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 suggest you bench Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson because they have tough matchups – 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.
As usual, I’ll discuss these players within the context of my weekly positional rankings, so remember — everything is relative.
It’s hard not to like Eli Manning (#4) this week. Seattle is a tough place to play, but Manning has nine TDs in his last three games and is coming off a bye week, so the Giants should be fully prepared to face the Seahawks, who are ranked 29th against the pass…Matt Ryan (#6) has a nice matchup with the Bucs, who have given up an average of 2.0 pass TDs through the first seven games…Josh Freeman (#11) has quietly become the league’s most underrated fantasy quarterback. He has thrown at least one TD in six of seven games this season, and he always seems to add 20-30 rushing yards to his fantasy total. With a great matchup against a sketchy Falcons secondary on tap, he should be in line for another solid day.
LaDainian Tomlinson (#7) hasn’t been very good in the last two games in terms of yards per carry (3.4), but he should be able to have a big day against the Lions’ 27th-ranked rush defense…Matt Forte (#11) has an outstanding matchup with the Bills, who have given up an average of 189 rushing yards per game this season…LeGarrette Blount‘s (#13) big day against the Cardinals in Week 8 was no fluke — the guy can run the ball. He has a solid matchup with a Falcons’ defense that will be on its heels due to the problems it has stopping the pass. Blount should be good for 80 yards and a score…His ankle injury is reportedly completely behind him, so maybe this week we’ll see Ryan Mathews (#16) get a full workload against the Texans’ mediocre rush defense…Need a sleeper? Tashard Choice (#40) has been informed that his role is about to increase and the Cowboys may want to take it easy on Felix Jones (#25) who is coming back from an ankle injury…Need another sleeper? LaRod Stephens-Howling (#44) has seemingly passed Tim Hightower on the Cardinals’ depth chart and Beanie Wells (#19) has some swelling in his knee. This could add up for some extra work for Stephens-Howling.
I expect Mike Williams 2.0 (#8) will follow up his 4-105-1 performance last week with another big day against the Falcons’ 27th-ranked pass defense…On paper, Dwayne Bowe‘s (#10) matchup against the Raiders isn’t great, but with Nnamdi Asomugha nursing an ankle injury, Bowe has a chance to take advantage…Hakeem Nicks (#2) is a no-brainer against the Seahawks’ porous pass defense, but Steve Smith 2.0 (#15) is also a great start…With Antonio Gates possibly out, Patrick Crayton (#24) should have a big day in a great matchup with the Texans’ 32nd-ranked pass defense. If you’re looking for a deep sleeper, Seyi Ajirotutu (#43) will be pressed into action given the Chargers problems at receiver. He’s big and has soft hands…I also like Darrius Heyward-Bey (#36), at least in a someone-has-to-catch-the-ball way.
With just one TD pass in two weeks and a bad matchup with the Ravens’ 9th-ranked pass defense on tap, I’d steer clear of Chad Henne (#22) this week…He may very well finish with good numbers, but can we trust Brett Favre (#21) who will be without Randy Moss and Sidney Rice, and possibly Percy Harvin? He has just two TD passes in the past three weeks.
I’m not crazy about Jahvid Best‘s (#15) chances this week against a very good New York rush defense, though his pass-catching ability does keep him in RB2 territory…Ronnie Brown (#23) has a bad matchup and is splitting time with Ricky Williams (#31), who has been outplaying him. Not a good mix…Marshawn Lynch (#32) was absolutely brutal last week and this week he faces a Giants’ defense that is ranked third in the league against the rush. Steer clear.
Marques Colston (#20) is definitely startable, but I wouldn’t expect a huge game against a Panthers defense that has been very good against the pass this season. However, the Saints have one of the worst running games in the league, so Drew Brees will have to throw a lot. I see a 6-80 type of a day for Colston…With Randy Moss, Wes Welker (#29) averaged 6.5-54-0.8 this season. Without him, Welker is averaging 4.6-34-0.0. He has a great matchup this week with the Browns, but Cleveland looked good against the Saints a couple of weeks ago and had a week off to prepare for the Patriots…I’d steer clear of Mike Williams 1.0 (#34) this week, if possible. He’s going up against the league’s 2nd-ranked pass defense and his QB is out. That’s not a good mix.
