It’s Week 10 of the 2011 NFL season which means there are no bye weeks. Not only do you get to watch every team play today but you don’t have to worry about which players on your fantasy team are on a bye. This is good news, especially for people who have been screwed by the bye weeks in the past, but you still need to go through your lineup and make decisions on who should start and who shouldn’t. Some players have better matchups than others and not having bye weeks can make the decision on who to start a little harder sometimes.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Start Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes Vs. Patriots
Having trouble decided who to start and sit on your fantasy football team in Week 10? Maybe this will help.
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Here’s some advice that may help.
Quarterbacks:
| Matthew Stafford QB Detroit Lions -- Start |
Matthew Stafford and the Lions take on the Bears in Chicago this weekend which means that Stafford will be slinging Calvin Johnson the ball while they face the No. 26 defense against the pass in the NFL. He's guaranteed to at least throw one touchdown to Calvin Johnson and there's a decent chance he'll throw a couple more. The Lions aren't great when it comes to running the ball and that will definitely be true against Chicago's defense so expect Stafford and the Lions to throw quite a bit.
Start him this week.
| Ben Roethlisberger QB Pittsburgh Steelers -- Sit |
The Steelers have transformed into a passing team and Ben Roethlisberger has become a weekly fantasy starter but you should sit him this week. The Steelers play in Cincinnati against the Bengals and their very tough defense. The Bengals have one of the better pass rushes in the league and one of the Steelers biggest weaknesses is their ability to protect their quarterback. He may not be sacked 10 times but I expect him to be under pressure all day long and that will affect his numbers. This will be a low scoring game so try to find a better matchup elsewhere.
Running Backs:
| Steven Jackson RB St. Louis Rams -- Start |
Don’t get freaked out by Cleveland’s defensive ranking in this matchup. They’re still No. 30 against the run and Steven Jackson has rushed for just under 300 yards and two touchdowns in the last two weeks. The Rams are having trouble moving the ball through the air so they’ll probably turn to the run game in Cleveland to try to get their second win of the season. Neither team is very good but Jackson is on a hot streak and deserves to be started.
| BenJarvus Green-Ellis RB New England Patriots -- Sit |
BenJarvus Green-Ellis shredded the Jets defense in Week 5 for 136 yards and two touchdowns but that won’t happen again in Week 10. The Jets still have a solid defense and they’re not going to allow the law firm to run them over twice in one season. Besides, this is a big game for the Jets who need this win to stay in the hunt for the AFC East championship.
Find a better matchup than Green-Ellis in Week 10.
Wide Receivers:
| Plaxico Burress/Santonio Holmes WR New York Jets -- Start |
The pass defense of the New England Patriots is really, really bad. Even though the Jets favor the run over passing the ball, I expect them to sling it around a little more than usual when they play the Patriots. New York has two very talented wide receivers in Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes and you should consider starting either of them this weekend.
| Dez Bryant WR Dallas Cowboys -- Sit |
The Bills might not be the best team at stopping the pass but with Miles Austin ruled out in their upcoming game against the Cowboys, the Bills secondary can focus all their attention on Dez Bryant. Bryant hasn't been too terribly impressive in the past month as he's only managed to find the end zone once. The Bills will likely try as hard as they can to make sure he doesn't get in the end zone again in Week 10.
Tight Ends:
| Greg Olsen TE Carolina Panthers -- Start |
Greg Olsen gets a lot of target in the red zone from Cam Newton and the Titans have given up quite a few touchdowns to tight ends in the last few weeks. We also saw last week that Olsen can be used to stretch the field a little. Olsen is a good tight end to start, especially if your other tight end is playing against a good defense.
| Jermaine Gresham TE Cincinnati Bengals -- Sit |
Jermaine Gresham is one of the most physically gifted tight ends in the league and he's a great mismatch in the red zone, but he's missed the last two weeks due to a hamstring injury and he's not quite at 100 percent yet. If he plays on Sunday it's because Donald Lee, the team's backup tight end, is likely out with an injured foot. Gresham probably isn't worth playing until he's back in good health.
Oh and the Bengals are facing the Steelers defense in Week 10.
Defenses:
| Philadelphia Eagles -- Start |
If Kevin Kolb plays, he won't be at 100 percent and if he doesn't John Skelton will play. Either way, this is a favorable matchup for the Eagles defense. Start them this week.
| New York Jets -- Sit |
Yeah, they’re good but they’re also playing against one of the best offenses in the NFL. I wouldn’t start any defense against the Patriots, even if they were playing at home. Find a better matchup for Week 10.
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