This past week brought us a victory in which all it took was for my wife to have surgery. In Todd Haley type fashion, in which Miami's win finally caused him to shave and change his hat, I am going to demand my wife have jaw surgery every week until Miami's next loss. She'll understand. What do you need to understand? Who you should start and who you should sit. Let's get this rolling...
QBs:
Start 'em:
Michael Vick: He hasn't thrown for 300 yards in nearly a month and it's hard to tell what you're going to get out of the Eagles, but he is facing the Arizona Cardinals this week. The Cardinals rank 29th against the pass and 16th against the run. The Cardinals don't do a very good job of forcing turnovers either, making Vick a safe play with a high ceiling for points. He could pass for 300, he could rush for 100, or he could do both. Start him this week and find out.
Aaron Rodgers: Because you've been living under a rock if you haven't been starting him.
Tony Romo: Yes, I have to mention him because many are worried about his ability this week without Miles Austin. Well, Romo has played without Austin before and has done a good job, mainly because Laurent Robinson has been a solid replacement. Romo has thrown at least one TD in 7 of 8 games and should throw a few more this week. Buffalo's defense is very weak against the run, but they haven't been very good against the pass either. Romo still has solid targets without Austin so don't feel too down on Romo because his #1 WR is out.
Sit 'em:
Christian Ponder: He's shown a lot of ability and may be Minnesota's future QB, but don't expect him to have a solid day at Green Bay. His worst of 3 games came against the Packers, even though he threw for a career high 2 TDs. He completed only 40% of his passes, threw 2 INTs, and pass for just over 200 yards. Unless he throws for 2 more TDs, which I don't see happening, he's not going to get solid points through total yardage. Despite what you may have seen from Green Bay's defense in the second half of the 4th quarter against the San Diego Chargers, they are getting better. The best hope for Ponder owners are the Packers put up enough points on the board again they will allow more garbage yards and TDs from the opposing QB.
Andy Dalton: He's having a solid rookie campaign, but he has yet to face a defense like the Steelers. The 49ers defense does lead the NFL in points allowed so you could view them as the best defense, even about Pittsburgh. The 49ers rank 22nd against the pass though and they're not relentless blitzers like the Steelers. Still, Dalton was 17/32 for 157 yards and threw 2 INTs against the 49ers in week three.
RBs:
Start 'em:
DeMarco Murray: Like I said earlier in the season, there is always one RB that comes off the bench and lights the NFL on fire. Just look to Larry Johnson and Arian Foster in the past. Murray has stepped into that role this year for the Cowboys. Murray has stepped up in a huge way and by now, even when Felix Jones is healthy, the starting job will belong to Murray. The Bills allow 4.6 YPG and Murray averages 3.1 YAC. Read that one more time, that is 3.1 yards after contact. That number is tops for all RBs with at least 40 carries. Murray is going to put up some solid yards and may pick up his second TD of the year.
Michael Bush: Because I had the luxury of watching him play last night so I can feel confident saying you will have scored well if you played him. Can't give myself a freebie?
Maurice Jones-Drew: He's been the only bright spot for Jacksonville's offense and he has a solid chance at his second 100-yard rushing game of the year against the Indianapolis Colts. We already know the Colts won't score so the Jaguars will control the game on the ground by using MJD often against the league's 31st ranked run defense.
Sit 'em:
James Starks: The Minnesota Vikings have a solid run defense and despite Starks being an effective runner, he just doesn't get enough carries to make a big play. He has run for over 80 yards since week two and hasn't scored a TD since opening night.
Jackie Battle: His rushing totals have declined in each of his four games and Denver does have a decent run defense. Only Darren McFadden and Ryan Matthews have run for 100 yards or more against Denver. While Denver's run defense ranks 15th in total rushing allowed, they only allow 3.9 YPC, ranking 7th in the NFL.
WRs:
Start 'em:
Antonio Brown: He continues to get more targets and has caught 21 passes for 278 yards and a TD in the past three games. With Leon Hall expected to be matched up against Mike Wallace this week, Ben Roethlisberger should be looking Brown's way often.
Brandon Marshall: His play improved greatly last week, but the biggest reason to start him is because the ball is being forced his way. Miami will move him around and he'll be matched up against DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson. Hall is a very good CB, but neither Hall or Wilson have the height to match up with Marshall and both lack Marshall's physicality. Marshall may not score a TD, but he'll get his yards and receptions. His value climbs higher in PPR leagues.
Sit 'em:
Larry Fitzgerald: He has a tough matchup against Nnamdi Asomugha, but he'll have John Skelton throwing the ball to him as well. It's sad to see a top 3 WR struggle because of the players around him.
Brandon Lloyd: In the long run, he'll probably be a huge gain for the Rams, but his timing with injured QB Sam Bradford hasn't been right yet. He's going up against Joe Haden this week against the Cleveland Browns, one of the top young CBs in the NFL. He'll be playing on Cleveland's natural grass on Sunday and the winds are expected to be high, which will limit his deep threat ability.
TEs:
Start 'em:
Owen Daniels: He hasn't wowed the NFL with his stats, but he leads the Houston Texans in targets and more importantly, red zone targets. The Buccaneers have also allowed the 6th most fantasy points to TEs this year. Daniels has a good chance to surpass 50 yards and score a TD this week.
Jimmy Graham: If you haven't been starting him on a weekly basis, trade him to me.
Brent Celek: He's finally being used again in the Eagles offense and their offense is doing better when Celek is involved in the passing game. In a game against a weak Arizona defense, expect Celek to continue getting plenty of targets and yards.
Sit 'em:
Anthony Fasano: It's easy to play the hot hand and many may want to play him because they think Miami just discovered what he can do after his 2-TD game against the Chiefs, but the fact of the matter is Fasano just isn't a big part of the passing offense. He still only has 12 receptions for the year and even though he had 2 TDs last week, he still finished with only 38 receiving yards. Don't get pulled in because of one game.
Vernon Davis: He's been inconsistent in production and has only surpassed 50 yards once this season and he's gone a month without a TD. The Giants, who play in a division with very good TEs, have allowed the 6th fewest fantasy points to opposing TEs.
Miami Dolphins Sleeper of the Week:
Reggie Bush: He's been doing much better of the past four weeks and the Redskins rank 20th against the run, but the biggest factor holding Bush back is Dolphin RB Daniel Thomas. Thomas appears to be 100% healthy for the first time this season and may steal carries from Bush, especially at the goal line.
Note: I would've chosen Marshall for Miami's Sleeper of the Week, but I chose not to since I listed him above.