Week 9

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Week 8 was an interesting one for fantasy owners. Indianapolis, San Diego, New Orleans, and New England won big due to huge games from star players like Reggie Wayne, Antonio Gates, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady, among many others. Oft-injured and/or unknown runners like LenDale White, Brandon Jacobs, Kevin Jones, and Ryan Grant put up over 100 yards on the ground. And to top it all off, Brett Favre and Greg Jennings ended up deciding a lot of fantasy games with their 82 yard touchdown connection in overtime on Monday night. Looking ahead to Week 9, the Steelers and Ravens clash in an AFC North showdown, LT and the Chargers face off against ADP and the Vikings in a battle of the NFL’s leading rushers, and of course, the league’s last two unbeaten teams take the field in Indy. Bye week losses should be relatively manageable this week with only St. Louis, Miami, Chicago, and the Giants taking the week off. Alright, the recap is out of the way… On to the 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 IND	15.8	3.4	9.2
Carson Palmer – CIN	at BUF	15.7	2.2	7.9
Tony Romo – DAL	at PHI	15.3	2.7	8.0
Derek Anderson – CLE	vs SEA	15.0	3.0	8.0
Matt Hasselbeck – SEA	at CLE	14.8	2.5	7.3
Peyton Manning – IND	vs NE	14.6	4.0	8.6
Brett Favre – GB	at KC	14.4	3.1	7.5
Philip Rivers – SD	at MIN	13.6	3.1	6.7
Jay Cutler – DEN	at DET	13.6	3.1	6.8
Drew Brees – NO	vs JAC	13.1	3.8	6.9
Donovan McNabb – PHI	vs DAL	13.0	3.9	6.9
Jon Kitna – DET	vs DEN	12.9	3.8	6.7
Ben Roethlisberger – PIT	vs BAL	12.7	4.0	6.7
Jeff Garcia – TB	vs ARI	12.4	4.0	6.3
Jason Campbell – WAS	at NYJ	12.3	3.7	6.0
JP Losman – BUF	vs CIN	11.4	4.0	5.3
Kurt Warner – ARI	at TB	10.9	5.8	6.7
Vince Young – TEN	vs CAR	10.2	5.1	5.3
Damon Huard – KC	vs GB	9.9	5.1	5.0
Josh McCown – OAK	vs HOU	9.9	5.1	4.9
Kellen Clemens – NYJ	vs WAS	9.6	5.4	5.0
Alex Smith – SF	at ATL	9.4	5.0	4.4
Sage Rosenfels – HOU	at OAK	9.3	5.8	5.1
Joey Harrington – ATL	vs SF	9.0	5.5	4.5
David Carr – CAR	at TEN	8.1	6.1	4.1
Steve McNair – BAL	at PIT	8.1	6.3	4.4
Quinn Gray – JAC	at NO	7.5	6.2	3.7
Kelly Holcomb – MIN	vs SD	6.0	6.8	2.8
Brooks Bollinger – MIN	vs SD	5.8	6.7	2.6
Kyle Boller – BAL	at PIT	5.8	7.2	3.0
Byron Leftwich – ATL	vs SF	5.2	6.5	1.7
Matt Schaub – HOU	at OAK	5.0	7.7	2.7
Trent Edwards – BUF	vs CIN	4.0	7.3	1.3

 
Start:
Jay Cutler, DEN (13.6 rating): Jay Cutler’s numbers may not be that impressive on the season (8 TDs, 8 INTs) but he has looked solid in his last two games with 4 touchdowns over that span. The Lions passing defense is 30th in the NFL, so Cutler and his young receiving corps should have a nice game. Getting Travis Henry back could be a nice boost to the offense.

Sit:
Kellen Clemens, NYJ (9.6 rating): Washington’s defense got shredded by the Patriots last week to the tune of 52 points. (Although I imagine most teams would have pulled back after 38 or so, but I digress…) Clemens gets the start this week for the Jets, but I don’t expect he will have an easy time against the Skins. He is no Tom Brady, and the Redskin D should be fired up and ready for redemption. Despite losing cornerback Carlos Rogers for the season, I think the Redskins’ defense will be able to shut down the Jets’ passing attack. Remember, Laveranues Coles may also be missing from the Jets’ lineup due to a concussion.
 

Running Backs	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Kevin Jones – DET	vs DEN	15.0	2.6	7.6
Marshawn Lynch – BUF	vs CIN	14.6	2.8	7.4
LaDainian Tomlinson – SD	at MIN	13.9	4.1	8.0
Brian Westbrook – PHI	vs DAL	13.8	3.5	7.3
Clinton Portis – WAS	at NYJ	13.6	3.3	7.0
Adrian Peterson – MIN	vs SD	13.5	4.3	7.8
Edgerrin James – ARI	at TB	13.4	3.7	7.0
Marion Barber – DAL	at PHI	13.2	4.0	7.2
Joseph Addai – IND	vs NE	13.2	4.1	7.3
Frank Gore – SF	at ATL	12.8	3.8	6.6
Kenny Watson – CIN	at BUF	12.8	4.3	7.0
Larry Johnson – KC	vs GB	12.7	4.2	6.8
Willis McGahee – BAL	at PIT	12.3	4.6	6.9
Willie Parker – PIT	vs BAL	12.2	4.7	6.9
Shaun Alexander – SEA	at CLE	12.2	4.0	6.2
Reggie Bush – NO	vs JAC	12.1	4.0	6.1
LenDale White – TEN	vs CAR	11.9	4.2	6.1
Fred Taylor – JAC	at NO	11.8	4.3	6.1
Travis Henry – DEN	at DET	11.8	5.2	6.9
Earnest Graham – TB	vs ARI	11.6	4.2	5.8
Maurice Jones-Drew – JAC	at NO	11.5	3.9	5.5
Laurence Maroney – NE	at IND	11.2	4.7	5.9
Selvin Young – DEN	at DET	11.2	4.7	5.9
Jamal Lewis – CLE	vs SEA	11.0	4.6	5.6
Jerious Norwood – ATL	vs SF	11.0	4.7	5.7
Justin Fargas – OAK	vs HOU	10.9	4.5	5.4
LaMont Jordan – OAK	vs HOU	10.8	4.8	5.7
Thomas Jones – NYJ	vs WAS	10.8	4.9	5.8
Michael Bennett – TB	vs ARI	10.6	4.7	5.3
Julius Jones – DAL	at PHI	10.5	4.9	5.5
Chris Henry – TEN	vs CAR	10.5	4.8	5.3
Joe Echemandu – HOU	at OAK	10.5	4.8	5.3
Brian Leonard – STL	BYE	10.0	0.4	0.4
Derrick Ward – NYG	BYE	10.0	0.5	0.5
DeShaun Foster – CAR	at TEN	10.0	5.5	5.5
Patrick Cobbs – MIA	BYE	9.5	0.6	0.2
Kenton Keith – IND	vs NE	9.5	5.5	4.9
DeAngelo Williams – CAR	at TEN	9.5	5.7	5.2
Kevin Faulk – NE	at IND	9.2	5.4	4.7
Ladell Betts – WAS	at NYJ	9.2	4.8	4.0
Najeh Davenport – PIT	vs BAL	9.0	5.8	4.8
Warrick Dunn – ATL	vs SF	8.9	5.5	4.4
Ron Dayne – HOU	at OAK	8.8	5.5	4.2
Maurice Morris – SEA	at CLE	8.6	5.3	3.9
Jason Wright – CLE	vs SEA	8.6	5.5	4.1
Michael Turner – SD	at MIN	8.6	5.8	4.4
Vernand Morency – GB	at KC	8.6	5.8	4.4
Anthony Thomas – BUF	vs CIN	8.4	5.3	3.7
Ahman Green – HOU	at OAK	8.3	5.7	4.0
Rudi Johnson – CIN	at BUF	8.3	6.3	4.5
Aaron Stecker – NO	vs JAC	8.1	5.5	3.6
Leon Washington – NYJ	vs WAS	8.0	6.3	4.3
Greg Jones – JAC	at NO	7.8	5.8	3.6
Maurice Hicks – SF	at ATL	7.7	5.5	3.2
Michael Robinson – SF	at ATL	7.4	6.2	3.6
Chester Taylor – MIN	vs SD	7.4	6.8	4.2
Chris Brown – TEN	vs CAR	7.4	6.2	3.5
TJ Duckett – DET	vs DEN	7.1	5.7	2.8
Correll Buckhalter – PHI	vs DAL	7.1	6.4	3.5
Marcel Shipp – ARI	at TB	7.1	6.0	3.0
Jerome Harrison – CLE	vs SEA	6.6	6.1	2.7
Ryan Grant – GB	at KC	6.6	6.5	3.1
Tony Hunt – PHI	vs DAL	6.4	6.6	3.0
Tatum Bell – DET	vs DEN	5.9	6.9	2.8
Mike Anderson – BAL	at PIT	5.8	7.1	2.9
Priest Holmes – KC	vs GB	5.7	6.9	2.6
Kolby Smith – KC	vs GB	5.3	7.2	2.5
Musa Smith – BAL	at PIT	5.2	7.5	2.6
Brandon Jackson – GB	at KC	4.1	7.8	1.9

 
Start:
Kevin Jones, DET (15.0 rating): Well, look at that! A good showing from KJ last week (105 yards rushing, 1 TD) and he vaults up to the top of the Start and Sit rankings. OK, so maybe the Broncos’ last ranked run defense has something to do with it. But Jones has certainly made more of an impact in the first half of this season than many people expected him to. He has scored in 4 of the 5 games he has played this season, something he has had trouble doing up to this point in his career. The Lions seem to have made him the feature back once again, so a good week is to be expected for Jones against Denver.

Sit:
DeShaun Foster, CAR (10.0 rating): Foster is getting a solid amount of carries for Carolina, despite DeAngelo Williams lurking behind him. This is not a good week to start him though, as he has a matchup with one of the league’s best run defenses in Tennessee (64.3 yards per game, 1st overall). Foster is likely to remain a solid producer for the rest of the year as long as he keeps holding Williams at bay, but this would be a good week to sit him if you have other options.
 

Wide Receivers	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
TJ Houshmandzadeh – CIN	at BUF	16.3	2.1	8.5
Randy Moss – NE	at IND	16.0	2.9	9.0
Braylon Edwards – CLE	vs SEA	15.5	3.1	8.7
Chad Johnson – CIN	at BUF	15.2	2.9	8.1
Reggie Wayne – IND	vs NE	14.7	3.7	8.4
Terrell Owens – DAL	at PHI	14.7	3.3	8.0
Lee Evans – BUF	vs CIN	14.1	3.2	7.4
Roy Williams – DET	vs DEN	14.0	3.7	7.7
Brandon Marshall – DEN	at DET	13.6	3.3	6.9
Steve Smith – CAR	at TEN	13.4	4.2	7.6
Wes Welker – NE	at IND	13.2	4.2	7.4
Greg Jennings – GB	at KC	13.2	3.9	7.1
Joey Galloway – TB	vs ARI	12.9	4.0	6.9
Marques Colston – NO	vs JAC	12.9	3.9	6.8
Kevin Curtis – PHI	vs DAL	12.8	4.0	6.8
Chris Chambers – SD	at MIN	12.8	3.7	6.5
Anquan Boldin – ARI	at TB	12.7	4.4	7.1
Larry Fitzgerald – ARI	at TB	12.7	4.5	7.2
Bobby Engram – SEA	at CLE	12.7	3.2	5.8
Brandon Stokely – DEN	at DET	12.3	3.9	6.2
Donald Driver – GB	at KC	12.3	4.3	6.6
Hines Ward – PIT	vs BAL	12.2	4.4	6.6
Calvin Johnson – DET	vs DEN	12.1	4.1	6.2
Santana Moss – WAS	at NYJ	12.0	4.0	6.1
Marvin Harrison – IND	vs NE	12.0	4.6	6.7
Dwayne Bowe – KC	vs GB	11.9	4.2	6.1
Antwaan Randle El – WAS	at NYJ	11.8	3.9	5.8
Jerricho Cotchery – NYJ	vs WAS	11.8	4.5	6.2
Derrick Mason – BAL	at PIT	11.8	4.5	6.3
Patrick Crayton – DAL	at PHI	11.8	4.3	6.1
Santonio Holmes – PIT	vs BAL	11.7	4.5	6.3
DJ Hackett – SEA	at CLE	11.5	4.2	5.8
Roddy White – ATL	vs SF	11.5	4.7	6.2
James Jones – GB	at KC	11.4	4.8	6.1
Reggie Brown – PHI	vs DAL	11.3	4.2	5.6
Donte Stallworth – NE	at IND	11.2	4.7	5.9
Ike Hilliard – TB	vs ARI	11.1	4.4	5.5
Ronald Curry – OAK	vs HOU	10.9	4.5	5.5
Shaun McDonald – DET	vs DEN	10.9	4.6	5.5
Kevin Walter – HOU	at OAK	10.7	5.2	5.8
Jerry Porter – OAK	vs HOU	10.6	5.0	5.6
Joe Jurevicius – CLE	vs SEA	10.3	4.9	5.2
Andre Davis – HOU	at OAK	10.3	5.0	5.2
Mike Furrey – DET	vs DEN	10.2	4.7	4.9
Devery Henderson – NO	vs JAC	10.0	5.3	5.3
Roscoe Parrish – BUF	vs CIN	9.9	4.8	4.8
Arnaz Battle – SF	at ATL	9.9	5.0	5.0
Roydell Williams – TEN	vs CAR	9.8	4.6	4.5
David Patten – NO	vs JAC	9.8	4.7	4.5
Nate Burleson – SEA	at CLE	9.7	4.4	4.1
Reggie Williams – JAC	at NO	9.7	5.0	4.6
Vincent Jackson – SD	at MIN	9.5	4.9	4.4
Laveranues Coles – NYJ	vs WAS	9.4	5.6	5.0
Dennis Northcutt – JAC	at NO	9.1	5.3	4.4
Troy Williamson – MIN	vs SD	9.1	5.4	4.5
Darrell Jackson – SF	at ATL	8.9	5.8	4.7
Michael Jenkins – ATL	vs SF	8.8	5.5	4.3
Matt Jones – JAC	at NO	8.8	5.5	4.3
Mark Clayton – BAL	at PIT	8.8	6.1	4.9
Drew Carter – CAR	at TEN	8.7	5.3	4.0
Ben Obomanu – SEA	at CLE	8.6	4.8	3.4
Anthony Gonzalez – IND	vs NE	8.5	5.6	4.1
Eric Moulds – TEN	vs CAR	8.5	5.3	3.8
Deion Branch – SEA	at CLE	8.4	5.8	4.2
Buster Davis – SD	at MIN	8.3	5.4	3.7
James Thrash – WAS	at NYJ	8.1	5.2	3.4
Antonio Chatman – CIN	at BUF	8.1	5.7	3.8
Ashley Lelie – SF	at ATL	8.1	5.8	3.9
Sidney Rice – MIN	vs SD	8.1	5.8	3.9
Jabar Gaffney – NE	at IND	8.1	5.9	4.0
Brandon Lloyd – WAS	at NYJ	8.1	5.3	3.3
Bobby Wade – MIN	vs SD	8.0	5.6	3.6
Sammie Parker – KC	vs GB	7.8	5.9	3.7
Ernest Wilford – JAC	at NO	7.8	5.7	3.5
Bryant Johnson – ARI	at TB	7.8	6.4	4.2
Sam Aiken – BUF	vs CIN	7.7	5.7	3.4
Brandon Jones – TEN	vs CAR	7.7	5.8	3.5
Nate Washington – PIT	vs BAL	7.7	6.4	4.1
Lance Moore – NO	vs JAC	7.7	5.6	3.3
Malcolm Floyd – SD	at MIN	7.6	5.8	3.4
Glenn Martinez – DEN	at DET	7.6	5.5	3.1
Sam Hurd – DAL	at PHI	7.5	6.3	3.8
Terrance Copper – NO	vs JAC	7.4	5.9	3.3
Joe Horn – ATL	vs SF	7.2	6.3	3.5
Tim Carter – CLE	vs SEA	7.0	6.2	3.3
Michael Clayton – TB	vs ARI	7.0	6.2	3.2
Dwayne Jarrett – CAR	at TEN	6.9	6.5	3.4
Cedrick Wilson – PIT	vs BAL	6.8	6.5	3.3
Demetrius Williams – BAL	at PIT	6.7	6.6	3.3
Jacoby Jones – HOU	at OAK	6.5	6.9	3.4
Jerheme Urban – ARI	at TB	6.0	7.0	3.0
Andre Johnson – HOU	at OAK	3.9	8.3	2.2

 
Start:
Lee Evans, BUF (14.1 rating): Lee Evans seems to have finally gotten on track this season. He has 10 catches for almost 240 yards in his past two games. J.P. Losman is back at quarterback and you can bet that he will be looking for Evans deep, especially if they fall behind. The Bengals have a defense that is liable to get them into a shoot-out. I expect to see Losman airing it out with Evans being the main beneficiary.

Sit:
Derrick Mason, BAL (11.8 rating): Mason has been extremely dependable so far this season. In fact he’s had between 78 and 85 yards in EACH of his last 5 games. Now that’s predictability! That said, he may break that streak this week against a tough Pittsburgh defense. The Steelers’ have the 4th ranked passing defense in the NFL and the Ravens’ quarterback situation remains shaky. Could be a bad combination for all Ravens’ receivers.
 

Tight Ends	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Antonio Gates – SD	at MIN	17.4	1.9	9.3
Jason Witten – DAL	at PHI	15.1	3.2	8.4
Kellen Winslow – CLE	vs SEA	15.1	2.9	8.0
Chris Cooley – WAS	at NYJ	14.3	2.7	7.1
Dallas Clark – IND	vs NE	13.7	4.1	7.7
Tony Gonzalez – KC	vs GB	13.5	3.3	6.9
Tony Scheffler – DEN	at DET	12.8	3.3	6.1
Heath Miller – PIT	vs BAL	12.3	3.7	6.1
Vernon Davis – SF	at ATL	12.3	3.8	6.2
Donald Lee – GB	at KC	11.1	4.4	5.5
Eric Johnson – NO	vs JAC	10.6	4.5	5.1
Ben Watson – NE	at IND	10.3	4.9	5.3
Bo Scaife – TEN	vs CAR	10.2	4.4	4.6
Zach Miller – OAK	vs HOU	10.0	4.3	4.3
Jeff King – CAR	at TEN	9.9	4.8	4.8
Todd Heap – BAL	at PIT	9.8	5.4	5.2
Visanthe Shiancoe – MIN	vs SD	9.6	4.8	4.4
Robert Royal – BUF	vs CIN	9.5	4.7	4.2
Owen Daniels – HOU	at OAK	9.2	5.5	4.7
LJ Smith – PHI	vs DAL	9.2	5.7	4.8
Marcedes Lewis – JAC	at NO	9.1	4.9	4.0
Alex Smith – TB	vs ARI	9.1	5.2	4.2
Leonard Pope – ARI	at TB	8.9	5.5	4.5
Kyle Brady – NE	at IND	8.8	5.7	4.5
Chris Baker – NYJ	vs WAS	8.8	4.9	3.7
Will Heller – SEA	at CLE	8.7	4.7	3.4
Daniel Graham – DEN	at DET	8.6	4.8	3.4
Matt Spaeth – PIT	vs BAL	8.5	5.4	3.9
Anthony Becht – TB	vs ARI	8.5	5.7	4.2
George Wrighster – JAC	at NO	8.4	5.2	3.6
Ben Troupe – TEN	vs CAR	8.4	5.2	3.6
Reggie Kelly – CIN	at BUF	8.3	5.6	4.0
Alge Crumpler – ATL	vs SF	8.1	6.2	4.3
Ben Utecht – IND	vs NE	7.8	5.8	3.6
Matt Schobel – PHI	vs DAL	7.8	5.8	3.6
Marcus Pollard – SEA	at CLE	7.7	5.9	3.6
Jeb Putzier – HOU	at OAK	7.4	5.7	3.2
Anthony Fasano – DAL	at PHI	7.1	5.9	3.0
Dan Campbell – DET	vs DEN	7.1	5.7	2.8
Quinn Sypniewski – BAL	at PIT	6.5	6.5	3.1
Bubba Franks – GB	at KC	4.8	7.5	2.3

 
Start:
Vernon Davis, SF (12.3 rating): I thought Vernon might need a game to get back in sync with Alex Smith at quarterback, but they seemed to click right away as the tight end hauled in six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown last week. Now that Smith is healthy again and apparently looking Davis’ way, Vernon is probably a pretty safe start for the rest of the season. He has a nice matchup this week against Atlanta.

Sit:
Quinn Sypniewski, BAL (6.5 rating): Sypniewski was a decent replacement in Todd Heap’s absence, but he did not prove to be much of a big play threat or a redzone target. He is probably not worth starting outside of the very deepest leagues whether Heap is back this week or not. My feeling is that after a bye week to rest up, Heap will be back in the starting lineup anyway.
 

Kickers	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
Adam Vinatieri – IND	vs NE	15.2	2.8	8.0
Shayne Graham – CIN	at BUF	15.0	2.4	7.4
Nick Folk – DAL	at PHI	14.7	3.0	7.7
Stephen Gostkowski – NE	at IND	14.7	3.3	8.0
Rob Bironas – TEN	vs CAR	14.4	2.8	7.2
Josh Brown – SEA	at CLE	14.4	2.6	7.0
Jason Elam – DEN	at DET	14.1	2.8	6.9
Nate Kaeding – SD	at MIN	13.6	3.0	6.7
Jason Hanson – DET	vs DEN	13.6	3.1	6.7
Kris Brown – HOU	at OAK	13.5	3.4	6.9
Jeff Reed – PIT	vs BAL	13.4	3.7	7.0
Phil Dawson – CLE	vs SEA	13.1	3.4	6.5
David Akers – PHI	vs DAL	13.1	3.5	6.6
Matt Stover – BAL	at PIT	13.1	3.7	6.8
Mason Crosby – GB	at KC	13.1	3.5	6.6
Neil Rackers – ARI	at TB	12.8	3.3	6.2
Rian Lindell – BUF	vs CIN	12.7	2.9	5.6
Shaun Suisham – WAS	at NYJ	11.9	3.3	5.3
Matt Bryant – TB	vs ARI	11.5	4.1	5.6
Olindo Mare – NO	vs JAC	11.2	4.1	5.3
John Carney – JAC	at NO	11.1	4.2	5.2
Sebastian Janikowski – OAK	vs HOU	11.0	3.9	4.8
Joe Nedney – SF	at ATL	11.0	4.5	5.4
Morten Andersen – ATL	vs SF	10.9	4.0	4.9
John Kasay – CAR	at TEN	10.8	4.8	5.7
Dave Rayner – KC	vs GB	10.6	4.3	4.9
Mike Nugent – NYJ	vs WAS	10.6	4.6	5.2
Ryan Longwell – MIN	vs SD	10.6	4.3	4.9

 
Start:
Nick Folk, DAL (14.7 rating): The Dallas offense is still clicking, and Folk has been surprisingly reliable for a rookie kicker. He has only missed 2 field goals out of 15, with one of those misses coming from over 50 yards. He should get several opportunities against the Eagles, which have a defense that I think will be able to slow the Cowboys down a bit, but not keep them out of field goal range consistently. Philadelphia is tied for third in field goals allowed on the season.

Sit:
Joe Nedney (11.0 rating): Coming up with a kicker to “sit” is always the hardest part for some reason. But how about this… Nedney has not scored more than 4 points in any of his last 4 games. That should be a good enough reason to leave him on the waiver wire.
 

Team Defense	Opponent	Rating	Risk	Reward
San Diego	at MIN	14.3	3.4	7.7
Pittsburgh	vs BAL	13.9	3.8	7.7
Washington	at NYJ	13.8	2.9	6.8
Green Bay	at KC	13.7	3.6	7.4
Tennessee	vs CAR	13.2	3.5	6.6
Dallas	at PHI	12.6	4.4	7.0
Jacksonville	at NO	12.3	4.1	6.4
Tampa Bay	vs ARI	12.2	4.2	6.4
Houston	at OAK	11.5	4.2	5.8
Seattle	at CLE	11.1	4.6	5.7
Arizona	at TB	11.0	4.3	5.3
Baltimore	at PIT	11.0	5.3	6.3
Detroit	vs DEN	10.9	4.8	5.7
Denver	at DET	10.5	5.4	5.9
San Francisco	at ATL	10.5	4.3	4.8
Atlanta	vs SF	10.3	4.6	4.9
Oakland	vs HOU	10.2	4.7	4.8
Carolina	at TEN	9.8	5.3	5.1
Kansas City	vs GB	9.7	5.1	4.7
Minnesota	vs SD	9.6	5.7	5.3
Cincinnati	at BUF	9.4	5.1	4.5
New England	at IND	9.3	6.8	6.1
New Orleans	vs JAC	8.7	6.1	4.8
Buffalo	vs CIN	8.6	5.5	4.2
Philadelphia	vs DAL	8.6	6.2	4.8
Cleveland	vs SEA	8.3	5.9	4.3
Indianapolis	vs NE	8.3	7.2	5.6
New York Jets	vs WAS	8.3	6.0	4.2

 
Start:
San Diego (14.3 rating): Adrian Peterson is a heck of a runningback, but he can’t do it all on his own. The quarterback situation in Minny is a mess, and until that gets figured out, opposing defenses are going to put up nice fantasy numbers against the Vikings. The Chargers have really turned it around recently, with three straight double digit wins, and big plays from the defense has a lot to do with it. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie scored twice in their win over Houston last week. Look for more of the same against the Vikings.

Sit:
New England (9.3 rating): It’s tough to recommend benching anyone on the Patriots’ team, and that includes the defense. But against the high-powered Colts, in the dome in Indianapolis, they are a risky play. If anyone can dissect New England’s defense it would be Peyton Manning and the Colts. They have the running game working great with Joseph Addai, and even if Marvin Harrison sits out, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and Anthony Gonzalez provide Peyton with adequate weapons to work with through the air.

 
Special thanks to SwiperNoSwiping, treat24, dream_017, latraffic, madaslives911, BlueBandit24, WaCougMBS, knapplc, Fatfoot, bobbing_headz, and PMoneyTKE 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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