Dear Fantasy Doctor X.

Week 1 NFL game picks!

Each week Fantasy Dr X will duke-it-out with Silver Dragon in picking the right game winners. Pure fun at its best!

NOTE: All times are Eastern

 thursday september 6th 8:30 pm 2007 season opener

New Orleans at Indianapolis

Silver Dragon - Colts kick their season off with a win.
This game is a match up many of us would have loved to see in last years’ Super Bowl, but I think the end-result would have been the same. The Saints are going to be stepping onto the Colts home field and facing the mad skills of Peyton Manning. Drew Brees and company put up a good fight, but there's no upset brewing here. Colts win hands down.

Fantasy Doc - Reggie and Deuce will run all over the Colts rush defense as the latter comes back to its 2006 awful form. However, Manning and his star receivers-duo will be too much to overcome for the not so great Saints secondary. In fact, if there is a game where you should start Manning and his receivers (not that I'd ever advice against it) this is the one. The Saints allowed a league-high 20 passing TDs last season, and I don't think they've improved their secondary much this off-season, did they? Colts will come out winners out of this much awaited “Father and Son” Manning comparisons’ game that was delayed by 7 months thanks to the ‘06 Bears. No objections here. I also pick the Colts to win.

 sunday 1:00 pm games

Atlanta at Minnesota

Silver Dragon - Minnesota manages to slip through with a win.
Life without Vick will be difficult on the Falcons. Michael Vick made everyone on that team better just by being present. He offered an element to the offense that kept opposing defenses honest. So to move forward without him this year is going to be a true test of Atlanta's talent. We'll have to keep an eye out here, but I don't think I see things going well for the Falcons this year.

Fantasy Doc - We will witness the first carries of Adrian Peterson’s pro career in this game. The now Vick-less Falcons won't be able to snatch one up on the road, considering they won't be able to rely on their running game either. The Vikings are only second to the Ravens in efficiently stopping the run. Vikings rack up first official 2007 win.

Carolina at St. Louis

Silver Dragon - Rams benefit from home field advantage.
Carolina is going to have a decent year, but it won’t start here. I can't say for sure just how much juice Isaac Bruce still has in the tank, but Steven Jackson is sure to burn some of the thread of his tires. Expect a close game, a nail biter if you will, but the Rams put the last points on the board to steal away with the win.

Fantasy Doc - This is one of the few games where you can expect the Panthers RBs to do fairly well. But, that won't be enough for them thanks to a great all-around performance by the new Rams’ offense led by Stephen Jackson. Too many fronts to defend for the Panthers will results in their first 2007 loss. I'll take the Rams at home.

Denver at Buffalo 

Silver Dragon - Broncos batter the Bills.
Cutler is going to open up the season with a bang and Javon Walker will be his gun powder. Travis Henry isn't going to show any problems with that knee, in fact, he'll feel like he’s running free lined up behind the Denver O-line. Top that off with Denver’s newest tandem at cornerback, Dre Bly and Champ Bailey, and this defense will smother the Bills’ offense.

Fantasy Doc - The Bills will open the new season at home, but the determined Broncos will ruin their festivities. They will use their new runner weapon, Travis Henry, the way a RB is supposed to be used. That is with no one spelling him except for the occasional in-game breather. Broncos will prevail away from home. 

Chiefs at Texans

Silver Dragon - Texans give Houston a reason to celebrate
There were moments during this preseason that you could almost feel some hope for Houston this year. However, Kansas City kept you guessing over whether or not they wanted to play this year. I'd look for Larry Johnson to mark several yards on the Texan defense, but Matt Schaub is going to make Atlanta sorry they let him go. I think we're going to start seeing some chemistry between Schaub and Andre Johnson this week.

Fantasy Doc - L.J. will feast on a rather porous Texans defense in this one while their abysmal passing game will serve as another pre-season practice drill. However, pre-season or not, I have been impressed with the Texans scoring an AFC South division-high 104 points. The Texans will give their home crowd an unusual win.

 Miami at Washington

Silver Dragon - Miami upsets the Redskins at home.
I’m not sure we are ready to witness a huge season from the Miami Dolphins, but we will see their moments. Just as their defense stepped up to win games last year, we can expect big things from Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor this year as well. Add Trent Green behind center…and the Dolphins pull a victory out in Washington.

Fantasy Doc - Two question mark teams with the visitors coming out on top. I'd like for the Portis-Betts combo to do some damage, but in actuality that will prove a difficult task against the best LB core in the NFL. I'd have to agree with Dragon on this one, defense wins here. Give me Miami,

 New England at N.Y. Jets

Silver Dragon - Patriots defeat the Jets.
I’m not convinced that the Patriots have built a super team in the off-season. Looking good on paper and playing good on the field are two different things. They will be a playoff team this year, but won’t go undefeated. However, defeat doesn’t come at the hands of the Jets. Tom Brady will lead his team to another victory, and I don’t think Moss will be as big an impact as many seem to think.

Fantasy Doc - The Jets, whom have had a great pre-season, will give the Pats a run for their money, but in the end and this being the regular season, the revamped Pats will come out on top.

Philadelphia at Green Bay

Silver Dragon - Eagles start season with a bang.
What can I say? Green Bay may have had some moments in the preseason, but I don't see a better than average year for the Packers. Brett Favre is getting past his prime and I don’t believe the Packers did enough to strengthen the team around him. Green Bay just doesn't have what it takes to defeat the Eagles this week.

Fantasy Doc - The Eagles will play away from home but the Packers will certainly not make them feel that. A healthy Eagles squad will prove too much of an obstacle for the Packers to overcome, even at home! Look for Westbrook and McNabb to have great games. Eagles win first game of '07.

Pittsburgh at Cleveland

Silver Dragon - Steelers dominate on Browns home field.
As long as Big Ben Roethlisberger can stay healthy this year, I expect that he will get Pittsburgh back on the list as one of the top competitive teams in the league again. Combine that with the stout Steelers defense and you’ve got a winning combination.

Fantasy Doc - The new-look Browns, that went head-to-head with Steelers in pre-season wins, won’t be able to put away the Steelers in their home opener. That simple! What a way for Jamal Lewis to be embarassed on his first start for his new team. Steelers are just the better team.

 Tennessee at Jacksonville

Silver Dragon - Jacksonville edges over the Titans.
To be honest with you…I found this one to be a tough pick. I think Vince Young could be great, but do we believe in the Madden Cover curse? It has been a hard phenomenon to ignore. That aside, I’m going to have to say the Jaguars defense holds to win the game in a tight battle.

Fantasy Doc - The Jaguars at home vs. one of the worst defenses in the league. Are you kidding me? I’ll pick the Jags, or should I say We?

 sunday 4:15 pm games

 Chicago at San Diego 

Silver Dragon - Chargers start season with woes, Bears win.
I’m not saying the Chargers are doomed this year. LaDainian Tomlinson can only be stopped by an injury. However, the coaching staff for this team has been gutted, and I expect to see some growing pains. Chicago steps into San Diego and claws their way to a win.

Fantasy Doc - A tough game that will feature two 2006 playoffs teams will have us all watching this match-up glued to the big screen. The Chargers home record has been impeccable dating back to last season and I’m sure that trend will continue for one more week. I’ll have to disagree with Dragon on this one and take the Chargers. 

Detroit at Oakland 

Silver Dragon - Lions start their win streak.
Looks like it's time to see if Jon Kitna can make good on his promise of 10+ wins this season!!! I’ll give them this game against Oakland, the black hole as been looking pretty bright for opposing teams lately, but don’t look for a play-off season from Detroit this year. I expect Kitna will be avoiding replays of that discussion by mid-season.

Fantasy Doc - What is this? The draft day top-picks contest? #1 Jamarcus Russell going head-to-head vs. #2 Calvin Johnson is about the only thing worth watching in this game among two of the worst teams in the NFL. Oh wait...Russell is not playing, is he? It doesn't matter anyway.Tatum Bell for Detroit and the Raiders' starting RB (Insert name here) will be the center of attention of this game. I’ll have to agree with Dragon and take the Lions as well.

Tampa Bay at Seattle 

Silver Dragon - Seattle gets off to a good start.
With Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander both healthy for game one, I expect them to get the season underway in a positive direction. Tampa won’t make it easy, but given good health and home field, the Seahawks start this season 1-0.

Fantasy Doc - Shaun Alexander is getting old but that won’t matter vs. the lowly Bucs. In fact, a "One-footed" Alexander will be more than the Bucs can handle. A Seattle win at home vs. Tampa Bay is also a safe survivor pick.

 sunday night game 8:15 pm

N.Y. Giants at Dallas 

Silver Dragon - Dallas opens Sunday night with a bang.
No more Tiki? No problem. Brandon Jacobs should be set to have a good year this year. Expect him to add some yardage along side his touchdown totals this year. However, Eli Manning will continue to be over-shadowed by his big brother, and I see very little mutual respect and chemistry flowing through this team starting with Tom Coughlin. His failure to control this team last year will surely continue to haunt him this season, especially after a few losses and I'm going to say the first loss comes here.

Fantasy Doc - There we go again, the unpredictable NFC EAST division at work. My main rule when deciding picking a winner out of two equally good teams is to give the edge to the home team. Dallas happens to be playing in Texas in week 1. Look for T.O. to have a god day vs. one of the worst teams against the pass. Another disagreement with Dragon here. I’ll take the Cowboys at home.

 Monday night football (2 games)

 Baltimore at Cincinnati 7:00 PM.

Silver Dragon - Ravens wreak havoc in Cincy.
Expect this to be a good Offense VS Defense match up…with the defense coming out on top. I expect Carson Palmer to come out firing with Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh eager to be on the receiving end, but Ray Lewis and the Baltimore defense has been a stingy bunch. I expect that to carry over into game one of this new season.

Fantasy Doc - OBJECTION, your honor! A very hard game to predict but the Bengals should prevail at home. They'll have to do it thru the air tough. Rudi Johnson should just skip this game (as the Ravens run D is one of the best) and fly to Cleveland (Where a better fate awaits him) ahead of his teammates for their week 2 matchup.  Again, we disagree on another pick as my strategy has been so far pretty “Vegas Line” type. Give me the Bengals at home.

 Arizona at San Francisco 10:15 PM.

Silver Dragon - 49ers hold down the home front
I’m looking to see improvement this year in San Francisco and Arizona just seems to be the team that can never get it all together. So, with that thought in mind, and given that the home field advantage goes to the 49ers….I’m taking the 49ers to win a close contest.

Fantasy Doc - Well, it seems like that the Cardinals have had the 49ers’ number lately. The last time these two teams faced-off on a Monday-nighter had the privilege of having me in the stands. (I’m sure they were happier to see my money more than my face). Except that game was played in Arizona and I witnessed the last game played by then 49ers QB Steve Young. His game was cut short by a career-ending hit that caused Young to suffer yet another concussion. I’ll take the Cards in what it could prove to be only one of a few victories this year. Yes, again...Another futile year, but this game is the exception to the rule. Edgerrin James may break the 100-yard rushing mark in this game not to mention the damage that the Cardinals' air attack can inflict on the Niners' secondary. The last disagreement (4) of this first week will ask you to record the Cardinals as my pick.

Dear readers, what else can we say other than to check next week’s column for official results to see who fared better in this friendly and healthy competition game?

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