Happy Thanksgiving to all!
With the holidays fast approaching and Thanksgiving Day coming up tomorrow, I decided to prepare all of you a holiday gift.
Today, I’m sparing you the 100 or so words of rambling before I get to the point.
Quarterback
1. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Controversial? Maybe, but I know that Ryan will not duplicate his five-interception game from last week. Matty Ice hit the practice field hard this week and will rebound against a terrible Tampa Bay secondary.
2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
When a guy’s downside is 200 yards and a pair of TDs and his upside is limitless, you’re starting him against the Giants’ average-at-best pass defense.
3. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
I’m out of adjectives to describe Manning. With three passing TDs in six of his last seven, I think ‘consistent’ and ‘pretty darn good’ sum it up. Kansas City won’t have an answer for Manning, plain and simple.
4. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
Dallas has a pretty good pass defense, but when he can’t pass, he’ll run. RG3 is a must-start in nearly every format.
5. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
The matchup is a tough one, with the 49ers coming to town this Sunday. But for Brees, it really doesn’t matter who lines up across from him; he’s going to put up points in bunches.
6. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Somehow, someway, the Cowboys are still in the playoff hunt. Romo is fighting for his team’s playoff hopes against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. It’s now or never Tony.
7. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Man, it must be fun throwing the ball to A.J. Green. Nobody has stopped Green yet this year, and Oakland certainly won’t.
8. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
Luck threw a season-high three picks last week, but there’s nothing like home cooking to remedy that. Luck has thrown only two interceptions at Lucas Oil Stadium this season, and that’s where he’ll face the Bills this week.
9. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Chad Henne with a top 10 appearance?
Brady lit up Indy last week, and while the Jets rank 5th against opposing fantasy QBs, I’m not scared of this matchup. He’s only ranked 9th because I don’t love Thursday games for veteran offensive players like Brady.
10. Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars
Could it be? Have the Jaguars found their quarterback of the future? We’ll find out as the season plays out: Jacksonville placed QB Blaine Gabbert on IR today. I like how Henne has played thus far and this matchup against Tennessee is juicy.
Running Back
1. Arian Foster, Houston Texans
On paper, it appears that Detroit defends against fantasy RBs well, but one look at their numbers against good backs reveals the truth. Schaub’s effectiveness through the air will also help take eyes off Foster.
2. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
Gore has been solid this year and faces the league’s worst rush defense fantasy-wise this week. New Orleans has given up 28 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs in half-PPR formats. Gore will be happy, no matter who is under center.
3. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
CJ2K was back to his old 2009 self in the five weeks leading up to his bye, averaging about 20 fantasy points per game. Against Jacksonville, he should return to form after his week off.
4. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Atlanta may be 9-1, but it isn’t because of their run defense. They won’t have anything close to an answer for the flaming hot Martin.
5. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
Rice seemed to be treading water last week, but credit the Steelers’ defense for that. Rice will bounce back against the Chargers this week.
6. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
The Bears’ defense didn’t look so scary last week against the 49ers, giving up 32 points. It’s a tough matchup, no doubt, but Chicago may be reeling a bit and it’s AP we’re talking about here.
7. Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots
Ridley’s 28 yards last week are a concern, but he saved his game with a second-half TD. Shane Vereen vultured a touchdown from Ridley late in the game, but mostly because the Pats had it won. Ridley will see more touches this week against the Jets.
8. C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills
Fred Jackson will likely return to action this week, which puts a lid on Spiller’s potential. That said, he still has tremendous talent and upside and will get more snaps than Jackson according to the Bills’ coaches.
9. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
Charles is the lone bright spot on this pitiful offense. He could really be great with a little help.
10. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati Bengals
The Law Firm now has scores in two of his last three and faces an Oakland defense that has surrendered 170 rushing yards per game in the last three.
11. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
12. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
13. Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns
14. Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins
15. Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers
16. Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos
17. LaRod Stephens-Howling, Arizona Cardinals
18. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
19. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers
20. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
Wide Receiver
1. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
Like I said earlier, Oakland won’t have an answer for the talented youngster.
2. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
Roddy has grabbed 22 balls for 355 yards over the past three weeks and now Julio Jones is hurting. Expect loads of balls to be thrown White’s way on Sunday.
3. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts
Wayne has caught more balls than anyone in the NFL this year for more yards than everyone not named Calvin Johnson. He’s a PPR beast, and I like his chances to find the end zone this week against Buffalo.
4. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
He’s coming off one of the best performances by a receiver in NFL history and now faces a Lions defense that doesn’t have an answer for him.
5. Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
You never know what Jackson will do with them, but he will get his targets. The Bucs have been scoring heaps of points recently and Jackson has been a beneficiary, scoring five times in his last six.
6. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
Without RB Willis McGahee on the field, Peyton Manning will turn to Thomas more often than ever.
7. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
Megatron is quietly putting together a heck of a season, and once again finds himself atop the league in receiving. The Texans pose a decent matchup, but it’s nothing Johnson can’t handle.
Cobb has become a must-start
8. Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers
Another game, another touchdown. Cobb now has six TDs in his last four games and is on an unparalleled hot streak.
9. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys should throw the ball early and often against a weak Washington secondary. When it comes to picking between Bryant and fellow WR Miles Austin, ride the hot hand. Bryant had 12 catches for 145 yards and a score last week.
10. Victor Cruz, New York Giants
Cruz owners are hoping that the week off helped the Giants’ offense sort some things out, as the unit has looked pitiful. The matchup against Green Bay is a good one for Cruz; all he needs now is his QB to get him the football.
11. Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints
12. Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers
13. Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys
14. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
15. Danario Alexander, San Diego Chargers
16. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
17. Steve Johnson, Buffalo Bills
18. Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville Jaguars
19. Danny Amendola, St. Louis Rams
20. Denarius Moore, Oakland Raiders
21. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
22. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants
23. Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers
24. Ryan Broyles, Detroit Lions
25. Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens
Tight End
1. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
Vernon Davis sighting! Colin Kaepernick stepped into action with Alex Smith injured and tossed to Davis early and often. Davis finished with 6/83/1 and if Kaepernick keeps looking his way, his upside is huge.
2. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
Graham may be just ahead of Marques Colston on Drew Brees’ red zone list, making him a stellar play every week.
3. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons
With Julio Jones banged up, Gonzalez will see plenty of balls against a Tampa Bay defense that doesn’t defend TEs exceptionally well.
4. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Romo keeps looking his way and Witten keeps catching everything thrown at him. Don’t expect anything to change this week.
5. Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots
With Rob Gronkowski out for 4-8 weeks, Hernandez now has the opportunity to step up in a big way. I think he’ll pass the test.
6. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Daniels has been as consistent as they come this year, and his matchup against Detroit doesn’t scare me.
7. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals
Just pencil him down for 4-6 catches for somewhere around 70 yards. Facing an Oakland defense that has fared poorly against TEs (25th), he may even find pay dirt.
8. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers
Is he back? His touchdown last week showed us all his potential, and it just might get him kick-started.
9. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers
With Charlie Batch under center, expect lots of dump offs to his safety net at TE.
10. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions
Pettigrew has fought dropped balls for much of his career and this season is no different. Pettigrew owners hope that Titus Young’s issues open the door for Pettigrew.
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