By Vidur Malik
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Rashard Mendenhall – Though Ben Roethlisberger is back under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mendenhall should still be a crucial part of the offense. He had 27 carries in Roethlisberger’s first game on Sunday, and should continue to get plenty of touches as the team’s feature back.

Ray Rice – It’s been a tough season so far for Rice, but he should help the Baltimore Ravens run wild over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Rice is one of the best running and receiving threats in the game, and the Bills rank last in the league in rushing yards per game with 182.4. Look for Rice to have a big day.

Don’t Do It:
LeSean McCoy – Though the Philadelphia Eagles convincingly beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, McCoy struggled, gaining only three yards per carry. His numbers probably won’t be much better this Sunday, when the Eagles play the physical Tennessee Titans. The Titans rank eighth in rush defense, and after giving up over 100 yards to Felix Jones in week five, they shut down Maurice Jones-Drew on Monday night.

Michael Crabtree – Both Crabtree and the San Francisco 49ers seemed to have picked up their game recently. The 49ers get their first win of the season in week six, and Crabtree has caught a touchdown pass in the last two games, after not catching any during the first four games. He only had 57 receiving yards after going over 100 the week before, and even though the 49ers will play a Carolina Panthers team that is fifth in the league in pass defense, Crabtree has become a primary target for the offense, and he should get a good amount of looks on Sunday.

Mike Wallace – It’s not common for your leading receiver to only have 12 catches after six games, but Wallace leads the Pittsburgh Steelers with that many receptions. The key number is Wallace’s 25.1 yards per catch average. With that kind of production, Wallace only needs a few catches a game to have a huge impact. That should be much of an issue with Roethlisberger’s strong arm.

Don’t Do It:
Marques Colston – Colston leads the New Orleans Saints in receptions and receiving yards, but doesn’t have any touchdowns this year. The Saints will always have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, and any one of their weapons can have a huge game, so don’t leave him on your bench for too long, but as Saints quarterback Drew Brees distributes touches to all his weapons, it looks like Colston’s numbers might fall a bit.

Matt Hasselbeck – Hasselbeck is coming off of a solid, but not impressive day in the Seattle Seahawks’ win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but he should have a more productive day this weekend, when he and the Seahawks take on the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona ranks 26th in pass defense, giving up over 240 yards per game. A smart, veteran quarterback like Hasselbeck knows how to exploit a defense’s weak spots. Look for him to do that against the Cardinals.

Aaron Rodgers – The Green Bay Packers play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and Rodgers should build off of his 300+ yard performance against Miami in week six. He only threw for one touchdown in that game, but he’ll be at home and against a team that gave up three touchdowns to Tony Romo in week six. The Vikings rank sixth in pass defense, but Rodgers should also be able to throw for a few touchdowns against his archrival.

Don’t Do It :
Donovan McNabb – McNabb hasn’t thrown for more than one touchdown pass in a game so far this year, and that’s probably not going to change this week against the Chicago Bears, who are third in the league in points per game with 16.2. The Redskins are ninth in passing yards per game with 244.2, but one touchdown a game isn’t going to cut it in fantasy.

Listen in on Week Seven’s Podcast