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.
Matt Schaub is coming off his bye and has a tasty matchup with a Tennessee defense that has given up an average of 270 yards and 2.6 pass TD per game…Eli Manning is also coming off his bye and has a date with an Atlanta defense that is 28th against the pass…The KC DT has been a little better versus QBs of late, but Ben Roethlisberger should still have a nice game. On the season, the Chiefs have given up an average of 234 yards and 1.6 pass TD per game…It’s tough to run on the Vikings, so look for Matt Hasselbeck to pass early and often to try to take advantage of Minnesota’s 23rd-ranked pass defense…The Giants have struggled against the pass of late, so Matt Ryan will have an opportunity to break out of his recent funk…Desperate? Miami has really struggled against the pass lately, so (gulp) Jake Delhomme should be able to post some good fantasy numbers.
I love Ricky Williams this week. Not only is he slated to be the Dolphins’ workhorse back, but he has a great matchup with a sketchy Carolina rush defense…Cedric Benson is a must-start if he can play, but if he can’t go,Bernard Scott should be able to post nice numbers against an Oakland defense that has yielded 156 yards and 1.6 TD on the ground this season…Rashard Mendenhall should have a very nice day against the Chiefs, who are ranked 27th against the run…Kevin Smith hasn’t tore it up lately, but a date with a suspect Browns’ defense should remedy that…Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells both look like nice starts against the Rams this week. I think I prefer Wells, who will get more work if the Cardinals are able to build a lead. It all depends on which Rams team shows up. If this game is competitive, Hightower is likely to see more touches because he’s more involved in the passing game…It’s tough to tell what’s going on in the Saints’ backfield, but Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are both worth starting this week against the Bucs’ 31st-ranked rush defense. Tampa Bay has given up an average of 167 yards on the ground this season…Ryan Moats got the lion’s share of the touches in Week 9 and I’d expect that to continue this week against a struggling Titans rush defense…Michael Turner owners can turn (pun totally intended, ugh) to Jason Snelling. The matchup with the Giants isn’t great, but ATL doesn’t have any other good options at RB with Turner out and Jerious Norwood banged up…LeSean McCoy and Justin Forsett are likely to fill in for Brian Westbrook and Julius Jones, respectively. Neither guy has a great matchup, but in PPR leagues, both players are very startable.
Greg Jennings and Donald Driver should be in lineups this week, as they have a pretty nice matchup against the 49ers’ 29th-ranked pass defense…Roddy White should be a good start against a banged-up Giants’ secondary…Look for Sidney Rice to have a big game against the Seahawks, who have been torched by WRs in the last few games…The Chargers have been pretty good against the pass this season, but lately, they’ve struggled a bit. Brandon Marshall has a chance to have a nice game…Hines Ward is a solid atart against the Chiefs, though I’m a little worried that KC won’t be able to stay in the game without Dwayne Bowe…Obviously, Marques Colston is a good bet to have a bounce back game against the Bucs, but Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem will also have a shot to catch a deep ball or two…Kevin Walter is looking like a solid start against a shaky Titans pass defense. With Owen Daniels out, he figures to get a few extra targets…Desperate? Donnie Avery caught two TD last week and has another nice matchup this week as the Cardinals come to down. He’s not a dependable start right now, but if you need a guy, you could do worse…Really desperate? Maurice Stovall has gone for 7-93-1 over the last two weeks and the Bucs are likely to be playing catch up against the Saints this week.
David Garrard has been a little tough to figure out lately, so a bad matchup with the Bills’ 9th-ranked pass defense doesn’t bode particularly well…There are a number of good QBs that are still startable, but have bad matchups: Tom Brady (NYJ), Tony Romo (WAS), Carson Palmer (OAK) and Joe Flacco (IND)…Steer clear of Mark Sanchez, who faces a Patriots defense that is ranked 7th in the league in yards allowed (195 ypg). Bill Belichick’s DT should be able to give the rookie fits…Alex Smith has been pretty solid as the 49ers’ starter, but he has to play in Green Bay against a defense that shut down the Cowboys last week. Assuming the Packers show up, it could be a long day for Smith.
The Chargers have actually been pretty good against the rush of late, which is why I’d avoid Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter this week…Jamaal Charles was great against the Raiders, but those were the Raiders. This week, he faces a very stout Pittsburgh defense that is coming off of a loss. This could get ugly…I don’t like Marion Barber very much this week. The Washington run defense is coming on and he isn’t all that involved in the passing game this season…Likewise, I think Ladell Betts will struggle against a fired up Dallas defense that is still smarting from a tough loss to Green Bay last week.
Mike Sims-Walker is good enough to start just about every week, but Buffalo has been stingy against the pass this season, so be warned…The same goes for Chad Ochocinco, who has the unenviable task of going head to head with Nnamdi Asomugha this week…Devin Hester is a shaky start against a very good Eagles pass defense…Michael Crabtree may find the going tough against a good Packer secondary. Green Bay is ranked 6th against the pass in yards allowed, though they have given up the 4th-most pass TD this season.
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