Week 16

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Everyone who started David Garrard, for example, thanks to his favorable matchup last week was reminded by his sub-par stats that this is not the time of the year to experiment with your lineup. Right at crunch time, most of the fantasy studscame through with nice games. All those who survived Carson Palmer’s dreary 93-yard performance in week 14 were rewarded with a three-TD game this week. Peyton Manning was his usual self, and two of the top RBs, Larry Johnson and Shaun Alexander, also had huge days. Only LaDainan Tomlinson gave his owners headaches. If, on the other hand, you had Tiki Barber in your lineup last week, congratulations – he topped all RBs with a career best 220-yard, two-TD performance.

At WR, Anquan Boldin, Marvin Harrison, Chad Johnson, Steve Smith, and Larry Fitzgerald all had a solid week, and even Darrell Jackson came up big after his injury, although many may have shied away from starting him. Keep playing your studs, at least in most cases. Only the Colts owners will have to make tough this week. Harrison is practically out with his injury, as Indianapolis won’t take any chances on him. That makes Brandon Stokley an interesting choice, and Reggie Wayne might also play enough to have an impact. Edgerrin James owners may wish to stay away from him, too, as a RB usually is the first one to sit. Dominic Rhodes is tempting, but against a good Seattle defense his success might be limited. And when it comes to Peyton Manning, it gets even tougher. Manning might play two quarters, and of course he is capable of producing better stats in one half than a lot of other QBs in an entire game.

All other playoff-bound teams at least have something to play for this week before it gets really ugly in week 17. To give you a little help setting you lineup, here are our thoughts on several noteworthy players in our weekly Start & Sit column.

START

QB:

Steve McNair, Ten: The Dolphins made even Brooks Bollinger look good last week, and should also allow McNair to find lots of room to pass. This could potentially be a high-scoring game, and McNair could reap the rewards.

Jamie Martin, StL: Unless coach Joe Vitt changes his mind, we expect Martin to start this week against the 49ers. San Francisco has the worst secondary in the league, although they did manage to keep the Jaguars in check last week. Martin and the explosive Rams offense should be able to find ways to exploit that weakness, however.

Others to start:
Jake Delhomme, Car
David Garrard, Jax
Michael Vick, Atl
Jake Plummer, Den
Kerry Collins, Oak
Mark Brunell, Was
Tom Brady, NE

No-brainers:
Eli Manning, NYG
Carson Palmer, Cin
Trent Green, KC
Drew Brees, SD
Matt Hasselbeck, Sea

RB:

Frank Gore, SF: Gore showed some potential against the Jaguars last week, and is a hidden gem this Saturday against the Rams. Everybody can run on St.Louis, so you can expect the 49ers to do so, too. The only question mark is his injury status, but from what is looks like now, Gore should be active and be a nice fantasy flex start for you.

Thomas Jones, Chi: After topping 100 yards in four of the first six games, Jones has failed to so since. Against the Packers, who have not been able to stop the run all this season, chances are high that Jones will finally reach the century mark again.

Others to start:
Willis McGahee. Buf
Ronnie Brown, Mia
Ricky Williams, Mia
Willie Parker, Pit
Chris Brown, Ten
Warrick Dunn, Atl
DeShaun Foster, Car
Jamal Lewis, Bal
Jerome Bettis, Pit
Fred Taylor, Jax
Ryan Moats, Phi
Domanick Davis, Hou

No-brainers:
Shaun Alexander, Sea
Larry Johnson, KC
Cadillac Williams, TB
LaDainan Tomlison, SD
Corey Dillon, NE
Mike Anderson, Den
Rudi Johnson, Cin
Tiki Barber, NYG
Clinton Portis, Was

WR:

Brandon Stokley, Ind: With Harrison out, Stokley will start, and he might even play almost the entire game. That probably makes him the best fantasy option on the Colts team, and someone you can rely on this week.

Darrell Jackson, Sea: Last week, Jackson showed that he is almost back at 100%. Against a Colts defense that will use every bench player they have, Jackson should find plenty of room to get open. If you have kept him on your roster, this is the time to use him.

Others to start:
Brandon Lloyd, SF
Isaac Bruce, StL
Keenan McCardell, SD
Donald Driver, GB
Randy Moss, Oak
Andre Johnson, Hou
Bobby Engram, Sea
Reggie Wayne, Ind
Roy Williams, Det
Hines Ward, Pit
Terry Glenn, Dal
Rod Smith, Den

No-brainers:
Chad Johnson, Cin
Chris Chambers, Mia
Drew Bennett, Ten
Steve Smith, Car
Joey Galloway, TB
Eddie Kennison, KC
Jimmy Smith, Jax
Plaxico Burress, NYG
Larry Fitzgerald, Ari
Anquan Boldin, Ari
Santana Moss, Was
Torry Holt, StL

TE/K/D:

Bryan Fletcher, Ind: Fletcher finds himself in the same situation as Brandon Stokley. Fletcher showed earlier this year that he indeed can make fantasy impact, and should be able to turn more playing time into a good game this week. If you are hurting at TE, playing Fletcher could be a good idea.

Adam Vinatieri, K, NE: While Vinatieri is still on many fantasy rosters, he simply has not produced this year behind a Patriots offense that has struggled at times. He is currently ranked just 21st among kickers in the most common fantasy formats, but has a chance to produce right when your fantasy Suber Bowl is here, as New England should be able to move the ball well enough against the Jets to get into field goal range often.

New Orleans Defense: While the Saints offense has not been too successful this year, their defense has showed flashes. Against a Lions team that cannot await the end of the season, the Saints defense should be able to provide solid fantasy points for your team.

 
BENCH

QB:

Ben Roethlisberger, Pit: This might be a tough game for the Steelers, as the Browns would love to player spoiler in Cleveland. It could be especially tough for Roethlisberger, as the Browns have been playing some nice defense against the pass lately, and are holding opponents to just 177 passing yards per game.

Josh McCown, Ari: All those Kurt Warner owners who are still in the race were scrambling to pick up McCown this week. But be reminded that McCown can be very erratic at times, and it is not a given he can duplicate Warner’s stats. So unless you have a backup like Kyle Boller or Brooks Bollinger, starting McCown simply is a too big a risk to take.

RB:

Reuben Droughns, Cle: Droughns has been a good #2 fantasy RB this season when the matchup was right. But this week he may have troubles finding holes against the Steelers. Pittsburgh is allowing just 86 yards on the ground, so better avoid Droughns this week.

Cedric Houston, NYJ: Filling in for Curtis Martin the last two games, Houston has done a nice job, and even was a useful fantasy option. But we doubt he can be that again this week against a Patriots team that quietly turned into the sixth-best run defense in the league. New England’s defense has been playing very well lately, so Houston might not find much ground in this one.

WR:

Lee Evans, Buf: Just when you thought Evans is turning his season around, he rewards you with a dismal two-catch, five-yard outing. The reason is simple: the change at quarterback. Evans had built good chemistry with JP Losman, but Kelly Holcomb somehow is not looking his way. In the five games Holcomb started, Evans has never had more than three catches, and has surpassed 25 yards only once. Ouch!

Marcus Robinson, Min: Robinson has had a couple of good games, but since his three-TD effort four weeks ago, he has not picked up more than 49 yards and has failed to score. With the Ravens defense stepping up recently, it will be a tough game once again for the Vikings. Robinson is a very risky start this week.

TE/K/D:

Doug Jolley, TE, NYJ: Jolley was a top ten TE on a lot fantasy cheat sheets before the season, but needed 15 weeks before he started playing like one. Before you jump on his bandwagon now, be aware that his success came against a weak Dolphins defense. He’ll have a hard time duplicating those numbers this week against a re-energized Patriots unit.

Billy Cundiff, K, Dal: The Dallas offense has had its ups and downs this year, and after last week’s down, the Cowboys may have to wait until the season finale for another up. The Carolina defense is ranked third in the league, allowing just 16 points per game. They have been even playing better the last weeks, allowing under 10 points per game on average. The Cowboys will likely have trouble moving the ball, and Cundiff may not see many opportunities.

San Diego Defense: The Chargers are tough against the run, but have big issues dealing with their opponent’s passing game. The Chiefs will try to exploit exactly that, so do not count on San Diego to score many fantasy points for you.

 
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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