Week 14: Colts, Saints Go To 12-0 - 11 comments

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At this point of the season, many leagues will have started their playoffs in order to avoid playing the championship in Week 17. (It’s a good idea if you ask me, I’ve been burned before by teams resting their starters…) In other leagues the playoffs may be just around the bend. In any case, the Cafe’s Start & Sit is here to make your lineup decisions a little easier. This week, Drew Brees tops our QB rankings after his 400+ yard performance in a comeback win against Washington, Chris Johnson leads the RBs as he continues his record-setting pace, and Andre Johnson ends up our #1 receiver after catching seven passes for 99 yards and a touchdown last week. Now, to the rest of the rankings!

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Drew Brees	NO	at ATL	97.50
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at CHI	90.50
3	Matt Schaub	HOU	SEA	89.50
4	Kurt Warner	ARI	at SF	84.00
5	Philip Rivers	SD	at DAL	83.00
6	Tom Brady	NE	CAR	81.00
7	Peyton Manning	IND	DEN	80.00
T-7	Brett Favre	MIN	CIN	80.00
9	Donovan McNabb	PHI	at NYG	78.50
10	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at CLE	78.00
11	Carson Palmer	CIN	at MIN	77.00
12	Joe Flacco	BAL	DET	74.00
13	David Garrard	JAC	MIA	73.00
14	Tony Romo	DAL	SD	72.50
15	Eli Manning	NYG	PHI	69.00
16	Jay Cutler	CHI	GB	68.50
T-16	Vince Young	TEN	STL	68.50
18	Alex Smith	SF	ARI	66.00
19	Jason Campbell	WAS	at OAK	65.50
20	Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	at HOU	64.00
21	Chad Henne	MIA	at JAC	60.00
22	Kyle Boller	STL	at TEN	59.50
23	Kyle Orton	DEN	at IND	59.00
24	Ryan Fitzpatrick	BUF	at KC	56.50
25	Kellen Clemens	NYJ	at TB	56.00
26	Matt Cassel	KC	BUF	53.50
27	Bruce Gradkowski	OAK	WAS	52.00
28	Daunte Culpepper	DET	at BAL	51.00
29	Matt Moore	CAR	at NE	50.50
30	Brady Quinn	CLE	PIT	48.00
31	Josh Freeman	TB	NYJ	45.00
32	Chris Redman	ATL	NO	42.60
33	Matt Ryan	ATL	NO	39.60

 
Start: Matt Schaub, Texans. Schaub suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder last week, but it appears that he will play this Sunday and is safe to start. Based on his matchup, you could say Schaub is more than just a “safe” start, as his opponent, Seattle, is 25th in the NFL in terms of passing, and has allowed 22 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions.
 
Start: Joe Flacco, Ravens. Joe Cool has struggled recently. He’s only thrown three touchdowns in his last six games, and last week’s Monday Night Game displayed his struggles on a national stage. However, most of those games were against pretty good defenses (Denver, Cincinnati, Indy, Pittsburgh, Green Bay). This week Flacco gets the Lions, statistically the league’s worst pass defense. If there was ever a chance for a bounce-back game, this is it.
 
Sit: Eli Manning, Giants. Manning has been pretty solid this season from a fantasy perspective, and is coming off a good game against Dallas to get New York back into the playoff picture. This week is another big game for the Giants against Philly. This matchup does not bode particularly well for Eli’s fantasy numbers though, as the Eagles have a tough pass defense that has recorded more interceptions (20) than touchdowns allowed (18).
 
Sit: Jay Cutler, Bears. Cutler has not thrown for more than 200 yards in any of his past three games. Maybe he’s been completing fewer passes to the other team, but he isn’t finding his own receivers much either. This week Cutler faces Charles Woodson and the Packers. Green Bay owns the third best pass defense in the NFL in terms of yardage, and are coming off a great game in which they picked off Joe Flacco three times.

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Chris Johnson	TEN	STL	97.50
2	Steven Jackson	STL	at TEN	88.50
3	Ray Rice	BAL	DET	87.50
T-3	Maurice Jones-Drew	JAC	MIA	87.50
5	Rashard Mendenhall	PIT	at CLE	83.00
6	Adrian Peterson	MIN	CIN	82.50
7	Thomas Jones	NYJ	at TB	81.00
8	Frank Gore	SF	ARI	80.00
9	Pierre Thomas	NO	at ATL	79.50
10	Jamaal Charles	KC	BUF	76.50
11	Ryan Grant	GB	at CHI	76.00
T-11	Ricky Williams	MIA	at JAC	76.00
13	Joseph Addai	IND	DEN	75.00
14	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	at NE	72.50
15	Cedric Benson	CIN	at MIN	72.00
16	Fred Jackson	BUF	at KC	71.00
17	Laurence Maroney	NE	CAR	70.00
18	Marion Barber	DAL	SD	68.00
19	Kevin Smith	DET	at BAL	67.00
20	Knowshon Moreno	DEN	at IND	66.00
21	LaDanian Tomlinson	SD	at DAL	65.00
22	Marshawn Lynch	BUF	at KC	64.50
23	Beanie Wells	ARI	at SF	64.00
24	Tim Hightower	ARI	at SF	63.00
T-24	Brandon Jacobs	NYG	PHI	63.00
26	Matt Forte	CHI	GB	62.50
T-26	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at NYG	62.50
28	Julius Jones	SEA	at HOU	62.00
T-28	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	at NE	62.00
30	Quinton Ganther	WAS	at OAK	61.50
T-30	Mike Bell	NO	at ATL	61.50
32	Jerome Harrison	CLE	PIT	61.00
33	Chris Brown	HOU	SEA	60.50
T-33	Rock Cartwright	WAS	at OAK	60.50
35	Ahmad Bradshaw	NYG	PHI	60.00
36	Felix Jones	DAL	SD	59.00
37	Jason Snelling	ATL	NO	57.50
38	Cadillac Williams	TB	NYJ	57.00
39	Kevin Faulk	NE	CAR	56.00
T-39	Justin Forsett	SEA	at HOU	56.00
41	Jerious Norwood	ATL	NO	55.50
42	Shonn Greene	NYJ	at TB	55.00
43	Sammy Morris	NE	CAR	54.50
T-43	Reggie Bush	NO	at ATL	54.50
45	Correll Buckhalter	DEN	at IND	53.00
46	Justin Fargas	OAK	WAS	52.50
47	Darren McFadden	OAK	WAS	51.50
48	Ryan Moats	HOU	SEA	50.50
49	Darren Sproles	SD	at DAL	50.00
50	Larry Johnson	CIN	at MIN	48.50
T-50	LenDale White	TEN	STL	48.50
52	Tashard Choice	DAL	SD	47.00
53	Michael Turner	ATL	NO	44.10
54	Michael Bush	OAK	WAS	43.50
55	Chris Jennings	CLE	PIT	42.00
T-55	Derrick Ward	TB	NYJ	42.00
57	Chester Taylor	MIN	CIN	34.50
58	Lex Hilliard	MIA	at JAC	34.00
59	Willis McGahee	BAL	DET	29.50
60	Chad Simpson	IND	DEN	23.00
T-60	Mewelde Moore	PIT	at CLE	23.00
62	Leonard Weaver	PHI	at NYG	22.50
63	Willie Parker	PIT	at CLE	22.00
64	Arian Foster	HOU	SEA	20.50
65	Kahlil Bell	CHI	GB	17.50

 
Start: Jamaal Charles, Chiefs. Charles had a relatively tough test last week against the Broncos, and I would say he passed that test (59 total yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble). Now Charles gets a much easier matchup against the league’s worst rush defense, the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are allowing a whopping 172.1 yards on the ground and have given up 16 rushing touchdowns.
 
Start: Ryan Grant, Packers. I’ve called Grant one of the NFL’s most boring runningbacks, but while he may not be that exciting, I will say that he has been relatively consistent this year. Against the 25th-ranked Chicago rush defense, Grant should be able to manage his customary 80-to-100-yard game with a decent chance for a touchdown.
 
Sit: Matt Forte, Bears. I just realized it kinda seems like I’m piling on Chicago this week for some reason. I guess that’s the result of the Bears having lost 4 of their last 5, while Green Bay is riding a four game winning streak. In any case, Forte is not a great start against the Packers and their #4 ranked rush defense. The Packers allow under 100 total rushing yards per game, and have given up only four rushing touchdowns all year.
 
Sit: Jonathan Stewart, Panthers. Stewart got an opportunity to be the lead back last week against Tampa Bay, and took advantage, running for 120 yards and a touchdown. It looks like Deangelo Williams could be back this week, which would be bad news for Stewart’s fantasy prospects. The Panthers also have a tougher matchup this week against a New England defense that has only allowed three rushing touchdowns this year.

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Andre Johnson	HOU	SEA	94.00
2	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	at SF	90.00
3	Randy Moss	NE	CAR	82.50
4	Roddy White	ATL	NO	81.50
5	Marques Colston	NO	at ATL	81.00
6	Wes Welker	NE	CAR	80.50
7	Calvin Johnson	DET	at BAL	80.00
8	Reggie Wayne	IND	DEN	79.50
9	Derrick Mason	BAL	DET	78.50
10	Anquan Boldin	ARI	at SF	78.00
T-10	Terrell Owens	BUF	at KC	78.00
12	Steve Smith	CAR	at NE	77.50
T-12	Chad Ochocinco	CIN	at MIN	77.50
14	Vincent Jackson	SD	at DAL	77.00
15	Donald Driver	GB	at CHI	76.50
16	Brandon Marshall	DEN	at IND	75.50
17	DeSean Jackson	PHI	at NYG	75.00
18	Mike Sims-Walker	JAC	MIA	74.00
19	Greg Jennings	GB	at CHI	73.50
20	Donnie Avery	STL	at TEN	73.00
21	Sidney Rice	MIN	CIN	72.00
22	Miles Austin	DAL	SD	71.00
23	Steve Smith	NYG	PHI	69.50
24	Robert Meachem	NO	at ATL	69.00
25	Michael Crabtree	SF	ARI	68.50
26	Jerricho Cotchery	NYJ	at TB	68.00
27	Davone Bess	MIA	at JAC	67.50
28	Lee Evans	BUF	at KC	67.00
T-28	Santana Moss	WAS	at OAK	67.00
30	Percy Harvin	MIN	CIN	66.50
T-30	Mark Clayton	BAL	DET	66.50
32	Kevin Walter	HOU	SEA	66.00
T-32	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	SEA	at HOU	66.00
34	Braylon Edwards	NYJ	at TB	65.50
35	Nate Burleson	SEA	at HOU	64.00
36	Santonio Holmes	PIT	at CLE	63.50
37	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at NYG	63.00
38	Steve Breaston	ARI	at SF	62.00
T-38	Devin Hester	CHI	GB	62.00
40	Devery Henderson	NO	at ATL	61.50
41	Kenny Britt	TEN	STL	60.50
42	Torry Holt	JAC	MIA	60.00
43	Chris Chambers	KC	BUF	59.50
44	Brandon Gibson	STL	at TEN	59.00
45	Pierre Garcon	IND	DEN	58.50
T-45	Josh Morgan	SF	ARI	58.50
47	Roy Williams	DAL	SD	58.00
48	Mohamed Massaquoi	CLE	PIT	57.50
49	Mike Wallace	PIT	at CLE	57.00
50	Muhsin Muhammad	CAR	at NE	56.50
51	Earl Bennett	CHI	GB	56.00
52	Jason Avant	PHI	at NYG	55.00
T-52	Antonio Bryant	TB	NYJ	55.00
54	Greg Camarillo	MIA	at JAC	54.50
55	Malcom Floyd	SD	at DAL	54.00
56	Kelley Washington	BAL	DET	53.50
57	Johnny Knox	CHI	GB	53.00
58	Mario Manningham	NYG	PHI	52.50
59	Nate Washington	TEN	STL	52.00
60	Devin Thomas	WAS	at OAK	51.50
61	Bernard Berrian	MIN	CIN	51.00
62	Austin Collie	IND	DEN	50.50
T-62	Ted Ginn	MIA	at JAC	50.50
64	Laveranues Coles	CIN	at MIN	50.00
65	James Jones	GB	at CHI	49.50
T-65	Brian Hartline	MIA	at JAC	49.50
67	Eddie Royal	DEN	at IND	48.50
68	Bryant Johnson	DET	at BAL	47.50
69	Andre Caldwell	CIN	at MIN	45.50
70	Louis Murphy	OAK	WAS	45.00
71	Josh Cribbs	CLE	PIT	44.50
T-71	Hakeem Nicks	NYG	PHI	44.50
73	Patrick Crayton	DAL	SD	44.00
T-73	Jordy Nelson	GB	at CHI	44.00
75	Chaz Schilens	OAK	WAS	42.00

 
Start: Calvin Johnson, Lions. Megatron has scored in three straight games now, and he has a pretty good matchup against a weak Raven secondary. I can’t really imagine Domonique Foxworth, Frank Walker, or Lardarius Walker hanging with CJ. With Ed Reed still nursing an injury as well, Johnson could be met with very little resistance this weekend.
 
Start: Terrell Owens, Bills. A matchup this week against Kansas City must be music to TO’s ears after having Darrelle Revis in his hip pocket all day. The Bills have been throwing the ball TO’s way a lot recently, and before the Jets game they were having a lot of success with that. Expend that trend to continue, resulting in a big game for Terrell Owens this weekend.
 
Sit: Santana Moss, Redskins. The Redskins’ pass offense has picked up in recent weeks, but Moss has yet to have a big game of his own. This is probably a result of defenses keying on Moss, and Campbell finding other receivers, such as second-year wideout Devin Thomas, and second-year tight end Fred Davis. This week Nnamdi Asomugha and the Raiders’ secondary will likely be focused on Moss again.
 
Sit: Steve Breaston, Cardinals. Breaston was once considered one of the league’s most prolific slot receivers, but his production has really fallen off these past three weeks. Breaston has only managed 0, 4, and 1 catches in those three games, and has not found the endzone. The Cardinal receiver has to be considered a risky start in any matchup at this point.

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Vernon Davis	SF	ARI	95.00
2	Brent Celek	PHI	at NYG	89.00
3	Antonio Gates	SD	at DAL	86.50
4	Jeremy Shockey	NO	at ATL	83.00
5	Tony Gonzalez	ATL	NO	82.00
6	Jason Witten	DAL	SD	79.50
T-6	Dallas Clark	IND	DEN	79.50
8	Heath Miller	PIT	at CLE	77.50
9	Greg Olsen	CHI	GB	76.00
10	Kevin Boss	NYG	PHI	75.50
11	Visanthe Shiancoe	MIN	CIN	73.50
12	Kellen Winslow	TB	NYJ	72.50
13	Jermichael Finley	GB	at CHI	72.00
14	Todd Heap	BAL	DET	70.00
15	John Carlson	SEA	at HOU	69.50
16	Zach Miller	OAK	WAS	69.00
17	Dustin Keller	NYJ	at TB	66.50
18	Bo Scaife	TEN	STL	63.50
19	Joel Dreessen	HOU	SEA	62.00
20	Marcedes Lewis	JAC	MIA	61.50
T-20	Ben Watson	NE	CAR	61.50
22	Anthony Fasano	MIA	at JAC	60.50
23	Sean Ryan	KC	BUF	59.50
24	J.P. Foschi	CIN	at MIN	57.50
25	Tony Scheffler	DEN	at IND	57.00
T-25	Will Heller	DET	at BAL	57.00
27	Fred Davis	WAS	at OAK	56.50
28	Shawn Nelson	BUF	at KC	55.50
29	Donald Lee	GB	at CHI	55.00
30	Dante Rosario	CAR	at NE	53.50
31	Ben Patrick	ARI	at SF	50.50
32	Robert Royal	CLE	PIT	48.00

 
Start: Brent Celek, Eagles. Celek has four touchdowns over his past six games, and could be in line for another this week against the Giants. Celek recorded 61 yards and a touchdown last time he faced New York.
 
Sit: Ben Watson, Patriots. What a tease that 77-yard, 2 TD game in Week 1 was… Watson has only three catches over his past four games. He shouldn’t be getting any consideration as a fantasy starter.

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opponent	Average
1	David Akers	PHI	at NYG	79.00
2	Mason Crosby	GB	at CHI	78.50
3	Matt Prater	DEN	at IND	77.00
T-3	Garrett Hartley	NO	at ATL	77.00
5	Ryan Longwell	MIN	CIN	76.50
T-5	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	CAR	76.50
7	Billy Cundiff	BAL	DET	74.00
8	Jay Feely	NYJ	at TB	73.50
9	Dan Carpenter	MIA	at JAC	73.00
10	Lawrence Tynes	NYG	PHI	72.50
11	Rian Lindell	BUF	at KC	72.00
T-11	Jeff Reed	PIT	at CLE	72.00
13	Neil Rackers	ARI	at SF	71.50
14	Kris Brown	HOU	SEA	71.00
15	Nate Kaeding	SD	at DAL	70.00
T-15	Olindo Mare	SEA	at HOU	70.00
17	Nick Folk	DAL	SD	69.00
18	Shayne Graham	CIN	at MIN	68.50
T-18	Matt Stover	IND	DEN	68.50
20	Josh Scobee	JAC	MIA	67.50
21	Rob Bironas	TEN	STL	66.50
22	Robbie Gould	CHI	GB	66.00
23	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	WAS	63.50
24	Jason Hanson	DET	at BAL	61.50
T-24	Graham Gano	WAS	at OAK	61.50
26	Josh Brown	STL	at TEN	61.00
27	Matt Bryant	ATL	NO	60.00
28	John Kasay	CAR	at NE	59.50
T-28	Ryan Succop	KC	BUF	59.50
30	Joe Nedney	SF	ARI	59.00
31	Connor Barth	TB	NYJ	55.50
32	Phil Dawson	CLE	PIT	50.00

 
Start: Garrett Hartley, Saints. Hartley kicked four field goals last week in relief of John Carney. I don’t expect the Saints offense to slow down against a less-than-intimidating Falcon defense. The game will also be played in a dome. Hartley should be a good start again.
 
Sit: Nick Folk, Cowboys. Folk has missed 5 of his last 7 field goals. This was so startling to the Cowboys’ coaching staff that they are apparently considering having Tony Romo go back to holding. That could be interesting, to say the least. In any event, Folk is probably not worth the trouble as a fantasy kicker right now.

Rank	Defense	Team	Opponent	Average
1	Steelers	PIT	at CLE	93.50
2	Saints	NO	at ATL	86.00
3	Vikings	MIN	CIN	84.50
4	Patriots	NE	CAR	83.50
5	Ravens	BAL	DET	81.50
6	Eagles	PHI	at NYG	80.50
T-6	Chargers	SD	at DAL	80.50
8	Packers	GB	at CHI	78.50
T-8	Dolphins	MIA	at JAC	78.50
10	Redskins	WAS	at OAK	77.00
11	Jets	NYJ	at TB	76.00
12	Colts	IND	DEN	75.50
13	Titans	TEN	STL	75.00
14	Bengals	CIN	at MIN	74.00
T-14	Seahawks	SEA	at HOU	74.00
16	49ers	SF	ARI	72.50
17	Broncos	DEN	at IND	72.00
18	Bills	BUF	at KC	69.50
19	Cardinals	ARI	at SF	68.50
T-19	Giants	NYG	PHI	68.50
21	Raiders	OAK	WAS	65.00
22	Browns	CLE	PIT	64.50
T-22	Buccaneers	TB	NYJ	64.50
24	Bears	CHI	GB	62.50
T-24	Texans	HOU	SEA	62.50
26	Panthers	CAR	at NE	61.50
27	Cowboys	DAL	SD	60.50
28	Chiefs	KC	BUF	60.00
29	Lions	DET	at BAL	57.00
30	Falcons	ATL	NO	56.00
31	Rams	STL	at TEN	50.00
32	Jaguars	JAC	MIA	49.50

 
Start: Baltimore Ravens. Calvin Johnson is daunting, but the rest of the Lions’ offense isn’t scaring anyone, especially with Daunte Culpepper starting this week. The Ravens have had some injuries on their defense, but they still have a nose for big turnovers (6th in NFL with 14 interceptions, 3 defensive touchdowns). The Ravens should be able to the handle the Lions well enough at home to put up a good fantasy point total on defense.
 
Sit: Denver Broncos. Denver has been a top ten fantasy defense this year, but even the best defenses have trouble with the Colts. Look for a better option than the Broncos against Peyton Manning and Co. in Indianapolis.
 

 
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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