Love

Jamaal Charles, RB, KC – The Broncos run defense is not quite as bad as Buffalo’s… but it is close!  They are currently ranked 30^th in the NFL and are allowing an average of 141 yards per game… and the Chiefs have the best rushing attack in the league.

Santonio Holmes, WR, NYJ – The Patriots’ secondary has done the unthinkable… fallen below the Texans in yards per game allowed.  Also, Brady and the Pats’ offense is firing on all cylinders… so Sanchez and the Jets will need to score a lot of points and move the ball primarily through the air in this game.

Michael Vick, QB, PHI – Vick goes against the Texans 31^st ranked pass defense and given his level of play over the course of the season, he is going to be my top ranked QB this week.

Mario Manningham, WR, NYG – The Redskins defense has fallen apart and the offense is not able to consistently produce points.  It looks as if Manningham will be the top receiver on the depth chart for New York this game and other than Kevin Boss, there is no one else Manning will trust near the end zone.

Mike Tolbert, RB, SD – With the Raiders 28^th ranked run defense at home for a match up, I have a good feeling that Tolbert will be able to put together his third straight 100 yard performance.  Tolbert also specializes in short yardage runs, so there is no one to vulture any TDs from him at the 1 yard line.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, PHI – Even though DeSean Jackson is on the top of the depth chart, Maclin has been remarkably consistent over the course of the fantasy season and the Texans are not able to stop people from passing on them.  I foresee a blowout performance by the Eagles in this game, who are looking to make a statement after a week 12 loss to the Bears.

Steven Jackson, RB, STL – The NFC West is up for grabs and with Frank Gore out for the year, the Rams are the team that is best equipped to make a run for the playoffs.  Why? Because of Jackson and his power-running style.  As for this week, the Cardinals are allowing an average of 24 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.

Jay Cutler, QB, CHI – How can you not love Cutler after a 4 TD 0 INT performance against the Eagles last week, especially with a game against the Lions!  Detroit should be starting Drew Stanton at QB for this game and with the struggles of their running game, expect the Bears to win this one handily.

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND – The Colts have to get their season back on the right track.  Addai is going to be returning soon and Manning will have both of his trusted veterans back in place.  Wayne has not had very many big games this season, but he has been consistent and he has the trust of his QB.

Hate

Wes Welker, WR, NE – There is some talk that Revis might not be on Welker the entire game… how can this be true?  Who is a bigger threat at receiver than Welker for the Patriots? Exactly. Despite his recent turnaround, there is too much risk with starting Welker here.  Treat it as a test… if he can get decent production in this matchup, he is back to a must-start for the playoffs!

Cedric Benson, RB, CIN – With the defending super bowl champions coming to town this week, the Bengals are extremely likely to be playing from behind almost the entire game and Benson will be made irrelevant by the need to pass the ball.  This has been the story of his entire season.

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET – With the Lions down to their 3^rd QB for their week 13 matchup against the Bears, there is little chance that the Lions are able to play at a high level like they have all season.  The Bears will pressure Drew Stanton all game and it is very difficult to throw touchdown passes to your pro bowl wide receiver when you are lying on your back.  You still have to start Megatron, but lower your expectations.

Brian Westbrook, RB, SF – The 49ers have come out and said that they will not likely use Westbrook as the feature back for the rest of the way.  This is due to the fact that they are just one game back from leading their division and making the playoffs!  Westbrook would not be able to play at a high level with 25 or so carries a game into the playoffs and you can expect to see him share carries with Anthony Dixon.  The main reason for not liking Westbrook this week is their opponent however… I don’t see how the Packers lose back to back games when they host the 9ers this week.

Chad Ochocinco, WR, CIN – He is still just too risky to start.  The Bengals offense is in disarray and the defense is being dismantled by injuries.  The Saints are currently ranked 3^rd in the NFL at defending the pass, so the only Bengal receiver you should consider starting is TO unless you’re in a deep format or injury trouble.

Matt Schaub, QB, HOU – the Eagles were missing Asante Samuel last week in their loss to the Bears.  It appears as though he will be a go for the Thursday night game this week against Schaub and the Texans.  You should sit Schaub if you have a viable alternative, as Samuel is the ball hawk that completes this Eagles secondary.

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Studs

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – What more is there to say about this guy? He is lighting the NFL on fire with his performance this season.  With Gore out for the year, Adrian Peterson is the ONLY back I would rather own than Hillis.  Not bad for a free agent acquisition.  Hillis racked up 131 yards rushing and scored three times, he was also able to add 68 receiving yards.  Hillis is the key to the success of the Browns offense and there is just no way that his workload diminishes.  You can’t ask for a better guy to take into the playoffs.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC - Speaking of players performing at an elite level… Dwayne Bowe went from a HUGE early-season disappointment, to a fantasy owners dream.  Just in time for the playoffs too!  You can’t afford to sit this guy on your bench… no matter who you have on your team.  Bowe currently leads the NFL with 14 receiving TDs, exactly one more than any player had last year over the course of all 16 games.  Bowe has 13 of his 14 scores in the last 7 weeks… talk about a hot streak!

Brian Westbrook, RB, SF – Before this week Westbrook had just 5 carries and 9 yards.  After Frank Gore’s fantasy-season ended early in week 12, Brian saw 23 carries and tallied 123 yards and a rushing TD.  Westbrook used to be a fantasy-stud and since we only need him for a few weeks… I am not scared of his age at all.  I didn’t get to include him in my pickups article this week since this all happened on Monday, but make sure you pick up Westbrook and keep him from the Gore owner who just got screwed over for the playoffs!

Michael Vick, QB, PHI - What more can you ask for a QB that no one drafted? I know that I personally have yet to lose with Vick in my lineup this fantasy-season and despite losing this week, Vick’s performance was excellent.  Look for another HUGE game from Vick in Week 13 as he faces the league’s worst secondary on Thursday night in prime time.

Wes Welker, WR, NE – Well, two good games in a row for a guy like Welker would usually mean a significant increase in the rankings… but as he is by far the top wide receiver on the Patriots, we can expect him to see a lot of snaps across from Darrelle Revis and that typically leads to a pretty terrible fantasy-performance.

Fred Jackson, RB, BUF - I don’t have any specific numbers to back this up, so feel free to correct me in the comments, but Fred Jackson had what is sure to be the best fantasy performance that ANY RB has had against the Steelers all season.  And as I said last week when I put Jackson on my Hate list (sorry about that)… his only chance was in the passing game.  I really think that Jackson is a must-start RB2 regardless of match up the rest of the season.

Mike Goodson, RB, CAR – While I am surprised to see so much work go to Jonathan Stewart after how productive Goodson was the past couple weeks, the tandem approach led to the Panther’s most dominant rushing performance of the year.  It was a winning approach if Kasay can make that field goal too… Look for more of the same, with Goodson having the most fantasy value due to his value in the passing game.  Goodson is a flex-play here and Stewart is more of a bench player/injury fill-in.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT - Like I said last week, you start your running backs against the Buffalo Bills.  We don’t learn anything new from this big-performance by Mendenhall, who will remain a low-end top 10 RB the rest of the season.

Mike Tolbert, RB, SD – Norv Turner isn’t one to play games with his running backs like Shanahan and Todd Haley do… so even when Ryan Mathews comes back from injury, expect Tolbert to carry the load as the Charger’s lead back.  You can bank on him being a flex-play the rest of the season and many Frank Gore owners will likely be using him as an RB 2 to salvage any playoff hopes they may have.

Duds

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN - Zero points is not acceptable from a number 1 overall draft pick.  Johnson has had some disappointing performances… and with this one he validates the decision that some people made to take AP over him with the first overall pick this year.  Truly great players are able to perform and be a positive for their team when they are struggling.  Rusty Smith or not, this should not have happened.  With Kerry Collins likely to return, you need to weather the storm and the offense should stabilize when Collins does return.

Terrell Owens, WR, CIN - Have you met Darelle Revis? I won’t likely include someone who is on Revis Island again in my Duds list, but with how dominant Owens has been all year… this is an announcement that the Revis-effect is back.

Anquan Boldin, WR, BAL - He didn’t used to have so many bad games while in Arizona… but he also didn’t have the upside that he has on this Ravens offense.  I am very low on Boldin this week going against the Steelers, but after that is Houston… so there is a light at the end of this tunnel.  Hopefully you drafted well enough to consider him a flex-option or WR3, which is where I will be ranking him from here on out.

Dez Bryant, WR, DAL - It is time to come back down to earth when ranking Bryant.  It was such a successful strategy for the Saints, who where able to make the rookie visibly upset.  It affected his play and you should expect to see the Colts employ a very similar strategy.

Jahvid Best, RB, DET – Both of his feet have turf toe now, saw no work last week on thanksgiving and I can’t rank him as someone you should consider starting any longer.

Mike Williams, WR, TB - He wasn’t able to rack up many yards or find the endzone… but the Ravens are still a very good defense and the Buccaneers struggle against quality opponents.  Luckily, there are no good secondaries left on the Buccs schedule until week 17.

Mike Wallace, WR, PIT - I have spent some time trying to convince people that the Bills are not a good opponent for WRs and QBs this season.  Now that the offense is playing well, it is even more apparent. Wallace is fine going forward, the Steelers are still an elite team in the AFC.

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This is the year of Frank Gore.  After drafting two offensive linemen this year and discovering that Alex Smith is indeed starting to develop nicely as a leader of their offense, I predict Frank Gore to be the biggest beneficiary.  Last year, through mediocre line play, a quarterback change and an injury Gore was the 6th highest producing RB in fantasy football.  Crabtree is another guy that should exceed expectations this year once he has a full off-season and training camp under his belt to build a rhythm with the offense.  The 49ers just brought in veteran Brian Westbrook after the retirement of Glen Coffee and he should be a great compliment to Gore who can come in on obvious passing scenarios.

Fantasy Relevant Players

Frank Gore – I predict 1600 yards and at least 10 Touchdowns.  The reason I rank him fourth is that if Smith and the passing game are a viable option and can keep the 8th man out of the box Gore will exceed both numbers.

Michael Crabtree – There was a reason this guy was able to holdout of his rookie season… He’s really good.  If he can mature as a player along side Alex Smith this season and years to come could get pretty exciting.  I have Crabtree ranked at around 15th at his position.

Alex Smith – He has two crutches to get him through this season successfully a hell of a defense and a hell of a running game.  The stage is set for his career to take off and I think this guy has what it takes.

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San Diego Chargers vs Tennessee Titans

This really should be a VERY entertaining game for us to watch on Christmas.  I expect a high scoring affair so go ahead and bench these defenses for your playoff or super bowl match-up.  Rivers should do very well this weekend as well as Gates with Keith Bulluck out the middle will be much easier to attack.  Obviously Johnson is a must start as he is almost a shoe-in for a hundred yards on the ground and a score.  You may see a bit more receiving yards than normal here as like with Benson last week the Chargers are good at marginalizing their opponents rushing attack.  They can’t make CJ irrelevant as he is just as big a threat out of the backfield.  Britt is still your fantasy option at QB but Gage will vulture a few targets from him so town down expectations.

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Rushing yards are at a premium so tone down expectations on Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall.  Rice is a must start however because of his worth in the passing game but you shouldn’t expect a huge day.  Mendenhall would likely be sitting but other starts from this game are Derrick Mason, Ben Roethlisberger, Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward.  I like Holmes quite a bit, more than Ward this week as the Ravens are vulnerable to the deep threat and thats what he is so he has a huge upside.  Downgrade Heath Miller as the Ravens have the line backers to cover a TE in man coverage pretty well.

Denver Broncos vs Philadelphia Eagles

This game could have its fair share of fireworks as the Broncos are desperate to prove that last week was a fluke and the Eagles are one of the hottest teams in the league.  DeSean Jackson is an obvious must start as there really doesn’t appear to be any defense that is prepared for his speed.  They do have a good secondary and should do an okay job limiting him from too big of a game, but Celek should should benefit from all the cover three and quarters coverage that Jackson will force.  Stay away from Kyle Orton, and every Eagle running back you may have.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs New England Patriots

The Jaguars have to win to stay in the playoff hunt and the Patriots can clinch the division with a win so both teams have something to prove.  The normal cast of starters will still apply and you can expect a big day from the Patriots receivers as the Jags are pretty bad at corner back.  Downgrade Garrard some as he never looks quite as good away as he does at home, but I do expect Mike Sims-Walker to do just fine as the Patriots secondary is pretty weak itself.  Oh and Maurice Jones-Drew… rumor has it he’s pretty good so go ahead and start him too. =P

Have a Very Merry Christmas, I will have player rankings updated tonight or before the game Christmas Day!  Please forgive me if I don’t do a mailbag article though, I don’t see me nieces and nephew enough as it is!

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Weekly Adds

Jerome Harrison (CLE) - He just had the third best running performance in NFL history on Sunday and he plays the 28th ranked run defense in the league next week.  Even if your not gonna use him you grab him so no one else can.  Also, don’t use him… this is the third week in a row where one of the two Browns RB’s have been one of the waiver wire’s hottest pickups.  Think about that, everyone was bidding for Harrison two weeks ago, then they dropped him for Jennings, and now your gonna drop him to pick back up Harrison?! Yea, your going to but your not likely going to use him!  DeAngelo Williams owners are the ones who should be thinking of using him, not really anyone else.  In my league I am making a claim but have AP, Benson, Forsett, and use my flex to play DJax, Moss, and Miles Austin each week.  I only want Harrison because my opponent has DeAngelo.

Jonathan Stewart (CAR) - I’ve been saying to grab up any available handcuffs for a couple of weeks, and if you found the best backup RB in the NFL (yardage-wise) sitting on waivers then you’ve got to be pretty pleased right now.  DeAngelo Williams is hurt, and without knowing how active he will be in Week 16 in which you are probably playing in your Super Bowl, Stewart will likely be seeing the vast majority of the work.  Oh, and he went over a hundred yards against Minnesota to help Matt Moore and the Panthers get a victory.

Maurice Morris (DET) - I wasn’t too wild about Morris going into this week, but then again I didn’t expect the Lions to be competitive with the Cardinals.  So you can’t be wild about the prospect of him playing the 49ers this week, but if Stafford comes back they will be able to get balance and Morris will have a chance to be decently productive.  If you lost Williams and have to go to waivers to replace him you could do worse, but try for Harrison.

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) – We’ll have to see how he does tonight to let us know how bad we want him, but he faces one of the top passing defenses in football.  If he can do it tonight he can do it any time and is deserving of a spot on your roster.

Jason Snelling (ATL) – Turner hurt his leg after just one rush for 7 yards Sunday.  I would not expect to see Turner test this too much as the Falcons playoff hopes remain dim despite the win.  Snelling will still be splitting with Norwood and is not a great option but worth a spot on your roster.

Jermichael Finley (GB) – Finley has been doing great as of late.  He is looking to be near or in the top 10 this week in my rankings as the Packers continue to use him to create phenomenal match-ups over the middle.  A few weeks ago I saw him lineup and tailback then motion to the wide-out position and catch a TD pass from inside the ten yard line.

Dump List

I’m going to include a fair few people I have had on here before so any new readers can double check and make sure they don’t have any people they really should drop.

Marshawn Lynch, Devin Hester, LeSean McCoy, Mario Manningham, Ryan Moats, Julius Jones, Brian Westbrook, Dwayne Bowe, Willis McGahee, Tim Hightower, Malcom Floyd.

Feel Free to participate in my live Q&A on Yahoo! Sports Message Board.  Good Luck in your Super Bowl or Playoff match-up!

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Minnesota Vikings vs Cincinnati Bengals – This match-up premiers two of the toughest run defenses in the league.  The Vikings have a ridiculously large and powerful defensive line that is adept and both run stopping and pass rushing.  The Bengals are more of a group of unknowns than Jared Allen and the Williams’ in the middle for the Vikes, but they rank 2nd in the league vs the run and 4th in the league in overall defense.  We may not have expected them to be this good, but they are well coached and playing as a cohesive unit, something most defenses no longer due (Baltimore!).  Two premiere RBs face two premiere run defenses so how do us analysts rank these guys?  Well its sure tough but there is a reason you drafted Peterson first overall and that was to play him!  Peterson is still a top10 back despite the match-up problems and has to be started.  Benson is also a top 10 back this season but he falls a little farther past 15 but above 20.  You are likely still playing him, however if you were lucky enough to draft Ray Rice and Ricky Williams you could very well have better options.  As far as passing goes, Favre looks to be falling out of my top 10 at QB this week and not because of his age.  I think the Vikings match-up really well here and I think that AP will get the best of this Bengal D that hasn’t faced too many elite backs so far this season.  If the Vikings do not game plan to beat these guys in the running game and succeed I fear for how deep into the playoffs they can really go.  The Vikes secondary can be thrown on, so I also think that if the Bengals are going to win it has to be in a shootout through the air.  This wont be easy as Palmer hasn’t been playing like his old self this season (though quite good), he is merely managing the game they hope to win by running the ball over 30 times with Benson.

San Diego Chargers vs Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys seemed to have solved their offensive woes as they ad a good outing last week in a tough divisional loss to the Giants.  The Cowboys have a tough schedule and the playoffs are a must if people like Wade Phillips and Tony Romo if they hope to be employed next year.  Unluckily for them they are facing a red hot Chargers team that needs to maintain their winning ways now that Denver is out of its losing streak.  I do not think that either defense is so good that there are any offensive players devalued by their match-up.  On the contrary this should be a decently high scoring affair and the likes of Rivers, Austin, and Jackson see a slight increase in their stock this week.

Denver Broncos vs Indianapolis Colts - This is the best chance there is left in the regular season for the Colts to add a notch to the loss column; Orton has come back from his injury pretty well, Marshall is making plays for him in the passing game, and Moreno and Buckhalter are both good backs that are making the most of their chances.  The Broncos are a complete football team that is well coached, but the Colts have Manning and that has been the only coach to make much of a difference.  The players I like in the game are the usual players for each team, Manning, Wayne, Moreno and Marshall.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants – I love when two teams from this division play, they are always fun to watch so if you get the chance I recommend it.  Brian Westbrook is potentially going to be playing in this game, and this devalues LeSean McCoy, and couple that with his limited use last week, and his future gets murky.  He is still a great flex play this week or a RB2 if you are hurting from injuries at the moment.  DeSean Jackson looks to be returning as well this week, and should do just fine in the same role you were using him before.  Manningham has been a huge flop as of late so you aren’t using him, but Smith has been seeing a bump in productivity as he has seen at least 7 points in each of the last four weeks.  Smith is coming fresh off a 110 yard performance last week and should be a solid WR2 spot this week as we should see a fair share of scoring.

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Titans @ Colts – I am so excited to sit down and watch this game Sunday,  it is hard to think that we can even be talking about this match up when one team is 11-0 and the other started 0-5, but how can we not?! We are about to have sooooo many questions answered about Vince Young and his red hot Titans.  I cannot expect the Titans to win it, but what if they do!? We would not be able to argue that they weren’t SUPER BOWL contenders let alone playoff bound.  The Colts have not displayed the Dominance that the Saints have but they are winning every game on the fortitude and genius of Manning.  But what about the Fantasy Relevance of the players?  Wayne and Manning are auto starts, and Addai has been so productive you probably don’t have a better option for your RB2 spot so no worries there.  Garcon is a flex play or a WR3 if your league starts that many, and he should get more credit for how well he does in that offense.  On the other side of the ball Young is not really a good fantasy option here unless it’s a 2 QB league or you’re counting on someone who ends up inactive, but I think Kenny Britt is the most relevant Titan this week.  He is an interesting flex play here as if the Titans win Britt will find the end zone.  No question CJ is the home run hitter, but you cannot stay in a ball game with Peyton Manning unless you get big plays from your passing game.

Eagles @ Falcons – Both teams are suffering some key injuries that really rob us of an even better match-up, however both teams are also fighting to make the Playoffs and the Falcons realistically can’t lose with back-up QB Redman taking the snaps and a week after rushing Michael Turner back too fast and causing him to re-injure his ankle.  The Eagles are missing starting RB Westbrook and start WR Jackson both with concussions.  White had decent production with Redman last weekend so I do not downgrade him too much, just some for the match-up.  The win here for the Eagles will give them the inside track to the Wild Card round and keep them in the hunt for the division.  I am very unsure about the Falcons RB situation this week, Snelling got minimal work and Norwood looked pretty good, so I am expecting a time share between the two making it a coin flip for who is the better start.  Eagles WRs Avant and Maclin both see big upside as they are facing a very soft Falcons secondary that ranks among the worst in the NFL.  Both WRs were active in the passing game even with Jackson in the lineup so McNabb will have little issues getting used to them.  McCoy has done very well as a fill in for Westbrook and remains a solid RB2 start till Westbrook comes back and takes some snaps away from him.

Cowboys @ Giants – Alright readers it’s December so we all know what that means!  Snow falling on Sundays, Fantasy Football playoffs are here, Egg Nog, and absurd amounts of terrible QB play in Dallas.  Romo is facing a division rival in the month of December so I don’t much like the Cowboy’s chances here, but for the sake of Fantasy Football I remind you all once again to have a very short memory!  All we care about is the last three weeks really, and while that’s not that good for Romo I think it levels out your expectations and gives him a chance to meet them.  Miles Austin is slated to have a big game and I agree, the only other player with upside around that city right now is Felix Jones as they are finally using him as the home run hitter he ought to have been all season.  Bottom line is that we get to watch the Cowboys make the playoffs this month or we get to watch the melt down and find a new head coach and starting QB in the off season, great entertainment either way.  As for the Giants, Eli wasn’t anyone’s starting QB at this point in the season anyways but with his foot injury we need to downgrade the wide outs a little bit.  Jacobs has been a huge disappointment so far and productivity from him would help this team down the stretch tremendously.  Unfortunately Jacobs has shown none of the talent he did last season and I have no reason to expect anything to improve.

Vikings @ Cardinals – Hard not to get excited about two playoff bound teams meeting at the end of the season, it’s a preview of coming attractions!  Warner has come back to limited participation in practice Wednesday but is still splitting the snaps with Leinart in case he cannot go.  Options in Warner’s place if he doesn’t go are Alex Smith and Vince Young.  Tough match-up for the Duo of Cardinals RBs this week, you should find a better option.  Peterson had an off game and had pretty bad production until the Vikes were putting the game on ice late with the running game.  Favre remains a trusted start this week as I do not think the Cards can with stand the balanced attack the Viking offense has this season.  I think Minnesota is stronger in all three phases of the game and should win impressively.

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Pick-ups

Well if your league is like mine then you are entering the last week before the playoffs start this week!  Time to earn your week 14 bye or solidify your playoff spot.  At this point in the season Weekly additions are hard to come by and typically injury related.  So lets use this chance to cover all eventualities that could hurt you down the stretch!  Some of these pick-ups will be all wrong for your team and are not a concern, but if you have a roster spot up in the air due to concussions… (who doesn’t… honestly!) then having one of these players may pull you out of a tough jam!  This week I will be going by position and talking about the most likely available people at each spot.

QB

Alex Smith (SF) – This QB was expected by most to be inside the top 10 Sunday with a very good match-up against Jacksonville.  If you are among the people nervous about the Warner or Roethlisberger injuries then Smith can provide relief.  Apart from a 2 point flop against Chicago, Smith has provided double digit fantasy points in each game he appeared (including his second half against Houston).

Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF) – This is a big stretch, but there are leagues out there that start two QBs and have 12 or 14 teams, given the injuries and uncertainties in some of the NFL franchises you can do worse than Fitz.  Given that Brady and Brees haven’t played yet this week Ryan Fitzpatrick sits at number 3 among all fantasy QBs (as always based on ESPN standard scoring) and he played a very solid Dolphins defense.  This team is on a bit of a turn around at the moment, and in a fantasy perspective this guy out performed almost everyone… including both Manning’s, Schaub, Rivers, Romo, and McNabb!

Vince Young (TEN) – His style has never been effective in translating to fantasy productivity, and I do not see anything changing.  From a real perspective Young looks polished, disciplined, and like a leader as the Titans needed!  You shouldn’t ever need Young to break 20 points but you can rely on double digits from how it looks.

RB

Three of the top four RBs in fantasy football this week were at the beginning of the season were virtually nobodies!

Justin Forsett (SEA) – This guy has been on add lists all over the place including my own, and for good reason.  Number one fantasy back honors for week 12 against a phenomenal match-up Sunday vs the Rams.  If your league managers have been in a closet for three weeks it’s not too late, grab him now!

Fred Jackson (BUF,)  -  Being in Buffalo I have heard a lot about the Jackson Lynch time-share today and it is going flip what we have been expecting and seeing since the duo got together.  Jackson is expected to become the starting back and Lynch will be a compliment to him.  Fewell has this team believing in itself and on a short week Jackson is a solid RB2 down the stretch assuming the Bills stay on this path!

Jamaal Charles (KC) – Again, If your fellow managers have been living under a rock don’t think it’s too late this guy is on the rise!

Lex Hilliard (MIA) – Williams had another very good game this week in a tough loss to the Bills, but he is 32 and cannot handle the workload Ronnie Brown had, Hilliard has been productive when he gets carries which will be increasing all the rest of the season.

Jason Snelling and Jerious Noorwood (ATL) – Turner owners are at a loss for words after he re-injured his ankle after the surprising and stupid decision to test the ankle so soon.

WR

Jason Avant (PHI) – DeSean Jackson has a concussion and owners should expect a week or two off, Avant is a great addition to any team that needs help these weeks, but especially to those of you who lost Jackson!

Kenny Britt (TEN) – This team is scary good since Young started taking snaps and everyone is benefiting greatly, Britt becomes a decent flex or WR3 choice from here on out.

Antonio Bryant (TB) – 91 yards and a TD Sunday and because of his injury he is available in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues.

Chris Chambers (KC) – If you were skeptical before you really can’t be any more…

TE

I heartily recommend that owners ignore stats other than fantasy points allowed to tight ends.  They require the defender to have a unique skill set to cover in the passing game, only certain teams have players capable of keeping a TE consistently covered.  And also many times a team’s offensive success HURTS the tight end as if the receivers are getting open deep the check down is not used.

Fred Davis (WAS) – Davis broke double digit points this week with a TD catch and is available in 87% of leagues.  Been some injuries at the position this season and there is no reason to keep adding and dropping based on match-ups.

Bo Scaife (TEN) – Again, this team is on the swing, and Scaife’s targets will be up.

Dump List!

Hester, Moats, Lynch, Julius Jones, Westbrook, Bowe, McGahee (still owned in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues… I can’t believe that!)

Good Luck making the last minute playoff push! Remember, you can submit questions to me on twitter by following me (see the link above!) and get answers right away as well as featured in my weekly mailbag post!

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Jason Snelling – 61 yards and a TD, not that bad as a stand in. I’ve been looking for something promising on Turner’s injury since it happened and I cannot find anything. The Falcons have been very quiet about the extent of the injury and it is looking more and more like Turner will miss significant time. Justin Forsett was going to be my number one pick of the week as I think he keeps the job that he just won through the remainder of the season. However with how severe Turner’s injury is looking to be, I am making Snelling my number 1 pickup of the week!

Justin Forsett – This is a guy that has been a decently productive back when given the chance this season. He was effective enough for the Seahawks  that they felt comfortable dropping Edgerrin James mid way through the season. Forsett has averaged 6.15 yards per carry when given the chance to run prior to this week. On the 17 carries this week he averages slightly over 7 yards, showing his ability to be productive over the course of a game. He will be interesting to watch over the next few weeks as defenses are going to study him much more on film. His first challenge as a fill-in will be vs. a very stout Vikings run defense making him an unlikely start this week except in a deeper league or an injury related emergency…

Donnie Avery – Avery may be on a bad team; however he is the one bright spot apart from Jackson. Avery is a deep treat that has shown his ability to get open in the red zone. He is the receiver that has developed the most chemistry with Bulger. On 4 receptions this Sunday he got 67 yards and 2 TD’s. He may not be a weekly starter because the Rams are that bad, but in 3 WR leagues and leagues with 12 and 14 teams he is an easy WR3 or flex play, with the potential to score on any play. Also in Avery’s favor is the fact that the Rams find themselves behind in the ball game early and often leaving them little options except to go to the air.

Jamaal Charles – Wow, the Chiefs finally scored a rushing touchdown! The last team in the league to score on the ground was the chiefs who’s rookie RB had a breakout game in week 10 amassing 103 yards rushing including his 44 yard score. He has earned a role in the offense, and he’ll get it.

Bernard Scott – Benson Owners nervous about whether he will play? Pick up Scott as a solid back-up to Benson so that should he miss any time you will be all set.  However Adam Shefter is reporting that Benson will be ready to go vs Oakland in week 11 so you should likely be OK.  Larry Johnson is reported to be signing with the Bengals this week… hold off here and keep an eye open!

Deeper League Pickups

And lastly Leonard Weaver is a solid flex option now with Westbrook down for the count with another concussion, but still probably in deep 12 and 14 team leagues.

Dump List! (as this is my first one, so some may not be new to the list!)

Alex Smith – He may be a better QB than the guy he replaced but he is far from a serious fantasy option.  I would drop unless your in a 14 team league or a team that plays 2 QB’s or has an offensive player flex.  I’d rather have Josh Freeman honestly.

T.O., Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, Willis McGahee, LenDale White, Tashard Choice, Felix Jones, Willie Parker, Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan, Todd Heap

edit (6:54 PM) This is a little preemptive but I’m putting Westbrook on my dump list as well, reports are all concerned with his long term health.  Westbrook is most likely done for the season if not for his career.

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I just heard from Adam Shefter on twitter that Brian Westbrook of the Eagles has yet another concussion.  Dumpsville… population Westbrook? Stay tuned to my blog and twitter account this week to hear my take!

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