Thursday Night Fooball

Joe Haden vs. A.J. Green

Much has been made of this A.J. Green vs. Joe Haden matchup, and rightfully so — these two battle it out twice a year and are among the top young players at their respective positions. Maybe there’s a little Florida – Georgia bad blood here, too. We can only hope collegiate rivalries carry on to the NFL a little bit.

Like Green, Haden is supremely talented but the cornerback goes through some grabby and downright inconsistent patches. Then again, he has held his own against Green the past two seasons — Green has mustered only 10 catches for 132 yards with 1 TD in his last three games against the Browns and Haden.

Heck, last year in Week 11, Haden locked down Green, as the lanky but strong receiver/martian caught just one pass for three yards. Oh, yeah…Haden had two interceptions in that contest too.

Call me crazy, hammer me on Twitter, and this is solely a feeling sent straight from my gut, but I think Green turns the tables tonight. Sure, Haden has played better over the past few weeks, but Green is now 100 percent, or at least close to it, and I expect Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to feature his No. 1 wideout like he should.

Prediction

A.J. Green: 5 catches, 86 yards, 1 TD

. . .

Jay Cutler vs. Packers secondary

Man, it seems it was like decades ago when Bears head coach Marc Trestman was affectionately known as the “Quarterback Whisperer,” doesn’t it? The Week 8 abomination against the Patriots was about as ugly as it gets, but it wasn’t that terrible for Cutler’s fantasy owners.
Jay finished 2o-for-30 with 227 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

The Packers secondary isn’t super stingy, and I expect Chicago to come out with plenty of energy in this NFC North clash.

Actually, this game screams “SHOOTOUT” really loud in my head. Yes, Cutler tends to get interception-happy in those games, but his pass-catching weaponry is probably second only to the Broncos in terms of top-level talent.

Green Bay should win this game, but Cutler will have a nice fantasy performance.

Prediction

Jay Cutler: 24-for-39, 315 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs

. . .

Reggie Bush vs. Dolphins run defense

The Lions are welcoming Reggie and Calvin back this week. ABOUT TIME. I’m sure most fantasy owners are feeling that way, but the Lions were smart to hold out their two most explosive offensive weapons. Now, they’re fully rested (and abnormally rested for Week 10) for the second half the season.

Miami’s run defense, especially their front four is no joke, and linebacker Jelani Jenkins can RUN.

But Detroit head coach Jim Caldwell has been waiting to unleash Bush and Megatron for a while now, and although Joique Bell will always be a formidable member of the Motown running back committee, expect to see Reggie used properly.

That means … some inside runs, some pitches, and an assortment of screen plays and angle routes out of the backfield. Not a monster day for Reginald, but solid RB No. 2 or flex number, especially in PPR leagues.

Prediction

Reggie Bush: 12 carries, 48 yards, 5 catches, 60 yards

. . .

Jeremy Maclin vs. Panthers secondary

This may be the juiciest matchup of Week 10. Jeremy Maclin had a huge game in the Eagles’ win over the Texans in Week 9, and I truly believe Mark Sanchez is a better fit for Chip Kelly’s offense than Nick Foles. Seriously.

Some owners may be worried about a major regression from Maclin, and while he probably won’t put up the outrageous stat line he had against Houston, he’ll be facing Panthers cornerback Antoine Cason.

He’s allowed 45 receptions on the year, the second-most in the NFL, and a whopping catch rate of 81.8 percent. Yep, Maclin will see an abundance of targets on Monday Night Football.

Prediction

Jeremy Maclin: 8 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD