Week 8 Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

Welcome back to Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em, Week 8. I think you know the drill by now…

*Start of the Week – Lendale White vs Oakland*
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t struggle to type that last line, or that my hands didn’t start shaking violently and my head spinning rapidly. But this is a new world now, one where Fats McGee has actually scored a touchdown in three consecutive weeks. With Chris Brown banged up, White should be good to go again against a pitiful Raiders defense. Last week they allowed a TD and 100 yards to LJ in one half. The game before it was 4 TDs to LT2, and the week before that it was a TD and 200 yards to Ronnie Brown. Meanwhile, somewhere when the universe wasn’t watching, Lendale White became a viable fantasy option and is now my start of the week. I think I need to go lie down.

*Sit of the Week – Rudi Johnson / Kenny Watson vs Pittsburgh*
The slash there should be your first sign of trouble, with two similar RBs sharing a workload. The second, and much bigger sign, is the opponent. Pittsburgh has been absolutely killing opposing teams’ run games. Stay away from this mess.

Quarterbacks

Start 'Em – Brian Griese vs Detroit
This is the first time Griese should be truly comfortable in a game this season, having had a full game with his whole cast of players, filled with confidence after a great comeback, and now playing a home game against an overrated Lions team he’s already played against just a month ago. Start Griese with confidence.

Start 'Em – Ben Roethlisberger @ Cincinnati
Fact: These Steelers/Bengals games always turn into shootouts. Fact: Chad Pennington threw three touchdowns against the Bengals last week. Need I say more?

Start 'Em – Derek Anderson @ Marc Bulger
Start ‘em if ya got ‘em. The Browns and Rams game may not be very pretty, but in a wonderfully beautiful way for fantasy footballers, with two awful defenses duking it out to see who can stay off the field last.

Sit 'Em – Vince Young / Kerry Collins vs Oakland
It’s still in question who will even be the QB this game, though it looks like Young should return. But Collins has shown that he’s just fine to play, whether at the start of the game or as a sub with Young ailing, and Oakland is pretty good against QBs anyway, so look elsewhere.

Sit 'Em – Quinn Gray @ Tampa Bay
On the plus side, that match-up rhymed. On the minus side… everything else. Quinn Gray… Tampa Bay… stay away.

Sit 'Em – Sage Rosenfels @ San Diego
Yes, we’re all aware Rosenfels threw 4 TDs in a quarter last week, and yes we all know that extrapolates out to a 16 TD game over four quarters. But we’re also aware that the guy’s name is Sage, he is a bad to awful backup QB playing without the team’s best target, and he’s playing on the road somewhere against a fired up Chargers defense. Yikes, no pun intended.

Running Backs

Start 'Em – Marshawn Lynch @ NY Jets
If you have patiently waited out this storm of tough opponents as a Lynch (or Evans) owner, you are about to have your reward. Trent Edwards looks like he could really be something, and Lynch is quietly having a fantastic rookie season.

Start 'Em – Jesse Chatman @ NY Giants
Yes I know Chatman is unproven, that the Fins just signed Samkon Gado, and that the Giants’ run defense has been improving of late. But I also know that Chatman is a great receiving back, exactly the kind that kills New York, and that weird things happen in midseason games being played in London. Ok, maybe I only knew one of those things.

Start 'Em – Kevin Jones @ Cedric Benson
In a game where both teams will probably end up airing it out a good deal, both RBs should fair nicely as well. Jones plays a banged up run defense that has also struggled against good receiving backs, and Benson gets the worst rush defense in the league.

Sit 'Em – Earnest Graham vs Jacksonville
Graham had quite a showing last week with nearly 200 yards, 13 catches, and a TD. But it was against an awful defense and before Bennett had a chance to acclimate better to a new team. Expect far worse luck against a stiff Jags front.

Sit 'Em – DeShawn Wynn @ Denver
You probably noticed that Wynn was officially named the #1 RB for the Packers, and that is a good thing. But playing a rejuvenated Broncos team on the road isn’t, and neither is sharing the #1 job, in word or not, with a healthy Brandon Jackson and Vernand Morency.

Sit 'Em – DeShaun Foster vs Indianapolis
For a few weeks, it actually looked like Foster was having himself a pretty decent start to this season. But now that you look back, you realize it’s the same old RB, one very good game and a bunch of garbage in the others. Foster – Australian for tantalizing sucktard who will never be worth a roster spot.

Wide Receivers

Start 'Em – Muhsin Muhammad / Bernard Berrian vs Detroit
If you haven’t guessed yet, I like the Bears at home against the Kitty Cats this week. Berrian has put up good yardage all season, and Muhammad has caught almost a TD a week with Griese under center. Both of them are every week WR2 or WR3 types now.

Start 'Em – Hines Ward / Santonio Holmes @ Cincinnati
Santonio especially should be great, the smaller faster sort of receiver who gives the Bengals fits, as witnessed by Holmes knocking the Bengals out of the playoff hunt with a TD on the final play of the 2006 season. Ward looks healthy enough and move back into your lineup as well.

Start 'Em – Torry Holt / Isaac Bruce vs Cleveland
Let’s stick with the two-by-two theme and take the Rams pair for 200 and a pair of TDs please, Alex.

Sit 'Em – Wes Welker vs Washington
I have a theory, and it goes like this. Wes Welker ain’t actually that good. After two huge games, he’s due for a letdown, especially against a team with good enough corners to cover him and Moss both.

Sit 'Em – Joey Galloway vs Jacksonville
Galloway has been hit or miss most of this season. This week looks like a good time to sit him out in a tough matchup against Rashean Mathis and at a time where Ike Hilliard seems to have become Garcia’s first option when he drops back.

Sit 'Em – Marques Colston @ San Francisco
Paging Marques Colston… the 2006 version who tore up the league until about this time last season. Even with the Saints bouncing back a bit, Colston has been nowhere to be found. This week he gets a tough matchup against Nate Clements and should be nearly invisible yet again.

Tight Ends
TE Miller Lee
TE VDavis DalClark

Start 'Em – Donald Lee @ Denver
The Broncos simply cannot cover the opposing tight end for some reason, which is baffling considering their good linebacking corps, but true nonetheless. Lee has consistently caught a few long passes each game, and he should get into the endzone Monday night as well.

Start 'Em – Heath Miller @ Cincinnati
Pittsburgh continues to go to their TEs in the redzone, and they will certainly be there this week against the Bengals, so start Miller with confidence.

Sit 'Em – Vernon Davis vs New Orleans
Okay, so Davis isn’t actually “back” yet, if of course he has ever really been there to start with. The Saints haven’t done much right this season, but one small nicety has been covering the opponents tight end.

Sit 'Em – Dallas Clark vs Carolina
I know you probably won’t plan on benching Clark as long as he’s still healthy, but the Panthers have been good against TEs and should limit him to under 50 yards and no scores this week.

Kickers

Start 'Em – Jeff Reed @ Cincinnati
For the first few weeks of the season, Reed looked like a top fantasy kicker, and lately he’s been a complete dud. A high scoring shootout with Cincinnati should fix that problem right up.

Start 'Em – Phil Dawson @ Jeff Wilkins
We’ve talked a few times about the lack of defenses on the field in the Cleveland / St Louis game, so it should be a good move to get one of these two as a bye week fill-in if you’ve got Folk or someone sitting it out.

Sit 'Em – John Kasay vs Indianapolis
Would you rather depend on Vinny Testaverde or David Carr to get your kicker into position to score fantasy points? You’d rather gouge out your eyes with a spoon too, right?

Sit 'Em – Robbie Gould vs Detroit
A rare Bear on the bench this week as I expect Chicago to score a good amount but probably carry the momentum into the endzone most of the time instead of settling for field goals.

Defenses

Start 'Em – Chicago vs Detroit
The Bears have been average at best on defense this year, but they’re still scoring fantasy points, and they’re playing the Lions. Bingo.

Start 'Em – Miami @ NY Giants
I just have a crazy feeling about this London game. I’m telling you, weird things are going to happen. I won’t even bat an eye if we see a defense or special teams TD on both sides in this one.

Sit 'Em – NY Jets vs Buffalo
Edwards is looking pretty solid at QB while Lynch and Evans slowly come around, and the Bills just don’t make a lot of mistakes. In the meantime, Jon Vilma looks to be out and the Jets are awful.

Sit 'Em – Jacksonville @ Tampa Bay
The Bucs know they can win by playing tough defense and safe offense. The Jags should struggle on the road and would be a poor option for you this week.