The Counselor is IN:

This column's intent is to give the readers an idea of few good players in favorable match ups and a few good players in bad match ups. If you have a great player, then it may not advisable to bench him for someone in the Line 'em Up section. If I suggest that you bench one of your studs, you can only do this if you have a good option behind him. If you don't have a good player behind him, don't bench 'em. Remember every league is different and I am advising from a standard league.

Off Week 9: Buffalo, Cleveland, Minnesota, New York Jets, Oakland, St. Louis

Line ‘em Up

QB Joe Flacco of Baltimore. Flacco is having a really good sophomore season. This week he plays against the Bengals 30th ranked passing defense. Look for Flacco to have 300 yards and 2 TDs.

QB Alex Smith of San Francisco. This is a bit of a gamble but if you need a off week replacement, Smith is not a bad option. He has looked decent since coming back to lead the team. He is facing Tennessee, who is dead last against the pass.

RB Charles Jamaal of Kansas City. With Larry Johnson suspended, Jamaal will get a chance to start. He is going against the 25th ranked run defense in Jacksonville. Jamaal might be the starter for the rest of the year with things in KC souring for Johnson.

RB Pierre Thomas of New Orleans. The Saints are playing against Panthers this weekend. The Panthers are the #1 ranked pass defense which will be severely tested this weekend. But they are the 24th rush defense. I look for Thomas to get a lot of work and score one or two TD’s this weekend.

WR Nate Washington of Tennessee. Tennessee will play a good rush defense but a poor passing defense in San Fran. Washington will have Vince Young passing to him. He is decent WR3/ Flex guy for this weekend.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh of Seattle. Housh has a great match up against the 27th ranked passing defense in Detroit. Look for Hasselbeck to connect to Housh all day long.

Bench their Butts

QB Matt Ryan of Atlanta. The last time I suggested benching Ryan, Matt lit it up. Even though I missed it last time, I am suggesting benching Ryan this week against Washington. The Redskins are 2nd against the pass. The Redskins are not nearly as good against the run so you could see Turner have a big game. But I don’t think Ryan will have a great game.

QB Matt Schaub of Houston. This will be a tough sell. Schaub has been an excellent starter. This week he is facing the 7th ranked passing defense in the Colts. He will try to go toe to toe with Peyton. This could be a disaster waiting to happen. He still might be a good start but there are a lot of questions in this matchup.

RB Rashard Mendenhall of Pittsburgh. The Broncos are for real. They have an excellent defense that is 7th against the rush. I like Mendenhall on a weekly basis but not this week against the Broncos.

RB Knowshon Moreno of Denver. Moreno is another runningback I really like. He is going against the #1 rushing defense of the Steelers. Leave him on the bench.

WR Roddy White of Atlanta. White has moved into a borderline #1/#2 Wideout. He is not a good play this week against the Redskins. If you have a good replacement, then put White on the bench. If you don’t have a good backup, I would play White and hope he gets you some points.

WR Vincent Jackson of San Diego. Jackson has finally come on and become a reliable fantasy player. He is going against a tough Giants defense.

The Counselor is OUT: