Each week, the great minds behind numberFire will give you some answers to the big questions of the weekend. Will Michael be able to catch back up after taking two weeks off for his honeymoon? And is Nik actually betraying his Steelers-fueled hatred of all things Browns and picking Cleveland? It's time to find out.
Game of the Week Pick: Green Bay at Houston. Who you got?
Keith Goldner, Chief Analyst: You heard it here first. Rodgers gets the Packers offense together and takes down the mighty Texans.
Nik Bonaddio, CEO: If this was in GB, I'd go with the Pack, but JJ Watt is too disruptive. Without the Pack being able to run the ball, I'll take the Texans to stay undefeated.
Michael Worthington, CTO: This would be the week that Green Bay wins just to leave analysts and fans baffled. Nevertheless, I've got to go with Houston. They've got solid pass defense, and the Packers have running issues with Benson out.
Sean Weinstock, COO: I'm taking Houston here. Green Bay has no defense whatsoever, and every other team in the league took a page out of the Harbaugh Book on Life and Football Coaching.
Zach Warren, Editor: That Houston defense is just too good, and I don't think the Packers' offense is as solid as years past, especially with Benson out. Houston.
GotW Records: Sean: 3-1, Nik and Zach: 3-2, Keith: 2-3, Michael: 1-2
Which game this week is your upset special?
Keith: Broncos over the Chargers. Should be an entertaining Monday Night affair, but Peyton doesn't lose big division games -- Norv does.
Nik: Browns over the Bengals. Get off that schneid!
Michael: I would have gone Colts over Jets up until Donald Brown got injured. Not much of an upset, but Denver should fare well against San Diego.
Sean: I like Minnesota over Washington, Cleveland over Cincy, and Indy over the Jets. I like the way Minnesota is playing - amazing that Peterson is back in as stellar a fashion as he is. Cleveland is just gritty, and I prefer dogs to cats. Andrew Luck is one of the top rated QBs in the league, and the Jets pass D is done-zo as my friends in the cast of the OC would say. (Editor's Note: Vikings over Redskins is the pick for record purposes. I am also skeptical how many friends he has in the cast of the OC.)
Zach: The Colts over the Jets. Indianapolis is riding a wave of emotion, Luck seems like he's getting it together, and Tebow has obviously placed a curse on Sanchez until he becomes starter.
Upset Special Records: Zach: 3-2, Sean: 2-2, Keith: 2-3, Michael: 1-2, Nik: 1-4
Who is more likely to win again this week: the Colts or the Rams?
Keith: Indy. Miami is underrated and the Jets are utterly inconsistent; you never know which Rex Ryan team will show up.
Nik: Colts. The Jets are a mess.
Michael: Luck looked great last week, but I'll give the edge to the Rams repeating a win.
Sean: Colts - see above.
Zach: Colts, the Miami defense is extremely underrated.
Who are you picking for a survivor pool this week?
Keith: Eagles at home versus Detroit. Both teams have underperformed but if the Eagles can't get their offense together this week, I don't know when they will.
Nik: Can't utilize my "Who is playing the Browns?" strategy due to my upset pick above, so I'll take the Cards at home. Not that I think the Cards are any good, but rather that the Bills are hor-awful and are traveling across the country for a PST game.
Michael: Have to stay in the pool, have to play it safe. Only game I'm comfortable with this week is Atlanta winning.
Sean: The Cardinals. Guarantee the win. Not sure about them the rest of the season.
Zach: Going to be the Cardinals, don't trust them any other time and the Bills are baaaad.
Survivor Records: Zach: 4-1, Keith and Nik: 3-2, Sean: 2-2, Michael: 1-2.
Who will be the best currently under-the-radar fantasy player this week?
Keith: Kevin Kolb. Going to have a huge week against a brutal Buffalo defense. He's my bye week start for Drew Brees.
Nik: For the second week in a row, I'm taking Kendall Hunter.
Michael: I guess I should have chimed in that I've been starting Andrew Hawkins since Week 2 (deep league). But now that the... bengal is out of the bag and over the radar I need to offer up someone else. Rather, I'm going with a bunch of people: Miami D/ST. Likely available in most leagues, have been putting up solid numbers past few weeks, and should fair well against the Rams.
Sean: Let me get some La'Rod Stephens-Howling, as per Zach's masterful piece.
Zach: I really like Chris Givens of the Rams. The Dolphins crush the run, so the Rams are going to have to turn to the air, and the new starter (with Amendola's injury) is a burner.
Last week's top under-the-radar pick: With over 80 yards and 2 TDs, my Josh Gordon pick (and Sean piggybacking off my Josh Gordon pick) wins the week.