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Marcas Grant: Everything about this matchup on paper screams "sit 'em!" but fortunately fantasy football isn't played on paper. Or something like that. You know what I mean. The downsides are legion: road team on a short week against one of the league's best defenses. The positives for Gordon and Henry are that both of them are seeing plenty of opportunity in an offense that has been forced to change its focus dramatically from the start of the year. The potential upside for Gordon is that the Broncos are allowing better than four yards per carry and Gordon is the only Chargers rushing option near the goal line. Henry's in a tougher situation trying to get away from an athletic group of Broncos linebackers. He's not the same type of matchup nightmare that Tevin Coleman was last week. Gordon feels like a better play, but realize that the range of outcomes includes a potentially small number.
M.G.: The first thing you do, is point and laugh at the rest of your league mates for not having the foresight to pick up two of the top tight ends in the game. Once you're done with that, the smart play is probably to try and deal Bennett to strengthen other parts of your roster. The Black Unicorn should continue to be productive ... but Gronk. He's still the favorite target for Tom Brady and if last week is any indication, he's back to being the guy you spent a high draft pick on.
M.G.: Remember over the summer when we were afraid to touch either of the Falcons running backs because we didn't know which one was going to be the most productive? Turns out the answer was ... both! Coleman has made his bones as a pass-catcher in a revitalized offense and has helped Matt Ryan find other options beside just Julio Jones. This offense is poised to be productive all year and Coleman has a locked-in role. He should get serious starting consideration every week going forward.
M.G.: First, I'm going to assume you meant "bench" and not "drop." OK, then. This goes back to a continually growing argument about "always starting your studs." Defenses can scheme to take a player out of any game though the elite players can frequently excel in plenty of adverse situations. In this particular situation, I'd be more likely to sit both players than go with one over the other. The matchup doesn't look any more favorable for Freeman than it does for Jones. If the Falcons can't slow the Seahawks offense, it could very well mean a pass-heavy game script. That certainly would benefit Jones over Freeman.
M.G.: If you had said to me in August that people would have legitimate questions about starting Matt Ryan over Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in consecutive weeks, I probably would have assumed that you were Matty Ice's old high school nemesis tweeting under an assumed name in an effort to artificially inflate Ryan's draft stock in a nefarious plot to sabotage the rest of your fantasy league as revenge for him winning the JV quarterback gig many moons ago. As much as I'm on board the Ryan Express, I'm rolling with Aaron Rodgers here. The Cowboys defense has improved this year, but much of that is owed to a ball-control offense led by Ezekiel Elliott. Green Bay could be equal to the task defensively, which should mean more shots for Rodgers and the Packers passing attack to pick on the Dallas secondary. I like those odds.
M.G.: I wouldn't use a No. 1 waiver claim on Meredith if there are options like Tyrell Williams or Quincy Enunwa still available. Meredith's Week 5 performance was certainly eye-opening, but it also doesn't feel nearly sustainable. Part of why he was able to see 12 targets was because he had the luxury of going up against the Colts secondary. Not every week will be so inviting. The other issue is that Eddie Royal has established himself as a favorite of Brian Hoyer and eventually there will be an over-correction to the obviously frustrated Alshon Jeffery. If you have the means to pick up and stash Meredith on your roster, by all means do it. But not if you're seeking immediate WR help.
M.G.: Right now is a time to try and trade Matt Forte. The split that we feared at the start of the season appears to be upon us. It's drastically sunk Forte's value while still not doing a ton for Bilal Powell. I guess when you have two running backs, you really do have none. As for Jackson, what we've seen from him isn't much different than what he's always been. The ceiling is very high and the floor is very low. The hope has always been that he scores a long touchdown or two, because he's not going to rack up a lot of catches. In 117 games, DJax has caught seven or more balls just 10 times. The high-end of the point spectrum is why you drafted him. Hopefully you have enough wide receiver insulation to weather the down weeks. If not ... it's time to move him in a deal.
M.G.: It pains me to say this, but it might be time to make that move. Henry hasn't run poorly this season but DeMarco Murray has been undeniably good and isn't giving up the No. 1 spot in Tennessee. Unless Henry rips off a 60-yard touchdown run his chances to find the end zone and put up a decent fantasy total are extremely limited. Meanwhile, Devontae Booker is steadily closing the gap between himself and C.J. Anderson in Denver. Booker has had more snaps and touches each game and gets two matchups against the Chargers over the next three weeks. The latest rookie running back to rise could be in the Rockies.
M.G.: The short answer is ... you don't. For lots of fantasy owners, playing the waiver wire is the road to a championship. But sometimes you've been fortunate to put together a team that is strong from top to bottom. In that case, it's OK to avoid making adds and drops. Yet, if there's a player you really want to add, you could always try making a two-for-one trade to open up extra roster space.
M.G.: In any situation, Ladarius Green is worth a stash. As Alex Gelhar points out, now is a good time to get him before everyone else clues in to his potential return. If you're talking about stashing a player for the short term, Justin Forsett could be worth a look in case he starts to get more opportunities with the Lions. As for Karlos Williams, there's a long road for him to walk to get on the field for the Steelers. I don't want any part of that.
Bonus question:
M.G.: No. You have him confused with Antonio Gates. I think Ryan Fitzpatrick played college basketball.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com and a man who hopes Daniel Murphy gets a paper cut on his tongue. Send him fantasy football questions or diabolical tortures of extreme inconvenience on Twitter @MarcasG or Snapchat at marcasg9.
