Fantasy Matchups for Week 4
by Scott Lange
Howdy, folks, and welcome to my League Preview. Each week I will give my analysis and predictions on how the games will play out, highlighting which teams and players will shine.
The Arena Guru is getting into a serious groove picking games folks going 6-2 last week, and I am now 13-4 the last two weeks! Let's continue the fun shall we?
Last Week: 6-2
2006 Record: 18-8
COLORADO AT PHILADELPHIA
The 2-0 Philadelphia Soul will host an energized Crush team looking to gain some momentum after last weeks win over the Rattlers. Last week, receiver Damian Harrell showed why he was the 2006 MVP, busting out with his biggest game of the year, catching 10 balls for 154 yards and four TDs. The Crush is going to need this kind of effort from Harrell to defeat a hot Philadelphia Soul team on the road. Soul receiver Charles Pauley has been the go to receiver so far for Graziani and the offense. The most impressive part to the Soul is their defense which will look to cause problems for Crush QB John Dutton. I like the way the Soul are playing on both sides of the ball, and I see the Soul continuing their winning ways. The Crush played an awfully bad Arizona defense last week, but this week will be much more difficult. My fantasy players of the Game for the Soul will be Tony Graziani who will go for 250+ yards and five TDs. For the Crush, I see receiver Damian Harrell catching 10 balls for 150 yards and four TDs.
Philadelphia 52 Colorado 45
NEW YORK AT TAMPA BAY
Oh how the mighty have fallen. This would have been a tasty match up last year, with Garcia hooking up with Horacek and Swayne, and Stafford throwing passes to Solomon and Tolliver. Problem is both of these teams have undergone some serious overhauling. Enter John Kaleo and Rohan Davey. Through two weeks, both of these offenses have struggled mightily. Neither team has a win to speak of, but that will change this week. One fantasy player in this game to watch out for believe it or not is Dragon QB Rohan Davey. Davey looked descent and threw three TDs in the first half of last week's loss to the Chicago Rush. The Dragons actually had a 30-27 lead after the first half. However, the Rush turned it up defensively, and the Dragons only managed ten more points. I can see Davey having his best game of the season throwing for 280+ yards and four TDs against the Storm. I think the Dragons get the rare road win here as the Storm are just plain bad this year. If I had to recommend a player, take a chance on Storm RB Rodney Filer who is the only consistent scoring option for the Storm.
New York 42 Tampa Bay 35 h3>
LAS VEGAS AT ARIZONA
Fans have to really feel bad for the Rattlers, who rack up a ton of points each week offensively but can't get a win. The Rattlers have lost their first three games so far this year by a combined 10 points. Bonner has been in a nice groove through the first three games passing for 21 TDs and 946 yards. Meanwhile, after a 79-point outburst in a week two road win against the Rampage, the Glads came crashing back down to reality scoring only 31 points at home against the VooDoo. The question in week four will be which Glad team shows up. I don't think it will matter, as the Rattlers will be anxious to get a win playing in front of the home crowd. Neither one of these defenses can stop anybody, but asking the Glads to stop Bonner, Gatewood, and Pope is just too much for me. Arizona will put a hurting on the Glads and get their first win in the process. My Fantasy Player of the Game for the Rattlers will be QB Sherdrick Bonner who will easily go over 320+ yards passing and have seven TDs. For the Glads, QB Shaun King will have a good day against a bad Arizona defense passing for 220+ yards and 4 TDs. Trust me when I say that won't be enough.
Arizona 65 Las Vegas 45
GRAND RAPIDS AT UTAH
QB Michael Bishop will start for the Rampage for the first time since 2005. Bishop is a dangerous quarterback with both his legs and his arms, and should cause problems for the Blaze. If the Rampage are going to have a chance in this game, receiver Timon Marshall must bounce back with a huge game. Last week, Marshall was defended well by the Soul, only managing 5 catches for 69 yards and a TD. For Utah, QB Joe Germaine may be the hottest QB in the league. With his star receiver Siaha Burley back in action, the Blaze will be able to score anytime, anywhere on the field. The Blaze will play inspired football at home and that means bad things for Shaun King and company. My Fantasy Player to watch for the Blaze will be QB Joe Germaine. For the will be Glads, Shaun King will need to have a big game to keep up with the Blaze. Look for 300+ yards and five TDs.
Utah 65 Grand Rapids 55
SAN JOSE AT GEORGIA
You like high scoring games with lots of fantasy players posting sick numbers right? Sit back and enjoy this game folks. Grieb and his one-two punch of Roe and Nelson visit the Force with QB Chris Greisen and his trio of C-Jax, Lee, and Bergeron. Last year, these two teams played down to the wire as San Jose won at home 56-55 in overtime. I can see the same type of game this week with more points. I like the Force to return the favor this year and improve to 4-0 for the season. The main reason I like the Force is the play of receiver Troy Bergeron, who gives the Force a third option to throw the ball along the Chris Jackson and Derek Lee. Bergeron is taking full advantage of the attention C-Jax and Lee are getting. Bergeron's speed on the field is what makes him so dangerous. The combination of Roe and Nelson will need to produce if the Sabercats want to stay in this game and I think they will. Tough choice to pick a winner here, but home field advantage along with the revenge factor, and I think the Force get the win. Fantasy studs will be the Sabercats QB Mark Grieb and Force QB Greisen who will each post 300+ yards and seven TDs in this shootout.
Georgia 68 San Jose 65
CHICAGO AT COLUMBUS
After losing opening night to the Brigade, the Rush have bounced back nicely winning two in a row. For the Destroyers, they come into this game fresh off a bye week looking for some tail to kick. The Rush is better now for two reasons: their defense and the play of WR Bobby Sippio. Columbus gets their first home game of the year and are catching the Rush in a bad spot here. The Destroyers will be playing with some extra juice in front of the home crowd. QB Matt Nagy and his go-to receiver Damien Groce have already connected for 7 TDs through their first two games. For Columbus to win this game, they must protect their QB, and get Groce involved early and often. I like Columbus winning this game in a mild upset. The fantasy player to watch for the Destroyers is receiver Damien Groce who should be good for 100+ yards and three TDs. The Rush will get receiver Bobby Sippio involved early and often and should get 100+ yards and four TDs
Columbus 52 Chicago 50
LOS ANGELES AT NEW ORLEANS
The New Orleans VooDoo could have the most underrated offense in the AFL. QB Andy Kelly has done a remarkable job putting points on the board and leading the team to a 2-1 overall record. Meanwhile, Avenger QB Sonny Cumbie leads a potent offense attack with receivers Lenzie Jackson, Kevin Ingram, and Rob Turner. Neither one of these teams should have trouble scoring, but like the momentum the VooDoo is carrying right now. There is a swagger to this team and they expect to win every time they take the field. The Avengers lack of a defense will come back and haunt them, as I see QB Andy Kelly torching the secondary for 300+ yards and seven TDs. Look out for VooDoo receivers Darnell McDonald and Kenny Henderson, as they will be blowing by defenders all night long. For the Avengers, I like Lenzie Jackson out of the trio of receivers to get most of the action on the field. Expect 10 catches for 130+ yards and three TDs for the studster. But it won't be enough as the VooDoo pull away in the fourth quarter.
New Orleans 62 Los Angeles 55
NASHVILLE AT AUSTIN
The Austin Wranglers look to stop their two game skid when they host the Nashville Kats. The Kats new QB, Jeff Smoker, has instilled some new life into the offense, as they defeated the high scoring Blaze 69-55 last week. The story of the game though was Kats RB Dan Alexander who rushed for a record five TDs. Whenever the Kats get the ball near the goal line, the Wranglers better strap on their helmets, as the Big Nasty is hulking up and coming through. For the Wranglers, QB Adrian McPherson must rebound from his poor performance if they have a shot to win. I would think that receiver Kevin Nickerson will be more involved this week, as the team searches for a consistent option on offense. The Wranglers seem more focused at home, and I expect McPherson and the team to bounce back for the win this week. The Kats overall are too inconsistent and I see the offense coming back down to earth this week. Expect Big Nasty Dan to get his usual goal line touches and three TDs, and McPherson to bounce back strong with 280+ yards and five TDs.
Austin 50 Nashville 45
DALLAS AT ORLANDO
You think Dallas has payback in their mind this week as they take on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year? The Desperados will tangle with the Preds in the Jungle this week and you can better believe they are coming to settle some business. In the first meeting last year between these two teams, Dallas feasted on the Preds to the tune of 82 points. I know Shane Stafford is there now, but I've said this before and I'll say it again, this Dallas defense is scary folks. Dallas has six INTs this year through the first three weeks, and I see this defense forcing more mistakes this week from "Sugar" Shane. Offensively, the combination of Nash, Pettis, and now a running game from Josh White, makes this team difficult to defend. I expect Orlando to have all sorts of problems slowing down this well-oiled offensive machine. Dallas QB Clint Dolezel remembers what happen last year in the playoffs, and now it's payback time. Expect to see one of Clint's better games. For Orlando, Shane Stafford will have to step up his game for his team to have a chance. If he does not, this game will get ugly, fast.
Dallas 60 Orlando 48
Scott Lange is a founding member of Arena Football Online and has been following Arena Football for 6 years. Contact Scott at slange@arenafootballonline.com
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