Start'em or Sit'em - Week 12

Byes: No byes for the rest of the season!

Start’em

Jeff Garcia, Buccaneers. Real life often imitates Fantasy football. In Garcia’s case, he does not rank very high on the list of NFL quarterbacks, but he should. He has scored big against a couple of the best defenses in the league. This week the Buccaneers play the Lions—a great match up for Garcia. You also should start Garcia, because the game is indoors and the Bucs are missing starting running back Earnest Graham. Warrick Dun will start and he gives Garcia another weapon in the passing game. Look for over 300 yards from Garcia on Sunday.

Eli Manning, Giants. If I am a part of the Giants’ organization, the game this Sunday with Arizona scares me. The travel, the crowd noise, and the Cardinals’ offense are against the Giants. Starting running back Brandon Jacobs might not play. The great thing for Eli Manning owners is that this game will be a high scoring affair. The prediction is another 35 plus point game for the Giants with Eli throwing for at least 2 touchdowns.

Matt Forte, Bears. Surprisingly, as a rookie running back, Forte has been the most consistent offensive player for the Bears. He probably is the team’s MVP for the 2008 season. He can hurt a defense in the passing game as well. The Rams defense has been terrible. In the last two games, they have been down by over 30 points at half time. Forte is going to have a monster Fantasy game; my only concern is that he might only play three quarters of the game.

LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers. San Diego has been very good at home this year. They might go 8-8 and win all their home games and lose all of their road games. LT has not had his normal statistical year, but it was about this time last year that San Diego made a run and that Tomlinson started dominating games. Plus, the Colts’ defense looks to be without the highly regarded run stopping safety Bob Sanders. Start LT and look for over 100 yards in total offense.

Roddy White, Falcons. The Falcons best wide receiver is having a great year. He is definitely a Pro Bowl selection and maybe an All Pro if he finishes the season with a flurry. However, fans are complaining about his dropped touchdown pass against Denver. By accepting the blame in interviews after the game, White probably earned more respect with coaches and teammates. Look for him to get a ton of targets this week and to redeem himself with a huge game in the Falcons biggest game in a long time.

Sit’em

Jason Campbell, Redskins. In the last two games, Campbell has faced tough defenses, but I am not sure that is why he is playing poorly. On offense, a few of the key Redskins’ players are injured and not playing that well. Portis and Santana Moss are hurting and they were guys making the big plays for Campbell earlier in the season. With a still hostile Seahawks’ home crowd and unpredictable weather against him, sit Campbell this week.

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars. I know MJD has scored nine touchdowns in the past six games, but this match up against the Vikings’ defense is going to slow him down. Yards in the running game are going to be hard to come by for the Jaguars. Also, this time of year is usually when Fred Taylor starts running well. The Jaguars are basically out of playoff contention and the Vikings are a desperate team playing with a chance to still win the division.

Ronnie Brown, Dolphins. The best overall Fantasy game of the year was Brown’s performance in the first Dolphins versus Patriots game--the rebirth of the Wildcat Formation in NFL circles. Brown ran, passed, and handed off in a big win for the Dolphins. New England and Coach Belichick have had a three extra days to prepare for the Dolphins. That is a bad situation and match up for Brown this weekend.

Brian Westbrook, Eagles. The Ravens were embarrassed last week by the Giants’ running attack. Usually, I think that the pride factor for NFL players is over stated, but not in the case of the Ravens. Both defenses should dominate the offenses in this game. Plus, Westbrook with his sore ribs is always one big hit away from being out of the game. If you have viable options at running back this week, consider sitting Westbrook.

Justin Gage, Titans. Quarterback Kerry Collins has found a favorite wide receiver in the Titans’ passing attack. Gage has been hot for the past two weeks, but this Sunday he runs into a Jets’ defensive secondary that is playing at a high level. Yes, they gave up 400 passing yards to Matt Cassel last week, but Gage is not Randy Moss or Wes Welker for that matter. Cornerback Darelle Revis for the Jets should blanket Gage for most of the day.

My Picks

@Steelers -10.5 Bengals - Steelers
@Ravens -1.5 Eagles - Ravens
Buccaneers -8.5 @Lions - Buccaneers
@Browns -3 Texans - Texans
@Jaguars -2 Vikings - Vikings
Bills -3 @Chiefs - Chiefs
Bears -8.5 @Rams - Bears
@Dolphins -2 Patriots - Dolphins
@Titans -4.5 Jets - Jets
@Cowboys -10 Niners - Cowboys
@Broncos -9.5 Raiders - Raiders
Redskins -3.5 @Seahawks - Seahawks
Giants -3 @Cardinals - Giants
@Falcons -1 Panthers - Panthers
@Chargers -2.5 Colts - Chargers
@Saints -2.5 Packers - Saints