Here’s a list of not-so-obvious players to start and sit in Week 11.
START
KENNY BRITT (TEN-WR): The rookie put his size and leaping ability on grand display last week by hauling in a 38-yard strike from Vince Young last week. Britt only finished with two receptions due to Chris Johnson’s exploits in the ground game. This week, though, Johnson’s running won’t be enough to subdue a high-flying Houston team that can put up points. Look for the former Scarlet Knight to become a bigger part of the passing game with Justin Gage out with a back injury.
CADILLAC WILLIAMS (TB-RB): New Orleans much-improved defense has taken some hits over the past few weeks with the loss of DT Sedrick Ellis, DT Kenrick Clancy, and CB Tracy Porter to injury. As a result, the likes of Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams, and Steven Jackson have been able to gash the battered unit for 151, 149 and 131 yards respectively. While (Cadillac) Williams isn’t in the same stratosphere as the aforementioned trio, he still has the speed to take advantage holes along the line of scrimmage. A 90-yard performance with a touchdown is certainly possible in this spot.
BERNARD SCOTT (CIN-RB): While Larry Johnson has been getting all the attention this week by signing on with the Bengals, the one who’ll get the majority of reps in place of Cedric Benson (who will almost certainly miss one game due to a hip injury) is a small school phenom from Abilene-Christian. Scott scored on a 96-yard kickoff return versus Pittsburgh, but couldn’t find much room in the running game with a top-notch Steeler run defense on the other side of the line. Things get easier this Sunday versus the Oakland Raiders who are tied with the Buffalo Bills in allowing the most rushing touchdowns with 14 so far.
MARSHAWN LYNCH (BUF-RB): A changing of the guard with Perry Fewell taking over for Dick Juaron as the new head coach in Buffalo should motivate a lowly Bills offense to sharpen its focus and pick up its play. The spark brought on by changing coaches at the mid-season mark is often a temporary elixir for an ailing bunch. Lynch has been improving his yards-per-carry average over the past two weeks and could very well be the beneficiary of a short-lived resurgence. The fact that this week’s opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, rank in the lower third of run defenses also helps.
JOE FLACCO (BAL-QB): Jersey Joe hasn’t put up the big numbers of late. In recent games versus Denver and Cleveland, he’s been able to lean on his defense to carry the team to victory, while he controlled the game with his efficient style of play. The second-year signal caller will not be afforded that luxury versus Indy. In fact, Flacco will have to air it out more than usual to keep pace with Peyton Manning and company. The good news is that the Colts continue to be banged up in their secondary. Rookies Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey will man the corner spots, while Melvin Bullitt fills in for Bob Sanders, who’s out for the season.
BEN WATSON (NE-TE): Blessed with good speed and the ability to catch the ball in traffic, Watson is a quality tight end that’s woefully underutilized. This may be a week, however, where Tom Brady gives him a few more looks due to Randy Moss being occupied with CB Darrelle Revis. After Moss and Wes Welker, The Pats don’t exactly have a plethora of options in the passing game.
SIT
MARK SANCHEZ (NYJ-QB): After a promising start, the rookie’s season has clearly spiraled downward. Last week’s matchup versus Jacksonville seemed like the perfect opportunity for Sanchez to get back on track, but the young triggerman only continued to make bad decisions and throw costly picks. Things won’t get any better this week versus a stout New England defense that ranks third in fewest points allowed per game (16.7). With the exception of one game this season, the ex-Trojan has completed less than 50-percent of his passes.
OAKLAND RAIDER RBs: The 7-2 Bengals are on a roll and routinely shutting down opposing running backs (see Ray Rice, Rashard Mendenhall, et al.). Cincy’s front seven is dominating the line of scrimmage and will look to key in on Oakland’s trio of backs (Darren McFadden, Michael Bush, and Justin Fargas) given the fact that the Raiders have nothing at quarterback.
JERIOUS NORWOOD (ATL-RB): While Jason Snelling and Norwood are slated to split carries this week versus the Giants, the latter hasn’t played in a month as the result of a hip strain. Prior to that, Norwood had been afflicted by the after-effects of a concussion. Leaving the speed back on the bench to gauge if he’s back to last year’s level of play would be the prudent thing to do.
Check out more from the Fantasy Football Insiders at NFL Draft Bible
