Week 13

• Tweet

• Tweet

It’s Week 13 and in many leagues this will be the last week to jockey for position in anticipation of the playoffs. Whether you trying to get a better seed, or just lock up a playoff spot, lineup decisions will be crucial to your success. And just to make things a little trickier, Thursday games are now a weekly occurrence. Green Bay and Dallas face off this Thursday, in a game that is likely to have several big fantasy performances, so be sure to get your line up set on time. With that in mind, let’s move onto the Week 13 rankings!

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 BAL	16.9	2.3	9.2
Ben Roethlisberger – PIT	vs CIN	15.8	2.4	8.2
Tony Romo – DAL	vs GB	15.5	3.1	8.5
Derek Anderson – CLE	at ARI	15.4	2.6	8.0
Peyton Manning – IND	vs JAC	15.1	3.1	8.1
Brett Favre – GB	at DAL	15.0	3.6	8.6
Kurt Warner – ARI	vs CLE	14.5	3.5	8.0
Jay Cutler – DEN	at OAK	13.9	3.5	7.4
Drew Brees – NO	vs TB	13.7	4.1	7.8
Jon Kitna – DET	at MIN	13.5	3.5	7.0
Matt Hasselbeck – SEA	at PHI	13.4	4.0	7.3
Jason Campbell – WAS	vs BUF	13.3	4.0	7.3
Carson Palmer – CIN	at PIT	13.3	4.2	7.4
Matt Schaub – HOU	at TEN	13.0	4.1	7.1
Philip Rivers – SD	at KC	12.6	4.2	6.7
Vince Young – TEN	vs HOU	12.1	4.6	6.7
Kellen Clemens – NYJ	at MIA	11.5	4.5	6.0
Eli Manning – NYG	at CHI	11.2	5.6	6.8
AJ Feeley – PHI	vs SEA	11.1	4.6	5.6
Jeff Garcia – TB	at NO	11.0	5.5	6.5
David Garrard – JAC	at IND	10.5	5.3	5.8
John Beck – MIA	vs NYJ	10.3	5.0	5.3
Joey Harrington – ATL	at STL	10.3	5.1	5.4
Marc Bulger – STL	vs ATL	10.1	6.0	6.1
Tarvaris Jackson – MIN	vs DET	10.1	5.0	5.1
Rex Grossman – CHI	vs NYG	9.8	5.3	5.1
Daunte Culpepper – OAK	vs DEN	9.6	5.1	4.7
Vinny Testaverde – CAR	vs SF	9.0	5.6	4.6
Donovan McNabb – PHI	vs SEA	8.8	5.7	4.5
Trent Dilfer – SF	at CAR	8.5	5.9	4.4
Brodie Croyle – KC	vs SD	8.5	6.3	4.7
Alex Smith – SF	at CAR	7.7	4.9	2.5
David Carr – CAR	vs SF	6.6	6.1	2.7
Kyle Boller – BAL	vs NE	6.5	7.0	3.5
Steve McNair – BAL	vs NE	6.1	6.0	2.1
Byron Leftwich – ATL	at STL	6.0	6.8	2.8
JP Losman – BUF	at WAS	6.0	7.2	3.1
Sage Rosenfels – HOU	at TEN	5.6	6.5	2.1
Quinn Gray – JAC	at IND	5.6	6.7	2.2
Brian Griese – CHI	vs NYG	5.4	6.5	1.9
JaMarcus Russell – OAK	vs DEN	5.4	5.9	1.3
Damon Huard – KC	vs SD	5.2	7.3	2.4
Chad Pennington – NYJ	at MIA	5.1	7.1	2.1
Cleo Lemon – MIA	vs NYJ	4.6	7.1	1.7
Brooks Bollinger – MIN	vs DET	4.4	7.1	1.5

 
Start:
Jay Cutler, DEN (13.9 rating): Cutler has looked like a much more confident player in his last four or five games. His improved play has led to a bit of a resurgence for this Denver offense, as they have scored 27, 34, and 34 in their last three games. In those games, Cutler has 5 touchdowns and only one interception. Oakland is ranked highly against the pass, but they are a team that is going to give up points because of a weak run defense, and lackluster offense. Cutler should have several opportunities to put the ball in the end zone this weekend. He may not give you Tom Brady numbers, but he should be considered a solid starter.

Sit:
Kellen Clemens, NYJ (11.5 rating): The back-up quarterback luster may have worn off of Kellen Clemens. He played well against Washington in Week 9 (his first start since Week 2) and he had a statistically unimpressive, but good-enough performance in Week 11 to beat the Steelers in overtime. But it got ugly in Dallas last week. Clemens was 12-27 passing (his second straight game below 50%) with no touchdowns and a pick. The Jets play the Dolphins this week. Miami is still winless, but they have played their opponents tough recently. They have not given up more than 17 points each of the last four weeks, and they rank 3rd in the NFL in passing defense.
 

Running Backs	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
LaDainian Tomlinson – SD	at KC	16.9	2.1	9.0
Brian Westbrook – PHI	vs SEA	16.4	2.5	8.8
Willie Parker – PIT	vs CIN	15.8	2.2	8.0
Steven Jackson – STL	vs ATL	15.0	3.0	8.0
Joseph Addai – IND	vs JAC	14.8	3.5	8.3
Clinton Portis – WAS	vs BUF	14.5	3.1	7.6
Jamal Lewis – CLE	at ARI	14.2	3.1	7.3
Edgerrin James – ARI	vs CLE	14.2	3.2	7.4
Justin Fargas – OAK	vs DEN	14.2	3.2	7.4
Frank Gore – SF	at CAR	14.0	3.7	7.7
Marion Barber – DAL	vs GB	13.5	4.1	7.6
Adrian Peterson – MIN	vs DET	13.5	4.7	8.2
Ryan Grant – GB	at DAL	13.2	3.9	7.1
Earnest Graham – TB	at NO	13.0	4.2	7.2
Thomas Jones – NYJ	at MIA	12.9	3.7	6.6
Chester Taylor – MIN	vs DET	12.9	3.9	6.8
Kolby Smith – KC	vs SD	12.9	4.6	7.5
Reggie Bush – NO	vs TB	12.8	4.5	7.4
Maurice Jones-Drew – JAC	at IND	12.7	4.2	6.9
Kevin Jones – DET	at MIN	12.6	4.5	7.1
DeShaun Foster – CAR	vs SF	12.5	4.4	6.9
Warrick Dunn – ATL	at STL	12.5	4.0	6.5
Fred Taylor – JAC	at IND	12.5	4.0	6.5
LenDale White – TEN	vs HOU	12.1	4.0	6.1
Rudi Johnson – CIN	at PIT	12.0	4.4	6.4
Maurice Morris – SEA	at PHI	11.5	4.5	6.0
Willis McGahee – BAL	vs NE	11.5	4.9	6.5
Andre Hall – DEN	at OAK	11.5	4.5	6.0
Reuben Droughns – NYG	at CHI	11.4	4.5	5.9
Laurence Maroney – NE	at BAL	11.2	5.3	6.5
Adrian Peterson – CHI	vs NYG	11.1	5.3	6.4
Julius Jones – DAL	vs GB	10.7	4.8	5.5
Selvin Young – DEN	at OAK	10.7	5.5	6.2
Ron Dayne – HOU	at TEN	10.6	5.1	5.7
Kenny Watson – CIN	at PIT	10.1	5.3	5.4
Jerious Norwood – ATL	at STL	9.8	5.4	5.2
Derrick Ward – NYG	at CHI	9.5	6.1	5.6
Chris Brown – TEN	vs HOU	9.5	5.1	4.5
Najeh Davenport – PIT	vs CIN	9.5	5.4	4.8
Kevin Faulk – NE	at BAL	9.5	5.6	5.1
Ladell Betts – WAS	vs BUF	9.4	4.8	4.2
Patrick Cobbs – MIA	vs NYJ	9.2	6.1	5.3
Jesse Chatman – MIA	vs NYJ	9.0	5.7	4.7
Kenton Keith – IND	vs JAC	9.0	5.8	4.8
Anthony Thomas – BUF	at WAS	8.9	5.3	4.2
DeAngelo Williams – CAR	vs SF	8.7	5.5	4.2
Leon Washington – NYJ	at MIA	8.6	6.0	4.6
Ahman Green – HOU	at TEN	8.5	6.5	5.0
LaMont Jordan – OAK	vs DEN	8.3	6.5	4.7
TJ Duckett – DET	at MIN	8.0	6.0	4.0
Aaron Stecker – NO	vs TB	7.8	5.7	3.5
Samkon Gado – MIA	vs NYJ	7.5	5.9	3.4
Correll Buckhalter – PHI	vs SEA	7.5	6.1	3.5
Leonard Weaver – SEA	at PHI	7.4	6.5	3.8
Marcel Shipp – ARI	vs CLE	7.2	6.5	3.7
Michael Turner – SD	at KC	7.1	6.5	3.5
Maurice Hicks – SF	at CAR	7.1	6.7	3.8
Antonio Pittman – STL	vs ATL	7.0	6.5	3.5
Marshawn Lynch – BUF	at WAS	6.9	7.1	4.0
Jason Wright – CLE	at ARI	6.8	6.5	3.3
Travis Henry – DEN	at OAK	6.6	7.3	3.9
Aveion Cason – DET	at MIN	6.5	6.7	3.2
Dwayne Wright – BUF	at WAS	6.4	6.7	3.1
Brandon Jacobs – NYG	at CHI	6.4	6.7	3.1
Shaun Alexander – SEA	at PHI	6.2	6.5	2.7
Brian Leonard – STL	vs ATL	6.1	7.0	3.1
Greg Jones – JAC	at IND	6.1	7.1	3.2
Joe Echemandu – HOU	at TEN	6.0	6.4	2.4
Mike Bell – DEN	at OAK	6.0	7.2	3.2
Heath Evans – NE	at BAL	5.9	7.5	3.4
Michael Robinson – SF	at CAR	5.9	7.1	3.0
Michael Bennett – TB	at NO	5.7	7.4	3.1
Jason Snelling – ATL	at STL	5.7	6.9	2.6
Vernand Morency – GB	at DAL	5.6	7.2	2.8
Jerome Harrison – CLE	at ARI	5.5	7.1	2.5
Darius Walker – HOU	at TEN	5.4	6.6	2.0
Ahmed Bradshaw – NTG	at CHI	5.4	7.3	2.6
Brandon Jackson – GB	at DAL	5.3	7.3	2.5
Michael Pittman – TB	at NO	5.3	7.3	2.5
Musa Smith – BAL	vs NE	5.3	7.7	3.0
Chris Henry – TEN	vs HOU	5.2	6.5	1.7
Gilbert Harris – KC	vs SD	5.1	7.1	2.2
Dominic Rhodes – OAK	vs DEN	4.8	7.4	2.2
Mewelde Moore – MIN	vs DET	4.8	7.6	2.5
Mike Anderson – BAL	vs NE	4.6	7.6	2.3
Tatum Bell – DET	at MIN	4.5	7.1	1.5
Tony Hunt – PHI	vs SEA	4.5	7.5	2.0

 
Start:
Justin Fargas, OAK (14.2 rating): Fargas got 20+ carries for the 4th straight week against Kansas City last week. He racked up 157 total yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs. He should be a strong start again this week against the Broncos, who really struggle against the run. Their 4.7 yards per carry average is the 2nd highest allowed by any NFL defense.

Sit:
Rudi Johnson, CIN (12.0 rating): Rudi has been far from his consistent self this season, due mostly to injuries, combined with the struggles of the Bengals in general and their tendency to get into shoot outs. He is a weak start this week against a Pittsburgh defense that is one of the best in the NFL against the run. The Steelers are allowing just 3.7 yards per carry, and have only given up two rushing touchdowns all year.
 

Wide Receivers	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Terrell Owens – DAL	vs GB	17.7	2.0	9.7
Randy Moss – NE	at BAL	17.4	2.2	9.6
Braylon Edwards – CLE	at ARI	17.0	2.2	9.2
Larry Fitzgerald – ARI	vs CLE	16.5	2.3	8.8
Reggie Wayne – IND	vs JAC	16.2	2.2	8.4
Hines Ward – PIT	vs CIN	15.2	2.8	8.0
Torry Holt – STL	vs ATL	15.1	2.7	7.8
Wes Welker – NE	at BAL	14.9	3.1	8.0
TJ Houshmandzadeh – CIN	at PIT	14.9	3.2	8.1
Chad Johnson – CIN	at PIT	14.8	3.5	8.3
Roy Williams – DET	at MIN	14.8	3.8	8.6
Joey Galloway – TB	at NO	14.4	3.9	8.3
Greg Jennings – GB	at DAL	14.3	3.0	7.3
Deion Branch – SEA	at PHI	14.2	3.1	7.3
Anquan Boldin – ARI	vs CLE	14.0	3.2	7.2
Andre Johnson – HOU	at TEN	13.8	3.7	7.5
Plaxico Burress – NYG	at CHI	13.8	4.6	8.4
Jerricho Cotchery – NYJ	at MIA	13.7	3.6	7.3
Marques Colston – NO	vs TB	13.5	3.6	7.1
Steve Smith – CAR	vs SF	13.4	4.6	8.0
Brandon Marshall – DEN	at OAK	13.4	3.7	7.1
Donald Driver – GB	at DAL	13.4	3.7	7.1
Bobby Engram – SEA	at PHI	13.0	3.7	6.7
Dwayne Bowe – KC	vs SD	12.9	4.2	7.1
Bernard Berrian – CHI	vs NYG	12.7	4.3	7.0
Laveranues Coles – NYJ	at MIA	12.7	4.7	7.4
Calvin Johnson – DET	at MIN	12.7	4.9	7.6
Roddy White – ATL	at STL	12.6	3.6	6.2
Santana Moss – WAS	vs BUF	12.4	4.6	7.0
Chris Henry – CIN	at PIT	12.3	4.4	6.7
Donte Stallworth – NE	at BAL	12.1	4.9	7.0
Kevin Curtis – PHI	vs SEA	12.1	4.9	7.0
Derrick Mason – BAL	vs NE	11.9	3.9	5.8
Amani Toomer – NYG	at CHI	11.7	4.3	6.0
Lee Evans – BUF	at WAS	11.6	6.0	7.6
Joe Jurevicius – CLE	at ARI	11.5	3.4	4.9
Santonio Holmes – PIT	vs CIN	11.5	5.4	6.9
Isaac Bruce – STL	vs ATL	11.2	4.7	5.9
Sidney Rice – MIN	vs DET	11.0	5.1	6.1
Reggie Williams – JAC	at IND	10.9	5.6	6.5
Anthony Gonzalez – IND	vs JAC	10.9	5.2	6.1
Reggie Brown – PHI	vs SEA	10.4	5.7	6.1
Drew Carter – CAR	vs SF	10.1	4.9	5.0
Shaun McDonald – DET	at MIN	10.1	5.2	5.3
Kevin Walter – HOU	at TEN	10.0	5.1	5.1
Justin Gage – TEN	vs HOU	9.9	5.8	5.7
Marty Booker – MIA	vs NYJ	9.8	5.1	4.9
James Jones – GB	at DAL	9.8	6.1	5.9
Keenan McCardell – WAS	vs BUF	9.7	5.3	5.0
Ike Hilliard – TB	at NO	9.6	5.7	5.3
Chris Chambers – SD	at KC	9.5	5.8	5.3
Dennis Northcutt – JAC	at IND	9.4	5.3	4.7
Arnaz Battle – SF	at CAR	9.4	5.7	5.1
Nate Washington – PIT	vs CIN	9.2	5.3	4.5
Brandon Stokley – DEN	at OAK	9.1	5.4	4.5
Mark Clayton – BAL	vs NE	9.0	5.7	4.7
Javon Walker – DEN	at OAK	8.8	6.5	5.3
Jabar Gaffney – NE	at BAL	8.7	6.1	4.8
Drew Bennett – STL	vs ATL	8.6	5.4	4.0
Devin Hester – CHI	vs NYG	8.6	7.6	6.2
David Patten – NO	vs TB	8.6	5.8	4.4
Ted Ginn – MIA	vs NYJ	8.6	6.2	4.8
Mike Furrey – DET	at MIN	8.5	5.3	3.8
Vincent Jackson – SD	at KC	8.2	6.3	4.5
Ronald Curry – OAK	vs DEN	7.9	6.4	4.3
Muhsin Muhammad – CHI	vs NYG	7.9	6.5	4.4
Nate Burleson – SEA	at PHI	7.8	6.1	3.9
Roydell Williams – TEN	vs HOU	7.7	6.5	4.2
Marvin Harrison – IND	vs JAC	7.5	7.3	4.7
Devery Henderson – NO	vs TB	7.4	6.6	4.0
Jerry Porter – OAK	vs DEN	7.3	7.2	4.5
Patrick Crayton – DAL	vs GB	7.2	6.6	3.8
Andre Davis – HOU	at TEN	7.2	7.0	4.2
Ruvell Martin – GB	at DAL	7.1	7.1	4.2
Michael Jenkins – ATL	at STL	7.1	6.7	3.8
Bobby Wade – MIN	vs DET	7.0	6.2	3.2
Darrell Jackson – SF	at CAR	6.9	6.5	3.4
Bryant Johnson – ARI	vs CLE	6.9	6.6	3.5
Roscoe Parrish – BUF	at WAS	6.8	6.8	3.6
Laurent Robinson – ATL	at STL	6.7	6.6	3.3
Troy Williamson – MIN	vs DET	6.7	6.5	3.2
Josh Reed – BUF	at WAS	6.6	7.2	3.8
Justin McCareins – NYJ	at MIA	6.3	6.6	2.9
Antwaan Randle El – WAS	vs BUF	6.3	6.9	3.2
Lance Moore – NO	vs TB	6.3	7.1	3.4
Cedrick Wilson – PIT	vs CIN	6.2	6.6	2.8
Aaron Moorehead – IND	vs JAC	6.0	6.6	2.6
Hank Baskett – PHI	vs SEA	6.0	6.9	2.9
Demetrius Williams – BAL	vs NE	6.0	7.1	3.1
Ben Obomanu – SEA	at PHI	5.9	6.5	2.4
Sam Hurd – DAL	vs GB	5.9	7.3	3.2
Brandon Jones – TEN	vs HOU	5.5	7.4	2.8
Derek Hagan – MIA	vs NYJ	5.4	7.4	2.8
Sammie Parker – KC	vs SD	5.4	7.5	2.9
Robert Ferguson – MIN	vs DET	5.4	7.8	3.2
Ernest Wilford – JAC	at IND	5.3	7.7	2.9
Steve Smith – NYG	at CHI	5.2	7.4	2.6
Dwayne Jarrett – CAR	vs SF	5.2	7.5	2.7
Koren Robinson – GB	at DAL	5.1	7.9	3.0
Jacoby Jones – HOU	at TEN	5.0	7.6	2.5
Michael Clayton – TB	at NO	4.9	8.0	2.9
Glenn Martinez – DEN	at OAK	4.8	7.6	2.4
Jason Avant – PHI	vs SEA	4.8	7.6	2.4
Ashley Lelie – SF	at CAR	4.8	7.7	2.4
Antonio Chatman – CIN	at PIT	4.7	8.0	2.7
Tim Carter – CLE	at ARI	4.7	7.7	2.3
Jerheme Urban – ARI	vs CLE	4.5	7.3	1.8
Rashied Davis – CHI	vs NYG	4.5	7.8	2.2
Matt Jones – JAC	at IND	4.5	8.0	2.4
Craig Davis – SD	at KC	4.4	7.9	2.3
Eddie Kennison – KC	vs SD	4.4	8.0	2.4
James Thrash – WAS	vs BUF	4.3	7.5	1.8
Terrance Copper – NO	vs TB	4.3	7.8	2.0
Eric Moulds – TEN	vs HOU	4.3	8.0	2.2
Tim Dwight – OAK	vs DEN	4.2	8.0	2.2
Dante Hall – STL	vs ATL	4.0	8.0	1.9
Joe Horn – ATL	at STL	3.9	7.7	1.5
Malcolm Floyd – SD	at KC	3.8	7.9	1.6
DJ Hackett – SEA	at PHI	3.8	7.3	1.1
Sam Aiken – BUF	at WAS	3.8	7.6	1.3
Terry Glenn – DAL	vs GB	3.1	7.6	0.7
Craphonso Thorpe – IND	vs JAC	2.8	8.6	1.3

 
Start:
Braylon Edwards, CLE (17.0 rating): Braylon Edwards has proven to be a must-start for his fantasy owners this year, and this week is certainly no different. Arizona recently learned that their Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson will miss the rest of the year with injuries to his heel and Achilles tendon. The Cardinals gave up 27 and 37 points the past two weeks with Wilson missing from the secondary. His absence should allow Edwards the chance to get behind the defense for some big plays.

Sit:
Reggie Brown, PHI (10.4 rating): The Eagles surprised everyone by playing New England so tough in what ended up being just a 3 point loss. Quarterback A.J. Feeley played well, connecting with Brown 5 times, including once for a touchdown. I have my doubts that this type of production can continue however, and the Seahawks will provide a tough challenge this week. Seattle has still only given up 6 touchdowns through the air all year.
 

Tight Ends	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Antonio Gates – SD	at KC	16.7	2.3	9.0
Jason Witten – DAL	vs GB	16.3	1.9	8.2
Kellen Winslow – CLE	at ARI	15.9	2.4	8.3
Tony Gonzalez – KC	vs SD	14.7	3.0	7.7
Chris Cooley – WAS	vs BUF	14.6	3.2	7.8
Dallas Clark – IND	vs JAC	14.3	2.9	7.2
Tony Scheffler – DEN	at OAK	13.5	3.5	7.0
Jeremy Shockey – NYG	at CHI	13.2	3.9	7.0
Donald Lee – GB	at DAL	12.9	4.0	6.8
Heath Miller – PIT	vs CIN	12.6	4.2	6.8
Vernon Davis – SF	at CAR	12.3	4.2	6.5
Ben Watson – NE	at BAL	12.3	4.4	6.6
Owen Daniels – HOU	at TEN	11.9	4.2	6.0
Alex Smith – TB	at NO	11.3	4.4	5.7
Greg Olsen – CHI	vs NYG	11.1	5.0	6.1
Randy McMichael – STL	vs ATL	10.7	4.7	5.4
Chris Baker – NYJ	at MIA	10.4	4.8	5.2
LJ Smith – PHI	vs SEA	10.4	5.2	5.6
Leonard Pope – ARI	vs CLE	10.3	5.3	5.6
Alge Crumpler – ATL	at STL	10.1	5.6	5.7
Desmond Clark – CHI	vs NYG	9.6	5.6	5.2
Visanthe Shiancoe – MIN	vs DET	9.5	5.5	5.0
Marcedes Lewis – JAC	at IND	9.2	5.7	4.9
Ben Utecht – IND	vs JAC	9.2	6.0	5.1
Eric Johnson – NO	vs TB	9.1	5.7	4.8
Zach Miller – OAK	vs DEN	9.0	5.5	4.5
Jeff King – CAR	vs SF	8.6	5.3	3.9
Bo Scaife – TEN	vs HOU	8.5	6.1	4.6
David Martin – MIA	vs NYJ	8.3	5.3	3.5
Will Heller – SEA	at PHI	8.0	5.5	3.5
Daniel Graham – DEN	at OAK	7.7	5.8	3.4
Justin Peelle – MIA	vs NYJ	7.4	5.9	3.2
Quinn Sypniewski – BAL	vs NE	7.2	6.6	3.7
Marcus Pollard – SEA	at PHI	7.0	6.3	3.3
Matt Spaeth – PIT	vs CIN	7.0	6.5	3.5
Ben Troupe – TEN	vs HOU	7.0	6.5	3.4
Kyle Brady – NE	at BAL	6.7	6.4	3.1
Bryan Fletcher – IND	vs JAC	6.6	6.3	2.9
Todd Heap – BAL	vs NE	6.5	6.8	3.2
George Wrighster – JAC	at IND	6.4	5.6	1.9
Robert Royal – BUF	at WAS	6.3	6.9	3.2
Matt Schobel – PHI	vs SEA	6.0	7.0	3.0
Billy Miller – NO	vs TB	6.0	7.0	3.0
Anthony Becht – TB	at NO	6.0	6.4	2.4
Christian Fauria – CAR	vs SF	5.7	6.6	2.3
Reggie Kelly – CIN	at PIT	5.3	7.3	2.5
Jason Dunn – KC	vs SD	5.2	6.6	1.8
Anthony Fasano – DAL	vs GB	5.2	6.8	2.0
Bubba Franks – GB	at DAL	5.1	7.5	2.5
Casey Fitzsimmons – DET	at MIN	5.0	7.1	2.1
Sean McHugh – DET	at MIN	4.6	7.2	1.8
Jeb Putzier – HOU	at TEN	4.5	7.6	2.1

 
Start:
Tony Scheffler, DEN (13.5 rating): The Broncos’ tight end had a nice game last week, hauling in 5 catches for 82 yards, including a spectacular grab for a touchdown. Cutler seems to comfortable with him and looks to him often. I mentioned earlier that I like Cutler this week and I like Scheffler for the same reasons. The Raiders will give up points, and Scheffler is going to be a popular target for Cutler when the Broncos get in the red zone.

Sit:
Ben Watson, NE (12.3 rating): Watson is always going to be inconsistent, because the Patriots have so many weapons to chose from. I would guess that this week would not be particularly busy for Watson as the Ravens should have the linebackers and safeties to adequately cover him. Baltimore is weakest at cornerback, so the Patriots will probably continue to look to the wide receivers before throwing Watson’s direction.
 

Kickers	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Phil Dawson – CLE	at ARI	15.1	2.3	7.4
Ryan Longwell – MIN	vs DET	14.9	2.3	7.2
Nick Folk – DAL	vs GB	14.9	2.7	7.5
Nate Kaeding – SD	at KC	14.6	2.9	7.5
Neil Rackers – ARI	vs CLE	14.5	2.7	7.2
Rob Bironas – TEN	vs HOU	14.5	2.8	7.3
David Akers – PHI	vs SEA	14.3	2.6	6.9
Jason Hanson – DET	at MIN	14.3	2.9	7.2
Adam Vinatieri – IND	vs JAC	14.3	3.2	7.5
Stephen Gostkowski – NE	at BAL	14.3	3.1	7.4
Jason Elam – DEN	at OAK	14.2	2.4	6.5
Mason Crosby – GB	at DAL	14.1	3.0	7.1
Robbie Gould – CHI	vs NYG	14.0	2.7	6.7
Shaun Suisham – WAS	vs BUF	14.0	2.9	6.9
Josh Brown – SEA	at PHI	13.8	3.0	6.8
Jeff Reed – PIT	vs CIN	13.7	2.8	6.5
Kris Brown – HOU	at TEN	13.7	3.1	6.8
Shayne Graham – CIN	at PIT	13.4	3.5	6.9
Sebastian Janikowski – OAK	vs DEN	13.4	3.3	6.7
Jeff Wilkins – STL	vs ATL	13.2	3.5	6.6
Josh Scobee – JAC	at IND	13.0	3.6	6.5
Mike Nugent – NYJ	at MIA	12.8	3.5	6.2
Olindo Mare – NO	vs TB	12.4	3.7	6.0
Lawrence Tynes – NYG	at CHI	12.1	4.3	6.4
Joe Nedney – SF	at CAR	12.1	3.7	5.7
Matt Bryant – TB	at NO	12.0	3.7	5.7
John Kasay – CAR	vs SF	12.0	3.4	5.3
Rian Lindell – BUF	at WAS	11.7	3.8	5.5
Matt Stover – BAL	vs NE	11.7	4.0	5.7
Jay Feely – MIA	vs NYJ	11.7	4.2	5.8
Morten Andersen – ATL	at STL	11.6	4.1	5.7
John Carney – KC	vs SD	8.6	4.7	3.3

 
Start:
Stephen Gostkowski, NE (14.3 rating): Gostkowski has not gotten a lot of work this year (not with field goals anyway… he’s a PAT machine!) but the Ravens have given up the most field goals in the NFL this year (30). And even if he’s not kicking field goals, you at least know the Patriots’ kicker is going to put points on the board consistently.

Sit:
Matt Stover, BAL (11.7 rating): Stover is one of the league’s most reliable kickers, but he can’t score if he doesnt get the opportunities. In the Ravens’ past five games, Stover has been held without a single field goal attempt four times! When the offense struggles that much the kicker is just not a viable fantasy option.
 

Team Defense	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
New England	at BAL	15.8	2.0	7.8
San Diego	at KC	14.0	3.2	7.2
Indianapolis	vs JAC	13.0	4.3	7.3
Denver	at OAK	12.6	3.5	6.1
Chicago	vs NYG	12.6	4.7	7.3
New York Giants	at CHI	12.6	3.5	6.1
Washington	vs BUF	12.6	3.6	6.2
Minnesota	vs DET	12.5	4.4	6.9
Tennessee	vs HOU	12.2	4.6	6.7
Tampa Bay	at NO	11.9	4.9	6.8
Carolina	vs SF	11.8	3.9	5.7
Philadelphia	vs SEA	11.6	4.8	6.4
St. Louis	vs ATL	11.6	3.5	5.1
New Orleans	vs TB	11.5	4.3	5.7
Pittsburgh	vs CIN	11.1	5.7	6.7
Detroit	at MIN	11.0	4.9	5.9
Houston	at TEN	10.7	4.7	5.4
Dallas	vs GB	10.7	5.5	6.2
Jacksonville	at IND	10.7	5.5	6.1
New York Jets	at MIA	10.4	4.1	4.5
Seattle	at PHI	10.3	5.0	5.3
San Francisco	at CAR	10.0	4.5	4.5
Arizona	vs CLE	9.8	5.8	5.6
Green Bay	at DAL	9.8	6.3	6.0
Miami	vs NYJ	9.7	4.8	4.5
Cleveland	at ARI	9.6	5.6	5.1
Oakland	vs DEN	9.5	5.2	4.6
Buffalo	at WAS	9.2	5.4	4.6
Kansas City	vs SD	9.0	5.8	4.7
Atlanta	at STL	8.4	5.9	4.3
Baltimore	vs NE	7.3	7.1	4.4
Cincinnati	at PIT	7.3	6.5	3.8

 
Start:
Chicago (12.6 rating): There are two reasons you can feel good about starting the Bears’ defense this week. The first is Eli Manning, who looked totally lost last week, as he threw 4 interceptions in a blowout loss to Minnesota. It does not help that he is throwing to a very banged up receiving corps. The second is Devin Hester, who scored the 9th and 10th return touchdowns of his young career last week for Chicago. Assuming special teams touchdowns count for defenses in your league, that is hard to ignore. Even with Chicago’s defense not having their best year, they should be worth a start this week.

Sit:
Pittsburgh (10.1 rating): I’m not going to say Pittsburgh is a terrible play this weak, but I would feel a little uneasy starting them against the Bengals. Ocho Cinco had a huge game last week, breaking out of a long scoreless streak with a three-touchdown performance. If he can keep that going this week (and you know that a nationally televised Sunday night game is extra motivation) the Bengals could put up a lot of points on their division rivals. If you can find a better matchup elsewhere it may be a good idea to sit the Steelers’ D.

 
Special thanks to SwiperNoSwiping, dream_017, madaslives911, totalair32, eaglesfan, suhgamer, treat24, plantation, spodog, and Tyeattolah 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.
 

Questions or comments for Nick? Post them in the Cafe Forums! Want to write for the Cafe? Check out the Cafe's Pencil & Paper section!