#ThumbsUp!
Mark Sanchez (QB, New York Jets) – Hopefully your quarterback situation isn’t bad since there aren’t any teams on bye this week, but if you had crappy options to begin with, then you could definitely do worse than Sanchez. The Jets take on the Patriots in East Rutherford, and Sanchez had one of his best games this year when the two faced off a month ago. A repeat performance should be in store as the Jets look to even the season series.
Matt Ryan (QB, Atlanta Falcons) – As everyone knows by now, Ryan is a much better player in home games. This week the Falcons host the Saints, and the game figures to be a shootout. If Ryan can continue to improve his connection with rookie wideout Julio Jones then the Falcons’ offense can become very dangerous.
Chris Johnson (RB, Tennessee Titans) – I put him here because he isn’t an automatic, no-brainer start at this point in the season. CJ has been downright awful so far, topping 65 rushing yards in just one of his eight games. He did show signs of life last week with 110 total yards on 18 touches, and his Titans take on the Panthers and their worst-ranked fantasy rushing defense in week 10. Watch Johnson rack up big points for your squad this week and then trade him away at his peak value.
Ben Tate (RB, Houston Texans) – Most people have probably cut him by now, but Tate has still got some sneaky-good rushing totals even after Arian Foster came back from injury. Tate’s season average of 5.7 yards per rush is tops in the league among guys with more than 80 carries, and he quietly put up over 100 yards in two of his past three games. Houston plays Tampa Bay this week, a team who has been destroyed by opposing running backs in their past two games (Chicago, New Orleans). Foster is still the guy you want for the Texans, but Tate is proving to be quite useful as well.
Antonio Brown (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers) – Brown has been top-notch ever since he effectively replaced Hines Ward as the Steelers’ number two receiver. He has double digit fantasy points in three straight games, including last week against Baltimore’s strong defensive group. This week Pittsburgh has a key AFC North matchup against Cincinnati, who has shutdown cornerback Leon Hall. The good news is that Hall should stick to speedster Mike Wallace, leaving Brown to pick apart the rest of the Bengals’ defense.
Any Packers’ Pass Catcher – At this point it’s obvious that Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley deserve to be started every week. But this Sunday, when the Packers do battle with the Vikings for the second time in four weeks, you can dig even deeper than that if you’re feeling desperate. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a machine in week seven against the Vikes as he completed 80% of his passes, and you can expect much of the same this time around. So Jordy Nelson and James Jones make for decent flex plays, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Randall Cobb or Donald Driver struck end zone gold as well.
Greg Olsen (TE, Carolina Panthers) – Olsen is underrated to begin with, but this week he should take advantage of a great situation. The Panthers’ opponent for week 10 is the Tennessee Titans, who have given up five tight end touchdowns in their past five games.
Jacksonville Jaguars defense – Colts’ quarterback Curtis Painter has some serious flaws, and the most apparent one is his inability to handle pressure. In the games since he took over for the injured Kerry Collins, Painter has looked like a decent player against poor pass-rushing teams and a train wreck against teams that bring the heat. He faces the Jaguars this week, who are ninth in the league in sacks. Not only will the Jags add to their sack total, but they’ll also hurry some throws and contribute a few more interceptions as well.
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#ThumbsDown
Josh Freeman (QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Freeman has done a great “Jekyll and Hyde” impersonation this year, having four games with a QB rating over 90 but also three under 60. This week against the Texans looks like another bad game for him, as Houston allows roughly 10 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
Brandon Jacobs (RB, New York Giants) – After the news came out that Giants’ starter Ahmad Bradshaw would be sidelined for the second week in a row, Jacobs looked like a good replacement option. He rumbled in for a 10-yard touchdown last week in New England, finished with 100 total yards and third-string running back D.J. Ware was practically invisible. So why does he find himself in #ThumbsDown this week? It’s because of the Giants’ matchup with the 49ers, who allow less than nine fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. The San Francisco defense, led by tackling-machines NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis, has yet to give up a rushing touchdown. I don’t like Jacobs’ odds this Sunday.
Larry Fitzgerald (WR, Arizona Cardinals) – The Eagles’ “dream team” obviously isn’t all it was made out to be, but there’s no denying that cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel are among the cream of the crop at their position. With Kevin Kolb already ruled out for this week, Fitz has to work with Cardinals’ backup John Skelton once again. The two did manage a fourth quarter touchdown against the Rams last week, but Skelton had a lot of trouble completing passes to Fitzgerald earlier in the game. If you have other decent options at wide receiver this week I would seriously mull them over.