FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEKLY FEATURES

NYG (2-1) vs GB (1-2)

Game Prediction: NYG 17, GB 27

Welcome to 2004. After week one, who would have guessed the Giants would come into this with a better record than the Packers? Don't worry too much though - they won't leave Lambeau that way.

Pre-Game Notes - NYG

The two game homestand by the Giants netted two wins, good defensive and a surprising amount of offense from Warner, Barber and Toomer. They're going to need that this week even more.

Quarterback: Kurt Warner has been getting just a little better each week, ending his tilt against the Browns with a 19 of 27 for 286 passing yards effort that included an actual rushing touchdown. Not just a fake handoff and bootleg in untouched. It was a dash for the flag and a dive while getting hit to score.

The Browns defense was terrible and then it lost players last week. But still Warner has Manning still twiddling his thumbs for a while if he continues this level of play.

Running Backs: Tiki Barber comes off a 154 yard game last Sunday with one touchdown and he already has 273 rushing yards and two scores on the season. With Ron Dayne out last week, Mike Cloud scored one short run and looked just as good as Dayne has.

Barber has been just as effective in the passing game and that should come up again this week with the blitzing defense of Green Bay. He's averaging 50 receiving yards a week.

Wide Receivers: Along with Warner's progress, Amani Toomer has seen his output rise from 41 to 54 and finally 126 yards last week though he still has yet to score this season. Oddly enough, Ike Hilliard's numbers have been decreasing each week while Tim Carter holds steady at around 50 yards per game thanks to a couple of long passes. Carter has the lone passing touchdown this season.

Tight Ends: Jeremy Shockey has five catches in each of the last two games and around 50 yards appears to be his high end in this offensive scheme that asks him to do much more blocking than last year.

Match Against the Defense: The improved numbers from the Giant offense are likely a bit misleading since the Redskins lost the ball seven times in their matchup and the Browns are just plain terrible so far this season.

Tiki Barber should turn in at least a moderate game this week against the same team that thomas Jones gashed for 152 yards and Barber should maintain decent numbers in any game situation since he figures into the passing game as well.

Warner's growing comfort with the offense will be tested for sure by a Packers team who needs this win. He's not very mobile and the Packers will be coming after him. If he gets decent protection, then Toomer and Carter should be good to start this week and if the pass rush is too effective, we'll see what Manning is all about.

Pre-Game Notes - GB

Getting spanked by the Colts makes that Chicago loss even more painful. At 1-2, the Packers are technically in the NFC North basement but are only one game out of first place. No time like the present to make a correction while it is still easy to make.

Running Backs: Ahman Green managed to end with 101 yards of offense last week but most of that came in the second half when Manning and Favre stopped playing "oh yeah, well take this". It was his first game under 100 this season but he only had 17 carries. With Favre ailing a bit, no doubt Green gets back on track this week.

Wide Receivers: Javon Walker had a game that dreams are made of last week. He caught 11 passes for 198 yards and three scores for a career best. Donald Driver had six catches for 64 yards and the other passing score while Robert Ferguson mainly returned punts all game. It was clearly Walker's night and his deep speed worked so well against the Colts that it kept the Packers in the ever-escalating scoring festival.

Tight Ends: Bubba Franks continues to be a nonfactor. Even with Favre's 358 passing yards, Bubba's 35 receiving yards were a season high.

Match Against the Defense: If Brian Westbrook (17-119) and William Green (15-91) can do well against the Giants, imagine what a heavy does of Ahman Green should provide. Expect a top effort here to keep Favre from having to do too much.

Favre could easily beat this secondary but it will depend on his health and how much scoring he needs to do beyond the rushing game. It is still six weeks until the bye, so the Packers will likely be more cautious with Favre being used more than needed but chances are he won't be able to resist the occasional bomb. Walker has the best matchup again this week.