24 Hours 'Til Sunday — Andy Richardson

Week 8 is here, and everyone will be coming down from the previous evening's sugar high -- Happy Halloween, by the way. I went to the Halloween parade at my son's school yesterday, and there were 5 different Spider-Mans out of 25 kids in his class. I'm pretty sure I brought home the right one, but I guess I won't know for sure until I get his mask off. OK, on to the games:

Browns at Bears: Injuries aren't a factor for the Browns, but there's not a huge reason to start any of them, either. Chicago's defense is just so-so right now, but is that really a good reason to use Jamal Lewis or Derek Anderson. I don't think so. I guess Mohamed Massaquoi has some value. The Bears should run and pass with ease on this team.

Texans at Bills: You hate when football injuries involve internal organs. It's one thing to worry about a knee sprain or shoulder separation, but when players have a "bruised lung," like Drew Bledsoe a few years back and Andre Johnson now, it's a concern. Johnson says he's definitely playing, so go with that, but I'd check that one tomorrow morning just in case. Better matchup for Houston's running game against Buffalo's soft run defense. Houston's run defense is improved, but I've got to start Marshawn Lynch anyway. Ryan Fitzpatrick starts again for the Bills -- seldom has a quarterback with so little going for him started so many games over a two-year period. It's all about landing the right backup job, I guess.

Dolphins at Jets: I know setting an NFL schedule is a difficult thing, but this is the second time these teams have played in the last 20 days, and because the Dolphins had a bye in there, they've played the Jets twice in three games. Not an ideal situation. Anyway, the Dolphins are throwing some mystery out there as to who their starting wideouts will be, which says a lot about the minimal value of all of them. New York will likely have Jerricho Cotchery back. And I can't figure out any more than you why Dustin Keller has done so little this year. Sophomore slump is one thing, but wow.

Broncos at Ravens: I still want not to believe in Kyle Orton and the Broncos defense, but it gets tougher every week. Assuming they're as good as they've looked, this should be a fairly low-scoring game and Orton should have success against a Ravens' pass defense that has struggled. If not, Orton will finally collapse into a haze or turnovers and Joe Flacco will have a big day. Baltimore really needs this game; I think they'll get it in a close one.

Rams at Lions: Rams get their first win this week; I think they're better than the Lions. Will Matthew Stafford play? Seems like he will. Calvin Johnson? Sounds like no; everything I read about him uses the word "limping" in abundance. Then ESPN's John Clayton says he thinks he will. Game-time decision. Check Sunday morning. Kevin Smith is an easy start this week, and Steven Jackson and Donnie Avery look like good options, too.

Giants at Eagles: I wanted to research a trivia question about the last time a World Series matchup overlapped with an NFL game that week (the Yankees, of course, are also in Philly on Sunday, if anyone follows baseball at this time of year). Haven't done so yet, but if I do it will be on the site tomorrow morning. Ahmad Bradshaw has a cracked bone in his foot but he's playing. Mario Manningham has a hurt shoulder but says he's playing, no doubt aware that once he gives up his starting job to Hakeem Nicks, he'll never get it back. Very unlikely that Brian Westbrook will play after being knocked unconscious last week; use LeSean McCoy with confidence.

49ers at Colts: I'm the only one in my suicide pool that took the Colts in this game; what, Alex Smith is scary? Looking at the Colts' next few games, this is the best time to take them for a while, so I may as well. (I considered the Bears.) Injuries, well, no Donald Brown, which is good for Joseph Addai. Reggie Wayne practiced on Friday, so he should be OK to play (but again, I'll be checking the inactives Sunday morning to make sure). Tough matchup for the 49ers offense with the Colts better than expected on defense.

Seahawks at Cowboys: The Seahawks have played two straight blowouts, a win and a loss. This could be another of the bad kind from Seattle's perspective. They don't match up well with this team; don't match up well with a lot of teams right now, if those teams have things like pass rushes, quarterbacks, and wide receivers. Good situation for Dallas.

Jaguars at Titans: Vince Young gets a start. I loved the quote from Jeff Fisher which essentially confirmed what has been reported -- that benching Kerry Collins was not his decision. Gotta think Fisher's gone after the season, and there's not going to be any Titans turnaround. No injuries of note, and neither team can stop the pass, but I'm wary of the Young-led Titans.

Vikings at Packers: Much has been said about this game, and much more will be. Injury notes, no Jermichael Finley or Antoine Winfield. Whereas the game in Minnesota was an aerial show, I see this as more of an in the trenches slugfest, with ground games and defenses leading the way. This game kind of has me thinking sports fandom in general, and not feeling good about it. Many Packers fans now hate a player they loved for almost two decades, because he plays for another team. Oh sure, not just "another team," but the hated Vikings. I dunno, I mean, it's sports. Entertainment. Is it worth the hate, the anger? Sorry to be a killjoy. Guess it just kind of makes me sad. And yes, this is mostly about my disenchantment that thousands of people I used to feel kinship with are going to boo the heck out of my favorite player for the past couple of decades. Sue me.

Panthers at Cardinals: Both John Fox and Jeff Fisher, whose teams had byes in last year's playoffs, could be coaching their last half seasons. Things change quickly in the NFL. No Muhsin Muhammad, so if you were going to use an aging, slow-footed wideout whose quarterback can't throw to the right colored uniforms any more, don't. Dwayne Jarrett will replace him. And? Not a good fill-in option. The Cardinals have a couple of banged-up wideouts, but Boldin and Breaston should both play. I sort of like Beanie Wells this week, but he's a risky start anyway -- even if the Cardinals can run, you can't always count on them doing so.

Raiders at Chargers: If the Raiders can somehow win this game (and the Colts too, of course) I'll have a 1 in 6 chance to win my suicide pool. But, the Raiders can't win this game. Can't stop Philip Rivers, might not even be able to stop LaDainian Tomlinson. Bad team. No Darren McFadden. That's about it for injuries of note. Maybe the Raiders can play good defense and run, run, run so far away, but it's almost as likely as them beating the Eagles. Hey....

Falcons at Saints: No Sunday night game because of the World Series. Nice of them not to make the Fall Classic look bad by destroying it in the ratings. You can bet NBC mused whether there was any way they could steal Vikings-Packers from FOX this week and put it in primetime. This is the Monday game, and it should be a pretty good one. Saints defense looked vulnerable against the Dolphins, so maybe we're in for an entertaining duel between talented passers. Lots of fantasy matchups will likely hang in the balance this week, which hasn't been the case with a lot of Monday night games this year.

As Warner Wolf (and the Wolfman's best friend, the guy on the cover of the BooBerry box would say, Boo! And, enjoy the games.

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