Week 8 NFL Predictions

I have spent 20 years on this Earth avoiding the very sight, smell and taste of pie. I've never been a pie person, or even a casual supporter of pie in the workplace or home. My love for cake has caused me to develop some pronounced bigotry towards pie as of late, as I am unable to control the urge to gag at the thought of pie.  This week, the type of pie I will certainly not be eating is Humble Pie. Indeed, this probably isn't something i'm in great need of fasting on, but for one week I have decided to sit back and enjoy a great set of picks for what it is worth. And if that bothers you, I would suggest you go eat some nasty apple pie in the corner. Or pumpkin. Or just bow to my greatness.

Just like momma used to make it!

So my week 7 predictions went pretty well, as you can probably assume. I managed to secure a 10-3 pick set, bringing my YTD totals to 64-39. ESPN spewed out a respectable 8-5 set and currently sits at 68-35.  As I slowly cut down their lead, I will attempt to pass them up and finish ahead of them in game predictions this season. With that being said, here are our week 8 predictions...

Indianapolis vs. Tennessee

ESPN Pick: Tennessee 27 Indianapolis 20

Committed Fan Pick: Tennessee 24 Indianapolis 17

Indianapolis is awful. I mean, super awful. I have never seen a team get beat so badly as I did this team last week. Drew Brees and the Saints lit the Colts up all night long on their way to a 62-7 victory. Either Indy is making their Suck for Luck case very obvious or they are just that bad without Peyton Manning. 

New Orleans vs. St.Louis

ESPN Pick: New Orleans 34 St.Louis 21

Committed Fan Pick:New Orleans 38 St. Louis 17

 I already mentioned above; the Saints are very good. The Rams, for whatever reason, have been incredibly awful this year after showing a whole lot of progress last season. They showed why they have the league's worst run defense last week, when they let DeMarco Murray loose for a 91 yard TD run in which no Rams defender had a shot at tackling him. They won't get 62 put on them, but this one will get ugly. 

Miami vs. New York (Giants)

ESPN Pick: Miami 20 New York 28

Committed Fan Pick: New York 34 Miami 14

Miami comes to town looking for its first win. The Giants look to take a strong step towards a playoff push by knocking off the Fins at home. Eli Manning versus....Matt Moore. Yeah, I don't predict a close game here. 

Minnesota vs. Carolina

ESPN Pick: Minnesota 24 Carolina 23

Committed Fan Pick: Carolina 28 Minnesota 21

I won't flatter myself and guess that Cam Newton reads my blog, but he certainly acted on what I said last week about winning games. Cam led a determined Panther's squad and got it done against Washington.  Now he gets Minnesota, a tough team with a new quarterback, rookie QB Christian Ponder. 

Baltimore vs. Arizona

ESPN Pick: Baltimore 34 Arizona 20

Committed Fan Pick: Baltimore 28 Arizona 17

Expect a big day from the Raven's run game, as they struggled so badly last week against Jacksonville. Joe Flacco can also rebound here against what has been a truly awful secondary this year. On the other side of the ball, Kevin Kolb will be facing a tough Raven's defense which excels in getting after the quarterback. 

Houston vs. Jacksonville

ESPN Pick: Houston 27 Jacksonville 14

Committed Fan Pick: Houston 28 Jacksonville 17

While Jacksonville certainly turned heads last week by beating Baltimore, they don't seem to be a tough matchup this week against a Texans team that has been on a real roll offensively lately. Halfback Arian  Foster continues his dominant season rushing the football and will pound the Jacksonville defense early and often. 

Buffalo vs. Washington

ESPN Pick: Buffalo 24 Washington 20

Committed Fan Pick: Buffalo 21 Washington 17

Coming off a bye week, this young Buffalo team gets the battered Redskins,a team that has struggled as of late and got hit hard by injuries last week. The two teams hit it off in Toronto, largely a neutral site which doesn't seem to give either team a home field advantage. 

Detroit vs. Denver

ESPN Pick: Detroit 27 Denver 17

Committed Fan Pick: Detroit 24 Denver 17

Detroit heads to Denver this week, where they play at Mile High Field in Colorado. The Lions have quickly established a "bad boy" image and may look to make this rough, physical game play a calling card for their team. 

New England vs. Pittsburgh

ESPN Pick: Pittsburgh 26 New England 24

Committed Fan Pick: New England 28 Pittsburgh 24

 Easily one of the better games this week, as the Steeler's look to exploit the Patriot's and their awful pass defense at home at Heinz Field. Tom Brady looks to test the Pittsburgh D, which has looked downright awful at times this year. 

San Francisco vs. Cleveland

ESPN Pick: San Francisco 24 Cleveland 7

Committed Fan Pick: San Francisco 21 Cleveland 10

The 49er's are trending upwards as of late, and Cleveland just got done edging the Seahawks 6-3. Neither team will light up your screen with big plays, but  a win here for either team could be big and decisive for playoffs. 

Cincinnati vs. Seattle

ESPN Pick: Cincinnati 14 Seattle 10

Committed Fan Pick: Cincinnati 17 Seattle 9

The Bengals head to the notoriously difficult Seattle home stadium to play the Seahawks this week. Cincy brings a talented defense and one of the leagues youngest QB-WR combos in Andy Dalton and A.J Green. Dalton needs to keep a cool head and tune out the 12th man to get the big W for his team. 

Eagles vs. Cowboys

ESPN Pick: Dallas 24 Philadelphia 23

Committed Fan Pick: Dallas 28 Philadelphia 21

Wow, I get excited just typing this out. The Eagles and the Cowboys always play good games, and I'm sure this week will be no exception. Neither team has been exceptionally dominant this year, so they both need a big win to gain momentum.

San Diego vs. Kansas City

ESPN Pick: San Diego 17 Kansas City 21

Committed Fan Pick: San Diego 23 Kansas City 17

Kansas City has certainly struggled a fair deal this year, but so has San Diego. The Charger's seem to have a lot of issues holding them back from their true potential. The Chiefs, racked by key injuries, are mostly playing for pride now and can still be a dangerous team to play against. 

Week 8 Fantasy Pickups

RB Jackie Battle, Chiefs: I mentioned Battle already in my Tuesday column, but I'd just like to re-enforce my belief in the guy. He seems to have won the No.1 spot in KC and that has got to count for something against a Charger's run defense ranked 21st in the league. 

WR Antonio Brown, Steelers: Brown is a small, fast receiver who also returns kicks for the Steeler's. After fighting for the No.3 spot in the Pittsburgh air attack he seems to have once again moved up as he gains more and more trust from Big Ben. He plays the worst pass defense in the league this week and has an excellent matchup, as the Patriots will be focused on Mike Wallace.

TE Jared Cook, Titans:  Cook seems to be a favored target in Tennessee and will see more targets as his role in the offense expands. He's talented and pretty quick, and could cause matchup problems for Indy. While the Colts have been decent against tight end's this season, they gave up two red zone scores to TE Jimmy Graham last week. 

RB Ryan Torain, Redskins: Obviously, losing Hightower for the season was a blow to the 'Skins. And, most likely, Torain isn't available in your league still. If he is, however, he makes for a good bye week fill in against the Bills. Torain is a proven runner who has shown the ability to produce big fantasy days. 

RB Bernard Scott, Bengals: Listen, its a tough matchup against the Seahawks. Scott will not get many easy yards against these guys. However, if you can handle the risk, you might reap the rewards. Scott could make for a sneaky bye week fill in as he takes the No.1 role in Cincy while Cedric Benson serves his one game suspension.