Week 12

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It’s time for the Thanksgiving holiday, which means lots of turkey and lots of great football. This is excellent news since the next games cannot come soon enough following a great weekend that featured offensive fireworks in Cincinnati, another defensive show by the Bears, the Chargers topping even the Colts on offense, and the Ravens finally showing some life. Football fans everywhere can’t wait for more. Of course, Thanksgiving football also means setting parts of the lineup earlier than usual and making earlier decisions on waiver pickups.

What’s truly exciting about this year’s turkey games is that we are going to see two solid playoff candidates facing each other in the Dallas classic, and the Falcons playing for maybe for their last playoff chance in Detroit after losing two consecutive games at home. Let’s take a look at which players are worth starting on Thanksgiving Day and the upcoming weekend, and who should be left on the bench with the leftover turkey, in this week’s edition of Start & Sit.

START

QB:

Steve McNair, Ten: McNair is a must-start this week at home against the 49ers, who still have the worst pass defense in the league. With his receiving corps finally healthy, this is the opportunity McNair owners have waited for weeks.

Trent Green, KC: A defense that let Aaron Brooks look like a star is the biggest concern in New England right now. The Patriots have to solve those issues in the secondary if they want to go back to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for New England, it does not look like this will happen soon, so Trent Green should have a nice game. The Chiefs are hot after their blowout win last week, and will be looking to continue that success on Sunday.

Others to start:
Byron Leftwich, Jax
Drew Bledsoe, Dal
Mark Brunell, Was
Eli Manning, NYG
Brett Favre, GB
David Carr, Hou
Jamie Martin, StL
Mike McMahon, Phi

No-brainers:
Peyton Manning, Ind
Carson Palmer, Cin
Tom Brady, NE
Drew Brees, SD
Matt Hasselbeck, Sea
Kerry Collins, Oak

RB:

DeShaun Foster, Car: Thanks to Stephen Davis’ strong running, Foster’s workload has been limited. Coach Fox now admitted that he wants Foster to get more carries, which could work out well this week against a weak Bills defense that ranks 31st in the league against the run.

Antowain Smith, NO: Everyone can run on the Jets, and the Saints will try their hand at exploiting their weakness, too. After a promising first game as a starter, Smith’s numbers have declined, but this is the time you should have him active. Sure, Aaron Stecker will pick up his share of carries, too, but Smith will get the majority – and probably the scores, too.

Others to start:
LaMont Jordan, Oak
Thomas Jones, Chi
Chris Brown, Ten
Reuben Droughns, Cle
Willis McGahee, Buf
Warrick Dunn, Atl
Clinton Portis, Was
Rudi Johnson, Cin
Mewelde Moore, Min
Ronnie Brown, Mia

No-brainers:
Shaun Alexander, Sea
Larry Johnson, KC
LaDainan Tomlinson, SD
Tiki Barber, NYG
Edgerrin James, Ind
Kevin Jones, Det
Mike Anderson, Den
Domanick Davis, Hou
Steven Jackson, StL

WR:

Isaac Bruce, StL: Last week, Bruce seemed to be fully recovered from his toe injury, and we there’s no reason why he should not continue to produce. Even with Marc Bulger out, the Rams should do well against the Texans, so do not hesitate to insert Bruce into your lineup.

Andre Johnson, Hou: The Texans’ passing game was a disappointment last week, even against the weak Chiefs secondary. Still, we urge you to stick with Andre Johnson, as the Texans play a listless Rams team whose secondary was picked apart by the Cardinals at home last Sunday.

Others to start:
Eddie Kennison, KC
Jerry Porter, Oak
Chris Chambers, Mia
Derrick Mason, Bal
Bobby Engram, Sea
Brandon Lloyd, SF
Jimmy Smith, Jax
Joey Galloway, TB
Laveranues Coles, NYJ
Reggie Brown, Phi
Keyshawn Johnson, Dal
Rod Smith, Den

No-brainers:
Randy Moss, Oak
Chad Johnson, Cin
Roy Williams, Det
Steve Smith, Car
Hines Ward, Pit
Marvin Harrison, Ind
Reggie Wayne, Ind
Larry Fitzgerald, Ari
Anquan Boldin, Ari
Keenan McCardell, SD
Santana Moss, Was
Torry Holt, StL
Plaxico Burress, NYG
Donald Driver, GB

TE/K/D:

Dallas Clark, TE, Ind: While he will not continue to provide owners with the huge output he posted last Sunday, a finally healthy Clark has been rediscovered by Peyton Manning. Even against the tough Steelers defense, we don’t see any reason why you should not trust Clark at the thin TE position.

Nate Kaeding, K, SD: Kaeding is still a hidden secret on a lot of waiver wires, but he continues to do well behind the Chargers offense. Now that his offense looks like it has found the next gear, Kaeding’s production could even increase.

New Orleans Defense: New Orleans does not have the best defense in the league (not even close…). But the way the Jets are playing on offense right now, the Saints aren’t a bad choice this week.

 
BENCH

QB:

Michael Vick, Atl: Vick finally had a great game against a tough defense last week, although it was not enough for the Falcons to win. Still, we are not convinced that he can continue to post such impressive stats. The Lions are playing well on the defensive side of the football, and chances are high that Vick will fall back to his usual mediocre numbers.

Jake Delhomme, Car: After a nice start into the season, Delhomme’s production has taken a severe hit in the past two weeks. It’s probably that this trend will continue this week, as you should not get fooled by the Bills’ miserable play last Sunday against the Chargers. This unit still ranks among the best in the league against the pass, and they play a lot tougher at home in Buffalo.

RB:

Cadillac Williams, TB: Cadillac is back. You can hear that big sigh of relief all over the Tampa area, because he is indeed the key to his team’s success. And behind him, the Bucs have a chance to get into the playoffs. Of course, all his fantasy owners also were delighted, at least the wise ones who had him in their lineups last week. The only question is: can he succeed against the strong Bears defense that has allowed just two scores on the ground all season? We don’t think so, and urge you to bench him for this week.

Julius Jones, Dal: The Denver Broncos have allowed just one 100-yard rusher the whole season, which is not good news for Jones owners this week. But what makes Jones even less valuable is that he most likely will lose the occasional carry around the goal line to the stronger Marion Barber. This adds up to a weak play on Thanksgiving.

WR:

Donte Stallworth, NO: Stallworth was the most reliable receiver on the Saints team in the past weeks, scoring five TDs in the last five games. Still, it is very doubtful he can continue his productive run against a stingy Jets defense that ranks first in the league with only seven passing TDs allowed.

DJ Hackett, Sea: Hackett had two good games in a row for the Seahawks, but hes still is just the #3 WR on the team right now. With the Giants defense on a run, it could be a tough game for the Seahawks, and Hackett might therefore be too big a gamble to be worth starting.

TE/K/D:

Randy McMichael, TE, Mia: After a strong start into the season, McMichael has been more and more disappointing in the last few weeks thanks to a miserable Dolphins offense. This trend might continue this week, as Miami once again could struggle against the Raiders defense.

Matt Stover, K, Bal: After being picked apart by the Colts offense last week, the Bengals are looking to rebound this week against the Ravens, a team they dominated earlier in the year in Baltimore. This might mean few chances for Stover and makes him an unattractive choice this weekend.

Pittsburgh Defense: This is a very tough call here, but the way the Colts have played recently, we feel that even the Steelers defense won’t be able to stop Peyton Manning and his team. It’s just for one week, but try to find a replacement here.

 
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.

 

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