Thursday Start/Sit Part II - Don’t Forget To Start Hester Tonight

Start

Brett Favre, QB MIN - I try to stay away from the obvious ones, but Favre is coming off a bye week and getting a defense that has already allowed four 300+ yard passing performances this season. It is entirely possible that the Lions will get a healthy dose of the Vikings rushing attack, but Favre should be able to pass for yards in chunks against the Lions this week. Even a modest showing from Favre will likely net you 200 yards and a couple touchdowns.

Laurence Maroney. RB NE - The Colts are allowing over a hundred yards on the ground per game this season and Maroney has been playing well lately. He got 20 carries for 82 yards last week against Miami and has three touchdowns in his last three games. What I think makes Maroney even more attractive is that smart teams run against Indianapolis to keep Peyton Manning on the sideline as much as possible. The Patriots are a smart team. Look for Maroney to get more than 20 carries on Sunday.

Devin Hester, WR CHI - In his first full season as the “man” on the outside for the Bears, Hester only has two games where he failed to get at least 75 yards receiving. With Cutler under center, you know that offense is capable of moving the ball through the air. The 49ers have a stingy run defense, so Cutler will use that as an excuse to air it out in the Thursday night game. In leagues where you can get points for return yards, Hester is invaluable.

Kellen Winslow, TE TB - The Dolphins struggle mightily against tight ends. Dallas Clark, Tony Gonzalez, Dustin Keller and Jeremy Shockey all had good fantasy days against this defense. Also helping things is the fact that Josh Freeman seems to have decided that he is going to get the ball to Winslow. Look for a good day from the former Hurricane returning to his old stomping grounds.

Arizona Cardinals, DEF - Maybe it is because I have been playing with the Cardinals a lot recently on Madden, but I have a very good feeling about this unit these days. The safeties are playing at a very high level, and between Darnell Dockett and Karlos Dansby, this defense seems capable of wreaking havoc at each level. The Seahawks are not a terrible offense, but it all hinges on Matt Hasselbeck doing it all by himself. The Cards will not let that happen in this divisional matchup.

Sit

Carson Palmer, QB CIN - I never thought I would put him here, but I am doing it more because I think this will be a low-scoring affair with the difference being the ground attack of the Bengals. The Steelers defense is simply nasty. Opposing quarterbacks have struggled recently against this unit that has Troy Polamalu back healthy. Expect Palmer to be held in check this week.

Kevin Smith, RB DET - Any running back that goes up against the Vikings defensive line is a “Sit” recommendation. Smith will not find a lot of running room against the Williams’ brothers though I do expect he will collect some receiving yards in the process of Stafford running for his life. Give Smith the week off and hope he stays healthy--his matchups improve down the stretch.

Santana Moss, WR WAS - Moss has been a disappointment all season, with the quarterback and offensive line struggling to give the passing game any help at all. What’s worse, he will find himself locked up against Champ Bailey. Even if you think Champ has lost a step, he knows the lay of the land in D.C. and he will be looking to have a big day against his former team.

Tony Scheffler, TE DEN - The Redskins defense has handled tight ends well all season. Tony Gonzalez managed 5 catches for 41 yards and a touchdown against them--but that represents the best game an opposing tight end has had against them. If you have another tight end, I suggest you use him.

Green Bay Packers, DEF - I had to make them a “Sit” recommendation. I have been advising you to start them all season and it has pretty much backfired every time. They have not fulfilled the promise I saw in them this preseason when they manufactured turnovers and interceptions with ease and at will. Their matchup against the Cowboys does not look great, as Romo is really starting to get hot.