Every week, I 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.
Ben Roethlisberger should be in lineups this week given his opposition, the Browns’ 26th-ranked pass defense…Kurt Warner is back and playing well, and with a good matchup against the 49ers, he should post good numbers this week…If Matt Schaub is able to play, he’s a nice start against the Seahawks, who have the league’s 25th-ranked pass defense…David Garrard faces a Dolphins defense that is ranked 24th against the pass. The Jaguar receivers should be able to take advantage of a young Miami secondary…Alex Smith has been solid this season, and his matchup with the Cardinals is favorable. The 49ers are likely to have to throw quite a bit to stay in the game, so Smith should finish with two or three TD…Joe Flacco isn’t playing all that well of late, but with the Lions coming to down, that should change. Detroit has yielded 275 yards and 2.3 TD per game this season…Desperate? Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t good against the Jets’ stingy pass defense last week, but the Chiefs’ secondary isn’t nearly as good.
Ray Rice didn’t have a great week against the Packers, but he should bounce back in a big way against the Lions…strong>Rashard Mendenhall has been running the ball well and expected to start Thursday night despite an injury. The Browns are ranked 29th against the run…Jamal Charles is looking like a very nice start against Buffalo’s 32nd-ranked rush defense. The Bills have given up 162 yards and 1.3 rush TD on the ground this season…The Buffalo line has struggled to run block this year, but Fred Jackson should be able to gain some yards on the ground and in the passing game against a suspect Chiefs defense…Desperate? Pick up Quinton Ganther, who was recently promoted to RB1 in Washington. He has a nice matchup with a pretty porous Oakland run defense…Really desperate? Consider Sammy Morris, who is back healthy and might be out on the waiver wire. He has a good chance of finding the endzone against the Panthers’ 26th-ranked rush defense.
The Arizona passing attack has a nice matchup with the 49ers, so Anquan Boldin should definitely be in starting lineups and Steve Breaston is worth a look in deeper leagues…Derrick Mason had a tough outing against the Packers, but with the Lions coming to town, things are looking up…He didn’t have a very good game against the Bucs, but Steve Smith 1.0 hooked up with Matt Moore on a long bomb in the second half. He has another nice matchup with the Pats, who have been brutal against the pass of late…Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan have a nice matchup agianst the Cards, who have given up 257 yards and 1.5 pass TD per game this season…They are no sure bet, but Terrell Owens and Lee Evans should be able to take advantage of a week Kansas City pass defense that is ranked 28th in the league…Davone Bess is coming off a 10-117-1 performance and has caught 29 passes over the last five weeks. This week, he faces the 23rd-ranked Jaguar pass defense. He’s worth a look in PPR leagues.
The Falcons are hopeful that Matt Ryan can start this week, but he is coming off of an injury and has a bad matchup with a Saints defense that has only given up 1.0 pass TD per game this season…The Bills are pretty stingy against the pass (4th in the league, 10 pass TD allowed), so Matt Cassel might seem like a good start this week, but he’s not…Vince Young plays the Rams, who are better than advertised against the pass…Kyle Orton should be avoided. Indy is mediocre against the pass in terms of yards, but they’ve only allowed 11 pass TD all season.
The Bears are talking about reducing Matt Forte‘s workload, so that, combined with a bad matchup against the Packers this week, makes him a sketchy play…He’s still startable in many formats, but the Vikings have the 3rd-ranked rush defense, so Cedric Benson is unlikely to put up big numbers this week…Kevin Smith has had a good season, and I’d still start him in PPR leagues, but he’s a bad start in standard leagues given his tough matchup with the Ravens’ 6th-ranked rush defense…Steer clear of Julius Jones this week. The Texans’ rush defense has been a lot better of late and there’s a chance that Justin Forsett will eat into his touches as his quads get better.
Antonio Bryant has played pretty well of late, but the Jets have he #1 pass defense in the league, so it’s doubtful that he’s going to have a big day…The Bills rush defense stinks, but their pass defense is pretty good (4th-ranked), so don’t expect a big bounce back game this week for Chris Chambers…The Green Bay defense has been playing great lately, so I wouldn’t count on Devin Hester, Johnny Knox or Earl Bennett for big fantasy lines this week.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
After losing to the Grizzlies the night before, I fully expected the Cavs to come out sharp and focused in Houston. But the Rockets jumped out to a 33-19 lead at the end of the first quarter and went on to win, 95-85. A big reason for the win was the fine play of Aaron Brooks, who thoroughly outplayed Mo Williams at the point. Brooks posted 27 points, six assists and three rebounds. He wasn’t great from the field (7-17) but he nailed 12 of 13 free throws on the night.
