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.
Donovan McNabb is pretty much a must-start against a Falcons secondary that has given up an average of 253 yards and 1.6 TD per game this season…This probably goes without saying, but Brett Favre (ARI),Tom Brady (MIA), Peyton Manning (TEN), Philip Rivers (CLE) and Matt Schaub (JAX) all have great matchups this week…Carson Palmer is a very good start this week against a Lions defense that is ranked 32nd in the league against the pass…Tony Romo‘s back is feeling better and he has a nice matchup with a Giants defense that has given up the 8th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks over the last six weeks…The Seahawks have been pretty bad against the pass lately, so Alex Smith should be able to post a nice fantasy line…Desperate? Kyle Orton is primed for a good game against a sketchy Chiefs secondary.
Thomas Jones should have a field day against the Bills, who have the league’s worst rush defense…Get Cedric Benson back in your lineups this week. Bernard Scott is sidelined Benson will be back after sitting out last week with a hip injury. I wouldn’t worry too much about Larry Johnson, unless Cincy indicates this week that the two are going to split carries…Rashard Mendenhall has a great matchup with a Raiders rush defense that has given up an average of 161 yards and 1.5 TD on the ground this season…LaDainian Tomlinson shouldn’t have a problem finding running lanes this week against the Browns. Cleveland was already ranked 29th in the league and they just lost Sean Rogers for the season…Matt Forte has been a disappointment this season, but he has a great matchup with the Rams’ 28th-ranked rush defense this week…Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter should both be able to put up RB2/flex numbers against the Chiefs’ shaky rush defense…Rock Cartwright has a sneaky good matchup against a Saints defense that has been just so-so against opposing running backs in the last few weeks. The Saints are likely to jump out to a big lead, so Cartwright should be able to rack up some yards in the passing game.
Chad Ochocinco was a disappointment last week, but he has a great matchup against Detroit and has already gone public in saying that the team needs to throw more. We’ll see if he gets his wish…Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin figure to be nice starts this week against the Cardinals’ 29th-ranked pass defense. Their final numbers will depend on Arizona’s ability to stay in the game…Brandon Marshall has been relatively quiet of late (just nine catches over the last two games and zero TD), but he has a good opportunity for a nice fantasy day against the Chiefs…Look for Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant to have a big days with DeSean Jackson likely out against an awful Atlanta pass defense…Steve Smith 1.0 has been spotty this season, but the Bucs have yielded 2.2 pass TD per game this year, so Smith should be able to find the endzone…I expected more out of Michael Crabtree last week, but he has at least four catches in the last three games, and has a great matchup with a Seahawks defense that has struggled against the pass lately…In that same game, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson should be able to have productive days against the 49ers’ 28th-ranked pass defense…The Bears have been miserable against the pass of late, so look for Donnie Avery to have his fourth-straight solid game.
He’s definitely still startable, but don’t expect a monster game out of Aaron Rodgers this week. The Ravens have only allowed an average of 211 yards and 1.1 pass TD this season, and have been particularly good lately, holding Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer to one TD each…I’d steer clear of Matt Cassel this week, as he faces Denver’s 5th-ranked pass defense. The Broncos have only given up 10 pass TD all year…There are a number of fringe QBs with bad matchups this week: Ryan Fitzpatrick (NYJ), Matt Sanchez (BUF), Josh Freeman (CAR), Matthew Stafford (CIN) and Jason Campbell (NO) should all be avoided.
Arizona faces the league’s second-ranked rush defense, so Chris Wells is unlikely to have a big day. Tim Hightower should be able to do some damage in the passing game, however…Stay away from all of the Oakland running backs this week. They have a brutal matchup against the Steelers, who own the league’s #1 rush defense…The Bengals’ rush defense has played great, especially lately, so Kevin Smith isn’t a good start this week, though he’s always a threat to rack up some points in PPR leagues…Ryan Grant figures to have a tough day against Baltimore’s 6th-ranked rush defense. He’s been productive the last few games against teams that are bad against the run.
Chris Chambers has been hot of late, but I wouldn’t start him against Champ Bailey, who has shut down/limited Santana Moss, Steve Smith 2.0 and Vincent Jackson the last three weeks…I’d still start Terrell Owens under certain circumstances, but the Jets have a great pass defense, so don’t be surprised if he has a disappointing day…Bench Calvin Johnson? Maybe, depending on your options. The Bengals have been stellar against opposing WRs lately…The Bills are much better against the pass than they are against the run, so don’t be surprised if Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards have less-than-stellar days…I’d try to avoid Santonio Holmes this week. He tends to produce when the Steelers can’t run, and they should be able to run roughshod over the Raiders this week. Plus, the presence of shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha doesn’t help…Antonio Bryant doesn’t have a very good matchup this week against a Panthers defense that is ranked 3rd against the pass.
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