Every week, I highlight a few marginal fantasy players, three to start and three to sit. Let’s see how I did last week:
START
Eli Manning – 251 passing yards, 1 TD (HIT)
As expected, Manning put up good numbers against a bad team.
Fred Taylor – 63 total yards, 0 TD, left with injury (MISS)
Taylor did pretty well until he left the game with an ankle injury. Fragile Fred is back.
Braylon Edwards – 1 catch, 2 yards (MISS)
You would think after all the talk last week of Edwards getting more opportunities in the Browns offense, that he’d get more than one catch. Ugh.
BENCH
Aaron Brooks – 170 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT (HIT)
Brooks faced a tough Bears defense and his stats suffered.
Curtis Martin – 72 rushing yards, 1 TD (MISS)
Martin’s ypc wasn’t impressive (3.4), but he scored a TD.
Keenan McCardell – 2 catches, 25 yards (HIT)
The Jets pass defense did a pretty good job against McCardell. Too bad they let Antonio Gates catch eight passes.
On to this week’s picks:
START
QB – Kelly Holcomb, BUF
Holcomb has been pretty solid of late, throwing for an average of 191 yards and 1.5 TDs over the past four games. This week, he faces a Chiefs defense that is giving up 261 yards and 2 TDs a game through the air. Don’t bench a stud for him, but Holcomb should put up good numbers for owners without a great QB.
RB – Thomas Jones / Cedric Benson, CHI
If Thomas Jones (ribs) doesn’t play, Benson should have a big game against a 49er defense that has allowed an average of 110 yards and 1.5 TDs on the ground. If Jones does play, he may be the one with the big day.
WR – Bobby Engram / Joe Jurevicius, SEA
Both guys should be good starts against a Rams defense that is allowing an average of 241 yards and 2 TDs through the air.
BENCH
QB – Mark Brunell, WAS
You should start Brunell if you don’t have another good option. He still may put up good stats, but he may have a tough time against a stout Bucs defense that is only allowing 161 yards and 0.4 TDs a game through the air.
RB – Kevan Barlow, SF
The 49ers play the Bears, which likely means a tough day for Barlow and Frank Gore. Chicago is yielding only 91 yards and 0.3 TD per game on the ground. Ouch.
WR – Jimmy Smith, JAX
Don’t look now, but Jimmy Smith appears to be aging. Smith hasn’t had a good game since week 4, and has averaged just three catches for 39 yards in the four games since. This week he faces a Ravens defense that is allowing just 164 yards through the air.
