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.

Week 7 Starters & Benchwarmers

You don’t need me advising you to start Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald, or to bench Derek Anderson and Josh Reed. So I’ll leave the obvious recommendations to the network bozos and focus instead on players typically on the bubble of most fantasy lineups. Here are my picks to roll, and get rolled, in Week 7.

Watch ‘em roll

Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons at Cowboys. Now clearly in sync with his top receiver, Roddy White, Ryan has thrown at least two scoring passes in all but one game this season. He will have little trouble carving up the Cowboys’ struggling secondary in what should be a high-scoring affair.

Ryan Grant, RB, Packers at Browns. He hasn’t scored since Week 2 or topped 100 rushing yards all season. Both trends should change this week against the league’s 30th-ranked run defense, which has already surrendered nine TDs on the ground and just lost their best player (D'Qwell Jackson) to injury.

Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs vs. Chargers. I’ve been down on him all season – as have been his owners – but San Diego’s soft run defense offers hope. LJ should visit the end zone for the first time this season, and 100 combined yards is well within reason.

Steve Breaston, WR, Cardinals at Giants. New York’s secondary was lit up by Drew Brees last week, and it now faces the challenge of slowing down the pass-happy Kurt Warner. With Anquan Boldin probably out with a high ankle sprain, Breaston will step in capably in this Sunday night showdown.

Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys vs. Falcons. The star of Week 5 has been elevated to the starting lineup, and he makes a solid WR3 start against the vulnerable Falcons secondary, especially with Roy Williams still hampered by sore ribs.

More thumbs up: QBs Matt Schaub, Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger; RBs Frank Gore, Thomas Jones, Joseph Addai, Tashard Choice, Brian Westbrook; WRs Dwayne Bowe, Austin Collie, Lance Moore.

Roll ‘em back

Brett Favre, QB, Vikings at Steelers. Call it a hunch, or perhaps an educated guess, but the red-hot Favre is overdue for one of his patented multi-turnover games. On the road against a hostile Steelers defense with Troy Polamalu and his hair lurking deep, I wouldn’t take any chances on the 40-year-old gunslinger.

Brandon Jacobs, RB, Giants vs. Cardinals. His disappointing season should continue against the league’s top run defense on Sunday night. Ahmad Bradshaw has the hotter hand of the Giants’ backs and is better suited to excel against Arizona’s defenders.

Cadillac Williams, RB, Buccaneers vs. Patriots. The Bucs could be trailing by 21 points by the end of the first quarter, taking their running game out of the game early. The Pats have allowed only one rushing TD all season, and Cadillac is unlikely to post the second.

Santana Moss, WR, Redskins vs. Eagles. With a new play caller, uncertainty at quarterback and one of the toughest secondaries in the league gunning for him, the odds are stacked against Moss on Monday night. Look for a third consecutive subpar outing.

Steve Smith, WR, Panthers vs. Bills. It’s official: Jake Delhomme has stripped Smith of his elite fantasy status. After his single four-yard reception against the Bucs’ putrid secondary, Smith is hanging onto fantasy rosters strictly on reputation. You can’t waive him (yet), but you sure don’t have to start him.

More thumbs down: QBs Matt Cassel, Mark Sanchez; RBs Felix Jones, Willie Parker, Reggie Bush, Justin Fargas; WRs Donnie Avery, Mohamed Massaquoi, Ted Ginn, Lee Evans, Patrick Crayton.

TAKING A FLIER

Laurence Maroney, RB, Patriots at Bucs. With both Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor out, Maroney gets the start and should receive the lion’s share of the carries in London against the league’s second-worst run defense. Of course, we’re talking about New England here, so you never know if they’ll turn the tables and pour on Kevin Faulk or BenJarvis Green-Ellis. But after last week’s blowout performance in the snow, Maroney has a leg up.

DON’T BE THE BONEHEAD WHO…waives Matt Hasselbeck to buy roster space over the bye weekend. Though he was awful last week against the Cardinals, his post-bye schedule is extremely favorable, and he should have many more solid outings than bad ones going forward.