This has the potential to be a big point game by two teams that can produce big stats. But the greatest key to this game lies in the standings. The Rams are 6-0 at home and the Seahawks are only 1-6 on the road. Seattle will be playing catch-up for most of the game and should produce some nice fantasy points in the process.

Seattle Notes

The Seahawks fall to 8-5 with their loss to the Vikings last week. They are two games behind the Rams in the NFC West.

Quarterbacks:: After scoring eight touchdowns and gaining 661 passing yards in just the two previous games, Matt Hasselbeck threw in his worst fantasy outing of the season right when the Seahawks needed it the most. Against the Vikings, Hasselbeck completed only 17 of 34 passes for 218 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. And this against one of the worst ranked defenses in the league.

There is a chance he was looking beyond last week to this game but unfortunately for him, the Vikings were well prepared. When Hasselbeck faced the Rams back in week three, he threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns. He had 303 yards and one score last season and has always played well against St. Louis though this will be his first start as a visitor against the Rams.

Running Backs: Shaun Alexander scored once last week to save the shutout but only tallied 56 yards on 14 carries since the Vikings grabbed the big lead early and forced Hasselbeck to throw which he magically could no longer do.

Alexander rushed for a similar 58 yards on 14 carries in his last meeting with the Rams. Last season he had only 30 yards on 14 carries in St. Louis, and 79 yards on 26 carries when the Rams came to Seattle in 2002. He scored once in that game but has not historically had big games against St. Louis.

Receivers: Bobby Engram had his biggest yardage game of the year in Minnesota, gaining 93 on four catches while Darrell Jackson caught five passes for 76 yards. Koren Robinson only managed 32 yards on four receptions after having had 122 yards the previous week. Robinson was still the most common target last week with ten throws but both interceptions came on passes to him.

Back in week three, both Robinson (7-95) and Jackson (2-50) had receiving touchdowns against the Rams. Robinson actually had one of his better games in St. Louis last year when he caught 166 yards on only three catches and scored once. That was his breakout game last season.

Match against the Defense: As noted, Alexander has never had big games against the Rams and his best performances this season have come in Seattle. Figure him in for his norm against the Rams, about 50 or 60 yards rushing with a chance for a short touchdown run.

Hasselbeck has had good outings against the Rams but has never actually played in St. Louis. His previous success should play over here but the Rams have allowed as many as 330 yards (Culpepper) to as little as 135 yards (ARZ) to visiting quarterbacks this season.

Since the rushing game is less likely to be a benefit to Seattle, Hasselbeck will need to throw the ball and could easily have two scores against the Rams as he already has this season. So have five other quarterbacks. Robinson has a good shot at a passing score since he already has done that this year as has Jackson.

This is a big game for both teams and even more for Seattle in their quest for at least a wildcard this season.

St. Louis Notes

The Rams rise to 10-3 and are tied with the Eagles for the best record in the NFC.

Quarterbacks:: Marc Bulger turned in a moderate 223 yard, one touchdown game against the Browns last week with one interception in order to extend his turnover string to six straight games. Back in week three against the Seahawks, Bulger only had 226 yards and one touchdown though he did run in the rare score as well. At home against the Seahawks last season, he had 265 yards and one score.

Running Backs: Marshall Faulk topped 100 yards for the fourth straight game even though he has stayed between 100 and 108 yards in all four games. Must be related to an incentive clause. He only managed 31 yards on 15 carries in the last meeting with the Seahawks, but he racked up 183 yards and four touchdowns against them in St. Louis last season. That was his best game of the 2002 season.

Receivers: Much to the horror of fantasy owners, Tory Holt turned in his worst game of the year last week when he only gained 31 yards on four catches with no touchdowns. Isaac Bruce had the identical 31 yards but caught the only scoring pass in the game. Back in week three against the Seahawks, Bruce had five catches for 69 yards and also the only scoring pass while Tory Holt turned in 68 yards on five catches. Last season in St. Louis, Holt and Bruce only had about 70 yards apiece and never scored since Faulk ran wild that day against Seattle.

Match against the Defense: Bulger has his biggest yardage games on the road - Four of his five 300 yards games happened away from home and only against the Falcons did he eclipse that mark. In the reverse of that trend, Bulger had four of his five multiple touchdown games while at home.

The Seahawks have allowed five of the past seven quarterbacks to throw at least two scores and Bulger should fit in well with the last two Seattle road games - Culpepper (274 yard, 3 TDs) and Anthony Wright (319 yards, 4 TDs). Bulger should have a good game here if he gets beyond his trend of lower yards at home. He should throw at least two scores.

Virtually all passing scores against the Seahawks go to the #1 or #2 receivers.

Faulk has always ran well at home against Seattle but this time around he is not producing the monster games of the past - still good to be sure - but not the obscene yardage he once gained. Since his best game this season was 108 yards, look for that to be the upper end of what he can get and only then if the Rams take a significant early lead they want to protect with running the ball.

* Fantasy point rankings calculated using standard Huddle fantasy points