Play Action - Week 13

Trying something a bit new for Play Action in Lucky Week 13.
I am cutting out the statistical rankings and getting straight to the Start/Consider/Bench recommendations and the Game Analysis.

Feel free to let me know which layout you prefer by commenting on this entry.

1:00pm EST Games

49ers @ Panthers

START: Frank Gore, Steve Smith, Panther Defense
CONSIDER: Arnaz Battle, 49er Defense
BENCH: Trent Dilfer, Darrell Jackson, Vernon Davis, Vinny Testaverde, DeShaun Foster, Drew Carter

Trent Dilfer looked decent last week against a decent Cardinal pass defense, and Arnaz Battle has been quietly consistant. Frank Gore finally exploded last week, and he should continue building upon the momentum as he faces an average Panther rush D. If you held onto him this long, there's no reason to not have him in your lineup.

246-year-old Vinny Testaverde should start for the Panthers, therefore boosting Steve Smith's value. Don't expect miracles, but Smith has a nice match-up here. Despite their output in Week 12, the 49er offense is still abysmal, so trot out the Panther D. The rest of the Panthers are far too frsutrating to bother with.

Bills @ Redskins

START: Clinton Portis (check), Ladell Betts (check Portis), Chris Cooley, Redskin Defense
CONSIDER: Lee Evans, Jason Campbell, Santana Moss
BENCH: J.P. Losman, Marshawn Lynch (out), Anthony Thomas (out), Fred Jackson, Antwaan Randle El, Keenan McCardell

Fred Jackson is going to start for the Bills. The Redskins are pretty tough against the run, so hopefully you're not desperate enough to be starting the 3rd stringer. Lee Evans basically disappeared again in Week 12, and he'll likely struggle again as the only real Bills threat. Don't expect many points out of any Bill this week.

The Redskins will be playing an extremely emotional game at home following the Sean Taylor tragedy. Clinton Portis is looking like a game-time decision, so be sure to check the inactives on Sunday. If he goes, he has an awesome match up. If he can't go, then Ladell Betts really couldn't ask for a better chance to showcase his wares. The Bills are also poor against the pass, so Jason Campbell is a decent option and I anticipate Santana Moss showing up...for the second time this season. Other than him and Cooley, don't roll the dice on any other Redskins receiver.

Texans @ Titans

START: Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels
CONSIDER: Matt Schaub, Kevin Walter, Vince Young, LenDale White, Titan Defense
BENCH: Ahman Green (out), Ron Dayne, Chris Brown, Justin Gage

Andre Johnson followed up his triumphant Week 11 return with...not much of anything. He has a tough test against the Titans, but he's far too explosive to bench. Owen Daniels experienced a Thanksgiving miracle in Week 12 and finally found the end zone. It'd be a shock if he scored in consecutive games, so don't hold your breath. Word was that Ahman Green really wanted to give it a go this week, but don't expect much of anything the rest of the season from him. Albert Haynesworth is very likely to return for the Titans, so keep Ron Dayne on the pine as well.

It's very hard to get excited about starting anyone associated with the Titans anymore. LenWhale likely gets his fullback back this week, but you've really got to question White's conditioning and whether he's just worn out now. More time in the exercise room, less time hoisting Whoppers. The return of Haynesworth would provide a big boost for the rapidly sliding Titan Defense, but only consider them if you're in dire straights.

Falcons @ Rams - Dome

START: Roddy White, Steven Jackson, Torry Holt
CONSIDER: No thanks
BENCH: Joey Harrington, Warrick Dunn, Jerious Norwood, Alge Crumpler, Gus Frerotte, Isaac Bruce, Randy McMichael

Joey Harrington vs. Gus Frerotte! Imagine the headlines on Monday!
Roddy White had been invisible the past few weeks...then all of a sudden he showed up in Week 12 and caught 104 of Joey Sunshine's 155 passing yards. That was against a better pass defense than he's facing this week. Look for him to be the focal point once again. The rest of the Falcons, not so much.

Gus Frerotte takes the helm for the "resurgent" Rams. That's something that you never want to hear. Yup, 2 guys that are castoffs from both the Dolphins and Lions are starting. S-Jax and Big Play are both too good to bench. But everyone else certainly doesn't meet those qualifications.

Seahawks @ Eagles

START: Matt Hasselbeck, Deion Branch, Bobby Engram, Brian Westbrook
CONSIDER: Seahawk Defense, Kevin Curtis
BENCH: Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris, D.J. Hackett (out), Nate Burleson, Donovan McNabb (out), A.J. Feely, Reggie Brown, L.J. Smith


Allegedly Shaun Alexander has looked great in practice this week and will start. Don't get sucked in. At best Alexander will still be in a RBBC with Maurice Morris, neither makes a decent play, plus the Eagles are tough against the run. Look for a supposedly healthier-than-in-Week 12 Matt Hasselbeck to be slinging it. Bobby Engram returns to usefulness with the absence of Hackett.
Trot out the 2 starting Seahawk WRs against the mediocre Eagle pass D.

A.J. Feely cashed in a very nice performance against the rock solid Patriots in Week 12. Can he do it again? I'm going to say no and guess that the Eagles feature Westbrook, as they should. The Seahawks are very average against the pass, so consider Curtis and hope that he breaks one deep.

Lions @ Vikings - Dome

START: Jon Kitna, Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Lion Defense, Adrian Peterson (check)
CONSIDER: Shaun McDonald
BENCH: Kevin Jones, Tarvaris Jackson, Chester Taylor (check Peterson)

The Lions' tendency to abandon the run far too early is a week-to-week concern. They let Jones pound it on Thanksgiving, he had a very nice game, and the Lions had a failed comeback shot. He's facing an extremely tough test against the fierce Viking rush D here. Look for the Lions to be airing it out against the weak Viking pass D. Kitna has banged up knees, but you've got to put him out there this week. Williams and Megatron should finally reward their owners for starting them.

The return of Purple Jesus...probably. Check to make sure that he's active, if he is, you almost have to start him. He'll likely lose more touches than usual to Taylor, but it's almost impossible to bench All Day. The rest of the Vikings remain extremely uninteresting.

Chargers @ Chiefs

START: LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Kolby Smith, Tony Gonzalez
CONSIDER: Philip Rivers, Chris Chambers, Charger Defense
BENCH: Vincent Jackson, Brodie Croyle, Dwayne Bowe

The Chief receiving D is surprisingly good, 10th ranked in the NFL. Expect the curious 40+ pass attempts out of Rivers to be less effective than they were in Week 12. Remember the good ol days when Tomlinson was basically a lock to get into the end zone. Those are a distant memory, expect Rivers to look for Gates in the red zone.

The Chargers have struggled mightily against the run, so expect another quality day out of Kolby Smith. Gonzo won't want to be shown up by Gates, so look for him to be active in the pass game. Keep Dwayne Bowe on the bench, at least until he does something...anything...for you.

Jaguars @ Colts - Dome

START: Fred Taylor, Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark
CONSIDER: Maurice Jones-Drew
BENCH: David Garrard, Marvin Harrison (check), Anthony Gonzalez

Where, oh where, have you gone MJD? At this point, if you have better options than MJD, you've got to go with them. The Jags are likely going to pound the ball, though, so trot out Fred Taylor and hope for the best. With the Jags' terrible WRs and the Colts' #1 ranked pass D, don't even think about playing anyone involved with the Jaguar pass offense.

The Jaguars, on the other hand, absolutely suck against the pass. This should be music to the ears of owners of Manning and Friends. I'd still keep Anthony Gonzalez on the bench, though. Sure, he had 105 yards against the Falcons...but at this point, that's a clear aberration for his season. Addai's yardage has fallen off a cliff lately, but he's still been scoring TDs.

Jets @ Dolphins

START: Thomas Jones, Laveranues Coles (check), Jesse Chatman
CONSIDER: Watching a different game
BENCH: Kellen Clemens, Jerricho Cotchery, John Beck, Marty Booker

Possible AFC Championship Game Preview?
Possible Battle for the #1 Overall Draft Pick?
The Dolphins rush D is awful. Look for a rare productive day from Thomas Jones. Laveranues should be good to go this week, but check the Sunday Inactives to be sure.

You know who's rush D is even worse than the Dolphins'? That's right, the Jets. Get Jesse Chatman into your lineup. And...well, that's it.


4:00pm EST Games

Broncos @ Raiders

START: Travis Henry, Tony Scheffler, Bronco Defense, Justin Fargas
CONSIDER: Brandon Marshall, Selvin Young
BENCH: Jay Cutler, Javon Walker, Josh McCown, JaMarcus Russell, LaMont Jordan, Ronald Curry, Jerry Porter

Remember when this game used to decide the AFC West Champion? Not anymore.
Roll the dice with Travis Henry this week, if you've held onto him this long. The Raiders have the worst rush defense in the NFL against the run, so Selvin Young is a reasonable flex play since he'll also be involved in the gameplan. On the other hand, the Raiders are solid against the pass, so give Brandon Marshall some consideration only if you don't have any other options. Leave Javon Walker on the bench until he shows that he'll actually play for real.

Completing our coverage of the NFL's 4 worst rush defenses, welcome in #4, the Broncos. Start Fargas and expect him to be highly active. McCown is banged up and the hot rumor is that JaMarcus Russell will see action if he struggles. You don't want anything involved in that.

Browns @ Cardinals - Dome

START: Derek Anderson, Jamal Lewis, Braylon Edwards (check), Kellen Winslow, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald (check), Anquan Boldin
CONSIDER: Edgerrin James
BENCH: Joe Jurevicius (check Edwards)

Braylon Edwards hasn't done much in practice this week, so you've definitely got to have other late game options ready if you're going to wait for him. Jamal Lewis has enjoyed a resurgence the past couple of weeks, and there's no reason for him to slow down now.

The status of Larry Fitzgerald is also in question, but it's most likely that he'll start. If he doesn't go, it should be a big boost for Quan's value against the terrible Brown pass D. Kurt Warner also deserves a start, although he will lose goal line action to Tim Rattay. The value of Edge has fallen so far that I cannot, in good conscience, recommend starting him...even against the Browns.

Giants @ Bears

START: Plaxico Burress (check), Jeremy Shockey, Bear Defense
CONSIDER: Eli Manning, Derrick Ward, Giant Defense, Adrian Peterson, Bernard Berrian
BENCH: Brandon Jacobs (out), Reuben Droughns, Amani Toomer, Rex Grossman, Muhsin Muhammad, Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen

Eli Manning had one of history's all-time worst games last week, against one of the NFL's worst pass defenses. If you have a better option, go with them. If Plax is active, Eli should have a bounceback game, but Eli is never someone that you should be relying on. Chances are that Derrick Ward gets the start, but may lose goal line work to Droughns.

The long, painful, Cedric Benson experiment is over for this season. There's is a realistic chance that "The Other" Adrian Peterson outperforms him and puts up adequate fantasy numbers. You simply HAVE to start the Bear Defense after watching what the Vikings did against the Giants in Week 12. They won't match that performance, but if you count special teams, it doesn't get any better than Devin Hester.

Buccaneers @ Saints - Dome

START: Earnest Graham, Joey Galloway, Alex Smith, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston
CONSIDER: Jeff Garcia (check)
BENCH: Buc Defense, David Patten

Jeff Garcia is a game-time decision, and based on this being a late game, you should plan on going with a safer option. Regardless of Garcia's status, keep Galloway active. Nobody gives up points to WRs quite like the Saints give up points to WRs. Alex Smith has shown that he makes a plausible TE option.

Reggie Bush is ready to take back the full RB load. Keep Brees and Colston active, since the Saints pass so much, but don't expect a ton of output due to the Bucs' solid pass defense.

Sunday Night Football

Bengals @ Steelers

START: Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Steeler Defense
CONSIDER: Chris Henry
BENCH: Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Santonio Holmes (out), Nate Washington

Houshmandzadeh and Roethlisberger. It's long surname night in Pittsburgh.
The Bengals get to go against the NFL's best all-around defense. Word is that there may be rain in the Steel City again, just like this past Monday Night. Still, there's no way that the field is that sloppy again. The Bengals will get their passing numbers as usual, just less of them. Carson Palmer looks nothing like what he's looked like the past couple seasons, but you've still got to go with someone who throws that often to WRs with so much talent.

Benny Roeth and Smiling Hines shouldn't have any difficulty against the feeble Bengal pass D. Willie Parker has been terrible against the NFL's lowliest rush defenses, but he has a history of tearing up the Bengals. Expect the Steeler D to find their way to a few turnovers.

Monday Night Football

Patriots @ Ravens

START: Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, Patriot Defense
CONSIDER: Willis McGahee
BENCH: Laurence Maroney, Ben Watson, Kyle Boller, Derrick Mason, Todd Heap (check), Raven Defense

The Patriots play their 837th consecutive game on national TV.
Start your usual Patriots. You shouldn't need to be told that. However, don't expect much of anything out of Maroney. Even when the Patsies are shamelessly running up the score in garbage time. Ben Watson is far too inconsistent to rely on. It doesn't get much better than this for the Patriot Defense.

Expect the Ravens to struggle mightily to move the ball, even more so than usual as they will be forced to pass. If you have to play him, just pray that McGahee scores early. Feel free to completely forget that other Ravens players even exist for this week.

Check back on Sunday for the Game Day Inactives!