Week 11

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Recapping Week 10: the Packers and Seahawks pitched shut-outs, a late field goal kept the Dolphins winless, and the Chargers held on to hand the Superbowl Champions their second straight loss. Some relatively new names at running back – Jesse Chatman, Ryan Grant, and Selvin Young – had 100 yard games on the ground, cementing their relevance as fantasy players. Other big fantasy scorers included Brett Favre, who threw for 350 yards for the second week in a row, Terrell Owens, who scored twice with 125 yards receiving, and Shayne Graham, who came one field goal short of tying the record set by Rob Bironas earlier this year. Bye weeks are over for this year, now its time to buckle down for the stretch run! The Cafe’s Week 11 Start & Sit is here to help you tweak your lineup for this week’s slate of games.

Our system is based on two separate rankings: Risk and Reward. Each player or defense was given a statistical ranking for each of the two categories.

Risk is determined by anything that could negatively affect the player in question’s performance. This includes such things as matchup, situation, and injuries.

Reward is determined by anything that could positively affect the player in question’s performance. This includes such things as talent, matchup, and situation.

The Ranking for the two categories is as follows:

Risk: Score of 0 being the lowest risk, 10 being the highest risk.
Reward: Score of 0 being lowest reward, 10 being the highest reward.

 

Quarterbacks	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Tom Brady – NE	at BUF	17.9	1.7	9.6
Peyton Manning – IND	vs KC	16.6	2.4	9.0
Tony Romo – DAL	vs WAS	15.7	3.3	9.0
Ben Roethlisberger – PIT	at NYJ	15.3	2.8	8.1
Drew Brees – NO	at HOU	14.6	3.1	7.7
Brett Favre – GB	vs CAR	14.6	3.5	8.1
Donovan McNabb – PHI	vs MIA	14.3	3.5	7.8
Carson Palmer – CIN	vs ARI	14.3	3.4	7.7
Matt Hasselbeck – SEA	vs CHI	13.9	4.0	7.9
Kurt Warner – ARI	at CIN	13.4	4.3	7.7
Marc Bulger – STL	at SF	13.3	4.0	7.3
Derek Anderson – CLE	at BAL	13.3	5.0	8.3
Jon Kitna – DET	vs NYG	12.9	4.3	7.1
Eli Manning – NYG	at DET	12.6	4.0	6.6
Jeff Garcia – TB	at ATL	12.3	4.0	6.3
Jay Cutler – DEN	vs TEN	11.9	5.0	6.9
Matt Schaub – HOU	vs NO	11.4	4.3	5.8
Philip Rivers – SD	at JAC	11.1	5.3	6.5
Vince Young – TEN	at DEN	11.1	4.9	6.0
Jason Campbell – WAS	at DAL	9.8	5.8	5.6
Rex Grossman – CHI	at SEA	9.6	6.3	5.9
David Garrard – JAC	vs SD	9.4	5.7	5.0
Kyle Boller – BAL	vs CLE	9.2	5.6	4.8
Sage Rosenfels – HOU	vs NO	9.1	5.3	4.4
Trent Dilfer – SF	vs STL	9.0	5.7	4.7
JP Losman – BUF	vs NE	9.0	6.9	5.9
Vinny Testaverde – CAR	at GB	8.7	5.8	4.4
Joey Harrington – ATL	vs TB	8.7	5.8	4.5
Daunte Culpepper – OAK	at MIN	8.5	5.4	3.9
John Beck – MIA	at PHI	8.5	7.0	5.5
Brodie Croyle – KC	at IND	8.4	6.1	4.6
Brian Griese – CHI	at SEA	8.0	5.9	3.9
Kellen Clemens – NYJ	vs PIT	8.0	6.4	4.4
Brooks Bollinger – MIN	vs OAK	7.8	7.0	4.8
Quinn Gray – JAC	vs SD	7.5	5.8	3.3
Tarvaris Jackson – MIN	vs OAK	7.4	7.1	4.5
Steve McNair – BAL	vs CLE	6.9	5.8	2.7
Cleo Lemon – MIA	at PHI	6.7	7.3	4.0
Byron Leftwich – ATL	vs TB	5.9	7.4	3.3
Chad Pennington – NYJ	vs PIT	5.6	6.6	2.1
Matt Moore – CAR	at GB	5.4	7.5	2.9
JaMarcus Russell – OAK	at MIN	5.1	6.8	1.9
Damon Huard – KC	at IND	5.0	7.6	2.6

 
Start:
Kurt Warner, ARI (13.4 rating): Warner bounced back from a rough game against the Bucs two weeks ago with a great game in a victory over the Lions this past week. The former NFL MVP tossed three touchdown passes against Detroit. He connected eight times with star wideout Larry Fitzgerald, twice for scores. Warner should be able to keep up this level of production against an equally hapless Bengals defense this week.

Sit:
Jason Campbell, WAS (9.8 rating): Campbell looked good last week, as he threw a career-high three touchdown passes with no interceptions in a losing effort. But injuries just keep piling up for the Redskins at wide receiver. Santana Moss is likely to sit out for the second week in a row with a heel injury. James Thrash, recipient of two of Campbell’s touchdown passes last week, is out with a knee injury, and Brandon Lloyd (OK, so he wasn’t doing much anyway) injured his collarbone in practice and will miss the remainder of the year. Even if the Redskins have finally decided to let Jason air it out, the injuries to his wide receivers and a tough matchup in Dallas make him a shaky start.
 

Running Backs	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Brian Westbrook – PHI	vs MIA	17.6	2.0	9.6
Willie Parker – PIT	at NYJ	16.4	2.4	8.9
Joseph Addai – IND	vs KC	16.1	3.2	9.3
LaDainian Tomlinson – SD	at JAC	15.6	3.7	9.3
Brandon Jacobs – NYG	at DET	15.3	2.8	8.1
Steven Jackson – STL	at SF	15.0	3.2	8.2
Reggie Bush – NO	at HOU	14.7	3.4	8.1
Willis McGahee – BAL	vs CLE	14.5	3.3	7.8
Maurice Jones-Drew – JAC	vs SD	13.7	4.0	7.8
Frank Gore – SF	vs STL	13.4	4.1	7.5
Chester Taylor – MIN	vs OAK	13.4	4.6	8.0
Ryan Grant – GB	vs CAR	13.1	4.9	8.0
Clinton Portis – WAS	at DAL	13.0	5.3	8.4
LenDale White – TEN	at DEN	13.0	4.1	7.1
Edgerrin James – ARI	at CIN	12.9	4.2	7.1
Marion Barber – DAL	vs WAS	12.7	4.5	7.1
Jesse Chatman – MIA	at PHI	12.5	5.2	7.7
Laurence Maroney – NE	at BUF	12.2	5.2	7.4
Rudi Johnson – CIN	vs ARI	12.0	4.7	6.7
Kenny Watson – CIN	vs ARI	12.0	5.0	7.0
Warrick Dunn – ATL	vs TB	12.0	4.7	6.7
Earnest Graham – TB	at ATL	11.7	4.4	6.1
Selvin Young – DEN	vs TEN	11.6	4.9	6.4
Ron Dayne – HOU	vs NO	11.4	5.0	6.4
Kevin Jones – DET	vs NYG	11.3	5.1	6.5
Jamal Lewis – CLE	at BAL	11.0	5.1	6.1
Kevin Faulk – NE	at BUF	10.7	5.6	6.3
Fred Taylor – JAC	vs SD	10.7	5.1	5.8
Priest Holmes – KC	at IND	10.5	5.8	6.3
DeAngelo Williams – CAR	at GB	10.4	5.6	6.1
Cedric Benson – CHI	at SEA	10.1	5.3	5.4
Marshawn Lynch – BUF	vs NE	10.1	6.7	6.9
Julius Jones – DAL	vs WAS	10.1	5.6	5.6
Maurice Morris – SEA	vs CHI	10.0	5.5	5.5
Ahman Green – HOU	vs NO	9.4	6.0	5.3
Justin Fargas – OAK	at MIN	9.3	6.4	5.8
Chris Henry – TEN	at DEN	9.0	5.4	4.4
Thomas Jones – NYJ	vs PIT	8.9	6.9	5.8
Kenton Keith – IND	vs KC	8.9	6.4	5.3
Travis Henry – DEN	vs TEN	8.9	6.6	5.5
Najeh Davenport – PIT	at NYJ	8.8	5.0	3.9
Reuben Droughns – NYG	at DET	8.8	5.5	4.3
Aaron Stecker – NO	at HOU	8.6	5.5	4.1
Michael Bennett – TB	at ATL	8.6	5.8	4.4
Chris Brown – TEN	at DEN	8.4	5.9	4.2
DeShaun Foster – CAR	at GB	8.4	6.4	4.8
Shaun Alexander – SEA	vs CHI	8.3	6.7	5.0
Brian Leonard – STL	at SF	8.1	5.7	3.9
Mewelde Moore – MIN	vs OAK	7.9	5.5	3.4
TJ Duckett – DET	vs NYG	7.9	6.3	4.1
Michael Robinson – SF	vs STL	7.8	6.0	3.8
Adrian Peterson – CHI	at SEA	7.6	5.9	3.6
Michael Turner – SD	at JAC	7.6	6.5	4.1
Anthony Thomas – BUF	vs NE	7.6	7.1	4.6
Maurice Hicks – SF	vs STL	7.5	6.0	3.5
LaMont Jordan – OAK	at MIN	7.5	7.0	4.5
Brandon Jackson – GB	vs CAR	7.4	6.9	4.3
Jerious Norwood – ATL	vs TB	7.3	7.0	4.3
Correll Buckhalter – PHI	vs MIA	7.3	5.9	3.1
Derrick Ward – NYG	at DET	7.2	5.7	2.9
Tatum Bell – DET	vs NYG	7.2	6.0	3.2
Ladell Betts – WAS	at DAL	7.1	6.9	4.0
Leon Washington – NYJ	vs PIT	7.0	7.4	4.3
Kolby Smith – KC	at IND	6.9	7.1	4.0
Adrian Peterson – MIN	vs OAK	6.9	6.3	3.1
Vernand Morency – GB	vs CAR	6.8	6.9	3.7
Marcel Shipp – ARI	at CIN	6.7	6.4	3.2
Greg Jones – JAC	vs SD	6.6	6.6	3.1
Musa Smith – BAL	vs CLE	6.5	6.2	2.7
Joe Echemandu – HOU	vs NO	6.5	7.1	3.6
Jason Wright – CLE	at BAL	6.4	6.4	2.8
Mike Anderson – BAL	vs CLE	6.3	6.3	2.6
Tony Hunt – PHI	vs MIA	6.2	5.9	2.1
Patrick Cobbs – MIA	at PHI	6.1	7.3	3.4
Larry Johnson – KC	at IND	5.9	6.9	2.8
Andre Hall – DEN	vs TEN	5.9	7.2	3.1
Dwayne Wright – BUF	vs NE	5.7	7.3	3.1
Jerome Harrison – CLE	at BAL	5.6	6.7	2.3

 
Start:
Brandon Jacobs, NYG (15.3 rating): Jacobs’ season got off to an inauspicious start when he got hurt in the Giants’ season opener in Dallas, but since his return to the field in Week 5 he has been very reliable, averaging over 100 yards rushing per game. The Giants appear to be committed to feeding the big man the ball and I expect this week in Detroit to be no different. If the Giants’ interior lineman can handle run-stuffing defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, Jacobs should have another solid game.

Sit:
Priest Holmes, KC (10.5 rating): Priest’s return to the field was not all that impressive, as he carried the ball 20 times for 65 yards, and this was against a Broncos run defense that is currently ranked second to last in the league. To be fair, Holmes is probably still a bit rusty, and as long as he remains the lead back he is still worth a spot start when needed. But the Colts are no pushovers on defense anymore, and they will surely be ready to snap their two game losing streak. Do not expect too much from Holmes in Week 11.
 

Wide Receivers	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Randy Moss – NE	at BUF	18.0	1.4	9.4
Reggie Wayne – IND	vs KC	16.3	2.6	9.0
Terrell Owens – DAL	vs WAS	15.6	3.5	9.1
Wes Welker – NE	at BUF	15.4	2.6	8.1
TJ Houshmandzadeh – CIN	vs ARI	14.9	3.5	8.4
Marques Colston – NO	at HOU	14.8	3.4	8.2
Larry Fitzgerald – ARI	at CIN	14.8	2.7	7.5
Hines Ward – PIT	at NYJ	14.1	3.1	7.3
Torry Holt – STL	at SF	14.0	3.4	7.4
Plaxico Burress – NYG	at DET	13.7	4.0	7.8
Santonio Holmes – PIT	at NYJ	13.7	3.5	7.2
Greg Jennings – GB	vs CAR	13.6	4.3	7.9
Chad Johnson – CIN	vs ARI	13.2	4.3	7.5
Donte Stallworth – NE	at BUF	13.2	3.6	6.7
Braylon Edwards – CLE	at BAL	13.1	4.1	7.2
Anquan Boldin – ARI	at CIN	13.0	3.5	6.5
Kevin Curtis – PHI	vs MIA	13.0	4.3	7.3
Donald Driver – GB	vs CAR	12.6	4.3	6.9
Bobby Engram – SEA	vs CHI	12.6	4.6	7.2
Mark Clayton – BAL	vs CLE	12.5	3.3	5.7
Chris Henry – CIN	vs ARI	12.4	4.7	7.1
Joey Galloway – TB	at ATL	12.3	4.7	6.9
DJ Hackett – SEA	vs CHI	12.2	4.3	6.6
Andre Johnson – HOU	vs NO	12.1	4.9	6.9
Roy Williams – DET	vs NYG	12.1	4.9	7.0
Brandon Marshall – DEN	vs TEN	11.9	5.4	7.3
Derrick Mason – BAL	vs CLE	11.9	3.2	5.1
Bernard Berrian – CHI	at SEA	11.8	4.1	5.9
Ronald Curry – OAK	at MIN	11.7	3.9	5.6
Amani Toomer – NYG	at DET	11.7	4.2	5.9
Reggie Brown – PHI	vs MIA	11.5	4.9	6.4
Steve Smith – CAR	at GB	11.4	5.3	6.6
Kevin Walter – HOU	vs NO	11.3	4.2	5.5
Lee Evans – BUF	vs NE	11.0	6.3	7.3
David Patten – NO	at HOU	11.0	4.5	5.5
Muhsin Muhammad – CHI	at SEA	11.0	4.8	5.7
Chris Chambers – SD	at JAC	10.8	5.1	5.9
Shaun McDonald – DET	vs NYG	10.7	5.0	5.8
Roddy White – ATL	vs TB	10.7	5.6	6.2
Jerricho Cotchery – NYJ	vs PIT	10.6	6.1	6.7
Deion Branch – SEA	vs CHI	10.6	5.7	6.3
Patrick Crayton – DAL	vs WAS	10.6	5.7	6.3
Drew Bennett – STL	at SF	10.5	4.8	5.3
Calvin Johnson – DET	vs NYG	10.5	5.5	6.0
Andre Davis – HOU	vs NO	10.4	4.9	5.3
Reggie Williams – JAC	vs SD	10.3	4.7	5.1
Troy Williamson – MIN	vs OAK	10.1	6.1	6.3
Dwayne Bowe – KC	at IND	10.1	5.4	5.5
Laveranues Coles – NYJ	vs PIT	10.1	6.3	6.4
Sidney Rice – MIN	vs OAK	10.0	6.1	6.1
Santana Moss – WAS	at DAL	9.8	6.3	6.1
Antwaan Randle El – WAS	at DAL	9.7	6.2	5.9
Devery Henderson – NO	at HOU	9.7	5.6	5.3
Darrell Jackson – SF	vs STL	9.6	5.4	5.0
Nate Burleson – SEA	vs CHI	9.6	5.3	4.9
Jerry Porter – OAK	at MIN	9.6	4.6	4.2
James Jones – GB	vs CAR	9.4	5.5	4.9
Arnaz Battle – SF	vs STL	9.4	4.9	4.3
Nate Washington – PIT	at NYJ	9.4	5.0	4.3
Dennis Northcutt – JAC	vs SD	9.3	5.1	4.4
Vincent Jackson – SD	at JAC	9.3	5.3	4.6
Ike Hilliard – TB	at ATL	9.2	5.4	4.7
Brandon Stokely – DEN	vs TEN	9.1	6.0	5.2
Ted Ginn – MIA	at PHI	9.1	5.6	4.7
James Thrash – WAS	at DAL	9.1	5.8	4.9
Mike Furrey – DET	vs NYG	9.0	5.8	4.9
Bryant Johnson – ARI	at CIN	9.0	4.7	3.7
Joe Jurevicius – CLE	at BAL	9.0	5.6	4.6
Isaac Bruce – STL	at SF	8.8	5.8	4.6
Roydell Williams – TEN	at DEN	8.7	5.5	4.2
Marvin Harrison – IND	vs KC	8.6	6.4	5.1
Marty Booker – MIA	at PHI	8.5	5.3	3.9
Matt Jones – JAC	vs SD	8.5	5.1	3.6
Brandon Jones – TEN	at DEN	8.4	6.4	4.8
Demetrius Williams – BAL	vs CLE	8.3	4.4	2.6
Jabar Gaffney – NE	at BUF	8.2	5.2	3.4
Devin Hester – CHI	at SEA	8.2	6.7	4.9
Derek Hagan – MIA	at PHI	8.0	5.8	3.7
Michael Jenkins – ATL	vs TB	7.9	6.1	4.1
Drew Carter – CAR	at GB	7.9	6.4	4.3
Eric Moulds – TEN	at DEN	7.8	6.3	4.1
Steve Smith – NYG	at DET	7.7	5.7	3.5
Michael Clayton – TB	at ATL	7.7	6.4	4.1
Lance Moore – NO	at HOU	7.4	6.0	3.4
Eddie Kennison – KC	at IND	7.4	6.4	3.9
Terrance Copper – NO	at HOU	7.4	5.6	3.0
Ernest Wilford – JAC	vs SD	7.3	6.0	3.3
Justin Gage – TEN	at DEN	7.2	6.9	4.1
Jacoby Jones – HOU	vs NO	7.1	6.1	3.3
Buster Davis – SD	at JAC	6.9	6.0	2.9
Bobby Wade – MIN	vs OAK	6.9	7.1	4.0
Rashied Davis – CHI	at SEA	6.9	6.2	3.0
Jerheme Urban – ARI	at CIN	6.8	5.5	2.3
Anthony Gonzalez – IND	vs KC	6.8	5.6	2.4
Sammie Parker – KC	at IND	6.8	6.4	3.1
Joe Horn – ATL	vs TB	6.7	6.3	3.0
Cedrick Wilson – PIT	at NYJ	6.6	5.6	2.2
Ruvell Martin – GB	vs CAR	6.6	6.5	3.1
Roscoe Parrish – BUF	vs NE	6.6	7.7	4.3
Ben Obomanu – SEA	vs CHI	6.5	5.9	2.4
Sam Hurd – DAL	vs WAS	6.4	7.1	3.6
Javon Walker – DEN	vs TEN	6.2	7.1	3.3
Dwayne Jarrett – CAR	at GB	6.2	7.2	3.4
Ashley Lelie – SF	vs STL	6.1	6.6	2.8
Brandon Lloyd – WAS	at DAL	6.0	6.2	2.3
Koren Robinson – GB	vs CAR	6.0	6.6	2.7
Robert Ferguson – MIN	vs OAK	6.0	7.8	3.8
Malcolm Floyd – SD	at JAC	5.9	6.2	2.1
Antonio Chatman – CIN	vs ARI	5.7	7.2	2.9
Laurent Robinson – ATL	vs TB	5.7	7.1	2.7
Glenn Martinez – DEN	vs TEN	5.5	7.6	3.1
Tim Carter – CLE	at BAL	5.3	7.5	2.8
Sam Aiken – BUF	vs NE	5.1	8.4	3.4
Justin McCareins – NYJ	vs PIT	4.9	7.9	2.7

 
Start:
Torry Holt, STL (14.0 rating): Holt has gone over 100 yards in each of his past two games, the first two times he has done that this season. He is certainly helped by the return of Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson to the Rams’ offense. St. Louis looked the best they have all year on offense, putting up 37 points against New Orleans for their first win of the year. That momentum should carry over against a San Francisco team that is really struggling.

Sit:
Laveranues Coles, NYJ (10.1 rating): Coles should be returning to the field this week after missing a game with a concussion. His first game back is a tough one, against the Steelers’ top rated pass defense. I would expect the Steelers to throw a lot of different looks at Jets’ rookie quarterback Kellen Clemens, causing problems for the Jets passing attack. If you can afford to keep Coles inactive for another week it might not be a bad idea to do so.
 

Tight Ends	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Jeremy Shockey – NYG	at DET	16.0	2.1	8.2
Jason Witten – DAL	vs WAS	15.1	3.5	8.7
Antonio Gates – SD	at JAC	15.0	3.9	8.9
Heath Miller – PIT	at NYJ	14.1	3.2	7.3
Chris Cooley – WAS	at DAL	13.3	4.7	8.0
Ben Watson – NE	at BUF	13.3	3.4	6.7
Eric Johnson – NO	at HOU	12.7	4.2	6.9
Kellen Winslow – CLE	at BAL	12.7	4.7	7.4
Tony Gonzalez – KC	at IND	12.2	5.6	7.8
Leonard Pope – ARI	at CIN	11.8	4.0	5.8
Owen Daniels – HOU	vs NO	11.7	4.1	5.8
Randy McMichael – STL	at SF	11.4	4.7	6.1
Vernon Davis – SF	vs STL	11.3	4.4	5.6
Donald Lee – GB	vs CAR	11.1	5.0	6.2
Todd Heap – BAL	vs CLE	11.0	4.5	5.5
Greg Olsen – CHI	at SEA	10.9	4.5	5.4
Tony Scheffler – DEN	vs TEN	10.8	5.3	6.1
LJ Smith – PHI	vs MIA	10.8	5.4	6.2
Dallas Clark – IND	vs KC	10.4	6.1	6.6
Zach Miller – OAK	at MIN	9.9	4.3	4.1
Kyle Brady – NE	at BUF	9.8	4.7	4.5
Desmond Clark – CHI	at SEA	9.6	5.0	4.6
Alge Crumpler – ATL	vs TB	9.4	6.4	5.9
Marcedes Lewis – JAC	vs SD	9.1	4.9	4.0
Jeff King – CAR	at GB	8.9	6.0	4.9
Ben Utecht – IND	vs KC	8.5	5.9	4.4
Will Heller – SEA	vs CHI	8.4	5.4	3.9
David Martin – MIA	at PHI	8.4	5.7	4.1
Marcus Pollard – SEA	vs CHI	8.3	5.9	4.2
Matt Spaeth – PIT	at NYJ	8.3	5.9	4.1
Alex Smith – TB	at ATL	8.0	6.3	4.3
Justin Peelle – MIA	at PHI	7.9	5.8	3.7
Quinn Sypniewski – BAL	vs CLE	7.7	4.8	2.5
Bo Scaife – TEN	at DEN	7.7	6.7	4.4
Bryan Fletcher – IND	vs KC	7.7	6.2	3.9
George Wrighster – JAC	vs SD	7.3	5.6	2.9
Jeb Putzier – HOU	vs NO	7.2	5.7	2.9
Matt Schobel – PHI	vs MIA	7.1	6.5	3.7
Ben Troupe – TEN	at DEN	7.1	7.1	4.3
Bubba Franks – GB	vs CAR	7.0	6.9	3.9
Visanthe Shiancoe – MIN	vs OAK	7.0	7.0	4.0
Anthony Becht – TB	at ATL	6.9	6.8	3.7
Daniel Graham – DEN	vs TEN	6.6	7.0	3.6
Reggie Kelly – CIN	vs ARI	6.5	6.9	3.4
Dan Campbell – DET	vs NYG	6.4	7.0	3.4
Robert Royal – BUF	vs NE	6.3	6.9	3.2
Anthony Fasano – DAL	vs WAS	5.9	6.5	2.4
Chris Baker – NYJ	vs PIT	5.9	7.9	3.8
Dwayne Blakley – ATL	vs TB	4.4	7.9	2.3

 
Start:
Jason Witten, DAL (15.1 rating): Witten had an off game against the Giants last week, catching only two passes for 12 yards. He is looking to bounce back this week against a Redskins’ defense that will be missing play-making safety Sean Taylor from the middle of the field. Rookie safety Laron Landry and second year linebacker Rocky McIntosh can sometime lose their man in coverage, which should allow Witten to get open in the middle of the field. I’d love to say my Skins will shut the Cowboys’ offense down, but with Taylor out I just don’t see it happening.

Sit:
Greg Olsen, CHI (10.9 rating): The rookie tight end has had a few nice games this season, but there have been others where he’s been practically invisible. That’s what you have to expect from a rookie tight end that is splitting time. In Rex Grossman’s return to the starting lineup last week, Desmond Clark had 2 catches for 24 yards, while Olsen did not make a single catch. Grossman gets the start again this week, and I would not expect much from either Bears’ tight ends again. Especially not in Seattle against a Seahawks’ defense that has allowed a league-low 5 touchdowns through the air this season.
 

Kickers	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Stephen Gostkowski – NE	at BUF	15.3	2.7	8.0
Shayne Graham – CIN	vs ARI	15.2	2.9	8.0
Nick Folk – DAL	vs WAS	14.9	3.2	8.1
Adam Vinatieri – IND	vs KC	14.7	3.1	7.8
Mason Crosby – GB	vs CAR	14.7	3.3	8.0
Jeff Reed – PIT	at NYJ	14.5	2.9	7.3
Rob Bironas – TEN	at DEN	14.3	3.5	7.8
Kris Brown – HOU	vs NO	13.9	3.4	7.3
David Akers – PHI	vs MIA	13.7	3.3	7.0
Josh Brown – SEA	vs CHI	13.7	3.3	7.0
Jeff Wilkins – STL	at SF	13.4	3.9	7.3
Jason Hanson – DET	vs NYG	13.3	3.9	7.3
Lawrence Tynes – NYG	at DET	13.1	3.6	6.7
Neil Rackers – ARI	at CIN	13.1	3.7	6.7
Matt Stover – BAL	vs CLE	13.0	3.9	6.9
Phil Dawson – CLE	at BAL	13.0	4.0	6.9
Robbie Gould – CHI	at SEA	12.9	4.0	6.9
Nate Kaeding – SD	at JAC	12.2	4.2	6.4
Shaun Suisham – WAS	at DAL	12.0	4.1	6.0
Matt Bryant – TB	at ATL	11.9	3.6	5.5
Jason Elam – DEN	vs TEN	11.8	4.1	5.9
Olindo Mare – NO	at HOU	11.4	4.4	5.7
Ryan Longwell – MIN	vs OAK	11.3	4.3	5.6
John Kasay – CAR	at GB	11.2	4.4	5.6
Jay Feely – MIA	at PHI	11.2	4.7	6.0
Dave Rayner – KC	at IND	10.6	5.1	5.7
Rian Lindell – BUF	vs NE	10.4	4.7	5.0
John Carney – JAC	vs SD	10.1	5.2	5.3
Mike Nugent – NYJ	vs PIT	10.0	5.2	5.2
Morten Andersen – ATL	vs TB	9.9	5.3	5.2
Joe Nedney – SF	vs STL	9.6	5.0	4.6
Sebastian Janikowski – OAK	at MIN	9.4	5.4	4.9

 
Start:
Mason Crosby, GB (14.7 rating): The Packers offense is red-hot at the moment, and they are giving Crosby plenty of chances to put the ball through the uprights. To his credit, Crosby has done well, hitting 10/11 field goals in his last three games, with the only miss coming from 50+ yards out. Crosby is certainly worthy of a starting spot in your fantasy lineup at this point.

Sit:
Rian Lindell, BUF (10.4 rating): The Bills’ offense struggled to put points on the board against the NFL’s worst team last week. It’s hard to like their chances against the NFL’s best team this weekend. The last time these two teams met, Lindell scored only one point, his lowest total of the season. So yeah… don’t start him.
 

Team Defense	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
New England	at BUF	15.7	3.2	8.9
Pittsburgh	at NYJ	15.2	3.1	8.3
Indianapolis	vs KC	14.0	3.7	7.8
Philadelphia	vs MIA	13.7	3.3	7.0
Dallas	vs WAS	13.5	4.2	7.7
Green Bay	vs CAR	13.1	4.3	7.4
Minnesota	vs OAK	13.0	3.6	6.6
Tampa Bay	at ATL	12.7	3.6	6.3
San Diego	at JAC	12.0	4.4	6.5
New York Giants	at DET	11.8	5.4	7.1
Seattle	vs CHI	11.7	4.2	5.9
Tennessee	at DEN	11.6	4.1	5.7
Denver	vs TEN	11.3	4.4	5.7
Cleveland	at BAL	11.2	4.0	5.2
Chicago	at SEA	10.9	5.5	6.4
St. Louis	at SF	10.4	4.9	5.3
New Orleans	at HOU	10.2	4.9	5.1
Detroit	vs NYG	10.1	5.7	5.9
Oakland	at MIN	10.1	4.6	4.7
Jacksonville	vs SD	10.0	6.0	6.0
Baltimore	vs CLE	9.6	6.5	6.0
Arizona	at CIN	9.0	6.1	5.1
Houston	vs NO	8.8	6.4	5.2
Cincinnati	vs ARI	8.7	5.5	4.2
Carolina	at GB	8.3	6.5	4.9
Washington	at DAL	8.3	6.6	4.9
Atlanta	vs TB	8.0	5.7	3.6
San Francisco	vs STL	7.8	5.8	3.6
Kansas City	at IND	7.4	7.1	4.5
Miami	at PHI	7.3	6.5	3.8
New York Jets	vs PIT	6.7	7.1	3.7
Buffalo	vs NE	5.9	7.4	3.3

 
Start:
Seattle (11.7 rating): After shutting out the Niners, Seattle’s defense is ranked second in the NFL in points per game (15.7). They are also tied for third in sacks and tied for first in forced fumbles. I like their chances against the Grossman-led Bears at home.

Sit:
Carolina (8.3 rating): The Panthers just don’t seem to be playing very inspired defense this season. They have been particularly bad at making big plays. They used to be recognized as one of the better pass rushing teams in the league, but they are currently tied for worst in the NFL with only 9 total sacks on the season. Star defensive end Julius Peppers only has 1.5 sacks this year, after recording double digit sack totals in each of the past three seasons. Things are unlikely to get much better for this defense in Week 11, as they must travel to Lambeau Field to play the high-powered Packers’ offense.

 
Special thanks to SwiperNoSwiping, treat24, dream_017, madaslives911, WaCougMBS, plantation, suhgamer, latraffic, and joelamosobadiah for their rankings and involvement with this week's article. For more insights and additional fine-tuning, visit our Who to Start/Bench forum section or listen to The Coach's Voice on Fantasy Cafe Radio.
 

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