Falcons at Saints

Monday Night Football promises to be a great game and it has quite an impact on the NFC playoff picture. The Saints are looking to wrap up the division title at home against the Falcons this week and Atlanta is hoping to cling to clinch a playoff spot with a win.  Atlanta will need to lean heavily on Michael Turner in an effort to keep Drew Brees on the sidelines.  Brees has been the MVP of the second half of the season and the offense as a whole is playing as well as it has since their Super Bowl season. Darren Sproles is the only Saints runner worth the risk this week against a stout Falcons rush defense ranked 4th in the league. The New Orleans defense is not scary enough to downgrade any Atlanta offensive players but Julio Jones is always a risk to have a weak game despite his spot in my rankings at 16. Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham are both must-starts and should see an increase in targets with the running game struggles.  I like the Saints to win this game on the arm of Drew Brees with home field advantage, they have been too good lately to expect a sudden collapse.

Chargers at Lions

The situation is slightly different for each team here but each will be desperate for a win.  If Detroit wins they are in the playoffs and if San Diego loses they are out.  For some reason San Diego always seems to live up to their expectations at the end of the year but it is usually a matter of whether or not they can dig out of the hole they dug for themselves earlier in the year. They dug a deep hole this time but two more wins just might dig them out of it. They are one game back from both the division lead, which Denver is currently trying to hold on to, and the second wild card spot. Detroit can lock-in a wild card spot with a win as they are 2 games ahead of a sea of 7-7′s who are all hoping to squeak their way into the post season. Ryan Mathews remains a quality start for fantasy owners this week with Detroit allowing over 130 yards per game on the ground.  San Diego is ranked 6th in the league and could decide that two people are a must on Calvin Johnson every play, which would turn Titus Young into a nice flex option.  I like Detroit to win this game but they will have to find a way to exploit the Charger defense and if Calvin Johnson does draw double teams, he needs to beat them anyways.

Giants at Jets

The Jets are officially listed as the home team in this game but it  won’t affect anything but the coin toss.  I am very interested to see how the Jets deploy Revis between Nicks and Cruz. We can be sure that the majority of the snaps will be for Nicks, who has been on a bit of a hot streak over the past three weeks.  The gap between the two receivers is as small as it’s been in a while with Cromartie the more likely corner back to be exploited. The Giants have generally been a let down recently and I think it all starts on defense.  They have had a lot of trouble stopping the run and hundred yard rushers are common.  Shonn Greene is a must start this week as he looks to continue his own hot streak.  Greene will be the story of this game and I think the Jets pull out the win.

No Comments »

Love

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT – Pittsburgh has had issues on the offensive line this season and Mendenhall’s stats have suffered as well as Roethlisberger’s health.  Ben is not even close to 100% and the match up is especially soft for Mendenhall and the running game.  It has been a while since you’ve been able to use him as an RB1 but he snuck into my top 10 this week and has to be in your lineup this week.

A.J. Green, WR, CIN – The rookie battle between Patrick Peterson and Green might be spoiled by an injury as Green is currently listed as questionable for this week but he is tough and should they start him, you have to as well.  The deck was stacked against Green this season with a fellow rookie QB and shortened off-season but he has been unbelievable and the match up isn’t really that scary as Peterson has gotten beat often enough.

Tim Tebow, QB, DEN – The Bills defense gives up a lot of yardage on the ground and with the number of carries Tebow gets, he is among the safest options at QB this week. I wouldn’t even be too surprised if he got up over 100 if the game gets out of hand, which isn’t too likely.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ  - The Jets are currently clinging to a playoff spot tied at an 8-6 record with Cincinnati and playing against the Giants, who have been weak to the ground game this season. Greene is also playing the best football of his career and the offense plays much better when the ground game is effective.

Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN – Thomas has clearly over-taken Decker as Tebow’s top receiving threat and going on the road to Buffalo means that there will be a a fair amount of yardage to be gained for the Bronco offense.  The run game will be the focus but that means that with 8 men in the box, you can’t double cover Thomas very often.

DeAngelo Williams, RB, CAR – Williams has scored in 2 straight weeks and with Tampa Bay being the 3rd worst rush defense in the NFL, the chances are better than ever that Williams AND Stewart are able to put together another nice game.  Don’t overreact too much though, you have to the play the guys that got you to the playoffs and he certainly wasn’t very helpful this year. But, you could consider him in your flex if you’ve had an injury over the past couple weeks.

Victor Cruz, WR, NYG – Darrelle Revis will be locked on Hakeem Nicks, who has been the top threat over the past few weeks by far. Cruz will be the more targeted of the two and is more likely to have a big game in what can barely be considered a home game for the Jets.

Hate

Anquan Boldin, WR, BAL – Joe Haden has been shutting down elite receivers all season and Boldin has been on the slide recently too. Boldin might pull in a TD but he has so little upside, I think you could sit him down easily this week.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA – I know what you are thinking, he has been really consistent over the past few weeks but look at it this way.  The 49ers are the top rush defense in the NFL and have allowed 259 yards fewer than the Ravens, who are in 2nd. Last week, Lynch faced the 8th best rush defense and only managed 40 yards. He did have 2 TDs in that game but the 9ers have yet to allow a single TD on the ground all season.  He’s improved a lot recently but the deck is stacked against him this week. Flex play at best.

Steve Johnson, WR, BUF – Johnson has been battling a groin injury all season long and just as it seemed to be behind him, he re-aggravates it.  On top of that, Champ Bailey comes to town and is one of the most under-rated shut down corners in the league. Another flex play.

Tony Romo, QB, DAL – Romo is usually a no brainer to get the start but this week he falls outside my top 10 against an Eagles secondary that has been much improved over the past couple weeks.  The Cowboys will find that they are more effective on the ground.  Romo will do OK, but I wouldn’t hold your breath for 30 points.

No Comments »

No Comments »

Studs

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC – There is certainly no better place to start than the guy who ended my season and the season of many others.  MJD went absolutely crazy this week against the Buccaneers and totalled FOUR TDs on 136 all-purpose yards.  He was the highest scoring player from week 14 and if he can carry the Jaguars’ offense, he can carry your fantasy team too.

Tony Romo, QB, DAL – Yes, Dallas lost the game.  Tony Romo still had a big statistical performance for fantasy owners after starting RB DeMarco Murray went down early in the game.  Felix Jones filled in well against a soft rush defense but it was Romo’s 321 yards and 4 TDs that really kept Dallas in this game and it took some late heroics from Eli to take this game from Dallas.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – Assuming you didn’t reach for him as your RB1 at draft time, you may have gotten by and into the playoffs with Green as your RB2. Good for you if you did because now that he is on fire late in the year, he is fast becoming one of the best second RBs that you could ask for. And you have to love a player that is at his best when it matters most for you.

Julio Jones, WR, ATL – These big-play guys can be frustrating but you have to start them when they have a soft match up.  And if you did this week with Jones, it paid off in a big way.  He only managed 3 catches but they totaled 104 yards and two scores.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE – The only thing crazier than how unbelievably good Gronkowski has been this season is how early he will be taken in fantasy drafts next year.  He has already set the single-season TD record which was previously 13 for tight ends.  His current tally is 15 and counting with 3 games remaining. I heard an interesting fact on ESPN’s Fantasy Focus Podcast this week; If you took away all the TDs from Gronkowski and let all the other players keep theirs, he would still be the 4th highest scoring TE in the NFL for fantasy.

Marques Colston, WR, NO – The Saints offense did not look like it has in recent weeks.  They don’t play near as well outside and the Titans secondary did a great job of bottling up the receivers of New Orleans until the 4th quarter.  When it mattered most, to win the game, Brees found Colston twice on scoring plays and managed to squeak out a win.

Duds

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET – The Lions passing game was working pretty well with a soft match up this week and yet Calvin Johnson only had 29 receiving yards and 11 rushing.  Three fantasy points is not enough from the top receiver in the NFL for fantasy football and it hurt a lot of people in a bad way. You have to keep starting him but I don’t expect teams to stop double covering him anytime soon.

Jermichael Finley, TE, GB – Zilch. Zippo. Nadda.  This is exactly how many points and catches Finley had this week.  Just one target too, that is what legitimately scares me. I expected more from Finley this year but his targets have been low and aren’t getting any better.  He is not a top 5 option like he was drafted as.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG – Hey, Bradshaw… how about you show up to team meetings…  He was benched for the first half of the game and wasn’t that productive in the 2nd half. Brandon Jacobs ran well in his place but there wasn’t much warning about this and it destroyed a lot of match ups this week.

Greg Jennings, WR, GB – This isn’t the first time Jennings’ numbers have been low but it is the first time that the entire Packers passing game had a mediocre day.  That’s what happens when the running game gets the job done for a change. Don’t be too worried about it if you made it through but you could easily have been eliminated by Jennings’ poor performance.

No Comments »

Love

Percy Harvin, WR, MIN – Harvin has been great the last couple of weeks.  He has proven his worth as an impact player on that offense and I think he will still have a ton of upside even if Peterson returns.  He wouldn’t quite be a top 10 guy though because of all the carries that he sees with Gerhart carrying the load.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA – Lynch is the hottest back in the NFL at the moment and he is almost sure to run over the Rams as well this week. St. Louis is ranked dead last in the league in rush defense and the Seattle offense has not had any consistency until Lynch started stepping up 5 weeks ago.  This is probably his last week of considerable production given the match ups coming up down the road.

Matthew Stafford, QB, DET – Stafford faces off against the Vikings this week, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs. I am expecting big things from both Stafford and Calvin Johnson and just in time for the playoffs.

DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL – Last week Felix Jones was given a chance again to be the difference maker that they hoped for and it was against a soft Cardinals rush defense.  This backfired big time on Dallas and I think Jason Garrett will have to go back to using Murray as the feature back.  New York has allowed some big rushing performances recently and Murray is the Cowboys’ best chance to take sole possession of the division lead this week.

A.J. Green, WR, CIN – If you own Green, you wouldn’t be caught dead benching him.  The match up is rough but at this point you can’t care.  He has managed at least one big play in every game and has been one of the most consistent and productive receivers in the league this year.  He deserves his top 10 status and there are no match ups that will bring him below that mark at this point.

Hate

Mike Wallace, WR, PIT – Wallace faces off against Joe Haden this week.  On top of that, Ray Rice created a pretty solid blue print for dismantling the Browns on the ground.  I fully expect Pittsburgh to keep the ball on the ground like most teams do. To provide some stats, the Browns are only allowing an average of 11.7 fantasy points per game and are the only team that have allowed less than 100 receptions to be made against them.

LeGarrette Blount, RB, TB – The Buccaneer offense needs Blount to provide balance and even then they haven’t been great this year.  Try to leave Blount for a flex play this week as we aren’t sure whether or not Freeman is going to be there this week.

Eric Decker, WR, DEN – Decker has been pretty good for his fantasy owners since Tebow took over.  Last week Thomas stepped up and scored twice as Decker didn’t do much and this week, the Bears are the opponents for Tebow and yardage will be at a premium. I wouldn’t be too shocked to see this game end 10-7.  Tebow and McGahee are about the only offensive players from this game worth a start.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – Greene is a really good RB2 this week but people are really over reacting to last week and I want to be clear.  Even with the favorable match up he is no more than an RB2.

No Comments »

Studs

Cam Newton, QB, CAR – This week’s highest scoring player is also the NFL record holder for rushing touch downs by a quarterback. Pretty impressive with 4 games left to play from a rookie that frankly many people, myself included, expected to be a bust. I expected this big game to come last week against the Colts but a Josh Freeman-less Buccaneers team is not a whole lot better.  Newton racked up 204 yards passing, 54 yards rushing and he caught a 27 yard pass too, because he needed to do more to justify his super man end zone celebration.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – Greene had only two TDs on the season before Sunday. He had three in this week’s game on the road at Washington.  He rushed 22 times for 88 yards and threw in 2 more fantasy points worth of receiving yards. He was most effective when it mattered, late in the game with the lead and should have earned enough trust to reliably see 20 touches the rest of the way.  Especially considering LT is having a trouble staying healthy.

Percy Harvin, WR, MIN – With Adrian Peterson on the sidelines in street clothes, the Vikings have really looked to Harvin in order to provide a spark.  That spark immediately caught fire as Harvin’s stats and fantasy value have never been better.  He averaged just under 4 yards per rush and had 8 grabs for 159 yards and 2 scores.  My gut says that Peterson misses one more game and Harvin would be considered a top 10 option if this is true.  Coach Frazier was encouraging about Peterson’s progress on Monday and said that he is “very close” to returning.  I for one see no reason for them to rush their franchise back into action too soon with the season already out of control and an offense that is still quite productive.

Ray Rice, RB, BAL – Rice absolutely tore the Cleveland Browns to shreds this week.  It was almost hard to watch unless you happen to own Rice, then it was like Christmas came early. 29 carries for 204 yards and a score in the best game of his young career. Indianapolis, San Diego and Cleveland again are on the horizon for the fantasy playoffs and Rice is sure to be a big part of his owners’ playoff run.

Pierre Garcon, WR, IND – Since Curtis Painter was pretty terrible, the Colts looked to Dan Orlovsky and Pierre Garcon remained the favorite target.  He was targeted twice as much as Reggie Wayne was and hauled in 9 catches for 150 yards and two TDs.  Don’t take this for more that it was, one good game from an inconsistent receiver against the worst secondary in the NFL. With Baltimore next week I will rank Garcon above Wayne, but neither of them are likely to crack the top 40.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA – Lynch has been on fire lately and incredibly consistent.  Before week 9 Lynch had yet to have a 100 yard game on the season or back-to-back 100 yard games in his entire career.  In four of the last five weeks he crossed the century mark and has done it back-to-back twice. I am confident he will do well next week against the Rams, who are ranked 32nd on the NFL, but after that he plays against Chicago (8th in the league vs. the run) and then San Francisco (1st).  The bubble will burst soon but not next week.

Duds

DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL – Dallas made an effort to get Felix Jones more involved this week against Arizona and it back fired big time.  They lost in overtime to what should have been an easy opponent for them and were forced to turn back to Murray down the stretch.  The momentum was never in Dallas’ favor and Murray only had 12 rushes.  As a Murray owner, I hope Dallas learned their lesson and continues to use him as a feature back. He provided a consistent presence in the running game that this offense has not had in a long time and it was working.  I think you have to start him this week in the playoffs against the Giants.  This is going to be a crucial game for Dallas and New York has been vulnerable to the run, allowing 127 yards per game on the season.

Steve Smith, WR, CAR – Just three points is really hard to swallow considering how well the Panthers offense played and how big a game Cam Newton had.  Because the offense is doing just fine I am not concerned about Smtih going into the playoffs.

Michael Turner, RB, ATL – We need to take notice of how ineffective the run was against the Texans.  They played well and earned a tough win against Atlanta this week with TJ Yates at QB.  Houston is also looking to add Jeff Garcia to the roster and he might just wind up the starter, which I think would be an upgrade once he learns the offensive playbook.  This is two rough games for Turner in a row but going against Carolina this week should get things moving in the right direction.

LeGarrette Blount, RB, TB – The Buccaneers missed Josh Freeman this week but they missed a quality running game more.  Blount had just 1.7 yards per carry on only 11 carries and was a huge disappointment for his fantasy owners in what should have been an easy match up. Jacksonville is next week and they have a very quality rush defense so I would consider Blount a flex play at best.

No Comments »

Love

Andre Johnson, WR, HOU – You are right to be concerned about how Johnson will play with Leinart at QB. The only thing is that Jacksonville has a very tough time stopping elite receivers.  Leinart was at one time a starting QB in this league and he is used to having that elite receiver that you can just toss the ball up to.  I expect a very nice game from Johnson this week.

DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL – He had an off game last week and still managed double digit fantasy points.  Miami is on playing really well at the moment but Dallas is too.  As long as Romo doesn’t give the game away with interceptions, I think that Dallas wins this one with relative ease and Murray is the guy that closes it out in the end.

Cam Newton, QB, CAR – I usually have Cam at #2 in my rankings and he is there now.  I would have him at number one but I have seen Aaron Rodgers play this season and that would be insanity.  This match up for Newton is fantastic and I think he has an honest shot at being the week’s top scorer.  You probably don’t need any convincing to start him but I am expecting a huge game this week from the soon to be rookie of the year.

Jordy Nelson, WR, GB – Nelson has been great this season.  He is a big play guy that is able to make that big play with staggering consistency.  I am not ready to rank him above Jennings yet but the fact that I had to think about it is a credit to Nelson’s ability.

Donald Brown, RB, IND – Brown has taken over as the lead back in this offense and while they have been inept this year, Carolina’s defense just may be worse. If your struggling to find a replacement for Fred Jackson, you can do worse than Brown this week.

Hate

Kevin Smith, RB, DET – I ranked Smith poorly this week and partially because I also ranked Jahvid Best. But even if Best does not play, I still would have a hard time starting Smith for this game.  The Lions are at home against the Packers and regardless of how well Detroit has been playing this season I think it would be a huge surprise if they were able to take down the Packers. I expect the Lions to be forced to go to the air early and often in an effort to keep up.  Smith is still a relatively decent flex play because of his ability to catch balls out of the backfield but don’t let that big game cause you to make a foolish decision this week.

Steve Johnson, WR, BUF – The downfall of the Bills has been especially rough on Johnson’s fantasy owners.  He is no longer to be considered a WR2 and is a flex play at best. You should look for another option, especially on Revis island this week.

Sam Bradford, QB, STL – Bradford has been bad this year for fantasy owners. He has an awesome match-up this week but don’t be tempted to use him.  The only guy involved in the Rams’ passing game that I trust is Brandon Lloyd.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – Normally a running back going against Buffalo ends up on the other list.  But with how well Joe McKnight played after Greene went down last week, I am concerned that there is a time-share about to happen.  Greene is still my favorite to get the lion’s share of the work and remains a low-end RB2 in my ranks.

No Comments »

Patriots at Jets

The AFC East is still up for grabs.  Brady and the Pats have already lost more games than they did during the entirety of last season and after losing the the Giants when they didn’t have their two top offensive weapons (Bradshaw and Nicks), I am starting to think they might not be as invincible as they’ve been in years past. Thankfully for them, I think they match up well against the Jets. Welker has not really had too much issue being productive against the Jets in the past and usually Revis does not follow him all over the field. Teams have had success against the Pats this season by locking into man-to-man coverage on the less than elite receiving corp of New England and sending as much pressure as possible at Brady.  In order to get the win, Sanchez needs to play a perfect game and not give up any turnovers. If he can do that, there will be plenty of yardage and opportunities to get points on the board.  The Pats secondary has been just awful this season and still may prove to be their Achilles heel, much like it was for the Texans last year. Brady and the Pats need to lean on Law Firm and the running game in order to limit the time that their defense can be out there giving away the game.  I like the Patriots to win a high scoring affair after New York gets off to a slow start and is unable to catch up.  Welker and Brady are must-starts despite the less than appealing match-up but you should stay away from Deion Branch.  Upgrade Sanchez and the Jets receivers going against the NFL’s worst pass defense and feel free to use Shonn Greene in his typical RB2 role.

Saints at Falcons

Atlanta sits a game behind the Saints for first in the NFC  south and with the game being at home, I like Atlanta in this game.  They need to get back to running most of their offense through Michael Turner so that Roddy White and Julio Jones are able to see more man-to-man coverage and make big plays. Neither team has a scary defense that should make you concerned about giving them a start this week.  Atlanta needs to find a way to slow the Saints’ pass rush and and Turner is their best bet to do so.  Once they are able to bring the 8th man into the box, their receivers will be able to make the difference and get the win.  This game could easily go either way but Matt Ryan is almost a completely different quarterback at home and the Saints lack the depth at receiver to exploit Atlanta’s secondary. Start all your typical players with confidence as this is not likely going to be a low scoring affair but do NOT expect a repeat performance from Julio Jones, who I anticipate being a very hit or miss player for his fantasy owners.  I am considering him as a very good flex play for the rest of the season unless he is able to consistently hit double digit points.

Lions at Bears

Don’t worry I won’t make  a joke about Tigers here, but this game should make a HUGE difference later on as the NFC wild card spots start to get figured out.  I think we all expect the Packers to win the NFC North and I would be surprised if at least one more team from the division didn’t make the playoffs.  Detroit is up a game on the Bears at the moment and getting this win would be huge for their playoff hopes this season. Detroit’s front seven has slipped in recent weeks and their issues with stopping the run has caused them to have issues late in games when they had been able to be so effective early on this season. Unfortunately for them they face Matt Forte this week and he has been simply incredible for the Bears.  For the past few weeks the Bears’ offensive line has been playing much improved football and when Jay Cutler has time to throw, this Bears offense is very difficult to stop and the Lions’ secondary has not been playing that great either. This is a very difficult game to predict the outcome for however with the Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson connection being near impossible to stop.  I wouldn’t use a Lions receiver outside of Megatron unless I absolutely needed to and I also am downgrading the Lions’ running backs.  If Best can play, which I doubt, I wouldn’t think he would see his normal workload and Maurice Morris is not quite good enough to run wild against the Bears stout defense. I like Chicago to win this close game and Cutler has a relatively clean jersey at the end of the game.

No Comments »

Jets at Bills

I am lucky enough to be going to this game and there might not be one that has a bigger impact on the playoff picture in week 9. Buffalo currently sits atop the AFC East and would have the #2 seed in the playoffs if the season ended today. Currently, the Jets are on the outside looking in on the playoff race and would have a really steep hill to climb if they lost this game. On offense, the Jets have gotten away from the ground and pound offense that has gotten them to two straight AFC championship games.  Buffalo’s defense has been incredibly opportunistic and currently leads the NFL with 14 interceptions. In order for Sanchez to get the win for his team and get back on track towards their Super Bowl aspirations, it will take a heavy dose of Shonn Greene and the run game. The Bills offense has been very explosive and it all starts with Fred Jackson, who is having an MVP caliber season. The Jets have been weak against the run and Jackson will pick them apart if they turn the ball over or get off to a slow start and force Sanchez to go to the air and play from behind. Unfortunately for Jets fans, that is how I see this game going.  Jackson just always seems to make the big play when it matters the most and the defense is constantly turning the ball over in crucial spots to help them put the game away. Steve Johnson is a flex play despite being on Revis island this week.  Fitzpatrick will look to him when he is in man coverage and should be able to put up OK stats in this game.  He hasn’t been great in recent weeks and I do not think that he will be able to do too much, but I just don’t think he can be benched. You can start all your normal Bills and Jets in this game, but I would avoid Sanchez as usual and expect this game to be largely about the running game.

Giants at Patriots

The Giants have a two game lead on their division and have been getting some incredible performances from both Bradshaw and Manning.  Bradshaw unfortunately is going to miss around a month of time and I am not sure Brandon Jacobs will be able to provide the same balanced offensive attack.  Luckily for them you do not need balance to attack the Patriots secondary, which is ranked dead last in the NFL and is allowing 323 yards per game. Hakeem Nicks is questionable going into this game and his presence would mean the difference in this game being either competitive or a blow out. If he plays it could go either way but without him, I do not know if they will be able to keep pace with Tom Brady. Brandon Jacobs gets a bump in value with Bradshaw out and you should play every Giants wide receiver that you own in this game.  Tom Brady is of course a must-start despite a pretty average performance last week and there are still no Patriots Wide Receivers that I would go out of my way to start.  I am expecting a Patriot victory in this game but if Nicks plays it will be a pretty close and high scoring affair.

Ravens at Steelers

My favorite part of the AFC North is that these two teams meet up twice a year.  There is always some great football to be had when defenses of this caliber meet up and these have been the best two defenses for at least a decade or two. This particular game could get out of hand as the Steelers are surging and the Ravens struggling, but nothing forces you to play your best like a divisional rivalry game that decides who will sit in first place. I would stay away from any flex plays from either team and just focus on your typical starters: Ray Rice, Rashard Mendenhall, Mike Wallace and Ben Roethlisberger.  Anquan Boldin is typically a very good WR2 option, but I think of him more as a poor flex play this week against this Steelers team that just shut down Brady.  I like Pittsburgh to get a tough win, but the Ravens defense has not been what has struggled as of late so I don’t see it being by any more than 10 points.

No Comments »

Love

Eli Manning, QB, NYG – After starting the season playing very mediocre football, Manning has really stepped it up in recent weeks and helped the Giants hold on to a 2 game lead on the NFC East despite injuries and mistakes. There might not be a team in the league that relies more on their QB to be successful and against a VERY soft Patriots secondary this week, the stats are almost sure to be there for Manning. The Pats have allowed an average of 19 fantasy points per game to opposing QB’s which is third worst in the NFL.

A.J. Green, WR, CIN – Andy Dalton and the Bengals have won 4 straight and look to continue their winning ways against the Titans this week. Each team is just half a game behind the division leader and will be fighting hard to not give up any more ground. Green has been phenomenal this season as there has been just one game where he has not either scored or been over 100 yards. He earned his spot in the top 10 of my WR rankings this week.

Fred Jackson, RB, NYJ – The Jets have struggled to stop the run this year.  They haven’t allowed a lot of big plays, but opposing teams have had little issue grinding out yards with an interior running game.  There is not a back in the NFL that is hotter than Jackson is and with Revis and company likely to limit opportunities down the field for Fitzmagic, Buffalo will need to rely heavily on Jackson.

Victor Cruz, WR, NYG – I talked about the soft match-up in the Eli section and would not be surprised to see Cruz as the top receiver for the Giants this week.  Cruz is just going to keep getting better with each passing week and his big-play ability is impossible to deny at this point.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – Buffalo is averaging over 30 points per game on offense and has been better at defending against the run this year thanks in large part to Dareus. Rex Ryan and the Jets will NEED to run effectively against the Bills to keep their offense on the sideline. I am confident that Greene will put up some good numbers off the heels of his first 100 yard game since week 7 of his rookie season (2009).

Carson Palmer, QB, OAK – Let’s keep my “Love” of Palmer in perspective. You are not starting him in a standard league unless you are really hurting because of Cam Newton or Matthew Stafford being on bye week.  He isn’t likely to have a huge game here since he is still not in the best of shape and getting acclimated to his new team and offensive scheme. But if you are in a 2 QB league then you can do a LOT worse this week.  Palmer might have McFadden back, which would take a lot of pressure off him and the Broncos are the worst in the NFL at fantasy points allowed to QBs.

Hate

Steve Johnson, WR, BUF – This isn’t all because of Revis Island.  Fitzpatrick WILL look to Johnson when he is in man-coverage with Revis and I could see another game very similar to his past two weeks.  The problem is, he hasn’t been producing lately. He hasn’t hit double digit fantasy points in any of his past 4 games.

Joe Flacco, QB, PIT – The Ravens have really been VERY sloppy recently and the Steelers defense seems to have things turned around. Do you trust Flacco against the team that just shut down Tom Brady from start to finish? I don’t. Not when he was pretty bad against the Cardinals last week.

Ryan Torain, RB, WAS – With Tashard Choice joining the Redskins this week off of waivers, I am staying FAR away from Torain.  Helu is the guy I would play if I had to, but I would do anything you can to just leave all your Redskins on the bench. Apart from Fred Davis.

Antonio Brown, WR, PIT – I am pretty well sold on Brown at this point.  He is a play maker and a good deep threat. My issue with him is only for this week against the Ravens.  I think Ben will have a very tough time staying upright in this game and I don’t see Brown able to get too much done. He remains a very viable flex play in my rankings though as he has been targeted more than Steve Johnson, AJ Green, Greg Jennings, Mike Wallace, Jeremy Maclin and Vincent Jackson this season.

No Comments »