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.
Tony Romo has a tasty matchup against a Chiefs defense that is 28th in the league against the pass. They have allowed an average of 251 yards and 2.0 TD through the air, so even if Roy Williams is out, Romo should have a nice day…Matt Schaub has a favorable matchup with the Cardinals, who own the league’s 30th-ranked pass defense, yielding 280 yards and 2.3 pass TD through the first three games. Neither defense is stout, so this could turn into a high-scoring affair…Ben Roethlisberger looks like a must-start this week against the Lions. The only worry is that the Steelers get the running game going and Detroit can’t score enough to keep it close…Matt Cassel has his first favorable matchup this season. He faces the Cowboys, who have yielded 256 yards and 1.5 pass TD per game. Dallas got off to a rough start defensively, but has come on the last two weeks. Still this one looks like it could be a high scoring affair, and Cassel will likely have to throw a lot in the second half…Donovan McNabb should start on Sunday against a Bucs defense that has given up nine pass TD in four games…Brett Favre is coming on and he has the Rams this week. It’s possible that Minny will dominate in the ground game, but Favre should throw at least 1-2 TD if St. Louis can muster enough points to keep it somewhat close…Joe Flacco looks like a nice start against the Bengals, who gave up 269 yards and a TD to Derek Anderson and the Browns last week. Cincy’s defense is a little underrated, but Baltimore should be able to move the ball this week…Looking for a sleeper? Shaun Hill (vs. ATL), Seneca Wallace (vs. JAX) and Derek Anderson (@ BUF) all have above average matchups this week.
It doesn’t look like Willie Parker is going to play, so if you have Rashard Mendenhall on your roster — start him. The Lions’ rush defense is suspect, so he should have a big day…With Eli Manning hobbled, the Giants should lean on their rushing attack. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw should both be nice starts against a Raiders rush defense that is ranked 26th in the league in yards allowed…Jerome Harrison had a nice Week 4, and assuming Jamal Lewis is still sidelined for Sunday’s tilt against the Bills, Harrison should be in your lineup. Buffalo’s rush defense has allowed 151 yards and 1.8 TD on the ground…The Panthers’ rush defense is worst in the league in yards allowed, so even though he’s gimpy, Clinton Portis is pretty much a must-start this week…The Browns are 31st against the run, so Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch are both solid starts this week…It still looks like Tim Hightower is the main guy in Arizona, and with a very suspect Texans rush defense coming to town, he could have a nice day. He’s especially startable in PPR leagues since this looks to be a high-scoring game.
Get DeSean Jackson in your lineups. He faces the Bucs, who have been terrible against the pass this season…Dwayne Bowe is practicing without restrictions and with the 29th-ranked Dallas pass defense coming to town, he should be primed for a big day…Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward are both startable against the Lions, but it’s not clear how much Pittsburgh will have to pass if Detroit can’t keep it close. It might be the Rashard Mendenhall show…Kevin Walter burst back onto the fantasy scene with a nice 7-96-1 day in Week 3, but was contained against a pretty good Raiders pass defense in Week 4. This week, he has a good matchup with a Cardinals defense that has struggled to stop the pass…Jacksonville is tied for last in pass defense, so T.J. Houshmandzadeh should have a nice day. Nate Burleson is startable too, though his lack of production last week is worrisome…The Titans are terrible against the pass, so Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie are both solid starts in 12-team leagues. Reggie Wayne is obviously a must-start (like he is every week)…With Roy Williams dinged up, and the Chiefs up next, it might be a good week to start Patrick Crayton. Sam Hurd and Miles Austin are other options, albeit not quite as dependable. Austin, apparently, will draw the start if Williams is out. If Williams plays, all bets are off.
David Garrard is fantasy’s QB9, and is startable, but don’t expect a big game this week against the Seahawks, who have only given up five pass TD in four games…Bench Tom Brady? Nah. But beware of the Broncos, who are playing some really good defense right now. They have faced a cupcake schedule, but did a nice job holding down Tony Romo last week…Eli Manning is off to a great start this year, but his foot is sore and he’s not practicing right now. Throw in a pretty tough matchup against a good Oakland secondary, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look elsewhere this week.
I’d still start him in most formats, but Ronnie Brown is not likely to have a huge game against a pretty stout Jets rush defense..The Dolphins have the second best rush defense in the league, so it’s not likely that Thomas Jones is going to have a big game this week…As bad as they are against the pass, the Titans are still pretty good against the run, so I wouldn’t expect huge games out of Joseph Addai or Donald Brown…Kevin Smith seems to do well even against tough defenses, but with the Steelers coming to town, his owners should consider benching him in non-PPR leagues…Steven Jackson is another guy that pretty much has to be in fantasy lineups, but he’s facing the Williams Wall this week, so if you have a couple of other great options, you may want to let Jackson ride the pine.
The Patriots have done a nice job taking away opposing WRs, so Brandon Marshall isn’t the best of starts this week. (And, for Pete’s sake, do NOT start Eddie Royal!)…The Jets are pretty stingy against the pass, so with Chad Henne under center, now is not the time to experiment with Ted Ginn, Davone Bess or Greg Camarillo…While Donnie Avery is worth stashing in some leagues, leave him on the bench this week against a Minnesota pass defense that has done a nice job limiting opposing WRs. Avery is fighting a bad hamstring and sketchy QB play from Kyle Boller…Santana Moss has played pretty well the last two weeks, and is still startable in a pinch. But he has a tough matchup against a pretty decent Carolina pass defense, so don’t expect a big day.
