It’s Week
10, which means the last of the bye weeks and the beginning of the Thursday
night games. Offense will be harder to come by this week as only the Saints
look poised to light up the scoreboard.
Seattle
and
Arizona
will toss it up early and often, but neither team will get it going on the
ground.
When using this list, try and remember a couple basic rules:
1) Studs - Always play your studs. Each position will include a list of players
that are considered studs and should not be benched. If you have the luxury of
needing to decide between studs, check out the matchups or feel free to let the
shark tank assist you in your decisions.
2) Depth - Every fantasy team is different and some have more depth than
others. Only follow the recommended moves if your team depth allows you to make
such a move.
Remember that there is a Thursday
game (
Chicago at
San Francisco), so set your lineups
accordingly.
Aaron Rodgers,
Green Bay vs. Dallas
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis vs. New England
Drew Brees, New Orleans at St. Louis
Tom Brady, New England at Indianapolis
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati
Philip Rivers, San Diego vs. Philadelphia
Start
Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle at Arizona: Hasselbeck threw for 329 yards last
week as the Seahawks continue to struggle running the ball. This week,
Seattle faces the
Cardinals, who have allowed the third fewest rushing yards in the NFL this
season. Look for the pass-happy Seahawks to continue to air it out as often as
possible which translates into solid numbers for the Hass this week.
Jay Cutler, Chicago at
San
Francisco: Cutler had his best day as a Bear last week,
throwing for 369 yards and three touchdowns all to Greg Olsen. Look for Cutler
to have continued success in the passing game against a 49ers pass defense that
has allowed an average of 241 yards passing per game this season including over
300 yards in two of their past four games.
Bench
Kyle Orton,
Denver at
Washington: Orton threw three interceptions
on Monday night which increased his season total to only four. Things won’t be
any easier for Orton this week against the Redskins, who have allowed the
fewest passing yards in the NFL this season.
Donovan McNabb,
Philadelphia at
San Diego: McNabb
performed poorly in a huge division game last week against the Cowboys,
throwing two interceptions and completing only 16-of-30 passes at home. The
Eagles travel west to play the Chargers this week, who rank fifth in the NFL in
passing yards allowed. Look for Philly to emphasize the running game with
LeSean McCoy and Brian Westbrook (if healthy) as the Eagles try and avoid
getting into a shootout. Running Backs
Bye weeks:
Brandon Jacobs/Ahmad Bradshaw, Steve Slaton/Ryan Moats/Chris Brown
Studs
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets
Chris Johnson, Tennessee vs. Buffalo
Ray Rice, Baltimore at Cleveland
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota vs. Detroit
DeAngelo Williams, Carolina vs. Atlanta
Michael Turner, Atlanta at Carolina
Cedric Benson, Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
Steven Jackson, St. Louis vs. New Orleans
Frank Gore, San Francisco vs. Chicago
Matt Forte, Chicago at San Francisco
Start
Ronnie Brown, Miami vs. Tampa Bay: Brown won’t need the Wildcat to gain
his yards on the ground this week, but it will help. The Buccaneers have not
been able to stop the run all season and that won’t change as Brown tops 100
yards rushing for the third time this season.
Thomas Jones, N.Y. Jets vs.
Jacksonville:
Don’t worry about Shonn Greene, Jones will continue his hot streak against the
Jaguars as he carries the ball 20+ times, averaging 4.7 yards a carry which
translates to another 100-yard game on the ground. Jones is also tied for fourth
in the NFL in touchdowns by a running back with seven. Look for another notch
on his touchdown belt this week.
Jamaal Charles, Kansas City at Oakland: So long Larry Johnson, hello J.C.
Charles didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his first game as starting running
back for Kansas City, building speculation that Kolby Smith could see an
increase in touches. Don’t believe the hype. Charles has the receiving skills
to be a valuable fantasy player and against the Raiders, who have allowed an
average of 161 yards rushing this season. Charles should do enough damage to
warrant a start in most leagues.
Bench
LaDainian Tomlinson,
San Diego vs.
Philadelphia: Stick a
fork in L.T.2, he’s done.
Rashard Mendenhall,
Pittsburgh vs.
Cincinnati: Mendenhall once again impressed on Monday
night, rushing for over 150 yards against a tough
Denver defense. This week, Mendenhall has
another strong test against an improved Bengals defense that hasn’t allowed an
opposing RB to rush for over 100 yards all season. With the Steelers likely to
find better success in the air, Mendenhall will struggle to produce fantasy
points this week.
Ladell Betts,
Washington
vs.
Denver: I
know there are some of you searching the waiver wire and when you saw that Clinton
Portis was doubtful for Week 10, you got ready to scoop up Betts. Hold your
horses. Betts may get the starting nod, but other than Mendenhall, no one has
been able to run the ball against the Broncos defense this season. Not to
mention the fact that the Redskins offensive line is nowhere near its glory
days this season. Look elsewhere for your waiver wire steal. Wide Receivers
Bye weeks:
Steve Smith/Mario Manningham/Hakeem Nicks, Andre Johnson/Kevin Walter/Jacoby
Jones/David Anderson
Studs
Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis vs. New England
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona vs. Seattle
Randy Moss, New England at Indianapolis
Vincent Jackson, San Diego vs. Philadelphia
Wes Welker, New England at Indianapolis
Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
Hines Ward, Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati
Roddy White, Atlanta at Carolina
Marques Colston, New Orleans at St. Louis
Start
Nate Burleson, Seattle at Arizona: Burleson has caught at least six
passes for 75 yards in three of the past four games, but he hasn’t found the
endzone since Week 5. Look for Burleson to take advantage of the
Seattle offense, which
prefers to pass on practically every down, to post solid numbers in a rematch
against the Cardinals. In week six,
Arizona
held Burleson to only two catches for 40 yards. The Redbirds won’t get off so
easy this week. You can expect Burleson to be in the 8-catch, 100-yard, 1-TD
neighborhood when all is said and done on Sunday.
Donald Driver,
Green Bay vs.
Dallas: Driver continues
to outperform teammate Greg Jennings as he has caught a touchdown pass in two
of the past three games. Look for Driver to continue to be a favorite target of
Aaron Rodgers at home this week where Driver has averaged six catches for 90
yards over his past three games at Lambeau.
Sidney Rice,
Minnesota vs.
Detroit: Fresh off a bye
week, Rice and the Vikings get the Lions at home this week. Rice has averaged
seven catches for 117 yards over the past three weeks and should continue his
success against a
Detroit
pass defense that has allowed the second most passing yards in the NFL this
season.
Steve Smith,
Carolina vs.
Atlanta: Don’t look now,
but the “original” Steve Smith has posted decent numbers each of the past three
weeks including his only touchdown of the season and a season-best six catches
for 99 yards against the Bills in Week 7. With the “new” Steve Smith on a bye
this week, look for Steve Smith “classic” to steal the headlines against the
Falcons, who have allowed a league-high 31 passes for 20 yards or more this
season.
Bench
Mike Sims-Walker,
Jacksonville
at N.Y. Jets: Sims-Walker has posted three 100-yard games this season, but a
closer look shows that he posted these numbers against defenses ranked 22nd,
29th and 30th, respectively, in passing yards allowed.
The Jets are ranked second in the NFL in passing yards allowed, averaging only
165.2 yards in the air per game this season. Look for an off week from
Sims-Walker as the Jets blitzing is enough to take David Garrard out of his
comfort zone.
DeSean Jackson,
Philadelphia at
San Diego: As McNabb goes, so goes
Jackson. While
Jackson has found the endzone three times in
the past three games, he hasn’t caught more than three passes since Week 6
against the Raiders. The Chargers will defend the pass well, keeping
Jackson’s receiving stats
below average for another week.
Miles Austin, Dallas at
Green Bay: The
number of receptions for
Austin
has diminished each of the past four weeks as teams are more likely to force
Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton to beat them rather than Austin. The Packers
are looking to rebound after a tough loss against
TampaBay last week and they’ll have success
slowing down the Cowboys passing attack, keeping
Austin in check.
Eddie Royal,
Denver at
Washington: This is public service
announcement. Do not let last week’s game fool you into thinking that Royal
will suddenly reclaim the magic he had last year. Royal is not a viable fantasy
starter especially against the likes of the Redskins pass defense. We now return
you to your regularly scheduled programming.
Dallas Clark, Indianapolis vs. New England
Vernon Davis, San Francisco vs. Chicago
Brent Celek, Philadelphia at San Diego
Antonio Gates, San Diego vs. Philadelphia
Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta at Carolina
Heath Miller, Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati
Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay at Miami
Greg Olsen, Chicago at San Francisco
Jason Witten, Dallas at Green Bay
Start
Visanthe Shiancoe,
Minnesota
vs.
Detroit:
The big man is well rested after a bye week and looking to continue his touchdown
totals as he has caught a touchdown pass in five of the Vikings’ eight games
this season. Shiancoe had a touchdown the last time he faced the Lions back in
Week 2. Granted it was his only catch, but it was a touchdown nonetheless.
Another score for Shiancoe is on the horizon as Brett Favre continues his
magical
Minnesota
tour.
Jeremy Shockey,
New Orleans at
St. Louis: You never
quite know where the yardage will be distributed in the Saints passing attack,
you only know there’s likely to be plenty to go around. The Rams defense has
been very accommodating to opposing tight ends, as they have allowed six touchdowns
to tight ends this season. Look for that number to increase this week as
Shockey hits paydirt in route to a solid performance.
Bench
Tony Scheffler, Devner at Washington: That 6-catch, 101-yard, 1-TD
performance is a distant memory for Scheffler owners as he has caught only two
passes for 12 yards since that bust-out performance back in Week 6. Expect
another 1-2 catches for 10-20 yards from Scheffler as owners continue to
reminisce of past glory.
Dustin Keller, N.Y. Jets vs.
Jacksonville:
Keller had his best game of the season against the Dolphins in Week 8, catching
eight passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, Fortunately Keller won’t have as
easy of a time this week against the Jaguars, who have defended the pass better
than
Miami this
season. Sorry Keller owners, back to the bench he goes.
Facebook
Twitter
