This is a very odd week of football in the NFL.  There is only one game where the two teams playing each other have a winning record and that is the Monday night game where the Chicago Bears (4-3) play the Breen Bay Packers (5-2).  Every other game features teams that have a winning record or worse vs. a losing record.  A lot of the big name fantasy players are on bye this week as well so the premium matchups are limited this week.  Some of the few you should be looking forward to are listed here.  

5. Philip Rivers vs. Robert Griffin III

Rivers is coming off a bye where he and the San Diego Chargers are looking to add another W to the win column.  Entering the bye, Rivers has been on his game by throwing 15 touchdowns to only five interceptions.  This week he plays against a very weak Redskins defense that has been awful against opposing quarterbacks giving up at least one touchdown pass every week.  That is good news for Rivers who loves to air the ball out whenever he can.  Griffin is actually going up against a defense that is even worse than his own against opposing quarterbacks.  Although the Chargers defense hasn’t given up a passing touchdown the past two games, they have surrendered just under an average of 300 passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks all season.  This game can quickly turn into a shootout if both quarterbacks get into the zone.

Projections:

Philip Rivers – 270 passing yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions

Robert Griffin III – 300 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception

4. Matt Forte vs. Eddie Lacy

Forte has been a top fantasy running back all season long.  He is even more valuable in PPR leagues due to the amount of catches he gets every game.  Forte hasn’t hit the 100 yard mark yet this season but has over 100 all purpose yards in five of his seven games.  He averages almost a touchdown per game and will see more touches now that quarterback Jay Cutler is out with injury.  The Packers defense is above average against the run so Forte will have some work to do.  Lacy has been killing it since the Packers came off the bye week.  He is averaging just under 100 rushing yards per game in the past four weeks with two touchdowns.  The Bears defense has surrendered five rushing touchdowns in the past two weeks so Lacy should have a field day on the ground as long as Aaron Rodgers feeds him the rock.

Projections:

Matt Forte – 70 rushing yards, three catches, 20 receiving yards, one touchdown

Eddie Lacy – 105 rushing yards, two touchdowns

3. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Tom Brady

Roethlisberger is on pace to have career high passing yards and attempts due to their lack of running game which is very unusual for a Pittsburgh team.  The Patriots defense has given up five touchdown passes the past three weeks so there is a good chance that Roethlisberger can find the end zone once or twice.  The Patriots defense has given up over 240 passing yards only once this season so the challenge is there for the Steelers quarterback.  Brady and the Patriots desperately need the bye week to regroup themselves.  After the abysmal performances they have been showing the past four weeks.  Things will not be any easier this week with a stingy pass defense coming their way.  Brady really needs to be on his game this week.  He has thrown an interception in each of his last four games to only two touchdowns in that same stretch.  Expect a somewhat low scoring affair in this matchup.

Projections:

Ben Roethlisberger – 250 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception

Tom Brady – 233 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception

2. Jamaal Charles vs. Fred Jackson

Charles has been the top fantasy running back all season long averaging 18 points per game.  He is about the only real offensive threat on that Chiefs team.  The Bills defense has been very well against the run, only giving up one rushing touchdown to opposing running backs all season long.  Unfortunately for the Bills they have not seen a running back of this caliber so this will be an interesting matchup.  Jackson has been a solid RB2 for fantasy teams all year especially since fellow running back C.J. Spiller is on the sideline healing his injured ankle.  Unfortunate for him, he is up against the top defense in the NFL this week.  The Chiefs have also only given up one rushing touchdown all year to running backs so it will be interesting to see how these fantasy stars fare against these tough run stopping defenses.

Projections:

Jamaal Charles – 75 rushing yards, five catches, 35 receiving yards, one touchdown

Fred Jackson – 50 rushing yards, three catches, 15 receiving yards, zero touchdowns

1. Brandon Marshall vs. Jordy Nelson

This is a battle of two receivers in the top ten of fantasy points.  Brandon Marshall and the Bears are coming off the bye and will take on Jordy Nelson and the Green Bay Packers.  Marshall has been up and down week after week and if the trend continues then he will be up for this week.  The Packers have been very average in the pass defense so Marshall can have a decent day but with Jay Cutler out for this week it could be problematic for Marshall and his stats.  With the injuries that the Packers have at wide receiver, Nelson is clearly the top option for Aaron Rodgers.  That is proven from the past three weeks where Nelson has 16 catches for 278 receiving yards and four touchdowns.  That trend will continue this week since the Bears have a below average pass defense.  Expect good things from Nelson.

Projections:

Brandon Marshall – Five receptions, 60 yards, one touchdown

Jordy Nelson – Six receptions, 90 yards, two touchdowns