Below is our Start and Bench Advice for Week 13 of the 2008 Fantasy Football season. Our "Who To Start & Who To Bench" advice is loaded with fantasy football player projections, fantasy analysis and straight up bold predictions.
Also, be sure to check out all of our updated Week 13 Player Projections, which are updated right up until kickoff. For previous Start Bench Advice, click here.
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Tim Hightower’s 11-for-21 performance against the Giants last week was saved by the fact that he scored on two short TD runs. This week he faces another tough run defense in the Eagles and I expect similar yardage on the ground for the rookie running back – whether he scores twice this time is debatable. Personally, I’d sit him here and play Larry Johnson, a guy who seems to be running well after coming back from suspension. His 81 yards of rushing offense last week came on only 7 carries – and had the Chiefs not fallen out of that game so quickly, he likely would have had some big numbers. In his first meeting with Oakland in week 2, Johnson had 12 rushes for 22 yards – I don’t expect that to happen again. This time around I see about 75 yards rushing and a score.
Both of these players are extremely good matchups, but I have to go with Thomas Jones here. Not only is he one of the hottest running backs in football right now, but a matchup with that Denver defense (aka, “the sieve”) is a dream come true. Heck, Jones just shredded one of the top defenses in football, the Titans, for 117 total yards and a touchdown – I expect him to surpass those numbers this week.
I am not a fan of Bernard Berrian or that Minnesota passing game. Berrian has averaged 3 targets over the last three weeks, so if he and Frerotte don’t hook up on a long pass play or two you are basically looking at a 2-25 day out of Berrian. On the other hand you have Lance Moore, a player who has emerged slowly over the course of this season to become an integral part of that explosive Saints offense. And if you are afraid of the matchup with the Tampa Bay defense, don’t be – we heard all this same stuff last week when the Saints had to play the “shutdown” Green Bay secondary – how’d that work out? The Saints pass offense is hard to stop, so put Moore in your lineup with confidence.
Flex Question:
Harry Douglas is going to have to get more consistent week in and week out before I suggest you play him over a stud like Steve Slaton. Slaton has run well against even the best run stoppers, so this week’s matchup with Jacksonville should be nothing to scare you away – especially considering the Texans play at home. Slaton should be right around 100 yards and have a score in this one.
It’s time to dedicate some of our content to dynasty formats. With the 2008 Fantasy Football Season coming to a close for some of you redraft leaguers out there, we have decided to talk about some players that we think you should target right now before their values climb heading into the final weeks. Don’t miss out on building up your 2009 dynasty starting line-up — There are bargains to be had right now (Joseph Addai for example) and there are players to sell-high (Thomas Jones for example). If you’re out of the running for the 2008 fantasy football playoffs in your league, use the final fantasy weeks to build yourself a better 2009 and beyond.
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Bargain-Type Dynasty Players To Target Right NowThere is still a lot of football to be played, and there are a few guys that come to mind, but if I have to pick just one, I think Maurice Jones-Drew will be a great bargain next season. For as good a season as he has had so far, I still think it is only the tip of the iceberg and it’s my feeling he gets the full-time job for good next year. Yeah, I know, we thought the same thing this year and it hasn’t really happened yet. I think we’ll know more about the direction this team will take with him over the five weeks, but when they finally decide to put him at the centerpiece of this offense (ala Marion Barber or Michael Turner) – it will yield a top 5 back that can be had somewhere in rounds 3-4 next season. Especially when you consider all of the new blood at the RB position, with guys like Michael Turner, Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, Steve Slaton and others pushing their way into rounds 1 and 2. Stud-Type Dynasty Players To Target Right NowAgain, just like every other season, there are high first rounders that underperform relative to that value and drop down into the bottom of the first and early second rounds the following season. Next year, I think Marshawn Lynch is one of those guys that may drop further than he should. He is still very young – it will only be his third season next year – and is playing on a good team with a good surrounding cast, and no one can deny his talent. It is also a fact Buffalo is not a place you go to get famous, so a little luster is lost there as well. Make no mistake though – Lynch is the real deal and an ideal player to build a dynasty team around. There is still the potential for Lynch to gain some of that value back over the last five games, but I doubt he gets any higher than the bottom of the first round with all the competition at the RB position, and he is worth more than that in my opinion. |
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