*Game is being played in Toronto

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*Game is being played in Toronto

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Love

Ray Rice, RB, BAL – It is almost inevitable that the running back that has to face the Bills each week will be on this list.  It didn’t pay off for MJD owners, but you can’t ignore the numbers. The Bills give up over 20 points a game to opposing RBs and are allowing an AVERAGE of 182 rushing yards per game.

Frank Gore, RB, SF – The 9ers, under Mike Singletary, are a run-first team and despite their struggles this is not going to change.  With their new offensive coordinator, they are striving for more balance but they are still running to set up the pass… not the other way around.  With the Panthers giving up 134 yards per game to the run, Gore is sure to at least tally a hundred yards.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC – The Jaguars pass defense is just about as bad as the Bills run defense. The corner backs of the Jaguars have not been able to stop opposing WRs all season and after his best game in years, you may as well use him in the best match-up possible.

Matt Forte, RB, CHI – The Redskins have the worst overall defense in the NFL.  They allow over 100 yards per game rushing and just under 300 yards passing.  This suits Forte and the Bears offense perfectly, The Skins have not been able to generate much of a pass rush and with Forte being an integral part of the passing game and running game… as scary as this sounds Forte could have his best game of the season this week. (but, given he has two 30 point games so far this season I am not making that prediction… just saying it is possible)

Ryan Mathews, RB, SD – As the injuries stack up for the struggling Chargers offense, the likelihood that they lean on Mathews over the next couple weeks increases.  The Patriots defense has been terrible this season and if Gates and Floyd are out, expect a lot of carries for Mathews.

Josh Freeman, QB, TB – The Buccaneers defense has been solid against the pass, but has struggled with the run.  This will be a game of two franchises struggling to return to playoff form and the Buccaneers have been far more consistent and successful thus far.  After seeing the Rams completely collapse to the Lions two weeks ago I am expecting big games from both Freeman and Mike Williams this week.  What has really turned me into a Freeman believer is his ability to close out games in the 4th quarter.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI – Max Hall is definitely not the reason that Fitz is on this list, but the Seahawks pass defense is.  Seattle allows 290 yards per game through the air and while that wont happen, I would say it is likely that the best receiver in football is able to beat a bad defense deep at least once.

Marques Colston, WR, NO – I understand your frustration about him having yet to score a receiving TD, but I am seeing flashbacks of Anquan Boldin scoring three times in one game against this secondary.  Colston may not have reached double digit points yet this year, but this is the week that changes.

Todd Heap, TE, BAL – Believe it or not there are two things that the Bills suck at.  First is defending the run… but after that its defending opposing Tight Ends.  They are the only team to give up 5 TDs to the TE position and Heap will match up well against the Bills linebackers and secondary.

49ers, D/ST, SF – The Panthers offense has been inept all season.  DeAngelo Williams has been their only bright spot and with zero consistency at the QB position the 9ers defense should have little trouble containing them.  So far this season the Panthers offense has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing defenses (averaging 13 per game).

Hate

Fred Jackson, RB, BUF – He ran very well in his first game after the Marshawn Lynch trade, but going up against the Ravens is not where you want to start someone on this struggling Bills offense.  I expect a very lopsided game this week, even with the Bills having an extra week to prepare.

Ricky Williams, RB, MIA – Apply this to Ronnie Brown too.  The only person on the Dolphins worth starting against the Steelers is Brandon Marshall.

LeSean McCoy, RB, PHI – The Titans defense has been quietly great this season and especially against the run.  The Eagles also have some injury concerns on the offensive line so given the pass rush of the Titans I think the Eagles lose the game before their bye week.  With a bad match up and being on an almost pass-only offense, McCoy’s only chance at a big day will come through the air.  With his high level of play so far this season you still need to start him, but lower expectations.

Kenny Britt, WR, TEN – With all the talk about the Eagles being about the Quarterback position, it has largely gone unnoticed how effective their pass defense has been.  The Eagles have only allowed an average of 15 fantasy points per week to all WRs on the opposing offenses.  Since we can’t assume that Britt catches every pass in this game, its is extremely unlikely he is able to have a good week.

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF – I think he will be able to maintain value for fantasy owners, but this is not the best week to use him.  The Panthers are 5th in the NFL in pass defense and it is largely due to the ease in which people are able to run on them.  Knowing this makes it all the more likely that Frank Gore has a huge game and Crabtree sees his lowest targets in 3 weeks.

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1. Chris Johnson @ JAC
2. Adrian Peterson vs. DAL
3. Frank Gore vs. OAK
4. Ray Rice vs. DET
5. Michael Turner @ PHI
6. Rashard Mendenhall vs. CLE
7. Steven Jackson vs. SD
8. Maurice Jones-Drew vs. TEN
9. Arian Foster vs. KC
10. Ahmad Bradshaw vs. DET
11. LeSean McCoy vs. ATL
12. Matt Forte vs. SEA
13. Jamaal Charles @ HOU
14. Ryan Mathews @ STL
15. LaDainian Tomlinson @ DEN
16. Jahvid Best @ NYG
17. Michael Bush @ SF
18. Ryan Torain vs. IND
19. Ronnie Brown @ GB
20. Felix Jones @ MIN
21. Peyton Hillis @PIT
22. Marshawn Lynch @CHI
23. Shonn Greene @ DEN
24. Ricky Williams @ GB
25. BenJarvus Green-Ellis vs. BAL
26. Joseph Addai @WAS
27. Knowshon Moreno vs. NYJ
28. Brandon Jackson vs. MIA
29. Thomas Jones @ HOU
30. Darren McFadden @ SF
31. Mike Tolbert @ STL
32. Chris Ivory @ TB
33. Marion Barber @ MIN
34. John Kuhn vs. MIA
35. Ladell Betts @ TB
36. Cadillac Williams vs. NO
37. Brandon Jacobs vs. DET
38. Willis McGahee @ NE
39. Jason Snelling @ PHI
40. Chester Taylor vs. SEA
41. Jerome Harrison vs. ATL
42. Correll Buckhalter vs. NYJ
43. Donald Brown @WAS
44. Javon Ringer @ JAC
45. Mike Bell @ PIT
46. Derrick Ward vs. KC
47. LeGarrette Blount vs. NO
48. Danny Woodhead vs. BAL
49. Derrick Ward vs. KC
50. Deji Karim vs. TEN

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Cowboys @ Vikings

This is going to be one hell of a football game.  Both the Vikes and the Cowboys were popular Super Bowl picks and are now 1-3 struggling to stay alive for playoff consideration.  Neither team has really been able to establish a balanced offensive attack before last week.  The Cowboys have been among the worst rushing teams in the NFL but were finally able to get Felix Jones up over 100 yards last week vs the Titans on just 15 carries.  The Vikings made a high-profile trade to acquire Randy Moss to help them stretch the field and open up the passing game. On his 5th day back with his old team he was able to find the end zone in a losing effort to the Jets.  With some more time to learn the offense and scheme for their new weapon the Vikings should be able to get a big home victory to put them selves right back into the race for the NFC North.  They will be effective with an aerial assault against a secondary that looked foolish last week against the Titans.  Look for the usual studs to live up to their expectations. (Moss, Peterson, Harvin, Austin and Romo)  Stay away from Jones and Barber vs the front seven of the Vikes.

Ravens @ Patriots

I love playoff re-matches that occur in the first half of the season!  The Ravens ended the Patriots season last year and they will want their revenge.  The problem they will have won’t be the lack of Moss, but the inability of their defense to cover anyone down the field. Ray Rice had his best game of the season last week and if they are able to maintain that balance in their offense then I would expect a big game from Rice, Flacco  and Boldin.  The Patriots offense replaced Randy Moss with Deion Branch and will need to re-invent themselves.  Brady and Welker are the only fantasy players I trust against this great Ravens defense.  Many people have speculated that Welker is likely to see a lot of double coverage and his production should decrease as a result, but I don’t see that happening.  Welker is a possession receiver that runs his routes flawlessly every time.  You cannot double someone that is running a slant route because typically the double team would come from a safety and not someone lined up on the line of scrimmage.  If you put two people on Welker at the line, then you have one person on someone else and Brady will abuse this and get the deep play without Randy.  I like the Ravens in a very tough road game.

Saints @ Buccaneers

I am a sucker for divisional match-ups but with the Buccs beating the Saints last year and currently being higher in the standings, this game will show us the future of this division.  If the Saints fall this week then everyone will become a Buccaneers fan and for good reason.  Josh Freeman has been playing with poise and maturity that players his age don’t typically have.  Mike Williams rose ahead of a fellow (higher drafted) rookie, Arrelious Benn, on the depth chart and has scored in three of his first four games.  Smart money is on the Saints in this game and you can feel confident about starting any Saints you may have on your fantasy team (Thomas, Colston and Brees).  As for Buccaneers, Williams is too consistent to ignore at this point and is on his way to being a top 20 WR and if you are in a 2QB format you should be fine using Freeman as well.

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1. Chris Johnson                    @ JAC
2. Frank Gore                         vs. OAK
3. Adrian Peterson               vs. DAL
4. Ray Rice                               vs. DET
5. Michael Turner                 @ PHI
6. Arian Foster                       vs. KC
7. Rashard Mendenhall      @ CLE
8. Steven Jackson                 vs. SD
9. Maurice Jones-Drew      vs. TEN
10. Ahmad Bradshaw            vs. DET
11. LeSean McCoy                  vs. ATL
12. Jamaal Charles                  @ HOU
13. Matt Forte                          vs. SEA
14. Ryan Mathews                  @ STL
15. Pierre Thomas                   @ TB
16. LaDainian Tomlinson       @ DEN
17. Darren McFadden           @ SF
18. Jahvid Best                         @ NYG
19. Ryan Torain                        vs. IND
20. Peyton Hillis                       @PIT
21. Joseph Addai                     @WAS
22. Ronnie Brown                   @ GB
23. Felix Jones                          @ MIN
24. Shonn Greene                  @ DEN
25. Marshawn Lynch              @CHI
26. Ricky Williams                    @ GB
27. Michael Bush                     @ SF
28. BenJarvus Green-Ellis    vs. BAL
29. Thomas Jones                   @ HOU
30. Brandon Jackson              vs. MIA
31. Knowshon Moreno         vs. NYJ
32. Mike Tolbert                      @ STL
33. Marion Barber                   @ MIN
34. John Kuhn                           vs. MIA
35. Cadillac Williams               vs. NO
36. Brandon Jacobs                                vs. DET
37. Willis McGahee                 @ NE
38. Jason Snelling                    @ PHI
39. Chester Taylor                   vs. SEA
40. Jerome Harrison               @PIT
41. Correll Buckhalter            vs. NYJ
42. Donald Brown                   @WAS
43. Chris Ivory                           @ TB
44. Javon Ringer                      @ JAC
45. Mike Bell                             vs. ATL
46. Derrick Ward                      vs. KC
47. LeGarrette Blount           vs. NO
48. Danny Woodhead           vs. BAL
49. Ladell Betts                         @ TB
50. Deji Karim                           vs. TEN

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Studs

Matt Forte, RB, CHI - Mid way through the first quarter Forte was over 100 yards with two scores.  He finished the day as the top scoring player in fantasy this week after amassing 188 all purpose yards to pair with those two scores.  This big performance propelled the Bears through a game where their QB threw 4 INTs and their defense shut down a struggling Panthers offense that was missing its only decent receiver.  Forte has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners and should be in your lineup weekly.

Malcom Floyd, WR, SD – Lloyd had a career performance on Sunday in a losing effort that snapped a 13 game winning streak for the Chargers over the Raiders.  I was impressed with the progress that Floyd had made carving out a niche in that Chargers offense and he did not disappoint me after placing him in the top 20 ranked WRs.  One game is not enough to get him to crack my top 10, but you can be sure he will remain a WR2 from here on out.

Ray Rice, RB, BAL – I spent all week trying to talk people out of benching their round one pick.  I hope you can all breathe a sigh of relief now after a reassuring performance from Rice on Sunday.  What impressed me the most was that both rushing TDs came on goal line carries. You can still expect McGahee to get a few… but hopefully Rice will get his share of chances to punch it in as well.  Start this guy every week, regardless of match up and don’t think twice about it.

Brandon Lloyd, WR, DEN – Alright… fine.  He is a starting WR for fantasy football, but you are on a short leash Brandon! He has never stayed consistent this long, so keep riding the wave as long as Orton can keep finding him open deep down the field. If you see the dropped passes start coming back bail out and try to trade him before he flops completely.

Hakeem Nicks, WR, NYG – Nicks cracked the top 10 in the WR rankings for the first time ever and did not disappoint in the slightest.  After 130 yards and 2 TDs you have to consider this guy a must start for the rest of the year.  Don’t trade him away either… he is here to stay.

LeSean McCoy, RB, PHI - Not too much more you can ask for from a guy with broken ribs.  He broke a very nice TD run to top off a 148 yard performance in a big win for the Eagles over the win less 49ers.  I was skeptical about him going into the year, but not any longer.  He has turned out to be a gem for fantasy owners and they should consider him a GREAT RB2 no matter who is at QB.

Mike Williams, WR, TB – The Buccaneers are the surprise of the year for me at 3-1 and ahead of the Saints in their divisional race.  Mike Willams has been an even bigger surprise for fantasy owners as he has proven to be a VERY consistent producer and should now be considered a great WR3 or flex play.

Cedric Benson, RB, CIN - Benson had 144 yards on 23 carries in a losing effort for the Bengals who are spending too much time trying to pass the ball and are unable to close out games at the end because of it.  Benson has remained productive despite the fact that the losses keep piling up.  You can still feel confident in Benson as a RB2 or flex play unless they are going against a top-flight run defense and you have some solid alternatives.

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF - It was only one big game, but it sure looks as if the new Offensive Coordinator of the 9ers is looking to get Crabtree involved in this offense for once.  The 49 offense rallied nicely at the end of the game, but it takes a complete effort to win a game and Alex Smith struggled in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.  You can’t count on this type of performance after just one game, but if you have any bye-week issues or injuries go ahead and start him… it just might pay off in a big way.

Terrell Owens, WR, CIN – Despite the poor play of Carson Palmer, as long as the Bengals refuse to lean on the running game, one of the Bengals receivers will have a good game each week.  It will be miserable trying to predict which one it will be, so if someone thinks Owens is the real deal then sell high!

Jason Witten, TE, DAL - This guy was once the best TE in the NFL and this season has been a disappointment as he was unable to find the end zone. That finally changed the same week that he has his highest yardage total of the year.  If you drafted him, there is no reason to search for a replacement because I believe the Cowboys will look to this familiar face to try and salvage this disappointing season.

Shaun Hill, QB, DET -You only have one more week left to use this clutch fill-in for Matthew Stafford.  Calvin Johnson has a shoulder injury that has Jim Schwartz concerned.  That has me concerned about the Lions offense.  They have no receiver that can draw the attention of defenses and open up the run game.  If the Lions can’t run they won’t be able to pass without their deep threat and best red zone threat.   I would look elsewhere if you need a QB for next week.

Duds

Anquan Boldin, WR, BAL - The Ravens had a tough start to their schedule and since they were able to run the ball so effectively in this game, there was no reason to test the excellent coverage provided by Champ Bailey.  Match ups are excellent for Boldin for the next two games before their bye week… and are actually pretty good the rest of the season. (the only exception is week 13 vs the Steelers)

Chad Ochocinco, WR, CIN - Well, you drafted a headache with 85 this year.  TO is taking too much of his production to rely on Chad every week as a WR2, but I still think he is the best fantasy receiver in Cincinnati so your probably going to need to keep using him for another week or two and see if that changes.

Matt Schaub, QB, HOU - The entire Texans offense collapsed this week. Treat it as an anomaly but with the production of Arian Foster, Schaub is no longer an elite QB.

Greg Jennings, WR, GB -The Redskins were allowing over 300 yards per game through the air and Jennings was limited to just 2 points.  With Rodgers suffering a concussion and it being unlikely that he will be active next week, think twice about starting Jennings against an underrated Dolphins secondary with two weeks to prepare for the game.

Sam Bradford, QB, STL - Mark Clayton can’t have been the only reason for the Rams’ success.  There will be growing pains for any rookie QB, but after his recent success I was very surprised to see Bradford shut down by the Lions of all teams.

Arian Foster, RB, HOU – See Matt Schaub.

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Studs

Arian Foster, RB, HOU – Despite missing a good portion of the first half of the game due to disciplinary reasons, he still tallied 187 all purpose yards and two scores.  Foster is like lightning in a bottle so far this season and until SOMEONE shows the ability to stop him, he will keep climbing in the rankings.

Terrell Owens, WR, CIN – If you started Owens you very likely were in some serious bye week trouble.  It was not unexpected that a Bengals receiver was going to have a big game against the Browns, but the smart money was on Chad Ochocinco.  If you did need to use Owens, congratulations on hitting your home run… but you can drop him now because Carson Palmer sucks.

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC – This is a shining example of why you keep starting your top draft picks despite any early season struggles.  The Jags are a bad team and MJD was not 100% healthy when the season started.  He had been held out of football activities for almost the entire off season and it takes time to get acclimated to the speed of the game again.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT – Well his value is about to drop, but not disappear.  Rashard has been as reliable as the Steelers could have hoped for in the absence of Big Ben.  Now that Ben is back they will be using the aerial attack much more.  I still like Mendenhall as a top 10 RB but once their bye week is over he won’t be coming near the top 5 for a while.

Zach Miller, TE, OAK – With Louis Murphy struggling with his shoulder pain the Raiders only consistent receiving threat was a non-factor. I was big on Zach Miller going into the year because of this lack of production from the Raiders receivers and it finally hit big.  This is obviously not what you can expect but Miller is a key part of their offense and he will stay a top 10 TE.

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – Hillis is now clearly the Browns RB you want to own.  I won’t bail on Jerome Harrison until I see Hillis get all the work again next week.  He is looking to be a good RB 2 if the Browns have a good match up and a flex play otherwise.

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND – Colts fans may need to be concerned after a surprising loss to the Jaguars on Sunday, but fantasy owners don’t need to share their concern.  Wayne hauled in 15 passes for 196 yards on Sunday. The one thing I did take from this game, is that if Garcon gets his #2 spot back Collie wont be able to maintain this value.

LaDanian Tomlinson, RB, NYJ - I was expecting a good game from LT this week with the soft match up, but I did not expect to see him look like he was 29 again.  I am encouraged by this performance and think LT just may remain a viable fantasy starter come the playoffs.  Shonn Greene owners should be concerned.

Duds

Santana Moss, WR, WAS - Moss had been the go-to guy so far this entire season, but the Eagles defense was able to shut him down.  I am not concerned because the strategy backfired on the Eagles and is not likely to be repeated.

Randy Moss, WR, NE – There have only been around 5 games in Moss’ career where he went without a catch and this was one of them. I have no concerns with Moss in the future you have to start him.

Jay Cutler, QB, CHI – The ridiculous pressure that he faced early in the game was not his fault.  Holding on to the ball and refusing to make a decision on who to throw to in the 2nd quarter was his fault.  For now I am treating this as a one game deal and next week (if active) he will still be ranked around 10th.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI - Kolb means bad news for DJax as he favors the safe check down style throws.  If you own this guy you will still probably have to start him because with a whole week to prepare knowing he is the #1 QB, Kolb will have the confidence to take a shot or two down the field.

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN - Tough crap, you drafted him. You are starting him.  It is frustrating I know, but he is still the best back in fantasy football.

Ronnie Brown, RB, MIA - Ronnie Brown looked bad last night on Monday night in a tough loss at home for the Dolphins.  Williams looked like the best back and the one that Sporano trusted the most.  I think that Williams might be the most likely to see carries in the red zone and might overtake Brown in the rankings.

Ray Rice, RB, BAL – See the first sentence of Chris Johnson.  He might be on pace to be this year’s Matt Forte… but you can’t say that quite yet.  He was playing against the Steelers.

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