Week 6: Start 'Em
Last week we saw one of the biggest in season NFL trades ever when Randy Moss was dealt from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings; not to mention a 2nd trade of Marshawn Lynch going from the Buffalo Bills to the Seattle Seahawks. These trades will have a trickle down effect on all teams involved, moving players like Brandon Tate (WR) on the Patriots and Fred Jackson (RB) on the Bills into starting spots, while moving guys like Justin Forsett (RB) of the Seahawks and Bernard Berrian to the bench. There are other players that will get more or less playing time due to these deals, some will be mentioned below. There are players on bye or who might miss this week's games due to injury, so if you are in need of some help with who to start, take a look at the list below. Maybe you will want to use one of the players mentioned. Feel free to contact me over the week if you have specific roster questions. Good Luck and May the Force be with you.
QB Matt Cassel, ---
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Yup, that's right; I'm actually suggesting you start Matt Cassel this week; that is if you're having big issues with your QB. If you take out the Chiefs' week 3 game vs. the 49ers, Cassel has been absolutely terrible (barely completing 50% of his passes and not gaining more than 176 yards and only 1 TD pass in those 3 games). This week though, he faces the Houston Texans who so far this season are giving up a whopping 343.6 yards passing per game 2.2 TD passes. The Texans are much tougher against the run and have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. Look for Cassel to pass for something close to 300 yards and at least 2 TD passes this week.
RB Marshawn Lynch, ---
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With many running backs out with injury or on a bye this week, there are very few RBs with any value on teams' benches. So, if you need someone to start at RB this week give Lynch a shot. Seattle traded away 2 draft picks for Lynch just before the bye and will have had 2 weeks to get him up to speed on the offense. He wasn't brought over to sit on the bench, so look for the Seahawks to get him involved early and use him as their horse in the running game as well as the guy who gets the carries at the goal line. If you need a RB this week, Lynch is definitely worth a start.
WR Danny Amendola, ---
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I wrote about Amendola a few weeks ago and mentioned that he is a poor man's Wes Welker and that was while he was playing 2nd fiddle to Mark Clayton. Clayton came to the Rams and became Sam Bradford #1 target, leaving Amendola as the #2 man in St. Louis. Well bye bye Clayton and hello Danny Amendola. Clayton went down early in the game last week, and with very few options in the passing game Amendola saw a ridiculous 19 targets, catching 12 of them for a 95 yards. Amendola will never be confused with a big play WR, but with very few options in the Rams' passing game, Bradford will look to Amendola often. Amendola is already 4th in the NFL with 49 targets and tied for 4th in receptions with 33. Amendola makes for a good start as a WR3 or flex in ppr leagues.
WR Kenny Britt, ---
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Kenny Britt started off this season slowly, but has come on the last few games, scoring a TD in 3 straight weeks and moving into the starting line up to replace the injured Justin Gage. This week Britt faces the Jaguars, who are giving up the most fantasy points to WR this year (an average of 13.8 receptions for 216 yards and 1.6 touchdowns). It seems that when the Titans get into the Red Zone, Vince Young likes to look for Kenny Britt. So as long as he is starting for Gage and getting the looks in the Red Zone, he is worth a start as a flex if you have injury or bye week issues.
WR Brandon Tate, ---
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Aaron Hernandez was one of the reasons the Patriots felt comfortable dealing Moss, while the emergence of Brandon Tate was another reason. While Tate has been involved in the passing game -- 11 receptions for 135 yards -- it has been his explosiveness in the return game that has opened the Patriots' eyes. Now they plan to use Tate's explosiveness much more in the passing game, taking over the big play spot they used Moss for. Yes I know the Pats gave up a 4th round pick to get Deion Branch, but he has had trouble staying healthy and doesn't come close to having the big play ability of Tate. Look for Brady to go deep to Tate a few times this game. I wouldn't be surprised if Tate scores his first receiving TD of his NFL career this week.
TE Tony Moeaki, ---
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I rarely mention a player 2 weeks in a row, but I think Tony Moeaki is worth a start this week again as he has a great match up vs. Houston. Last week Moeaki was once again the Chiefs' leading receiver as he caught all 4 passes thrown to him for 50 yards. The Chiefs tried to get Dwayne Bowe involved in the offense, but he was a disappointment once again, dropping many of the passes that came his way. Well, I think the coaching staff might have had enough of Bowe and will focus on getting the ball to players who could actually catch it. As I mentioned with Cassel above, the Texans are one of the worst teams at defending the pass, giving up an average of 8 receptions for 91.6 yards and .6 touchdowns to TE's so far this season. Look for these kinds of numbers this week for Moeaki.
Remember to read all our columns for this week and use our Who To Start Rankings
