Week 8
Games through Nov. 1

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Kansas City 56, Atlanta 10 … Eight rushing TDs against the league’s best run defense … Cincinnati 23, Denver 10 … Rudi Johnson picks up 119 yards and a score against the league’s top overall defense. What a week! Owners who started Derrick Blaylock (all three of you) may say they knew all along that their backup RB would explode for 90 yards and four TDs, but sometimes the NFL is simply unpredictable. No matter how much you analyze the matchups and study trends, surprises are bound to happen, and all you can do is try to maximize your chances of putting the best lineup on the field. To help make those decisions easier, let’s take a look at several players whose values vary highly from week to week depending on their matchups in this week’s edition of Start & Sit.

START

QB:

Trent Green, KC: Last week, Kansas City’s quarterback fell victim to Atlanta’s atrocious run defense. While his Chiefs racked up eight touchdowns, there was no need to pass the ball into the end zone, leaving Green scoreless. Things should be different this week, however. The Colts are leading the league in passing yards allowed by a considerable margin, and there will be plenty of room for Green to throw.

Kurt Warner, NYG: The Giants look to bounce back after last week’s tough loss at home to the Lions. While the G-Men may not end up winning at Minnesota, Warner should have success throwing against the Vikings, who rank 30th against the pass. He will have to throw a lot for his team to keep up with Minnesota’s offensive juggernaut, so the former MVP could be in for some nice stats this week.

Others to start:
Joey Harrington, Det
Matt Hasselbeck, Sea
David Carr, Hou
Brett Favre, GB
Drew Brees, SD
Jake Plummer, Den

No-brainers:
Daunte Culpepper, Min
Peyton Manning, Ind
Donovan McNabb, Phi
Byron Leftwich, Jax
Tom Brady, NE

RB:

Kevan Barlow, SF: Barlow has been highly disappointing this season, failing to run for 50 yards in three games and topping 100 yards only once. The latter could change this week when the 49ers play against the Bears, who have allowed 139 yards per game on the ground, 28th in the NFL. Barlow might not be an entirely safe start, but his upside this week makes him worth considering.

Kevin Jones, Det: With a nice game last week, Jones seems to have locked up the starting job in Detroit for the foreseeable future. Starting him might still be a gamble this week, but if you are hurting at tailback, it might be worth a shot, as the Cowboys are tied with the Bears at 28th in the league against the run.

Others to start:
Warrick Dunn, Atl
Duce Staley, Pit
Domanick Davis, Hou
Fred Taylor, Jax
Ahman Green, GB
Reuben Droughns, Den
Mewelde Moore, Min

No-brainers:
LaDainian Tomlinson, SD
Priest Holmes, KC
Edgerrin James, Ind
Tiki Barber, NYG
Shaun Alexander, Sea
Clinton Portis, Was
Curtis Martin, NYJ
Chris Brown, Ten

WR:

Eddie Kennison, KC: Kennison is fully recovered from his injury, and should benefit from facing the weak Colts secondary. Both he and fellow WR Jonnie Morton could enjoy an unusually fine afternoon on Sunday and are worth consideration in all league formats.

Keenan McCardell, SD: Following his arrival from holdout limbo, McCardell led the Chargers with five catches for 65 yards last week, showing immediately that he can indeed be the #1 receiver the team has been searching for. Now that he has a full week of practice with his new team, things can only get better, so be sure to have him in your starting lineup.

Others to start:
Eric Moulds, Buf
Derrick Mason, Ten
Rod Smith, Den
Laveranues Coles, Was
Darrell Jackson, Sea
Roy Williams, Det
Reggie Wayne, Ind

No-brainers:
Randy Moss, Min
Marvin Harrison, Ind
Terrell Owens, Phi
Javon Walker, GB
Chad Johnson, Cin
Hines Ward, Pit
Andre Johnson, Hou
Jimmy Smith, Jax

TE/K/D:

Kyle Brady, TE, Jax: Brady is finally healthy again, and is a fine starting option on a Jaguars team that has found its groove on offense in recent weeks. Byron Leftwich looks very comfortable at QB, and against a Texans team allowing 230 yards per game though the air, he should find Brady several times on Sunday.

Gary Anderson, K, Ten: The way the Titans have been playing this season, Anderson nomally isn’t a viable option at kicker, having scored only eight field goals in seven games so far. This should change for one week, at least, as you can expect Tennessee to put points on the board this Sunday against a Bengals team that allows more than 23 points per game.

Arizona Defense: The way the Bills are playing offensively, any unit that faces Buffalo right now is a good start. Combine the fact that the Cardinals did a nice job containing Hasselbeck, Alexander and the Seahawks last week with a date with the lowly Bills and you have a pretty solid fantasy start.

 
BENCH

QB:

Chad Pennington, NYJ: Last week, the Dolphins defense won the game by shutting down the Rams offense over long stretches. Marc Bulger had mediocre success passing against the nation’s top-ranked pass defense, only racking up yards when forced to throw with St. Louis trailing in the final quarter. The Jets will likely try to ride Curtis Martin, with Pennington only playing a supporting role. He had 143 yards and no score in the teams’ first meeting in week 4, and while he should be able to improve a bit, he still doesn’t make a good fantasy start this week.

Michael Vick, Atl: With his dismal outing last week against the Chiefs, Vick’s value has hit rock bottom. It might not get any better this Sunday, as Atlanta has to travel to Denver, a team that allows a paltry 144 yards per game through the air, the second-best mark in the league. If you have other options at quarterback, bench Vick if you haven’t done so already.

RB:

Dorsey Levens, Phi: With Brian Westbrook out this week, Levens will get the start on Sunday. But playing against the Ravens will not make it easy for him to succeed, and we urge you to keep him on your bench this week. Baltimore has stopped backs like Clinton Portis this season, so they are more than capable of making it a long afternoon for Levens.

Amos Zereoue, Oak: Zereoue had a somewhat disappointing game last week, gaining “only” 70 yards against one of the worst defenses in the league. This week, however, 70 yards would be viewed as a success, as the Raiders travel to San Diego to meet the Chargers, ranked second in the league against the run.

WR:

Jerry Rice, Sea: With Koren Robinson probably out due to a suspension, Rice may get the starting nod for the Seahawks. However, the Seattle passing game is struggling mightily so far this season, and Rice is no longer capable of turning things around on his own. Furthermore, the Panthers are playing very well against the pass this season, so you can expect a heavy dose of Shaun Alexander and not too much passing from Matt Hasselbeck.

Donald Driver, GB: Driver has enjoyed a nice comeback recently, but in spite of the solid fantasy numbers he’s been posting of late, you may want to stay away from him this week. It’s tough to leave a producer on the bench, but the Redskins have stopped the opposing passing game very well so far, and the only Packers receiver worth starting on Sunday may be Javon Walker.

TE/K/D:

Freddie Jones, TE, Ari: The Cardinals offense has come to life recently, with the passing game leading the way. Jones has had a certain amount of success as well, but with Buffalo ranking sixth in the league versus the pass and allowing only four passes for 41 yards to opposing TEs in the last two games, he can’t be recommended as a starter this week.

Jay Feely, K, Atl: Feely was expected to be one of the better kickers in the league, but has yet to meet his owners’ projections simply because the Falcons offense does not get him enough chances to score. Playing against the Broncos, who allow just 14.3 yards per game, second-best in the league, is not the matchup you want for your kicker. Bench him; there are plenty of better options out there.

New York Giants Defense: It’s the same story every week. Any team that faces the Minnesota Vikings right now is simply not the team you want as your fantasy defense. Not only has no defense been able to stop the Vikings, who rack up an average of 449 yards per game, over 50 yards more than the next-best team, but the Vikings have also turned the ball over just seven times so far this season. The Giants had trouble stopping the Lions last week – do you really think they can contain Daunte Culpepper and company?

 
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.