For many leagues, this is the final week before the playoffs. With bye weeks behind us and the end of the season in sight, matchups have never been more important.
Sure, The Titans may not have been able to fully take advantage of The Jaguars awful pass defense, but The Bills should have a much easier time making plays which puts Steve Johnson on my own personal must start list. After making six catches for 106 yards against The Colts, Johnson should find pay dirt for the first time since week 7 when The Jaguars come to town. Look for another 90+ yard day as well to give him a solid 15-17 fantasy points on the day.
Owners of Julio Jones, Roddy White, and Matt Ryan probably would have started these guys anyway, but in a Thursday night matchup against The Saints, this is your chance to get a huge lead on your opponent early. Neither Jones nor White scored a TD the first time these two teams met, but this time they’ll be in Atlanta and looking for revenge after a tough loss in New Orleans. Matt Ryan still threw for 411 yards and 3 TDs last time so start all three with even higher confidence than usual.
Need a solid sleeper pick this week? Colin Kaepernick seemed to have a lot of chemistry with Mario Manningham this past Sunday in New Orleans and when The 49ers travel to St. Louis, it’s likely that trend will continue. If The 49ers opt to start Alex Smith at QB instead, Michael Crabtree becomes the better play at WR, but keep an eye on the 49ers this week and adjust your lineups accordingly.
There’s always a negative side though and unfortunately for most teams’ flex play, The Chargers drew the short straw this week. The Cincinnati Bengals have been surprisingly good against the pass this year and that spells trouble for the likes of Philip Rivers, Malcolm Floyd, and Danario Alexander. Sure, Alexander may have been an incredibly lucrative waiver wire pickup for weeks 10 and 11, but you should definitely consider sitting him this week. The top WR for Oakland only managed 23 yards against Cincinnati last weekend. If you start anyone off of San Diego this week, make it Antonio Gates.
If you have any Buccaneers on your fantasy teams, you know how frustrating The Falcons made everything this past week. Sure, the yardage was there, but The Falcons made sure WRs weren’t the ones getting into the end zone. While I would never suggest benching Drew Brees, his receivers will have a rough week this Thursday. Marques Colston and Lance Moore have both been reliable options this year most of the time, but look for them to have similar outings to last week with 10 or fewer fantasy points each. Devery Henderson shouldn’t even be considered this week.
Finally, regardless of who starts at QB this Sunday night, DeSean Jackson is a rough start against The Cowboys. On November 11, Jackson caught 5 passes for 62 yards with nearly all of his production coming on The Eagles’ first possession. The Eagles’ season is in shambles and even if Vick comes back, Jackson should be will covered by The Cowboys’ star corners. *AUTHOR NOTE* Hard to predict injuries, especially ones that lead to IR. For full context see the first comment on the post.
