Sunday Preview

1:00pm

Det @ Chi

The Lions finally got themselves into the win column last week but they may have to settle for a lengthy one game win streak as they go into Soldier field this week. That said, the Bears defense is not what it was and there is room for players to put up some fantasy points. Matt Stafford looked better last week in finding his receivers downfield which bodes well for the big play ability of Calvin Johnson. I like Megatron to bust a big one loose and is probably the only start you’ll want off this team this week. Bryant Johnson showed up last week but you can’t expect much. He’s worth keeping an eye on to see if he gets that much play over the next few weeks. I think Brandon Pettigrew will be a force by season’s end but for now keep him off your roster. Kevin Smith was injured against the Vikings but practiced Thursday looks like he’s on track to play. I like Smith and his match up but it’s always hard to trust someone coming back from an injury when you don’t really know the severity of it. It’s always frustrating when you plug a player in and he plays a series and doesn’t come back: that’s a definite possibility this week. You should turn to better options if you have them, if you don’t, you may have to risk it. Former Seahawk Maurice Morris will be the primary backup and Aaron Brown will be lingering as well: you want no part of either of these guys.

Jay Cutler is primed for a huge week and that’s good news for every member of the Bears offense. Matt Forte should finally get on track, if he doesn’t it’s officially time to panic. I like Devin Hester a lot here but you should also consider Johnny Knox a starter as well. Knox has proved that he can contribute every week so don’t be scared getting him in there. Earl Bennett is really only a PPR play but if you’re stuck with bye week trouble you could do worse. Greg Olsen, as always, is a middle of the pack TE start.

Cin @ Cle

Most prognosticators are predicting that the Bengals are prime for a letdown after beating the Steelers last week. I think the Browns are too terrible for that to happen so load up on felines. I love Cedric Benson to keep it going. Palmer is a pretty good start as well as, should be spreading all the ball all over the field and find a few scores. Start Ochocinco this week, he’s been a quality start every week and looks close to being in vintage form. Vern Coles and Chris Henry are more widely owned but it’s Andre Caldwell who has been making an impact so far this season. Caldwell has only 122 yards and a touchdown on the season but he seems to be getting himself involved and is looking like a good start in PPR leagues as he has 14 receptions.

The Cleve is pretty terrible and you don’t want any part of any Brown in a standard league. Jamal Lewis is not officially out for Sunday but it’s certainly looking that way. I think Jerome Harrison would be a better start anyways, not a good start, but a better one. In PPR leagues Harrison has more value in the Cleveland check down offense. The only hope here is Derek Anderson starting at QB. Anderson is not afraid to go vertical in the passing game which could lead to a decent fantasy day for Braylon Edwards. I wouldn’t touch anyone else.

Oak @ Hou

JaMarcus Russell sure has a lot trouble completing passes for a NFL quarterback. He has just killed the value of the super talented Zach Miller who is a sit until further notice. There are no receivers worth mentioning. That leaves Run DMC and Michael Bush the opportunity to get their carries against an awful Texans defense that have an affection for giving up huge plays. McFadden is an excellent start and if Bush gets his carries, which I think he will, he can be a quality flex or RB2 if you’re thin at the position.

They may only be 1-2 but the Texans offense has not been to blame over the last two weeks. After laying an egg in week one, we have seen the prolific Houston offense that we all predicted coming into the year. The Nnamdi factor could take a chunk out of Andre Johnson like it did last year. 2 catches for 14 yards, but you can’t sit him. Kevin Walter is a nice start after having a nice comeback last week. Daniels has been a top 5 TE on the season and don’t look for that to change, start him. Schaub as always is a great option, so that leaves us with Steve Slaton. Slaton should finally be running on all cylinders this week. The Raiders got to Slaton last year but that was across the board for the Texans. I like the Texans offense in this one, so I like Slaton.

Sea @ Ind

Hasselbeck is out for another week with a rib injury leaving Seneca Wallace to man the ship again this week. I was surprised with Wallace’s valiant effort last week against the Bears and he should be able to distribute the ball again this week. Wallace isn’t someone you want starting, that has nothing but bad news written all over it, it should not kill the valve of the receivers though. I like both of Seattle’s favorite sons this week: Nasty Nate Burleson should break one loose and Carlson should be a good safety valve leading him to rake in the receptions. TJ Housh has been an under achiever since coming to Seattle but don’t give up on him yet. Temper your expectations for him but keep him in there, you don’t want him on your bench if he starts having consistent Housh games. Julius Jones is never to be trusted but he could be a nice RB2 or Flex with the bye weeks and injuries out there. The Colts have an unsightly run defense so Jones should have room to run, and he’ll be a good check down option for Wallace once the Seahawks get down early.

Manning has been on fire to start the year and is officially the number two QB in fantasy for the rest of the season. He, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are all on the same page right now and all are the top options at their respective position for the week. Outside of the obvious starts there is still some nice value to be had. Pierre Garcon has come on in recent weeks and should get himself involved again. Joey Addai is looking like a lesser option than Donald Brown as Brown has shown big play ability through the air on top of his ground game while Addai just hasn’t.

Ten @ Jax

If there's one guy I’ve been dead on with each week it’s Chris Johnson, go take a look, I dare you. I love him this week to light up the Jags with a couple big runs. Outside of Johnson the only other guy I really like as a start is Justin Gage. 12 Gage absolutely killed at Jacksonville last season and I like him to have a productive game again. The Jags secondary and overall defense is much worse this year so plug him in an reap the rewards.

MJD is a must start despite the tough match up. Jones-Drew will get his touches regardless of the score, which is akin to fantasy points. Garrard is a pretty good play against a bad Titans secondary that has been taken advantage of every week. That bodes well for Mike Sims-Walker to break out in this game. If you’re really hurting at receiver, Torry Holt should be good for 6 points or so.

NYG @ KC

Start Eli, Jacobs, and Smith. All are top tier options this week. Ahmad Bradshaw has had a boot on his foot all week but Tom Coughlin is confident that he’s going to be fine, making him a good flex play. Super Mario Manningham could break one loose but downgrade him a bit as I think the Giants control the game on the ground.

Bowe missed last week but returned to practice on Wednesday, which can’t be a bad sign. He’s a start every week if he’s healthy so keep an eye on his status and adjust accordingly. If he doesn’t play I actually like Mark Bradley quite a bit. Both games he’s played this year have been productive and I like him to see the bulk of the targets if Bowe is on the sidelines. You don’t want anyone else from the Chiefs but if need be I think Charles is once again a better start than Grandmama.

Bal @ NE

The Ravens have dominated on offense this year and should keep it at least partially going this week. I don’t think my beloved Ray Rice is the best option this week outside of PPR leagues. McGahee probably won’t score his standard 2TDs but merits a start anyways. I have Flacco outside the top 10 at QB this week (11th) but I think he can get Derrick Mason involved enough to be useful. Ditto for Tood Heap.

Load up on the Patriots’ passing game this week. I don’t see New England doing much on the ground against the Ravens, mainly because no one does. Start Brady and Moss with confidence. Welker falls into that category if he plays. He’s looking like he’s on track to play in this one but I thought he was playing the last two weeks, so keep a watchful on the situation. If he doesn’t play, upgrade Julian Edelman to starter status as he’ll get a lot of targets.

TB @ Was

Josh Johnson is starting this week so don’t be too hopeful with any Buc. I don’t know who to trust in that backfield, don’t start either one unless you’re really hurting at running back. If you have Kellen Winslow you’re starting him as he may be a good outlet for Johnson

Jason Campbell gets a good match up here but better options should be available. If you need a QB he’ll be somewhat productive. Santana Moss lit it up last week and should keep it going this week. Chris Cooley is always a great option as he is the most consistent player in this offense. Portis is now hurt and questionable, watch his status. Ladell Betts is a good start if Portis is out.

4:15pm

Buf @ Mia

I see this being a low scoring affair so watch out. If you rely on any Bill from week to week on your team, you should probably change that before you end up 0-14. Lee Evans kills the Dolphins so he is the one Bill I like this week. It’s hard to do but you need to bench TO until he shows some kind of consistency, you can’t be putting up zeros form WR2 every week.

Loves me some Ronnie Brown in this one and to a lesser extent Ricky Williams. With Chad Henne starting at QB it’s hard to trust any receiver so you’ll probably want to sit down Ginn. I still like Bess in PPR formats but his inability to get yards should scare you off in any standard league.

NYJ @ NO

Since this game is in the Bayou I like points to be scored. Ponce de Leon and Tom Jones both make nice starts as I can see Jones pounding the ball up the middle and Washington breaking one loose on the fast track at the Superdome. The Sanchise is a will be looking to Cotchery and Keller per usual, so you’ll want to start them.

Darrelle Revis can’t cover everybody so I think that Brees gets the aerial show going this week. Lucky Pierre is a good start as is most of the Saints receiving corps: Colston, Henderson, Meachum, Moore, in that order. Bush is a PPR start but not much else. Jeremy Shockey is an enigma so if you have a better option, use it.

Dal @ Den

The Cowboys go into undefeated Denver and look to but some points on the board. All signs point to MB3 playing but I still like Choice better. You’re starting Romo if you have him but Witten is still the only receiver I trust from this group. Roy Williams is the only other guy you should consider staring.

Moreno and Buckhalter are the two best bets against the Cowboys. Eddie Royal has been abysmal and Marshall inconsistent so you should probably stay away from those two. Marshall is the better option if you really need someone.

STL @ SF

The Rams continue their quest to get the first overall pick this week when they travel to the bay area. The 49ers shutdown Adrian Peterson last week and will probably do the same to SJax, but I do like Jackson to get involved in the passing game a bit so he’s a decent start. With Kyle Boller at QB I think that upgrades the Rams receiving brigade a little bit but not to the point where you should start anyone. I would watch what Donnie Avery does this week, with Laurent Robinson out for the year he's the best option they have. Daniel Fells looked like he had a connection with Boller, scoring two TDs last week, don’t start him but see if it keeps up.

I’m going all in on Glen Coffee for this week with Gore out. The match up is great and he should find the end zone. As I have Tony Gonzalez in many leagues so I’m using Vernon Davis as my bye week filler; I look for him to build off last week’s stellar performance. Shaun Hill is worth a flyer is you desperately need a QB, the match up is excellent. Still no faith in any wide out so keep Bruce and Morgan on the bench.

9:20

SD @ Pit

So it looks like LT will play after all, I would still keep him on the bench though. Coming off an injury and playing the Steelers doesn’t make for the best match up. Sproles should be involved out of the back field and is a better start than LT. I love Rivers and Jackson to hook up deep a few times and both should produce worthy fantasy lines. Gates should finally get into the end zone; he’s been killing receptions and yards, just no scores yet.

It looks it Willie Parker may be taking a seat for this one with turf toe. I think it’s Mewelde Moore you want over Mendenhall, more so in PPR leagues, if put in if Parker is out. The Berg, Homes and Ward are all good starts this week. Keep an eye on Mike Wallace too. 60 Minutes had 100+ yards last week and the Chargers secondary isn’t so great.