Interesting Players for Week Not necessarily the players in line for thebiggest games this week, but rather some players that caught my interest andupon whom I shall cast my gaze ... Matt Ryan, QB --Atlanta (atCarolina): Ryan hasn't exactly been on fire recently: in his last three games,Ryan has averaged just 225 passing yards a game with just four passing TDs inthat span. Fortunately for Falcons' fans and Ryan owners, all the signs arepointing to a big day for Ryan. The Panthers allow the third-most points to theopposing QB, both Roddy White and Julio Jones are healthy and the Atlantarunning game is pretty bad. My computer models are showing three TDs for Ryanthis weekend, so you might want to get on this one. Teddy Bridgewater, QB-- Minnesota (atChicago): This one is based on pure matchup... if you're in a bind at QB forthis week, Bridgewater has an excellent matchup against the league's worstdefense in terms of yielding fantasy points to the opposing QBs. In addition tothe favorable matchup against the Bears, Bridgewater welcomes back TE Kyle Rudolph, who's been sidelinedsince Week 3 due to a sports hernia injury. Bridgewater has increased hisyardage output each of his last three games, and has thrown a TD in each game.This week it looks like he'll buzz the 300-yard mark with a TD. Frank Gore, RB -- San Francisco (at New York Giants):The 49ers have been under-utilizing Gore all season... which is strange,considering how mediocre the offense has performed. But with the 49ers playoffchances starting to fade a bit in a tough NFC West division, I think they'regoing to go back to basics: a strong running game coupled with hard-hittingdefense. Gore should be getting more carries from here on out ( Carlos Hyde will also get his touches),so I expect his rushing totals andhis receptions to increase. And this week is the perfect time to re-focus onthe running game, as the Giants defense gives up the third-most points toopposing RBs and is rated dead last in the NFL in allowing rushing yards(nearly 145 yards/game). Andrew Hawkins, WR --Cleveland(vs. Houston): The Texans are the worst team against opposing WRs this week,which means at least one receiver on the Browns should have a good game. Thatsomeone is going to be Hawkins, who missed last week's game due to a leg injury--butwho has had 10 days to recover fully. Hawkins has been averaging eight targetsa game, but if you throw out the one outlier against the Steelers in Week 6, thatfigure goes up to nearly 10 targets a game. Hawkins has averaged nearly sixcatches and 72 yards a game; his one shortcoming is a lack of TDs this season(one). Given the circumstances of the matchup, I see Hawkins grabbing 7-8catches and around 90 yards against the Texans' leaky secondary. Odell Beckham, Jr.,WR -- New York Giants (vs.San Francisco): I'm not breaking any news with this pick. Beckham is startingto look like a special talent, and EliManning is smart enough to at least toss some passes his way. On the year,Beckham has put up 25/370/3--but that's been accomplished in just five games,for an average of 5/74/0.6. Coming out of their Week 8 bye, the Giants havetargeted Beckham 20 times, and he's rewarded them with back-to-back 100+ yardgames (although no TDs). Last week's performance was particularly impressive,since he was matched up against Seahawks' All-Pro Richard Sherman most of the game. The matchup against the 49ersisn't extremely favorable for Beckham, but the return of RB Rashad Jennings should allow Manningto run some play-action and give Beckham a bit more of an opportunity to getopen deep. Jared Cook, TE -- St.Louis(vs. Denver): Cook's lack of production is a little puzzling. He's a big targetwith down-the-field ability in an offense piloted by less-than-stellar QBs; you'dthink that Cook would be getting a lot of targets... but he hasn't been. Cook hasbeen targeted an average of six times a game this season (but less than fourtimes a game over the last four games). The Rams' opponent this week, theBroncos, seem especially perfect for Cook this week: they score a lot of points(meaning the Rams will need to throw the ball to keep up) and they give up the fourth-most points to opposing TEs. I don'tthink that Cook is going to outperform JuliusThomas, but I do think he'll be in line for a solid game, which willinclude a TD. Teams on Bye thisweek: Baltimore,Dallas, Jacksonville, New York Jets. There you have it. If you have some sparetime, please give my NSFW-ish podcast a shot and join my legion of fans ... if mywife and therapist can be called a "legion." John T. Georgopoulos is a 19-year veteran offantasy sports journalism. His Fantasy Forecast series has won theprestigious Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) award for Best Series,and he's been nominated as an FSWA Award finalist on eight occasions. You canalso listen to his weekly non-sports opinions here or follow him onTwitter: @ThatRiotShow .