LestersLegends.com

Before we get started, click here for my Week 10 NFL picks.

Putting the final piece of your fantasy football puzzle together

I’ve uncovered some guys you can plug in if you are dealing with an injury or tough matchups.

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle will have to throw plenty to keep up with Arizona on the road. Arizona has the 29th ranked pass defense, which works in Hasselbeck’s favor. In his last four starts against the Cardinals, he’s averaged 208.8 yards per game, 5 rushing yards, 1.5 TDs, and 1 INT. Not great numbers, but good for a 14.94 fantasy point average.

Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers
They play the early game so you’ll have to decide early to roll with Smith. He takes on the Bears that have allowed 10 TDs the past two weeks (I don’t count the Browns).

Ricky Williams, RB, Miami Dolphins
Ricky has shown that he’s more than a flex option or a bye week replacement. He has become a legitimate RB2, and should not be avoided because only two teams are on bye. Don’t be afraid to start both Ronnie Brown and Ricky against Tampa Bay’s 30th ranked run defense.

Putting the final piece of your fantasy football puzzle together

I’ve uncovered some guys you can plug in if you are dealing with an injury or tough matchups.

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Hasselbeck has the good fortune of facing Detroit’s 27th ranked passing defense. What’s worse is they have allowed 18 passing TDs, which is one behind Tennessee for the league lead.

David Garrard, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Garrard squares off with Kansas City’s 28th ranked pass defense at home. In three home starts Garrard has averaged 313.3 passing yards and 32 rushing yards. He also has 5 passing TDs. On the road he’s averaging just 165.8 passing yards and 16.5 rushing yards. His lone rushing TD came on the road, but all of his passing TDs came at home.

Julius Jones, RB, Seattle Seahawks
I don’t love JJ this week, but he does face the 21st ranked Detroit run D at home. Jones averages a respectable 78.3 total yards in four home games with 2 TDs versus a 44 total yards and 1 TD in road games.

Putting the final piece of your fantasy football puzzle together

I’ve uncovered some guys you can plug in if you are dealing with an injury or tough matchups.

David Garrard, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars - I have to mention him since he’s facing the sorry Tennessee Titans, but I must warn you, I have a bad feeling about this one.  This could be a trap play for your fantasy team.

Kyle Orton, QB, Denver Broncos - He doesn’t make mistakes and Brandon Marshall is playing great football.  Plus, Baltimore has struggled against the pass this year.

Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears - I believe “Good” Jay will show up this week and torch the Browns.  They will have a hard time containing Greg Olsen and Devin Hester is coming into his own.

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego Chargers - LT always kills the Raiders (131 total yards/game & 23 TDs in 17 games).  They can’t stop the run, and he’s getting his feet under him.

Shonn Greene, RB, New York Jets - Greene makes a nice flex-play against the Dolphins despite the tough matchup.  The Jets are fully committed to the run and they should be able to do so at home against the Fins.

Mike Bell, RB, Atlanta Falcons - Bell also makes a good flex play as he’s getting the ball around the stripe.  The Saints’ offense is humming.

Mike Sims-Walker, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars - #1 WRs have dominated their banged up secondary all year, including Sims-Walker for 91 yards and 2 TDs in Week 4.  He won’t reach those lofty numbers, but he should be solid.

Devin Hester, WR, Chicago Bears - See Jay Cutler above.

Lee Evans, WR, Buffalo Bills - He’s actually played well with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will be under Center again as the Bills face Houston.

James Jones, WR, Green Bay Packers - The Vikes have struggled a bit against teams with good 3rd WRs (72 yards and a TD to Mike Wallace, 48 yards to Kelley Washington, and 47 yards and a TD to Jordy Nelson).  Now that Jones is in that role for the Pack, he’s a good bet to do well.  The Packers are going to be fired up as they welcome Brett back.

Tony Scheffler, TE, Denver Broncos - Scheffler has been a nice target for Orton the past couple of weeks.

Zach Miller, TE, Oakland Raiders - The Chargerss have struggled containing Tight Ends the past couple of seasons, including Miller in Week 1 of this year.

Robbie Gould, K, Chicago Bears - It goes without saying that bad teams allow a lot of points.  Gould faces Cleveland, who’s 26th in the leauge with 11 FGs allowed.

Matt Prater, K, Denver Broncos - The Ravens have struggled defending the pass, but their D can buckle down when they need to.  They are 30th in the league with 13 FGs allowed.  I can see the Broncos moving the chains only to have their drive stalled out in FG range.

Arizona Cardinals Defense/Special Teams - Arizona is getting after it on D, and they face Carolina who is trying to find their identity.  Better yet, it’s a home game.

San Diego Chargers Defense/Special Teams - LT isn’t the only thing slipping in San Diego, but the Raiders should be just what the Doctor ordered.

Chicago Defense/Special Teams - The Browns are a mess.

Putting the final piece of your fantasy football puzzle together

I’ve uncovered some guys you can plug in if you are dealing with an injury or tough matchups.

Matt Cassel, QB, Kansas City Chiefs - Cassel is averaging 18.6 fantasy points in his three home games for the Chiefs, and just 11.65 points on the road.  He takes on San Diego at home this week, which means he’ll likely have to throw a lot as the Chargers will score in bunches.

Chad Henne, QB, Miami Dolphins - I know the Saints look like world-beaters right now, but Miami put a ton of pressure on defenses with the Wildcat.  With an extra week off to prepare, the strong-armed QB could find himself in a good spot with the Saints’ D on their toes.

Joseph Addai/Donald Brown, RB, Indianapolis Colts – I actually think there will be enough production for both Backs as the Colts lay the smack down on the Rams.  Addai is a great RB2 and Brown is a nice flex play.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers - Now that the two-headed RB attack is back, look for the Panthers to use it early and often against the Bills.  Their passing game is almost nonexistent, but they can run for days and days.

Leon Washington, RB, New York Jets - Mark Sanchez is struggling big time.  It’s time to let the RBs handle the load and take the pressure off the Rookie.  Thomas Jones and Leon should both dominate the Raiders.  Washington should be busy in the passing game as well as Rex Ryan looks for easy passes to get his QB’s confidence back.

Laurence Maroney, RB, New England Patriots - Maroney should be able to follow up his strong outing against the Titans with another one against Tampa Bay.  Sammy Morris’ injury couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for Maroney.

Hakeem Nicks, WR, New York Giants - He has scored in three straight games, and Arizona is not good against the pass despite what Seattle has to say about it.

Austin Collie, WR, Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Gonzalez is not going to play this weekend so Collie makes an outstanding play against the Rams.  With Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark commanding so much attention, and Pierre Garcon stretching defenses, Collie is finding it easy to get open.  When you’re open, Peyton will hit you.  Period.

Miles Austin, WR, Dallas Cowboys - I don’t expect another 250 yards from Austin, but I don’t trust Roy Williams at this point.  Austin looks like a nice play out of the bye against Atlanta.

Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers - Frank Gore should return and Michael Crabtree will make his debut, but the player that may fly under the radar is Vernon Davis, who has had a solid season finally.  He should  produce against Houston.

Jermichael Finley, TE, Green Bay Packers - Finley showed some consistency by following up his monster Week 4 effort with a solid Week 6 effort coming out of the bye against Detroit.  He makes a nice play against Cleveland this week.

Matt Stover, K, Indianapolis Colts - His journey from Baltimore to Indianapolis is much less controversial than his current employer’s.  Cleveland is a good place to start for a Kicker in a high-powered offense.

Jay Feely, K, New York Jets - Feely takes on Oakland, who is tied with Baltimore for the most Field Goals allowed with 13.  He has back-to-back multiple FG games.

New England Patriots Defense/Special Teams - Coming off a 59-0 shutout may make them obvious, but Tampa Bay presents the Patriots defense with one of their few remaining “must start’ fantasy matchups.

Indianapolis Colts Defense/Special Teams - Their D hasn’t been great, but they haven’t faced the likes of St. Louis yet.

Putting the final piece of your fantasy football puzzle together

I’ve uncovered some guys you can plug in if you are dealing with an injury or tough matchups.

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seattle Seahawks - Hasselbeck has a good chance of turning in another quality fantasy performance in this week’s matchup against Arizona, who is last in the league with 303 passing yards per game.  They are also tied for 26th with 9 passing TDs despite having their bye already.

David Garrard, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars - Garrard takes on St. Louis, who is 24th in the league with 237 passing yards allowed per week with 8 TDs.  He disappointed against Seattle, but should bounce back this week.

Jason Campbell, QB, Washington Redskins - The Redskins have been in the news for all the wrong reasons of late.  They’ve struggled despite a cupcake schedule.  Jim Zorn’s head is on the chopping block.  Despite all of that, Campbell has had a pretty solid season thus far, all things considered.  This week he faces Kansas City, who ranks 29th with 270 passing yards allowed per game.   They are also one of five teams to allow double-digit passing TDs.  I sense the Skins rally around their Coach and take care of the Chiefs.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers - As long as terrible teams keep lining up to play the Steelers, keep trotting Mendenhall out there.  This week’s victim is Cleveland, who is dead last with 170.4 rushing yards allowed per game.  They are also 31st with 8 rushing TDs allowed.  Willie Parker is supposed to play, but I still think Mendenhall will be very productive.

Thomas Jones, RB, New York Jets - Buffalo let Jamal Lewis run all over them, so there is no reason why Thomas Jones shouldn’t have a solid day against the 29th ranked run D.

Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans Saints - The Giants have allowed Tight Ends to be productive since Kenny Phillips went down.  This week they face Jeremy Shockey, but I get the feeling the Giants aren’t going to want their big mouth former teammate beat them.  Enter Reggie Bush.  With Pierre Thomas nursing an hamstring injury, and a heavy Giant pass rush, look for Bush to be active in the passing game.

Nate Burleson, WR, Seattle Seahawks - I know the pattern has been alternating good and bad games, but facing the league’s worst pass defense makes Burleson, a solid play this week.

Mike Sims-Walker, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars - Sims-Walker burned fantasy owners last week by being a late inactive for violating team rules.  Assuming he’s available for this week’s game against the Rams, he should be back in your lineup as he tries to atone his misdeeds.

Santana Moss, WR, Washington Redskins - Moss is inconsistent, but he should team up with Jason Campbell for a big day against the Chiefs.

Donnie Avery, WR, St. Louis Rams - Now that Marc Bulger is back and Avery is healthy look for the WR to have a decent day against the 30th ranked passing defense.  The Jaguars have only generated 4 Sacks so far so Bulger has a good chance of staying on his feet and getting the ball to Avery.

Braylon Edwards, WR, New York Jets - Braylon was very active in his Jets debut, and with Cotchery doubtful, it looks like he’ll have a heavy workload this week as well.  Buffalo has been solid against the pass (6th ranked), but Edwards is still a decent WR3 option this week.

Sidney Rice, WR, Minnesota Vikings - The Ravens are surprisingly 26th against the pass.  Rice has good size, speed, and leaping ability.  He got high praised from OC Darrell Bevell this week with a Larry Fitzgerald comparison.  While, he’s a long way off, he has been picking up steam as he and Brett Favre have formed a solid rapport the past three weeks.

Heath Miller, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers - Miller continues to put up solid numbers for Pittsburgh, and has a favorable matchup against Cleveland this week.

Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, Minnesota Vikings - As I mentioned the Ravens have struggled against the pass.  Shiancoe has also began to gel with Favre.  He has scored in the past two weeks and makes a sneaky play this week.

Shaun Suisham, K, Washington Redskins - The Chiefs have allowed 8 FGs this year along with 15 PATs.  Suisham has yet to miss a FG this year, and could be in line for multiple attempts against Kansas City.

Green Bay Packers D/ST - Green Bay faces Detroit, who has allowed 17 Sacks this year to go with 8 turnovers.  Green Bay has just 5 Sacks, but have forced 10 turnovers.  Green Bay also has a pair of defensive TDs this year.

Washington Redskins D/ST – Washington faces Kansas City, who has also allowed 17 Sacks, though they have allowed just 5 turnovers.  Washington has 10 Sacks and 5 takeaways.

Carolina Panthers D/ST - Carolina faces Tampa Bay, who has allowed 8 Sacks and 5 turnovers.  Carolina has 9 Sacks and 4 takeaways.

Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST - Jacksonville faces St. Louis, who has allowed 12 Sacks and 8 giveaways, 4 of which were returned for TDs.  Jacksonville has 4 Sacks and 9 takeaways.

Putting the final piece of your fantasy football puzzle together

I’ve uncovered some guys you can plug in if you are dealing with an injury or tough matchups.

Time for another edition of Fantasy Football Out on a Limb. I scour the rosters to select a player who I feel will outperform a higher profile player in that given week. I base my decisions on matchups, how the players are trending, and the ever-important hunch. To mix things up I’ll occasionally do some two on one matchups or even pit RB or WR duos against each other. Sometimes I’ll spot a player some points.

Scoring
6 points for rushing or receiving TD
4 points for a passing TD
0.1 points per yard for rushing or receiving
0.05 points per passing yard.

Last Week:
Carson Palmer over Philip Rivers – Loser. CP 21.5, Rivers  24.8
Glen Coffee over Fred Jackson Winner.  Coffee 10.6,.  Jackson 6.8
Cedric Benson over Steven Jackson – Winner.  Benson 8.6, SJax 8.5
Donald Driver over Marques Colston  Winner.  Driver 5.5, Colston 3.3
Kevin Walter over Braylon Edwards – Winner.  Walter 4.1, Braylon 0.0
Josh Johnson over Matt Cassel – Super Stretch Winner. JJ 19.4, Cassel 16.85

Regular Picks: 4-1
Super Stretch Picks: 1-0
Overall: 5-1

Season Record
Regular Picks: 9-10
Super Stretch Picks:  1-3
Overall: 10-13

Week 5 Picks

Quarterback

Trent Edwards over Brett Favre
Trent has put together two horrific starts after starting the season off with a pair of keepers.  He faces Cleveland this week, who sadly is in worse shape than Buffalo.  Edwards should have a solid outing.  Brett Favre is coming off an incredible emotional win against his former team.  While I don’t see things blowing up in his face against St. Louis, I see him putting up modest numbers like he did in the first two weeks as the Defense and ground game d the damage.

Running Backs

Rashard Mendenhall over Ronnie Brown
Mendenhall put on a clinic last week against San Diego, and should be able to pile up the yardage against Detroit as well.  Pittsburgh is a much better team when they feature a balanced attack, so look for the Steelers to give Mendenhall plenty of work.  Ronnie Brown has a tough draw against the Jets.  He managed 27 yards on 13 carries against Rex Ryan’s Baltimore D last year in Week 7 and 19 yards on 12 carries in their playoff loss to the Ravens.  With an inexperienced QB at the helm, it could be a long day for Ronnie Brown.

Brandon Jacobs over Chris Johnson
With Eli Manning banged up the G-Men are going to go heavy on the run against Oakland, who happen to be terrible against the run. The Colts gave up a ton of yards to the Dolphins on the ground, but have been solid otherwise. I envision Indy putting a ton of points on the board, taking Chris Johnson out of the equation.

Wide Receivers

DeSean Jackson over Calvin Johnson
Donovan McNabb is going to be excited to get back to work, especially with Jackson, who had a week to rest his groin. He’s quickly becoming one of the game’s most electric players, and should dominate Tampa Bay. With Daunte Culpepper likely under Center, my faith in Megatron is rattled.

Steve Smith over Randy Moss
Coming off a bye week, I expect Steve Smith to come out like a man possessed as he takes on Washington. He’s too good to keep down, and the home cooking should do the Panthers wonders. Randy Moss has to face Champ Bailey on Sunday. The Patriots will likely use Moss as a decoy this week.

BONUS PICK:  A friend of mine suggested that I add the Giants’ Steve Smith against Carolina’s.  With Eli hurting and facing Nnamdi Asomugha, he’ll go back to the other Steve Smith this week rather than the league’s #1 WR like he’s been.

SUPER STRETCH

Beanie Wells over Cedric Benson
My thought is the Wells used the bye week to get healthy, and Arizona used it to look in the mirror and realize they need to establish a rushing attack or Kurt Warner is going to get killed out there. They drafted Beanie in the first round so he can make an impact. He’ll do that this week against Houston. Benson will have a hard time running against the Ravens in Baltimore.

Your turn.  What Out on a Limb picks do you have for Week 5?