Start 'Em

Felix Jones @ TB
Following RB DeMarco Murray’s season ending ankle injury last Sunday night, Felix Jones is remarkably back on fantasy radars. He finished the game against the Giants with 106 yards on 16 carries, as well as 6 receptions for 31 yards. This was just the 3rd 100-yard game of his career and Jones looked good – he made sharp cuts and appeared as explosive as he has ever been. He is in line to see significant carries on Saturday night in Tampa and should be considered for RB2 duty, especially in PPR leagues. Maybe watching Murray explode over the last few weeks was good for Jones? Could he have a new appreciation for his role and opportunity? Based on his performance on Sunday, I have to assume “yes.” With no threat behind him to make a dent in Jones’ expected workload, you have to feel great about his chances this week in Tampa. The Bucs have allowed an NFL-high 19 rushing TDs and an average of 139.7 rushing yards per game.

Beanie Wells should get back on track in Week 15.

Beanie Wells vs. Cle
Last week against the top-ranked run defense of the 49ers, the Cardinals had major difficulties running the ball and Wells ended up with his worst game of the season. He averaged just 1.8 yards per carry on 15 attempts and was held out of the endzone for the first time since he last played in San Francisco during Week 11. On the season, Wells has 216 carries for 943 rushing yards and 9 TDs, all career-highs. He is a safe bet to add to all three totals this week against the Browns. In a stark contrast to the other AFC North squads, Cleveland struggles to contain the run. The Browns have allowed 150.9 rushing yards per game and 10 TDs on the ground, only the Rams (156.8) have given up more yardage. Even RB Rashard Mendenhall got it going (4.2 yards per carry) last week versus the Browns – and don’t forget RB Ray Rice’s shredding of Cleveland for 204 yards in Week 13.

Chris Johnson @ Ind
Heading into last week’s contest against New Orleans, Johnson had at least 130 rushing yards in 3 of his previous 4 games with 3 TDs in that span. Needless to say, his 11 carries for 23 yards against a beatable Saints run defense left his owners dissatisfied, although his 5 receptions for 43 yards did not go unnoticed by PPR leaguers. The good news for Johnson and his owners presents itself in a tremendous opportunity this week in Indianapolis. The 0-13 Colts have been terrible against the run as they have allowed 144.3 rushing yards per game (3rd highest average in NFL) to go along with 18 ground TDs (2nd highest total in NFL). Whether Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Locker gets the start at QB for the Titans should not affect Johnson’s expected impact on this game.

Steven Jackson vs. Cin
On Monday night in Seattle, Jackson notched his first TD since he scored twice in the Rams shocking win over New Orleans in Week 8. He finished with 63 yards on 20 carries and chipped in 3 catches for 60 yards, a decent game considering the state of the Rams offense. At first glance, his matchup this week versus Cincinnati is tough. On the season, the Bengals have allowed an average of 100 yards per game, which ranks 7th in the NFL. I think it’s important to consider that Cincinnati has lost 4 of their last 5 games and their run defense has waned as the season has progressed. In their last 4 games, RBs Rashard Mendenhall and Ray Rice both scored 2 TDs each against the Bengals. Jackson gets another 20-plus carries this week as a little upset is brewing in St. Louis.

Bench 'Em

Ryan Grant @ KC
It was nice to see Grant make some plays last week versus the Raiders. He produced 2 TDs and 85 rushing yards on 10 carries, including a 47-yard TD run on Green Bay’s first play from scrimmage. He had not topped 29 yards since his 92-yard outburst in Chicago in Week 3 and he took advantage of James Starks’ absence from the lineup last week. Even if Starks is unable to go again this week, it’s a stretch to think that Grant suddenly turned a corner and is going to produce on a weekly basis. After all, this was a game in which the Packers were up 34-0 in the 3rd quarter and Grant still only ended up with 10 carries, the same total as FB John Kuhn. Don’t be swayed by his one-week return to fantasy relevance, keep him parked on your bench where he belongs

Rashard Mendenhall @ SF
Although he managed 76 yards (2nd highest season output) on 18 carries versus Cleveland last week, Mendenhall has an average of 3.8 yards per carry this season. Still, he has received 106 more carries than backup RB Isaac Redman, who has averaged 4.4 YPC. Mendenhall is obviously going to get the lion’s share of carries in the Steelers backfield and could even see an uptick this week due to QB Ben Roethlisberger’s ankle injury, but he is not an advisable start in San Francisco. It has been difficult to predict when Mendenhall will find pay dirt. He was held out of the endzone in Weeks 14 & 12, but he scored 2 TDs in Weeks 13 & 10. Since Mendenhall has just one 100-yard game this season (Week 6), he really needs to score to provide value to his owners. Consider that he was stuffed on 4 consecutive goal-line carries versus the Browns and this week goes up against the NFL’s best run defense in San Francisco; the 49ers remain the only team in the league to have not allowed a rushing TD in 2011.

DeAngelo Williams @ Hou
Like Mendenhall above, Williams also had his second-highest output of the season with 87 rushing yards on just 7 carries last week against the Falcons, including a 74-yard TD run. Looking from a different angle shows that he had just 13 yards on his other 6 carries, but on the plus-side he has now scored 3 TDs in the last 3 games. Despite averaging a robust 5.2 yards per carry this season, Williams still gives way to RB Jonathan Stewart on passing downs and, outside of deeper leagues with a flex position, really doesn’t see enough action to warrant a start this week. The Houston Texans and their surprisingly hard-hitting defense has limited opponents to just 91.5 rushing yards per game (4th in NFL) and allowed 6 ground TDs (tie-3rd).

Wide Receivers