Author: John Paulsen (Page 752 of 937)

Sure, Kurt Warner and Jamal Lewis haven’t set the world on fire this year, but in my latest column, I urge fantasy owners to look a little closer. With a cupcake schedule ahead of them, Warner and Lewis are just two players who should exceed their current rate of production down the stretch.

Defensive Team By Committee (DTBC) can be an effective approach in fantasy football. While other teams spend middle round draft picks on the Ravens or Bears, an owner going DTBC will wait until the final rounds to grab a mediocre defense with a good matchup in week 1. As the season wears on, they’ll pickup defenses week to week depending on the matchup, because a mediocre defense with a great matchup is as good of a play as a great defense with a mediocre matchup.

Last week, my top three picks were ARI, KC and SEA. The Cardinals and Chiefs disappointed, but the Seahawks were a great fantasy start.

Here are a few defenses that have nice matchups this week and are available in at least 40% of ESPN leagues (in order of strength of play):

MIA (vs. NYJ), STL (vs. ATL), DEN (@ OAK), CAR (vs. SF) and DET (@ MIN)

Good luck!

Last week’s sleeper, Kolby Smith, had a wonderful game, rushing for 150 yards and two scores. Let’s see if we can find a couple more diamonds in the rough…

Derrick Ward, Giants (@ CHI)
He’s banged up, but barring a setback this week, he should play on Sunday against the Bears, who have had a lot of trouble stopping the run. With Brandon Jacobs out, Ward is the favorite to get the lion’s share of the touches, but be warned, Reuben Droughns may steal some goal line carries. Ward should be especially good in PPR leagues.

Fred Jackson, Bills (@ WAS)
With Marshawn Lynch and Anthony Thomas both struggling with injuries, Jackson figures to get the start against the Redskins, who have been mediocre against the run. Jackson probably isn’t going to set the world on fire, but he should get most of the work in a starting capacity, and that’s worth something in fantasy football.

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 Carson Palmer or LaDainian Tomlinson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and start them. 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 Ben Roethlisberger, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

START ‘EM

QB: Kurt Warner has a fantastic matchup against the Browns, who have yielded 267 yards and 2.3 TD through the air this season. Warner is on fire right now and the good times should continue against the Browns…Vince Young has averaged 269 yards passing, thrown for two TD and run for one more over the last three weeks. This week, he faces a Houston defense that has struggled lately against the pass…For the desperate, Daunte Culpepper (vs. DEN) and Tarvaris Jackson (vs. DET) have good matchups this week.

RB: If Travis Henry is healthy and available, he should be a great start against the Raiders, who have been awful against the run this season. If he can’t go, Selvin Young or Andre Hall would be next in line, but they are both out with injuries, so Cecil Sapp looks to be the man if Henry can’t go…Jamal Lewis is a must-start this week against the Cardinals, who were shredded last week by an underachieving 49er rushing attack…After a great game on Sunday, Kolby Smith is worth a start against the Chargers, who are 21st against the run this season. Smith looks like a capable RB2 in most leagues.

WR: Get Steve Smith back in your lineup. He faces the 49ers, who have been miserable against the pass of late…Sidney Rice is a sneaky good start against the Lions, who are 31st in the league against the pass…In the same game, Calvin Johnson is definitely worth a look against the Vikings, who have given up the most passing yards in the league…Lee Evans is worth a start against the Redskins, who have been pretty bad against the pass over the last few games.

SIT ‘EM

QB: Jay Cutler has a tough matchup this week against a Raiders defense that has yielded just 184 yards and 0.7 TD through the air this season. Oakland also has the second-best TD to INT ratio (8 to 13), so Cutler is probably in for a tough week…A.J. Feeley played well last week against the Pats, but he may have a difficult time repeating that feat against a Seahawks defense that has allowed just six pass TD all season…John Beck (vs. NYJ), Brodie Croyle (vs. SD) and Phillip Rivers (@ KC) should be avoided as well.

RB: Rudi Johnson should ride the pine as he faces a Pittsburgh defense that is 2nd in the league against the run (and has only allowed two rushing TD all season)…I like the other Adrian Peterson (who plays for the Bears) as a pickup, but this week he faces a Giants defense that is 8th in the league against the run. You can start Peterson in PPR leagues, however…Laurence Maroney has been pretty spotty all season, but he should definitely be benched (if possible) against the Ravens, who have the 3rd best rush defense in all of football.

WR: Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall face a tough test against the Oakland secondary, which has proven to be one of the best in the league. Marshall is still startable, but after Walker’s goose egg last week, I recommend waiting for him to put up some good numbers before putting him back in your lineup…Derrick Mason faces a tough Pats defense that will probably focus on limiting his opportunities.