This week marks the half way point, more or less, of the season. At this point in your fantasy season you should have a general idea of the direction your team is heading. However with roughly 6-8 weeks left depending on the type of league you are in there is still time to make a run, or fall off the pace.
Waiver wire picks ups can help in a pinch and there is always the option to trade. More often than not the players you need to win are already on your roster. Unless of course you just happen to be really, really bad at building your roster. Or were one of the unlucky ones to spend early picks on Jamaal Charles, Peyton Manning or Peyton Hillis. And if you happen to have Chris Johnson on your squad, yeah, no way to sugar coat it, that one just hurts.
Most decisions to start or sit a player are pretty obvious. Others are not. It does not take a sit down with one of the Rotoworld guys to know you should start Aaron Rodgers. But deciding on which RB2 to start or who to flex can be tricky week to week. Here we take a look around the league at some of the best starts and sits for week 9 that just might help you achieve line-up nirvana.
Starters
Quarterback
Matt Cassel, QB, Kansas City Chiefs: He’s no prolific passer, but when the matchup is right, he can sure play like one. Here’s one that qualifies: The Dolphins generate almost zero pass rush and have an NFL-low two interceptions.
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants: Aside from Mark Sanchez (Week 5), every opposing quarterback has thrown for more than 300 yards against the Patriots defense. Eli should have no problem reaching that level, given the odds that the Giants will have to throw early and often. These are clearly not the Patriots we are use to and Eli seems to have a grip on his interception problem.
Wide Receiver
Brandon Lloyd, WR, St. Louis Rams: Regardless of who is taking the snaps Lloyd it’s clear he’s comfortable in this system. Lloyd reached double-digit points (ESPN standard) with A.J. Feeley under center. Not many Rams are viable options with a favorable match-up he is one.
Santonio Holmes, WR, New York Jets: Though Plaxico Burress has stepped up as a viable red-zone target for Mark Sanchez, Holmes remains a trusted target between the 20s. The Bills struggle against wideouts; the yards at the bare minimum should be there for Holmes.
Running Back
Michael Bush, RB, Oakland Raiders: Even if Darren McFadden does somehow suit up, Bush could still easily do enough damage to be well worth a fantasy start. And if Bush does indeed get the whole enchilada? Expect a 100-yard day.
Beanie Wells, RB, Arizona Cardinals: He managed to get through a game and had 22 carries, so it appears he will be “that guy” going forward: always a solid play. If you start Wells, you can rest easier knowing the Rams are giving up over 165 yards rushing a game .
TE
Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers: The best case to be made for Davis is that the Redskins, strong as they are against the pass, have surrendered three red-zone scores to opposing tight ends the past three weeks.
Kicker
Ryan Succop, K, Kansas City Chiefs: Though Succop struggled through the teams first six games with misses and lack of opportunities, he has improved his accuracy in recent weeks and should continue to get chances for field goals moving forward as the team’s offense has been improving both on the ground and through the air.
D/ST
Oakland Raiders: If they can get to Tim Tebow early and often, then the sacks and turnovers should come. Certainly he has given no real reason to make us think he won’t get beat up a bit.
Sitters
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Buffalo Bills: Playing very well but threw for only 128 yards against them last year and limited weaponry on the outside going against a tough Jets defense scares me.
Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens: Playing too poorly to consider on the road against improved Steelers defense with limited weapons on the outside.
Wide Receiver
Brandon Marshall, WR, Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins have little choice but to keep forcing the ball Marshall’s way, drops be damned, and the numbers bear out that he’s getting the red-zone looks (simply not converting them). Expect more of the same.
Steve Johnson, WR, Buffalo Bills: Will he be stranded on “Revis Island”? Maybe…maybe not. But it’s a risk. And with Fred Jackson firing on all cylinders right now I don’t see the Bills taking to many chances. Look for Chan Gailey to be content on putting the game in Jackson’s hands.
Running Back
James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers: As long as the Green Bay backfield is a timeshare involving Starks and Grant, the upside is severely limited here, especially given how effectively the Packers move the ball via the pass
Knowshon Moreno, RB, Denver Broncos:Value takes a big hit with McGahee expected back but the matchup is decent enough for him on the outside. Look for Tim Tebow to take a lot of carries away as well.
Tight End
Daniel Fells, TE, Denver Broncos: Raiders giving up 6th-most FPG to the TE over their last four so has a chance if Tebow can figure out how to play football. Against Detroit Tim Tebow threw the ball 39 times and it’s a bit surprising that Fells only had one target.
Kicker
Matt Prater, K, Denver Broncos: The Broncos’ offense really struggles to move the ball and Prater had only one attempt last week because of it. Due to the offense and its inability to consistently move the ball, Prater remains a weak fantasy kicker. Simply put Fantasy kickers and Tim Tebow don’t go well together.
D/ST
Cleveland Browns: As good as this defense has been all year, 6th fewest points allowed. The Browns’ front remains soft and with Arian Foster the opponent here this unit is susceptible to a disappointing fantasy day.
IDP Starters
Chris Long, DE, St. Louis Rams: Last week against New Orleans, however, in an emboldening win for his Rams, saw him regularly wreak havoc on the pocket and prove nearly unblockable for much of the game, ending up with three sacks. Facing an Arizona team that has allowed Kevin Kolb to be sacked 24 times, the second-most in football behind Ben Roethlisberger, is an inviting matchup (no matter the starter for the Cardinals)
DeMarcus Ware, LB, Dallas Cowboys: Ware has 12 sacks on the season, with four multi-sack efforts in seven games, and is now just a half-sack behind Jared Allen for the NFL lead. Week 8 against the Eagles Ware recorded 11 tackles and four sacks. No reason to think he can’t repeat against a poor Seattle offense in week 9
George Wilson, S, Buffalo: Combine a defense that gives up a ton of yards that end up with tackles in the secondary with the usual heady play of Wilson, who has a good nose for the ball, and you have a nice IDP recipe. Wilson is now fourth in the entire NFL with 57 tackles, easily best among defensive backs. With Sanchez’s less than stellar play this season it could be a nice Sunday for Wilson.
IDP Sitters
Antonio Cromartie, CB, New York Jets
Though Cromartie consistently gets the easier assignments, he hasn’t made the most of his opportunities, posting a horrible -8.0 ranking while tallying only 46 fantasy points. With Cromartie’s otherworldly athleticism, what we should be seeing is a boom/bust stat track that includes at least a couple of game-breaking performances
Brian Cushing, LB, Houston Texans: He’s not a tackle machine, and Cushing has only made it to the opposing quarterback once this season, so he’s more of a mid-level IDP option at linebacker than a top-tier one at the present time.
Dwight Freeney, DE, Indianapolis Colts: You’re not going to get a lot tackles out of Freeney but he still has IDP value in his ability to get to the quarterback. He has a sack in three of five games this season. However only being one a few defenders playing well for the Colts I anticipate the Falcons scheming to take him out of a game they need to win.
