Week 7 Top Plays

Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: It’s hard not to play Rodgers coming off a six-touchdown performance against one of the better defenses in the league (Houston). I suspect he will have a big game even without Greg Jennings. While the Rams rank in the top five in pass defense, they haven’t come up against someone at Rodgers level.

Eli Manning, New York Giants: This is an easy choice, Manning has been lights out and the Redskins have been horrible against the pass. Eli should have all of his weapons at wide receiver, even though he might be without Ahmad Bradshaw. I expect Manning to pass 300 yards passing but division games are tough, as the Giants and Manning were horrible against the Redskins last season.

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo Is due for a bust out game and it should help that he is playing against the Panthers who are in the bottom half of the league in pass defense. Romo should benefit from a good solid running attack even without star DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones should be able to step in and have a solid game.

Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Freeman had a huge game last week and even though he is an erratic, every team they have played so far has shred the Saints. The Saints are ranked 26^th in the NFL in pass defense and give up an average of 283.2 yards a game and have surrendered nine touchdowns and only produced three interceptions.

Running backs

Arian Foster, Houston Texans: The Ravens are having a lot of problem stopping the run and the Kansas City Chiefs exploited that and so did the Dallas Cowboys when both teams ran for over 200 yards against the Ravens.  It doesn’t help Baltimore’s cause with the loss of Webb, Ray Lewis, possibly Ed Reid, but they are getting Terrell Suggs back. I expect Foster to run all over the Ravens and their poor defense will cost them against the Texans this week.

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans: Johnson finally had a decent game last week against the Steelers even though he didn’t get the rushing touchdown. The Bills have been awful in rush defense, ranking last in the NFL giving up a whopping 173.5 yards a game and allowing nine rushing touchdowns. I expect that Johnson might finally have a break out game against the Bills this week.

Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders: McFadden gets to face the 30^th ranked rushing defense this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars who are giving up 163.0 yards a game and have allowed seven rushing touchdowns this season. I can’t see the Jaguars being able to stop McFadden if the Raiders give him his touches.

Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins: The Giants have been average in the rushing attack this season and Washington has been one of the best running teams this season but their stats are a bit skewed with Robert Griffin III playing quarterback. I still expect Morris to get close to 100 yards unless they get down a lot early but I doubt that will be the case.

Wide Receivers

Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints: Only Washington has a worse pass defense than Tampa Bay, so I suspect Drew Brees and the Saints will be able to put big numbers against the Buccaneers this weekend. Colston is a beast when he gets going and should be hard to stop this weekend. The Saints have the top rated pass offense and they are playing the second to worst pass defense do the math.

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts: Wayne doesn’t seem to take that Andrew Luck took over for Peyton Manning as he is just shredding opposing defenses this season. It doesn’t hurt when you are facing off against the Browns who are an average pass defense but it seems like they have been shredded the last few weeks.

Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings: Harvin is having a pro-bowl caliber season and is a dual threat as he can come out of the backfield and run for big yardage. Arizona has a good defense but I think Harvin is just better and will be able to expose some of the weaknesses in the Cardinals secondary.

Victor Cruz, New York Giants: When Manning and Cruz are on, no one in the NFL is better than these two right now if they are clicking on all cylinders. With the Redskins pass defense, along with Manning who is having one his best passing seasons to date, it’s hard not to play Cruz this week, especially at home where he tends to play his best.

How Much Longer Can You Keep These Underachievers?

       If you have been an owner of Chris Johnson this year, you have been very displeased with his effort this year.  Same would go for Antonio Gates, who hasn’t had much to talk about so far this year.  Many others would fit into this role and it is time to take a look at your fantasy team going into week five with some well-known players.  Here we take a look at players who are struggling, and how they project going forward.

Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee: Johnson thus far has been a disaster for fantasy owners, as he has only 27 points in a regular public league this year.  The next couple of games do not look very promising for Johnson either to drastically increase his total as the Titans face Minnesota and Pittsburgh.  The only games I would recommend playing Johnson is Buffalo, and both Indianapolis games.  Otherwise try to get him for trade bait with someone who believes Johnson will break out.

Ryan Matthews, RB, San Diego: Matthews is a bit of a mystery, mainly because he was injured throughout the pre-season and that hampered his early season stats.  Matthews only has 14 points in a public standard points league and the injury and the success has stalled Matthews.  The difference between Matthews and Johnson though is that Matthews will improve, and it won’t take long for him to.  This weekend is New Orleans, who is terrible defensively, and will play opponents like Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Oakland for him to get better stats.  If you still have Matthews, his outlook is very bright, assuming he stays healthy.

Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago: Cutler is capable of producing games like he had against Dallas, but also games like he had against Green Bay.  I would expect against Green Bay, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona to have everyone sit Cutler, but the other seven games that Cutler will rack up many points and is a high start priority.  In a short sentence, approach with caution to starting Cutler but as long as you play the matchups right and he keeps his head in check, he will be just fine for you.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona: It’s hard to picture Fitzgerald as a guy underperforming so far this year, but it has a lot to do with a lot of defenses doubling up on him and leaving others open in a suddenly high-powered Cardinals offense.  Even with Fitzgerald’s stats not being so high, I would not worried on this bit, he is one of the game’s best and will get points very soon and in bunches.

Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego: This is a double edged sword with Gates.  In many ways he is looked at defenses more since the Chargers lost Vincent Jackson over the off-season, so they have to look at different receivers to produce, so it is a mass amount of reasons why the tight end has struggled thus far.  I would not expect those struggles to continue much further as Gates is still one of the favorite targets for quarterback Phillip Rivers.  Keep him around and in the lineup and await the best.

Pittsburgh’s Defense: If you have a league where there are defenses then it would be very frustrating for an owner of the Pittsburgh defense to have the results they have had.  Only five sacks and three takeaways have been to show for this year for the Steelers.  They will get chances in the future as Philadelphia, Tennessee, and Cincinnati do not feature the best offensive lines, but they will need to get turnovers as three just is not enough.  I would approach with caution going forward with Pittsburgh’s defense.

By: David Folz