Ah, Week 14…

In most leagues, this is the week where all the teams good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to get a bye duke it out in the first round of the playoffs. There’s generally no room for error due to the quality of the competition so every surprise performance and every disappointing outing is magnified.

Here’s a look at a few heroes and a few goats from Sunday’s action.

HEROES

Darren McFadden
In a must win game? How does 209 total yards and three TDs suit you? DMC went absolutely nuts against Jacksonville, scoring on a 67-yard pass, and runs of 51- and 36-yards. And believe it or not, the Jags were playing well enough of late for this to be considered a bad matchup. With the Broncos and Colts on deck at home over the next two weeks, McFadden is primed for a BIG finish.

Tom Brady
Deion Branch
Last week, I had a 30-point lead with just Brady to go against a pretty good Jets defense and lost because Brady scored 32. This week, in another league, I figured Brady might have a mediocre game in wintry Chicago conditions in another bad matchup. Yeah…no…369 yards, two TDs. Nothing can stop Brady right now, not even a blizzard. As for Branch, do you think he’s happy being out of Seattle. The guy is on fire right now — he has four TDs in the last three weeks.

Pittsburgh DT
This is why fantasy owners drafted the Steelers DT in the late-middle rounds. Seven points allowed, three sacks, three picks and two interception return TDs. Next week the Steelers host the reeling Jets and in Week 16, Jimmy Clausen and the Panthers come to town. Wow.

Santana Moss
Be honest. Are there any Moss owners out there that were expecting 7-82-1 this week? I know Aqib Talib was out, but still, Moss only mustered a total of 64 yards (and zero TDs) in his previous two games, and it looked like Anthony Armstrong was stealing targets. Moss came up big in the clutch.

Michael Turner
I’m sure there were some nervous Turner owners out there after Week 6, when he only had 45 yards rushing against the Eagles, and only had one rushing TD on the season. Since then, Turner has scored 10 TDs over the next seven games, including three against the Panthers on Sunday.

Marques Colston
I had Colston ranked #7 this week and he didn’t disappoint, catching five passes for 49 yards and two TDs against a Rams defense that has struggled against opposing WRs this season. Sometimes the Saints’ spread-it-around style bites fantasy owners in the butt…but with seven TDs in his last seven games, Colston is playing big when it matters.

Vernon Davis
In a time when stud TEs are far and few between, Davis is turning it ON. He had 5-70-1 against the Seahawks a week after going for 5-132-1 against the Packers. Davis had a fairly brutal four-game stretch before this outburst, so he has definitely rewarded those fantasy owners that stuck with him in crunch time.

Jason Witten
Speaking of tight ends, Witten upped the ante in the evening game, racking up 7-69-2 to keep the Cowboys in the game against the Eagles. He now has three strong games in a row, just when fantasy owners need them the most.

DeSean Jackson
He only had four catches, but if he’s going to average 52.5 yards per reception, that’s all right. Jackson was electric on Sunday night, catching a long bomb to open the game and then scoring on a 91-yard strike that essentially won the game for the Eagles.

GOATS

Kyle Orton
Brandon Lloyd
What happened to you two? This was a good matchup for Lloyd, but you wouldn’t know it by his final numbers (3-32). Orton only looked his way six times, which was the fourth-most on the team. Speaking of Orton, as Week 12 came to a close, he had just thrown eight TDs in three games. In his last two outings, he hasn’t topped 166 passing yards or thrown for a score. What a dud.

Cincinnati Offense (not named Ochocinco)
T.O., really? One catch for 22 yards? I know the Steelers have a good defense, but fantasy-wise they are only mediocre against wide receivers. Owens was only targeted six times by Carson Palmer, who threw three picks, including two that were returned for TDs. On the whole, it was a horrendous day for the Bengals offense. And Cedric Benson only mustered 45 yards, but that was somewhat expected.

Rashard Mendenhall
Matt Forte
Here are two backs that were widely ranked in the top 15 and they both failed to produce much of anything. You expect these numbers against good rush defenses, but both players had nice matchups and didn’t produce in crunch time.

Mike Williams (TB)
Paging Mike Williams…Please proceed to the nearest courtesy counter. Williams was targeted a team-high five times, but only caught one pass for 15 yards against one of the worst pass defenses in the league.

Jay Cutler
Cutler had been playing well enough the last few weeks that he was starting to get back into fantasy lineups. The conditions were tough, but Tom Brady didn’t seem to have any problems and the Patriots defense has struggled all season against the pass. Maybe they’re not as bad as the numbers say…or maybe Cutler is who we thought he was…

Jamaal Charles
Dwayne Bowe
With Matt Cassel out, KC was supposed to employ a run-heavy attacked that featured Charles, but he only managed 49 yards on 11 touches. Part of the problem was Brodie Croyle (7/17, 40 yards), who was terrible, and that hurt both Charles and Bowe (1-3), whose production has totally fallen off a cliff after a fantastic midseason run.

Tashard Choice
The Cowboys didn’t use Choice as much as the news reports out of Dallas led us to believe. He only got eight touches and was visibly itching for work when he caught his only pass for 17 yards. Felix Jones (83 total yards, TD) got most of the work, especially after Choice failed to score inside the Eagles’ 5-yard line in the first half.

Jeremy Maclin
When the guy on the other side goes for 210 yards, that doesn’t leave much for you. Maclin had just one catch for 11 yards, and was only targeted three times all night. It was his worst game of the season, and it came in a great matchup at the worst possible time. He’s suddenly looking benchable with two tough matchups (NYG, MIN) coming up.

I’m sure I missed a few in each category — who are your heroes and/or goats?

For the 9th week in a row, John Paulsen (The Scores Report) checks in as the #1 overall expert. While week 13 wasn’t Paulsen’s best showing (29th overall), his success throughout the course of the season has put him in the enviable position of having a cushion to work with as we head into the final 3 weeks of the competition. With that being said, it’s still too early for Paulsen to carve out space on his mantle (do people still have mantles?) for the first place trophy. That’s because David Dodds (FootballGuys) is coming on strong and he has cut into Paulsen’s lead for the 2nd week in a row. We should be in for an exciting conclusion to the competition if the trend continues.

I’d like to note that I was #7 last week in both DT and K rankings, which don’t count towards my overall score…so there’s that.

Below you’ll find my first stab at the Week 14 rankings. Be sure to check back as Sunday approaches because they’ll be updated as the news trickles in.

If the above widget isn’t working, there are text rankings below (but be warned, they aren’t as easily updated).

Quarterbacks

1. Michael Vick (PHI @ DAL)
2. Aaron Rodgers (GB @ DET)
3. Drew Brees (NO vs. STL)
4. Joe Flacco (BAL @ HOU)
5. Philip Rivers (SD vs. KC)
6. Peyton Manning (IND @ TEN)
7. Jon Kitna (DAL vs. PHI)
8. Kyle Orton (DEN @ ARI)
9. Tom Brady (NE @ CHI)
10. Matt Ryan (ATL @ CAR)
11. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT vs. CIN)
12. Jay Cutler (CHI vs. NE)
13. Eli Manning (NYG @ MIN)
14. Josh Freeman (TB @ WAS)
15. Matt Schaub (HOU vs. BAL)
16. David Garrard (JAC vs. OAK)
17. Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF vs. CLE)
18. Donovan McNabb (WAS vs. TB)
19. Sam Bradford (STL @ NO)
20. Jason Campbell (OAK @ JAC)
21. Alex Smith (SF vs. SEA)
22. Drew Stanton (DET vs. GB)
23. Carson Palmer (CIN @ PIT)
24. Mark Sanchez (NYJ vs. MIA)
25. Matt Hasselbeck (SEA @ SF)
26. Kerry Collins (TEN vs. IND)
27. Jake Delhomme (CLE @ BUF)
28. Brett Favre (MIN vs. NYG)
29. Brodie Croyle (KC @ SD)
30. Chad Henne (MIA @ NYJ)
31. Jimmy Clausen (CAR vs. ATL)
32. John Skelton (ARI vs. DEN)

Running Backs

1. Peyton Hillis (CLE @ BUF)
2. Arian Foster (HOU vs. BAL)
3. Michael Turner (ATL @ CAR)
4. Knowshon Moreno (DEN @ ARI)
5. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC vs. OAK)
6. Chris Johnson (TEN vs. IND)
7. Adrian Peterson (MIN vs. NYG)
8. LeSean McCoy (PHI @ DAL)
9. Ray Rice (BAL @ HOU)
10. Rashard Mendenhall (PIT vs. CIN)
11. Steven Jackson (STL @ NO)
12. Jamaal Charles (KC @ SD)
13. Darren McFadden (OAK @ JAC)
14. Matt Forte (CHI vs. NE)
15. Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG @ MIN)
16. Fred Jackson (BUF vs. CLE)
17. LeGarrette Blount (TB @ WAS)
18. Mike Tolbert (SD vs. KC)
19. Christopher Ivory (NO vs. STL)
20. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE @ CHI)
21. Felix Jones (DAL vs. PHI)
22. Brian Westbrook (SF vs. SEA)
23. Jonathan Stewart (CAR vs. ATL)
24. Tashard Choice (DAL vs. PHI)
25. Cedric Benson (CIN @ PIT)
26. Tim Hightower (ARI vs. DEN)
27. LaDainian Tomlinson (NYJ vs. MIA)
28. Brandon Jacobs (NYG @ MIN)
29. James Starks (GB @ DET)
30. Thomas Jones (KC @ SD)
31. Marshawn Lynch (SEA @ SF)
32. Anthony Dixon (SF vs. SEA)
33. Shonn Greene (NYJ vs. MIA)
34. Ryan Torain (WAS vs. TB)
35. Ronnie Brown (MIA @ NYJ)
36. Danny Woodhead (NE @ CHI)
37. Javarris James (IND @ TEN)
38. Donald Brown (IND @ TEN)
39. Brandon Jackson (GB @ DET)
40. Justin Forsett (SEA @ SF)
41. Michael Bush (OAK @ JAC)
42. Jahvid Best (DET vs. GB)
43. Ricky Williams (MIA @ NYJ)
44. Willis McGahee (BAL @ HOU)
45. Toby Gerhart (MIN vs. NYG)
46. Reggie Bush (NO vs. STL)
47. Maurice Morris (DET vs. GB)
48. Rashad Jennings (JAC vs. OAK)
49. Pierre Thomas (NO vs. STL)
50. Keiland Williams (WAS vs. TB)

Wide Receivers

1. Andre Johnson (HOU vs. BAL)
2. Roddy White (ATL @ CAR)
3. Reggie Wayne (IND @ TEN)
4. Greg Jennings (GB @ DET)
5. Brandon Lloyd (DEN @ ARI)
6. Calvin Johnson (DET vs. GB)
7. Marques Colston (NO vs. STL)
8. DeSean Jackson (PHI @ DAL)
9. Anquan Boldin (BAL @ HOU)
10. Miles Austin (DAL vs. PHI)
11. Terrell Owens (CIN @ PIT)
12. Mike Wallace (PIT vs. CIN)
13. Jeremy Maclin (PHI @ DAL)
14. Steve Johnson (BUF vs. CLE)
15. Mike Williams (TB @ WAS)
16. Sidney Rice (MIN vs. NYG)
17. Larry Fitzgerald (ARI vs. DEN)
18. Santonio Holmes (NYJ vs. MIA)
19. Malcom Floyd (SD vs. KC)
20. Wes Welker (NE @ CHI)
21. Hakeem Nicks (NYG @ MIN)
22. Deion Branch (NE @ CHI)
23. Dwayne Bowe (KC @ SD)
24. Michael Crabtree (SF vs. SEA)
25. Johnny Knox (CHI vs. NE)
26. Pierre Garcon (IND @ TEN)
27. Roy Williams (DAL vs. PHI)
28. Chad Ochocinco (CIN @ PIT)
29. Mike Thomas (JAC vs. OAK)
30. Derrick Mason (BAL @ HOU)
31. Donald Driver (GB @ DET)
32. Davone Bess (MIA @ NYJ)
33. Hines Ward (PIT vs. CIN)
34. Earl Bennett (CHI vs. NE)
35. Santana Moss (WAS vs. TB)
36. Brandon Marshall (MIA @ NYJ)
37. Deon Butler (SEA @ SF)
38. Mario Manningham (NYG @ MIN)
39. Mike Sims-Walker (JAC vs. OAK)
40. Steve Smith (CAR vs. ATL)
41. Steve Breaston (ARI vs. DEN)
42. Kenny Britt (TEN vs. IND)
43. Anthony Armstrong (WAS vs. TB)
44. Lee Evans (BUF vs. CLE)
45. Braylon Edwards (NYJ vs. MIA)
46. Jacoby Ford (OAK @ JAC)
47. Vincent Jackson (SD vs. KC)
48. Steve Smith (NYG @ MIN)
49. Blair White (IND @ TEN)
50. Robert Meachem (NO vs. STL)
51. Lance Moore (NO vs. STL)
52. Danny Amendola (STL @ NO)
53. Percy Harvin (MIN vs. NYG)
54. Jabar Gaffney (DEN @ ARI)
55. Brandon Gibson (STL @ NO)
56. Nate Burleson (DET vs. GB)
57. Jason Avant (PHI @ DAL)
58. Arrelious Benn (TB @ WAS)
59. James Jones (GB @ DET)
60. Eddie Royal (DEN @ ARI)

Tight Ends

1. Antonio Gates (SD vs. KC)
2. Vernon Davis (SF vs. SEA)
3. Jason Witten (DAL vs. PHI)
4. Jacob Tamme (IND @ TEN)
5. Tony Gonzalez (ATL @ CAR)
6. Benjamin Watson (CLE @ BUF)
7. Marcedes Lewis (JAC vs. OAK)
8. Brandon Pettigrew (DET vs. GB)
9. Chris Cooley (WAS vs. TB)
10. Kellen Winslow (TB @ WAS)
11. Dustin Keller (NYJ vs. MIA)
12. Rob Gronkowski (NE @ CHI)
13. Brent Celek (PHI @ DAL)
14. Ed Dickson (BAL @ HOU)
15. Tony Moeaki (KC @ SD)
16. Greg Olsen (CHI vs. NE)
17. Aaron Hernandez (NE @ CHI)
18. Jimmy Graham (NO vs. STL)
19. Kevin Boss (NYG @ MIN)
20. Visanthe Shiancoe (MIN vs. NYG)
21. Anthony Fasano (MIA @ NYJ)
22. Jermaine Gresham (CIN @ PIT)
23. Owen Daniels (HOU vs. BAL)
24. Zach Miller (OAK @ JAC)
25. Billy Bajema (STL @ NO)

Kickers

1. David Akers (PHI @ DAL)
2. Matt Bryant (ATL @ CAR)
3. Garrett Hartley (NO vs. STL)
4. Mason Crosby (GB @ DET)
5. Nate Kaeding (SD vs. KC)
6. Josh Brown (STL @ NO)
7. Billy Cundiff (BAL @ HOU)
8. Sebastian Janikowski (OAK @ JAC)
9. Matt Prater (DEN @ ARI)
10. Neil Rackers (HOU vs. BAL)
11. David Buehler (DAL vs. PHI)
12. Rob Bironas (TEN vs. IND)
13. Adam Vinatieri (IND @ TEN)
14. Lawrence Tynes (NYG @ MIN)
15. Phil Dawson (CLE @ BUF)
16. Ryan Longwell (MIN vs. NYG)
17. Shaun Suisham (PIT vs. CIN)
18. Nick Folk (NYJ vs. MIA)
19. Olindo Mare (SEA @ SF)
20. Dan Carpenter (MIA @ NYJ)

Defenses

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT vs. CIN)
2. New York Jets (NYJ vs. MIA)
3. Atlanta Falcons (ATL @ CAR)
4. New York Giants (NYG @ MIN)
5. San Diego Chargers (SD vs. KC)
6. Green Bay Packers (GB @ DET)
7. Minnesota Vikings (MIN vs. NYG)
8. New England Patriots (NE @ CHI)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (PHI @ DAL)
10. Denver Broncos (DEN @ ARI)
11. San Francisco 49ers (SF vs. SEA)
12. Baltimore Ravens (BAL @ HOU)
13. Cleveland Browns (CLE @ BUF)
14. Buffalo Bills (BUF vs. CLE)
15. New Orleans Saints (NO vs. STL)
16. Chicago Bears (CHI vs. NE)
17. Arizona Cardinals (ARI vs. DEN)
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TB @ WAS)
19. Tennessee Titans (TEN vs. IND)
20. Oakland Raiders (OAK @ JAC)

Below you’ll see a table for each position with a list of team names on the left. If a square is pink, it means that the matchup is tough. If it’s green, it means it’s a favorable matchup. On the far right, the column “R16″ shows the average SOS for the remaining weeks.

It’s important to note that this is NOT straight fantasy points allowed. I removed the bias of schedule by looking at the opponents of each defense and how they fared in their other games. For example, if a particular defense faced a series of great QBs, then that is taken into account in these tables.

How do I use these tables?

Generally speaking, I use strength of schedule as a tiebraker between two similarly ranked players. Let’s say I’m trying to decide between starting BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Ronnie Brown. All else being equal, these two players are very close in my mind. But if BGE has a great matchup and Brown has a bad matchup, the choice is clear. In fact, if BGE just has a mediocre matchup while Brown has a bad matchup, I’d probably go with the Law Firm.

Be careful not to read too much into these tables. You aren’t going to bench Chris Johnson in a bad matchup unless you somehow have Arian Foster waiting in the wings.

Note: I apologize for the size of the text, but there really is no other way for me to present this data, at least not at this point.

The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week you pick up a defense that is playing against a bad offense (preferably at home). And each week you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position.

Last season, my top pick averaged 9.8 fantasy points per game. My second pick averaged 9.1 and my third pick averaged 7.3. On the whole, DTBWW averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game, which equate to DT5 numbers — all for the price of a few waiver wire pickups. In 2008, my top two picks averaged DT6-type numbers. (Note: To calculate fantasy points, I use this scoring system.)

Unlike Defensive Team By Committee (DTBC), which is for those owners who prefer low maintenance teams, DTBWW strategy allows fantasy owners to virtually ignore DTs on draft day and focus on picking up an extra RB/WR flier instead.

To be eligible, defenses have to be available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Let’s see how my Week 13 picks fared:

#1 Seahawks: 14 PA (4) + 3 SK + 1 INT + 1 TD = 14 fantasy points
#2 Chargers: 1 SK + 1 FR = 2 fp
#3 Rams: 6 PA (8) + 4 SK + 2 INT = 14 fp

On the whole, it was a pretty nice day for DTBWW outside of the Chargers’ pathetic effort against the Raiders. How can a defense look so good against Peyton Manning one week and then turn around and poop the bed against Jason Campbell? Unbelievable. Fortunately, the Seahawks and Rams brought it in a big way. Carolina and Arizona continue to be strong go-to plays for decent fantasy defenses.

On the season my picks are averaging 7.6 | 8.2 | 7.3 (1st, 2nd, 3rd) for a combined average of 7.7 fantasy points. That’s approximately equivalent to DT6 numbers. Not bad.

Let’s take a look at my Week 14 picks keeping in mind that to be eligible, defenses must be available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues:

#1: Atlanta Falcons (@ CAR)
This is a no-brainer. Atlanta’s defense isn’t great, but they can create turnovers and sacks and they’re facing Jimmy Clausen this week.

#2: New England Patriots (@ CHI)
The Pats have struggled against the pass this season, but they shut down the Jets’ aerial attack on Monday night. The Bears are playing well, but something tells me that Beligenius will have a few tricks in store for Jay Cutler and Co.

#3: Buffalo Bills (vs. CLE)
The Bills have quietly played some good fantasy defense the last three weeks (29 points over that span). I’m worried that Peyton Hillis is going to run roughshod over and through the Bills porous rush defense, but the Browns are bound to throw it a few times and Jake Delhomme is always a threat for a pick-six.

Bonus Picks: DEN (@ ARI), ARI (vs. DEN), CLE (@ BUF)

It’s playoff time!

After checking out our Waiver Wire Watch, you can post your questions here, and unless you say differently, I’m assuming your league has a standard (non-PPR) scoring system.

If you are wondering who to start in a standard scoring league, please wait until later this week (Wednesday) when I’ll release my official Week 14 rankings.

And if you’re a regular visitor, please take a moment to rate my advice at Fantasy Pros (under Member Rating). I’d appreciate it.

Also, follow me on Twitter @fantasytips.

Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only guys eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance scoring system.

Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (34.0)
He had a brutal first half in a so-so matchup, but the Vikings’ defense plays pretty tough at home. Over the next three weeks he has CLE, @MIA and NE. That W16 matchup against the Patriots is tasty.

Jon Kitna (14.1)
It wasn’t a great matchup against Indy, but Kitna fared pretty well. He has PHI, WAS and @ARI over the next three weeks, so even without Dez Bryant, he should still be able to post solid numbers down the stretch. Romo’s pending return could be a headache, but I don’t think the Cowboys are going to rush him back.

David Garrard (42.1)
The Jags are running the ball more and more and it’s eating into Garrard’s numbers, though he has rushed for a TD in each of the last two weeks. He’s startable in W14 (OAK) and W16 (WAS).

Sam Bradford (36.3)
Do I see a chink in the rookie’s armor? After a string of five consecutive games with at least 251 yards passing or two TDs, Bradford had his first bad game since Week 5…against the Cardinals no less. I’m not terribly optimistic about his chances against a relatively tough Saints pass defense.

Matt Hasselbeck (14.3)
His matchups down the stretch (@SF, ATL, @TB) are pretty favorable, but with Mike Williams 1.0 out, Hasselbeck is running out of options, and fast. Hopefully, Ben Obomanu can shake off that lacerated hand and make it back by Sunday.

Troy Smith (4.4)
After hooking up with Vernon Davis for a long TD, Smith finished with decent numbers on the day. He has a nice matchup this week against the Seahawks, but should be avoided after that (@SD, @STL).

Jason Campbell (6.2)
It’s not always pretty, but Campbell is capable of putting up good fantasy numbers when the stars align. He has two good matchups coming up (@JAX, DEN) before a date with the Colts in W16.

Chad Henne (47.7)
He had three picks against the Browns. What is the Jets’ defense going to do to him?

Drew Stanton (0.3)
He was decent in a tough matchup with the Bears. I wouldn’t want to use him against the Packers this week, but his W15 matchup with an Aqib Talib-less Bucs secondary isn’t a bad matchup.

Kerry Collins (1.2)
Maybe dreadful is too strong of a word to describe Collins’ performance against a sketchy Jags’ pass defense. 169 yards and two TDs…no it’s not too strong. He has the Colts this week (so-so) and the Texans in W15 (great matchup) before traveling to KC.

Jake Delhomme (1.1)
Congratulations to Jake Delhomme, who threw a TD without throwing an interception for the first time this season. Assuming Colt McCoy can’t make it back, he has a decent matchup with the Bills this week.

Jimmy Clausen (1.0)
Very good matchup, but he hasn’t thrown a TD pass since W4, so why are you reading this?

Tarvaris Jackson (0.7)
He threw two TDs and three picks against the Bills. The Vikings would be better off giving him some reps to see where he’s at heading into next season, but they appear to want Favre back under center if he’s healthy. We’ll see.

Jonathan Stewart (68.4)
He’s not technically eligible for this list, but he is available in almost one-third of ESPN leagues. Mike Goodson sprained his shoulder so Stewart should get the lion’s share of touches the rest of the way, and he’s looked pretty sharp the last two weeks.

Tashard Choice (5.0)
He carried the ball 19 times for 100 yards and a score and has a nice schedule down the stretch. But he’ll be sharing time with Felix Jones, which is going to put a cap on his value.

Chris Ivory (38.1)
Pierre Thomas is supposed to be back this week, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Ivory has had three good fantasy games in a row and is a borderline RB2 in most formats.

Danny Woodhead (59.9)
The Pats aren’t going to feed him the ball, but if he can shake loose like he did on Monday night, he’s going to post good numbers, especially in PPR leagues.

Ryan Torain (46.8)
He is supposed to practice this week, per Skeletor (a.k.a. Mike Shanahan). Neither James Davis or Keiland Williams has been consistent enough to keep Torain from getting a shot to retake the starting job. Plus, he has a favorable matchup this week against the Bucs…assuming he can play.

James Starks (0.1)
With Dimitri Nance out, Starks was the main ballcarrier for the Packers with Brandon Jackson acting as the main threat out of the backfield. He finished with 18 carries for 73 yards and could perhaps surprise in good matchups over the next two weeks.

Javarris James (0.9)
Mike Hart (3.2)
I have no clue where the Indy running game is headed. James was the most impressive against the Cowboys and Hart outplayed Donald Brown a few weeks ago. Oh, yeah, Joseph Addai’s return is looming.

Maurice Morris (7.9)
I guess Jahvid Best has a little gas left in the tank this season. Week-to-week, Morris’ carries dropped from 14 to 11 and he failed to score. With the Packers up this week and Best vulturing touches, he’s not a good option.

Tim Hightower (56.4)
He continues to dominate the carries, even though Beanie Wells is supposedly healthy.

Anthony Dixon (6.9)
The Packers are a tough matchup for opposing RBs, so it’s no surprise that Dixon didn’t do much with his 10 touches. He should fare better against a Seattle rush defense that has really struggled this season.

James Davis (0.5)
If Ryan Torain can’t go, Davis appears to be gaining favor with Shanahan. He had 12 touches to Williams’ seven.

Sidney Rice (55.7)
Um, yeah. After 4-76 over the previous two games, Rice took advantage of Percy Harvin’s absence and a sketchy Bills secondary to the tune of 5-105-2. Even with bad matchups over the next two weeks, Rice can help fantasy owners down the stretch.

Roy Williams (38.3)
With Dez Bryant out for the year, Williams should be usable in three pretty nice matchups down the stretch (PHI, WAS, @ARI).

Ben Obomanu (13.4)
He cut his finger, but should be able to go in W14, and with Mike Williams 1.0 out for at least one week, Obomanu could help a fantasy owner in need.

Davone Bess (27.9)
With Chad Henne back under center, Bess is back to being a quality PPR WR. It only helps that Brandon Marshall (hamstring) and Brian Hartline (finger) are struggling with injuries. He has a bad matchup in W14 (@NYJ), but things ease up in W15 (BUF) and W16 (DET).

Mike Thomas (24.3)
It was a rather quiet day against the Titans (4-34), but Thomas has 27 catches in his last five games, so he’s startable in PPR leagues. He could struggle this week against Nnamdi Asomugha.

Earl Bennett (1.0)
It’s time to take notice of Bennett, who has back-to-back good games and has been a relevant PPR wideout in five of his last seven games. Throw in a great matchup with the Pats and maybe he can keep this run going.

Kenny Britt (54.0)
He’s no longer on the Titans’ injury report. Perhaps with a decent showing against the Colts in W14, he might be usable in a great matchup against the Texans in W15.

Robert Meachem (53.8)
It seems like Meachem is having a nice day every other week.

Steve Breaston (48.8)
Breaston has been spotty of late, but with a nice matchup coming up in W14 (DEN), he may be startable in deeper formats.

Danny Amendola (30.4)
Brandon Gibson (0.3)
Amendola only got two targets on Sunday, and there were four other Rams with more. Not good. As for Gibson, he now has four double digit games (in PPR formats) in his last five games. He’s worth a look if you’re in a bind.

Jacoby Ford (7.9)
He caught a TD against the Chargers, but that was about it. He has the Jags and Broncos over the next two weeks, so who knows.

Blair White (4.8)
He didn’t do much against the Cowboys, but if Austin Collie misses W14, he could be a factor.

Anthony Armstrong (1.9)
With Aqib Talib out for the season, there are going to be some holes in the Bucs’ secondary. If Armstrong can connect on one deep ball…

Derek Hagan (0.9)
His value hinges on the overall health of the Giants’ receiving corps.

Mohamed Massaquoi (9.5)
He now has four catches in three straight games and four of the last five.

Nate Washington (53.7)
The Tennessee passing attack looks dreadful right now. Dreadful.

Benjamin Watson (21.5)
Watson erupted for 10-100-1 and has a great matchup with the Bills, who have struggled against opposing TEs this season. He and Jake Delhomme built a rapport on Sunday, so if Delhomme gets another start, it will be good for Watson.

Brandon Pettigrew (40.8)
I was worried how the change at QB would affect Pettigrew, but he posted five catches for 36 yards. That’s not a great day, but he’s still usable in most formats.

Jimmy Graham (2.1)
He now has 14 catches in the last four weeks and is clearly outplaying Jeremy Shockey, at least from a receiving standpoint.

Kevin Boss (53.1)
Boss only had three targets as the Giants’ passing attack suddenly looked pretty suspect. If Steve Smith 2.0 makes his return, it will likely cut into his targets.

Rob Gronkowski (23.0)
Aaron Hernandez (57.9)
Just when it looks like Gronkowski is taking over as the Pats TE1, Tom Brady targets Aaron Hernandez five times to Gronk’s two against the Jets. Apparently, Hernandez plays better against man coverage (due to his athleticism), while Gronk finds success against zone defense, so keep that in mind when setting your lineup each week.

Tony Moeaki (25.5)
He got seven targets this week, which is partially why Dwayne Bowe was so quiet. The Chargers aren’t very good against opposing TEs, so Moeaki is something of a W14 sleeper.

Greg Olsen (54.0)
The Lions are tough against TEs, but Olsen has only been targeted twice in the last two weeks. He has a nice matchup this week, however.

Owen Daniels (42.5)
Joel Dreessen (3.9)
Daniels may return this week. I wouldn’t recommend using him in his first game back

Martellus Bennett (0.6)
Jason Witten apparently has a high ankle sprain, but he played through it on Sunday, so he should play W14. If he can’t go, his owners could do a lot worse than Bennett.

Billy Bajema (0.6)
He has a good matchup, so there’s that.