Everyone is confronted with tough decisions week in and week out. Those who make the right decisions on who to start and who to bench will win. Outsiders often attribute the ability to make the right decision to luck. It can be the case, but skilled owners make far more right choices than wrong. Makes sense, right? Below is my way of making those tough decisions a little bit easier.
QUARTERBACKS
Mark Brunell, Redskins (YES!): OK, so I said last week was the time to start him. Start him again this week. The Giants get turnovers and don’t allow that many passing touchdowns, but they allow the thing the Redskins have done best this year – lots of passing yards up and down the field. My question: does this season prove that Joe Gibbs was right to start Brunell last year?
Brett Favre, Packers (NO!): He’s been playing well over the last couple of weeks, but he’s always taken a lot of chances with the ball, and the Bengals produce a ton of interceptions.
RUNNING BACKS
Stephen Davis, Panthers (YES!): Davis has managed to grind out some decent numbers this season, despite not playing particularly well. This will be a grind it out kind of game for the Panthers, one where Davis may average only three yards a carry but still have a big impact on the game.
Mewelde Moore, Vikings (NO!): The flip side of Davis. The Panthers don’t allow many rushing yards, and they keep opposing runners out of the end zone. The Vikings also seem destined to play from behind again this week, in which case Moore’s effectiveness may be limited.
WIDE RECEIVERS
T.J. Houshmandzadah, Bengals (YES!): He was back last week and played well. This should be a very good week for the Bengals' pass offense – good enough to sustain two fantasy starters at wide receiver.
Deion Branch, Patriots (NO!): For all we know, the Bills’ pass defense may be as vulnerable as their rushing defense. But we’ll never know, because they’re so weak against the run that nobody even has to try to air it out.
TIGHT ENDS
Jermaine Wiggins, Vikings (YES!): The rumors of his demise become more premature every week.
Ben Troupe, Titans (NO!): Every week, it becomes a little clearer that Erron Kinney is actually the Titans’ preferred tight end in the passing game this year.
KICKERS
Rian Lindell, Bills (YES!): It’s always difficult to figure out how kickers on teams with quarterback issues will do. Lindell’s been a little inconsistent, but overall he’s been one of the better fantasy kickers this year.
Paul Edinger, Vikings (NO!): Long game winning kicks are nice, but they don’t usually come with extra fantasy points.
DEFENSES/SPECIAL TEAMS
Cincinnati Bengals (YES!): They’ve produced nearly 50 percent more turnovers than any other team in the AFC. The Packers, with their backfield injuries and Favre, should provide a few more takeaways.
Washington Redskins (NO!): A very good defense. They doubled their fantasy scoring for the year in one game last week. That doesn’t say much for how they produce week in and week out.