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Locks and Shocks: Week 8

26/10/2017

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Each week Dan Barber, Fergus Head, Reece Mowlem and Owen Turner pick one team who is a lock and certain to win their game and one team who will cause a shock and win their game despite being the underdog.  Below are this week's picks.

Dan Barber
Lock: BENGALS over Colts
Andy Dalton will carve up a questionable Colts secondary that just lost their exciting rookie safety Malik Hooker for the year. I expect A.J Green to have an explosive day, while Mixon also finds productivity in the ground game. An easy victory for the AFC North outfit.
Shock:  BILLS over Raiders
And thus my streak has ended. Getting to the 5-game streak appears to be a bit difficult over here at the FDP. Despite coming off an emphatic win over the Chiefs last week, I expect the Raiders to struggle against a Bills team that has been tough on defence through the first half of the season. I expect low fantasy outputs from all Raiders players, and I expect this game to be very low-scoring indeed. I'm even going to suggest a score: 12-10 in favour of the Bills.

Fergus Head
Lock: EAGLES over 49ers
Eagles pummel a useless 49ers team. NEXT.
Shock: BUCCANEERS over Panthers
Buccaneers win a divisional showdown against a bloke who can't stand behind a plinth without getting in trouble. The panthers are taking a down turn after some early season hype and the Bucs start to find the promised form.

Reece Mowlem
Lock: VIKINGS over Browns
I know, I know, I've taken the easy road with this one.  However, it is the only game that I can confidently call one way or the other.  The Browns shall lose once again and people will start to wonder if an 0-16 season is on the cards.  If so, I think Sam Darnold might elect to stay at college for one more year.
Shock: JETS over Falcons
The Falcons are low on confidence after a crushing defeat to the Patriots in last week's Super Bowl 51 rematch, a game in which they struggled on both sides of the ball.  On the flip side, despite also losing in week 7, the Jets have looked like a strong outfit at home so far this season and I can see them taking advantage of a struggling Atalanta side.  That Jets defence is sneaky underrated.

Owen Turner
Lock: SAINTS over Bears
Still 100% in the lock column despite the Titans running it eery close requiring overtime to overcome the lowly Browns. Moving onto this week I'm taking the Saints over the Bears. Chicago hasn't asked Mitch Trubisky to do much since he bacame the starter. Last week he shockingly on completed four passes the entire game!!! Yet still, the Bears have won their last two games through their defense and controlling the clock rather than putting pressure on the rookie to put up points. There is absolutely no way that strategy holds up in the Superdome against Drew Brees and a surging New Orleans squad, at home, who have won their last four. Saints all day long.
Shock: LIONS over Steelers
Back on track as well with shocks last week thanks to a dazzling performance from Derek Carr in a thriller against the Chiefs. This week we're going with the Lions to knock off the Steelers. Two bad losses for the Lions going into the bye week, but look for Matthew Stafford to bounce back against the Steelers defense. Said defense actually allows the fewest passing yards per game in the entire NFL, but look more closely at the opposition they've faced and you'll see that's a bogus statistic. (Hint, other than Alex Smith two weeks ago, the best QB they've played has been Andy Dalton)... I have faith in Matt Stafford whereas I currently have little in the Steelers. There is a general bad vibe around the team at the moment, mainly with the whole Martavius Bryant trade fiasco. I'm betting on that translating into a poor performance, in a tough environment on the road. So unless they can get Le'Veon Bell going against a stout Lions defensive front, I'm giving the Steelers the L.
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NFL Game Predictions: Week 8

25/10/2017

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This season I have decided to pick the winner of every regular season game each week and then keep a tally of my correct predictions throughout the year.

For each game my projected winner is in BOLD.

Current Record: 79-40

Week 8 Games

DOLPHINS at Ravens

VIKINGS v Browns

Chargers at PATRIOTS

Bears at SAINTS

PANTHERS at Buccaneers

Colts at BENGALS

Raiders at BILLS

49ers at EAGLES

Falcons at JETS

Texans at SEAHAWKS

COWBOYS at Redskins

STEELERS at Lions

Broncos at CHIEFS
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Locks and Shocks: Week 7

19/10/2017

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​Each week Dan Barber, Fergus Head, Reece Mowlem and Owen Turner pick one team who is a lock and certain to win their game and one team who will cause a shock and win their game despite being the underdog.  Below are this week's picks.

Dan Barber
Lock: COWBOYS over 49ers
After the news of the Zeke ban being reinstated, this matchup might have been closer than expected. But now that Zeke is eligible to play, I expect the 49ers losing streak to continue. Prescott and Elliott should dominate against a suspect defence and get their season back on track.
Shock:  REDSKINS over Eagles
I would like to take a moment to congratulate all of my fellow FDP writers, as last week each of us got our shocks correct. I currently stand at the 4 game streak mark, as do the Eagles, and it's clear whose is the more impressive streak... So therefore, I'm calling them out! Cousins and the Redskins will come away with an emphatic and shocking win against an Eagles team that up until this point has been one of the best teams in the league. Despite only JUST beating the 49ers a week ago, the Redskins up the ante and finally get the passing game thriving in this matchup. Cousins and Pryor finally connect, and Crowder begins to see more touches. It appears totally illogical, but then again, who'd have thought the Jets would be sitting at 3-3 (side-note, they should be at 4-2 if it wasn't for a RIDICULOUS call against that ASJ touchdown). Nonetheless, Eagles go to 5-2, while I hit my 5 game streak.

Reece Mowlem
Lock: BILLS over Buccaneers
Well, the Falcons didn't help me out last week.  I was as shocked as everyone else when Matt Ryan and co. managed to throw away a 17 point lead to Jay Cutler.  Yes that's right, Jay Cutler!  This week I'm putting my fate in the hands of one Tyrod Taylor.  The Bills have been one of the shock teams this year and are fresh coming off their bye week (though this didn't seem to help the Falcons) so should be as tough to beat at home as they have been all season.  The Buccaneers on the other hand, have had a poor start and I can't see things improving in Buffalo this Sunday.  In conclusion, the Bills will win (hopefully).
Shock: GIANTS over Seahawks
I don't really have any solid analysis to back up this prediction to be perfectly honest, I just have a strange feeling about this game.  The Giants seemed to turn a corner in Denver and the Seahawks are still yet to show me that they are a serious Super Bowl contender.  Eli's gonna pull off his second big shock in less than a week and pour further misery onto Seattle.  That's it.  Nuff said.

Owen Turner
Lock: TITANS over Browns
Thank God for the Titans that the Matt Cassell interlude only lasted a week. After a horror show against the Dolphins a week ago, the Titans bounced back with a commanding win Monday night against the Colts. I'm betting on them carrying that momentum forward and beating a winless Browns team on the road.
Shock: RAIDERS over Chiefs
Back on track with the shocks after a one week slip, albeit only a technical victory, with Aaron Rodgers going down in the first quarter effectively ending the Packers chances (both for the game and the season)... Either way, moving on... Going to take the Raiders, at home, to top a Chiefs team reeling from an embarrassingly bad loss to the Steelers. Look for a bounce back game from Derek Carr and perhaps even Amari Cooper. If the defense can hold the Chiefs under 25, the 2-4 Raiders have a shot.
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NFL Game Predictions: Week 7

18/10/2017

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This season I have decided to pick the winner of every regular season game each week and then keep a tally of my correct predictions throughout the year.

For each game my projected winner is in BOLD.

Current Record: 68-38

Week 7 Games

CHIEFS at Raiders

Ravens at VIKINGS

SAINTS at Packers

Jets at DOLPHINS

Panthers at BEARS

Cardinals v RAMS

Buccaneers at BILLS

JAGUARS at Colts

TITANS at Browns

COWBOYS at 49ers

Bengals at STEELERS

Seahawks at GIANTS

Broncos at CHARGERS

Falcons at PATRIOTS

Redskins at EAGLES
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Locks and Shocks: Week 6

12/10/2017

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Each week Dan Barber, Fergus Head, Reece Mowlem and Owen Turner pick one team who is a lock and certain to win their game and one team who will cause a shock and win their game despite being the underdog.  Below are this week's picks.

Dan Barber
Lock: PATRIOTS over Jets
This may seem like the easy option, but then again, it is a lock. The NFL will return to normality this week and the Jets will go back to losing (as much as I wish the Jets would keep winning for my team of teams!) No crazy good analysis, simply that the Patriots are better than the Jets - full stop.
Shock:  BEARS over Ravens
Now my shocks haven't been quite as impressive as Owen's so far this year, but I am on a 3 game prediction streak. This week I found it particularly hard to choose an upset, but I eventually opted for the Bears to pick up their second win of the season over the Ravens. The Bears were unlucky not to win their game against the Vikings last week, with three key (questionable) penalties changing the outcome of the game. There is no question the Bears will find it tough on the road against a fearsome Ravens defence, but with a few more calls going their way, Trubisky might be able carve his way to a win against an arrogant Ravens team who waltzed in and wiped the floor with a depleted Raiders team a week ago.

Fergus Head
Lock: 49ERS over Redskins
Locks can be boring. So here goes a new format I'm trialling this week. A lock on a team ranked lower, because I'm just that bold.  The 49ers break their duck with a precious win against a dysfunctional Washington. The Redskins have been poor this year, and even coming off their bye, I dont see how they will have improved that much without some form of personnel change. Chris Thompson is not a workhorse back.
Shock: STEELERS over Chiefs
Wowee, what a way to end a winning streak; being defeated by a team with a QB who threw 5 picks the week before who is notoriously poor on the road. Big Ben, having lapped up the attention this week, goes out and shows he's still got it against the best team in the league.

Reece Mowlem
Lock: FALCONS over Dolphins
I'm man enough to admit I haven't been the best with my Locks and Shocks so far this season but that is about to change, STARTING NOW!  The Falcons may not have played up to the same level as last year as of yet, but they're still one of the best teams in the NFC.  On the flip side, the Dolphins have been poor with Cutler at the helm and are lucky to not be 0-4.  With Atlanta at home and fresh from their bye week, I can't see anything but a Falcons win in this matchup.
Shock: CARDINALS over Buccaneers
Jameis and the Bucs offence looked less than impressive against the worst defence in the league last Thursday night and the depleted defence wasn't much better.  The Cardinals also put in a poor performance as they were blown out by the high flying Eagles.  However, this week, with new running back Adrian Peterson ready to go, I have a feeling the Cardinals might finally click and take advantage of a struggling Tampa team and get the W.

​
Owen Turner
Lock: FALCONS over Dolphins
Miami snuck away with the win last week against the Mariotaless Titans at home, but did so in possibly the least impressive fashion possible. The loss of DeVante Parker looks like it could be fatal for an already struggling offense. The Falcons meanwhile are well rested fresh off the bye. My money is on them having too much offensive firepower for the Dolphins D to handle. Falcon at home all day.
Shock: VIKINGS over Packers
The streak is over people... It was a good run but 5-0 turned out to be too much to ask for as the Chiefs, quite comfortably despite the final scoreline, defeated the Texans on SNF. So trying to get back on track this week, I've decided to go bold. I've picked the Packers as my Lock several times this year but now I'm turning the tables. Facing the Vikings on the road is going to be a grudge match and I'm banking on the Vikings D, who are used to playing the transcended Aaron Rodgers, pulling out a statement performance and blowing the NFC North wide open. I'm hoping we see another huge games from Stefon Diggs and/or Adam Theieln to give the Vikings the push they need.
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    Reece Mowlem

    Mowlem is a sports writer from Reading, United Kingdom.  All articles are written by Reece Mowlem (unless stated otherwise).

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