2014-2015 Start 'Em Sit 'Em (Week 8)

Start 'Em:

Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs - Smith's seemingly unshakeable label as a "game manager" tends to keep him out of most fantasy football lineups. However, he has a great matchup this week against the Rams' defense and has been a remarkably solid fantasy performer thus far this year. Smith rarely throws interceptions and has a reputable 9 touchdowns over 6 games to this point. There are certainly quarterbacks who would deserve to start over Smith, but if you're in a position where you have been rotating quarterbacks week to week, Smith may be your man.

Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints - Ingram won't have inspired confidence in fantasy owners with his very poor showing last week, but you have to understand that he likely wasn't yet 100 percent. With a likelihood for more touches, and more effective touches at that, as well as a favorable matchup against a Packers' defense that has been fairly porous against the run, you would expect Ingram to have a good fantasy performance this week.

Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks - Baldwin has already had his breakout week, with a monster performance last week against the Rams, so this may seem like an easy pick, but it's just too perfect a scenario for me to pass up. Baldwin is now the only qualified receiver on the Seahawks' depth chart, and he goes up against a Panthers' defense that has struggled to contain opposing wideouts. Additionally, you can be sure that Seattle will be playing angry after last week's loss at St. Louis, and will likely come out swinging. This week may prove to be the perfect storm for Baldwin, who should absolutely be in your starting lineup this week.

Sit 'Em:

Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals - I hate to tell you to sit Dalton for the second time in the last few weeks, but I absolutely hate his matchup with the Ravens this week. Dalton proved last week how vulnerable he can be without his number one target, A.J. Green, and this week he'll be without Green again. He also goes up against a Ravens' defense that has been pretty impressive thus far, and did well against Dalton in week one with the exception of one long touchdown pass to the aforementioned A.J. Green. Sorry Bengals fans, but Dalton is a definite sit this week.

Anthony Dixon, RB, Buffalo Bills - There's lots that would point to Dixon having a good week this week, as both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller are injured, making him the only serviceable back on the roster. However, he has a horrible matchup against a Jets run defense that is one of the best in the league. One would expect the Bills to keep the ball in the air on Sunday, so Dixon may not really get a chance to have an impact.

Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons - White blew up against the Ravens last week, but he has a much tougher matchup against the Lions' pass defense this week. Even though I believe White may be a good fantasy option by the end of the season, its unlikely that he'll be able to replicate his performance against the Ravens - there's just too much inconsistency right now with White. He may be worth flex consideration, but the reality is, there are other options at the position right now that will likely be better this week.

NFL Week 11 Predictions

Game of the Week: Chiefs @ Broncos: I taking a risk by saying that the Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Broncos tommorrow on Sunday Night Football. Yes, you read that correctly. Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs will beat Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning and Denver's high-powered offense will go up against the best defense in the league, who have allowed just 12.3 points per game, ranking 1st overall in the NFL. Kansas City also ranks first in the league in sacks, which is an extremely helpful statistic considering how immobile Peyton Manning is at this point in time. Manning did not practice on Thursday, but we all know that Manning desperately wants to play in tomorrow's game. The key for Denver will be to give Manning time in the pocket, as they do not want their hobbled quarterback avoiding defenders all game. If Manning was completely healthy, I would say the Broncos would win with no doubt in my mind; however, the Chiefs' pass rush will ruin Peyton Manning's tempo throughout the game. It is Kansas City's time to prove that they are the real deal.
Chiefs over Broncos 26-20

Stand Out Performance: QB Russell Wilson: Luckily for Seattle's offense, the offensive line may have three injured starters returning to the starting lineup in a Week 11 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Russell Wilson has been very consistent over the last few weeks, and with an improved offensive line, we can see him having a monster game against Minnesota. Percy Harvin might in uniform tomorrow as well, so one can say this is a perfect storm for success. The Vikings are having a hard time stopping the passing game so far in 2013, so we predict Russell Wilson to throw for three touchdowns tomorrow afternoon.
QB Russell Wilson: 305 passing yards, 3 TDs

Player to Watch: QB Alex Smith: Tomorrow's game against the Broncos will be Alex Smith's first truly big game as a member of the Chiefs' offense. Smith has a reputation of making few mistakes on the field, and with just 5 total turnovers this year, Alex Smith is a very consistent quarterback that you can count on. His numbers are not mind boggling, as he has just 9 passing touchdowns and a passer rating close to 85.0. Jamaal Charles really is the core of Kansas City's offense, and Alex Smith is there to provide a consistent passing game to bail this offense out on third down. Smith will have a mediocre game against Denver, where Kansas City's defense will be the true MVP in Sunday Night's game.
QB Alex Smith: 200 passing yards, 1 TD

Week 11 Predictions:

Colts over Titans (Correct)

Jets over Bills

Ravens over Bears

Bengals over Browns

Texans over Raiders

Cardinals over Jaguars

Eagles over Redskins

Steelers over Lions

Falcons over Buccaneers

Chargers over Dolphins

Saints over 49ers

Giants over Packers

Seahawks over Vikings

Chiefs over Broncos

Patriots over Panthers

Last Week: 9-5

2013 Season: 101-46 (68.7%)

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em (Week 9)

Start 'Em:
Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers
Mathews is finally healthy and we're beginning to see what sort of numbers he can produce.  Before his bye last week, he had two straight performances of over 100 yards and also added in a touchdown in week 7.  This week has the potential to outshine both of those games, as he goes up against the last ranked fantasy run defense, the Washington Redskins.

Denarius Moore, WR, Oakland Raiders
Any wide receiver that is going up against the Eagles secondary has the opportunity to put up big numbers, and Moore is no different.  The speedy wideout has loads of big play ability, and is the Raider's only real receiving threat.  If Pryor can deliver Moore with just one good deep ball, he could provide owners with a great return.

Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
This pick is made out of a favorable matchup than anything else.  The Chiefs go up against the Buffalo Bills, who have a defense that is 27th in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks.  Smith is not a flashy quarterback choice, but should be a good play this week against a week secondary.

Sit 'Em:
Steven Jackson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
I said it last week, and I'll say it again this week: Steven Jackson is a poor fantasy start.  He is just coming off an injury, and it showed last week as he only managed six yards on eleven carries.  Additionally, the Falcons are going up against the tough Panthers defense.  Leave Jackson on your bench this week, and maybe for weeks to come as well.

Torrey Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Smith has had only a mediocre fantasy season so far, and the reason for this is that he has only gotten into the end zone once.  On Sunday, he goes up against a Cleveland secondary that has managed to shut down the likes of Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green.  The man behind Cleveland's success has to be cornerback Joe Haden, who is having a tremendous year.  With Haden shadowing Smith all game long, it may be another "bust" day as opposed to a "boom" day for the wideout.

Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
Brady has had perhaps his most frustrating professional season so far, as he has only thrown two touchdowns in his last four games, and has broken 300 yards just once this year.  Part of this is due to his horrendous receiving core, and another part is due to the emergence of a very solid red zone running game.  Tom Brady simply cannot be expected to put up good fantasy numbers any more, and a date with a tough Steelers defense certainly won't help.

NFL Report Update: Alex Smith

Breaking News: Quarterback Alex Smith, originally a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. In return, San Francisco will be rewarded with two draft picks in the next two drafts. Smith led San Francisco to the NFC Championship game in 2011, but was replaced by Colin Kaepernick halfway through the following regular season.