Week 7: Brees, Brady Keep Rolling

It’s closing in on the weekend, and that means it’s time for the next installment of the Cafe’s Start & Sit! Last week saw some huge scores across fantasy leagues as backs like Thomas Jones, Adrian Peterson, Deangelo Williams, and Maurice Jones-Drew went off, and the potent passing attacks of Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and New England had huge days as well. Hopefully you were on the right side of most of those big games. And with that, I’ll say a quick thanks to our rankers, and move on to the rankings! (Reminder: The Ravens, Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, Seahawks, and Titans are on their byes this week)

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Peyton Manning	IND	at STL	99.00
2	Drew Brees	NO	at MIA	93.40
3	Tom Brady	NE	at TB	93.20
4	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at CLE	91.20
5	Philip Rivers	SD	at KC	87.20
6	Matt Schaub	HOU	SF	85.20
7	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	MIN	83.40
8	Eli Manning	NYG	ARI	82.59
9	Matt Ryan	ATL	at DAL	81.60
10	Donovan McNabb	PHI	at WAS	81.40
11	Kurt Warner	ARI	at NYG	80.00
12	Jay Cutler	CHI	at CIN	79.20
13	Carson Palmer	CIN	CHI	75.00
14	Tony Romo	DAL	ATL	74.80
15	Brett Favre	MIN	at PIT	71.20
16	Matt Cassel	KC	SD	64.40
17	Shaun Hill	SF	at HOU	63.20
18	Mark Sanchez	NYJ	at OAK	63.00
19	Chad Henne	MIA	NO	59.60
20	Jake Delhomme	CAR	BUF	59.40
21	Jason Campbell	WAS	PHI	56.20
22	Derek Anderson	CLE	GB	55.60
23	Marc Bulger	STL	IND	52.27
24	Josh Johnson	TB	NE	51.80
25	JaMarcus Russell	OAK	NYJ	48.40
26	Ryan Fitzpatrick	BUF	at CAR	41.80

 
Start: Phillip Rivers, Chargers. San Diego has had their troubles this season, but Phillip is still throwing the ball around. Rivers is on pace for almost 5000 yards on the season, and with great receivers like Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates, and a defense that will put them in a lot of holes, there’s no reason to think he will slow down too much. He has a good matchup this week in Kansas City against one of the league’s worst defenses.
 
Start: Eli Manning, Giants. Manning and the Giants were contained by New Orleans last week, but this week New York gets Arizona at home. I recommended starting Hasselbeck against the Cards last week, and Arizona’s defense stepped up. Still, the Cardinals are allowing the second most passing yards per game in the NFL. At home, the Giants should be able to bounce back from last week and Manning ought to have a good game.
 
Sit: Mark Sanchez, Jets. I recommended sitting Sanchez last week as well, and he ended up having the worst game of his young career. A game against the Raiders may seem like a good bounce-back start, but the Raiders arent quite as weak as they may seem on defense. Led by Richard Seymour and Nnamdi Asomugha, the Raiders shut down the Eagles last week in Oakland. There’s no reason to expect that Sanchez will fair much better.
 
Sit: Chad Henne, Dolphins. Henne had a great game against Jets two weeks ago and the Dolphins have had a bye week to rest up, but the Saints should be a tough matchup for them this week. Gregg Williams has done a masterful job resurrecting New Orleans’ defense, and his intricate blitz packages could give the young Henne trouble. It would be a risk to expect Henne to continue where he left off in his last game.

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opponent	Average
1	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	BUF	85.60
2	Adrian Peterson	MIN	at PIT	84.20
3	Michael Turner	ATL	at DAL	84.00
4	Frank Gore	SF	at HOU	83.52
5	Joseph Addai	IND	at STL	81.00
6	Ronnie Brown	MIA	NO	80.40
7	Marion Barber	DAL	ATL	80.16
8	Ryan Grant	GB	at CLE	79.40
T-8	Thomas Jones	NYJ	at OAK	79.40
10	Brian Westbrook	PHI	at WAS	77.50
11	Matt Forte	CHI	at CIN	77.00
T-11	Donald Brown	IND	at STL	77.00
T-11	Steven Jackson	STL	IND	77.00
14	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	BUF	76.00
15	Cedric Benson	CIN	CHI	75.60
16	Marshawn Lynch	BUF	at CAR	75.20
17	LaDanian Tomlinson	SD	at KC	74.09
18	Steve Slaton	HOU	SF	74.00
19	Pierre Thomas	NO	at MIA	73.18
20	Laurence Maroney	NE	at TB	72.80
21	Leon Washington	NYJ	at OAK	72.40
22	Brandon Jacobs	NYG	ARI	72.20
23	Clinton Portis	WAS	PHI	71.00
24	Fred Jackson	BUF	at CAR	70.20
25	Rashard Mendenhall	PIT	MIN	69.80
26	Ahmad Bradshaw	NYG	ARI	69.40
27	Tashard Choice	DAL	ATL	68.40
28	Darren Sproles	SD	at KC	67.20
29	Tim Hightower	ARI	at NYG	66.80
30	Ricky Williams	MIA	NO	65.60
31	Cadillac Williams	TB	NE	65.00
32	Larry Johnson	KC	SD	63.60
33	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at WAS	61.40
T-33	Glen Coffee	SF	at HOU	61.40
35	Mike Bell	NO	at MIA	61.00
36	Reggie Bush	NO	at MIA	60.70
37	Jamal Lewis	CLE	GB	58.80
38	Kevin Faulk	NE	at TB	57.50
39	Beanie Wells	ARI	at NYG	55.28
40	Justin Fargas	OAK	NYJ	55.20
41	Derrick Ward	TB	NE	54.20
42	Felix Jones	DAL	ATL	54.04
43	Michael Bush	OAK	NYJ	52.90
44	Jamaal Charles	KC	SD	51.20
45	Chester Taylor	MIN	at PIT	50.60
46	Jerome Harrison	CLE	GB	49.60
47	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	NE	at TB	48.00
48	Chris Brown	HOU	SF	47.60
49	Ladell Betts	WAS	PHI	40.40
50	Mewelde Moore	PIT	MIN	39.80
51	Willie Parker	PIT	MIN	39.70
52	Earnest Graham	TB	NE	26.00
53	Garrett Wolfe	CHI	at CIN	24.60
54	Bernard Scott	CIN	CHI	20.60
55	Samkon Gado	STL	IND	18.80

 
Start: Joseph Addai, Colts. Despite being overshadowed by Peyton Manning, and splitting carries with rookie Donald Brown, Addai has had a solid year – he’s on pace for about 1100 total yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s not seeing as many touches as he did in his best years as the Colts’ featured runner, but he’s making the most of the carries he gets, and he’s still getting a lot of work in the passing game. This week he has a great opportunity against the Rams. St. Louis has the league’s 26th ranked rushing defense (132.5 yards per game) and has allowed nine touchdowns on the year.
 
Start: Ryan Grant, Packers. Grant is pretty much the definition of an average fantasy back. He’s on pace for about 1100 yards rushing with 6 TDs, and another 40 catches and 300 yards receiving. Not bad, but he certainly hasn’t been anything to write home about (The Packers were even trying to upgrade before the trade deadline). This week, though, he gets the Browns, who not only have one of the league’s worst rush defenses, but have reportedly been ravaged by the flu. (One of the infected – pro-bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers).
 
Sit: Tim Hightower, Cardinals. Hightower has been a solid contributor, especially in PPR leagues, as he’s managed three touchdowns and 29 catches in Arizona’s five games. However, this week the Giants will be a tough matchup for Hightower and the Cardinals. The one positive, if you do need to start him, is that the Cardinals could easily fall behind early, allowing Hightower many opportunities to get involved in the passing game. He generally takes all the three-down work over his platoon-mate Chris Wells.
 
Sit: Glenn Coffee, 49ers. Coffee did a decent, if unspectacular job, filling in for injured Niners’ star runner Frank Gore. But it appears Gore is set to make his return this week, relegating Coffee to the bench, and to your fantasy bench as well.

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Reggie Wayne	IND	at STL	94.20
2	Andre Johnson	HOU	SF	93.60
3	Randy Moss	NE	at TB	93.40
4	Roddy White	ATL	at DAL	88.80
5	Wes Welker	NE	at TB	87.40
6	Vincent Jackson	SD	at KC	87.20
7	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	at NYG	86.60
8	Marques Colston	NO	at MIA	86.40
9	Greg Jennings	GB	at CLE	84.40
10	Steve Smith	NYG	ARI	83.60
11	Donald Driver	GB	at CLE	81.20
12	Chad Ochocinco	CIN	CHI	79.60
13	Hines Ward	PIT	MIN	79.20
14	Dwayne Bowe	KC	SD	78.60
15	DeSean Jackson	PHI	at WAS	78.40
16	Santonio Holmes	PIT	MIN	73.40
17	Steve Smith	CAR	BUF	72.60
18	Hakeem Nicks	NYG	ARI	71.20
19	Mario Manningham	NYG	ARI	71.00
20	Austin Collie	IND	at STL	70.20
21	Kevin Walter	HOU	SF	69.20
22	Pierre Garcon	IND	at STL	68.80
23	Johnny Knox	CHI	at CIN	67.40
24	Devin Hester	CHI	at CIN	67.00
T-24	Sidney Rice	MIN	at PIT	67.00
26	Braylon Edwards	NYJ	at OAK	66.60
T-26	Santana Moss	WAS	PHI	66.60
28	Lance Moore	NO	at MIA	65.00
29	Miles Austin	DAL	ATL	64.20
30	Bernard Berrian	MIN	at PIT	64.00
31	Steve Breaston	ARI	at NYG	63.00
T-31	Ted Ginn	MIA	NO	63.00
33	Roy Williams	DAL	ATL	62.74
34	Devery Henderson	NO	at MIA	61.20
35	Terrell Owens	BUF	at CAR	61.00
36	Lee Evans	BUF	at CAR	60.80
37	Antonio Bryant	TB	NE	60.78
38	Isaac Bruce	SF	at HOU	60.40
39	Jerricho Cotchery	NYJ	at OAK	59.90
40	Michael Jenkins	ATL	at DAL	59.60
41	Josh Morgan	SF	at HOU	58.80
42	Robert Meachem	NO	at MIA	58.00
43	Percy Harvin	MIN	at PIT	57.51
44	Davone Bess	MIA	NO	57.40
T-44	Michael Crabtree	SF	at HOU	57.40
46	Mohamed Massaquoi	CLE	GB	57.00
47	Andre Caldwell	CIN	CHI	56.40
T-47	Chris Chambers	SD	at KC	56.40
49	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at WAS	56.20
50	Patrick Crayton	DAL	ATL	56.00
51	Donnie Avery	STL	IND	54.12
52	Jason Avant	PHI	at WAS	53.00
53	Mark Bradley	KC	SD	52.80
54	Anquan Boldin	ARI	at NYG	52.34
55	Muhsin Muhammad	CAR	BUF	51.40
56	Laveranues Coles	CIN	CHI	51.20
57	Malcom Floyd	SD	at KC	51.00
58	Michael Clayton	TB	NE	50.20
59	Antwaan Randle El	WAS	PHI	49.20
60	Louis Murphy	OAK	NYJ	48.40
61	Josh Cribbs	CLE	GB	48.20
62	Keenan Burton	STL	IND	47.40
63	Jerheme Urban	ARI	at NYG	47.20
64	David Clowney	NYJ	at OAK	46.80
65	Chris Henry	CIN	CHI	46.40
66	James Jones	GB	at CLE	45.40
67	Earl Bennett	CHI	at CIN	45.20
68	Darrius Heyward-Bey	OAK	NYJ	44.00
69	Jacoby Jones	HOU	SF	43.00
70	Chansi Stuckey	CLE	GB	42.80
71	Bobby Engram	KC	SD	41.20
72	Mike Wallace	PIT	MIN	40.00
73	Limas Sweed	PIT	MIN	37.20
74	Johnnie Lee Higgins	OAK	NYJ	36.80
75	Josh Reed	BUF	at CAR	35.60
76	Greg Camarillo	MIA	NO	35.20
77	Domenik Hixon	NYG	ARI	31.80
78	Andre Davis	HOU	SF	28.80
79	Maurice Stovall	TB	NE	28.60
80	Arnaz Battle	SF	at HOU	26.00

 
Start: Hines Ward, Steelers. Ward and the Steelers put on a passing clinic last week against the Browns. The emergence of a dominant Pittsburgh passing attack puts Ward on pace for the highest yardage total of his career, and I think he could easily maintain that pace this week against the Vikings. Not only did the Vikings struggle last week in pass defense, but they lost their top cornerback Antoine Winfield to an ankle sprain.
 
Start: Chad Ochocinco, Bengals. Ochocinco has yet to have a huge game this year, but he has actually become one of the NFL’s more consistent receivers. In a week when the receiver pool is shrunken by six teams, Chad should be considered a starter in almost every league.
 
Sit: Isaac Bruce, 49ers. Who’s to say exactly how much the addition of Michael Crabtree will affect Bruce’s production, but the veteran wide-out wasn’t exactly putting up big numbers to start with. At this point, Bruce shouldn’t be considered to start in all but the deepest leagues. The Niners will continue to be a run-oriented team anyway, especially now that Frank Gore is healthy again.
 
Sit: Mohamed Massaquoi, Browns. There seems to be some real potential here – Massaquoi immediately registered on fantasy owners’ radar after his 148 yard game game against the Bengals in Week 4. But the Browns QB situation is a mess, and the talented rookie just isn’t getting many chances. This week’s opponent, Green Bay, has a pretty good pass defense, led by veteran CB Al Harris. The Packers rank 10th in the league in passing yard allowed (192.6 yards per game).

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Dallas Clark	IND	at STL	98.60
2	Antonio Gates	SD	at KC	96.00
3	Jason Witten	DAL	ATL	88.60
4	Tony Gonzalez	ATL	at DAL	88.40
5	Owen Daniels	HOU	SF	81.80
T-5	Brent Celek	PHI	at WAS	81.80
7	Chris Cooley	WAS	PHI	80.00
8	Heath Miller	PIT	MIN	78.40
9	Vernon Davis	SF	at HOU	77.40
10	Greg Olsen	CHI	at CIN	76.20
11	Jeremy Shockey	NO	at MIA	74.00
T-11	Kellen Winslow	TB	NE	74.00
13	Dustin Keller	NYJ	at OAK	70.80
14	Visanthe Shiancoe	MIN	at PIT	70.60
15	Jermichael Finley	GB	at CLE	70.20
16	Ben Watson	NE	at TB	69.00
17	Kevin Boss	NYG	ARI	67.60
18	Zach Miller	OAK	NYJ	66.80
19	Anthony Fasano	MIA	NO	60.40
20	Donald Lee	GB	at CLE	57.80
21	Dante Rosario	CAR	BUF	57.48
22	Daniel Coats	CIN	CHI	55.40
T-22	Sean Ryan	KC	SD	55.40
24	Robert Royal	CLE	GB	55.20
25	Derek Fine	BUF	at CAR	49.40
26	Martellus Bennett	DAL	ATL	49.00
27	Randy McMichael	STL	IND	48.00
28	Stephen Spach	ARI	at NYG	47.00

 
Start: Chris Cooley, Redskins. The Redskins have struggled mightily on offense, which has maybe scared some people away from Cooley, and not for no reason. But Cooley is still getting his catches (on pace for 72 catches, 829 yards). At home, on Monday Night, in a division game with his coach fighting for his job, I could see Cooley having a great game. His best game last season came against the Eagles (108 yards and a TD). At the very least, he could be the recipient of several Jason Campbell screens and dump-offs to avoid the dangerous Philly pass rush.
 
Sit: Dante Rosario, Panthers. Rosario had back to back solid games earlier in the year that made me think he could be a sleeper this season, but in the two games since he’s managed only one catch each. With TE Jeff King also vying for playing time, there just aren’t enough balls to go around in the Panthers anemic passing game. Dante is barely rosterable at this point.

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	at TB	90.00
2	Ryan Longwell	MIN	at PIT	87.60
3	Lawrence Tynes	NYG	ARI	85.80
4	David Akers	PHI	at WAS	85.00
5	Kris Brown	HOU	SF	81.40
6	Jason Elam	ATL	at DAL	80.00
7	Neil Rackers	ARI	at NYG	79.00
8	Jay Feely	NYJ	at OAK	75.60
9	Jeff Reed	PIT	MIN	74.40
10	Rian Lindell	BUF	at CAR	73.60
11	John Kasay	CAR	BUF	73.20
12	Shayne Graham	CIN	CHI	72.80
13	Mason Crosby	GB	at CLE	68.80
14	Shaun Suisham	WAS	PHI	68.60
15	Nate Kaeding	SD	at KC	68.00
16	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	NYJ	66.80
17	Nick Folk	DAL	ATL	66.40
18	Matt Stover	IND	at STL	66.00
19	John Carney	NO	at MIA	65.40
20	Joe Nedney	SF	at HOU	64.80
T-20	Josh Brown	STL	IND	64.80
22	Robbie Gould	CHI	at CIN	64.40
23	Ryan Succop	KC	SD	64.00
24	Shane Andrus	TB	NE	58.80
25	Dan Carpenter	MIA	NO	57.40
26	Billy Cundiff	CLE	GB	55.72

 
Start: David Akers, Eagles. The Redskins have given up the third most field goals in the league this season for two reasons: 1. Their defense tends to play a bend-but-don’t-break style that defends against big plays but often allows opposing offenses to maintain drives, and 2. The offense tends to put the defense in bad situations, but the defense is good enough to keep opposing teams out of the endzone. What I’m trying to say is… start Akers.
 
Sit: Nick Folk, Cowboys. Once considered one of the best fantasy kickers in the league, Folk has not reached double digit points since Week 1. Atlanta has allowed the 4th fewest points in the league this season. Folk is nothing more than an average fantasy kicker this year.

Rank	Defense	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Eagles	PHI	at WAS	91.60
2	Giants	NYG	ARI	86.00
3	Jets	NYJ	at OAK	82.80
4	Colts	IND	at STL	81.80
T-4	Vikings	MIN	at PIT	81.80
6	Steelers	PIT	MIN	81.00
7	Packers	GB	at CLE	80.40
8	Patriots	NE	at TB	79.20
9	49ers	SF	at HOU	76.80
10	Saints	NO	at MIA	74.60
11	Bills	BUF	at CAR	73.60
12	Chargers	SD	at KC	73.00
13	Panthers	CAR	BUF	71.00
14	Redskins	WAS	PHI	68.80
15	Bengals	CIN	CHI	68.40
16	Cardinals	ARI	at NYG	65.80
T-16	Falcons	ATL	at DAL	65.80
T-16	Dolphins	MIA	NO	65.80
19	Raiders	OAK	NYJ	65.40
20	Bears	CHI	at CIN	63.80
21	Cowboys	DAL	ATL	63.60
22	Texans	HOU	SF	62.60
23	Browns	CLE	GB	54.40
24	Chiefs	KC	SD	53.00
25	Buccaneers	TB	NE	50.20
26	Rams	STL	IND	46.60

 
Start: Green Bay Packers. Coming off a shutout of the Detroit Lions, the Packers face another offense in turmoil in Cleveland. And in all honestly, the Browns are probably worse on offense than Detroit. The Packers make a good start once again.
 
Sit: Miami Dolphins. I don’t have to tell you twice to sit the defense playing Drew Brees and the Saints do I? To be honest, I’m not sure how they are ranked as high as they are…
 

 
Nick Hopkins is a Cafe member who has been contributing to the Start & Sit since 2006. He posts on the Cafe under the name terpfan. R.J. White is a fantasy blogger at the sports site FanHouse. Check out his work both here and there, and feel free to talk to him in the forums, where he posts under the name daullaz.
 

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