ago.
21. Chicago Bears - The defense is terrible, Cutler isn't much better, and they will be eliminated from the playoff picture after a loss at Ford Field on Thursday.
22. St. Louis Rams - Austin Davis has come back to Earth, but they continue to fight, to no avail.
23. Houston Texans - Ryan Mallett is out for the season after making only two starts. So much for that.
24. Carolina Panthers - As bad as the Panthers are, they are only a half game out of the division lead. Wow.
25. Minnesota Vikings - After hanging with the Packers this week, many Vikings fans are hoping to tank the rest of this season to bring in a top draft pick and a healthy Adrian Peterson in 2015.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Gerald McCoy, Lavonte Davis, and Mike Evans continue to excel, while the rest of the team fails miserably every single week.
27. New York Giants - Odell Beckham Jr. is a bright spot for the G-Men, and this outstanding catch is already being nominated for an ESPY Award by people on social media, as well as being memed by the internet comics of the world.
28. New York Jets - The only thing worse than a 35 point loss to the Bills on the road would be a 35 point loss to the Bills in a neutral site game. Wait...
29. Oakland Raiders - "Act like you've been there before." Unless you haven't. Congrats Oakland, and may the 1st overall draft pick be ever in your city.
30. Tennessee Titans - Zach Mettenberger is showing promise, but the team needs to get worse before it gets better.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars - The joke of the league all year, but they can only hope for a high draft pick and the return of Justin Blackmon next season.
32. Washington Redskins - RG III is a shell of his old self. Fans are clamoring for this guy to be the starter. The defense is an inconsistent mess. With that, the press conferences are the biggest debacles of all.
Lock of the Week
Denver Broncos (-2) at the Kansas City Chiefs
With Denver coming off a comeback win over the Dolphins, expect their offense to continue the momentum they built in the second half and destroy the Chiefs. Kansas City just lost to the 0-10 Raiders, and they have to travel to Arizona next week. Look for the Chiefs to take this loss on the chin and dominate the Cardinals in Week 14.
Fantasy Plays of the Week
QB Matthew Stafford - The Chicago Bears have allowed 50+ points multiple times this season, and I expect for more of the same at Detroit on Thanksgiving.
RB CJ Anderson - Anderson has come on recently as a leader in the backfield for the Broncos.
RB Tre Mason - Mason is trending upward and is playing against a horrible rushing defense in the Raiders this week.
WR Martavis Bryant - In 5 games this season, Bryant has scored 6 touchdowns. Expect him to score again this week.
WR Mohamed Sanu - Sanu is the leading receiver for the Bengals this season, and will exploit the Buccaneers defense on Sunday.
TE Jason Witten - He has been quiet all season, but expect him to make some splash plays with a Thanksgiving Day game against a division rival with a weak defense.
DEF Giants Defense - They are playing against the Jaguars. Nuff Said.
