Faceoffs: Will Romo be a turkey?
Editor's note: Each week Senior Fantasy Writers Dave Richard and Jamey Eisenberg will debate the value of a handful of key Fantasy players heading into a certain week. They not only state their case below, but they also provide owners with some alternatives.
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| Dave Richard | Jamey Eisenberg |
 Thanksgiving is a time for family, giving thanks, turkey, stuffing and huge Tony Romo stats. Romo has played in three Thanksgiving games, all against bad opponents, and has totaled 10 touchdowns, two interceptions and two 300-yard games. This year he plays the Raiders, and they actually have a good secondary helped by one of the best cornerbacks in the game in Nnamdi Asomugha. But Asomugha can't play everywhere and the Cowboys have a lot of good receiving targets at Romo's disposal. I don't expect Romo to have 300 yards, but a modest 225-yard, two-touchdown outing seems reasonable. I doubt his back keeps him from playing -- head coach Wade Phillips has already said as much -- and playing at home on a short week that the Cowboys are used to (the Raiders are not) keeps Romo as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback.I'd start him over: Donovan McNabb (vs. WAS), Alex Smith (vs. JAC), Matt Hasselbeck (at STL) |  Bench the quarterback of the Cowboys on Thanksgiving? You bet. Romo has struggled this year against good pass defenses. He has faced the Giants, Carolina, Denver, Philadelphia, Green Bay and Washington, which all rank in the Top 10 of pass defense. He has four touchdowns, seven interceptions and two fumbles in those matchups with only one 300-yard game against the Eagles. The Raiders come into this game at No. 12 in pass defense and are among the league leaders with only eight passing touchdowns allowed. Only Eli Manning -- in a half -- has passed for multiple touchdowns against the Raiders, and they limited Philip Rivers, Kyle Orton, Matt Schaub, Donovan McNabb and Carson Palmer to one passing touchdown or less in six games. Teams run all over the Raiders, so look for Marion Barber to carry the Dallas offense in this game, especially with Romo dealing with a bad back.I'd rather start: Matt Ryan (vs. TB), Matt Hasselbeck (at STL) and Alex Smith (vs. JAC) |
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| Dave Richard | Jamey Eisenberg |
| Look, I want to say 'start Carson Palmer,' but the Bengals aren't letting me. They're very much into running the football instead of passing and have only taken to the air extensively in two games this season. Palmer has seven games this season with fewer than two passing touchdowns and six with fewer than two total touchdowns. Granted, one of those games was not his Week 4 meeting at Cleveland, but that is where he had a season-high 44 attempts and had only 230 yards to show for it. I suspect that Palmer might be aching, or that the coaches don't have confidence in the team's receivers, but until Palmer starts to sling it more, I can't see him being a helpful No. 1 Fantasy passer, even in good matchups. I'd rather start: Matt Schaub (vs. IND), Ben Roethlisberger (at BAL), Matt Ryan (vs. TB) | Didn't the Browns just give up 422 passing yards and five touchdowns to rookie Matthew Stafford? And isn't this the same Cleveland defense that has allowed three 300-yard passing games and four games with multiple passing touchdowns? And you want to sit Palmer? Not me. I'll take my chances with any quarterback against the Browns, including Palmer, who had 230 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the previous meeting in Week 4. He also has 14 touchdowns in his past five meetings with Cleveland. Palmer might not be having an outstanding season, but he has played well enough to use him as a starter against a bad defense. And this is a bad defense. I'd start him over: Donovan McNabb (vs. WAS), Tony Romo (vs. OAK) and Eli Manning (at DEN) |
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| Dave Richard | Jamey Eisenberg |
| Shame on you, Gary Kubiak. You told the Fantasy world that Slaton would start for the Texans, and Slaton seemed to think he'd see a lot of playing time. But no, you trotted out Chris Brown with Slaton for the game's first play and then gave Brown more work than Slaton. Fortunately Slaton found the end zone for the second straight game and has touchdowns in four straight, not including the game at Buffalo where he got benched. But no one can tell you how many touches he'll get, and no one is torching the Colts' run defense these days anyway -- they've given up two 100-yard rushers all season and none since Week 7. Slaton is fine as a flex or a No. 3 rusher, but nothing more. I'd rather start: Tim Hightower (at TEN), Laurence Maroney (at NO), Jonathan Stewart (at NYJ) | Now that Slaton has his starting job back he's worth re-inserting in your Fantasy lineup, and you can guarantee the carries will come as long as he doesn't fumble again. And even with just 11 carries in his past two games, Slaton still has two touchdowns against the Colts and Titans. He also has a solid history against the Colts. In three games, Slaton has four touchdowns, so it's hard to argue with his production. The Colts have allowed seven running backs to score touchdowns this year, and six running backs have reached double digits in Fantasy points. With all the injuries at running back this week, I'll take my chances with Slaton as a starting Fantasy option. I'd start him over: Laurence Maroney (at NO), Kevin Smith (vs. GB) and Matt Forte (at MIN) |
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| Dave Richard | Jamey Eisenberg |
| I'm surprised I'm fighting for Charles since I wasn't a huge fan of his when he became the Chiefs' starter. But he's won me over even though he's also working as a kickoff returner for Kansas City. Charles has had at least 19 total touches in his last two games and the Chiefs are giving him the chance to get going. They're also using him near the goal line (his receiving touchdown last week was a short shovel pass). The Chargers' run defense has been much improved but Charles' versatility will provide a challenge for them. All it will take is one big run for Charles to earn his keep for Fantasy owners this week, and San Diego could very easily give it up when they come blitzing. I'd start him over: Knowshon Moreno (vs. NYG), Cadillac Williams (at ATL), Rock Cartwright (at PHI) | There is plenty of upside with Charles this week, but I'm not ready to call him a must-start option. While San Diego has struggled in run defense this year, only one running back has reached double digits in Fantasy points in the past six games. The Chiefs faced the Chargers in Week 7, and Charles and Larry Johnson combined for 20 carries for 82 yards (Charles had four carries for 33 yards). I would give Charles about eight Fantasy points, which makes him useful as a flex option. The key is Kansas City not letting San Diego build a big lead, which would take away the chance for Charles to get double digits in carries like he has the past two weeks. I'd rather start: Fred Jackson (vs. MIA), Steve Slaton (vs. IND) and Rock Cartwright (at PHI) |
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| Dave Richard | Jamey Eisenberg |
| There's plenty of bad news for Marshall this week -- the Giants will come to Denver with a healthy defensive secondary that did well against big receiver Roddy White last week (that's thanks in part to cornerback Aaron Ross being healthy), and the Broncos won't have a good, healthy quarterback to throw Marshall the ball. Figuring that the Giants will send their pass rush hard after Kyle Orton, who is clearly not close to 100 percent, there won't be much time for Marshall to run his routes and get open deep. That's what happened last week, and that's what will happen this week, which is why Marshall is no better than a No. 3 Fantasy receiver. I'd rather start: Donald Driver (at DET), Santonio Holmes (at BAL), Pierre Garcon (at HOU) | Kyle Orton's health is the key this week, so hopefully his ankle injury won't hinder his ability to get Marshall the ball. The Giants have struggled with big receivers this season. Marques Colston (eight catches for 166 yards and a touchdown), Larry Fitzgerald (six catches for 83 yards) and Vincent Jackson (five catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns) have all done well against the Giants, and Marshall has the chance for a similar performance. Marshall doesn't have a quarterback like those receivers, but you can still count on him as a No. 2 Fantasy option. He also apparently likes the NFC East with three touchdowns in two games against Dallas and Washington. I'd rather start: Jerricho Cotchery (vs. CAR), Steve Smith (at NYJ) and Steve Breaston (at TEN) |
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| Dave Richard | Jamey Eisenberg |
| Celek has evolved to the point where he's been a reliable No. 1 Fantasy tight end for most of the season. Many owners are leaning on him regardless of his matchup, and this week against the Redskins is no exception. Sure, he might not get you many yards because the Redskins' safeties do a great job against opposing tight ends, but he'll always be a red-zone threat for Donovan McNabb, and that's good enough for Fantasy owners. Remember, productive tight ends don't grow on trees, so the prospect of replacing Celek with Brandon Pettigrew, Fred Davis or whoever is on waivers in your league isn't exactly appealing. I'd start him over: Heath Miller (at BAL), Kevin Boss (at DEN), Jason Witten (vs. OAK) | Go back to the last time Celek faced the Redskins. It was Week 7, and he was held to three catches for 8 yards. It's almost impossible for a player to catch the ball three times and not get one Fantasy point, but that's what happened to Celek. He's having a great season, but this is a tough matchup for him. Washington allowed Tony Gonzalez to catch five passes for 41 yards and a touchdown in Week 9, but he's the only tight end to get double digits in Fantasy points against the Redskins. They have held Kevin Boss, Kellen Winslow and Jason Witten to minimal production, and Celek might not play well against Washington again. I'd rather start: Jermichael Finley (at DET), Zach Miller (at DAL) and Dustin Keller (vs. CAR) |
Do you agree with Dave or Jamey? Send your thoughts or questions to DMFantasyFootball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy Faceoff in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and state.
