Week Thirteen
Bench, Start and Sleepers By Ted Kluck

Green Bay at Dallas

Bench:

The NFL Network: The suits in the league offices are making it even harder for Joe Public to enjoy premium NFL matchups. The NFL Network has some nice programming, but watching it for a long time is still akin to experiencing the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray.

Julius Jones, RB, Cowboys: Jules is a borderline start against really bad defenses only, and the Packers, of course, are not a really bad defense.

Start:

Greg Jennings, WR, Packers: Jennings has 6 TD’s in the last 5 weeks, and has seen his catch totals steadily climb as well. He makes a solid start against a Cowboy D that will shut down the run early.

Atlanta at St. Louis

Bench:

Isaac Bruce, WR, Rams: Ike only has 2 TD’s on the season, and if Bulger sits again, don’t expect that to improve against an Atlanta secondary that is better than you think.

Start:

Steven Jackson, RB, Rams: With Bulger banged-up again, the Rams should lean heavily on a newly-healthy Jackson, who seems to be the only Ram capable of scoring TD’s these days.

Buffalo at Washington

Bench:

The Bills: Trent Edwards. JP Losman. Trent Edwards. JP Losman. Does it really matter?

Start:

Jason Campbell, QB, Redskins: Campbell is a boom or bust guy, and the Bills are 29th in the league vs. the pass. If there was a good week to start him, it’s this one.

Clinton Portis, RB, Redskins: Will have the whole “playing for his fallen Miami teammate” thing going for him, and though he has been wholly mediocre this season, could put up numbers against a shaky Buffalo D.

Detroit at Minnesota

Bench:

Kevin Jones, RB, Lions: The Lions are schizo when it comes to the running game. They made a commitment vs. Green Bay, after completely abandoning it the weeks previous. That said, Minny’s run D is tough, and Jones has been too inconsistent to count on. Go with another choice if you have it.

Start:

Sidney Rice, WR, Vikings: Rice is really starting to come on, of late, and the Lions secondary...well, sucks.

Houston at Tennessee

Bench:

Vince Young, QB, Titans: Would you start a guy with a 65.3 quarterback rating? For comparison’s sake, Joey Harrington’s rating is 79.7.

Start:

LenDale White, RB, Titans: The Round Mound of Inconsistent Rushing Performances has disappointed of late, but faces a vulnerable Houston D (119 ypg) and plays on a team that can’t throw. Chris Brown may be in the mix as well.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis

Bench:

Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Colts: Gonzo Jr. had a breakout game on Thanksgiving, but possibly welcomes Marvin Harrison into the fold this week, and faces a pretty stout secondary. Don’t expect too much.

Start:

David Garrard, QB, Jags: Logic being, the Jags always look pretty good against the Colts, and Garrard just looks good in general, with 9 TD’s and no INT’s on the season.

New York Jets at Miami

Bench:

Everyone Else (see below): You can look at this game one of two ways, either, “both teams suck so I’ll bench everyone,” or, “both defenses suck so I’ll start everyone.”

Start:

John Beck, QB, Dolphins: If you’re desperate, Beck might not be a bad choice against the hapless Jets. I liked his decision making against a very good Steeler D, and he escaped the game with no INT’s. I’ll stop short of saying the future looks bright for this kid, but it certainly looks less dim.

Thomas Jones, RB, Jets: Has been a huge disappointment this season, but could find his first touchdown of the year against the woeful Dolphins.

San Diego at Kansas City

Bench:

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers: Remember how Rivers went off last week? The Chiefs have only given up 9 pass TD’s this season, and if Rivers sticks with his “great one game, horrible the next” plan, this is his week to be horrible.

Start:

Kolby Smith, RB, Chiefs: Looked great last week in his first start, and now faces a defense that surrenders 113 yards per game on the ground.

Seattle at Philadelphia

Bench:

Seahawks Backs: Maurice Morris welcomes the plodding Shaun Alexander back into the backfield this week, so expect both players to do little of fantasy value against Philly.

Start:

Deion Branch, WR, Seahawks: Had a breakout game last week vs. the Rams, and figures to continue that this week, especially with DJ Hackett banged up again.

San Francisco at Carolina

Bench:

Carolina: This may be the worst team in football right now, including the Dolphins and Notre Dame.

Start:

Frank Gore, RB, 49ers: He’s probably dedicating the game to Shaun Taylor, and he’s also facing a defense that has surrendered 112 yards a game and 11 rush TD’s.

Cleveland at Arizona

Bench:

Nobody: Shootout anyone?

Start:

Everybody: Seriously, these defenses are both very limited, and both offenses have looked explosive. Play your regular Browns starters (Jamal, Braylon, K2, Anderson) as well as your regular Cards (K-Warn, Fitz, Anquan, and Edge).

Denver at Oakland

Bench:

Daunte Culpepper, QB, Raiders: Couldn’t do much against weak secondaries the last two weeks, so don’t expect that to change against a division rival with a good secondary.

Start:

Any Denver Back: Whichever Bronco ends up starting should have a field day against the Raiders, who have been shredded by the likes of Kolby Smith and Cedric Benson.

Justin Fargas, RB, Raiders: The Broncos rush defense is only slightly worse than the Raiders, so Fargas should see a heavy workload.

New York Giants at Chicago

Bench:

Giants Backs: With Brandon Jacobs out, and a possible return by Derrick Ward, steer clear of this situation until something concrete materializes.

Start:

Adrian Peterson, RB, Bears: The other Adrian Peterson will be the workhorse in Chicago now, which could be good for both the Bears and your fantasy team.

Eli Manning, QB, Giants: This figures to be a ‘get-healthy’ game for Manning and the rest of the Giants passing attack.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans

Bench:

Joey Galloway, WR, Bucs: If Jeff Garcia doesn’t start (he’s a game time decision), go ahead and shelve Galloway for the week.

Start:

Earnest Graham, RB, Bucs: Of all the “bad backs” starting in the NFL right now, Graham is among the best, averaging over 4 YPC and scoring 6 TD’s on the year. Graham has scored in each of his last three games, a trend I would expect to continue vs. the Saints.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh

Bench:

Rudi Johnson, RB, Bengals: The good news is that Rudi received lots of carries and scored last week. The bad news is that he now faces the Steelers and their brick-wall-like rush defense.

Start:

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers: Forget about last week’s bad game, and consider the fact that Big Ben faces a Cincy defense that ranks 26th against the pass, and 30th in pass TD’s allowed.

New England at Baltimore

Bench:

Derrick Mason, WR, Ravens: Has been shut down against good defenses, and only has 2 TD’s on the year.

Start:

Willis McGahee, RB, Ravens: McGahee could go over 1,000 yards for the season vs. New England, and he has scored in his last six outings.

Sleepers:

Rex Grossman, QB, Bears: Has looked good since regaining the starting job, and should throw more in the absence of Cedric Benson.

Fred Jackson, RB, Bills: Jackson drew high praise from Dick Jauron, and because of the injuries that have ravaged the Bills RB corps, could see carries.

Samkon Gado, RB, Dolphins: Was cut by the Dolphins this week, and was cut by your fantasy team long ago, but due to the strange Ricky Williams injury, could find himself back in action.

Ted Kluck is the author of three books, including “Paper Tiger: One Athlete’s Journey to the Underbelly of Pro Football.” Visit him online at www.tedkluck.com.