Let's
begin with what you won't find here: You will not see the names of every player
worth starting in fantasy leagues for the coming week, nor will you read the
names of every unworthy guy. It would be a waste of my time and yours to tell
you to start Peyton Manning and to leave Maurice Stovall on the sideline.
(Check my "Always" list.)
Of
course, if an every-week player comes to a game that you'd be better off
skipping, you'll find him. If a regular nobody has a chance to shine, I'll
include him.
All
in all, I'll help you fill the spots in your lineup that are actually requiring
some thought. In case you're not sure about a particular unnamed player,
basically, if you drafted him in the first three rounds and you don't see his
name below, go ahead and start him. That's why you drafted him that high.
For player comparisons, check out our accompanying position cheat sheets:
Quarterback
Running back
Wide receiver
Tight end
Defense
BALTIMORE at
CINCINNATI
Ravens
Start
RB Ray Rice - He's not
sitting against anyone at this point.
TE Todd Heap - The seven
catches with which Heap led the team against Cincinnati last time matched the
receptions by Cleveland's two tight ends the week before against the Bengals,
Owen Daniels' total the week after and Chicago's tight-end pair last time out.
WR Mark Clayton - Clayton only
saw four passes last week, but Flacco attempted his fewest throws of the season
in a game his team controlled throughout the second half. Before that, Clayton
saw 25 targets over the previous three games, including seven in the first
meeting with the Bengals. With Mason likely to have a tough day, Clayton could
come out with four or five catches and 60-70, with a shot at the end zone.
Defense - The Baltimore
defense that we saw against Denver last week after the bye is the kind that you
start against anyone. Cincinnati can do more on offense than the Broncos, but
big-play potential abounds on the Ravens' D.
Bench
QB Joe Flacco - Matt Schaub
remains the only quarterback to throw more than one touchdown pass against the
Bengals or reach 300 yards. Flacco's first meeting with the Bengals this year
(at home) resulted in his only multiple-interception line.
WR Derrick Mason - He'll have to
play really poorly to have a worse game than he did the first time out against
Cincinnati. CB Leon Hall helped hold the Ravens' No. 1 receiver without a catch
in that one, and Mason was so well-covered that Flacco only even targeted him
once.
RB Willis
McGahee
- The team has barely used him for five games now, leaving us little reason to.
WR Kelley
Washington
- He's fairly dependable when the team throws him the ball, having caught 75
percent of the passes thrown his way. Washington's ceiling is relatively low,
however, as he has only seen more than six targets once. He's not a fantasy
player to target but a guy you can take a chance on if you're desperate.
Bengals
Start
RB Cedric Benson - As tough as
the Ravens can be against the run, this guy ran through them for 120 yards and
a score in the first meeting.
WR Chad
Ochocinco
- The Twitter correspondent is as busy as any wideout in the league, having
been targeted 10 times or more in four of his past five games and no fewer than
seven times in any week.
Bench
QB Carson Palmer - He only
completed 58 percent of his throws, including a touchdown and a pick, against a
defense that now looks reenergized after its bye. Palmer will face pressure in
this one.
Other receivers - If you know
how to figure out which of the remaining Bengals wideouts will score in a given
week, let me know. If you need one of them, take a shot on Chris Henry against
a defense tied for sixth most pass plays of 40 yards or more allowed. Henry
hauled in a 73-yarder against Baltimore last time, finishing with a season-high
five targets, three catches and 92 yards.
Defense - The Bengals
managed just two sacks in the first meeting, and that was with Antwan Odom
around. Cincinnati could well hold the Ravens right around 17-20 points and
pick off a pass or two, but I think there's more potential downside with
factors such as Ray Rice and Baltimore's scoring ability on defense than there
is upside for fantasy scoring potential. Neither Rice nor Joe Flacco, for
instance, has lost a fumble all season and they've combined to only put the
ball on the ground three times.
WASHINGTON at
ATLANTA
Washington
Start
Defense - The Eagles
are the only opponent to have surpassed 20 points so far, and Philly benefitted
from a defensive touchdown. Matt Ryan tossed six real picks (and the one to
Darren Sharper on the hail mary at the end) in his past two games.
Bench
RB Clinton
Portis
- Only DeAngelo Williams, Fred Taylor and Pierre Thomas have had good games
against Atlanta this year among running backs. Unfortunately for Portis, I
don't think he's any of those guys at this point - and the tatters serving as
his offensive line certainly don't help.
WR Santana Moss - The Falcons
have allowed some big pass plays (and receiving games), but they went to big
receivers and Carolina's Steve Smith - who plays bigger than he is. Moss isn't
and doesn't.
QB Jason
Campbell
- If Atlanta's front four could pressure a quarterback as well-protected as
Drew Brees the way they did on Monday night, they might just start taking snaps
for Campbell by the third quarter.
TE Fred Davis - He'll get
lots of sleeper play this week, and Davis is an OK option if you're in need,
but only Tom Brady, Tony Romo and Drew Brees have thrown more touchdown passes
than interceptions against Atlanta. Jeremy Shockey was the first opposing tight
end to reach 60 yards against the Falcons. Additionally, if Washington finds
itself in need of blocking help - which it likely will - Davis' playing time
will be sacrificed for someone who actually wants to handle that job.
Falcons
Start
RB Michael
Turner
- If you haven't seen the recent evidence, you should watch more football.
WR Roddy White - Now an
every-week starter, White has scored in four straight games and five of seven
for the season and caught no fewer than four passes in any contest.
Defense - Washington
hasn't scored more than 17 points in any game this year, despite playing a weak
schedule to date, but has allowed at least five sacks in two of its past three
games.
Bench
QB Matt Ryan - Just to
reiterate, Ryan is coming off three straight multiple-interception
performances. Now he faces a Washington that has yet to allow any quarterback
to throw more than one touchdown pass. Additionally, only one opposing passer
has reached 250 yards.
GREEN BAY at
TAMPA BAY
Packers
Start
QB Aaron Rodgers - As long as
his ailing foot is OK, there's certainly nothing wrong with the matchup. Only
Jake Delhomme has thrown for fewer than two touchdowns against the Bucs, and he
only attempted 17 passes that day.
RB Ryan Grant - Oh yeah, and
six opposing runners have surpassed 90 yards on the ground against Tampa.
Everyone else - Why waste
time typing out the rest of the names? Donald Driver should only sit if his
neck injury keeps him out. James Jones is even worth a shot in deep leagues
where an owner needs a wideout. The tight ends are a crapshoot but decent if
you're desperate.
Defense - The Tampa
offense is bad enough when not giving a rookie quarterback his first start.
Bench
No one
Buccaneers
Start
Nobody - If it looks
bad without a first-time starter at quarterback, can we really count on anyone with that first-timer?
Bench
RB Cadillac
Williams
-Cedric Benson has been the only opposing back to manage better than his season
per-carry average against the Packers.
ARIZONA at
CHICAGO
Cardinals
Start
QB Kurt Warner - He had a
rough outing against the Panthers, but Chicago doesn't have the secondary or,
apparently, the pass rush of Carolina right now. The Bears have just one sack
in their past three games and only got their hands on six total passes on
defense in two games against the Browns and Bengals.
WR Steve
Breaston
- If Anquan Boldin sits, Breaston becomes a starter and a no-brainer fantasy
play. Even if Boldin plays, though, Breaston has garnered more looks and
receptions than his higher-profile teammate in two of the past three games.
RB Tim Hightower - In a muddled
running-back situation, Hightower remains the better play because of his
featured status in the passing game.
Defense - Since his
Week 5 bye, Jay Cutler has thrown three touchdown passes and six interceptions
and taken seven sacks.
Bench
RB Chris Wells - There's
sleeper potential against a Bears defense that allowed Cedric Benson and Julius
Jones to go for more than 5 yards per carry and Jamal Lewis to pick up 4.3 per
rush last week. However, the Cardinals have only run it 20 times or more in
three games this season, two of which were blowout victories. We simply can't
count on Wells getting enough work or getting the ball in the red zone.
WR Anquan Boldin - Even if he
gets out there, we can't be sure Boldin will finish the game or be the
slightest bit effective. Let's hope he sits just to make our lineup decision
that much easier.
Bears
Start
WR Devin Hester - It looks like
Hester will play despite an ankle injury he suffered last week. He has caught
at least six passes in three straight games.
TE Greg Olsen - The average
performance among the five tight ends who have seen at least five targets
against Arizona looks like this: five receptions, 62.6 yards.
Bench
QB Jay Cutler - In addition
to his own struggles, the Cardinals have yielded just two touchdown passes over
the past three weeks.
RB Matt Forte - It was nice
for his fantasy owners to finally get a two-touchdown performance from the
first-round pick, but the Bears could only get him 3.5 yards per carry against
the garbage Browns.
Defense - Cincinnati
shredded the Chicago pass defense with fewer weapons than Arizona will bring to
town.
HOUSTON at
INDIANAPOLIS
Texans
Start
RB Steve Slaton - If I'm Gary
Kubiak, I'm taking a chance on arguably my second-best offensive player in a
game in which I'll need all hands on deck anyway and be starting the post-Owen
Daniels stretch. Without point-per-reception scoring, however, I'd prefer to
leave this situation alone completely.
WR Kevin Walter - The Texans'
No. 2 wideout gets work when Houston needs to play catch-up, which it most
likely will against the Colts. Indy, for its part, has allowed the sixth most
completions to wide receivers - as it usually does -- by virtue of its
defensive philosophy.
Bench
RB Ryan Moats - Frank Gore is
the only back who has scored a rushing touchdown against the Colts since Week
2, and he had to do it from 64 yards away.
TE Joel Dreessen - He has yet to
catch more than three passes or go for more than 31 yards in a game in the NFL.
QB Matt Schaub - Only two
opposing quarterbacks have reached 200 yards against the Colts this season, and
none has thrown more than one touchdown pass. Indy has allowed just three all
year.
Colts
Start
Everyone - I'm not
generally a fan of quoting historical numbers, but the Colts have scored at
least 30 points in seven of their past eight meetings with Houston. Peyton
Manning has been around for every contest between the two and has rarely been
clicking in the passing game the way he is this year. Anthony Gonzalez's
continued knee issue keeps Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon in play for us, in
that order.
Defense - The Colts are
allowing a league-fewest 13 points per game and now face an offense missing its
top-notch tight end and with questions about its fumble-prone dynamic running
back.
Bench
TE Gijon
Robinson
- Yeah, I know, I just felt like listing someone. Although, he did catch three passes two weeks ago ...
KANSAS CITY at
JACKSONVILLE
Chiefs
Start
QB Matt Cassel - Check out my
full reasoning here. For this
space, let's just say that Jacksonville's pass defense puts the "dread" and the
"ful" in dreadful.
WR Dwayne Bowe - Ditto.
RB Jamaal
Charles
- You'll have to look all the way back to last week to see a speed back
dominating the Jaguars. Charles won't go for 200 yards in this game, but he has
a career per-carry average of 5.3 and should produce if he gets the carries. He
also has three games this season in which he has caught at least three passes,
even though the Chiefs haven't used him a ton so far.
Bench
TE Sean Ryan - After a
couple of teaser performances, Ryan hasn't caught more than two passes since
Week 4.
Jaguars
Start
WR Mike
Sims-Walker
- Last week's three-target, two-catch outing against the Titans looks like an
outlier, as Sims-Walker had been targeted no fewer than nine times and caught
no fewer than six passes in any of his previous four games.
Bench
QB David Garrard - He has only thrown
touchdown passes in two of seven games this season, both times against strong
run defenses. That ain't the Chiefs, so this will be a Maurice Jones-Drew game.
WR Torry Holt - For PPR owners
in need, Holt is relatively safe, but he also comes with little upside. The
only time he has led the team in targets outright was the week that Sims-Walker
got suspended. Mike Thomas has actually garnered one more look over the past
two weeks than his veteran teammate.
WR Mike Thomas - He still has
only three games with as many as five looks, though, and just one with more
than six.
TE Marcedes
Lewis
- Apply the sleeper tag to this guy as often as you want. The truth is, his
absolute ceiling looks like about four catches (he's reached that once this
year), and Lewis is at least as likely to haul in one pass (which he has done
three times). Start him only when you're out of other options.
Defense - As I said
when the Jaguars played St. Louis: A good matchup doesn't turn a bad defense
into a fantasy starter.
MIAMI at NEW
ENGLAND
Dolphins
Start
Nobody - There's always
the chance that the Wildcat throws out a new wrinkle that troubles an opponent,
but that's much less likely with this opponent. Bill Belicheck has had a year
since that famous Wildcat introduction and had his bye week to prepare for this
meeting. Ronnie Brown, after the huge first game at New England, ran for just
37 yards on 10 carries in the second meeting.
Bench
Receivers - The only
member of this group that has made a real fantasy impact recently did so as a
kick returner.
RB Ricky
Williams
- It's tough to go against the way he has run lately, but Michael Turner is the
only back who has run the ball in against New England so far.
QB Chad Henne - There's a
tiny bit of sleeper potential here against a defense that allowed Trent
Edwards, Joe Flacco and Kyle Orton to each throw two touchdown passes. I just
don't trust any of his receiving options enough right now to call him
starter-worthy.
Patriots
Start
WR Sam Aiken - This is only
for folks in deep leagues who are struggling for a bye-week filler from the
wire. Aiken got 10 targets in the past two games and could luck into four or
five if the Dolphins roll coverage too heavily to the dangerous threats on the
outside.
Defense - In their
second meeting with the Jets this season, the Dolphins offense managed just one
touchdown and only 2 yards per offensive play. That followed four touchdowns
and 6.5 yards in the first meeting. Ergo, the Miami offense is easier to figure
after you've seen it. The Patriots have gotten as many looks at the Wildcat as
anyone and will be ready.
Bench
TE Ben Watson - Every
starting tight end who has been thrown to at all has enjoyed a productive day
against Miami. Watson, however, hasn't been targeted more than three times in
any game since Week 2, and hasn't drawn more than four looks since the opener.
With his wide receiver teammates working against rookie corners, there's little
reason to believe this week will be different.
RB Laurence
Maroney
- Maroney only got 13 carries the last time out against a bad run defense in a
game his team dominated.
RB Kevin Faulk - He hasn't
caught more than three passes in a game since Week 1.
CAROLINA at NEW
ORLEANS
Panthers
Start
RB DeAngelo Williams - Every week
right now.
RB Jonathan
Stewart
- The Saints started strong against the run, but Michael Turner, Ricky Williams
and Ahmad Bradshaw have found good yardage against them the past three weeks.
The team will miss DT Sedrick Ellis once again, as it did against the Falcons.
WR Steve Smith - The Saints'
attacking style on defense leaves them vulnerable to big pass plays here and
there, as has been shown by five opposing receivers so far who have surpassed
90 yards receiving. (Another big play by the other Steve Smith was missed only because Eli Manning overthrew
him.) Among those receivers, only DeSean Jackson is as fast as this Steve
Smith.
Bench
QB Jake Delhomme - This guy
should throw fewer than 20 passes in every game the rest of the way, no matter
how much his team falls behind by.
Saints
Start
RB Pierre Thomas - Any doubt
that he remains the team's best back should have been laid to rest in the
Monday-nighter.
RB Mike Bell - Against a
defense allowing 4.5 yards per carry and an average of more than one touchdown
per game to opposing runners, though, there's room for more.
WR Marques
Colston
- Even as the Panthers handled Arizona's passing game last week, Larry
Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston each caught six passes. Colston has been targeted
at least 13 times more than anyone else on his team.
TE Jeremy
Shockey
- Weak offenses have produced little with their tight ends recently against
Carolina, but Brent Celek, Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten caught 22 of 23
passes thrown their way against the Panthers in the first three weeks.
Defense - Combine the
league's best defense in terms of interceptions and Jake Delhomme and there's
potential for big fantasy points.
Bench
RB Reggie Bush - He will
always carry upside, as is obvious in the fact that he has scored in three
straight games. Given decent options, though, I'll most often look away from a
back who hasn't gotten as many as 10 touches since Week 3. Bush, primarily
viewed as a receiving threat, also hasn't caught more than three passes in a
game since the opener.
Other wideouts - No one other
than Colston is getting consistent looks, and the Panthers have allowed just
two touchdown passes to opposing wideouts all year.
DETROIT at SEATTLE
Lions
Start
WR Calvin
Johnson
- If he's healthy.
Bench
RB Kevin Smith - I don't buy
that Maurice Morris is a better option, as Smith looked pretty good to me
before hurting his shoulder against the Rams. Nevertheless, Seattle has allowed
just 3.3 yards per carry against everyone not named Frank Gore.
Other receivers - Once Calvin
Johnson gets back onto the field, we can finally go back to forgetting they
even exist.
Seahawks
Start
QB Matt
Hasselbeck
- Only Marc Bulger has failed to throw at least two touchdown passes against
the Lions.
TE John Carlson -- Detroit has
yielded a league-high seven touchdown passes to tight ends, even while allowing
only the ninth-most receptions to that position.
Wideouts - Only St.
Louis and Chicago have failed to put a wide receiver into the end zone against
Detroit, and nine opposing wideouts have caught at least five passes through
seven games.
RB Julius Jones - So many
things that I could list here, but I'll go with these: St. Louis scored its
only rushing touchdown of the season to date at Detroit, and the struggling
Chicago running game put two running backs into the end zone and produced Matt
Forte's only really good game of the year.
Defense - Detroit has
allowed the third-most sacks per game in the league and could manage only eight
offensive points against the Rams last week.
Bench
WR Deion Branch - Even when
people finally found him last week, he only caught three passes.
TENNESSEE at SAN
FRANCISCO
Titans
Start
RB Chris Johnson - When a guy
averages 17 carries a game and still has three outings in which he averaged at
least 7.5 yards per carry, you know that a big day is always possible.
Defense
- I could try to sum it up here, but you'd get a better explanation at this link.
Bench
Everyone else - I need to see
Vince Young do it against someone other than Jacksonville before I'll believe
he's turning into a real NFL quarterback.
TE Bo Scaife - Desperate PPR
owners could take a shot, but each of his four-catch games has come on just
four targets. The Niners, meanwhile, have allowed just 55 percent completions
to tight ends and only one touchdown to the position all season.
49ers
Start
RB Frank Gore - The Titans have been beaten for long touchdown runs each of the past two weeks and have allowed rushing scores in four consecutive games. The San Francisco offense is moving the ball better with Alex Smith around.
TE Vernon Davis - The only "tight end" to be targeted at least five times against Tennessee and not score so far was Ernest Wilford last week.
WR Michael Crabtree - He has immediately become the No. 1 wideout with six more catches than any other wide receiver on the team over the past two games.
Defense - Chris Johnson can do it to anyone, but the Niners have allowed just three runs of 20 yards or more all year and none of 40 yards. Vince Young comes in with 10 more career interceptions than touchdown passes and should have tossed another last week if only Jacksonville corner Derek Cox had held on to an overthrown first-quarter bomb.
Bench
QB Alex Smith - He has looked pretty good since getting back onto the field, but Tennessee is getting its defensive backfield realigned after a series of injuries, got much better corner play last week and should be able to get after Smith in the pass rush. Niners quarterbacks have been sacked four times in four different games this season.
SAN DIEGO at
N.Y. GIANTS
Chargers
Start
RB LaDainian
Tomlinson
- The Giants have allowed eight total touchdowns to opposing running backs in
the past three games.
WR Vincent
Jackson
- He is the newest member of the "Always" list.
WR Malcom Floyd - In addition
to allowing running backs to score at will, the Giants have yielded plenty of
big passing plays recently. With Chris Chambers out of the way, Floyd should
get more regular work, and his 6-5 frame certainly lends itself to big plays
and red-zone looks.
Bench
RB Darren
Sproles
- No opposing back has caught more than three passes against the Giants, and
Sproles has only reached three once since Week 2. The Chargers seem to be
getting right back to not using him enough.
Defense - The Chargers
have only managed more than one sack in three games this year, and two of those
came in the past two weeks against Kansas City and Oakland. Six of their eight
interceptions also came against those two troubled pass offenses.
Giants
Start
RB Brandon
Jacobs -
The Chargers have supposedly worked through their run defense issues, but
Justin Fargas found the end zone for just the eighth time in his seven-year
career against them last week.
WR Steve Smith - He remains a
pretty safe PPR play, as Smith has only once caught fewer than four passes and
also just once produced less than 63 yards (in separate outings).
WR Hakeem Nicks - Another
decently safe play with upside, Nicks has caught four passes or more in four
straight games and scored in three of those.
QB Eli Manning - His three-game streak of one-touchdown performances lowers his ceiling, but each decent passing game with an experience quarterback to face the Chargers so far has put up two passing scores.
Bench
RB Ahmad
Bradshaw
- He has lately become a back with whom you have to hope for a goal-line carry
to get value. Bradshaw has only garnered more than 12 carries once all year,
has averaged less than 3 yards per carry each of the past two weeks and has run
for fewer than 50 yards in three straight games.
TE Kevin Boss - The Chargers
have shown some vulnerability against tight ends - just like last season - but
Boss has only surpassed three catches in one game this season and heads into
this contest with an ankle injury.
Defense - A defense
that has shown serious weakness against the deep ball faces an offense that
sits tied for fifth in pass plays of 20 or more yards and tied for third in
pass plays of at least 40 yards. How good of a matchup does that sound like to
you?
DALLAS at
PHILADELPHIA
Cowboys
Start
WR Miles Austin - I'm not sure
there's a receiver in the league playing more confidently than this guy right
now. As good as the Eagles have looked the past two weeks, they have allowed 64
percent completions to opposing wideouts.
QB Tony Romo - Four of the
past six opposing quarterbacks have thrown multiple touchdown passes against
Philadelphia, and one of the two who didn't was JaMarcus Russell. Even he had
an uncharacteristically decent day.
Bench
The backs - The Eagles
have allowed just one score of any sort by a running back since Week 2, and
that came from Ahmad Bradshaw in relative garbage time last week.
Defense - Philly has
scored at least 27 points against everyone but New Orleans and Oakland, and it
put up 22 against the Saints.
Eagles
Start
QB Donovan
McNabb
- The past four opposing quarterbacks and five of seven for the year have
thrown for two scores apiece against Dallas.
WR DeSean
Jackson
- Only two opponents have failed to put at least one wideout into the end zone
against Dallas. Jackson is a boom-or-bust player, but he has boomed in four of
the past six games and went for six catches and 94 yards in one of the other
two.
WR Jeremy Maclin - Jackson is
the higher-profile play thanks to his ridiculous run of long touchdown passes.
Maclin, however, is the safer play, as he has caught four more passes than
Jackson in the four games since Philly's bye and seen more targets and finished
with more receptions than Jackson in three of those outings.
RB Brian Westbrook - He's
generally a chance worth taking, especially in PPR setups. Westbrook has gotten
at least 15 touches in three of the four games for which he's been available,
and the explosiveness of his offense raises the potential for red-zone looks.
Defense - The Eagles
have forced at least two turnovers in four consecutive games and sit tied for
second in the league in sacks.
Bench
RB LeSean McCoy - In three
games so far, McCoy has gotten more than 10 touches. I'll go ahead and let you
guess which other player missed two of those contests and left the other early.
That other guy should be playing on Sunday.
TE Brent Celek - The Cowboys
haven't allowed a touchdown pass to a tight end since Week 3 and haven't let an
opposing tight end catch more than four passes since opening day.
PITTSBURGH at
DENVER
Steelers
Start
WR Hines Ward - Pittsburgh's
has become a pass-happy offense, and facing a tough run D will only further
motivate the Steelers to throw. The only three receivers (out of nine) who have
been targeted at least seven times against Denver and not caught at least four
passes all played for Dallas.
TE Heath Miller - He has caught
at least five passes in every game but one. The Broncos certainly haven't
yielded big numbers to tight ends, but they have allowed the past four starters
at that position to combine for about a 74 percent catch rate - 17 percentage
points better than Denver's number for the season.
Defense - Denver has
yet to score more than two offensive touchdowns in a game, and Pittsburgh has
gone three games without allowing more than one.
Bench
QB Ben
Roethlisberger
- As efficient as Joe Flacco was against Denver last week, he - just like
everyone else other than Tom Brady - fell short of two touchdown passes against
the Broncos.
RB Rashard
Mendenhall
- Even the backs who have finished with good fantasy numbers against Denver did
so with less than 4 yards per carry. Mendenhall's value will come down to
whether he happens to get a shot at the end zone. Only three guys have
capitalized on that shot all year against the Broncos.
WR Mike Wallace - The rookie
still has just one game in which he caught more than three passes, and the
number of big plays allowed by the Broncos rank among the best in the league -
including just one pass play or 40 or more yards.
WR Santonio
Holmes -
He's not a bad option, per se, but also not dependable enough to reach for in a
tough matchup.
Broncos
Start
Defense - Baltimore was
the first team to score more than two touchdowns against the Broncos, and one
came on a kick return. Pittsburgh has allowed at least three sacks in five of
seven games.
WR Brandon
Marshall
- With at least four catches in every game but one, Marshall is a decently safe
fantasy play with definite upside.
Bench
QB Kyle Orton - He remains
relatively safe, with his lone interception coming on an end-of-half hail mary.
Pittsburgh, however, has allowed just two total touchdown passes in the three
games in which Troy Polamalu has played.
WR Eddie Royal - Looks like
the one 10-catch day was an aberration, as Royal still has no other outing with
more than three receptions.
RB Knowshon
Moreno
- Only Adrian Peterson and Cedric Benson have scored on the ground against
Pittsburgh this season.
TE Tony
Scheffler
- Four of seven games this season, he has been targeted two times or fewer and
come out with just one catch. Two of the three tight end touchdown receptions
against Pittsburgh this year went to Antonio Gates.
Matt Schauf is
the senior football writer for World Fantasy
Games. E-mail him at
matt.schauf@worldfantasygames.com. Follow him on Twitter (mschauf63).
Posted
11-05-2009 8:09 PM
by
mattschauf