What a crazy week… With all the duds this week (more to come on them tomorrow) a LOT of people missed the playoffs and just as many people snuck their way in! If you are one of these fantasy-ninjas, then congrats and let’s take a look at how you can bolster your roster moving into the playoffs!

Pickups

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR - After last week’s game I was torn… Stewart looked like the more complete RB, he ran hard and hit holes quickly.  Goodson looked good too however, slightly less polished… but he contributed a lot in the passing game and looked to have the most fantasy value of the duo.  Not anymore! Stewart saw 21 carries to Goodson’s 3 and he also was able to rack up 91 yards. While both backs found the end zone in this game, the staggering difference in the number of carries make the decision on who to own a no-brainer.  I wouldn’t drop Goodson yet, especially in PPR formats, but I also wouldn’t trust him next week!

Tashard Choice, RB, DAL - Tashard Choice gave the Cowboys balance.  Felix Jones saw more touches, but he wasn’t able to find the end zone like Choice did.  We should expect this to continue and probably trend more towards Felix, as was the case this week.  One thing you should count on is Tashard Choice being the one to see the work at the goal line.  Choice is a flex play at best, but he has to be owned after a performance like this because if he follows it up with another good game, you will be able to count on him against Washington and Arizona in Weeks 16 and 17.

Donald Driver, WR, GB – I had my concerns about Driver being able to return to the same level of play he had demonstrated earlier in his career, but if you have seen his TD catch this week… then you wont have any more worries either.  If you didn’t see it, I will let the highlight reel provide all the evidence you will need to grab this guy off waivers… if he was dropped that is!

Anthony Dixon, RB, SF – There is a disclaimer that comes with this one: Brian Westbrook SHOULD be the guy!  Westbrook was quicker into the hole and looked to be a much more complete back on the carries that he received.  With that said, Singletary and the 49ers split carries evenly between Dixon and Westbrook.  Until we see that they will make a commitment to the injury-prone veteran, Dixon has to be owned too as he will see more of the goal line carries.

Earl Bennett, WR, CHI – We really can’t treat Bennett’s production as an anomaly any longer.  He is as close to a big and physical wide receiver as the Bears have, so he is likely to see the most red zone targets of any of the WRs on the Bears.  This week Bennett led the team in targets with 8 and hauled in 7 of them for 105 yards.  Assuming Driver was never let go in your league, Bennett is by far the best option available for pickup at WR this week.

Anthony Armstrong, WR, WAS – If you have to start a Redskins receiver, it looks like it should be Armstrong.  He was an unknown talent before the season and because of this we have been (correctly) suspicious about adding this guy to our fantasy teams.  Now however, the Redskins have lost hopes for a playoff run and are turning to their younger players so they can be developed for the future.  Since they are a bad team, the Skins will be down and throwing… so it seems like you should be able to count on their young, deep threat!

Roy Williams, WR, DAL – With Dez Bryant’s ankle broken and him being out for the season, Roy Williams will return to fantasy-relevance.  The whole reason he fell in value was due to the injury to Romo and Kitna not being good enough to keep THREE receivers valuable to their fantasy owners.  Since Williams is back to the 2nd spot on the depth chart, he is likely to be a worthy flex play for the fantasy playoffs.

James Starks, RB, GB – Who the hell saw this coming!? Starks saw by far the most carries of any Packer this weekend and performed well with them totaling 73 yards on 18 carries.  John Kuhn saw the 2nd most carries with just 6, but he maintained his role as the goal line back and was able to punch one in.  With Starks looking to take the lead carries and Kuhn sure to get the work at the goal line, Brandon Jackson may not have any value left outside of PPR leagues.  Wait a week to drop him, but I wouldn’t start Starks or Jackson until we see if this was just a one week thing, or a new trend.

Benjamin Watson, TE, CLE – TEs are a mess this season… now Heath Miller and Todd Heap join the list of injured players at this position.  Watson had 100 yards receiving with Jake Delhomme at QB this week.  Colt McCoy loved Watson before his injury and he has been a consistent producer for fantasy owners in deep leagues.  It’s time to call him up to be used in standard leagues with the injuries stacking up!

Rashad Jennings, RB, JAC - We are moving into the playoffs for fantasy owners and handcuffs are a must-have if your lucky enough to have one of the few studs left at RB.  The trend in the NFL is to split RB carries to ensure long careers out of their highly paid young prospects.  This is not beneficial to fantasy owners who have a late draft pick. However, what is worse is when your star goes down with an injury late in the season… just like Michael Turner did last year!  If you own Maurice Jones-Drew, Jennings is a must-add for your team to ensure that this aging star doesn’t go down and leave you SOL.

Dump List

Randy Moss, WR, TEN – In the playoffs, fantasy owners must rely on their trusted players to make it through each week.  Since one loss ends your season, you have to ask yourself if you can live with your decision through the entire off season should it go the wrong direction!  After an entire season of disappointments, Moss is not able to be trusted so you may as well get someone who actually has upside.

Mike Williams, WR, SEA - His injury isn’t likely to be season ending, but with it being his 2nd one in a row… he is likely to need a game or two to get used to the speed of a live game again.

Justin Forsett, RB, SEA – There are no really good match ups left on the Seahawks schedule and since Forsett was so far behind Lynch in production this week, there just isn’t enough time left in the fantasy season for Forsett to be a factor again.

Keiland Williams, RB, WAS – It was a short run… but Williams’ ride is over. Torain is about to come back from injury and James Davis appears to be the guy that Shanahan wants to see get the work.

Ryan Mathews, RB, SD – See Randy Moss.

Donald Brown, RB, IND – There just doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel for Brown.  He hasn’t had a break out performance all year and Javarris James is the guy getting the goal line work with Addai being out.  The Colts are DYING for Addai to return and when he does, Brown will only be used when necessary.  Expect Addai to make it into the lineup for week 14, but even if he isn’t, don’t leave your season in the hands of Brown.

Blair White, WR, IND – Collie is expected to return from injury this week and that will kill White’s value.  You may want to hold him for a week to see if Collie can stay healthy, but definitely don’t start White when he is 4th on the depth chart.

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Pickups

Mewelde Moore, RB, PIT – I don’t quite understand why Mendenhall saw such a limited number of carries this week, but if Moore is able to keep seeing such a big workload then he will steal some of the value that Mendenhall has had in the first half of the season.  I wouldn’t be comfortable starting him quite yet, but Sunday night’s game makes it so that Moore has to be owned in standard leagues.

Reggie Bush, RB, NO - If you have owned Reggie in the past, then you understand this warning; he is an incredibly frustrating guy to own!  Bush has never been a very strong option for fantasy owners, but his big play ability can provide some incredibly high-scoring weeks.  Unfortunately for you, it is seemingly at random and almost impossible to predict.  If Pierre Thomas remains inactive after the return of Bush, I will likely rate him as a RB2 because of the additional, more traditional, carries that will fall to him.

Danny Amendola, WR, STL – It isn’t like he is going to become an elite receiver or anything considering how long it has been since his last big game, but he is definitely still worth owning.  The Rams are playing some very solid football this season this will not be the last time Amendola will have a productive outing for fantasy owners.  If you are in a PPR format, this could be a very solid flex play in the 2nd half given there are no dominant secondaries left on their schedule.

Justin Forsett, RB, SEA – I still like Marshawn Lynch the most of the RBs in Seattle, but with more fantasy points coming from Forsett this week than Lynch… we will have to keep a close eye on how the workload gets divided up.  This week against the Cardinals, Forsett managed more than double the yardage of Lynch on less carries and both of them were able to manage a touchdown.

Kevin Smith, RB, DET - If you can’t produce a decent amount of yardage against the Bills defense, then your probably not someone fantasy owners should trust!  Jahvid Best came in at 11 in my rankings and was only able to manage THREE points on his 21 touches.  Smith on the other-hand only saw 9 touches and with his production in the receiving game he was able to manage 5 points.  Neither are really worth the start until one produces consistently… but both should be owned for the time being.

Cadillac Williams, RB, TB - Blount is definitely the guy for the Buccaneers running game, but Cadillac is solid flex option/handcuff for the playoffs and second half of the season.  Especially considering the really easy schedule the Bucs have for your fantasy playoffs!

Dump List

CJ Spiller, RB, BUF – Take his complete lack of production and the HUGE performance from Freddie Jackson and add in the hamstring injury that took Spiller out of this game… there is literally no upside left to make you wanna cling to this bad draft day decision.

Roy Williams, WR, DAL – Even with the complete turnaround of the Cowboys this week, I don’t see it worth holding Williams if there is someone of value available on the waiver wire.  Kitna is a game manager and is not likely to be able to keep THREE receivers as viable options for fantasy owners.

Mike Sims-Walker, WR, JAC – I am sure there will be at least one more good performance from MSW this season, but if he couldn’t manage one against the Texans… how can you trust him again!?  Go pick up Mike Thomas if you really want a Jaguars receiver!

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Love

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC – Despite his slow start, MJD is making his 2nd straight appearance on my love list this week.  He had a huge day last week against a struggling Colts defense and this week goes against the Bills who are allowing an average of 174 yards per game.

Peyton Manning, QB, IND – The Chiefs defense has been playing well lately, but primarily against the run.  The league’s last undefeated team is likely to fall this week against a pissed off Colts team led by their passing game.  The Chiefs corner backs have struggled some this season.  With Garcon likely to be returning this week and Collie proving to be a reliable threat, Manning should have a big day.

Roddy White, WR, ATL – Roddy White has been an incredibly consistent threat for the Falcons.  He leads the league with 50 targets and has yet to have a week with single digit fantasy points.

Jamaal Charles, RB, KC - That Colts run defense who has allowed big games to opposing RBs so far this year faces a dynamic two headed attack lead by Charles.  I like Thomas Jones this week as well, but Charles is the guy who breaks the long TD runs and he has twice the talent that Jones does.

Ryan Mathews, RB, SD – The Raiders have the 2nd worst run defense in the NFL and now that Mathews has been rested and eased back from injury, it is time for him to take the reigns back and he should have a  big game this week.

Jahvid Best, RB, DET – Best saw more work last week than I thought he would.  He has to go against a surprisingly good Rams team this week, but Shaun Hill has done more than enough to keep the Lions players alive in fantasy football.

Tony Romo, QB, DAL – The Titans have allowed two straight 300 yard passers and with the extra week to prepare I expect Romo and the Cowboys to have a big day and continue their rebound from their 0-2 start.

Hakeem Nicks, WR, NYG - Steve Smith is no longer Eli Manning’s go-to-guy, that is now Nicks.  He has great hands and is very effective over the middle and in the red zone which will lead to him leading the team in both receptions and receiving touchdowns on the season.

Greg Jennings, WR, GB - He didn’t have the type of game I thought he would last week, but the Packers got ahead big very early and since Head Coach Mike McCarthy is not one to run up the score… Jennings was not able to get a big day yardage wise.  Finding the end zone salvaged the day for fantasy owners, but the Redskins have been playing worse against the pass and better on offense than the Lions.

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND - Regardless of who the number two WR will be when Garcon comes back Wayne will be the number one.  After 15 catches and just shy of 200 yards you can’t afford to sit Manning’s most reliable target.

Miles Austin, WR, DAL - See Tony Romo.

Hate

Mike Sims-Walker, WR, JAC – Even when the Jags find a way to beat one of the best teams in the NFL, Sims-Walker was a ghost.  Drop him if you want, no one could blame you.  You definitely can’t start him.

Santonio Holmes, WR, NYJ - As good as I think he will be this season, he has been locked out of the facility of his new team.  Given that he has never played a regular season game in that offense I would expect to see a slow start from Holmes.  He should be considered a flex play this week.

Percy Harvin, WR, MIN - Even though newly acquired Randy Moss will draw the coverage of Darrelle Revis, he still does great with a new start.  The move makes perfect sense as Randy is declining in his career and has not been private about his desire to play with Favre.  The Vikings are all-in on the season and with a terribly tough defense as their first opponent off the Bye, leave Harvin for your flex spot or bench him if you have other solid options.

Justin Forsett, RB, SEA -Pete Carroll already said that he plans to use Lynch early and often now that they have him.  They had done a poor job at converting in short yardage situations and Lynch should take the starting job from Forsett easily. Clearly there is not much trust in this guy in the Seahawks front office so I could easily see him falling off our radar soon.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – The Vikings defense has been doing very well this season, only allowing an average of 87 yards per game.  The work has been split between LT and Greene and since LT is the guy they use in the passing game it is hard to see how Greene can be effective this week.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR – Still sitting this guy until further notice.  Especially against a Bears D only allowing 77 yards per game on the ground and DeAngelo Williams playing much, much better.

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Love

Cedric Benson, RB, CIN – If the Bengals had another viable option at Quarterback Carson Palmer’s career would end in the middle of the season.  With poor QB play the Bengals will be forced to do what they do best, run the ball.  After getting back to the type of offense they ran last season in week 3, the Bengals are about to go up against one of the worst teams in the league… the Browns.  I would expect at least 25 carries with 100 yards and a score.  Benson is easily a top 10 RB this week.

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC - The Colts defense without Bob Sanders has been disappointing.  Their biggest weakness is against the run and with the quality of the Colts pass rush there is no reason to make David Garrard throw any more than he needs to.  MJD is back to 100% and should have a very good game against the Colts.

Austin Collie, WR, IND – The number one WR in fantasy football is not even the highest ranked guy on his team.  Garcon is going to be a game time decision this week and Collie has earned the trust of Peyton Manning.  In addition, players coming back from hamstring injuries usually do not get their full workload right away in an effort to ensure there are no setbacks.  Garcon’s workload is already shrinking and Collie is almost certain to be the one to join Reggie Wayne in any 2 WR formations.

Kyle Orton, QB, DEN – Orton, surprisingly, has a lot of receiving options at his disposal this season and coming off the best performance of his career it is hard not to have high expectations.  Orton just barely cracked my top 10 this week and if he is able to keep up this level of play then we will see him in the top 10 a few more times this season.

Louis Murphy, WR, OAK - I have been waiting for someone in Oakland to step up and earn the top spot on the depth chart at WR.  It appears as though Bruce Gradkowski was able to provide stability to the offense and over the past two weeks there has been some apparent chemistry between him and Louis Murphy.  Houston’s pass defense has been terrible so far this year and with how explosive the Texans offense is, the Raiders should need to air it out in an effort to keep up.

LaDanian Tomlinson, RB, NYJ – Gotta love the top RB on any team going up against this Buffalo defense.  Even though the Bills were able to score some points last week, the Patriots defense is pretty terrible.  The Jets should be able to play the typical Rex Ryan style of football and pound the running game and control the clock.  At least for now, LT is playing much better than Shonn Greene and should see the majority of the work for at least the first half of the season.

Donovan McNabb, QB, WAS – There is no way that McNabb rolls over in the big-story match up of the week.  The Eagles defense is going to be the reason the Eagles win this game, but McNabb will be plenty productive on the stat sheet.

Justin Forsett, RB, SEA – The Seahawks finally have the right idea, DON’T GIVE JULIUS JONES THE FOOTBALL.  Last week Jones got zero carries and Forsett was used as the feature back.  In a divisional match up against St. Louis this week Forsett, is a solid RB2 and great flex play.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, PHI - Maclin has certainly lived up to the preseason hype and there must be plenty of credit payed to Vick for this.  With four TDs in the first three games Maclin has developed a niche as a red zone threat for the Eagles.  I expect both the play of Vick and Maclin to remain at a high level.  Maclin should be a solid WR2 throughout the season.

Packers, D/ST, GB – The Packers would likely still be my #1 ranked defense even if Matthew Stafford was going to be active.  Last week the Packers lost a tough divisional game to the now first place Bears and I can’t imagine this game is anything other than a blowout with Jahvid Best on a bum toe.

Hate

Joe Flacco, QB, BAL – The Steelers have been playing lights-out defense so far this season and they are undefeated despite playing with sub-par quarterbacks.  Despite all the new weapons at their disposal this will not be a great statistical game for anyone on either offense.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR – Given the struggles of the Panthers and the poor performance of Stewart personally, you really can’t start the Daily Show until further notice.

Jahvid Best, RB, DET – Turf toe is a common injury in today’s NFL, but there is nothing common about the level of pain it causes.  If Best is active, his role and productivity will be hindered by this injury.

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF – The 9ers offense has been a huge disappointment and with the firing of their offensive coordinator there is little chance that starting Crabtree would pay off until we see that this offense can be competitive.

Anquan Boldin, WR, BAL - See Joe Flacco.

Lance Moore, WR, NO – Moore’s performance last week is not anything that you can predict or expect with any consistency.  Meachem and Henderson will have days like Moore did in week 3.  Rumor has it this guy named Colston is pretty good too.

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Love

Jamaal Charles, RB, KC – Charles is a dynamic game-changing back that has never been used to his maximum potential in Kansas City.  While it still remains true that the Chiefs did not go out and sign Thomas Jones to ride the bench, Todd Haley will soon be shamed into doing the right thing and stopping this 50/50 time share shenanigans. If that happens this week, Charles just may return the favor for what Harrison did to the Chiefs last year.

Michael Vick, QB, PHI - Typically a QB stepping into a starting job mid-season wouldn’t show up on a list like this… but this one has pro-bowl credentials and a very squishy match up.  While the Bears’ receivers were not able to make big plays vs the Lion’s secondary that was primarily the fault of two Cutler turnovers and Matt Forte having probably the best game of his season.

DeAngelo Williams, RB, CAR – Even though he is in a time share, Stewart did not look very productive last week  and the Panthers tend to ride the hot-handed back hardest.  Playing against among the worst teams in the league should allow Williams the opportunity to have a great week and we all know he has the ability.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG – The Texans exposed the weakness of the Colts defense, the running game. Bradshaw is a VERY similar back to Arian Foster and the Giants have begun to embrace him as their lead guy.  Bradshaw will have a big game this week and while he wont be getting any goal line carries I still think he should be able to find the end zone at least once.

Brett Favre, QB, MIN - It will take him some time to find a receiver that he is comfortable with other than Harvin and last week he was unable to get the ball rolling.  I will never ask Favre to play like he did last season but he will have a good game so if you have one of the questionable QBs this week don’t hesitate to start Brett.

Brandon Jackson, RB, GB – He had a lot of chances last week to get him used to his new role as feature back in this high-powered Packers offense.  He has among the best match-ups possible against a weak Bills run D. If you are strong at the RB position I would not blame you for not wanting to put an unknown in over a proven RB2, but you should definitely use him for your flex spot if you have one.

Jason Campbell, QB, OAK – Campbell has been very consistent for faithful fantasy owners that have been willing to ignore bad match-ups and mediocre offensive talent to give this guy a start.  Now he gets the chance to have a good match-up so if you are in a 2 Quarterback league then this is an easy choice.

Roddy White, WR, ATL - This guy is the entire Falcons passing game this season.  White got targeted TWENTY THREE TIMES last week against the Steelers and was able to total 111 receiving yards in a very defensive game in which his team did not score a TD.  Now they play a poor Cardinals team that lost a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – He may only get two catches this week, but if that is the case I’d say he has over a hundred yards and a score.  Vick is not a QB that DJax can excel with, but regardless of his QB i’d rank him top 10 against the Lions.

Wes Welker, WR, NE – Welker’s confidence in his knee was my issue last week and that cannot be an area of concern any more.  This week I worry about the match up, but with Revis nose-to-nose with Randy Moss all day and how effective the Ravens were moving the ball while attacking the other CBs I think Welker could end up in the top 5 points-wise this week.

Jason Witten, TE, DAL – When the line plays poorly the QB has to use his check downs and quick routes to pick up first downs.  Enter the tight end.  The Cowboys have one of the best in the league and if they want to win they need to get him more involved.  They play the Bears this week and the passing attack will be crucial to their success.

Chris Cooley, TE, WAS – It sure was nice to see McNabb rely on Cooley for the exact sort of plays I love Witten for this week.  Against a high-powered Texans offense the Skins will need to use an areal attack to keep up and Cooley could end up the leading receiver if the Texans decide to double cover Santana Moss.

Hate

Tom Brady, QB, NE – Last season the Bills were able to seriously impact the fantasy point totals of Brady twice, the Jets defense is much better than Buffalo’s so I think it is unreasonable to expect a 300 yard performance from Brady.  Also, it would shock no one if he was only able to get one TD.  I do expect him to be able to use Welker effectively as their only real weapon so as if you don’t have another top 10 QB this week then your gonna have to start him anyways.

Frank Gore, RB, SF - What a disappointment last week!  I am still speechless that the 9ers blew it last week against a mediocre Seahawks team.  With the Saints this week the 9ers will need to attempt to stretch the field.  If Gore has a slow start he is not going to do very well at all.  He is outside my top10 this week but not by much, so your still likely going to have to start him.

Justin Forsett, RB, SEA – Silly me, I thought when the Seahawks cut Julius Jones he would NOT LEAD THE TEAM IN CARRIES ANYMORE.  Seriously Pete Carrol he had 8 carries for 18 yards… what is it about this guy that mesmerizes coaches so much?  It is in my mind the main thing that cost Jim Mora Jr. his job.

Jerome Harrison, RB, CLE – If you owned Harrison at all last year you very possibly benched him for his crazy ridiculous game vs the Chiefs due to the week to week guessing game at who in Cleveland would get the most carries.  Peyton Hillis tied Harrison for 9 carries and one-upped him with a TD.  Don’t start either one till something gets sorted out.

Randy Moss, WR, NE – Have you met Darrelle Revis? He is about to hurt your argument for a new contract mid-season.

Mike Sims-Walker, WR, JAC - Try and not use this guy this week.  He got blanked by the Broncos secondary which is good… but not great.  The quiet reports from local sources in Jacksonville during training camp that Mike Thomas was going to win the starting job were right and he just might pass MSW for the top spot on the depth chart.

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The season is finally upon us and the Kickoff game on Thursday will be a great start, tune in.  While there are no shortage of great match ups this week I will get more into that later and go straight into the first Love and Hate lists of the 2010 season.

Love

Jerome Harrison (CLE) – Montario Hardesty’s injury increased the number of touches Harrison will see.  With a lot of carries and a bad opposing defense last season he finished the season strong enough to propel the BROWNS to a 4 game winning streak.

Ronnie Brown (MIA) – The Bills run defense was 30th in the league last year and the 4-3 is geared towards stopping the run.  The transition that Kelsay and Maybin are trying to make takes time.  There will be rough spots and while you may think Brown wont stay healthy all season… he is now.

Matt Forte (CHI) – The Lions are making strides to improve their franchise but on defense they still have plenty of work to do.  They are vulnerable to allowing big plays and this suits the Bears’ new offensive style very well.

Johnny Knox (CHI) – See Matt Forte.

Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) – Derek Anderson brings a consistency to the offense that Leinart could not provide.  The upside is lower, because we know what Anderson can do and I do not expect him to come close to his one good year in ’07.

Michael Crabtree (SF) – He is one of the guys that I really think is going to come into his own this season.  I know some people are nervous because of the incident with Vernon Davis in camp, but I am not.  This guy is a play maker on game day. Since when does fantasy football worry too much about a wide receiver with an attitude problem?

Felix Jones (DAL) – The love for Felix Jones has gone a little too far in my opinion because there is absolutely no chance that we get 16 games out of him this season.  Swelling in his knee on the 2nd day of training camp is not what you want to see from your new lead running back.  He’s fine now and has the ability to break a big gain anytime you put the ball in his hands.

Philip Rivers (SD) – The Chiefs have weapons on offense but their defense has plenty of gaps in the secondary.  Rivers will be spreading the ball around and should be able to move the ball very effectively throughout the game.

Antonio Gates (SD) – see Philip Rivers.

Hate

Pierre Thomas (NO) – The stock on him rose w hen Ladell Betts was cut, he should see the goal line work.  Against this defense his rushing yards will be low, so unless he breaks a big gain in the receiving game his numbers will be modest at best.

Fred Jackson (BUF) – Gailey will likely lean on Lynch and Spiller a bit more this week to allow Jackson to get back to 100%, he will be fine come week 2 though.

Kevin Kolb (PHI) – If Reid is not willing to lean on the running game until Kolb gets in a rhythm this ball hawking secondary could cause some problems in Kolb’s first outing as the team’s leader.  I don’t see him having a huge game this week, I do not have too many concerns down the stretch however.

Shonn Greene (NYJ) – The Jets love to run the ball, but they won’t win this game that way.  This is going to be a slug fest and a field position battle and could be a preview of the AFC Championship game, unless Peyton Manning has his way.

Anquan Boldin (BAL) – Have you met Darrelle Revis? Nope, he used to be busy with Larry.  This is a cruel first test as a number one WR.

Justin Forsett (SEA) – Patrick Willis and the 49ers will be starting off with a win at the expense of Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle offense.

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The Seahawks are a team in transition.  They are about to need to replace Matt Hasselbeck and they just made a trade for Charlie Whitehurst on draft day this year.  Whitehurst looked great in week one of the preseason and is said to have the opportunity to win the starting job this year.  I don’t buy that at all.  Even with a new coaching staff in place the job is Hasselbeck’s until the playoffs gets out of reach.  In the past few years the Seahawks have been quite active making moves and signing free agent talent.  But after a very forgettable one year stint for Coach Mora it became clear that they needed to go back to the drawing board.  Julius Jones remains the coaches favorite at running back with the new administration, much to the chagrin of fantasy owners like me who love Justin Forsett.  What frustrates me the most is that these coaches are clearly not watching any GAME film and are too focused on practice.  To end last season Forsett was the only guy that could get ANYTHING done.  Do not expect much from any Seahawks this year, but you should be able to get both Forsett and Houshmandzadeh at a pretty good  deal.

Top Fantasy Players

Justin Forsett – The most talented player on the team, not a great team but good enough that Forsett would be higher than 26th in my rankings if the coaches weren’t in love with Julius Jones for no reason at all.

TJ Houshmandzadeh – Last year was pretty disappointing, but Nate Burleson can’t take all them targets from him, so he should rebound pretty well this year if they get quality play from their line and QB.

Matt Hasselbeck – Once he was a great player, I think his time in this league has reached an end.  I expect Whitehurst to be starting by the end of the season and Hasselbeck’s retirement to come early in the off season.  Don’t draft him… even in a 2 QB format.

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Early games

Reggie Bush – NO: Active
Steven Jackson – STL: Active
Sammy Morris – NE: Active
Steve Slaton – HOU: Inactive
Michael Turner – ATL: Inactive
Roddy White – ATL: Active
DeAngelo Williams – CAR: Inactive Stewart is a MUST START today! BIG GAME ALERT!

Late games

Ahmad Bradshaw – NYG
Justin Forsett – SEA
Julius Jones – SEA

Night game (8:20 p.m. ET)

Tim Hightower – ARI
Visanthe Shiancoe – MIN
Kurt Warner – ARI   -   BIG NEWS!!!! ESPN IS REPORTING THAT WARNER WILL BE ACTIVE IN THE NIGHT GAME TONIGHT!  They have not made it official on their site but they reported it on Fantasy Football Now and credited Adam Schefter!

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Brad

Pick 2 (PPR/PPC League) Mendenhall vs. Oak, Jacobs vs. Dal, Charles vs. Den, Forsett vs. SF, McCoy @ Atl, and Wells vs. Min

Mendenhall is a given versus the Oakland run defense, in my eyes, and I was leaning towards Jacobs vs. Dallas because both Bradshaw and their 3rd string RB may be unable to play, leaving Jacobs with a bulk of the carries.

What do you think?

I gotta disagree with ya here Brad, I think Charles and McCoy are better options for you.  McCoy is a solid RB2 down the stretch till Westbrook comes back, and Charles has been on a tear as of late and I don’t foresee his production getting any worse this week!  McCoy is the safest play, and Charles is the guy if you need a big game!

Ed T

I am in a 12 team no PRR league and trying to get into playoffs with an important match-up.  Any advice on setting my line up would be highly appreciated.

QB’s – V. Young against Indy or J. Flaco against Green Bay or A Smith against Seattle.

RB’s – 1) J. Addai, against TItans 2) S. Slaton against Jacksonville 3) J. Stewart against Tampa Bay 4) J. Charles against Denver 5) R. Mendenhall against Raiders 5) J. Forsett against 49ers

WR’s 1)R. White against Eagles 2)Derek Mason against Green Bay or 3) Randy Moss against Miami

TE – D. Clark against Titans

Def – Steelers against Raiders

I need 2 RB’s 2 WR’s and a FLex RB

Thanks in advance!!!!

QB – Flacco is a no go given the quality of the GB secondary as of late not to mention his inconsistancy.  Young is a solid option, but with a tough match-up I don’t think he is your best bet. Smith plays a soft defense and has plenty of weapons, he is your guy this week.

RB1 – J Addai’s been very consistent and he’s the guy your going to need.

RB2 – Rashard Mendenhall is your best bet with Big Ben likely not be the focal point coming off his concussion and versus a SOFT rushing D

WR1 – REVENGE! The Patriots are looking for it and they wont stop scoring till time runs out.

WR2 – Backup QB or not Roddy White is the most talented guy you’ve got and will probably be facing man coverage while the Eagles blitz heavy to confuse the back up.

Flex – J Charles has been a BEAST lately, ride that wave!all set on TE and D/ST so good luck buddy!

MyZou

Should I start Cedric Benson or Pierre Thomas? Adrian Peterson is my other RB.

Benson all the way here buddy, i’m currently riding these two backs into the playoffs with a bye week already locked down. Hope you were able to have as much success! Benson was held out last week as mostly as a precaution, he is at 100% and is set for a big game. Don’t value him any differently because of the injury. It wasn’t bad and they just didn’t need him at all banged up going into the playoffs.  I wouldn’t value Benson any differently than you did before he got hurt, he is still a top10 guy.

JoshG

Avant or Mason?

Start Indy or Balt for defense?

Avant for sure, much bigger upside and he’s is facing the 27th ranked passing defense!  I’d have to say go with Baltimore due to their play making ability. It is very possible that both teams have 28 points scored on them, but Baltimore seems more likely that they have a defensive score or even possibly two. Ravens are ranked near number 10 this week and the Colts are around 15th.

Brett

I’m starting Ray Rice and Matt Forte, but if Deangelo Williams is out on Sunday, do I swap Jonathan Stewart for Forte?

If Williams is INACTIVE then yes, if they say he’s got a decreased role that could be BS and just start Forte since his match-up is so good.

Eddie

Should I play Santonio Holmes or Jason Avant?

Avant, he has been vulturing big plays from Jackson and Maclin lately anyways, now he’s going to be used a lot more often.

That is it for this weeks columns folks, stay tuned on game-day for injury updates as well as a link to my live Q&A on game-days!

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STUDS

Drew Brees (NO) went 18/23 with 371 yrds and 5 TDs in what was the biggest chance the Saints had left to be beaten.  No team but Dallas has much chance of beating the Saints this season and Romo in December is a pretty good opponent to have.  If your in the playoffs with Brees your only concern is him sitting out in weeks 16 or 17 if its relevant.

Brett Favre (MIN) – All season I have been warning people of what would happen at the end of the season, and it sure wasn’t this!  We are at the end now and he tallied 392 yards and 3 TDs, I can no longer advise anyone to not trust him till he gives you a reason not to.  You gotta have a short memory in fantasy football so forget last season already!

Justin Forsett (SEA) – This was a big game, and Forsett owners will be using him again, but maybe not this week as apparently the Seahawks don’t want to start him over Jones once he is healthy.  I cannot see the reasoning here as Jones is elusive and explosive and Jones is not so much of either any more. 130 yards and 2 TDs, break out game!

Fred Jackson (BUF) – The Lynch injury was kept really quiet and we knew he would be active but they made Jackson the feature back and Lynch the backup given his shoulder.  The Bills appear to be keeping this dynamic even as Lynch gets back to full strength.  Jackson proved he gets better with more carries and that he can be a very productive part of the offense when given the feature role.  He ran for 73 yards and 2 scores while also catching all five throws that came his way for another 43 yards.

Jamaal Charles (KC) -Despite losing pretty big Charles was still able to rack up 93 yards rushing and a TD. He also added 54 yards on just 3 catches making for pretty impressive output from a RB whose team lost 43-14.  His point totals over the last three weeks have been 18, 17, and 18.

Donald Driver (GB) – Driver beat out Jennings for the majority of the workload on Thanksgiving again this season, he has been a big surprise for the Packers at his age. He pulled down 142 yards and a score.

Miles Austin (DAL) – The return of Austin this week was very good for the Cowboys offense, same with Felix Jones who got him self a decent amount of work this week as well.  Austin had 145 yards and a TD Thursday evening and looks to be critical to their success.  If Romo can produce in December… big if… Austin will benefit greatly.

Percy Harvin (MIN) -146 all purpose yards Sunday as well as a receiving TD make the Vikings slot receiver tied for top fantasy WR in week 12.  a few more weeks with these kinds of numbers will give Harvin rookie of the year honors of Byrd or Britt.  Should the Bills somehow rally Byrd will give him a run for his money.

Terrell Owens (BUF) – Owens got 5 grabs for 96 yards and a TD Sunday in a solid victory for the Bills.  He’s starting to get exciting to watch again, he’s a low WR2 but a definite flex play for as long as Fitzpatrick plays like he has been.

Kenny Britt (TEN) – The Titans are for real and have a shot at making a playoff run.  They are on a tear and momentum is a powerful force.  Britt looked like his late 4th quarter fumble, but when the Titans got the ball back on their own one yard line 2 minutes and 37 seconds on the clock Britt redeemed himself by catching a 4th and 4 conversion from the 7 yard line as well as his last second TD catch to win the game.

Antonio Gates (SD) – Gates finally performed like owners have hoped for all season.  He caught all 7 passes Rivers threw to him getting  118 yards and two scores.  I said it in yesterdays entry, you play your most talented tight end regardless of match-up.  Since you didn’t draft Witten AND Gates then your playing Gates every single week.

New York Jets (D/ST) – Four INTs and a TD this week by Revis and the Jets in a win over the tough running Panthers.  Their fantasy value dropped off since the beginning of the year but they are still usable based on match-up.

DUDS

The Seahawks Passing Game – This is purely from a fantasy football sense, but we all expected at least one TD to go to Housh or Burleson.  Forsett got two and so did the return game putting them so far ahead they were able to just control the clock and get the win.  Good win for the team, but it was done in an unfortunate manner for plenty of fantasy owners.

Beanie Wells and Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) – Was a tough loss for the Cardinals who lost to a last second TD pass on Sunday while using back up QB Matt Leinart.  The offense didn’t have the rhythm it usually does and most all Arizona players suffered stat wise.  This should be fixed my Warner’s return next week.

Chad Ochocinco (CIN) -The Bengals won the game on the ground, and they really had no need to put the ball up in the air Sunday.  None-the-less he hurt some owners this weekend but he should be a viable starting WR in any format down the stretch.

Vincent Jackson (SD) – This makes three dud performances in a row for Jackson and it hurts but before that he’d been money ever week before that so deal with it he’s a stud and you have to start him.  Its not like shutting him down is working for these teams, they are still losing.

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