In case you do not follow me on Twitter, I owe you an apology.  There is no excuse for a bye-week from your favorite fantasy analyst without any notice.  If you don’t know, my grandfather passed away Wednesday morning after we were told that he would have just a month to live the night before.  My heart wasn’t in it and I didn’t want to just spew out random numbers and half-hearted thoughts.   I received a lot of support from you readers and I can’t thank you enough for what your encouraging words meant to me. I hope you all continue to read my musings on the world of fantasy football and it’s time to go get us some championships.

Pick ups

Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN – With Willis McGahee out for 6-8 weeks with an MCL tear, Ronnie Hillman is the top Waiver Wire pickup of the week. He is going to split some time with Lance Ball, who is also worth a grab in DEEP leagues, but it is Hillman’s opportunity to capitalize on.  If you are a McGahee owner, you need to run (not walk) to free agency or the waiver wire.

Danario Alexander, WR, SD – Alexander is a physically big target for Rivers in the passing game and he is now taking over for Robert Meachem.  Alexander has had two big games this year (the first filling in for Antonio Gates) and actually has a lot of upside.  This team needs to find a way to re-invigorate the passing game and Phillip Rivers.  Alexander might just give them a spark.

Jalen Parmele, RB, JAC – The Jaguars gave no notice to fantasy owners that Rashad Jennings had squandered his opportunity away.  There is now officially a new starting QB, a new top fantasy WR and a new top fantasy RB on this offense going into next week.  Parmele’s value is tied to the return of MJD but in the mean time, the upside is better for Parmele than it was for Jennings because Henne appears to be able to stretch the field with the vertical passing game.  This guy will be an “if your desperate” starter this week.

Justin Blackmon, WR, JAC – Blackmon had a staggering 236 yards and a TD this week against a typically stout defensive backfield as the Jaguars lost a tight game on the road at Houston this past week. Kicker is that it took the back-up QB coming into the game to give this offense a spark.  I was big on Blackmon as a sleeper in the preseason and pin his shortcomings on Blaine Gabbert being a terrible QB more than anything.  If Henne can keep getting him involved, Blackmon could be a HUGE acquisition this week.

James Starks, RB, GB – I said it as soon as Benson went down… Starks is the best RB that the Packers have on the active roster.  He has more experience in the offense and is, in my opinion, more talented. Green was almost non-existent this past week and his ownership levels should be non-existent after waivers get processed this week.

Brandon Meyers, TE, OAK – This guy has been VERY consistent for a few weeks now.  The Raiders offense passes the ball, a lot, and Meyers is clearly a top 10 TE.  I wouldn’t expect a lot of double-digit point games (unless it’s a PPR league) but he is going to see targets and he will get you a respectable fantasy point total for the week.

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – LaRod Stephens-Howling had a really strong game this past week but Beanie is going to destroy any fantasy value at the RB position on the Cardinals.  The only possible outcomes are that there are no viable options in that backfield or Beanie is a flex-able option with the lion’s share of the workload.

Dump List

Joique Bell, RB, DET – I advocated stashing Bell on your bench for a bit because he was getting a few carries and was involved in the passing game.  With Stafford faltering and his carries down to almost none, you can just drop Bell now.

Dustin Keller, TE, NYJ – He is a very viable waiver wire roulette option still but if he was going to make a serious impact and become a must-start tight end, we would know by now.  This week went as well as it could have for the Jets offense and Keller just wasn’t a factor.

Titus Young, WR, DET – I am not saying you should drop Young, I am saying that I am fine with it.  He’s benched from the Thanksgiving game due to his on field issues and it isn’t clear if his snap-count will be affected by his place in Jim Schwartz’s dog house.

Michael Bush, RB, CHI – 55% of leagues still have Bush as owned. Around 30% of the owners that own Bush should get smacked around.  If you don’t have Forte and there is any chance you want to start the guy holding this roster spot, you HAVE to drop him.  You (if you don’t own Forte) should really only keep him if you are cruising to a playoff spot and don’t have any injury prone running backs.

Andre Roberts, WR, ARI – This team is plummeting and with all the bye weeks behind us, you need to drop Roberts now.  There is an insane amount of free agent talent this week and Roberts only has two even remotely decent match-ups left.

Isaac Redman, RB, PIT – He was barely worth keeping before the concussion. Get one of the guys on the list above instead.

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Matt Hasselbeck, QB, TEN – Active

Matt Moore, QB, MIA – Active

Sam Bradford, QB, STL – Inactive

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN – Active

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – Active

James Starks, RB, GB – Active

Nate Washington, WR, TEN – Active

Devin Hester, WR, CHI – Active

Willis McGahee, RB, DEN – Active

Roy Helu, RB,  WAS – Inactive

Andre Johnson, WR, HOU – Inactive

Vincent Jackson, WR, SD – Active

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Matt Hasselbeck, QB, TEN – Active

Matt Moore, QB, MIA – Active

James Starks, RB, GB – Inactive

Nate Washington, WR, TEN – Active

Devin Hester, WR, CHI – Active

Dallas Clark, TE, IND – Inactive

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Bengals at Steelers

The Bengals have been one of my favorite teams to watch thus far this season.  They have one of the most prolific rookie QB to rookie WR combinations ever as well as a solid running game to compliment one of the best and most complete defenses in the NFL. Despite being in the middle of 4 games against their division rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore, if the season ended today, the Bengals would be in the playoffs. They will need a big win this week against the Steelers to keep the Jets and Tim Tebow in the rear-view mirror and they certainly have a good shot at it. The status of Troy Polamalu could easily tell the tale of how this game will go.  AJ Green will be able to blow the top off of the coverage a few times without Troy and his hair out there on Sunday and this season teams have been able to run against the Steelers with limited success. Pittsburgh on the other hand had issues moving the ball on offense against the Chiefs last week and this has me far from confident that they can find a way to win this game.  I am going to follow my gut and take the underdog Bengals to win a very close game.  Cedric Benson falls JUST outside my top 20 (to 21st) in my running back rankings, which makes him a great flex option or passable RB2. I am continuing to consider AJ Green matchup-proof still and kept him inside my top 20 this week at wide receiver. Rashard Mendenhall has proven to be nothing more than an RB2 this season and I ranked him on the low-end of my top 20 against the 5th best rush defense in the NFL. Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown were unaffected by the match up when doing my rankings so you can start them confidently in whatever role you have been using them in.  Big Ben doesn’t have a lot of upside and he remains a low-end starting QB this week.

Packers at Giants

The Giants are in a dog fight over the NFC East title and this game is huge for them.  Unfortunately this is also one of the two games remaining where the Packers can reasonably be beaten.  I am obviously going to put my money on Green Bay but if they win this one, I only see the Lions in week 17 as the only team capable of beating them. I expect Green Bay to play for the undefeated season as they remain the best and among the least injured teams in the league. The Giants on the other hand have had a variety of injuries but have persevered through them and sit one game behind Dallas for the division lead. Neither team has a defense that scares me at all and surprisingly, the Packers are the 31st ranked pass defense in the league.  This is helped by the fact that they always have a sizable lead late and teams are throwing in desperation to try and play catch-up.  I think Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks can be started with supreme confidence in this game as junk-time should be very good to them at least. Brandon Jacobs should be rendered irrelevant by the time the 4th quarter comes around and the duo of Starks and Grant for Green Bay has not been worth much attention for fantasy owners, so stay away.

Lions at Saints

The Lions have an opportunity to jump ahead of Chicago in the wild card race now that Caleb Hanie is at the helm for the Bears.  It won’t be easy this week against the Saints, who have really hit their stride in recent weeks.  Last Monday, the Saints dismantled the Giants and I honestly expect another convincing win for Brees. Detroit seems to have issues pushing the ball down field when they don’t have balance with the running game.  Teams have been able to roll coverage to Calvin Johnson and contain him in order to try and force someone else to make the big play.  This formula has worked better for some teams than others but I think it works very well for the Saints this week, who are bound to score plenty of points on offense.  Neither defense scares me from a fantasy-owners stand point, so you can go ahead and start your QBs and WRs with confidence.   Don’t bother with any of the running backs unless you are really desperate. James Jones is the most questionable receiver in this game and I think you have to play him if your light on options and are looking for a high-upside player that can beat a really high scoring opponent.

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Love

DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL – The Redskins are just awful recently and I see no reason for this to change.  Shanahan seems to change his mind about who he is starting at RB by the minute and because of that, this team is in disarray. Even if Murray doesn’t get a big play, he will be used heavily to close out the win after Romo gets it done with his arm.  Murray is inside my top 10 this week and I don’t see him disappointing.

Brandon Lloyd, WR, STL – The Rams still haven’t been playing great outside the game against New Orleans, but they have been in need of a WR with elite skills that can beat man coverage and Lloyd has given them that.  Bradford finally has a guy that he can trust enough to throw the ball up to in a jump-ball scenario and this duo will only get better as they become more and more comfortable with each other.

Tony Romo, QB, DAL – Romo just carved up the Bills secondary to shreds last week and when he is on his game, he is more than capable of huge fantasy point totals.  The Dallas offense has been functioning much more smoothly since the emergence of DeMarco Murray.  He brings a balance to the offense that opposing defenses can NOT ignore and it has meant that his receivers are able to get open deep much more often.

James Starks, RB, GB – With teams on bye and a fair few guys injured, I think Starks could make a VERY nice flex play this week as a fill-in.  Admittedly this offense runs on the arm of Aaron Rodgers but, Carolina is allowing an average of 24.2 fantasy points per game (worst in the NFL) and Starks should be used a bit more than he normally is.  Even if that is done by way of the passing game.

Deion Branch, WR, NE – The Patriots don’t have an elite receiver but they do not need one against KC because the Chiefs don’t have any elite cover-corners.  Since reuniting with Brady, Branch’s career has been rejuvenated and there is no one that has more chemistry with Brady apart from Welker. Branch makes a very interesting flex play this week in what is sure to be a blow out… in prime-time… poor Tyler Palko.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA – I have been very cautions with Lynch as a fantasy player throughout his career.  He has always lacked consistency and the past two weeks are the first back-to-back 100 yard performances of his career.  With a soft match-up and Lynch playing as well as he ever has, the risk is as low as it has been in a while. Go ahead and start him with confidence as an RB2 for this Sunday.

Hate

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN – I am not going to forget about the first half of this season just because Johnson has had two respectable fantasy performances.  As I said in yesterday’s Studs n Duds post, most of Johnson’s production was in garbage time against an exhausted defense.  I also said that I was going to stand up and take notice at how effective Atlanta was at shutting down the Saints’ RBs. Johnson is back outside my top 20 this week but should be ok for a flex-start.

Eric Decker, WR, DEN – Even though Decker is the guy that Tebow looks for the most, I don’t think you can afford to start him this week.  With just two completions for Denver last week and facing the Revis/Cromartie duo, I don’t know if a Bronco wide receiver will have a catch in this entire game.  If one does, good luck guessing who it will be and don’t count on it being a scoring play.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, BUF – Saying that Fitz would barely be a top 20 guy against the Dolphins two weeks ago would have been absurd.  But now the Bills have been terrible and Miami is playing some pretty good football. I think Miami is going to lose but lean on the running game to limit Buffalo’s time of possession and fantasy-production.

Damian Williams, WR, TEN – I want to see how Williams does with teams preparing for him before I trust him so quickly on my fantasy-roster. I think Williams being on top of the depth chart will be a good thing for teammate Nate Washington and actually rank Washington higher this week.  Keep Williams stashed on your bench for now.

Chris Ogbonnaya, RB, CLE – 90 yards was a decent game for Ogbonnaya last week but he had a soft match up against the Rams.  While Jacksonville hasn’t been amazing this year, their run defense is their strong point and this guy had just one point two weeks ago in the starting role. He is barely a viable flex play in my eyes.

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Question 1: Asked by Valeri

Should I start Tim Tebow or Ryan Fitzpatrick this week? Thanks.

Answer

I have to give the nod to Tebow.  Fitz has a fairly decent match up against the Cowboys secondary but with LT Demetrius Bell still looking like he will be sidelined again, I am concerned about Demarcus Ware severely limiting his ability to extend plays.  This game will become about Fred Jackson for the Bills.  If Jackson gets going, the pass rush should need to respect him enough that Fitz can make the big play.  Tebow on the other hand IS the running threat that slows the pass rush and McGahee doesn’t hurt.  Even if Tebow plays bad, he is almost a lock for double digit points because he will be giving you 5-6 in rushing yards alone.

Question 2: Asked my @MFarrell21

Benson vs Pitt or Donald Brown vs the Jags with Addai likely out?

Answer

It has to be Benson. Not many guys see 20-30 touches per game and Benson has fresh legs after the Bye and his one game suspension.  Pittsburgh’s defense has been playing better as of late, but they are far from as lights-out against the run as they have been in recent years.  Start Benson with confidence this week but do not expect too much from him.  Be happy with 70 yards and hopefully he finds the end zone.

Question 3: Asked by Zach

Hey so what’s your take on Ryan Mathews? He did not get nearly as many carries as I expected him to last night, probably a result of his injury and the Chargers wanting to ease him back into play – as you stated in your love/hate list; but what do you think about going forward, after a 10 day stretch do you think he will start getting the bulk of carries again?  I have Starks on my bench and depending on how he plays this next game, I may consider playing him over Mathews week 11.

Answer

I think Mathews is doing fine. He only had 6 carries, but I am not really surprised that they split the carries evenly. Both backs were running well and if Tolbert can be productive, he will see touches.  Mathews was averaging 5.7 yards per carry last night and had it not gotten out of hand and San Diego would have continued to pound the rock.  My only issue with Mathews is health so if he is active and practicing all week, I think you have to start him. Especially over Starks who is on a by far pass-first team and sharing some touches with Ryan Grant.

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Bears vs. Lions

The Bears have something the Lions want. The title of “Division Champ”. They can’t win that this week but they can certainly help their cause considerably. The story of this game will be the Bears’ offensive line, which has played terribly this season.  The Lion’s front seven on defense has been able to make up for their secondary with a great pass rush.  Also, the run defense has been really good through the first four weeks and we can expect them to contain Forte on the ground. Don’t worry fantasy owners, he’ll get enough rushing yards to compliment his receiving total and remains a must-start and a top 10 RB. Cutler is a decent QB2 this week, should your league allow you to play two, and his receivers are all too inconsistent to be worth even a flex spot as even Johnny Knox has almost fallen outside of my top 40 receivers.  Calvin Johnson is quite possibly the MVP of the first quarter of the season with remarkable consistency as he has hauled in two touchdowns in every single game thus far. Stafford has also joined the ranks of the elite fantasy QBs. Injuries remain a long-term concern in my opinion but until that happens, he is still the guy throwing to Megatron and he has led the Lions to 4-0.  I like the Lions to win at home in the dome, but I would not be at all surprised if it was a relatively low-scoring game.

Packers vs. Falcons

Last year, the Packers handed the Falcons one of their only two home-losses of the season. That game also ended the season for Atlanta because it was in the divisional round of the playoffs. I actually like Atlanta to win this game in a shootout. The beat Green Bay at home last in week 12 of last season, but it was far from a shootout. This year, both defenses are not quite living up to the expectations that most of us had for them. This should make for a lot of big plays and Julio Jones is inside the top 25 at wide receiver for the first time, making him a very good flex play. Hopefully he can find his way into the end zone for the first time in his career. Most people are staying completely away from the Ryan Grant/James Starks situation, but I think Grant makes a pretty good flex play with six teams on their bye week. Starks did not impress me last week with Grant sidelined and the week before that, Grant outplayed Starks considerably. Rodgers, Jennings and White are all must starts as always.

Jets vs. Patriots

The Jets sure need a win to try and pull even with Buffalo for the number two spot in the division.  If they could pull it off and Buffalo loses to Philly, which I expect will happen, there would be a three-way tie at 2-2 atop the AFC East. That was fun wasn’t it? Let’s be serious, I like the Patriots to win this one handily. Rex Ryan’s defense has some explaining to do after two very mediocre performances in a row and an inability to contain the running game. I also don’t think Darrelle Revis can stop Wes Welker the way the Patriots have been using him over four weeks.  There is no one better at running shallow crossing routes to draw linebackers into trying to cover him and if the Jets really do force Revis to follow him all over the field, the rest of the Patriots receivers will be taking turns being open even deeper down the field. I also think the Jets offense will be able to be productive against a Pats defense that has struggled to pressure the quarterback.  If Sanchez can avoid stupid mistakes, Santonio Holmes could be in for a big day. I have him ranked is a viable WR2 or flex play. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is the most likely back in New England’s committee to see carries at the goal line, so he remains the highest ranked of the three. Stevan Ridley HAS out performed Law Firm over the past two weeks though and might be worth a flex play in deeper formats however.

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Studs

Wes Welker, WR, NE – Bill Belichick is the master of exploiting a defense’s weakness and despite the loss, week 3 was no exception.  Buffalo is now weakest in their line backing corp and the Patriots abused this group with Welker running a lot of shallow crossing routes and Gronkowski out matching the secondary and forcing safeties to get too deep to help cover Wes.

Fred Jackson, RB, BUF – He has just been incredible for a guy that has already turned thirty years old.  He hasn’t been a feature back long and has young legs, which has helped  him to an average yards per carry of over 6 yards. And there is no reason to be concerned with him sharing too much work with Spiller as the number of carries for each has been very one sided. Bottom line here is that Jackson is now a top 10 RB and he is still climbing as this offense has been incredibly productive thus far this season.

Jermichael Finley, TE, GB – Seven catches for 85 yards and three TDs. What a huge game to get from your TE position.  With Gates on his way to see a specialist and already having issues with his foot, I see Finley as the top fantasy TE in the NFL.  I’ve said it before, this guy is a nightmare to try and cover and Aaron Rodgers and the Packers know how to create mismatches with this guy. Look for a very productive season from Finley.

Torrey Smith, WR, BAL – Smith looked terrible in the preseason.  So much so that the Ravens went and traded for Lee Evans to ensure some depth and talent at the position as they were pretty sure that Smith wasn’t ready to be a play maker in this league. Oops. Smith’s first three catches in the NFL came in the first quarter of week 3 since Evans was hurt and all three were TDs.  Clearly no one told Smith he isn’t ready to be a starter and I don’t see how the Ravens don’t bump him up to #2 on the depth chart permanently after this performance.

Eli Manning, QB, NYG – My bad on this one. I hated Eli in this game and didn’t see how he could be productive against this Eagles secondary. The answer was apparently Jacobs out of the backfield and short routes to play-making receivers. Eli completed 23 passes for 254 yards and 4 TDs. Most impressive to me was the lack of an INT. My faith has slightly been restored in Eli and he think he is one of the better backup QB or QB 2 options out there again.

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET – Megatron had done nothing in the first half, like most of the Lions. But he was also a huge part of their comeback. Johnson finished over 100 yards and had two TDs for his third straight game. This guy is an absurd talent and your lucky to have him if you drafted him as this offense appears to be the real deal over the first three games.

Duds

Frank Gore, RB, SF – I am just disgusted with his lack of performance.  I had him ranked as my #5 overall player this season and it appears my faith in Gore and Coach Harbaugh were misplaced.  I think once the team gets used to their new system, he may rebound… but that hope is running out fast with each bad performance.

Michael Turner, RB, ATL – The Falcons can’t seem to get an early lead to save their lives.  This means that Turner’s touches are down and he simply isn’t making the most of them. I’m not as worried about him as I am Gore, but that is just because of how well the Falcons play at home.  Which means you should get a very solid game from Turner when they play in the dome.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – The Pats got up big early and the Law Firm was just not able to find creases in the Bills’ defensive front seven. They seemed to be there for Stevan Ridley later in the game but once Buffalo started to light up the Pats’ defense, Brady had to try and out duel Fitzpatrick and ignore the ground game.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT – The Colts really just have a bad rush defense, but apparently the Steelers have a worse offensive line.  I am very worried about Mendenhall the rest of the way. He remains a top 15 RB but he is certainly falling as this offense continues to struggle.

Philip Rivers, QB, SD – Zero TDs and 2 INTs against a bad Chiefs team is shocking for me. Rivers should have picked the secondary apart and he just didn’t.  They got the win and Rivers is still an elite QB so I am not worried, but this does look  like a little more than a slow start. It is time to get nervous, but not bench Philip.

James Starks, RB, GB – Just as soon as I thought Starks was the clear guy to own in this offense, Grant goes off and Starks implodes.  Expect the Packers to ride the hot hand and make it a nightmare for fantasy owners to try and decide which one is the guy each week.

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Lions at Buccaneers

This game has me far more excited than any other in week 1. Last season in week 15 the Lions beat the Buccaneers 23-20 in Tampa Bay and this game is essentially the reason that the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl.  This loss for Tampa cost them the Wild Card spot that ended up going to Green Bay instead.  Both of these teams are young and quickly rebounding into legitimate playoff contenders.  In this game last season Calvin Johnson racked up 152 yards receiving and did so with Shaun Hill at QB.  LeGarrette Blount also had a big game with 110 yards on the ground but the Lions are a much more complete defensive front 7 now and Blount will have difficulty unless Josh Freeman is able to move the ball through the air effectively. This shouldn’t be that tough considering the Lions did not address their secondary and have been susceptible to the big play.  Their hope is that the pass rush will be considerably better and will make their defensive backs not need to maintain the coverage very long.  I think the Lions are going to win this one, with big performances from all the major fantasy players in what I see as a high scoring game. I have Freeman, Mike Williams, Blount, Stafford and Calvin Johnson all ranked very high at their positions and think they are all worth a start in week 1.

Saints at Packers

The past two Super Bowl champions meet tonight to Kickoff the season and it’s hard not to be excited about these two high-powered offenses meeting up to get us all excited for the rest of the 2011 season.  What interests me most however is the defenses.  Each team is known for their ability to use disguised blitzing schemes to disrupt the rhythm of opposing quarterbacks.  This is shaping up to be another high scoring affair that is likely to be decided by a big turnover.  Both Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers are automatic starters, but Marques Colston has been inconsistent at best over the past couple of years and is a mediocre WR2 at best in my rankings this week.  The Packers have said that they plan to split carries between Ryan Grant and James Starks, but Grant is who they would likely turn to on the goal line and makes a much better RB2 or flex play.  My money is on the Packers to win this one, because of their play makers on the defensive side of the ball, but there should be plenty of fantasy points to go around for all the usual suspects.

Steelers at Ravens

This rivalry ALWAYS provides us with hard-hitting and entertaining football.  It does not typically lead to an abundance of fantasy points.  Anquan Boldin is the one guy that might be a surprise with a big week 1 performance now that Lee Evans is there to stretch the field vertically and open up passing lanes across the middle for Boldin who has always been more productive with a deep threat on the other side of the field.  Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall both need to be started regardless of the very difficult match up and Big Ben is still 8th in my rankings.  Flacco on the other hand has never beaten the Steelers with Roethlisberger running the show for Pittsburgh and is not a viable week 1 starter unless its a 2 QB format. Mike Wallace is also still worth a start given his speed and big-play ability will still force Ben to look his way deep a few times throughout the course of the game.  I like the Steelers to win this one, but it will be pretty close and very entertaining.

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What a crazy week… With all the duds this week (more to come on them tomorrow) a LOT of people missed the playoffs and just as many people snuck their way in! If you are one of these fantasy-ninjas, then congrats and let’s take a look at how you can bolster your roster moving into the playoffs!

Pickups

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR - After last week’s game I was torn… Stewart looked like the more complete RB, he ran hard and hit holes quickly.  Goodson looked good too however, slightly less polished… but he contributed a lot in the passing game and looked to have the most fantasy value of the duo.  Not anymore! Stewart saw 21 carries to Goodson’s 3 and he also was able to rack up 91 yards. While both backs found the end zone in this game, the staggering difference in the number of carries make the decision on who to own a no-brainer.  I wouldn’t drop Goodson yet, especially in PPR formats, but I also wouldn’t trust him next week!

Tashard Choice, RB, DAL - Tashard Choice gave the Cowboys balance.  Felix Jones saw more touches, but he wasn’t able to find the end zone like Choice did.  We should expect this to continue and probably trend more towards Felix, as was the case this week.  One thing you should count on is Tashard Choice being the one to see the work at the goal line.  Choice is a flex play at best, but he has to be owned after a performance like this because if he follows it up with another good game, you will be able to count on him against Washington and Arizona in Weeks 16 and 17.

Donald Driver, WR, GB – I had my concerns about Driver being able to return to the same level of play he had demonstrated earlier in his career, but if you have seen his TD catch this week… then you wont have any more worries either.  If you didn’t see it, I will let the highlight reel provide all the evidence you will need to grab this guy off waivers… if he was dropped that is!

Anthony Dixon, RB, SF – There is a disclaimer that comes with this one: Brian Westbrook SHOULD be the guy!  Westbrook was quicker into the hole and looked to be a much more complete back on the carries that he received.  With that said, Singletary and the 49ers split carries evenly between Dixon and Westbrook.  Until we see that they will make a commitment to the injury-prone veteran, Dixon has to be owned too as he will see more of the goal line carries.

Earl Bennett, WR, CHI – We really can’t treat Bennett’s production as an anomaly any longer.  He is as close to a big and physical wide receiver as the Bears have, so he is likely to see the most red zone targets of any of the WRs on the Bears.  This week Bennett led the team in targets with 8 and hauled in 7 of them for 105 yards.  Assuming Driver was never let go in your league, Bennett is by far the best option available for pickup at WR this week.

Anthony Armstrong, WR, WAS – If you have to start a Redskins receiver, it looks like it should be Armstrong.  He was an unknown talent before the season and because of this we have been (correctly) suspicious about adding this guy to our fantasy teams.  Now however, the Redskins have lost hopes for a playoff run and are turning to their younger players so they can be developed for the future.  Since they are a bad team, the Skins will be down and throwing… so it seems like you should be able to count on their young, deep threat!

Roy Williams, WR, DAL – With Dez Bryant’s ankle broken and him being out for the season, Roy Williams will return to fantasy-relevance.  The whole reason he fell in value was due to the injury to Romo and Kitna not being good enough to keep THREE receivers valuable to their fantasy owners.  Since Williams is back to the 2nd spot on the depth chart, he is likely to be a worthy flex play for the fantasy playoffs.

James Starks, RB, GB – Who the hell saw this coming!? Starks saw by far the most carries of any Packer this weekend and performed well with them totaling 73 yards on 18 carries.  John Kuhn saw the 2nd most carries with just 6, but he maintained his role as the goal line back and was able to punch one in.  With Starks looking to take the lead carries and Kuhn sure to get the work at the goal line, Brandon Jackson may not have any value left outside of PPR leagues.  Wait a week to drop him, but I wouldn’t start Starks or Jackson until we see if this was just a one week thing, or a new trend.

Benjamin Watson, TE, CLE – TEs are a mess this season… now Heath Miller and Todd Heap join the list of injured players at this position.  Watson had 100 yards receiving with Jake Delhomme at QB this week.  Colt McCoy loved Watson before his injury and he has been a consistent producer for fantasy owners in deep leagues.  It’s time to call him up to be used in standard leagues with the injuries stacking up!

Rashad Jennings, RB, JAC - We are moving into the playoffs for fantasy owners and handcuffs are a must-have if your lucky enough to have one of the few studs left at RB.  The trend in the NFL is to split RB carries to ensure long careers out of their highly paid young prospects.  This is not beneficial to fantasy owners who have a late draft pick. However, what is worse is when your star goes down with an injury late in the season… just like Michael Turner did last year!  If you own Maurice Jones-Drew, Jennings is a must-add for your team to ensure that this aging star doesn’t go down and leave you SOL.

Dump List

Randy Moss, WR, TEN – In the playoffs, fantasy owners must rely on their trusted players to make it through each week.  Since one loss ends your season, you have to ask yourself if you can live with your decision through the entire off season should it go the wrong direction!  After an entire season of disappointments, Moss is not able to be trusted so you may as well get someone who actually has upside.

Mike Williams, WR, SEA - His injury isn’t likely to be season ending, but with it being his 2nd one in a row… he is likely to need a game or two to get used to the speed of a live game again.

Justin Forsett, RB, SEA – There are no really good match ups left on the Seahawks schedule and since Forsett was so far behind Lynch in production this week, there just isn’t enough time left in the fantasy season for Forsett to be a factor again.

Keiland Williams, RB, WAS – It was a short run… but Williams’ ride is over. Torain is about to come back from injury and James Davis appears to be the guy that Shanahan wants to see get the work.

Ryan Mathews, RB, SD – See Randy Moss.

Donald Brown, RB, IND – There just doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel for Brown.  He hasn’t had a break out performance all year and Javarris James is the guy getting the goal line work with Addai being out.  The Colts are DYING for Addai to return and when he does, Brown will only be used when necessary.  Expect Addai to make it into the lineup for week 14, but even if he isn’t, don’t leave your season in the hands of Brown.

Blair White, WR, IND – Collie is expected to return from injury this week and that will kill White’s value.  You may want to hold him for a week to see if Collie can stay healthy, but definitely don’t start White when he is 4th on the depth chart.

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