Sit em, Start em – Week Six
Start Em
Andre Johnson – After breaking out in week five Andre Johnson needs to be started in all leagues. Admittedly I was probably higher on him than most coming into this season but it seems like he has finally got comfortable in the Colts offense after spending his whole career in Houston as he stated on the post game panel. Andre Johnson has legit WR1 upside in this offense albeit with a WR4 floor. Start him where possible.
Kamar Aiken – Kamar Aiken seems like a solid start this week despite the impending return of Steve Smith as many will be dealing with bye week crunches and will be in need of a flex or starting option. As stated before Aiken is getting better every week and should be at least a flex2 option in deeper leagues, bye weeks or not, until Breshad Perriman returns. Start Aiken where needed.
Charcandrick West – Charcandrick West is slated to be the starter for the Chiefs following Jamaal Charles’ torn ACL and is a RB2 option in all league formats. West is also a strong DFS play this week at DraftKings and should be in all redraft lineups this week for those of you lucky enough to have him already or to nab him off of waivers this week. Andy Reid himself has stated that West is the most similar to Charles on the roster and thus he should soak up most of his touches with Davis playing short yardage situations. Start West everywhere.
Marshawn Lynch – Marshawn is due back this week and slides right back into RB1 and must start status. Get Lynch in lineups this week without hesitation.
Antonio Gates – In case you missed Monday Night Football, Antonio Gates is back, is a TE1 and is a weekly must start regardless of matchup but has an especially juicy matchup against a Packers defense that has never been good at stopping him and in a matchup where Philip Rivers will likely have to throw a ton to keep pace with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers high octane offense.
Matthew Stafford – For better or worse this week’s matchup versus the Bears seems like one where Stafford can finally get on track against a Bears team that appears to be mailing it in. Stafford has been a major disappointment this season and is in danger of falling out of the QB1 picture all together if he cannot get back on track in short order. Expect a bounce back performance this week as Stafford sees a much easier defense than he had to contend with the past two weeks.
Sit Em
Isaiah Crowell – Crowell is becoming more and more of a gameflow and TD dependent boom or bust weekly start at running back and it is time owners start to look for other options including this week’s hottest pickups and one of our ‘starts’ of the week in Charcandrick West. Crowell remains the most talented runner on this team but is playing on one of the worst teams in the league and will thus be playing from behind most weeks thereby limiting his touches and losing snaps to hot pickup Duke Johnson Jr. Sit Crowell where possible.
Rashad Jennings – Rashad Jennings continues to lose touches in the Giants backfield and should eventually be pushed to third string behind the more talented Shane Vereen and the frustrating but exciting Andre Williams. Jennings has not topped 52 rushing yards on the season and is averaging just over two receptions per game. Jennings should be benched in all but the deepest of leagues despite the bye week.
Donte Moncrief – After Andre Johnson’s coming out party one has to believe he will finally be more involved in the offense going forward. Andrew Luck looked legitimately excited on the sidelines seeing Andre Johnson’s success and I look for him to look to get this first ballot hall of famer more involved in the passing game after witnessing firsthand that he does indeed have gas left in the tank. Johnson presumed ascension up the depth chart will invariably mean less targets for Donte Moncrief so we suggest sitting him where possible while we take a week to look at target distribution numbers following AJ’s breakout game in a Colts uniform.
Travis Benjamin – Despite his weekly mega upside Benjamin possesses a bench floor and thus is not a suggested start against an elite Broncos defense. It may be tough to sit him if you are in a bye week pinch but we suggest looking hard at other options this week for this boom or bust play.
Kyle Rudolph – Despite my weekly rankings love for him, including this week, Rudolph is a boom or bust weekly play and should not be starting in most leagues. Sit him until Bridgewater wisens up and includes this behemoth in the offense more consistently.
Sam Bradford – One of the biggest disappointments at the quarterback position this season Sam Bradford should be on benches in what seems like it could be another classic letdown game for Bradford against the Lions. He will be dealing with Ziggy Ansah and the Lions pass rush all day and the Eagles will likely be looking to jumpstart their run game against the struggling Lions capping Bradford’s upside this week.
