Each week in the Pregame, I’ll provide 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 LaDainian Tomlinson’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.
START
Several fringe QBs have nice matchups this week. You could do worse than BEN ROETHLISBERGER, JASON CAMPBELL and STEVE MCNAIR this week…With a matchup against the 49ers, his is a good week to start DEUCE MCALLISTER and REGGIE BUSH. JOSEPH ADDAI is a must-start with his recent performance and a nice matchup against the Titans this week…Look for MUHSIN MUHAMMAD and BERNARD BERRIAN to have productive games against the Vikings, who have had trouble defending the pass. Weather is always an issue in Chicago this time of year, so keep an eye on the forecast.
BENCH
JON KITNA, DAVID CARR, JAKE DELHOMME, BRAD JOHNSON and JOEY HARRINGTON all have poor matchups this week and should be avoided if possible…THOMAS JONES, RUDI JOHNSON, FRED TAYLOR and KEVIN JONES face good defenses this week, so choose wisely. It’s tough to bench these guys (especially RJ and KJ), but if you have a good option available, it might be a good idea…KEYSHAWN JOHNSON and CHRIS CHAMBERS have pretty tough matchups this week, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bench them if you have another decent option.
INJURY UPDATE (THURSDAY GAME)
With the season-ending injury to Chris Perry, Kenny Watson takes over as Rudi Johnson’s primary backup…Jamal Lewis is questionable after missing part of Wednesday’s practice, but is still expected to start. Todd Heap also missed part of practice Wednesday and his status for Thursday is considered a “game-time decision.”
Check back Saturday for a complete injury update. Meanwhile, feel free to post a question on our Fantasy Q & A.
