Week 8

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Last week the Rams destroyed the Dallas Cowboys, and fantasy owners took a lot of things out of that game. Many learned not to trust Brad Johnson for one. He made several fantasy owners cringe. Opposing defenses now get to look for turnovers and possible scores off those turnovers. Wide receivers for the Cowboys get downgraded a tad. Marion Barber got a boost from not having Felix Jones taking carries and being an outlet for “Captain Checkdown,” Brad Johnson. Jason Witten’s value didn’t change a whole lot. For St. Louis, Donnie Avery emerged as possibly a bigger fantasy threat than Torry Holt at this point. Fantasy waiver wires were abuzz this week in leagues where he was not owned. How did our rankers make sense of this game and rank these players?

Our rating system is based on two sets of rankings. The first set is a value between 1-20, given based on a player’s Fantasy Value If Playing (FVIP). The second set is that player’s Playing Probability (PP). These two sets are thrown into a giant machine, twisted around a little, mixed up, sorted, resorted, then eventually darts are thrown at the results. If you require any further help, our start/sit forum is top notch. You will find quick replies to your questions there and many eager helpers!

Quarterbacks	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Drew Brees	NO	SD	19.33	100%	19.33
Donovan McNabb	PHI	ATL	18.33	100%	18.33
Brett Favre	NYJ	KC	18.00	100%	18.00
Kurt Warner	ARI	at CAR	17.00	100%	17.00
Philip Rivers	SD	at NO	17.00	100%	17.00
Jason Campbell	WAS	at DET	17.00	100%	17.00
Matt Schaub	HOU	CIN	16.67	100%	16.67
Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	NYG	15.67	100%	15.67
Peyton Manning	IND	at TEN	15.67	100%	15.67
Eli Manning	NYG	at PIT	15.33	100%	15.33
Jeff Garcia	TB	at DAL	14.67	100%	14.67
Jake Delhomme	CAR	ARI	14.67	100%	14.67
Marc Bulger	STL	at NE	14.33	100%	14.33
Matt Cassel	NE	STL	14.33	100%	14.33
Derek Anderson	CLE	at JAX	14.00	100%	14.00
Matt Ryan	ATL	at PHI	13.67	100%	13.67
Chad Pennington	MIA	BUF	13.67	100%	13.67
Trent Edwards	BUF	at MIA	13.67	98%	13.39
David Garrard	JAX	CLE	13.33	100%	13.33
Ryan Fitzpatrick	CIN	at HOU	11.33	100%	11.33
Seneca Wallace	SEA	at TB	14.00	80%	11.20
Brad Johnson	DAL	TB	10.67	100%	10.67
J.T. O’Sullivan	SF	SEA	10.67	100%	10.67
Joe Flacco	BAL	OAK	10.33	100%	10.33
JaMarcus Russell	OAK	at BAL	9.33	100%	9.33
Dan Orlovsky	DET	WAS	8.67	100%	8.67
Charlie Frye	SEA	at TB	12.00	40%	4.80
Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	at SF	14.33	10%	1.43
Carson Palmer	CIN	at HOU	16.00	0%	0.00

Start: Matt Schaub, Houston Texans (Rank: 16.67) – Schaub and Andre Johnson have been performing very well lately. They are lining up Johnson in different positions to create mismatches and avoid double teams. With the running game doing well, the passing game has opened up. This week they face the winless Bengals and Schaub should have a good day.

Sit: Eli Manning, New York Giants (Rank: 15.33) – Eli faces a decent Steelers pass defense that is allowing just 14.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. He has failed to throw for over 200 yards in each of his last two games, which were against much weaker defenses. Bench him unless you have don’t have any better options.

Running Backs	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Clinton Portis	WAS	at DET	20.00	100%	20.00
Steven Jackson	STL	at NE	18.00	100%	18.00
Thomas Jones	NYJ	KC	18.00	100%	18.00
Frank Gore	SF	SEA	17.67	100%	17.67
Steve Slaton	HOU	CIN	17.33	100%	17.33
Chris Johnson	TEN	IND	17.00	100%	17.00
Marion Barber	DAL	TB	16.33	100%	16.33
Maurice Jones-Drew	JAX	CLE	16.33	100%	16.33
LaDainian Tomlinson	SD	at NO	16.33	100%	16.33
Ronnie Brown	MIA	BUF	15.67	100%	15.67
Marshawn Lynch	BUF	at MIA	15.67	100%	15.67
Brian Westbrook	PHI	ATL	19.33	80%	15.47
Willis McGahee	BAL	OAK	15.33	100%	15.33
Michael Turner	ATL	at PHI	14.67	100%	14.67
LenDale White	TEN	IND	14.67	100%	14.67
Deuce McAllister	NO	SD	14.33	100%	14.33
Jamal Lewis	CLE	at JAX	14.33	100%	14.33
Brandon Jacobs	NYG	at PIT	14.33	100%	14.33
Warrick Dunn	TB	at DAL	13.67	100%	13.67
Dominic Rhodes	IND	at TEN	13.67	100%	13.67
Earnest Graham	TB	at DAL	13.67	100%	13.67
Jonathan Stewart	CAR	ARI	13.33	100%	13.33
Correll Buckhalter	PHI	ATL	13.33	100%	13.33
Julius Jones	SEA	at SF	13.33	100%	13.33
Edgerrin James	ARI	at CAR	12.67	100%	12.67
Mewelde Moore	PIT	NYG	12.33	100%	12.33
Fred Taylor	JAX	CLE	12.67	97%	12.24
Sammy Morris	NE	STL	16.67	73%	12.22
Tim Hightower	ARI	at CAR	12.00	100%	12.00
DeAngelo Williams	CAR	ARI	11.67	100%	11.67
Cedric Benson	CIN	at HOU	11.33	100%	11.33
Justin Fargas	OAK	at BAL	11.33	100%	11.33
Ahman Green	HOU	CIN	10.67	100%	10.67
Kevin Smith	DET	WAS	10.67	100%	10.67
Jerious Norwood	ATL	at PHI	9.33	100%	9.33
Darren McFadden	OAK	at BAL	9.33	100%	9.33
LeRon McClain	BAL	OAK	9.00	100%	9.00
Darren Sproles	SD	at NO	9.00	100%	9.00
Leon Washington	NYJ	KC	9.00	100%	9.00
Kevin Faulk	NE	STL	9.00	100%	9.00
Rudi Johnson	DET	WAS	8.33	100%	8.33
Ricky Williams	MIA	BUF	8.00	100%	8.00
Derrick Ward	NYG	at PIT	7.67	100%	7.67
Michael Bush	OAK	at BAL	5.33	100%	5.33
Ray Rice	BAL	OAK	3.67	100%	3.67
Larry Johnson	KC	at NYJ	13.67	7%	0.91
Felix Jones	DAL	TB	11.67	0%	0.00
Laurence Maroney	NE	STL	13.00	0%	0.00

Start: Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars (Rank: 16.33) – Even though Fred Taylor is doing OK after his helmet to helmet hit, Jones-Drew showed what he can do as a fully featured back. The Browns have allowed 8 rushing touchdowns this year and are allowing 137 yards on the ground per game. Maurice should fare well this weekend.

Sit: All Oakland Running Backs (Rank: 12.00) – They had a great showing last week and Oakland does run the ball well. Unfortunately they have three guys sharing the ball in Oaktown. This week they face the number one rush defense in the league. The Ravens only allow 58 yards per game on the ground and have only given up one rushing touchdown. More importantly, They are only allowing 11.3 fantasy points per game to running backs. Divide that by two or three, and you aren’t looking at a good fantasy week from the Oakland runners.

Wide Receivers	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Andre Johnson	HOU	CIN	19.67	100%	19.67
Santana Moss	WAS	at DET	19.00	100%	19.00
Steve Smith	CAR	ARI	18.33	100%	18.33
Randy Moss	NE	STL	18.33	100%	18.33
Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	at CAR	17.67	100%	17.67
Lee Evans	BUF	at MIA	17.00	100%	17.00
Reggie Wayne	IND	at TEN	17.00	100%	17.00
Isaac Bruce	SF	SEA	16.33	100%	16.33
T.J. Houshmandzadeh	CIN	at HOU	16.00	100%	16.00
Plaxico Burress	NYG	at PIT	16.00	100%	16.00
Braylon Edwards	CLE	at JAX	16.00	100%	16.00
Laveranues Coles	NYJ	KC	17.00	93%	15.87
Calvin Johnson	DET	WAS	15.67	100%	15.67
Roddy White	ATL	at PHI	15.67	100%	15.67
DeSean Jackson	PHI	ATL	15.33	100%	15.33
Jerricho Cotchery	NYJ	KC	15.33	100%	15.33
Antonio Bryant	TB	at DAL	15.00	100%	15.00
Wes Welker	NE	STL	15.00	100%	15.00
Marques Colston	NO	SD	15.00	100%	15.00
Vincent Jackson	SD	at NO	14.67	100%	14.67
Hines Ward	PIT	NYG	14.67	100%	14.67
Torry Holt	STL	at NE	14.67	100%	14.67
Dwayne Bowe	KC	at NYJ	14.67	100%	14.67
Muhsin Muhammad	CAR	ARI	14.33	100%	14.33
Terrell Owens	DAL	TB	14.00	100%	14.00
Roy Williams	DAL	TB	13.67	100%	13.67
Antwaan Randle El	WAS	at DET	13.67	100%	13.67
Donnie Avery	STL	at NE	13.33	100%	13.33
Bobby Engram	SEA	at SF	13.33	100%	13.33
Arnaz Battle	SF	at NYG	13.00	100%	13.00
Kevin Walter	HOU	CIN	12.67	100%	12.67
Reggie Williams	JAX	CLE	12.33	100%	12.33
Santonio Holmes	PIT	NYG	12.33	100%	12.33
Chad Ocho Cinco	CIN	at HOU	12.33	100%	12.33
Josh Morgan	SF	SEA	12.33	100%	12.33
Devery Henderson	NO	SD	12.33	100%	12.33
Chansi Stuckey	NYJ	KC	12.33	100%	12.33
Derrick Mason	BAL	OAK	12.33	100%	12.33
Marvin Harrison	IND	at TEN	12.00	100%	12.00
Greg Camarillo	MIA	BUF	11.67	100%	11.67
Steve Breaston	ARI	at CAR	11.67	100%	11.67
Hank Baskett	PHI	ATL	11.67	100%	11.67
Javon Walker	OAK	at BAL	11.00	100%	11.00
Arnaz Battle	SF	SEA	11.00	100%	11.00
Michael Jenkins	ATL	at PHI	10.67	100%	10.67
Anthony Gonzalez	IND	at TEN	10.33	100%	10.33
Chris Henry	CIN	at HOU	9.67	100%	9.67
Mark Clayton	BAL	OAK	9.33	100%	9.33
Lance Moore	NO	SD	9.33	100%	9.33
Brandon Jones	TEN	IND	9.33	100%	9.33
Amani Toomer	NYG	at PIT	9.33	100%	9.33
Chris Chambers	SD	at NO	16.33	57%	9.26
Steve Smith	NYG	at PIT	9.00	100%	9.00
Robert Meachem	NO	SD	9.00	100%	9.00
Bryant Johnson	SF	SEA	9.00	100%	9.00
Patrick Crayton	DAL	TB	8.33	100%	8.33
Justin Gage	TEN	IND	11.00	73%	8.07
Anquan Boldin	ARI	at CAR	15.67	50%	7.83
Ted Ginn Jr.	MIA	BUF	6.33	100%	6.33
David Patten	NO	SD	6.33	100%	6.33
Joey Galloway	TB	at DAL	12.67	43%	5.49
Jabar Gaffney	NE	STL	4.67	100%	4.67
Matt Jones	JAX	CLE	14.00	33%	4.67

Start: Josh Morgan, San Francisco 49ers (Rank: 12.33) – Despite the low ranking here, this guy has very high upside this week. Bruce may be the safer pick, but Morgan emerged last week and made people remember what he did in the preseason. Seattle allows 25.3 fantasy points per game to wide receivers and Morgan will be starting this week. Even half of those points is a good week. Make sure his injury concerns are OK, and if they are, get him in your lineup.

Sit: Roy Williams, Dallas Cowboys (Rank: 13.67) – It’s tough starting Cowboys wide receivers after watching Brad Johnson last week. He will be at the helm again this week and it made Terrell Owens normally high ranking plummet. Williams plays 4th fiddle behind Owens, Witten, and Barber in that offense. That doesn’t bode well against a Buccaneers defense that has really been coming on lately and has only allowed 13 points in the last 2 weeks.

Tight Ends	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Chris Cooley	WAS	at DET	19.33	100%	19.33
Jason Witten	DAL	TB	18.33	100%	18.33
Antonio Gates	SD	at NO	17.67	100%	17.67
Owen Daniels	HOU	CIN	16.33	100%	16.33
L.J. Smith	PHI	ATL	14.33	100%	14.33
John Carlson	SEA	at SF	14.33	100%	14.33
Dustin Keller	NYJ	KC	14.00	100%	14.00
Tony Gonzalez	KC	at NYJ	14.00	100%	14.00
Heath Miller	PIT	NYG	13.67	100%	13.67
Bo Scaife	TEN	IND	13.33	100%	13.33
Dallas Clark	IND	at TEN	13.00	100%	13.00
Robert Royal	BUF	at MIA	12.00	100%	12.00
Zach Miller	OAK	at BAL	12.00	100%	12.00
Marcedes Lewis	JAX	CLE	11.67	100%	11.67
Dante Rosario	CAR	ARI	11.00	100%	11.00
Alex Smith	TB	at DAL	11.00	100%	11.00
Alge Crumpler	TEN	IND	10.33	100%	10.33
Vernon Davis	SF	SEA	10.00	100%	10.00
Anthony Fasano	MIA	BUF	10.00	100%	10.00
Todd Heap	BAL	OAK	9.67	100%	9.67
Ben Watson	NE	STL	9.67	100%	9.67
Chris Baker	NYJ	KC	9.33	100%	9.33
Kevin Boss	NYG	at PIT	8.00	100%	8.00
Kellen Winslow	CLE	at JAX	15.67	47%	7.31
Jeremy Shockey	NO	SD	15.00	30%	4.50

Start: Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs (Rank: 14.00) – With how the Chiefs quarterback situation is going and the suspension of Larry Johnson you might be inclined to sit all Chiefs. Even last week, Tony fared well with three different quarterbacks at the helm. He had more yards receiving than any of his quarterbacks had passing. It doesn’t seem to matter who is playing quarterback for the Chiefs, they all seem to use him as an outlet.

Sit: Anthony Fasano, Miami Dolphins (Rank: 10.00) – Buffalo not only has a good defense, but they just don’t give an inch to tight ends. They are allowing less than 30 yards per game to tight ends this year. John Carlson (52 yards) when Seattle had no wide receivers to speak of surpassed it. Antonio Gates (55 yards) also did it. However, Buffalo has not allowed a single touchdown to a tight end this year. Look for a better option this week.

Kickers	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Nate Kaeding	SD	at NO	17.67	100%	17.67
Rob Bironas	TEN	IND	16.67	100%	16.67
Matt Bryant	TB	at DAL	16.33	100%	16.33
Joe Nedney	SF	SEA	15.67	100%	15.67
Jason Elam	ATL	at PHI	15.00	100%	15.00
Nick Folk	DAL	TB	15.00	100%	15.00
John Kasay	CAR	ARI	15.00	100%	15.00
Kris Brown	HOU	CIN	14.67	100%	14.67
Jeff Reed	PIT	NYG	14.67	100%	14.67
Shaun Suisham	WAS	at DET	14.33	100%	14.33
David Akers	PHI	ATL	14.33	100%	14.33
Adam Vinatieri	IND	at TEN	14.00	100%	14.00
Stephen Gostkowski	NE	STL	13.33	100%	13.33
Rian Lindell	BUF	at MIA	13.33	100%	13.33
Lawrence Tynes	NYG	at PIT	13.33	100%	13.33
Dan Carpenter	MIA	BUF	13.00	100%	13.00
Neil Rackers	ARI	at CAR	13.00	100%	13.00
Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	at BAL	13.00	100%	13.00
Olindo Mare	SEA	at SF	13.00	100%	13.00
Shayne Graham	CIN	at HOU	12.67	100%	12.67
Josh Scobee	JAX	CLE	12.67	100%	12.67
Matt Stover	BAL	OAK	12.33	100%	12.33
Josh Brown	STL	at NE	11.67	100%	11.67
Phil Dawson	CLE	at JAX	11.67	100%	11.67
Jason Hanson	DET	WAS	10.67	100%	10.67
Nick Novak	KC	at NYJ	8.33	67%	5.56
Martin Gramatica	NO	SD	12.33	0%	0.00

Start: Jason Elam, Atlanta Falcons (Rank: 15.00) – Jason Elam this season has been reminiscent of many of his years in Denver. He has scored 8 or more fantasy points in every week this year. He is quietly 3rd in scoring among kickers this season and has a decent matchup against the Eagles who are 11th in fantasy points allowed to kickers.

Sit: Josh Scobee, Jacksonville Jaguars (Rank: 12.67) – Kickers are very dependent on their matchup at times. This week the Jaguars take on the Browns. Possibly due to poor defense, the Browns have not allowed over 4 fantasy points to any kicker this year. Kickers end up kicking more extra points and less field goals against them. They have only had 5 field goals attempted against them and only 3 made it through the uprights. Drop Scobee for a better option.

Start: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Rank: 15.33) – A few weeks ago you would consider benching any defense that is playing the Cowboys. Oh, how times have changed. The opportunistic, ball hawking Tampa defense will attempt to give Brad Johnson and the Cowboys even more fits this week. It would not be surprising to see a few turnovers and possibly a touchdown out of them this week.

Sit: Carolina Panthers (Rank: 11.67) – Although they have a solid defense, Arizona has proven they have little trouble racking up passing yards and touchdowns on just about any defense. Drew Brees was held mostly in check last week. Only one defense has posted over 4 fantasy points against the Cardinals this year.

Many thanks to the people who helped put this together: utility-hook, Amuk, spodog, and WaCougMBS who helped with the rankings! If you would like to help with the rankings you can do so here each week.

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