New Orleans Saints (+4.5) @ Green Bay Packers 
I don't necessarily think the Saints will win this game, but I believe they can. If you're going to pick an underdog, you better think they have a legit shot at winning. The Packers will come out ready to roll no doubt, but so will the Saints after having a long, long offseason to think about their embarrassing loss at Seattle last postseason. They have horses to throw at you out of the backfield, Ingram/Thomas/Ivory, and the usual array of weapons for Drew Brees. I think they can will this game within three points. 

Saints Fantasy Darkhorse: Pierre Thomas - Red zone touches, catches out of the backfield. Especially useful in PPR leagues
Packers Fantasy Darkhorse: James Jones - Likely matched up against Pat Robinson in the Nickel, Jones will give him problems

Atlanta Falcons (-2.5) @ Chicago Bears
I don't think this will be a problem. This line could be at -5.5 in Atlantas favor and I would be fine taking it. Cutler is coming back, playing in Chicago for the first time since he was booed off the field last playoffs. Roy Williams is not fitting in well, to say the least. Also, Lance Briggs is not happy in Chicago, to say the least. The Bears seem to have some issues right now, and none of them relate to good football. The Falcons are ready to roll, throwing a lot in the preseason and they have a ton of weapons that the Chicago Cover 2 will struggle to contain. Also look for Ray Edwards to get at Jay Cutler early and often. 

Falcons Fantasy Darkhorse: Harry Douglas - Slot receiver that will find creases in the Cover 2, could have a couple big plays
Bears Fantasy Darkhorse: Earl Bennett - Cutler will look here all day, and often considering they will probably be trailing most of the day

Buffalo Bills (+6.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Bills are going to be a nice little team this year, probably won't win many games, but they'll stick around in most of them. Fitzpatrick will put up solid numbers again, looking for Stevie Johnson and his two backs, Spiller and Jackson, out of the backfield. The Chiefs are going to weigh themselves down due to Todd Haley as long as they make Jamaal Charles split carries with Thomas Jones. I'm also hearing Matt Cassel will more than likely be on the sidelines for this one, making me like this pick even more. (Once the Cassel news becomes offical, I expect this line to drop to 3.5)

Bills Fantasy Darkhorse: Ryan Fitzpatrick - Will throw a lot and I don't like any other Buffalo player enough to single them out
Chiefs Fantasy Darkhorse: Thomas Jones - It's sad, but I'm sure he'll see plenty of action. He'll score on Sunday

Cincinatti Bengals @ Cleveland Browns (-4.5)
The Bengals are going to be terrible. I don't expect them to score much more than 10 points in this game. Cleveland shouldn't have a problem covering as McCoy has looked sharp and has a nice new toy to play with named Greg Little. I think Little has a big year and he's a beast in the redzone. Hillis and Hardesty will make for a nice 1-2 punch and will be too much for Cincinatti. I'm higher on Cincy's D this year than most, but their offense will hold them back terribly. 

Bengals Fantasy Darkhorse: Bernard Scott - Benson will look terrible, most of the yards will fall to Scott
Browns Fantasy Darkhorse: Greg Little - I think he ends up with a handful of catches and finds the endzone

Detroit Lions (+3.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I'm taking the Lions to win this game outright, actually. With a healthy Stafford, having Megatron, Burleson and Pettigrew to look for in the passing game; and Best coming out of the backfield, it could be a long day for Tampa. Blount will have trouble finding room up the middle, and the Lion secondary will hold up just enough to keep Mike Williams, Dezmon Briscoe and Arrelious Benn in check. Expect a high scoring game here, but I think Detroit will prevail. 

Lions Fantasy Darkhorse: Nate Burleson - Megatron will see plenty of double and triple teams, Burleson will have a big day
Buccaneers Fantasy Darkhorse: Kellen Winslow - Detroit struggled agains tight end's last year, due to shaky secondary having their hands full elsewhere

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.5)
This could go either way. I'm not necessarily high on either team, but I like the changes on the defensive side for Jacksonville, especially at linebacker. CJ2K will be slow to get back into the action, and I think they'll be trailing anyway, making him a receiver. Jacksonville will have enough to win by at least a touchdown, and I think they will run the ball well on the Titans. 

Titans Fantasy Darkhorse: Matt Hasselbeck - They'll be trailing and he'll be throwing
Jaguars Fantasy Darkhorse: Deji Karim - MJD's backup and will get a good amount of opportunity, could be gold in deep leagues

Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans (-2.5)
Peyton is not going to play. Even if Arian Foster doesn't player, it won't matter, Ben Tate is more than serviceable filling in. The Texans should put up big points against this ragtag Colt defense, and I don't expect the Colts to match. Indy will probably rack up some yards playing catch up , but I don't expect them to stick it in the endzone too much. Although, Kerry Collins has put up 28+ points against Houston the last five times he has faced them. Remember, he's stepping into an offense that's heavily reliant on timing, and he just doesn't have it yet. I see no problem for Houston covering this game, and probably winning by a lot more. (Once the Manning news becomes official, this should raise to about 10.5; yes, you read that right)

Colts Fantasy Darkhorse: Pierre Garcon - Will have a lot of touches due to catch up and should have the biggest day of all receivers
Texans Fantasy Darkhorse: Ben Tate - Will run wild and probably find the endzone a couple times

Philadelphia Eagles (-5.5) @ St Louis Rams 
This one shouldn't be a problem either. The Rams will air it out a lot under new coordinator Josh McDaniels, and he has a few weapons to play with. However, the Eagles are the Eagles. Vick will run wild and throw all over them. Jackson and Maclin will both be healthy and ready to go, but I don't expect Steve Smith to play. Vick seems to be pretty fond of Riley Cooper, his biggest receiver, and I think he looks for him quite a bit. 

Eagles Fantasy Darkhorse: Riley Cooper - Redzone favorite of Vick, I think he finds the endzone
Rams Fantasy Darkhorse: Lance Kendricks - Should get at least a handful of catches and couple redone looks

Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5) @ Baltimore Ravens 
These two teams do not like each other. That's an understatement. These is going to be a hard-hitting, trash talking game that will be loads of fun to watch, especially if you're fond of defense. The Steelers have looked downright explosive in the preseason though, with Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuelle Sanders making a scary fast trio. That's not even mentioning Rashard Mendenhall, who I expect to have a huge season. Baltimore is still trying to find themselves as a passing offense, but Ray Rice should run the ball well. 

Steelers Fantasy Darkhorse: Antonio Brown - A deep threat and will catch a couple deep balls, maybe he finds the endzone on one of them
Ravens Fantasy Darkhorse: Ed Dickson - One of Flaccos favorite security blankets outside of Ray Rice, also a redzone threat

Minnesota Vikings @ San Diego Chargers (-8.5)
I know for a fact that's a pool floating around that 2,800 people have entered. How many of them have picked the Vikes to beat the Chargers? 0. That's astounding. It shows how much people think of the Chargers this year, and I guess how little of Minnesota. The Chargers have a dynamic offense that will put up points against any defense, let alone this
Viking defense. I assume San Diego will load up with eight in the box almost every defensive snap, daring McNabb to beat them with Harvin or Berrien, which I don't see happening. Chargers win by a couple scores at least.

Vikings Fantasy Darkhorse: Bernard Berrien - Will probably catch at least one bomb, more than any other Viking receivers will be able to say
Chargers Fantasy Darkhorse: Mike Tolbert - At least one touchdown with a goal line carry, maybe more

New York Giants (-3.5) @ Washington Redskins
This is a game I probably wouldn't watch, not much to watch. Eli will test this Redskin secondary, with Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham running all over the field. I also expect Brandon Jacbos to play well, with Bradshaw struggling to find gaps. The Redskin offense could very well be a complete mess, but I think Hightower will be a solid constant, getting 20+ carries and over 100 yards. Other than that, don't see much going right for the Redskins. 

Giants Fantasy Darkhorse: Mario Manningham - Will not see double teams and should capatlize on that
Redskins Fantasy Darkhorse: Tim Hightower - Will get a lot of carries and should score

Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals (-5.5)
Lay-up of the weekend, seriously. The Panthers offense is a mess. The running backs are fine, but it doesn't matter with eight guys in the box, which is exactly what Arizona wil do. Cam Newon will struggle a lot, and he doesn't exactly have a solid stable of receivers to look for outside of his tight ends. On the flip side, Arizona will air it out a lot and Fitzgerald should have a big day, along with Andre Roberts. I don't think Beanie Wells is very good, but based on opportunity he should play well. They also signed Chester Taylor, but he won't be up to speed enough to steal much from Beanie. 

Panthers Fantasy Darkhorse: Jonathan Stewart - Goal line back and the better all-around back in my opinion
Cardinals Fantasy Darkhorse: Arizona Defense - Will have at least an interception and don't be surprised if they score

Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers (-5.5)
I don't like either team, but wow, the Seahawks have looked rough haven't they? I don't know how Tavarais Jackson keeps convincing people to give him chances, but he does. I don't think Seattle scores much, as they'll have to throw quite a bit and that's bad news when Jackson is your quarterback. The 49ers will score just enough to cover this.

Seahawks Fantasy Darkhorse: Zach Miller - Jackson always likes his tight ends, and this is the best one he's ever had
49ers Fantasy Darkhorse: Michael Crabtree - Should be healthy and ready to go, I think he can have a breakout year despite Smith throwing him the ball

Dallas Cowboys (+4.5) @ New York Jets
I'm really excited for this game. Not only am I taking Dallas to cover, I believe they'll win this game. They are my surprise team, as I have them winning a playoff game. Their defense may struggle transitioning in to Rob Ryan's master plan, but their offense will straight light up the scoreboard. I'm talking major points. From a fantasy standpoint, absolute gold. Tony Romo will have a big year, as will Jason Witten, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Felix Jones. I simply don't believe the Jets will be able to score enough to stay with the 'Boys. Rex likes to fancy himself as coaching a Super Bowl contending team, but I just don't see it with their offensive personnel. I think the Jets take a step back this year. 

Cowboys Fantasy Darkhorse: Felix Jones - Rushing yards, receiving yards, scores; big day for Felix
Jets Fantasy Darkhorse: Shonn Greene - Will get a lions share of the carries and will play well overall, expect a score

New England Patriots (-5.5) @ Miami Dolphins
This shouldn't be a problem. The Patriot defense still scares me a bit, but their offense will be more than capable of putting up enough points to cover this one. Also, it's not like the Miami offense is anything to worry about. I like Marshall and think he'll play well, and Bush should have a few nice plays, but Thomas will be the more consistent back, if only because he'll get the carries between the tackles. 

Patriots Fantasy Darkhorse: Aaron Hernandez - Favorite target of Tom Brady, he'll lead this team in receptions I believe
Dolphins Fantasy Darkhorse: Daniel Thomas - Will get the between the tackle carries, and probaly in the redzone as well

Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos (-0.5)
A toss up, but I think the crowd at Mile High will pull the Broncos through. Orton probably won't through a ton, but Moreno will run the ball well and McGahee is a good breather back. I also think the Broncos defense will impress, as Campbell and the Raider offense will have trouble to get into a rhythm. This probably won't be the most exciting game, but hey, it's better than no football at all.

Raiders Fantasy Darkhorse: Jacoby Ford - Should have a big play or two, also look for him in the return game
Broncos Fantasy Darkhorse: Willis McGahee - Will poach goal line carries and more than likely score at least once

Enjoy the games this weekend, and be thankful football is back and better than ever.

Follow @FFChamps on Twitter

The views and content in this article are not necessarily the opinion of Fantasy Football Champs, www.FFChamps.com, and its in-house experts.