Every week, I highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Carson Palmer or LaDainian Tomlinson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and start them. I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Ben Roethlisberger, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.
START ‘EM
QB: Jeff Garcia looks like a great start against the Lions, who have given up an average of 264 yards and 2.0 TD through the air in five games…For the desperate, Byron Leftwich has a very nice matchup against the Saints, who are 26th against the pass…Chad Pennington is on thin ice in New York, but he faces the Bengals secondary, which is a cure for any quarterback’s woes…Kyle Boller has a nice matchup against the Bills, who have yielded an average of 288 yards and 1.8 TD through the air in five games…Jason Campbell also has a pretty good matchup against the Cardinals.
RB: Earnest Graham is a terrific start against the Lions, who have allowed 115 rushing yards and 1.4 rush TD per game…In that same game, Kevin Jones is a pretty good start against a Bucs defense that is a lot better against the pass than they are against the run…Brian Leonard has a nice matchup with the Seahawks, assuming Steven Jackson doesn’t make a miraculous recovery enabling him to play this week.
WR: Roddy White has a great matchup against the Saints, who have allowed an average of 241 yards and 2.0 TD through the air in the first five games…Patrick Crayton is a nice start against the Vikings, who are terrific against the run, but last in the league in passing yards allowed…Jerricho Cotchery is a must start against the Bengals, who have yielded an average of 247 yards and 2.6 pass TD thus far…Dwayne Bowe (@ OAK), Joey Galloway (@ DET) and Lee Evans (vs. BAL) also have good matchups.
SIT ‘EM
QB: Jay Cutler has a bad matchup at Pittsburgh and is without Javon Walker, who is going to miss a few weeks after getting his knee scoped…Matt Schaub may have difficulty throwing on the Titans, who have allowed just 0.6 pass TD in five games…Daute Culpepper is facing a hot Chiefs team that has allowed the 7th fewest passing yards thus far…Even though he had a great game last week, Cleo Lemon faces the Patriots, who have allowed just 179 yards through the air.
RB: Ahman Green is struggling and this week he faces a pretty tough Titans defense that is 1st in the league against the run…Cedric Benson has a pretty tough matchup against the Eagles (91 yards, 0.4 rush TD allowed), but he will get a bunch of touches.
WR: Calvin Johnson may find the going tough against a stingy Bucs defense that is 8th in the league against the pass and has only allowed 0.8 pass TD per game all season…Don’t expect a big game out of Hines Ward, who has to face Champ Bailey and the rest of the Denver secondary. The Broncos can’t stop the run, so it’s doubly attractive for opposing offenses to stay away from the pass…Don’t expect Darrell Jackson to break out his slump. He faces the Giants, who are playing some pretty good defense right now.
THINKING DEFENSIVELY
Here are a few defenses that have nice matchups this week and are available in at least 40% of ESPN leagues (in order of strength of play):
TB, SEA, NYG, KC, ATL, and HOU
SLEEPER OF THE WEEK
Kevin Faulk, Patriots
With Sammy Morris out and Laurence Maroney likely out, Faulk is an interesting start against a Miami team that has really struggled against the run. The Dolphins have allowed 169 rush yards and 1.7 rush TD per game. He holds extra value in PPR leagues where he’s sort of a (very) poor man’s Brian Westbrook.
TOUGH SLEDDING
Ronnie Brown, Dolphins
Given his tremendous performance in the last few games, you can’t bench him, but ratchet down those expectations this week. Brown faces the Patriots, who have allowed just 78 yards and just one rushing TD thus far. Brown may be able to do some damage in the passing game, but he’s going to have a tough time finding room to run.
