 By Anthony Stampone
Welcome to the final week of the NFL season and welcome to the final weekly Fantasy league championships. I hope that my advice throughout this season has helped some of you as much as it has helped me. I won my Standard league and will be competing in the Championship in another league this weekend. If you were fortunate enough to make it to another championship or are playing this weekend for pride check out the advice I have for you this week. Quarterbacks: Start’em Ryan Fitzpatrick: The Jets have a date with playoffs and the only thing standing in there way is; well let’s be honest no one really. The Bills are beat up and missing key starters up and down their line up and even with the return of Ronald Darby to the secondary, this is a defense that is going to do more than struggle to stop one of the top receiving tandems in the NFL. Mix in the fact that the Jets have also found a great outlet receiver in the passing game with Bilal Powell and you have the makings for a big day for the Jets passing offense led by Fitz. He is available in many leagues and should be picked up and played, you won’t be disappointed, the Bills do not have the personnel they need to stop this offense and Fitz “magic”. Ben Roethlisberger: Last week was a weird week for Big Ben and I am sure he may have cost many people their championships (Almost did me but luckily the rest of my team covered for his poor showing). That isn’t going to happen again and with the Steelers needing to win to have a prayer at the playoffs and Big Ben is going to be put on a show against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. He may be without speedster Bryant but he still has one of the best WOs in the league and a nice complement of weapons to go with it. Play Big Ben as he will be putting up a big game to end the season in style and with a small hope of sneaking into the playoffs. Sit’em Blake Bortles: Bortles has been a fantasy dynamo most of the year. The key word there is most. When Bortles has been bad he has been very bad. Facing a highly energized, healthier, and playing better and better by the week defense this week in Houston, Bortles is in for a long day. When this defense is healthy and playing as well as it has most of the time over the second half of the season it makes even some of the best QBs in the league nervous let alone a sophomore closing out his year. Expect Bortles to struggle this week, have a few turnovers and be sacked multiple times. Any QB from the Titans and Colts Game: Let’s be realistic, both teams will be starting their back up QBs this week and in the Colts case it could be a guy that they just signed on Tuesday. Neither team is very good on defense, but then again that doesn’t really matter when the QB for the other team just got off the coach. None of these QBs are going to help you bring home the championship, leave them on waiver wire or your bench. Sleepers: Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Cam Newton Running Backs: Start’em DeAngelo Williams: One of the most impressive backs this year while filling in for an All-Pro going up against the 31st ranked rush defense, play Williams! Adrian Peterson: With a division title on the line the Vikings are going to ride their best weapon in less than ideal conditions. The Vikings might still not win this game and it will more than likely be a low scoring affair, but Peterson can taste another rushing title and the Vikings know they will need a big game from Peterson to have a chance against the Packers. Sit’em Eddie Lacy: Given his impressive success since entering the NFL in the months of Decemeber and January, this may be a surprise to see as a sit’emdecision. The issue isn’t his past or even current successes or lack thereof some weeks, but the real issue boils down to one major issue; Lacy’s ribs. Lacy fought through it last week and was able to put up some yards in both the rushing and passing game and score a TD but playing a defense as strong and powerful as the Vikings, Lacy is going get beat up and beat up bad in the match up. Do not be surprised if the Packers have to turn to their reliable and trustworthy back up James Starks as long as he can show his fumble issues are behind him. Regardless, Lacy isn’t going to do you any favors, bench him. Doug Martin: Another surprise pick I am sure for some, but it makes sense. The Panthers defense is ruthless against running backs and with something to play for the Panthers will do everything they already do well and stuff the run and make the Bucs one dimensional. Martin will get a lot of carries but that doesn’t mean it will translate to needed points. Bench him unless you have no other choices. Sleepers: Tim Hightower, Jeremy Langford, Darren McFadden Wide Receivers: Start’em Julio Jones: This is a play not only because we all already know he is one of the best in the game at his position and has been putting up insane numbers already this season, you start him for the chance of what he could do by the end of the day and the Falcons willingness to help him get there. Jones is less than 20 catches and less than 300 yards from breaking two of the most impressive single seasons receiving records. Ryan is going to target Jones early, often, until the very end to give his best and favorite target a chance to set these insane records. Antonio Brown: Another no brainer starter this week, but with Bryant possibly out for this game and the Steelers needing a win for a possible playoff appearance and like Jones, Brown has an outside chance at Harrison’s single season reception record. Like Jones he needs just a few less than 20 to do it and that is no small feat, but if there is a WO that is likely to put those type of numbers it’s Brown. Brown already has two games this season with 15 catches or more catches in a single game, so a third isn’t impossible. Sit’em Randall Cobb: The Vikings are coming to town and they bring one of the best passing defenses in the NFL when they are healthy. News update; they are very healthy and will give Rodgers all he can handle in the passing game. This is bad news for Cobb as he is the only weapon the Packers really have and the Vikings have the skill and personnel to keep him from having a productive day. He has had a tough season as it is, don’t expect that to change this week. Doug Baldwin: One name, Patrick Peterson. I know the Cardinals will know by the time their game starts if it matters to them or not in the standings, but don’t be fooled, the Cardinals want to put their division rivals down and down hard. They have an excellent pass rush to make Wilson uncomfortable all game and their secondary even missing Mathieu is still one of the best in the league and will have little to no problem stopping Baldwin’s impressive streak. The only way this is an incorrect suggestion is if the Red Birds decide to bench starters or only play them for a small part of the game. If that is done, Baldwin will get his points. Sleepers: Emmanuel Sanders, Odell Beckham Jr, Brandin Cooks Tight Ends: Start’em Rob Gronkowski: Gronk and the Pats have to face the Dolphins this week and need to win to lock up the #1 position in the AFC. With that said the Pats are 100% a pass first team and the Dolphins threw in the towel a long time ago. The Pats are still looking to get healthy in the passing game so a high reliance Gronkwill be in order this week and the Dolphins pass defense is terrible. Look for Gronk to have over 100+ yards and a few “Gronk Spikes” by the end of the game. Greg Olsen: Any week where the Panthers need to score points in the passing game and have a banged up backfield, Newton turns to Olsen. Olsen is and will be Newton’s go to man this week to help the Panthers lock up the #1 spot in the NFC. Sit’em Luke Willson: The Seahawks offense is definitely much better with Willson in the starting line-up than they are with Graham, but ever with that said the Cardinals pass defense is just too good for this match up. The Cardinals have one of the most interesting players in the NFL on defense in Deone Bucannon. Bucannon is a tremendous player and even though he is listed as a LB he is by league standards “to small to be a LB” but yet he does it well, and is considered “to be big to be a safety”, and yet he has the ability to play both positions and play them well. He is a TE eraser and this game will be no different. Gary Barnidge: This selection pains me as Barnidge has been the biggest surprise and one of the most productive players at the TE position in the NFL this year even with having a revolving door at the QB position. With that said, even the best have a drop in production at some point when this continues to happen which it is happening again this week with Manziel declared out with a concussion. This again like many of my Sit’em suggestions, it’s not necessarily the player it’s the others around them. Sorry Gary, this won’t be your week. Sleepers: Ben Watson, Travis Kelce, Julius Thomas Defenses: Start’em Pittsburgh Steelers: Facing a 3rd string QB and with a playoff chance on the line this week the Steelers D steps up and shuts down their opponents in the process. I do not think they will create many turnovers, but they shouldn’t have issues getting some sacks and keeping the points and yardage low in this game. Denver Broncos: Denver needs this game to ensure they lock up their division and a possible chance at the #1 position in the AFC. With that being said this will be accomplished by the same way the Broncos have done it most of this year; defense! The Broncos are facing a horrendously beat up and short changed offense when they face the Chargers this week. Rivers really only has one weapon left on offense and he’s about 5’6” and 175lbs running back. Minus his cast of what are usually dangerous weapons, Rivers is in for a long day and will give up several turnovers and will be put on the ground over and over again by this vaunted pass rush the Broncos bring week in and week out. Play the Broncos defense with confidence. Sit’em Buffalo Bills: The Bills are so beat up, missing key guys, playing back up’s in some of the most important positions in Rex Ryan’s defense while taking on what has been one of the bigger surprises in the NFL this year; the Jets passing attack. The Jets have something to play for this week and the Bills that want to play upset specialists that just don’t have the personnel to pull it off. The Jets are going to score plenty of points and the Bills either don’t have the skill they need or that skill has quit on them this year; bench them. Cleveland Browns: Facing the Steelers and that potent offense with the chance for the playoffs on the line with one of the worst defenses in the NFL, easy choice, put the Browns down and use another defense. Sleepers: New England, St. Louis Rams, Houston Texans
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 By Anthony Stampone
Welcome to Championship weekend (for almost all leagues)! I am going to keep most of my Start’ems and Sit’ems as at this point in the season that’s all that really matters. Who you should play and sit to bring home that championship! I am in the championship in one of my three leagues and in the conference finals in a league that actually goes through week 17 (I’ll never do this league again). With that said let’s get to the point. Quarterbacks: Start’em Ben Roethlisberger: Facing one of the league’s worst pass defenses with one of if not the best passing game in the league right now is a no brainer. If you have Roethlisberger on your team start him over ANYONE else! Blake Bortles: Bortles has really turned on the second half of the season and is throwing touchdown passes and yards at an alarming rate while for him, keeping turnovers to a minimum. Don’t like your QB’s match up this week, there is a good chance he still may be an available FA in your league, pick him up and play him. All his weapons are back health and playing the Saints pass defense, enough said. Tyrod Taylor: Another weapon that may be available in your leagues FA pool is worth starting. Taylor doesn’t light up the yards but he is averaging over two TD passes a game over the last four games with only one INT. Taylor’s value also goes with his ability to make plays and rack up rushing yards and against this Cowboys, a very real ability to get another rushing TD. If your QB’s are weak, play Taylor. Sit’em Kellen Moore: I am not sure many people were willing to drink the Kool-Aid on Moore being named the started for Dallas but with the season already lost, Dez Bryant out, and this being his first career start in Buffalo, if you did pick him up, put him right on the bench or on waivers for someone else. Zach Mettenberger: As Mettenberger showed the Titans last year, he isn’t a starter in this league, a clear indication of this was the drafting of Mariota. Unfortunately for some Mariota is done for the year and his back up isn’t the option you want on your team with a Championship on the line. Facing and tough and dominate Texans defense will make for a long day for Mettenberger, in what would more than likely be a long day regardless. Case Keenum: The Rams are hoping to see enough from Keenum to keep him on next season while they figure out what they will do at the QB position as Foleshas made it clear he was nothing more than a one year wonder. Keenum against this revitalized and dangerous pass defense isn’t the option either this week. Yes, he played well last week, but that wasn’t in Seattle versus that secondary that seems to be back to form after a questionable start. Find another QB. Sleepers: Carson Palmer, Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, Brock Osweiler Running Backs: Start’em Lamar Miller: I am saying Miller on a hunch. That hunch is that the Dolphins will finally get their collective heads out of their butts and give the man the ball! Miller has had a decent season when he touches the ball 15 or more times and I can’t tell you how many times I was in awe over their coordinators ability to ruin Miller’s day by taking the ball out of his hands after carrying the day for them. With playing the Colts and possibly their third-string QB, the Dolphins should have the ball plenty and Miller should get his carries and yards. Charcandrick West: Playing the Browns and their terrible rush defense is more than enough of a reason to play West this week. Add in that West is also a valuable pass catching threat out of the backfield and should see plenty of touches against this porous defense. DeAngelo Williams: The guy has been a straight up beast all season playing in relief of Bell. Williams is the Steelers three down back and against this Ravens defense Williams will have more than his fair share of opportunities to grind out yards on the ground and in the passing game. Let’s face it, besides this being a divisional rivalry game the Ravens have nothing to play for and to be honest don’t really have many guys worth even playing. This game is going to be a blowout and Williams is going to help with that. Sit’em Jeremy Hill: The Broncos still have the best rush defense in the NFL and are still ranked #1 overall in DVOA. With AJ McCaron playing QB expect the Broncos to play man and stack the box to stuff the run and will do so successfully. Hill is not going to help the Bengals cause this week, bench him. Frank Gore: It pains me to say this but Frank Gore’s career is pretty much done. At best he is a 3rd down back for the duration of his contract if the Colts keep him and he isn’t going to be saving the day this weekend when the Colts visit Miami hoping the Texans slip up and open the door for the Colts to steal the division away. Bench him, he hasn’t produced all year and it’s not going to start now. Isiah Crowell: The Browns are going to be trailing this weekend, A LOT! They won’t be able to give Crowell the touches maybe he even merits because of the circumstances. Even if he does get the touches the Chiefs rush defense is fierce and dominate, so even with those carries he isn’t going to be able to do much with them. Sit’em. Sleepers: Karlos Williams, Ameer Abdullah, David Johnson Receivers: Start’em Antonio Brown: Brown is showing the NFL again this year that he may be the most underrated WO in the league. Now, I am not saying he doesn’t get credit because he does, but when people talk about the best in the game at his position he is almost never mentioned. Last week should have opened everyone’s eyes as he schooled one of the best cover corners in the league and has topped 1,500 yards in back to back seasons. Big Ben will find him open early and often and will continue to help Brown put up the disgusting numbers he has been putting up for the last few seasons. Sammy Watkins: As the season has come along, Watkins has developed quite the connection with QB Tyrod Taylor. Yes, the Bills are pretty much left with nothing but Watkins in the passing game with Woods and Clay declared out for this game, but Watkins is showing he is good enough where that doesn’t really matter as long as the pass is thrown his way. Look for Watkins to continue his impressive mini streak he has going on and put up some nice numbers against a beat up Cowboys secondary. Allen Hurns: When healthy his is actually Bortles favorite target in the passing game and relies heavily on him to get first downs all game long. This week will be no different as fellow running mate Allen Robinson is going to draw most of the coverage attention leaving Hurns in favorable one on one match ups that he has done well exploiting all season. Sit’em Doug Baldwin: Before someone attempts to blast me for listing him as a sit’em; yes, I am fully aware he is listed as questionable to even play in the game. What I am going to say is that even if he I cleared to play bench Baldwin. For a guy that relies on his speed, acceleration, and cutting ability like Baldwin does to work the field, with that hamstring he’s not worth starting with this kind of injury. With a championship on the line, it’s best to just leave him sitting for someone healthy(ier) and more likely to produce regardless. Randall Cobb: Since the game between the Packers and the Cardinals do have playoff implications for both teams, the Cardinals will do what they do best; take away your best receiver. Expect Peterson to shadow Cobb all game, even in the slot and he is too big and too fast to allow Cobb to beat him enough to make it worth playing Cobb. Green Bay’s pass catches aren’t scaring anyone especially this secondary even without Tyrann Mathieu out. Peterson will lock in one on one with Cobb and keep him quite. Terrance Williams: Without Dez in the game, Williams has already shown he cannot raise his game and help the Cowboys win game this year. Against the Bills, it’s going to be more of the same with a new QB that has never started before. Expect ROY candidate Ronald Darby to line up with Williams most of the time and shut him down. Besides a promising rookie season, Williams has been a huge disappointment, don’t let him ruin your chances at that title, bench him. Mike Evans, Jarvis Landry, Emmanuel Sanders, Allen Robinson Tight Ends: Start’em Gary Barnidge: Apparently it doesn’t matter who his QB is this year, the guy flat out catches passes, gains yards, and gets in the endzone. With the Browns more than likely to trail in the game early and often and with Manziel attempting to prove he belongs, do not be surprised when he connects with his surprise breakout tight end over and over again in attempts to stay in the game. Austin Seferian-Jenkins: Chicago is extremely banged up on the defensive side of the ball, and even if they weren’t they still do not have enough talent to keep up with an offense as potent as the Bucs. With that said Winston is going to have plenty of time and chances to spread the ball around and with the LBs unable to cover someone as big and athletic as Jenkins, he will have a big day against this defense. Sit’em Will Tye: The rookie has gotten better and really come on as the season has progressed; that will end this week. The Vikings secondary is getting healthy and the team boosts one of the best cover LBs in the NFL with Anthony Barr following TEs and RBs with the best of them. With Beckham out and the Vikings strong pass defense, this is shaping out to be a long day for the Giants passing offense which includes Tye. Jason Witten: When you are the only legitimate weapon on a team’s passing attack, you are the only one they really need to worry about shutting down. Insert Jason Witten this weekend vs the Bills. Mr. Reliable will get a few catches and some yards but not enough to start him. Ben Watson, Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce Defenses: Denver Broncos: Even after a poor showing against the Steelers, this defense is too good and too strong to let a back-up QB like McCaron to pick them apart and embarrass them. Expect Denver to not only get back on track this week, but they will get some sacks, force a few turnovers, and maybe even get back on track with putting up a TD. Pittsburgh Steelers: As a group they have really come on of late and have no longer the liability they were at the beginning of the season. Actually the group has been playing well and with facing the Ravens this weekend who may be starting another QB this week should make for a great day this weekend for this defense and if you don’t like your match up for your defense, pick up the Steelers and you will be glad you did. Sit’em Baltimore Ravens: Terrible defense, tons of injuries, and the arguably the best offense in the league coming to town this week, yeah this is all you need to know to put this defense on the bench for pretty much anyone else. New Orleans: I am not sure why the Saints are so terrible on defense. They spent a ton of money to shore up their secondary, their young LBs are coming along nicely, and Jordan is still an above average pass rusher, but for some reason they can’t stop a leaky faucet. With that said, the Jags have been on fire and this isn’t a defense stopping anyone let alone an offense that can actually put up points. If you haven’t already drop them and pick up just about anyone else. Sleepers: New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks  By Anthony Stampone
Welcome two either round two of your playoffs or round one for some leagues. If you are still going at this point in the year, you have probably drafted well, are great a waiver wire pick-ups, stayed healthy, or all the above. Regardless the reason, you are still going and many are not so sit back, let me hit you with some knowledge to help move on to the next round! Quarterbacks Start’em Carson Palmer: As funny as it sounds with all the attention going to Tom Brady and Cam Newton (deservedly so especially for Cam), Palmer is easily and quietly having a MVP type season as well. Palmer has been carving up the best defenses all season and continues to rack up yards, TDs, and wins for his team even after having his season cut short for the second time last season with a major knee injury. Facing the Eagles this week with their terrible pass defense, Palmer should and will have another big day on Sunday. A lot is made in the media about West Coast teams having issues struggling when they have to come East to play; I don’t give it much credence, and we’ll see it firsthand Sunday as Cardinals will stomp the Eagles on their way to locking up with NFC West and Palmer will be a big reason why. Matt Stafford: Stafford has been his usual self this year; inconsistent and unreliable. But whenever you are facing the Saints and what I suppose they call a defense gets on the field, that player has a significant opportunity to have a great day. This is exactly what Stafford will do against the Saint in their own home stadium. Before too much is made of it, yes the Saints defense played decent last week, but that was against a very up and down inconsistent Bucs offense lead by a rookie QB that is getting better but still has a lot to learn about defenses in the NFL. As long as Stafford can avoid giving the game away by making too many mistakes the Lions passing offense should have a big day without much issue. This game does have the potential to be a high scoring affair so it bodes well for both offenses to have big games in the passing game. Sit’em Sam Bradford: Easy pick to bench this guy this week. He has struggled all year, he hasn’t really had an impressive game all year and with the Cardinals and their 4th overall and 5th ranked pass defense come to town (DVOA rankings not NFL.com. NFL.com’srankings are terrible and antiquated). Things won’t be any easier this week and the Eagles have struggled to protect Bradford all year and the Cardinals LOVE to bring the heat and still have plenty of talent to cover one on one with minimal issues over the course of an entire game. Sit Bradford, there are better options out there that may even be available on the waiver wire than playing Bradford. Kirk Cousins: Even with the Buffalo Bills coming to town with more guys on their injury report than there are starters from the beginning of the year (OK slight exaggeration, but only slight), Cousins is not a wise choice to play this week. The Bills regardless to their personnel issues still have one of the best minds in the game when it comes to scheming a defense to stop a QB in Rex Ryan. Cousins has shown multiple times this season he struggles when the rush gets to him and that he can be confused by unique or exotic coverages are thrown at him, insert Rex Ryan. Cousins is going to be confused and guessing all day, not a good mix for a QB that really isn’t that good to begin with. Sit’em! Sleepers: Alex Smith, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers Running Backs: Start’em Eddie Lacey: Over the last four games Lacey has been on an absolute tear! Running for over 100+ yards in three of those four games and this week facing a middle of the pack rush defense in the Raiders, expect the Packers to ride Lacey like they have over the last few games to keep their win streak heading in the right direction. As we saw last week with Coach McCarthy taking over play calling for the Packers, he went run heavy to help protect Rodgers and to open up the passing game. This week will be much of the same, and Lacey will continue his December dominance this week and the Packers will maintain their strangle hold over the NFC North. LeSean McCoy: The Bills are loaded with injuries on both sides of ball and are still expected to perform every week because as we all know it is a cardinal sin to admit that injuries can derail and ruin a season for a team with high hopes/expectations. With that said the Bills rushing attack especially when McCoy is healthy is still lethal, and with facing a middle of the pack rush defense the McCoy is set up nicely to have another big day. There is no reason to think McCoy won’t get at least 20 touches and top 100+ yards in this game and those touches may even be more when you count his contributions in the passing game. With issues still remaining on the O-Line and Charles Clay out this week, look for the Bills to lean heavily on McCoy to win this game for them. Sit’em Tim Hightower: Although he performed admirably while filling in for Mark Ingram last week, this game is going to be all about passing. The Saints do still have CJ Spiller who is a much bigger threat coming out of the backfield as a receiving option Hightower which should take the ball out of Tim’s hands more than last week. The Saints have shown more balance this year than they have in quite some time, but once things start going crazy and scores start piling up they still have a tendency to stop running the ball and engage in an aerial attack on their opponents. Shaun Draughn: Whether Andy Dalton is under center for the Bengals or not this week or not (he’s not by the way), it won’t change the fact that the 49ers need to be able to run the ball to have even a semblance of being a threating offense over the course of a game. The Bengals front seven are as a good as any in the NFL and with the 49ers not exactly scaring anyone with their offensive line, Draughn’s is in for a long day and isn’t going to have enough time or space to do anything to warrant playing him this week. Sleepers: Lamar Miller, Denard Robinson, Jonathan Stewart Wide Receivers: Start’em DeAndre Hopkins: With a back-up QB more than likely to play this week for the Texans starting a dominate WO like Hopkins is actually a good idea most of the time. Hopkins is good and so relied on he is going to get the balls thrown his way no matter what, even if they are 50/50 balls they will be thrown in his direction. With the division potentially on the line this week the Texans will have to anything and everything to get their best play maker on the offensive side of the ball as early and often as possible against a pass defense that just surrendered 51 points to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. Hopkins is in for a big game. Doug Baldwin: I really do not like listing him as a Start’em as this is the place I like to list players are must plays no matter what, but with the production he has had over the last three game warrants it without question. Baldwin to me still isn’t anything special as far as WO are concerned but something is going on between him and Wilson lately that cannot be ignored. Baldwin is putting up elite level receiver numbers over the last few weeks, and with facing the Browns this week he will once again have the opportunity to have a huge game, several TDs, and plenty of yards for you to start him without being concerned if he will produce enough for you or not, he will. Sit’em Odell Beckham Jr: That’s right, I’m saying it now, unless you have a very weak bench and have no real viable alternate options; you should sit OBJ this week. The Giants have a date with the Carolina Panthers and their outstanding defense this week. If you are a fan of a battle within a battle there is a great one in this game and that is OBJ VS Josh Norman! Norman is arguably the best cover corner in the league this year and Beckham is well Beckham. With that said I like Norman in this battle. Beckham will get a few catches and some yards because well that’s about all the Giants can do on offense. But even with the insane amount of targets Beckham gets I know that Norman will be up for the challenge and make it a long day for Beckham. As we have saw in the past if you can get under Beckham’s skin his is prone to getting out of his game and making mistakes. Norman is just the man for the job. Jordan Matthews: If you have Matthews you probably haven’t been all that pleased with him most of this season anyway and do yourself a favor and sit him down for two major reasons this week, Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. Between those two top notch man on man cover guys Matthews is in for a long day of get pushed around and not catching balls and being physically punished if his fingers come close to a ball. Bench him! Sleepers: Stephen Diggs, TY Hilton, Jeremy Maclin Tight Ends: Start’em Vernon Davis: It took a few weeks but we finally saw the Broncos implement Davis in the game plan last week. Having to face the Steelers this week which could have huge playoff implications for both teams the Broncos are going to need to be able to put up points this week. Even with their top ranked defense in tow, the Broncos are going to have to score points because the Steelers are going to. Davis is the ideal match up this week as he is still more than skilled enough to get open against LBs and Safeties and should be able to open up the field for everyone else after he carves them up first. Jordan Reed: As good as the Bills defense can be at times and how bad Kirk Cousins is against any decent defense, there is one match up this week that really favors the Redskins and the is Reed VS anyone of the Bills inside coverage guys. Extremely athletic, fast, strong, and great hands, Reed is a match up nightmare for most LBs and Safeties in the league and the Bills are banged up at both positions which should bode well for Reed. If the Redskins want a chance to get their passing game off the ground, Reed will need to be the guy that gets it started and maybe even shoulder the whole load. Sit’em Zach Miller: With the season ending injury to Martellus Bennett, Miller has a chance to step in and put up some numbers, just not this week. The Vikings may be banged up on defense but they still are dominate when it comes to stopping TEs in the passing game. Miller will see more targets this week, whether he does something with them or not is another story, and judging by the dominance of the Vikings LBs and Safeties Miller isn’t going to get away with much. Eric Ebron: This choice is more about the player than it’s his match up. Ebron has been an embarrassment since he has joined the Lions via the draft. Ranked amongst the highest rated TEs to come out of the college into the NFL in quite some time, Ebron isn’t living up to his billing. He doesn’t run NFL routes, he can’t block, he drops a lot of passes, and struggles to get open regardless to who is covering him. Sit him because you just can’t trust him, no matter who he is playing against. Sleepers: Gary Barnidge, Ben Watson, Will Tye Defense: Start’em Arizona Cardinals: Their opponent cannot sustain drives, loves to turn the ball over, and seems to be littered with internal issues on the offensive side of the ball. Not to mention the Cardinals have the 4th ranked defense in the NFL. Mix these things together and you have the perfect mix for a big day for your defense. The Cardinals love to blitz in every situation and the Eagles minus Jason Peters, love to give up sacks. The Cardinals are going to have a great day on defense, don’t miss out by benching them. Cincinnati Bengals: Awesome front seven and a back five that is starting to get healthy against a team that can’t pass the ball or well move the ball really at all makes the Bengals defense is a must play this week. Gabbert is still Gabbert even with his last second heroics to help the 49ers to a last second win, he is still prone to bad reads and inaccurate passes and the Bengals will be ready to pounce on these opportunities, play them! Sit’em Cleveland Browns: Even with their impressive showing last week with taking down the Blaine Gabbert seven times and holding the 49ers to 10 points, they face the unfortunate task of having to attempt to stop the recently high flying Seahawks offense in Seattle. The Seahawks offensive line has been getting better over the course of the year and the passing attack has been unstoppable in recent weeks. Two things the Browns don’t do well; stop the run or stop the pass, those are two things the Seahawks do well, bench the Browns. Oakland Raiders: Facing a rejuvenated Packers offense this week is not going to be fun for the Raiders. Yes, Kahlil Mack is a beast and single handedly keep the Broncos from doing anything last week, but there are two big differences between the Packers offense and the Broncos; 1. The Packers have Aaron Rodgers, 2. The Packers line can actually block most of the time. The Packers are going to ram the ball down the Raiders throats with Eddie Lacey and James Starks to open up the passing game just like they did last week when McCarthy took over the play calling. I am not saying this won’t be an entertaining game, it does have the potential to be a high scoring game as the Packers aren’t particularly world beaters on defense either, but either way the Packers are going to score points and move the ball against the Raiders. Sleepers: Minnesota Vikings, New England, San Diego  By Anthony Stampone
If you're still going at this point in the season you are likely in the playoffs, congratulations! I am in the playoffs in all three of my leagues! I finished 3rdin my PPR league, 1st in my standard league, and 4th in some weird I cannot even begin to explain how the scoring works league that I will never do again. I wish you all good luck and hope you read this article and it helps! Start’ems, Sit’ems, and highly suggested plays or “Sleepers” in my weekly piece. Position by position Start’em, Sit’em, and Sleeper look at fantasy Hashtag Style Quarterbacks Start’em Ryan Fitzpatrick: A guy that may be still sitting on your leagues waiver wire is a great play this week! Fitz has the benefit of playing a terrible Titans secondary with his full complement of weapons. There is no reason to believe Fitz won’t have at least 250 yards and two TD passes to the his monsters on the outside and with Bilal Powell showing up big last week in the receiving game as well out of the backfield, it is going to make things even harder on an already struggling Titans defense. Fitz may even be a better start this week than your usual starter. I picked him up and I am starting him in one of my leagues over Matt Stafford. Eli Manning: This choice was another easy decision considering who his opponent is. Playing the Dolphins and the train wreck that they are should make for a rather easy day for Manning and his passing attack. The Dolphins have struggled to live up to their hype all year on the defensive side of the ball and have been getting knocked around on almost a weekly basis. Things went from bad to worse when Cameron Wake went down for the season. They can’t get after the QB, their LBs are terrible, and there secondary which was decent last season has been getting burned. OBJ and crew are in for a big day and so is Manning! Sit’em Matt Schaub: The master of throwing pick 6’s is back at it again and he isn’t disappointing the other team’s defense. Schaub has to face Seattle this week that has been playing like the secondary we have known them to be over the last three or more seasons. Schaub is in for a long day; he going to get hit a lot, sacked, and yes he is more than likely to continue his impressive ability to give the opposition free touchdowns. Marcus Mariota: As impressive as he has been so far this year as a rookie, he is in for a rough day. Facing a healthy Jets defense that is welcoming Darrell Revisback with open arms, bad news for Mariota. The Jets have an outstanding front seven and now are completely healthy in the secondary which is a scary proposition for pretty much any QB let alone a rookie that is missing one of his weapons in Kendall Hunter. This is not a defense to mess around with let alone a rookie still finding his way, don’t expect much out of Mariota this week. Sleepers: Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton, JameisWinston Running Backs: Start’em LeSean McCoy: Total homer pick I know! On a serious note there is no reason not to play McCoy this week and if healthy, the rest of the season. McCoy since getting over his hamstring injury has been ripping it up. He has had at least 100 yards (rushing + receiving) in six straight games and will make it seven this weekend. The Eagles are horrendous on defense and the Bills seem to hitting their stride on offense, especially in the running game. McCoy is still McCoy and can make a Grizzly bear miss in a phone booth. I am not one that is for all this “Grudge Match” junk and I don’t buy it; most of the time. This time I am and I think McCoy is ready and going to carve up this Eagles defense both running the ball and catching it out of the backfield. Play him and enjoy the stats! Doug Martin: This may be news to many of you but Doug Martin is 2nd in the NFL in rushing this year and that is with having a “game in hand” being played this weekend against the lowly Saints. Don’t be surprised if Martin grabs hold of that lead over Peterson this weekend and in the process has a huge day, I mean seriously let’s face it, who doesn’t against this Saints defense that seems to have actually gotten worse since Rob Ryan left. Martin is the clear cut #1 in Tampa and will not only get the majority of carries but he will also see passes out of the backfield. Big day coming for Martin coming, enjoy it with him in your lineup. Sit’em Davonta Freeman: Unless you have Davonta in a PPR league this is a great week to play someone else or play him as a flex at best. Freeman and the Falcons are in a free fall which doesn’t have much to do with Freeman’s production however, with facing the Panthers this weekend and those insane LBs that hit and wreck pretty much anything that moves. The Falcons haven’t been able to stop the bleeding on either side of the ball and Freeman isn’t getting as many touches this week unless they are passes, and even then that may not make a difference. Frank Gore: Gore is officially over the hill, let’s just get that out of the way. Gore came into this season with high aspirations that he would finally get a Colts rushing attack going that hasn’t been there since Manning was still their QB. Gore is admittedly beat up and their offensive line is still struggling to block anyone whether it’s in the running or passing game. Facing a Jags defense this weekend that is actually decent against the run which doesn’t look good for an already weak rushing team. Sit Gore; for the rest of the year! Sleepers: Darren McFadden, Lamar Miller, Thomas Rawls Wide Receiver: Start’em Travis Benjamin: Benjamin is a must play this week for one reason and one reason only; Manziel. Say what you want about the kid and his issues, one thing he can do and did it well this season is push the ball down field to a speedster like Benjamin. Go back and look at Benjamin’s best games, most of them came with Manziel under center. Playing the 49ers this week, who aren’t very good against the past and will have trouble keeping up with a guy like Benjamin and his amazing speed and underrated route running ability. Brandon Marshall: Clearly in midseason form at this point, Marshall is tearing it up and has become Fitzpatrick’s safety net. In the last two games Marshall has caught 21 passes for 262 yards, and 3 TDs. With facing the Titans this week there is plenty of reason to believe and trust he will come away with another 100+ yard performance and at least one TD. Odell Beckham Jr and Jarvis Landry: I realize that these two aren’t on the same team (anymore anyway), but this is going to be a fun in game competition to watch. If for nothing else you should watch the Giants and Dolphins game on MNF just to see which ex-LSU Tiger out duals the other. Both players are their teams best WO and are extremely talented. Both of these guys have the ability to change the game in the favor of their team on the offensive side of the ball. If you have either or both of these WOs play them, they will be worth it! Sit’em Roddy White: With age comes a drop in production, but I do not believe anyone say this much of a drop in production coming from Roddy in the matter of one season. The questions about the system and the OC can be asked as they also seem to have caused Matt Ryan to look like Matt Schaub, but regardless Roddy isn’t a good play this week. Between playing the Panthers, their scheme, and his lack of production all season there is no reason to play White for the rest of the year. Amari Cooper: The rookie is having an impressive first season and if it wasn’t for the two rookie QBs playing well Cooper would be a legitimate candidate for ROY. With that said this isn’t going to be a good weekend to play Cooper. Facing the Broncos this weekend and their outstanding defense (still ranked #1 DVOA overall and against the pass), and having outstanding cover corners Harris and Talib to contend with, it makes for a long day for even some of the best WOs in the league let alone a rookie. DeMarcus Ware is also back this week which should crank up the pass rush that didn’t lose much of a step without him, but with him back it changes things up and it will make for a long day for Derek Carr and his passing game. Bench Cooper this week. Sleepers: Sammy Watkins, Allen Hurns, Jeremy Maclin Tight Ends: Travis Kelce: From all the reports about injuries, Kelce’s ankle seems to be back fully healthy and his play in the last few weeks is starting to show it again. Facing the banged up Chargers this week that doesn’t really have anyone that can cover in their secondary healthy right now except Weddle. With Alex Smith recently finding his ability to spread the field over the last few weeks, Weddle can only handle one guy whether it’s Maclin or Kelce and I do not see him focusing on one guy all game long. Kelce will get his catches and will rack up plenty of YAC to play him this week. Julius Thomas: Julius has finally entered the building ladies and gentlemen! Thomas has been slowly working his way back this season and seems to have really found his stride in recent weeks. Scoring TDs in the last three straight games Thomas is a must play this week facing the Colts. Indy doesn’t have LBs that can cover Thomas and with Hurns and Robinson working the outside routes, there should be plenty of room for Thomas to work the middle of the field and have even just an OK day but with another TD. Sit’em Eric Ebron: Besides catching a TD last week, Ebronhasn’t been much of a threat since he entered the league. Nothing has changed and Tate, Johnson, and Reddick still remain Stafford’s go to guys in the passing game. Ebron doesn’t even see the field as often as he should be that is largely due to the fact that he still can’t really block. Sit Ebron, and if you can replace him with someone else. Ben Watson: Although the Saints picked up the passing game in a big way last week, Watson wasn’t a big part of it with the exception of his TD which brings him to a total of four for the year. Watson started this season off on fire and was for a while Brees’ go to guy when he needed a 1st down or a TD, but that production has dropped off in a big way recently and it isn’t going to be any better facing off against the Bucs. LavontaDavid is one of the best in the game when it comes to covering TEs and Backs as a LB and is going to give Watson fits all game while he isn’t making plays elsewhere on the field. Sit Watson for someone else. Sleepers: Gary Barnidge, Charles Clay, Scott Chandler Defense: Start’em Detroit Lions: The Lions have seemingly found their balance on defense even after the off-season losses and the loss of stud LB Levy. Even with all the lost personnel, the Lions have been playing great defense minus one play (Do I really have to say the play?). Playing a Rams offense this week that has become so bad and so predictable that I feel the WOs on the Rams are just there to jog laps on the field. No one is afraid of the Rams passing on them and they have caught on to stopping rookie Todd Gurley. The Lions will do those exact things and may even keep the Rams out of the end zone this week. New York Jets: Completely healthy, playing well, and still amongst the most talented groups in the league face-off against a rookie QB this week. With the lack of weapons to compliment the skill set of their rookie QB, the Titans are in for a long day this weekend and the Jets are going to have some fun on both sides of the ball. Several sacks and a takeaway or two isn’t out of the question and might even be expected, play them! Sit’em New Orleans: At this point in the season if you have been starting the Saints defense you need to do two things right now; 1. Thank god the rest of your team is saving your butt! 2. Slap yourself in the face for being so dirt-eating-silly! DUMP THEM FOR ANYONE ELSE! New York Giants and Miami Dolphins: Based on the fact that I am listing the same two defenses that are facing each other says a lot. This is going to be an offensive game and barring either Manning or Tannehill or both just completely breaking down and throwing repeated INTs this is going to be a face paced high scoring game with neither team able to really stop the other. If you have either of these defenses, bench them or drop them for another team. There should be plenty of better other options out there still. Sleepers: Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, KC  By Anthony Stampone
The week that will decide your playoff position, or if you are done for the season. Here is some must use input you will want to use to help you this week! For the remainder of this week’s games, here are your Start’ems, Sit’ems, and highly suggested plays or “Sleepers” in my weekly piece. Position by position Start’em, Sit’em, and Sleeper look at fantasy Hashtag Style Quarterbacks Start’em Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben is having a great season when he can stay healthy, and all of his WO are healthy and ready to push for a Wild Card spot in the AFC. This week Big Ben and the Steelers face the Colts, this couldn’t be a better match up for the Steelers and their talented passing game. Big Ben is going to make a big push for the playoffs and this is going to be a great start, he is going to pick this group apart. Play him with confidence. Tom Brady: Even with a completely depleted receiving corps, Brady draws the Eagles passing defense this week that is absolutely terrible. Brady as much as it pains me to admit it, is a master of making something out of nothing and that includes who is catching passes from him. He does have a few weapons, which is all he needs in a match up like this. Brady is going to tear this secondary apart. One thing Philly does well is play the run, with that said that will just led to Brady throwing more which is going to benefit all his owners. Play him and don’t question it. Sit’em Russell Wilson: After having a career day last week against the Steelers, the Seahawks have a much tougher challenge facing the Vikings this weekend, which is a young, upcoming, and talented defense. Wilson is going to struggle to get his passing game going this week against this defense. Sit him for your other QB. Matt Schaub: No top receiving options, no start running back, and the master of throwing pick 6’s. Enough said, pretty much ANYONE is a better option. Sleepers: Andy Dalton, Eli Manning, Blake Bortles Running Backs: Start’em Darren McFadden: The Cowboys are in lost at this point, but would love to play spoiler to a hated rival still in the chase. McFadden is the key to this potential scenario. The Redskins front seven aren’t that impressive anymore (they were at the start of the season but aren’t playing well of late), and can be run against. The Cowboys are going to want to get McFadden going early and often to keep from falling far behind and having to rely on Cassel to lose them another game. Jonathan Stewart: The Panthers are on a complete role and playing the Saints is just going to help keep the good times rolling for them. The Saints can’t stop a 5 year old from stealing a candy bar right now let alone an undefeated team whether it’s a run or a pass. With the Panthers being run heavy and dedicated to it, Stewart is going to see a lot of touches this week. The Panthers are going to take an early lead in this game and use their great D to keep the Saints in check. Stewart will do the rest on the ground. Sit’em Lamar Miller: Unless you are in a PPR league, it would be a great idea to bench Miller this week as he faces a beat up but still strong Ravens front seven. The Dolphins are a train wreck and even with firing their OC that didn’t run enough are still going to struggle to run the ball this week. Miller will more than likely see more carries this week to take the load off Tannehill’s arm, but it won’t matter. Sit him unless he is in a PPR setting as he does catch a lot of passes for the Dolphins. Melvin Gordon: Even though Gordon has been getting around 15 attempts and around 20 total touches per game for the Charges he has yet to make any kind of impact whatsoever. He doesn’t have a TD yet, he hasn’t had a 100 yard performance yet, and the Chargers are so bad on defense that the offense never really gets a chance to keep feeding Gordon to make these accomplishments. With Denver coming to town with their #1 defense, it is going to be the same story different day for Gordon this week. Bench him! Sleepers: LeSean McCoy, Chris Ivory, David Johnson Wide Receivers: Start’em DeSean Jackson: Dallas’ defense is beat up and they are prone to giving up big plays in the passing game and Jackson is just the man to exploit the match ups the Cowboys will throw at him. His elite speed and ability to get open off the line is going to be a big problem for the Cowboys this weekend. Jackson will take advantage of anyone the Cowboys attempt to throw at him. Brandon LaFell: With Amendola more than likely on the bench one more week, and Gronk down for a few more also, LaFell more than likely becomes Brady’s #1. Expect LaFell to get targeted early and often as the Eagles CB’s aren’t stopping anyone. Sit’em Sammy Watkins: Sammy needs to be put on your bench, and it’s not his fault. It blows my mind as to how the Bills can let Sammy have the half like he did vs the Chiefs last week and put up the numbers he did and then just ignore him and make excuses why they don’t find ways to get him the ball. Every other team with a WO with Sammy’s skills, their team finds anyway possible to get them the ball, Buffalo doesn’t. It is for this reason and how talented the Texans defense is that I say sit him. Stephen Diggs: The Seahawks are coming to town for a game with big playoff implications for both teams. With that said, yes the Hawks have been getting picked apart lately, but that has been by some good to great passing teams. This is something the Vikings aren’t. If Minnesota wants to win this game they are going to have to ride AP, leaving Diggs and the rest of the Vikings passing game wanting for every little scrap they can get. Bench him! Sleepers: Brandon Marshal, DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper Tight Ends: Start’em Jordan Reed: Reed is still Cousins’ favorite target and he has been playing outstanding since his return from injury. He gets a lot of good passes thrown his way and has been a great chain mover all season. The Redskins are 5-0 at home this season and don’t exactly face the toughest challenge playing the Cowboys this week. Several catches, 70 yards and a TD isn’t a stretch for Reed this week. Travis Kelce: He appears to be back to full health, or close to it and outside of him and Maclin the passing game for the Chiefs is weak. Kelce will have a big game against the Raiders, who do struggle to stop the pass. They will dedicate coverage to Maclin to help avoid being beat deep, which will leave Kelce open for more passes and a big day. Sit’em Antonio Gates: With Philip Rivers completely devoid of really any weapons on the outside, he has been doing a great job of getting his talented TEs the ball early and often. With that said the Broncos are coming to town and bring their #1 ranked defense with them. Since the Chargers don’t have much if any real threats on the outside that will leave the extremely talented CB duo of Talib and Harris to take turns shutting down Gates. Sit Gates because he is going to be blanketed all game. Heath Miller: Even though Roethlisberger is able to play this week I predict that the Steelers will keep Miller in more often than not to help block for him considering how beat up Big Ben has been all season. The Steelers have enough weapons already on the outside that Miller going out for passes isn’t going to be needed and he can stay in and help keep his QB upright and healthy. Sleepers: Gary Barnidge, Greg Olsen, Martellus Bennett Defenses: Start’em Denver Broncos: After performing well against the Patriots, the Broncos face an extremely banged up offense in facing the Chargers. Missing starting OL, WOs, and no semblance of a running game, this should be a big day for the Broncos even with Rivers playing out of his mind considering what he has to work with. Denver will get to Rivers, sack him, rattle him, move him off his spot, and make him throw when he doesn’t want to, which is going to force a few turnovers. Arizona Cardinals: After being surprisingly upset earlier in the season but the Rams, the Cardinals come in red-hot and do not look to be slowing down anytime soon. On an absolute role following back to back divisional wins the Cardinals will look to avenge their loss earlier this season and make it 3 straight against their division at home against the Rams. The Rams can’t pass the ball at all and everyone knows it including the Cardinals and their 3rd ranked defense. Gurley is going to get stuffed and Foles isn’t good enough to make up for that. Play the Cardinals with confidence in their ability to get to Foles and stuff the run. Sit’em Philadelphia Eagles: They play the Patriots and have given up 90 points in the last 2 games. Does anymore need to be said? Cleveland Browns: Charged with the task of attempting to slow down a dominate force is not fair to a team like the Browns and their defense, but that is what they have to attempt to do this week playing the Bengals. Good luck! Dalton is on fire, the running game is dangerous and is a legitimate two headed monster attack. The best Cleveland can do on defense is hope the Bengals trip over themselves (which isn’t impossible) and cough the ball up or make stupid mistakes. Other than this unlikely event sit the Browns, the Bengals are going to run through this defense, literally and figuratively. Sleepers: Washington Redskins, New England, Carolina Panthers 
 By Anthony Stampone
Position by position Start’em, Sit’em, and Sleeper look at fantasy Hashtag Style Quarterbacks Start’em Carson Palmer: A week after dismantling one of the NFL’s best pass defenses, look to Palmer to do it again this week when they face-off against the Bengals. This offense seems to move the ball at will and there really doesn’t seem like there is a defense in the NFL that can stop this potent passing attack. Chris Johnson helps matters being the 2nd leading rushing in the NFL, look for the Cardinals to run early to set-up the play action pass against a banged up secondary and have their way all day. Derek Carr: Aaron Rodgers may have had problems moving the ball through the air last week against the Lions defense, don’t expect the same for the Raiders. This is a young, talented, and more importantly health passing attack. Carr has grown by leaps and bounds this season and has the ability to blow a game open fast. This Lions defense isn’t as good as they looked last week and Carr will show that this week. Sit’em Ryan Tannehill: After showing progression year over year for his first few seasons, Tannehill has taken a giant step back this year after getting his monster contract extension this offseason. He is better than his numbers show and a lot of his trouble can be attributed to his offensive line, which isn’t going to change this week. Dallas is finally getting healthy on both sides of the ball and since Hardy has come off his suspension he has been attacking QB’s with the veracity of a starved lion. Sean Lee is also back which is the big for the Cowboys as he is excellent at stopping the run, rushing the passer, and defending the pass. Tannehill will eventually come back around, just not this week. Andy Dalton: To quote the best defensive player in the league and arguably the best player in the whole NFL JJ Watt, “We made the Red Rifle look like the Red Rider BB Gun.” And that about sums up last weeks performance by Dalton against a very weak Houston defense. This week things aren’t going to be any better as the BB Gun has to face the vaunted Cardinals defense. The Cardinals have a fast a furious defense that has the skill, speed, and athleticism to make things very difficult for Dalton and the Bengals quick strike offense. Because the Cardinals may blow this game wide open they may get some late game yards and points, but it won’t be enough to play Dalton. Sit him! Sleepers: Tyrod Taylor, Mark Sanchez, Matt Ryan Running Backs: Start’em Jonathan Stewart: Many prognosticators like to say, “If you don’t have an elite QB, you aren’t going anywhere in the league.” The Panthers are proving them wrong (Yes, that is me implying that Newton is NOT elite!). The Panthers are limited on offense but still cannot be stopped and much of that has to do with the dual threat of Newton and Stewart out of the backfield. The Redskins have a terrible rush defense (it started strong but has had a lot of trouble lately), and the Panthers are one of the best rushing offenses in the league and have a very strong defense. Expect the Panthers to jump out to an early lead with their defense forcing Cousins into mistakes and the Panthers pounding the rock with Stewart all day to keep drives going and putting points on the board. Devonta Freeman: After starting off the season like a firecracker, racking up 100+ yard games and touchdowns like a varsity RB going against a JV defense, Freeman has since slowed down. Play him with confidence this week as he will get back on track against a weak Indy defensive front seven. While the Colts have gotten a little healthier and have played a little better of late, they are still weak against a good running team, and the Falcons can pound the rock. Atlanta will look to get themselves back on track and Indy is right for the picking with 40 year old back up QB and a weak defense. Freeman will be heavily involved into Shannon’s game plan and will get a ton of touches and yards. Sit’em Darren McFadden: As the Cowboys look to get their first win since week two, they couldn’t have asked for a better situation than to have to face the floundering Dolphins who’s “Bad Boy” mentality has already wore off. They are still highly susceptible to being passed on which sets up the run. Problem for McFadden is he will enter and start this game with a groin injury. For a back like McFadden this is a terrible injury that will clearly affect him during this game. McFadden needs his up legs to draw power to burst through holes as he has never really had impressive speed and is a one cut power back. Losing some of that power and burst is going to affect him even against a bad Miami run defense. Once Dallas gets a lead in this game look for McFadden to see a drop in his touches this week and play in spot duty as a pass blocker as the game progresses. Melvin Gordon: It hurts me to have to say it but it is time for me to just admit it; Gordon isn’t performing as I said he would when he came into this league. There are a lot of reasons I can list as to why, and most of them are legitimate objective points, however some of them are sour grapes so I’ll just leave that area alone for now. Gordon does actually carry the load so to speak for the Chargers rushing offense, but that only means 10-15 carries per game at the most, and then being replaced by Danny Woodhead on all passing downs and situations. If someone in your league still thinks he’ll break out and like his potential like I do, see if you can get a RB2 or flex player for him. Sleepers: Frank Gore, Chris Ivory, Chacandrick West Wide Receivers: Demaryius Thomas: Even with Peyton Manning benched this week due to injuries and inconsistent play, Thomas will get his catches and yards. Play him with confidence, especially in PPR settings as I suspect that Kubiak won’t stray far from hi game plan to throw a lot of WO screens Thomas’ way as well as intermediate routes to take the pressure off of his young first time starting QB. Thomas’ size, speed, and ball skills are as good as most if not all in the league and can be just the guy to lean on in the passing game to protect an inexperienced QB. Sammy Watkins: This is the perfect time to play Sammy and know he will produce for you. Yes, everyone knows that Belichick loves to take away what you do best on offense, but right now that isn’t Watkins, it’s the Bills running game. This game is going to be a shoot-out and the Bills will at some point have to rely on the pass to stay in this game. Watkins and Taylor have been coming along nicely as the season has progressed with their chemistry, and there really isn’t a single DB on the Patriots that can stay with Sammy play in and play out. He will get his targets and catches, and if the Pats secondary looks like it did last week versus the Giants, Sammy could be in for a really big game. Sit’em Brandon LaFell: I do not care how great Tom Brady is, the loss of Dion Lewis and Julian Edelman is huge. It complete changes the way defenses will play them for the rest of the year and will leave more defenders open to shutting down Gronkowski, Amendola, and LaFell. LaFell of the three will miss them as much as Brady as he was often the beneficiary of the coverages that Lewis and Edelman commanded when they are on the field. Buffalo has one of the best CB duo’s in the league so it doesn’t matter which one he lines up against they are going to give him fits all day. Bench LaFell this week with the Bills strong and complex secondary coming town. DeAndre Hopkins: First, let me preface this decision by making something clear; Sammy Watkins did now “OWN” Revis last week. Yes, one the first play of the game he made him look silly and had the pass been on target Watkins was gone for the TD, and yes on that crucial 3rd down late in the 4th, Watkins put the moves on Revis to get open and get that all important game clinching 1st down. But let’s be realistic, Watkins had 3 catches for 14 yards. I am sorry but those numbers don’t scream “dominance” or “owning” a DB, Revis is still Revis for the most part, and that will continue this week. Hopkins has been outstanding this season, even with subpar QB play. But Revis is Revis and he is going to bump, jam, grab, and flat out shadow Hopkins all day as the Jets know the Texans can’t run the ball and are going to have to pass the ball and where they are going to attempt to throw it at. Good luck DeAndre, you are going to need it this week. Sleepers: Steve Johnson, Tavon Austin, Roddy White Tight Ends: Start’em Jason Witten: All Witten and Dez Bryant owners have to be breathing a sigh of relief. If these guys are available in your league(s) due to their dips in production due to their own injuries or Romo’s snag them up now. As good as Romo to Bryant passing combo has been over the last few years, Witten is still Romo’s man and he will get plenty of targets as Romo looks to get back into game shape in a favorable match up this week for both Romo and Witten playing Miami since the Dolphins pass defense, especially cover LBs are weak. Greg Olsen: That’s all that needs to be said……. Sit’em Jordan Reed: When he has been healthy, Reed has been a very productive TE this season. Unfortunately for Reed his team faces the undefeated Panthers that are proving with each passing week that they are not a fluke. Their LBs are amongst the best in the league in coverage without CB or Safety help, and if the Panther think they need to roll a little extra coverage to stop Reed, they can and will without worry about the rest of the field with Norman making his case as possibly the best CB in the NFL this season. Jordan Cameron: His production has been missing since his break-out season and no one seems to have an answer as to why. One can speculate it’s because he can’t stay healthy which is 100% correct. Either way he isn’t playing to his ability and with facing the rejuvenated Cowboys defense this week that also has a good group of LBs that can hang in coverage with TEs like the Panthers, he will continue his poor production and should not only be benched, but if you are in a tight race for the playoffs, flat out drop him and check the waiver wire for another TE such as Gilmore Crockett from the Ravens to get more production from your TE position. Sleepers: Gilmore Crockett, Charles Clay, Richard Rodgers Defense: Start’em Carolina Panthers: This defense just doesn’t stop and may be one of the best ball hawking defenses we have saw in quite some time. The Redskins go as Kirk Cousins goes, and the Panthers aren’t letting him go anywhere. They will get after, confuse, and frustrate Cousins early and often. Expect points for sacks, TFLs, and INTs this week from the Panthers. New York Jets: After being run all over by the Bills the Jets will bounce back this week as they face the Texans being led by TJ Yates. Yates isn’t scaring anyone and the Jets secondary even being banged up has to be licking their chops knowing they will have chances for easy interceptions this week. The defensive front will get after Yates and get some sacks and force him to move Yates off his spots and into bad passing positions. Sit’em Cincinnati Bengals: Strong up to this point in the season, they will not hold up this week. As good as the Bengals are as a unit they struggle against the run, something the Cardinals do well. The Cardinals will pound the ball with CJ2K and Andre Ellington and then pick them apart down field with play action. Sorry Bengals fans but your team is going to get spanked. New England Patriots: This is going to be a high scoring affair and that is never a good time to play any defense. Another reason to consider sitting NE’s defense is the Bills run game. As long as the Bills keep the score close they will continue to throw thunder and lightning at the Pats and will prove that that 4th ranked rush defense is a false stat. I often refer to DVOA rankings and say how much I like these rankings over ranking systems out there due to their ability to take circumstances or situations into consideration when ranking teams, and again they are correct and have a more realistic ranking of 12th for the Pat against the run. What other metrics aren’t considering I that most teams abandon the run to keep up with the Pats high flying, point scoring offense. So other sites that don’t consider this have them overrated. The Bills will do whatever they can to keep this game close all game, which will include running the ball, A LOT, to keep the ball out of Brady’s hands. The Bill just carved up the NFL’s top rushing defense, there is little doubt they can’t do it against a weaker unit. Sleepers: Buffalo Bills, St Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks  By Anthony Stampone
Position by position Start’em, Sit’em, and Sleeper look at fantasy Hashtag Style Quarterbacks Start’em Blake Bortles: In his second year in the NFL Bortles has shown some impressive progression this season, and seems to finally have some reliable weapons in the pass game with the Allen’s giving even good defenses fits every week. Yes, Bortles still has the propensity of throwing a terrible INT here and there but it is way down compared to last season. This week Bortles and the Jags face off against a surprisingly porous Ravens defense that just can’t seem to stop anyone this year after Terrell Suggs went down for the season. I am not predicting the Jags win this game, but I am saying he will have plenty of opportunity to put up some good yardage through the air and have at least 2 TD passes. Andy Dalton: The “Red Rifle” has been having the best season of his career so far and seems to have finally overcome some of the consistency issues that plagued him early in his career. Look for Dalton to have another big game this week as the Bengals continue their impressive play that has them at an 8-0 record against the Texans in Cincinnati. Besides JJ Watt there really isn’t anyone on the Texans defense that seems to be able to stop a nose bleed let alone a dangerous passing attack that the Bengals are able to put on the field at any time. Dalton and crew will have a big week this week and win this game with ease and put up impressive passing numbers in the process. If Dalton is on your team, start him with confidence. Sit’em Russel Wilson: Much of the noise about this game has to do with the battle between the Cardinals high powered offense versus the Seahawks defense. While this storyline isn’t without merit, more needs to be said about the Cardinals defense. The Cardinals have the 3rd ranked defense in overall DVOA per footballoutsiders.com. What may be surprising to some is that the Cardinals are outranking their divisional opponent using this metric (Seattle is 7th), and the Seahawks have shown to be vulnerable at times this season blowing leads in multiple games and losing while giving up big plays in the passing game. What I am getting at is Wilson will not have an easy day against this defense. The Cardinals have a great group of pass defenders themselves and have the ability to push around a weak Seattle offense to push Wilson out of the pocket and into mistakes. Wilson is one of the most sacked QBs in the NFL this year and with Lynch likely out again this week with another injury, he will have to take more snaps to keep up with the Cardinals offense and will likely spend a lot of time on his back and make some mistakes against this overlooked Cardinals defense. Marcus Mariota: Returning from injury last week, Mariota put up some impressive passing stats; 71.8% completion rate, 371 yards, and 4 TDs and 0 INTs. But that was last week against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. This week Mariota will face arguably his toughest challenge yet when the Carolina Panthers come to town. Carolina is the 2nd ranked defense in the entire NFL based on DVOA, and have been making even good offense look just flat out bad all year. Mariota is going to be pushed out of the pocket often, won’t have room to run with Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis lurking at the second level looking to get a crack at the young QB, and the this secondary has been outstanding especially CB Josh Norman, who has been arguably the best cover corner in the league this year and is playing at an All-Pro level. Leave the young QB on your bench this week if you can, he isn’t going to have a good day. Sleepers: Matt Cassel, Eli Manning, Kirk Cousins Running Backs Start’em DeAngelo Williams: With the Steelers facing the Browns and their second to last rush defense this is an easy choice but maybe for more reasons that just that. When Williams has been in the line-up this season for the Steelers he has been an absolute monster and looks much better than his age would suggest he would be. Also, keep in mind the Steelers will more than likely be without Big Ben again this week and will rely heavily on Williams to lighten the load on Landry Jones by getting at least 20-25 carries in this game. Look for Williams to top 100+ yards and have at least a TD to go with those yards. Mark Ingram: For the first few weeks of the season the Redskins had one of the best run defense in the NFL. Since then that run defense has fallen apart, probably largely due to the fact that they find themselves trailing in most games which gives teams the chance to attack them repeatedly with their running games. The Saints have the skill and ability to be one of these teams. Their passing offense is always dangerous, but Ingram has somewhat quietly been a quality back for the last season and a half. In PPR leagues Ingram is a must start every time the Saints hit the field as he has become a dual threat back and gets a lot of attention from Brees when he needs a check down or short yardage for first downs. Ingram as the ability to rack up points in the running and passing game so he is a quality play no matter what this week. Sit’em Justin Forsett: Unless you have Forsett in a PPR league, get him on your bench and keep him there this week. Yes, the Ravens are playing the Jags this week, but if there is one thing the Jags defense does well, it’s stopping the run. Last week against the Jets, a good running team lead by a big powerful back with Chris Ivory had very little success moving the ball against the Jags run defense. Ivory had 23 attempts for 26 yards. That is impressive for any defense no matter who the back is, let alone a back of Ivory’s ilk. Forsett can still be dangerous in the passing game especially since it seems like every week Flacco has even less to work with, so in PPR he might be worth starting as a Flex, but in standard leagues let him ride the pine this week. All Giants Running Backs: I am not sure what is going on in Ben Mcadoo’s head but for some reason it appears every week he adds another back into the rotation which is up to 4 backs in any given game in recent weeks. Even when he gets good production from a back like Jennings who two weeks ago had 10 carries for 52 yards, he stopped feeding him the bad and mixed in his other backs for some reason. I realize that many teams in the NFL are taking a RB by committee approach making it harder and harder to find quality consistent starts in Fantasy, but what the Giants are doing is just baffling. If you have Jennings, Vereen, Williams, or Darkwa sit them this week because none of them are going to see enough touches against the Patriots who are actually very good against the run, to have any kind of reliable success for your team. Also, let’s not forget the Patriots have been pretty much unstoppable on offense this year and that will continue this week and the Giants aren’t going to be running the ball much if they hope to stay in this game. Sleepers: James Starks, TJ Yeldon, Jeremy Hill Wide Receiver Start’em Reuben Randle: One thing that the whole league knows about the Patriots and Belichick’s defense is that they will do whatever it takes to shut down or at least contain what you do best. For the Giants that is the Manning to Beckham connection. I am not saying they are good enough to stop that connection, but they will do everything they can to limit its success which should leave Randal in plenty of favorable one on one match ups all game long. This game has the chance to become a shootout which is why playing Randle this week is a smart move as he should see a decent jump in his targets this week and he has the size and skill to make the most of them. DeSean Jackson: Finally back to being relatively healthy and with a favorable match up this week against the Saints, play Jackson as he will see plenty of passes thrown his way to rack up chuck yards and scores against the Saints poor pass defense. Another game that could be exciting to watch if all you want to see is offense as both teams have struggled to keep their opponents out of the end zone, Jackson will benefit from the fast pace air raid as there are probably no CBs in the entire league that can keep up with Jackson’s speed and endurance if he’s going deep every play and is bound to bust a few for some big yards and a score. Sit’em DeAndre Hopkins: For anyone that has read my fantasy articles, knows I am not one to shy away from a bold prediction. This week is no different. This week the Texans travel to Cincinnati to face the undefeated Bengals, they will do so with no running game, a QB that is playing better this year but still isn’t anything special, and one massive weapon in the passing game with Hopkins. With that said the Bengals are 10th against the pass and will have no problem doubling this monster all game to limit his ability to affect any semblance of an offensive attack against the undefeated Bengals on MNF. If Houston is going to move the ball consistently through the air, it will be because Hopkins will command so much attention, not because of his production. Marques Colston: Yes, I already said this week should be a shoot-out between the Saint and Redskins, or at least the Saints should move the ball throw the air with little issue. However, with that said Colstonwon’t be a major role player in that air attack. Breeshas relied heavily on Watson, Ingram, Snead, and Cooks all year and this week will be no different. At one time Colston was easily Brees’ safety blanket, but not any longer and he doesn’t see many target these days, and in the rare event he does, he doesn’t have the explosiveness to make the most out of those targets like he used to. Sleepers: Jarvis Landry, Travis Benjamin, John Brown Tight Ends Start’em Gary Barnidge: Barnidge has put up some incredible game this year and seems to do his best when McCownis the one throwing the passes for Cleveland. With Cleveland playing “Guess Who” at QB this week I am still comfortable with starting Barnidge against the Steelers this week. The Steelers struggle against good TEs and Barnidge has been great this season. Even if Manziel gets the start, he showed some repore last week with Barnidge targeting him more than he had in any other game he played with Barnidge prior to that game. No matter which QB is throwing him the ball, he will get his catches, yards, and probably a TD this week. Travis Kelce: Even with Denver hosting the Chiefs this week, and still having the #1 ranked overall defense in DVOA, the Chiefs should be able to take advantage of this Kelce this week any whatever coverage he draws due to the shortcomings on the Broncos defense this week. With Talib suspended this week that probably means that DC Wade Philips will need to move Chris Harris outside to cover Maclin which will leave Kelce primarily matched up with back up covers or LBs, neither of which are going to be good enough to match up with this young rising star. Kelce could be a key cog in the Chiefs offense this week as they look to continue to climb out of the AFC cellar into a possible Wild Card spot. Expect Kelce to see a lot of passes and do what he does best, rack up yards after the catch. Sit’em Owen Daniels: Yes, Daniels has been seeing more and more targets as the season has progressed this year, but that was before Vernon Davis came into the picture. While Daniels is a reliable TE he doesn’t possess the speed, ball skills, or route running the Broncos have been looking to replace since Julius Thomas left in free agency. Due to a little bit of a log jam it would be best to sit Daniels this week as Davis is going to be taking more and more of his snaps, and will become a larger part in this Denver passing game. Delaine Walker: Although Walker has emerged as Mariota’s favorite target in the passing game, this week he will have a tough time getting open against the Panthers back seven. Between the Panthers corners, safeties, and outstanding cover LBs, Walker will have trouble finding space with the having to face this ravenous defense and won’t have the big days he has become accustomed to when Mariota is taking the snaps at QB. Sleepers: Vernon Davis, Greg Olsen, Jason Witten Defense Start’em Carolina Panthers: As surprising as the Panthers 8-0 start maybe, more credit needs to be given to this defense. Yes, Cam Newton is having an unbelievable year considering what he has to work with on offense, but it’s the defense that is keeping opponents out of the end zone so that Cam can have time to make one or two big plays to win games. Playing the Titans this weekend, they should feast on a rookie QB and shutdown an already questionable rushing attack by the Titans. Philadelphia Eagles: Philly has quietly climbed the latter in defensive rankings this season, and should continue down that path as they host the Miami Dolphins. Besides two impressive wins against listless teams, Miami has struggled all season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Tannehill seems to be regressing after his big extension and Bill Lazor can’t seem to figure out how to properly utilize all the weapons the Dolphins acquired this offseason. Philly is 3rd against the pass and 9th against the rush according the DVOA rankings and shouldn’t have a problem stopping this misfiring offense and getting after Tannehill to get some sacks and a few turnovers. Arizona Cardinals: Even with facing the multifaceted offense of the Seahawks, the Cardinals will be more than up to the task of stopping whatever Seattle attempts to throw at them. If Lynch doesn’t in fact play, this will help the Cardinals pin their ears back and go right after Wilson and his terrible offensive line. This will be a long day for the Seahawks offense barring a complete failure by the Cardinals offense. Not only is Arizona going to stop this offense, they are going to walk away with their second win in three years in Seattle. Sit’em New York Giants: They play the Patriots and have one of the worst pass defense in the entire NFL, do I need to say more? Bench them, they are going to get run over by a truck. Gone are the days of the Giants and the best pass rushing defensive line in the NFL to get after Brady, and the Giants even when healthy have struggled to put up and semblance of a respectable pass defense which is all the Pats seem to do these days. Bench them for pretty much another defense, this isn’t going to be pretty. Sleepers: Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings Survivor League Pick: Minnesota Vikings  By Anthony Stampone
Position by position Start’em, Sit’em, and Sleeper look at fantasy Hashtag Style Quarterbacks Start’em Tyrod Taylor: After an extended leave due to an injury, Taylor couldn’t be coming back at a better time to and is reportedly at full health as the Bills face the Dolphins who they stomped earlier this year. Taylor is supposed to be getting back one of his best weapons in Sammy Watkins this week and is also going to have his full stable of backs ready to go against the Dolphins at home. With having a healthy back field and getting back one of the most dangerous offensive weapons back in the passing game, look for Taylor to have another huge game against a still underachieving and banged up Miami defense. Taylor could be a great value play in one week fantasy leagues as he comes relatively cheap and has the ability to rack up points with his arm and his legs. Eli Manning: Coming off of an outstanding outing against the Saint last week, Manning found open receiving options all over the field and had an incredible day throwing 6 TDs, 350 yards, and had a very impressive 73.2% completion percentage. Manning has quietly been playing at a Pro-Bowl level all season even though he has saw some of his weapons in and out of the line-up due to injuries. The Giants are the away team this week, but with traveling to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers, it might not really be much of a disadvantage. Tampa’s defense still hasn’t found consistent success and struggles mightily against the pass. Expect Manning to have another big day and should put up at least 250 yards and 2 TD passes. Sit’em Ryan Fitzpatrick: With torn ligaments in his non-throwing hand and still getting the start really says what the Jets think about their back up QB Geno Smith (who is in all fairness also banged up). Expect the Amish Rifle to struggle handling the ball especially snaps with the injury to his left hand, and watch the Jets rely heavily on Chris Ivory and the backfield to carry much of the load for the Jets against the Jags this week. Fitzpatrick is already well known for being prone to turnovers, and having added issues handling the ball isn’t going to help matters in all facets his game. Leave Fitz on the bench this week even with a weak defense playing on the other side of the ball. Andrew Luck: This suggestion may not come as much of a surprise to many due to Luck’s play alone this season as he is leading the NFL in interceptions and has struggle with accuracy all season long. He did show up some over the last 3 weeks throwing 8 TDs but also had 5 INTs in those games. Luck’s season isn’t going to get much better this week as he has to face off against the best defense in the NFL with the Broncos coming to town. The Broncos defense held Aaron Rodgers to a epically bad day last week and Rodgers is far and beyond a better QB than Luck is and has a much better offensive line. Luck is going to be looking the ceiling of Lucas Oil field early and often this week and will probably have at least 2 turnovers. Use another QB this week. Sleepers: Derek Carr, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan Running Backs: Start’em LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams: Yes, I am saying that both McCoy and Willaims can and should have big days against this Miami defense. Miami is down one of its best defensive front 7 defenders with Cameron Wake out for the year and even when he was in they have struggled to stop the run. McCoy will see the majority of work early in this game which can help the Bills break this game wide open early opening the door for Karlos Williams to come in and close the game out leading both backs to potentially having great games and a score each. Chris Ivory: After being bottled up the last two weeks against the Raiders and Patriots, look for Ivory to get back on track and returning to his early season form against the Jaguars. With both QBs banged up the Jets are going to need Ivory to carry the load and against the Jaguars sad defense this week. Ivory has proven he is more than capable of being a dominate when he can get enough carries to make a difference in a game and with the bad Jaguars defense and the Jags offense still a work in progress against a potent Jets defense, the Jets and Ivory will have plenty of chances to cash in and control the ball. Sit’em DeMarco Murray: There are a lot of people out there claiming this is going to be a statement game for Murray and expect him to have a big game against his former team in his first trip back to Dallas. I however am not one of these prognosticators who feels that Murray is just going to run all over this Dallas defense. Keep in mind that back in week 2 when the Eagles were the home team, Murray had 13 carries for 2 yes you read that correctly 2 yards! I am not going to say that he will perform that poorly again this week but the Eagles best lineman Jason Peters may not play this week, and the Dallas defense is even better this week than it was back in week 2. The Cowboys now have Greg Hardy, Ronaldo McClain, and a healthy Randy Gregory ready to start to contribute, Murray is in for a very long day and so is Sam Bradford. Keep Murray on your bench and play one of your other backs even if they are just a “flex” option guy. TJ Yeldon: Yes, I am aware the Yeldon ran all over the Bills 6th rank rush defense in London two weeks ago, but that was largely due to the Jags playing with a lead most of the game. This week Yeldon faces a daunting task of playing the Jets defense that is looking to rebound after two very poor performances back to back. The Jets play a very aggressive style of defense, and have no issues bring the house to shut down the other teams rushing attack to make them one dimensional early. The Jets do have the personal to do all this without having to bring an 8th man into the box so look for another option this week as Yeldon isn’t going to have a big game. Sleepers: Ronnie Hillman, Darren McFadden, Rashad Jennings Wide Receivers: Start’em Willie Snead: I would seriously check your leagues waiver wire and see if he is still available. Snead has quietly become Drew Brees’ go to guy in the passing game and he leads the Saints in receiving yards even with Brandin Cooks on the team. If he is not on your team and you can manage the trade for a few role players, do it! Brees, Snead, and the Saints offense has been clicking on all cylinders lately, and I do not anticipate this changing anytime soon. As many of us have saw in the past, once Brees gets going he can be one of the hardest to slow down, let alone stop in the league. Snead is an awesome option this week and can be a steal in weekly leagues if you play them. Playing the Titans defense should make for a big week for the entire Saints passing offense, especially Snead. Emmanuel Sanders: Against the Packers last week Sanders struggled to find ways to get open and get the ball while Manning finally looked like the Manning we know he can be. Facing the Colts this week and with Demaryius Thomas more than likely drawing the attention of the Colts best cover man Vontae Davis, Sanders should see plenty of favorable matchups and have a big day as the Broncos look to dismantle the Colts and continue on with their impressive undefeated season. Sit’em Entire Colts Receiving Corps: As this season approached, many felt that the Colts had done a nice job of bolstering an already potent and explosive passing attach by adding Andre Johnson and Philip Dorsett to go with TY Hilton and an impressive duo of TEs. Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case and as the Broncos showed they are more than capable of shutting down even a strong passing game and they will continue to do so this week. If any of Andrew Luck’s weapons are in your line up, sit them! It is going to take a lot of luck (no pun intended), for any of these receiving options to have a day worth having them play in your starting line-up. Dez Bryant: For the second week in a row I am telling you to hold off on playing Bryant. I will admit, after watching the game Bryant looked more than game ready and actually played better against Richard Sherman than many will give him credit for and was open more than people may have notices. Even with that said, it is not Bryant that is the reason for this decision it’s who his QB is. Matt Cassel continues to show why he is at best a back-up QB in this league and lacks the talent and arm strength to throw the passes that Dez has made his bread and butter in his still young career. Due to Cassel’s inability to push the ball down field, Bryant isn’t going to see enough quality throws to have a big enough day to give up a roster spot in your starting line-up. Sleepers: James Jones, Robert Woods, Alshon Jeffries Tight Ends: Start’em Ben Watson: Another player than I wouldn’t be shocked might still be sitting on your leagues waiver wire, just waiting to be claimed. Watson has been a beast this year and has enjoyed somewhat of a career revival this year with Brees targeting him early and often with great success. Before this season started many had relegated Watson as a player holding on to the end of his career and being primarily a run blocking TE. With the exit of Jimmy Graham via trade and the other TEs on the team unable to win the primary pass catching role with the open vacancy, Watson has been much more than just a blocker. Get Watson in your line up this week and you won’t be disappointed since Watson is going to see a lot of favorable match ups this week against the Titans. Greg Olsen: A model of consistency as a starting TE in the NFL, Olsen is an “old school TE” as he does it all. He blocks, can play HB, and catches passes with the best of them. As Cam Newton’s only legitimate weapon in the passing game, and the Packers coming to town looking to get their offense back on track against a great defense, I see the Panthers doing everything they can to get in front of the Packers early and keeping that lead by playing ball control. One of the ways they are going to accomplish these goals is to get Olsen involved early to get the lead and then using him again to gain first downs and keep the clock running and Rodgers off the field. Sit’em Julius Thomas: Still dealing with health issues and even when he is in the game he doesn’t seem to be seeing as many passes as he is accustomed to, Thomas is still a liability as your starting TE. Also, the Jets have one of the best pass defenses in the NFL and even with Cromartie and Revis having to focus on young rising stars Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, they still have Buster Skrein who can hang with some of the best himself to cover Thomas and limit his production. Keep Thomas on the bench, because as his history shows, he is more than likely to end up there anyway. Richard Rodgers: Rodgers has been hot and cold all season, and the cold is about to get colder. With GB facing the Panthers this week, one of many strong points of the Panthers defense is their ability to provide quality coverage without sacrificing their whole defensive scheme thanks to two very talented men in the middle built for covering TEs and even some slot WOs. These two guys are Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly are two of the best in the league all around LBs in the NFL. Both Players have great speed, instincts, and reaction pre and post snap to read the offense and cover or stop the run in its tracks and it’s these skills that will keep Rodgers from having any semblance of a big day against these incredible LBs. Sleepers: Vernon Davis, Charles Clay, Martellus Bennett Defenses: Start’em Dallas Cowboys: While many pundits around the NFL will want you to believe that Chip Kelly and his offense are starting to find their way, I’m still not convinced that this offense especially in the hands of Sam Bradford as QB. Dallas’ defense is rounding into form and is almost completely healthy and playing very well. Last week Dallas’ defense almost stole a game for them against a good Seahawks team, and I see them getting after Bradford early and often, frustrating him into turnovers, bad throws, incompletions, and taking sacks. This defense is getting good enough that if they can steal a game or two, once Romo is back Dallas can be a legitimate threat in the NFC. St. Louis Rams: Facing a young growing QB, and a RB that although he is preforming isn’t who he once was, this Rams defense should eat the Vikings offense up without issue. Bridgewater, a young QB who has great poise in the pocket and doesn’t rattle to easily for a young QB will be in for a long day and the Rams will help put their team into position to take a win here, even if the offense isn’t up for the task. Sit’em Chicago Bears: While this unit has surprisingly improved under first year head coach John Fox, it still isn’t where it needs to be to be competitive against a QB of Rivers ability. Even with Keenan Allen out for the season Rivers still has enough weapons, but more importantly skill and intelligence to pick apart a below average or even average defense to keep his team in games. With little risk of a pass rush and a young and growing secondary working towards finding their way to being competitive on a weekly basis, Rivers is going to make them pay early and often. Drop or bench the Bears defense, there are plenty of other defenses that are better options not just for this week, but for the rest of the season as well. Oakland Raiders: This young unit is rounding into form nicely under head coach Jack Del Rio, but still need more time to become a dominate unit on a week in and week out basis. With the Steelers coming to town and Roethlisberger in his second game back since his injury, he will be more than ready to use the weapons he does still have in the passing game and crave up this young and up and coming defense. If it was another year or two from now I would pick this defense as a play this week, but they aren’t quite there just yet. Sleepers: Buffalo Bills, New England, New York Giants Survivor League Pick: St. Louis Rams  By Anthony Stampone
Position by position Start’em, Sit’em, and Sleeper look at fantasy Hashtag Style Quarterbacks Start’em Drew Brees: It took a little while but it finally clicked for Brees and this passing offense. Over the last four games Brees has his team running a 3-1 record with a 6:2 TD to INT ratio over those 4 games. Brees has also passed for an average of 315 yards over the last four games and seems to have found his stride and will look to keep it going as the Saints host the NY Giants this week. Brees is a machine at home since becoming a Saint and the Giants pass defense doesn’t really scare anyone. Look for Brees to continue his upward trend this week as he looks to keep the Saints faint prayers of making the playoffs alive against a fellow potential wild card contender this week. Brian Hoyer: Looking for a one week play at QB that should net you some much needed QB relief depending on your teams QB health, strength, or schedule, grab up Hoyer off the waiver wire for this week. Hoyer has actually put up some decent stats this year (Yes, most of it has to do with the fact that the Texans play from behind an awful lot), but Hoyer does have a nice group of play makers on his side. Even with Adrian Foster out for the rest of the season, the Texans still have DeAndre Hopkins who at times has been unstoppable this season and Nate Washington is back to full health and averages over 10 target per week when he is in the line-up. Facing one of the worst all around defenses this week as the Texans host the Titans, this will be a great match up for Hoyer to exploit a poor secondary and rack up some much needed fantasy points for your team if you do not have a favorable match for your QB’s or they are hurt or on the bye. Sit’em Aaron Rodgers: As I sit here and type these words I realize how ludicrious this decision may seem, but trust me when I tell you it’s in the best interest of you team this week to play another QB if you have the option. Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL and I think there is little debate about that, but if you look at the Packers passing attack over the last few weeks, and how seemingly every week Rodgers loses another weapon in in passing game, there is only so much even the best in the game can do. Mix the Packers struggles to stay healthy with the fact that they will face the NFL’s top defense this week when they play the Broncos in Denver Sunday night, Rodgers is going to be in for a long night. The Broncos defense has not holes, they are stout against the run, cover as well as anybody in the league, create turnovers, score TDs at an alarming rate, and have no problem putting their oppositions QB on his back. While Rodgers has made a career of making plays using his feet to buy him time, this may not be an option this week as the Broncos boost outstanding coverage skills as well as the ability to make Rodgers uncomfortable in the pocket and take him down for multiple sacks. Derek Carr: Carr is showing he is deserving of the praise he has received regarding his progression towards becoming a legitimate passing threat in the NFL. However, Carr and the Raiders face an incredibly daunting task this week against a vaunted Jets defense that may have given Tom Brady the hardest challenge he has faced all season. The Jets, like the Broncos are the full package on the defensive side of the ball and will test Carr early and often to see if the kid can stand up to immense pressure and still be able to pick apart one of the best secondary’s in the league with a largely unproven cast of talented support players. Carr is coming off a big week and a great performance against the Chargers, but the Jets will test Carr and this passing offense in ways they haven’t had to deal with yet this year. Sleepers: Teddy Bridgewater, Jay Cutler, Peyton Manning Running Backs Start’em Chris Johnson: Enjoying somewhat of a career revival in Arizona this year CJ2K has been a good performer who’s seen a steady rise in his carries and performance each week since the start of the season. With the Cardinals playing the NFL’s worst rush defense this week when they travel to Cleveland, expect Johnson to see the ball early, often, and all game long as the Cardinals look to continue their dominate offensive play against a questionable and underachieving Browns defense. Last week Johnson rushed for 122 yards and a TD, don’t be surprises if he matches or even exceeds that production his week. Jonathan Stewart: Last week Stewart finally broke out with his first 100 yard rushing performance of the season posting 125 yards against the Eagles. This week Stewart and the undefeated Panthers look to continue their impressive win streak as they take on the underwhelming Colts on MNF. The Colts run defense is still a major problem and with the way Andrew Luck has played this year combined with the Panthers impressive defense, this sets up nicely for Stewart to play a major role in the Panthers offense this week. Stewart will see a ton of carries this week to give Newton a little bit of a break this week and extends his 100+ yard rushing weeks to two this week with at least one TD. Sit’em Darren McFadden: After Joseph Randle left the game due to injury and inconsistency so far this season, McFadden jumped all over the opportunity and posted his first 100+ yard performance last week rushing for 152 yards and a TD against the Giants. However the streak will be put right to an end this week as the Cowboys face the Seahawks. The Seahawks know the Cowboys have no semblance of a passing game to have to worry about even if Dez Bryant plays as Matt Cassel is well Matt Cassel and the Seahawks will have no problem putting their corners on islands in man on man coverage and stack the box to stop the run and force the Cowboys to pass the ball. Rashad Jennings: It appears Jennings days as the Giants primary running back are all but over at this point. Jennings has say his number of snaps drop almost every week since the beginning of the season. Once a promising fantasy selection has been basically relegated to a secondary role in the Giants offense as Mcadoo has gone with a rotating back approach with his offense with no one back seeing the large majority of snaps at any point recently. Sleepers: Matt Forte, Ameer Abdullah, Chris Ivory Wide Receivers Start’em Nate Washington: It is clear that in Houston DeAndre Hopkins is the clear cut number one receiver and it’s not even close. With that said it can’t be understated that when healthy, Washington is a big part of their offense. In four games this season when Washington played he has averaged over 10 targets per game with 16 coming last week which led to Washington having a big day hauling in nine of those targets for 127 yards and two touchdowns. With the Texans facing a very favorable match-up this week with division rival Jacksonville coming to town with a very unimpressive defense. Expect the Jags to roll coverage over the top in attempts to slow or stop Hopkins which will put Washington in favorable match ups for Hoyer to get him the ball. Antonio Brown: Man it feels good to be able to list him up here again with confidence. Yes, I know the Steelers face a tough challenge this week with havingto play the undefeated Bengals, but with Roethlisberger back in the fold expect Brown to get back to his usual self of catching at least seven passes for at least a 70+ yards every week as he did before Roethlisberger went down and Brown’s record setting unprecedented run of consecutive games of at least five catches and 50+ yards. This is a connection that only seems to work consistently when the two are together as both back-up QBs for the Steelers struggled to have consistent success with Brown who is one of the best WOs in the entire league and is among if not the best route runner in the whole league. Even against a very talented secondary, Brown will show all he needed was his partner in crime back to show he is virtually unstoppable for an entire game. Sit’em Dez Bryant: Although Cowboy fans will go nuts and I am sure there are many leagues in which Dez was either waived or traded for almost nothing due to his injury, Dez will come back and be a force in fantasy again; just not yet. Foot injuries are tricky and can seem fine and pop back out of nowhere, it would be smart of the Cowboys to put Dez on a pitch count until they are completely sure their franchise All-Pro WO is back to 100% health. Between not being sure how much Dez will go Sunday, and Matt Cassel taking the snaps for the Cowboys against the Seahawks, this is not the week to test your team’s ability to cover for a #1 WO and keep Dez on the bench for another week. Amari Cooper: So far, Cooper has come as advertised and is a strong early candidate for rookie of the year. With that said this week Cooper will face the toughest challenge he may see all season with facing the Jets defense and their impressive and imposing secondary. There is a good chance the Jets cut Darrell Revis loose on the Cooper and let him handle the rookie one on one all game long which is going to make for one long day for any rookie, no matter how good they are this early in their careers’. Sleepers: AJ Green, Stevie Johnson, Steve Smith Sr. Tight Ends Start’em Greg Olsen: At this point I should be forbidden to be allowed to pick Olsen and a start’em for tight ends given that he is an automatic in the Panthers offense and the only real weapon Newton has in the passing game, but since I write the column and my bosses haven’t told me I can’t pick him anymore, I am picking him again for the very reasons listed above. With the exception of a play here and a play there Olsen is by far Newton’s favorite, best, and most consistent target in the passing game. He is such a consistent important performer for the Panthers passing offense, if you can find the person in your league that has him if you don’t see if they are silly enough to trade him too you. Vernon Davis: The 49ers passing offense is putrid, and it’s scary how much Kaepernick has regressed over the last two seasons. Even with that said one thing stands out, the 49ers are a bad team and are going to have to throw the ball a lot no matter what and someone has to be the beneficiary of those passes. With all the rhetoric going on around the 49ers and their QB, there has been one person that has stood up for him; Davis. If you think this stuff doesn’t matter you’re only kidding yourself. Davis will see a little bit more “love” coming from his QB this week and put up some decent numbers for once against the Rams this week. Sit’em Jermaine Gresham: If you picked Gresham up for nothing more than you were running out of options, reconsider your selection. Yes. Gresham showed up some on the stat sheet finally last week and seems to have a good repore with QB Carson Palmer, Palmer just has far too many toys in his passing arsenal that do a better job of spreading the field and getting open than the once impressive Gresham does. Do yourself a favor and drop him or bench him for someone else, he holds little to no value for the Cardinals passing game. Tyler Eifert: This week the Bengals face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers and this game has shoot-out written all over it. Although Eifert has been outstanding this season, as bad the Steelers defense has been at times this when attempting to stop other teams passing attacks is that their LBs are good in coverage. The CBs and safeties will have their hands full with AJ Green, Sanu, and Marvin Jones it will be up to the Steelers LBs to do what they can to control and/or stop Eifert and I believe they can and will. Sleepers: Gary Barnidge, Kyle Rudolph, Ben Watson Defenses Start’em Denver Broncos: This is a bold choice considering their opponent has the best QB in the NFL right now in Aaron Rodgers, but I still see this defense giving Rodgers the most trouble he has had in quite some time. The can do it all, stop the run, cover receivers, get after the QB, and do pretty much anything you would want a top defense to do and is led by one of the best defensive minds in the league. Wade Phillips and his group will be aggressive, blitz early and often, and will leave and trust their corners in one on one coverage and they are more than capable to hold their own that Sunday night is going to be a long night for Rodgers. Carolina Panthers: This is a one tough group and they can hang with pretty much any offense in the league. You want to pass against them, go ahead and try but it is only going to get so far, want to run; never mind don’t even waste your time, you aren’t running on this team. This week the Panthers get another test in Andrew Luck. The real question at this point should be, is he the test or are the Panthers defense? That question will be answered over and over again on MNF as the Panthers defense will shut down Luck and continue what has been a terrible season for him. Sit’em Cleveland Browns: You are one of the league’s worst defenses and you are playing the top rated offense in the league with more weapons than you could ever imagine attempting to cover and slow down. Once you think you have the Cardinals offense stopped they just roll out another weapon from their deep stable or options or use them same weapons a new way, either way Cleveland isn’t stopping this offense, bench them. Tampa Bay Bucs: You’re a defense that has a ton of talent but your coach just can’t seem to find the right way to play to your strengths, you might be a member of the Tampa Bay defense. This unit is full of talent, has brought in other talent from the outside and cast it away already because they don’t know how to use it. That hasn’t changed much since Lovie Smith arrived on the scene last season and it doesn’t look like it’s getting much better in year two so far. With the red hot Falcons hosting you this week and their high powered offense that can beat you by air, land, and sea, you are in for a long day. If the Bucs are your defense this week, find someone else, the Falcons are not going to make this a fun day for their division rival. Sleepers: KC, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys Survivor league pick: Carolina Panthers |