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 Peyton Manning, 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: Don’t overthink things and bench Kurt Warner this week. The Pats are not very good against the pass, so Warner and Co. should be able to have their way through the air. The only wildcard is the weather…Matt Cassel is a nice start against an Arizona defense that has given up the most pass TD (31) in the league…Despite the long plane ride, Brett Favre looks like a good start against a Seahawks pass defense that is last in the league in yards allowed…In the same game, Seneca Wallace has a nice matchup with the Jets defense that is 29th in the league against the pass…Dan Orlovsky played pretty well last week against the Colts and he has a great matchup this week against the Saints, who own the league’s 26th ranked pass defense. He’s a legit option for the desperate…For the super-desperate, JaMarcus Russell (vs. HOU) and Brian Griese (vs. SD) both have good matchups. If Jeff Garcia starts, he’s a solid play against a Chargers defense that is ranked 31st against the pass.

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 Peyton Manning, 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: There are a number of so-so QBs with nice matchups this week. Phillip Rivers has a nice matchup with a Kansas City defense that is ranked 29th against the pass…. Tyler Thigpen has proven himself to be a capable fantasy QB, and his matchup with the Chargers 30th-ranked pass defense is a tasty one…Kyle Orton has been solid this year, and as long as the weather cooperates, he should be a good start against the Saints, who have struggled against the pass this season…Jason Campbell faces the Bengals, who have yielded 1.6 pass TD per game this year…Kerry Collins’ problem against the Lions was that Detroit couldn’t keep it close. Houston has more of an offensive backbone and I think Collins will have to pass to keep the chains moving to put points on the board…Seneca Wallace isn’t a bad play against the Rams…For the desperate, Tarvaris Jackson (or Gus Frerotte) and Marc Bulger have nice matchups with Arizona and Seattle, respectively.

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 Tony Romo, 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: Matt Ryan is a nice start against a New Orleans defense that was already 24th against the pass even before the suspension of Will Smith, the team’s best pass rusher…Matt Cassel is worth starting against a league-worst Seahawks defense that has yielded 265 yards and 1.6 pass TD per game…Shaun Hill is startable this week against a Jets defense that is ranked 30th against he pass…For the desperate, Gus Frerotte has a tantalizing matchup against a bad Lions defense. The only question is will Detroit put up enough of a fight so that the Vikings will have to throw the ball? Last week against the Titans, the answer was “no,â€� and Kerry Collins finished with a poor fantasy line…For the REALLY desperate, Marc Bulger and JaMarcus Russell have good matchups against the Cardinals and Chargers, respectively.

RB: Peyton Hillis is a great start against the Chiefs, who are next-to-last against the run…Steve Slaton has a tantalizing matchup with the Packers, who are awful against the run…Get Tim Hightower in your lineups this week. The Rams rush defense is ranked 30th in the league…Larry Johnson has a nice matchup with the Broncos, who are 28th in the league against the rush…It looks like Ryan Grant is going to play, and that makes him a solid start against a sketchy Texans rush defense…Given the Vikings’ defensive suspensions, Kevin Smith is suddenly an interesting start…If you have a big hole at RB, Cedric Benson is a sneaky good start against a Colts rush defense that has allowed 134 yards and 1.3 TD per game this season.

WR: Roddy White is a must-start this week against a bad Saints pass defense…Unless the Lions completely fold, I’d expect Bernard Berrian to catch at least one deep pass en route to a good fantasy line…Unless he pulls one of his disappearing acts, Lee Evans should be able to take advantage of the Dolphins’ 26th-ranked pass defense…Reggie Wayne is a must-start, but Marvin Harrison is also startable against a Cincy pass defense that has allowed 218 yards and 1.5 TD per game this season…Matt Jones continues to play well in PPR leagues, so he’s a decent start against the Bears, who have the league’s 29th –ranked pass defense.

LEAVE ‘EM

QB: Joe Flacco has had a nice run (11 TD in his last six games), but this week he faces a stingy Washington defense. He’s still startable in some formats, but I wouldn’t expect more than one TD this week…After a brutal 1 TD/4 INT effort against Oakland in Week 10, Jake Delhomme has been decent, scoring four TD over the last three games. This week, the 3rd-ranked Bucs pass defense comes to town, so I’m not optimistic…Phillip Rivers (vs. OAK) and Tony Romo (@ PIT) are still startable, but you may want to look at other options…Leave Ryan Fitzpatrick (@IND) and whoever is QB’ng the Browns (@ TEN) on the bench – they have brutal matchups…Jeff Garcia should ride the pine as he faces the Panthers 12th-rated pass defense. Carolina has only given up 11 pass TD in 12 games…Jason Campbell isn’t playing particularly well right now and given his matchup – the Ravens’ 2nd-ranked pass defense – it would be wise to look elsewhere this week.

RB: None of the Baltimore RBs look like great starts against a solid Washington rush defense. Besides, I wouldn’t feel confident predicting which one would get most of the touches…He’s still startable, but be wary with Marion Barber this week. He faces the #1 rush defense in the league and has a bum foot…The same goes for Clinton Portis, who can be started in a pinch, but don’t expect much from him against a great Ravens rush defense.

WR: Derrick Mason is still startable, but despite Mark Clayton’s newfound fantasy success, I’d stay away from him this week against Washington…It’s always tough to bench Braylon Edwards, but given his current QB situation and his matchup against the stingy 4th-rated Tennessee pass defense, he’s not a good start this week…i wouldn’t feel comfortable starting Vincent Jackson or Chris Chambers this week. The Raiders pass defense is surprisingly good, and the Chargers are better off attacking with the ground game…Antonio Bryant is still startable in some formats, but I wouldn’t expect big numbers against a stingy Carolina pass defense.

THINKING DEFENSIVELY (DTBWW)

Welcome to the world of Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW). 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:

I love the Cardinals this week, but they are only available in 32% of ESPN fantasy leagues, so they are not eligible.

IND (vs. CIN)
SD (vs. OAK)

Denver (vs. KC) is another option, but it’s tough to say which defense is going to show up.

Last week’s picks:

Bills: 10 PA + 3 SK + 1 FR = 10 fantasy points
Raiders: 20 PA + 1 SK + 1 INT = 2 fantasy points

Unsurprisingly, the Raiders let us down.

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 Tony Romo, 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: Matt Ryan has a very nice matchup with a San Diego defense that is ranked dead last in the league in passing yards allowed. They have also allowed 1.7 pass TD per game, so Ryan should be good for at least 1-2 scores…Jeff Garcia isn’t going to set the world on fire, but he should be good for 200 yards and a TD against a Saints defense that is ranked 24th against the pass…Kerry Collins has posted solid fantasy numbers the last three weeks, but he did most of his damage against the Jets in garbage time. A matchup against the Lions is tempting, however, as Detroit is 19th against the pass and only has two INT all season.

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 Tony Romo, 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: Jason Campbell faces the Seahawks, who are 31st in the league against the pass (265 yards, 1.5 pass TD per game), so he should be in store for a nice day…Brady Quinn has a great matchup with a Houston defense that is tied for third in most passing TD allowed on the season. Quinn had a great first start, but didn’t throw a TD against the Bills last week. I’d feel more confident in this play if Kellen Winslow is healthy enough to play…Gus Frerotte faces a Jaguars defense that has allowed the 2nd most passing TD in the league. Frerotte has been a solid fantasy QB since he took over in Minnesota but many fantasy owners are still scared to use him..Kerry Collins has posted good fantasy numbers in the last two games as teams try to gang up on LenDale White and Chris Johnson. This week, he faces a Jets defense that has allowed 240 passing yards and 1.4 pass TD per game…Jeff Garcia faces a Detroit defense that is 23rd in the league against the pass. They played pretty well against the Panthers last week, but on the season the Lions have been dreadful.