Good Matchups
Marques Colston, WR, Saints: Colston returned in Week 8 against San Diego and caught two passes for 56 yards in the win. The top-10 fantasy receiver has just five catches all season because of injuries. Look for him to make up for lost time in his next two matchups, against the Falcons and Chiefs. The Falcons rank 16th in yards allowed, but Colston torched the Falcons for nearly 100 yards and two touchdowns in his last meeting. The Chiefs rank 22nd in the league against the pass and should provide Colston another chance to get his season back on track.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers: Williams was supposed to be supplanted by rookie Jonathan Stewart by this point of the season. Instead, Williams and Stewart have formed one of the better tandems in the NFL, and it is Williams, not Stewart, leading the charge. Williams is coming of a 108-yard performance against the Cardinals and should be well rested following the bye. The Panthers face two great matchups on the ground in the Raiders and Lions. Both are ranked near the bottom of all major rush defense categories, and Williams should get plenty of work to improve on his nice fantasy season.
Michael Jenkins, WR, Falcons: By now everyone has heard of Roddy White, but the Falcons are beginning to develop Jenkins as another target for rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. Jenkins caught two touchdowns last week and has had at least 50 yards receiving in his last three games. Jenkins caught nine passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in his last game against the Saints. Jenkins will face the Chiefs defense which is 22nd in the league in yards allowed and gave up 342 yards passing to the Buccaneers in Week 9. Jenkins could be a nice flex-player option in the next two weeks.
Donald Driver, WR, Packers: Driver had his best game of the season against the Titans last week and has 17 catches in his last three games. The Packers passing game should be able to continue its nice run against division-foes Minnesota and Chicago. The Vikings rank 23rd in passing yards allowed while the Bears rank 30th. With both teams stout against the run and Aaron Rodgers playing well, there should be enough balls in the air for Driver to be fantasy relevant the next two weeks.
Marc Bulger, QB, St. Louis: It wasn't that long ago that Bulger was considered a solid fantasy starter on a weekly basis. This season Bulger has struggled to be fantasy relevant. However, he has had a slight turnaround the last three weeks as he has thrown four touchdowns and had his two highest yardage totals of the season in the past two weeks. This week, Bulger faces the Jets unit which ranks 24th in the league in passing yards allowed and has allowed 569 yards passing in the last two weeks. Bulger then turns to division foe San Francisco. The 49ers are ranked 20th in passing yards allowed, and Bulger averaged 261.5 yards a game vs. San Francisco last season. Bulger may never return to the fantasy elite, but he is worth a look at a start or two in the next couple of weeks.
Bad Matchups
Gus Frerotte, QB, Vikings: It's a bizarre season when Frerotte is a viable fantasy option, but you would have been handsomely rewarded with Frerotte in your lineup in the past three weeks. He threw for nearly 300 yards in two games and he fired three touchdown passes in his last game. However, the next two weeks shouldn't be that great for Frerotte. The Packers and Buccaneers come calling and both have two of the better pass defenses in the league. Both rank in the top-10 in passing yards allowed and both are in the top-5 in pass interceptions. With neither team as stout against the run, Frerotte may be more the game manager we thought he was and not the fantasy stud he has been.
Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Colts: Gonzalez broke out of his slump with two receiving touchdowns against the Patriots last week, and the knee-jerk reaction will be to get him in your lineup immediately. But before you pull the trigger, understand that this week's opponent, Pittsburgh, is the top-ranked pass defense and has given up just six passing touchdowns in eight games. The statistical matchup for Gonzalez against the 14th-ranked Texans defense looks, but he has struggled for only five catches for 64 yards in three games vs. Houston.
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Eli Manning, QB, Giants: Manning might quarterback the best team in the NFL, but he has been about a little above .500 this season fantasy wise. Manning had three consecutive weeks of single-touchdown games before throwing three against the Cowboys last week. With the Eagles and Ravens both presenting difficult matchups in the passing game, Manning may continue to play the role of Troy Aikman rather than fantasy superstar. Giant fans would love that, but fantasy owners may want to look at other options.
Kevin Walter, WR, Texans: As great as Andre Johnson has been it is Walter, not Johnson, that leads the Texans in receiving touchdowns. However, Walter has been slowed of late, catching just two scores in his last five weeks, while gaining just 144 yards in the last three weeks. Don't expect things to get easier against the Ravens and Colts. Both are ranked in the top-5 in fewest passing yards allowed, and the Colts have surrendered the fewest touchdown passes in the league. Walter had just two catches for 36 yards in his first meeting with the Colts, and don't be surprised to see similar numbers in these two matchups.
Brandon Marshall, WR, Broncos: Marshall set the world on fire in his first two weeks and looked like he would break every single-season receiving record in the NFL. Fast forward six weeks and Marshall is coming off a two-catch, 27-yard performance against Miami. Jay Cutler has not been as sharp, and defenses are keying on Marshall, who has not broken the 100-yard plateau since Week 3 and has not caught a touchdown since Week 4. The Browns are terrible against the run, so Marshall may not get the targets you might expect on Thursday night, especially since Denver ran just 12 times in the loss to Miami. The Falcons are 16th in yards allowed but most of it is of the dink-and-dunk variety, as they allowed only 6.59 yards per attempt. Marshall should be better than he was against Miami, but may continue to struggle to have the big fantasy games so many owners expected after his first two games.
Kyle Fisher is a writer for RotoWire. For more information, log on to rotowire.com.
