Game Previews: Matchups to Exploit and Avoid - Week 8

With Six teams on bye this weekend, there is an even greater scramble to fill your starting roster. That being said, your opponents will be facing similar dilemmas in fielding a serviceable roster with so many of their typical starters riding the bench. As a result, it is now time to start evaluating your matchups and being "that guy" in your league. If your matchup is tight, play the consistent Go To Guys we mentioned. But, if you're projected to lose badly, then this weekend is the time to try those fringe players with high upside that keep appearing in our waiver add articles. This is also that point in the season where it would be prudent to see where your opponent has a significant hole to feel and grab the best option off the waiver wire before your opponent can. All is fair in love, war and fantasy football!


Green Bay at New York Jets
Rodgers and the Pack Attack finally won a close game, and to make things sweeter it was against the Silver Fox. Rodgers continues his turnover woes, however, he has scored at least two touchdowns every game this season and continues to rack up yards through the air. Despite the tough matchup, Rodgers is a must start. Greg Jennings is finally back to top form and has emerged as the favorite target in this high flying attack. Driver, on the other hand, continues to battle a hamstring injury and has seen his targets head toward James Jones. With Jennings vacationing at Revis Island, James Jones is likely the beneficiary in this matchup. Also upgrade Donald Lee in what figures to be a relatively high scoring affair, Lee is big and physical and excels at yards after the catch. As for the running game, BJax is finally living up to our expectations but he has a rough matchup. If he gets the score he'd be a great hindsight start, but don't expect more than fifty yards on the ground for Jackson especially now that the Packers have become such a pass first offense. Kuhn is in fantasy football irrelevance sipping on mangotini's with Ben Tate, Vincent Jackson, Jerome Harrison and Sidney Rice.

On the Jets side of the ball, Mark Sanchez continues to play mistake free football, but that is in great part due to limited opportunities. Unlike the Pack, the Jets are the definition of a run first offense. Despite the tough matchup, the Packers are struggling to cope with defensive injuries. LT2 is a must start and Shonn Greene is finally becoming what he was drafted to be...or at least a bye week must start. As for the aerial attack, Keller remains the favorite redzone target even if he doesn't rake in big chunks of yardage between the 20's. Holmes's size, speed and athleticism have earned him the starting slot alongside Braylon Edwards. Although the Jets are a run first team, Rex Ryan is creative and knows that his receivers can get open and make big plays. Edwards and Holmes are both quality WR2's to help get you through your bye week blues.


Tennessee at San Diego
With Kerry Collins in, Kenny Britt is a fantasy monster. However, with Britt facing disciplinary actions and the rest of the Tennessee receiving corps being no names (Nate Washington has been a colossal disappointment), the only option is tightend Bo Scaife. Monitor the injury situation with Vince Young, but he has been cleared to practice this week and will likely get the start on Sunday. Britt has been allowed to practice this week, but Coach Fisher still has not determined whether or not he will be seeking further disciplinary action. If Britt plays, start him, but make sure you know that he will be playing. If Britt is in, boost Vince Young's value, but without a reliable receiver, the Titans will revert back to a strict ground attack. Chris Johnson's turbulent performances continued last week as he failed to get much of anything done against a stingy Philly run D. San Diego has been much more generous so Chris Johnson should be set for a solid outing as his yo-yo season continues, but for now maybe we should change his name to CJ1.5K.

The Chargers will likely be playing without Malcom Floyd week 8 and Legoland is questionable (though our bet is that he will play this weekend), meaning that Patrick Crayton and (Craig) Buster Davis will likely remain active in the passing gain. Crayton has proven to be a legitimate receiver on the San Diego Super Chargers and should be in fantasy lineups. If Legoland is back, Buster's targets will decrease but Davis was targeted primarily underneath last weekend so he could retain some value against the Titans this weekend. With all of these unknown entities in the passing attack, Phil Rivers has got to be excited to have Gates back. Although Gates will likely miss practice and be listed as questionable, he will be good to go and must be in fantasy lineups as the league's highest scoring TE. This will literally be a clash of the Titans as the NFL's leading passer faces off against the NFL's most unforgiving secondary. With that in mind temper expectations of the Bolts' passing attack but start Rivers, Crayton and Gates with confidence. On the ground, Ryan Matthews has been a huge disappointment. He is yet to top 12 carries in a game this season, but this is his first week of full practice. Tolbert proved ineffective so Matthews will likely see more carries but he remains a risky bet for this weekend. Another risky bet with great upside is Darren Sproles. The speedster didn't get many carries last weekend but he saw nine catches for seventy yards. In PPR leagues Sproles could make for a very savvy start but even in standard leagues, Sproles is an explosive playmaker who could rack up big yardage.

Minnesota at New England
The clock is ticking on Brett Favre's starting streak. After sustaining serious injury to his ankle, Favre may not be ready to go this weekend. While he has been known to battle through injuries in the past, it looks as though Tarvaris Jackson could get the start this weekend at New England. If such is the case, Jackson is too risky of a start to plug in this weekend even though the New England secondary has been shredded apart this season. The Vikings will likely lean even more heavily on AP this weekend and from here on out this season in order to spark this offense. This does not bode especially well for Moss and Harvin. While both should remain in starting lineups, there may be better and more reliable options in more shallow leagues. Jackson is an erratic passer without the strongest arm in the league, so it may be tough for the young quarterback to find his targets for big plays.

As for the Patriots, Brady has played extremely smart football but has not been posting the gaudy numbers fantasy footballites have come to expect from the superstar. This weekend, Brady has a great matchup against a struggling secondary. While the Williams Wall elevates the status of the Vikings defense, the secondary has struggled greatly. Without Moss, Welker should continue to see more double teams but his speed and yards after catch ability make him valuable in this matchup. Branch should also have a decent afternoon as the Patriots will be making high consistency passing plays to convert. That being said, Aaron Hernandez remains the most reliable player in the Pats passing attack. On the ground, Benjarvus Green-Ellis has received the bulk of the carries but has struggled against much easier defenses. The better play here, especially in PPR leagues, is the very versatile Danny Woodhead. To evade running straight into the Williams Wall, the Patriots will lean on Woodhead who can spread out wide and run to the outside. Woodhead will also be a safety valve for Brady if Jared Allen manages to bring the pressure and force quick decisions.


Tampa Bay at Arizona
Josh Freeman has been putting together some stellar performances this season. While his numbers have not been extravagant, he has been a serviceable fantasy option who avoids mistakes and gets things done on the ground. For any Romo owners or teams with QB's on bye, Freeman is definitely worth consideration especially in this matchup against the Cardinals. Although Cadillac Williams is still listed as the nominal starter, LeGarrette Blount has been seeing more carries and much more success on those carries. Blount ought to soon eclipse Caddy as the starting back in this offense. As long as Blount can refrain from punching opposing players in the face, he should become a fantasy option from here on out. Consider starting him this week in deeper leagues. As for the receivers, we hope you bought our hype on Mike Williams as he has been posting very solid numbers and will have a nice game this weekend as Freeman's clear favorite target. Kellen Winslow has struggled to post the kind of stats he was drafted to produce, but he remains a viable option as Freeman doesn't really have any other options in his passing attack.

Arizona QB Max Hall was cleared to practice this week and will likely get the start on Sunday, but he will be on a short leash. Even before Hall was knocked down last weekend, Derek Anderson was warming up meaning that Coach Whisenhunt does not have a great deal of confidence in either quarterback. With that in mind neither of these guys should be in starting lineups this weekend. The QB controversy also does not bode well for the receiving corps. Breaston still isn't at 100% and was held from last weeks game because of the wet field conditions. Fitzgerald is also struggling due to poor quarterback play and the absence of another quality receiver has led to increased coverage of Fitzy. Fitzgerald should remain in fantasy lineups because the other options likely aren't much better, but don't worry we feel your pain from drafting a receiver in the second round who is failing to deliver. Speaking of high draft picks that have failed to deliver: Beanie Wells is poised for a breakout game. Although Hightower is still getting touches, he was used only as a change of pace back last weekend. This weekend Beanie will get to feast on the Bucs struggling run D and will be seeing goal line duties. Beanie owners are in luck!


Pittsburgh at New Orleans
With Big Ben back, the Steelers are clicking...and yes we refuse to adhere to his request to stop calling him Big Ben because all our other nicknames for him are much less flattering. Wallace got the big score but was rarely targeted last weekend against the Dolphins, but expect that to change this weekend against a much more offense oriented opponent in the Saints. Wallace is the fastest man in the NFL and he will show it off this weekend. Ward and Big Ben also seemed to be on a bromantic date on Sunday with Ward making big plays and eating up targets in the passing game. Both receivers should be in starting lineups. As for Mendenhall, he struggled on limited carries against the Fins last weekend and Ian Redman also poached some carries from him. That being said, the Saints are not tough on the run and the Steelers will have to establish a ground game to open things up for the passing attack. Heath Miller should also see an increase in targets, Miller should be owned and started in all 12 team leagues especially with Finley and Clark being out for the season.

Our Saints insider reports that New Orleans is far from hitting the panic button but still attempting to vamp up on both sides of the ball going into this big game. The defense apparently met early on Tuesday to go over film from the humiliating upset last weekend to the Browns. The Saints offense is also trying to get back on the same page as they organized a team dinner this week. One big sign of relief was seeing Reggie Bush running on the field on Wednesday morning at practice. Although Bush was not a full participant it is encouraging to see him up and running again. That being said, Bush will most likely be a game time decision. Coach Payton has said that he will not play Bush if he is unable to practice on Thursday, but that is of course subject to change depending on how Reggie feels on Sunday.

Not that we should rely too heavily on previous season performances (see the Chiefs and Cowboys) but the Saints remain one of the most superior teams in the NFL. The Saints also have a tradition of underestimating weak opponents and showing up big time against the elite teams. Brees has a tough matchup against the Steelers...but I mean c'mon, it's still Drew Brees. Colston has been stepping up lately and looking solid, he and Meachem should both be active this Sunday as the Saints ground game has been pretty obsolete. Lance Moore could also see increased targets as the Saints will have to spread the defense out in order to succeed against a very formidable Steelers secondary. Chris Ivory is a power runner who can rip off big gains but he is a low end flex option against the Steelers defense that has shut down the run game of every team. Ivory will also see a decrease in touches with the return of Reggie Bush coming up. Bush is an impact player and defenses have to game plan for him meaning that he can open up for big plays and be spread wide as an integral part of the passing attack.


Houston at Indianapolis
Last time these AFC South rivals met, the Colts were not prepared. Do not expect the same to happen again. The Texans leaned heavily on the ground game with Arian Foster racking up 230 yards on the ground and winning most owners their matchups...do not expect a repeat performance. Foster will still have a solid game but the Colts will not underestimate Foster this time around, and Coach Kubiak has been focusing on increasing Derrick Ward's workload to keep Foster fresh. Matt Schaub also played a very limited role the last time these two teams met, but now that he has stepped up and is making the throws the Texans need, he will need to play a more active role as the Colts are sure to put up points. This increased role for Schaub will spell greater success for Andre Johnson and possibly Jacoby Jones. Jones has struggled with drops but is a beast and should soon lock up the number two slot on an emerging high flying offense. We don't expect huge numbers out of Jones yet but he could be a serviceable start this weekend with byes-a-plenty. Owen Daniels is also now healthy and should become an integral part of the passing game, however, the Colts have been especially stingy on tight ends so if Daniels doesn't perform up to expectations don't panic, he will become a starter for the rest of the fantasy season.

As for the Colts, things have become a little trickier than our earlier recommendations to start everyone. Peyton Manning is obviously a must start and is poised for yet another stellar game against the worst secondary in the NFL. Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon should have great games in what figures to be an offensive back and forth. With Austin Collie injured, Pierre Garcon is now a must start each week. Blair White also makes for an interesting prospect this weekend. With Collie and Gonzalez both injured, White could step up as the new slot receiver and be a valuable bye week starter. Jacob Tamme will be the new tightend with Dallas Clark out for the season, and he posted solid preseason numbers. However, the preseason is rarely indicative of actual season performance (see the 49ers), Tamme is worth monitoring but that doesn't mean you can expect him to jump in and fill the hole left by Clark. On the ground, Addai is doubtful for Monday night meaning Donald Brown will take over the starting duty, assuming he's healthy enough. Mike Hart will certainly chip into Brown's carries, but with such slim running back options this season, Brown should be started at flex or low end RB2 if you have him.