Week 14

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If you are still reading, let me congratulate you on making it this far, as most leagues will start playoff games either this week or the next. Before looking ahead to this week’s rankings, let’s take a look back at the best performances from last week. A couple of surprising names topped the passing charts in Luke McCown and Gus Frerotte. Most of the big games from backs and receivers were turned in by familiar faces: LaDainian Tomlinson, Terrell Owens, Reggie Wayne, Braylon Edwards, and yes, Adrian Peterson, who came back from his injury in a big way. Who will be the big scorers this week? Consult our Week 14 Start & Sit for our thoughts.

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
Tony Romo – DAL	at DET	17.6	1.7	9.3
Carson Palmer – CIN	vs STL	16.0	2.5	8.5
Derek Anderson – CLE	at NYJ	15.6	2.9	8.4
Tom Brady – NE	vs PIT	14.6	3.5	8.1
Matt Hasselbeck – SEA	vs ARI	14.4	3.6	7.9
Drew Brees – NO	at ATL	14.3	3.3	7.6
Peyton Manning – IND	at BAL	14.2	3.7	7.9
Kellen Clemens – NYJ	vs CLE	13.0	4.4	7.3
Brett Favre – GB	vs OAK	12.8	4.2	7.0
David Garrard – JAC	vs CAR	12.2	4.1	6.3
Vince Young – TEN	vs SD	12.0	4.6	6.6
Ben Roethlisberger – PIT	at NE	12.0	4.9	7.0
Jason Campbell – WAS	vs CHI	11.9	5.0	6.9
Jay Cutler – DEN	vs KC	11.9	4.6	6.4
Tarvaris Jackson – MIN	at SF	11.7	4.7	6.3
Eli Manning – NYG	at PHI	11.6	5.0	6.6
Kurt Warner – ARI	at SEA	11.5	5.3	6.8
Marc Bulger – STL	at CIN	11.5	4.7	6.2
Jon Kitna – DET	vs DAL	11.3	5.1	6.4
Rex Grossman – CHI	at WAS	11.0	5.2	6.2
Philip Rivers – SD	at TEN	10.7	5.1	5.9
Trent Edwards – BUF	vs MIA	10.4	5.3	5.7
Kyle Boller – BAL	vs IND	9.8	5.6	5.3
Luke McCown – TB	at HOU	9.6	5.9	5.6
AJ Feeley – PHI	vs NYG	9.4	5.8	5.2
Donovan McNabb – PHI	vs NYG	9.1	6.1	5.3
Vinny Testaverde – CAR	at JAC	9.0	5.9	4.9
Trent Dilfer – SF	vs MIN	9.0	6.1	5.1
Damon Huard – KC	at DEN	8.3	5.4	3.7
Sage Rosenfels – HOU	vs TB	8.3	5.4	3.7
John Beck – MIA	at BUF	8.1	6.0	4.1
Chris Redman – ATL	vs NO	8.1	6.6	4.6
Brodie Croyle – KC	at DEN	7.8	6.5	4.3
Josh McCown – OAK	at GB	6.1	7.4	3.5
Cleo Lemon – MIA	at BUF	5.8	6.9	2.7
JP Losman – BUF	vs MIA	5.3	7.3	2.6
Brian Griese – CHI	at WAS	5.0	7.3	2.3
Alex Smith – SF	vs MIN	4.9	7.5	2.4
Chad Pennington – NYJ	vs CLE	4.7	7.6	2.4
Gus Frerotte – STL	at CIN	4.7	7.4	2.1
Brooks Bollinger – MIN	at SF	4.3	7.8	2.1
Joey Harrington – ATL	vs NO	4.2	7.7	1.9
JaMarcus Russell – OAK	at GB	4.0	8.3	2.3
David Carr – CAR	at JAC	3.8	8.5	2.3
Matt Schaub – HOU	vs TB	3.8	7.6	1.4
Jeff Garcia – TB	at HOU	3.3	8.0	1.3

 
Start:
Drew Brees, NO (14.3 rating): Brees did not have the best start to the season, failing the find the end zone in three of his first four games. Since then, however, Brees has thrown at least one touchdown in eight consecutive games. He should have another touchdown pass or two or three this weekend in the Georgia Dome against the struggling Atlanta Falcons.

Sit:
Donovan McNabb, PHI (11.5 rating): McNabb has had a very up and down season. He’s had two great games (4 touchdowns each against Detroit and Washington) but he has not thrown more than one touchdown in any other game. He just does not seem 100% locked in, and two weeks on the shelf with an ankle injury probably won’t help with that. Sit McNabb this week if you can, and see how he responds in his first game back.
 

Running Backs	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Adrian Peterson – MIN	at SF	17.3	1.9	9.2
Steven Jackson – STL	at CIN	16.7	2.1	8.8
LaDainian Tomlinson – SD	at TEN	16.6	2.4	8.9
Ryan Grant – GB	vs OAK	16.1	2.4	8.6
Brian Westbrook – PHI	vs NYG	16.0	2.8	8.9
Jamal Lewis – CLE	at NYJ	15.0	2.9	7.9
Earnest Graham – TB	at HOU	14.9	3.0	7.9
Kolby Smith – KC	at DEN	14.6	3.3	7.9
Marion Barber – DAL	at DET	14.5	3.3	7.7
Clinton Portis – WAS	vs CHI	14.3	3.6	7.9
Reggie Bush – NO	at ATL	13.9	3.7	7.7
Willis McGahee – BAL	vs IND	13.8	3.6	7.4
Edgerrin James – ARI	at SEA	13.7	3.7	7.4
Joseph Addai – IND	at BAL	13.7	4.3	7.9
Thomas Jones – NYJ	vs CLE	13.4	3.6	7.1
Adrian Peterson – CHI	at WAS	13.0	4.1	7.2
Chester Taylor – MIN	at SF	13.0	3.9	6.9
Justin Fargas – OAK	at GB	13.0	4.2	7.2
Fred Jackson – BUF	vs MIA	12.9	4.3	7.3
Maurice Jones-Drew – JAC	vs CAR	12.7	4.6	7.3
Fred Taylor – JAC	vs CAR	12.7	4.0	6.6
Shaun Alexander – SEA	vs ARI	12.6	4.4	6.9
Brandon Jacobs – NYG	at PHI	12.5	3.6	6.0
Rudi Johnson – CIN	vs STL	12.5	4.0	6.5
Travis Henry – DEN	vs KC	12.4	4.4	6.8
Jerious Norwood – ATL	vs NO	12.2	4.5	6.7
Willie Parker – PIT	at NE	12.1	4.7	6.7
Frank Gore – SF	vs MIN	12.0	4.8	6.8
Ron Dayne – HOU	vs TB	11.9	4.6	6.5
LenDale White – TEN	vs SD	11.8	4.8	6.6
Jesse Chatman – MIA	at BUF	11.7	4.7	6.3
Kenny Watson – CIN	vs STL	11.2	4.6	5.8
Maurice Morris – SEA	vs ARI	11.1	4.4	5.5
Warrick Dunn – ATL	vs NO	11.0	4.6	5.6
Reuben Droughns – NYG	at PHI	10.9	5.1	6.1
DeShaun Foster – CAR	at JAC	10.6	5.2	5.7
Leon Washington – NYJ	vs CLE	10.6	5.3	5.8
Julius Jones – DAL	at DET	10.3	5.1	5.4
Laurence Maroney – NE	vs PIT	10.2	5.1	5.3
DeAngelo Williams – CAR	at JAC	10.1	5.7	5.8
Marshawn Lynch – BUF	vs MIA	9.9	5.6	5.5
Kevin Jones – DET	vs DAL	9.7	6.2	5.9
Jason Wright – CLE	at NYJ	9.6	5.2	4.9
Chris Brown – TEN	vs SD	9.5	5.7	5.2
Kevin Faulk – NE	vs PIT	8.9	6.0	4.9
Vernand Morency – GB	vs OAK	8.8	5.5	4.3
Correll Buckhalter – PHI	vs NYG	8.7	5.6	4.3
Aaron Stecker – NO	at ATL	8.6	5.8	4.4
Kenton Keith – IND	at BAL	8.5	6.0	4.5
Ladell Betts – WAS	vs CHI	8.0	6.3	4.3
Michael Pittman – TB	at HOU	8.0	6.2	4.2
Garrett Wolfe – CHI	at WAS	8.0	6.4	4.4
Selvin Young – DEN	vs KC	7.7	6.3	4.0
Michael Turner – SD	at TEN	7.6	6.2	3.8
LaMont Jordan – OAK	at GB	7.6	6.4	4.0
Musa Smith – BAL	vs IND	7.6	6.5	4.1
Samkon Gado – MIA	at BUF	7.2	6.5	3.7
Heath Evans – NE	vs PIT	7.1	6.7	3.9
Leonard Weaver – SEA	vs ARI	7.1	6.5	3.6
Patrick Cobbs – MIA	at BUF	7.1	6.8	3.9
Dwayne Wright – BUF	vs MIA	7.1	6.5	3.6
Antonio Pittman – STL	at CIN	7.0	6.2	3.1
Joe Echemandu – HOU	vs TB	6.9	6.8	3.7
Marcel Shipp – ARI	at SEA	6.7	6.9	3.6
Brian Leonard – STL	at CIN	6.6	6.7	3.3
Jerome Harrison – CLE	at NYJ	6.6	6.9	3.4
Brandon Jackson – GB	vs OAK	6.5	6.6	3.1
Pierre Thomas – NO	at ATL	6.3	6.9	3.1
Andre Hall – DEN	vs KC	6.0	7.2	3.2
TJ Duckett – DET	vs DAL	5.9	7.4	3.3
Lorenzo Booker – MIA	at BUF	5.8	7.6	3.4
Michael Bennett – TB	at HOU	5.8	7.5	3.3
Mike Anderson – BAL	vs IND	5.7	6.8	2.5
Maurice Hicks – SF	vs MIN	5.7	7.6	3.3
Mewelde Moore – MIN	at SF	5.7	7.2	2.9
Ahmed Bradshaw – NTG	at PHI	5.7	7.4	3.1
Jason Snelling – ATL	vs NO	5.3	7.5	2.7
Najeh Davenport – PIT	at NE	5.2	6.9	2.1
Tony Hunt – PHI	vs NYG	5.2	7.6	2.7
Darius Walker – HOU	vs TB	5.1	7.8	2.9
Greg Jones – JAC	vs CAR	4.9	7.6	2.6
Gilbert Harris – KC	at DEN	4.8	7.8	2.6
Dominic Rhodes – OAK	at GB	4.8	7.9	2.6
Michael Robinson – SF	vs MIN	4.6	8.1	2.7
Tatum Bell – DET	vs DAL	4.3	7.4	1.7
Mike Bell – DEN	vs KC	3.9	8.0	1.9
Ahman Green – HOU	vs TB	3.9	8.4	2.3
Aveion Cason – DET	vs DAL	3.5	8.6	2.1
Chris Henry – TEN	vs SD	3.1	8.0	1.1
Anthony Thomas – BUF	vs MIA	2.6	8.2	0.8

 
Start:
Ryan Grant, GB (16.1 rating): Grant has been one of the biggest fantasy surprises this year, taking over for a slew of ineffective running backs and rushing for over 550 yards and four touchdowns in six games. And he just seems to be getting better – his yards per carry average is 6.7 over his last two games. He is primed for a big game this week against an Oakland Raider run defense that is 30th in the NFL.

Sit:
Deshaun Foster, CAR (11.5 rating): Foster is getting a good amount of carries in Carolina, but he hasn’t always been making the most of them. He has only managed a 3.6 yards per carry average, with just three touchdowns on the year. And his season stats certainly weren’t helped by a nine-carry, negative-five-yard game two weeks ago. He has a tough matchup this week against a top ten rushing defense in Jacksonville.
 

Wide Receivers	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Terrell Owens – DAL	at DET	17.2	2.0	9.1
Braylon Edwards – CLE	at NYJ	16.8	2.0	8.8
Torry Holt – STL	at CIN	16.4	2.4	8.8
Chad Johnson – CIN	vs STL	15.7	3.0	8.8
Marques Colston – NO	at ATL	15.3	3.0	8.4
TJ Houshmandzadeh – CIN	vs STL	15.1	2.7	7.8
Reggie Wayne – IND	at BAL	15.0	3.3	8.3
Andre Johnson – HOU	vs TB	14.6	3.4	8.0
Randy Moss – NE	vs PIT	14.4	3.8	8.2
Joey Galloway – TB	at HOU	14.4	3.4	7.8
Roddy White – ATL	vs NO	14.3	3.5	7.7
Greg Jennings – GB	vs OAK	14.1	3.3	7.5
Hines Ward – PIT	at NE	13.9	3.8	7.7
Laveranues Coles – NYJ	vs CLE	13.4	3.8	7.3
Isaac Bruce – STL	at CIN	13.4	3.8	7.2
Deion Branch – SEA	vs ARI	13.1	3.9	7.1
Bernard Berrian – CHI	at WAS	13.1	4.1	7.2
Chris Henry – CIN	vs STL	13.1	4.2	7.3
Brandon Marshall – DEN	vs KC	13.1	4.1	7.2
Kevin Curtis – PHI	vs NYG	13.0	4.3	7.3
Donald Driver – GB	vs OAK	13.0	3.7	6.7
Lee Evans – BUF	vs MIA	13.0	4.0	7.0
Bobby Engram – SEA	vs ARI	12.7	3.9	6.6
Patrick Crayton – DAL	at DET	12.7	4.0	6.8
Dwayne Bowe – KC	at DEN	12.7	4.4	7.1
Steve Smith – CAR	at JAC	12.6	4.4	7.0
Wes Welker – NE	vs PIT	12.6	4.5	7.1
Sidney Rice – MIN	at SF	12.5	4.3	6.8
Plaxico Burress – NYG	at PHI	12.5	4.8	7.3
Justin Gage – TEN	vs SD	12.3	4.5	6.8
Calvin Johnson – DET	vs DAL	12.2	4.6	6.8
Ronald Curry – OAK	at GB	11.9	4.9	6.8
Santana Moss – WAS	vs CHI	11.9	4.9	6.8
Derrick Mason – BAL	vs IND	11.8	4.4	6.2
Bryant Johnson – ARI	at SEA	11.7	4.8	6.5
Shaun McDonald – DET	vs DAL	11.4	4.8	6.2
Anthony Gonzalez – IND	at BAL	11.3	4.7	5.9
Amani Toomer – NYG	at PHI	11.1	5.0	6.1
Chris Chambers – SD	at TEN	10.9	5.1	6.0
Brandon Stokley – DEN	vs KC	10.8	4.8	5.6
Muhsin Muhammad – CHI	at WAS	10.8	5.2	6.0
Reggie Williams – JAC	vs CAR	10.7	5.1	5.9
Mike Furrey – DET	vs DAL	10.6	5.5	6.1
Nate Burleson – SEA	vs ARI	10.6	5.2	5.8
Kevin Walter – HOU	vs TB	10.5	5.1	5.6
Donte Stallworth – NE	vs PIT	10.4	5.3	5.7
Reggie Brown – PHI	vs NYG	10.4	5.4	5.7
Ike Hilliard – TB	at HOU	10.2	5.0	5.2
Joe Jurevicius – CLE	at NYJ	10.1	5.0	5.2
Ted Ginn – MIA	at BUF	10.1	5.2	5.3
Javon Walker – DEN	vs KC	10.1	5.6	5.7
Larry Fitzgerald – ARI	at SEA	10.1	5.9	6.0
Jerry Porter – OAK	at GB	10.0	5.4	5.4
Marty Booker – MIA	at BUF	9.9	5.3	5.2
Bobby Wade – MIN	at SF	9.8	5.2	5.0
Devery Henderson – NO	at ATL	9.7	5.7	5.4
Drew Bennett – STL	at CIN	9.4	5.6	5.0
Michael Jenkins – ATL	vs NO	9.4	5.6	5.0
Antwaan Randle El – WAS	vs CHI	9.3	5.9	5.1
Vincent Jackson – SD	at TEN	9.2	5.9	5.0
Roydell Williams – TEN	vs SD	9.1	5.7	4.8
Nate Washington – PIT	at NE	9.0	6.0	5.0
Mark Clayton – BAL	vs IND	8.9	5.9	4.7
Dennis Northcutt – JAC	vs CAR	8.9	5.7	4.6
Arnaz Battle – SF	vs MIN	8.8	6.1	4.9
Andre Davis – HOU	vs TB	8.7	6.2	4.9
Drew Carter – CAR	at JAC	8.7	5.9	4.6
James Jones – GB	vs OAK	8.6	6.1	4.7
Santonio Holmes – PIT	at NE	8.6	6.6	5.2
Darrell Jackson – SF	vs MIN	8.6	6.1	4.7
David Patten – NO	at ATL	8.4	5.9	4.3
Ernest Wilford – JAC	vs CAR	8.4	6.1	4.5
Roscoe Parrish – BUF	vs MIA	8.4	6.1	4.5
Eddie Kennison – KC	at DEN	8.3	5.9	4.2
Josh Reed – BUF	vs MIA	8.1	5.9	4.0
Michael Clayton – TB	at HOU	7.9	6.2	4.1
Derek Hagan – MIA	at BUF	7.9	6.1	4.1
Justin McCareins – NYJ	vs CLE	7.9	6.3	4.2
Lance Moore – NO	at ATL	7.8	6.0	3.9
Jabar Gaffney – NE	vs PIT	7.7	6.6	4.4
Koren Robinson – GB	vs OAK	7.5	6.5	4.0
Sammie Parker – KC	at DEN	7.3	6.3	3.6
Eric Moulds – TEN	vs SD	7.2	6.6	3.7
Hank Baskett – PHI	vs NYG	7.2	6.7	3.9
Brandon Jones – TEN	vs SD	7.1	6.8	3.9
Devin Hester – CHI	at WAS	7.1	7.0	4.1
Sam Hurd – DAL	at DET	7.1	6.6	3.7
Tim Carter – CLE	at NYJ	7.0	6.3	3.3
Ruvell Martin – GB	vs OAK	6.8	6.9	3.7
Ben Obomanu – SEA	vs ARI	6.7	6.9	3.6
Craig Davis – SD	at TEN	6.7	6.9	3.6
Terrance Copper – NO	at ATL	6.6	6.8	3.4
Jason Avant – PHI	vs NYG	6.6	7.0	3.6
Jerheme Urban – ARI	at SEA	6.5	6.9	3.4
James Thrash – WAS	vs CHI	6.5	7.0	3.5
Robert Ferguson – MIN	at SF	6.4	7.0	3.4
Tim Dwight – OAK	at GB	6.3	7.2	3.6
Cedrick Wilson – PIT	at NE	6.3	7.2	3.6
Matt Jones – JAC	vs CAR	6.3	7.1	3.4
Ashley Lelie – SF	vs MIN	6.2	7.1	3.3
Keenan McCardell – WAS	vs CHI	6.1	7.1	3.3
Dwayne Jarrett – CAR	at JAC	6.1	7.1	3.2
Rashied Davis – CHI	at WAS	6.0	7.0	3.0
Anquan Boldin – ARI	at SEA	6.0	7.7	3.7
Dante Hall – STL	at CIN	5.9	6.9	2.8
Laurent Robinson – ATL	vs NO	5.8	7.1	2.9
Troy Williamson – MIN	at SF	5.7	7.3	3.1
Glenn Martinez – DEN	vs KC	5.7	7.3	3.0
Steve Smith – NYG	at PHI	5.7	7.2	2.9
Sam Aiken – BUF	vs MIA	5.6	7.2	2.8
Joe Horn – ATL	vs NO	5.5	7.4	2.9
Jacoby Jones – HOU	vs TB	5.5	7.6	3.0
Craphonso Thorpe – IND	at BAL	5.3	7.6	2.9
Antonio Chatman – CIN	vs STL	5.1	7.2	2.3
Malcolm Floyd – SD	at TEN	4.6	7.9	2.4
Terry Glenn – DAL	at DET	4.4	7.5	1.9
Marvin Harrison – IND	at BAL	4.3	7.7	2.1
Demetrius Williams – BAL	vs IND	4.3	7.9	2.2
Aaron Moorehead – IND	at BAL	4.1	8.1	2.3
DJ Hackett – SEA	vs ARI	3.3	8.0	1.3

 
Start:
Roddy White, ATL (14.3 rating): The Falcons’ third year wide receiver has taken a big step forward this season. White is on pace for over 80 catches and 1200 yards, after recording his best game of the season last week (10 catches, 146 yards, TD). He has a nice matchup this week against New Orleans. The Saints are 28th in the NFL in pass defense.

Sit:
Donte Stallworth, NE (10.4 rating): Stallworth seems to be solidly behind Randy Moss and Wes Welker in New England. He has not found the end zone in the past five games, even playing in that prolific offense. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the best passing defense in the league, as well as the best scoring defense, making Stallworth a very iffy start.
 

Tight Ends	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Jason Witten – DAL	at DET	17.4	1.8	9.2
Kellen Winslow – CLE	at NYJ	16.7	2.0	8.7
Tony Gonzalez – KC	at DEN	16.0	2.3	8.3
Antonio Gates – SD	at TEN	15.4	2.9	8.3
Dallas Clark – IND	at BAL	13.9	3.8	7.7
Chris Cooley – WAS	vs CHI	13.7	3.9	7.6
Jeremy Shockey – NYG	at PHI	13.1	4.0	7.1
Donald Lee – GB	vs OAK	11.9	4.4	6.4
Ben Watson – NE	vs PIT	11.9	4.5	6.4
Vernon Davis – SF	vs MIN	11.9	4.7	6.6
Tony Scheffler – DEN	vs KC	11.8	4.3	6.1
Eric Johnson – NO	at ATL	11.4	4.6	6.0
Greg Olsen – CHI	at WAS	11.4	4.8	6.2
Owen Daniels – HOU	vs TB	11.3	4.7	6.0
Heath Miller – PIT	at NE	11.1	5.0	6.1
Randy McMichael – STL	at CIN	11.0	5.0	6.0
Desmond Clark – CHI	at WAS	10.9	4.8	5.7
LJ Smith – PHI	vs NYG	10.7	4.8	5.5
Alge Crumpler – ATL	vs NO	10.7	5.2	5.9
Zach Miller – OAK	at GB	10.6	5.2	5.8
Chris Baker – NYJ	vs CLE	10.5	4.9	5.4
Jeff King – CAR	at JAC	10.1	5.4	5.5
Visanthe Shiancoe – MIN	at SF	9.6	5.4	5.0
Marcedes Lewis – JAC	vs CAR	9.4	5.4	4.8
Bo Scaife – TEN	vs SD	9.3	5.4	4.8
Leonard Pope – ARI	at SEA	9.3	5.9	5.2
David Martin – MIA	at BUF	8.8	5.3	4.0
Alex Smith – TB	at HOU	8.6	5.7	4.3
Ben Utecht – IND	at BAL	8.3	6.2	4.5
Robert Royal – BUF	vs MIA	7.9	5.9	3.9
Marcus Pollard – SEA	vs ARI	7.4	6.3	3.8
Quinn Sypniewski – BAL	vs IND	7.4	6.4	3.8
Justin Peelle – MIA	at BUF	7.1	6.2	3.3
Richard Angulo – JAC	vs CAR	7.1	5.9	3.0
Kyle Brady – NE	vs PIT	6.7	7.0	3.7
Anthony Fasano – DAL	at DET	6.6	6.8	3.4
Matt Schobel – PHI	vs NYG	6.6	6.7	3.3
Anthony Becht – TB	at HOU	6.6	6.7	3.3
Ben Troupe – TEN	vs SD	6.4	6.7	3.1
Reggie Kelly – CIN	vs STL	6.4	6.8	3.1
Will Heller – SEA	vs ARI	6.4	7.0	3.4
Bubba Franks – GB	vs OAK	6.3	6.9	3.2
Daniel Graham – DEN	vs KC	6.1	7.0	3.2
Bryan Fletcher – IND	at BAL	6.0	7.0	3.1
Matt Spaeth – PIT	at NE	5.6	7.5	3.1
Todd Heap – BAL	vs IND	5.5	8.2	3.7
Jeb Putzier – HOU	vs TB	5.4	7.4	2.7
Billy Miller – NO	at ATL	5.2	7.5	2.7
Casey Fitzsimmons – DET	vs DAL	4.6	7.8	2.4
Christian Fauria – CAR	at JAC	4.6	7.8	2.3
Sean McHugh – DET	vs DAL	4.5	7.9	2.4
Jason Dunn – KC	at DEN	4.4	7.7	2.1

 
Start:
Dallas Clark, IND (13.9 rating): Clark has been a touchdown-scoring machine this season. He had a streak of five straight games with a TD earlier in the season, before going cold for a few weeks. He seems to be heating up again though, as he has three scores in the past two games. Make sure to get him in your lineup.

Sit:
Tony Scheffler, DEN (11.8 rating): With quality fantasy tight ends at a premium, many owners will not have the luxury of benching Scheffler this week. But if you do have another good tight end on your roster, this may be a good week to sit Scheff. His opponent this week, Kansas City, has only given up ten passing touchdowns this season, tied for third fewest in the NFL.
 

Kickers	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Mason Crosby – GB	vs OAK	16.2	2.0	8.2
Shayne Graham – CIN	vs STL	15.8	2.5	8.3
Nick Folk – DAL	at DET	15.6	2.6	8.1
Phil Dawson – CLE	at NYJ	15.3	2.7	8.0
Adam Vinatieri – IND	at BAL	14.1	3.3	7.4
Mike Nugent – NYJ	vs CLE	14.1	2.9	7.0
Josh Brown – SEA	vs ARI	14.1	3.1	7.2
Ryan Longwell – MIN	at SF	14.1	3.0	7.1
Stephen Gostkowski – NE	vs PIT	14.0	3.4	7.4
Robbie Gould – CHI	at WAS	13.9	3.3	7.2
Josh Scobee – JAC	vs CAR	13.9	3.2	7.1
Rob Bironas – TEN	vs SD	13.7	3.5	7.1
Jason Elam – DEN	vs KC	13.6	3.2	6.9
Rian Lindell – BUF	vs MIA	13.6	3.3	6.9
Jeff Wilkins – STL	at CIN	13.3	3.7	6.9
Nate Kaeding – SD	at TEN	13.1	3.7	6.9
Neil Rackers – ARI	at SEA	12.9	3.9	6.8
Matt Stover – BAL	vs IND	12.9	3.9	6.7
Jason Hanson – DET	vs DAL	12.8	4.1	6.9
Kris Brown – HOU	vs TB	12.7	3.9	6.6
Shaun Suisham – WAS	vs CHI	12.7	3.9	6.6
Matt Bryant – TB	at HOU	12.6	3.8	6.4
David Akers – PHI	vs NYG	12.5	4.0	6.6
Lawrence Tynes – NYG	at PHI	11.9	4.3	6.2
Jeff Reed – PIT	at NE	11.6	4.4	6.0
John Carney – KC	at DEN	11.1	4.4	5.5
Morten Andersen – ATL	vs NO	11.0	4.5	5.6
Sebastian Janikowski – OAK	at GB	10.9	5.0	5.9
Olindo Mare – NO	at ATL	10.7	4.5	5.2
John Kasay – CAR	at JAC	10.0	5.1	5.1
Jay Feely – MIA	at BUF	9.9	5.4	5.3
Joe Nedney – SF	vs MIN	9.7	5.3	5.0

 
Start:
Adam Vinatieri, IND (14.1 rating): The last few weeks have been tough for the once seemingly-infallible Vinatieri. He has missed four of his past seven field goals, and a lot of them have been relatively routine kicks. A matchup this week against the Ravens may be what he needs to right the ship. The Ravens have given up more field goals than any other NFL team. Baltimore has a good defense that will buckle down in the red zone, but the Colts’ strong offense should be able to get to the red zone regularly, creating plenty of field goal chances for Vinatieri.

Sit:
Jeff Reed, PIT (11.6 rating): The New England Patriots have given up just nine field goals all season, so I don’t think any kicker is a smart play against them. Reed has had a nice year, but this week he will have to deal with not only the Patriots defense, but with the cold New England weather.
 

Team Defense	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Minnesota	at SF	16.6	2.1	8.7
Dallas	at DET	15.1	3.1	8.2
Green Bay	vs OAK	14.4	2.9	7.2
Jacksonville	vs CAR	14.2	3.4	7.6
Buffalo	vs MIA	13.9	3.2	7.1
Indianapolis	at BAL	13.7	3.8	7.4
San Diego	at TEN	13.3	4.2	7.4
Tampa Bay	at HOU	13.0	4.0	7.1
New England	vs PIT	13.0	4.6	7.6
Seattle	vs ARI	12.7	4.1	6.8
Chicago	at WAS	12.6	4.4	7.0
New York Giants	at PHI	12.6	4.6	7.2
Washington	vs CHI	12.0	4.5	6.5
Denver	vs KC	11.8	4.4	6.2
Cleveland	at NYJ	11.6	3.9	5.5
New Orleans	at ATL	11.3	4.5	5.8
Philadelphia	vs NYG	10.8	5.1	5.9
Kansas City	at DEN	10.6	4.8	5.4
Pittsburgh	at NE	10.3	6.0	6.3
Tennessee	vs SD	10.1	6.0	6.0
Cincinnati	vs STL	10.0	5.4	5.4
Arizona	at SEA	9.9	5.6	5.6
Baltimore	vs IND	9.9	5.9	5.8
Carolina	at JAC	9.8	6.0	5.7
Houston	vs TB	9.5	5.6	5.1
St. Louis	at CIN	8.7	5.8	4.5
Atlanta	vs NO	8.6	6.0	4.6
Detroit	vs DAL	8.3	7.2	5.5
Miami	at BUF	8.1	5.8	3.9
Oakland	at GB	7.0	6.8	3.8
New York Jets	vs CLE	6.8	6.9	3.7
San Francisco	vs MIN	6.6	7.5	4.0

 
Start:
Buffalo (13.9 rating): The Bills have a decent defense, not a great defense, but it is all about the matchup this week. They play the Dolphins, a team that has not scored more than 13 points in five straight games. And now Miami is starting a rookie quarterback that had no touchdowns and three interceptions in his first game as a starter last week.

Sit:
Pittsburgh (11.5 rating): The Steelers have had one of the best defenses in the league this year, ranking first in in several categories, including total yards, passing yards, and points per game. Just because of that you could probably do worse than the Steelers this week as your starting defense, but I think even this good of a defense is a risky start against the Patriots. The Patriots just had two “bad” games these past two weeks, but they still scored 31 and 27 points. There are probably better options out there for your starting defense.

 
Special thanks to SwiperNoSwiping, dream_017, madaslives911, suhgamer, treat24, plantation, Amuk, WaCougMBS,and killiansjmd 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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