It’s week six and, believe it or not, we’re almost half way through the fantasy football season. If you’re sitting around .500, it’s a pivotal time. Either you make some moves or your squad is headed for the toilet bowl, so check our game-by-game analysis for players that can help you make a push.
We’ve been playing fantasy football for well over a decade, and if you’re 0-5 we have some bad news for you. We’ve never seen someone recover from that record to make the playoffs. When most leagues have 13 games in a season or less, you’d have to almost win out to sneak in. It’s probably not going to happen. If you’re sitting a couple games out of a playoff spot, there’s definitely hope, but you can’t sleep. In this week’s Start or Sit we’ve targeted several players that are currently of low value that we believe can help you get over the hump. So read on, and position yourself for a chance at glory.
The following teams are on bye this week, so make sure you get their players out of your lineup:
Buffalo, Kansas City, Tennessee, Pittsburgh
Sunday, October 12
Chicago at Atlanta 
Start- Kyle Orton has really started to show something the last couple weeks, and against the 22nd-ranked Falcons pass D, he makes a great start. Did we really just type that? Atlanta’s not much better against the run, so Matt Forte should be in your lineup, but you knew that. Roddy White has finally convinced us that we should always start him. Chicago is surprisingly poor against the pass, so Matt Ryan is worth a look as a bye week fill-in or in deep leagues. Did we also just type that?
Sit- Brandon Lloyd is out with an injury, so make sure you have him out of your lineup if you’re unfortunate enough to have to start him on a regular basis. Chicago’s receivers are hard to call on a week-to-week and we recommend staying away at all costs. Chicago is fourth against the run, and it’s going to be tough treading for Michael Turner. He has yet to prove he can put up numbers against solid defenses, so start with caution.
Miami at Houston 
Start- My, my, my. Look at those Miami Dolphins go. Suddenly they’re a contender in the division, thanks in large part to Ronnie Brown’s re-emergence. Start him every week from here on out. Anthony Fasano is the tight end threat Chad Pennington never had in New York. He’s also a weekly start. Andre Johnson finally came alive last week, but keep in mind that Matt Schaub was not under center, and we expect things to return to business as usual this week. He’s worth a flex position at least. The same goes for Kevin Walter, who was ignored last week with Schaub out, but that will change. Steve Slaton is a great second back no matter the scoring format.
Sit- Ricky Williams is officially the mop-up guy and he’s too erratic to start. We wouldn’t drop him, though. He’s proven that he can perform when given the carries. Miami is 15th against the pass, so Matt Schaub should come back to earth after finally getting off the slide a couple weeks ago. If you have a better option, bench him. Greg Camarillo had a career game last week, but Houston will game plan to stop him, so don’t jump on that train just yet. More interesting was Ted Ginn Jr’s breakout game. We wouldn’t start him just yet, but watch his stats this week. He’s another player we think may come on for a great mid-season pickup.
Baltimore at Indianapolis 
Start- The Colts are going to have a tough time against the Ravens defense, but with Ray Lewis likely out, we still think that Joseph Addai is worth a lineup spot—especially in touchdown leagues. Reggie Wayne made an amazing touchdown catch last week and a nice game overall. He looks to finally be in the groove. The Ravens are susceptible to the short pass, so we like Marvin Harrison’s prospects this week as a flex player. Dallas Clark looks like the player of old, so definitely start him. Derrick Mason is turning into an every-week flex player. He gets lots of catches, but minimal yardage. Willis McGahee is finally back to full health and the Colts are terrible against the run. He should have his first decent game.
Sit- Anthony Gonzales is expected to return from a concussion he suffered last week, but with Dallas Clark back on the field his looks have been limited. Unless there’s an injury, his fantasy value is fairly limited from here on out. Tom Santi had a big game last week, but against tough defenses players like him tend to disappear so he should be on your bench. LeRon McClain is a load, but now that McGahee is back at full strength he should return to his goal line role. He’s only worth a start in touchdown leagues.
Detroit at Minnesota 
Start- Bernard Berrian is going to play despite a bad knee and toe. He’s become Gus Frerotte’s go-to guy and is definitely worth a start against the lowly Lions. We’d empty your bench of Vikings depending on your league size. Adrian Peterson will definitely bounce back from an awful Monday Night game, and Bobby Wade is worth a look in deeper leagues as Berrian is one bad plant away from the sideline. We’d even consider Gus in deeper leagues as he is starting to find his rhythm, and against the Lions he will. The Vikings defense makes a great start if you’re looking for a bye week fill-in.
Sit- Calvin Johnson is questionable, but even against the awful Vikings pass defense we’re finally prepared to tell you to sit him. Jon Kitna is out, so that doesn’t help things much. Roy Williams looked like TO last week, whining after every single play, even if the QB delivered the ball in-stride. It could go either way. Either they’ll feed him the ball or avoid him, but it’s not worth the risk—especially when you’re talking about the Lions offense. The Lions are terrible and can’t get out of their own way. It’s time to ditch all of them and try to get whatever you can for them.
