Week 11 Play ‘Em or Bench ‘Em: Beanie Wells, Knowshon Moreno, and More

Week 10 has passed and fantasy owners are on the grind to get over the top and make a run to either lock up a playoff spot, or are trying to thrash their way into a playoff spot.

Regardless of your position, you are here to see what week 11 has in store, so let’s get to it with our weekly play ‘em/bench ‘em feature here at MSF.

Among the players featured this week: Beanie Wells, Kellen Winslow, Steve Smith (Panthers), Knowshon Moreno, Marshawn Lynch, and Roy Williams.

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Week 11 Sleepers and Waiver Wire Steals: Justin Forsett and Jason Avant

Week 10 is gone and you are now one of four people.

You are one of the few who are cruising your way into the playoffs, in the driver’s seat, in first place…

Or are you the one who would be in the playoffs right now if the season ended today, but you have three weeks left and a ton of pressure from the teams right below you…

Or you are one of the many who are clawing their way from being one of the non-playoff teams and trying everything to move into one of the final playoff spots…

Or is your season done and now you are just trying to screw everyone else.

Regardless of which one you are, (hopefully you’re in groups one through three) you are reading this because you are looking for more information to help you this week.

So who are this week’s sleepers and waiver wire steals?

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Fantasy Football Week 11 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

I knew that if I stuck with Jamaal Charles long enough that he would come through for me; and come through he did. Not that it should be all that surprising, but Charles carved up the Raiders’ D for 100+ yards and a touchdown.

The question now becomes whether or not Charles is a must-start on a go forward basis. Most weeks he may be, but you certainly have to wonder about him this week with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the schedule.

I’ll tell you one guy I wouldn’t question in Week 11: Ricky Williams. He should be a guy you’re playing most weeks anyway, but with Ronnie Brown’s status in doubt for Thursday night, Ricky’s value skyrockets.

As I try to do every week, I’ll make my best attempt to steer you in the right direction about Charles, Williams, and a host of other players. That’s what this post is all about, so let’s get to it.

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Week 10 Play ‘Em or Bench ‘Em: Steve Jackson, Thomas Jones, Zach Miller, and More

Well, in the fantasy football world we are now in Week 10, which means that it’s “crunch time.”

Including this week you are looking at four more weeks to either maintain your current dominating lead or go on a tear and enter the playoffs hot.

Who should you be playing and benching now that we’re about to hit the stretch run? You’ve come to the right place. We discuss names like SJax, Thomas Jones, and Zach Miller below.

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Fantasy Football Week 10 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

Week 9 was very interesting for me from a real and fantasy picks perspective.

I went to sleep last night thinking I’d lost by 0.5 points in one league because of Miles Austin’s one catch. But, as so often happens in leagues with IDPs, the stats had changed by Monday morning and I led by 3.5. I’m hoping this holds up once the totals become final tomorrow.

From a picks perspective, last week was unique in that I really went out on a limb picking David Garrard over Matt Schaub. Then the defense opposing Schaub (Indy) lost two key starters and I issued a change to my recommendation regarding the Texans’ QB.

And then, naturally, Schaub went out and had a pedestrian day (311 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) that did not eclipse what Garrard was able to do against Kansas City (264 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 29 yards rushing).

In hindsight, I should have stuck with my guns; but, the truth is that I did stick with my principles in issuing my Schaub retraction. It was the right decision. Remember, we’re trying to predict a game in which Chris Chambers can be one of the top scorers at WR during the same week he got cut by San Diego and ended up in Kansas City.

Without much rhyme or reason, all you’ve got is your principles. My principles have me above .500 and in playoff contention in all six of my leagues.

And this is what I always tell people who ask me for advice on tough questions: what are your princples? Go with them.

And if you don’t have them, get them. I’ll be happy to help if I can.

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Attention Fantasy Football Players: Revised Week 9 Outlook for Matt Schaub

Earlier this week in my start em, sit em post, I recommended that you should start David Garrard over Matt Shaub in Week 9. I’ll let you read the post to get the full detail of the reasoning, but it boiled down to the following two points:

#1 – the Colts have the 7th best pass defense in the league in terms of yards given up (180.1 yards per game) and have given up the fewest touchdown passes (three). Thus, I looked at Matt Schaub as a shaky start.

#2 – David Garrard and his Jaguars are at home this week taking on the Kansas City Chiefs and their crappy pass defense. Garrard is only playable when he’s at home and this seems like about as plum a matchup as you’ll get if you’re a Garrard owner.

There is a problem though. A couple of them. And I’m changing my vote to Schaub over Garrard for Week 9.

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Fantasy Football Week 9 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Lineup Advice and Projections

Crunch time is upon us.

As enter Week 9 of the fantasy football season, some of us are breathing easy with playoff spots all but assured, some of us are struggling with each decision in our quest to improve playoff positioning, and others are desperately trying to make a late season surge just to have a chance.

And then there are others who are out of it and just playing out the string, although I doubt too many of those owners are bothering to scour start ‘em, sit ‘em posts in preparation for this week.

For the majority of us still scratching and clawing for every point and every win, here is your weekly start ‘em, start ‘em breakdown…and then the endless string of Q&A in the comment section.

Here’s a quick teaser: who would you rather start in Week 9 between Matt Schaub and David Garrard? The answer might not be as clear as you may think.

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Week 9 Fantasy Play ‘Em, Bench ‘Em: QBs and Defenses

Another crazy week of fantasy football is in the books.

Last week’s insanity included the fact that Joseph Addai threw for more touchdowns than Peyton Manning….Ryan Moats had 3 TD’s….Kurt Warner completds 5 passes to Panthers…

And T.O. actually scored a TD.

What does Week 9 have in store? First, the following teams are on a bye: Bills, Browns, Vikings, Jets, Raiders and Rams. Most of these teams being on a bye will not hurt fantasy owners too badly; I have an offensive starting ban on the Browns, Bills and Raiders which still has not been lifted.

For the teams that are taking the field, which QBs and D/ST units offer the best potential value in Week 9? Let’s investigate.

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Fantasy Football: Midseason Disappointments and Surprises

We have now reached the NFL mid-season, and it is time for Pro Football Insight to issue their Fantasy Mid-Season Awards.

The 2009 season has definitely had its share of disappointments and surprises, so without further delay, onto the PFI awards.

PFI Biggest Disappointment Team

QB-Trent Edwards-Bills This award could have went to several QB’s, but Edwards was a run away winner for me. Edwards was always middle of the pack as far as being a fantasy QB, but with the off-season acquisition of Terrell Owens, along with an array of other proven wide receivers and running backs, Edwards’ stock soared in the off-season. Edwards, however, has played his worst football since taking the starting job from J.P. Losman his rookie year.

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NFL Week 8 Injury Updates: The Johnson WRs, Wayne, Westbrook & More

It’s Friday morning, so let’s do our typical roundup of the most important injuries on the fantasy football landscape, going game-by-game down the Week 8 schedule.

There are some big names on the injury report this week, especially at the WR position where Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, Anquan Boldin, and Jerricho Cotchery all are batting maladies.

Denver-Baltimore

Nothing pertinent here. Joe Flacco showed up on the injury report with an ankle, but he’s fine.

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Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

First of all, my apologies to anyone who asked questions in the comment section last week from Friday afternoon on. I was hoping I’d have time to get some of those answered once I got to Cleveland, but I did not.

I don’t have any more trips planned between now and the NFL playoffs, so that should not be a problem again.

Secondly, my apologies to anyone who started Jay Cutler and Greg Olsen last week. I really miscalculated how the Bears-Bengals game would go — as did most everybody — and had to take my medicine on that one.

Otherwise, Week 7 was relatively prosperous. The good: Laurence Maroney, Austin Collie, and the Patriots D/ST as starts; Donovan McNabb, Jerome Harrison, Zach Miller, and Steve Smith (Carolina…if you needed a TD) as sits. The bad: Cutler and Olsen obviously, and the Pittsburgh D as a sit.

Now let’s look forward and gaze into the crystal ball for Week 8. A little bit different format this week; hopefully you like it.

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PFI’s Week 8 QB and RB Play Em, Bench Em

Week 7 is in the books with an amazing milestone: Peyton Manning did NOT pass for 300 yards (the first time in six games that he had not done so).

Week 7 was also a week of blowouts. Six NFL teams lost this weekend by 28 points or more, and one of those teams was the Bears…at the hands of the Bengals! Unbelievable.

Most of this we all saw coming (Week 7 Start Em or Sit Em), but the Bears game was a shocker.

Let’s break down the fantasy football landscape for Week 8, including which players you should play and which players you should bench. (By the way, week 8 is a bye week for the Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Buccaneers and Redskins.)

As a side note: My ban on starting any Bills, Browns or Raiders offensive players has not been lifted! This rule is still in effect.

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Week 8 Sleepers and Waiver Wire Steals: Shonn Greene and Alex Smith

Week 8, as usual, is filled with injuries, six bye weeks, and numerous underachieving players. This is the time of year when uncovering a waiver wire player about to step into more opportunity can be exactly the boon that your team needs.

In New York and San Francisco, two such sleeper players exist: RB Shonn Greene and QB Alex Smith.

We look at these two Week 8 diamonds in the rough, plus link you to PFI for more sleepers and waiver wire steals for Week 8.

[Editor's Note: Jerod's Week 8 start 'em, sit 'em column will be one day late but will be posted tomorrow morning.]

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Friday Morning Would…You Rather Start Marion Barber or Jonathan Stewart in Week 7?

I’ve got a flight to catch at 5:20 — headed to Cleveland for the Sports Media 360 conference — and a full day of work to squeeze in between now and when I leave the office around 2:30. Thus, there is no time to waste.

Let’s get right to our usual Friday Morning Would debate.

Today, we are going to look at two running backs who have had up and down seasons to this point: Dallas battering ram Marion Barber and Panthers second-year scamperer Jonathan Stewart.

A few weeks ago, when Barber was tearing it up and Stewart was on the sidelines nursing what seemed to be an endless array of maladies, this would have been a no-brainer.

But as we know, things can change quickly in the NFL. And as Week 7 approaches, I am suggesting that you start Jonathan Stewart over Marion Barber.

Here’s why:

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Fantasy Football Week 7 Sleepers and Waiver Wire Pick-Ups

Coming off of a great Week 6 for ProFootballinsight’s sleepers and waiver wire steals, we have some great Week 7 advice for you to help you replace players who are on bye, injured, or just plan under performing.

We’ll do a brief recap of last week and then get into a couple of running backs who may be available in your league and who could be in store for very nice days this Sunday.

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