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Week Ten | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Byes: Houston, New England, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Atlanta at Carolina Bench: Steve Smith, WR, Panthers: If the Panthers roll out David Carr, you might consider shelving Steve-O for the foreseeable future. His fantasy value has taken a huge hit, and like all temperamental WR’s, he seems to have checked out a little bit. That said, he could still be a viable start with Vinny or even Matt Moore at the helm. Start: Warrick Dunn, RB, Falcons: Never thought I’d say this, but if you’re strapped for a starting RB this weekend, Dunn might be your guy. Jerious Norwood tweaked his ankle, so the Falcons will be without this considerable talent, leaving the bulk of the carries to Dunn. Buffalo at Miami Bench: Cleo Lemon, QB, Dolphins: Inexplicably, Lemon is still the starter in Miami, but he has been splitting reps with rookie John Beck, who should be taking over the reins soon. However, if you’re relying on any aspect of this passing game, our condolences are with you. Start: Marshawn Lynch, RB, Bills: Both of these defenses suck, so Lynch, an every-week start anyway, should excel to the tune of 100 yards and a score this week. JP Losman, QB, Bills: Gets the start again this week against a terrible Dolphins D...come to think of it, this is the second straight week I’ve recommended starting Losman. Crazy. Cleveland at Pittsburgh Bench: Hines Ward, WR, Steelers: The years appear to be catching up with Hines, who seemed to be the only Steeler besides Walter Abercrombie who didn’t score on Monday night. Start: Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers: The Browns are great at giving up passing TD’s, and Big Ben is great at throwing them, of late. You do the math. I think 250 yards and a couple of scores sounds about right. Willie Parker, RB, Steelers: Fast Willie has been ultra-consistent this season, and should see the good vibes continue against the Browns. Denver at Kansas City Bench: The Broncos: What a disaster. Travis Henry has more court appearances than TD’s this season, and Jay Cutler is now throwing to the likes of Taylor Jacobs and Glen Martinez. Stay far, far away. Start: Priest Holmes, RB, Chiefs: Word is that LJ could be done for the season, which opens the door for Priest, who will get to make his comeback against the team that launched the career of one Ryan Grant. He could be a sneaky start this week. Jacksonville at Tennessee Bench: Vince Young, QB, Titans: Vince’s numbers have been horrendous, yet his team keeps winning. The numbers won’t get any better this week. This game has 17-10 written all over it. Start: LenDale White, RB, Titans: White has really only had two bad fantasy weeks this season, and as his role in the offense grows, he’s a good bet to either reach 100 yards or find the end zone against Jacksonville. My money is on the latter. Minnesota at Green Bay Bench: Donald Driver, WR, Packers: Remember when Donald Driver was the go-to guy in Green Bay? He hasn’t scored since Week 3, and it’s the Greg Jennings show now. Start: James Jones, WR, Packers: You’re already starting Brett Favre every week, and Jones seems to be the other Packer wideout with playmaking ability. He faces an abysmal pass defense this week, so a touchdown could ensue. Philadelphia at Washington Bench: Jason Campbell, QB, Redskins: Another team, another young quarterback sucking. Campbell hasn’t progressed the way that Redskin fans and fantasy owners would have liked, and it won’t get better against the rival Eagles. Clinton Portis, RB, Redskins: C-Po has been showing signs of fantasy life of late, but while he’s on pace to rush for 1,200 yards this season, he won’t score against a D that has only given up 4 rushing TD’s. Start: Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles: There are obvious locker room cancers, and then there are sneaky locker room cancers, and McNabb certainly fits into the second category. Still, he makes a decent fantasy play this week, against a middling pass defense, and should be good for 250 and a score. And for the record if I end up being wrong about him this week I’ll blame someone else. St. Louis at New Orleans Bench: Eric Johnson, TE, Saints: The Saints offense has been on fire of late, but the only guy who doesn’t seem to be reaping the benefits is Johnson a big name offensive acquisition who really hasn’t lived up to the hype from a fantasy perspective. Start: Steven Jackson, RB, Rams: Jackson looked good in limited action a couple of weeks ago, and has received a clean bill of health for his matchup against the Saints. Marc Bulger, QB, Rams: Is another player who has shown signs of life lately, and he has the luxury of facing a secondary that his been torched for 14 TD’s this season. Cincinnati at Baltimore Bench: Bengals RB’s: Rudi Johnson has been a worthless tease, and while Kenny Watson has been a nice play, the presence of Johnson confuses the issue a great deal, as does the presence of Chris Perry. Start: Willis McGahee, RB, Ravens: Willis is scoring a TD per game the last few weeks against good defenses...the Bengals are not a good defense. He should hit the century mark and find the end zone provided he’s shaken off the ill effects of a concussion. However, we never loved McGahee for his intellect. Chicago at Oakland Bench: Bernard Berrian, WR, Bears: What a difference a year can make. Berrian, who looked so promising last season, hasn’t done much, and he has seen his numbers decline considerably since the benching of Rex Grossman. Start: Cedric Benson, RB, Bears: Yes, he’s been horrible all year, but the Raiders have a penchant for making opposing backs look like all-stars. Will Ced hit 100 yards? Probably not. Will he score? Good chance. Will he be a starting RB next year? I hope not. Dallas at New York Giants Bench: Julius Jones, RB, Cowboys: He’s done just enough to tempt owners to start him, but the Giants have only given up 6 rushing TD’s this season, and I bet Jones won’t get one this week. Start: Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress, Giants: Facing a stout Dallas run defense, the Giants will have to get it done through the air, and will rely heavily on Plaxico Burress, who proves that attending practice is really not that important for elite athletes. Detroit at Arizona Bench: Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions: Dangerously close to joining a long list of disappointing Lions WR’s. Arizona has only given up 9 passing scores this season, and Johnson hasn’t scored since Week 2. Start: Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals: Hard to endorse K-Warn after last week’s disaster, but the Lions are 30th in the league in pass defense. Indianapolis at San Diego Bench: Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers: The Colts pass defense is awesome, so it will be LaDainian Tomlinson or bust this week. Start: Aaron Moorehead, WR, Colts: Somebody has to start at WR for the Colts, and that somebody is Moorehead. He should put up numbers against the league’s 24th ranked pass defense. San Francisco at Seattle Bench: Alex Smith, QB, 49ers: This matchup looked so promising in the preseason, as did Smith’s prospects. The ‘Hawks have only given up 5 passing TD’s this season. If you have to start a “bad” quarterback because of byes, go with a Quinn Gray or Brian Griese type. Start: Maurice Morris, RB, Seahawks: Alexander is an injured stiff, and Morris is averaging over 4 yards per carry in his stead. He should find room against the Niners. Sleepers Derek Hagan, WR, Dolphins: Has been decent in recent weeks, and should see an uptick due to the absence of Chris Chambers and the presence of a suspect Bills secondary. Kolby Smith, RB, Chiefs: We’re not getting reliable reports on Larry Johnson’s injury, but if he is indeed shelved, Smith should see work. Aaron Moorehead, WR, Colts: Any receiver in a good offense is worth having especially if said offense is missing Marv Harrison, and Anthony Gonzalez. Ted Kluck is the author of three books, including “Paper Tiger: One Athlete’s Journey to the Underbelly of Pro Football.” Visit him online at www.tedkluck.com.
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