Ask the Experts
Posted Oct. 29 at 05:59 AM
ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:
How do you see the big Vikings-Packers game going this week?
CORY J. BONINI
Brett Favre Bowl II will offer similar themes to the first '09 installment between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, including ample Ted Thompson cutaways and overblown "in-Favre-tuation" in the broadcast booth. Sure, No. 4 returns to Lambeau Field, but more importantly, Jared Allen will once again line up across from a suspect Packers front five that let Minny drop Aaron Rodgers eight times in their first dance. Injury concerns with Minny's D could open up more Pack chances through the air, but if Green Bay wastes Aaron Kampman in coverage as often as they did in Week 4, we could see another Favre surgery session. As long as the ol' gunslinger remembers that Adrian Peterson lines up behind him and doesn't chuck downfield into the population of Wisconsin, the Vikings will bring the grey beard past his former mates for a season sweep.
KFFL.com offers fantasy football, fantasy baseball and fantasy NASCAR content. We have captured well more than a dozen expert league championships. Founded in 1996, KFFL offers award-winning daily news feeds, preseason draft guides, player rankings, sleepers, busts, weekly newsletters and more. KFFL is completely free! For more information, visit www.kffl.com.
SAM HENDRICKS
The remains of Hurricane Neki linger long enough to bring precipitation to Lambeau field. Game time temperatures hover in the high 30’s and snow flurries make this perfect fall football weather for a great match up. Brett Favre is cheered by 45% of the fans; jeered by 45% and 10% will just be there for the moment. Minnesota will try to establish Adrian Peterson and the run with some success. However, Brett will find Visanthe Shiancoe to be his weapon of choice with six catches for 105 yards and two TDs (including one in the 4th quarter to give the Vikes a come from behind win after trailing most of the day). Minnesota gets over their tough loss to Pittsburgh with an even bigger win to division foe GB. Everyone in the media claims before the game that it all has to do with revenge; everyone claims after the game that it had nothing to do with revenge. Only Favre will know. Favre hints in a post-game interview that he might retire next year. Final Score: Vikings 24 Pack 23.
Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Almanac 2009, all available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is a 19-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th overall in the 2008 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).
SCOTT ENDSLEY
Packers get their revenge. Green Bay has quietly been playing better and the Vikings are stumbling a bit. Favre may press too much here and the Packers' balanced offense will keep Minnesota on their heels.
Endsley is co-owner and a senior fantasy football consultant for FantasyDraftEdge.com offering customizable fantasy football cheat sheets and professional VIP advice all season long. For more info, go to www.fantasydraftedge.com.
PRETZEL MAY
Really this is a question of Packers passing attack against the Vikings running attack. The determining factor here is whether or not the Packers offensive line can keep Rodgers upright. Last meeting the Vikings had 8 sacks. I expect a similar out come this week leading to a similar out come on the scoreboard. Vikings take it. Favre sticks it to the Packers on their turf.
The May brothers have more than 16 years of combined fantasy football experience and are the co-founders of FantasyDraftMaster.com. The cornerstone of FDM is the UberRank which is a revolutionary approach to the traditional fantasy football cheat sheet. FantasyDraftMaster.com also offers insightful and humorous commentary on football happenings as well as recommendations on waiver wire pickups, line up submissions and weekly pick em' pools. For more info, visit www.fantasydraftmaster.com or email us at info@fantasydraftmaster.com.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
The Pack couldn't keep the Minnesota rush away from Aaron Rodgers in the first meeting, but Rodgers also threw for a boatload of yards and moved the ball easily. If Green Bay's pass protection is even a spec improved, that's enough to get the nod -- Green Bay in a close, high-scoring thriller.
Pianowski has been playing fantasy football for 15 years and writing about it for 12. He joined Yahoo! Sports in 2008 and has been blogging 24/7 on RotoArcade.com ever since.
LOUIS TRANQUILLI
I see the Packers getting blown out. The emotions of Brett Favre will carry the Packers and their fans only so far. I watch each game twice per week and can tell you without question the Green Bay Packers are not a good team. They won easily in score over the Browns, but spent a good portion of the first and second quarter getting settled in. The offensive line is not good, Ryan Grant couldn't do a thing early and Aaron Rodgers is "off" each week. That won't fly against a quality Vikings team that should have had a lead over the Steelers in Pittsburgh but were robbed by a terrible call on a Sidney Rice TD, the next play resulted in the INT return for a TD. This game won't be close, Ryan Grant will be way down our RB rankings and Greg Jennings is likely to be listed as a No. 3 fantasy wide receiver by BFD.
Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about delivering the information players want, not fluff, just opinions that matter to fantasy football players. Lou has worked with NFL players and gives a unique perspective because of it. We'll be giving MORE teams away in 2009 to BFD subscribers!
RICK HAWES
The Packers have won nine of the last 12 games against the Vikings, but most of those victories came with Brett Favre at the helm. For all the hoopla surrounding Favre’s return to legendary Lambeau Field, I think the game will be decided in the trenches. The biggest question: Can the Packers offensive line keep Aaron Rodgers’ jersey clean? Green Bay ranks 31st in the league in sacks allowed (25), while the Vikings rank second in the NFL in sacks (24). Another key is the health of Antoine Winfield, who will likely miss this game with a foot injury. Benny Sapp, Karl Paymah and Asher Allen can’t fill his shoes, so Rodgers will be attacking a secondary missing their best cornerback. Given that Favre always seems to rise to the occasion in these big games, I’m going to call this one a 27-23 win for the team in the purple.
Hawes is the Managing Editor of NFL content at Fanball.com. Fanball.com and OwnersEdge.com offer league management software, daily play fantasy games, Live Advice, up-to-date news, free and premium content, player rankings, custom projections and cheat sheets, in-depth IDP analysis, Fantasy Buffet Radio Show, NFL Draft Kit, Fanball Blog Network, daily newsletter, a vast array of fantasy football tools, including Draft Analyzer software and five magazines featuring the Pro Football Draft Preview, as well as four Fantasy Football publications. For more information send e-mail to rhawes@fanball.com.
JEFFREY KAMYS
AP on the grass is not the same as AP on the turf, so that should allow the Packers to add in some more pass rush, forcing Favre into some bad throws. Look for the Packers to put more pressure on Favre which will result in some INTs. In the meantime the Packers passing game will take advantage of some injuries in the Vikes defensive backfield, leading to a 31-21 Packers victory.
Kamys is president of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. His company, via the web, offers player news, injury reports, cheat sheets, projections, weekly matchups, statistics, and a customized team tracker. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports also e-mails preseason newsletters and reports throughout the season. For more info visit www.docstats.com or send email to webmaster@docstats.com.
ANDY RICHARDSON
As a Favre fan who abandoned my childhood team because of the way things went down last year, I'd sure like to see this game go similarly to the one in Minnesota. But I don't think it will. I don't believe in the Packers, but I do think homefield and their secondary will work in their favor this week. If the Vikings are going to win, which they might, it will be about Adrian Peterson. The Packers shut him down for the most part at the Metrodome, and have done well against him in the past. That can't keep happening; he's too good. If the Vikings give him the ball enough this week, he'll have a big game and they'll win. But if they try to win it with Favre this time, I see him possibly struggling -- and the Packers defense and offense taking advantage. I'm going to call it a 20-17 Vikings win, but only if Minnesota leans on Peterson, rather than Favre. And I'd like to think most of Lambeau will be cheering Favre at the start of the game, but maybe I'm too optimistic.
Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past eight years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections, as well as various site features. He has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. His A DAY OF FOOTBALL wrap-up column appears Mondays during the NFL season.
- Comments [3]
Readers' Comments
Add a Comment
Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.
To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.
Posted by Brian Barrett | Oct. 29 at 07:52 AM
Richardson, why on earth would you lose rooting interest in the Packers because of the Favre situation? Do you have some type of insider info on that? The guy retired and the team made plans to take a new direction. They did and then he wanted back when they were in no position to take him back. They shot down his trade request to a div team as that was in their best interest. If you retired from your job and your company replaced you and moved on would you expect them to hire you back 3 months later? I don't understand why the Packers should be held to a different standard. The way I see it is that Favre is an attention seeking megalomaniac that would probably be staging "lost boy in balloon" type incidents if not for his skill in throwing a football. It wouldn't be pc to root for an LT/Theismann type hit this weekend but...
Posted by ANDY RICHARDSON | Oct. 29 at 09:46 AM
Brian, I suspect your view is more prevalent than mine. Here's my take: First, I didn't expect the team to welcome him back, that's not my point. My point is, 1. I didn't like the way they tried to bribe him to stay retired with a $20 million "personal services contract." It was just lame. 2. He retired, the Packers moved on, and he should have to deal with the consequences of his own decision. I agree. But then when he changed his mind and wanted to play football, and they didn't want him to return, why be so scared about him playing for the Vikings? If they're better without him, trade him anywhere, don't put in this crazy "three first-rounders if he's traded to the Vikings." He should deal with the consequences of retiring, they should deal with the consequences of moving on. (As they are now, and if they're better, they'll prove it either this week or over the rest of the season. 3. Yes, he's an attention-seeker. No argument. But, once he made the decision to play football again, one that the Packers tried to first ignore and then buy a change of mind out of him, he couldn't exactly quietly wait for a trade or release. Bottom line, I lost respect for the team with the bribe, with the trade clause, and (more generally) with the idea that there's pride in the idea of rooting for laundry. Ultimately fans do come to care about the players themselves, if they're with the team long enough. I don't see validity in saying My team is always right because they're my team. I'm not a Vikings fan. These days I primarily root for Andy Richardson's Fantasy Teams. Maybe one day I'll root for the Packers again. I don't know.
Posted by Tod Denison | Oct. 29 at 11:20 AM
One thing to keep in mind, I believe, is this is the Vikings 5th road game in eight weeks. Not to mention, back to back tough games against the Ravens & Steelers (Note: teams ATS this year after playing the Steelers are 1-5). While taking into account the "Favre revenge storyline", I believe this might be a tired football team....I'll side with the Pack....Just an opinion.