Start 'Em

Michael Bush @ KC
During last week’s disappointing loss to Detroit, Bush was again a central part of the Raider offense (25 touches) as he had 18 carries for 77 yards and added a season-high 7 receptions for 62 yards. The catches made up for being held out of the endzone for the second time in three games. Bush’s 17 receptions over the last four games (4.25/game) have not gone unnoticed by PPR-leaguers. If there is any bad news here, it is that he has averaged just 3.2 yards per carry over his last four, but with this week’s matchup he is poised to finish the season strong. Even if Darren McFadden somehow suits up for the first time since Week 7, he can’t be expected to take too much away from Bush. Defensively, the Chiefs have allowed 130.4 rushing yards per game, 24th highest in the NFL; 14 rushing TDs is tied for 6th most in the league (Cardinals, Giants & Raiders). Bush popped up on Wednesday’s injury report so be sure to monitor his status, but at the moment he is expected to play.

Darren Sproles vs. Atl
The incredibly spry and explosive Sproles leads all NFL RBs with 79 receptions (career high), trailing only elite WRs Wes Welker (104), Roddy White (85), Calvin Johnson (81) and TE Jimmy Graham (87) in that category. 2011 has been kind to Sproles; he has also sitting on career-highs in rush yards (496), yards per rush (6.5) and receiving yards (659). Owners wouldn’t mind seeing more carries – just 17 attempts over the last three games – and he has not had a rushing TD since Week 7, but he has made up for it with 17 receptions over the last three games with 2 TDs. He is a threat to score every time he touches the ball and deserves flex consideration (RB2 in PPR) this week despite the tough matchup. The last time he faced the Falcons (Week 10), he easily had his worst game of the season (1 yard rushing, 4 receptions for 2 yards). Atlanta has one of the better run-stopping units in the NFL (96.6 rushing yards per game, 4th) and should the Saints move away from the run, Sproles is sure to be active in the passing game.

C.J. Spiller vs. Den
Spiller gave Bills fans something to cheer about last week as he had 12 carries for 91 yards (career high) and a TD in addition to 9 catches for 76 yards (both career highs) and a receiving TD against Miami. This marked the first 2 TD game of his career for the former first round pick from Clemson. Head Coach Chan Gailey has stated that he will not overwork Spiller - evidenced by 12 carries in each of the last two games - but he has averaged 5.7 yards per carry in that span, and should continue to be a big part of the passing game. He’s an intriguing flex option at home against Denver. Although the Broncos have only given up 9 TDs on the ground this season, opponents have rushed for an average of 125.4 yards per game against them.

A plus matchup (Lions) for Mathews.

Ryan Mathews @ Det
After a disappointing 4-game stretch (Weeks 7 – 11) in which he had only 45 carries for 167 yards (3.7 yards per carry) with 0 TDs and 2 fumbles lost, Mathews saw an increase in touches and subsequently caught fire. Over his last four games, he’s had 81 carries for 453 yards (5.6 yards per carry) with 3 TDs and chipped in 12 receptions in that span. In his second season, Mathews has topped 1,000 rushing yards (1,033) for the first time and his career-high 47 receptions make him even more prized in PPR leagues. This week he has a plus-matchup in Detroit as the Lions have allowed opponents to rush for an NFL-high 5.2 yards per carry; teams have averaged 135.8 rushing yards per game against them. With the Chargers on a roll in a must-win game, Mathews should be started confidently.

Bench 'Em

Marshawn Lynch vs. SF
Beginning in Week 4 (24 yards, TD), Lynch has shown an uncanny ability to find the endzone, even in games where the yardage wasn’t there. Week 8 similarly produced 24 yards and a TD. Last week in Chicago, he could not find any room to run (20 carries, 42 yards) but still hit pay dirt twice. Prior to the Bears game, Lynch had gone over 100 yards in five of his last six, with at least 1 TD in every game in that span. If anyone has the ability to score a rushing TD against the 49ers, “Beast Mode” appears to be the safest bet, but I’d still shy away from him this week. San Francisco has the undisputed #1 run defense in the NFL; they have limited opponents to NFL-lows of 3.3 yards per carry, 71.5 yards per game and 0 TDs. In their first matchup (way back in Week 1) Lynch rushed for 33 yards on 12 carries and added 14 yards on 2 catches.

Donald Brown vs. Hou
If not for the rigid matchup against Houston, Brown would probably be on the other side of the report this week. Although Joseph Addai started versus the Titans on Sunday, his 33 carries over the last four games have only gone for 98 yards (2.97 yards per carry). Brown, on the other hand, has been terrific. He’s had 14 or more carries in five of the last six games and scored TDs in three of his last four. Last week Brown sealed the Colts first victory of the season with a monster 80-yard 4th quarter TD and he finished with a career-high 161 yards on 16 carries. Still, I find it hard to trust him on Thursday in a big spot against the Texans, who were uncharacteristically soft at home last week versus the Panthers. I think Houston will tighten up this week; on the season they have held opponents to an average of 96.8 (5th lowest in NFL) rushing yards per game allowed 8 ground TDs (6th lowest).

Beanie Wells @ Cin
It is common knowledge that for most of the season Wells has been playing on a bum knee, so you’ve got to give him credit for being on the verge of his first 1,000 rushing yard season (994 to date). He’s also set a career-high with 10 rushing scores, including TDs in three of the last four games. If you look closer at his season, however, a significant amount of his damage was done in 2 games. In Week 4 versus the Giants he ran for 138 yards with 3 TDs; in Week 12 in St. Louis he had 228 rushing yards and 1 TD. So that means 366 of his 994 rushing yards (36.8%) and 4 of his 10 TDs (40%) came in two games; it is also worth noting that in both of those games he set and subsequently tied a career-high with 27 carries. He did not top 100 yards in any other game this season, so I wouldn’t bank on a big game in Cincinnati. The Bengals have held opponents to 3.7 yards per carry, tied for the 4th lowest total in the league.

Wide Receivers