Fantasy Matchups for Week 13
by The Stat Guy, Scott Lange
I expect more from myself than what I gave you last week. Some of the teams I've been picking have been giving me headaches, as I try to figure out which team will show up. I will start off this week's AFL Week 13 Matchups with the two teams that have been giving me the most problems this season.
Last Week's Record: 5-4
Season Record: 35-19
COLUMBUS AT PHILADELPHIA
This game to me is a toss up, but on paper it looks as though Philadelphia may need this game a little bit more. The playoffs are right around the corner and the 7-5 Soul are tied for second place in the Eastern Division. Backup QB Matt Sauk played his best game of the year last week, as he carried the team to an unthinkable victory on the road against the Nashville Kats. What made this victory so special for the Soul was that it was the Kats first home loss of the season. This week Sauk must continue to carry the momentum at home against the equally enigmatic Columbus Destroyers. Columbus is coming off a home loss in what was a must-win game against the NY Dragons. QB John Kaleo threw three interceptions and the Columbus defense allowed a late TD pass which sealed the victory for NY. It's hard to figure these two teams out but the odd makers have the Soul as 5-point favorites. I'm going with the home team, which seems seem to be playing some inspired ball lately. My fantasy player for this game will be Soul WR Sean Scott who seems to be the favorite target of his new quarterback.
Philly 50 Columbus 45
UTAH AT COLORADO
This game could easily be over at halftime if Utah's not careful. The Blaze are 4-8 on the year, slipping out of the playoff picture while the 9-3 Crush are trying to lock up the top seed in the postseason. Crush OS Damien Harrell should have a field day against the Blaze, who get torched through the air on a regular basis. The Blaze have given up a total of 23 TDs through the air in the last three weeks alone, so you can pencil in seven to eight more this week. Newly acquired Utah QB Andy Kelly returned to the AFL last week in impressive fashion, passing for 285 yards and eight TDs. This game should produce a lot of points, but the Crush offense is just too good and will embarrass the Utah secondary. My fantasy players for this game will be the combination of Crush QB John Dutton and Crush OS Damien Harrell.
Colorado 65 Utah 50
DALLAS AT GEORGIA
The Dallas Desperatos have just made things look too easy the last three weeks, winning by an average of over 26.3 points per game. Sitting at 10-2, they are the best team in the Arena Football League. Last week, Dallas QB Clint Dolezel threw five first half TDs, staking the Desperados to a 36-7 first half lead, and Grand Rapids never recovered. Meanwhile, the Force were outscored 17-3 by Orlando in the fourth quarter in a 57-41 loss. Dallas plays their best football on the road and I don't believe the Georgia defense has enough defensive players to stop the Dallas offense. There are simply too many weapons to stop in the Dallas arsenal. The Dallas defense has been downright scary the last three weeks, giving up a measly 26.7 points per game. Georgia will defiantly score more than 26 points this week but their defense is too susceptible to big plays, the same big plays that are a Desperados specialty. My fantasy players for this game will be Georgia QB Matt Nagy and Dallas QB Clint Dolezel.
Dallas 58 GA 52
TAMPA BAY AT ORLANDO
In what could possibly be the most intense rivalry in the AFL, the Tampa Bay Storm travel to Orlando to face off against the first place Predators in the Jungle. The Preds have been hot lately, winning four straight mainly due to the play of QB Joe Hamilton. The Storm have lost two straight and have put themselves into a must-win situation. The Storm are also looking for some revenge since the Preds dealt them a home loss in overtime in Week 4. These two teams just plain don't like each other and the Preds will have the Jungle rocking and rolling. This will be another close game decided in the fourth quarter but I just don't see Tampa Bay walking with a win. My fantasy players for this game will be Orlando QB Joe Hamilton and Storm QB Shane Stafford.
Orlando 53 TB 50
NASHVILLE AT KANSAS CITY
This Kansas City team is dangerous right now despite their record. Remember that old adage about a dog backed into a corner? Kansas City QB Chris Sanders and OS Aaron Boone have completely turned the offense around and have the team averaging 55.5 points a game the last two weeks. Nashville lost their first home game to the Philadelphia Soul last week mainly due a 33-point effort by the Kats offense. If that type of offensive performance happens again this week, they will surely suffer defeat. I think the Kats will rebound and win this game, but the odd makers are a little off on the 10-point spread? This game will be close simply because the KC offense is moving the ball and playing well. My fantasy players for this game will be Brigade OS Aaron Boone and Nashville WR T.T. Tolliver.
Nash 45 KC 42
AUSTIN AT SAN JOSE
The San Jose Sabercats have turned their season around with a three game winning streak, due to QB Mark Grieb and the San Jose offense averaging a staggering 60.6 points a game. As good as the offense is playing, they will have their hands full with a stout Austin defense who hold a 5-1 record on the road. The reason why the Sabercats are so hard to beat, is offensively can throw to WR James Roe and OS Ben Nelson or keep it on the ground and give the rock to FB Brian Johnson and FB Phil Glover. This San Jose team took a while to arrive for the 2006 season, but I think it is safe to say they have arrived! The Wranglers do not have enough help defensively to stop the San Jose offense. My fantasy players for this game are Sabercats QB Mark Grieb and OS Ben Nelson.
San Jose 50 Austin 43
ARIZONA AT GRAND RAPIDS
The losing streak has now hit four games for Grand Rapids after last week's beat down by Dallas. The good news is they return home this week where they play much better, sporting a 3-2 record. Arizona handled their business last week at home against the Rush. Rattlers QB Sherdrick Bonner is quietly having one of his best years as an AFL quarterback, standing 6th in the league with 60 TD passes. After getting embarrassed last week on the road by 30 points, I expect Grand Rapids to come out strong in front of the home crowd. Arizona has been known to struggle on the road and may come into this game overlooking the Rampage. I smell an upset this week, as Grand Rapids snaps the four game skid, and Arizona comes out flat. My fantasy players for this game will be Rampage WR Anthony Hines and Arizona WR Randy Gatewood.
GR 52 Arizona 50
LAS VEGAS AT CHICAGO
QB Jason Fife continues to be a one-man show for the Las Vegas Gladiators. His 205 yards passing, three passing touchdowns, 28 yards rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns was not enough last week to beat San Jose on the road. The Chicago Rush have a human highlight film of their own in QB Michael Bishop. Despite last week's loss, the Rush looked like a different team with Bishop in the lineup. The Gladiators have completely forgotten about OS Marcus Nash, who only had four catches last week. Chicago will take this game on the arms and legs of my fantasy player of the game, QB Michael Bishop, and it'll be fun to see what kind of crazy stats Bishop will put up against a feeble Las Vegas defense.
Chicago 55 Las Vegas 45
NEW YORK AT LOS ANGELES
The Dragons are making a serious push for the playoffs and the catalyst is the play of WR Mike Horacek. Horacek caught the game-winning TD (his 4th of the night) with 21 seconds remaining to help the Dragons slip past the Destroyers. Los Angeles meanwhile continues their slide as they lost their fourth straight. Although this is a tough stretch for the Dragons, with back to back road games this late in the season, the defense for Los Angeles is just atrocious. NY QB Nick Browder should be able to find Horacek and OS Kevin Swayne open all day long and I don't see a single Avenger DS that can keep up with those two. My fantasy players for this game are WR Mike Horacek for NY and QB Sonny Cumbie for LA, who will do all he can to keep his team in the game.
New York 60 Los Angeles 55
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