Tag: Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em (Page 3 of 3)

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 6

      October 10, 2008 /

      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.

      New for Week 6… I am now putting “Love ‘Em” players in the order that I’d start them.

      LOVE ‘EM

      QB: Jason Campbell is a great start this week against the Rams, who 28th in the league against the pass…Don’t look now, but Kyle Orton (a.k.a. “Beard”) is a starting quality fantasy QB. This week he has a Falcons defense that is 22nd in the league against the pass…Gus Frerotte plays the Lions. Start him…Matt Schaub should be back under center (and after Sage Rosenfels’ fourth quarter performance against the Colts, I don’t see Schaub losing his job anytime soon). He faces a Dolphins defense that is playing better, but has given up an average of 206 yards and 1.8 pass TD per game…JaMarcus Russell isn’t a bad start (for the desperate) against a Saints team that has yielded 245 pass yards and 1.8 pass TD per game.

      RB: Get Maurice Jones-Drew into your lineups this week. He faces a Denver team that is 25th in the league against the rush…The Colts have yielded a league-worst 189 rushing yards per game on the ground, so Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain both look startable even though they’re splitting carries. It’s doubtful that the Ravens will even bother to pass the ball at all…Ronnie Brown faces the Texans, who have given up an average of 140 rushing yards and 2.0 rush TD per game this season.

      WR:       Greg Jennings is pretty much a must-start every week, but Donald Driver deserves a starting spot this week since he faces a Seattle defense that is really struggling against the pass…Bernard Berrian has been productive the last three games (averaging 4.7 catches for 89 yards and 0.3 TD) and this week he faces a porous Lions secondary…Andre Johnson has regained his must-start status, but Kevin Walter is a sneaky good start against the Dolphins this week…Antwaan Randle El has a nice matchup against the Rams, who are 28th in the league against the pass.

      LEAVE ‘EM

      QB: Joe Flacco has a tough matchup with a Colts defense that is pretty bad against the run, but quite stout against the pass (165 pass yards, 0.3 pass TD per game)…J.T. O’Sullivan has been pretty good fantasy-wise, but this week he faces the Eagles, who are 11th in the league against the pass. He’s still startable, but only if you don’t have any good options on your bench…I’d stay away from Jeff Garcia, who is back under center but faces the Panthers, who are 3rd in the league against the pass (156 pass yards, 0.8 pass TD per game).

      RB: There are a number of good running backs that have bad matchups this week. They’re still startable, but proceed with caution and bench them if you have good depth at RB: Michael Turner (vs. CHI), Jamal Lewis (vs. NYG), Steve Slaton (vs. MIA), Joseph Addai (vs. BAL), Frank Gore (vs. PHI), Steven Jackson (@ WAS) and Earnest Graham (vs. CAR).

      WR: Marvin Harrison isn’t himself this season, and it’s unlikely that he’ll bust out against the #1 pass defense in the league…Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton should probably ride the pine against a Colts defense that is good against the pass…I wouldn’t think that Isaac Bruce would continue his recent success (4 TD in the last three games) against a solid Eagles team that really needs a win…Ike Hilliard and Antonio Bryant should probably ride the pine against the Panthers, who have been great against the pass.

      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 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

      Here are this week’s picks:

      WAS (vs. STL) – In fact, WAS has good matchups for the next three weeks
      NYJ (vs. CIN)

      Last week’s picks:

      Panthers: 0 PA, 3 SK, 2 INT, 1 FR = 16 fantasy points
      Cardinals: 17 PA, 5 SK, 1 INT, 3 FR = 11 fantasy points

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 5

      October 3, 2008 /

      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.

      LOVE ‘EM

      QB: Trent Edwards (@ ARI) has an enticing matchup with a Cardinals defense that yielded six touchdowns to the Jets last week. Need I say more?…If you’re in a pinch, you could do worse than Kyle Orton (@ DET) who has thrown for an average of 234 passing yards and 2.5 TD over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the Lions are pretty awful against the run. My only worry with Orton is that the Bears will get up by 10-14 points in the first half and try to sit on the lead…Chad Pennington (vs. SD) plays a Chargers secondary that is dead last against the pass (276 yards, 2.3 TD per game)…Likewise, Phillip Rivers (@ MIA) should be in your lineup as well. The Dolphins are 26th against the pass…Brian Griese (@ DEN) is another decent spot starter this week. The Broncos have yielded an average of 276 yards and 1.8 TD through the air this season.

      RB: Earnest Graham (@ DEN) should be a good start against the Broncos, who have allowed 133 rushing yards and 1.3 TD per game. My main concern about Graham would be for the Broncos to jump out to a lead and John Gruden deciding to pass 60+ times again…Mewelde Moore (@ JAX) is a sneaky good start against a Jags defense that has been mediocre…Steve Slaton (vs. IND) has a tantalizing matchup with a Colts defense that is 31st in the league against the run (199 yards, 1.0 rush TD per game)…Jonathan Stewart (vs. KC) isn’t a bad start against the Chiefs, who have yielded 177 rushing yards and 1.5 rush TD per game.

      WR: Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers (@ MIA) are both starter worthy this week against the Dolphins, who have been pretty bad against the pass. You’d think that Chambers especially would play well, so that he could stick it to his old team…DeSean Jackson (vs. WAS) faces a Redskins defense that is playing pretty well on the whole, but is 23rd against the pass…I like Bernard Berrian (@ NO) this week. He has been much more productive with Gus Frerotte under center and he faces a Saints defense that is 29th against the pass. Also, New Orleans is likely to put up some points, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings have to pass more than they’d like to…Both Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams (vs. CHI) are starter worthy this week against a Bears defense that is (surprisingly) 28th against the pass. The Lions have also said that they need to open up the offense more, so that should mean more targets for both players…Eddie Royal (vs. TB) faces a Bucs defense that has yielded 216 yards and 1.8 pass TD per game.

      LEAVE ‘EM

      QB: David Garrard (vs. PIT) hasn’t played all that well this season, though he had a good game last week. This week, he faces a tough Steelers defense that is 3rd in the league against the pass (162 yards, 1.0 TD per game)…It seems like Matt Schaub (vs. IND) might be in for a big game in a high-scoring affair, but the Colts have only allowed 141 yards per game through the air and have yet to allow a passing TD…Damon Huard (@ CAR) played well last week, but the Panthers are 7th in the league against the pass, so the odds are against another good game…J.T. O’Sullivan (vs. NE) has been solid this season, but I’m not optimistic against his chances against a Patriots defense that is good against the pass and has had two weeks to prepare.

      RB: Chris Johnson is probably still worth starting, but LenDale White (vs. BAL) should find the going tough against a very good Ravens rush defense…Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor (vs. PIT) have a tough matchup against a Steelers defense that has yielded just 74 yards and 0.5 rush TD per game.

      WR: Derrick Mason (@ TEN) has a rough matchup against a Titans defense that has given up an average of just 178 yards and 0.3 TD through the air…Matt Jones (vs. PIT) should probably ride the pine this week. The Steelers are tough against the pass…I like Justin Gage (vs. BAL) in general, but I wouldn’t start him this week against a good Ravens pass defense.

      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 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

      Here are this week’s picks:

      CAR (vs. KC)
      ARI (vs. BUF)

      Last week’s picks:

      Saints: 17 PA + 6 sacks + 2 INT + 1 FR = 11 fantasy points
      Bengals: 20 PA + 1 sack + 1 INT + 1 FR = 3 fantasy points

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em: Week 2

      September 11, 2008 /

      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 Ben Roethlisberger, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

      START ‘EM

      QB: Eli Manning (@ STL) has an excellent matchup with a Rams defense that allowed Donovan McNabb to throw for 361 yards and three TD last week. Also, Manning played better away from home last year, so the table is set for a very nice day…Phillip Rivers (@ DEN) has an interesting matchup against the Broncos, who looked great last week, but struggled against the pass last season. Rivers had a nice game in Week 1 against the Panthers, and he’ll probably have to throw the ball a lot to keep up with a dynamic Denver offense…Kurt Warner (vs. MIA) has a great matchup against a historically bad Dolphin defense that allowed 194 passing yards and two TD to Brett Favre and the Jets last week. Warner should be in for a nice day…Aaron Rodgers (@ DET) looked great on Monday night and faces a suspect Lions defense…For the desperate, Kerry Collins (@ CIN) has a great matchup with a Bengals secondary that has struggled to stop the pass over the last several years…For the super-desperate Joe Flacco (@ HOU) has a nice matchup as well.

      RB: If Willis McGahee is out, Ray Rice (@ HOU) has a good matchup with a Texans defense that allowed a ton of yards to Willie Parker last week. If McGahee plays, we’re probably looking a split, which will hurt the value of both players…If Ryan Grant (@ DET) ends up playing, make sure he’s in your lineup (unless you have a far better option). The Lions gave up 220 rushing yards to Michael Turner and the Packers should find success in the ground game as well…Brandon Jacobs (@ STL) should find lots of running room against a bad Rams defense…Frank Gore (@ SEA), Willie Parker (@ CLE) and Marshawn Lynch (@ JAX) should have nice games as well.

      WR: Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles (vs. NE) are good starts against a Pats defense that is struggling at CB…Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward (@ CLE) should be in your lineup since they face the Browns, who have been bad against he pass for the last few seasons…Make room in your lineup for Joey Galloway (vs. ATL) who has a good matchup with a suspect Falcons pass defense…Santana Moss (vs. NO) has a nice matchup with a Saints defense that gave up some points to a conservative Bucs offense last week.

      SIT ‘EM

      QB: David Garrard (vs. BUF) struggled last week and a hot Bills defense (that shut down Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle offense) is coming to town…In the same game, Trent Edwards (@ JAX) doesn’t have a good matchup against a solid Jacskonville defense…Baltimore did a great job shutting down the Bengals’ high-octane passing game, and that doesn’t bode well for Matt Schaub (vs. BAL) and the rest of the Texans. I’d bench Schaub only if I had a solid option to go with.

      RB: Jamal Lewis (vs. PIT) may find the running room is tough to find when he faces a good Steelers defense. He’s startable, but I’m not optimistic about his chances…Steve Slaton (vs. BAL) looks like he will get the start, but he faces a very tough Ravens defense. Bench him unless you are desperate…Neither DeAngelo Williams nor Jonathan Stewart are particularly good starts against a Chicago defense that is normally very stout against he run.

      WR: Lee Evans (@ JAX) is startable, but I’m not optimistic about his chances against a good Jacksonville defense stinging from a loss against the Titans last week…Bernard Berrian and Sydney Rice (vs. IND) should probably be benched against a feisty Colts team that lost in Week 1. Adrian Peterson figures to have the most success against Indy.

      DTBWW

      Looking for a good defense to plug into your lineup this week? Welcome to the world of Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW). Here are my picks for this week. (All teams are available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.)

      ARI (vs. MIA), KC (vs. OAK), HOU (vs. BAL) and OAK (@ KC)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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