Fantasy Football Start Sit
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Philosophical question to get you started today; do you love to win, or hate to lose more? I found it to be an interesting question posed on Pete Carroll’s twitter account and have gotten into numerous discussions among my friends about it. We are all fantasy football enthusiasts and as such I would venture to guess everyone reading this carries him or herself with a great deal of competitiveness. It is our way of connecting with the game. So a popular answer I have heard is, neither. Love to win and hate to lose the exact same or equally. As simple as that sounds, I don’t ever buy that human emotion can be evenly split 50/50. Any sports fan watching a game will garner some rooting interest for a particular team no matter how little they care about the two teams playing. It may be an obvious reason for the temporary fandom or it could just be innately. I personally feel the same can be true in this question. Like many philosophical questions, I do not believe there is a right or wrong answer and I do believe one’s answer can sway depending on circumstance. On the average, I encourage you to think to yourself how you feel? Just an interesting brain teaser to get you going, and regardless of your answer, each of us wants to ensure the best line up possible so we don’t have to worry about hating to lose and can relish in our level of love for winning. Here are the week 8 start/sits. Enjoy.
Start
QB:
Ben Roethlisberger vs WAS: He’s at home and he’s playing one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. The Redskins are currently 30th in the league at giving up fantasy points to QBs and this could be a mini shoot out with RG3. While Jonathan Dwyer ran well against Cincinnati, Washington is a slightly tougher challenge for the home team. I think Big Ben tops 300 this week with a couple touchdowns.
Josh Freeman at MIN: Minnesota is only 20th in the league at giving up points to quarterbacks so there are plenty of match ups that may seem better than this one but I really like the zone Freeman is getting into. Minnesota is very tough against the run so Tampa Bay should look to get Freeman going like he has the previous two weeks. He and Vincent Jackson are on an absolute tear right now, and it makes it all the sweeter to watch your guy on Thursday Night Football tomorrow.
Other QBs worth a start: Andrew Luck at TEN, Sam Bradford vs NE, Christian Ponder vs TB
RB:
Reggie Bush at NYJ: Reggie Bush got off to an amazing start this season. He had 241 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing in the first two weeks of the season and only 193 yards and 1 touchdown rushing in the 4 games since. This week though he gets the running backs’ 2012 cure all in the New York Jets run d. While they have been a little bit better of late, the Dolphins had an extra week of prep coming off the bye to make sure they get their running game back going. The bye week also gave Bush an extra week to rest his body. I expect Reggie to bounce back nicely this week.
Willis McGahee vs NO: Another running back who will be feeling fresh off of the bye week and to make matters even more enticing, he gets the New Orleans Saints. If I had a pee wee son playing an offensive position, and he had to substitute for an NFL team against the Saints, I would start him. All positions, all systems go. The Saints know how to say two words this year only, shoot…… out.
Rashad Jennings at GB: I put like 17 stars on the kid in my waiver recommendations and so I want to emphasize putting him in line ups now. Did he run great against Oakland last week? No he didn’t but he still got 100 total yards and a touchdown. The Jags trust Jennings to play all 3 downs, they trust him to get the ball and do something with it in every situation, and every time MJD has been out he has success do just that. The Packers are certainly nothing special against the run, but they will probably get a nice lead and force Jennings into a more pass catching type role. PPR leagues rejoice, running bonus leagues not so much.
Other RBs worthy of a start: Ryan Mathews at CLE, Chris Johnson vs IND, Frank Gore at ARI
WR:
Mike Wallace vs WAS: Don’t get down on him because of the dropped passes. He was among the league’s fewest dropped pass offenders last season. Get up on him because what I said about Ben Roethlisberger above and what Victor Cruz did at the end of the Giants-Redskins game last week. The Skins can be beat deep, and that is Wallace’s specialty.
Randall Cobb vs JAC: I can’t tell if this is becoming too repetitive and he is approaching must start status or if people really still have this guy on the bench. Since Cedric Benson has gone out Randall Cobb has not had less than 82 yards receiving. He has 3 touchdowns (in 3 weeks). He has one of the highest catch percentages in the league and has averaged over 7 targets per game over that span. If that wasn’t enough reason to get him in your line up, everybody just keeps raving about this kid! The Packers now are letting it be known they haven’t been overly pleased with Alex Green and want to get Cobb more involved out of the backfield. Percy Harvin Jr. is growing before our very eyes people. A Percy Harvin with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback. Yeah.
Eric Decker vs NO: All hands on deck remember? Demaryius come on down too. Thomas is a little more obvious and so I chose to write in Decker. After a slow start to the season, the chemistry that many pundits who watched the Broncos in the offseason were raving about between Decker and Manning has clicked in. Decker is averaging nearly 10 targets a game over his past 4 and has either scored or had 100 yards in all of them. We all know last week he should have had another touchdown if he tied his shoe laces better, and so now with being in this shootout with the Saints he could get his chance at redemption.
Other WRs worthy of a start: Kenny Britt vs IND, Lance Moore vs DEN, Titus Young vs SEA
TE:
Heath Miller vs WAS: Well my old staple as finally run out as the Titans have learned how to cover the tight end a little better. We will switch things up a bit and go back to the Steelers-Washington game because believe it or not, in addition to not being able to cover the deep ball, the Redskins also have become the second worst team in the league at stopping tight ends. If you hadn’t noticed, I am all on the Steelers passing game this week. I hope the weather permits.
SIT
QB:
Cam Newton at CHI: First of all this guy is a wreck. It’s mental, it’s physical, it’s the scheme, and it’s everything else. The Panthers offense is struggling in every facet and Newton is the lead dog in that fight. The Panthers need a get right week and unfortunately for them it will not be found in week 8. Their opponent would be the Chicago Bears IN the windy city. The Bears’ defense is playing at a completely next level right now and are forcing as many turnovers as the Saints have tackles this year. I am more excited for his post game pout conference than watching him play in this one.
Matt Stafford vs SEA: Like the Panthers, something isn’t right with the Lions offense this year. Matt Stafford, the guy who threw over 40 touchdowns last year is on pace for 13 this year! 13 touchdowns! Stafford struggled mightily with the Bears secondary last week and the Seahawks will provide an even greater challenge. The Hawks have reeled in Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, and Cam Newton so far this season. Tom Brady had statistical success because he dink and dunked his way up and down the field but that is not the Lions strength. The best success teams have had lately against the Seahawks has been running right up the middle. The Lions may want to start there, but even that may not be enough.
Other QBs worthy of a sit: Michael Vick vs ATL, Mark Sanchez vs MIA, Philip Rivers at CLE
RB:
Trent Richardson vs SD: Last week, though he start, Richardson was severely hampered by his rib injury. So much so in fact, his coaches benched him due to his own ineffectiveness. Knowing that happened last week, I do not have confidence risking that happening again. If he could not play through the pain last week, it would seem time off may be required. Even if he does play, the Chargers have been fairly stout against the run and Richardson certainly wasn’t running with the same ferociousness and reckless abandon as he was before the injury.
Alex Green vs JAC: Green has been called out by the coaching staff. They are admittedly unhappy with his performance thus far. If they make good on their threats, Green looks as if he will lose time with Randall Cobb on certain snaps and we all know the Packers have gotten back into the passing fancy. Consider that John Kuhn is the packers preferred goal line back and there becomes little upside in putting Green in your starting lineup
Steven Ridley at STL: Ridley started the season on fire. We all thought, finally, The Hoody found a back he likes and is going to ride him through all the open holes Brady opens up for that running game. Then he fumbled, and fumbled again, and here we are going into week 8 and the committee is rearing its ugly head again. The Pats coaching staff is commending the job Shane Vareen has done recently and want more snaps for him. I can’t think of a better opportunity for a speedy type guy than on the turf, in the dome at St. Louis. The Rams have been tough against the run as is, which is all the more reason to sit Ridley this week.
Other RBs worth a sit: Shonn Greene vs MIA, Larod Stephens-Howling vs SF, Vick Ballard at TEN
WR:
Hakeem Nicks at DAL: The Dallas secondary has been outstanding this season. The run D has been average and they just lost their best run defender in linebacker Sean Lee. The Giants are going to test this out and I think the secondary can remain strong. Typically, I would put Victor Cruz here because I feel like Nicks has so much more talent than Cruz but somehow, someway Victor Cruz just gets open. For a quarterback as good as Eli Manning, that is all he needs. Nicks could be in for another pedestrian stat line in week 8.
Brian Hartline at NYJ: Against Oakland and Arizona Hartline has 21 catches for 364 yards and one touchdown. Against everyone else this season combined he has 8 catches for 150 yards and 0 touchdowns. This week he draws Antonio Cromartie. Nothing really excites me about Hartline in this match up. Maybe the bye week rejuvenated him but I’m not buying.
Brandon Lloyd at STL: The odd man out since Aaron Hernandez has returned has clearly been Brandon Lloyd. While he got good action against Seattle, because Brady threw the ball until his arm fell off, a more average level saw him only catch 1 ball last week. Early in the season it looked like Welker would be the one squeezed for balls with this new look Patriots offense, but so far that has not been the case as of late. Lloyd is most likely to draw pro bowl waiting corner Cortland Finnigan this week as well.
TE:
Vernon Davis at ARI: Davis has been really taken out of the offense the last few weeks and that looks like it might continue against a Cardinals defense that has excelled at defending the tight end position. The Seahawks held the 49ers to 13 points last week with a philosophy focused on not letting Davis beat them. That could be a recipe capable defenses, like Arizona’s, will choose to imitate.
Good luck!!
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