24 Hours 'Til Sunday — Andy Richardson

Every week there are a few horrible games that carry little to no interest after halftime. Looks like we got all those out of the way on Thursday, so it should be a great Sunday of games. For those with a sense of continuity, my 11-0 team did in fact lose last week. A lot of Titans matched up against the Jets. Those same players (Chris Johnson, Rob Bironas, Titans D) along with Larry Fitzgerald have me out to a 111-5 lead this week, but the dream of a perfect season will have to remain just that for another year.

Carolina at Green Bay: Best thing the Panthers have going for them is that they can run the ball and Green Bay can't stop it. Weather could be a factor in this game. Sounds like Jonathan Stewart is going to play and can be considered as an option, though DeAngelo Williams still figures to get more work.

Indianapolis at Cleveland: Derek Anderson in for Brady Quinn. Colts win big so Anderson will be throwing a lot to Braylon Edwards and hoping desperately that he catches it.

Baltimore at Cincinnati: Ravens have some banged-up players but sounds like they'll all play. Surprisingly, Baltimore can tie the Steelers for the top spot in the AFC North with a win here and a Steelers' loss at New England. It would be nice to start a Ravens' running back but you never know how they'll use them. I'd give McGahee the slight edge, but I've said that before.

San Francisco at Buffalo: 49ers are better against the run than the pass, but they do have a great cornerback who should be able to control Lee Evans. Weather also sounds like it might be a factor here.

Denver at N.Y. Jets: People are underestimating the chances of Denver causing the Jets problems here, I think. Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal (who should play, but check Sunday morning to make sure) are a dangerous tandem for a secondary that has had some holes this season. Broncos ground game won't do much, but the passing game might. Jets players all look good: Coles, Cotchery, Favre, Thomas Jones.

N.Y. Giants at Washington: Plaxico is out. Brandon Jacobs is in. Washington's defense is pretty good but tough to bet against New York's offense anyway, which will use Domenik Hixon for Burress. For Washington, Clinton Portis should play, but he's not fully healthy and it's a tough matchup.

New Orleans at Tampa Bay: After scoring 51 points Monday night, this is where the Saints come out and get held under 20. Reggie Bush should play, although his greatest value would be in PPR leagues -- he won't do much on the ground. Pierre Thomas should share work with him. Will Cadillac Williams get a larger workload? Maybe. I still wouldn't use him, but it's a good matchup and the Bucs don't want to burn out Warrick Dunn before the playoffs. Speaking of, it's a little disturbing that the Bucs are in line to win this division. I mean, they're good enough to make the playoffs because they do everything sort of well and nothing really poorly, but they're not good enough to do anything when they get there. Kind of a shame, but that's the bulk of the NFC right now.

Miami at St. Louis: Hey, Steven Jackson might play. Against a very good run defense, behind a terrible offensive line, for a team that might get blown out -- it has for a month straight. Usable, particularly in PPR leagues, but don't get too excited about him. Marc Bulger should play too, on the off-chance anyone is considering using a guy who might not finish any game he starts and hasn't done anything positive all season.

Atlanta at San Diego: Surely THIS will be the week San Diego makes its run to win the AFC West? Right? Everyone of note is healthy for both teams, but I'd definitely rather be using the former Chargers' running back than the current one. Both quarterbacks should be OK, Ryan because he's playing well against a lousy pass defense, Rivers because San Diego's running game isn't doing anything these days.

Kansas City at Oakland: In the new Ask the Experts question about which season-long disappointment could be good the rest of the way, I mentioned Larry Johnson. I should have mentioned Darren McFadden. Both players look good here. Most important injury item is it sounds like Mark Bradley won't be able to play for Kansas City; check Sunday to make sure, but it doesn't look good.

Pittsburgh at New England: Sounds like Willie Parker will play, and although he did well in this game last year, I wouldn't recommend him. He's not 100 percent and this is a tough run defense. This should be a really good game, without much running but with plenty of passing and big defensive plays.

Chicago at Minnesota: NBC had a quandary with its ability to switch another game in for the Sunday night game. On the one hand, this is a huge game, between a pair of 6-5 teams tied for first place in the NFC North. On the other hand, who really cares? Seeing Minnesota's Adrian Peterson and maybe Chicago's Matt Forte is about the only reason for the casual fan to tune in, and both are facing very good run defenses. Not that I'd bet against Peterson, but it's definitely a tough matchup (although he'll probably be fine). And one of these teams will probably win the division and get drummed out of the playoffs by a superior NFC East team.

Jacksonville at Houston: Matt Schaub is practicing, which means unless he's ruled out Sunday morning, you can't use either Houston quarterback in this game (unless I guess you have both). Steve Slaton should be big, as should Maurice Jones-Drew -- and I need to bench one of them, haven't decided which one yet. Feel free to cast your vote below (my other starter was Chris Johnson).

Enjoy the games.

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