Week 4 Where to Put 'em

Put 'em In The Game: Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler...welcome to Chicago. Cutler finally looks comfortable and his rapport with his receivers turned into three TD's. He may have struggled against the Packers in Week 1, but it's been all down hill after that. Two great games later, he's facing an easy match-up against the Lions who ranked 30th against the pass giving up 278 yds/game.

Put 'em In The Game: Trent Edwards
Week 4 is all about match-ups and Trent Edwards has a great one. It's difficult to run against the Dolphins but you can throw on them. They rank 26th against the pass allowing 264 yds/game. The key for Edwards will be getting T.O. involved. If that happens, look for him to have a great day.

Put 'em In The Game: Cedric Benson
It looks like Cedric Benson is the real deal and he should put up real points for you this weekend. Let's look at the numbers: 76 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4 receptions for 32 yards in Week 1. 141 rushing yards at Green Bay in Week 2. 76 rushing yards and a TD against the tough Steelers D. Here are some more numbers: 184 yards, 8 TD's. Cleveland has given up an average of 184 yards on the ground per game and 8 rushing TD's over the first 3 games. If you're a Benson owner, you gotta love these numbers!

Put 'em In The Game: Matt Forte
I know I said that Forte would find the endzone last week and I was WRONG, but I feel good about him this week against Detroit. The Lions are middle of the road ranking 16th against the run with 113 yards/game. Forte comes in at the #6 ranking this week among RB's and he's got the match-up that we want!

Put 'em In The Game: Steve Slaton
Steve Slaton comes into Week 4 with a Top 5 ranking on FFN. His play so far has been mediocre (17 yards in Week 1 and 34 yards in Week 2) but that will change this week against the Raiders who rank 28th against the run and allow 155 yards/game. He had some tough defenses to contend with the first couple of weeks, so sit back and watch what he can do with someone like Oakland!

Put 'em In The Game: Vincent Jackson
Remember all the Chris Chambers hype during last year's pre-season? Well that fizzled as Vincent Jackson took the lead in San Diego and he hasn't looked back since. He's coming off 2 100+ yard games, and while the Steelers are a fearsome defense, they're not so scary without Troy Polamalu. It's not like you were going to sit him anyway, but here's validation that he's perhaps the best WR play this week.

Put 'em In The Game: Mike Sims-Walker
For the first time, Mike Sims-Walker makes his debut in the FFN Top 10 rankings this week. The Titans have the 29th ranked passing defense giving up 297 yds/game through the air. Sims-Walker has come out of nowhere to become a fantastic waiver wire pickup. He's coming off two games where he had 6 receptions for 106 and 81 yards and a score.

Put 'em In The Game: Chad Ochocinco
Chad Ochocinco has come back to fantasy relevancy this week. He has fluctuated in the FFN rankings (W1: 13th, W2:34th, W3:18th) only to find himself in the Top 5 this week. This could be because the Browns have been a mess on defense (31st for points/game) or perhaps it's because Chad Johnson (oops...Ochocinco) has a great history playing against the Browns. Does it really matter? It's a great match-up. Twitter away.

Put 'em In The Game: Vernon Davis
Vernon Davis finally came out of his shell and landed a fantastic fantasy day last week (especially in PPR leagues)! 7 receptions for 96 yards and 2 TD's. He was one of my top waiver wire pickups and he's got an attractive match-up against the Rams who rank 25th against the pass. I really hope this is the start of something good for Davis.

Put 'em In The Game: Owen Daniels
Owen Daniels comes into Week 4 with an FFN rank of #6 among TE's (tied with Greg Olsen of Chicago). The Raiders are 14th against the pass and they're going to be focused on Andre Johnson. Owens should post a nice fantasy day on par with his last two outings.

Put 'em On The Bench: JaMarcus Russell
He's that bad. If he's on your team, why not pickup Brady Quinn who's now playing backup to Derek Anderson? Quinn will most likely get you more points by not playing that Russell will get you playing. Regular readers know that I have no respect for Russell and can't believe he's still a starting QB in the NFL.

Put 'em On The Bench: Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel falls in at #22 in the FFN rankings this week just below Matt Stafford. Bowe's hurt and Larry Johnson has yet to show up as a threat. This week he plays the Giants who have the BEST pass defense in the NFL after 3 games giving up a paltry 124 yds/game.

Put 'em On The Bench: Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez has been exciting to watch, but I think the honeymoon's over this week. He falls in at #20 in this week's QB rankings as he prepares to face a New Orleans defense that ranks 23rd against the pass. Now that means that they give up yards, but the problem is that they're picking off QB's left and right with 7 interceptions in just three games. The Saints are a high-powered offensive machine so there's a good chance that Sanchez is going to have to throw to not get behind. This one could go either way, but I'm leaning towards keeping on my bench.

Put 'em On The Bench: Ryan Grant
Ryan Grant didn't score a TD until I attended the Packers/Colts game mid-season last year. Coach McCarthy hasn't called to give me tickets yet so Grant won't have me as a good luck charm! If there was ever a game to have a good luck charm, this would be it. Monday Night Football is wildly anticipated this week as Favre finally faces his old team. Unfortunately the brick wall (Pat and Kevin Williams) will be there and the Vikings defense is so dominating. Grant will have a tough assignment amid all the game hype.

Put 'em On The Bench: Larry Johnson
I drafted Larry Johnson believing that he'd finally return to relevancy this year. I still think he'll be relevant and productive, but not until much later in the season when the Chiefs have some easier matchups. This week is not a good one for LJ as he faces the Giants who allow less than 50 yards on the ground per game.

Put 'em On The Bench: Dwayne Bowe
Matt Cassel is one the bench list this week. Larry Johnson is on the bench list this week. Why not put Dwayne Bowe on the bench as well? He's working through a hamstring issue and that doesn't help when you're facing the Giants. The numbers are just not in his favor.

Put 'em On The Bench: Roy E. Williams
Unless Jason Witten gets hurt, Roy Williams is just not going to be the guy in Dallas that Romo targets. He's ranked 21st among WR's this week and that may actually be a bit higher than he deserves facing a Denver defense that ranks 2nd against the pass. After an 86-yard, 1 TD game in Week 1, he crumbled when faced with a solid D (Giants) and only managed 1 catch for 18 yards.

Put 'em On The Bench: Braylon Edwards
Derek Anderson is back, but he threw 3 picks in his limited time last week. The Anderson-Edwards duo was fantastic a few years ago, but leave the nostalgia on the bench with Edwards. He could surprise us all, but he's not a safe play against a better-than-expected Bengals' defense.

Put 'em On The Bench: John Carlson
I know I'm in the minority on this one, but John Carlson is going to face a difficult week against the Colts in Indy. If Matt Hasselbeck wasn't injured, he may be a better option. If opposing TE's had fared better against the Colts, he may be a better option. Too many if's for me.

Put 'em On The Bench: Zach Miller
Sorry Raider Nation, but I just can't recommend anyone from the Raiders this week. Not Darren McFadden and certainly not Zach Miller. Miller has just gone downhill since Week 1. He's ranked #16 in the FFN rankings this week and that might be a bit optimistic. If you get this game on tv, watch it and you'll notice the defense doubling up on Miller. I don't care who you are, that makes for a difficult day. Houston ranks 18th against the pass and even that's not going to help him have more than an average day.

Put 'em On The Bench: Jermichael Finley
For as much hype as there was regarding Jermichael Finley, he hasn't lived up to any of it. I think he truly is the TE of the future for the Pack, but Donald Lee is no slouch and he'll continue to take away some of Finley's targets. I have low to no expectation this week against the Vikings who rank 5th in the league against the pass. As a Packer fan, I hope I'm wrong!!