Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray takes a 91-yard carry to the end zone against the St. Louis Rams in Week 7.

Considering he was facing such a crap defense like the Rams, I had figured DeMarco Murray would make the most of his chance as the lead back in the Cowboys’ offense. Little did I know that he would go on to lead the league in rushing yards with 253. That stat was good enough, but him chipping in a 91 yard scamper for a touchdown was icing on the cake. Many will tell you that Murray looked good simply because the Rams are that bad. But going up against an Eagles Defense that gives up an average of 123.8 rushing yards a game along with a 4.8 yards a carry average to opposing running backs, it’s easy for me to consider Murray a low-end RB1 for Week 8. In my opinion, Murray isn’t a one-week wonder.

Because of so many injuries, from Saints RB Mark Ingram to Colts RB Joseph Addai, I will keep everyone updated daily once players start practicing Wednesday. The rankings could change as more news comes in.

And on that note, below are my running back rankings going into Week 8.

Byes: Falcons, Bears, Packers, Jets, Raiders, Buccaneers

TOP FIVE WEEK-EIGHT MATCHUPS (MUST START)

1. Arian Foster (HOU) vs. JAX: If you are in a PPR league and had Foster going against the Titans, he single-handedly won your league matchup for you. Tallying all the rushing yards (115), receiving yards (5/119) and total touchdowns (3), Foster netted owners 45 points in standard PPR leagues. Ray Rice had a brainfart against the Jaguars Monday night, but what do you expect when you only get 8 carries for the entire game? Don’t expect Foster to be held down by the Jags defense in Week 8.

2. LeSean McCoy (PHI) @ DAL: Even though the Cowboys are stout against the run, the Eagles always seem to put up big numbers coming out of a bye week. This weekend will be no different. In PPR and non-PPR leagues, McCoy should be huge in this NFC East matchup. McCoy is averaging around 115 total yards from scrimmage through the team’s first 6 games.

3. Ray Rice (BAL) vs. ARI: Down by 12-15 points with Rice going up against a mediocre Jags defense, you likely thought you had a win secure. Well, lets just say that Rice’s 63 total yards let down a lot of people Monday night. Don’t fret Rice owners. Your RB1 faces a fairly soft Arizona Defense in Week 8, making him a strong bounce-back candidate.

4. Adrian Peterson (MIN) @ CAR: With Christian Ponder under center against the Packers, AD found a bit more running room in Week 7, rushing for 175 yards and a touchdown. He was noticably limping with an ankle injury, but I have yet to hear that it will keep him out Week 8. The Panthers are one of the worst teams against the run, so Peterson should be in all lineups as usual.

5. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX) @ HOU: I remember reading many articles and reports stating that after dealing with a knee injury for all of 2010, that MJD’s career was likely going to be cut short and he would never be the same player that we were used to seeing. Somebody should have told MJD this because he continues to be a hot fantasy commodity. Coming off 105 rushing yards against the Ravens, MJD should continue to be a major part of the offense going into Week 8 against the Texans. Some may consider this ranking a bit too high, but I have a feeling we will see a big day.

Saints RB Darren Sproles' value could go up if RB Mark Ingram winds up sitting against the Rams this weekend.

BEST OF THE REST:

I wish everyone the best of luck this week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post below.

This is how I feel this morning trying to write about fantasy football after six weeks. I feel like in many ways, we have more questions now than we did in week one. But, this is the life of prognosticating- in reality, an impossible endeavor with plenty of pitfalls. One question I received last week, for example: Jordy Nelson or Marques Colston? I had a strong feeling about Colston and recommended the Saint and was correct: by one point. (Keep in mind, however, apart from a 93 yard catch and run where the defense fell over or asleep or both, Nelson had one catch for 11 yards.) At any rate, the point here is simply to interpret the rankings accordingly. These are my best guess. Anyone who ranks a player and tells you differently is selling something… probably swampland. If you’re curious, I wrote extensively about my method for establishing my ranks in a previous top-75.

With a lot of top fantasy options sidelined due to byes, this week’s rankings are harder (and perhaps more important) than ever. Many marginal decisions will affect your results and so I have attempted to include, whenever possible, as much statistical or logical backup for my rankings as I can provide. Want more or have a question? You can always tweet me: @petethegreekff.

MY MISSION STATEMENT
(or, to read more about how I detest mission statements, click here.
What frustrates me above all else are so-called fantasy advice columns that fit into one of two categories:
1) They refuse to stray from conventional wisdom, often until it’s weeks too late to save or help your season or
2) They only offer rankings commentary on the “big-name” guys that everyone knows to play anyway. Gee, Adrian Peterson will have a bounce back week and I shouldn’t bench him for Danny Woodhead? Thanks!

Each week I will examine what I consider to be the most pressing issues facing fantasy owners. I will try to focus only on issues that you may actually be concerned with, namely: marginal flex players, tough matchup decisions, and above all else, how to assimilate new information from the previous week. This is a column of the people, by the people, for the people (thanks, Abe). And as long as I’m offering oaths, I promise to always tackle the difficult questions as I see them, not be chained by conventional wisdom, and not allow traditional or draft-position bias to affect my weekly rankings.

1. Darren McFadden
2. Matt Forte
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Ray Rice
5. Arian Foster
6. Adrian Peterson
7. Michael Turner
8. Chris Johnson
9. Earnest Graham
10. Greg Jennings
11. Rashard Mendenhall
12. Beanie Wells
13. Maurice Jones-Drew
14. Mike Wallace
15. Darren Sproles

The Big Boys
McFadden finally finds his way to the number one spot. I expect Carson Palmer to have the same effect on McFadden’s fantasy value as he will on the rest of the Oakland Raiders: absolutely none. I don’t see him as much of an upgrade from Jason Campbell. At best, he may develop a “favorite receiver” whose targets (and thus value) may increase slightly. That’s it. I stubbornly refuse to put Mendenhall in my top-10… yet. He had one nice week and has an absolutely cake matchup against the little league Cardina… I mean Arizona. Everything screams that he’ll have a monster week… which is exactly why I’m ranking him as if he won’t. If there’s anything that has been consistent about Mendenhall this year it has been his ability to disappoint. Take, for example, his 18 carries for 37 yards against Indianapolis in week 3. So, I’ve put Earnest Graham in his place instead. The Bears are notorious for giving away short underneath stuff, and if Blount doesn’t play (which again I doubt he will), Graham will get a ton of touches. Sproles in the top-15? Well, on a bye week, looking around, who do I like above him? Ryan Matthews possibly should be up there, but with injury questions and not the best matchup, I don’t mind doing it this way:

16. Ryan Matthews
17. Marques Colston
18. Steven Jackson
19. Willis McGahee
20. Steve Smith
21. Jimmy Graham
22. Roddy White
23. Jackie Battle
24. Jason Witten
25. Daniel Thomas
26. Miles Austin
27. Dez Bryant
28. Larry Fitzgerald
29. Jermichael Finley
30. Dwayne Bowe

Tight Ends, Cont.
I like Colston to keep it going with another strong week, but really Jimmy Graham may be the top target in New Orleans. Just as Jason Witten may be the no. 1 receiving option in Dallas. Witten has scored in double digits in four out of five weeks and even though St. Louis is giving up less than 3 fantasy points/game against tight ends I suspect 1) that is primarily because they give up points to everyone else and 2) that will change this week. Jermichael Finley had 6 catches for 128 yards and a score in his last game against Minnesota… albeit back in 2009. Still, I like him to have a good week in divisional play. Seeing some of the above names in the top-30 is a bit scary- Daniel Thomas for example- but reminds us that we often have to get creative during the bye week. While my rankings reflect I like Austin slightly better than Bryant, I’d start both in all leagues.

31. Jahvid Best
32. Shonn Greene
33. Pierre Garcon
34. Vincent Jackson
35. Owen Daniels
36. DeMarco Murray
37. Brandon Marshall
38. Tony Gonzalez
39. Anquan Boldin
40. Jordy Nelson
41. Brandon Lloyd
42. Brandon Pettigrew
43. James Starks
44. Ryan Torain
45. Santonio Holmes
46. Santana Moss
47. Eric Decker
48. Reggie Wayne
49. Mark Ingram
50. Marshawn Lynch

Maybes
What to do with Jahvid Best? I really think he should be higher than this, but with as many other weapons as Detroit has, it’s hard to put him in the top-30 consistently, even on a bye week. Shonn Greene has received 42 carries the past two weeks. 42. It’s also the meaning of life, some might say. Tony Gonzalez has been held out of the endzone two weeks in a row, but I think he’ll get back to his scoring ways this week against a Lions team giving up almost 8/game to opposing tight ends. Ryan Torain? Why not. I have to rank one Redskins running back, at least, though I’d prefer not to. And with John Beck taking over for Rex Grossman, I would expect a lot of handing the ball off. Jordy Nelson turnes one to two catches into fantasy glory each week. I just have the sensation it’s going to stop at some point, but this week is not that “some point.”

51. Mike Tolbert
52. Johnathan Stewart
53. Sidney Rice
54. Nate Washington
55. Greg Olsen
56. Mike Tolbert
57. Julio Jones
58. Peyton Hillis
59. Greg Little
60. LaDanian Tomlinson
61. Percy Harvin
62. Monterio Hardesty
63. Mike Williams
64. Darrius Heyward-Bey
65. Ryan Grant
66. Hines Ward
67. Tashard Choice
68. Plaxico Burress
69. Kevin Walter
70. Pierre Thomas
71. Dustin Keller
72. James Jones
73. Mike Thomas
74. Tim Hightower
75. Doug Baldwin

A Strange Finish
More questions, again. Even if Peyton Hillis plays, we have no idea what his usage or impact will be, which of course also impacts Monterio Hardesty. In fantasy- avoid uncertainty as much as possible. Meanwhile, I’d love to put Julio Jones much higher in a bye week but I simply don’t know if he will play or how limited he may be if he does. Christian Ponder’s installation can’t possibly hurt Percy Harvin, and may be just what he needs. Same logic for Carson Palmer and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Though I’d prefer to stay away from any Oakland receivers until we see more, you may not have a better choice. I think the two biggest upside plays of this bottom group are Greg Little and Doug Baldwin. Both could have a nice week and Baldwin is coming off two strong performances in a row. No, I have no idea what to make of Tim Hightower, and he finds his way on this list more because of potential than actual value. Again, if you have better options, use them. I keep waiting for Mike Williams to bounce back, but even in a week when Josh Freeman blew up, Williams was hardly involved. Greg Olsen, meanwhile, still had five catches in a week where Cam Newton looked human again. Olsen remains the Panthers second best receiver behind Steve Smith, and Carolina will throw the ball.

Best of luck! I look forward to your tweets.

_PDK

With a divisional matchup against the Chiefs on deck, Darren McFadden comes in at No. 1 going into Week 7.

One of the best things regarding fantasy football is that there will always be a at least one option that comes out of the woodwork, especially at running back. In Week 5, we saw Jackie Battle make a name for himself. Last weekend we saw Earnest Graham showing us he still has some legs left. And now that Felix Jones is dealing with a high-ankle sprain, rookie DeMarco Murray has a chance to make it big against the Rams.

Below are my running back rankings going into Week 7.

TOP FIVE WEEK-SEVEN MATCHUPS (MUST START)

1. Darren McFadden (OAK) vs. KC: Like last week, McFadden is the head of the pack going up against AFC West rival Kansas City. The Chiefs are giving up over 22 fantasy points a game thus far, so I expect big things from McFadden playing at home. The Raiders figure to use the run heavily while Carson Palmer gets used to playing again..

2. Ray Rice (BAL) @ JAX: Rice may have lost a touchdown to Ricky Williams against the Texans, but he still chipped in 161 total yards and 5 receptions. Rashard Mendenhall torched the Jaguars Defense last weekend. Expect Rice to do the same in Week 7.

3. Adrian Peterson (MIN) vs. GB: The Packers run defense is starting to look a bit shell shocked after Steven Jackson came four yards short of a 100-yard game in Week 6. Christian Ponder will get the start this week, but that might be good news considering how bad Donovan McNabb has looked. The Vikings are going to run-run-run a lot to give Ponder some confidence.

4. Rashard Mendenhall (PIT) @ ARI: Mendenhall finally broke out of his fantasy slump, putting up 146 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars last week. He faces an Arizona D that is giving up close to 119 rushing yards a game. I smell another 100+ from Mendy this week.

5. Arian Foster (HOU) @ TEN: Foster played horrendous last week against the Ravens, chipping in a measly 49 yards on the ground. The Ravens only give up 11.2 fantasy points to running backs, so he did have an excuse. It could have been much worse, but Foster managed to salvage some of his value with his 6 receptions and 52 receiving yards. Foster even admitted that he played “terrible,” but I expect him to bounce back this week.

DeMarco Murray cracks the top 20 amongst fantasy running backs for Week 7, coming in at No. 18 against the Rams.

BEST OF THE REST:

I wish everyone the best of luck this week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post below.

MY MISSION STATEMENT
(or, to read more about how I detest mission statements, click here)
What frustrates me above all else are so-called fantasy advice columns that fit into one of two categories:
1) They refuse to stray from conventional wisdom, often until it’s weeks too late to save or help your season or
2) They only offer rankings commentary on the “big-name” guys that everyone knows to play anyway. Gee, Adrian Peterson will have a bounce back week and I shouldn’t bench him for Danny Woodhead? Thanks!
Each week I will examine what I consider to be the most pressing issues facing fantasy owners. I will try to focus only on issues that you may actually be concerned with, namely: marginal flex players, tough matchup decisions, and above all else, how to assimilate new information from the previous week. This is a column of the people, by the people, for the people (thanks, Abe). And as long as I’m offering oaths, I promise to always tackle the difficult questions as I see them, not be chained by conventional wisdom, and not allow traditional or draft-position bias to affect my weekly rankings.

1. Ray Rice
2. LeSean McCoy
3. Darren McFadden
4. Adrian Peterson
5. Arian Foster
6. Matt Forte
7. Fred Jackson
8. Calvin Johnson
9. Wes Welker
10. Greg Jennings
11. Maurice Jones-Drew
12. Michael Turner
13. Mike Wallace
14. Frank Gore
15. Ahmad Bradshaw

The Big Boys
This week’s top-15 should show, fairly clearly, the separation of 2011 running backs into fairly clear tiers, or at least one fairly clear tier: the top one. I think backs 1-7, above, are definitely a level above all others. I was very tempted to rank Calvin Johnson as no. 1 overall in my flex rankings this week, but I can’t help feeling that sooner or later someone will get to Matthew Stafford or at least figure out to triple-team Megatron. Maybe not. And probably not this week. Mike Wallace has been consistent, and looking at those directly below him, I feel fairly confident ranking him as highly as I have. I am low(ish) on Gore this week simply because of the matchup. I think this game could be ugly. How interesting that just a year or two ago we’d be playing any fantasy back against the Lions, and ranking them highly. I just have a sensation that this might get out of hand, and while Gore could stay involved in the passing game, keep in mind he still has Alex Smith throwing to him, even if it is on a short dump-off.

16. Cedric Benson
17. Hakeem Nicks
18. Steve Smith
19. Peyton Hillis
20. Jahvid Best
21. Jimmy Graham
22. Miles Austin
23. Steven Jackson
24. Darren Sproles
25. DeSean Jackson
26. Steve Johnson
27. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
28. Roddy White
29. Jeremy Maclin
30. Dez Bryant

Early Trends
Apart from the “Ocean” game with Jacksonville, Steve Smith has scored in double digits every week. With Newton at the helm, we have to recognize his production will continue. Same with Jimmy Graham: he is arguably the number one threat in the Saints offense, one of the best offenses in football. A quick check of what Jackie Battle did to the Colts last week should explain my ranking of Cedric Benson. While I don’t think he’s a stud, comparing him to similar backs of the same tier, I don’t like anyone else’s chances enough to rank them ahead of Benson. I’m not convinced I have the Eagles receivers in the correct order. Maclin is receiving plenty of targets and will likely cash them in for a big day sooner rather than later. While my ranking of Peyton Hillis really feels like a “name” rank, I also recognize Oakland can be run on, and what else does Cleveland have to do with the ball?

31. Jason Witten
32. Felix Jones
33. A.J. Green
34. Marques Colston
35. Jermichael Finley
36. Santana Moss
37. James Starks
38. Daniel Thomas
39. Pierre Garcon
40. Anquan Boldin
41. Aaron Hernandez
42. Reggie Wayne
43. Owen Daniels
44. Shonn Greene
45. Tony Gonzalez
46. Rashard Mendenhall
47. Santonio Holmes
48. Jordy Nelson
49. Victor Cruz
50. Rob Gronkowski

The Year of the Tight End
Go ahead, make it the thirteenth symbol of the Zodiac. 2011: the year of the tight end. If only Antonio Gates was healthy. Tony Gonzalez was held out of the endzone last week but still had six catches for 60 yards. Owen Daniels should continue to pick up the slack for Andre Johnson. Aaron Hernandez didn’t have a monster week, but if you watched the game tape you would see Tom Brady looking for him numerous times on long, down-the-field routes. If he converted one of those passes (several were simply overthrown by Brady, who will be more accurate as the two get back on track), Hernandez would have had a huge day. Also, Dallas-New England has the potential to be a shootout. I think Cruz has officially surpassed Manningham in terms of fantasy relevance. While I would rather not rank Mendenhall this low, he has too many questions. More importantly, he has not been very productive this year to-date. With Curtis Painter starting, Pierre Garcon has 7 catches for 271 yards and four touchdowns. Uhhh… wow.

51. DeAngelo Williams
52. Percy Harvin
53. Plaxico Burress
54. Earnest Graham
55. Ryan Torain
56. Tim Hightower
57. Brandon Marshall
58. James Jones
59. Deion Branch
60. Mike Thomas
61. David Nelson
62. Greg Olsen
63. LaDanian Tomlinson
64. Johnathan Stewart
65. Mark Ingram
66. Delonte Carter
67. Robert Meachem
68. Vernon Davis
69. Ryan Grant
70. Mike Williams
71. Julio Jones – officially ruled OUT for week 6
72. Jacoby Jones
73. Darrius Heyward-Bey
74. Brandon Pettigrew
75. Lance Moore

Question Marks
What will Ryan Grant’s role be in Green Bay? I think sadly he is moving into fantasy obscurity. Julio Jones would and should be much higher- I think last week was a blip- if not for questions about his hamstring. Even if he plays, he could be limited or tweak it and be done. Usually I stay away from such scenarios if I have reasonable alternatives. Delone Carter might be ranked far too low, especially if Joseph Addai is indeed out, which I expect to be the case. In a similar case, Earnest Graham may deserve moved up a few notches, especially since he is on the field in passing situations anyway. Meanwhile, where has Mike Williams gone? I’m not sure, but if this trend continues he may also soon be gone from these ranks. I don’t know what to make of the Redskins backfield, and perhaps neither does Mike Shannahan. They have three usable backs, all with talent, all who could help your fantasy roster if they were guaranteed the most of the carries. Since none of them are, we can’t trust any of them. Best of luck if you have to play them.

As always, you can tweet lineup questions to @petethegreekff. Enjoy week 6!

_PDK

Darren McFadden comes in at No. 1 going into Week Six.

Week Five had its ups and downs, just like any other week. Darren McFadden was held in check by the Texans, while Adrian Peterson blew up against the Cardinals. LeSean McCoy was, once again, under used against the Bills and Michael Turner punched in a touchdown against a strong Green Bay rushing defense. And for the first time, we actually had a Chief not named Jamaal Charles put up huge stats after unknown Jackie Battle put up 100+ against the Colts..

Below are my running back rankings going into Week Six.

TOP FIVE WEEK-SIX MATCHUPS (MUST START)

1. Darren McFadden (OAK) vs. CLE: McFadden let his owners down last week against the Texans after he put up a meager 51 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards. But it wasn’t like McFadden was stinking it up because of his play. The Texans Defense made it a point to stop McFadden all game long, but they still wound up losing anyway. DMC should get on track this week against the Brown.

2. Adrian Peterson (MIN) @ CHI: The AD of Week Five is the one we had been hoping for. His 122 rushing yards against the Cardinals was sweet, but his three rushing touchdowns put him among the elite fantasy backs over the weekend. Facing a Bears Defense that just got burned by Lions RB Jahvid Best, AD should put up quality stats in Week Six.

3. Ray Rice (BAL) vs. HOU: Coming off a bye week, Rice should have a big day against the Texans. I know the Texans Defense was able to hold Darren McFadden in check, but the Texans are facing a slightly better passing offense with Joe Flacco and Anquan Boldin. Rice averaged almost 135 total yards a game through the first four weeks of the season. I don’t expect that to stop now.

4. Fred Jackson (BUF) vs. NYG: Jackson doesn’t budge from his No. 4 spot from last week. As expected, he came up big against the Eagles, who literally can’t stop anyone on the ground. The Giants Defense made Marshawn Lynch look like the Lynch of old Sunday. Jackson should be in for another strong outing playing at home.

5. Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG) vs. BUF: Nope this isn’t a typo. Some owners will shy away from Bradshaw because of his poor performance against the Seahawks. Even though Seattle isn’t that great, their rushing defense is only giving up 97.8 rushing yards a game. Compare that to 138.4 that the Bills are giving up and you have the makings of a bounce-back week for Bradshaw.

Arian Foster has a tough matchup this week against the Baltimore Ravens.

BEST OF THE REST:

I wish everyone the best of luck this week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post below.

I will not be governed by the shackles of, uh, society, of tradition, of history. Yes, that’s it! This week’s rankings are unencumbered.

Trust your gut, stick to your guns. These platitudes, cliched though they may be, remain the best words to live by when it comes to your own fantasy life and death. Oh, and when it comes to girlfriends, too. Had I followed this simpleton wisdom last week, I would have replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick with Cam Newton literally minutes before kickoff when my stomach twinged and I thought, do it, the kid is legit. Had I succumbed to the gut wrench in college that said get out I may have saved myself a few months of frustration at the hands of a slightly unstable girlfriend. I get these twinges all the time, my only mistake is not listening to them more frequently. In another league, for example, I felt the pinch and pulled David Nelson for A.J. Green at the last minute. Boom. Victory. In fantasy, as in relationships, you must believe in yourself. Use the information, use the analysis, do not be ruled by it. Trust what you believe. Act on impulse. Talk to the pretty girls you want to, no matter how random it may seem. Start LeGarette Blount over Peterson because you don’t believe in the Vikings (hey, it would have worked last week). The accumulation of random life factors, or whatever creates our ‘gut instinct’, is often far more powerful than cold, hard facts, which can change in their usefulness-of-application literally by the second.Too often we let exterior factors influence our personal decisions and too often we end up starting a guy like Kendall Hunter over Beanie Wells because ‘so-and-so ranked it that way, bro!’

No. Just… no. Not any more! I will not be governed by the shackles of, uh, society, of tradition, of history. Yes, that’s it! This week’s rankings are unencumbered. They are gloriously independent. They are ranked only as I want. I have done my best to ignore outside influences completely. To avoid anything but the numbers and my gut feelings. Week five top-75, I dub thee: “The Greek’s Gut.”

MY MISSION STATEMENT.. or, read more about how I detest mission statements

What frustrates me above all else are so-called fantasy advice columns that fit into one of two categories:

1. They refuse to stray from conventional wisdom, often until it’s weeks too late to save or help your season or
2.  They only offer rankings commentary on the “big-name” guys that everyone knows to play anyway. Gee, Adrian Peterson will have a bounce back week and I shouldn’t bench him for Danny Woodhead? Thanks!

Each week I will examine what I consider to be the most pressing issues facing fantasy owners. I will try to focus only on issues that you may actually be concerned with, namely: marginal flex players, tough matchup decisions, and above all else, how to assimilate new information from the previous week. This is a column of the people, by the people, for the people (thanks, Abe). And as long as I’m offering oaths, I promise to always tackle the difficult questions as I see them, not be chained by conventional wisdom, and not allow traditional or draft-position bias to affect my weekly rankings.

1. Arian Foster

2. LeSean McCoy

3. Calvin Johnson

4. Darren McFadden

5. Matt Forte

6. Beanie Wells

7. Adrian Peterson

8. Wes Welker

9. Fred Jackson

10. Ryan Matthews

11. Chris Johnson

12. Maurice Jones-Drew

13. Greg Jennings

14. Ahmad Bradshaw

15. Frank Gore

The Big Boys

Despite benching Newton in the league mentioned above, I still emerged victorious thanks to Arian Foster’s big return. Personally, I find comebacks to be the best stories in sports, and Foster’s explosion was almost as sexy as skinny girls in Cage T-shirts. Almost.

Again, I go back on my promise to rank the Mc-RBs 1 and 2 for the rest of the season. While Foster himself throws a monkey wrench into this plan, so does The Megatron. Yes, Calvin Johnson has earned a “The.” He’s about as automatic as you can get, and this week gets a Bears secondary that has looked terrible the past three weeks. Yes, I think Chicago will try to take him away, and take away the deep ball in general as they always do. No, I don’t think Chicago will be successful in doing so.

Welcome to the party, Ryan Matthews! Getting most of the carries on a very effective offense? Check. He’s also produced in double-digits every game this season. The same cannot be said, for example, of even Adrian Peterson, who drops considerably. Yes, I understand I ranked Peterson below Wells in a matchup against each other. Yes, I understand Minnesota still remains decently strong against the run. No, I don’t care.

16. LeGarette Blount

17. Michael Turner

18. Vincent Jackson

19. Larry Fitzgerald

20. Jahvid Best

21. Steve Smith

22. Darren Sproles

23. Steve Johnson

24. Hakeem Nicks

25. Mike Wallace

26. Jimmy Graham

27. DeSean Jackson

28. Cedric Benson

29. JerMichael Finley

30. Jeremy Maclin

31. Rob Gronkowski

Beliefs and Blunders

Blount will get the ball. A lot. This has been shown. He was even involved in a few passing plays last week. I think his value will continue to improve as the season wears on. The top-30 is tight-end friendly this week, and while I think part of that is due to byes, I also think it’s a statement on how they are being used and also how talented they are. Jimmy Graham has been incredibly consistent, and after proving his matchup-proof ability in week three against the Texans, I have to be on board. Meanwhile, I am actually concerned about Gronkowski as Aaron Hernandez could be back as early as this week and the emergence of Stevan Ridley has taken offensive touches away from the New England aerial attack. This week is simply a must-win for Philadelphia. At the same time, Buffalo has no intention of losing two in a row. I could see Bills-Eagles as a high-scoring affair, and I think it will be the Bills who need to keep up with the Eagles. I’m high on Steve Johnson in general, and this week (despite the matchup against the Eagles corners) I see him having a nice performance.

32. Willis McGahee

33. James Starks

34. Roddy White

35. Julio Jones

36. Dwayne Bowe

37. Shonn Greene

38. Reggie Wayne

39. Santonio Holmes

40. Isaac Redman

41. Brandon Lloyd

42. Tony Gonzalez

43. A.J. Green

44. BenJarvus Green-Ellis

45. Greg Olsen

46. Eric Decker

47. Percy Harvin

48. Johnathan Stewart

49. Owen Daniels

50. Jordy Nelson

51. Stevan Riddley

Usage, Teammates

No, I don’t feel great about ranking Greene ahead of Holmes. I just have a sensation that the Jets will want to control the clock and keep the ball away from Brady. Still, they also might have to play catchup as early as the first quarter. While I think there is room for both Patriot backs in a fantasy lineup, I think for now “The Law Firm” remains the better play, with Riddley the upside option. Obviously, Redman is ranked as if Rashard Mendenhall won’t play. Reggie Wayne is still tops in Indy. Watch the games! Pierre Garcon’s monstrous week four came essentially on two passes where Garcon remembered he could run retty fast and the Buccaneers forgot they were playing football and did their best “people milling around Grant Park” impression. You know what Tony Gonzalez does? Score touchdowns. Four in four weeks. I may be a bit too high on Olsen- call it a hunch. Meanwhile Owen Daniels might deserve to be higher with Andre Johnson sidelined. I also may regret having A.J. Green this low. Now for some fun with teammates:

52. Marques Colston

53. Lance Moore

54. Robert Meachem

55. Mark Ingram

Yes, this is essentially how I feel about the New Orleans offense. “Spread it around” is more or less the understatement of the year. We simply don’t know who will get the scores, the touches, how it will play out. They are ranked here for uncertainty purposes only. Do what you will with them. For my money, I’d trade them. The only Saint I’d want is Sproles who gets guaranteed looks in both the passing AND running game, and is dynamic enough to make big plays every time he touches the ball. Trade the rest of them, if you can.

56. Plaxico Burress

57. Dustin Keller

58. LaDanian Tomlinson

Call this the “Jets playing catchup” section.

59. Mike Williams (TB)

60. Joseph Addai

61. DeAngelo Williams

62. Mike Tolbert

63. Sidney Rice

64. Pierre Garcon

65. Brandon Jacobs

66. Brandon Pettigrew

67. Mario Manningham

68. Nate Washington

70. Vernon Davis

71. Jacoby Jones

72. David Nelson

73. Denarius Moore

74. Mike Thomas

75. Deion Branch

Get more Individual Player Rankings here!

Receive Shall Give

This bottom section of flex plays is receiver-heavy. Frankly, in today’s league, the upside of wide-outs on largely pass-first offenses surpasses a mid-to-low tier back, even if said back has the starting job and, ostensibly, the goal-line carries. The player from the bottom-15 who I think is most worthy of sleeper status? Probably Jacoby Jones. Again, with Johnson out, he looks to get more targets… and will likely be Oakland’s third area of concern behind Arian Foster and Owen Daniels. I may also still be too low on Tampa’s Mike Williams, but I want to see another week of semi-reasonable production before I move him up too highly on the list. The same goes for Sidney Rice. I am very interested to see what happens with Brandon Pettigrew this week. The Bears give up a lot of short, underneath stuff and I could see him racking up both the catches and yardage. Will his current usage be a season-long trend? If so, it’s bad news for Best owners.

Best of luck this weekend. Trust your gut, use mine only as a guide. Tweet me for lineup advice as necessary: @petethegreekff.

And I’d play you in Pinball, but you ain’t got a chance

so go on over and ask her to dance. (-Sight for Sore Eyes)

A bientot…

_PDK