Start Em
Quarterback Josh Freeman – Sometimes it’s all about a matchup, so for that reason alone Freeman is a top 12 fantasy quarterback this week. Freeman won’t throw for 300 yards, but he will never be the reason you lose a game. This week his matchup against the Redskins defense giving up just fewer than 270 passing yards per game is gold. With safety Laron Landry likely out for Sundays Contest, the weak Washington secondary just became putrid. Freeman is a safe bet for 200 yards and two touchdowns in what is likely your first round playoff matchup.
Running Back Matt Forte – While it seems odd, Forte has been running better ever since Chester Taylor started seeing more touches. Over the last two games Forte’s received 27 carries while running for 181 yards and scoring a touchdown. Forte’s a guarantee for two to three catches a game making him a solid number two running back against the Patriots defense. Start Forte with confidence as he’s become the impact player he was in his rookie season.
Wide Receiver Donald Driver – Finally healthy, Driver looked like his old self last week catching four balls for 73 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers. Driver has been playing the Lions now for 12 years and last season broke the Packers all time reception mark at Lambeau Field against this same Detroit team. Driver has dominated the Lions throughout his career scoring nine touchdowns in 18 meetings. I would go with the law of averages and stick Driver in my flex spot with high hopes of another big game.
Tight End Ed Dickson – An unknown player until Todd Heap left the Steelers game on Sunday Night, Dickson caught three balls for 21 yards. The most important stat for Dixon is that he was targeted seven times, in an offense that relies on the tight end; Dickson becomes an important part of the offense. Heap was in the middle of a great season scoring five touchdowns, so look for Joe Flacco to target Dickson in the red zone against the Texans 32nd ranked pass defense.
Defense Miami Dolphins – What the Dolphins lack on offense, they sure make up on defense in this strange 2010 season. Led by linebacker Karlos Dansby, Miami currently has the 4th ranked defense in the league and have not given up 20 plus points in six straight weeks. After watching the Jets offense on Monday Night, look for the streak to go to seven games in this tough AFC East battle.
Sit Em
Quarterback -Sam Bradford – Bradford is having an amazing rookie campaign, and has the Rams on the verge of the playoffs. While Bradford is likely the future of fantasy quarterbacks, heading into the Superdome against that third ranked Saints pass defense smells like trouble. After not throwing a touchdown against at Arizona, I don’t see how anyone could have confidence with Bradford in New Orleans.
Running Back BenJarvus Green-Ellis – Green Ellis has been a pleasant surprise this season, while many thought the Patriots didn’t have a running game, he’s averaged 4.3 yards per carry. It’s likely that the ‘’Law Firm’’ will get some goal line carries vs. the Bears, but the Chicago run defense is flat out ridiculous in 2010. They are giving up less than four rushing yards per attempt and have forced running backs to fumble the ball 11 times. Green-Ellis might score a touchdown, but look for the Patriots to pass the ball against the newest version of the Monsters of the Midway.
Wide Receiver Steve Johnson – Johnson had been emerging as an automatic start, was held to under 40 yards against an average Vikings secondary last week. While most people might think I am overreacting, it’s possible that the dropped ball from the Steelers game is in his head, as he missed some opportunities against Minnesota as well. While the Browns don’t have the best secondary in the world, the Bills offensive line is beat up so Ryan Fitzpatrick should be under a ton of pressure on Sunday. My recommendation is to bench your Bills receivers as this should be a sloppy game. In the teams last two meetings the scores were 8-0 and 6-3, so bench your wide outs and get your kickers ready to go.
Tight End Visanthe Shiancoe- Thought of as a top 10 tight end before the season, Shiancoe has been a major disappointment. With Sidney Rice back in the lineup and Percy Harvin likely to play Sunday, Shiancoe should see even less targets in a passing game which is finally getting healthy. Shiancoe is clearly out of the loop in the Vikings passing game so the quarterback under center won’t have an impact on how many targets Shiancoe sees.
Defense Baltimore Ravens – This is more of a gut feeling than anything else, but after the blood bath on Sunday vs. Pittsburg, I believe the Texans will be able to put up 20 plus points on the Ravens defense. While Matt Schaub is turnover prone, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson surely make up for it with their ability to move the chains. Baltimore is a good real life defense but in fantasy they’ve only forced three turnovers in the last four weeks and twp of them were against the Panthers. Houston has scored over 20 points five weeks in a row and I don’ think this battered and bruised Ravens defense is going to stop that from happening on Monday Night.