Ravens at Steelers

The headliner this week will not be an exciting game for offense fans.  Among the best 2 defensive franchises of the past 10 years meet twice a year in divisional rivalry matches that are typically low scoring.  The only player I think has a good chance at having a big game for fantasy owners is Rashard Mendenhall.  He is currently 4th in the NFL in rushing and while the Ravens are historically fantastic against the run, last week they gave up 144 yards to Peyton Hillis.  There is not comparison between the two backs, but Ray Lewis and the Ravens will not allow another big game like that this week.  You should however be comfortable starting Mendenhall as normal.  Expect 80 yards and a 50% chance at a score.  Ray Rice appears to be on the right track to play Sunday, but given the pain of a deep muscle bruise and a Steelers defense that is playing better than anyone in the league, you can’t expect too much.  Given where you drafted Rice and his ability to break a big play in the passing game you will need to start him regardless.  Stay away from Jay Flacco and where possible, Anquan Boldin.  You will need some pretty great alternatives to leave Boldin on the bench however.

Patriots at Dolphins

This game will help clear up one team from the three way tie at 2-1 atop the AFC East.  The Jets have an easy path to 3-1 with a game against Buffalo, but the Monday night game between the Pats and the Phins should be pretty close.  I like the home team to squeak out a win due to how truly terrible the Patriots defense is and how effective the Dolphins are at controlling the clock at the end of the game.  It is still not known which Patriots RB will have the most value but the Law Firm of BenJarvus Green-Ellis is who you want to go with if you are in bye week trouble and reaching deep for someone.  Moss and Welker face an underrated secondary but Moss cannot be sat and Welker still made my top 20.  Neither of the running backs for the Dolphins have been too impressive but running is what the Dolphins do and the Patriots have not been able to stop anyone yet… just out score them.

Redskins at Eagles

Michael Vick’s recent success will finally be overshadowed by the return of Donovan McNabb to Philadelphia.  The Redskins did not play well at all in Week 3 when they lost to last year’s worst team… the Rams.  McNabb is not the issue for the Redskins and will certainly not roll over against his former team.  Santana Moss has and will remain a very valuable WR3 or flex play now that there is a serious play maker throwing to him.  Michael Vick finally has some quality defenses opposite him and his production will level off a bit.  I do expect him to be a top 10 QB as long as he starts simply because if he stops playing well he wont start anymore.  DeSean Jackson is quickly proving that his is still going to be able to be a dynamic weapon without McNabb and Maclin is developing very nicely as a possession receiver and red zone target.  If you own any of these Eagles you are likely going to ride out this wave, at least until it crashes.  Ryan Torain fulfilled the role of sleeper RB in Shanahan’s offense that always seems to crop up at this time whenever he is coaching in this league.  Portis will still be given a few chances to prove he can be effective in a feature role still, but it doesn’t look good and with Torain getting half the work last week I would rather own him than Portis.  You’re not starting either of them until the offense starts playing better again.

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1. Packers
2. Jets
3. Ravens
4. Eagles
5. Chargers
6. Steelers
7. Bears
8. Saints
9. Bengals
10. Texans
11. Seahawks
12. Falcons
13. Titans
14. Colts
15. Dolphins
16. Giants
17. Bills
18. 49ers
19. Broncos
20. Redskins
21. Rams
22. Cardinals
23. Browns
24. Raiders
25. Patriots

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1. Mason Crosby
2. Nate Kaeding
3. Matt Bryant
4. David Akers
5. Jeff Reed
6. Stephen Gostkowski
7. Rob Bironas
8. Mike Nugent
9. Dan Carpenter
10. Robbie Gould
11. Matt Prater
12. Adam Vinatieri
13. Neil Rackers
14. Billy Cundiff
15. Jay Feely
16. Garrett Hartley
17. Graham Gano
18. Joe Nedney
19. Lawrence Tynes
20. Josh Scobee

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1. Antonio Gates
2. Dallas Clark
3. Jermichael Finley
4. Vernon Davis
5. Chris Cooley
6. Zach Miller
7. Brent Celek
8. Dustin Keller
9. Todd Heap
10. Tony Gonzalez
11. John Carlson
12. Aaron Hernandez
13. Jeremy Shockey
14. Marcedes Lewis
15. Heath Miller
16. Greg Olsen
17. Rob Gronkowski
18. Benjamin Watson
19. Tony Scheffler
20. Owen Daniels
21. Bo Scaife
22. Jermaine Gresham
23. Anthony Fasano
24. Kevin Boss
25. Brandon Pettigrew
26. Daniel Fells

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1. Andre Johnson
2. Randy Moss
3. Brandon Marshall
4. Reggie Wayne
5. Roddy White
6. Calvin Johnson
7. DeSean Jackson
8. Larry Fitzgerald
9. Greg Jennings
10. Chad Ochocinco
11. Marques Colston
12. Santana Moss
13. Steve Smith (CAR)
14. Austin Collie
15. Hakeem Nicks
16. Anquan Boldin
17. Donald Driver
18. Jeremy Maclin
19. Steve Smith (NYG)
20. Malcom Floyd
21. Johnny Knox
22. Mikes Wallace
23. Mike Sims-Walker
24. Wes Welker
25. Louis Murphy
26. Eddie Royal
27. Terrell Owens
28. Michael Crabtree
29. Mark Clayton
30. Legedu Naanee
31. Derrick Mason
32. Pierre Garcon
33. Hines Ward
34. Demaryius Thomas
35. Jacoby Jones
36. Braylon Edwards
37. Kenny Britt
38. Kevin Walter
39. Lance Moore
40. Devin Hester
41. Mike Thomas
42. Nate Washington
43. Jabar Gaffney
44. Davone Bess
45. Josh Cribbs
46. Mario Manningham
47. Lee Evans
48. Mike Williams (SEA)
49. Robert Meachem
50. Josh Morgan

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1. Chris Johnson
2. Frank Gore
3. Maurice Jones-Drew
4. Arian Foster
5. Micheal Turner
6. Pierre Thomas
7. Cedric Benson
8. Steven Jackson
9. Ray Rice
10. Darren McFadden
11. Rashard Mendenhall
12. Ahmad Bradshaw
13. LeSean McCoy
14. Ryan Mathews
15. LaDanian Tomlinson
16. Ronnie Brown
17. DeAngelo Williams
18. Beanie Wells
19. Jahvid Best
20. Matt Forte
21. Joseph Addai
22. Justin Forsett
23. Shonn Greene
24. Ricky Williams
25. Brandon Jackson
26. Clinton Portis
27. Peyton Hillis
28. Laurence Maroney
29. Tim Hightower
30. John Kuhn
31. CJ Spiller
32. Jonathan Stewart
33. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
34. Marshawn Lynch
35. Jerome Harrison
36. Ryan Torain
37. Willis McGahee
38. Donald Brown
39. Jason Snelling
40. Michael Bush
41. Sammy Morris
42. Mike Tolbert
43. Chester Taylor
44. Brandon Jacobs
45. Darren Sproles
46. Fred Jackson
47. Rashad Jennings
48. Bernard Scott
49. Correll Buckhalter
50. Javon Ringer

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1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Drew Brees
3. Peyton Manning
4. Philip Rivers
5. Matt Schaub
6. Tom Brady
7. Michael Vick
8. Donovan McNabb
9. Jay Cutler
10. Kyle Orton
11. Joe Flacco
12. Matt Ryan
13. Chad Henne
14. Mark Sanchez
15. Vince Young
16. Carson Palmer
17. Eli Manning
18. Bruce Gradkowski
19. Sam Bradford
20. Alex Smith
21. Matt Hasselbeck
22. Derek Anderson
23. David Garrard
24. Charlie Batch
25. Jimmy Clausen

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Love

Cedric Benson, RB, CIN – If the Bengals had another viable option at Quarterback Carson Palmer’s career would end in the middle of the season.  With poor QB play the Bengals will be forced to do what they do best, run the ball.  After getting back to the type of offense they ran last season in week 3, the Bengals are about to go up against one of the worst teams in the league… the Browns.  I would expect at least 25 carries with 100 yards and a score.  Benson is easily a top 10 RB this week.

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC - The Colts defense without Bob Sanders has been disappointing.  Their biggest weakness is against the run and with the quality of the Colts pass rush there is no reason to make David Garrard throw any more than he needs to.  MJD is back to 100% and should have a very good game against the Colts.

Austin Collie, WR, IND – The number one WR in fantasy football is not even the highest ranked guy on his team.  Garcon is going to be a game time decision this week and Collie has earned the trust of Peyton Manning.  In addition, players coming back from hamstring injuries usually do not get their full workload right away in an effort to ensure there are no setbacks.  Garcon’s workload is already shrinking and Collie is almost certain to be the one to join Reggie Wayne in any 2 WR formations.

Kyle Orton, QB, DEN – Orton, surprisingly, has a lot of receiving options at his disposal this season and coming off the best performance of his career it is hard not to have high expectations.  Orton just barely cracked my top 10 this week and if he is able to keep up this level of play then we will see him in the top 10 a few more times this season.

Louis Murphy, WR, OAK - I have been waiting for someone in Oakland to step up and earn the top spot on the depth chart at WR.  It appears as though Bruce Gradkowski was able to provide stability to the offense and over the past two weeks there has been some apparent chemistry between him and Louis Murphy.  Houston’s pass defense has been terrible so far this year and with how explosive the Texans offense is, the Raiders should need to air it out in an effort to keep up.

LaDanian Tomlinson, RB, NYJ – Gotta love the top RB on any team going up against this Buffalo defense.  Even though the Bills were able to score some points last week, the Patriots defense is pretty terrible.  The Jets should be able to play the typical Rex Ryan style of football and pound the running game and control the clock.  At least for now, LT is playing much better than Shonn Greene and should see the majority of the work for at least the first half of the season.

Donovan McNabb, QB, WAS – There is no way that McNabb rolls over in the big-story match up of the week.  The Eagles defense is going to be the reason the Eagles win this game, but McNabb will be plenty productive on the stat sheet.

Justin Forsett, RB, SEA – The Seahawks finally have the right idea, DON’T GIVE JULIUS JONES THE FOOTBALL.  Last week Jones got zero carries and Forsett was used as the feature back.  In a divisional match up against St. Louis this week Forsett, is a solid RB2 and great flex play.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, PHI - Maclin has certainly lived up to the preseason hype and there must be plenty of credit payed to Vick for this.  With four TDs in the first three games Maclin has developed a niche as a red zone threat for the Eagles.  I expect both the play of Vick and Maclin to remain at a high level.  Maclin should be a solid WR2 throughout the season.

Packers, D/ST, GB – The Packers would likely still be my #1 ranked defense even if Matthew Stafford was going to be active.  Last week the Packers lost a tough divisional game to the now first place Bears and I can’t imagine this game is anything other than a blowout with Jahvid Best on a bum toe.

Hate

Joe Flacco, QB, BAL – The Steelers have been playing lights-out defense so far this season and they are undefeated despite playing with sub-par quarterbacks.  Despite all the new weapons at their disposal this will not be a great statistical game for anyone on either offense.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR – Given the struggles of the Panthers and the poor performance of Stewart personally, you really can’t start the Daily Show until further notice.

Jahvid Best, RB, DET – Turf toe is a common injury in today’s NFL, but there is nothing common about the level of pain it causes.  If Best is active, his role and productivity will be hindered by this injury.

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF – The 9ers offense has been a huge disappointment and with the firing of their offensive coordinator there is little chance that starting Crabtree would pay off until we see that this offense can be competitive.

Anquan Boldin, WR, BAL - See Joe Flacco.

Lance Moore, WR, NO – Moore’s performance last week is not anything that you can predict or expect with any consistency.  Meachem and Henderson will have days like Moore did in week 3.  Rumor has it this guy named Colston is pretty good too.

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Studs

Michael Vick, QB, PHI – Vick is proving to be a very serious threat for fantasy owners after another huge game on Sunday.  In Philadelphia, Vick has more weapons than he has ever had before in his career and appears to have matured as a pocket passer.  This makes Vick even more frustrating for opposing defenses because he still has the speed to extend plays and make runs that no one else in football can.  I think it is reasonable to expect Vick to be a top 10 fantasy QB unless things take a dramatic downward spiral.

Kyle Orton, QB, DEN – Going up against the high-powered Colts offense Orton and the Broncos were forced to try and keep up with their aerial attack.  Even though they lost I was really impressed with the Broncos’ ability to stretch the field as Orton totaled a career-best 476 yards.  He only got one TD though and the team was terrible at running without Knowshon Moreno in the lineup.  Orton will be an efficient QB throughout the season if you have a bye-week need or injury.

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – Hillis has done what almost no running back in football has been able to do in a few years, run for over 100 yards against the Ravens.  This is quite an astonishing feat to be honest, but Jerome Harrison is likely to see a lot of carries when he is healthy.  Hillis should be considered a flex play from here on out, but he is the RB I would rather own from Cleveland after that game.

Anquan Boldin, WR, BAL - I was big on a lot of the Ravens but with Ray Rice getting hurt and Boldin shredding the Browns secondary, there was not much room for anyone else on the Ravens offense to be productive.  Anquan pulled in 142 yards and THREE TDs in an a surprisingly close win for the Ravens.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT – I had him on my love list this week and even with passing TDs Mendenhall was still able to find the end zone himself as well as get up over 100 yards.

Austin Collie, WR, IND – With Anthony Gonzalez and Pierre Garcon gone and Champ Bailey shadowing Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie is a beast.  It is going to be very interesting to see how the depth chart ends up once Gonzalez and Garcon come back.  If Collie can win the number 2 job, he will be what I thought Garcon was going to be… a top 15 receiver.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – A lot of people doubted DJax’s ability to make big plays without Donovan McNabb at QB.  Initially I thought Vick at QB was going to be worse for Jackson than Kolb would have been, but with Vick’s new-found poise in the pocket Jackson should be able to make these big plays almost as consistently as last season.

Louis Murphy, WR, OAK – We have been waiting quite a while for one receiver in Oakland to step up and earn the top spot and it appears that it will be Murphy.  After back to back good games Murphy should be able to fill the role of WR3 or flex play.

Dustin Keller, TE, NYJ – Sanchez has no other options for mid range passing plays and it appears that Keller is more than up to the task.  Keller has been a real surprise for anyone brave enough to take a chance on him and with Santonio Holmes being a deep threat, I don’t see his return as much of threat to Keller’s number of targets.

Duds

Matt Forte, RB, CHI – The Bears are the real deal and I am not concerned about Forte down the stretch, but this week he was only able to get fantasy owners 3 points.

Marques Colston, WR, NO – Lance Moore stole the show in a shocking Saints home loss to the Falcons.  I still view Colston as the best WR2 in fantasy football despite only getting 4 catches for 25 yards.

Miles Austin, WR, DAL – The Cowboys offense finally looked like we thought they would and Austin has his first bad game of the season.  Roy Williams did not likely transform into a reliable receiver overnight so I cannot see him cutting into the work that Austin would normally get.  Houston consistently double teamed Austin and considering it was not an effective strategy I would not expect too many teams to focus on him that much.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – I am still shocked that LT is the best RB in New York, but I do expect that to change as the end of the season approaches and LT wears down due to age.  Don’t start him unless you have to, but definitely don’t get rid of him.

Carson Palmer, QB, CIN – I know Ochocino is the more-often-started fantasy player, but his lack of production is the fault of Palmer and the reason I think Chad’s owners should try and trade him.

Steve Smith, WR, CAR – Matt Moore was at least able to use his best weapon effectively once per game, but Clausen will have brighter days ahead and I am not panicking on Smith yet.

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF – I don’t know what else to say, other than the 49ers suck.  I was confident they would win their division and it is bad enough that it is still a possibility.  I don’t agree with firing their Offensive Coordinator, but don’t drop Crabtree yet unless you can work him into a good trade.

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Pickups

Ryan Torain, RB, WAS – As long as Mike Shanahan is coaching in this league there will be some great waiver wire pick-ups at running back.  Torain tied Portis at 7 carries and while neither looked particularly good, each of them was able to rip off a big gain.  The Redskins as a whole looked pretty inept most of the game as they suffered a loss on the road against the Rams.  Bad weeks happen and while you still can’t start any of the Redskins running backs Torain and Portis should be on a roster as one of them will end up getting the majority of the work.

Roy Williams, WR, DAL - We cannot expect this kind of performance from Williams OR Austin down the stretch, but Williams may just not be useless after all.  While he did take the workload of Miles Austin this week, he will mostly cut into Dez Bryant’s production if he can remain a factor in this offense.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – Belichick remains true to form and after recently losing 2 of their top running backs the Patriots still deployed a committee of four running backs and being against the Bills they were all effective. BJGE (get used to it) by far led the team with 16 carries and fell just short of 100 yards (including a TD).  Given the soft match up and the likelihood that the Patriots feature someone else next week I wouldn’t start any of them, but Taylor and Green-Ellis deserve a spot on someones roster.

Laurence Maroney, RB, DEN – Once we found out that Moreno was going to miss the game due to his hamstring injury Correll Buckhalter became a very popular late-week pickup that was expected to do well against a Colts defense that had not been good at stuffing the run.  While he did not do well, averaging 2 yards per carry on 12 carries it is clear that his ex-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is more comfortable with Maroney as the lead back.

Dustin Keller, TE, NYJ - Hard to argue with his current production, but down the stretch Santonio Holmes will be the primary target for Sanchez and the Jets passing game.  Keller will remain a red zone target for Sanchez and could end up a top 10 TE on the season.

Aaron Hernandez, TE, NE - PPR owners that might need a TE do not need to look any further than this guy.  What really impressed me in this game was the end-around Hernandez took for a 13 yard game on the opening drive.  He looked like Wes Welker for a second there.  If you aren’t in a PPR league Keller is a better pick-up until Hernandez can prove he is able to find the end zone.

Dump List

Mohamed Massaquoi, WR, CLE – The Browns offense was more effective against this tough Ravens D than the Jets was this week and Massaquoi was not able to catch a pass.  Cribbs is the receiver that I want in Cleveland and he is almost definitely available unless your league counts return yards.

Carson Palmer, QB, CIN – The Panthers struggled all game and the Bengals leaned heavily on Cedric Benson who was very effective in week 3. Even with the success of Benson Palmer was unable to make either “superstar” wide receiver fantasy-relevant.  This once-great QB’s career is over and while they do not have any better options for this year, I expect the Bengals to target a QB early in next year’s draft.

Fred Jackson, RB, BUF – Lynch is the RB to own in Buffalo (other than Spiller of course!) and since the Bills offense won’t get any better than they were this week and either a trade or an injury will likely need to happen before you would consider using Jackson again this season.

Correll Buckhalter, RB, DEN – It is clear that 3rd down back is the only role Josh McDaniels intends to use Buckhalter in.  4 carries is not enough to be productive.

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