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 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.
Kurt Warner really struggled against the 49ers on Monday night, but this week he faces the Lions, which should cure whatever ails him…Donovan McNabb has a good matchup with a San Francisco pass defense that has struggled quite a bit this season. The 49ers looked pretty good at home against the Cards, but they have to make the cross country flight to Philly this week…Jason Campbell is hot — seven TD over his last three games — and the Giants defense has given up 1.8 pass TD per game this season…If Vince Young is a go, he should be able to post good fantasy numbers against a young Miami secondary…Mark Sanchez should be back this week and will likely have a very nice game against the Falcons’ 30th-ranked pass defense…Desperate? Brady Quinn is actually showing some signs of decency (7 TD and zero INT in his last four games) and has a great matchup this week against the Chiefs. Keep in mind that he threw the 7 TD in two games and had pitiful performances against the Steelers and Bengals.
Knowshon Moreno is pretty much a must-start this week with Correll Buckhalter out and Oakland’s 30th-ranked rush defense coming to town…Jamaal Charles has been hot, and with the Browns coming to town, he should find the endzone for the sixth straight week…Chris Wells is dominating the work in the Arizona backfield and he has a great matchup this week against Detroit’s 24th-ranked rush defense…Laurence Maroney still seems to be the starting tailback in New England, and the Buffalo rush defense is last in the league, so he should have a productive day…Arian Foster is the new featured back in Houston, and with a terrific matchup against the Rams’ rush defense, which is allowing 147 yards and 1.5 rush TD this season.
Larry Fitzgerald (assuming he plays) and Anquan Boldin should be in fantasy lineups this week as they should fillet a terrible Lions pass defense…Get DeSean Jackson in your lineup. Jeremy Maclin is out and the 49ers have struggled against the pass this season…Both Miles Austin and Roy Williams look like good starts this week against the Saints’ 23rd-ranked pass defense. This one should be a shootout…If Matt Stafford plays this week, look for Calvin Johnson to have a nice game against a Cards pass defense that has struggled with regularity this season…The Steelers are without Troy Polamalu, so look for Greg Jennings and Donald Driver to have nice games. The Packers are likely to have tough time running the ball, so expect a lot of passes…Terrell Owens has been rather untrustworthy this season, but the Pats are really struggling against the pass (1.7 pass TD allowed per game this season) and Buffalo will likely have to throw to stay in the game…Desperate? In a PPR league? Greg Camarillo has looked pretty good over the past two weeks and the Titans are not strong against the pass…Deion Branch should take over for an injured Nate Burleson and has a pretty nice matchup against a sketchy Bucs secondary.
Even if Matt Ryan can play, he isn’t a good fantasy option against the Jets’ top-ranked pass defense. That goes double for Chris Redman…Jay Cutler has been very so-so of late, so don’t be afraid to bench him against the Ravens’ 11th-ranked pass defense if you have a better option available. I’d rather start Jason Campbell or Vince Young…There are a number of great fantasy QBs with tough matchups this week: Brett Favre (@ CAR), Tom Brady (@ BUF), Aaron Rodgers (@ PIT), Philip Rivers (vs. CIN) and Eli Manning (@ WAS). I’m not suggesting you bench them, but proceed with caution.
Michael Turner probably won’t play, but even if he does, he’s not a good start against the Jets this week. Ditto for Jason Snelling…He’s still startable in certain circumstances, but Ryan Grant is likely to have a tough time finding running lanes against the Steelers’ top-ranked rush defense…Matt Forte‘s disappointing fantasy season should continue this week against the Ravens, who own the league’s 6th-best rush defense…Rashard Mendenhall (vs. GB), Joseph Addai (@ JAX) and DeAngelo Williams (vs. MIN) have tough matchups this week. Proceed with caution.
I’d bench Roddy White in certain situations this week. The Jets pass defense is the best in the league and with Chris Redman at QB, there isn’t a lot of upside here…The Panthers have been great against the pass (and terrible against the run), so I think the Vikings will unleash Adrian Peterson this week. Sidney Rice is still startable, but don’t expect a monster game…I’d steer clear of Dwayne Bowe this week. He’s back from a four-week hiatus and his timing is probably a little off. Plus, the Cleveland defense has been surprisingly good against wide receivers in recent weeks.
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