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 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 Donovan McNabb, 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.
LOVE ‘EM
QB: For a rookie, Matt Ryan has been outstanding this season, and he has a tasty matchup with the league’s 28th rated pass defense…Tyler Thigpen has been a solid fantasy QB the last three weeks and has a great matchup this week with a Saints pass defense that has yielded 238 pass yards and 1.6 pass TD per game…Jake Delhomme has the Lions this week, which means he has a good shot to post his best numbers all season. Detroit is 29th against the pass…If he can get healthy, Ben Roethlisberger has a great matchup against the Chargers, who have the league’s worst pass defense (265 yards, 1.9 TD per game)…For the desperate, Kerry Collins (@ JAX) and Matt Hasselbeck (vs. ARI), if he plays, both have nice matchups with sketchy pass defenses.
RB: Frank Gore is sort of a no-brainer at this point, but be sure he’s in your lineup this week as he faces the Rams, who have yielded 161 yards and 1.7 rush TD per game…Matt Forte should post nice numbers against the Packers, who have the league’s 28th-ranked rush defense…Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood are both good starts against a Denver rush defense that has given up 146 yards and 1.2 rush TD per game…Joseph Addai has a very nice matchup with a Houston defense that is ranked 23rd against the run. The Texans have also allowed 1.6 rush TD per game…I’m not so sure about Jonathan Stewart, but DeAngelo Williams looks like a great start against the Lions, who have allowed an average of 161 yards and 1.6 TD on the ground this season…The Texans keep talking about limiting Steve Slaton’s touches to keep him fresh, but he should still be able to produce against the Colts’ 24th-ranked rush defense…Reggie Bush may play, but he’ll probably be limited. If so, Deuce McAllister looks like a solid start against the Chiefs’ league-worst rush defense.
WR: Steve Smith is a must-start, but Muhsin Muhammad is also a very good start against the Lions, who have yielded 245 yards and 1.7 pass TD per game…Lee Evans should have a good game against the 21st-ranked Browns pass defense…Against the Bears, Greg Jennings will already be in most fantasy owners’ lineups, but Donald Driver is worth a look too, assuming the weather holds up in Green Bay…Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are no-brainer starts, but Steve Breaston should also have a good week against a Seattle pass defense that is ranked 31st in the league…Dwayne Bowe should be in everyone’s lineups, but Mark Bradley is also a nice start against the 27th-ranked Saints pass defense…Roddy White is a must-start, but Michael Jenkins is a sneaky good start in larger leagues against a very bad Denver pass defense…Koren Robinson and Bobby Engram face the Cardinals, so they may post some numbers this week…For the desperate, Mark Clayton might not be a bad start if Derrick Mason misses Week 11.
LEAVE ‘EM
QB: I might still start him if I were in a pinch, but Tony Romo (@ WAS) has a rough matchup with the league’s 8th-ranked pass defense. Plus, it would be his first game back, so he may need to shake off the rust a little bit…David Garrard faces the Titans, who have yielded just five pass TD all season…Sage Rosenfels didn’t play very well last week against the Ravens, and this week he has a bad matchup against the Colts, who have the 7th-best pass defense in the league and have allowed only two pass TD all year…I probably wouldn’t use Jeff Garcia this week against an improving Vikings pass defense that shut down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last week…I would still use both players, but lower your expectations for Brett Favre (@ NE) and Phillip Rivers (@ PIT), as both of those matchups are bad.
RB: Willis McGahee has a tough matchup with the Giants, who have allowed just 88 yards and 0.4 rush TD per game this season…I might still use him, but I’m not optimistic about Ryan Grant, who faces the league’s 4th-ranked rush defense. The Bears have been very stingy yardage-wise, but have given up 1.0 rush TD per game…Kevin Smith should probably stay on the bench this week. The Panthers have yielded just 0.4 rush TD per game this year…I’d still start both players, but lower your expectations for Brandon Jacobs (vs. BAL) and LaDainian Tomlinson (@ PIT). The Ravens and Steelers are #1/#2 in the league against the rush…Leave Julius Jones on the bench this week. Arizona has been surprisingly stingy against the run this season.
WR: The Packer pass defense is stingy, so Rashied Davis and Devin Hester should probably stay on the bench this week…You can still use Andre Johnson, but he and Kevin Walter will probably post depressed numbers against a good Colts pass defense…I wouldn’t expect a whole lot from Matt Jones this week against the 12th-ranked Titans pass defense…This isn’t a particularly good week to use Greg Camarillo or Ted Ginn, as they face an Oakland pass defense that has shut down opposing WRs the last few weeks…Unless I didn’t have a choice, I’d leave the San Diego receivers on the bench this week. The Steelers have the top-ranked pass defense in the league.
DTBWW
Welcome to the world of Defensive Team By Waiver Wire. Each week, you pick up a defense, usually playing at home against a bad offense. And each week, you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position. All teams are available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
This week’s picks:
MIA (vs. OAK)
SF (vs. STL)
Last week’s picks:
Dolphins: 19 PA + 3 SK = 5 fantasy points
Texans: 41 PA + 3 SK = 3 fantasy points
Not a good week.
