Week 13 Sit/Start: Mendenhall Is The Play Against The Raiders

Quarterbacks:

Donovan McNabb: He’s without DeSean Jackson, but Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin have stepped up recently. Add to that Lesean McCoy who has good hands, and the Atlanta Falcons pass defense has given up an average of 278 yards passing in the last 5 games and you have a nice situation.

Carson Palmer: He had a great matchup last week and barely threw the ball. This week against Detroit, who actually has a worse pass defense than Cleveland, we should see him be more effective. The Bengals will want to get the passing game on track and Detroit is the easiest team in the league to do that to.

Running Backs

Rashard Mendenhall: The Steelers have lost three in a row and will be ready to take their frustrations out on somebody. The Raiders are somebody, but not somebody that is good at stopping the run. In the last 5 games they have allowed 180 yards rushing per game! The Steelers will try to limit Big Ben’s vulnerability by pounding the rock. Mendenhall should have a huge game.

Jamaal Charles: Charles was the best running back on the Chiefs at the start of the season, but sadly Coach Haley had to learn that for himself. Charles gets a Denver defense that has been trending downward since their hot start, but mainly in the rush defense. In the last 5 games the Broncos have given up 146 yards a game on the ground. And even if the Broncos get up, Charles still gets work in the passing game, so he should be a safe play.

Wide Receivers

Jason Avant: Avant has been getting a lot of looks from McNabb as the slot receiver, but with Desean Jackson probably out, Avant will see time out wide and in the slot. Besides some of Jackson’s looks going to Avant, he also gets an Atlanta pass defense that in the last 6 games has given up an average of 276 passing yards and a total of 13 passing touchdowns. Get Avant in your lineup.

Steve Smith (CAR): He hasn’t been that great for you this year, but against a bad Tampa Bay pass defense that has their best corner hurting, this could be his day. Matt Moore can’t be any worse than Jake Delhomme has been and Smith still has the skill to be a great wide receiver.

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco: The Packer secondary is legit. Flacco has had glimmers of brilliance, but not this Monday night. Charles Woodson will take away Flacco’s security blanket, Derrick Mason, and the rest will be Ray Rice on the ground.

Vince Young: Vinsanity may have taken you over, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Young is showing that he is a good quarterback, but Chris Johnson is still the main attraction in Tennessee. Don’t expect games like last week every week. The Colts pass D is young, but they are good.

Running Backs

Kevin Smith: He just hasn’t been running with much authority this year. He’s been banged up, but even when somewhat healthy he hasn’t looked explosive. I had more hope for him than this. The Bengals have been tough against the run this year. In the last 5 games they have only given up 64 yards on the ground per game. Don’t expect Smith to do much.

Beanie Wells: He’s my favorite Cardinals running back, but Minnesota is stout against the run. The Cardinals will probably throw a lot which means Tim Hightower will get a lot of work. The Vikings have only given up one rushing touchdown in the last 5 games. Be wary.

Wide Receivers

Kenny Britt: He had a breakout game against the Cardinals last week and Young likes him a lot, but I think the Colts will look to really bottle him up and make Young look elsewhere. He will get his chances, but don’t rely on him this week.

Chris Chambers: He has been a pleasant surprise for the Chiefs since acquiring him. He is their number one, but Champ Bailey and the rest of Denver’s pass defense is still very good. They are only allowing 186 yards per game through the air and 7 passing touchdowns all season.