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.
Brett Favre is coming off a bye week and is facing Detroit’s 31st-ranked pass defense at home. This is not a good combination for the Lions, but it’s an excellent situation for his fantasy owners…The Bears are really struggling against the pass, so Alex Smith should be able to post a nice fantasy line on Thursday night. He has averaged 230 pass yards and 2.0 TD per game since taking over in Week 7…Matt Hasselbeck looks like a good start against the Cards’ 29th-ranked pass defense…Mark Sanchez is startable this week against the Jags, who are ranked 26th against the pass. Jacksonville is giving up an average of 242 yards and 1.9 TD through the air this season.
Ray Rice should be in all fantasy lineups given his recent production and the Browns’ inability to stop the run…Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams should have a nice day against the Bucs, who have given up 163 rushing yards per game thus far this season…Pierre Thomas has a great matchup against the Rams, who have yielded an average of 135 yards and 1.5 TD on the ground this year. Thomas’s fine play has earned him extra touches, and he now looks like the best play in the New Orleans backfield…If Brian Westbrook doesn’t play, LeSean McCoy looks like a nice start against the Chargers, who are 26th in the league against the rush. If Westy does play, he’s a good start, though there’s a chance that they really limit his workload to keep him healthy…If you’re desperate, Jamaal Charles has an opportunity to rack up some yardage against the Raiders’ 29th ranked rush defense…
Chad Ochocinco looks to be a nice start against a Steelers pass defense that has struggled of late stopping opposing WRs…Miles Austin should continue to be a good start. The Packers can’t pressure the QB, so Tony Romo should have plenty of time to find his open receivers…Michael Crabtree had a quiet day against the Titans, but he has another nice matchup this week with a struggling Bears pass defense…The Titans have been playing better pass defense the last couple of weeks, but Terrell Owens and Lee Evans have a chance to break out against a secondary that has struggled for most of the season. Don’t bench another good option, but feel free to use these guys if you are looking for someone to start.
He’s still startable in a pinch, but Matt Ryan hasn’t been great the last couple of weeks and he has a tough matchup with a pretty stingy Panthers pass defense…Kyle Orton struggled against the Steelers on Monday night and in Week 10 he faces the Redskins’ top-ranked pass defense…Leave David Garrard on the bench. He faces a Jets defense that has only allowed five pass TD all year…Jason Campbell faces the Broncos, who are 7th-ranked against the pass, allowing just 183 yards and 0.9 pass TD per game. This is not a recipe for success.
Kevin Smith will have a chance to catch some passes, but I wouldn’t expect him to do much on the ground against the vaunted Vikings rush defense…Cedric Benson has had success against good rush defenses this year, and he faces another test this week against the Steelers. I’d still start him, but proceed with caution…Ladell Betts will take over in the Washington backfield, but the Broncos are pretty good against the run and just took a thumping against the Steelers on national television…Stay away from the Tampa Bay running game of Carnell Williams and Derrick Ward. The Dolphins are a tough matchup and the Bucs don’t have a clear #1 back…Don’t expect much out of LaDainian Tomlinson (vs. PHI) and Marion Barber (@ GB). The Eagles and Packers have been good against the rush of late.
Stay away from all of the Tennessee receivers this week. A bad matchup with Buffalo coupled with a more conservative aerial attack with Vince Young under center makes Justin Gage, Nate Washington and Kenny Britt poor plays…Santana Moss has been pretty hit or miss (mostly miss) this year, and a game against an angry and talented Broncos secondary isn’t going to help…Just a warning — Brandon Marshall, Roddy White, DeSean Jackson, Mike Sims-Walker, Dwayne Bowe, Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes all have bad matchups this week. They’re still startable, but ratchet down your expectations this week.
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