Who Sharks Are Starting - Week 15 Dec 11, 2008 | More

Quarterbacks

Kyle Orton shoots up the board riding a pretty good day against Jacksonville as the Chicago Neckbeards host N'awlins.

Kurt Warner holds despite what looks like a rough fantasy matchup. I'm going to chalk this one up to sample bias: Warner owners likely got outstanding value for their pick during the draft or in the early wire days, the kind of value that can be the difference between a winning and losing season. Now ask yourself: Who are the guys who nabbed Warner? It's the teams that got burned by Brady, or sought value in other positions during the draft. It's likely most of the Warner starting teams don't have good options. Bottom line: I think the puter overrates Kurt Warner this week.

And finally, Tyler Thigpen goes against San Diego, who have been very fantasy QB friendly, but falls after a mediocre performance last week. I'm going to dissent with the Shark Collective here and recommend him with a condition: That you don't get too heavily penalized for interceptions.

Interceptions and The Running Game - Look at the data and you find a strong correlation between getting run on and throwing interceptions. When you're facing a team that runs the ball better than you, you have to try to beat them through the air. You know it and they know it. More passing plus defensive anticipation leads to more picks.

And finally, Matt Ryan tumbles, despite a strong performance against the Saints last week, in the face of what looks like a tough fantasy matchup against the Bucs.

Runningbacks

DeAngelo Williams is feeling the holiday love as he shoots up the board. For the same reasons as Kurt Warner, he's probably on more fantasy playoff rosters than most. Unlike Warner though, facing Denver, I've gotta believe he'll go hog wild like me on a spiked egg nog espresso latte.

Marion Barber shoots up the board at the prospect of his return to action. I say approach with caution. As if a bad toe isn't bad enough for a running back, the Giants running game and D-Line are bad news for opposing runners, as evidenced by their 5th rank run defense.

Tim Hightower looks tiny this week against Minnesota, and probably rightly so.

And finally, Peyton Hillis falls into oblivion with season-ending injury. This backfield was a mess to start the season, and I would resist the temptation to look to Bell to do anything.

All IDPs

Whiskey Tango

That's all for me this week. Good luck in your quest for the crown, and check out Who Sharks Are Starting for full rankings at these positions, detailed IDPs, and even punters, ranked every hour of every day based on actual shark lineups, waiting for you now.