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: The Saints haven’t been quite as bad of late against the pass, but Kurt Warner is still worth a start. New Orleans is putting up points, so this should be a high-scoring affair, which means Warner should be forced to throw a ton…For those desperate at QB, give Trent Edwards a look. He threw four TD last week and has the Browns this week…Jay Cutler (@ HOU), Sage Rosenfels (vs. DEN), Kyle Orton (@ MIN), and Billy Volek/Phillip Rivers (vs. DET) are also decent spot starters at QB.
RB: Jamal Lewis is playing well, and the good times should continue against the Bills, who have yielded an average of 112 yards and 0.9 TD on the ground this season…Ryan Grant is a must-start against the Rams, who have struggled against the run all season…Feel like rolling the dice? Give Laurence Maroney a go. He’s an afterthought in the Pats’ offense, but he has a great matchup against the Jets. In the first game between these two teams, he rushed a season-high 20 times for 72 yards.
WR: Lee Evans is definitely worth a start against the Browns if more reliable options aren’t available…If Anquan Boldin is out, Bryant Johnson is startable against the Saints. He didn’t do much last week, but Warner did target him nine times, so he should have a better game against New Orleans…Brandon Marshall is a must-start against a banged up Houston defense. Marshall has been on fire of late, so work him into your lineup if you can.
SIT ‘EM
QB: Chris Redman had a good game against the Saints, but he’s likely to have a tougher time against the Bucs, who are fourth in the league against the pass…Be sure to avoid Kyle Boller (@ MIA), Vinny Testaverde (vs. SEA) and whoever is QB’ing for Oakland (vs. IND).
RB: On the heels of a bad game, life doesn’t get any easier for the Bears’ Adrian Peterson, who has a tough matchup with a Vikings defense that boasts the league’s best rush defense…Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew figure to have a tough day against a stingy Pittsburgh rush defense…Samkon Gado scored twice last week, but don’t expect the same production this week against the Ravens.
WR: Reggie Williams has played pretty well of late, but this week he runs into the league’s second-best pass defense (PIT)…Same goes for Jerry Porter. He has been solid, but he has some QB issues and the Colts are coming to town…Derrick Mason should ride the pine this week since he faces the league’s third-best pass defense (MIA). The Dolphins can’t stop the run, so teams don’t have to throw the ball.
