Week 11 Start/Sit: Who Has Best Matchups Down The Stretch?

Start Them

Quarterbacks

Eli Manning: Eli looked like he was back on track against San Diego and now after the bye week his foot should be feeling pretty good. Atlanta’s pass defense is 28th in the league and have yet to really shut down a quarterback this year. Unless the weather is bad I see Manning having a very good game.

Matt Hasselbeck: The Seahawks won’t be able to run on Minnesota so they’ll need to pass. The Vikings should also be able to move the ball on Seattle which will keep Hasselbeck passing all game. The Vikings rank 25th in fantasy points given up to QB’s and they’ve played some real duds in Quinn, Stafford, Hill and Boller.

Running Backs

Bernard Scott: He looked great in the preseason, but Cedric Benson went ahead and ran like a man possessed, but now Benson is hurting and probably won’t go against Oakland. Benson owners are sad about that, but if you picked up Scott you are pretty happy right now. Oakland has been horrid against the run. Scott didn’t have a great game in relief of Benson last week, but that was the #1 rushing defense in Pittsburgh. Things look a lot better against the 30th ranked defense in Oakland.

Pierre Thomas: Look for a bounce back game from Thomas this weekend against Tampa Bay. Last week was a trap game against St. Louis and the Rams actually came to play. The Saints should be ready to go this game and Pierre Thomas is still the main back. Get him in your lineup.

Start

Matt Schaub, QB HOU - Much like the beginning of the season, the stretch leading up to the playoffs is about putting the right matchups into your starting lineup. Despite his recent woes against Buffalo and Indianapolis and the lack of Owen Daniels, Schaub still is my start recommendation against a weak pass defense in Tennessee. They lead the league in passing touchdowns allowed, and the Texans are very capable of moving the ball through the air. Expect to see Schaub rebound nicely this week and put up the kind of stats you are used to seeing after his name.

Last week I asked if Larry Johnson had any fantasy value left. Now that he is in Cincinnati, are the Bengals worried about Cedric Benson? Forget, Johnson and cuff Benson with Bernard Scott.

Speaking of handcuffs, as we had into the home stretch, this is the time to make the most of your roster depth. Bye weeks are over, so package depth for talent which have good play-off match-ups. Make sure you cuff your stud RBs, as teams who are playoff locks will likely rest their stars.