Week 11 Matchups
by Scott Lange
May 9, 2008
Week 10 so far has been the strangest week in the AFL in 2008. The Guru was a disgusting 1-6-1 ATS while the Evil Guru was 3-5. I am now trailing by three games in our friendly competition, but there's still plenty of time to make up ground, so I'm not sweating... Yet! The AFO's Guru record now stands at 40-37-3 through ten weeks. But I'm about to get red hot with my picks folks. As always, these picks are for entertainment purposes only and the lines are provided by my peeps at www.5dimes.com. Let's get started... SHALL WE!
ORLANDO (-2) @ CLEVELAND
Wow, talk about two teams with impressive wins. The Predators embarrassed the defending AFL champs 61-35 in the Jungle last week. Pred WR T.T. Toliver had over 200 yards of offense while finding pay dirt twice. Meanwhile the Glads played their best game of the year taking down the undefeated Soul 67-55. Glad RB Marlion Jackson single handedly carried the Glads to the victory by rushing for 49 yards and four scores. The Preds have won seven out of their last eight games, and with the exceptions of the hiccup against the Storm, the Preds have been playing very well. The Glads played a flawless game against the undefeated Soul and handed them their first loss last week. The Glads have been very inconsistent this year, but one thing they do is play well at home where they sport a 3-1 record. I see the Glads cooling off the Preds and winning outright! My fantasy player to watch for the Predators will be WR Ron Johnson who will catch eight passes for 100+ yards and two TDs. For the Glads, look for WR Otis Amey to be the main offensive threat and catch eight passes, 120+ total yards and three total TDs. Put the chalk on the home team here as the Glads defend their home turf!
Pick: Cleveland +2
NEW ORLEANS @ TAMPA BAY (-1)
This is the perfect spot for Marcum's boys to make a run. They may be 3-6 so far this year, but a victory at home against the first place 7-3 VooDoo would put them back into the thick of the playoff picture. Storm WR Lawrence Samuels had a huge game in last week's loss collecting nine catches for 100 yards, two TDs, four tackles and a pick. The boys from the Bayou are a high-scoring bunch, but I sense some problems within their offense after watching last week's 39 point effort against the Georgia Force. A big part of the VooDoo offense was injured last week, and that was WR James Jordan who sprained his ankle early in the game. QB Danny Wimprine did not have one of his better games as he threw for 297 yards, five TDs, and two interceptions. The VooDoo defense which led the league turnovers going into last week created ZERO in last week's loss and allowed Georgia QB Chris Griesen to throw for 290 yards and seven total TDs. Is the VooDoo losing their magic? Is their magical season taking a turn for the worse? My gut says the VooDoo are in trouble this week, as Marcum and Dietz figure out a why to grab a home win against the suddenly vulnerable VooDoo. My fantasy player to watch for the VooDoo will be WR DeAndrew Rubin who I feel is a sneaky play this week with the injury to James Jordan. If Jordan does not play, look for Rubin to go over 100 yards and find the end zone at least two times. Keep an eye though on Jordan's ankle injury which may keep him out for this week's game. For the Storm, roll the dice with WR Lawrence Samuels who will catch seven passes for 90+ yards, two TDs, and three tackles. Put the chalk on the home team as the Storm find a way to hex the VooDoo!
Pick: Tampa Bay -1
SAN JOSE (-6) @ ARIZONA
The San Jose Sabercats and Arizona Rattlers will both come into this game after disappointing losses last week. The Sabercats were spanked 61-35 on the road in Orlando, while the Rattlers were beaten in Los Angeles by Tim Hicks and the Avengers. These two teams already don't like each other but with first place on the line in the pathetic Western Division, I expect this to be a competitive game. The Sabercats have won the last six meetings including a 20 point blow out back in week three. The Sabercats have been an up and down team this year and depending on which team shows up this week, they should be able to grab the road victory and cover with good defense. My fantasy player to watch for the Sabercats will be WR James Roe who will catch seven passes for 95+ yards and at least two TDs. For the Rattlers, look for WR Trandon Harvey to continue being a fantasy stud and total 220+ total yards and finding the end zone three more times. Lay the number here on the road team as I think the Cats bounce back after last week's poor outing and continue their dominance over the Ratts!
San Jose -6
COLUMBUS (-2) @ KANSAS CITY
The Destroyers have to feel good after last week's after effort against 8-1 Dallas Desperados. Their defense forced two Clint Dolezel interceptions while, Derek Lee paced the offense in the near upset with 160 yards receiving and two TDs. Meanwhile, the Brigade handed the winless Blaze their first win of 2008 67-50. Brigade WR Ces'are Manning had a superb game catching 13 passes for 128 yards and two TDs. However, the Blaze had their with them offensively as Joe Germaine made 300+ yards passing and eight TDs look too easy. I'm going with the better defensive team in this tilt, and on paper it looks like the Destroyers to me. If they can harass Dolezel like they did last week, I see no reason why they can't get to Brigade QB D. Bryant. My fantasy player to watch for the Destroyers will be WR Derek Lee who will catch 10 passes for 135 yards and three TDs. For the Brigade, look for WR Jerel Myers to catch nine passes for 120 yards and two TDs. Lay the number here on the Destroyers as their defense forces a late turnover for the win.
Pick: Columbus -2
GRAND RAPIDS @ DALLAS (-10)
You would think a team like Dallas at 8-1 playing at home against a team like Grand Rapids at 3-6 would be at least a TD favorite right? However, Dallas has only covered in one of their last five games and has to be struggled pulling away from teams this year. However, we are talking about the Rampage here and I see no reason for them to stay within the posted number. I thought that would be the case last week, but somehow the Destroyers figured out a way to miraculously almost win that game. This hopefully will be different though as they are playing at home where they have dominated teams all year long. Last week the 'Rados finally got star WR Marcus Nash the ball as he caught 10 passes for 130 yards and four TDs. If the 'Rados can figure out a way to keep Nash and Pettis active within the offense at the same time, they should have no problems winning by three TDs. If however it's the Will Pettis show and nobody else, the Rampage can stay within the posted number. I think playing at home will benefit the 'Rados. My fantasy player to swatch for the Rampage will be DS Chris Martin who will be a busy man this weekend returning kicks and tackling receivers. For the 'Rados look for the offense to keep Nash involved this week and catch eight passes for 120 yards and two TDs. Lay the large number here on the 'Rados as they take care of business at home.
Pick: Dallas -10
COLORADO @ UTAH (-1)
I promised Blaze nation a win last week and they delivered with a 17 point victory over the hapless Kansas City Brigade. This week they will get a Crush team that has not played well on the road all year as they carry a 1-3 record with a suitcase in hand. The Crush have more to play for in this game as they are sporting a 4-5 record and are in search for a playoff spot. They can ill afford to lose a Blaze team that took 9 weeks to get their first win. I know the Blaze have a great offense, but the Crush can counter that with their solid pass defense led by star DB Rashad Floyd. The Blaze is 2-0 all-time against the Crush, but the Blaze defense has bee non-existent this year, and I can seriously see Dutton picking apart this secondary and making it look easily. My fantasy player for the Crush will be QB John Dutton who should have no problems passing for 300+ yards and seven TDs through the air. For the Blaze, look for WR J.J. McKelvey to be the go-to receiver and finish with eight catches for 120+ yards and two TDs. Take the points here as the Crush get out of Utah with an outright win!
Colorado +1
NEW YORK (-3) @ LOS ANGELES
QB Aaron Garcia and the streaking New York Dragons will travel to Los Angeles to take on Tim Hicks and the Avengers. The Dragons have won four straight and look to be primed for a playoff run. The team still has work to do though as they stand at 5-4 and need to keep winning to keep pace with the Glads, Voodoo, and Preds who are all in playoff picture. Garcia has thrown 29 TDs and only two interceptions during this four game stretch. Even though they won last week, I don't expect the Avengers to slow down the Dragon offense. The Dragons have too many weapons on offense and I see Garcia airing it out this weekend. The Dragons are also playing some good defense these days so that will not be good news for QB Tim Hicks and the Avenger offense. My fantasy player to watch for the Dragons will be WR Jason Willis who will catch eight passes for 125+ yards and two TDs. For the Avengers, WR Timon Marshall will total 200+ yards and find the end zone at least two times. Put the chalk on the road team as the Dragon's win streak reaches five games!
Pick: New York -3
PHILADELPHIA (-5) @ GEORGIA
I guess the Glads figured out the only way to beat the Soul this year is to knock out both of their QBs! In last week's costly loss to the Glads, the Soul lost QBs Matt D'Orazio and Tony Graziani to injuries. One bright spot for the Soul last week was the play of WR Larry Brackins who caught a season-high 14 passes for 146 yards and two TDs. It looks as though D'Orazio will be able to start this week, but Graziani has been placed on the Soul's IR. The Force meanwhile had a most impressive win as they stomped all over the Voodoo 66-39. Georgia WR Troy Bergeron who has been in and out of the lineup caught nine passes for 134 yards and four TDs. Even though the Force looked good last week, I think the D'Orazio will play this week for the Soul and take advantage of the inexperienced secondary of the Force. My fantasy player to watch for the Soul will be QB Matt D'Orazio who will pass for 280+ yards and total eight TDs. For the Force, I feel like WR Troy Bergeron is a safe play this week and will catch eight passes for 135 yards and two TDs. Lay the points on the Soul as they rebound from a disappoint loss and win by a TD.
Pick: Philadelphia -5
Scott Lange is a founding member of Arena Football Online and has been following Arena Football since 2000. Contact Scott at slange@arenafootballonline.com
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