FantasyGuru.com: Staff Blog

Weekly MATTchups: Week Sixteen

Matt Camp — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 03:37:52 +0000

With this being championship week, I will not be focusing on the obvious players since they are going to be in your lineup no matter what. Instead, I will be taking a quick look at each game with more emphasis on players you’ll be making decisions on this week.

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots

The fantasy QB situation has been a steady rotation of matchup plays when it comes to low-end starters. That’s why someone like Matt Moore looks like a solid start this week with a great matchup against the terrible Patriot defense. I can personally say that I picked up Moore to backup Ben Roethlisberger a few weeks ago and will be starting him with confidence for the second straight week with my season on the line. Aaron Hernandez had one of his best games of the season against the Broncos last week and feels like another good start this week. I realize he’s not going off like teammate Rob Gronkowski, but he’s still one of the better players at the position in the league and probably in the next group after the weekly starters.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

You know at this point that Maurice Jones-Drew is the only player you can start from the Jaguars, so we can focus on the Titans here. I’d certainly feel better about Nate Washington if Jake Locker was starting, but at least we know Matt Hasselbeck has a short leash this week. Damian Williams would be a very deep reach and I’m not getting excited about Jared Cook showing up all of a sudden last week. Chris Johnson’s bum ankle continues what’s been a very frustrating season if he’s been on your team. This isn’t a bad matchup for him and he’s been getting it done as a receiver, so if he’s good to go, I’m fine calling him a mid-range #2 RB.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers

We saw the Panthers easily take care of the Buccaneers just a few weeks ago and I’d expect more of the same in this one. Carolina does like to throw it, but I’d definitely would consider using RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart against this hapless Buccaneer team. They are both solid #2 options, especially if you are stuck because of something like the Felix Jones injury. I’d like to believe LeGarrette Blount would be a good option against a Panther defense that’s been ravaged by injuries, but I can’t get excited about him because I don’t know if he’ll get enough carries to be productive. That’s not his fault, but on the Tampa Bay defense, which looks like they’ll have their hands full this week. Mike Williams had a nice little stretch going coming into this month, but I want nothing to do with their passing game.

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens

Greg Little had a nice game last week, but you’re probably better off waiting until 2012 to use him again. Peyton Hillis can only be in your lineup if you’re stuck and are hoping for volume. When these teams played earlier in the month, the Ravens relied on Ray Rice to carry their offense and didn’t ask much of Joe Flacco. There’s no reason to believe they change things up too much, especially with Anquan Boldin out of the mix. I liked Torrey Smith as a reach once again, but the Boldin injury could mean that Joe Haden covers Smith more now. That hurts his value.

Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals

I realize that playing Beanie Wells isn’t very exciting, but I’d expect him to get carries in what I believe will be a close game between two solid defenses. If you’re looking for volume and a chance at a short TD, he should be able to give you that. Andre Roberts has been productive for the last three games, but I just can’t buy into using him for such an important fantasy week. Cedric Benson should be similar to Wells when it comes to volume and a chance at short TDs, plus he’ll have FB Chris Pressley back. He might not have upside, but he’s safe.

Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins

Roy Helu looked bad last week and as we found out, all that work he was doing with the trainers on the sidelines was due to multiple injuries. The Redskins aren’t going anywhere and with Helu banged up, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him split touches with Evan Royster. Mike Shanahan needs to make one more negative impact on the fantasy season and I think it comes in this game. Rolling with Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney certainly looks good against a Viking secondary that couldn’t stop Adam Caplan from finding the end zone. Rex Grossman should be fine, but last week proved that he’s tough to trust even in a good matchup. Percy Harvin is back in my lineup this week because he’s too talented not to be. Toby Gerhart is not. I’m not buying into his fantasy value after he had a good fantasy performance on the wrong end of a blowout.

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills

This is the best I’ve felt about Tim Tebow because the Bills don’t scare me with any part of their defense. However, that could mean the Broncos run it all day because even if he has made strides as a passer, they’d rather hide that part of his game if the can. They should be able to do that, which is why I really like Willis McGahee this week. His injury didn’t appear to be a problem during practice this week, so he should get plenty of touches. Demaryius Thomas is a fine option against a beatable Bill secondary, but I’d lower expectations a little since I’m not expecting Tebow to throw that much. No one could have seen C.J. Spiller going off against the Dolphins last week after he had a stinker in Week Fourteen and the Dolphin defense had been playing so well down the stretch. I don’t expect a repeat performance, but he should be a solid play. Same with Stevie Johnson.

St. Louis Rams at Pittsburgh Steelers

Charlie Batch gets the start for the Steelers and while he hasn’t been a big factor this season, Rashard Mendenhall should be an important part of the gameplan this week. The Steelers like to throw it and put the ball in the hands of their best player, Ben Roethlisberger, but since he’s out, I don’t expect as much out of the passing game nor does there need to be against a Ram team that probably won’t put up much of a fight. Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown are too good to take out of your lineup, unless you have significantly better options. Steven Jackson has played better than expected in recent weeks, but I think that stops this week. He’ll get volume and that could be good enough to make him a decent #2 option, but I’m lowering expectations if I have him. Brandon Lloyd is nothing more than a #3 option with a tough matchup and Kellen Clemens under center.

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs

Carson Palmer was outstanding last week, but finds himself in that group of fringe fantasy starters. The Chief defense has been playing quite well and with Palmer not having much in the receiving corps, I can’t say I’d be feeling much upside from him this week. Darrius Heyward-Bey is a reach, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he laid an egg after having a big game last week. Steve Breaston is an okay reach this week and if you are stuck at QB, I’d be okay using Kyle Orton over someone like Palmer or Joe Flacco.

New York Giants at New York Jets

The Giants can talk all they want, but I fully expect Darrelle Revis to give their receivers, specifically Hakeem Nicks, fits all day. Mario Manningham doesn’t look like he’ll play, so Victor Cruz will need to play on the outside. I would have felt better if he was playing more inside as the #3, but he should still be okay if he can stay away from Revis. Ahmad Bradshaw is an okay flex, but I’m interested to see if he’s involved in the passing game more with Manningham and Jake Ballard out of the mix. Santonio Holmes should be a real nice play against a Giant secondary that hasn’t figured out that they aren’t any good. Plaxico Burress should be a solid option against his old team. Mark Sanchez makes some dumb plays at times, but he’s been decent enough, especially with a good matchup like this one. If the OL gives him time, I think he performs well. Shonn Greene was looking good last week until the Eagles built up a big lead. This should be more of a game that the Jets control or at least keep interesting, so he’s a fine #2 fantasy option.

San Diego Chargers at Detroit Lions

This looks like one of the better games of the day for fantasy production. Neither team has a secondary to worry about, which is why I like Nate Burleson and Titus Young as reaches and Brandon Pettigrew as a solid low-end starter at TE. I can’t say I’m feeling good about Kevin Smith, even if the matchup is in his favor. He didn’t look very good last week and with Matthew Stafford not having a problem throwing the ball to his receivers, Smith wasn’t needed as a checkdown option. I see more of the same this week and when you combine that with the fact that Smith could re-injure his ankle yet again, he just doesn’t strike me as someone you play without worry. Vincent Jackson’s groin injury is troublesome, so it should mean an even bigger role for Malcom Floyd. Floyd has randomly disappeared in the past, but with Philip Rivers playing well, I think Floyd continues to produce. Mike Tolbert is more of a secondary option than he’s ever been in this offense, but he’s a good reach this week since the Chargers should be able to move the ball with success.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Jeremy Maclin was predictably held in check by the Jets last week, but the important thing was that he played the whole game and came out of it healthy. You can take shots on both of these secondaries because of their shaky safety play, so I expect both teams to come out throwing. The matchup doesn’t worry me for Maclin like it did last week, so I’m fine calling him a #2 WR. DeSean Jackson can’t be played with the same confidence, but he can be used as a flex option. I probably shouldn’t need to say this, but Brent Celek has found his way into the reliable TE group. The Eagle defense has played better in recent weeks and the team appears to be finally taking to their somewhat unique schemes. They’re also playing with more aggression and should get some heat on Tony Romo. I’d still fine playing Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, and if you’re thinking about using Laurent Robinson one more time even with his snaps down, I’m just fine with it. He’s been the one that’s bailed Romo out and I think he’ll be able to produce in a game that could see a lot of points. Felix Jones is hurt (again), so we could be seeing Sammy Morris get significant touches. I’m not going to get excited about him looking good against the Bucs last week. You’re reaching if you play him.

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Frank Gore did get some rest last week when the Niners had things in hand against the Steelers, but he did perform better than expected when he was on the field. That’s why I’m not overly worried about him against a good Seahawk run defense this week. Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis have their success tied to Alex Smith, which is why I don’t let my expectations ever get too high for either of them. Marshawn Lynch didn’t do much when it came to yardage against the Bears last week, but he did score twice showing that getting volume always gives you a chance to do something. It’s an even tougher matchup this week, but this game should be close, so the volume should still be there, especially as the cornerstone of this offense. It wouldn’t shock me if he was the one to finally end the 49er streak of allowing no rushing TDs this season, but I know it’s tough to feel good about him.

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

Marion Barber couldn’t even handle a month of being the lead back in Chicago before getting hurt. He’s not expected to play because of a calf injury, so we’ll get to see more of Kahlil Bell, who outperformed Barber last week and did so against a damn good Seahawk defense. He’s also a solid receiver and this week he’s going up against a Packer defense that’s a little banged up and giving up significant production through the air to RBs. I realize using him this late in the season might be considered dangerous, but getting a main ball carrier off the waiver wire in the days leading up to championship week is almost unheard of. His value would only rise if the Packers have nothing to play for on Sunday, which would be the case if the 49ers lost to the Seahawks on Saturday. If that’s the case, I think we see guys like Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finley, Jordy Nelson, and probably even a veteran like Donald Driver for a little more than a half. This isn’t an easy matchup, but I’m not going to get scared about this offense without Greg Jennings after just one game. However, that doesn’t mean I’m expecting much from James Jones or Randall Cobb. Also, you’re better off staying away from the Packer backfield.

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

You’re not going to get a much better game to end this week, although if you remember when these teams played late in the season last year, it didn’t yield much fantasy production. It will this time. The Falcon run defense has been pretty good, but they are a little banged up, so that’s helpful if you want reach with Pierre Thomas in PPR formats. I can’t say I like Chris Ivory, but he could score a short TD. Darren Sproles stays in my lineup in PPR leagues and I’d probably be just fine with him as a #2 even if he’s not getting points to catch the ball. Lance Moore is a nice reach since the Falcon secondary is beatable and short on depth. I know Michael Turner isn’t someone you’d think about taking out of your lineup, but the Saints will have Jonathan Vilma in the lineup, unlike their previous meeting when Turner performed quite well. If I have any of the prominent Falcon offensive players, I’m using them with confidence.

If you have any questions, I’ll try to check back here a couple of times before the games get underway on Saturday, but your best chance to get me is on Twitter (@TheMattCamp). Good luck and happy holidays to everyone!

Weekly MATTchups: Week Fifteen

Matt Camp — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:29:12 +0000

It is playoff time in the world of fantasy football, so if you are still making meaningful lineup decisions, I salute you for getting this far. As we have been saying, this is no time to be a hero, so a running theme in this week’s blog will be my comfort level with players. Let’s get into this week’s games.

Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are looking more and more like too risky of a team to trust when it comes to fantasy, especially when they get blown out by the hapless Jaguars. It’s tough to play LeGarrette Blount or Mike Williams with any confidence this week. I could easily see Blount disappearing if the Buccaneers fall behind and Williams’ success hinges on Josh Freeman. We can only hope he’s a little healthier this week. Felix Jones certainly became relevant in a hurry and would appear to be a good start, although I’m not expecting him to get a ton of carries all of a sudden. Remember, he’s had some issues carrying the load in the past and has 18 carries just once in his entire career. He should catch a few passes in this game though, so I’d feel good if he was in my lineup. I know Laurent Robinson saw his snaps cut last week with the return of Miles Austin, but he’s been the most consistent Cowboy WR all season, so I’m not that worried about him, especially after he had a good game despite the drop in snaps last week.

Cincinnati Bengals at St. Louis Rams

Sam Bradford doesn’t belong on the field if he’s going to look like he did Monday against the Seahawks. Unfortunately, with A.J. Feeley still dealing with his thumb injury, the Rams would have to turn to Kellen Clemens. No matter what it doesn’t look like good news for Brandon Lloyd. Steven Jackson was better than expected against the Seahawks, but a good chunk of his yardage came on one reception. I’m not as worried about this week’s matchup, but I wouldn’t let expectations get too high. You can’t bank on him to get many chances to score. A.J. Green certainly looks like a nice play this week against a totally decimated Ram secondary. I’d also feel very good with Cedric Benson in the lineup, and I haven’t said that much this season. Taking a chance on a QB is usually something I’m against at this point in the year, but if you’re stuck Andy Dalton should be a solid option.

Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs

It’s probably too early to worry about playing time for the Packers this week, but the bigger issue is who steps up with Greg Jennings out. It’s looking like James Jones will move into the starting lineup, which obviously makes him viable, but I think Jermichael Finley finally starts coming through with more reliability for owners who have stuck it out with him through a frustrating season. This week’s matchup does lend itself to that theory since the Chiefs are vulnerable over the middle and down the seams. Kyle Orton looks like he’ll be able to play through his finger injury and with a good matchup, at least according to the numbers, I’d feel better using Dwayne Bowe this week, even if he had been producing with Tyler Palko.

Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans

Andre Johnson will be held out yet again, and the way he was talking this week, I’d be surprised if he saw him for any significant time in the rest of the regular season now that the Texans have clinched at least a 1^st-round home game. There’s no need to bring him back for a game against one of the worst run defenses in the league when Arian Foster (and possibly Ben Tate) should be able to carry the offense. Tate’s a nice flex play this weekend if you need some help with one of the big name RBs going down recently. Joel Dreessen continues to be a giant thorn in the side of Owen Daniels owners with 6 TDs on just 19 receptions all season. Daniels is still a low-end fantasy starter, but I’ve almost come to expect that he’ll lose out on opportunities in the red zone to Dreessen. Cam Newton has a brutal matchup this week and Steve Smith may not be able to help him out since Smith will almost definitely see Johnathan Joseph for most of this game. Smith’s had some quiet games this season, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see this one turn out the same.

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings

Having players like Drew Brees is always fun, but when he gets a great matchup like this one in the fantasy playoffs, it makes you believe he can single-handedly carry your team to a victory. Consider the Viking secondary issues, it’s tough not to feel great about the Saint passing game this week, specifically Brees, Marques Colston, and Jimmy Graham, who appears to have put his back issues behind him. With such an attractive matchup, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Lance Moore and/or Robert Meachem be a factor in this game. Adrian Peterson owners have had to deal with his absence for a few weeks, but he’s on track to return to action, so let’s hope the Vikings keep it close enough to keep Peterson in the mix. If they don’t, the Saint defense might be an interesting play since they’ll get after Christian Ponder with a comfortable lead.

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears

Marion Barber was the goat of last week’s game against the Broncos, but he still managed to go over 100 yards and did score. I’m not expecting that again. The Seahawks have done a good job keeping RBs in check on the ground this season and I’m not expecting Barber to do much in this game, so don’t get your hopes up. Barber doesn’t play much of a role in the passing game nor does he need to with Kahlil Bell involved. Marshawn Lynch is the only player I feel somewhat good about in this game, but obviously he has a tough matchup so you might have to lower expectations just a bit. You can’t trust anyone else for Seattle at this point in the season.

Washington Redskins at New York Giants

I will go as far as to say Eli Manning can’t be benched right now unless you have Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, or Tom Brady. The Redskins have a solid front seven, but their secondary is definitely beatable, especially without S LaRon Landry. Mario Manningham would be the only member of the Giant passing game I wouldn’t be playing with a lot of confidence. His big score last week came on a broken play, and he’s still third in the pecking order behind Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. I wouldn’t be excited about the Giant RBs, but if I’m sticking with one, there’s no doubt it’s Ahmad Bradshaw. The Redskin WRs came through last week in a beatable matchup against the Patriots and they have another one this week against the Giants. I’d also be happy to have Roy Helu. It only took two-thirds of the season, but the Redskins finally found their guy and he’s riding a three-game streak of 100-yard games on the ground.

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts

Chris Johnson was terrible against Colts when they faced off earlier in the season even though their run defense was struggling even back then. We know how shaky he’s been this season, but you have to think he’ll get plenty of carries, especially considering the QB situation. It sounds like the Titans would rather start Matt Hasselbeck since they are still in the playoff hunt, but if he’s too banged up to play, they’ll roll with rookie Jake Locker. I’m not quite sure Locker is ready to take over, but for one game, especially against the Colts, he’s not a bad option this week. Nate Washington looks like he’s going to continue to tough it out through his ankle and back issues, so he should be solid. I also like Damian Williams, who caught 4/60 when these teams played the last time. He’d be a reach if you decided to roll with him. I’m not acknowledging the Colts as a team that has fantasy players on it.

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills

The Dolphin D has been one to avoid in the second half of the season, and even though LeSean McCoy scored a couple of times last week, he couldn’t get anything going in terms of yardage. That means I’m not going anywhere near C.J. Spiller. The only other fantasy-worthy option on this team is Stevie Johnson and he could have a tough go of it going against Vontae Davis. Hopefully, Matt Moore will be able to play because he should be able to find Brandon Marshall with relative ease against a shaky Buffalo defense. Reggie Bush won’t be challenged by this defense either, so he looks like a great play this week. With how well the Dolphin D is playing, they look like they could be a strong option this week and should be able to force Ryan Fitzpatrick into at least a couple of interceptions.

Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders

Calvin Johnson is not a decoy. At least that’s what HC Jim Schwartz says. I believe him and think it’s up to Matthew Stafford to get Calvin the ball, even if he has to force it. Oakland’s secondary is vulnerable and they like to play man coverage, which Johnson will destroy. He should bounce back this week. Kevin Smith might return this week and while the matchup isn’t bad, he’s no guarantee to make it through the game so proceed with caution. The Lion defense looks like they’ll be in better shape this week, which is bad news for Carson Palmer, but he does get Denarius Moore back, who I have to like a reach this week since no other Raider receiver has stepped up in his absence.

New York Jets at Philadelphia Eagles

Jeremy Maclin looks like he’ll be in better shape with his hamstring this week after he was severely limited against the Dolphins last week. The question is who will he draw? He’s more talented than DeSean Jackson, so it would make sense for Darrelle Revis to cover him, but with the injury issue, the Jets may move Revis around if Jackson is causing them more trouble. LeSean McCoy salvaged a brutal down on the ground with a pair of TDs, but it won’t get much easier this week against a Jet defense that has looked much better over the last month. I’m not worried about him, but am always concerned with how he’s used although with Michael Vick at less than 100 percent, I have to believe they’ll lean on McCoy a little more. The Jet offense has been quite good in recent weeks, especially in the red zone. Shonn Greene has been a huge part of that and he appears to be peaking at just the right now. We’re seeing him carry the offense right now and that’s taken some of the pressure off Mark Sanchez.

Cleveland Browns at Arizona Cardinals

Much like the Colts, I’m avoiding all Browns, and this improved Cardinal defense, which may be an interesting play this week, makes that decision much easier. Arizona might be rolling with John Skelton, and while that doesn’t worry me when it comes to Larry Fitzgerald, the matchup with Joe Haden does. Fitzgerald can obviously overcome a tough matchup and he does have a significant height advantage, so I refuse to worry too much about him. Other than Fitz, the only Cardinal I’m using with confidence is Beanie Wells, who should do quite well against this terrible Brown run defense.

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos

We saw Tim Tebow throw it 40 times out of necessity last week. Will the Broncos let him throw it a lot by design this week? The matchup certainly leaves that option open, but that doesn’t mean the Broncos are going to start relying on Tebow’s arm all of a sudden. The once great Patriot run defense isn’t so scary anymore, so I’d still expect Willis McGahee to play a prominent role, as long as the Broncos are able to hang in this game. Denver’s defense has been quite good, but unless they get constant pressure on Tom Brady, why should we believe that anyone is going to slow down the Patriot offense. If Tebow is forced to throw a lot for more than a quarter, he will be exploited as the shaky passer that he is and this probably won’t be much of a game. If the Broncos can keep this close, I’ve learned to be prepared for anything. Demaryius Thomas does have a good matchup and has been active in the last two weeks, but I’m being very careful not to get excited about him because that means I’m relying on the arm of Tebow. If you haven’t figured out the Patriot offense by now, all you need to know is that Rob Gronkowski is the top receiver in all of fantasy football and Wes Welker never disappoints. Oh and just forget using the Patriot RBs because they are meaningless in their offense. Gronkowski could draw Champ Bailey at times in this game, but that really doesn’t bother me. You can’t stop that guy. By the way, even with Gronk’s historic season, Aaron Hernandez remains a viable fantasy starter, so don’t be afraid to use him.

Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers

Based on what we’ve seen out of Vincent Jackson this season, you’d think this would be a game to lower expectations for him. However, Raven CB Lardarius Webb is dealing with a toe injury and may not play, meaning rookie Jimmy Smith would be forced into action. I know the Raven D has been great this season, but they really haven’t been tested that often. The Charger offense has been up and down all year, but now that they are healthy, I’d say their probably at their best coming into this game. My only issue is their patchwork OL protecting Rivers against a Raven pass rush that leads the league is sacks. Downgrading Jackson and Rivers is fair to do, but you better have other options you feel very good about if you’re benching them at such an important part of the fantasy season. For instance, I wouldn’t be playing Demaryius Thomas over Jackson or someone like Joe Flacco over Rivers. Ryan Mathews might have one of his toughest matchups of the year on Sunday night, but I still think he can be a productive #2 fantasy back if he’s able to get the ball in space and if he can get to the perimeter. Speaking of Flacco, he’s played well by NFL standards over the last month, but his numbers for fantasy continue to be weak. The Ravens may decide to throw it a little more against the beatable Charger secondary, which is why I do like Torrey Smith as a sleeper, but I continue to believe that Ray Rice will carry their offense when the matchup dictates he should be able to do so, and that is the case this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers

Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with an ankle sprain that would probably keep most players off the field this week, but I don’t expect him to miss this game. The Steelers are right in the hunt for a top seed in the AFC and you know they would love to have a week off to rest up in the opening round of the playoffs. Ben knows this and knows the team has a tough matchup on the road, which is why I think he plays. Pittsburgh probably won’t get much out of Rashard Mendenhall against the great 49er run defense, but if they can attack the secondary, especially with guys like Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown, as they can take short plays and turn them into long ones with their run-after-the-catch ability. You cannot use any San Francisco player with confidence going against the Steeler defense. Alex Smith struggles if he’s got a tough matchup, so I’d be worried about Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. The Niners admitted Frank Gore isn’t healthy, so besides this not looking like a good week for him going against the Steelers, it wouldn’t shock me to see the Niners limit him to make sure he’s ready to go for the playoffs.

Feel free to leave your lineup questions in the comments section below, as I do come back to check them over the weekend or you can always get me on Twitter (@TheMattCamp) since I’m rarely ever away from it. Best of luck to everyone in the fantasy playoffs!

Weekly MATTchups: Week Fourteen

Matt Camp — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:33:04 +0000

If you are still alive, congratulations. With just a few weeks remaining in the fantasy football season, now is not the time to be a hero. Being safe is not a bad thing and there are plenty of good matchups that should allow you to do just that this week.

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens

Ray Rice and the Ravens ran all over the Browns last week and could do much of the same this week. We know the Colt defense is vulnerable on the ground and through the air, but I don’t expect to see Joe Flacco throwing very much when he can hand the ball off to one of the best RBs in the game. When the Ravens do throw it, Torrey Smith could be getting some looks downfield, which makes him an intriguing option as a flex play this week. Dan Orlovsky might have been the captain of the garbage-time production offense last week against the Patriots, but I doubt he and the Colts get that kind of production against a much better Raven defense in Baltimore on Sunday.

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers

The Falcon run defense may be one of the best in the league, but they had no answer for Arian Foster last week. Of course, he’s one of the best in the game, but Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams aren’t bad either. We’ve seen more of a balanced offense from the Panthers in recent weeks, yet Cam Newton continues to have a great season whether he’s getting it done with his legs or his arm. I’d expect the Panthers to challenge the Falcon secondary, especially with CB Brent Grimes out yet again. Michael Turner should be in for a nice afternoon against the terrible Panther run defense, which put not one, but both of their starting DTs on the IR. Julio Jones looked to be over his injury issues, but had some mental errors that cost the team on multiple occasions last week. It’ll be interesting to see if he can start to play more consistent football down the stretch.

Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals

T.J. Yates may not be Matt Schaub, but he’s not a bum either. This team is not going to tank under him, and considering how wide open the AFC is right now, they have about as good of a chance as any team to be playing in February. With Andre Johnson out again this week, we’ll see a whole lot Arian Foster (and some Ben Tate) taking on a Bengal defense that’s struggle a bit in recent weeks. Speaking of defenses, the Texans still don’t get enough credit for how well their defense has played this season. The unbelievable turnaround Wade Phillips has led can’t be talked about enough. We saw the Bengal offense look lost last week against the Steelers and they’ll struggle to get anything going against the Texans. A.J. Green is certainly a tough player to sit, but he’ll be tested by CB Johnathan Joseph, who might have been the most underrated free agent signing of 2011.

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions

Fantasy players don’t want to hear this, but the Vikings should not be risking Adrian Peterson OR Christian Ponder this week. They are 2-10 and are obviously going nowhere this year and neither player is anywhere near 100% coming into this game. Those two are part of a nice offensive core this team has for the future, which is why it is not worth playing them. However, if Peterson goes, you can’t bench him. He’s played well despite injuries in the past and this isn’t a bad matchup at all. Joe Webb could be starting for the Vikings and while he may have looked Percy Harvin’s way last season, he’s a definite downgrade from Ponder, so I would lower expectations when it comes to Harvin. The Lions might have discipline issues, but their passing game should go off on this atrocious Viking secondary. Kevin Smith is not looking like a good option this week after having to leave practice Friday, so if you have to roll with Maurice Morris, who I’ve dubbed “America’s Fantasy Running Back” since he seems to be involved in every question I’m asked, I guess I’m okay with it, but only as a flex.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars

Let’s hope Josh Freeman is able to return from his shoulder injury in this game. The Bucs have a very beatable matchup against the hapless Jaguars, so Mike Williams should be able to continue his resurgence. LeGarrette Blount was once again a victim of the Buccaneers falling behind early last week against the Panthers, which made him a non-factor. That won’t happen this week, so he should be able to bounce back. I should note that the Bucs have talked about getting UDFA Mossis Madu involved a little more this week and that makes sense since they are out of the playoff hunt. As we saw on Monday night, it’s Maurice Jones-Drew and nobody else for the Jaguars when it comes to fantasy, although I was happy to see Cecil Shorts score. He could be a dynasty league prospect to keep an eye on.

Philadelphia Eagles at Miami Dolphins

The Eagles will finally have Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin back in the lineup this week, but unfortunately they’ll face a Dolphin defense that’s looked quite good in the second half of the season. It should be interesting to see if Maclin or the disappointing DeSean Jackson draws top Dolphin corner Vontae Davis in this matchup. LeSean McCoy will face a test against this defense, but he had no problems with the tough Seahawk run defense last week even though he was playing with a bad toe. Reggie Bush is having his best season ever and I’m not at all worried about this matchup for him. Because the Eagles have no clue how to defend the pass despite having a lot of talent at the CB position, I’m not worried about Brandon Marshall.

Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets

The Chiefs haven’t announced a starter yet, but you have to think they want to go to Kyle Orton if his finger is healthy enough. Their offense is completely lost and their only TD came off an extra-fluky Hail Mary at the end of the 1^st half. I wouldn’t feel good about Dwayne Bowe this week since he’ll probably draw Darrelle Revis. Shonn Greene had 2 TDs coming into last week and ended up scoring three times. I don’t see him becoming a scoring machine all of a sudden, but with LaDainian Tomlinson and Joe McKnight banged up, it doesn’t look like Greene will have a lot of competition for touches. Rex Ryan suggested the Jets use some Wildcat offense and it looked like it worked out just fine. That is a bit of indictment of Mark Sanchez, although for fantasy, Sanchez hasn’t been a bad option.

New Orleans Saints at Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson has proven that he can take advantage of beatable matchups, and at this point, I’ll take that. He has another good one this week, but if the Titans can’t contain the Saint offense, the volume Johnson’s been getting won’t be there. Mark Ingram was turning the corner for the Saints, but a turf toe injury has to put his status in serious doubt going forward. Chris Ivory is a definite step down, but he could assume some of Ingram’s role. Robert Meachem might have flashed last week, but he had a fantastic matchup and doesn’t this week. He’s not someone you can rely on at this important point of the season.

New England Patriots at Washington Redskins

I’m a little worried about the Redskin pass rush getting to Tom Brady this week, but he should be able to carve up their secondary, especially without S LaRon Landry in the lineup. That’s great new for Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, but they don’t need a good matchup to produce. I’ve given up on the Patriot RBs, but then again, I never had any of these guys to begin with because more often than not, they’re frustrating. It’s been looking good for Roy Helu, but this won’t be an easy matchup for him, so don’t expect much from him on the ground, although he could make up for that with a decent game as a checkdown option since the Redskins won’t have Fred Davis. Santana Moss should be in good shape to have a nice game against this beatable Patriot secondary, especially since the Redskins will have to throw a lot to hang in this game.

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals

My weekly rule is to bench any RB facing the 49ers since they haven’t given up a rushing TD all season. I know that’s tough to do with Beanie Wells, but it’s not like he can make it up with his receiving skills since he’s not an active part of the passing game. If you want to tempt fate, Wells might have somewhat of a chance with LB Patrick Willis not expected to play. Michael Crabtree continues to look as good as we’ve ever seen him and with a willingness to throw it a bit more, I do like him this week, even if he does draw Patrick Peterson, who had some trouble with Dez Bryant last week. We’re still waiting for Frank Gore to get that rest, but it hasn’t been happening although that could change this week now that they’ve locked up the division and could be in control of this week. That doesn’t mean I’m taking a shot with Kendall Hunter, but it wouldn’t shock me to see him get a few more carries in the 2^nd half.

Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos

I know Tim Tebow has been getting it done and is coming off one of his better passing days, but this feels like the toughest matchup he’s seen since taking over as the starter. The Bears have an aggressive, disciplined defense that is set up perfectly to defend Tebow and force him to throw to beat them and unlike the Vikings, their secondary is actually competent. I would lower my expectations when it comes to Tebow and Willis McGahee this week, but that doesn’t mean I’m picking against the Broncos. That’s because I’m not sold on the Caleb Hanie/Marion Barber duo as a replacement for Jay Cutler/Matt Forte. Hanie and the Bear offense was atrocious last week, so instead of simplifying things, Mike Martz feels the answer is to be more aggressive. That seems to be his answer for everything and he usually needs to be reeled in when things aren’t going well. Something tells me that’s going to happen after this game. Kahlil Bell is going to be in the mix with Barber, so don’t expect Barber to all of a sudden start getting 20 carries with Forte out.

Oakland Raiders at Green Bay Packers

If the Raiders were healthy, this would be a very intriguing game, but with Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford, and Darren McFadden all out again, the Packers will be on their way to 13-0. However, I do think Carson Palmer will do quite well since he’ll need to throw it a lot to hang with the Packer offense and the Packer defense has had a lot of trouble defending the pass. That’s why I also like Darrius Heyward-Bey as a reach this week if you’re stuck filling your last WR or flex spot. We know the Packer passing game will be just fine, but with James Starks out, we should be seeing a mix of Ryan Grant and Brandon Saine. Saine is an intriguing player, who’s getting some more looks late in the season, just as Starks did last year, so while it wouldn’t surprise me to see him out produce Grant, we know the ground game is an afterthought for Green Bay.

Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers

It was nice to see the Chargers actually come through when they had a beatable matchup, and they have another one this week. The Bills have been terrible against the run, so Ryan Mathews should be a nice play. Mike Tolbert needs to score to produce for fantasy since he’s not getting a lot of touches anymore, which is why he’s only a flex play at this point. You have to like the Charger passing game this week with Buffalo’s secondary banged up and no pass rush to worry about for Philip Rivers and the makeshift Charger OL. Buffalo may be out of it, but their offense has played better in recent weeks and this isn’t a bad matchup at all. You have to like Stevie Johnson and can definitely take shots with C.J. Spiller and Ryan Fitzpatrick if you need them. With two QBs who aren’t afraid to sling it and bad defenses, this could be a game that yields a lot of fantasy output from both sides.

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys

With Miles Austin expected back this week, the question is how will they use him? Considering this is the second time he’s coming back from a hamstring injury, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in a rotation with Laurent Robinson and Dez Bryant, with Austin getting the fewest number of snaps. If they go three-wide, it would take FB Tony Fiammetta off the field as a blocker for DeMarco Murray. Murray has struggled in recent weeks without Fiammetta and Tony Romo needs to have a running game so all the pressure isn’t on him to carry the offense. I’m still feeling okay about Robinson, especially after he returned to practice with his shoulder injury. The best option in Dallas this week will be Jason Witten since no team has given up more FPG to TEs than the Giants and they’ll be without S Kenny Phillips. Eli Manning has been money in the bank this season and he’s been totally in tune with Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. The return of Mario Manningham almost feels like a luxury with how well Nicks and Cruz have played. The key to this game could be whichever team is able to protect their QB since both sides are considering two of the top pass rushing teams in the league.

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks

Marshawn Lynch is the only player I see playing in this game that I feel good about, and I didn’t envision myself saying that back in September. Seattle is all about Lynch and they should be since Tarvaris Jackson is still playing through his pectoral injury and doesn’t have much at receiver. The Rams will apparently be forced to start Tom Brandstater with Sam Bradford (ankle) and A.J. Feeley (thumb) banged up. It will be Brandstater’s first NFL start and it couldn’t come in a much tougher environment than Seattle. Brandon Lloyd has to be downgraded significantly, which means it could be two weeks in a row where he lets you do. I can’t feel good about Steven Jackson either after he did nothing against the 49ers last week and faces another good run defense this week. What a terrible national game.

If you have any lineup questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below or get me on Twitter (@TheMattCamp) and I’ll get to them before action gets underway on Sunday. Enjoy the final weeks of fantasy and good luck in Week Fourteen!

Weekly MATTchups: Week Thirteen

Matt Camp — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:15:10 +0000

With the playoff fantasy season upon us, this is no time to get cute with lineup decisions. You should not feel the need to shake things up just for the hell of it and I implore you not to try to be a hero. Here are my thoughts on Week Thirteen.

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills

Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bill offense came back to life last week against the Jets of all teams. Lost in Stevie Johnson’s controversial TD celebration was one of the best performances we’ve ever seen against Darrelle Revis. Unfortunately, we didn’t see much from C.J. Spiller, although that really should be that surprising considering how little Spiller had been used before Fred Jackson landed on the IR. Speaking of coming back to life, Chris Johnson emerged from the fantasy graveyard yet again last week with a huge performance against the weak Buccaneer run defense. Johnson could be in for another product game this week with the Bills struggling to stop the run and both Johnson and the Titans seem to understand that Johnson needs a high volume of carries to get going and he should get that in this game.

Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears

Who’s excited for Tyler Palko vs. Caleb Hanie? This looked like the week Kyle Orton would get the start for the Chiefs, but Todd Haley has stuck by Palko, so it looks like he’ll at least start, although it wouldn’t shock me to see Orton. Either way, we’ve been pleasantly surprised with how Dwayne Bowe has stayed involved despite losing Matt Cassel. The Bear defense could make that a little tougher this week, and they continue to have pressure on them with little margin for error now that Hanie is under center. I hate to admit it, but it looks like Marion Barber will be more involved since the Bears will probably run more because, you guessed it, they don’t want to put too much on Hanie. Johnny Knox has flashed in recent weeks, but trusting any Bear WR at this point is very risky.

Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans

Jason Snelling might be the most valuable handcuff outside of Michael Bush because if you have to use him, he’s not much of a drop off from Michael Turner, who is questionable with a groin injury. However, no matter who is running the ball for the Falcons, you have to lower expectations going against a very good Texan run defense. I have to give Matt Ryan and the Falcon passing game credit for stepping it up in recent weeks, and with the tough matchup on the ground, they’ll need to come through yet again to win this game. Andre Johnson was quiet in his return last week, but it’s tough to get a good gauge of where he’s at since he’ll be playing with his third different QB this season in rookie T.J. Yates. You have to believe Johnson will see more than the 3 targets he got last week since the Falcons are without CB Brent Grimes, who has been the best player in an otherwise vulnerable Falcon secondary. I also give the Texan run game props for carrying their offense for most of the season, but they will also face a tough matchup against Atlanta’s run defense, which has been fantastic.

Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins

The Raiders are surviving without three of their playmakers in Darren McFadden, Denarius Moore, and Jacoby Ford. Michael Bush has done a great job stepping in for McFadden, but as we saw last week, it wasn’t Darrius Heyward-Bey or Chaz Schilens stepping up in the passing game. Instead, it was do-it-all FB Marcel Reece who made the biggest impact with 5/92. You don’t think of a FB in the current NFL system to be a versatile player, but Reece has been called the team’s secret weapon by teammates because he can make plays thanks to his multi-dimensional skill set. Without Moore and Ford again this week, Reece could be an interesting flex option if you’re looking for some upside. Matt Moore has become a decent starting fantasy option and he’s done a fine job of getting Brandon Marshall the ball. Say what you will about Marshall’s off-field issues, but he remains one of the most dangerous receivers when his head is in the game.

Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings being without Adrian Peterson is already a huge blow, but if they don’t have Percy Harvin, they may not score a point in this game. Toby Gerhart might have scored last week to make him a viable fantasy option, but I don’t see him doing much against the most underrated defense in the league. I am of course talking about the Bronco defense, which has been overshadowed by Tim Tebow’s winning ways. Let’s hope LB Von Miller is able to play, as he’s been an absolute force for them and should be in the running for not only Defensive Rookie of the Year, but maybe even Defensive Player of the Year. You know what the Broncos do on offense and that’s not going to change. Can Eric Decker do it again against one of the worst secondaries in the league? At this point, I’m pretty much expecting him to catch a long TD.

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots

The Colts will try to “Erase the Egg” by turning to Dan Orlovsky, a player who has never taken a snap in a game his team ended up winning. He’s the Anti-Tim Tebow. If you thought things couldn’t get any worse than with Curtis Painter, Orlovsky might surprise you. The Patriots should really be able to do whatever they want in this game since the Colts can’t top the run or the pass. You already know to start anyone involved in the Patriot passing attack, but what about BenJarvus Green-Ellis? This certainly looks like a game he can “close” for them, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see either of their rookie RBs get time in that role. As we know, Bill Belichick doesn’t care ‘bout cho fantasy team.

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

In this rematch, the matchup isn’t looking good for either Cedric Benson or Rashard Mendenhall. The weather looks to be unseasonable warm and there isn’t expected to be any precipitation of any kind that would impede passing the ball, so at least when it comes to the Steelers, you can’t be very confident in Mendenhall since you know the Steelers want to throw it, even if Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with a thumb injury. I have a hard time believing the Bengals will be able to handle Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown considering their best CB, Leon Hall is on the IR. Heath Miller has started to fade as a viable fantasy option, but I can’t say that surprises me since Emmanuel Sanders is back in the mix. A.J. Green must remain in your lineup, but the Bengals will need their other receivers to step up if they are going to win this game.

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Two of the worst rushing defenses in the league meet in this game, which is great news for the DeAngelo Williams-Jonathan Stewart duo in Carolina and LeGarrette Blount for Tampa Bay. The Panthers seem to be more open to running when the matchup is in their favor instead of asking Cam Newton to do everything with his arm. The Buccaneers will really need Blount to come through for them since Josh Freeman is a gametime decision with his bad shoulder that should limit him even if he does play. Unfortunately, that’s probably bad news for Mike Williams, who has finally started to string together some nice performances after what’s been a pretty disappointing season.

New York Jets at Washington Redskins

Mark Sanchez had another 4^th-quarter comeback and threw 4 TDs, but if you can look past the numbers, you know he didn’t play a very good game. This Redskin defense won’t make things any easier this week, and even though DeAngelo Hall and the secondary has done a solid job, Hall can be burned deep and the Redskins won’t have S LaRon Landry yet again. The Jets should try to set up some deep shots, but not rely on them. Dustin Keller has been a solid fantasy performer over the last month and we hope that continues with Landry out of the lineup. Shonn Greene has been noticeably limited by his rib injury and with LaDainian Tomlinson back from his knee issue, OC Brian Schottenheimer acknowledge Tomlinson’s role could be a little bigger this week. That probably hurt Joe McKnight’s value somewhat significantly. It’s tough not to ignore all the praise and positive words Mike Shanahan has heaped on Roy Helu, the player he has made the starter, but it won’t be easy for Helu to live up to all that hype against the Jets. Let’s just hope for no Shanahanigans.

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns

The Brown offense continues to struggle even with Peyton Hillis back in the lineup. Hillis looked decent last week, but we know he doesn’t have any upside in a good matchup and probably won’t do much in this tough one, especially if the Browns want to get Montario Hardesty involved, if he’s able to play through his calf injury. Cleveland has done an awesome job against the pass and obviously a big part of that is due to the play of top corner Joe Haden. We don’t expect Haden to be locked onto Anquan Boldin since Torrey Smith is a dangerous downfield threat. Boldin will probably be Haden’s primary assignment, but we could see him moved around if Smith becomes a problem. It might not mean much for fantasy, but with Lee Evans back, we’ve heard John Harbaugh say his role could increase down the stretch. Ray Rice should get right back on track against the very beatable Brown run defense after facing the great 49er unit in Week Twelve.

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals

Miles Austin owners will have to wait another week for him to return from a hamstring injury, but he did seem to indicate that he’ll be playing against the Giants in Week Fourteen. This is a smart move by the Cowboys and Laurent Robinson owners are thrilled they can continue to roll with him for another week without any worry. We’ll see how things change next week. DeMarco Murray hasn’t been as productive without FB Tony Fiammetta in the lineup, and there’s a chance Fiammetta won’t return this season as he continues to battle an unknown illness. Beanie Wells had a career day last week playing through a knee injury that looked like it might take him out of the game. He’s far from healthy, so even though he went off against a terrible Ram run defense, I’m not letting expectations get too high when it comes to him, especially against a better Cowboy run defense this week. Kevin Kolb appears to be ready to return to the lineup and it would be nice to see him finish the season strong so he has something to build on for next season, but I wouldn’t count on it behind his terrible OL.

Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

The Giants will try to derail the Packers’ quest for an undefeated season, but they’ll have to do it with DE Osi Umenyiora and a banged up Justin Tuck. The Giant secondary or any secondary for that matter doesn’t have a group of players that can slow down the deep Packer receiving corps, so knocking Aaron Rodgers around is the only way you can at least have a chance of beating this team. The Giants have a good enough passing game to hang in with the Packers, especially with the way Victor Cruz is playing. He’ll face stiffer competition with Mario Manningham not likely to play, so we’ll see if Cruz’s hot streak continues. Ahmad Bradshaw has a chance to return and you have to believe if he’s on the field, the Giants believe he can be a reliable contributor to their offense. If he plays, I’d only treat him a flex option.

St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers

Sam Bradford is still having ankle problems stemming from his high sprain from earlier this season and that’s trouble because the Rams will need to rely on their passing attack since we don’t expect Steven Jackson to do very much against the fantastic 49er run defense. In fact, their entire defense is going to cause trouble for a Ram team that has seen their OL decimated by injuries. Frank Gore hasn’t really been rested despite playing through a knee injury, but this could be a week we see him and possible other prominent 49er players get some rest if this game is well in hand and it should be.

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints

Primetime games haven’t been very kind to us this season, but we certainly have all the ingredients for a fantasy bonanza in this Sunday night affair. Matthew Stafford has shed the gloves and splint from his broken finger, so hopefully his accuracy returns after it came and went against the Packers on Thanksgiving. He’s still putting up numbers due to volume and that should continue in this game, especially since he’s facing a beatable Saint defense and will need to throw to keep pace with Drew Brees. Besides Calvin Johnson, I expect the Lion TEs, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler, to play prominent roles in this game since the Saints don’t really have anyone to cover those big, athletic TEs. As we’ve learned many times, the Saints are a very deep offense that can cause headaches for fantasy. Lance Moore’s 2 TDs didn’t exactly help guys like Marques Colston and Darren Sproles very much last week. Luckily, Jimmy Graham continues to get it done and we saw Mark Ingram put up solid numbers, as he continues to be involved near the goal line and has made Chris Ivory expendable. With the Lions already without DT Ndamukong Suh and possibly FS Louis Delmas and CB Chris Houston, the Saints should be able to move the ball at will.

San Diego Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have Maurice Jones-Drew and no one else for fantasy purposes, but you already knew that. Their defense has injuries up front, in their LB corps, and especially in the secondary with both starting CBs on the IR. If there was ever a matchup to feel good about the 2011 Chargers, this is the one. Ryan Mathews is coming off a great day against the Broncos, but it would be nice to see him build on that this week. Philip Rivers might be playing behind a makeshift OL, but he doesn’t have to worry about a pass rush and Vincent Jackson shouldn’t be tested by the Jaguar backups forced into starting roles. Plus, the Chargers get Malcom Floyd back from a hip injury, at least until he goes down with something else. San Diego may be clearing house within the next month, but they should at least be able to give you some good fantasy output this week.

I’ll be answering any questions you have in the comments below or on Twitter (@TheMattCamp). With the high drama of crunch time in the fantasy season underway, I wish you all the best of luck in Week Thirteen.

Weekly MATTchups: Week Twelve

Matt Camp — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:58:34 +0000

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and the decent football we got to watch throughout the day. Due to the holiday and some traveling, this week I will be focusing more on the games that have more significance and only glossing over the lesser matchups.

Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons could catch a couple of breaks this week. First, it looks like they’ll avoid Adrian Peterson, although it would have been interesting to see what he could have done against their great run defense. Second, they may have Julio Jones back from his hamstring injury, which is great because they are facing one of the worst secondaries in the league. While we know the Falcons like to have Michael Turner carry the offense, this could be a week where they decide to throw it a little more, especially since the Vikings have done a solid job against backs. Minnesota looks like a fantasy wasteland right now if Peterson out, so outside of Percy Harvin, I would only consider using Toby Gerhart from this team and that would only be for volume purposes.

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals

The Brown backfield looks like it could have both Montario Hardesty and Peyton Hillis back this week, and while Hillis has made significant improvements, Hardesty looks like he’ll be the starter. Of course, HC Pat Shurmur is going to make this a big headache by saying neither player will see a full load. I’m staying far away from the Browns. A.J. Green looks like he has a shot to come back this week, but he’ll have to face Brown CB Joe Haden and what’s turned into a pretty good pass defense. Andy Dalton was better than expected last week without Green and despite the picks. As we saw, Cedric Benson is only valuable if he scores and while he did that twice last week, it’s not something you can rely on each week.

Carolina Panthers at Indianapolis Colts

Each week, we tend to love whatever RB is facing the Colts. The problem with the Panthers is figuring out who to pick between DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The only consistent difference between the two when it comes to their roles is that Stewart tends to be the one more involved in the passing game. Based on the great matchup, they should both be considered low-end #2 options at worst. We should note that the Colt pass defense hasn’t been very good either and we know the Panthers have no problem throwing a lot with Cam Newton. He looks like a fantastic start this week. The Colts are going to stick with Curtis Painter instead of going to Dan Orlovsky, which means very little in the fantasy world. Much like the Colts, the Panther run defense is terrible, but who do you roll with considering how annoying Indy’s RBBC has been? Donald Brown has been the most consistent option, but you’ll have to see where Joseph Addai is come Sunday. Typically, I’d say to stay away, but this matchup is too good to ignore.

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars

Well, with Andre Johnson coming back from a six-week absence and Matt Leinart taking over at QB for Matt Schaub, the Texans couldn’t have asked for a better matchup. The Jaguar secondary has been ravaged by injuries and their pass rush has come and gone all year. Houston has certainly done a good job of talking up Leinart since the preseason, but let’s see what he can do at game speed. Because of the opponent, the Texans should be able to continue to rely on Arian Foster and their ground game to carry the offense this week, which should allow them to work Johnson back in slowly. Gary Kubiak has said Johnson could be on a snap count, but that Johnson could be the one to determine that number. I’d be fine rolling with him this week, but don’t consider him to be anything more than a #2 fantasy WR.

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

You can stick a fork in the Bills after they put both Fred Jackson and Donald Jones on the IR this week. It will be interesting to see what C.J. Spiller can do as the starter, but he doesn’t have the best game to measure himself since the Jets should be able to use a similar gameplan to the one they had when they beat the Bills a few weeks ago. They will put Darrelle Revis on Stevie Johnson and focus on stopping the run. The Jets are not a fun team for fantasy since Mark Sanchez is very tough to trust and their best fantasy back looks like it might be Joe McKnight. We’ve said numerous times on the site that Dustin Keller needs to be more involved since it would help for Sanchez to have a nice, safe option in the passing game, but obviously the Jets know what they are doing sitting at 5-5 and clinging to life in a wide-open AFC.

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams

In the preseason, we liked the Rams as a second-half team because of their favorable schedule, but with both their secondary, OL, and WR corps ravaged by injuries, we just want guys like Sam Bradford, Steven Jackson, and Brandon Lloyd to finish the season healthy. Jackson and Lloyd look like great starts this week against a Cardinal defense that might be improving, but is definitely still beatable. I’ve given Beanie Wells credit for playing through his injuries, but it seems like we hear more and more each week how the team needs to manage how many snaps and carries Wells sees. This team is a mess, their OL stinks, and with a terrible QB situation, it’s tough to believe in Wells right now. He’s just to flex play to me, and barely a good one at that. Kevin Kolb has a shot at returning and I’m not sure how much that really matters to Larry Fitzgerald. We’re talking about a guy who has caught TDs from FIVE different QBs in his last 20 games. He’ll be just fine even if Adam Caplan was playing QB.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans

The Buccaneers lost to the Packers last week, but might have played one of their best games of the season. We saw an impressive run by LeGarrette Blount, Josh Freeman looked solid, and to prove that miracles do exist, Mike Williams found the end zone and actually put up numbers worthy of being a #1 fantasy WR. The key now is to build on that and they should have a chance to do so against a decent, but beatable Titan defense. Chris Johnson was predictably terrible against the Falcons last week and that probably caused a lot of owners to give up on him, which is certainly warranted considering his season, but it’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back against a Buccaneer front seven that’s battle injury issues all season. If Matt Hasselbeck goes, I’m fine rolling with Nate Washington, but as we saw last week, Damien Williams can’t be used as anything more than a flex option.

Chicago Bears at Oakland Raiders

Who’s excited for Caleb Hanie?! Okay, Earl Bennett owners probably aren’t, and while I’m certainly downgrading Bennett a little bit, Hanie should keep looking his way since he’s been the most reliable Bear WR all season long. Matt Forte owners do not like hearing the name Marion Barber, after Barber stole yet another TD last week. I do think Forte will be fine, although defenses may pay him extra attention until Hanie shows he can keep the passing game at a respectable level. I would not be running to grab Barber unless I had serious injury issues with my backs and needed Barber to fill-in because he could get a cheap TD. The Raiders continue to fight their way through injuries, as Darren McFadden is out again this week and may not even be back next week. Michael Bush has allowed the team to overcome that absence, but what are they going to do at WR? Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore are both banged up and could be out. Darrius Heyward-Bey has done some practicing, but it coming off a concussion and a neck injury. I refuse to buy into T.J. Houshmandzadeh, so it looks like Chaz Schilens may be the guy. Proceed at your own risk.

Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks

Tashard Choice is gone, but the Redskins decided to promote Evan Royster from the practice squad to enter the RBBC of Doom. I beg of you to stay away from this fantasy hell, especially against a good Seahawk run defense. I’ve taken a lot of questions on Santana Moss as a stash-and-hope option and it looks like we’ll see how viable he is, as he’s expected to return from a hand injury in this game. I have no problem with Moss, but I just can’t get excited about Rex Grossman or this offense in general. Marshawn Lynch is the only player I’d think about using in Seattle since Tarvaris Jackson continues to play hurt and isn’t that good when he’s healthy. If you want to take a flier on Sidney Rice because of Washington’s secondary issues, be my guest, but know he’s been dealing with knee problems all week.

New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles

Vince Young was a serviceable QB last week because he didn’t try to do too much and just ran the offense. Sure, he had a couple of picks and looked off at times, but he also didn’t play at the frenetic pace that Michael Vick does. With Vick throwing, but not practicing at all this week, it looks like Young will be the starter again and while he should have DeSean Jackson (foot), he probably won’t have Jeremy Maclin. That didn’t matter too much last week with Riley Cooper stepping up. I’d be fine rolling with Cooper this week going against the shaky Patriot pass defense. New England should be able to pick apart the Eagle defense, especially if they don’t have Nnamdi Asomugha, who was injured in Thursday’s practice and is questionable to play. Not like they were using him the right way anyway, but he’s still a possible huge loss going against the multi-faceted Patriot pass attack. We know you can start a Patriot receiver if you have them, but with Chad Ochocinco and Deion Branch banged up, might we finally see Taylor Price get some significant time? He could be the downfield presence they’ve lacked.

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

I’d probably call Tim Tebow the #15 QB every week in fantasy for the rest of the season. We know exactly what they are going to do with their offense and it’s up to Tebow to hit one play downfield or run one in. The Chargers have struggled against the run and really need LB Shaun Phillips to come back from his foot injury. The Chargers can be beaten down the field, but if you take a shot with Eric Decker, you are taking a huge risk. I admit to trading Ryan Mathews away this week since I already had a decent RB group, but I still have him on a few other teams and don’t feel good about it. San Diego’s OL is a complete mess and Mathews can’t hang on to the ball or stay on the field long enough to contribute. He’s definitely a high-end talent, but I can’t say anything else positive about him or his situation right now. Vincent Jackson continues to drive fantasy owners nuts, but this doesn’t look like a good week for him going up against Champ Bailey. That should open the door for Vincent Brown with Malcom Floyd, surprise, surprise, out yet again.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs

One more week with Tyler Palko? It certainly looks that way with the team claiming Kyle Orton off waivers. Todd Haley said the team wouldn’t be handing Orton the starting job, but if you saw the way Palko threw it last week, you know the Chiefs have no chance with him under center. For guys like Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston, at least Palko was able to get the ball to them against a bad Patriot defense, but will he be able to do that against the Steeler defense? I think not. While I don’t think the Steelers will get totally away from the pass with Ben Roethlisberger dealing with the broken thumb, this does set up as a nice week for Rashard Mendenhall to see an increased role against a beatable Chief run defense. Antonio Brown is now officially a starter opposite Mike Wallace and it’s about time. Wallace has shown much improvement this season, but Brown still might be the better all-around receiver. Kansas City might be a physical defense, but Wallace should be able to utilize his speed to run by their secondary, which can be beaten deep.

New York Giants at New Orleans Saints

The Giants are in the midst of a brutal stretch of games, and it looks like they’ll have to play another one with Ahmad Bradshaw. I’ve been pretty clear about my dislike of Brandon Jacobs, but I would certainly consider using him against the vulnerable Saint run defense, which could be without LB Jonathan Vilma (knee) yet again. The Giants may be a pass-first team, but they need to be able to run it with some success so they don’t get out of balance. Their passing game should be just fine, even if the OL isn’t because the Saints don’t have a good pass rush unless they scheme it and that could hang the secondary out to dry against the deep Giant receiving corps. Hakeem Nicks might be the most talented Giant WR, but Victor Cruz might be the most active and he’s got the trust of Eli Manning. With Michael Boley unlikely to play, the Saints should be able to run the ball well, unlike their last game back in Week Ten against the Falcons. However, this is a pass-first team and guys like Darren Sproles and Jimmy Graham should continue to cause matchup nightmares. For the Giants to have a chance, they’ll have to match points with the Saints and hope their pass rush can get to Drew Brees before he gets rid of the ball.

Feel free to leave any questions below or Tweet me (@TheMattCamp). On a programming note, “In the Loop” will be back next Wednesday and all of our podcasts will be back to their regularly scheduled days. Thanks for reading and good luck in Week Twelve.

Weekly MATTchups: Week Eleven

Matt Camp — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:58:11 +0000

It is an ugly slate of games this week, but we had some interesting matchups last week and things did not turn out so well. Let us jump into the Week Eleven action.

Carolina Panthers at Detroit Lions

Cam Newton is coming off one of his worst games in his young career, and admitted the Titans did a great job getting pressure on him, which the team didn’t react to well. He better be ready from more of the same this week against an even better Lion pass rush. Newton has been able to put up numbers in tough matchups, so I’m not too worried about him, but I might lower my expectations just a little bit. Neither one of these teams has run the ball with any consistent success this season, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon. It’s interesting to note that Kevin Smith was already working ahead of Keiland Williams in practice, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him utilized a bit more in this game. I can understand if you’re a little worried about Matthew Stafford. I’m not there yet based on an ugly game in bad conditions, but I will be concerned if he’s not getting it done at home against a beatable Panther defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers

Josh Freeman said he’s a better QB this year than he was last year. The fantasy community and I disagree. His thumb injury may be part of the problem, but it’s pretty obvious this team is worse than they were last season and Freeman has not progressed, which we continue to believe has something to do with the lockout. The Packer defense looked much better against the Vikings last week, but it’s not like they were challenged by anyone except Adrian Peterson. You know the Packers will do whatever they want through the air with Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson looking like the most reliable options in their receiving corps. All indications are that James Starks has finally moved ahead of Ryan Grant for good although the team continues to say they want to split touches.

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins

If Mike Shanahan named himself the starting RB over Roy Helu this week, it wouldn’t surprise me. Ryan Torain has been terrible and yet we continue to see Helu. However, we got a hint as to why Helu isn’t starting as OC Kyle Shanahan noted Helu’s issues in pass protection. Torain might not be much better, but more often than not the Redskins are going to trust the veteran over the rookie. We could see Tashard Choice make his Redskin debut this week, which would only caused more problems trying to figure out this hellacious RBBC. The Redskins probably the worst team in football right now. On the flip side, I really want to buy into the Cowboys. Laurent Robinson and Dez Bryant are both producing for fantasy and Tony Romo did his best Aaron Rodgers impression in a very efficient performance last week. They play good defense (most of the time) and can run it well, although I don’t think the Dallas OL gets enough credit for the monstrous holes they open up for DeMarco Murray.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

Both of these teams could be playing this game without marquee players. It looks like the Bengals will be without A.J. Green after he missed all of practice this week with a knee injury. That would move Andre Caldwell into the starting lineup opposite Jerome Simpson. Caldwell typically plays inside, but did say he feels more comfortable on the outside since he can use his speed and versatility a lot more. If you’re stuck, he’s not a bad option if Green is out. Green brings a dynamic element to this offense that the Bengals don’t really have anywhere else and their offense as a whole could struggle since I don’t expect Cedric Benson to do much against a good Raven run defense. However, that brings us to the other injury, which is the toe issue Ray Lewis is dealing with that is expected to keep him out of action. He’s not the top player on this defense, but he’s an important contributor to their ability to stop the run. Baltimore’s passing offense is unpredictable because you never know what you’re going to get from Joe Flacco. As we saw last week, he was shaky and the team lost to the inferior Seahawks. However, it should be noted that he was getting Ed Dickson a lot more involved and as I said last week, it could bring some stability to this offense if Dickson were to develop into a reliable #2 passing option behind Anquan Boldin since we don’t know when Lee Evans will return from his ankle injury and because Torrey Smith is just a deep threat. Oh, and Cam Cameron should probably make sure Ray Rice gets more than 5 carries since I’d rather not rely on Rice throwing TDs for fantasy production.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns

Let’s make this short and sweet. Stay away from all Browns and it’s Maurice Jones-Drew or nothing for the Jaguars. This is a terrible fantasy matchup, so let’s just move along to more important things.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

Daniel Thomas would like some touches, please. While I wouldn’t compare their skill sets, Thomas is having a similar rookie season to the one Ryan Mathews had last year. Both guys battled injuries and another back stealing touches to limit their ability to break out. I think Thomas will start to see more touches going forward because I don’t believe Reggie Bush can continue to be a reliable lead ball carrier. Thomas says he’s healthy and is no longer rehabbing his hamstring, so let’s see if he can do something if the touches come his way in a good matchup. Brandon Marshall is somewhat quietly having a very nice season on a bad team. I didn’t think Matt Moore taking over for Chad Pennington would cause a drop-off in Marshall’s number and they haven’t Marshall is a very safe player to own. Stevie Johnson is banged up, but expected to play though a shoulder injury. I’m taking a shot with Donald Jones this week since Johnson banged up and has to deal with Vontae Davis.

Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings

Carson Palmer is improving by the week and appears to be in love with Denarius Moore. That makes both of them great starts this week against a Viking secondary without top CBs Antoine Winfield and Chris Cook. The Viking run defense is pretty solid, but considering how committed the Raiders are to running the ball, I’d keep rolling with Mike Bush. The Vikings don’t use their skill players to the best of their abilities, but they only have two really good ones in Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin. Harvin may still be raw as a receiver, but when you put the ball in his hands, good things happen. The Vikings need to be more creative with him in an otherwise stagnant offense.

Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams

Marshawn Lynch is making waves by running forward. That seems like such a simple idea, but that’s really been the difference in his game that’s made him a reliable fantasy option. Lynch played behind a bad OL in Buffalo and another bad one now in Seattle, but instead of running east-west looking for holes to open, he’s now getting back to being a north-south runner and using his power to his advantage. Tarvaris Jackson isn’t a good QB when he’s healthy, so you can forget trusting anyone involved with their passing game as long as he continues to be limited by a pectoral injury. Steven Jackson continues to roll right along, but could be challenged a bit this week. Brandon Lloyd has been solid since coming over to the Rams and I think he’ll get better as he plays more with Sam Bradford.

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

Frank Gore is expected to play through ankle and knee injuries, but Jim Harbaugh has hinted at possibly limiting Gore. He didn’t say that specifically, but he made a point to talk up the stable of backs the team has and after Kendall Hunter looked very good in relief of Gore, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them use Hunter more, especially if they have a comfortable lead. I’m not a big Alex Smith fan, but I’m stuck at QB this week and am giving him a shot against this beatable matchup. The Niners came out throwing last week and maybe they’ll take some more shots in a beatable matchup. Smith doesn’t have much upside, but he feels very safe this week. There doesn’t seem to be a rush to get Kevin Kolb back on the field, and that’s because John Skelton hasn’t been bad and is getting Larry Fitzgerald the ball.

Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons

There’s nothing exciting about the Titan offense, but Chris Johnson has looked better and Damien Williams has stepped up to give Matt Hasselbeck another reliable option in the passing game. Tennessee should be able to throw it well, but their run defense has been fantastic and that probably means Johnson will struggle. However, if he can be productive in a tough matchup, we can start to believe in him once again. Tennessee’s defense is solid, but still beatable and that’s good for Michael Turner and the Falcon offense. They want to run it first and foremost and should be able to do that to keep everything on schedule. Julio Jones will probably not play and that eliminates the only dynamic element of the Falcon offense, although they may not need it in this game. He may not have much fantasy relevance yet, but Jacquizz Rodgers is getting meaningful touches for the Falcons.

San Diego Chargers at Chicago Bears

The Bear defense struggled early in the season, but they’ve completely turned it around by being more physical and better disciplined. I still think you can throw on them and Philip Rivers should be fine, but their run defense has stepped up in a big way, so it could be a tough go of it for Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert, although both can make up for it through the air. Vincent Brown gets another start with Malcom Floyd out and I’d be willing to roll with him in a game that should feature a lot of passes by the Chargers. We know Matt Forte has been money, but I’m ready to say Earl Bennett is a very solid #2 fantasy WR in PPR leagues. Other than that, just stay away from the Bears.

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

It looks like the Eagles will be without Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin on Sunday night, so we’ll see Vince Young in for Vick and a combination of Riley Cooper and Jason Avant. Young might be a “winner” and can throw a good deep ball, but I’m not buying into him when he has to face a Giant defense that leads the league in sacks. The Eagles stupidly got away from LeSean McCoy last week, but I have to think we’ll see a large dose of him and he should do well with Michael Boley not expected to play because of a hamstring injury. The Giant passing game is dangerous and you can make a case that they have the best WR corps outside of the Packers. Eli Manning is money and should do well against an Eagle defense that refuses to use CB Nnamdi Asomugha exclusively as a cover corner on the outside. Moves like that are why this team is 3-6.

Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots

Tyler Palko will kill the fantasy value of the Chief WRs because he can’t throw the ball and crumbles under pressure. The Chiefs are dead in the water because Jackie Battle isn’t going anywhere against the Patriot defense. Look for the Patriots to continue to feature Rob Gronkowski, but also Aaron Hernandez in this matchup since the Chiefs are vulnerable deep down the middle. I want to say BenJarvus Green-Ellis should be able to get carries in what should be a blowout, but this RBBC has become a giant headache once again, so you can’t trust them. I might even take a shot with the Patriot defense this week. This one is going to be ugly.

Leave you questions and comments below or get me on Twitter (@TheMattCamp). Thanks for reading and good luck in Week 11!

Weekly MATTchups: Week Ten

Matt Camp — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:50:17 +0000

The halfway point of the season is already behind us and we are coming down the stretch in the fantasy regular season. Now is not the time to get cute. If you need to make a bold move to get back in it, do it. Time is running out in a hurry.

And now, my thoughts on Week Ten…

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

We know the Falcons like to like Michael Turner carry their offense, and while that is certainly possible in this game, they’ll have to throw it and throw it well. Julio Jones had a very Randy Moss-like 3/131/2 with scores of 50 and 80 yards last week, but we haven’t seen much consistency out of their passing game all year. However, Jones is the type of player they’ve lacked in recent seasons, but his big-play ability is what can allow them to get back into games quickly, which was a missing ingredient for last year’s team. The Saint passing attack should be fine since the Falcon pass rush hasn’t been very good and their secondary looks beatable. What this means is a possible fantasy bonanza, and we could certainly use one. A key to this game could be the play of Tony Gonzalez as a chain-mover and RZ threat. Look for the Falcons to use Gonzalez to go after Roman Harper, who’s been a liability in coverage all season.

Tennessee Titans at Carolina Panthers

I’m not ready to buy back into Chris Johnson just yet, but he can certainly start to build a little more goodwill up if he can take advantage of a poor Panther run defense. He wasn’t able to take advantage of a beatable matchup against the Colts a couple of weeks ago, but did play better in the loss to Cincinnati last week. The Titan passing game has been far from dangerous and a hobbled Nate Washington won’t help matters, although Damian Williams could. He’s caught 4 passes in each of his last two games and did score last week. He’s a big target for Matt Hasselbeck, but does face an improved Panther run defense. Coming off their bye, it’ll be interesting to see if the Panthers try to get their running game more involved, although they may not be interested in doing so with how well Cam Newton is playing.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

I can’t take much away from how well the Bengals have played in the first half of the season, but now they’ll truly be tested with two games against the Steelers, a trip to Baltimore, and a meeting with the AFC South-leading Texans in four of their next five games. The Steelers may not dominating the opposition with their defense, but they are still one of the best units in the league and you can bet DC Dick LeBeau will be coming after the rookie, Andy Dalton. However, that would not cause me enough concern to even think about benching A.J. Green. The Steelers continue to rely on their passing game and while we know Mike Wallace is an every-week starter, Antonio Brown may not be there yet, but he’s certainly turning into a player you can trust each week.

St. Louis Rams at Cleveland Browns

We don’t have to spend much time on the Browns. They are officially the worst fantasy NFL team in the league. The only thing that remotely interests me is the use of Josh Cribbs since he hinted their may be an increased role for him this week. He was already starting at WR with Mohammed Massaquoi out, but he may also seen time in the backfield. At this point, the Browns should be trying anything and everything to get something going. Sam Bradford and Brandon Lloyd could form a nice connection down the stretch, but as we saw last week, the two are still working on getting on the same page. Mark Clayton was activated off the PUP list this week and could play. Considering how thin the Rams are at receiver, if he proves he’s healthy, it wouldn’t surprise me to his see him play an important role in the team’s passing attack.

Buffalo Bills at Dallas Cowboys

Miles Austin is part of the group of high-end talent to serious frustrate fantasy owners with lingering injuries that are keeping them from being reliable, productive options on a weekly basis. That’s opened the door for Laurent Robinson to start, but in terms of contributing, Robinson has done so with or without Austin on the field. In just six games (1 start) with the Cowboys, Robinson has 24/368/2 on just 33 targets and ranks 29^th among WRs with 8.1 FPG. I’d be happy to have him in my lineup with nothing threatening about this matchup. If you’ve stuck with DeMarco Murray, it’s paid off nicely, but if you decided to sell him off to improve another area of your team, it’s understandable. The Cowboy run defense has faltered in the last two games, and they’ll be tested once again when Fred Jackson comes to town. Jackson was slowed by the Jets last week, but I believe he’ll pick it back up this week, even if the Cowboys get Sean Lee to play through his wrist injury.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts

Here’s the gameplan for the Jaguars: give it to Maurice Jones-Drew until he can’t run anymore. MJD’s owned the Colts for entire career and their run defense is definitely beatable. Once again, you can stay away from the Colt RBBC even if Joseph Addai is out. Dallas Clark is out, but don’t expect Jacob Tamme to set records like he did in the second half of last year. There’s really nothing more to say about this game other than I hope to avoid seeing much of it.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs

The Broncos took the Raiders by surprise last week with their read-option offense, and while I wouldn’t rule out it working again this week, I believe the Chiefs will at least be better prepared to defend it. Tim Tebow can’t run a conventional NFL offense, so this is what the Broncos have had to resort to in an effort to move the football. Early returns are good, but I doubt they can have sustained success. The Chiefs crashed back down to Earth with an embarrassing loss last week and yet they still remain right in the hunt in the wide-open AFC West. Steve Breaston is quietly having a very productive month and should be able to keep it going against a beatable Broncos secondary.

Washington Redskins at Miami Dolphins

Reggie Bush helped the Dolphins get into the win column for the first time last week after nearly running for 100 yards yet again. Daniel Thomas looks to be fully healed from his hamstring injury, so the Dolphins have a decision to make in terms of how they decide to split up touches. Brandon Marshall may only have 2 TDs, but he’s tied for 7^th in receptions (46) and 9^th in yards (644). I don’t think he’ll have much trouble with DeAngelo Hall and Matt Moore showed last week can actually be decent when given a chance. Mike Shanahan said earlier in the week that Ryan Torain would only run when Roy Helu was tired and then refused to name Helu the starter. They should have Tashard Choice available for the first time this week, as it appears he’s over his shoulder injury. Shanahan also talked about rookie WR Leonard Hankerson and keeping him in the starting lineup, but that’s because this team may be in evaluation mode. Let’s just hope John Beck can get rid of the ball in a timely manner and find Fred Davis a bit more often this week.

Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles

Just when I start to get excited about the Eagles, they forget how to tackle again and can’t figure out the puzzle that is Earl Bennett. A matchup against the Cardinals is exactly what they need. They should be able to attack through the air with ease and let LeSean McCoy do his thing on the ground. Instead of using Nnamdi Asomugha in a variety of different roles, just put him on Larry Fitzgerald and make a banged up Beanie Wells beat you. The Eagles could probable let Wells run wild all day and still win this game, but we’ll see if they get back to basics in an effort to stay in the mix in the NFC. John Skelton gets another start, but unlike last week, he’ll face a more consistent pass rush with a better secondary. I wouldn’t expect the Cardinals to put up much of a fight in this one.

Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This may not be the popular opinion, but I believe the Texans are the best team in the AFC. They continue to play great defense even without Mario Williams, they run the ball about as well as anyone, and when Andre Johnson comes back they will see their passing game add a dynamic element once again. This team can win any way they need to and as we’ve seen in recent weeks without Johnson, Arian Foster and Ben Tate can carry their offense, especially against inferior teams, like the Buccaneers. We’re at the halfway point of the season and are still waiting for the Bucs to put the pieces together on offense. Josh Freeman was better last week, but before we can even think of calling this team anything more than decent, he’ll need to be more consistent. A solid performance against a damn good Texan defense would certainly go a long way.

Baltimore Ravens at Seattle Seahawks

So Joe Flacco has now played well in six straight quarters and the team has won their last two games. While the Seahawk defense has been solid, they should be beaten by Flacco if he’s on his game. That “if” is what separates the Ravens from being considered legit Super Bowl contenders. Can we see Flacco progress and show some consistency in his game for once? Torrey Smith may be a dangerous deep threat, but he’s not really what the team wants to be their #2 receiving threat. He has a spot on this team, but the Ravens could use a reliable receiver to make plays in the short and intermediate area besides Anquan Boldin. Maybe there’s still a chance Ed Dickson could be that guy, but inconsistency has kept him from being a reliable option for Flacco. Marshawn Lynch has decided to run forward more often and is picking up yardage at big chunks. What a concept! He gashed what was a solid Cowboy run defense last week, but let’s see how he does against one of the better units in the league this week.

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

It doesn’t seem like many believe the Lions are going to head into Chicago and sweep the Bears. Color me skeptical when it comes to the Bears. I refuse to believe their pass protection issues have been solved and that theory will be put to the test in this game. Jay Cutler played one of his best games against the Lions back in Week Five, when he had almost no time to throw all game and still managed to complete 28/38 for 249 yards and a TD in the loss. The Lions will have Cutler running for his life again and with just one reliable WR in Earl Bennett, I don’t see how he’s going to throw it well enough to win. Matt Forte is obviously the difference and will be the best player on the field besides Calvin Johnson. Forte has been able to carry this offense all year and has been too much to handle for good defenses and bad ones. He is the reason the Bears are where they are this season and should be in the MVP conversation with Eli Manning and obviously, Aaron Rodgers. The Lions haven’t gotten much love coming off a beatdown of the Broncos before their bye week. I know the passing game has been up and down, but I doubt the Bear can repeat their performance of last week in this game. I don’t trust their secondary, but I do trust their rushing defense and that’s why I don’t expect the Lions to get much going on the ground. Well, that and because their lead runner will probably be Maurice Morris.

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers

I’d picked the Giants to win this game earlier in the week assuming they’d have Hakeem Nicks back, and while it looks like that will be the case, Mario Manningham may not be able to play after being added to the injury report on Saturday as questionable with a knee injury. Eli Manning has gotten it done almost every week for the most part this season and if he’s got a full complement of receivers, I believe he can have success against this great 49er defense. They may be great up front, but I’m not sold on their secondary. The Giants will have to throw it well to win on the road because I expect nothing significant out of Brandon Jacobs. I fully admit to being wrong about him going against the Patriots last weekend, but we’re talking about a 49er group giving up just 53 yards on the ground in their last four games and ZERO rushing TDs on the season. I don’t see Jacobs as the one to buck that trend. We’ve seen the 49ers win games ugly by running the ball and letting their defense carry them, but we’ve rarely seen them win on the arm of Alex Smith. If they Giants can get up early and force Smith to throw, I think the 49ers will be in trouble, especially since Smith will struggle under the pressure the Giants can bring with their front four.

New England Patriots at New York Jets

While talking to Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet), Patriot beat writer for the Boston HeraldI, on Sirius/XM Fantasy Football on Saturday afternoon, I asked him how he thought the teams would change their gameplan from what they did in Week Five when the Pats ran over the Jets, who used 6 and 7 DBs to attempt to stop the passing game. He thought the Jets would stick to a similar plan this week and hope to execute better when it came to stopping the run. It does make sense, especially since BenJarvus Green-Ellis continues to deal with a toe injury and has done very little since that last meeting against the Jets. Darrelle Revis is expected to see even more of Wes Welker this time around and as Welker acknowledged this week, he’s seen defenses be more physical with him lately and Revis isn’t afraid to do that. The Jets may have lost their last matchup with the Patriots, but that was the game that we started to see a re-commitment to the ground game. They haven’t lost since. Shonn Greene should figure to play a big factor as a way to set up the play action and help setup calculated shots down the field at the vulnerable Patriot secondary.

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Christian Ponder gets just the third start of his NFL career and for the second time he’ll have to face the defending champs, but this time in Green Bay. He’s played well and should have a healthier Percy Harvin on the field with him, which is huge. Harvin needs to have an increased role going forward as long as he stays healthy since his versatile skill set must be respected. Unfortunately, the Packers also have to worry about Adrian Peterson, who showed in the team’s last game that he could be a dual threat after catching 7/78/1 in the win over the Panthers. However, the Vikings could play a great game on offense and still lose because the Packers have yet to see any team contain their passing offense. That’s not going to start this week going against a Viking defense that is among the worst in the league when it comes to defending the pass. Roll with all of your usual Packers and feel free to take a shot with someone like James Jones if you need some upside.

As always, thanks for reading and feel free to leave questions in the comments section below or send them to me on Twitter (@TheMattCamp). Good luck in Week Ten!

Weekly MATTchups: Week Nine

Matt Camp — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:56:18 +0000

More than a few intriguing games on the Week Nine slate and it should make for an interesting week in the world of fantasy football. I am back to help you navigate through the murky fantasy landscape with my thoughts on all 14 games.

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

The Bills aren’t going away, but I have a feeling they’ll be in trouble this week. With Stevie Johnson as the lone receiver the Jets have to worry about, look for Darrelle Revis to be on him with the team focused on stopping, or at least containing Fred Jackson. If the Jets can continue to get pressure, they can force Ryan Fitzpatrick to make mistakes, especially if Johnson is stuck on Revis Island. The Jets have talked about getting Joe McKnight involved more all season long, and with an offense that lacks firepower, it might not be a bad idea, although I wouldn’t expect that to happen right away just because they had a bye week to think about it. The Jets appear to be getting back to the plan that’s helped them win a lot of games over the last two years, and that’s relying on their ground game to carry them while taking calculated shots down the field. They tried to do more through the air earlier in the season, but it’s apparent Mark Sanchez can’t handle that.

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys

Frustrations with the Cowboy passing game have been heard from the team, media, and most importantly, fantasy owners. With Seattle having one of the best run defenses in the league, it could be a tough day for DeMarco Murray, but that also means the Cowboys will attack through the air against a very beatable Seahawk secondary. If they can’t get it together with this great matchup, we can officially start worrying. The Seahawks can’t run the ball and even if Tarvaris Jackson is an upgrade over Charlie Whitehurst, I have trouble investing too much in this offense. Dallas should be able to give Jackson fits with their pressure, and that’s when he makes mistakes. I know the Cowboy secondary is beatable but be careful if you’re rolling with Sidney Rice or Doug Baldwin.

Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans

The Browns continue to look like a complete mess on offense, and if you’re waiting for Greg Little to produce, I’ve tried to make it clear for most of the season that while he has talent, this offense is nowhere near where it needs to be, and a big part of that is the limitations of Colt McCoy. You shouldn’t be relying on Little for anything right now. He’s nothing more than a player you take a flier on if the matchup looks good and you’re stuck with a final starting spot to fill. You can forget the Brown backfield, as Montario Hardesty is going to miss time with a calf injury and Peyton Hillis injured his hamstring once again on Friday. Will Chris Ogbonnaya be looking for revenge against the team that cut him?! I don’t believe in that stuff, but take a shot with him if you’re desperate since he can do some things as a receiver. With Andre Johnson out again look for a healthy dose of the running game, which should be fine, even if the Browns have good numbers against RBs. On a personal note, Joel Dreessen needs to stop stealing TDs from Owen Daniels.

Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts

The Falcons win football games when they let Michael Turner carry their offense, which is exactly what should happen against a terrible Colt run defense. Turner is one of the easier guys to predict because the Falcons will feed him as long as they aren’t trailing and he will produce when the matchup is in his favor. He’ll get plenty of touches in this one and should be one of the better starts this week at the RB position. Julio Jones appears to be returning to action this week, and with the Colt secondary struggle, it’ll be interesting to see if he can continue the nice streak of games he had going before going down with a hamstring injury. The Colts haven’t won and probably won’t this week, but from a fantasy perspective, it was encouraging to see Curtis Painter get all of his receivers involved last week. Expectations have obviously been lowered for this team, but anything positive coming from this team is good enough.

Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs

After an atrocious start to the season, the Chiefs have managed to overcomes losses to RB Jamaal Charles and FS Eric Berry and are staring at a very good chance to win their fifth straight game. My distrust for Matt Cassel when it comes to Dwayne Bowe and the Chief receivers hasn’t been hidden, but I have to give him credit for a nice game against the Chargers last Monday. I still need to see him string together consistent performances before I’m ready to buy into this team, but at least Cassel appears to be heading in the right direct. Jonathan Baldwin jumped off the screen when watching the game last week, and while I’m not expecting him to put up big numbers every week, there’s no doubt he adds a very dangerous threat to this offense and a great complement to Bowe. I hope you sold high on Reggie Bush after a rare impressive fantasy performance because it’s not going to continue. Let’s see if Daniel Thomas can stay on the field long enough to contribute because this team needs all the help they can get.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees had an ugly game last week and back when he faced the Bucs in Week Six. With the Saints trailing early in both of those games, it appeared that Brees and the offense were pressing to get back into it, which may not be that surprising since the Saints aren’t a typically a team that needs to play from behind. While it might not be imperative for the Saints to get off to a quick start to win this game, it would certainly help their psyche after the struggles they had against an inferior Ram team last week. With Mark Ingram out, I still feel Pierre Thomas is the guy to benefit the most even if Chris Ivory did see touches in his first game back last week. Josh Freeman has had the bye week to fix his issues, which have included overaggressive play and throwing off his back foot. The Saint defense can be beaten and Freeman is talented enough to make this an interesting game if he doesn’t try to do too much and take what the defense gives him. LeGarrette Blount returns from his knee injury this week and believes he can handle a bigger role with Earnest Graham out. I’ll believe it when I see it.

San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins

Michael Crabtree has been one of the best fantasy receivers in the last few weeks, and we’ve seen him move from fringe fantasy option to low-end #2 WR. Trusting Alex Smith is never a fun thing to do, but he seems to like looking for Crabtree. This offense is still carried by Frank Gore and the running, and I’d expect that to continue. The Redskins looked totally lost against a Bill defense that hasn’t dominated any team like that this season. OC Kyle Shanahan blamed the high sack total on John Beck not getting rid of the ball. It’s not easy when your best two receivers are Fred Davis, who played through an ankle injury, and Jabar Gaffney. Tashard Choice won’t play for the Redskins this week due to a shoulder injury, so the headache that is the Redskin backfield probably won’t get worse until next week.

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

Carson Palmer spent the bye week with his receivers and both he and Hue Jackson have seen the results of Palmer’s improved grasp of the team’s playbook after he knew very little in his first appearance back in Week Seven. The Raiders signed Palmer’s old security blanket from Cincinnati, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but I’m not buying into him being anymore than a low-end fantasy option in PPR leagues. I don’t think it was a mistake he’s been out of the league since last season, so I’ll need to see what he can do before buying into this signing. With Darren McFadden still dealing with his foot injury, Michael Bush is in line for the start and while he may not be the guy I wanted carrying the load for a full season, he can certainly do so over a short period with success. I expect him to get a high volume of carries in a beatable matchup, especially since this is Palmer’s first start. We saw Tim Tebow look completely lost, as expected, against a good NFL defense last week. It may only be a matter of time before he’s back on the bench, but for now, he remains the starter. The Raider defense is beatable, but they do generate pressure and that’s trouble for Tebow, especially since he doesn’t have much of a receiving corps. With Willis McGahee looking like he’ll return this week, expect the Broncos to rely on their ground game to take the heat off Tebow.

Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans

Andy Dalton has been a solid player all season, but to name him the top rookie in October over Cam Newton was ridiculous, yet shouldn’t be surprising since his team has won more games. I hate the “winner” label, but to be fair to Dalton, he’s been more than that and has developed a good rapport with the better rookie on his team, A.J. Green. Cedric Benson returns from his suspension this week, but I don’t think Bernard Scott will completely disappear. The Bengals need to run the ball better if they are going to be taken seriously. Chris Johnson couldn’t get it done in a great matchup against the Colts last week, so feel free to do whatever you want with the guy. It’s obvious he’s lost out there and the Titans have a better option right now in Javon Ringer. When it comes to the passing game, the only Titan I’m trusting is Nate Washington. You’re taking a big chance with anyone else.

St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals

Steven Jackson certainly looked fired up last week in one his best performances in recent history. I expect him to keep it going with a great matchup against the Cardinals this week. A.J. Feeley is a solid backup, and with the Rams facing a bad Arizona defense, I don’t see the need to rush Sam Bradford back from his ankle injury. Brandon Lloyd continues to get plenty of targets and just finds way to get open, which should be too hard against the Cardinal secondary, although I should note CB Patrick Peterson has improved as the year as gone along. Many have been quick to jump all over Beanie Wells at the slightest sign of injury, but he had a pretty damn good performance last week playing on a bad knee against a very good Raven defense. This guy deserves credit for continuing to produce despite playing hurt for a bad team. John Skelton looks like the starter for Arizona this week, so let’s just hope the Rams pass rush doesn’t get going like they did last week since Skelton can’t move and won’t have the time to get Larry Fitzgerald the ball.

New York Giants at New England Patriots

Ahmad Bradshaw’s foot injury has been a hot topic of discussion ever since he left and then returned in last week’s win over the Dolphins. He tried to downplay it earlier in the week and then conflicting reports on Thursday ranged everywhere from him getting surgery to him out indefinitely to him actually playing this weekend. He’s officially listed as doubtful, so I wouldn’t expect him to be out there on Sunday, yet ruling him out for any longer than that cannot be done since he’s decided not to have surgery at this time. This isn’t a good matchup at all for Brandon Jacobs, D.J. Ware, and the Giant running game, so if you decide to roll with them, don’t expect great results. The Giants will need Eli Manning to continue his great season, and he should be able to do that against the shaky Patriot secondary. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Giants play more of a ball-control game like the Steelers did last week. The Giants can rush the passer, but they also have a beatable secondary, so I’d expect the quiet game the Patriots had last week to be forgotten quickly after they get back on track this week. If you’re trying to figure out the Patriot backfield, Kevin Faulk got as much playing time as he did last week because the team was trailing, although I do think that officially puts him ahead of Danny Woodhead. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is still this team’s lead back, and he could have a nice game against a Giant run defense that’s been atrocious over the last month or so.

Green Bay Packers at San Diego Chargers

The Packers didn’t need to improve on much after a 7-0 start, but they were able to get healthier and should be primed to continue their dominance in the second half of the season. We know Aaron Rodgers can pick apart any defense, and while the Chargers may look good by the numbers, they don’t have the depth in the secondary to handle to the Packers’ deep receiving corps. Philip Rivers threw for a lot of yards last Monday night, but didn’t have a TD and his fumbled snap cost the Chargers a much-needed win. At times, he looked better, but he still made some throws that looked like wounded ducks. He still isn’t getting any help from Vincent Jackson, who continues to struggle to get open. Mike Tolbert should be carrying the load for the Chargers after sitting out last week’s game that saw Ryan Mathews (groin) and Curtis Brinkley (concussion) both go down. I’m not banking on either of those guys to play.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Once again, trusting Joe Flacco, even in a great matchup, looked like it was a bad idea after a terrible half against the Cardinals last week. Luckily, he locked on to Anquan Boldin in the 2^nd half and kept throwing his way with defenders struggling to provide any resistance. While he might have played better after a terrible start, it didn’t make it an encouraging start for Flacco, especially heading into a tough matchup in Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Boldin may have good numbers against the Steelers, but with no other legitimate possession WR in Baltimore, the Steelers can concentrate their efforts on stopping Boldin. Ben Roethlisberger has quietly put together a very nice season and is now rolling right along with a very nice receiving corps, although Emmanuel Sanders isn’t expected to play after having to attend the funeral of his mother on Saturday. Hines Ward will return, but besides Mike Wallace, the guy I really like is Antonio Brown. He’s become a very reliable option and now leads the team in targets. This isn’t looking like a good game for Rashard Mendenhall, so he can be benched if you have a better option.

Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have lived and died by the big play in recent years, even dating back to when Donovan McNabb was the QB, but we saw something different last week in the blowout win over the Cowboys. Dallas did their best to take away the deep ball, so Michael Vick decided to take what the defense gave him and worked the short and intermediate areas with Jason Avant and Brent Celek. Reading defenses has never been Vick’s strong suit, but if he’s willing to check down, it’s going to make defenses alter the way they handle the Eagles. That in turn, could help open up chances to make those big plays, especially in this matchup against the Bears’ Cover-Two scheme. LeSean McCoy continues to run about as well as any back in the league and the Eagles are finally showing a commitment to their ground game. The Bears have tried to alter their gameplan to give Jay Cutler more protection, but it doesn’t change the fact they don’t have much in their receiving corps, although the return of Earl Bennett certainly helps. The Eagle defense, specifically on the backend, looks better, but I still expect Matt Forte to carve up their LBs.

As always, I can answer your lineup questions if you leave them below or by Tweeting me (@The MattCamp). Thanks for reading and best of luck in Week Nine.

Weekly MATTchups: Week Eight

Matt Camp — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:50:00 +0000

Amazingly, we are already more than halfway done the fantasy regular season in most leagues. Hopefully, you have reshuffled your personal depth charts if necessary and are adjusting expectations accordingly. Here are my thoughts on Week Eight…

Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens

Last week I said trusting Joe Flacco was a “risky proposition” yet still thought he’d do well because of what appeared to be a great matchup. The Jaguars came to play and Flacco was predictably terrible. He’s in a similar situation this week, but the Cardinals have absolutely nothing to hang your hat on when it comes to their defense. The Raven offense should be able to go nuts in this game, but that’s assuming Flacco hits Torrey Smith on the shots that should be available downfield, and we know that’s no guarantee. The one player I’m not worried about is Ray Rice, who didn’t see enough touches in a close game last week because OC Cam Cameron once again tried to make things too complicated instead of handing his best player the ball. You’ll notice I spent much of this game on the Raven side of the ball because the Cardinals do absolutely nothing for me. Larry Fitzgerald is all this team has with Kevin Kolb looking lost and Beanie Wells looking shaky because of his knee injury. There’s no need to get excited about Alfonso Smith if he starts because he’s not good enough to be productive against one of the better run defenses in the league.

Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers

Lots of Christian Ponder love this week, which appeared to overshadow another great Adrian Peterson performance against a damn good Packer run defense. Ponder might be the future of this team, but when defenses have to worry about Peterson, it makes the rookie’s life easier. Neither one of these defense is very good, so we could see some points put up in this one. Peterson should have another big game, but it’s tough to expect much more out of the Vikes since their receiving corps is among the worst in the league, although they did a little addition by subtraction by getting rid of that joke, Bernard Berrian. The Panther offense typically relies on the passing game, and with Cam Newton coming off what I thought was the best game of his young career, he should continue his great play this week.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

The Jaguars seemed to be way too happy to be 2-5 after their win against the Ravens last week, even though their offense continued to look awful. Blaine Gabbert isn’t going to fare any better against the Texans since they can bring constant pressure and it’s apparent he’s not a fan of anyone getting in his vicinity when trying to throw the ball. Not having Andre Johnson once again shouldn’t be a big deal for the Texans since they’ve proven their defense and running game can carry them to victories over lesser teams, like the Titans last week and Jaguars in this matchup. Arian Foster once again proved why he is one of the most dangerous players in the league with his huge game last week, but he wasn’t alone. Ben Tate also ran for over 100 yards and while I don’t expect that to happen every game, it shows the Texans aren’t afraid to use both guys.

Miami Dolphins at New York Giants

Reggie Bush said the team stinks. His teammate, Yeremiah Bell said Bush stinks. Bush agreed. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011 Miami Dolphins! Daniel Thomas feels like a lost cause on this team because they are in such a mess, but I’m not willing to give up on his rookie season just yet, although this will certainly be a tough week for him. The Giants went into the bye at 4-2 with Eli Manning quietly having a very nice season despite turnover in his receiving corps and OL coming into this season. I’ve said many times, I consider him one of the most consistent fantasy options on a weekly basis, but my expectations are probably a little higher this week going against a bad Dolphin defense that won’t have top CB Vontae Davis. RB Brandon Jacobs was complaining about his role once again this week, which is no surprise, but he doesn’t seem to understand that Ahmad Bradshaw is a much better player in all facets of the game and deserves to be on the field.

New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams

Will the Saints score 62 points again? Probably not, but this matchup certainly gives them the best chance to repeat their historic performance since the Ram defense, specifically their secondary, has been destroyed by injuries. To tell you how confident I am in the Saints and their ability to get the best players consistently involved, I made a trade to acquire both Darren Sproles and Marques Colston, and obviously that worked out well for me last week. Sproles, Colston, and Jimmy Graham have made Lance Moore almost useless for fantasy, which isn’t Moore’s fault, just the fact that there are only so many touches to go around. With Mark Ingram out, there seems to be way too much optimism over Chris Ivory, who has just a handful of meaningful fantasy performances and will be seeing the field for the first time since Week Seventeen of last season. He might get some touches in short-yardage and possibly goal-line situations, but with Ingram out, the guys I’d be happy to play this week is Pierre Thomas.

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans

Joseph Addai decided to make life difficult by practicing last Friday and playing in the game against the Saints with a hamstring injury only to leave early on after going down once again. He’s got a shot to play once again this week, but I want nothing to do with him. If you’re stuck, rolling with Delone Carter isn’t the worst option and the staff seems to be happy with what he’s done, specifically in pass protection, which should keep him on the field more than Donald Brown. There are no locks to start for fantasy on either team, although this appears to be the last chance for Chris Johnson. The Colts are one of the worst run defenses in the league, and the Titans have talked about running the ball more this week. If Johnson can’t get it done this week, it’s never going to happen. I waved the white flag on him already, but if you’re holding out hope, here is the matchup you’ve been waiting for.

Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills

So how about that Redskin backfield? If you haven’t had it hammered into your brain by now, let me make it clear. No matter what news, rumors, or indications come out about who’s going to start, see the most touches, or what roles will be played, YOU CANNOT TRUST THE SHANAHANS. With Tim Hightower done for the season, Ryan Torain might look like the next logical option for the Redskins, but they also have Roy Helu, who actually played more snaps than any other back last week. They also have rookie Evan Royster on the practice squad and you always have to worry about Mike Shanahan running into Stephen Davis in town and giving him a look. The point is, be prepared for anything if you have to play a Redskin RB. In addition to losing Hightower, the Redskins also lost Santana Moss for the near future, which bumps Jabar Gaffney to the #1 spot, although I think the player this really helps is Fred Davis, who is now the only legit TE this team has with Chris Cooley on the IR. When it comes to the Bills, we know Fred Jackson is the guy, and you can rely on Stevie Johnson and Ryan Fitzpatrick, but that’s about it. By the way, nice to see a Harvard guy like Fitzpatrick signing a big contract extension in this rough economy.

Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos

With Willis McGahee out, it’s easy to think that Knowshon Moreno would be a hot pickup, but in four games this season he’s run just 17 times for 54 yards. We made this point before the season began when we suggested taking McGahee over Moreno, but I’ll make it again now. The staff doesn’t like Moreno. They want someone who can carry the load in their power rushing game, and that’s not the type of player Moreno is. However, that is the type of player Lance Ball is and he has the same amount of carries as Moreno coming into this week. He is by no means anything special, but he fits what the Broncos want to do better than Moreno. Tim Tebow will still probably get most of the rushes near the GL, so Ball’s value isn’t high. However, the point I’m trying to make is to not get excited about Moreno and think he’s going to inherit all of McGahee’s touches. Speaking of Tebow, he was terrible last week outside of about two minutes at that was against a bad Dolphin defense. How can we expect him to do well against a good Lion defense? He might be a low-end starter this week, but be sure to manage your expectations. It looks like Matthew Stafford will play, but let’s hope the Lions can get off to a quick start for once and take care of business early, as they should, so Stafford doesn’t have to play the whole game with that bad ankle.

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers

This is not the year for the Steeler defense to be beatable, especially since Tom Brady has owned them when they’ve been playing better and will probably continue to torch them in this game. The Steeler LB corps has had to shuffle some players around due to injuries and that’s weakened the group as a whole. If the Steelers decided to use extra DBs, it could open things up for BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who at worst should have some chances to score in this one. I’d be fine using any of the weekly fantasy options for the Patriots, as I expect points to be scored in this one. New England’s secondary continues to struggle, yet they had no problem releasing CB Leigh Bodden. That’s good news for the Steeler passing game, which has had to carry the offense due to their struggles on the ground. I’d expect that to continue this week, and continue to feel good about Antonio Brown in addition to Mike Wallace, even if it’s Emmanuel Sanders getting the start for the banged up Hines Ward. Outside of Wallace, Brown has clicked the best with Ben Roethlisberger, so I expect targets to continue coming his way.

Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks

We’re looking at one of the worst fantasy matchups of the week and that means not of lot of starting options. Obviously, A.J. Green is a weekly start and I’m okay with using Andy Dalton if you’re stuck against a Seahawk pass defense that has suffered some big injuries in their secondary. However, Seattle defends the run as well as any team, so I wouldn’t be jumping to get Bernard Scott in my lineup, even if he’s going to be the main ball carrier with Cedric Benson serving his one-game suspension. The Seahawk offense is awful with Charlie Whitehurst at QB, and it looks like he’ll have to start once again for the injured Tarvaris Jackson. This matchup isn’t a good one anyway, so try to avoid using any of their player. Actually, you’re probably better off not even watching this game.

Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers

Could the 49ers really be heading to 6-1? The Browns shouldn’t give them any trouble. Montario Hardesty might be in line for another start since Peyton Hillis can’t seem to get healthy, but he didn’t look particularly good last week and faces a great 49er run defense this week. I continue to be cautious with Greg Little because we know he has talent, but it doesn’t mean it will always shine through in this developing offense, especially since Colt McCoy isn’t playing well and is limited as a passer to begin with. The Niner offense should continue to lean on Frank Gore and the rushing attack, but I continue to see good things from Michael Crabtree, who looks like he’s settled into a spot as a #3 fantasy WR.

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

As I’ve said many times this week, I understand wanting to ride the hot hand with DeMarco Murray since he’s facing an Eagle defense that’s struggled to stop the run this year, but if you decided to sell high, I think it’s the right move. He’s not a special player and his value was never going to be higher than it was after his historic performance last week. Both teams should be throwing a lot in this one, and I expect points to be scored, but the defenses are actually what intrigue me the most. Will the Eagles finally let Nnamdi Asomugha be the shutdown corner we know he can be instead of having him play many different roles all game? They’ll have their hands full with Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, and because both players are so talented, I could see Asomugha seeing time on both. However, that still leaves Jason Witten, and the Eagles have struggled with good TEs all season, so I’d expect a big game out of him, especially since he owned them last season. Dallas’ defense has shown great improvement and DC Rob Ryan is getting the most out of his talent in the front seven, but they still have some issues in the secondary that are being masked by the pass rush getting pressure. If Michael Vick is able to take some shots down the field, he will make a big play or two to Jeremy Maclin and/or DeSean Jackson.

San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

All eyes will be on Philip Rivers after he assured everyone that his struggles have not been due to injury since he says he’s healthy. If he isn’t hurt, then he should be able to take advantage of this great matchup, which is something he didn’t do when these teams met back in Week Three. The Chargers won that game because Ryan Mathews carried them, but the passing game was out of whack. It looks like Rivers will have his full complement of receivers with Malcolm Floyd returning to practice on Friday, so there shouldn’t be any excuses if the struggles continue. Mike Tolbert is still banged up, but after downplaying his injuries earlier in the week, I’d expect him to be out there, although this should be another big game for Mathews. Riding a Dwayne Bowe hot streak is fun, and he’s in the middle of one right now. The Chargers don’t pose much of a threat in their secondary, so it should continue, yet in the back of my mind, I’m always worried about trusting Matt Cassel. Luckily, the Chargers don’t have much of a pass rush, so Cassel should be good enough to get Bowe the ball. The RB situation saw two wrenches thrown into it last week when Le’Ron McClain saw looks at the GL and scored and CB Javier Arenas scored in the team’s version of the Wildcat. Sorry to all you Jackie Battle owners out there who got the volume, but not those important touches in scoring opportunities.

Please feel free to leave any lineup questions you may have for this week here or Tweet me (@TheMattCamp), and I’ll be sure to answer them before gametime on Sunday. Good luck and thanks for reading.

Weekly MATTchups: Week Seven

Matt Camp — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:40:46 +0000

Quarterback changes and player movement dominated the headlines this week and should make for a very interesting set of games. Without further ado, let us take a loot at the thirteen matchups.

Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers

The fans we actually chanting “We Want Beck” last week, and that sums up Rex Grossman’s career in a nutshell. Don’t expect the Redskin offense to change very much with John Beck under center, although it would be nice to know that Ryan Torain was starting AND getting a decent amount of carries. However, when it comes to the Shanahans, you need to reevaluate the RB situation on a weekly basis. I’m fully expecting the Panthers to target DeAngelo Hall, so expect Steve Smith to be on the end of a few deep balls in this one.

Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns

I never understood why the Browns were seriously contemplating giving Peyton Hillis a nice contract extension when they have his replacement in Montario Hardesty, especially with Hillis’ physical running style. It hasn’t mattered who has been in the Brown backfield since they continue to struggle on the ground. Greg Little appears to be approaching the level of safe #3 WR and he nearly scored last week. I do like him against a beatable Seahawk secondary. The Seattle QB situation continues to be a mess and it looks like “Clipboard Jesus” himself, Charlie Whitehurst will get the start. That puts a damper on using Sidney Rice or Doug Baldwin. If you’re taking a shot with Marshawn Lynch, ask yourself how many times he’s come through for you outside of the game against the Giants before the bye.

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions

The Falcons actually closed out a game last week, and a big part of their success was because they were able to feed Michael Turner. That might not be so easy against a Lion team that should be able to put up some points on this shaky Falcon defense as opposed to struggling like they did against the 49ers last week. Matt Ryan has been kept upright in the last few weeks, but I doubt that continues against a dangerous Lion front. The big story of the week centered around the Lion running game, and it looks like Maurice Morris will get the majority of the carries. I’d only be using him if I’m very desperate.

Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins

While I don’t consider Tim Tebow to be a long-term answer as a starter for the Dolphins, he’ll be playing this game against a mess of a Dolphin team on Gator Day in Miami, which means it’ll be as close as a home game as the Broncos will get on the East Coast. I’d be significantly downgrading their WR corps, but am interested to see how Demaryius Thomas looks in what should be his 2011 debut. For those wondering about how this will affect Willis McGahee, I don’t expect much to change, but the GL carries McGahee wasn’t scoring on anyway may go to Tebow now. Matt Moore might not be very good, but I don’t think he’ll be any worse than Chad Henne, so Brandon Marshall’s value doesn’t change for me at all. He should continue to see plenty of targets.

San Diego Chargers at New York Jets

If it’s not obvious by now, the only thing that should scare you about the Jet defense is Darrelle Revis. However, don’t assume he’ll be on just Vincent Jackson in this game. When these two teams met in the 2009 Divisional Round, Revis had a sequence where he covered three different Chargers on three consecutive plays. With Antonio Gates expected back, Revis could see time on him because the Jets consider Gates a top threat and therefore, someone they must try to stop at all costs. Also, if you have Philip Rivers, start him instead of over-thinking things. LaDainian Tomlinson will be getting the “ceremonial” start and appears to have an enormous chip on his shoulder heading into this matchup against his old team. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Jets play the hot hand if Tomlinson is producing, but it should be noted that Shonn Greene has been decent the last two games. As for the Jet receivers, it’s Santonio Holmes and maybe Dustin Keller. I’m not buying into Plaxico Burress’ comments about him and Mark Sanchez getting on the same page or whatever garbage he was making up to cover the fact that he’s a terrible football player at this stage of his career.

Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jay Cutler and the Bears can hang tough against teams that aren’t significantly better than them, and the Buccaneers fall into that group. They played with a little fire against the Saints last week, but Drew Brees certainly helped them out by trying to force the issue a little too much. Devin Hester may have played well last week, but I’m having trouble into buying him as the team’s most reliable receiver besides Matt Forte. The Buccaneers need to build on last week’s performance and continue to take shots down the field, which looks like the role Arrelious Benn might be filling going forward. If you are thinking about giving up on Mike Williams, just know he’s got more catches than DeSean Jackson and Santonio Holmes.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans

It’s obvious the Texans miss Andre Johnson and defenses are adjusting accordingly. I’ve talked about their ability to get by without him because they have a good defense and a reliable running game. However, when Arian Foster admits to playing a terrible game, it shouldn’t come as a surprise why they lost last week. Tennessee looked lost against the Steelers before their bye, and need to prove they are more than an early-season surprise. Jared Cook needs to become that dynamic threat that is missing in this offense right now. Chris Johnson is almost off my radar, or at least the one I use to track high-end RBs. If you can move this guy and get great compensation back due to his name value, stop reading this a go make that move.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals

You couldn’t ask for a much better matchup for both the passing game and rushing attack for the Steelers. The Cardinals don’t do a good job stopping either, so Rashard Mendenhall should have a great chance to build on his huge game against the Jaguars last week. Ben Roethlisberger has been denied in his requests to use the no-huddle in an effort to get more of his weapons involved, but that’s because OC Bruce Arians still doesn’t trust this team’s OL, which shouldn’t be that surprising. Kevin Kolb hasn’t been able to get anything going this season and it’s hurt Larry Fitzgerald, but the Cardinals apparently used their bye week to tweak their passing game. Kolb will still be in trouble behind an OL that will have their hands full with the Steeler pass rush.

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Even though Kyle Boller is expected to start for the Raiders, it doesn’t mean he’ll finish this game. He’s a terrible passer, but he should know the offense significantly better than Carson Palmer, who didn’t have a typical off-season or preseason and hasn’t played since Week Seventeen of last season. However, because Boller stinks, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone if Palmer sees action in this game. No matter who’s playing QB, the Raider ground game, specifically Darren McFadden, should be very active in this one. Speaking of ground attacks, I’m prepared for HC Todd Haley to give us a split between Jackie Battle and Thomas Jones with a little Dexter McCluster throw in for good measure to totally screw fantasy owners who picked up Battle looking for him to be a volume back for the rest of the year after his career-performance in Week Five.

St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboy offense might have disappointed last week, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t put up huge numbers against a decimated Ram defense. There’s nothing to worry about when it comes to Miles Austin and Jason Witten, but Dez Bryant has been shut out in the 2^nd half three times this season. While he was battling a thigh/quad injury, it is a little perplexing to see him disappear like that, but I expect him to be very active for all of this game. The Cowboy backfield is a mess right now, but I’d be leaning toward DeMarco Murray if I had to pick who’d be more productive between him and Tashard Choice. Sam Bradford looks like a gametime decision due to his ankle injury, which is a shame, because I was interested to see what he’d be able to do at full strength with the intriguing starting pairing of Brandon Lloyd and Danario Alexander. I expect Lloyd to be just fine, if not better, as a Ram than he was as a Bronco because he’s got a better QB on a team that wants to throw it, and he knows the offense from playing under Josh McDaniels in Denver.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

Christian Ponder’s only job should be to handoff to Adrian Peterson for the rest of the year, but we doubt he’ll be able to do that as often as the Vikings would like since the Packers should be able to put up some points because, well, they are the Packers and no one can stop them. Even though he hasn’t done much this season and may not do much in this game, keep an eye on Viking rookie TE Kyle Rudolph, as he continues to see his snaps increase and could become a nice, safe target for Ponder. Owning a Packer RB is just a bad idea right now since neither James Starks nor Ryan Grant are any good, plus they don’t get enough carries to have significant production in this pass-first offense. If you’re a Jermichael Finley owner, I understand the frustration, but because he’s the most dangerous presence on the field besides Greg Jennings, teams will do their best to take him out of the equation and the Packers are fine with that since they know Aaron Rodgers will just look to the next open receiver. With a 6-0 record, I’d say that’s working out just fine.

Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints

Joseph Addai made a surprise return to practice on Friday to muddy up the Colt backfield a little more coming into this game, but I don’t expect their ground game to matter much because the way their defense is playing, the Saints are going to put up points in bunches leaving the game in the hands of Curtis Painter. Keep rolling with Pierre Garcon, as I expect him to be used as a downfield threat, especially if the Colts can isolate him on Roman Harper, who continues to be a liability for the Saints in coverage. The Saints look very dangerous now that Marques Colston is back in the mix, but I’ll continue to say that Jimmy Graham is the top option in this offense and may actually exceed the season Antonio Gates was on pace for year thanks to the perfect situation he’s in with this team.

Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars

Trusting Joe Flacco may be a risky proposition, but not when he got a clean pocket and a beatable secondary. That should be the case on Monday when he faces a Jaguar team that has no pass rush to worry about and a defense that should have their hands full with Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith, who looks like a great sleeper this week with the Jaguars struggling in coverage. Baltimore’s defense will make life miserable for Blaine Gabbert and if their offense puts points on the board, it could take Maurice Jones-Drew completely out of it since his role in the passing game has been decreased this season.

That will do it for another edition of MATTchups, but as always if you have any questions, leave them below or send them over to me on Twitter (@TheMattCamp) and I promise I’ll answer them in time to set your lineups. Enjoy Week Seven and may victory be the end result of all your games.