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Another dose of fantasy football goodness for your Halloween weekend consumption.
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Quarterbacks
Start
Eli Manning - I am always a little hesitant to list the younger Manning as a must start guy. You never know which Eli is going to show up, but in 2015 he is proving to be Good Eli on a consistent basis. Mostly this is because he is functioning as a game manager for the Giants but when the match up is right, Manning is capable of leading the way. The Saints are just the type of opponent he needs to put up big numbers, and that is what he will get this weekend.
Philip Rivers - Rivers is having something of a fantasy career year in 2015. He is on the verge of becoming one of those elite-level fantasy QBs and this week's contest against the Ravens will give him an opportunity to add to some already impressive numbers. Baltimore is averaging over 20 points per game surrendered to opposing passers. If Philip is on your roster then you need to start him this weekend.
Cam Newton - Cam's individual numbers are trending down over the past few weeks, but the Colts defense is fairly generous to quarterbacks and that should allow Mr. Newton to reverse course and have a solid performance this weekend.
Sit
Peyton Manning - Green Bay is tough on quarterbacks, including those who are considered to be elite. Manning may be the greatest to ever play the position, but as far as fantasy QBs go, he has been "meh" for quite some time. Peyton's downturn goes back to last season and now he is only rarely good for more than 10 points per game. In the real world there is no way you would ever bench Manning, but in fantasy land he probably should never see the field.
Matt Ryan.- Matty Ice is at home this weekend. For most passers that is a boon, but Ryan is almost twice as good on the road when it comes to fantasy football production. Save him for the Falcons next road trip.
Derek Carr - It is time for Carr to take his chances against the quarterback's nightmare, the New York Jets secondary. Two words sum up this match up: Revis & Cromartie. As if that was not enough, the Jets are pretty decent up front as well, so there is a pretty good chance that they will be in Carr's grill early and often this week. Happy Halloween, Derek.
Running Backs
Start
Doug Martin - Martin is one of my favorite fantasy backs, he has gotten me a lot of fantasy points over the past few years. There have also been plenty of times when he has let me down, but this does not have the makings of being one of those weeks. He faces a Falcons defense that has given up 11 rushing touchdowns this season and who allows over 23 points per contest to enemy runners. Doug will be my RB1 this week and he should be yours as well.
Chris Johnson - Johnson is back from fantasy purgatory, at least for this week. That is because he faces the Cleveland Browns who allow more fantasy points than anyone else in the league. Yes he is a part of a RB by committee scheme in Arizona, but he gets the most touches of anyone on the committee. He will get you some solid yardage and probably find paydirt against Cleveland.
Todd Gurley - Gurley is proving to be the back most thought he would be, and that is reason enough to get the young runner on the field. He also has a good match up this week as he faces a 49ers D that resembles a sieve. Look for Todd to exploit those holes for big yardage this weekend. Since the Niners are also generous when it comes to giving up scores, he will find the end zone at least once, perhaps twice as well.
Sit
Latavius Murray - This cat has featured pretty heavily in my start posts this season, but the Raiders face the Jets this weekend. Remember what I said about them getting in Derek Carr's grill earlier? Yeah, the Jets eat QBs for lunch but they prefer RBs for dessert.
Darren McFadden - It is tempting to roll the dice on RunDMC but I am not ready to anoint him just yet. The Seattle defense looked to have improved last week, and I want to see what he does against them before I take a risk on McFadden. If he has a solid outing, then count me in, especially if the line gets on a roll, but he has at least one more prove it game as far as I am concerned.
Wide Receivers
Start
Keenan Allen - This is my one "MUST" start of the week, and with good reason. To say that the Ravens pass defense is atrocious would be a understatement. They are giving up 31 points per game to the WR position this year. It would not be out of the question for Allen to get close to that mark himself this week. The Chargers WR has become one of the top fantasy receivers in the game this season and he should not break stride against the Baltimore defense.
Alshon Jeffrey - It is not very often I will tell you to start a receiver against the Vikings secondary, but Jeffrey will be the exception to the rule. For some reason he seems to own the Minnesota defense. Mike Zimmer's crew will have their hands full trying to shut him down, but their efforts will not be enough to keep him from having a productive day.
Sit
Randall Cobb - Cobb is usually a solid bet to start but he has been on a decline recently and there is not much chance of that changing against a stout Orange Crush defense in Denver. The Broncos allow less than 8 fantasy points per game to opponents WR1, and that includes some of the top receivers in the game. This will not be Randall's week.
Amari Cooper - 240 yards and one touchdown. That is the combined total numbers that the Jets secondary has given up to WR1s this season. That is through seven games folks. Why would you start any receiver against a unit that puts up numbers like that?
Steve Smith - I keep going back and forth on this one. One highlight for the Bolts this season is that their defensive secondary is not running that far behind Gang Green. I would not start Smith against Revis and Cromartie, and Jason Verrett is just a notch below those gents, so I think I would sit him there too.
Tight End
Start
Tyler Eiffert - Yes I would start him over Witten this week. Tyler is having a strong season, and he has a good match up in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steel Curtain is long gone and the current Pittsburgh defense struggles with tight ends. They average 12 points per game given up to the position and the seem more generous inside the redzone.
Jason Witten - Hey, the Seahawks are a good match up for the Senator. Eiffert has a better one, but that does not mean Wiitten is not a solid choice this weekend. If he is on your roster, start him. Matt Cassel wil get him plenty of touches this week.
Sit
Kyle Rudolph - The Chicago Bears don't do many things well right now, but one area of strength is in shutting down tight ends. Rudolph's name will never be mentioned along side Witten and Gronkowski, but he is a decent tight end that will deliver against some squads. That will not happen this weekend.
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