WEEK 15 START/SITS

Congrats to those still in action this week, you are now one step closer to holding your head high for at least a year.  A few notes from Week 14, NY Jets RB Shonn Greene has put together 2 stellar games in a row, FINALLY! In those 2 games he has totaled 217 yards and 4 Td’s. Even with the return of Miles Austin, Laurent Robinson still amassed 137 yards and a Td while playing only half the snaps of both Miles and Dez Bryant. An early Christmas present arrived Sunday Night for Felix Jones’ owners, who will now see him have significant playing time going forward. Of course that was last week, now on to this week.

Here we go!

For those in 2 QB leagues or for those still trying to find an injury replacement.

START

Andy Dalton, QB – Cincinnati at St. Louis

Andy looks to continue his great play during his rookie year, this week facing the St. Louis Rams. St. Louis continues to have one of the weaker defenses in the league giving up over 25 Pts. a game, look for Andy and the Bengals to play inspired ball for a push into the playoffs.

Tim Tebow, QB – Denver vs. New England

Tim continues to produce wins for the Broncos, and this week they stay at home to go up against the New England Patriots, we’ll see just how much magic he has.  Tim should be able to excel this week both on the ground but also the air. New England defense is last in the league in both total yards and passing yards; hopefully Timmy should be able to exploit that.

SIT

CarsonPalmer, QB – Oakland vs. Detroit

Coming off a horrendous game against the Packers in which he tossed 4 Ints., the Raiders will host the Detroit Lions and a defense that is tied for second in the league with 18 interceptions and gives up just over 200 yards passing a game. Not to mention the return of Ndamukong Suh.

****Ben Roethlisberger, QB – Pittsburgh at San Francisco

I am placing an asterisk next to Big Ben. There are 3 things that concern me about starting him. First, he’s listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Second, he’s playing Monday night which would severely limit you if he doesn’t play. Third, he is playing a pretty good defense in the 49ers. Enter at your own risk.

For those who are looking for a solid RB2 or FLEX play:

START

Cedric Benson, RB – Cincinnati at St. Louis

Much like any capable back facing St. Louis, Cedric should be a must start against the Rams. St. Louis gives up the most rushing yards in the league, 158.8 to be exact. A must win for the Bengals; expect them to be firing on all cylinders.

Felix Jones, RB – Dallas at Tampa Bay (Saturday Night)

Ever since DeMarco Murray took over, Felix owners have been waiting for him to get another chance (hopefully, you didn’t drop him). He has a great match up when Dallas heads to Tampa and plays a defense that has given up the most rushing Td’s in the league.

Shonn Greene, RB – New York Jets at Philadelphia

How could you not ride him while he’s hot, Philly gives up over a hundred yards rushing a game and 4.4 yards a carry. Expect the Jets to try and establish a run game heading into the post season.

SIT

Rashard Mendehall, RB – Pittsburgh at San Francisco

Much like every running back that has faced the 49ers defense, it doesn’t look good for Rashard. The 49ers still haven’t let up a rushing touchdown. Also, keep in mind the status of Pittsburgh’s quarterback.

CJ Spiller, RB – Buffalo vs. Miami

The Dolphins held Philly RB LeSean McCoy to 38 yards rushing on 27 carries. That’s not an easy thing to do, so only imagine what they could do to CJ Spiller.

For those looking for a little WR match up help and a nice FLEX option:

START
 

Demaryius Thomas, WR – Denver vs. New England

It appears that Demaryius Thomas has taking over as Denver’s go to receiver replacing Eric Decker.  In his last 2 games he has 222 yards receiving and 3 Td’s, not bad at all.  On Sunday, there will be 2 reasons for starting Demaryius, first, they will most likely be playing from behind most of the game and will need to lean on the pass game. Second, New England has the worst pass defense in the league.

AJ Green, WR – Cincinnati at St. Louis

In AJ’s last 4 games he has played Pittsburgh twice, Cleveland and Houston, they happen to be 1, 2 and 3 in pass defense. AJ might look like Randy Moss this week.

SIT

Percy Harvin, WR – Minnesota vs. New Orleans

With AP coming back, Percy will see less touches. QB Christian Ponder is coming off a less than effective game in which he was replaced by Joe Webb, so there is no guarantee he will finish the game under center.

Dwayne Bowe, WR – Kansas City vs. Green Bay

Their QB situation is up in the air, and their playoff hopes are nil. Despite the amount of passing yards Green Bay gives up, their pass defense is rather good having 27 interceptions on the year, that leads the league by quite a bit.  I am not expecting a motivated performance from the Chiefs.

The TE can no longer be over looked. They can truly make or break a week.

START

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Kellen Winslow, TE – Tampa Bay vs. Dallas (Saturday Night)

Dallas gives up the 2^nd most receiving yards to TE’s, letting Giants TE Jake Ballard catch 4 balls for 52 yards and a Td.

Jermichael Finley, TE – Green Bay at Kansas City

Don’t get too discouraged after the 0 catch performance last week. Look for the Packers to get Jermichael a little more involved this week because of the injury to Greg Jennings.

SIT

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Greg Olsen, TE – Carolina at Houston

Houston has one of the better defenses against opposing TE’s. Look for them to gain some confidence heading into the playoffs by shutting down a pretty solid offense.

Good Luck! And Happy Playoff -ing