Before we talk a little start’em sit’em I want to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the food, the football and everything else you are thankful for.
This week, along with some added content, I am putting down a few names in places that may surprise you. Check them out:
Start’em if you got’em
Vince Young QB (TEN) - I think Vince is going to continue is hot streak against Cinci this week. Over the past two weeks he has thrown for 257 and 305 yards against much stronger defenses than the Bengals 30th ranked unit. He also has been racking up yards on the ground; 52 against Jacksonville and 74 plus a touchdown against Denver. He will deal with the sore quad to put up over 275 yards and 2 td’s passing and 50 yards and a td rushing.
Final stats: 246 passing, 0 touchdowns and 6 yards rushing, 0 touchdowns.
Final thoughts: He killed me in three leagues. Five trips to the redzone and only 6 points. How do you not get any touchdowns against a bad defense?
Chris Henry WR (CIN) - All he has done since returning from his suspension is put up numbers. In two weeks he has 12 catches for 180 and a TD. Also, this week he may be the number two if Housh isn’t able to go. All that and the Titans defense has been slipping the past few weeks since Haynesworth went down. I can easily see another 7 catches for 100+ and a touchdown.
Final stats: 3 catches for 41 yards.
Final thoughts: Housh played and pretty much everything else went to Chad Johnson who was able to break out a long drought.
Sit’em if you’ve got em
Daunte Culpepper QB (OAK) - If you are one of those people who is all jacked up on Daunte because he posted 300 yards on the Vikes, don’t be. This week he will have a much more difficult time against the Kansas City defense who has only allowed nine touchdowns through the air. The last time he played them he was only good for 228 and a touchdown. Jared Allen will be in his mug all day which will keep him under 228 yards again, prevent him from scoring any touchdowns and cause him to turn the ball over at least twice.
Final stats: 170 yards passing and 0 touchdowns. Oh and no turnovers.
Final thoughts: Pretty efficient performance. This game was all about the running game on both sides of the ball.
Frank Gore RB (SF) - My how the mighty have fallen. He has to be one of the biggest bust of this year and it is time to start sitting him down before he does anymore damage. This week he takes on an Arizona defense that held him to 55 yards and a touchdown in their first meeting. The touchdown Frank scored was kind of fluky since it was the result of a turnover by the Cards in San Fran territory. He won’t be that lucky this time with the improved Cards defense playing tough at home. I’ll be generous and give him 50 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Final stats: 116 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns and 11 catches for 98 yards.
Final thoughts: Wow, the guy stunk ALL YEAR and bam. I’ve been debating for a few weeks whether or not to put him on the sit’em list. Sure enough, the second I do, he goes off. Also, his first touchdown was scored off of a Cardinal turnover deep in Niners territory, just like the first game.
**Bonus Thought** Donovan McNabb QB (PHI) - If he plays you might want to put him down anyway against the Patriots. I have a feeling that he will be getting sacked a lot which will make him more likely to leave the game anyway. Less than 150 yards and no touchdowns.
Final stats: Did not play.
Final thoughts: We’ll never know if he could’ve hung with the Pats.
Sleepers: don’t be surprised if…
…Peyton Manning QB (IND) has another less than Peyton performance against Atlanta. He has been struggling as of late in part because his line and receiving corp are banged up. Add to that the fact that it is a road game on a short week and the Colts will be looking to gut it out with the run game. I know it hurts but if you have the balls to do it, and you have a decent alternative, you should put him down. Less then 200 yards and maybe 1 touchdown.
Final stats: 272 yards, 3 touchdowns and a interception.
Final thoughts: My prediction was looking pretty good… for about a quarter and a half.
…Kolby Smith RB (KC) is able to produce a solid game against the arch rival Raiders this week. Not to take anything away from Chester Taylor and the Vikes but they were able to easily blow huge holes through the Oakland 29th rank rush defense last week. The Chiefs aren’t on the same level but they should have some success too. If you want to roll the dice, this is as safe a bet as any if you need a mid to low end RB2 or RB3. Put him down to get 80 yards and a touchdown.
Final stats: 150 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Final thoughts: Great game out of the rookie. Too bad they lost.
…the Jets play the Cowboys tough. This isn’t really fantasy but what the hell. I watched the replay of Jets game against Pittsburgh last week and they played well. It looks like they may have worked on some things during the bye week. If Jones can run the ball like he did last week and the defense can put pressure on the QB like they did last week, Dallas needs to look out. While watching, keep an eye on Chris Baker the tight end, he was getting lots of looks from Clemens last week and good do well down the stretch with a few soft defenses on the schedule. The Jets will keep it close, I say 27-21 Cowboys.
Final score: 34-3 Dallas
Final thoughts: Boy I was sure close wasn’t I? Like I said, if they can run the ball and put pressure on Romo they can keep it close. They couldn’t run the ball - probably because Clemens doesn’t scare anyone - and the defense started breaking down little by little as they wore down. I was drunk on Jets karma after watching their game against the Steelers. I will watch myself in the future replay and just try to stick to fantasy picks from now on.
Be sure to check out my Fantasy Football Waiver Wire post because you may be able to pick out a sleeper or two on your own.
As always, that is not all my friend. There are a few other stops you should make before finalizing your starting lineup.
First, make sure you stop by and see how the Fantasy Football Librarian can help you. Every week she posts all of the start’em sit’em articles, player ranking posts and waiver wire lists that she can find so that you don’t have to hunt for them yourself. Check her out and tell her the Goat says hi.
Second, you can get more in-depth NFL player projections throughout the week by checking out the Bruno Boys website over on MVN.com.
Third, be on the lookout for the weekly fantasy football start’em sit’em podcast I co-host with Marc Caviglia.