Week 13 Start 'Em / Sit 'Em - Thursday Primer

Thursday night football kicks off this week with Green Bay at Dallas, certainly the biggest NFC game of the year with a lot on the line. The winner just about clinches their division and a bye and is in the pole position for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The loser falls back toward its division and must fight for the second bye and fight against talk for the next two months that they are the lesser team.

In the world of fantasy football, we all know the players on both of these teams. And to be honest, there's really not much to say here. Dallas and Green Bay's players are all too good to bench really.

If you have Dallas players, you should be playing Tony Romo, Marion Barber, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, and Nick Folk. For Green Bay you should be starting Brett Favre, Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Donald Lee, and Mason Crosby.

Don't sit out those RBs and buy into the hype that this is going to be a huge passing game that leaves your guy out. Almost always in games like this with two high profile offenses, both teams try to pound the ball on the ground to keep the other team off the field and wear down the defense. Don't confuse Ryan Grant with an undrafted rookie anymore. All he is right now is a top 10 or 15 RB and he will get his points this week. MB3 is not a star but he should get 50+ yards and a good shot at a TD as always.

If you are looking for a player from each team who could star in this game, look no further than the tight ends on each side, Jason Witten and Donald Lee. You already know to start Witten but you can expect a big game against a team that has allowed three times as many 100 yard games to TEs as to WRs this season. As for Lee, he should find plenty of single coverage over the middle of the field and could get a chance to burn Dallas's safeties for a deep one as Dallas worries more about Green Bay's many receivers. The Packers have been the worst team all season against the TE, and the Cowboys have been brutal against TEs in the last 4 or 5 weeks.

That's about it for now. Bonus for this week... how about a pick? My pick right now is Green Bay. Compare the units. Whose passing game is better? I say GB with a wider array of receivers. Run game? GB wins again with Grant chewing up yardage of late and running hard, and Dallas still not having any real run threat. Defense? Again I go with GB, a top defense in the NFC, by a hair. All of these are close but I think the Packers are a better all around team, and I think Brett Favre's experience in games like this will trump young Tony Romo -- but Romo and the Boys will turn the tables in January.

Good luck this week!