2014-2015 Start 'Em Sit 'Em (Week 10)

Start 'Em:

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons - Remember what happened last time Matt Ryan faced the Buccaneers defense - he threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns and had to be pulled in the second half before he could hand out even more of a beating. Sure, Ryan's looked increasingly worse after that game, but he still is yet to have less than ten fantasy points in a game. Also, the Buccaneers pass defense has actually continued to go downhill since that Thursday night game in week three. Start Ryan this week and your setting yourself up for a low risk high reward scenario. I like that.

Ronnie Hillman, RB, Denver Broncos - Some may wonder why I have Hillman on this list considering he's been a top ten running back over the past few weeks. Others will remember that Montee Ball is supposed to return to the Broncos' offense this week, which would result in a decreased workload for Hillman. However, to those of you who are worried about the return of Ball, I urge you to ignore your instincts this week and start Hillman, who, in my opinion, has completely won over the Broncos' organization and will still see a huge role in the offense. Additionally, Hillman gets to go up against the putrid Raiders defense that has given up nine rushing touchdowns in just eight games this year.

Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers - I like the way the Eagles' defense has played this year, especially up front, but they still have a huge weakness, and that's dealing with big athletic wide receivers. Kelvin Benjamin, is exactly that, a big athletic wide receiver, and should absolutely torch Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher on Monday night. Don't be thrown off by his poor showings the last two weeks - Benjamin is starting quality this week.

Sit 'Em:

Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions - Picking Stafford here is tough because he is getting back Megatron and Reggie Bush this week, but it's all about matchup. The Lions face the Dolphins, who have been the toughest fantasy matchup for quarterbacks and have been on an absolute roll recently, only allowing 14 total points against in the last three weeks. Love the situation, but hate the matchup, and ultimately I think the poor matchup will win out.

Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets - Ivory only got eight carries for a measly twenty two yards last week against the Chiefs, which is concerning for this week's game against the Steelers. It is very likely that the Jets will find themselves down early and will end up airing out the ball much more than Ivory fantasy owners would want. Honestly, another single digit carry game is a large possibility, and unless Ivory gets a touchdown, that's not going to get it done. Even though there are a lot of running back byes this week, I'd recommend you try to get Ivory out of your starting lineup for the time being.

Michael Floyd, WR, Arizona Cardinals - Carson Palmer's return for the Cardinals has spelled disaster for Floyd, as he only has four catches for 36 yards in his last two games while John Brown and Larry Fitzgerald have flourished. Floyd does have an alright matchup against the Rams this week, but would be an incredibly risky start seeing as the only way he's going to score points is on the deep ball.

2014-2015 Start 'Em Sit 'Em (Week 4)

Start 'Em:

Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers - Any quarterback that's playing the Jacksonville Jaguars needs to be in your starting lineup - It's as simple as that. Rivers is probably even better than just "any quarterback," though, as he has been on fire this year, with a 6:1 touchdown to interception ratio and massive performance against the best defense in the NFL in week 2. Rivers should have a huge game on Sunday, and we wouldn't want you missing out on those fantasy points, so please put him in your starting lineup.

Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins - Miller has had an impressive start to the fantasy season when you take into consideration that he has had to share carries with one of the best fantasy running backs in the league last year, Knowshon Moreno. With Moreno out this week and the Dolphins going up against the lowly Raiders, Miller is primed for a big week.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Philadelphia Eagles - Though this may not seem as if it's an extremely bold pick, seeing as Maclin is currently third in fantasy points for a wide receiver, there is still a general sense that Maclin is going to come crashing down to earth sometime soon. I'm not saying thats not going to happen, but I am saying that it's not going to happen this week. The 49ers demand a lot of respect as a defense, but the reality is that they haven't played well at all against the pass so far this year. They are second worst in the league in fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers, allowing six wide receiver touchdowns thus far. With the Eagles offense still flying high, I'd recommend you start Maclin this week.

Sit 'Em:

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons - I'd understand if you have no backup quarterback that Matt Ryan may have to grace your starting lineup. However, if you have a serviceable backup, you should consider giving him the start. Ryan has been fantastic thus far, but I think he's destined for a down performance against a Vikings defense that has actually performed remarkably against the pass this year. After the Falcons dominated the Bucs last week, I see them coming out a bit sluggishly this week, and Ryan won't benefit from that.

Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit Lions - Bush had a really good week against Green Bay last week, but he still only saw 12 carries for just 61yards, which will worry Bush owners, especially because Joique Bell continues to get equal touches to Bush. This week, the duo will go up against a stout Jets run defense that has shut down Eddie Lacy and Matt Forte in the last two weeks. With limited touches and a tough matchup, Bush should probably see your bench this week.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts - Hilton hasn't experienced a fast start to the fantasy season like some expected. The biggest problem for Hilton is that he has seen hardly any targets in the red zone, and he hasn't been as explosive as a deep threat either. Hilton goes up against a dominant Titans pass defense that has allowed just one touchdown against Dez Bryant and A.J. Green in the last two weeks, so I wouldn't expect Hilton's poor fantasy start to change just yet.

College Football-NFL Comparisons: Blake Bortles

        Some are saying Bortles will now go second overall, if the Browns trade up for the pick. Houston is another likely suitor, and with all the permutations there are even mock drafts where he goes first overall. This is a quarterback coming off one hell of a season, in which he took a mid major (read: mediocre) program to a BCS bowl game, and there stunned the 5 ranked Bears in the Tostitos Fiesta bowl. A great end to a great career for Bortles, and since then (and really the whole stellar season he had, with well north of 3,500 passing yards) everyone has realized that he may well become pretty important pretty quickly in the NFL. That said, a comparison I recently saw drawn with Andrew Luck is one of the silliest symptoms of draft hype I have seen in recent memory. Blake Bortles does not have the athleticism (a 4.93 40, vs a 4.6 from Luck), passing ability, composure in the pocket, or big game experience of Andrew Luck. That list could easily go on for a paragraph. Of course, Luck sets a shockingly high bar, as he has already proved to be a Pro-Bowl caliber player at his age. Luck played on a vastly superior team outside of Palo Alto and simply had much more to his résumé going into the draft. He may be an all time great; That can't be said at all about Bortles.

        A much more reasonable comparison to make would be with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. This is generous, certainly, but both players are slow, fairly accurate, and struggle with the long ball. Ryan wins games, and Bortles has proven he can do that, even on a team like UCF. Game management matters, and that I am happy to give to Bortles. Both quarterbacks excel in the quick, short game, and are just athletic enough to occasionally extend plays with their feet, but surprise everyone when they do so. In sum Bortles is a good player, in fact he may have won the best quarterback of the draft status, but most have rightly pointed out that we can by no means call him elite. He will go very high in the draft, and likely have a solid career as a starter in the NFL. Wherever he goes, he will almost definitely be starting as soon as he arrives, so we don't have long to wait to see how a good college season (and player) translates into the NFL.

(His girlfriend, I will give elite status. A ludicrous amount of hits on google.)

Fantasy Football: Quarterbacks (Week 8)

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1. Drew Brees: Even with a BYE week under his belt, Drew Brees, according to ESPN's standard scoring system, has the third most fantasy points as of Week 8. Unlike Rodgers and RGII whom are both ahead of him, Brees has yet to post single digit fantasy points. His average of 24.2 points per game is unprecedented, and with Jimmy Graham returning as a healthy starter, make sure your starting this guy for the next 10 games.
(Stats: 2,097 passing yards, 19 total TDs, 145 fantasy points)

2. Robert Griffin III: After seven weeks of football, there is no longer any dispute of who the better rookie quarterback is after their first season; Andrew Luck or RGIII. Griffin has been extraordinary in fantasy football, making all of his fantasy owners happy each and every Sunday. However, the only reason he did not earn the number one spot over Brees is his injury concern. Like any quarterback who enjoys running from the pocket, there is always a huge fantasy risk for their owners.
(Stats: 1,601 passing yards, 13 total TDs, 158 fantasy points)

3. Aaron Rodgers: Many were somewhat disappointed by Rodgers after flopping in his first three games. Then he picked up from where he left off last season, throwing for six touchdowns against the elite Houston defense. He proved the 38 fantasy point game was no fluke by throwing for three more touchdowns against St. Louis. Rodgers may have started off modestly, but he has finally hit his stride.
(Stats: 1,979 passing yards, 19 total TDs, 155 fantasy points)

4. Tom Brady: Similar to our number one quarterback (Drew Brees), Tom Brady has yet to fall beneath the ten point mark in a specific week. His numbers are not quite off the charts, but consistency is a large part of his fantasy value.
(Stats: 2,104 passing yards, 14 total TDs, 134 fantasy points)

5. Matt Ryan: After a hot start to his 2012 season, Ryan's stats have gradually decreased since Week 4, and his 8 fantasy points last Sunday against Oakland hurts his stock. However, Ryan has one of the most talented receiving corps in the league surrounding him, so a stellar performance against Philly next week would not be a surprise.
(Stats: 1,756 passing yards, 15 total TDs, 118 fantasy points)