By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Have the bye weeks and injuries caused a skid of losses that you hope end this week? Turning your season around, may ride on this week. Who are some value guys out there that you should start or avoid?

Quarterbacks

Start: Philip Rivers

Many think Rivers and the Chargers will struggle with the way they lost on Monday Night. Have the way the Chargers played over the years ever been predictable? Look for this team to come out and play the Packers tough. Rivers has had one of his roughest years, and his botched snap may finally of been the wake up call for 2011.

Start: Jon Skelton

Sometimes teams can come out and give it their all for a game. For a game last week the Rams put on a good performance. One week though is not going to bypass the major deficiences of this team. Often one game fill in quarterbacks can have some success. Heck, undrafted rookie Max Hall got a win for the Cardinals against the Saints last year. Skelton is a big quarterback that had a few starts a year ago. He’ll deliver some key balls and put up decent numbers against a poor Rams defense

Start: Matt Cassel

Cassel has put together a solid run of starts transitioning himself from a borderline fantasy starter, to the zone that you can take a risk with a favorable matchup. This is that week as the Chiefs face the Miami Dolphins. His simple reads seem to be there, and his accuracy has boosted. Having tall targets such as Dwayne Bowe and Jonathan Baldwin help as well.

Sit: Joe Flacco

Flacco has just been too erratic lately to put him in as a fantasy starter against a top tier defense. The Steelers injuries defensively will bode well for Ray Rice more than Flacco.

Sit: Josh Freeman

New Orleans has been a team that Freeman has torched in the past. Look for this game to be a bit different. New Orleans is coming off a horrible loss, and knows all to well that this game is pivotal for positioning within the division. Freeman has struggled most of the year, in large part to his receivers not separating from cornerbacks.

Running Backs

Start: DeMarco Murray

Keep riding the newly found most productive waiver wire back of the year.

Start: Steven Jackson

St. Louis believes they can get a two game win streak going. They’ll try to ride the success of last week’s victory, which was with the legs of running back Steven Jackson.

Start: Reggie Bush

Though the Dolphins offense lacks spark, Bush is slowly starting to compile fantasy worthy numbers. With Daniel Thomas shaky to play weekly, Bush is getting more and more reps. Look for him to have another outing worthy to be a flex starter.

Sit: Chris Johnson

You want to figure out a week to insert Johnson for a breakout week but it just doesn’t happen. Now he faces one of the top defenses in the league against the Bengals.

Sit: Tashard Choice

This won’t be the week that Choice has an out of no where game.

Wide Receivers

Start: Pierre Garcon

Start: Joshua Cribbs

Start: Victor Cruz

Sit: Antonio Gates

Sit: Torrey Smith

Sit: Darrius Heyward-Bey

Eli Manning – Manning will be going up against the Seattle Seahawks, who gave up 310 yards and two touchdowns to Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell in week eight. If Campbell, who has struggled for most of the year, can put up numbers like that, expect Manning to have a great day.

Don’t Do It: Matt Cassel – Cassel had a tough game against the Buffalo Bills in week eight, and is going up against an Oakland Raiders team that is ranked fifth in the league in pass defense. The Kansas City Chiefs have the league’s best rushing attack, so look for that to be the focal point this weekend and for the rest of the season.

Michael Turner – Turner is having a great year and is coming off of a huge games against the Cincinatti Bengals. The Atlanta Falcons take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, who are 30^th in rushing defense and give up 150 rushing yards per game.

LeSean McCoy – Look for McCoy to have a big day against the Indianapolis Colts. He’s struggled recently, but is playing a defense that is 28^th against the run. Also, Michael Vick is making his return on Sunday, and may not be at full strength, in which case the running game would be a bigger factor.

Don’t Do It: Cedric Benson – Benson should be a non-factor against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. The Steelers rank 1^st in the NFL in rushing defense, and give up less than 60 yards on the ground per game. Also, the Bengals are becoming more of a passing offense. That combination means you should bench Benson this week.

Brandon Tate – Tate had a great game in the New England Patriots’ week eight win against the Minnesota Vikings, with 3 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. He’s a deep threat, and is playing a Cleveland Browns’ team that struggles against the pass, so he should get touches.

Hines Ward – Ward had a quiet day in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints in week eight, but the Steelers are playing the Bengals on Monday night. Ward had a touchdown in two straight games prior to week eight, and you know he’s going to bring it all against the rival Bengals.

Don’t Do It: Roddy White – White is having a great year, and is definitely an elite receiver, but you should consider benching him for this week. White’s Atlanta Falcons play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had four interceptions in a week eight win against the Arizona Cardinals. Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib picked off two by himself, and could shut White down if they’re matched up on Sunday.