BENGALS
Toughest game: Week 16 versus Denver (Monday Night Football). After a five-game stretch that I predict to yield the Bengals four losses, their regular season home finale will be against, maybe, the best team in football. In late December the Bengals will likely need to beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos in prime time to get into the playoffs.Biggest strength: The defense. Man, are they deep (especially along the defensive line). The Bengals have so much depth that their 2014 first-round pick (Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State) is listed as a third-string cornerback on their depth chart. They have seven or eight defensive linemen and four to five cornerbacks that are of starting quality.Biggest weakness: Andy Dalton. He?s competing against two Super Bowl champions, two elite franchises and a Browns team that is no slouch on defense. If he makes it out of the division, the competition will only get tougher. Dalton is a good NFL quarterback, but the prospect of him going 0-4 in the playoffs is a prominent one that doesn?t bode well for his future with the Bengals.Best fantasy player: A.J. Green. Do I really need to explain this? He?s Cincinnati?s version of Calvin Johnson. Every opposing defense knows he?s getting the ball thrown his way, but Green still makes the catch time after time. He?s averaged nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns per season since he entered the NFL three years ago. I have no problem with him being taken at the end of the first round.Record: 8-8 (1-5, 3rd in the AFC North).Playoffs prediction: None.Why: Two main reasons: 1) Losing both your offensive and defensive coordinators is something that cannot be ignored. Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer are big, big losses in my opinion. 2) Unless their defense scores a bunch of touchdowns, I don?t see the Bengals scoring enough to beat teams like Atlanta, New England, New Orleans and Denver.
BROWNS
Toughest game: Week 10 at Cincinnati. The Browns will have Monday and Tuesday of that week to review film, meet and practice before traveling on Wednesday for a Thursday night game against the Bengals. Playing a divisional road game on a short week against a team that will have just hosted Jacksonville is not an easy path to take to victory.Biggest strength: Cornerbacks. Joe Haden is, in my opinion, the fourth-best cornerback in the league (behind Richard Sherman, Patrick Peterson and Tramon Williams). Along with top-10 pick Justin Gilbert (who has the potential to be a defensive Dez Bryant), Haden will lead a Browns defense that seeks to finish in the top 10 for the third consecutive season.Biggest weakness: Too many question marks on offense. If the Browns had another four to six weeks to sort out who their starting quarterback is and who their go-to receiver is, that would help them tremendously. But unfortunately for them, they debut at Pittsburgh in six days. I can?t help but think when they finally get everything organized, they?ll be severely behind in the race for the playoffs.Best fantasy player: Jordan Cameron. In Josh Gordon?s absence, Cameron should lead the team in targets. It wouldn?t shock me to see him top 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. He?s that good and the Browns don?t have much else to depend on in the red zone.Record: 4-12 (2-4, 4th in the AFC North).Playoffs prediction: None.Why: You have to have an above average, stable quarterback leading your team if you want to win in the NFL. The Browns don?t have that.
RAVENS
Toughest game: Week 12 at New Orleans (Monday Night Football). The Ravens? biggest games each year are always against the Steelers, but I think their toughest test this season will be against Drew Brees and the Saints. If you?ve ever seen the Saints play at home in prime time, you know they outright destroy their opponent. In 2009, even the great Patriots got steamrolled at the Superdome (38-17). I?m telling you, there?s something about home games at night that makes the Saints virtually unbeatable.Biggest strength: The passing game. When it comes down to it, Joe Flacco is a player you?d want to run your offense. He?s durable, can make any throw, has good footwork and most importantly, he has confidence in himself. You?re not going to be any good at playing quarterback if you?re not confident. Because of their solidified offensive line, Baltimore?s running game should be much better in 2014, which will open up all kinds of opportunities for Flacco and his receivers.Biggest weakness: The secondary. Right now, the healthiest cornerback the Ravens have is Chykie Brown, and he?s their fourth cornerback. They currently have seven safeties on their roster and while each one of them is capable of making big plays, the most experience any one player in that group has is five years (Darian Stewart, Jeromy Miles).Best fantasy player: Torrey Smith. We in Baltimore know how talented he is, but from a fantasy perspective I think this is the year Smith catapults himself into being a perennial top 10 wide out. His speed, familiarity with Flacco and the concept of Gary Kubiak?s offense sets him up to approach 100 receptions and 1,500 receiving yards.Record: 12-4 (5-1, 1st in the AFC North).Playoffs prediction: No. 3 seed, loss at Denver in the AFC Championship. I think Denver and Indianapolis will finish first and second respectively, with Indianapolis (also 12-4) holding the tie-breaker due to a Week 5 win versus Baltimore. The Ravens should get the better of the Colts the second time around, but I have doubts about Baltimore?s secondary at Denver in a playoff game.Why: The Ravens have yet to make the playoffs without Ray Lewis or Ed Reed. Sure it?s only been one season, but you can?t lose that kind of legendary leadership and just keep going like nothing happened. There is a big difference in how opponents will prepare for the Baltimore?s defense now. Manning, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, etc. no longer have to worry about beating two Hall of Famers. That?s a big deal.However, I think the Ravens? 2014 schedule sets up well for them, as they won?t have to play a Manning- or Brady-led team in the regular season for the time since 2011 (when they lost to New England in the AFC title game). Look for the Ravens to get back to the postseason this year, but look for them to do so by winning games by scores of 35-31 instead of 16-10
.STEELERS
Toughest game: Week 2 at Baltimore (Thursday Night Football). Like the Browns in Week 10, the Steelers will have to travel on a short week to play a divisional game. Playing a NFL game in general is extremely taxing on the body, but traveling on a short week to play a night game against your arch-rival ratchets up the intensity even more. In their last two visits to Baltimore, Pittsburgh is 1-1 and has posted a combined score of 43-42. None of their games figures to be more closely contested than this one.Biggest strength: The defense (linebackers in particular). I really like the addition of safety Mike Mitchell to replace Ryan Clark at free safety. Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier are two young linebackers that fly to the football. Rookie defensive end Stephon Tuitt is a player to watch as well. From 2010-12, Pittsbugh ranked either first or second in overall defense. In 2013 they ranked 13th. The respite opposing offenses did have looks to be over in 2014.Biggest weakness: A lack of receiving targets. After Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh?s best option in the passing game is Heath Miller. Though Miller has looked good in the preseason, I don?t know if he and Brown are enough for Ben Roethlisberger to throw to. The Steelers have other options (Markus Wheaton, Dri Archer, Lance Moore), but those players are unproven in Todd Haley?s offense.Best fantasy player: Antonio Brown. Le?Veon Bell and the Steelers? defense will put up a lot of points this year, but no one is a better fantasy player on that team than Brown. Last year, he was second in the league in receiving yards (1,499), receptions of 20 yards or more (23), yards after the catch (602) and fourth in targets (165).Record: 9-7 (4-2, 2nd in the AFC North).Playoffs prediction: No. 6 seed, loss at Baltimore in the Wild Card round. The Steelers are the only team the Ravens have played in the playoffs but have not beaten (Pittsbugh is 3-0 all-time against Baltimore in the postseason). Assuming this game takes place (in Baltimore), expect the Ravens to take it to the the Steelers, especially if Baltimore can rest some starters in Week 17.Why: The more I think about the AFC North this season, the more I think the Steelers will be back in the playoffs, if for no other reason than why they?ve always won: defense and resilient quarterback play. I think the Ravens will win double-digit games, the Bengals will regress and the Browns will be better than they were last year, but still end up with a losing record. Pittsburgh?s defense should afford their offense the time it needs to sort out who their go-to players are. By that time, I expect them to make a push for the playoffs and claim one of the AFC?s two wild card spots.
http://russellstreetreport.com/2014-afc-north-preview/
Toughest game: Week 16 versus Denver (Monday Night Football). After a five-game stretch that I predict to yield the Bengals four losses, their regular season home finale will be against, maybe, the best team in football. In late December the Bengals will likely need to beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos in prime time to get into the playoffs.Biggest strength: The defense. Man, are they deep (especially along the defensive line). The Bengals have so much depth that their 2014 first-round pick (Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State) is listed as a third-string cornerback on their depth chart. They have seven or eight defensive linemen and four to five cornerbacks that are of starting quality.Biggest weakness: Andy Dalton. He?s competing against two Super Bowl champions, two elite franchises and a Browns team that is no slouch on defense. If he makes it out of the division, the competition will only get tougher. Dalton is a good NFL quarterback, but the prospect of him going 0-4 in the playoffs is a prominent one that doesn?t bode well for his future with the Bengals.Best fantasy player: A.J. Green. Do I really need to explain this? He?s Cincinnati?s version of Calvin Johnson. Every opposing defense knows he?s getting the ball thrown his way, but Green still makes the catch time after time. He?s averaged nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns per season since he entered the NFL three years ago. I have no problem with him being taken at the end of the first round.Record: 8-8 (1-5, 3rd in the AFC North).Playoffs prediction: None.Why: Two main reasons: 1) Losing both your offensive and defensive coordinators is something that cannot be ignored. Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer are big, big losses in my opinion. 2) Unless their defense scores a bunch of touchdowns, I don?t see the Bengals scoring enough to beat teams like Atlanta, New England, New Orleans and Denver.
BROWNS
Toughest game: Week 10 at Cincinnati. The Browns will have Monday and Tuesday of that week to review film, meet and practice before traveling on Wednesday for a Thursday night game against the Bengals. Playing a divisional road game on a short week against a team that will have just hosted Jacksonville is not an easy path to take to victory.Biggest strength: Cornerbacks. Joe Haden is, in my opinion, the fourth-best cornerback in the league (behind Richard Sherman, Patrick Peterson and Tramon Williams). Along with top-10 pick Justin Gilbert (who has the potential to be a defensive Dez Bryant), Haden will lead a Browns defense that seeks to finish in the top 10 for the third consecutive season.Biggest weakness: Too many question marks on offense. If the Browns had another four to six weeks to sort out who their starting quarterback is and who their go-to receiver is, that would help them tremendously. But unfortunately for them, they debut at Pittsburgh in six days. I can?t help but think when they finally get everything organized, they?ll be severely behind in the race for the playoffs.Best fantasy player: Jordan Cameron. In Josh Gordon?s absence, Cameron should lead the team in targets. It wouldn?t shock me to see him top 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. He?s that good and the Browns don?t have much else to depend on in the red zone.Record: 4-12 (2-4, 4th in the AFC North).Playoffs prediction: None.Why: You have to have an above average, stable quarterback leading your team if you want to win in the NFL. The Browns don?t have that.
RAVENS
Toughest game: Week 12 at New Orleans (Monday Night Football). The Ravens? biggest games each year are always against the Steelers, but I think their toughest test this season will be against Drew Brees and the Saints. If you?ve ever seen the Saints play at home in prime time, you know they outright destroy their opponent. In 2009, even the great Patriots got steamrolled at the Superdome (38-17). I?m telling you, there?s something about home games at night that makes the Saints virtually unbeatable.Biggest strength: The passing game. When it comes down to it, Joe Flacco is a player you?d want to run your offense. He?s durable, can make any throw, has good footwork and most importantly, he has confidence in himself. You?re not going to be any good at playing quarterback if you?re not confident. Because of their solidified offensive line, Baltimore?s running game should be much better in 2014, which will open up all kinds of opportunities for Flacco and his receivers.Biggest weakness: The secondary. Right now, the healthiest cornerback the Ravens have is Chykie Brown, and he?s their fourth cornerback. They currently have seven safeties on their roster and while each one of them is capable of making big plays, the most experience any one player in that group has is five years (Darian Stewart, Jeromy Miles).Best fantasy player: Torrey Smith. We in Baltimore know how talented he is, but from a fantasy perspective I think this is the year Smith catapults himself into being a perennial top 10 wide out. His speed, familiarity with Flacco and the concept of Gary Kubiak?s offense sets him up to approach 100 receptions and 1,500 receiving yards.Record: 12-4 (5-1, 1st in the AFC North).Playoffs prediction: No. 3 seed, loss at Denver in the AFC Championship. I think Denver and Indianapolis will finish first and second respectively, with Indianapolis (also 12-4) holding the tie-breaker due to a Week 5 win versus Baltimore. The Ravens should get the better of the Colts the second time around, but I have doubts about Baltimore?s secondary at Denver in a playoff game.Why: The Ravens have yet to make the playoffs without Ray Lewis or Ed Reed. Sure it?s only been one season, but you can?t lose that kind of legendary leadership and just keep going like nothing happened. There is a big difference in how opponents will prepare for the Baltimore?s defense now. Manning, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, etc. no longer have to worry about beating two Hall of Famers. That?s a big deal.However, I think the Ravens? 2014 schedule sets up well for them, as they won?t have to play a Manning- or Brady-led team in the regular season for the time since 2011 (when they lost to New England in the AFC title game). Look for the Ravens to get back to the postseason this year, but look for them to do so by winning games by scores of 35-31 instead of 16-10
.STEELERS
Toughest game: Week 2 at Baltimore (Thursday Night Football). Like the Browns in Week 10, the Steelers will have to travel on a short week to play a divisional game. Playing a NFL game in general is extremely taxing on the body, but traveling on a short week to play a night game against your arch-rival ratchets up the intensity even more. In their last two visits to Baltimore, Pittsburgh is 1-1 and has posted a combined score of 43-42. None of their games figures to be more closely contested than this one.Biggest strength: The defense (linebackers in particular). I really like the addition of safety Mike Mitchell to replace Ryan Clark at free safety. Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier are two young linebackers that fly to the football. Rookie defensive end Stephon Tuitt is a player to watch as well. From 2010-12, Pittsbugh ranked either first or second in overall defense. In 2013 they ranked 13th. The respite opposing offenses did have looks to be over in 2014.Biggest weakness: A lack of receiving targets. After Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh?s best option in the passing game is Heath Miller. Though Miller has looked good in the preseason, I don?t know if he and Brown are enough for Ben Roethlisberger to throw to. The Steelers have other options (Markus Wheaton, Dri Archer, Lance Moore), but those players are unproven in Todd Haley?s offense.Best fantasy player: Antonio Brown. Le?Veon Bell and the Steelers? defense will put up a lot of points this year, but no one is a better fantasy player on that team than Brown. Last year, he was second in the league in receiving yards (1,499), receptions of 20 yards or more (23), yards after the catch (602) and fourth in targets (165).Record: 9-7 (4-2, 2nd in the AFC North).Playoffs prediction: No. 6 seed, loss at Baltimore in the Wild Card round. The Steelers are the only team the Ravens have played in the playoffs but have not beaten (Pittsbugh is 3-0 all-time against Baltimore in the postseason). Assuming this game takes place (in Baltimore), expect the Ravens to take it to the the Steelers, especially if Baltimore can rest some starters in Week 17.Why: The more I think about the AFC North this season, the more I think the Steelers will be back in the playoffs, if for no other reason than why they?ve always won: defense and resilient quarterback play. I think the Ravens will win double-digit games, the Bengals will regress and the Browns will be better than they were last year, but still end up with a losing record. Pittsburgh?s defense should afford their offense the time it needs to sort out who their go-to players are. By that time, I expect them to make a push for the playoffs and claim one of the AFC?s two wild card spots.
http://russellstreetreport.com/2014-afc-north-preview/
