Week 6
Games through Oct. 18

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What a week! If you had fielded a team consisting of Tim Rattay, Reuben Droughns, Jesse Chatman, Marcus Robinson and Derick Armstrong against a team starting Michael Vick, Clinton Portis, Kevan Barlow, Eric Moulds and Marvin Harrison, you would have not only won, you would have absolutely destroyed your opponent! That’s how unpredictable the NFL sometimes is. Players rise to fantasy stardom in one week, only to disappear again equally quickly, sometimes forever. On the flip side, stars with truly fantastic matchups sometimes still wind up as the biggest busts of that given week. There are truly no guarantees in the NFL these days, but that doesn’t mean you can’t maximize your chances by making sound lineup decisions. Here is a look at which players will give you a good chance to perform well, and which you might want to avoid.

START

QB:

Drew Brees, SD: Brees has passed for five TDs, no interceptions and over 400 yards in his last two games against respectable defenses, namely Jacksonville and Tennessee. The Falcons have one of the best units against the run, but are somewhat vulnerable through the air. Ride Brees while he is hot.

Brian Griese, TB: Don’t expect Griese to return to his old form, when he was one of the best fantasy quarterbacks while with the Broncos several years ago. But filling in for injured Chris Simms last week, he showed he still can be a useful starter when the matchup is right. The game against St. Louis could be a high-scoring one, and Griese will have to pass often in order for the Bucs to hang with the Rams. If you need a fill-in this week, Griese is your man.

Others to start:
Michael Vick, Atl
Marc Bulger, StL
Joey Harrington, Det
Matt Hasselbeck, Sea
Tom Brady, NE
David Carr, Hou
Steve McNair, Ten

No-brainers:
Daunte Culpepper, Min
Brett Favre, GB
Donovan McNabb, Phi
Aaron Brooks, NO
Chad Pennington, NYJ

RB:

Lee Suggs, Cle: Anyone facing the Bengals, dead last in the league against the rush, is immediately worth starting for your fantasy team. Suggs has been the de facto starter for the Browns during the last two weeks after his return from injury, and despite struggling against the Steelers last Sunday, he should be a lock at RB this week.

Brian Westbrook, Phi: Westbrook has been somewhat overlooked this season in Philly, as the McNabb-to-Owens connection has drawn all the attention. But Bryant was solid at RB so far and could be due to a big outing against a Panthers squad that allowed Reuben Droughns to rush for 193 yards last week, and which is ahead of only Cincinnati in yards allowed on the ground.

Others to start:
Warrick Dunn, Atl
Duce Staley, Pit
Domanick Davis, Hou
Fred Taylor, Jax

No-brainers:
LaDainian Tomlinson, SD
Priest Holmes, KC
Shaun Alexander, Sea
Marshall Faulk, StL
Clinton Portis, Was
Ahman Green, GB
Deuce McAllister, NO
Curtis Martin, NYJ
Chris Brown, Ten

WR:

Charles Lee, TB: Lee had four catches for 76 yards against New Orleans, leading all Buccaneers receivers last week and showing good chemistry with Brian Griese. Lee might be on the way to becoming his quarterback’s favorite target and should be worth a gamble this week as Tampa Bay will have to do a lot of passing against the Rams. So if you are hurting at WR this week, Lee is definitely a look.

Marty Booker, Mia: The Miami passing game finally came alive last week, and Booker was one of the benefactors, hauling in seven catches for 123 yards. With their running game still in question, the Dolphins will probably go through the air a lot against the Bills, so expect both Chambers and Booker to be targeted a lot.

Others to start:
Eric Moulds, Buf
Derrick Mason, Ten
Andre Johnson, Hou
Rod Smith, Den
Laveranues Coles, Was
Donte Stallworth, NO
Jimmy Smith, Jax
Darrell Jackson, Sea

No-brainers:
Randy Moss, Min
Torry Holt, StL
Terrell Owens, Phi
Joe Horn, NO
Javon Walker, GB
Chad Johnson, Cin
Isaac Bruce, StL
Hines Ward, Pit

TE/K/D:

Ken Dilger, TE, TB: The Buccaneers’ TEs have had a productive year so far. After Rickey Dudley got hurt, derailing his nice start into the season, Dilger picked up where Dudley left off. Dilger had three catches for 60 yards and a score last week against the Saints, and similar numbers are easily possible this week against the Rams, too. There are far worse options than Dilger this week.

Josh Scobee, K, Jax: Scobee has not gotten too many scoring chances for the Jaguars so far this year, but that could change this week at home against the Chiefs. Kansas City’s games seem to consistently turn into high-scoring affairs, making Scobee an attractive start on Sunday.

Chicago Defense: The way the Redskins offense is struggling so far – not only failing to score a lot of points, but also giving away costly turnovers like the one against the Ravens last week – the Bears defense could be a nice unit to have in your lineup this week.

 
BENCH

QB:

Drew Bledsoe, Buf: The whole Bills offense is struggling, which is definitely not a good sign for Bledsoe owners. But furthermore, Buffalo plays against the Dolphins, who have allowed only 106 yards per game through the air and held Tom Brady to just seven completions for 76 yards a week ago. Taking these facts together, Bledsoe can by no means be considered a good start this week.

Kerry Collins, Oak: With Rich Gannon out, Collins has gotten all the opportunities in Oakland, but he hasn’t really convince anyone that he is still a viable fantasy starter. He has thrown six interceptions with just one TD in the past two games against the beatable defenses of Indianapolis and Houston. That is definitely not a good sign for this week, as he faces the Broncos, a way tougher team to pass against. Denver has allowed just 142 yards per game. Sit Collins and go with other options.

RB:

Steven Davis, Car: You won’t find Davis’ name in this slot often, but you should be careful about putting him back into your lineup now he is back starting for the Panthers. Not only does he have to shake off a little rust after being out for the last four weeks, he also faces an Eagles defense which is allowing just 89 yards per game on the ground.

Eddie George, Dal: George rushed for 75 yards against the Giants last week, and that might be about as much as he’ll get this week playing against the Steelers. The Pittsburgh defense is very strong against the run, and George simply is no longer the back who has the power to pound such a unit.

WR:

Lee Evans, Buf: Handed the opportunity to start, Evans has done a good job over the last two games, getting a total of five catches for 139 yards and a score. However, he might not have any success this week against a Dolphins defense that seems to be able to shut down anyone’s air attack.

David Terrell, Chi: Terrell has had a lot of ups and downs this season, and against the Redskins, fifth in the league against the pass, he could be in for another downswing. With Jonathan Quinn making only his fifth NFL start in more than five seasons being hurried by the Washington defense all afternoon, consider leaving Terrell on the pine if you have other WR options to turn to.

TE/K/D:

Jeb Putzier, TE, Den: After some nice games, Putzier disappeared last week against Carolina, and the odds are not that good for him this week, either. Oakland has allowed just four catches to opposing TEs in the last three weeks, so do not expect too much from Putzier.

Paul Edinger, K, Chi: The Redskins offense may struggle, but their defense keeps them in the game. Chicago, too, has not done a lot on the offensive side, so expect a low scoring affair in Chicago on Sunday. Better bench Edinger who may not see many scoring opportunities.

Houston Defense: The Texans are allowing 25.4 points per game, 28th in league. Playing against the Titans, who might have found their groove by lighting up the scoreboard against the Packers, is not the machtup you want to see for this defense. Houston may struggle mightiliy to stop the Titans, so search for better defense options this week.

 
Fantasy Football Cafe’s Start & Sit lists are suggestions intended to give fantasy football players an edge in their weekly matchups. Savvy owners will see these lists not as an absolute ranking, but as an indication of possible outcomes of a given week, and use them together with their own opinions and hunches to field the lineup that will give their team the greatest odds of winning. The Start & Sit lists are compiled by Dan Spazierer (not Madame Zelda). For more insights and additional fine-tuning, visit our Who to Start/Bench forum section.