Weekly Fantasy Roundup: Bench/Start Week 9

BENCH

QB Brett Favre (Jets) – Matt Millen’s new best friend has been flat out awful the past three weeks, throwing a combined seven interceptions (and only three TD passes) against the Bengals, Raiders, and Chiefs in weeks 6, 7, and 8. After struggling against some of the NFL’s worst pass defenses, Favre and the Jets head to Buffalo to take on the underrated 5-2 Bills. The future hall of famer has been frustrating fantasy owners with his questionable decision making, and if you have other options, it wouldn’t be crazy to sit #4. They (The Weather Channel) are predicting strong winds for this division battle, another reason why you might want to consider letting Favre ride the pine this week. He may get upset, but you need to do what’s best for your team.

WR Terrell Owens (Cowboys) – Drew Rosenhaus’ favorite client has also been struggling of late, averaging only 33.3 receiving yards per game the past three weeks. After hauling in three TD passes in his first two games, Owens has scored only twice during the past six weeks. TO has not totaled more than 89 receiving yards in any game so far this season, and now has to face the dreaded Giants secondary in Week 9. The Super Bowl champs are only allowing 185 passing yards per game, and with Tony Romo expected out again, you might want to think about leaving Owens on your bench come Sunday, even if he starts to cry.

RB Jamal Lewis (Browns) – This former inmate has been extremely mediocre so far in 2008, and I would highly suggest leaving him on your bench this week when he goes up against his former team on Sunday. The Ravens are allowing a league low 64.3 rushing yards per game and have only allowed one rushing TD in their first seven games. Lewis has also yet to rush for over 100 yards in any game so far this season. When you take all of this into account, things don’t look very promising for the Browns RB in Week 9.

START

QB Marc Bulger (Rams) - This former Pro Bowl MVP came out of nowhere to throw for 300+ yards last week at New England. Bulger simply sucks on the road – there’s no other way to put it – so the fact that he was able to put together a solid game away from The Edwards Jones Dome could be a sign of things to come. Bulger and the Rams get to face off against a Cardinals secondary allowing more than 220 yards per game through the air and a league worst 14 passing touchdowns. With the emergence of rookie WR Donnie Avery in recent weeks, Bulger now has numerous weapons at his disposal, and seems primed to turn in what could be his best game of the season.

TE Donald Lee (Packers) – This might seem
like a questionable call, but Lee is almost for sure available in your league and could be on the verge of a breakout game. The Packers head to Tennessee to take on one of the NFL’s best defenses, but if you breakdown the numbers, the Titans have a hard time shutting down opposing TEs. They allowed Dallas Clark to put up a nasty stat line of seven grabs for 94 yards and 2 TDs on MNF in Week 8 and allowed Tony Gonzalez to catch six passes for 97 yards the week before. For those of you in need of a TE this week, take a chance on Donald Lee and get him in your lineup.

RB Justin Fargas (Raiders) – Darren McFadden is expected to sit out again in Week 9, which means that Fargas once again gets the entire Oakland halfback job to himself. He didn’t do too much with the opportunity last week against the Ravens, but Atlanta is an entirely different story. The Falcons are allowing 128.6 rushing yards per game, and have allowed nine rushing TDs in only 7 games. If the multi-talented Fargas (aka Young Hugg) is available in your league, snatch him up and listen to his beats while he leads your team to victory.