The Kansas City Chiefs head out west to take on the Oakland Raiders in an AFC West rivalry match-up this Sunday. It's no secret that the talk leading up to this game has been all about Carson Palmer, and the trade that brought him to the Raiders from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite the impact that Palmer might make on the Raiders this season, it's not going to happen this weekend. The Chiefs will almost assuredly face Kyle Boller this weekend and that makes the Chiefs defense a possible sleeper this weekend. The Raiders do bring the NFL's leading rusher in Darren McFadden at 5.5 YPC and 101 yards per game with them on Sunday. But you'll be sure to see the Chiefs, who rank 14th in the NFL in rush defense, completely sell-out to stop the run and make Boller beat them through the air.
ESPN's fantasy rankings for this weekend aren't as high on the Chiefs defense as a possible starting option. via ESPN.com
Oakland might be in transition at quarterback, but that doesn't mean they're going to let Kyle Boller do much in the way of jeopardizing their chances at a divisional win. It's all about stopping Darren McFadden, and we're not sure the Chiefs can.
One of the popular 'sleeper' picks over the past two weeks has been picking up Jackie Battle because of his break-out game against the Indianapolis Colts. But temper expectations for Battle this weekend because the Chiefs have struggled in the past against big, physical defensive lines and that is exactly what the Raiders pride themselves on. via ESPN.com
Battle handled the added workload in fine fashion against Indy, and while we don't expect him to surprise Oakland to the extent he did in Week 6, he should be able to fill your flex spot quite nicely.
One of the 'safe' picks for the Kansas City Chiefs is wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. He has been an absolute stud (again) this year and is by far the safest starting fantasy player of all of the Chiefs' this weekend. Bowe is tied for second in the projections from ESPN this week for all receivers in the NFL. via ESPN.com
Bowe has now reeled off four straight games of double-digit scoring (ESPN standard) and has four touchdowns in his last three games. The Chiefs have finally appeared to recover from the blow of losing Jamaal Charles, and the offense is running much more smoothly. Bowe will continue to shine.
Usually bye weeks are a blessing, as teams get a chance to rest up. In Cassel's case, we think it might be a curse, as the ball had just started to roll downhill with a four-touchdown day against the Colts. Call this a case of momentum deferred.