Week 9 - Start / Sit

BYE WEEK: Carolina, New Orleans, San Diego, San Francisco

QB – Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers

INJURY WATCH: Tony Romo(DAL), Jay Cutler(DEN), Carson Palmer(CIN), Matt Hasselbeck(SEA), Brian Griese(TB), Vince Young(TEN)

Start

David Garrard (JAC) – Garrard has been playing at a very high level lately and I expect the same to continue this week. The Jaguars will be playing the Bengals and the offense should be able to move the ball up and down the field most of the game. The defense should create some opportunities and short fields for Garrard to capitalize on. Garrard also makes plays with his legs, leading the Jags in rushing yards last week. He will also have his top receiver available this week, so things are looking good.  20 of 27 275yrds, 2 TD’s, 30yrds rush

Marc Bulger (STL) – The Rams have been resurgent lately and the passing game has seen improvements over the past weeks. Bulger is getting more support in pass protection and his run game has alleviated a lot of the pressure. The Rams may get into a shootout with the Cardinals this week, or they could get down in the game and be forced to throw more. I’d expect a closer game though even though it may be a high scoring affair. I wouldn’t count of Bulger every week, but if you have Brees, Rivers, or Delhomme, Bulger could fill in this week for you.  24 of 32 250yrds, 2 TD’s, 1 INT

Sit

Matt Cassell (NEP) – I think Cassell runs into some problems this Sunday night in Indianapolis. The Colts could get Bob sanders back, instantly upgrading a run defense that has already been playing pretty good despite the game against Tennessee last week. If the Colts come out gunning and get a lead, Cassell will be forced to throw. And when he’s on the road, the results are not very favorable.  16 of 28 175yrds, 1 TD, 2 INT’s

Eli Manning (NYG) – When Dallas comes to town, it’s typically a low scoring, defensive struggle, with both teams keeping it tight to the vest and utilizing the run game to try and wear out the others’ defense. Wade Philips is now calling the defensive plays, his specialty, and it shut down Tampa’s offense last week. Manning may catch a break here and there, but I wouldn’t expect anything spectacular from him.  17 of 25 200yrds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 FUM

RB – Brian Westbrook, Adrian Peterson, Steven Jackson, Clinton Portis, Marion Barber, Ronnie Brown, Brandon Jacobs, Michael Turner, Marshawn ####, Chris Johnson(TEN)

INJURY WATCH:  Clinton Portis(WAS), Joseph Addai(IND), Steven Jackson(STL), Willie Parker(PIT), Reggie Bush(NO), Willis Mcgahee(BAL), Warrick Dunn(TB), Selvin Young(DEN), Michael Pittman(DEN), Darren McFadden(OAK), Sammie Morris(NEP), Chris Perry(CIN), Justin Fargas(OAK), Lamont Jordan(NEP), Maurice Morris(SEA), Jerious Norwood(ATL), Felix Jones(DAL), Ahman Green(HOU), Jamaal Charles(KC)

Start

Earnest Graham (TBB) – Graham should once again get the bulk of the carries this week with Warrick Dunn still nursing a troubled back. Kansas City’s rush defense ranks in the bottom three in yards against, and Tampa will want to run as much as possible on the road this week. Those of you looking for Graham’s breakout game, get ready to smile.  110yrds, 2 TD’s, 4 for 25yrds

Dominic Rhodes (IND) – For the Colts to be successful, they’ll need to run. With Joseph Addai still recovering from an injury, Rhodes will be the workhorse this Sunday Night. The Colts offense is predicated on play-action, and for that to work, they’ll need to feed Rhodes a healthy dose of the rock to make it believable. This is a game the Colts will especially want to win, and I think they’ll get it done.  100ydrs, 1 TD, 4 for 35yrds

Sit

Edgerrin James (ARI) – James will be on the short end of a team that wants to test the future of the franchise this year, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so; on the road against a sub-par defense. James will still get his touches, but it won’t be enough to warrant a start this week. This could be the beginning of the end for James, so monitor his situation closely.  30yrds

Willis Mcgahee (BAL) – Mcgahee is still ####ed up and his game is suffering because of it. Cleveland will be determined to shut down the Raves run this week and force Flacco to beat them threw the air. Ray Rice has also seen his touches increase over the past couple of weeks. All of these things throw up a big, red caution flag on Mcgahee. Unless BYE weeks are forcing your hand, keep him on your bench.  40yrds, 2 for 10yrds

WR – Brandon Marshall, Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, Greg Jennings, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, T.J. Houshmanzedah, Plaxico Burress

INJURY WATCH: Reggie Wayne(IND), Santana Moss(WAS), Marques Colston(NO), Plaxico Burress(NYG), Anquan Boldin(ARI), Chris Chambers(SD), Laveranes Coles(NYJ), Jerricho Cotchery(NYJ), Deion Branch(SEA), Eddie Royal(DEN), Anthony Gonzalez(IND), Kevin Walter(HOU), Justin Gage(TEN), Justin McCareins(TEN), Javon Walker(OAK), Joey Galloway(TBB), Sidney Rice(MIN), Brandon Stokely(DEN), Darrell Jackson(DEN), Brandon Lloyd(CHI), David Patten(NO), Drew Bennett(STL), Dante Stallworth(CLE), Marty Booker(CHI), Reggie Williams(JAC), Josh Reed(BUF)

Start

Santonio Holmes (PIT) – This is a redemption game for Holmes after letting his team down last week due to a run-in with the local authorities. The Steelers will need to throw and Washington’s defense is ####ed up. Washington has a meager 10 sacks this year, so there should be lots of time for Ben to have a look downfield to Holmes. He’s looking to prove how valuable he is to this team and he’ll have a big game to make up for it.  6 for 115yrds, 1 TD

Eddie Royal (DEN) – Jay Cutler should have a bounce back game this week as the Dolphins and their 27th ranked pass defense roll into town. Marshall and Scheffler, if he plays, should draw most of the defensive attention, leaving Royal in plenty of single coverage opportunities to taka advantage of. According to Vegas, this should be the highest scoring game of the week, so expect Denver to continue to throw late into the game.  6 for 90yrds, 1 TD

Sit

Dwayne Bowe (KC) – Kansas City is in trouble this week against Tampa Bay. The Cover 2 effectively shuts down receivers on the outside and limits any deep balls. This will likely be a low scoring game with most of the action coming from the ground games. Until Bowe starts converting on more of the targets he receives, you may want to keep him benched.  4 for 30yrds

Jerricho Cotchery (NYJ) – Cotchery was destined for a huge season this year after last year’s numbers and the addition of Brett Favre, but things haven’t quite worked out. Besides from being hurt for most of the season, Cotchery doesn’t seem to draw the eye of Favre as much as Coles and Stuckey do. Buffalo should do a good job of neutralizing him this week.  2 for 50yrds

TE – Chris Cooley, Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez, Owen Daniels, Dallas Clark

INJURY WATCH: Jason Witten(DAL), Tony Scheffler(DEN), Jeremy Shockey(NO), L.J. Smith(PHI), Leonard Pope(ARI), Ben Utecht(CIN), Bubba Franks(NYJ)

Start

Greg Olsen (CHI) – It should be a big scoring day for Chicago this week and I’d expect Olsen to get in on the action. Kyle Orton has been phenomenal this season and Chicago’s offense has been one of the more productive. The Bears should have success against the Lions this week with their defense and special teams setting up lots of short field opportunities.  5 for 50yrds, 1 TD

K – Mason Crosby, Stephen Gostkowski, Adam Vinatieri, John Carney, David Akers, Robbie Gould

INJURY WATCH:  Lawrence Tynes(NYG), Mike Nugent(NYJ)

Start

Ryan Longwell (MIN) – It should be a high scoring game in Minnesota this Sunday, and Longwell will get the opportunities as the Vikings drives stall. The game is indoors and Minnesota should be able to move the ball well between the 20’s. Longwell is very accurate and should have no trouble converting.  3 FG’s, 2 XP’s

DEF – Ravens, Titans, Packers, Giants, Eagles, Vikings, Buccaneers

INJURY WATCH: Baltimore (Chris McAllister-CD, Samari Rolle-CB), Minnesota (Madieu Williams-S, David Herron-LB), Chicago (Tommie Harris-DT, Charles Tillman-CB, Nathan Vasher-CB), Pittsburgh (Ryan Clark-FS, Bryant McFadden-CB), Tampa Bay (Jermaine Philips-S, Jovan Haye-DT), Indianapolis (Marlin Jackson-CB, Daymeion Hughes-CB), Green Bay (Charles Woodson-CB), Dallas (Terence Newman-CB, Anthony Henry-CB), Washington (Jason Taylor-DE, Shawn Springs-CB, Cornelius Griffin-DT), NY Giants (Kevin Dockery-CB, Bryan Kehl-LB) New England (Ellis Hobbs-CB, Jarvis Green-DE)

Start

Cleveland Browns – The top defenses are all playing this week, so there may not be a need to find a BYE week fill in, but if you do, take a peek at the Browns this week. They’re at home, and playing a Baltimore offense that ranks in the bottom five in scoring and has been quite generous with turnovers lately. The Ravens will want to run, but Cleveland has been playing extremely well lately and if they can shut things down early, it would force Flacco into throwing more; something he hasn’t done well consistently.  <250 YA, <17 PA, 3 sacks, 2 INT’s, 1 FUM

Quarter Back

BYE WEEK: Eli Manning, Brian Griese, Cleo Lemon, Marc Bulger

MUST START: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Tony Romo, Donovan McMabb, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger

 START

Derek Anderson – Anderson has the Browns offense firing on all cylinders since their loss to the Patriots. In those two weeks since he has thrown 3TD’s in back to back games without turning the ball over.  He has thrown for over 200yrds in every game this year and gets the Seahawks at home this week.  Look for the Browns to move the ball up and down the filed this week as this game should turn into a shoot-out. (300yrds, 3 TD)  

Philip Rivers – Rivers threw 3 TD’s last week and looks to keep things rolling against one of the worst pass defenses in the league.  With the Vikings being able to shut down the run, look for Rivers to find Gates, Tomlinson, and newly acquired Chris Chambers often in this game. Yards have been tough to come by for Rivers for season as he has only thrown for over 200yrds twice, so don’t expect much more in that category. San Diego’s Defense though, should provide ample scoring opportunity this week. (200yrds, 2 TD, 1 INT)

J.P. Losman – Losman came back from injury/bench last week and looked good moving the football and leading the Bills to victory. He gets a terrible Bengals offense this week in a game that has big scoring potential. With Marshawn ####’s ability to draw extra defenders into the box, Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish should find ample space in the secondary. Losman hasn’t been bad when he’s been in there and I’d expect a decent day from him. He’s usable as a BYE week fill-in. (200yrds, 2 TD’s, 2 INT)

SIT

Vince Young – The Panthers are used to facing Michael Vick twice a year. They’ll be ready for what Vince Young can do. Young is still not fully recovered in my opinion, so that may limit his mobility even more. The Titans will do what they do every week, run the football until the wheels come off, only throw when they absolutely have to, kick field goals, and play good defense.  Until further notice, stay away. (125 pass yrds, 25 rush yrds, 1 TD, 1 INT)

Jeff Garcia – Garcia easily had his worst game last week and I’ve got a feeling about the Cardinals defense coming off a BYE this week. Tampa Bay just doesn’t have enough offensive weapons after Joey Galloway to make an impact in this game. The Cardinals defense has play makers on it and they know how to get after the run game. Expect the Cardinals offense to be on the field a lot, limiting Garcia’s value even more. (170yrds, 1 TD, 2 INT)

Running Back

BYE WEEK: Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Reuben Droughns, Cedric Benson, Adrian Peterson, Jesse Chatman, Patrick Cobbs, Steven Jackson, Brian Leonard

MUST START: LaDanian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson, Frank Gore, Joseph Addai, Willie Parker, Brian Westbrook, Adrian Peterson, Marshawn ####, Marion Barber, Willis McGahee, Reggie Bush, Thomas Jones, Clinton Portis, Maurice Jones-Drew, LenDale White

START

Kevin Jones – Yes, the Lions do have a run game! Jones is at home this week against one of the worst rush defenses in the league.  He had a monster game last week topping the century mark for the first time while scoring a TD. Jones has seen his workload increase in every game this season and has scored a TD in 4 out of his 5 games played. He is also averaging a couple of catches per game. That number could increase since the safer Jon Kitna could be checking down a lot due to the Broncos excellent corners. (125yrds rush, 5 catches 40yrds, 1 TD)

Shaun Alexander – This is Alexander’s last hurrah in my opinion. If he doesn’t produce in this game, he becomes a must sit from here on out. The Browns defense has been better, but Alexander has the skill set to exploit them.  Coming off their BYE, Seattle has had more than ample time to prepare for Cleveland.  Look fro the Seahawks to control the ball and the game and keep the Browns offense off the field.  Alexander will be a major part of that game plan. (75yrds, 2 catches 15yrds, 2 TD) SIT

DeShaun Foster/DeAngelo Williams – The Panthers will struggle again this week with David Carr at QB.  They will try to run, but Tennessee’s rush defense is among the best in the land.  The Titans will play ball control offense and not turn the ball over, getting points every time they get into range.  This will force Carr to air out the football late in the game in desperation mode with eyes for only Steve Smith.  Look elsewhere if you can. (40yrds, 3 catches 20yrds)

Packers RB – I’m not sold on Ryan Grant repeating what he did last Monday night. Don’t forget that the Pack throws the ball more than any team in the league and they were playing Denver.  Now, I think Grant is still worth a roster spot this week, but not as a starter unless you’re hurting from BYE weeks. (35yrds, 3 catches 20yrds)

Wide Receivers

BYE WEEK: Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, Musin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian, Rashied Davis, Marty Booker, Ted Ginn Jr, Derek Hagan, Tori Holt, Issac Bruce, Drew Bennett

MUST START: Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzedah, Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Joey Galloway, Steve Smith, Braylon Edwards, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Terrell Owens, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes

START

Jerricho Cotchery – With Laverneous Coles apparently headed to the sidelines this week with a concussion, Cotchery should benefit the most from newly named starting QB’s Kellen Clemens strong arm.  With Clemens at the helm, the Jets will be able to open up the playbook and use more down field pass plays to loosen up the Redskin defense.  The Jets should be down in this game and forced to throw late. (8 catches 125yrds, 1 TD)

Ronald Curry – Curry is salivating at getting a chance to square off against a Texans defense that has been giving up big points to opposing receivers of lately.  There’s also a chance that Josh McCown relieves Culpepper in this game if he struggles early.  If that happens, Curry’s number s will be even bigger.  If the Texans focus on stopping the Raiders run game, and they should, Curry will be the main target with Jerry Porter hurting and Mike Williams released this week. (7 catches 100yrds, 1TD)

Chris Chambers – Chambers caught a TD last week and looks to make it two in a row as the Vikings have arguably the worst pass defense in the league but are excellent in stopping the run.  Look for Rivers to throw early and often to try and open up running lanes and for Chambers to be a big beneficiary of the long ball that drives Norv Turner’s pass game. (5 catches 80yrds, 1 TD)

SIT

Kevin Walter – No, not this week. The Raiders are very good against the pass, not so much against the run. Expect Houston to try and control the game on the ground and wear down the front 7 of Oakland.  Walter is too average to do anything against this defense. (3 catches 25yrds)

Kevin Curtis – The Cowboys will use Terrance Newman to cover Curtis, likely taking him out of the game this week.  The Eagles should be behind in this game, so they’ll be throwing a lot this week, but they’ll keep everything in front of them, thus limiting Curtis’s down field strength. (4 catches 50yrds)

Tight Ends

 BYE: Jeremy Shockey, Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen, David Martin, Justin Peele, Randy McMichael

MUST START: Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Dallas Clark, Heath Miller, Chris Cooley, Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow

START

Todd Heap – It looks like Heap will play this Monday night and if he does he’ll have a nice little match up.  If there’s one area of the Steelers defense you can exploit, it’s the underneath routes over the middle and along the side lines.  Heap has had great success against the Steelers in the past and games between these two teams are always tight, defensive struggles.  If you don’t like waiting until Monday Night to make decisions, you might want to look elsewhere just in case. (5 catches 65yrds, 1TD)

SIT

Jeff King – King has been hot lately, providing the Panthers with most of their production in the passing game.  Keith Bulluck is a masterful linebacker that can shut down the underneath routes that tight ends thrive on.  I think David Carr back at QB this week actually hurts the Panthers more than it helps.  Try to find an alternative if you can. (2 catches 20yrds)

Weekly Plug & Play

Kicker

Shaun Suisham – The Redskins will want to get back on track after last week’s beat down and they conveniently get the Jets this week.  Washington should be able to control the game with the run and play-action pass that will lead the offense on scoring drives for most of the day.  If you need a quick fill-in this week, Shaun is your man. (3-3 FG, 2-2XP)

Defense/Special Teams

Atlanta Falcons – I know the Falcons are bad but you can’t get any worse than the San Francisco offense right now.  They are at home and if there’s been one bright spot on the team it has been this unit.  I expect a low scoring game from both teams with the 49ers offense stalling on many occasions. (9 PA, 3 SCK, 2 INT, 1 FUM)

All information provided in this article is 100% original material. This information is in no way a gaurantee as to how individual players will perform in their games.