Week 13

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Week 12 brought us an exciting game on Thanksgiving Day, a lot of missed kicks deciding close games on Sunday, and on Monday, a still unbeaten Colts team that has a chance to go 16-0 for the season. Fantasywise, there were no major breakouts last Sunday, except maybe the three-TD game by Marcus Robinson. But as we do not think he will come close to those stats in the near future, he is probably not worth mentioning as a breakout player. Perhaps the key situation to keep an eye on as we head toward week 13 is the RB carousel in Carolina. DeShaun Foster appears to be the featured back right now, lowering the value of Stephen Davis considerably. Davis carried a lot of owners in the first half of the season, and those teams could be in trouble now with the playoffs coming closer and closer. In many leagues, this is the final week of the regular season – to help you set your lineup, let’s take a look here at the players who you should trust this week, and those you should avoid in the latest edition of Start & Sit.

START

QB:

Kurt Warner, Ari: It’s no secret to frequent readers of this column that you should start practically every quarterback who is playing against the 49ers. We want to emphasize this especially for this week. Warner has not been the most reliable QB so far, but could very well put up big numbers against a secondary that might be outgunned when confronted with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Mark Brunell, Was: Since tossing 12 TDs in five games at the beginning of the season, Brunell has only thrown for just three more TDs, probably leaving a lot of his fantasy owners shy of the playoff spots. Still, he should be a nice start this week against a weak Rams secondary that is only 30th in the league against the pass.

Others to start:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, StL
Eli Manning, NYG
Jake Delhomme, Car
Michael Vick, Atl
David Carr, Hou
Tom Brady, NE
Steve McNair, Ten

No-brainers:
Peyton Manning, Ind
Carson Palmer, Cin
Jake Plummer, Den
Drew Brees, SD
Matt Hasselbeck, Sea
Kerry Collins, Oak

RB:

Jamal Lewis, Bal: The ankle injury to backup Chester Taylor may have saved Lewis’ starting job for now. In the absence of Taylor, Lewis had his best outing of the season. This week, the Ravens face the Texans, who have the worst rushing defense in the league, so expect another huge game from Lewis, even if Taylor is back and stealing carries again.

Willie Parker, Pit: Parker started the season strong with two 100+ yard rushing games, but has had just one more since. He still is the featured back in Steeltown, and might be back in triple digits this week. The Bengals have not been able to stop the opposing ground game recently, so be sure to have Parker in your lineup.

Others to start:
Thomas Jones, Chi
Chris Brown, Ten
Reuben Droughns, Cle
Brian Westbrook, Phi
Kevin Jones, Det
Warrick Dunn, Atl
Mike Anderson, Den
Curtis Martin, NYJ
Domanick Davis, Hou
Rudi Johnson, Cin
Mewelde Moore, Min
Ronnie Brown, Mia

No-brainers:
Shaun Alexander, Sea
Larry Johnson, KC
LaDainian Tomlinson, SD
DeShaun Foster, Car
Tiki Barber, NYG
Clinton Portis, Was
Edgerrin James, Ind
Steven Jackson, StL

WR:

Arnaz Battle, SF: Battle is finally healthy, and surprised everyone with a seven-catch, 75-yards, one-TD game last week. Still, he was on the fantasy radar even before the season, and he might live up to expectations now that his injury is fully healed. Against the Cardinals, we expect more positive things from the 49ers passing attack, so you might want to add Battle to your lineup.

Reggie Brown, Phi: We knew that Brown would have an up-and-down season after becoming a starting WR, especially after Donovan McNabb went down. Against the Seahawks, we expect the Eagles to pass often, and Brown should be able to get open quite a few times. Of course, a rookie is always a bit of a risky start, but we think he is worth that risk this week.

Others to start:
Eddie Kennison, KC
Jerry Porter, Oak
Chris Chambers, Mia
Derrick Mason, Bal
Joe Jurevicius, Sea
Brandon Lloyd, SF
Drew Bennett, Ten
Jimmy Smith, Jax
Hines Ward, Pit
Isaac Bruce, StL
Keenan McCardell, SD
Plaxico Burress, NYG
Donald Driver, GB
Laveranues Coles, NYJ
Keyshawn Johnson, Dal
Rod Smith, Den

No-brainers:
Randy Moss, Oak
Chad Johnson, Cin
Roy Williams, Det
Bobby Engram, Sea
Steve Smith, Car
Joey Galloway, TB
Marvin Harrison, Ind
Reggie Wayne, Ind
Larry Fitzgerald, Ari
Anquan Boldin, Ari
Santana Moss, Was
Torry Holt, StL
Andre Johnson, Hou

TE/K/D:

Chris Cooley, TE, Was: Cooley is a decent start this week against a Rams defense that cannot stop the opposing pass. As Cooley is a favorite red-zone target for Mark Brunell, he is likely to see lots of action on Sunday.

Jeff Reed, K, Pit: After being practically shut down by the Colts last Monday, the Steelers offense is looking to rebound this week. While they might not score a ton of points against the Bengals defense, they should be able to move the ball well enough to provide Reed with chances.

Baltimore Defense: If there is ever a time the Baltimore defense might rebound, it is this week. David Carr has been sacked a league-leading 50 times, so the Ravens should get there share here. They also might get the occasional turnover and keep the overall yardage low against a team practically playing for the #1 pick in the next draft.

 
BENCH

QB:

David Garrard, Jax: Garrard might be worth a pickup for the next month considering the Jaguars’ easy schedule, but he is a very iffy play on Sunday against a Browns defense that plays it tough against the pass. Jacksonville will run the ball all day, so do not expect too much from the Jaguars’ passing game.

Brett Favre, GB: Despite the dismal performance by the Packers overall, Favre has been worth starting in most leagues. However, you may want to bench him this week against Chicago, as the Bears’ league-leading pass defense may be too much to handle for Green Bay.

RB:

LaMont Jordan, Oak: Jordan has been a reliable fantasy RB this season when the matchup was right, but he has struggled against the better run defenses of the league. The Chargers, for example, held him to 36 yards in their first meeting in Oakland (although he did have two scores), and will be looking to keep him in check again in their home stadium.

Julius Jones, Dal: After being held to 55 yards on the ground by the Broncos, Jones is on the sit list for a second consecutive week. The reasons are the same as last week: The Cowboys are facing one of the best rushing defenses in the league, namely the Giants. Combine that with Marion Barber stealing carries (especially those valuable goal-line opportunities), and Jones is not projected to be a top-flight fantasy RB this week.

WR:

Deion Branch, NE: Branch has been solid for the Patriots this year, although he still is not an elite fantasy WR. He might prove this again with a low output game this week against the tough Jets secondary.

Antonio Bryant, Cle: After a couple of good games for the Browns, Bryant had an off day last week, only catching two passes for 16 yards. Unfortunately, chances aren’t good that he will come back strong this week. The Jaguars are simply too good against the pass, allowing only 172 yards per game overall through the air, the second-lowest mark in the league.

TE/K/D:

Alge Crumpler, TE, Atl: Crumpler had a huge game on Thanksgiving Day, and is one of the keys to the Falcons’ passing game. Still, he may have a tough time against the Panthers this week, who have shut down opposing TEs of late. If you have a viable backup, consider benching Crumpler this week.

Josh Scobee, K, Jax: Scobee has done very well over the last few weeks, but he might not get too many opportunities in what could turn into a low-scoring affair in Cleveland.

Kansas City Defense: Not only do the Broncos lead the league in fewest turnovers this season, but Jake Plummer is also one of the least-sacked quarterbacks. Against this ball-control offense, the Chiefs are probably not worth starting.

 
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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