24 Hours 'Til Sunday — Andy Richardson

I think we all learned something last week about not starting unknown types with uncertain roles. Chris Ivory was my particular mishap, costing me a win in one league; perhaps the similarly unknown LeGarrette Blount was yours (don't blame me, I tried to talk you out of him). Are there candidates to burn those who start them this week, too? Oh yeah. So off we go....

Seahawks at Bears: Marshawn Lynch will likely get most of the work, if not start, for Seattle. Tough matchup, but some might not have a better option. Jay Cutler is in for Chicago, and like most here I'm high on Johnny Knox this week. And if you have Matt Forte, well, he's too productive not to use, even if it seems likely he'll put up more receiving yards than rushing. You know the Bears tried to sign Matt Hasselbeck off Green Bay's practice squad a decade ago, and he turned them down? Just think, they might have started only 1 or 2 quarterbacks over that span, instead of a dozen or so.

Dolphins at Packers: Green Bay has some hurt players, most notably pass rusher Clay Matthews (big boost for the Dolphins passing offense) and tight end Jermichael Finley (who's not going to play any earlier than week 13 or 14, so go ahead and drop the guy). I like Brandon Marshall and Chad Henne given Matthews' absence. I'd use Andrew Quarless, but not with great optimism since apparently initial reports about Donald Lee being out were faulty, so the two could split the chances. Aaron Rodgers is good to go. Could be kind of a high-scoring game.

Chargers at Rams: San Diego has lost all three road games against lesser opposition to this point, so we can't rule out the upset of the season here. Legedu Naanee is likely out, so it's reasonable to consider Patrick Crayton in deeper leagues. (Though I wouldn't.) Ryan Mathews is healthy enough that Mike Tolbert is a sketchy play. For the Rams, SJax and Bradford and Danny Amendola are the players to use; Bradford's a lesser option, but you've got to figure San Diego scores a bunch, so what the hey. I'm rooting for a breakout game from Mardy Gilyard, but no way would I start the guy.

Ravens at Patriots: Ian's high on Baltimore's offense, and they've done fine the last two meetings, both in Foxborough last year. New England certainly has enough secondary problems that Anquan Boldin and maybe even Derrick Mason can be used, but I'm not expecting huge numbers from Ray Rice. For New England, no Fred Taylor, so BenJarvus Green-Ellis will start, but I like pass catcher Danny Woodhead a little more, at least in PPR formats. I'm also not sure about Deion Branch's role; I don't think he'll start, but he lowers my enthusiasm for Brandon Tate somewhat.

Saints at Bucs: No Pierre Thomas, but I won't be fooled by Chris Ivory two weeks in a row. Good matchup for the running game, so desperate owners can consider Ivory or Betts (though the latter was instrumental in the loss last week). For the Bucs, the big worry is Mike Williams being questionable with a foot injury. I'm benching him; if you're gonna use him, make sure he's not on the Sunday morning inactives. And don't be surprised if the Bucs knock off the Saints, although I'd bet on New Orleans getting its act together here.

Lions at Giants: I don't know if Jim Schwartz is less honest than other NFL coaches, but it sure seems that way to me. It seems like basically since Week 2 he's been hesitant to rule Matthew Stafford out, even though it's been obvious he hasn't been close to playing. So I do not trust updates on Calvin Johnson's status, and I'm not starting him this week. Giants should win this game handily -- they're our suicide pool pick, because my wife won't let me back Ben Roethlisberger's team, and she's the one still alive in this thing, so she wins -- so I'm happily using Ahmad Bradshaw, Hakeem Nicks, Eli Manning and Steve Smith.

Falcons at Eagles: Kevin Kolb draws the start, and I guess you can use LeSean McCoy, who didn't seem too hampered by his broken rib last week. Should be enough scoring here that most any solid starters from either team can be used. DeSean Jackson is due for a big game.

Browns at Steelers: Well. Not much to say about this one beyond, the Browns are starting their third-string quarterback on the road in his first career start against arguably the league's best defense. Needless to say, Colt McCoy will probably not do well. (And I'm not sure McCoy would do well against even a soft, inept defense, but anyway.) Peyton Hillis says he's good to go, and you hate to bet against him the way he's played so far; maybe he catches a bunch of passes and salvages some value that way. Ben Roethlisberger returns, which should help the team's receivers.

Kansas City at Texans: I could see Kansas City winning this game, and I'm definitely using Jamaal Charles and considering options like Matt Cassel, Dwayne Bowe and Tony Moeaki. Apparently Jacoby Jones is going to play, but he's risky and you need to make sure he's active. Andre Johnson should be good to go, Arian Foster should be fine, and KC's defense is a nice spot start both for sacks and kick returns.

Raiders at 49ers: Battle of the Bay! I've given up on the 49ers. Dropped their defense, no longer counting on a turnaround. Tired of saying, Oh, they're gonna reel off a few wins and win the NFC West. I think they could lose again this week. Darren McFadden is iffy and shouldn't be used, Michael Bush is fine and should be (although he's much more appealing if McFadden ends up inactive). Jason Campbell will start, Zach Miller is a fine play. Raiders wideouts, yeah, good one. Nice week to use Frank Gore, and Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree are both producing.

Jets at Broncos: Classic spot for a letdown for the Jets, going on the road on a short week and facing a good (albeit laughably one-dimensional) offense. I'd use Kyle Orton and am forced to use Jabar Gaffney somewhere. For the Jets, their offense is playing well enough and Denver's defense is soft enough that any and all can be used; I'm starting Shonn Greene myself. And Dustin Keller, who the Jermichael Finley injury has at least relieved me of the weekly dilemma regarding which one to use (I kept voting Finley and getting burned; not a problem anymore).

Cowboys at Vikings: Brett Favre is questionable. Good one. He'll play, and he and Moss and Harvin should be fine. Cowboys offense, ditto; I'm using Romo, Felix (finally appearing a lock for most of the work), Austin obviously, Witten. Huge game, although only if you expect either team to really make an impact in the playoffs anyway even if they get there. I think the Vikings win and make a run at winning the NFC North; Cowboys are going the wild card route regardless. Pretty much everyone will be watching this game, except us when dinner intrudes; I hate 4:15 p.m. starts.

Colts at Washington: Sunday night game, which means Peyton Manning and his receivers will be awesome and Colts will probably win. Washington will have McNabb and Santana and Cooley airing it out and Ryan Torain slogging along at about 3.5 yards per carry. Colts receivers...tricky starts, but I'm planning on using Austin Collie and keeping my fingers crossed.

Titans at Jaguars: At a glance this is a lame and boring Monday night matchup. Then again, those of us who complain about how often the Jets, Dolphins and Patriots have seemingly been on Mondays thus far should enjoy it. Plus it's Chris Johnson versus Maurice Jones-Drew, so what's not to love? I'm thinking a whole lot of scoring and happily using players from both teams. And the fact that I've got both tailbacks in my dynasty league means I'll probably be losing entering the game and winning big after it. Which is better than the alternative.

As always, if a particular question or lineup dilemma is troubling you, feel free to post below, and I'll check in over the next day or so to try to help you out. Enjoy the games.

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