This will be a weekly feature at FBG this season for IDP owners out there who are having some trouble deciding who to start on Sundays. I'll pick out several players normally ranked outside of the top-30 at each IDP grouping, who I think have favorable matchups this week and might be worth starting. Additionally, I'll highlight some "top-30 players" who could have trouble living up to expectations this week that you may want to consider benching. I'll also provide my reasoning so you can think about it and decide for yourselves. As a bonus, I'll also review my picks from the week before so you can see how accurate they have been. I'll be relying heavily on the IDP stats we are providing at FBG this year, especially the fantasy points/game and % of points allowed to each position grouping.

Review of Last Week's Selections

STRONG STARTS

• DL Michael Haynes, Chicago (@ NY Giants): 1 solo = 1pt
• DL Antonio Cochran, Seattle (@ San Francisco): 2 solo, 1 sack = 5pts
• DL Bert Berry, Arizona (@ Miami): 3 solo, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 FF = 8.5pts
• DL Cory Redding/Kalimba Edwards, Detroit (vs Washington): 4 solo = 4pts; 1 solo = 1pt
• LB Derek Smith, San Francisco (vs Seattle): 8 solo, 3 asst, .5 sack, 1 PD = 12pts
• LB Jonathan Vilma, NY Jets (@ Buffalo): 10 solo, 5 asst, 1 PD = 13.5pts
• LB Shelton Quarles, Tampa Bay (vs Kansas City): 2 solo, 1 asst = 2.5pts
• LB Will Witherspoon, Carolina (vs Oakland): 7 solo, 2 asst, 1 INT, 3 PD = 15pts
• DB Ken Lucas/Marcus Trufant, Seattle (@ San Francisco): 1 PD = 1pt; 3 solo, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 PD = 7.5pts
• DB Champ Bailey, Denver (vs Houston): 5 solo, 1 PD = 6pts
• DB Bob Sanders, Indianapolis (vs Minnesota): 5 solo = 5pts
• DB Jermaine Phillips, Tampa Bay (vs Kansas City): 2 solo, 1 INT, 1 PD = 7pts

Hit Rate: 8/14 (57%)

WEAK STARTS

• DL Kevin Williams, Minnesota (@ Indianapolis): 6 solo, 1 asst, 1 sack = 9.5pts
• DL Cornelius Griffin, Washington (@ Detroit): 3 solo, 3 asst, 2 sacks, 2 PD = 12.5pts
• DL Mike Rucker, Carolina (vs Oakland): 3 solo, 1 asst = 3.5pts
• DL Justin Smith, Cincinnati (vs Dallas): 3 solo, 2 asst = 4pts
• LB Tedy Bruschi, New England (@ St Louis): 2 solo, 1 asst, 1 sack = 5.5pts
• LB James Farrior, Pittsburgh (vs Philadelphia): 4 solo, 1 asst, 1 sack, 1 INT = 11.5pts
• LB Danny Clark, Oakland (@ Carolina): 4 solo, 1 asst = 4.5pts
• LB Terrell Suggs, Baltimore (vs Cleveland): 4 solo, .5 sack = 5.5pts
• DB Tebucky Jones, New Orleans (@ San Diego): 4 solo, 1 PD = 5pts
• DB Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh (vs Philadelphia): 5 solo, 2 asst = 6pts
• DB Gibril Wilson, NY Giants (vs Chicago): 9 solo, 1 sack, 1 FF = 14pts
• DB Mike Minter, Carolina (vs Oakland): 3 solo, 3 PD = 6pts

Hit Rate: 6/12 (50%)

A brief note about the hit rates: To provide an objective standard to evaluate these selections, 5 fantasy points will be used as the cutoff for DL and 6 fantasy points will be used as the cutoff for LB and DBs. Thus, when a player is listed as a strong start, we think he has a good chance to top 5 or 6 points based on his matchup, and when we say a player is a weak start, we think he has a good chance to put up fewer than 5 or 6 points. We'll continue to evaluate our success throughout the season to try and provide you with the information you need to make your starting decisions.

Week 10 Selections

STRONG STARTS

• DL Bert Berry, Arizona (vs NY Giants)
  Berry has sacks in 4 out of 8 games so far this year, and he came through with a big game against Miami like I expected him to. While hard to believe, he actually gets an even better matchup this week with the Giants coming to town. The Giants offensive line has regressed and is now looking like the worst line in all of football. They are giving up an average of 4.2 sacks per game, which is easily tops in the league, and 3.6 of those sacks are going to opposing DL. They gave up 7 sacks last week to the Bears, including 4 to RDE Alex Brown. Berry won't have that kind of success, but he should definitely have a great day.
• DL Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee (vs Chicago)
  The Titans coaches have been frustrated with the inconsistent effort demonstrated by Haynesworth, but he had perhaps his best game as a pro in week 8 against the Bengals (3 solo, 1 sack, 1 FF, 3 PD = 11pts). Look for him to build on that momentum coming off the bye week as the Bears come to town. Chicago is starting a 5th round rookie QB in Craig Krenzel, who has been sacked 12 times in the past 3 weeks. The Bears offense ranks #4 in fantasy points allowed to opposing DL (22.6), and are allowing an average of 2.4 sacks/game to DL (ranked #3 in the league). 2 weeks ago, Bryant Young had 10 solo tackles and 2 sacks while playing against the Bears on Sunday Night Football, and last week Fred Robbins finished with 5 solos and 2 sacks against them. Someone on this Titans line is going to have a good game, and Haynesworth looks like the best bet to me.
• DL Duane Clemons, Cincinnati (vs Washington)
  Justin Smith has finally emerged as the type of player people expected him to be when he was drafted #4 overall, so that should free up Clemons a bit more. He's a quality pass rusher who has been struggling with his run defense like the rest of the team. He has 8 solo tackles and a sack over the past 2 weeks and should do well against the Redskins this week. Washington currently ranks #5 in fantasy points allowed to DL (22.5) and #3 in percentage of points allowed to DL (33%). Behind the running of Clinton Portis, the Redskins rank #1 in solo tackles allowed by DL per game with 14.8.
• DL Jason Ferguson, NY Jets (vs Baltimore)
  Ferguson has been a quality start for fantasy owners in 4 out of the past 6 weeks, and he's only 1 sack away from tying his career high of 4.5 that he set a year ago. His tackles numbers aren't what they were last year, but he's on a bit of a roll with 7 solos and 5 assists over the past 2 weeks. The Ravens offense has been a pretty good matchup for DL this year, currently ranking #8 in fantasy points allowed to DL (20.9). Expect plenty of Jamal Lewis runs up the middle, so Ferguson should be able to notch some pretty good tackle numbers.
• LB Ted Johnson, New England (vs Buffalo)
  The Bills are a great matchup for all LBs. Last week, the Jets starting LBs (Barton, Vilma, and Hobson) combined for 27 solo tackles. The Pats have had trouble stopping the run this year, so look for the Bills to run McGahee early and often to keep the pressure off Bledsoe in his return to Boston. Johnson has been a quality start in 3 of the past 5 weeks, and he seems like a lock this week. Buffalo ranks #1 in fantasy points (26.9/game), #1 in percentage of points (37%), #1 in sacks (1.2/game), and #1 in total tackles (25.5) allowed to opposing LBs.
• LB Pisa Tinoisamoa, St Louis (vs Seattle)
  Tino got off to a good start to the year, but he's only notched 14 solo tackles over the past 4 weeks. The Seahawks may be able to turn things around for him though because they currently rank #3 in fantasy points allowed to LBs (25/game), and #2 in percent of points allowed to LBs (35%). Holmgren said they were going to focus on Shaun Alexander and the running game and it did wonders for the offense last week, when they ranked #2 in the league in points allowed to LBs (30). In fact, over the past 2 weeks, all 6 starting LBs that have faced the Seahawks have finished with more than 6 points. Trev Faulk should be another strong play this week if you're looking for a WW pickup to fill-in on Sunday.
• LB Antonio Pierce, Washington (vs Cincinnati)
  Out of 8 games, Pierce has only failed to reach 6 fantasy points twice. He's been a pleasant surprise all season for the Redskins and fantasy owners alike. Last week, he managed 6 solo tackles against the Lions who rank #32 in points allowed to LBs (15.9/week). This week, he faces the Bengals, who rank #8 with 22.1. Based on that statistic alone, he should be good for about 8 or 9 fantasy points.
• LB EJ Henderson, Minnesota (@ Green Bay)
  After returning from injury, Henderson has 15 solo tackles over the past 2 weeks. He left the game briefly last week with a knee injury, but he came back in on the next play and is expected to play this week. The Packers rank #7 in fantasy points allowed to LBs (22.4/game) and #5 in total tackles allowed to LBs (15.8). His main responsibility will be shutting down Ahman Green, who should be nice and rested after the bye week.
• DB Corey Chavous, Minnesota (@ Green Bay)
  After a huge season last year that saw him finish with 8 INTs, Chavous has now gone half the season without recording even one. As a result, he hasn't quite been the fantasy stud that many people expected him to be. The addition of Antoine Winfield has undoubtedly hurt his tackle numbers as well. Chavous only has been a quality start in 3 games so far, but one of them came last week against Peyton Manning and the Colts (5 solo, 3 asst). Now, he faces another gunslinger QB in Favre, who should give him a few decent INT chances. The Packers rank #1 in fantasy points allowed to DBs (34.6/game), #2 in percent of total IDP points (49%), #1 in INTs allowed (1.2), and #1 in total tackles (27.2) allowed to opposing DBs. Chavous isn't the typical in-the-box type of SS who is used to stop the running game, but he should be able to get enough tackles to be a quality start this week and an INT or 2 would just be a bonus.
• DB Sheldon Brown, Philadelphia (@ Dallas)
  Brown had 20 total tackles in his first 2 games of the season, but then he had 5 straight weeks where he never topped 6pts. He broke out last week though with a huge 14 tackle game (8 solos, 6 asst). This week, he faces the Cowboys who have relied heavily on their passing attack all year long and made stars out of the Bengals secondary last week. Cincinnati DBs intercepted Testaverde 3 times, and finished with 43.5 fantasy points and 60% of their total IDP points. On the season, Dallas ranks #4 in fantasy points allowed to LBs (32.2/game), #1 in percent of IDP points (50%), #1 in INTs (1.2), and #5 in PD (3.9) by opposing DBs.
• DB Tebucky Jones, New Orleans (vs Kansas City)
  Even though I listed Jones as a weak start last week, implying that he's a "top-30" DB, I'm not certain that most owners believe that about him yet and I'm not sure that I do either. Jones is definitely having a great season so far and currently ranks in the top-5 among DBs in solo tackles. Despite the big tackle numbers, he only ranks #20 in fantasy points due to a lack of big plays. He's been a quality start in 4 out of 8 games so far, but the Chiefs look like a promising matchup. Kansas City's offense ranks #33 in fantasy points allowed to DBs (32.6/game) and #1 in solo tackles (22.6) by opposing DBs. Even though Holmes could miss the game, look for Jones to see plenty of action in the secondary.
• DB Chris Gamble, Carolina (@ San Francisco)
  Gamble has been starting for the Panthers and playing well with 16 solo tackles over the past 2 weeks. The 49ers currently rank #2 in fantasy points allowed to opposing DBs (33.3), and #5 in total tackles (25.5). Rattay has had some recent success in the passing game with Brandon Lloyd and Curtis Conway, so Gamble seems like a decent gamble to me.

WEAK STARTS

• DL Kevin Williams, Minnesota (@ Green Bay)
  Kevin Williams is on a hot streak right now with 5 sacks in his last 6 games, plus 11 solos over the last 2. I picked him as a weak start last week because the Colts were a terrible matchup for DL, considering Manning almost never gets sacked. Well, Williams got to him once last week and apparently I haven't learned my lesson because I'm picking him as a weak start again. The Packers rank dead last in fantasy points allowed to DL (13/game), and are also allowing an NFL-low 19% of all IDP points to opposing DL. The Packers offensive line is considered by some to be the best in the league and they've only allowed 3 sacks all year to opposing DL. They also rank #30 in solo tackles (8.5) and total tackles (11.8) allowed to DL. If matchups mean anything, Williams should struggle this week.
• DL Greg Ellis, Dallas (vs Philadelphia)
  Ellis got off to a blazing start with 6 sacks in a 4-game stretch, but he has only 2 solos, 2 asst, and 3 PD total over the past 3 weeks. The Cowboys appear to be fading into oblivion as well, with 4 losses in their last 5 games. This week, the hated Eagles come to town, and that isn't good news for Ellis owners. Philly currently ranks #30 in fantasy points allowed to DL (13.9/game) and #32 in total tackles (10.6). Despite his mobility, McNabb does take a fair number of sacks, including 4 in last week's blowout loss to the Steelers, but until Reid commits to the running game, DL will continue to be poor fantasy performers against this offense. Last week may have been the exception given how poorly the Eagles did against the Steelers defense, but Steelers DL only wound up with 4 total fantasy points in that game.
• DL Marcus Stroud, Jacksonville (vs Detroit)
  Whether Stroud is a legit "consensus top-30 DL" candidate or not is up for debate, but he has been having a great season and currently ranks #24 among fantasy DL according to FBG scoring. However, injuries at DE have led to a lack of an outside pass rush and put a lot more pressure on Stroud and Henderson to stop the run AND rush the passer. He's suffered a bit as a result with just 3 solos, 3 assists and a PD over the past 2 weeks. This week, he faces a bad matchup as the Lions rank #29 in fantasy points (14.7), #31 in solo tackles (8.5), #30 in total tackles (11.1) allowed to opposing DL. Don't forget that I picked Cornelius Griffin as a bad matchup against the Lions last week and he came through with 12.5 points, so he may have exposed some weaknesses on the interior of that line.
• DL Jevon Kearse, Philadelphia (@ Dallas)
  Kearse is having the ultimate hit or miss fantasy season this year. He has sacks in 3 games out of 8, but in those 3 games he has averaged 4 solos, 2 sacks, and 1 FF. In the other 5 games, he is averaging 1.5 solos and .5 PD. Dallas has been a difficult matchup for DL all year long given their lack of a running game. The Cowboys offense ranks #27 in fantasy points allowed to DL (15.2) and Robert Geathers of the Bengals is the only DL to reach 5 fantasy points against them in the past 3 weeks.
• LB Mike Peterson, Jacksonville (vs Detroit)
  Peterson has only failed to break the 6pt threshold twice so far this season, so it might not be smart to bench him. But, the Lions offense ranks dead last in fantasy points allowed to opposing LBs (15.9), #5 in solo tackles allowed to LBs (12.1/game), and #6 in percentage of points allowed to LBs (28%). The Lions have not been able to win despite not having much success with the running game. The Jags should be able to keep Kevin Jones in check, making it difficult for the Lions to sustain any kind of lengthy drives.
• LB Brian Simmons, Cincinnati (@ Washington)
  Simmons had a nice stretch earlier this season with a quality start in 4 of 5 games, but he's slowed of late with just 9 fantasy points over the past 2 weeks. Now, he faces the Redskins offense, who surprisingly rank #31 in fantasy points allowed to LBs (16.8/game), #30 in percent of points allowed to LBs (25%), and #31 in total tackles by opposing LBs (15.2). Given the running of Portis, seems as though that number should be higher, but the Redskins have one of the worst offenses in the league and it shows in this statistical trend.
• LB Dan Morgan, Carolina (@ San Francisco)
  Morgan had been a quality start in every game before getting knocked out with a concussion against the Seahawks 2 weeks ago. He's listed as questionable but said that he expects to play this week. However, the 49ers rank #28 in fantasy points allowed to LBs (18.4/game), #30 in solo tackles by opposing LBs (11.8), and #32 in percent of total IDP points allowed to LBs (23%). Barlow and the 49ers have struggled running the ball, so they've been relying heavily on Tim Rattay and the passing game. Normally, Morgan would be a must-start, but coming off a concussion and matched up against a team with no running game makes him very risky.
• LB Derek Smith, San Francisco (vs Carolina)
  Playing in the same game as Morgan, Smith also will be facing a team that can't run the ball. Since Foster has gone down, the Panthers' running game has been one of the worst in the league. Smith missed a few games to injury, but has 18 solo tackles in the last 2 weeks since he returned. However, the Panthers matchup could pose some problems considering they rank #25 in fantasy points allowed to LBs (18.9), and last week all Raiders LBs finished with just 11 solo tackles combined against the Panthers.
• DB Ronde Barber, Tampa Bay (@ Atlanta)
  Barber has been a quality start in 5 of the first 8 games and had 8 solo tackles last week against the Chiefs. However, the Falcons rank #32 in fantasy points allowed to DBs (22.4/game), #32 in solo tackles (15.9), #32 in total tackles (18.1), and #32 in percent of IDP points (35%) allowed to opposing DBs. Vick has taken a lot of sacks this year and hasn't been throwing downfield much at all. The Falcons have a strong running game but a weak passing game, and that has made things difficult for opposing DBs.
• DB Roy Williams, Dallas (vs Philadelphia)
  Williams is averaging over 5 solo tackles/game so reaching 6 fantasy points shouldn't be too difficult for him on most weeks. He did miss out against the Eagles last week, however, and the Eagles offense has been a much tougher matchup in general this season. Philadelphia ranks #30 in fantasy points allowed (25.2/game), #28 in solo tackles (16.9) and total tackles (21.6), and #32 in INTs (.2/game) allowed to opposing DBs. Even in the blowout loss to the Steelers last week when they should have been extra aggressive with their passing attack, the Steelers DBs still only finished with 21.5 fantasy points, which was well below the league average of 27.8.
• DB Greg Wesley, Kansas City (@ New Orleans)
  Wesley was a top-3 fantasy DB in most scoring systems last year, but his numbers are slumping a bit so far this year. He's coming off a poor start against the Bucs (4 solos), and now gets a tougher matchup with the trip to New Orleans. The Saints currently rank #23 in fantasy points allowed to DBs (27.8/game). Terrence Kiel had a strong game against the Saints last week though with 9.5 fantasy points so Wesley should probably still be kept in the lineup.
• DB Donovin Darius, Jacksonville (vs Detroit)
  Darius may not belong in this group, but I was struggling to come up with "studs" with bad matchups so he gets the nod. He's on a hot stretch with 15 solo, 3 asst, and 1 FF over his past 2 games, but he's put up over 70% of his tackles in road games and this one will be at home. He's coming off a bye week and now faces the Lions who rank #29 in fantasy points allowed to DBs (25.3/game) and #29 in solo tackles by opposing DBs (16.4). Strong Safeties Ryan Clark and Roy Williams have done well against the Lions in the past 2 weeks though, so Darius may just come through.