There seems to be three different personalities to the Saints these days; the first is the one is the one that rolls up a ton of yards and points that have fantasy owners giddy with anticipation each week, like what happened with the Colts got flattened at the Superdome.  Then there are the Saints who baffle everyone by laying a complete egg that ends up being almost completely worthless to all fantasy players involved, like what happened when the Saints visited the winless Rams and visited the Buccaneers a couple of weeks ago.  Finally, there’s the Saints team that is simply above average and almost boringly win a game that seems like it should have been much more impressive in the statline and score, just like what happened against the Bucs last week at home.  So which Saints team will show up at the Falcons in a pivotal division game?

The Falcons are more like a tale of two teams, as they started out the season trying to throw most of the time, but lately have found success by playing more ball control on the legs of Michael Turner while taking a few judicial shots down the field, as evident by the 50 and 80 yard TD bombs from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones last week.  The Falcons usually play tough at home, and will especially be up for a game that could very well decide who ends up winning the NFC South.  The Falcons really have the Saints where they want them, as all three of the Saints losses this year have come on the road.

This should be a wealth of fantasy points for just about any skill position player on either team, but even with a favorable matchup most owners will want to steer clear of any Saints WR not named Marques Colston, as with Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles monopolizing targets, there isn’t much left for anyone past Colston.  The Falcons have been good against the run, so Saints rushing numbers will probably be down here, but Pierre Thomas could still be worth a flex play.

For the Falcons, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are great plays, as are Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner.  Roddy White is also a good play, but he’s no longer the big play guy (Jones is obviously that now), so he has to make his living on racking up catches, which he just may do considering this game is bound to be higher scoring.

Good Start: QB Drew Brees, RB Darren Sproles, WR Marques Colston, TE Jimmy Graham, QB Matt Ryan, RB Michael Turner, WR Julio Jones, WR Roddy White, TE Tony Gonzalez.
Middle of the Road: RB Pierre Thomas, WR Lance Moore
Bad Start:  WR Devery Henderson, WR Robert Meachem, WR Harry Douglas
  The big question everyone’s asking this week is “are the Bengals for real?”  Any time you’re 6-2 on the strength of a rookie QB’s veteran-like savvy and a strong defense, I’d say you’re at least partially for real… Kind of like a Kardashian, we don’t know where the real jiggles end and the fake jiggles begin.  Some pundits call this a litmus test game; for me, I think playing the 7-1 49ers to the brink of a win and beating a very good Bills squad were litmus tests enough; but should they beat the Steelers, they’ll control their own destiny for a playoff birth.

For the Steelers, this is more of a gut check game.  Not only did they get whipped like a gimp in an S&M parlor in Week 1 by the Ravens, but the real killer was the Ravens stealing one right out from under them last week in the final minutes of the game.  Now the Steelers have been swept by the Ravens and can’t afford another loss to a division rival, so in a lot of ways this is a must-win for Pittsburgh.

While the Falcons-Saints game should have no shortage of good fantasy plays, this game might be a little short in that department.  Both teams play tough defense and should limit the opposing offense by keying on preventing big plays and making the opposing offense sustain long drives to score.  While the Bengals have done a good job in this department, they have yet to face a tandem of receivers that can pick up huge chunks of yardage the way Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown are capable of, nor a quarterback who can roll up the yardage the way Ben Roethlisberger is capable of.  Big Ben now has three straight games of over 330 yards passing and is averaging over 2 TDs a game over his last five.

Andy Dalton has been nothing short of impressive, especially considering he’s the rookie on a team that no one expected to finish with six wins all year, let alone six wins out of eight games.  While Dalton normally gets 1-2 TDs per game and moderate yardage (around 220 or so), he’s played four games against top 15 defenses (Seattle, San Francisco, Cleveland, Jacksonville) and he’s never topped more than 179 yards in any one of them; the Steelers rank 8^th in total defense.  Dalton should probably get around 180-200 yards with a good chance at one TD, which logic dictates would go to AJ Green, although if Jermaine Gresham suits up it could just as easily go to him.

Good Start:  QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Mike Wallace, WR Antonio Brown, WR AJ Green
Middle of the Road:  RB Rashard Mendenhall, TE Heath Miller, WR Jerome Simpson, TE Jermaine Gresham (if he plays)
Bad Start:  WR Hines Ward, QB Andy Dalton, RB Cedric Benson, WR Andre Caldwell
  Ugh.  Is there anyone who’s actually excited about this game?  If so, they must be a glutton for punishment, or must directly be related to one of the players.  This game looks like on the surface like a “hit every branch of the ugly tree on the way down” class of ugly.  In fact, fans in St. Louis and Cleveland are about as rabid as they come, and even they probably are planning on doing something else on Sunday rather than watch this mess; rake the autumn leaves, read a book, or (gasp!) take the wife shopping… the horror! 

While this game certainly promises to be as watchable as a drunk hobo upchucking behind a liquor store, us fantasy owners can find redeeming nuggets of goodness in even the worst pits of football despair.  For instance, Brandon Lloyd who’s averaging over 12 targets a game since being traded from the Tebow passing hellhole to the Josh McDaniels pass-happy goodness that made him the top receiver of 2010.  There’s also Steven Jackson, who’s running with wreckless abandon, like he doesn’t know that his team is 1-6 and isn’t fighting for anything but prime draft position in April. 

Notice how when we speak of the few good things to watch in this matchup, none of them have to do with the Browns?  That’s because the Browns are a special brand of horrific these days, as they not only aren’t worth watching in real life, but they aren’t worth watching for fantasy purposes either.  Afterall, only the lowly Colts and punchless Jags average less yards per game than the Browns’ 289 yard average.

In addition, Cleveland fans are in for more punishment, because this team is just mediocre enough to not have a high enough draft pick to grab one of the top 5 or 6 players in the draft, thanks to a defense that’s just above average enough to slow down the opposition to the same boring crawl the Browns offense operates at.  You know things are seppuku bad when you can’t find anything of value for fantasy purposes even against an opponent such as the lowly Rams.  Even though you won’t find any useful fantasy tidbits here, the Browns may still collectively suck just less enough to squeak past the Rams, which will just serve to prolong the suffering of Browns fans everywhere by securing an even worse draft pick for next year.

Good Start:  RB Steven Jackson, WR Brandon Lloyd
Middle of the Road:  QB Sam Bradford, WR Brandon Gibson, WR Austin Pettis, WR Greg Little (only because I feel like I gotta throw the Browns a bone here)
Bad Start:  Every other Browns player
  This game looks like a slaughter right from the start.  At first glance, it’s like watching a matchup between a butcher and side of beef, or a competitive eater against a single sad little hot dog.  But you know what?  Sometimes, that sad little hot dog can cause indigestion and a terrible case of the runs, which is the best the Seahawks can hope for in this game… to cause enough problems for the Ravens they end up crapping themselves.  After all, this same Ravens team did lay a stinker down against the thoroughly unimpressive Jaguars, and almost got taken to the cleaners by the terrible Cardinals in their own house, no less.  The Seahawks tend to play better at home, almost like a mediocre .500 team instead of the bottom feeder they usually show themselves to be on the road.

Baltimore comes off a huge emotional win over long time rival Pittsburgh, and now controls their own destiny in terms of getting the divisional title over the Steelers now that they swept them on the season.  The question now is, do the Ravens have enough in the tank this week to go on the road in a hostile environment and beat a scrappy Seahawks team in an interconference game that doesn’t really matter other than in the win-loss column?

While Joe Flacco has three games out of eight that he hasn’t passed for even one touchdown, curiously all three were at home.  On the road, Flacco has passed for six his nine TDs on the year, so this is a good bet for him to get at least one.  The Seahawks are usually tough against the run this year, so Ray Rice’s numbers might not be as good as usual, which would probably push more of the yardage toward Flacco and the passing game.  The Seahawks are vulnerable to the big play with both starting cornerbacks down for the year, and only human pass interference machine Brandon Browner as the only non-safety DB of note, so Torrey Smith stands a good chance of getting deep at least once in this contest.

For the Seahawks, Tavaris Jackson is starting to show signs of the turnover machine that Vikings fans so fondly remember, throwing for three picks against the Cowboys which served to almost single-handedly prevent the Seahawks from winning a game the Cowboys seemed to desperately want to give them.  The good news is Marshawn Lynch seems to finally be coming around, having scored in his last five games and coming off a Seahawks career best of 136 yards last week.  Good luck getting even half of that against the Ravens, however.

Good Start:  RB Ray Rice, WR Anquan Boldin, WR Torrey Smith, WR Sidney Rice
Middle of the Road:  QB Joe Flacco, TE Ed Dickson, WR Doug Baldwin
Bad Start:  TE Dennis Pitta, QB Tavaris Jackson, RB Marshawn Lynch, WR Mike Williams, WR Ben Obomanu
  The Lions visit the Bears in a huge divisional tilt that has playoff ramifications, as both teams need a win to keep pace in a competitive NFC landscape.  The Lions come off a bye week, well rested after pasting the Tebow-led Broncos at Mile High, while the Bears got a huge statement win on the road against an Eagles team that was desperate to keep their playoff hopes on track.

The bye week came at the best time for the Lions, as Matthew Stafford was starting to have a few nagging injuries pile up on him, threatening his health and making his fantasy owners start to get a twitchy waiver wire finger while looking at Shaun Hill’s name in free agency.  The bye week was also one of the only ways for Calvin Johnson to stop catching touchdowns every week, and to make up for lost time he probably will end up catching a pair of them against the Bears.  Unfortunately the bye week wasn’t enough for Jahvid Best to shake the considerable concussion cobwebs off, as he is still not cleared to practice and will miss yet another game.  With the Lions signing of Kevin Smith, one has to wonder if they don’t expect him to be cleared for the rest of the season.

It sure looks like the only thing Jay Cutler was missing in previous weeks was Earl Bennett.  Bennett returned to the lineup in a big way, catching 5 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, looking like the closest thing the Bears have to a legitimate go-to receiver.  It is a wonder that Bennett didn’t get more playing time when he was healthy last year, considering how he looks like he’s always on the same page with Cutler.  Bennett is probably a good waiver wire pick-up at this point, and could be a spark a middle of the road fantasy playoff team might need to vault into the post season.

As for the running game of the Bears, it’s same ol’ saml ol’ as Matt Forte does the heavy yardage lifting, but it’s Marion Barber who vultures the touchdowns.  Barber has scored in four of five games, and that trend will probably continue as long as he’s healthy.  For Forte owners, it’s like doing all the charming and flirting with the girl to win her over, but at the end of the evening she gets in your buddy’s car and you end up on the friendship tip.  Three scores on the year for Forte so far just isn’t good enough, even though Forte owners certainly can’t complain about him averaging over 150 yards per game.

Good Start:  QB Matthew Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson, TE Brandon Pettigrew, RB Matt Forte, WR Earl Bennett
Middle of the Road:  WR Nate Burleson, QB Jay Cutler, WR Roy Williams
Bad Start:  RB Maurice Morris, WR Titus Young, RB Marion Barber, WR Devin Hester, WR Johnny Knox
  Eli Manning once again pulled one over on Tom Brady; last week there wasn’t a Super Bowl at stake, but it couldn’t have stung much less to the Patriots considering that once again Manning led a last minute drive to end their hopes of a win and knocked them back to the pack in the AFC East.  The 49ers continue to roll along, standing now at 7-1 and might end up having the NFC West locked up by Thanksgiving.  In fact, the 49ers are now the front runner along with the Packers to get a first round bye in the playoffs; ask yourself if you even remotely saw that coming at the beginning of the season.  If you did, you probably were given a Sports Almanac by some crazy old dude in a flying DeLorean. 

More than ever the Giants are relying on the arm of Manning to carry the day, as he’s currently a top 5 QB in a lot of scoring systems.  This is a team that most people think about as a run first squad, but truth be told, with carries split between Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, you end up with the numbers for one good running back, but split they’re both hurt tremendously (Jacobs more than Bradshaw).  Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on if you’re a Jacobs owner or a Bradshaw owner), Bradshaw may well miss this game, meaning Jacobs should get the call for most of the carries.  The bad part of that is they face a 49ers defense that ranks in the top 3 against the rush.  Luckily, the 49ers are a little more susceptible through the air, so Manning will most likely be able to get at least one if not two scores through the air, with or without Hakeem Nicks, who’s still questionable with a hamstring injury.

The 49ers in comparison, play much the way Tom Coughlin teams used to play; that is a strong running game, game management from the QB position, and a strong defense to carry the day.  Jim Harbaugh has his guys playing with a ton of confidence and has to be a front runner for coach of the year, even if Jim Schwarz thinks he’s a schlep.  This is mostly the same group of underachievers that had no direction and no hope last season, and you know when Mike Singletary dropped his drawers in the locker room during one of his crazy rants, things couldn’t get much worse.  Harbaugh’s squeezed about as much blood out of the turnip known as Alex Smith as possible, so it will be interesting to see how deep this team can go into the playoffs.  Playing the Giants is like a dress rehearsal, as they’re very likely to see each other in January.

Good Start:  QB Eli Manning, WR Victor Cruz, TE Jake Ballard, RB Frank Gore, WR Michael Crabtree
Middle of the Road:  WR Mario Manningham, WR Hakeem Nicks (if he plays), TE Vernon Davis
Bad Start:  RB Brandon Jacobs, RB Ahmad Bradshaw (if he plays), RB DJ Ware, QB Alex Smith, WR Braylon Edwards, RB Kendall Hunter
  Ahhh… Now here’s one of those matchups we look forward to every year, and are lucky enough to get to witness twice each season.  The Patriots and the Jets represent an epic blood feud in recent years, like the McCoys versus the Hatfields, Lindsey Lohan versus Rehab, and Axel Rose versus Slash.  Since the Jets lost to the Patriots back in Week 6, they’ve won their last three games and look much more poised and focused.  The Patriots on the other hand, have lost two straight and in both games have not looked like the high-powered Brady-led offense that everyone was accustomed to earlier in the year.

Looking back at last week, the Patriots looked terrible for much of the game, unable to move the ball and being shut out of the first half of a game for the first time since 2006.  Think about that for a moment… it’s been over 80 complete games since the Patriots failed to score even a field goal in an entire half.  And if the Patriots thought it was difficult to get a score against the Giants defense at Foxboro, they’ll have a tough road to hoe at the Meadowlands against a rejuvenated Jets defense that just got done making the 2011 Bills look like… well, the 2010 Bills. 

While the Pats got the best of the Jets in their earlier meeting, this game might very well be the other way around with the Jets new commitment to running the football, which wasn’t back in full effect in the first meeting between these two teams.  Since then, Shonn Greene has gone from being dreadful to being perhaps a hair better than mediocre, averaging around 70-80 yards with the occasional opportunity to score; which works just fine behind an offensive line that’s starting to get healthy behind All-Pro center Nick Mangold.  Unfortunately for the Jets passing game, a heavy dose of the run comes at the expense of Mark Sanchez and his receivers, as yardage has been down across the board.  In the last two weeks though, it looks like Sanchez is leaning toward Plaxico Burress over Santonio Holmes, as Burress caught three touchdowns two weeks ago, and then caught a season high 5 receptions for 79 yards last week.  Look for Sanchez to lean more on Burress and his 6’5” frame in the red zone against the Lilliputian Patriots DBs.

For the Patriots, teams are starting to sell out on defense to limit Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski to force Brady to beat them elsewhere.  This didn’t work out too well for the Giants, as Welker was able to take them for over 120 yards and Gronk got over the century mark and a score.  However, they did slow them down enough in the game and made Brady work for everything he got.  Look for more of the same from the Jets, as they’ll use Revis Island to put a cork in Welker’s production, with bracket coverage to keep Gronkowski in check.  Both are still good plays, but probably not as good as usual.

Good Start:  QB Tom Brady, WR Wes Welker, TE Rob Gronkowski, RB Shonn Greene, WR Plaxico Burress, TE Dustin Keller
Middle of the Road:  TE Aaron Hernandez, QB Mark Sanchez, WR Santonio Holmes, RB LaDainian Tomlinson
Bad Start:  RB Benjarvis Green-Ellis, WR Deion Branch, WR Chad Ochocinco
 

Philadelphia’s dream season slipped toward nightmare status with a loss to the Bears, while the Cardinals snuck out an OT win at home over the Rams.
 
Michael Vick was flat-out lousy, throwing for only 213 yards and an interception, while failing to throw a TD or even crack the 40-yard mark rushing. LeSean McCoy continued to be money, rushing for 71 yards and a TD and adding 46 yards on 5 receptions. Jeremy Maclin (63 yards, 4 receptions) remains the unquestioned No. 1 receiver in Philly while DeSean Jackson continues his baffling disappearance. He has neither scored nor hit 50 yards receiving in his last three games. However, don’t give up on him yet, because this matchup looks like a great one for Jackson and the entire Philly offense.
 
John Skelton did a decent job in place of Kevin Kolb, throwing for 222 yards and a TD and adding 38 yards on the ground. Beanie Wells was a mystery, gaining only 20 yards on 10 carries against a really bad Ram run D. Larry Fitzgerald probably hopes he can have an actual NFL quarterback someday.
 
This one obviously looks like Eagles, Eagles, Eagles from not only a “real” perspective but a Fantasy one as well. Even DeSean Jackson is worth trusting in this one. And while you’ll give Fitzgerald another start even if Kolb does not return, it’s hard to have much faith in Wells, because all indications point to a Philadelphia rout and the Cardinals having to throw early and often.
 
GOOD STARTS: QB Mike Vick, RB LeSean McCoy, WR Jeremy Maclin, TE Brent Celek WR Larry Fitzgerald, RB Beanie Wells
 
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD STARTS: QBKevin Kolb, WR Larry Fitzgerald,
 
BAD STARTS: QBJohn Skelton
  Carolina took the week off while the Titans lost at home to the Bengals to fall to 4-4.
 
The Panthers are basically Cam Newton, Steve Smith, Greg Olsen/Jeremy Shockey and that’s it. Neither DeAngelo Williams nor Jonathan Stewart has done anything to earn the trust of Fantasy owners on a consistent basis, and no other receiver has consistently stood out.
 
Matt Hasselbeck has gone from a very pleasant early-season surprise to just another guy, although it was pretty impressive that he had 272 yards and 2 TDs against what has been a pretty salty Cincinnati pass D. This tells you all you need to know about Chris Johnson’s season – his 64 yards against the Bengals was his second-best yardage total through eight games. Wow. Nate Washington could be hobbled with a hip problem, and that could lead to Lavelle Hawkins being what passes for a No. 1 wideout in Tennessee.
 
Carolina has allowed 225 YPG and 10 TDs through the air, but has been torn up on the ground, giving up 133 YPG and 11 TDs, which is tied for most in the league. The Panthers and the Cardinals are the only two teams to have allowed more rushing TDs than passing TDs. So yeah, as frustrated as you are with Johnson, you have to run him unless your other No. 2 RB is a clear improvement. Javon Ringer is worth consideration in deeper leagues as well. Tennessee is generous against the pass (231 YPG, 14 TDs) and from a yardage perspective against the run (127 YPG). However, they’ve only allowed 4 TDs on the ground.
 
GOOD STARTS: QB Cam Newton, RB Chris Johnson, WR Steve Smith, TE Greg Olsen
 
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD STARTS: QB Matt Hasselbeck, RB Javon Ringer, RB Jonathan Stewart, WR Lavelle Hawkins, TE Jeremy Shockey
 
BAD STARTS: RB DeAngelo Williams – even though the Titans give up a lot of run yardage, Williams has been lousy the vast majority of the season.
The Texans rolled Cleveland while the Bucs suffered a damaging loss in New Orleans.
 
Matt Schaub would have been a complete Fantasy disaster had it not been for a rushing TD, since he could only manage 119 yards passing with no TDs and a pick. The Texans made their hay on the ground – which has not proven to be that hard this season against the Browns. Both Arian Foster and Ben Tate scored and went over the 100-yard mark. This was Schaub’s first game without a TD pass this season, so we’ll chalk this one up as an aberration – both he and his receivers (with or without Andre Johnson) should be fine against Tampa Bay’s porous pass D.
 
Josh Freeman had been on a roll heading into the New Orleans game, having averaged about 280 yards and 2 TDs in his previous two. However, that roll was slowed against the Saints. He had 281 yards but only one TD. LeGarrette Blount was OK in his return, with 72 yards rushing on 13 attempts, but he did not find the end zone. It’s a crapshoot every week in regard to who will be Freeman’s go-to receiver; one week it might be Preston Parker, another Arrelious Benn, and another Mike Williams. It just so happened that Parker had 56 yards compared with Williams’ 46 and Benn’s 22, but Kellen Winslow caught Freeman’s only TD pass. Good luck figuring that situation out.
 
The Texans have shown through nine games that their defense is not a fluke. They have allowed only 182 YPG through the air, and their total of 10 TDs allowed is tied for fifth-least in the league. Houston’s run D is stout as well, allowing 91 YPG and 6 TDs. Tampa Bay’s D, on the other hand, hasn’t come close to living up to the reputation it has developed in recent years. The Buccaneers have allowed 266 YPG and 14 TDs through the air, and 132 YPG and 8 TDs on the ground. Foster and Tate could be big again, but the receiver picture is quite a bit more muddled.
 
GOOD STARTS: QB Matt Schaub, RB Arian Foster, RB Ben Tate, WR Andre Johnson (may play)
 
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD STARTS: QB Josh Freeman, RB LeGarrette Blount, any Buccaneer receiver, TE Owen Daniels
 
BAD STARTS: WR Joel Dressen, WR Kevin Walter, WR Jacoby Jones – they are not necessarily bad receivers, but there is too much uncertainty surrounding them to recommend any of them for a start. Washington continues to go down the toilet, and while the Dolphins have been there for a while, they’re at least trying to fight their way out of it.
 
The only somewhat bright Fantasy spot that came out of the Redskins’ uninspired 19-11 loss to the 49ers was Roy Helu. He didn’t do anything on the ground (10 rushes/41 yards) but he had 105 yards on 14 receptions – and those catches came on a staggeringly high 17 targets. Otherwise the Redskins are a mess offensively, with no player worth much in the way of Fantasy consideration. You have to wonder if John Beck, Jabar Gaffney or any Redskin is worth a start even against a Dolphin defense that has been bad for most of the season.
 
Miami, on the other hand, has actually showed a pulse the last few weeks. They showed a lot more than that in a 31-3 thrashing of the Chiefs – in Arrowhead, no less. Did anybody see a 244-yard, 3-TD outing coming against Kansas City? How about 92 yards and a score from Reggie Bush? You could have maybe foreseen Brandon Marshall’s 106-yard, 1-TD performance coming, but even that would have been a stretch, considering the fact that he had only scored once and had one 100-yard game since Week 2.
 
The Redskins have been solid against the pass (219 YPG, 8 TDs), allowing only 2 TDs to opposing wide receivers, but have been vulnerable against the run (123 YPG, 6 TDs). While the numbers say Moore and Marshall will struggle, after the turn the Redskins’ season has taken, it’s anyone’s guess as to how motivated they will be to play in Miami. The Dolphins have been lousy against the pass (265 YPG, 14 TDs), but it’s hard to have any faith in Beck or his wideouts.
 
GOOD STARTS: WR Brandon Marshall, RB Reggie Bush
 
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD STARTS: QB Matt Moore, RB Roy Helu, TE Fred Davis, WR Davone Bess
 
BAD STARTS: QB John Beck, RB Ryan Torain, WR Jabar Gaffney, TE Anthony Fasano,
  The Colts… man, they suck. The Jaguars took the week off and probably laughed at what they were watching when Indianapolis cave in against Atlanta at home.
 
There’s really no need to waste your time on Indy. You may want to start Pierre Garcon, but that’s about it.
 
There’s not a whole lot more to say about the Jaguars, either. Blaine Gabbert has only one 200-yard game while Maurice Jones-Drew hasn’t been great, with only two 100-yard games and 3 TDs on the season.
 
Of course, Jacksonville could get well in a hurry against Indy. The Colts give up 260 YPG and 18 TDs through the air and 146 YPG and 11 TDs on the ground. Even Gabbert could be worth starting consideration if you’re in a really deep league and you’re really desperate. If you’ve been disappointed by MJD, this is probably the week he goes off.
 
GOOD STARTS: RB Maurice Jones-Drew
 
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD STARTS: QB Blaine Gabbert (yes, Indy’s D is that bad), WR Pierre Garcon, WR Reggie Wayne,
 
BAD STARTS: All Jaguars Receivers
  Both teams’ games last weekend can be summed up in one word: Huh? The Broncos thrashed the Raiders in Oakland, while the Chiefs were, amazingly, the thrashes – at home no less – against the previously winless Dolphins. Wow. And you think you know how NFL Sundays are going to turn out? Sure thing.
 
Whether you think Tim Tebow is a legit NFL quarterback or not, the unavoidable fact is that he has been an incredible Fantasy pickup. The passing yardage was ugly against Oakland (124) but he still had 2 TDs. And he added 118 yards on the ground. Willis McGahee shook of a broken freaking hand to roll for 163 yards and two scores. And while no Bronco receiver really screams, “start me,” Eric Decker and Eddie Royal caught Tebow’s TD passes. Will Tebow keep it going or will he lay a Detroit-sized egg? Who knows? But can you afford to keep him on your bench? Unless you’re really deep at QB, of course not. Just roll him out there and hold on for the ride.
 
The only Chief who did anything of note against Miami was Steve Breaston, who had 115 yards on 7 receptions. He might be worth a start this week, as Dwayne Bowe might get a healthy dose of Champ Bailey and the Broncos will have to respect rookie Jonathan Baldwin. Other than that, there’s not a whole lot of reason to spend much time on the Chiefs after that ridiculous showing against the Dolphins.
 
Denver has been ridiculously bad against the pass, even with Bailey lurking in the secondary. They’ve allowed 258 YPG and 17 TDs. The TD total is second-worst in the league. So while Bowe might get Bailey’s attention, there’s a chance he won’t see Champ on every single play, making him someone you almost have to start. Hell, Matt Cassel even looks good in this one. But Denver’s also allowing 116 YPG on the ground and have allowed 5 TDs as well, so Jackie Battle looks to be worth a start as well. The Chiefs have to be foaming at the mouth to try and redeem themselves for last week, plus they’re playing a division rival. You have to think they’ll wake up for this one. As for Denver, besides Tebow and McGahee, Eric Decker looks like a good play against a KC pass D that’s allowed 250 YPG and 15 TDs.
 
GOOD STARTS: QB Tim Tebow, QB Matt Cassel, RB Willis McGahee, RB Jackie Battle, WR Dwayne Bowe, WR Steve Breaston, WR Jonathan Baldwin, WR Eric Decker
 
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD STARTS: WR Eddie Royal
 
BAD STARTS: RB Knowshon Moreno
  The Cowboys won a must-win game against Seattle while the Bills were trounced at home by the Jets.
 
Dallas was pretty methodical in the win over the Seahawks. Tony Romo threw for 279 yards and 2 TDs while DeMarco Murray keeps looking like the real deal. Against Seattle he ran for 139 yards and added another 47 receiving on 4 catches. Jason Witten and Laurent Robinson caught Romo’s TD passes. The downer – and it was a big one – was the hammy injury to Miles Austin that is expected to keep him on the shelf for up to four weeks. Witten, Robinson and Dez Bryant should all see an uptick in production, and Murray will likely get even more work – he should be worth a start even if Felix Jones returns.
 
As far as the Bills are concerned, we’re going to chalk last week’s up as an anomaly. Ryan Fitzpatrick had 191 yards and a TD but also had 2 picks. Fred Jackson even had an off day. While he ran for 82 yards and had 3 receptions for 38 yards, he also had a fumble. Buffalo will be itching to rebound, plus they’ll have the added incentive of Chan Gailey going back to Dallas to face his former team. Expect Fitzpatrick to play well and for Jackson to shine against a suddenly weak Cowboy run D. If Sean Lee plays than Jackson might have a harder time putting up great numbers, but he’s obviously gained must-start status.
 
Both pass defenses have allowed 11 TDs and a fairly similar amount of YPG (Buffalo/260, Dallas/232). Run-wise, the Bills (121 YPG/10 TDs) have struggled all season while the Cowboy run D (102 YPG/5TDs) has taken a nosedive in the last couple of weeks.
 
GOOD STARTS: QB Tony Romo, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Fred Jackson, RB Demarco Murray, WR Dez Bryant, WR Laurent Robinson, WR Steve Johnson
 
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD STARTS: WR David Nelson, TE Scott Chandler,
 
BAD STARTS: None really stand out.

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