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Week 3 Start/Bench

By Jeremiah Oshan
Saturday, September 20th, 2008 at 3:43 pm in Start/Bench.

Filling in for Danny, so here we go….

Starters
QB: Aaron Rodgers has been awesome the first two weeks and facing a Dallas team that just got torched by the Eagles should keep his streak going.
RB: As much as I want to pick Michael Turner, I feel like he’s too easy. So, I’m going with Reggie Bush and my new crush Chris Johnson. Bush is playing against the same defense that Darren Sproles tore apart and Bush is pretty much a supped up version of Sproles. Johnson is playing the Texans, who were forced to take last week off. Even if they’re fired up for their first game back, Johnson could really exploit their suspect defense.

WR: There are lots of obvious picks this week, but I’m again going to try to give actual advice here. I say Rodgers is going to need to pick up those yards somewhere, and Greg Jennings is a great candidate for many of them. Wes Welker will be playing his old team and after one week, it appears he has a decent rapport with Matt Cassel. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a big game. Bonus pick: I realize he’s on a bad team and is off to a slow start, but I really like Torry Holt against the Seahawks. This is the same team that allowed Isaac Bruce to go for more than 150 yards last week.
TE: If for some odd reason you aren’t convinced, Tony Sheffler should cement himself as the next great fantasy tight end this week. Facing the Saints is a matchup made in heaven for him.
Flex: I realize this will make Danny’s head explode, but I think Julius Jones has a great chance to register another solid game against the Rams, a team that is already on the verge of imploding.
K: I really think this is a crapshoot position, so I’m going to go with the team that I think is going to score the most points this week. That means I’m taking Nick Folk. I realize he’s an obvious choice, but we’re talking about kickers here.
Def: The Bengals are off to a very rough start defensively, and it’s only going to get worse this week while facing the Giants. They’ve picked up right where the left off last year and this game could get out of hand quickly.

Riding the pine
QB: I’ve never been a big fan of Ben Roethlisberger, and this week does not necessarily scream “bench me,” but if rumors about his shoulder are remotely accurate, they might opt to run the ball more.
RB: This is Willis McGahee’s first week, which can be viewed in different ways. On one hand, he’s itching to go. On the other, he’s rusty. I say that the Browns stack the line against him and he struggles. I think something similar could happen to Darren McFadden this week. The Bills aren’t going to be scared of JaMarcus Russell, and will focus on stopping the Raiders running game. Plus, McFadden might be hurt.
WR: Lee Evans is off to a strong start and it would be easy to think that playing against the Raiders would be a good matchup. But he’ll likely be matched up against Nnamdi Asomugha for much of the game. I’m also going to go out on a limb and suggest you leave Randy Moss on the bench. As much as I think Matt Cassell will be solid, I’m not convinced that he’s developed enough rapport with his big-play receiver. Bonus pick: Don’t jump on the Isaac Bruce bandwagon just yet. Throughout his career he’s been much better on turf than grass. Let him prove otherwise before inserting him into your lineup.
TE: I really think Tony Gonzalez has seen his best days. Add in the fact that he’s got a third-string quarterback, and the one-time fantasy stud may soon find himself on fantasy waiver-wires everywhere.

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