QB – Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Donovan McNabb, Jay Cutler (removed: Tom Brady)
Start
Eli Manning (NYG) @ St. Louis – I’m not sold on Eli’s consistency yet, and if your league penalizes for INT’s, he’s always going to be a bit of a risk. Not this week. The Rams will be forced to load eight men into the box to stop the run, allowing Manning to find the one-on-one receiver down field. 250yrds, 2 TD’s
Damon Huard (KC) vs. Oakland – Huard will start this week for the injured Brodi Croyle, increasing the value of KC’s receivers. The Chiefs will feature a heavy dose of Larry Johnson on the ground, bringing the safeties up, allowing Huard to go over the top for the big play. 225yrds, 2 TD’s
Sit
Matt Hasselbeck (SEA) vs. San Francisco – Hasselbeck is hurt, he has no receivers to throw to, and has no ground game to take the pressure off him. Even against a bad 49ers team, Hasselbeck must be benched until he gets some receivers back or Seattle signs a veteran to come in and play. Even then it’s going to take a little time for them to get acclimated. 175yrds, 1 TD, 2 INT’s
Carson Palmer (CIN) vs. Tennessee – Palmer was bad against Baltimore. Tennessee has arguably a better defense. The Bengal’s offense is out of synch, they have no running game to speak of, and they won’t be on the field all that often with the Titans ball control offense. Palmer may pick up some points in garbage time after the game is out of reach, but I’m expecting another long day. 225yrds, 1 TD, 2 INT’s
RB – LaDanian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Brian Westbrook, Steven Jackson, Marshawn ####, Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis, Frank Gore, Marion Barber, Willie Parker (removed: Joseph Addai)
Start
Chris Johnson/Lendale White (TEN) vs. Cincinnati – It’s no surprise what Tennessee is going to do on offense. I expect Johnson to continue to start and White to come in to later to pound the ball. This kind of combination worked perfect for White at USC, and I don’t see why it’s not going to continue to work. The Titans defense will provide many a short field that these backs will feast upon. 75-100yrds, 15-25yrds, 1 TD each
Thomas Jones (NYJ) vs. New England – I think the Jets will be able to control the ball, the clock, and the game, and wear down the Patriots aging defense. After Favre loosens up the secondary, Jones will have the ability to run through some big holes created by that solid Jets O-Line. 100yrds, 25yrds, 2 TD’s
Sit
Joseph Addai (IND) @ Minnesota – I’m not even sure Addai is going to play this week, but I would recommend benching him anyway. The Colts offense is struggling and Minnesota’s Defense is just as good as Chicago’s, if not better. If he plays, he may catch a few passes, but even that prospect shouldn’t be enticing enough to pull the trigger on him. Wait until you see him play a whole game and be productive before reinserting him into your lineup. 40-50yrds, 15yrds
Jamal Lewis (CLE) vs. Pittsburgh – The Browns offense is facing similar disfunctionality and the Steeler defense is in mid-season form, creating pressure, sacks, and turnovers. If you couple that with Lewis’ poor history against Pittsburgh and a lingering injury, Lewis becomes a very unfavorable option. I wasn’t high on Lewis this year because of the schedule and until he proves he’s ready, I’d stay away. 40-50yrds, 10yrds, 1 FUM
WR – Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Reggie Wayne, Braylon Edwards, Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall, Calvin Johnson, Plaxico Burress, Greg Jennings (removed: Marques Colston)
Start
Hines Ward/Santonio Holmes (PIT) – Based on what happened last week, the Steeler receivers are must starts this week. The Cleveland secondary gave up big plays last week to similarly explosive offense and the Steelers appear to be in top form. This is a prime-time game Sunday Night where the Steelers seem to thrive. 70-80yrds, 1 TD each
Ronald Curry (OAK) – Curry is the only viable receiving threat on this team, even if or when Javon Walker comes back from his injury. The Oakland running game should be the feature for the season, but they’re going to be behind a lot and need to throw. Curry will be the guy this week. 80yrds, 1 TD
Sit
Torry Holt (STL) – I know he’s usually Mr. Reliable, but there’s nobody else to throw to on this team and defenses know that. Holt is getting older. Pair that with nagging injury problems and you get a receiver who’s lost a step or two. The Rams are at home this week, but the Giants defense, especially their pass rush, will have Bulger on his back early and often. Look for short dump offs to try and offset the rush. 4 rec, 50yrds
Wes Welker (NEP) – I don’t think Welker is going to be a factor this year with Brady out. It’s very difficult to hit those timing patterns that Welker and Brady were so good at. I’m holding off on Welker until I see Cassell start to put some numbers up. 5 rec, 40yrds
TE – Jason Witten, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow
Start
Randy McMichael (STL) – The offense is designed to get him the ball and that showed last week as he caught 5 passes for over 70yrds. Expect Bulger to continue to get him the ball as defenses concentrate on shutting down Holt and Jackson. 60yrds, 1 TD
Anthony Fasano (MIA) – In an offense where the QB can’t throw the ball downfield, the TE is a perfect option for quick hitters over the middle and short dump-offs to the outside. Miami will struggle this year, that’s not surprising anybody. Pennington is a very efficient QB that won’t force the ball and he’ll take what the defense gives him. He has the accuracy to hit his receivers in stride, making yards after the catch a benefit to fantasy owners. 60yrds, 1 TD
K – Nick Folk, Mason Crosby, Stephen Gostkowski, Adam Vinatieri, Rob Bironas, Nate Kaeding
Start
Jeff Reed (PIT) – If you haven’t realized already, Pittsburgh is going to put up points this year and Reed has the power and accuracy to convert those drives that will stall against the better defenses they will play on their schedule. Also, if Pittsburgh’s up big late in games, they tend to run the clock out and kick field goals. 3 FG’s, 3 XP’s
Jason Elam (ATL) – I’m endorsing the king of the 50-yarder this week. Elam continues to prove, that despite his age, he is still among the best at draining those long field goals that fantasy owners covet from their kickers. He’s now playing indoors, and Atlanta may not be that bad, especially with such a potent rushing attack. 3 FG’s, 2 XP’s
DEF – Vikings, Bears, Chargers, Patriots, Cowboys
Start
Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals are home this week and will face one of the worst five teams. Without a threat of the long-ball, the Cardinals defense will be able to creep up to shut down the run, while applying pressure with the front seven. While there might not be a lot of turnovers this week, expect a good number of sacks and low points and yardage surrendered.
13 PA, <299yrds, 4 Sacks, 1 FUM
Tennessee Titans – The Cincinnati offense is in disarray with no semblance of a running game. The Titans will be able to focus on applying pressure on the QB and forcing the turn-over prone Palmer into making more mistakes. 17 PA, <299yrds, 2 Sacks, 2 INT, 1 FUM
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.
ZombieNation is back for a third strong season of everything that is the NFL. After spending the last seven years in exile on the West Coast, I have returned to my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA... the greatest sports town of all the land.
My column will consist of three weekly posts, Good/Bad (week in review) on Tuesdays, Power 16 on Thursdays, and Fantasy Football Start/Sit on Fridays.
All material provided in this blog is of original material. These are expert opinions and analysis that I have concluded based upon research that I myself have performed.
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