Pick Ups of the Week

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5. Chambers, Chris WR Kansas City

While Dwayne Bowe is off suffering from low self esteem, suspended four games for banned diuretics, Chris Chambers has stepped in into the number one receiver's role and has produced valiantly. He has double digit fantasy points in two of three games as a Chief and his upcoming schedule should allow him to keep up this pace.

4. Succop, Ryan K Kansas City

While I agree that kickers are basically week to week plays, Succop is in a very good position. He plays for the touchdownily challenged Chiefs. The Cheifs don't seem to have too many problems moving the ball down the field. They just have stalling problems from the 25 yard line on. Maybe it's just vapor lock? Anyways, over the next four weeks Succop gets defenses that the Chiefs will definitely be able to move the ball on: @ SD, vs DEN, vs BUF, vs CLE.

3. Boss, Kevin TE New York Giants

Tight ends have fallen by the wayside with injuries all year long, leaving many owners looking for replacements and week to week fill ins. Boss was drafted as a low end option as the year started and was almost universally dropped after a poor start. Now, with tight ends in demand, Boss has come to life over his past three games. Boss now has four touchdowns in his last three games and is a much better option than lets say.... Jason Witten at this point. if you need the help, you can do much worse than the Big Boss Man.

2. Forsett, Justin RB Seattle

Forsett broke onto the scene last week when he was able to give fits to the Cardinals. His ownership vaulted up a little but he available in a surprising amount of leagues. His match up against the Vikings was perceived to be difficult on paper and that played out in reality. Forsett finished with 9 carries for 9 yards, pretty unspectacular stuff. What was encouraging about his performance were his 8 catches for 80 yards out of the backfield. It showed everyone that even if the Seahawks are down, Forsett will still get his touches. With Julius Jones still banged up with his bleeding lung, the Seahawks may see what they have in Forsett as the season winds down. Seattle has a great schedule from now until week 16. If Forsett can remain the starter, he'll be top 20 back the rest of the season. top 15 in PPR leagues.

1. Cartwright, Rock RB Washington

One the best names in football finally gets his chance to shine after Ladell Betts left Sunday's game at Dallas with a torn MCL. the extent of the injury isn't fully known yet but count on Betts to miss at least a few weeks. Cartwright should be in line to receive the majority of carries and proved himself as a viable threat out of the backfield (7 catches, 73 yards). With so many running back injuries as of late and the amount of platoon backfields around the league, Cartwright may prove to be a valuable commodity as the season winds down. The next three weeks he gets pretty favorable match ups: @ Philly, vs New Orleans, and @ Oakland.

OTHER NOTABLES

• QB: Alex Smith once again produced a quality stat line and should be a nice filler down the stretch if you need the help. Upcoming games against Seattle, Jacksonville, Detroit, Philadelphia and Arizona should make smith a top 15 option for the rest of the season.
• RB: Fred Jackson was widely dropped when Beast Mode returned to the line but may get a chance to be the primary ball handler again, as Lynch left the game with a shoulder injury.
• Jamaal Charles isn't universally owned so that means you may have the opportunity to still nab him of the wire. His biggest threat to pilfer carries, Kolby Smith, left the game after the first carry against the Raiders.
• Bernard Scott had a great game in a losing cause against Oakland. Unfortunately for Scott, it looks like Cedric Benson will return to take his job back last week. Scott is clearly the handcuff to Benson. So if you have an open roster spot and you're a Benson owner, you'll want to have Scott as insurance.
• WR: Brandon Gibson only hauled in 5 catches for 61 yards but was on the receiving end of 17 Marc Bulger targets. 17!!!
• TE: With Bruce Gradkowski at the helm for the foreseeable future, the previously "unownable" Zach Miller may be worth a flyer for all those with tight end troubles. There's nothing better for a bad quarterback than a sure handed big target that stand about 10 yards away from you. Miller had seven targets and turned that into 5-65 and a score.
• D/ST: Despite their bad week, the Bengals should be back to regular form the next two weeks with back to back home dates against the Browns and Lions. Cincy's D is still out there on the wire in some league and will provide at least two weeks of top 10 value in the short term.

Stud & Duds Week 11

Last Week

Studs

T. Jones: Win: 13 Points

P. Thomas: Loss: 3 Points

R. Brown: Win: 13 Points

M. Colston: Loss: -1 Point

S. Rice: Win: 20 Points

D. Mason: Win: 7 Points

J. Flacco: Loss: 6 Points

A. Smith: Loss: 2 Points

B. Celek: Win: 10 Points

Dallas ST/D: Loss: 5 Points

Miami ST/D: Win: 8 Points

Weekly record: 6-5

Season record: 42-30 (59%)

Duds

L. Tomlinson: Loss: 21 Points

J. Lewis: Win: 3 Points

K. Smith: Win: 4 Points

M. Sims-Walker: Loss: 10 Points

J. Knox: Win: 2 Points

S. Moss: Win: 0 Points

C. Palmer: Win: 7 Points

D. Garrard: Loss: 17 Points

J. Witten: Win: 4 Points

Weekly record: 6-3

Season record: 45-16 (74%)

Scoring System:

A win for a QB will be 14+ points

A win for a RB will be 10+ points

A win for a WR will be 7+ points

A win for a TE will be 7+ points

A win for a D/ST will be 8+ points

A win for a K will be 8+ points

Of course it’s the opposite for the duds.

Week 11

STUDS

Ricky Williams at Carolina

Positional Rank: 11

Ricky gets a chance to be the primary ball handler for the first time since his return from exile two years ago and he gets quite the match up to excel in. Carolina ranks 25th against the run and the Dolphins will try to get the ball to Williams every chance they get in order to limit Chad Henne’s mistakes. Ricky was a fringe starter this year but it’s time to get him into the line up.

Lesean McCoy at Chicago

Positional Rank: 12

McCoy should be the primary back, ahead of Leonard “Dream” Weaver, and walks into a great situation against the defensively challenged Bears. He may not get the carries that most feature backs will get but he’ll be heavily involved in the passing game and that should lead to some big production.

Beanie Wells at St. Louis

Positional Rank: 13

Beanie is still singing backup vocals to Tim Hightower but has taken full advantage of his carries over the past few weeks. He’s been running with authority and now gets to take advantage of a sieve-like Rams defense. I like the Cards to score tons of points this week and for Wells to get into scoring parade.

Santana Moss at Dallas

Positional Rank: 20

Despite my massive distain for Santana Moss it’s hard to over look his track record when playing at Dallas. In his past four games at Dallas, Moss has 26 catches for 494 yards and 4 touchdowns. That kind of production will get you recognized. While Moss has been dreadful this season, if you’ve kept him to this point you’ll want to use him.

Calvin Johnson vs. Cleveland

Positional Rank: 10

Megatron looked close to full health last week and turned in a pretty good game against the Minnesota. This week he gets Cleveland and should finally turn in one of those huge games you expected when you grabbed him on draft day.

Wes Welker vs. New York Jets

Positional Rank: 5

There’s lots to like about Welker this week. Randy Moss was shut down by Revis in week two and Brady relied heavily on Welker’s replacement Julian Edelman who finished with 8-98, despite a few drops. The Jets have problems covering number two receivers and there is no better secondary option ion the league than Welker. He should out produce Edelman’s week two line and add a TD to it. He’ll be more valuable than Moss this week.

Vince Young at Houston

Positional Rank: 16

Vince Young has not done better against any other opponent than division rival Houston over his brief four year career. Young is 3-0 and has at least two touchdowns in every meeting. Expect a passing and rushing touchdown from Young who seems at have the Texans number.

Josh Freeman vs. New Orleans

Positional Rank: 18

This one may seem a little nuts but the Saints have become a user friendly defense to start your players against in the past few weeks. Freeman has looked poised beyond his years in his first two starts and should put up some good numbers if you really need the help.

Kellen Winslow vs. New Orleans

Positional Rank: 7

The emergence of Freeman has been great for Winslow. There’s nothing better for a young quarterback than a sure handed, big body who can catch passes underneath. Winslow fits the bill. He has scored double digit points in two straight and should make it three this week.

Cincinnati D/ST at Oakland

Starting a defense that plays the Raiders is usually a good idea. The bad news is that JaMarcus Russell is out at starter. The good news is that Bruce Gradkowski will replace him. In a relief appearance last week, Gradkowski threw for 49 yards and 22 picks. Unfortunately for the Raiders, this is actually a step up. Start the Bengals D and reap the rewards.

DUDS

Jonathan Stewart vs. Miami

Positional Rank: 25

I covered this in my weekly preview. I’m going with the trend and saying the Daily Show is going on hiatus this week. Sit him.

Ryan Grant vs. San Francisco

Positional Rank: 27

The 49ers bring their 3rd ranked run defense into Lambeau with every intention of shutting down Ryan Grant. I remember a time when the 49ers shut down Adrian Peterson in Minnesota, Grant is no Peterson.

Joseph Addai at Baltimore

Positional Rank: 28

Baltimore is still tough to run on and that doesn’t bode well for Addai , who is among the league’s worst in yards per carry. Unless he scores some short yardage touchdowns, he’ll be pretty ineffective.

Chad Ochocinco at Oakland

Positional Rank: 24

One word: Nnamdi. Don't expect too much here.

Nate Burleson at Minnesota

Positional Rank: 33

Burleson may have the “playing his former team” advantage but he has just been brutal on the road. He hasn’t eclipsed seven fantasy points in any road game this year. Don’t expect too much here against a quality Vikings’ defense.

Matt Ryan at New York Giants

Positional Rank: 19

He hasn’t had double digit points in four straight weeks now and is now is reprising his role as a DUD this week. The Giants can be thrown on but I suspect that they made the proper adjustments on their bye week. Sit Ryan.

Carson Palmer at Oakland

Positional Rank: 15

This one is will really be determined on whether Cedric Benson plays or not. If Benson is in, he should run ramped over the Raiders, leaving Carsino very little to do against an underrated Oakland secondary. There are far better options than Palmer this week, use one of them instead.

Jeremy Shockey at Tampa Bay

Positional Rank: 11

He hasn’t really been targeted the last few games and I’ll stick with that trend. I think the Saints will keep the ball on the ground and pound the Bucs into submission. So unless shockey lines up at full back, don’t trust him this week.

Thursday Night Preview

Miami at Carolina

The Dolphins travel north to Bank of America Stadium winners of four of their last six for a date with the equally resurgent Panthers. One problem: Mr. Wildcat himself, Ronnie Brown has been placed on the IR and is out for the year. What does this mean for everyone’s favorite gimmick offense? Who knows. Brown handles the Wildcat snap about 75% of the time, so that leaves the Dolphins with one of three options: Hope Ricky Williams can step in and run the Wildcat seamlessly; a lethal does of Pat White and the “WildPat”; or exclusively rely on Chad Henne to play an entire game as a real quarterback. I’ll bet we’ll see more of Henne under centre with direct orders to hand the ball off Ricky to pound the Panthers 25th ranked run defense. For fantasy purposes on Miami’s side, Williams is about the only guy you can really feel comfortable starting. It’s a really nice match up. If you’re streaming defenses, you may want to take a flyer on the Phins’ defense as they get to face the prince of turnovers Jake Delhomme, he’s passed the torch to Jay Cutler. If your league counts return stats, Miami’s defense is upgraded with Ted Ginn a threat to score every time the ball is kicked to him.

On the other side of the ball, Jake Delhomme gets a nice match up against a young secondary but are you really going to put your trust in Delhomme? Didn’t think so. Steve Smith made a cameo last week catching two touchdowns and should be a viable number two option this week. Despite having the 7th ranked run defense you have to go with DeAngelo Williams solely based on his big play ability. Williams was a guy who I thought had bust written all over him this preseason but has quietly been one the best backs in fantasy. Since a poor performance in week 5 against Washington, Williams has been on a tear, scoring in double digits the last five games. Jonathan Stewart is a different case all together. If you like playing trends, this is your week to sit the Daily Show. The Panthers had their bye in week four and Stewart has traded bad performances with great ones every week. the past six weeks Stewart has put up 9, 15, 4, 20, 1, and 20 points. If this pace keeps up, he’s in line for about 2-5 points this week. It’s not a good match up but you really never know. You should have better options on your team. If not, wondering whether or not to start Jonathan Stewart is the least of your concerns.

This is a crucial game for both teams if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. Despite the absence of Ronnie Brown, I like the Dolphins to sneak out a road win on a short week.

Picks

Mayo: Miami (+3)

Anderson: Miami (+3)

Week 11 WR Rankings

1 Larry Fitzgerald vs. STL

2 Andre Johnson vs. TEN

3 Reggie Wayne @ BAL

4 Vincent Jackson @ DEN

5 Wes Welker vs. NYJ

6 Marques Colston @ TB

7 DeSean Jackson @ CHI

8 Sidney Rice vs. SEA

9 Roddy White @ NYG

10 Calvin Johnson vs. CLE

11 Brandon Marshall vs. SD

12 Anquan Boldin @ STL

13 Randy Moss vs. NYJ

14 Hines Ward @ KC

15 Miles Austin vs. WAS

16 Donald Driver vs. SF

17 Steve Smith (NYG) vs. ATL

18 Devin Hester vs. PHI

19 Mike Sims-Walker vs. BUF

20 Santana Moss @ DAL

21 Derrick Mason vs. IND

22 TJ Houshmandzadeh @ MIN

23 Santonio Holmes @ KC

24 Chad Ochocinco @ OAK

25 Steve Smith (CAR) vs. MIA

26 Michael Crabtree @ GB

27 Greg Jennings vs. SF

28 Austin Collie @ BAL

29 Jerricho Cotchery @ NE

30 Percy Harvin vs. SEA

31 Vern Coles @ OAK

32 Braylon Edwards @ NE

33 Nate Burleson @ MIN

34 Lee Evans @ JAX

35 Terrell Owens @ JAX

36 Steve Breaston @ STL

37 Jeremy Maclin @ CHI

38 Kevin Walter vs. TEN

39 Hakeem Hicks vs. ATL

40 Mike Wallace @ KC

41 Mario Manningham vs. ATL

42 Devone Bess @ CAR

43 Roy Williams vs. WAS

44 Robert Meachum @ TB

45 Lance Long vs. PIT

46 Nate Washington vs. HOU

47 Eddie Royal vs. SD

48 Chris Chambers vs. PIT

49 Torry Holt vs. BUF

50 Bernard Berrian vs. SEA

Injured:

Dwayne Bowe - Suspended for the next four games for using a banned diuretic.

Justin Gage- Out again this week with broken bones in his back. Ouch!

Week 11 QB Rankings

1 Kurt Warner @ STL

2 Peyton Manning @ BAL

3 Drew Brees @ TB

4 Matt Schaub vs. TEN

5 Tom Brady vs. NYJ

6 Brett Favre vs. SEA

7 Aaron Rogers vs. SF

8 Philip Rivers @ DEN

9 Tony Romo vs. WAS

10 Donovan McNabb @ CHI

11 Ben Roethlisberger @ KC

12 Joe Flacco vs. IND

13 Matt Hasselbeck @ MIN

14 Jay Cutler vs. PHI

15 Carson Palmer @ OAK

16 Vince Young @ HOU

17 David Garrard vs. BUF

18 Josh Freeman vs. NO

19 Matt Ryan @ NYG

20 Alex Smith @ GB

Week 11 TE Rankings

1 Dallas Clark @ BAL

2 Brent Celek @ CHI

3 Vernon Davis @ GB

4 Greg Olsen vs. PHI

5 Antonio Gates @ DEN

6 Tony Gonzalez @ NYG

7 Kellen Winslow vs. NO

8 John Carlson @ MIN

9 Heath Miller @ KC

10 Jason Witten vs. WAS

11 Jeremy Shockey @ NO

12 Tony Scheffler vs. SD

13 Fred Davis @ DAL

14 Visanthe Shiancoe vs. SEA

15 Kevin Boss vs. ATL

Week 11 RB Rankings

1 Chris Johnson @ HOU

2 Maurice Jones-Drew vs. BUF

3 Adrian Peterson vs. SEA

4 Ray Rice vs. IND

5 Cedric Benson @ OAK*****

6 Rashard Mendenhall @ KC

7 Steven Jackson vs. ARZ

8 Brandon Jacobs vs. ATL

9 Frank Gore @ GB

10 DeAngelo Williams vs. MIA

11 Ricky Williams @ CAR

12 LeSean McCoy @ CHI

13 Chris Wells @ STL

14 Thomas Jones @ NE

15 Kevin Smith vs. CLE

16 Knowshon Moreno vs. SD

17 Matt Forte vs. PHI

18 Ladell Betts @ DAL

19 Marian Barber III vs. WAS

20 Pierre Thomas @ TB

21 Steve Slaton vs. TEN

22 Jamal Lewis @ DET

23 LaDainian Tomlinson @ DEN

24 Justin Forsett @ MIN

25 Jonathan Stewart vs. MIA

26 Jammal Charles vs. PIT

27 Ryan Grant vs. SF

28 Joseph Addai @ BAL

29 Jason Snelling @ NYG

30 Tim Hightower @ STL

31 Reggie Bush @ TB

32 Darren Sproles @ DEN

33 Ahmad Bradshaw vs. ATL

34 Marshawn Lynch @ JAX

35 Correll Buckhalter vs. SD

36 Ryan Moats vs. TEN

37 Fred Jackson @ JAX

38 Felix Jones vs. WAS

39 Carnell Williams vs. NO

40 Laurence Maroney vs. NYJ

*****- Injuries

Brian Westbrook- suffered his second concussion in three weeks and his season appears to be finished.

Clinton Portis- A Concussion will keep Portis out of the line up again this week. Ladell Betts will replace him in the starting lineup.

Michael Turner- suffered a high ankle sprain and will likely miss a few weeks. Jason Snelling seems like he’ll be the starter but don’t sleep on Jerious Norwood who should return from injury this week. Keep an eye on the situation.

Ronnie Brown- his ankle will keep him out for the short week and will hopefully be back to take advantage of great week 12 match up at Buffalo

Cedric Benson- A strained hip muscle took Benson out of the game last week but appears like he will play this week at Oakland. This is a great match but make sure he’s playing on Sunday before committing to him. Bernard Scott should get the carries if Benson is unable to go. If this a lingering injury, you may want to take a flyer on the newly signed Larry Johnson and stash him on your bench.

Julius Jones- A broken rib led to bleeding in his lung, not good stuff there. Justin Forsett will start in his place and could replace him for the rest of the season.