Quarterbacks
START
Drew Brees @ Lions – Looking around the web, everyone seems to have Brees ranks as a bottom level QB1 this week due to his “tough matchup.” However, when you look into his performances following a bye it’s impossible to have him ranked any less than 3rd. Over the last 5 seasons following a Bye-Week he has averaged 364 Passing Yards and no less than 4 Touchdowns! That is his average people. Don’t worry about the loss of Jimmy Graham, with two weeks to prepare Brees will be ready.
Carson Palmer @ Raiders – Palmer came back and showed no signs of any shoulder injury in Week 6. He recorded 2 touchdowns and almost 300 yards through the air against the Redskins. Going up against the Raiders whose defense has looked anything but good so far this season; expect a decent game from Palmer.
SIT
Tom Brady vs. Jets – In his last 12 games at home against the Jets Brady has 12 touchdowns. This isn’t complicated math people! That’s an average of 1 touchdown per contest. The Jets also have a very good pass rush that will be hitting Brady all night. On top of that Brady’s QBR over the last two seasons against the Jets is 27.3 and against all other teams it’s 66.3. Don’t trust Tommy Boy this week.
Andy Dalton @ Colts – Dalton is good at home as evidenced by his solid stat line last week against the Panthers. Coming into another road game, where his touchdown to interception ratio is completely even, this week he needs to be sat in all formats. Also, the Colts defense has been more formidable than people would like to believe.
Running Backs
START
Alfred Morris @ Tennessee Titans - Morris has not been good the last couple weeks averaging less than 15 carries. Thankfully this week he gets the Titans who have given up over twenty fantasy points to running backs in their last two road contests. Not to mention, maybe just maybe, The Redskins might have a lead this weekend.
Lamar Miller @ Bears – Miller the Thriller is now the de facto lead back in the Dolphins backfield. This week the Dolphins play the Bears who average 100 yards against on the ground. The Dolphins also surprisingly have the leagues 6th best rush offense and will look to lean on the run to keep the high-flying Bears’ attack on the sideline for as long as possible.
SIT
Frank Gore @ Broncos - Gore has showed signs of rust this season and this week he goes up against the 4th best rush defense in the NFL. The 49ers only gave Gore 16 carries in their Monday night game vs. the Rams and that was with the lead for most of the second half. Expect the 49ers to be down for most of this game meaning they will be airing it out giving him less opportunity to succeed.
Eddie Lacy vs. Panthers – Coming into the 2014 season Lacy was a top 5 pick in almost every draft. Well, he has done nothing to justify that selection as the packers now have him splitting carries with the man who never seems to go away in running back James Starks. Yes, the Panthers have the 6th worst rush defense but Lacy’s stat lines moving forward are going to be touchdown reliant and it’s not often you see the Packers inside the 5 yard line because of how often they score through the air.
Wide Receivers
START
Golden Tate vs. Saints – With Calvin Johnson being held out until after the Week 9 bye, Tate needs to be started with confidence. The Saints have given up an average of almost 270 yards through the air including 9 passing touchdowns in 5 games. With Bush questionable again and Megatron out of the lineup, Stafford will rely heavily on his Golden ticket.
Sammy Watkins vs. Vikings – After struggling last week against the Patriots, Watkins will be back and ready to explode against the Vikings secondary. Not saying Xavier Rhodes or Captain Munnerlyn aren’t good cover corners, but they aren’t Revis. With Watkins in the open field expect a big game.
SIT
Eric Decker @ Patriots – Last week Revis Island was back in full swing as he held rookie phenom Sammy Watkins to 2 catches. Thursday night Decker gets to go on vacation and unless he gets some time away from Revis than you shouldn’t expect a very good stat line this week.
Dwayne Bowe @ Chargers – The Chargers have the leagues 4th best pass defense and do not give up many big plays. On top of that Bowe has been awful this season and is showing the Chiefs that they made a very big mistake when they signed him to his big contract extension last offseason. Bowe is borderline droppable in all leagues.
Tight Ends
START
Jordan Reed vs. Titans – Finally the play making tight end has returned to the Redskins lineup and because of that he should return to your lineup as well. Last week he had 8 catches for 92 yards and that was at less than 100%. Going against a weak Titans team expect a whole lot more.
Larry Donnell @ Cowboys – With Odell Beckham back in the Giants lineup Donnell saw a drop in his targets everywhere on the field including the red zone. With Victor Cruz now sidelined for the rest of 2014 Donnell will be targeted a lot more in the passing game. We will get our first look at the return of the dominant Donnell against the Cowboys. Start him across the board.
SIT
Heath Miller vs. Texans – Since his breakout performance against the Bucs Miller has struggled significantly. In his last 6 games besides the Tampa outburst he has a combined 15.7 points! That’s over 5 games. You can no longer rely on Miller to be Roethlisberger’s safety blanket because he is no longer that.
Antonio Gates vs. Chiefs – The Chiefs have not allowed a tight end to surpass 50 yards this season. They have given up TDs to Gronk, Julius and Walker but to rely on a touchdown to be your tight ends only form of production in a week isn’t something you want to do.