2009 Start/Bench List Week 14 Dec 9, 2009 | More

It’s playoff time! Congrats to those of you who made it to the promised land. There’s lots of great matchups this week to help extend your season one step closer to the title. The Saints offense will live up to the hype this week while the Cardinals, Texans and Cowboys keep fantasy owners happy.

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.

Quarterbacks

Studs

Drew Brees, New Orleans at Atlanta
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay at Chicago
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis vs. Denver
Tom Brady, New England vs. Carolina
Brett Favre, Minnesota vs. Cincinnati
Matt Schaub, Houston vs. Seattle
Philip Rivers, San Diego at Dallas

Start

Kurt Warner, Arizona at San Francisco: Warner tore up the Vikings defense last Sunday night, throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Don’t worry about the hip injury suffered late in the game. Warner will play this week and will dominate in the air against a 49ers defense that is ranked 27th in the NFL in passing yards allowed.

Tony Romo, Dallas vs. San Diego: The combination of a poor running with the return of Jason Witten in the Dallas offense has produced gaudy numbers for Romo the last two weeks. Romo has thrown for 701 yards and five touchdowns the past two weeks, and the Chargers have allowed an average of 267.5 yards passing over their past five games. Look for Romo to continue to spread the ball around this week and post big numbers along the way.

Bench

Carson Palmer, Cincinnati at Minnesota: Over the past four games, Palmer has thrown two touchdowns and three interceptions while averaging only 178.5 yards passing. These numbers are even more disappointing when you factor in his last two games were against the Lions and the Browns. With Palmer and the Bengals heading into Minnesota, which is coming off a disappointing loss to the Cardinals, look for a ton of pressure from the Vikings defense and not a lot of answers from the Bengals offense. Look long and hard at your quarterback options this week before placing Palmer in your starting lineup.

Vince Young, Tennessee vs. St. Louis: Young appears to be getting better each week. He’s completed over 61 percent of his passes since being named the starter back in Week 8, and he’s thrown four touchdowns and only one interception in the past three games. The Rams have played solid pass defense lately, holding their last four opponents to an average of only 167.8 yards passing, including games against the Cardinals and Saints. The Rams’ biggest problem has been stopping the run and this week they get Chris Johnson. Uh-oh. Young won’t need to do anything but hand the ball off this week and you don’t get any fantasy points for that.

Running Backs

Studs

Chris Johnson, Tennessee vs. St. Louis
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville vs. Miami
Ray Rice, Baltimore vs. Detroit
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota vs. Cincinnati
Steven Jackson, St. Louis at Tennessee
DeAngelo Williams, Carolina at New England *missed Week 13 with an ankle injury*
Frank Gore, San Francisco vs. Arizona

Start

Ricky Williams, Miami at Jacksonville: Williams has adjusted well to the No. 1 running back spot, rushing for over 100 yards in three of the past four games. The Dolphins found success in the passing game last week, limiting Williams’ chances, but look for Miami to lean heavily on Williams in Jacksonville this week. A return to the 100-yard club is in sight for Williams this week.

Ryan Grant, Green Bay at Chicago: The Packers torched the Ravens pass defense without Ed Reed on Monday night, leaving little for Grant to do in the offense. That won’t be the case this week as the Bears are porous against the run, averaging 126.4 rushing yards allowed per game this season. Look for Grant to surpass the 100-yard mark for the third time this season as the Pack dominate on the ground in Chicago.

Thomas Jones, N.Y. Jets at Tampa Bay: Jones rushed for 109 yards last week against the Bills and this week he faces the Tampa Bay defense which has allowed 160.1 rushing yards per game this season (31^st in the NFL). Jones owners rejoice! Another fine week for the most overlooked running back in the league.

Bench

Matt Forte, Chicago vs. Green Bay: The Packers held Matt Forte to only 55 yards on 22 carries back in Week 1, and many Forte owners thought this was just an aberration for the stellar season they were about to receive from this second-year back. It’s easy to find the Forte owner in your league, just look at the bottom of the standings. Forte will disappoint once again this week as the Bears struggle to run the ball against a Packers defense that has held Ray Rice, Kevin Smith, Frank Gore and Marion Barber to an average of 45.5 yards rushing in their past four games.

Kevin Smith, Detroit at Baltimore: While Smith has been a solid contributor to the Lions offense this season, he cannot be expected to produce much against the Ravens defense that is ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed.

Chris Brown, Houston vs. Seattle: Without Steve Slaton in the Texans backfield, Brown could only muster up 15 yards on six carries and a score against the Jaguars this week. The Seahawks run defense has played as well as the Jaguars run defense this season, and they’ll be able to shut down Brown this week as Matt Schaub will pass early and often as he abandons the unsuccessful running game.

Wide Receivers

Studs

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis vs. Denver
Wes Welker, New England vs. Carolina
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona at San Francisco
Randy Moss, New England vs. Carolina
Andre Johnson, Houston vs. Seattle
Steve Smith, N.Y. Giants vs. Philadelphia
Hines Ward, Pittsburgh at Cleveland  *questionable for Week 14*
Roddy White, Atlanta vs. New Orleans
Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati at Minnesota
Vincent Jackson, San Diego at Dallas
Marques Colston, New Orleans at Atlanta

Start

Robert Meachem, New Orleans at Atlanta: Meachem has been quite an impact player in the prolific Saints passing attack, catching a touchdown in five straight games, including eight catches for 142 yards last week against the Redskins. This week, Meachem and the Saints face the Falcons pass defense that ranks 29^th in passing yards allowed. Meachem should join Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey in your fantasy lineup as the stats will be plentiful for the Saints offense this week.

Anquan Boldin, Arizona at San Francisco: Boldin has averaged seven catches for 90 yards over the past four weeks, including three touchdowns. Look for Boldin to continue his hot streak against the 49ers as the Cardinals passing attack will be firing on all cylinders with plenty of stats to go around.

Miles Austin, Dallas vs. San Diego: Austin has gotten back on track the past two weeks, catching 17 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Look for the Cowboys passing game to attack the Chargers defense from all angles, freeing up Austin for more big plays as he pads his average of 17.8 yards per catch.

Derrick Mason, Baltimore vs. Detroit: Mason has struggled the last two weeks, catching only nine passes for 75 yards, but that was against the Packers and Steelers. This week, Mason faces the Lions which have allowed the most passing yards this season (274.8 per game) and the most passing touchdowns (28). Start Mason with confidence this week as the Ravens make up for last week’s disappointing loss.

Bench

Kenny Britt, Tennessee vs. St. Louis: Even though Britt has a touchdown catch in each of the past three games, he does not come recommended this week. With Justin Gage likely to return and Chris Johnson likely to run rampant against the Rams, Britt and his fellow Titans receivers will be blocking more than running post patterns.

Nate Burleson, Seattle at Houston: Even though Burleson continues to be the top receiver in Seattle, he’s not exactly burning up the stats sheet. With just five catches for 54 yards last week and no touchdowns since Week 5, Burleson is a risky play at best. The Texans held Mike Sims-Walker and Reggie Wayne to a combined four catches for 31 yards the last two weeks and should have no problem shutting down Burleson this week.

Davone Bess, Miami at Jacksonville: Bess had his best game of the season last week against the Patriots, catching 10 passes for 117 yards and a score. Don’t expect similar output this week against the Jaguars as Miami rotates their receivers and they will have success running the ball, minimizing the chances of Bess posting back-to-back big games.

Santana Moss, Washington at Oakland: Moss had five catches for 68 yards last week against the Saints, but he clearly took a back seat to Devin Thomas, who caught seven passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Neither Moss nor Thomas should be expected to do much against the Raiders pass defense as the days of Jason Campbell throwing for 367 yards are few and far between.


Tight Ends

Studs

Vernon Davis, San Francisco vs. Arizona
Dallas Clark, Indianapolis vs. Denver
Antonio Gates, San Diego at Dallas
Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta vs. New Orleans
Brent Celek, Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants
Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay vs. N.Y. Jets
Heath Miller, Pittsburgh at Cleveland

Start

Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans at Atlanta: Shockey had five catches for 74 yards the last time he faced the Falcons back in Week 8. You can expect those numbers and then some this week as the Saints destroy the Falcons with their passing game, giving Shockey his best numbers all season.

Jason Witten, Dallas vs. San Diego: Remember this guy? Tony Romo sure does. Witten caught an amazing 14 catches for 156 yards last week against the Giants and appears to have returned to his place near the top of Romo’s progressions. While you can’t expect those types of numbers again this week, Witten will post solid numbers worthy of a start which may include a trip to the end zone, which he hasn’t experienced since Week 2.

Bench

Bo Scaife, Tennessee vs. St. Louis: Bo knows blocking.

Greg Olsen, Chicago vs. Green Bay: The Bears offense is not one you want to be relying on during the fantasy playoff run. Between Jay Cutler’s inconsistency and Matt Forte’s struggles, Olsen should be an after-thought for your starter. Olsen had one catch for eight yards the last time he faced the Packers. Expect more of the same this week from another disappointing piece of the Bears offense.