Go For It or Stay Away

Are you ready for some fantasy football? In this column I will give you information on players who I believe will put up good, high scoring, fantasy numbers, and some that will not. Are these players always going to be the best option? No. I am not going to tell you common knowledge. We all know that if you have Aaron Rodgers, you are going to start him and you do not need me to tell you that. I believe in the “Start your Studs” philosophy. Meaning, start your best players, and do not over think them. If you have Rodgers, Brady, or Brees you are going to start them, unless they are on a bye week. Just because I mention a player that I like, does not mean that you should necessarily start them. These are just a few players, when it comes to setting your fantasy lineups, that I think you should either go for it or just stay away from.

Go For It!

Quarterbacks

Tony Romo Dal- The Patriots defense has struggled against the pass all season. Miles Austin should be back and that just adds to the weapons already at Romo’s disposal. I know he has been turnover prone, and I would not be too surprised to see him throw a pick or two in this game, but when it is all said and done I expect big things out of the Dallas passing game this week. Go for it when it comes to Tony Romo.

Andy Dalton Cin- Cam Newton is getting all of the attention, and rightfully so, but there is another rookie quarterback having a solid start to the season. Andy Dalton has led the Bengals to a very surprising 3-2 start. While he has not been putting up ridiculous stats like Newton, he has been very serviceable, and I look for him to have a decent game against a weak Indianapolis secondary. In my opinion, Dalton would be a great bye week fill in for this week.

Sam Bradford Stl- Another good bye week fill in is Sam Bradford. The secondary of the Packers has been weak all year, and the Rams will probably be playing from behind from the beginning. I expect solid fantasy output from Bradford this weekend.

Running Backs

Ryan Torain Was- Now, if there is a coach in the NFL who makes it tough on us fantasy players, it is Mike Shanahan. He has switched back and forth on running backs for years, never seeming to make up his mind, so if he ends up giving Tim Hightower 25 carries in this game I cannot say that I will be too surprised. That being said, after the production that Torain put up in week 4 and Hightower not really running away with the job early in the season, common knowledge leads you to believe that he should be the guy going forward. The Redskins play the Eagles this week. It has been very obvious early on that the way to beat the Eagles is on the ground. I expect big things out of Ryan Torain this week. When it comes to Torain, I say go for it.

James Starks GB- The Packers have really split the carries evenly this year so it is always tough to start either Starks or Ryan Grant, but they are facing a Rams defense that has been terrible against the run, and overall just a very bad team. This one could get ugly early and that could mean a lot of carries for both of the running backs for Green Bay. James Starks is another good bye week fill in for this week.

Wide Recievers-

Dez Bryant Dal- As I mentioned above with Tony Romo, the Patriots have really struggled against the pass. Their undersized corners seem to be overmatched by big physical receivers, like Bryant. I look for Dez to abuse the secondary of New England racking up over 100 yards and at least one score.

Victor Cruz NYG- Cruz has been a guy that has come virtually out of nowhere and has turned into one of Eli Manning’s favorite targets. This guy just seems to make plays. New York plays Buffalo this week, and the Bills have been exposed through the air at times this year. Cruz is turning out to be a solid WR2/Flex play week in and week out.

Tight End

Visante Shiancoe Min- Chances are you have better options than Shiancoe on your roster. This one is just if you are struggling to find a bye week fill in. The Bears do not cover the tight end well, in their Cover 2 coverage scheme, and the Vikings have been trying to get Shiancoe the ball. I think we see a TD or two out of Visante.

Stay Away

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler Chi- I am not a big fan of Cutler this week. His offensive line is shaky at best, and I can see him running for his life against Jared Allen and Company. There are much better options out there to fill in for the bye week.

Rex Grossman Was- As I said when I mentioned Ryan Torain, the way to attack the Eagles is on the ground. Do I expect a terrible game for Grossman? No, but I think the Redskins will try to run the ball, and keep that Eagles offense off of the field. Stay away from Rex Grossman.

Running Backs

Jahvid Best Det- Best looked great on Monday night, but I do not expect the same out of him this week. San Francisco has been very stingy against the run, and not so great against the pass. I expect a heavy dose of Matthew Stafford and that Lions passing game. If you do not have any other options Best is not a terrible start, but do not expect production like on Monday night.

Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis NE- You might just call this one a hunch, but I am not a big fan of Green-Ellis this week. Dallas has been tough against the running game, and I really think that Tony Romo and that offense could really light up the scoreboard against the Patriots’ defense. This could turn into a shootout, and that could mean the New England running game could be forgotten.

Steven Jackson Stl- I really think that this game gets ugly for the Rams early. That could mean a lot of passing attempts for Bradford and very few rushing attempts for Steven Jackson. Also, the Green Bay defense has been tough against the run this year. You may not have any better options, but if you can help it stay away from Steven Jackson.

Wide Recievers

Brandon Marshall Mia- Stranded on Revis Island, with a backup quarterback. I cannot see myself starting Marshall under any circumstances.

Pierre Garcon Ind- The Bengals are among the league leaders against the pass. Garcon has been great recently, but he cannot keep this up forever, can he? I think we see Garcon come back to earth a little bit this week. Stay away from Pierre Garcon.

Bye weeks are tough in fantasy football, but there are plenty of options out there. This piece is to help guide you to players that can help your team in Week 6, and to steer you away from other players who could ruin your team. Thanks for reading; I hope my advice helps you dominate your fantasy matchups this week. Good luck! If you have any lineup questions, have a trade offer you do not know what to do with, or wondering about a waiver wire pickup, you can contact me via twitter. Follow me @FFootballQA and do not hesitate to ask any and all of your Fantasy Football Questions!