Week 7: Xs and Os - 5 comments

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I owe Herman Edwards an apology.

From 2001–2005, Herman Edwards was the head coach of the New York Jets. Personally, I don’t think he was quite as bad as a lot of Jets fans made him out to be. On a scale of Rich Kotite to 10, I’d probably give Edwards a four or five. Like all coaches, Edwards had his strengths and weaknesses. He was a great motivator, but he was never much of an “Xs and Os” guy. For some reason, during the early 2000s, it never dawned on me that not being an “Xs and Os” guy was a pretty glaring weakness for a head football coach. Another issue for Edwards was clock management. Especially toward the end of games, no team minimized efficiency and maximized frustration like Edwards’ Jets. They mismanaged the clock, squandered time outs, and caused the berating of countless rear-projection television sets. It was brutal to watch unless you weren’t a Jets fan, in which case I’m told it was quite comical. Still, it may not have all been Edwards’ fault. Apparently, television networks may have had some influence as to when coaches called time out.

According to Titans head coach Jeff Fisher (a solid eight on the Kotite scale), the referee asked him use his time outs instead of taking a knee on Monday night in an effort to run more commercials during the game. Upon hearing this news, my reaction was probably the same as yours – I don’t have a problem with it as long as the commercials are funny. I think most of us are willing to sacrifice the integrity of the game if it means we can get on-line investing advice from a baby. And while that makes a lot of sense, there’s a bigger issue at stake. What if Herman Edwards wasn’t responsible for the inexplicable clock management that caused Jets fans five (additional) years of anguish? What if it wasn’t his fault? What if the networks made him do it? Pick any game the Jets lost because he curiously left the opposition enough time to retake the lead. What if instead the Jets won that game? If so, Edwards never would’ve had to hold that infamous press conference – the one where he emphatically tried to convince us he “played to win the game.” I’m not saying I know for sure that Edwards wasn’t to blame. I’m saying there’s enough evidence to be unsure. And for that, there’s only one thing to say. I’m sorry, Herm.

With that, let’s get to Start/Sit and hope that I don’t find myself having to apologize next week too. Here at the Café, we rank all the players we expect could see a significant amount of game action each week. We factor in a player’s overall ability, his weekly match-up, and the current status of his health. The result is one Start/Sit number, based on a scale of 100, and we’ll use each member’s ratings to find an average for each player. The higher a guy is on our list, the better you should feel starting him. Finally, below each table, I will give my personal Start/Sit recommendations for each position. Without further ado, here’s Start/Sit for Week 7.

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opp	Average
1	Drew Brees	NO	CLE	82.01
2	Philip Rivers	SD	NE	77.57
3	Aaron Rodgers	GB	MIN	75.20
4	Kyle Orton	DEN	OAK	72.86
5	Tom Brady	NE	at SD	70.71
6	Tony Romo	DAL	NYG	67.43
7	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at MIA	67.00
8	Joe Flacco	BAL	BUF	65.71
9	Eli Manning	NYG	at DAL	65.29
10	Jay Cutler	CHI	WAS	65.03
11	Matt Ryan	ATL	CIN	61.86
12	Donovan McNabb	WAS	at CHI	59.14
13	Kevin Kolb	PHI	at TEN	58.86
14	Matt Cassel	KC	JAC	57.57
15	Brett Favre	MIN	at GB	57.39
16	Carson Palmer	CIN	at ATL	57.29
17	Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	ARI	55.86
18	Sam Bradford	STL	at TB	55.71
19	Josh Freeman	TB	STL	55.29
20	Chad Henne	MIA	PIT	53.43
21	Ryan Fitzpatrick	BUF	at BAL	50.71
22	Alex Smith	SF	at CAR	50.29
23	Vince Young	TEN	PHI	49.07
24	Max Hall	ARI	at SEA	45.71
25	Matt Moore	CAR	SF	39.14
26	Colt McCoy	CLE	at NO	36.57
27	Kyle Boller	OAK	at DEN	35.14
28	David Garrard	JAC	at KC	27.29
29	Todd Bouman	JAC	at KC	18.79
30	Jimmy Clausen	CAR	SF	17.43
31	Jason Campbell	OAK	at DEN	12.86
32	Kerry Collins	TEN	PHI	8.87

 
Start: Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos. Thanks to his frequent appearances in this column, and to a lesser extent his play on the field, Orton’s start percentage is up to 60% as of this writing. That means people are finally beginning to take notice. It also means that 40% of Orton owners need to find a trade partner or a new hobby. Last week, Orton was slowed somewhat by a very good Jets defense. Still, he didn’t play bad (14/34 for 209 yards, one score and zero interceptions) and his receivers didn’t help him by dropping a few passes. This week he gets Oakland. The Raiders have already surrendered 12 passing touchdowns this season – third most in the NFL. Start Orton in all formats.
 
Sit: Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals. Palmer has been wildly inconsistent this year. Last game, he threw for 209 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Prior to that, he only broke the 200-yard barrier once in three contests. Palmer now heads to Atlanta to face a Falcons defense that got lit up by Kevin Kolb and the Eagles last week. Usually, a hit-or-miss quarterback against a hit-or-miss defense is tough to predict. However, something seems awry with Palmer this year. He doesn’t have near the arm strength he displayed in years past. I don’t know if he’s hurt or if he’s just lost something off his fastball, but I’m staying away until he shows improvement.
 

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opp	Average
1	Chris Johnson	TEN	PHI	80.00
2	Ray Rice	BAL	BUF	78.49
3	Frank Gore	SF	at CAR	76.71
4	Adrian Peterson	MIN	at GB	76.14
5	Steven Jackson	STL	at TB	74.36
6	Maurice Jones-Drew	JAC	at KC	71.29
7	Michael Turner	ATL	CIN	70.86
8	Rashard Mendenhall	PIT	at MIA	69.86
9	Jamaal Charles	KC	JAC	67.86
10	Matt Forte	CHI	WAS	66.71
11	Ahmad Bradshaw	NYG	at DAL	66.29
12	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	SF	65.86
13	Cedric Benson	CIN	at ATL	64.43
14	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at TEN	62.46
15	Peyton Hills	CLE	at NO	62.39
16	Knowshon Moreno	DEN	OAK	62.37
17	Michael Bush	OAK	at DEN	61.71
18	Thomas Jones	KC	JAC	61.57
19	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	ARI	61.14
20	Ryan Mathews	SD	NE	59.70
21	Ryan Torain	WAS	at CHI	59.00
22	Beanie Wells	ARI	at SEA	58.86
23	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	SF	58.29
24	Chris Ivory	NO	CLE	57.71
25	Felix Jones	DAL	NYG	56.57
26	Ronnie Brown	MIA	PIT	55.00
27	Darren McFadden	OAK	at DEN	54.39
28	Justin Forsett	SEA	ARI	54.29
29	Cadillac Williams	TB	STL	54.00
30	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	NE	at SD	53.71
31	Fred Jackson	BUF	at BAL	52.71
32	Brandon Jacobs	NYG	at DAL	52.43
33	Tim Hightower	ARI	at SEA	52.29
T-33	Willis McGahee	BAL	BUF	52.29
35	Ricky Williams	MIA	PIT	51.57
36	Marion Barber	DAL	NYG	50.29
37	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at BAL	49.00
38	Brandon Jackson	GB	MIN	48.86
39	Danny Woodhead	NE	at SD	47.86
40	Jason Snelling	ATL	CIN	42.71
41	Darren Sproles	SD	NE	40.43
42	Chester Taylor	CHI	WAS	39.57
43	Laurence Maroney	DEN	OAK	39.43
44	Javon Ringer	TEN	PHI	38.00
45	LeGarrette Blount	TB	STL	37.71
46	Bernard Scott	CIN	at ATL	36.71
47	John Kuhn	GB	MIN	36.57
48	Mike Bell	CLE	at NO	36.43
49	Keiland Williams	WAS	at CHI	35.86
50	Correll Buckhalter	DEN	OAK	35.30
51	Jerome Harrison	PHI	at TEN	34.86
52	Ladell Betts	NO	CLE	34.29
T-52	Mike Tolbert	SD	NE	34.29
54	Tashard Choice	DAL	NYG	33.14
55	Leon Washington	SEA	ARI	31.86
56	Deji Karim	JAC	at KC	29.57
57	Mewelde Moore	PIT	at MIA	26.00
58	Kenneth Darby	STL	at TB	25.00
59	Brian Westbrook	SF	at CAR	21.80
60	Pierre Thomas	NO	CLE	21.44
61	LeRon McClain	BAL	BUF	21.29
62	LaRod Stephens-Howling	ARI	at SEA	20.43
63	Toby Gerhart	MIN	at GB	19.57
64	Sammy Morris	NE	at SD	18.71
65	Isaac Redman	PIT	at MIA	16.86

 
Start: Ryan Torain, Washington Redskins. In Week 6, Torain ran for 100 yards against the Colts – a team that hadn’t allowed 100 yards rushing since Week 5. Torain also found the end zone twice and remains the clear number one back in Washington. Things should get somewhat tougher against the Bears, but maybe not as much as you’d think. Chicago surrendered two rushing touchdowns last week to the Seahawks. Consider Torain a solid RB2 in Week 7.
 
Sit: Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins. There are a lot of things working against Brown as we head into Week 7. First, while he’s still getting a few more carries than Ricky Williams, he’s not a clear number one back. Second, the emergence of Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall means Miami is no longer a run first, run second type of team. Third, the Dolphins play Pittsburgh, which means Brown is unlikely to find much room to run. Put it all together and you have a part time RB in a more balanced offense with a brutal matchup. Look elsewhere.
 

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opp	Average
1	Anquan Boldin	BAL	BUF	74.43
2	Miles Austin	DAL	NYG	73.43
3	Roddy White	ATL	CIN	73.29
4	Hakeem Nicks	NYG	at DAL	73.00
5	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	at SEA	72.43
6	Randy Moss	MIN	at GB	72.29
7	Marques Colston	NO	CLE	69.43
8	Brandon Marshall	MIA	PIT	68.43
9	Greg Jennings	GB	MIN	65.71
10	Dwayne Bowe	KC	JAC	65.29
T-10	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at TEN	65.29
12	Chad Ochocinco	CIN	at ATL	65.00
T-12	Wes Welker	NE	at SD	65.00
T-12	Steve Smith	NYG	at DAL	65.00
15	Brandon Lloyd	DEN	OAK	64.71
16	Hines Ward	PIT	at MIA	64.57
17	Santana Moss	WAS	at CHI	62.86
18	Percy Harvin	MIN	at GB	62.83
19	Terrell Owens	CIN	at ATL	61.29
20	Deion Branch	NE	at SD	61.14
21	Mike Wallace	PIT	at MIA	61.00
22	Johnny Knox	CHI	WAS	60.29
23	Mike Williams	TB	STL	59.67
24	Steve Smith	CAR	SF	59.27
25	Michael Crabtree	SF	at CAR	59.00
26	Lance Moore	NO	CLE	58.86
27	Jabar Gaffney	DEN	OAK	57.86
28	Donald Driver	GB	MIN	57.79
29	Derrick Mason	BAL	BUF	56.99
30	Kenny Britt	TEN	PHI	56.43
31	Mike Williams	SEA	ARI	55.71
32	Roy Williams	DAL	NYG	55.57
33	Mike Sims-Walker	JAC	at KC	55.43
34	Louis Murphy	OAK	at DEN	54.86
35	Mario Manningham	NYG	at DAL	54.14
36	Robert Meachem	NO	CLE	53.71
37	Devery Henderson	NO	CLE	53.57
38	Danny Amendola	STL	at TB	53.43
39	Devin Hester	CHI	WAS	53.29
40	Danario Alexander	STL	at TB	52.71
41	James Jones	GB	MIN	51.57
42	Mike Thomas	JAC	at KC	50.86
43	Lee Evans	BUF	at BAL	50.43
T-43	Nate Washington	TEN	PHI	50.43
45	Patrick Crayton	SD	NE	50.20
46	Jason Avant	PHI	at TEN	49.74
47	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	BAL	BUF	49.43
48	Chris Chambers	KC	JAC	48.14
49	Davone Bess	MIA	PIT	47.86
T-49	Brandon Tate	NE	at SD	47.86
51	Dez Bryant	DAL	NYG	47.46
52	Darrius Heyward-Bey	OAK	at DEN	47.00
53	Steve Johnson	BUF	at BAL	46.43
54	Dexter McCluster	KC	JAC	45.00
55	Steve Breaston	ARI	at SEA	43.41
56	Anthony Armstrong	WAS	at CHI	43.00
57	Eddie Royal	DEN	OAK	42.29
T-57	Golden Tate	SEA	ARI	42.29
59	Mardy Gilyard	STL	at TB	41.89
60	Michael Jenkins	ATL	CIN	41.86
61	Sammie Stroughter	TB	STL	41.57
62	Josh Morgan	SF	at CAR	41.29
63	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	OAK	40.57
64	Deon Butler	SEA	ARI	40.43
65	Buster Davis	SD	NE	40.29
66	Legedu Naanee	SD	NE	39.54
67	Jordan Shipley	CIN	at ATL	38.24
68	Brandon Stokley	SEA	ARI	37.71
69	Antwaan Randle El	PIT	at MIA	37.00
70	Brandon LaFell	CAR	SF	36.57
71	Harry Douglas	ATL	CIN	35.71
72	Brian Hartline	MIA	PIT	35.43
73	Greg Lewis	MIN	at GB	35.14
74	Brian Robiskie	CLE	at NO	34.29
75	Devin Aromashodu	CHI	WAS	34.14
76	Roscoe Parrish	BUF	at BAL	33.86
77	Joey Galloway	WAS	at CHI	33.29
78	Earl Bennett	CHI	WAS	33.14
79	Joshua Cribbs	CLE	at NO	31.64
80	Bernard Berrian	MIN	at GB	31.43
81	Jordy Nelson	GB	MIN	30.71
82	Ted Ginn Jr.	SF	at CAR	29.57
83	Early Doucet	ARI	at SEA	29.03
84	Brian Finneran	ATL	CIN	24.86
T-84	Brandon Gibson	STL	at TB	24.86

 
Start: Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles. Last week, DeSean Jackson was the recipient of a brutal hit that left him with a severe concussion. He’s already been ruled out for this game, making Maclin the WR1 in Philadelphia at least for a week. Maclin has shown good chemistry with entrenched starting quarterback, Kevin Kolb. Last week, Maclin hauled in seven passes for 159 yards and two scores. A repeat effort is unlikely, but he should get enough targets to come close.
 
Sit: Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys. Bryant had a decent game last week with nine fantasy points in most formats. Unfortunately, point totals don’t always tell the whole tale. Bryant had a touchdown, but it was his only catch of the game. He was targeted just three times. Moreover, he hasn’t practiced all week due to a lingering ankle injury. Throw in a tough Giants defense and Bryant belongs on your bench.
 

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opp	Average
1	Vernon Davis	SF	at CAR	76.57
2	Zach Miller	OAK	at DEN	69.71
3	Antonio Gates	SD	NE	69.56
4	Aaron Hernandez	NE	at SD	66.29
5	Tony Gonzalez	ATL	CIN	65.29
6	Marcedes Lewis	JAC	at KC	64.14
7	Jason Witten	DAL	NYG	63.14
8	John Carlson	SEA	ARI	63.00
9	Heath Miller	PIT	at MIA	62.71
10	Tony Moeaki	KC	JAC	62.00
T-10	Kellen Winslow	TB	STL	62.00
12	Brent Celek	PHI	at TEN	60.86
13	Ben Watson	CLE	at NO	60.43
14	Jeremy Shockey	NO	CLE	60.23
15	Todd Heap	BAL	BUF	59.43
T-15	Visanthe Shiancoe	MIN	at GB	59.43
17	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	at ATL	56.43
18	Chris Cooley	WAS	at CHI	56.24
19	Greg Olsen	CHI	WAS	55.57
20	Kevin Boss	NYG	at DAL	55.00
21	Bo Scaife	TEN	PHI	52.71
22	Anthony Fasano	MIA	PIT	50.29
23	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at SD	47.00
24	Fred Davis	WAS	at CHI	44.57
25	Ben Patrick	ARI	at SEA	44.14
26	Daniel Graham	DEN	OAK	43.86
27	Andrew Quarless	GB	MIN	43.57
28	Daniel Fells	STL	at TB	37.57
29	Jeff King	CAR	SF	36.86
30	Michael Hoomanawanui	STL	at TB	29.00
31	Jonathan Stupar	BUF	at BAL	27.57
32	Randy McMichael	SD	NE	25.43
33	Martellus Bennett	DAL	NYG	23.14
34	Dante Rosario	CAR	SF	22.24
35	Shawn Nelson	BUF	at BAL	20.00

 
Start: Ben Watson, Cleveland Browns. After years of being a fantasy tease in New England, Watson is starting to fulfill his potential in Cleveland. I guess that’s what happens when upgrade your quarterback from Tom Brady to Colt McCoy. Whatever the reason, Watson looks rejuvenated in his new venue. Now he faces a Saints defense that rank amongst the bottom five in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. Prediction: six catches for 60 yards and a score.
 
Sit: Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings. Visanthe Shiancoe is a team player, and for that he belongs on your bench. According to Minneapolis Star Tribune, Shiancoe is okay with the fact that he’s only caught two passes since the Vikings acquired Randy Moss because sometimes he’s asked to block more. This is in direct contrast with most NFL pass-catchers who regularly demand the ball, cry if they don’t get the ball, and write a book about how they should be given the ball. Sometimes what’s good for the team isn’t good for your fantasy lineup. Minnesota currently has too many weapons for Shiancoe to be a consistent performer.
 

Rank	Team Defense	Team	Opp	Average
1	Steelers	PIT	at MIA	79.57
2	Ravens	BAL	BUF	71.43
3	Saints	NO	CLE	67.86
4	Chiefs	KC	JAC	66.71
5	Bears	CHI	WAS	66.57
6	Seahawks	SEA	ARI	66.43
7	Giants	NYG	at DAL	65.14
8	Falcons	ATL	CIN	63.57
T-8	Packers	GB	MIN	63.57
10	Titans	TEN	PHI	62.29
11	Eagles	PHI	at TEN	62.14
12	49ers	SF	at CAR	61.57
13	Chargers	SD	NE	61.00
14	Cowboys	DAL	NYG	59.57
15	Dolphins	MIA	PIT	59.00
16	Rams	STL	at TB	58.57
T-16	Buccaneers	TB	STL	58.57
18	Vikings	MIN	at GB	58.14
19	Redskins	WAS	at CHI	57.86
20	Bengals	CIN	at ATL	57.43
21	Patriots	NE	at SD	55.86
22	Broncos	DEN	OAK	55.00
23	Panthers	CAR	SF	54.14
24	Raiders	OAK	at DEN	51.14
25	Cardinals	ARI	at SEA	49.14
26	Browns	CLE	at NO	46.43
27	Jaguars	JAC	at KC	46.00
28	Bills	BUF	at BAL	41.71

 
Start: Kansas City Chiefs. I like the idea of having my fantasy defense play against David Garrard or Trent Edwards. I love the idea of playing against their backups. Throw in a Chiefs home game and you have a must-start defense for Week 7.
 
Sit: Oakland Raiders. It’s not a punch line. The Raiders have the misfortune of playing against the Kyle Orton-led Broncos.
 

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opp	Average
1	Rob Bironas	TEN	PHI	72.57
2	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	at SD	69.86
3	Robbie Gould	CHI	WAS	69.57
4	David Akers	PHI	at TEN	69.43
5	Matt Bryant	ATL	CIN	69.29
6	Mason Crosby	GB	MIN	69.14
7	Matt Prater	DEN	OAK	68.00
8	Mike Nugent	CIN	at ATL	66.29
9	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	at DEN	66.14
10	Jeff Reed	PIT	at MIA	63.29
11	Billy Cundiff	BAL	BUF	62.71
12	Josh Scobee	JAC	at KC	62.57
13	Ryan Longwell	MIN	at GB	62.29
T-13	Garrett Hartley	NO	CLE	62.29
15	Lawrence Tynes	NYG	at DAL	62.14
16	David Buehler	DAL	NYG	61.43
17	Ryan Succop	KC	JAC	61.14
T-17	Nate Kaeding	SD	NE	61.14
19	Graham Gano	WAS	at CHI	60.00
20	Jay Feely	ARI	at SEA	58.14
21	John Kasay	CAR	SF	57.14
T-21	Joe Nedney	SF	at CAR	57.14
23	Dan Carpenter	MIA	PIT	57.00
24	Connor Barth	TB	STL	56.29
25	Josh Brown	STL	at TB	55.71
26	Olindo Mare	SEA	ARI	55.00
27	Phil Dawson	CLE	at NO	54.29
28	Rian Lindell	BUF	at BAL	53.71

 
Start: Matt Prater, Denver Broncos. Last week in Denver, the Jets-Broncos game proved the inverse relationship that exists between oxygen and field goals. The Broncos are at home again in Week 7.
 
Sit: Dan Carpenter, Miami Dolphins. Not a lot of points in this one and the Steelers have only allowed multiple field goals in one of their last four games.
 

 
Drew is a lifelong Jets fan. Playing and writing about fantasy football has proven helpful in easing the pain.
 

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