Question 1: Asked by @E_RICHT5F3LD

There are a ton of options at QB in my league who should I go with? Tebow, Moore, Sanchez, Smith, Flacco, Dalton, Fitzpatrick or Rivers.

Answer

I would have to say that it’s Tebow time!  Unless your league has some goofy scoring, I would take the consistency that Tebow provides.  His rushing ability has made it so that he is able to put up a solid point total every week.  This week he faces off against a tough Bears D but they should be able to wear down Chicago’s defense by keeping their offense off the field.  Without Cutler or Forte to help extend drives and win the field position battle on offense, I don’t see how they are able to bottle up the consistent and punishing run-game of the Broncos.

Question 2: Asked by @JoshVitale

Who do I start at Flex: Plaxico, Benson, D.Moore or K.Smith (if healthy)? Or should I just quit #fantasyfootball?

Answer

Quitters never prosper Josh… Play Benson.  He has a rough match up and while he is probably going to have a mediocre at best week, he is a feature back and therefore will see enough carries to make him worth the start.  We can reasonably expect A.J. Green to force Houston to respect the deep ball and this will open a few running lanes for Benson.  Whether or not he disappoints will come down to whether or not he punches one in but I think you have to play him in the playoffs, where risks tend to back fire.

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Bills at Giants

I am very excited to watch my Bills play this weekend as they go on the road to face Eli Manning and the Giants. The last time Buffalo played on the road they were beat by an inferior Bengals team as Fitzpatrick struggled against a stout defense.  The Giants defensive front is phenomenal and finally healthy. Jason Pierre-Paul is quietly having a breakout season and with Osi Umenyiora back, the Bills’ offensive line is in for a long day. It will be up to Scott Chandler and the running backs to aid in protection because if they can give Fitzpatrick time, Steve Johnson and David Nelson will be able to get open. Terrence McGee will finally be on the field after injuring his hamstring in the season opener and this is very good news for Bills fans. The Giants have one of the best wide receiver trio’s in the NFL now that Victor Cruz has emerged as a play maker. Hakeem Nicks is one of the best red zone targets in the NFL and Manningham is a very complete receiver with great hands who runs very crisp routes. The story of this game will be simple: turnovers. Buffalo’s secondary has been incredibly opportunistic and has forced 4 INTs from both Tom Brady and Michael Vick this season. Eli Manning had issues with turnovers last week against the Seahawks, throwing 3 interceptions. If the Giants want to win this game, they have to protect the football and pressure Fitzpatrick.  Rookie Chris Hairston has a tall-task in his second start filling in for the injured Demetrius Bell at left tackle, but nothing slows down the pass rush like an effective run game and I like Buffalo to win a close game this week on the shoulders of Fred Jackson.  I would not sit any of your fantasy players in this game because these offenses are not going to be stopped completely. Eli Manning remains an good QB2 option, but I am too nervous about him throwing too many INTs to start him in standard leagues. Ahmad Bradshaw has the best match up here and will see a lot of use unless the game gets out of hand. David Nelson makes a very nice flex play because the loss of Donald Jones should lead to an increase in targets for Nelson.

Cowboys at Patriots

This game should be an entertaining one to say the least. Tony Romo is always the deciding factor in big games for the Cowboys, he either makes unbelievable game winning plays or bonehead mistakes that hand the game to his opponent. Maybe it’s wishful thinking as a Bills fan but I think that with an extra week to prepare and Miles Austin back in the lineup, the Cowboys will be able to squeak out a victory in a nail-biter. The deciding factor for me is on defense; in the last 5 years no one has tallied more sacks than DeMarcus Ware who tallied 72 in that time frame. Of the two defenses, Dallas’ is the one that I think has the best chance to impact the game and force a couple turnovers. The smart money is certainly on New England because Dallas is not going to be able to contain Wes Welker and Tom Brady WILL score points. Neither defense is a scary match up for fantasy owners of all players in this game. I think Miles Austin and Dez Bryant are must starts along with Wes Welker who is on pace to break a few records this season. Tom Brady and Tony Romo should both be started with confidence as well but I don’t know as though any running back will have a huge game here. Each team has a weak secondary and plays a pass-first style of offense.

49ers at Lions

San Francisco has really impressed me after a slow start on offense. An easy schedule and a few timely punt returns have gotten them off to a 4-1 start and they have really started to impress me over the past two weeks on offense.  Alex Smith is playing smart and safe football and Frank Gore has been over 100 yards for the past two games. Detroit has been almost perfect over the first 5 games and they look to remain undefeated. This game will need to be won in the trenches. Detroit has invested a lot of high draft picks on their defensive line and San Francisco has invested their recent draft picks in their offensive line.  So far this season these young groups of lineman have been a huge part of their teams success and I think whoever wins THIS match up wins this football game. San Francisco has to keep Stafford and Megatron on the bench with a heavy dose of Frank Gore. Carlos Rogers is playing the best football of his life for the 9ers and has a pick in three straight games after returning one for a TD last week. I actually like San Fran to win a close game with a big play on defense giving them the edge. You have to start all your Detroit Lions though; Jahvid Best will be one of the best RB2 options for fantasy owners until he gets hurt and Calvin Johnson is by far the best receiver in the NFL for fantasy-purposes. Matthew Stafford is a very viable starter, but I don’t think he has too much big-game potential against this defense.   Alex Smith is an option in a pinch for 2 QB leagues if your having bye week issues, but I would stay away if possible.

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Pickups

Jackie Battle, RB, KC – I talked about Battle a bit on a podcast I appear on and mentioned him to some people in REALLY deep formats last week as someone that was likely to win the starting job soon. Soon was REALLY soon. In week 5, Battle had 119 yards and averaged 6.3 per carry. He had a really soft matchup this week against a Colts defense that hasn’t been able to stop the run for quite some time.  This is shown by Old Man Thomas Jones managing 55 yards on 10 carries. Battle saw more work, has younger legs and was more productive. He can’t be as good as Jamaal Charles but with bye weeks still to come, Battle makes a nice fill-in depending on his opponent.

Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA – It looked like Sidney Rice was going to be a big factor for the Seahawks passing game and I don’t see that changing at all. Statistical production is not the only way to be a factor.  Rice is clearly the best option for fantasy owners and he is also the guy that defenses are going to focus on the most.  This will open things up for Baldwin AND Obomanu who each managed double digit fantasy points this week as they each had a receiving TD.  Baldwin also had over 100 yards and caught 8 of the 9 passes that went his way. This really builds trust with your QB and should ensure a decent number of targets over the next few weeks.  You can pick up Obomanu too in deeper formats, but Baldwin had fewer targets, more catches and more yards.

Alex Smith, QB, SF – I feel bad for Smith. I think he is a decent, game managing QB. He has had more offensive coordinators that seasons he has started in San Fran and this makes it impossible for him to find a rhythm. Frank Gore is finally rolling and this opens the passing game for Smith and he has some quality receivers. He didn’t have a big yard total in week 5, but Smith threw for three TDs and if he has a nice match up while your QB is on Bye, Smith makes a viable fill-in option.

Jonathan Dwyer, RB, PIT – Issac Redman saw more carries than Dwyer (11 for Dwyer and 15 for Redman) and yet Dwyer was able to be twice as productive in yardage totals.  Neither guy saw the end zone, but Ben was hogging all the TDs. Redman also left this game early and I would much rather own Dwyer than Redman after this performance.

Pierre Garcon, WR, IND – I don’t think he’s that talented. I still think he struggles with drops. He has a LOT of chemistry with Curtis Painter. He can’t be left on free agency or waivers in any league. Those are the facts, as I see them.  I don’t believe in either him or his QB individually, but there is apparently an undeniable connection and understanding that these two guys have with each other. If it goes this way one more week, Garcon will sit higher in my rankings than Reggie Wayne.

Dump List

Chad Ochocinco, WR, NE – We are STILL waiting for 85 to be a factor in the Patriots offense and Brady is STILL having a career year. If it hasn’t clicked ONCE in 5 weeks, I don’t see it happening all year.  He still has upside but it is dropping by the week and he will need to get it done a few weeks in a row to earn enough trust to be worth a start.

Scott Chandler, TE, BUF – He is really just a red zone target in this Bills offense and even with wide receiver injuries piling up in Buffalo, I don’t see his yardage total increasing.

Denarius Moore, WR, OAK – The woes of trying to use a Raider receiver are still evident as they seem to be very inconsistent and take turns having a big game.  Jacoby Ford is the guy you want to own and I don’t have any issue with dropping any of the other guys. This week Heyward-Bey and Chaz Schillens were the big-producers and who knows who it will be next week.

Dallas Clark, TE, IND – Despite his talent, the offense is not able to use him effectively. On talent alone he is a top 5 guy but with no production at all this season, you can’t wait any longer to make a roster move that might actually get you some points.

Devery Henderson, WR, NO – As with all Saints receivers, there will still be big games for Henderson. You just can’t accurately guess when they will be.  He is own-able but if you have someone with a lot of upside on free agency, make the switch.

Kyle Orton, QB, DEN – Time to jump ship. Tebow might be the guy now and Orton hasn’t been very productive in the run-first John Fox offense.

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It’s time to start laying out my draft strategy for you this season! With no introduction at all, here is my break down of the QB talent pool for 2011!  Check my updated rankings out too!

Top Two

Last season, Michael Vick was BY FAR the best player in the NFL for fantasy owners.  He singlehandedly won games for those of us lucky enough to nab him off waivers when Kevin Kolb got hurt and personally, he propelled my injury riddled, fairly average team into the super bowl.  Vick outscored the next closest QB while only playing in 12 games on the season.  Aaron Rodgers has been a picture of consistency for fantasy owners over the past three seasons as a starter and because of this steady production as well as missing just one game over these three years locks him in as my top QB overall. I won’t be surprised if Vick outscores Rodgers again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Vick missed 4 or more games to injury either.  This is a classic risk-reward conundrum and in a year with a shortened offseason due to the lockout, I just can’t take that much risk and will be taking Rodgers over Vick all season long.

Elite Eight

There is plenty of other very reliable weekly starters at the QB position even if you miss out on one of the top two guys.  These “second tier” QBs include Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub and Tony Romo.  The last two guys still have some work to do to prove that they are an elite NFL QB but for fantasy owners, statistics are enough and these guys get them.  Schaub has Owen Daniels back at 100% to go along with Andre Johnson and a formidable rushing attack.  Vonta Leach left town for Baltimore this offseason, which will lessen the effectiveness of the running game and with all his receivers back to 100% healthy, look for Schaub to rebound this season and put up very considerable stats. Jason Garrett taking over as head coach gave the Cowboys a spark last season and they didn’t even have Romo in at QB.  There are tons of receiving options at Romo’s disposal this season and the Cowboy’s pass defense is vulnerable to the big play.  In order for Dallas to win games, they need to air-it-out early and often and while I am not sure the Boys can make it to the playoffs from their division… there is little doubt in my mind that Romo can help you make it to the playoffs.  Manning and Brady’s teams each drafted some help for their offensive line and Brady got a new receiver in Chad Ochocinco this off season.  I don’t think rookie offensive lineman make for much of a statistical boost for these two savvy veterans, but Ochocinco will prove to be a valuable deep threat to stretch the field and open up passing lanes for Brady.  Brady stays put in my rankings at 4^th but since the Colts were unable to add any receiving talent, I have to drop Manning below Rivers. Brees was hindered last season because of the injuries to the Saints’ running backs but with the addition of Mark Ingram, the team finally has a tough, hard-nosed, short yardage back in their toolbox to help convert on third and short and extend drives. And last, but certainly not least, is Philip Rivers.  The Chargers missed the playoffs last season largely due to special teams blunders and stupid mistakes that cost them games. These weren’t made by Rivers.  Philip is as risk-free as it comes with no games missed due to injury in the past five seasons and 3 consecutive 4,000 yard seasons under his belt. This year Vincent Jackson will be a part of the team all season and if Antonio Gates can stay healthy, Rivers WILL have a great year.

The Best of the Rest

If you are considering taking a QB outside my top 8, you might want to consider waiting until round 9 or 10 and just ensure you get a quality back up as well.  There might be a lot of talent worth investing in early, but some owners have to be left out.  Ben Roethlisberger leads this group of signal callers who I will be passing on come draft day.  He is the one standout that may be worth a 6^th or 7^th round pick, but he is still on a run-heavy offense and with two of his best options (Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders) being deep threats, I am also concerned about the level of consistency Ben will bring to the table. A lot of people are high on Josh Freeman this year too, but with such a young team… a lot can go wrong.  For what it is worth, I think Freeman is the real deal and he will continue to develop into a franchise QB.  With that said I am still not going to have him on a single one of my teams. This is because I am worried about his consistency if Blount is hurt and the offense becomes one dimensional or if Williams misses time, who will pick up his slack and make the big play? To me, the biggest value pick at QB is Joe Flacco at 12^th.  Flacco has been in development and in a lot of ways he is the best of the young QB talent in the NFL (except probably Matt Ryan).  Frustratingly for fantasy-owners, this has not been enough to make Flacco into an elite fantasy player.  Ray Rice is the feature of the offense and while he is a VERY good pass catcher, the lack of big play receiver has meant few long passing plays and even fewer 20+ fantasy point games for Flacco owners. The Ravens re-committed to their run game in the offseason with the signing of Vonta Leach and Ricky Williams but as Flacco settles into his role and builds report with his receivers, I certainly don’t expect him to dip in production.  He is certainly a great option as the last of the starting QB’s to come off my board on draft day.

Sleepers

Matt Schaub, Josh Freeman, Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb

Busts

Mark Sanchez, Matthew Stafford, Alex Smith, Eli Manning

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Every few days I will be breaking down each position in fantasy football to help you get ready for draft day.  Since they get all the glory let’s get it started with the Quarterbacks.  I am also updating the rankings for each position the day that the I do the breakdown.  You can catch the QB ranks here.

The Top Two

When ranking QB’s for fantasy drafts there are really only two options for the number one spot, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.  Both of these guys are precision passers with a big arm and touch when it is needed.  Not much room for criticism when talking about either guy.  Personally, I think there will be almost no difference in production from these guys in the passing game.  I rank Aaron Rodgers at number one solely because of his rushing ability.  It is never much, but around the goal line Rodgers is very good about getting the TD one way or the other.  In standard scoring the rushing TD is worth more than the passing one.  I expect around 300 yards rushing on the year and 3-5 TD’s.

The Rest of the Elite

Ranks 3 – 7 on my rankings are as follows: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Matt Schaub, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo.  My best recommendation is that you wait for one of these guys on draft day.  Last year Aaron Rodgers had a huge lead in total fantasy points among QB’s, but that won’t be likely to happen twice.  Typically, the difference between the number 1 QB and number 10 QB is not quite as big of a difference as you would think. For example, I just talked about the huge lead Rodgers had on the number 2 guy last year (who was Drew Brees).  That lead was 47 points.  The difference between Brees (2nd highest scorer) and McNabb (10th highest scorer) was only 23 points!  After these five guys you should not be confident with starting anyone regardless of their match up.  If you do land one of these guys then I believe there will be no need to draft a backup QB, just pick someone up off of waivers for their bye week.  Using this strategy will allow you to pick an additional high-upside guy at RB or WR in the late rounds.

The Best of the Rest

Rounding out the rest of the “starting” fantasy QB’s are Kevin Kolb, Joe Flacco and Jay Cutler.  This is where I would most like to make my QB selection for a standard scoring league.  My favorite QB to target in my drafts is Joe Flacco.  This guy is coming into his third year in the league.  It is time to put up or shut up for Joe, because he has the best set of offensive weapons any Baltimore Ravens QB has had at his disposal in a long time.  Flacco is a big sleeper for me this year because he has tools for every aspect of the passing game with Anquan Boldin and Dante Stallworth able to go over the middle and stretch the feild, Todd Heap and Derrick Mason for possession routes and short gains and we can’t forget about the element that Ray Rice brings to the passing attack out of the backfield.  Kevin Kolb has looked great in the first 2 preseason games and has even been able to involve DeSean Jackson in the intermediate routes which has me upgrading my expectations for both of them.  Jay Cutler is finally going to be playing in an offense that will use his strengths.  Mike Martz loves to stretch the field and pass it deep, I expect to see 30 – 40 passes per game.  I still foresee a lot of him getting hit and a throwing a similar number of interceptions… But he should have more yards and TD’s to make him a better QB in fantasy than he was last year.

The Rest

If you missed out on the top 10 QB’s that is unfortunate, but not the end of the world.  You will just now be left with the task of hunting the waiver wire for the guy playing against a terrible defense.  Among the best options in this group for you to scoop up on draft day are Brett Favre, Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, Chad Henne, Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlisberger.  There are serious reasons to be concerned with all of these guys.  Most people wouldn’t even put Chad Henne in this group, but with Brandon Marshall able to help him stretch the field everyone on offense will improve this year.  McNabb will be able to keep the Redskins offense on the field for longer drives.  He has an uncanny ability to buy time in the pocket to pick up crucial 3rd down conversions.  This means more plays, more fantasy points from any Redskins you may own.  I don’t think Eli will get his second 4,000 yard season this year, but he should go over 30 TD’s and have a similar total number of fantasy points.  I am afraid of Favre this year now that Sidney Rice is down for an extended block of time.

Sleepers

Joe Flacco, Chad Henne, Alex Smith and Jason Campbell.

Busts

Brett Favre, Matt Ryan, Mark Sanchez and Carson Palmer.

Recap

The QB pool is very deep this year, but there is a steep drop off outside the top 10.  If you are in a 12 or 14 team league do not be one of the teams left out of the elite QB’s.  There are about 8 of them so wait as long as you can without missing the boat.  There is no need to reach for Rodgers or Brees but if you pick really late in the first round snatch one up, the next pick is coming soon.

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This is the year of Frank Gore.  After drafting two offensive linemen this year and discovering that Alex Smith is indeed starting to develop nicely as a leader of their offense, I predict Frank Gore to be the biggest beneficiary.  Last year, through mediocre line play, a quarterback change and an injury Gore was the 6th highest producing RB in fantasy football.  Crabtree is another guy that should exceed expectations this year once he has a full off-season and training camp under his belt to build a rhythm with the offense.  The 49ers just brought in veteran Brian Westbrook after the retirement of Glen Coffee and he should be a great compliment to Gore who can come in on obvious passing scenarios.

Fantasy Relevant Players

Frank Gore – I predict 1600 yards and at least 10 Touchdowns.  The reason I rank him fourth is that if Smith and the passing game are a viable option and can keep the 8th man out of the box Gore will exceed both numbers.

Michael Crabtree – There was a reason this guy was able to holdout of his rookie season… He’s really good.  If he can mature as a player along side Alex Smith this season and years to come could get pretty exciting.  I have Crabtree ranked at around 15th at his position.

Alex Smith – He has two crutches to get him through this season successfully a hell of a defense and a hell of a running game.  The stage is set for his career to take off and I think this guy has what it takes.

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With the retirement of Kurt Warner there is no clear number one team in this division.  Both the 49ers and the Cardinals have young untested QB’s and the battle for the division could come down to which of these two gets the best performance from their Quarterback position.  The race could get interesting as Matt Leinart has better weapons at his disposal, however I like that Alex Smith will be able to lean on his superior running game and defense when things get rough. The 49ers are my favorite to win the division.  The Seahawks will not be able to contend for a playoff spot until they find and groom Hasselbeck’s replacement (Charlie Whitehurst sure looked good in week 1 of the preseason).  The Rams will remain a basement dweller this year, but if Bradford can live up to the expectations that won’t remain the case for very long.

Arizona Cardinals

St. Louis Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

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Today I want to discuss some of the picks made in this year’s draft that will directly impact fantasy football.  It is pretty difficult for a rookie in a skill position to make a big enough splash statistically to be relevant in fantasy football, but as Percy Harvin owners can attest to… it happens.  Rookies are also often drafted higher in keeper leagues so that you can reserve them for future seasons.

Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati, San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers traded up aggressively to get the 11^th pick in the draft to get a new left tackle in Anthony Davis.  Davis is a prototypical left tackle at 6’5’’ 323 lbs; he has long arms and quick feet.  With their pick at number 17 they further fortify their offensive line with Mike Iupati.  Iupati is quick and athletic and is a sure fit at guard where he can pull around the edge and seal off lanes for Frank Gore.  These selections give the 49ers their physicality back up front and solidify Gore as my number four RB for next season’s draft.  Alex Smith also stands to benefit from better protection up front.

Sergio Kindle and Terrance Cody, Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens did not pick in the first round this year, but got two potential first round players with the 11^th and 25^th picks of round two.  The Ravens have been known as a defensive power house for years now, but since the emergence of Flacco, Ray Rice and now Anquan Boldin on the offensive side of the ball, the defense has slipped.  The 43^rd pick landed the Ravens a great edge rusher Sergio Kindle who will be transitioning from DE to OLB. The 57^th pick gives the Ravens a new 354 lb nose tackle in Alabama’s Terrence Cody, and has helped shore up the hurting front seven on defense.  With the addition of these two the Ravens do wonders for their defense and will return to a dominating force on that side of the ball.  As of now the Ravens are my number two ranked D/ST.

Jimmy Clausen, Carolina Panthers – I liked Matt Moore’s production at the end of last season, and was planning to list him as a sleeper for the upcoming fantasy football draft season. The Panthers first pick in this year’s draft didn’t till the second round and they jumped on the opportunity to nab the most pro-ready QB in this year’s draft class… Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame was projected by many people to be a top 10 selection but he fell all the way down to the Panther’s lap at the 48^th pick.  Armanti Edwards was a QB in college but the plan is to transition him to wide receiver and utilize his throwing ability for trick plays and option plays out of the wildcat formation.  And to completely kill any chance that Matt Moore is going to start for any extended period of time they also ignored plenty of available needed talent to draft Tony Pike who played for the Cincinnati Bearcats.  Clausen is now the most viable QB from a fantasy standpoint but let’s be honest, you shouldn’t be drafting any of these guys.

Toby Gerhart, Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings made a surprising and perplexing decision to move up in the second round to take Toby Gerhart with the 51^st pick in the draft.  Gerhart is a big physical back that is adept running between the tackles.  In his 2009 Heisman Trophy campaign he racked up 1,871 yards and 28 TDs.  He led the country in both categories, but lost the trophy to Mark Ingram Jr. of the University of Alabama by the closest margin in the history of the award (28-points). As impressive as Gerhart is I don’t think that an offense that has Adrian Peterson can get the most out of him.  The issue is that because Gerhart is bigger physically than Peterson the goal line carries could very well go to Gerhart.  The Vikes needed to replace Chester Taylor who was shiftier than Peterson and was a better 3^rd down back for screens and check down passes, and they did not get that back in Gerhart.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out and I won’t be downgrading AP from his number 2 spot because they will need him more on third down, but it will likely cost him some touchdowns by the end of the season.

Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs – The fourth pick in the 2^nd round belonged to the Chiefs and they ignored a gaping need on the offensive line to add a dynamic playmaker at the running back position in Dexter McCluster.  While McCluster can do more than play RB all he can really do is take work from Jamaal Charles both on offense and in the return game.

Sleeper picks from the draft for the coming fantasy season: CJ Spiller (BUF), Dez Bryant (DAL), Demaryius Thomas (DEN), Ryan Mathews (SD), Dexter McCluster (KC – deep sleeper)

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Brad

Pick 2 (PPR/PPC League) Mendenhall vs. Oak, Jacobs vs. Dal, Charles vs. Den, Forsett vs. SF, McCoy @ Atl, and Wells vs. Min

Mendenhall is a given versus the Oakland run defense, in my eyes, and I was leaning towards Jacobs vs. Dallas because both Bradshaw and their 3rd string RB may be unable to play, leaving Jacobs with a bulk of the carries.

What do you think?

I gotta disagree with ya here Brad, I think Charles and McCoy are better options for you.  McCoy is a solid RB2 down the stretch till Westbrook comes back, and Charles has been on a tear as of late and I don’t foresee his production getting any worse this week!  McCoy is the safest play, and Charles is the guy if you need a big game!

Ed T

I am in a 12 team no PRR league and trying to get into playoffs with an important match-up.  Any advice on setting my line up would be highly appreciated.

QB’s – V. Young against Indy or J. Flaco against Green Bay or A Smith against Seattle.

RB’s – 1) J. Addai, against TItans 2) S. Slaton against Jacksonville 3) J. Stewart against Tampa Bay 4) J. Charles against Denver 5) R. Mendenhall against Raiders 5) J. Forsett against 49ers

WR’s 1)R. White against Eagles 2)Derek Mason against Green Bay or 3) Randy Moss against Miami

TE – D. Clark against Titans

Def – Steelers against Raiders

I need 2 RB’s 2 WR’s and a FLex RB

Thanks in advance!!!!

QB – Flacco is a no go given the quality of the GB secondary as of late not to mention his inconsistancy.  Young is a solid option, but with a tough match-up I don’t think he is your best bet. Smith plays a soft defense and has plenty of weapons, he is your guy this week.

RB1 – J Addai’s been very consistent and he’s the guy your going to need.

RB2 – Rashard Mendenhall is your best bet with Big Ben likely not be the focal point coming off his concussion and versus a SOFT rushing D

WR1 – REVENGE! The Patriots are looking for it and they wont stop scoring till time runs out.

WR2 – Backup QB or not Roddy White is the most talented guy you’ve got and will probably be facing man coverage while the Eagles blitz heavy to confuse the back up.

Flex – J Charles has been a BEAST lately, ride that wave!all set on TE and D/ST so good luck buddy!

MyZou

Should I start Cedric Benson or Pierre Thomas? Adrian Peterson is my other RB.

Benson all the way here buddy, i’m currently riding these two backs into the playoffs with a bye week already locked down. Hope you were able to have as much success! Benson was held out last week as mostly as a precaution, he is at 100% and is set for a big game. Don’t value him any differently because of the injury. It wasn’t bad and they just didn’t need him at all banged up going into the playoffs.  I wouldn’t value Benson any differently than you did before he got hurt, he is still a top10 guy.

JoshG

Avant or Mason?

Start Indy or Balt for defense?

Avant for sure, much bigger upside and he’s is facing the 27th ranked passing defense!  I’d have to say go with Baltimore due to their play making ability. It is very possible that both teams have 28 points scored on them, but Baltimore seems more likely that they have a defensive score or even possibly two. Ravens are ranked near number 10 this week and the Colts are around 15th.

Brett

I’m starting Ray Rice and Matt Forte, but if Deangelo Williams is out on Sunday, do I swap Jonathan Stewart for Forte?

If Williams is INACTIVE then yes, if they say he’s got a decreased role that could be BS and just start Forte since his match-up is so good.

Eddie

Should I play Santonio Holmes or Jason Avant?

Avant, he has been vulturing big plays from Jackson and Maclin lately anyways, now he’s going to be used a lot more often.

That is it for this weeks columns folks, stay tuned on game-day for injury updates as well as a link to my live Q&A on game-days!

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Pick-ups

Well if your league is like mine then you are entering the last week before the playoffs start this week!  Time to earn your week 14 bye or solidify your playoff spot.  At this point in the season Weekly additions are hard to come by and typically injury related.  So lets use this chance to cover all eventualities that could hurt you down the stretch!  Some of these pick-ups will be all wrong for your team and are not a concern, but if you have a roster spot up in the air due to concussions… (who doesn’t… honestly!) then having one of these players may pull you out of a tough jam!  This week I will be going by position and talking about the most likely available people at each spot.

QB

Alex Smith (SF) – This QB was expected by most to be inside the top 10 Sunday with a very good match-up against Jacksonville.  If you are among the people nervous about the Warner or Roethlisberger injuries then Smith can provide relief.  Apart from a 2 point flop against Chicago, Smith has provided double digit fantasy points in each game he appeared (including his second half against Houston).

Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF) – This is a big stretch, but there are leagues out there that start two QBs and have 12 or 14 teams, given the injuries and uncertainties in some of the NFL franchises you can do worse than Fitz.  Given that Brady and Brees haven’t played yet this week Ryan Fitzpatrick sits at number 3 among all fantasy QBs (as always based on ESPN standard scoring) and he played a very solid Dolphins defense.  This team is on a bit of a turn around at the moment, and in a fantasy perspective this guy out performed almost everyone… including both Manning’s, Schaub, Rivers, Romo, and McNabb!

Vince Young (TEN) – His style has never been effective in translating to fantasy productivity, and I do not see anything changing.  From a real perspective Young looks polished, disciplined, and like a leader as the Titans needed!  You shouldn’t ever need Young to break 20 points but you can rely on double digits from how it looks.

RB

Three of the top four RBs in fantasy football this week were at the beginning of the season were virtually nobodies!

Justin Forsett (SEA) – This guy has been on add lists all over the place including my own, and for good reason.  Number one fantasy back honors for week 12 against a phenomenal match-up Sunday vs the Rams.  If your league managers have been in a closet for three weeks it’s not too late, grab him now!

Fred Jackson (BUF,)  -  Being in Buffalo I have heard a lot about the Jackson Lynch time-share today and it is going flip what we have been expecting and seeing since the duo got together.  Jackson is expected to become the starting back and Lynch will be a compliment to him.  Fewell has this team believing in itself and on a short week Jackson is a solid RB2 down the stretch assuming the Bills stay on this path!

Jamaal Charles (KC) – Again, If your fellow managers have been living under a rock don’t think it’s too late this guy is on the rise!

Lex Hilliard (MIA) – Williams had another very good game this week in a tough loss to the Bills, but he is 32 and cannot handle the workload Ronnie Brown had, Hilliard has been productive when he gets carries which will be increasing all the rest of the season.

Jason Snelling and Jerious Noorwood (ATL) – Turner owners are at a loss for words after he re-injured his ankle after the surprising and stupid decision to test the ankle so soon.

WR

Jason Avant (PHI) – DeSean Jackson has a concussion and owners should expect a week or two off, Avant is a great addition to any team that needs help these weeks, but especially to those of you who lost Jackson!

Kenny Britt (TEN) – This team is scary good since Young started taking snaps and everyone is benefiting greatly, Britt becomes a decent flex or WR3 choice from here on out.

Antonio Bryant (TB) – 91 yards and a TD Sunday and because of his injury he is available in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues.

Chris Chambers (KC) – If you were skeptical before you really can’t be any more…

TE

I heartily recommend that owners ignore stats other than fantasy points allowed to tight ends.  They require the defender to have a unique skill set to cover in the passing game, only certain teams have players capable of keeping a TE consistently covered.  And also many times a team’s offensive success HURTS the tight end as if the receivers are getting open deep the check down is not used.

Fred Davis (WAS) – Davis broke double digit points this week with a TD catch and is available in 87% of leagues.  Been some injuries at the position this season and there is no reason to keep adding and dropping based on match-ups.

Bo Scaife (TEN) – Again, this team is on the swing, and Scaife’s targets will be up.

Dump List!

Hester, Moats, Lynch, Julius Jones, Westbrook, Bowe, McGahee (still owned in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues… I can’t believe that!)

Good Luck making the last minute playoff push! Remember, you can submit questions to me on twitter by following me (see the link above!) and get answers right away as well as featured in my weekly mailbag post!

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