Jacksonville vs. Tennessee

The Jaguars have been a pleasant surprise in fantasy circles, while the Titans are banking on Kerry Collins to salvage this season.

David Garrard was looking like he might be out of a job earlier this season, but he has since turned things around and has been one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.  Nonetheless, beware of starting Garrard considering his poor history against the Titans.  Even still, Mike Thomas and breakout tight end Mercedes Lewis should be safe bets.  Of course, the big star here is Maurice Jones-Drew, who should be as good as ever, though it is worth noting that the Titans are one of eight teams to allow fewer than 20 points per game. 

The Titans have gone bust since Kerry Collins and Vince Young suffered injuries, but this weekend they are hoping Collins is healthy enough to return.  If he does, Nate Washington regains some of his value, while Randy Moss at least has a chance at making a few big plays.  On the ground, the addition of a vertical attack will allow Chris Johnson to bounce back from the worst game of his career.  We see him as the third best fantasy option at running back this week.   

Good Start: Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Randy Moss

Middle Of The Road: Kerry Collins, Nate Washington, Mike Thomas, Mercedes Lewis

Bad Start:  David Garrard, Mike Sims-Walker

 

Oakland vs. San Diego

Two teams moving in opposite directions face each other this weekend, while the end result is fairly predictable.

The Raiders at one point were a pleasant surprise.  Darren McFadden was healthy and effective, Zach Miller was his usual self, and the Jason Campbell / Bruce Gradkowski tandem made some of the wide receivers relevant.  That seems to have faded rather quickly as McFadden has 16 yards to show for his 18 carries in the last two games.  Miller does not look healthy.  Gradkowski is lost for the season to an injury and Campbell has regressed, forcing only playmaker Jacoby Ford to have some fantasy relevance in recent weeks.  I would even consider avoiding stud kicker Sebastian Jankikowski; things have gotten so bad.

The Chargers, on the other hand, have been great and Philip Rivers and Mike Tolbert are the key reasons.  In fact, we rank Rivers as the second best quarterback this week.  As long as Antonio Gates suits up he has fantasy value, and you should get better results this week from Malcom Floyd.  Ryan Mathews may return, but only in a secondary role.

Good Start: Philip Rivers, Mike Tolbert, Antonio Gates

Middle Of The Road: Darren McFadden, Malcom Floyd, Jacoby Ford

Bad Start: Darren Sproles, Michael Bush

 

St. Louis vs. Arizona

The Rams enter with some momentum after a bounce-back win, while the Cardinals were embarrassed on national television. 

Expect a big performance from Sam Bradford against a Cardinals defense that allows 249 passing yards per game.  One player you can expect him to target is Danario Alexander who enjoyed a career-high 95 yards last week.  Also, Danny Amendola is a nice complement as the slot option.  Of course, the best weapon of all will be Steven Jackson, who takes on the second worst rush defense this weekend.  That explains why we have Jackson as the fifth rated running back this weekend. 

The Cardinals were a joke last week, but you still have to start Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston.  In the backfield, Beanie Wells can do some damage against a middle of the road rush defense. 

Good Start: Steve Jackson, Larry Fitzgerald, Danario Alexander,

Middle Of The Road: Sam Bradford, Beanie Wells, Tim Hightower, Steve Breaston, Danny Amendola

Bad Start: Derek Anderson

 

Atlanta vs. Tampa Bay

Two young up-and-coming teams face off with the Bucs looking to prove that they can beat the contenders.

The Falcons have been red-hot with five straight wins.  While Matt Ryan and Roddy White have shined all year long, two other talents are finding their groove.  Michael Turner has rushed for 100-plus yards in four of his last five games with six touchdowns over that span.  We expect more of the same this weekend, as he is our fourth ranked running back.  Also veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez has at least four receptions in his last four games.

The Bucs have yet to beat a winning team and they have already lost once to the Falcons this season.  LeGarrette Blount will have a tough time rushing against Atlanta, but Josh Freeman shouldn't have too much trouble pushing the ball in the air.  Of course, rookie Mike Williams is often the player coming down with the ball, though Kellen Winslow has improved recently. 

Good Start: Michael Turner, Roddy White, Mike Williams

Middle Of The Road: Matt Ryan, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Jason Snelling, Michael Jenkins, Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez

Bad Start: Arrelious Benn

 

Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore

Two of the best defensive teams go at it this weekend, which is never good news for fantasy managers.

The Steelers have had some issues with the passing game and the Ravens defense will certainly not help.  Mike Wallace could be marginalized if the Ravens take away the deep threat, so look for lots of passes to Heath Miller and Hines Ward.  Rashard Mendehall has been solid lately, making him a decent start.

The Ravens face the best rush defense in the NFL, but the good news for Ray Rice's fantasy managers is that he is a threat as a receiving target as well.  Look for Anquan Boldin, Joe Flacco, and Derrick Mason to still post respectable numbers and Todd Heap will benefit if the Steelers put pressure on Flacco.

Good Start:  Rashard Mendenhall, Mike Wallace, Todd Heap

Middle Of The Road: Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco,  Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin, Hines Ward, Derrick Mason,  Heath Miller

Bad Start: TJ Houshmandzadeh, Mewelde Moore

 

San Francisco vs. Green Bay

The Niners still have some life, but this is a matchup they are expected to get pummeled in.

San Francisco is a rush-first offense, which is a problem this weekend since Frank Gore is out for the season, Brian Westbrook is injured, and the Packers thrive against the rush.  That leaves Troy Smith facing one of the best secondaries in the NFL… Yikes!  Smith is bound to target Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis on occasion, but don't expect anything big.

The Packers should hold up against a decent Niners defense.  I would avoid the running game, but expect the best from Aaron Rodgers (fifth ranked quarterback) and Greg Jennings (third ranked wide receiver).  Both James Jones and Jordy Nelson are also decent options, as the Packers passing often goes four to five deep in fantasy value.

Good Start: Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, James Jones

Middle Of The Road: Anthony Dixon, Jordy Nelson, Michael Crabtree, Donald Driver, Vernon Davis, Brian Westbrook

Bad Start: Troy Smith, Brandon Jackson, John Kuhn

 

Denver vs.Kansas City

The last time these two teams went at it, there were fantasy fireworks and Matt Cassel tossed 469 yards worth of passes.

The Denver Broncos don't play much defense, but there is nothing wrong with that in fantasy terms.  Kyle Orton can handle the heavy workload and the beneficiaries are Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, and Eddie Royal.  Running back Knowshon Moreno has been coming along well recently, though the Chiefs are one of the better rush defenses in the NFL.

Matt Cassel has been a surprising MVP candidate thus far this season.  He has great upside and limited risk and this is a very favorable match-up for both him and top target Dwayne Bowe.  The ground game should be solid as always with Jamaal Charles our top pick this weekend.  Thomas Jones should be fine, but it is worth noting that he struggled immensely the last time these two teams met.

Good Start: Kyle Orton, Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles, Brandon Lloyd, Dwayne Bowe,

Middle Of The Road: Knowshon Moreno, Thomas Jones, Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney. Tony Moeaki

Bad Start:  Correll Buckhalter

Dallas vs. Indianapolis

Two teams going in opposite directions meet in Indy, and don't expect much drama; the Colts will right their ship.

Jon Kitna is leading an inspired offense with Jason Witten returning to a prominent role in the offense.  Also key are Miles Austin and Roy Williams, while Dez Bryant has been marginalized in recent weeks.  In the backfield with Marion Barber out, Felix Jones will have a heavy workload, which makes him a fine fantasy option this weekend.

Peyton Manning has been blamed for subpar performances recently, but the blame really goes to his targets.  We have him as the fourth best fantasy quarterback this weekend.  Reggie Wayne should and will improve his performance (we rank him as the second best wide receiver), while Pierre Garcon and Jacob Tamme will also get their fair share of looks.  We actually love Tamme this weekend and see him as the top fantasy option at his position.  If Austin Collie plays, you want to start him, otherwise, look for Blair White to have another big performance. 

Good Start: Reggie Wayne, Peyton Manning, Felix Jones, Pierre Garcon, Jacob Tamme, Jason Witten

Middle Of The Road: Tashard Choice, Austin Collie, Miles Austin, Blair White, Dez Bryant

Bad Start: Jon Kitna, Joseph Addai, Donald Brown, Mike Hart

Washington vs. New York Giants

One of the worst overall defenses in the league, will travel to the New Meadow-lands stadium, to take on a banged up Giants offense that squeaked out a close victory last week against the Jaguars.

Last week we told you that in order for the Giants to score without their top 2 receivers, they would have to run the ball, and also find familiar looking targets, rather then force receptions onto the new ones. Hence Kevin Boss and Mario Manningham found the end zone, to go along with 87 yards rushing from Brandon Jacobs and 49 from Ahmad Bradshaw. Expect much of the same this week against the awful Redskins defense.

The Giants defense came out and played some inspired football in the 2nd half of the Jaguars game, but that shouldn't mean you should forget what happened in the first half. David Garrard and Maurice Jones Drew were running circles around the linebacker core and the defensive line. Though Mcnabb is older, and Williams isn't proven, they should be on your radar as some of the only semi valuable fantasy commodities on the Redskins end.

GOOD START: Eli Manning, Ahmad Bradshaw

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD: Brandon Jacobs, Kevin Boss, Mario Manningham, Chris Cooley, Keiland Williams, Santana Moss

BAD START: Donovan Mcnabb

 

Cleveland vs. Miami

The Browns have the Fantasy surprise/stud of the 2nd half of the season in their backfield, and they travel to Miami to face a Dolphins defense that let Matt Forte go for 97 yards and a touchdown the last time they were home. However if you look at what they did last week to a banged up Oakland team, you say that a defense which can hold the opposition to 20 yards rushing on the day, doesnt seem like much of a good play. Regardless, if you are lucky enough to have Peyton Hillis at this point in the season, you play him. Especially while the revolving door that is the Cleveland Browns quarterback position, continues to spin. Hillis is fourth in the league in yards from scrimmage with 1,319 and tied for second in the NFL with 13 TDs, including 11 rushing.

Hillis may be the only fantasy impact player worthy of acknowledging in this game. Miami Running Back Ricky Williams found the end-zone last week on 95 yards rushing, but has hardly been consistent enough as the Running Back position to even crack our top 50. Factor in that the Browns have a decent run defense, and you should also be hesitant if having to start Ronnie Brown, who has yet to rush for over 85 yards on the year, and has struggled to find the end-zone. Brandon Marshall rejoined the Dolphins at practice Wednesday after being sidelined for two weeks because of a right hamstring injury.Still no definite word in his status for Sundays game.

GOOD START: Peyton Hillis

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD: Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Chad Henne, Brandon Marshall (Q)

BAD START: Anthony Fasano, Benjamin Watson

 

New Orleans vs. Cincinnati

Not that the point spreads should have much to do with Fantasy, but the fact that the Bengals are more then touchdown underdogs at home against the Saints, can not sit well with them. For that reason and that reason alone, i see them coming out to play with a purpose. Nothing more dangerous then a team with nothing to play for, hosting you in December. Especially when you happen to be the defending Super Bowl champions. In a sense, this will be the Bengals Superbowl that OchoCinco spoke so carelessly about during the summer.

Drew Brees lead the league in passing in week 12 with 357 yards against the Cowboys. The Bengals defense is not that much of a step down or a step up from Dallas, so do expect much of the same. Brees had lead a Saints offense to a 4 game winning streak with 3 straight games of 30 points or more. Marques Colston finds himself in the top 5 of our WR FFCPI with a #4 ranking, and should be targeted multiple times against the weak Bengals secondary. In his last 5 games, Colston has brought in over 100 yards 3 times, and gone for 4 touchdowns.

Cincinnati is mired in its sixth eight-game losing streak in the past 20 years after a 26-10 road defeat against the Jets on Thanksgiving night. But come on, 7.5 points at home? The usual suspects are the only suspects who can  do anything for this offense. Palmer is tied for most INT's in the league with 15. The man he is tied with will be on the other side of the field on Sunday. The Bengals certainly need to produce turnovers to have a chance. They've forced four in each of their victories. If they can do that and give the offense a shot, then theres no reason why Owens or OchoCinco cant pull in a TD each. If Kitna could throw for over 300 yards at home against the Saints, then Palmer should. He is on the decline, but this is a game they have to show up for.

GOOD START: Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Terrell Owens

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD: Cedric Benson, Chad Ocho-Cinco, Cedric Benson, Reggie Bush, Chris Ivory, Carson Palmer, Lance Moore

BAD START: Julius Jones, Jeremy Shockey

 

Carolina vs. Seattle

At this point in the season, there is not much to say about these two teams both on the field and in the Fantasy realm of things.

Seattle Running Back Marshawn Lynch, has topped 50 only once in his seven games with the team, gaining 89 on 24 carries in a win over Arizona on Oct. 24. That pretty much sums up the anemic offensive play of the Seahawks. To inconsistent and overall unreliable to take seriously during such a critical Fantasy week. Mike Williams leads the team in receptions but has yet to find the end zone. May be worth a look in some PPR formats if you are desperate.

The only interesting plays on the Panthers are their Running Backs, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson. Goodson scored last week and has gone for over 100 yards twice since filling in for the injured Deangelo Williams. Plus Stewart will take back the starting role and should be their featured runner going forward. As a 2RB or a Flex player, he should definitely be worth a look for an offense that cant throw the ball, and will look to the run for time of possession, and also scoring.

Good Start: Jonathan Stewart, Mike Goodson

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD: Mike Williams (Q), Matt Hasselbeck , Marshawn Lynch, Steve Smith, Ben Obomanu

BAD START: Jimmy Clausen

 

Chicago vs. Detroit

 Coming off an impressive win over the Eagles, the Bears will look to stay atop of the NFC with a win this week on the road against a Detroit team that is coming off another hard loss on thanksgiving at home. This Detroit team is not as bad as their record, and it should be interesting to see how the defense steps up in this one with a hot and cold hit or miss Chicago offense coming to town.

In Week 12, Forte didn't score, but cracked 100 yards on the ground for just the second time this season. He had 117 yards on 14 carries and 22 yards on two catches. In Week 1 against the Lions he had 151 yards and two scores through the air along with 50 yards on the ground.

While it will be hard for him to accumulate those kind of stats as a receiver again, he should be able to have a better game on the ground and overall produce similar numbers to that game.

Cutler's 10 interceptions has hurt his overall value, but four of those came in one game. In the four games since then he's thrown just three picks. The Lions at one point during the year did have a solid defense against the pass, however they have struggled in coverage of late and have given up seven passing touchdowns while forcing no interceptions in their last two games.

 

The Lions will start Drew Stanton this week, as the injury bug has taken a swipe through their starting Quarterbacks. Stanton has played in three games this season, completing 20 of 36 passes for 233 yards with a touchdown and an interception.  The last time that the Bears faced a third-string quarterback was in Miami when they held Tyler Thigpen to 187 passing yards and intercepting him once in a 16-0 win in Miami. Chicago sacked Thigpen six times and limited the Dolphins to 187 yards of offense. While Detroit's passing game might take time to get going under Stanton, the ground attack could also have difficulty taking shape against a Chicago rush defense ranked second at 80.5 yards a contest.

GOOD START: Jay Cutler, Matt Forte

 MIDDLE OF THE ROAD: Calvin Johnson, Johnny Knox, Greg Olsen, Maurice Morris

BAD START: Jahvid Best, Drew Stanton

 

Buffalo vs. Minnesota

When i say that the Buffalo Bills have been my favorite team to watch in the NFL this year, its not a lie. It doesn't hurt that I have their QB/#1WR in one league, #1WR in another, and RB in another. The Bills offense has been high powered since Fitzpatrick took over, and their record does not indicate just how explosive they could be. I look for nothing different this week in the dome, especially coming off of the disappointment that was the home loss to the Steelers last week.

 The Minnesota Vikings are one of the better run defenses in the league, allowing just 92.7 rushing yards per game this season.For most of the day Jackson was held in check by the and had just 59 yards on 12 carries until a huge 65-yard touchdown pass that helped bring the game into overtime. Spiller is expected to return this week, but may be eased back in, so he shouldn't put too much of a dent into Jackson's value. Fitzpatrick is the 6th ranked quarterback in our FFCPI for the week and with good reason. Averaging 250 yards a game, Fitzpatrick will definitely look to redeem his star receiver this week after a big drop. Plenty of points in the dome to be shared by all.

 The big concern with Minnesota week in and week out has been injuries. This week is no different, and perhaps the most concerning of all to not only the vikings, but and owners who has the 2nd pick in last summers draft. With Peterson sidelined, rookie Toby Gerhart took over and the Vikings offense hardly suffered. Gerhart ran for 76 yards with a touchdown in his first significant action of the season.After hurting his ankle and not returning to the game against Washington on Sunday, AP has been doing nothing all week, and plans to test that injured ankle one last time in practice on Friday. On top of that Percy Harvin has once again been complaining about headaches this week but if he starts, would be a great match up against a weak Buffalo secondary.

GOOD START: Adrian Peterson (q), Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Stevie Johnson

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD: Percy Harvin (q), Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe, Toby Gerhat

BAD START: Brett Favre, Lee Evans

 

New York Jets vs. New England Patriots

 

The Superbowl according to many pundits, will be played on a Monday night in Massachusetts this year. The Jets have been playing some great football with a well rounded team. The Patriots have been outscoring opponents to cover up their awful defense. On Monday night when the two teams meet, it will come down to the quarterbacks to determine who will win on the field and who will win in the fantasy realm of things as well.

During the first match up, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez went for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns, against what was at the time a much weaker Patriots secondary. My one concern on that, is that Belichick has now had about 10 days to study and dissect a way to attack this Jets offense, and until he is prooven wrong, he is still one of the great defensive planners in the NFL.  The Patriots have however had some trouble with their linebacker core covering opposing tight ends, so give Dustin Keller a look this week. He was dropped in many leagues after a mediocre middle of the season, but the last time he faced the Patriots, Keller went for 115 yards and a touchdown off of 7 receptions.

When they first met, Brady went for 248 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. Revis was still not in season form, and the Patriots still had Randy Moss. This is going to be a completely different defensive look going up against them, as more attention will be drawn to Welker, and even Branch. Look for all 3 tight ends to equally get involved at some point in the game, especially with how frequent the Jets look to use their blitz. Short dump offs to the tight ends off a blitz, could lead to some serious yards after the catch, which do count in fantasy. Those same Blitz packages are also the reason I feel that the Patriots running game will have trouble establishing a rhythm at all on Monday Night.

GOOD START: Tom Brady, Mark Sanchez, Santonio Holmes, Dustin Keller, Braylon Edwards, Wes Welker

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD: LaDainian Tomlinson, Deion Branch, Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski,Shonn Greene

BAD START: Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead.

Follow Rob Shaw on Twitter: @FFChamps_Rob


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