The concept is simple enough: for each primary fantasy position, the Crystal Ball provides you with one player you should be starting this week who you might not have thought of, and one player you should bench who you just might be counting on.
QUARTERBACK
J.P. Losman, Bills (YES!): The Lions pass defense is about as bad as it gets, allowing more touchdowns than any other unit in the league. The Bills are better than the Lions, but in Detroit this should be nonetheless a competitive game. And Losman isn't nearly as bad as you think he is. If you've got a bye week issue, you shouldn't be afraid to go with Losman for this week.
Eli Manning, Giants (NO!): This probably is the week that the Falcons finally allow a passing touchdown. Nonetheless, they continue to be the best pass defense nobody recognizes. One thing to note, though. My point at the quarterback position is that your backup might be better than Eli this week, and that Losman might be a good pickup for a week. I am NOT saying to start Losman over Manning. Ever. No matter what.
RUNNING BACK
Ronnie Brown, Dolphins (YES!): The ineptitude of the Dolphins offense, and particularly their line, is one of the most surprising stories of this season. Brown's stock has dropped appropriately. But the last time the Dolphins played a truly bad run defense (the Titans), they ran Brown twenty-six times. That's the kind of approach you'll see against the Jets this week.
Frank Gore, 49ers (NO!): Members of the Charger defense keep running into legal problems, but the defense seems to keep getting better anyway. Gore has been an exciting young runner thus far, but this game may be too much for a very young Niner offense.
WIDE RECEIVER
Marques Colston, Saints (YES!): In what continues to be a weird year for wideouts, Colston's stock seems to have dropped more than it should after one lackluster week. Don't pay attention to that. Colston has clearly supplanted Joe Horn as the primary receiver in a pretty good offense.
Javon Walker, Broncos (NO!): The Raiders are an example of how the defensive stats don't tell you too much -- the Raiders are number two in the league in passing yardage allowed. That's only because they get so far behind that the opponent stops passing. But that does mean that they're likely to fall behind the Broncos, and that the Broncos are likely to stop throwing a whole lot as a result.
TIGHT END
Randy McMichael, Dolphins (YES!): Tight end scoring has been so far down that the position has been nearly meaningless thus far. Things are looking up for McMichael, though, who easily had his best game of the year with Joey Harrington calling the signals.
Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs (NO!): Perhaps one of these weeks, Damon Huard will suddenly realize that Gonzalez is on the field. For now, though, he's averaging less than three catches per game with Huard at the helm.
DEFENSE
Cincinnati Bengals (YES!): I apologize if this is getting repetitive but . . . this is probably the best turnover unit in football playing a turnover-prone team with a new quarterback.
Minnesota Vikings (NO!): When you look at the defensive points scored in your league, the Vikings probably rate very high. That's because they scored a million points last week. One big week doesn't make a consistent defense.
KICKERS
Nick Novak, Redskins (YES!): The Redskins are likely to carve the Titans up this week, giving a lot of scoring chances to Novak.
Neil Rackers, Cardinals (NO!): He's a good kicker. He scored a lot last year. Don't start him this week, and you probably shouldn't be starting him in the immediate future, either.