Category: Fantasy Football (Page 252 of 324)

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: The Saints haven’t been quite as bad of late against the pass, but Kurt Warner is still worth a start. New Orleans is putting up points, so this should be a high-scoring affair, which means Warner should be forced to throw a ton…For those desperate at QB, give Trent Edwards a look. He threw four TD last week and has the Browns this week…Jay Cutler (@ HOU), Sage Rosenfels (vs. DEN), Kyle Orton (@ MIN), and Billy Volek/Phillip Rivers (vs. DET) are also decent spot starters at QB.

RB: Jamal Lewis is playing well, and the good times should continue against the Bills, who have yielded an average of 112 yards and 0.9 TD on the ground this season…Ryan Grant is a must-start against the Rams, who have struggled against the run all season…Feel like rolling the dice? Give Laurence Maroney a go. He’s an afterthought in the Pats’ offense, but he has a great matchup against the Jets. In the first game between these two teams, he rushed a season-high 20 times for 72 yards.

WR: Lee Evans is definitely worth a start against the Browns if more reliable options aren’t available…If Anquan Boldin is out, Bryant Johnson is startable against the Saints. He didn’t do much last week, but Warner did target him nine times, so he should have a better game against New Orleans…Brandon Marshall is a must-start against a banged up Houston defense. Marshall has been on fire of late, so work him into your lineup if you can.

SIT ‘EM

QB: Chris Redman had a good game against the Saints, but he’s likely to have a tougher time against the Bucs, who are fourth in the league against the pass…Be sure to avoid Kyle Boller (@ MIA), Vinny Testaverde (vs. SEA) and whoever is QB’ing for Oakland (vs. IND).

RB: On the heels of a bad game, life doesn’t get any easier for the Bears’ Adrian Peterson, who has a tough matchup with a Vikings defense that boasts the league’s best rush defense…Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew figure to have a tough day against a stingy Pittsburgh rush defense…Samkon Gado scored twice last week, but don’t expect the same production this week against the Ravens.

WR: Reggie Williams has played pretty well of late, but this week he runs into the league’s second-best pass defense (PIT)…Same goes for Jerry Porter. He has been solid, but he has some QB issues and the Colts are coming to town…Derrick Mason should ride the pine this week since he faces the league’s third-best pass defense (MIA). The Dolphins can’t stop the run, so teams don’t have to throw the ball.

Need a stopgap RB this week? If you play in a PPR league, Darius Walker just might be your guy. He stepped in for the injured Dayne against the Bucs and rushed 16 times for 46 yards. He also caught six passes for 35 yards, giving him around 14 points in most PPR performance leagues.

In week 15, he faces the Broncos, who have been suspect against the run for most of the season. They allowed just 16 yards on the ground against the Chiefs last week, but yielded 165 rushing yards against the Raiders the week before.

It’s crunch time, people. The fantasy playoffs are upon us.

Post all of your roster questions here.

Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I’ll use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only players eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire of at least 40% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to talk about a player or two that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters.

QUARTERBACKS

Kurt Warner (57.7) benefited from the return of Larry Fitzgerald against the Seahawks en route to 337 yards, 3 TD and 5 INT. He has a very nice matchup against the Saints in week 15 and can be used in week 16 against the Falcons as well…David Garrard (49.3) has been solid all season, but has been especially good over the last three weeks, averaging 261 yards and 1.7 pass TD per game. Don’t expect those numbers when he faces the Steelers and Raiders over the final two weeks of the fantasy season, but he should be a solid stopgap if you’re looking for help at QB…Todd Collins (0.0) was quite effective in place of Jason Campbell on Thursday night and he has a very good matchup in week 16. His matchup this week isn’t bad either…Sage Rosenfels (3.3) looks like a good option for those desperate for help at QB. He faces Denver at home, which is actually a pretty good matchup…Chris Redman (0.9) is worth a look for those in dire need of a starter in week 15…Keep an eye on the status of Phillip Rivers. If he can’t go, Billy Volek (0.1) immediately becomes a decent start at home against Detroit next week and Denver in week 16. He showed some ability while playing for the Titans, so he should be able to step in and be effective if necessary…Trent Edwards (5.0) suddenly looks like a good start this week against the Browns. He tossed 4 TD against the Dolphins and should have success against Cleveland…Tarvaris Jackson (7.7) has played three decent games in a row, and this week he has the Bears, who have been mediocre against QBs. Jackson should only be used by the desperate…Kyle Orton (X.X) has been named the starter for week 15 where he faces a suspect Minnesota pass defense. The Vikings have been hot lately, so use Orton with caution…Brodie Croyle (4.3) faces a pretty stout Tennessee defense in week 15. Avoid him if possible.

RUNNING BACKS

Aaron Stecker (4.3) looks like a good option for those desperate for a stopgap at RB. He has two mediocre matchups over the final two weeks and should get the bulk of the touches… Kolby Smith (58.8) carried the ball 13 times for 12 yards against a suspect Denver rush defense, so his prospects this week against Tennessee aren’t very good. However, he has a nice matchup against the Lions in week 16…Chicago’s Adrian Peterson (59.1) didn’t have a very good game on Sunday, but he did garner 18 touches and that’s tough to find on the waiver wire. With games against the Vikings and Packers looking, Peterson shouldn’t be used unless there are no better options…Ron Dayne (43.6) hurt his ankle, but if he can go this week, he has a pretty good matchup against the Broncos. If not, look for rookie Darius Walker (0.0) to become a viable RB2/flex option…Samkon Gado (5.8) filled in for the injured Jesse Chatman and scored twice on 12 carries and gained a total of 93 yards. Unfortunately, Gado would face a pretty stout Baltimore rush defense if he were to get another start…Maurice Morris (52.1) carried the ball 13 times to Shaun Alexander’s 10, and Mike Holmgren intends to rotate the backs series by series, so expect Morris to get 10-15 touches per game going forward…Fred Jackson (16.4) benefited from the Bills’ big lead on Sunday, spelling Marshawn Lynch for 15 carries and 115 yards. Don’t expect him to repeat those numbers unless something happens to Lynch this week.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Shaun McDonald (52.5) continues to put up good numbers in PPR leagues…If D.J. Hackett (54.2) is able to return, he could be a valuable contributor for the stretch run…Jerry Porter (48.8) has posted good numbers in four straight games and is becoming a decent WR3 option in most leagues…Reggie Brown (59.0) caught seven passes for 71 yards on Sunday and should continue to benefit as long as Donovan McNabb is under center…Reggie Williams (35.2) seems to be David Garrard’s favorite target. He has scored in three of the last four games and has posted at least 59 yards in each of those contests…Much was expected of Bryant Johnson (16.4) this week, but all he could produce was one catch for five yards and a score. He’ll be WR2 as long as Anquan Boldin is out, but he proved on Sunday that he can’t be trusted…Brandon Stokley (33.5) only caught one pass on Sunday, but he made it count for a 21-yard TD pass. He’ll continue to be a decent option as long as Javon Walker is limited…After a few spotty performances, Kevin Walter busted out (again) with five catches for 47 yards and a TD. He seems to play better when Sage Rosenfels is under center…Arnaz Battle (10.7) only had two catches on Sunday, but he has caught a TD in each of the last three games, so it’s clear that he’s involved in the offense… Nate Burleson caught five passes for 50 yards and a score, marking his third TD in four games. He looks to be a viable WR3 option as long as D.J. Hackett is out…Antwaan Randle El (35.0) returned this week to make four catches for 60 yards. He’s a decent option in PPR leagues, but that’s about it.

TIGHT ENDS

Owen Daniels (59.4) continues to play a major role in the Texans’ attack and has enjoyed a consistent number of targets week to week…Marcedes Lewis (6.5) has caught 13 passes over the last three weeks and has found the endzone twice in the last four. You could do worse than Lewis at TE in a deep league…Robert Royal (0.6) scored twice this week and has caught seven passes for 67 yards over the last two weeks, making him a decent option in big leagues.

Reggie Bush has a torn PCL and may not play Monday night. With Pierre Thomas hobbled by a kidney injury, Aaron Stecker figures to get most of the work if Bush can’t go. Pick him up if you can, because there is speculation that Bush may be out for a while.