Necessary Roughness, Week 6: Has Peyton Manning Become Old and Frail?
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– Roster Format: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex and 1 Defense
Will you take Paul’s rants and raves into consideration when drafting your team this week? Well, that’s entirely up to you; get his top three picks for the week at the end of this post.
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Great news for Seahawks fans: Jimmy Graham finally got involved in the offense yesterday, catching 8 passes for 140 yards. Bad news for Seahawks fans: Seattle ran into the greatest team in the history of competitive recreational activity, the 2015-2016 Carolina Panthers. What seemed like yet another disappointing loss to Seattle quickly shifted gears when Cam Newton led Carolina down the field for a game-winning drive capped off by a TD pass to Greg Olsen.
What an exhilarating win, made all the more finger-licking good by the fact that Seattle clearly pulled a bush league stunt when they set off the fire alarm on the Panthers’ hotel floor in the wee hours of the morning yesterday. Word around the campfire is that witnesses heard the loud smacking of chewing gum and saw a dude who looked sorta like Jay Leno giggling and fleeing the scene in a big damn hurry. When it’s all said and done, Carolina is now 5-0 and the defending NFC champs are sitting at 2-4 and have some major issues. Who would have thought that this defense would have such a hard time getting off the field at home, when the game is on the line? Clearly the Legion of Boom is struggling to harness the chemistry they have built over the last couple years and if they don’t get it figured out soon, this team may be taking an early offseason vacation.
Aside from my Panthers, there are four other teams with an undefeated record at Week 6. There’s no question that the Patriots and Packers are Super Bowl contenders. Both teams are offensive juggernauts and put pressure on opponents to score points, lots of them. The Pats were in complete control last night in the deflategate rematch as they cruised to victory over the struggling Colts. Chuck Pagano may be the next coaching casualty this year if things don’t turn around. Green Bay had a bit of a scare yesterday when Philip Rivers threw for just a shade over half a thousand yards, but the Packers’ defense kept the Chargers out of the end zone when it counted.
Cincinnati is also sporting a donut in the loss column and they are doing it in impressive fashion. Andy Dalton is an MVP candidate and the Bengals’ offense is incredibly balanced. They are deep at running back with Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard, and Tyler Eifert has emerged as an elite tight end in this league. The ultimate test for this team will happen in 2016, however, when we find out if they can finally win a playoff game.
The most head scratching of the undefeated teams is without a doubt the Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning had yet another awful game yesterday, throwing for under 300 yards and dishing up 3 INTs. It took an overtime field goal to take down the Browns and remain undefeated. Can this team sustain success with Manning playing like this? I’m not so sure they can. Peyton just looks old and frail out there to me. He’s uncomfortable in the pocket and seems confused by his own offense. The Bronco defense is incredible, but as the season progresses and fatigue and injuries happen, the scale could easily tip in the other direction for this team. Look, nobody wants to make the decision to bench Peyton Manning, but if this team was 2-4 instead of 6-0, I think that option would be on the table based on his performance thus far. Sure, teams have won Super Bowls with less than stellar QBs. Trent Dilfer’s Ravens team comes to mind. But the difference is that Trent Dilfer knew his role with that team. He threw as little as possible and relied on the running game and their impeccable defense. You aren’t going to convince Peyton Manning to become a “game manager;” it’s just not in his DNA. He’s a gunslinger and he’s going to throw a ton of passes if he’s on the field. It’ll be really interesting to see how this saga develops as we move forward in the season. After their bye this week, Denver has to deal with Green Bay coming to town. Yikes.
Paul Waggoner’s DraftKings fantasy football picks for the week:
- LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills. Coming back from injury, McCoy looked great against the Bengals. He ran for a robust 90 yards on 17 carries and had a TD. I would expect another good week next week against a struggling Jacksonville defense.
- Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland Browns ($4,900). Yes, I’m picking him again. Dude had 2 TDs against the league’s best defense yesterday. Cleveland is in St. Louis this week, and I expect Barnidge to be targeted by McCown early and often.
- Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers ($6,600). Okay, I’m probably being a little biased here. And Cam’s numbers are not eye popping. But he has shown an ability to make great things happen in the air and on the ground this year when the game is on the line. Carolina will be playing in prime time Sunday night against the Eagles and I have a feeling it might be a big game for Cam.
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