Fantasy corner
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Each Friday, assistant sports editors Scott Thurston and Greg Lee will answer your fantasy football questions, dispensing lineup and roster advice based on their experiences and statistical analysis. This week's dilemmas:
Q: I need to pick three (2 RBs, 1 flex) from the following five RBs: Brandon Jacobs (my stud, but up against Baltimore), Marion Barber, Chris Johnson, Mewelde Moore, and Willis McGahee. I think McGahee may be the least attractive of the five (inconsistent). I like Moore if Willie Parker is still out. Has Johnson hit a rookie wall? Is Dallas's goose cooked? Help!
PAUL FLAXMAN, Hopkinton
ST: Paul, Barber has the best matchup, but it's not great (vs. Washington, which is sixth in the league vs. the run at 80.7 yards a game). But he will benefit from finally having a quarterback under center as Tony Romo is expected to return. The only wall Johnson's hit is the one the Bears put up (by stacking the line and daring Kerry Collins to beat them). Jacksonville can't do that. And you have to play Jacobs. I'm thinking about turkey with the Cowboys.
Q: I'm in a 12-team league where we're transitioning to a keeper league this season (I'm fairly out of the running right now). I can keep three guys who weren't drafted in the first three rounds. Right now I'm leaning toward keeping a QB (Matt Ryan or Kyle Orton, probably Ryan) and 2 RBs (Tim Hightower and Ronnie Brown). What do you think of these selections and is there anyone who might be under the radar now who you would target for next season? Eligible keepers: Ryan, Orton, Brown, Hightower, DeSean Jackson, Donald Driver, Earnest Graham, Antonio Bryant.
BRENDAN DILLON, Boulder, Colo.
GL: Brendan, welcome to the fun world of keeper leagues. The only thing better than a keeper league is a keeper league that has a salary cap. Matty Ice is a definite keeper. I also like your running back selections. You have made wise decisions for your franchise's future.
Q: Riding a wave of skill (!) and luck, I have managed to get to 10-0, much to the chagrin of my American league co-members. However, this week my problem is that I have too many good players/matchups and recent form suggests that I bench LT!? Which is going against the golden rule of "always play your studs." My league has a normal scoring system (non-points per reception) and each team must have 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR, 1 RB/WR, 1 TE, and 1 D/ST. And I never start any skill players against my beloved Patriots, which I know is wrong, but just cannot!! My team consists of QB - Jay Cutler, David Garrard, Matt Schaub; HB - LT, Michael Turner, Derrick Ward; WR - Anquan Boldin, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White, Lee Evans, DeSean Jackson; TE - Jason Witten, Anthony Fasano; D/ST - Titans, Eagles, and K David Akers. What would your suggested lineup be?
ALEX HUDSON, United Kingdom
ST: Here's to 11-0: Cutler, Turner, White, Wayne, Boldin (flex), Witten, and Eagles. In this case, I would sit LT, only because you have three great receiver matchups.
Q: I have a tough decision this week and a tough opponent, so every point counts. Who should I go with - Tampa Bay defense against Minnesota or Carolina defense against the lowly Lions? Your help is greatly appreciated.
DAVID ALLEN, Sharon
GL: David, this is an easy one. Go with the Panthers' defense. Don't you know the Bucs have to deal with Adrian Peterson?
Q: Which three receivers should I start this week between Terrell Owens, Vincent Jackson, DeSean Jackson, Muhsin Muhammad, or Kevin Walter?
JIM CONRAD, Reading
ST: Jim, with Romo's return, I think this is the week Owens finds the end zone again. I'd play Vincent Jackson vs. Pittsburgh, but significantly lower your expectations - the Steelers are first in the league against the pass. The fact that you are playing the Charger receiver tells you how bad these matchups are. Muhammad vs. Walter is a coin flip.
Q: Two parts - 1) Two RB slots with Brian Westbrook, Ryan Grant, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and Willie Parker. So I go with Westbrook and who else? 2) Three WR slots with Terrell Owens, Anquan Boldin, Wes Welker, Kevin Walter, and Braylon Edwards - Boldin and Owens are locks: Who goes in the third slot?
AARON DUBOIS, West Hartford
GL: Fast Willie Parker is ready to hit the field and Big Ben is relieved he won't have to throw as much, which means he won't get hit as much! I think Edwards will break out of his slump.
Q: I have one RB slot and one RB/WR flex spot left. Who should I start out of this group: Larry Johnson, Kevin Curtis, Peyton Hillis, Donnie Avery, Willis McGahee?
ZANE FITZGERALD, Massachusetts
ST: Zane, with Jamaal Charles (ankle) questionable, the Chiefs' Johnson could do some damage vs. New Orleans, but monitor his status. The coaches want to see what kind of shape he's in before committing to playing time. And I wish I could figure out McGahee. As we've said before, if McGahee's healthy, he'll get the job done, and the Ravens veteran was very good Sunday vs. Houston (25 carries, 112 yards, 2 TDs).
Q: Trade offer: I get Brett Favre and Brian Westbrook and give up Jay Cutler and Kevin Walter. My other QB is Matt Cassel and my other RBs are Marshawn Lynch and Ryan Grant.
FRED HUNT, Harrisville, R.I.
GL: I think this is a pretty fair trade. You will get just about what Cutler gives in Favre. If Westbrook stays healthy, you get a multidimensional back who can run and catch the ball out of the backfield.
Q: I am in a two-QB league and have Philip Rivers and Tyler Thigpen from KC on my active roster. I also have Tony Romo, who will be returning this week. Whom do I sit?
JOHN BELCHER, Holden
ST: John, I know Thigpen has a good matchup vs. the Saints, but I'm not sure I could ever forgive myself if I lost a week because I played him ahead of Rivers and Romo.
Playing the matchups
Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams:
Williams took advantage of a pathetic Oakland defense last week, rushing for 140 yards on 19 carries (a whopping 7.4-yard average) and a TD. And Sunday, he's up against a worse run defense in the winless Lions (31st in the NFL, 161.2 yards per game). Don’t sit him until he has to face an NFL defense.
