Week 7 Starters and Benchwarmers

Wondering whether or not to start Arian Foster and Greg Jennings, or to bench John Beck and Roy Williams? The network bozos specialize in that kind of advice. If you’re looking for help with your real starting lineup conundrums, read on.

Here are my picks to roll, and get rolled, in Week 7 of the 2011 season.

Watch ‘em roll

Matt Cassel, QB, Chiefs at Raiders. With an extra week to prepare and coming off a terrific performance against the Colts, Cassel can help those with injury and bye-week conundrums. He’ll have to offset his team’s running deficiencies, and Oakland’s secondary has surrendered a league-worst 12 passing TDs.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seahawks at Browns. Lynch ran well in the weeks prior to Seattle’s bye, and he now has the backfield virtually to himself. He’ll be leaned on heavily against one of the NFL’s softest run defenses.

DeMarco Murray, RB, Cowboys vs. Rams. Sure, the Cowboys are a lousy rushing team, and Tashard Choice will take some carries; but the Rams give up more rushing yards (163 per game) than any team in the league. In a week when so many fantasy studs will be idle, Murray offers decent upside as a bye-week fill-in.

Greg Little, WR, Browns vs. Seahawks. The rookie was just a slip away from the end zone last week, but he should stroll in Sunday against Seattle’s young and injury-plagued secondary. Colt McCoy will need to pass often to prevail in this matchup.

Pierre Garcon, WR, Colts at Saints. Not only has Garcon supplanted Reggie Wayne as the Colts’ leading receiver under Curtis Painter’s watch, but he’ll be facing a Saints secondary that’s just as generous with the passing TDs as Oakland. Indy will likely abandon the run early while trying to keep pace with Drew Brees & Company.

More thumbs up (excluding the no-brainers): QBs Matt Stafford, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler; RBs Earnest Graham, Beanie Wells, Ryan Torain, Darren Sproles, Ryan Mathews, Mark Ingram; WRs Marques Colston, Brandon Marshall, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jordy Nelson.

Roll ‘em back

Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens at Jaguars. With zero TDs and two interceptions over his last two games, you could suggest Flacco is due for a rebound. Or you could say he shouldn’t be trusted until he finds his mojo. Against Jacksonville’s decent secondary, I’m not taking any chances.

Maurice Morris, RB, Lions vs. Falcons. Jahvid Best will miss Sunday’s contest following last week’s concussion; and rumors are swirling that he could be shelved for the rest of the year, given his concussion history. Morris is the next man up, but he’s been mediocre at best this season. He’s an option against Atlanta’s solid run defense for only the most desperate owners.

Browns RBs vs. Seahawks. Peyton Hillis is in jeopardy of sitting out this weekend with a bum hamstring. Montario Hardesty will see more action in any event; but it’s hard to believe either back will find success against Seattle’s defensive front.

Brandon Lloyd, WR, Rams at Cowboys. Lloyd may be the missing piece to the Rams’ struggling passing attack, but it will take him time to get acclimated. He may not even have the benefit of playing, much less practicing, with Sam Bradford, who could miss Sunday’s game due to his high ankle sprain.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Raiders vs. Chiefs. I realize Carson Palmer is all the rage, but it would be fairly miraculous for him to play well Sunday after such a long layoff. Heyward-Bey is a downfield threat, but it’s been years since Palmer has thrown a good (read: accurate) long ball. Give all Oakland wideouts a rest.

More thumbs down: QBs Sam Bradford, Kevin Kolb, Matt Ryan, Mark Sanchez, Carson Palmer; RBs Jackie Battle, Shonn Greene, Willis McGahee, Delone Carter, DeAngelo Williams; WRs Jacoby Jones, Jason Hill, Sidney Rice, Malcom Floyd, Plaxico Burress.

Taking a flier

Steve Breaston, WR, Chiefs at Raiders. He had a monster game prior to the bye, and he has a good opportunity to stay on a roll against a weak secondary. Dwayne Bowe will draw the lion’s share of attention, giving Cassel plenty of reason to look Breaston’s way often.

Don’t be the bonehead who…assumes Antonio Gates (foot) won’t play on Sunday. He has looked good in limited practice time so far this week, so his arrow is finally pointing up again. He’ll be a game-time decision, most likely; but there are precious few tight ends worth starting ahead of Gates if he’s active.

Coaches spark controversy, even in Fantasyland

In one of my leagues, our commissioner decided to try out a new option offered by the league-management site to add a head coach to our rosters. Each team win yields seven points, with a loss registering a goose egg.

I wasn’t in favor of this tricked-up option, but a collective shrug from the rest of the guys allowed the commish to institute the change.

The first challenge presented itself in the draft, since it’s awfully hard to determine the proper draft position for a head coach. So I decided to trigger a run on the position by selecting Bill Belichick at the top of the 10th round. So far, so good.

But we almost had an unexpected controversy on our hands yesterday, and it had nothing to do with “Handshakegate” between Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz. Or on Mike Shanahan’s decision to sit Tim Hightower after declaring him active and signaling that he would start.

Instead, it centered on Saints coach Sean Payton, who suffered knee and leg injuries after a freak sideline collision. The Saints went on to lose to the Bucs; but had they won, should Payton’s owner have been awarded the points, even though the coach watched the second half from the locker room?

I say no. Hey, if the league chooses to add a silly position like coaches to the mix, they should be treated like every other player. Those who lost Jason Campbell in the second quarter Sunday weren’t allowed to add Kyle Boller’s stats to his total. Why should a coach be any different?

Now, on to the next challenges. Who am I going to pick up this week while Belichick is on his bye? And who do I drop to make room for his replacement?

Sheesh…


FREE AGENT PICKS AND PANS

To win a fantasy championship, it helps to start with a great draft. But filling in your roster throughout the season with the right free agents is also important. Here's a look at players worth considering, and others who would look better in someone else's lineup.

Catch ‘em while you can

DeMarco Murray, RB, Cowboys. He was recommended in this space weeks ago, after Felix Jones suffered his shoulder injury. Now that Jones has added a high ankle sprain to his list of woes, Murray again merits a pickup. Especially if Tashard Choice is traded before Tuesday’s deadline, which would be odd now that Jones is on the shelf again.

Earnest Graham, RB, Buccaneers. We found out later than normal last week that LeGarrette Blount would miss time with a knee injury, so alert owners have already snapped up the versatile Graham. But he’s still available in roughly a third of leagues, and he proved Sunday that he can shoulder a heavy workload. Blount could be out until Week 9.

Fred Davis, TE, Redskins. Davis’ value has been hindered both by the presence of Chris Cooley and mediocrity at the quarterback position. Well, eliminating one of two ain’t bad. Cooley fractured his hand and finger and will be out indefinitely. New starter John Beck will likely find it easier to connect with Davis than his wideouts.

Don’t be fooled

Montario Hardesty, RB, Browns. Hardesty racked up a combined 53 yards after Peyton Hillis suffered a hamstring injury. But he dropped a few passes and was generally unimpressive against the Raiders’ below-average run defenders. Hillis’ injury does not appear too serious (he returned to the field briefly in the fourth quarter), and the tough Seahawks and 49ers rush defenses are on tap next for the Browns.

Donald Brown, RB, Colts. Those of us who invested in Brown last season after Joseph Addai injured his neck know better than to trust him. Not only did he lose his backup role to rookie Delone Carter in the preseason, but Indy’s running game is even worse this year with Peyton Manning watching from the sidelines. Let someone else waste their roster space on the first-round bust.

Devin Hester, WR, Bears. Hester is arguably the greatest return man in NFL history. But as a receiver, he’s as unreliable as they get. His 16 career punt and kickoff return scores in the regular season exceed his 13 career receiving touchdowns. To make matters worse, he suffered a chest injury late in Sunday night’s game.

Raiders receivers. Now that Campbell has been lost for the season with a broken collarbone, all bets are off for the Oakland passing attack. Boller might just be the worst backup quarterback in the league, and his presence could have a debilitating effect on the entire team. You can drop or trade your receivers, or pray that Oakland signs free agent David Garrard. Don’t count on the team convincing Cincinnati to trade Carson Palmer.