TBONE THURSDAY!

BEARS VS DOLPHINS

There may not be a score in this game! When you look at these defenses against opposing players, it's a little intimidating! The Bears are first against QBs, the Dolphins are 8th. The Bears are 10th against RBs, the Dolphins...12th. The Bears are fifth against WRs, and the Dolphins are 10th. The Bears are 5th against the TEs, the Dolphins are 8th. Who in the world is going to rack up a huge fantasy game? Maybe it's the Bears D/ST. They're #2 right now, have 25 turnovers on the year and are going against a QB who hasn't started since 2008, and have the "Ridiculous" Devin Hester back!

So, there may not be any points, but we're going to break it down anyway; because, the Bears actually looked good last week. They've only given up one sack per game the last two weeks. Cutler seems to be scrambling out of pressure, and they're running the ball more (not racking up a lot of yards, but at least giving the D something to think about!) Johnny Knox is coming off a big game, but the Dolphins have only allowed two receivers to go over 100 yards, so you might not be comfortable there. And you don't anticipate Matt Forte or Chester Taylor going off anytime soon. The only thing the Bears have going for them is that the Dolphins have given up a lot of points to the Jets and Patriots this year. Are the Bears either of those teams? No, but at least you can see some evidence that you can score on the Dolphins.

Not so much with the Bears. They've been pretty consistant at giving up teens or low 20's for points. You factor in no Jake Long and a third string Quarterback - it might not look good. However, remember in 2008 Tyler Thigpen was the 11th ranked QB in fantasy. He could do it with his arms and his legs. So, the Bears may struggle to keep him in the pocket. And the last time Brandon Marshall played the Bears and their Cover 2, he had 97 yards and a touchdown. (Yes, he actually use to score touchdowns!) Here's another interesting angle. Brian Moise, on our TBONE THURSDAY Podcast said he'd bet "100 dollars you see some trickery here." He even hinted that we might see Brandon Marshall line up at QB. If you look at last week, when Henne went out last week, the Dolphins ran 5 straight direct snaps to Ronnie Brown. Hmmmm!

This is a game both teams need. The Bears are 6-3 and in first place, but the rest of their schedule includes Philly, New England, Minnesota, the Jets and Green Bay. The Dolphins are chasing but have oakland, Cleveland, Buffalo and Detroit coming up. I look for it to be a close game - hopefully, it won't come down to the kickers because Dan Carpenter is money, and......

DOC'S PICK = BEARS TBONE'S PICK = DOLPHINS BRIAN'S PICK = BEARS