Every week in The Pregame, I’ll suggest a few players to start and a few to bench. These recommendations are based on that player’s strength of schedule (SOS) for that particular week or that player’s specific situation.
I’m a strong advocate of always starting your studs, so I won’t be telling you about Shaun Alexander’s tough matchup or how Peyton Manning and company will light it up against a bad defense. Anyone can make those calls. I’ll be discussing marginal fantasy starters – guys that can start for you, but only under certain circumstances. So let’s get to it.
START
For those of you thinking about jumping off the DAUNTE CULPEPPER bandwagon, grab a seat, at least for another week. It’s true, Pepper hasn’t looked very good the last couple of weeks, making a lot of Miami fans yearn for Drew Brees, but he has faced two tough defenses and, with this week’s matchup against the Titans, things are about to get a lot easier. Tennessee gave up an average of 269 yards and 1.5 TD through the air in the first two games, and has yet to pick off a pass. Most importantly, the Titans have only two sacks on the year, so Daunte should be able to survey the field for minutes at a time, as he’s so fond of doing. If the Miami offense can’t do it this week, they may never get it together…Neither guy is dependable, but JON KITNA and MARK BRUNELL have great matchups this week against the Packers and the Texans, respectively. If you’re dealing with a disappointing, marginal QB as your starter (I’ve got Jake Plummer and Trent Green on one team), these guys should make good fill-ins this week…Look for JAMAL LEWIS and WILLIS MCGAHEE to have solid weeks. They face the Browns and Jets, respectively. The Browns have given up 316 rush yards and 2 TD on the ground in the first two games, while the Jets have allowed 233 and 4 TD on the ground thus far…DERRICK MASON should also be productive against the Browns, who have given up 246 yards per game through the air…Suffice to say, ANTONIO BRYANT is becoming a must-start, but be sure to insert him into your lineup this week as he’ll face an Eagles defense that has yielded 245 pass yards and 2 TD per game this season. They are also without Jevon Kearse, which will hurt their pass rush. For the same reasons, ALEX SMITH is a nice start this week.
BENCH
If you have a good alternative, this would be a good week to give DREW BREES a seat on the bench. He’s facing a tough Falcons defense that has picked off four passes and has yet to give up a TD through the air. Brees is on a roll, so if you’re other options aren’t good, stick with the hot hand…REUBEN DROUGHNS is going to find the going quite tough against the Ravens, who lead the league in rushing yards allowed (33 per game)…Unless JOSEPH ADDAI is involved in the passing game, I doubt he’ll find much success as he faces a Jacksonville defense that has given up just 57 rush yards per game on the ground…LAVERANUES COLES is off to a great start, but has been hampered this week with a calf injury. He’s questionable, so keep an eye on this situation this weekend. If you have another good option, it might not be a bad game to sit him as he faces a pretty tough Bills defense this week. Plus, Buffalo shouldn’t score much, so the Jets probably won’t be in catch up mode the entire game.
Look for all the injury information later today, in The Update.
