Line 'em up/ Bench their butts

The Counselor is IN:

This column's intent is to give the readers an idea of few good players in favorable match ups and a few good players in bad match ups. If you have a great player, then it may not advisable to bench him for someone in the Line 'em Up section. If I suggest that you bench one of your studs, you can only do this if you have a good option behind him. If you don't have a good player behind him, don't bench 'em. Remember every league is different and I am advising from a standard league.

Happy Fantasy Championship weekend for most leagues!

Line ‘em Up

QB Aaron Rogers Green Bay. Rogers has been gold all season and is a fantasy must start. This week he has a great match up against the 29^th ranked pass defense of the Seahawks. Look for big numbers from Rogers this week.

QB Tom Brady of New England. This is another no brainer. Brady has a great match up against the Jags 27^th ranked pass defense.

RB Cedric Benson of Cincinnati. Benson has been a very solid #2 RB this season to the surprise of most fantasy experts. This week he faces a very week KC rush defense (31^st against the run). He is a great start this week.

RB Pierre Thomas of New Orleans. Everyone thinks of the high flying passing offense of the Saints but the Saints have the 5^th ranked rushing offense. Thomas is a good start most weeks but a great start this week against the Bucs 30^th ranked rushing defense.

WR Anquan Boldin of Arizona. Boldin has been sporadic all season. He is a good start this week against their old city’s 30^th ranked defense for scoring points. Look for the Cardinals to score and score often.

WR Greg Jennings of Green Bay. As mentioned in the Rogers section, Jennings has a great match up this weekend. He should perform at a top WR 2 at the minimum.

Bench their Butts

QB Donovan McNabb of Philadelphia. McNabb is facing the second ranked pass defense in the Boncos. McNabb will still be better to start than the average fantasy backup but if you have a good option, you might want to bench his butt this weekend.

QB Eli Manning of New York Giants. Eli has been up and down as a fantasy starter all year long. You never know if you will get 5 or 20 points from him. This week he faces the surprisingly good Carolina pass defense. If you have another good option, you might consider starting him.

RB Jamaal Charles of Kansas City. Charles has been a good fantasy player since taking over the starting job in KC. This week he faces a tough 3^rd ranked Cincy rush defense. He is not a good start during this fantasy championship weekend.

***RB Ray Rice of Baltimore. Rice is a fantasy must play most weeks. It would be hard to bench him this week with for the Championship game but if you have another good option, you probably want to examine it. Rice is facing the #1 run stopping defense of the Steelers. The Steelers are in must win games and look for the Rush Defense to step up.

WR Sidney Rice of the Minnesota. Rice has become a good fantasy player and one of Favre’s favorites. This week he is going against the 7^th ranked pass defense. As crazy as it sounds, I look for Chicago to try to force Peterson to beat them. It is a good possibility that you might have a good replacement on your bench.

WR Steve Smith of the New York Giants. The Giants face the 4^th ranked pass defense in the Panthers. I would look for the Giants to focus on the run and not so much with the pass. Smith should have a down game.

The Counselor is OUT: