Every week, I will 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 Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and keep them in your lineup. Instead, 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 Tony Romo, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

The “love ‘em” players are listed in the order that I’d start them this week.

Brett Favre is coming off a bye week and is facing Detroit’s 31st-ranked pass defense at home. This is not a good combination for the Lions, but it’s an excellent situation for his fantasy owners…The Bears are really struggling against the pass, so Alex Smith should be able to post a nice fantasy line on Thursday night. He has averaged 230 pass yards and 2.0 TD per game since taking over in Week 7…Matt Hasselbeck looks like a good start against the Cards’ 29th-ranked pass defense…Mark Sanchez is startable this week against the Jags, who are ranked 26th against the pass. Jacksonville is giving up an average of 242 yards and 1.9 TD through the air this season.

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