Every week, I highlight a few marginal fantasy players, three to start and three to sit. Let’s see how I did last week:
START
Drew Brees, SD – 324 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT (HIT)
Brees was great against Kansas City, slicing and dicing his way to a big day – thanks to Antonio Gates.
Ronnie Brown, MIA – 118 total yards (HIT)
Brown shredded the Saints defense on his 23 carries but failed to score. Still, it was a good day for the rookie.
Jimmy Smith, JAX – 2 catches, 27 yards (MISS)
Smith continues his midseason lull. The Jaguars have a favorable schedule coming up, but if Smith can’t get more than two catches against the Rams, he may be in trouble.
BENCH
Eli Manning, NYG – 146 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (HIT)
The Giants didn’t need Manning to beat the Redskins and it’s a good thing because he was inaccurate completing only 12 of his 31 pass attempts.
Steven Jackson, STL – 200 total yards, 1 TD (MISS)
Boy, I was wrong about this one. I overestimated Jacksonville’s defense, which looked awful letting Jackson go off on his career day.
Derrick Mason, BAL – 7 catches, 91 yards (MISS)
He didn’t score, but he did enough to be productive in a league that awards one point per receptions so I’ll give myself a miss on Mason.
On to this week’s picks:
START
QB – Eli Manning, NYG
The Giants play San Francisco. Start Manning.
RB – Fred Taylor, JAX
Assuming he doesn’t come down with a mysterious ailment, Taylor should have a nice game against a Houston defense that is allowing 165 yards and 1.4 TDs per game on the ground.
WR – Braylon Edwards, CLE
HC Romeo Crennel has said that he’s going to give Edwards more opportunities and he should be able to have some success against a Tennessee pass defense that yields an average of 203 yards and 2.1 TDs through the air. Don’t bench a stud for him, but he should make a good #3 WR this week.
BENCH
QB – Aaron Brooks, NO
Brooks faces a stingy Bears pass defense that has only allowed 178 yards and 0.9 TDs per game. He’s a decent start if you have no other options, but if you have another good QB, it would be wise to bench Brooks.
RB – Curtis Martin, NYJ
Martin has a tough assignment against the Chargers run defense, which is only allowing 78 rushing yards per game. Hopefully for him, the Jets can keep the game close so they don’t abandon the run altogether.
WR – Keenan McCardell, SD
The Jets are pretty tough against the pass, only allowing 163 yards and 0.7 TDs per game through the air. McCardell might catch a few balls, but I think the Jets will keep him out of the endzone.
KEY INJURIES:
Aaron Stecker – Q
Andre Johnson – Q
Anquan Boldin – O
Antwaan Randle El – P
Az-Zahir Hakim – Q
Bobby Engram – P
Brandon Jacobs – Q
Brandon Jones – Q
Bubba Franks – P
Chad Johnson – P
Charles Woodson – O
Chris Cooley – P
Chris Perry – P
Corey Dillon – Q
Curtis Martin – P
Darrell Jackson – O
David Givens – Q
Domanick Davis – Q
Donovan McNabb – Q
Dre Bly – O
Drew Bennett – O
Ed Reed – D
Eric Parker – Q
Ernie Conwell – Q
Hines Ward – P
Jerome Bettis – D
Jevon Kearse – Q
Josh McCown – P
Justin McCareins – P
Ken Dorsey – P
Marcus Robinson – Q
Mark Brunell – P
Michael Jenkins – Q
Michael Pittman – Q
Mike Williams – Q
Preist Holmes – Q
Randy Moss – Q
Ray Lewis – O
Reggie Williams – P
Robert Ferguson – D
Roy Williams – Q
Rudi Johnson – P
Santana Moss – P
Stephen Davis – P
T.J. Duckett – Q
Terrell Owens – Q
Tom Brady – P
Vinny Testaverde – P
Willie Parker – P
