NFL Predictions Week 5: Kevin Walter and 3 Other Unknowns Who Will Shine

With Andre Johnson out for the Texans vs. the Raiders, Kevin Walter will have a nice day filling in his place. While he certainly is no Andre Johnson, Walter is has been a steady player for the Texans over the past few seasons.

Also, expect Gary Kubiak to try to get tight end Owen Daniels more involved in the passing game too make up for the loss of their best player. 

For the 49ers vs. the Buccaneers, look for linebacker NaVorro Bowman to jump out of the screen and make a huge impact trying to slow down LaGarrette Blount. Bowman actually has more tackles than teammate Patrick Willis so far this season. Not many people know about NaVorro, but the Penn State product is emerging as one of the best young defensive players in the league. 

He may not be a total unknown, but defensive end Raheem Brock of the Seattle Seahawks has enjoyed a career resurgence since moving on from the Colts. Brock will get a chance to get after Eli Manning and a mediocre Giants offensive line. If Seattle plans on going into New York and stealing a win, they will need another huge game from their defensive line, and Brock in particular. 

In today's afternoon showdown, look for Mike DeVito of the New York Jets to have a big day. For all the praise the Patriots passing game gets, they are also having a lot of success on the ground.

If the Jets plan on slowing down Brady, they will need to make them one-dimensional while not using too many resources to slow down the ground game. Therefore, the Jets defensive linemen will need to step up huge, just as they did in last year's divisional game.