TV Games

Cowboys (5-4) at Saints (6-2)

Time (TV): 8:30 p.m. (NBC).

Line: Saints by 7.

Notable: Last week, Rob Ryan squared off against his brother, Rex. But this week (dramatic movie voice) ... it’s personal. Ryan was the defensive coordinator for Dallas in 2011 and 2012, then got fired after the Cowboys missed the playoffs. The team could point to a drop from 14th to 19th in total defense, but it looked to many — not least to Ryan himself, who claimed he’d be “out of work for like 5 minutes” — that he was being scapegoated, especially since his unit had been racked by injuries. This season, Ryan has done wonders with the Saints, getting them to ninth in total defense after they were dead last in 2012. The Cowboys? They have a new coordinator (Monte Kiffin), a new scheme (4-3 instead of Ryan’s 3-4) and, one imagines, a new appreciation for the job Ryan did, considering that they are currently ranked 31st.

Fantasy scout: Darren Sproles has been cleared to play following a Week 9 concussion, and in what figures to be a shootout, he could put up some nice numbers. If he somehow manages to play his usual amount and not make a major statistical impression, he could be ripe for a buy-low offer. Sproles has only had one big game this season, so his owners could be getting quite impatient, but there’s still no reason to think that, going forward, the little guy won’t be a large part of New Orleans’s attack.

Eagles (4-5) at Packers (5-3)

Time (TV): 1 p.m. (Fox).

Line: Packers by 1.

Notable: One week ago, this matchup appeared to feature a starting quarterback who was a threat to rain touchdowns on the opposition versus a starting quarterback who was much more of a question mark. It’s still that way, but now the former plays for Philadelphia (Nick Foles) and the latter for Green Bay (Seneca Wallace). Foles almost certainly won’t throw for seven TDs again, but Wallace has the more daunting task in replacing Aaron Rodgers.

Fantasy scout: It is unclear when Rodgers will return; it might be in time for the fantasy playoffs, or he might miss the rest of the season. For owners who feel they are a lock to make their league’s playoffs and who have two QBs on their roster, now would be a good time to take advantage of that uncertainty and offer the lesser QB for Rodgers.

Bengals (6-3) at Ravens (3-5)

Time (TV): 1 p.m. (CBS).

Line: Bengals by 1.5.

Notable: You can’t spell “playoffs” without “OL,” and without better play from its OL, Baltimore likely will miss the playoffs a year after winning it all. Ray Rice may or may not have gotten old in a hurry, but the fact that he and his backup, Bernard Pierce, both are averaging a miserable 2.7 yards per carry indicates that the offensive line just hasn’t been doing its job. However, the Bengals’ defense could have a hard time doing its job after losing Geno Atkins.

Fantasy scout: Atkins isn’t the only major contributor Cincinnati has lost on defense, meaning that the Bengals could find themselves needing to throw more often than they’d prefer. Remember Marvin Jones? He was snatched off waiver wires after scoring four Week 8 TDs, but a relatively quiet Week 9 might have made him available for trade.