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: Eli Manning has a nice matchup against the Lions, who have allowed 257 yards and 2.0 TD through the air this season. Detroit is playing a little better of late, but they are still susceptible to the pass…Matt Schaub is healthy again and he faces the Saints, who are 29th in the league against the pass…Kurt Warner’s non-throwing hand is a little dinged up, but there’s no denying that he has a great matchup against the Bengals, who have been pretty brutal against the pass…Daunte Culpepper (@ MIN), Vince Young (@ DEN) and Phillip Rivers (@ JAX) also have good matchups for those fantasy owners looking for good plays at QB.
RB: Chester Taylor will take over while Adrian Peterson is out with a knee injury. He faces an Oakland defense that is great against the pass, but can’t stop the run. They’ve allowed an average of 144 yards and 1.4 TD on the ground, so Taylor could be in for a big day…Maurice Morris had a nice game Monday night and this week he faces a Bears defense that has been surprisingly porous against the run this season…Ryan Grant is a good start against the Panthers, who have allowed 113 yards and 1.1 TD on the ground this season. The Packers’ running game is looking better.
WR: Andre Johnson is finally back on the field and he has a great matchup against the Saints, who have allowed a ton of points to opposing WRs this season…It should go without saying, but Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin should start due to their terrific matchup against the Bengals…Mark Clayton is a sneaky good play against the Browns, who are 31st in the league against the pass…Ronald Curry faces the Vikings, who can’t stop the pass. He’s a little bit of a risk with Culpepper starting at QB, but he should post nice stats against Minnesota.
SIT ‘EM
QB: Don’t get too excited about Rex Grossman starting for the Bears again. He faces a Seattle defense that has allowed just 0.6 pass TD to opposing QBs this season…Jay Cutler may find the going tough against the Titans, who are 7th in the league against the pass and have allowed just nine pass TD all year…Kellen Clemens had a good first start against Washington, but this week he faces the Steelers, who have the top pass defense in the league.
RB: Don’t expect Thomas Jones to break out of his slump against the Steelers, who have the league’s best rush defense. They’ve allowed an average of 72 rushing yards and 0.2 rush TD this season…Jamal Lewis figures to be in for a tough day against the Ravens who are great against the run, but can’t stop the pass…Kevin Jones is probably a must-start in most PPR leagues, but in non-PPR leagues, expect him to have a quiet day against a streaking Giants defense.
WR: I don’t like to recommend to bench studs like Steve Smith, but he’s nicked up and the Packers have been great against the pass lately…Dwayne Bowe is one of the league’s best rookies, but this week he faces the Colts, who have the league’s 2nd best pass defense…Roddy White has a tough matchup with the Bucs, who have allowed just 173 yards and 0.7 TD through the air this season.
