Philadelphia Eagles vs. Houston Texans: NFL Week 13 Pre-Game Analysis

Quarterbacks:

One of the better matchups to date, with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick suffering from a bad case of the fumbles and Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub erratically performing.  Both have potent offenses with elite wide receivers. Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has 15 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 92.6 overall so far. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has 13 touchdowns, 1 interception and a quarterback rating of 106. Based on performance and the fact that he won’t be under much pressure, I believe Michael Vick and the Eagles have the edge.

Running Backs:

Arian Foster of the Houston Texans has been the big consistent surprise this season.  He has 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry and 1,147 yards to date. His reliever Derrick Ward has also contributed 3 touchdowns. The Eagles LeSean McCoy has 6 touchdowns, 5.0 yards per carry and 779 yards to date. Arian Foster and the Texans get a huge edge in this game, and Foster have faced tougher defenses before and did fairly well against them.

Wide Receivers:

These will be the stars of the game.  Houston Texans’ Andre Johnson has 5 touchdowns, 869 yards and averaging 13.4 yards per reception.  The Eagles wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson have a combined total of 13 touchdowns, a combined total of 1,430 yards and averaging 17 yards per reception between the both of them. The Eagles get a tremendous edge.

Tight Ends:

The Eagles Brent Celek has 287 yards, 3 touchdowns and averaging 11.0 yards per reception. Houston Texans’ Joel Dreessen has 336 yards, 4 touchdowns and averaging 15.3  yards per reception.  This could be a push, as I see no reason for Michael Vick to resort to Brent Celek as a safety valve in this game and Joel Dreessen is merely a fourth option in the Texans offense.

Defenses:

Another interesting matchup. Houston Texans are ranked 31st against the pass and 1oth against the rush.  The Eagles are ranked 12th against the pass and 13th against the run.  However, last week, a surprisingly accurate Jay Cutler gashed the Eagles secondary. Matt Schaub should be capable of the same, as he put 2 touchdowns against the buckling Tennessee Titans. However, Michael Vick should be capable of feasting upon this passing defense easily, and Arian Foster should be more than capable of tearing up the Eagles running defense, if Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears can put up 100-plus yards.  This is a push, with a slight edge leaning toward the Eagles.

Coaches/Intangibles:

Coach Andy Reid will seemingly always favor airing the ball, and this may be the game to do it. Texans coach Gary Kubiak favors the pass but has a potent running game. In this game, Kubiak should resort to a balanced offense, similar to the Chicago Bears. I believe the Texans will get the edge, since Kubiak has more resources at his disposal.

The Edge:

Big game…31-28 Philadelphia Eagles, but the last drive should determine the winner of this bout.

Fantasy Football Running Back Quick Picks for NFL Week 13

The Must-Starts for this week include:

• Arian Foster of the Houston Texans.
• Peyton Hillis of the Cleveland Browns.
• Rashard Mendenhall of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He has redeemed himself in the game against the Buffalo Bills.
• Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens.
• Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans.
• Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. If the ankle  injury is not serious, he is still a must-start.  Considering how Mendenhall primed this defense, even a hurt AP is worth a low-end RB1.

Now to the rest of the players for Week 13:

LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles vs. Houston Texans): Should be a solid RB1 coming into this matchup. However, bear in mind that this could possibly turn into a passing game.

Matt Forte (Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions): Solid RB1, following the impressive performance against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Maurice Morris (Detroit vs. Chicago): Low-end RB1/high-end RB2 possibly.

Chris Ivory/Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints vs. Cincinnati Bengals): RB3.  This running back committee isn’t doing any fantasy football owners any favors.

Cedric Benson (Cincinnati vs. New Orleans): High-end RB2.

Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans): Solid RB1, even against this defense.

Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Solid RB1.

LaGarrette Blount (Tampa Bay vs. Falcons): Middle to high-end RB2.

Keiland Williams (Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants): Low-end RB2, given this offense and the Giants defense.

Ahmad Bradshaw (New York vs. Washington): Solid to high-end RB1.

Fred Jackson (Buffalo Bills vs. Minnesota Vikings): Middle RB2 at best. He’s facing a defensive coordinator who likes to play it in the trenches and conservatively.

Brian Westbrook (San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers): Interesting matchup. Low-end RB1/high-end RB2.  Don’t deny his ability and his veteran knowledge, but be aware of his injuries in the past.

Brandon Jackson (Green Bay vs. San Francisco): High-end RB2.

Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams (Miami Dolphins vs. Cleveland Browns): High-end RB2s at best.

Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers): Best of luck. Low-end RB2, given the anemic offense has been.

Knoshown Moreno (Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs): Solid RB2.

Jamaal Charles (Kansas City vs. Denver): High-end RB1.

Mike Tolbert (San Diego vs. Oakland): Solid RB1.

Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals): The workhorse RB1, and with Sam Bradford clicking, it only helps him.

Beanie Wells (Arizona vs. St. Louis): He’s like a box of chocolates, a RB3 and considering the St. Louis defense shut down McFadden last week, it’s safe to put him in that spot with a similar quarterback in Derek Anderson.

Jonathan Stewart (Carolina Panthers vs. Seattle Seahawks): Potential RB1 in the making, if he can remain healthy against this matchup.

Marshawn Lynch (Seattle vs. Carolina): Would-be, could-be but he isn’t.  A RB3.

Felix Jones/Tashard Choice (Dallas Cowboys vs. Indianapolis Colts): Solid RB1 for Jones, and high-end RB2 for choice, given his goal-line touches.

LaDanian Tomlinson (New York Jets vs. New England Patriots): Low-end RB1 at best.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (New England vs. New York): Low-end RB1 at best.