Fantasy Football: Week 12 Matchups

November 24, 2009 - 0 Comments - Tagged: ,

In addition to our weekly Waiver Wire posts, we’ll also be providing valuable matchup analysis each week along with our suggestions on who to start and who to bench. If you have any additional matchup questions, or you are not sure who to start this week, feel free to post them in our Fantasy Football Forum.

Green Bay (6-4) at Detroit (2-8)
Green Bay YARDS/GAME RANK Detroit YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 191.8 7th Passing Defense 275.3 32nd
Rushing Defense 90.7 4th Rushing Defense 116.2 20th
Passing Offense 280.3 6th Passing Offense 235.2 16th
Rushing Offense 123.1 11th Rushing Offense 98.5 25th
Fantasy Impact: Welcome back to fantasy relevance Greg Jennings! Last week Jennings finally had a breakout game and this week I expect more of the same as the Packers play the Lions. In fact, all Packers are good plays this week including Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant (I know I always hate on him but I suppose he is a second half player), Donald Driver, and even JerMichael Finley. Finley was banged up, but is a nice spot start at tight end this week coming off an impressive performance. Matt Stafford threw for a million yards last week and even threw a game-winner touchdown with one hand but he might be out this week. Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson are still the only two worth ever starting on this Lions team.
Oakland (3-7) at Dallas (7-3)
Oakland YARDS/GAME RANK Dallas YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 207.5 12th Passing Defense 229.3 20th
Rushing Defense 157.7 30th Rushing Defense 100.6 7th
Passing Offense 141.0 32nd Passing Offense 262.4 11th
Rushing Offense 102.3 20th Rushing Offense 132.3 8th
Fantasy Impact: Oakland has upset Cincy and the Eagles now but those were both at home. On the road the Raiders are awful and no one has proved to be worth starting on their team yet and doubtful anyone will emerge this season. Last week the Cowboys realized that Marion Barber is good at running the football (it did help he was finally 100 %) so expect them to hand the ball off to him 20+ times once again. Tony Romo has a receiver that is great with yards after the catch in Miles Austin which the Raiders have struggled against so feel safe starting both of them. On the other hand Roy Williams drops more balls than he catches so he need not to start for you. One last note is that Jason Witten is due for a big day and he has played well on Thanksgiving so give him a start as well.
New York Giants (6-4) at Denver (6-4)
New York Giants YARDS/GAME RANK Denver YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 177.4 2nd Passing Defense 182.5 3rd
Rushing Defense 104.8 11th Rushing Defense 115.3 18th
Passing Offense 262.6 10th Passing Offense 222.5 20th
Rushing Offense 133.8 7th Rushing Offense 112.4 16th
Fantasy Impact: The New York Giants need a win and so does Denver; however, I believe the Giants are the superior team over the Broncos so I feel their fantasy players will play much better. Expect a big day out of Eli Manning and one of his receivers; the issue is we are not sure who he is. Both Steve Smith and Mario Manningham are only worth starting in deeper leagues. Brandon Jacobs is worth starting in all formats. He has been vocal about how he wants to turn things around and is running with a purpose again. For the Broncos Brandon Marshall is a must start but that is it. Knowshon Moreno has been impressive however, I just have a feeling he will be a no-show this Thanksgiving.
Cleveland (1-9) at Cincinnati (7-3)
Cleveland YARDS/GAME RANK Cincinnati YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 247.1 26th Passing Defense 226.2 19th
Rushing Defense 154.9 29th Rushing Defense 84.3 2nd
Passing Offense 150.3 31st Passing Offense 221.7 21st
Rushing Offense 101.4 22nd Rushing Offense 127.8 9th
Fantasy Impact: The Browns just cannot catch a break and even if they put up a ton of points I still feel no one is worth starting on their team. If they put up a performance like last week I might mention someone on their team but for now do not start or even own any Brown. The Bengals will be looking to get back on track and I think they will take it out on the Browns. Carson Palmer and Chad Ocho Cinco are must starts and might have big days but whoever starts at running back for the Bengals will have the biggest day of all against a team that cannot stop anyone.
Carolina (4-6) at New York Jets (4-6)
Carolina YARDS/GAME RANK New York Jets YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 185.0 5th Passing Defense 182.9 4th
Rushing Defense 130.7 26th Rushing Defense 111.5 16th
Passing Offense 195.0 24th Passing Offense 179.1 28th
Rushing Offense 159.1 3rd Rushing Offense 163.5 2nd
Fantasy Impact: Carolina has Steve Smith back. I needed a few games to believe it but while I trust he is back in “fantasy-form”; this week he faces Darrelle Revis. Revis is a shut down corner and will most likely even get safety help over the top for Smith. All this means is do not expect another 2 touchdown performance out of him. DeAngelo Williams a must start again as he faces a Jets defense that has gotten worse as the year has gone on. The Mark Sanchez hype is gone, Braylon Edwards is dropping the ball again, but at least Thomas Jones is running strong still. I only like starting Jones out of these three but since Carolina has had trouble against bigger receivers you could do worse than Edwards I suppose.
Tampa Bay (1-9) at Atlanta (5-5)
Tampa Bay YARDS/GAME RANK Atlanta YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 209.4 14th Passing Defense 253.4 29th
Rushing Defense 168.9 32nd Rushing Defense 126.1 24th
Passing Offense 182.2 27th Passing Offense 227.6 18th
Rushing Offense 100.7 23rd Rushing Offense 122.5 12th
Fantasy Impact: Only one Buc is worth starting and that is Kellen Winslow since he is Josh Freeman’s safety net. Other than that they need to find their way to your bench (maybe Cadillac Williams in deeper leagues). On the flip side I like all Falcons. Matt Ryan will finally put up big numbers again and it is Roddy White’s turn to have the touchdown so I must apologize to Tony Gonzalez owners. The best start is actually Jason Snelling as he is coming off a two touchdown performance and faces the leagues’ worst rushing defense.
Seattle (3-7) at St. Louis (1-9)
Seattle YARDS/GAME RANK St. Louis YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 236.8 23rd Passing Defense 238.7 24th
Rushing Defense 110.5 15th Rushing Defense 146.4 28th
Passing Offense 257.1 13th Passing Offense 198.6 22nd
Rushing Offense 84.4 32nd Rushing Offense 119.3 13th
Fantasy Impact: Matt Hasselbeck has been up and down all year but this is sizing up to be one of those up games. St Louis gives up a ton of yards in the air and will do so again this week. TJ Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson might both find the endzone. Justin Forsett should prove to have a better day as well against this bad defense. The Rams bank almost solely on Steven Jackson which is great for his owners but it is getting tougher for him. With that being said – always start Jackson and expect big things out of him. I have a feeling he is in for a three touchdown day (yep that is this week bold prediction)
Arizona (7-3) at Tennessee (4-6)
Arizona YARDS/GAME RANK Tennessee YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 247.2 27th Passing Defense 271.7 31st
Rushing Defense 103.2 8th Rushing Defense 104.1 9th
Passing Offense 283.7 5th Passing Offense 169.4 30th
Rushing Offense 94.1 27th Rushing Offense 168.4 1st
Fantasy Impact: I am betting Kurt Warner will play this week and facing this Tennessee secondary means good things for his owners and for any owners to whom he throws the ball. Expect big things out of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. This is a case where the pass will actually set up the run and Chris Wells (the guy to own out there) should benefit. For the Titans this is easy – only start Chris Johnson always, every time, for the next three years.
Chicago (4-6) at Minnesota (9-1)
Chicago YARDS/GAME RANK Minnesota YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 197.8 8th Passing Defense 231.5 21st
Rushing Defense 122.3 23rd Rushing Defense 85.5 3rd
Passing Offense 252.7 14th Passing Offense 264.1 9th
Rushing Offense 89.3 28th Rushing Offense 126.2 10th
Fantasy Impact: Jay Cutler against this defense is kind of scary, Matt Forte against this defense is kind of scary, the reason it is scary is the Bears have zero offensive line which hinders both of these players. I hate to say it but Forte a top five pick might be find his way to the bench. (Doubtful but if you have any really nice match-ups then do it) Unlike the Bears the Vikings offensive line is stellar. This means start Brett Farve, a stud receiver in Sidney Rice, and a little guy known as Adrian Peterson confidently this week.
Miami (5-5) at Buffalo (3-7)
Miami YARDS/GAME RANK Buffalo YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 235.6 22nd Passing Defense 200.8 9th
Rushing Defense 105.9 12th Rushing Defense 165.9 31st
Passing Offense 177.2 29th Passing Offense 188.1 26th
Rushing Offense 156.0 4th Rushing Offense 102.2 21st
Fantasy Impact: Ricky Williams owners should be extremely happy with his last performance and while three touchdowns is asking for a little much do not be surprised if he does it again. Buffalo cannot stop anyone that runs the ball and the Fins are quite good at that. One side note is that they have a few starting offensive linemen banged up and that might hinder Williams slightly but he is a 100% start. Terrell Owens had a monster day and he has Ryan Fitzpatrick to thank for that. Fitzpatrick almost exclusively looked for Owens and he had by far his biggest day as a Bill. I doubt if he can come close to 200 yards again but he might have a little more value with Fitzpatrick at the helm. The running back situation is scary for two reasons. One – the fins are good against the run and two – Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson are in a complete time share. Sit both if you can.
Washington (3-7) at Philadelphia (6-4)
Washington YARDS/GAME RANK Philadelphia YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 161.6 1st Passing Defense 200.8 10th
Rushing Defense 128.4 25th Rushing Defense 104.3 10th
Passing Offense 224.8 19th Passing Offense 267.6 8th
Rushing Offense 104.2 19th Rushing Offense 107.6 18th
Fantasy Impact: The Skins lost Clinton Portis first then Ladell Betts last week. Both are out so Rock Cartwright coming off his career high will get the start again. If he does start he will not break that high this week since Philly simply shuts down the run. This means Jason Campbell will need to have big day for the Skins to win. Let’s put it this way I do not like any Skin this week. It is almost certain Brain Westbrook will be out so start LeSean McCoy this week. The Skins are tough against the pass but very susceptible against the run. Expect McCoy to have a good day and Donavan McNabb, DeShawn Jackson, and Brent Celek to have average days.
Indianapolis (10-0) at Houston (5-5)
Indianapolis YARDS/GAME RANK Houston YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 218.2 18th Passing Defense 212.8 15th
Rushing Defense 107.6 13th Rushing Defense 120.6 22nd
Passing Offense 319.3 1st Passing Offense 295.8 3rd
Rushing Offense 85.0 31st Rushing Offense 87.4 30th
Fantasy Impact: As expected the Texans looked healthy on Monday Night and Andre Johnson looks again to be at 100 % and he better be going into this battle. Matt Schaub and the Texans have looked great on offense and with Steve Slaton as the main back again these three are all nice plays since this will be a high scoring affair. Peyton Manning is coming off a two pick performance and will be upset about it. Look out Texans secondary – Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark will reap the benefits of an angry Peyton. It is also worth being noted that Joseph Addai got the majority of carries again, so Donald Brown needs to be on your bench until week 16 and 17 (if you have playoffs in 17, which you shouldn’t) since the Colts will be sitting their starters and letting their back-up gets reps (unless they are undefeated)
Jacksonville (6-4) at San Francisco (4-6)
Jacksonville YARDS/GAME RANK San Francisco YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 244.0 25th Passing Defense 256.1 30th
Rushing Defense 112.1 17th Rushing Defense 94.7 6th
Passing Offense 230.5 17th Passing Offense 197.8 23rd
Rushing Offense 136.3 6th Rushing Offense 99.0 24th
Fantasy Impact: Maurice Jones-Drew did not take a knee on the one last week so his fantasy owners are happy with him once again. (love the fact he apologized to his fantasy owners after that last week) If this was three weeks ago I might say he will not have a huge day but he is too good and the 49ers defense has gone downhill fast. Much like the Lions start Mojo and Mike Sims-Walker every week and sit everyone else on the Jags. For the 49ers, I believe Michael Crabtree will have his best game of his brief career. If there is one thing the Jags have proved, it is do not start two young corners because they will get burned by everyone in the league. To add to Crabtree, Vernon Davis had another huge day (and will always start ahead of Celek – my boy – from here on out, you win Vernon you are good at fantasy football).
Kansas City (3-7) at San Diego (7-3)
Kansas City YARDS/GAME RANK San Diego YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 250.9 28th Passing Defense 202.6 11th
Rushing Defense 138.6 27th Rushing Defense 118.5 21st
Passing Offense 192.6 25th Passing Offense 262.1 12th
Rushing Offense 96.8 26th Rushing Offense 87.9 29th
Fantasy Impact: The Chiefs beat the Steelers last week and Jamal Charles looked impressive. If he is still available in your league then grab him (just one more deep sleeper we thought would work out – check out the video, we did really, really well – hey, I admit it when we get something wrong so I can pat ourselves on our backs when it works out) Matt Cassel has a new favorite target in Chris Chambers but my rule is three games in a row to get some love so lets see what he does this week. Now as a speculative add – I do not mind but do not start him over proven just yet. Is it or just me but he looked every bit of his age running in overtime. (but the Steelers did not catch him so who knows) LaDainian Tomlinson is quietly having an impressive year again and he will add to his season this week. Start LT confidently and also start Phillip Rivers. Rivers has not been finding my boy Vincent Jackson the last two weeks (don’t worry still getting 1000 and 10) but that will all change this week. I fully expect a huge day out of both Rivers and Jackson with Gates finding the endzone as well.
Pittsburgh (6-4) at Baltimore (5-5)
Pittsburgh YARDS/GAME RANK Baltimore YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 208.7 13th Passing Defense 217.9 17th
Rushing Defense 69.2 1st Rushing Defense 92.1 5th
Passing Offense 289.0 4th Passing Offense 245.9 15th
Rushing Offense 111.6 17th Rushing Offense 115.5 14th
Fantasy Impact: Expect some injuries in this game. The Steelers – Ravens game has always been a battle but it will have a new look this time around if it Dennis Dixon and not Ben Roethlisberger at the helm for the Steelers. If Dixon starts this means Hines Ward and Health Miller have a decreased value with Rashard Mendenhall actually getting an increase since he may carry the ball 30+ times. Since this is a huge game for the Steelers I would be surprised if Roethlisberger did not at least try to go. Joe Flacco has been in a huge sophomore slump but he is still finding the ageless wonder in Derrick Mason. The best play in this whole game is Ray Rice. The Steelers are great against the run but with Troy Polamulu out who is going to spy Rice?
New England (7-3) at New Orleans (10-0)
New England YARDS/GAME RANK New Orleans YARDS/GAME RANK
Passing Defense 187.3 6th Passing Defense 214.9 16th
Rushing Defense 109.4 14th Rushing Defense 115.7 19th
Passing Offense 310.1 2nd Passing Offense 274.6 7th
Rushing Offense 113.8 15th Rushing Offense 154.3 5th
Fantasy Impact: Do you think some points will be put up in this one? The Patriots are coming off a solid win and Wes Welker is still catching balls from Tom Brady as I type this. I means 15 catches – are you serious, he is a point per reception dream. Now the Saints have improved on defense but I love Brady, Randy Moss and Welker in this game. On the flip side, I love Drew Brees, Marques Colston, and Jeremy Shockey as well. Just start all quarterbacks and receivers and get ready for some fireworks. The two forgotten men in this game Pierre Thomas and Lawrence Maroney should benefit from some goal line carries as well – after all they have to run the ball at least a few times.


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