The Niners have a new dimension in their passing game, the Texans may have a new runner, Philly's veteran runner returns and the Panthers and Saints present an interesting matchup of defence vs. offence.
The unbeaten, but definitely battered, Indianapolis Colts remain in top spot in the TSN.ca NFL Power Rankings.
Notes
- 49ers rookie WR Michael Crabtree is off to a solid start, with 11 catches for 137 yards in his first two NFL games. Going against Tennessee's struggling secondary this week, Crabtree and QB Alex Smith should have a chance to hit paydirt.
- Ryan Moats rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns at Buffalo, in relief of Steve Slaton, who lost his fifth fumble of the season, making Moats an interesting play against Indianapolis this week.
- Bills S George Wilson has 36 total tackles in the last three games.
- Bears WR Devin Hester has 21 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown in three games since the bye week, but is dealing with an ankle injury this week, leaving his status in question.
- Browns LB Jason Trusnik, acquired from the Jets in the Braylon Edwards deal, is now starting and has 17 tackles and two sacks in the last three games.
- Now that the Seahawks have let veteran RB Edgerrin James go, look at undrafted Louis Rankin to step in as the number two back, ahead of third-down back Justin Forsett. Both Rankin and Forsett have some appeal in deep leagues, since starter Julius Jones has one 1,000-yard season through his first five years in the NFL.
- Jaguars MLB Justin Durant returned from injury to record 16 tackles against Tennessee last week.
- Vikings rookie WR Percy Harvin had five catches, for a season-high 84 yards and a touchdown at Green Bay.
- Carolina ran the ball on 44 of 60 plays from scrimmage against the Cardinals, the kind of balance that will make both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart valuable if they can keep it going in the coming weeks.
Injury Replacements
- Eagles RB Brian Westbrook has been cleared to play this week vs. Dallas, which will cut into the touches for RB LeSean McCoy and FB Leonard Weaver, both of whom had big games against the Giants last week.
- Lions WR Calvin Johnson appears ready to return this week, at Seattle, after missing the last two games with a knee injury.
- Texans TE Owen Daniels is out for the season, so Joel Dreessen gets the nod. Dreessen has 25 catches for 225 yards in four seasons, so he may have a hard time matching Daniels' production.
- With RB Larry Johnson suspended, the Chiefs will have Jamaal Charles to start, with Kolby Smith and Dantrell Savage backing him up against the Jaguars.
- As long as Seahawks MLB Lofa Tatupu is out, David Hawthorne is a productive replacement in the middle. Hawthorne had 16 tackles against Chicago in Week Three and then put up eight tackles and two sacks against Dallas last week.
- Giants WR Mario Manningham missed last week's game at Philadelphia with a shoulder injury, giving rookie Hakeem Nicks more looks in the passing game.
- Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin remains questionable with an ankle injury, which figures to give Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston more opportunities.
Matchups to Watch
- Carolina's league-best pass defence (160.6 yards per game), going against Saints QB Drew Brees. The Giants had the league's No.1-ranked pass defence until running into Brees in Week 6.
- Three of the four worst run defences -- Buffalo, Cleveland and Oakland -- are on byes this week.
- Pittsburgh's league-best run defence goes to Denver to face rookie RB Knowshon Moreno, while the Broncos have the third-ranked run defence going against Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall.
- San Francisco's second-ranked run defence hosting Tennessee RB Chris Johnson, who rushed for 228 yards against Jacksonville last week.
- Baltimore and Cincinnati have the fourth and fifth-ranked defences, respectively, which could make it tough sledding for both Ray Rice and Cedric Benson.
- Green Bay RB Ryan Grant gets to go against Tampa Bay's 30th-ranked run defence.
- Atlanta has the 31st-ranked pass defence, so if Redskins QB Jason Campbell is going to put up a big day, this as good a chance as any.
Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@ctv.ca