Week 3 Start and Sit – RB

Matt Forte RB CHI

Forte has probably been the biggest disappointment this year so far. 84 rushing yards and no touchdowns are just not cutting it for a player who was a unanimous first round selection in this year's drafts. This weekend is when Matt Forte gets back on track though. Unlike Orton, Jay Cutler is a passer who feeds off the play action. The play action is pretty useless if the team has no running game, so expect the Bears to give Forte his due carries. It helps that his match up, Seattle, is pitiful against the run. No team has a given up more yards per carry than Seattle (thanks Frank Gore). Seattle is also in the bottom 10 in the league with 166.5 yards per game on the ground. Guys like Forte do not get held down for long, trust me.

Ray Rice RB BAL

When I say start Ray Rice, I'm also including Willis McGahee in the list because he is Rice's official touchdown vulture. What do you get when you mix the team that runs it the most against one of the most pitiful run defenses in the league? You get fantasy gold my friends, and there will be plenty to go around this weekend in the Baltimore. Need I even remind you that Baltimore lead the league in rush attempts last year? Even this year with the improved play of Joe Flacco, the Ravens lead the league in rushing attempts with 73. That's almost 40 per game people! Insane! Ray Rice and McGahee should both get around 17-20 touches and both score double digit fantasy points. Start both with confidence in all leagues.

Felix Jones RB DAL

Felix Jones drew a lot of attention last year, and rightfully so. He is like a Reggie Bush player who is actually useful for fantasy! Unforunately we only saw him in a few games because he fell to injury. This year though he is for the most part healthy and ready to hit some homeruns for your team. Marion Barber is reported to be active for the weekend but he can't be 100%. If Dallas gets ahead early we will see Barber leave the game and Jones take over. He is not only a rushing threat but a great receiver out of the backfield. Carolina has looked pretty bad on defense concerning stopping the run, so expect about 80 yards and a touchdown from Felix the Cat

Tim Hightower RB ARI

Let's face it: When stopping the run, you might as well call the Colts' run defense an "undefense". I've been watching the Colts every weekend for a long time and I've just become used to opposing running backs getting 100+ yards on them. Last Monday the Colts defense played more than 45 minutes and I'm sure they are still feeling the effects of that game. The Cardinals know what to do against the Colts, so expect Timmy to get 20 rushes and about 110 yards against the Colts this weekend. Maybe even a couple of touchdowns.

Fred Jackson RB BUF

The Fred Jackson gravy train is about to come to a screeching halt, but it was fun while it lasted right? Who would have thought Fred would put out more than 300 all purpose yards in two games? He's really been a nice surprise but next week is when Beast Mode Marshawn Lynch comes back to the NFL. Put yourself in Fred's shoes though: You've never really been the starter in your three year career except for spot starts when Lynch has been absent or injured. You feel like you'd be a great starting RB in the NFL but you have a guy like Lynch who will always start ahead of you. If I was Fred I'd be putting my heart and soul into this last start...it might be his last but it's definitely his last time to prove how valuable he is to the team. If he has another crazy good game the Bills would have to be crazy to not get this man his touches. Jackson definitly will run with conviction this Sunday and it will translate into great fantasy points for us. Start him as a strong RB2 option with confidence.

Larry Johnson
RB KC

I do declare that Larry Johnson is officially washed up. Despite my many warnings in the previous weeks, some people are still starting Larry Johnson in their leagues. The guy has way too many miles on his tires! It's time to let go of the past and release Larry Johnson after this weekend if he doesn't produce. I wouldn't risk starting Johnson in any formats right now, but I don't have to convince you do sit him do I? His numbers speak for themself. Grandma Ma is only managing 2.8 ypc after two games, and he hasn't really played strong run defenses.

Like Johnson, Lewis is on his last leg in the NFL. He kind of reminds me of Edgerrin James last year in Arizona. I expect by the season midpoint that someone else takes over as running back in Cleveland. It's time for us to forget about how Lewis has helped us in years past...he's a Dodge Neon on 190,000 miles and ready to see a major engine failure.

Despite being part of a shootout last weekend, Tennessee leads the league with 1.9 ypc for opposing RB. That number will definitely raise as the season progresses, but Tennessee is defintely a brick wall for opposing RB. Slaton and Parker were shut down the past two weeks, so expect Thomas Jones to hit his wall too this week. Jones isn't a homerun hitter type of runner, he grinds it out each carry. Runners like this don't fare well against defenses that are stingy with their yards.

You're all laughing right now; I can hear it all the way here in Indiana. Yeah, I hate Cedric Benson (in fantasy). I hate him even more for being successful this year thus far. I really feel like this is the end of the line for him though. He's going against the super stout Pittsburgh defense this weekend that has allowed 3.1 ypc to opposing RB. Given Benson's poor ypc for his career, I feel like he's going to only manage about 60 yards on Sunday. Look, Benson has been great so far but his career ypc is almost a whole yard under his ypc for the season. If I've learned one thing in fantasy over the years, it's that guys tend to play to their averages. Benson will end the season under 4 ypc, and it's games like the upcoming one that will make sure that happens. Pittsburgh totally shut down Chris Johnson and Matt Forte...do you really think Benson will play better than those two guys?