Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards rushing in a single season was set in 1984.

This record was believed by many to be unbreakable in the modern era of pass-first offense.

Adrian Peterson is just 294 yards away from that record with two games left to play.

The Vikings are still in the Playoff hunt.

They face Houston and Green Bay in these next two games and must win both.

Peterson is averaging over 160 rushing yards per game since week 7.

Eli Manning was drafted as a QB that was just outside the elite tier of guys at his position.

Many believed that he was going to take a step forward this season and join that elite class.

Eli is the 19th best QB in the NFL as far as fantasy points scored on the season.

In 4 of the last 7 games, Eli has 5 of fewer fantasy points.

Eli has only had THREE 300+ yard passing games on the season.

If you are still alive in the playoffs and Eli is your QB, you are incredibly lucky.

Eli is UNSTARTABLE the rest of the season.

Demaryius Thomas now has 5 straight games under 100 yards receiving.

He has not scored a TD in 2 straight games.

The Broncos offense has been just fine in these games.

Thomas will remain a top 10 fantasy WR on my rankings.

I hate Tony Romo.  He is an AWFUL NFL QB.

He makes incredibly stupid decisions at seemingly random times and I would not trust him to run my offense if I was an NFL head coach.

Tony Romo is a top 10 fantasy QB.

I surprised myself saying that, as I have been very critical of Romo all season long.

Tony has had double digit fantasy points every week since week 4.

Romo plays two BAD secondaries in his final two games. (New Orleans and Washington)

I would start Romo in the Super Bowl over Roethlisberger, Dalton, Stafford, Eli Manning, Freeman, Flacco and Schaub.

The NFL leader in touchdown receptions is James Jones.

Jones has just half the catches of Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall and Wes Welker.

Jones has a measly 622 receiving yards.

James Jones will not be my top ranked Packers wide receiver.

I wish you all the best of luck in your super bowl match-ups this weekend.

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Love

Alfred Morris, RB, WAS – To be clear, I couldn’t care less if RGIII plays or not.  Even if he plays, Morris’ workload WILL increase as a precaution to try and keep Griffen from running too much.  Morris was already an irreplaceable factor for this offense and given his youth, they won’t be afraid to lean on him.

Vincent Jackson, WR, TB – The Buccaneers are headed on the road to New Orleans this week and that means there are two bad defenses on the field and the potential for a lot of points to be scored.  Jackson has been an amazing addition for Tampa and they have been able to keep him VERY productive.  They are going to have to throw deep to keep up with Brees and that should mean plenty of opportunity for VJax.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, CIN – The Law Firm has been on a tear lately and with a game against the Eagles (among the worst defenses in the NFL since firing Juan Castillo) this week, there is no reason to expect a change.  Law Firm is typically a mid-to-low end RB2 but in this matchu-up, he falls just outside the top 10.

Danario Alexander, WR, SD – Alexander continues to be a force for the Chargers offense that took down Pittsburgh this past week.  Danario is a large man that uses that size to box-out defenders and give Philip Rivers somewhere to throw.  So far he is the only guy getting open with any consistency and that isn’t likely to change against a shaky Panthers secondary.

Cam Newton, QB, CAR – There is no hotter QB in the NFL at the moment and especially so for fantasy owners.  Newton has had 37, 28 and 36 fantasy points in the past 3 weeks. Atlanta is the only defense that was really any good in this stretch but San Diego is far from a great defense too and I think, if your still alive in the playoffs, you’ve GOTTA keep Newton in there.

Jamaal Charles, RB, KC – This may seem like an obvious one here but Charles owners should have high hopes this week.  The Raiders are just 26th against the run and they are struggling as of late.  Charles is the entirety of the Kansas City offense and is almost certain to see the 100 yard mark this week.

Hate

Michael Turner, RB, ATL – The fact that Turner keeled over in exhaustion at the end of the game and by coincidence fell over the goal line does not give me any confidence.  Watch the tape people, this isn’t the same guy you had on your team three years ago.  He’s too slow to get through a hole and into the second and third levels like he used to, leave him on your bench because ALL of his value is at the goal line.  It’s like starting Michael Bush.

Denarius Moore, WR, OAK – I won’t be surprised if he gets a big game here but it’s about risk in the playoffs and that is one thing that Moore has in spades.  The whole Raiders team is floundering a little bit and while Moore was good for you in the middle of the season, don’t look for it here.  I know the match up is appealing but you need safe and consistent, not a hail-mary.

Jay Cutler, QB, CHI – The Packers do not have a crippling defense by any means but the Bears DO have a pretty bad offensive line.  Clay Matthews is set to return and with all that rest, he’s going to be coming back with a vengeance. If he gets in Cutler’s face early on, it will frustrate the Bears signal caller and we’ve all seen him play when he is frustrated.

Torrey Smith, WR, BAL – Mr. Smith, have you met Champ Bailey?  You are about to.  Old man Bailey has been playing like he’s 25 again this season and he’s doing that all with the added experience that comes from actually being 34 years old.  Jim Caldwell will utilize Ray Rice much more now that he has the offensive coordinator position and that makes Smith nothing more than a poor flex option this week. 27th among WRs in my rankings.

Bryce Brown, RB, PHI – I can’t believe analysts can still put Brown as an RB 2 this week.  I had him at 20 last week, after consecutive great games and now that he just put up zero points last week, they have him higher… it doesn’t add up to me.  You won the lottery if you started this guy and won last week, don’t try and win it twice.

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Adrian Peterson has had 100 yards in 7 straight games.

He has 8 touchdowns in that same stretch of games.

He has only one game without a score in that 7 games.

Adrian Peterson is the unquestionable number 1 overall RB for fantasy owners, sorry Arian Foster.

Aaron Rodgers had a pretty bad statistical performance this past week.

There was significant snowfall in this game and a 10 mile per hour wind.

The weather was not a factor.

Aaron Rodgers is not someone you can even consider benching in the fantasy playoffs.

You a very possibly out of the playoffs if you own Aaron Rodgers.

When you drafted Ray Rice, you thought he was going to be a sure-fire 100 yard rusher.

He only has 3 100 yard rushing performances.

Rice has just 3 games over 100 yards rushing.

He is every bit as talented as he ever was.

The Ravens and the recently fired offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron, were just not game planning to Rice’s strengths.

This is why Cam Cameron is now unemployed.

Jim Caldwell would probably like to keep his new job.

Jim Caldwell is going to plan for a run-first offense.

Ray Rice is as valuable as he has been all season long.

AJ Green scored a TD in every game from week 2 through week 11.

He now has 3 straight games without a score.

Before this drought, Green had been incredibly successful for the entirety of his young career.

You can, under NO circumstance, even CONSIDER benching Green.

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Love

Frank Gore, RB, SF – Not many teams have as strong of a commitment to the run as the 49ers do.  Colin Kaepernick didn’t have his best game passing the ball against the Rams this past week and in order to get back on track, I anticipate a heavy dose of Gore.  Don’t sweat the match-up either because the Dolphins are not the stout run defense that they were in the first half of the season. I blame the offensive for this as their inability to convert on third downs has led to a tired defense late in games and they simply get over run. Expect more of the same this week when the east coast team travels west.

Victor Cruz, WR, NYG – I expect both Cruz and Nicks to do very well in this game. Let’s be honest about their opponent… Brees is NOT going to lay another egg like last week and the Saints defense is NOT going to be able to stop this Giants offense that really turned a corner last week on offense. Manning certainly played better than before the bye week but the timing was just a shade off against the Skins and I expect the throws to be right on time the rest of the way.  New York always finishes the season strong and because of that, I love their players during the fantasy playoffs.

Matthew Stafford, QB, DET –There are a lot of negatives surrounding the Lions right now.  They dropped too many winnable games early in the season to be fighting for a playoff spot and injuries have decimated the receiving corps but Calvin Johnson remains healthy and that is enough for me.  The Packers secondary is their weak spot and with Clay Matthews looking to miss this game as well, Stafford will have plenty of time to let Megatron get open before he dumps it off to Pettigrew and Mike Thomas.  If somehow Stafford DIDN’T cost you your playoff spot, you can confidently start him this week.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, CIN – The Bengals lost an offensive weapon (Mohammed Sanu) to IR this week and while it won’t have a big impact on the game plan, it could lead to a few extra run plays.  Given that the Law Firm has been playing by and far his best football of the season over the past three games, I am able to start him with as much confidence as I’ve ever been able to all year.  Dallas isn’t a good match-up but after what Bryce Brown did to them last week, I am far from scared of playing a quality running back against them.

Browns, D/ST, CLE – It takes a lot for me to step up and stake a claim to a defensive unit for my love list but here it is.  And it’s the Browns of all teams.  Everyone has been so surprised by the production of Trent Richardson, Josh Gordon and Brandon Weeden that they don’t notice that it is the defense keeping them a competitive ball club. The wins haven’t come but they also haven’t played any games against Brady Quinn yet.  Jamaal Charles will be productive but the Browns have as much value this week as they ever will and at 6 in my rankings, they are the defense that I am looking to on free agency this week.

Pierre Garcon, WR, WAS – A TON of owners bailed on this guy after a few too many weeks on the inactive list.  I scooped him up in a few leagues and I have to say, he’s a great addition so late in the year.  This is the unquestioned top threat for RGIII, who is going to make plays regardless of who is on the field. Given the elite level of play that Griffen has been displaying on a weekly basis, it’s hard to imagine there being very many under-whelming games for Garcon.  He didn’t crack my top 20 quite yet but if he can find the end zone again this week, he’ll be there for sure for week 15.

Hate

Tony Romo, QB, DAL – Throw away all the stats about what month it is because they are irrelevant, albeit fun to talk about.  Tony Romo has been awful all year.  The team sits at .500 and yet it’s been in spite of the play of Romo.  He is making poor decisions and turning the ball over far more consistently in years past and I can’t trust him to be a starter in anything but the deepest of leagues.

Josh Gordon, WR, CLE – I had written some positive things about Gordon leading up to my rankings and then, quite frankly, I wussed out.  I just can’t list a Cleveland Browns receiver inside my top 20 inside the playoffs. He fell to 28 in my ranks because I am not supremely confident that I can expect him to score a TD, even if it IS against the Chiefs.  There is even a decent chance that Richardson runs away with the game and the Browns aren’t focused on the vertical passing game.

Stevan Ridley, RB, NE – I am fully aware of how good he has been for you thus far but a lot of owners would be wise to sit him down this week against the Texans.  Houston can move the ball on offense however they chose, especially against such a weak defense.  This leads me to believe that they game plan will be heavy on Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels and a little lighter for Arian Foster.  The Patriots on the other hand, won’t have free reign on offense as they play host to one of the best defenses in the AFC.  Brady will need to be slinging the ball around and Ridley’s value will be too dependent on goal line work for me to call him a must-start, which I think most people would do.

Antonio Brown, WR, PIT – This is more so a cautionary warning for Brown owners with a bad memory.  He was AWFUL so far this season prior to the injury and when you add in the fact that Big Ben’s performance will likely be less than 100%, there isn’t a lot of faith that starting Brown won’t mean my season is over.

Michael Turner, RB, ATL – I saw his game last week and I still can’t get myself to want to start this aging running back.  He even has a decent match-up against Carolina who I expect to lose by a fair margin, which would usually mean a fair amount of work to run clock and put the game on ice.  I am just too worried about the prospect of a 13 carry 45 yard performance with Rodgers and Snelling seeing a little bit more work to ensure the healthy of Turner in the post season.

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Love

Cam Newton, QB, CAR – Newton showed us all, last week, that he can still put up some BIG numbers against bad teams.  The team lost Jonathan Stewart and while fantasy owners wouldn’t believe it, it will have a negative impact on the team.  DeAngelo Williams has been the worse of the two and with him getting the lion’s share of the work, I believe the running game will suffer significantly because of it.  Expect them to ask Cam to pick up the slack around the goal line and expect him to have a nice day throwing as well.  He falls just outside my top 10 but only because Kaepernick has a little more upside to me.

Jamaal Charles, RB, KC – The Chiefs are pretty bad and unfortunately that can mean abandoning the run and looking to the air but Carolina is ranked 25th at defending the run and Charles is better than your average running back.  I think Crennel would like to keep his job and if that means winning more games, he just might give Charles another 30 carry game.  Don’t rely on that but if Charles starts strong, I wouldn’t be remotely surprised to see it.

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND – The way to beat the Lions is by passing.  They will be throwing a ton themselves (the leagues top passing offense), so you will have to keep up and their secondary is pretty porous.  Andrew Luck has been solid and Wayne has been great as he is on pace to beat his personal record for single season receiving yards.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG – I don’t think he can hold up all the way through a playoff run, physically, and history backs me up on that.  However, the Giants need to MAKE the playoffs first and a key to that will be keeping Robert Griffen III off the field by running the ball with Bradshaw.  I don’t expect Coughlin to suddenly throw David Wilson out there more than he has to.  The Redskins defense is really bad too so i’m looking for a great performance from Bradshaw as well as the passing game.

Justin Blackmon, WR, JAC - I ranked Cecil Shorts considerably higher but Blackmon was the more surprising to me, considering that he was the second guy to make it into the top 25.  Buffalo’s defense has been pretty stout in recent weeks but that doesn’t mean that there isnt fantasy production to go around.  The weak spot, still, is the secondary and if Henne and the Jags wanna win some games, they will pass a TON this week.  Even if MJD makes it out there, you have to think it’s a limited touches scenario and the passing game will remain the feature of the offense.

Danario Alexander, WR, SD – He’s started three games and even with one of them being as a tight-end, he has been the most effective receiver in every single one.  This is a really good flex-option and he is fast approaching WR 2 territory with another strong game this week.

Hate

Trent Richardson, RB, CLE – I didn’t know I hated Richardson till I finished my rankings and looked at what the other websites had up… TOP THREE?! Not for me.  He’s been great and I think he is one of the best RB2′s you can ask for but he’s a Cleveland Brown and that limits your upside significantly.  I would not start him over any of the elite guys just because of his nice match-up.  So, if you own Peterson, Doug Martin and CJ Spiller, which is incredibly possible, you just keep Richardson on your bench and don’t let anyone make you feel bad about it.

Danny Amendola, WR, STL – I wouldn’t blame PPR owners for playing him but even there he is a flex play at best against the incredibly stout 49er defense.

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN – People, hear me now and remember how right I was later… THIS IS NOT A TOP 10 RUNNING BACK.  He’s put up far too many awful performances, he plays behind an awful offensive line  and plays against the Texans this week.

Brandon Lloyd, WR, NE – I really thought he was going to be a flex play again for one more week but I just couldn’t do it. Not with your playoff chances on the line. Sit him down and live to fight another week.

Dustin Keller, TE, NYJ – I really like Keller but he hasn’t been consistent and all I can think about is the fact that the Cardinals picked off Matt Ryan 5 times a couple weeks ago and now they play Sanchez.

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The New York Giants have the second easiest schedule for fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs for the playoffs.

Ahmad Bradshaw is 15th in the NFL in points scored among running backs.

Andre Brown has been the goal line back since he played relief-duty for Bradshaw earlier in the season.

Brown is now on IR and Bradshaw will be getting those goal line touches.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis has just 2 100 yard games and 5 TDs on the entire season.

2 of those 100 yard games have come in the last two weeks.

In each of those games he also scored once.

The emergence of Andy Dalton and the passing game has helped bring the 8th man out of the box and into pass coverage.

Cincinnati has an incredibly tough schedule for fantasy points allowed during the playoffs.

The Law Firm is going to sit at around 18 or so in my rankings headed into the playoffs.

Denarius Moore had at least 4 catches in every game between weeks 3 and 10.

Moore has just 2 catches in as many games.

Oakland has the 5th hardest schedule for fantasy production at the wide receiver position.

Moore is not going to be anything more than a bad flex play headed into the playoffs.

Josh Gordon is a big-play threat.

Gordon has not scored a TD in 5 weeks, which includes a bye week.

Brandon Weeden has a good chance to make it back to action in time for next week’s game.

The next three match-ups for Cleveland are Oakland, Kansas City and Washington.

Gordon is a poor flex option in a standard 10 team league.

Brandon Lloyd has just 1 game with more than 5 receptions since week 3.

Lloyd has just 3 TDs on the season.

Brandon Lloyd is only even a consideration at the flex position for one more week, while we see what happens with Gronkowski out.

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There are only 3 teams in the NFL with a worse ranked pass defense than the Washington Redskins.

DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin combined for 2 catches, 5 yards and ZERO fantasy points this week against Washington.

Nick Foles completed just 45.6% of his passes in this game on 46 attempts with 2 interceptions and 3 fumbles, all of which were recovered by the Eagles.

There are no Eagles that I will consider playing, apart from LeSean McCoy, until Vick is back on the field.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were an irrelevant team to fantasy owners before this week.

The Jags lost their starting QB due to injury and benched their starting RB in the first quarter of this week’s Texans game.

They were beating the AFC’s best team by 14 points in the 4th quarter.

Justin Blackmon doubled his receiving yardage and TD total on the season with Chad Henne at the helm, totaling 236 yards and a score.

Blackmon is the top fantasy receiver on the team and has more upside than Shorts or Robinson have had all season long.

Jalen Parmele did what everyone hoped Rashad Jennings could do, in the toughest divisional match-up of the year, with 24 carries and 8 yards.

Parmele is a flex-worthy play next week and until MJD returns.

This article contains easily three times the “Jaguars talk” that has appeared on this site all season long.

Andrew Luck is the 7th highest scoring fantasy-player in the NFL so far this season.

He only has two difficult match-ups on the horizon and they are both against the Texans, in weeks 15 and 17.

Luck HAS to be considered a top 10 QB in every week that he is not playing against Houston.

Colin Kaepernick looked FAR more poised in  the pocket this week as opposed to last week.

He was effective at stretching the field vertically and his ability to run must be accounted for at all times.

His value will very likely be higher than Alex Smith’s is as the starter, should he indeed get the job.

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Pickups

Danny Amendola, WR, STL – The fact that 30% of leagues have this guy on waivers or free agency still is mind boggling. If he is out there, SCOOP HIM UP! We are talking about a flex-option regardless of match-up. Don’t believe me? He had 11 catches on 12 targets against the 49ers, who are arguably the best defense in the NFL.

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – All signs point to an immediate return to the field in week 12, as soon as Wells is eligible to do so.  LaRod Stephens-Howling has been a Cardinal since before they drafted Wells and Williams so if they thought he was a better option, he wouldn’t have had to wait until both guys got hurt to see the field.  Wells will be the lead back and see the most carries immediately upon his return.  While I’m not convinced that he can do much with these carries, especially behind that o-line, he has to be owned if he is indeed the starter.

Colin Kaepernick, QB, SF – The 49ers may be without Smith for a little bit, a concussion is not a sure-thing to come back from the following week.  I thought Colin looked nervous and indecisive this week in the tie with St. Louis.  He missed some open receivers and didn’t make the best decisions.  On sheer athletic ability, however, he will be ranked in my top 15 should Smith be out.  He is THAT good of a rusher.

Dustin Keller, TE, NYJ – Wake up fantasy owners (especially in PPR leagues).  Dustin Keller is back from injury.  He would have been inside my top 5-7 had he not been hurt coming into the season and he is definitely the best pass catcher that the Jets offense has.  It was a tough matchup this week and he didn’t kill you but things look even brighter next week against the Rams.

Sidney Rice, WR, SEA – He really isn’t available in many leagues but you have to double-check and hope that he is.  His numbers made me stop and double check to see if it was an error… I’m not a Russell Wilson fan but he knows how to get the most from Rice and really Golden Tate too.  He is a very good flex option until he stops performing like it.

Chris Ivory, RB, NO – This isn’t the first time I’ve said this so apparently the Saints don’t read my blog… absurd right? Chris Ivory is the best rushing RB that the Saints have.  I’m sorry Thomas or Ingram supporters, it’s the truth.  He may not be the most talented but his instincts are better and he is making plays that the other backs simply are not.  There is a decent chance that the Saints just put this guy back to the bench but what I saw this week was enough to make Ivory worth picking up and stashing on your bench until we see if he gets more carries.

Dump List

Dolphins, D/ST, MIA – The Dolphins defense was allowing just 60 or so rushing yards per game in the first quarter of the season.  In the second quarter, they have allowed around 120 per game.  Something has changed and you can’t sit around and hope they figure it out.  Drop them and continue playing the waiver wire on a weekly basis.

DeAngelo Williams, RB, CAR – There is just always going to be a time split here.  We’ve seen one of the two guys get hurt and have never seen either Panthers back do anything with the lead carries in quite a while.  I’m done waiting around hoping they get some of their value back.  Dump them with confidence.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR – See above.

Jeremy Kerley, WR, NYJ - He is admittedly, the best wide receiver on the team but I don’t want my fantasy success tied to Mark Sanchez in any way.  You aren’t likely using him anyway so if you can get someone on the pick-up list, I have NO problem with dropping Kerley.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND – Only owned in 30% of leagues but even that is too many.  If it isn’t a 14 team league, look somewhere else… there is almost CERTAINLY better options out there.

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Love

Stevan Ridley, RB, NE – There are a lot of people out there that are under the assumption that the Patriots are a pass-first offense. New England has attempted 276 rushing plays and 323 passing plays.  A surprisingly even split when the perception is that they almost never run.  Ridley is the lead back on the NFL’s 4^th best rushing offense and he is playing against the NFL’s 31^st ranked rushing defense.

Matthew Stafford, QB, DET – Stafford didn’t knock his fantasy owners’ socks off last week with points.  He did however play pretty well and the team was running the ball with an effectiveness that we have really never seen before.  This ability to run the ball opened up Calvin Johnson in the passing game.  Stafford should bounce back well in the second half of the season.

Stevie Johnson, WR, BUF – Johnson has been a fairly large disappointment in the past few weeks.  The Bills passing offense has fallen apart and they are leaning heavily on their running game.  But, I’ve got news for fantasy owners… New England’s secondary is awful.  Aqib Talib is not eligible to play for the Patriots yet as he finished out his suspension and it is reasonable to look for 100 yards and a score from Johnson this week.

Rashad Jennings, RB, JAC – It may be hard to get excited about a back up running back on the worst team in the NFL.  Sorry Jaguars fans, I don’t mean to offend, but they really are that bad. I am excited because this is a winnable game for Jacksonville.  They are playing at home against the 5-3 Indianapolis Colts, who have a terrible run defense.  They have been gashed by a variety of backs this season and Jennings will have more room to run in this game than any Jaguar back has all season.  Get this guy in your lineup unless your team is stacked.

Brandon Meyers, TE, OAK – The only thing that I am nervous about with Meyers is that he is on a west coast team that is traveling to the east, to play at 1pm.  Carson Palmer is playing pretty well as of late and Oakland is starting to improve.  Darren McFadden is banged up and even if he gets out there, which I doubt, he will have a limited role.  This means that Oakland will be opening up the passing game even more this week and Meyers has been a VERY sure-handed and reliable threat for Palmer all season.  He’s close to being a top 10 guy until further notice.

Brian Hartline, WR, MIA – If after last week, you still require more proof to believe me when I say that Tennessee is a bad team, your insane.  The offense was turning the ball over like crazy and the secondary couldn’t contain Brandon Marshall, who was the primary AND secondary receiver on every pass that Jay Cutler threw.  Hartline is no Brandon Marshall but he is a reliable weapon for Tannehill and could be in-line for his second best game of the season.

Hate

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – The Jets offense has struggled, to say the least, at times this season and while Greene has been able to put up some very good statistical performances, he has yet to WOW me when I watch the game film.  Seattle has one of this season’s best defenses and when they are at home, they can shut down ANYONE. This is not a good week to risk your fate on Greene or any New York Jet.

Mike Williams, WR, TB – A LOT of fantasy analysts have listed Mike Williams as a top 20 guy this week and honestly, I think that this is absurd. He has not had a 100-yard game in 3 weeks and while he has 3 TD’s in 4 games, I am not sure that there is any real certainty that he will be continuing this trend.  Don’t get me wrong, his value is on the rise and he is a viable flex option but a WR #2? Get real… not yet.

Tony Romo, QB, DAL – IF you still love this guy, you haven’t seen his games.  You should have been in the market for a new QB already and Josh Freeman, Carson Palmer and Andrew Luck all found their way above Freeman in my rankings. Sit Romo down or you are asking to lose.

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN – I was really upset when Johnson pulled the fluke 80 yard TD run out of thin air as the Titans were DOMINATED by the Bears last week.  If you take away that ONE play, Johnson would have gotten you just two fantasy points.  He is not a top 20 guy and just a flex-option because it is possible that he pulls another big play out of nowhere.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, PHI – Dallas’s defense has been incredibly improved from last year.  That goes double for the secondary, which was simply awful last season.  Between that and how poor Vick has been playing lately, there is not much chance of quality production from Maclin.  DeSean Jackson gets ranked higher this week because he is far more likely to take a short pass the distance but even he is just a flex-play in a week where big-plays are not very likely.  If your desperate, you can use Maclin because NFC East games tend to be tough to analyze… anything can happen.

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Love

Vincent Jackson, WR, TB – Making a claim about VJax’s production is always playing with fire.  He takes plays off and looks slow and tired some games but coming off of a long rest following their Thursday night game, Jackson seems poised for a big game.  Josh Freeman has been playing great for 3 weeks in a row now and Jackson had all that time for his legs to get fresh.  Oakland is a soft match up for receivers too. REALLY like him this week, only bench him if you have three top 10 guys who are very consistent.

Cam Newton, QB, CAR – Yes, he’s been bad lately. Wildly inconsistent and not even close to what you were hoping for when you drafted him.  He still has a lot of big-play ability and his upside is still pretty high up there. He plays against a Redskins secondary that can’t stop anyone and can’t rush the quarterback.  This has the potential to be his biggest game of the season, even though his 37 points against Atlanta will be tough to top.  You would be foolish to bench him now.

Trent Richardson, RB, CLE – I was in the “don’t draft this guy” camp during the preseason. Mostly because people were so crazy in love with him that they were taking him in the first two rounds… Which I still think was insane and stupid.  But i’m becoming less and less confident about it with each passing week.  Clearly health isnt an issue after his big game last week and the Ravens defense has been being run on like crazy in recent weeks. He’s a top 10 guy with this match-up.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, PHI – Its weird for me to have this guy outside my top 15 and classify him as a love… but the Eagles offense has struggled a lot recently, losing three straight games. The Saints as an opponent is nice though as their defense has been bad and their offense has still been effective.  Look for a high scoring game and look for Maclin to have a big game.

Jonathan Dwyer, RB, PIT – This guy has been playing like exactly the type of back that Steeler fans love to see. He’s quick to the hole and physical with the ball in his hands.  Ive heard some lofty comparisons to Bettis and while I won’t go there yet, I believe he is the new starting RB for the Steelers and in-line for 60% of the work, even after Mendenhall returns.  The Giants aren’t a great match-up here but in order to slow their pass rush, the Steelers will have to run the ball a good amount.

Hate

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI – On talent alone, you HAVE to put him as a top 5 WR in the NFL.  Situation matters and the Cardinals are awful.  I still don’t know how they started 4-0 with no running game, no offensive line and just a slightly better than good defense.  This isn’t an 8 win ball-club even with the start and unless teams stop being successful at taking Fitz out of the game, I can’t even list him as a top 20 guy.  Sad to say but bench him.

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN – You may look at his recent performances and think he’s back.  I look at them and see a guy that can be productive against GREAT match ups, which is, with one exception, the only time he’s even been DECENT this year.  Guess what? Chicago is not a good match-up and Johnson is not a good play this week.  If he does well in this game, I will stand up and take notice and it WILL reflect in my rankings but I was actually disappointed with his performance last week so I am not going to reward him for being decent.

Daniel Thomas, RB, MIA – I love their match-up and I like Thomas but he’s only gotten a fair-share of the work ONCE while Bush has been around and I’m not sold that he’s going to repeat that number of carries again.  Bush is a better back and especially for this match-up but Thomas is an OK fill-in or flex play as a goal line back if you need one pretty bad.

Tony Romo, QB, DAL – If you’ve got Romo, you NEED other options.  Romo is like Jay Cutler without the good games this year.  He simply isn’t a starting caliber fantasy QB any longer.

Mike Williams, WR, TB – Listen, I know he’s been good and I know that I wrote a section above this about the nice match-up, etc… But the WR talent pool is as deep as it’s been in my lifetime and Williams has not PROVEN to be a consistent threat. With bye weeks, he’s an acceptable plug in but he’s at 35 in my rankings… you can find better.

Michael Bush, RB, CHI – Did you think I was kidding in my one-liners post? Nope. HE is outside my top 30 and SHOULD be benched if at all possible.

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