Week 9 Where to Put em

Thursday, Nov 4, 2010 at 12:00 pm ET

fantasy football rankings
Where to Put 'em is the Fantasy Football Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for the week. Decisions are based upon the FFN rankings and matchup analysis. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid.

Put 'em In The Game: Tom Brady
With the exception of Weeks 1 and 3, Brady has been a shell of his former self and certainly hasn't played at an elite level. He has yet to throw for 300 yards this year and his fantasy production has really dropped after Moss's departure. Granted, he has played Baltimore, San Diego, and Minnesota which aren't easy teams to pass on. This week we're seeing a rebound for Brady against the Browns who rank 26th in the league in yards given up through the air.

Put 'em In The Game: Josh Freeman
We like Josh Freeman this week. The Bucs are humming and Atlanta is 28th in the league against the pass surrendering an average of 275 yards per game. The Falcons are 27th in the league in fantasy points given up to opposing QB's according to FleaFlicker. We're anticipating a nice fantasy stat day for Freeman.

Put 'em In The Game: Matt Forte
As last year's reigning fantasy bust, Matt Forte has started to turn things around in 2010. In PPR-formats, Forte has been a force often resulting in more receiving yards than rushing yards. When we're looking at match ups this week, Forte's match up looks fantastic against the Buffalo Bills who rank 31st in the league in yards given up on the ground (178) and 26th in the league in fantasy points given up to opposing RB's. We expect to see Forte in the end zone on Sunday.

Put 'em In The Game: LaDainian Tomlinson
All the naysayers have been saying that we should enjoy LT's fantasy value because it won't last. Most expect his production to decline significantly during the 2nd half of the season. That may be true, but we just don't see that happening this week as the Jets face the Lions. Detroit has become a better team but they still rank 27th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game. LT still has some gas left in his tank. We're starting him with confidence.

Put 'em In The Game: Mike Williams
Mike Williams hit the century mark last week and it appears that he has developed a fantastic rapport with Josh Freeman. That should continue this week for all the same reasons that we're recommending Josh Freeman above.

Put 'em In The Game: Patrick Crayton
Malcom Floyd. Nope. Buster Davis. Nope. Legedu Naanee. Probably Not. VJAX. Nope. The best receiver in the Charger's receiving corp without the last name of Gates is Patrick Crayton. The Chargers face the Texans who have been the passing equivalent of a loose slot machine handing out fantasy winnings to opposing WR's and QB's. We expect Crayton to cash in.

Put 'em In The Game: Jacob Tamme
One of the biggest waiver wire scrambles was for a name that you never heard of prior to Dallas Clark going down. Jacob Tamme looked great on Monday night against the Texans and looks just as good on paper this week against Philly. Peyton Manning is still a passing machine and he's going to continue to throw. He has always favored his TE which makes Tamme an attractive option. Tamme is surprisingly available in 77% of FleaFlicker leagues.

Put 'em In The Game: Benjamin Watson
The revenge match last week didn't happen the way many expected when Moss visited New England, but Pats Revenge Game II should this week. Ben Watson, Tom Brady's former TE, plays against his former teammates who are giving up the 5th most points to opposing TE's this year. Watson has played decently this year in Cleveland and could very well be the primary receiver in that offense this week.

Put 'em In The Game: Dan Carpenter
Either the rest of our leagues know something that we don't or we're just ahead of the curve here, but we've picked up Dan Carpenter in virtually every league we're in. Carpenter has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the 2nd time. 3 for 3. 5 for 5. 5 for 5. Carpenter has been perfect in his last three games outscoring many of the starting players on the Dolphins team.

Put 'em On The Bench: Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer has looked a lot like the old Carson Palmer that we loved to have on our fantasy teams. He's got incredibly talented receivers at his disposal and has looked poised and confident in the pocket this year. The Steelers shut him down last year in the two games they played and Pittsburgh is currently giving up the 5th-fewest fantasy points to QB's. Temper your expectations.

Put 'em On The Bench: Chad Henne
Take away the Fitzpatrick game and the Ravens have been pretty tough against opposing QB's. Chad Henne's hot streak has been slowing down and that will most likely continue in Baltimore. There's always a chance that Henne and Marshall make waves but the odds are not in Henne's favor this week. Don't put him too far away though - he has some sweet match ups coming.

Put 'em On The Bench: Jahvid Best
After Jahvid Best literally exploded on the fantasy scene, many folks lumped him in with Arian Foster as best breakout candidates. Unlike Foster who continues to run wild, Best can't be put into that tier any longer. Whether it's his turf toe acting up or the fact that Smith and Stafford are back in the offense, Best hasn't been reliable. It's tough to recommend him this week against a Jets rush defense that is one of the best in the NFL.

Put 'em On The Bench: Ronnie Brown
The wildcat hasn't been much of a force this year. The Ravens are a tough team to run on so expect Ronnie Brown to have a difficult day. Brown's value should increase during your fantasy playoffs, but there's quite a bit of time before then. You don't need him right now.

Put 'em On The Bench: Santonio Holmes
What a disappointment so far. Holmes was drafted by many and stashed until his suspension was over. The former Super Bowl MVP hasn't performed like it in his three games back, even though he has seen his share of targets. The only positive thing to say about him is that he's been consistent (4 points each week in standard scoring leagues and 7 points in PPR formats). It's very possible that he has a breakout day against the Lions, but you may want to look for a safer play this week.

Put 'em On The Bench: Lee Evans
When we're wrong, we admit it. We were wrong recommending sitting Lee Evans in Week 7 against Baltimore. His 3 TD performance was not what we or anyone else could have predicted. This week he faces the Bears who rank 14th in the league against the pass and 5th in the league in points given up to opposing WR's. No way does he repeat Week 7.

Put 'em On The Bench: Tony Scheffler
When we hear the name Tony Scheffler, we instantly think of the talented guy that Jay Cutler loved throwing to in Denver. Unfortunately that's not the same guy catching passes in Detroit. Scheffler is 2nd to Brandon Pettigrew in that offense, and barring an injury to Pettigrew, Scheffler will remain that way. Combine that with the fact that the Jets are very tough on TE's allowing the 2nd-fewest yards to them this year and you've got another fantasy doughnut waiting.

Put 'em On The Bench: Brent Celek
The 2010 Brent Celek is not the same guy who turned it on in last year's fantasy playoffs. He has been adequate at times this year but has not had a breakout game yet. Maybe that changes this week, but we doubt it. The Colts are literally the toughest team on opposing TE's in 2010.

Join the Discussion

clublorentz CommentedNov 6, 2010 11:00 am

In a must win situation in my Fantasy league this week and I can not decide which runningback to start...S. Greene playing Detroit or J. Stewart going against the Saints. whats your thoughts.....

Nerd CommentedNov 6, 2010 11:00 am

The last time Stewart played played New Orleans, he had 1 big play that made for a decent day (55 yd rec TD). Other than that 1 play, he was 7 for 21 yards...pathetic. Greene has an easier match up but he's clearly the 2nd back to LT.

Even though Stewart is going to be the starting back (Williams is doubtful again), I'm leaning towards Greene because of the match up and the fact that even when Stewart saw more action, he turned in such poor performances (2.1 yards/carry in his last two games).

In the end, you need to go with your gut. The guy with the better match up or the guy with the starting gig. Good luck.