Dear Fantasy Doctor X.

Week 2 NFL games picks!

Week 1 has come to a close and the tallies are in. Although the Dragon and your own Dr. X were in agreement on most of the match ups this week, the Fantasy Dr takes the first edge of the regular season with a one game lead. Final count has Silver Dragon at 10-6 at the end of week one and Fantasy Dr X finishing 11-5. 

So with Week 1 going to the good Doctor, lets get ready,...set,...hut our way into Week 2!!!!

NOTE: All times are Eastern

 sunday september 16th 1:00 pm games

Jacksonville pulls off a close win.

Fantasy Doc - Atlanta without Vick expectedly disappointed, but so did the Jaguars last week.  I'll give the Jaguars a vote of confidence this week again as the Falcons seem to be really hopeless. Jaguars win to get back on track and not to lose anymore ground to the high-flying Colts.

Buffalo at Pittsburgh

Silver Dragon - The Bills hosted Denver last week only to find defeat in the final seconds of the game thanks to a Jason Elam field goal. The Steelers on the other hand went to town on Cleveland. Ben Roethlisberger threw a career-high four touchdowns and Willie Parker rushed past the 100 yard mark. I wouldn’t be looking for the Bills to dominate in the Steelers house. Get out your ‘terrible towels.’
Steelers will celebrate a home team victory.

Fantasy Doc - The Steelers won't have it as easy this week, but regardless should be able to put away the Bills who haven't found an identity yet at home. Steelers go 2-0 this week.

New Orleans at Tampa Bay

Silver Dragon - The Saints found themselves Manning handled last week in Indianapolis as they were completely dominated in the second half of the game. But don’t start calling out the Saints just yet. Even good teams have off weeks and combine that with the dominating force of Peyton Manning and the rest of the defending Super Bowl Champions, and you’d be hard pressed to find a team that wouldn’t have been defeated just the same. It’s time for Drew Brees to get his groove back.
Saints march into Tampa and march out with a win.

Fantasy Doc - I'd like to believe, like the rest of you, that ugly performances won't be repeated by the Saints' players this week or else...It just won't happen versus the Bucs. Saints win on the road.

Green Bay at N.Y. Giants

Silver Dragon - What do I say about this game? I didn’t give the Packers a chance against Philadelphia. The Giants lost to Dallas, but didn’t fall apart as I felt they would. Both of these teams outperformed my expectation of them in Week 1. Even though one game doesn’t make a changed season, I should take another look at the possibilities of these teams. However, I think a big deciding factor in the outcome of this game is going to be the absence of Eli Manning and possibly even Brandon Jacobs.
Packers start the season 2-0.

Fantasy Doc - The Packers defense has jelled finely and going up against a Giants team without its starting QB & RB should only make matters easy for Green bay. Packers contained the eagles last week and will contain the Giants this week. 2-0 vs NFC East teams, 2-0 on the season with a Packers' win.

Houston at Carolina

Silver Dragon -I have no doubt that the Texans will start to see better days for their franchise. Matt Schaub had a fairly successful evening that included a career-long 77-yard touchdown pass to Andre Johnson, but it was Mario Williams with five tackles and a touchdown off a fumble that really shined. To bad they travel to Carolina this week. Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith can conjure up long touchdown passes of their own, including one for 68 yards against St. Louis.
Panthers pounce on the Texans.

Fantasy Doc - Carolina should not be mistaken for the Chiefs, but Houston should not be mistaken for the Colts either.  Their win vs the Chiefs shouldn't be counted as a franchise-turning point. In fact, a local high school team would have beaten the Chiefs last week. i;ll take my chances with the Panthers to win this Sunday.

S. Francisco at St. Louis

Silver Dragon -It may have been a mistake for the Rams to give Steven Jackson front row seats from the bench during the preseason because he came out looking a bit cold last week against Carolina. Jackson was only able to gain 58 yards on 18 carries and had some trouble holding onto the ball in the third quarter. However, this week they play at home and against a team that won their last match up by driving for more yards in their final drive than they had accomplished in the entire second half of the game. I expect Jackson to correct his errors this week.
Rams bounce back for a win on their home field. 

Fantasy Doc - I should just disagree with you for strategy purposes, but how can I, or anyone except from Frisco, really think that the Rams lose two in a row to start the season? Steven Jackson and Co. will redeem themselves at the expenses of the Niners this week. I'll also take the Rams.

Indianapolis at Tennessee

Silver Dragon - Vince Young and the Titans ran rampant on the Jacksonville defense last week with Chris Brown leading the way, but the Colts showed they can be the run defense most of us thought they weren’t. After keeping the combined rushing yards of Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister well under 100 yards, Joseph Addai gave Peyton Manning all the run support he needed tracking off 118 rushing yards by himself. That left Manning to…well…be Manning, with 288 passing yards and 3 touchdowns.
Colts collect their first road win.

Fantasy Doc - If I'm not mistaken, the Titans were the Monkey on the Colts' back last season as the eventual World champion needed a come-back miracle in week 5 of last year to barely beat them with a score of 14-13. Their second season meeting was won by the titans by a score of 20-17. However, this is NOW and the Colts' improved defense coupled with their potent offense will make sure the Colts win this game.

Cincinnati at Cleveland

Silver Dragon - You can’t expect to win games with five turnovers and six allowed sacks and that was obvious as the Browns were devastated in last weeks match up with Pittsburgh. The Browns are a mess right now. Romeo Crennel pulled Charlie Frye from the game in the first half for back up Derek Anderson, who did manage one touchdown pass, successfully avoiding a shutout. Add the fan chant for Brady Quinn,…and the Browns have issues.
Bengals will take this game early.

Fantasy Doc - Give the Browns for the upset special of the week. Just kidding, of course.  QB Charlie Frye was shipped to Seattle to a back-up job and Derek  Anderson will  warm Brady Quinn's  place for  a while until the rookie takes over as the team's starter. All of this will not matter. The Bengals will  unmercifully apply all of its force on the helpless Browns.  Even Rudi johnson will be a part of the festivities with a more favorable matchup than his previous one against the Ravens. The ghastly sight of the scoreboard's final score will be too much for Browns' fans to stomach.  Bengals win  with a point-feast. Say, 50+?

 sunday september 16th afternoon games

Seattle at Arizona 4:05 PM

Silver Dragon - .Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander’s Seahawk offense got off to a slow start last week against Tampa Bay, but once they settled into the game it was all over. Alexander picked up his slack and rushed for over a hundred yards, and the Seattle defense took the gas out of the Cadillac before moving Jeff Garcia into the breakdown lane. Move this next game into Arizona and I think the Seahawks continue to roll.
Seahawks swoop down on the Cardinals for a win.

Fantasy Doc - The Cardinals played the same two teams (49es & Seattle) to start the '06 season, except with the home-away inverted. Blame a key loss to the O-line, like it was good to begin with anyway, or blame the new coaching staff working out the bugs, the end result will see Seattle take an early division lead after this game. Seattle begins new season 2-0.

Dallas at Miami 4:05 PM

Silver Dragon - Tony Romo set the field on fire last week torching some yardage on 15 completions on 24 attempts for a hot 345 yards and 4 touchdowns. Add Marion Barbers 65 yards on 11 carries for a touchdown and who cares if the beefed up defense that Wade Philips was suppose to bring didn’t show up. If the Cowboys can keep their offense rolling, I have a hard time believing that Trent Green will keep up as well as Eli Manning did. Miami better hope Jason Taylor’s quad is feeling better by game time if they want to stay in this game.
Tony Romo leads Cowboys to another early victory

Fantasy Doc - I went back and forth trying to decide who to pick last week out of Miami and Washington. Ultimately I choose Miami and didn't work out, almost. This week there is no debating on my part, even considering the tougher defense Miami will throw against the Cowboys. Cowboys will win .

Minnesota at Detroit 4:05 PM

Silver Dragon - Detroit marked off game number one of the 10 wins promised by Jon Kitna this year and the win didn’t go off without the assistance of their first round draft pick Calvin Johnson who caught 4 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. It was a good display of offense against a fairly strong Oakland defense. However, Detroit almost let the game slip away from them. This week they face the Vikings defense. A little bit better, but…call me crazy, I’m going to give number two.
Lions win number two as they prepare to overtake last years win record.

Fantasy Doc - OK, you're crazy! You've asked for it. I also think the Lions have a chance, but as you mentioned the vikings defense is way better than Oaklands and, besides, this column would have no reason to exist if we didn't pick some different winners. I know Minnesota will play away but give me the Vikings and Adrian Peterson to run all over the Lions.

Oakland at Denver 4:15 PM

Silver Dragon - .Although the scoreboard in Buffalo showed a one point victory for Denver in the final seconds of the game, some numbers tell another story. Jay Cutler completed 23/39 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown, Travis Henry rushed for 139 yards, and Javon Walker caught 9 passes for 119 receiving yards. Broncos owned total yards, 470-184, first downs, 23-13, and had six minutes of additional possession time. Sure they need some fine tuning, but they ARE capable.
Broncos defend their home field from the Raiders. 

Fantasy Doc - Being capable doesn't translate in victories. However, I too think that the Broncos will find a way to win this game at home. The Raiders couldn't stop the Lions, so....I'll take the Broncos.

Kansas City at Chicago 4:15 PM

Silver Dragon - Ouch!!! Even with Larry Johnson on the field the Chiefs look like you could stick a fork in them. Damon Huard only threw for 168 yards and his receivers had trouble holding on to the ball. Add two interceptions where he wished the defenders hadn’t held on to the ball and Huard wasn’t having his best night. Then you consider that Johnson was only able to rush for 43 yards on 10 carries and now they must travel to Chicago. Facing the devastating Bears defense who, even though they lost, was able to hold last years MVP LaDainian Tomlinson to a mere 25 rushing yards and one touchdown should have Chief fans worried.
Bears claim their first victory.

Fantasy Doc - No major analysis needed here I would hope. If the Chiefs could not beat the Texans or even score a TD vs them (pathetic), how should we grant them a reasonable chance to upset the Bears?  We just can't! It seems like that the Chiefs will not be able to buy a win or two this year and will be headed for the 1st pick overall in next year's draft sweepstakes. Just as a precautionary measure  should Larry Johnson act up again next off-season. Therefore, give me the Bears as well!

 sunday night game 8:15 pm

San Diego at New England

Silver Dragon - Last week I took the unpopular pick of Chicago edging past the Chargers. Although it looked like I had the right idea around half-time, too many turnovers defeated the Bears. You simply can’t give a team as good as San Diego that many opportunities. So how do you pick against L.T. two weeks in a row without looking insane?  You send him and his teammates into Foxboro to face off against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Everyone needs to tune into this match up, a tough game against tough competitors, this game will be a nail biter. Anybody think the Patriots will get some extra film of San Diego?
Patriots pull off the victory at home.

Fantasy Doc - San Diego has some unfinished business with the pats from last year's playoffs. The Chargers have the best RB, err...QB with the best  TD to INT ratio in the history of the game in Tomlinson. I kid you not when I boldly state that the Chargers will not look the Pats in the eyes and unleash their bag of tricks via L.T. Chargers upset the excited Foxboro crowd.

 Monday night football 8:30 pm

Washington at Philadelphia

Silver Dragon - Last week I took Philly to win over Green Bay and Washington to fall to the defensive strengths of Miami…I was wrong on both counts by field goals. This week these teams match up and I find that I’m unimpressed with Donavan McNabb’s 45% completion percentage, or Jason Campbell’s two interceptions. Clinton Portis showed he was still a capable running back with 98 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown, but Brian Westbrook had 131 yards of combined rushing and receiving without the touchdown. Last week I liked the Eagles, this week I’ll settle for the home team.
Eagles win a game in front of their home crowd.

Fantasy Doc - Philadelphia is better than what showed last week. McNabb should get on track as the weeks go by starting in week 2. Westbrook will once again catch and rush at will and may even find the end zone a few times vs the "Skins". Only two disagreements this week, Dragon. I'll make sure we'll diversify our picks next week as games become tougher to predict. Eagles win this one.