Denver Notes

Update: Christian Fauria is still questionable to play this week and I am lowering his numbers though he should play.

Troy Brown is now considered doubtful to play and I have removed him from the projections. I am also switching the game scores since this is bound to be a good game and I now like the home field advantage of Denver.

The Broncos are 5-3 and fading with no quarterback at the helm.

Quarterbacks: Danny Kanell had his first start in almost three years and looked like he had forgotten to practice in the interim. Kanell completed only 16 of 31 passes for 114 yards and two interceptions. The lack of any passing game was the first domino to fall in the big loss last week. With Jake Plummer still expected to be out, Kanell will likely take the helm again this week unless HC Mike Shanahan thinks Jarious Jackson will be less ineffective. Kanell sprained the index finger on his throwing hand but is still expected to play this week.

Running backs: Clinton Portis gained 86 yards on 22 carries against the Ravens defense that had no worries about the passing game. They stacked the line and much of what Portis was able to do was on second effort. On a good note, he somehow remained healthy.

Wide Receivers: Since Portis was the best receiver with six catches for 29 yards, there is not much here worth noting other than Kanell slightly favored Ashley Lelie over Rod Smith when he was throwing the ball away. Ed McCaffrey did not play last week and unless he can practice on the knee this week, I am assuming he is out again on Sunday.

Tight Ends: To show solidarity with the wideouts, Shannon Sharpe also turned in his worst game of the year last week.

Match against the defense: Problem here. The Patriot defense has only allowed 22 points total in the past three games against MIA, CLE and the NYG. The Patriots have only an average pass defense but with Kanell running the show, playing average is like reaching for the stars for the Denver passing game. The Pats two losses have been on the road but both to teams that were passing very well.

Look for heavy doses of Portis and heavy doses of eight men in the box. This is looking like one of the lowest scoring games in Denver by the Broncos in a long time. The Patriots still have not allowed a 100 yard rusher.

New England Notes

The Patriots are 6-2 and on top of the AFC East. They come off a 9-3 win over Cleveland and are on a four game winning streak.

Quarterbacks: Tom Brady comes off a 259 yard effort over the Browns where he could not get a touchdown but made no mistakes while passing. He has two 280+ yard games on the road this season.

Running backs: Kevin Faulk continues to delight, re-upping his career best game to now 96 rushing yards on 23 carries and causing the other backs - Antowain Smith and Mike Cloud - to become only the occasional resting down. Faulk is not likely to hit the magical 100 this week though in Denver where one of the best rushing defenses awaits.

Wide Receivers: In the complex scheme of the Patriots there is no one reliable receiver. Last week Bethel Johnson led the group with two catches for 51 yards and Troy Brown went from 131 yards against Miami to only 10 yards against the Browns. Deion Branch is the next most common receiver but for fantasy purposes, the inconsistency would be maddening.

Tight Ends: Last week Daniel Graham had seven catches for 110 yards and can provide yardage catches when healthy. Christian Fauria still remains the preferred goal line target. Graham's big day was almost double his previous best.

Match against the defense: As noted, the Broncos have a good rushing defense though the loss of LB John Mobley will not help that effort. Look for Kevin Faulk to return to his more normal output. The crux of this game lies in what turnovers the Pats defense can get and how well Brady can throw.

In Denver, no visiting QB has gone over 182 yards passing but Brady will try to push that number up. Expect him to post lower numbers in a game that should be lower scoring. With the Broncos unable to post a lot of points, the Patriots will have less reason to air it out.

* Fantasy point rankings calculated using standard Huddle fantasy points