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DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans
As Ryan Mallett gets ready to take on his Brian Hoyer and the Cleveland Browns this week, expect Mallett to look to the Texans’ best wideout in Hopkins. Hopkins has had 100 yards receiving in two of his last three games and had 95 receiving yards in that third game. Opposing receivers have done well against the Browns’ secondary, Cleveland’s drubbing of the Bengals last week exempted. Mike Evans had two touchdowns against the Browns in Week 9. Allen Robinson had a touchdown in Week 7, and Andre Holmes scored against them in Week 8.
Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
With Giovani Bernard likely to miss another game with an injured hip, expect Hill to see the majority of the Bengals snaps against New Orleans. With Andy Dalton in a slump — six interceptions in the past three games — look for Hill to get a large volume of work against a middle-of-the-road Saints run defense. Start Hill with confidence on Sunday.
Steven Jackson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
It may seem crazy but Carolina has been horrendous against the run and pass this season. New Orleans was able to demolish the Panthers with Mark Ingram in Week 9. Eddie Lacy found the end zone against them in Week 7, and both LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles had rushing touchdowns last week. Jackson has been on a roll lately, putting up double-digits in his last two games. He’s getting the majority of the work for the Falcons and should have a big day against the Panthers.
Mark Sanchez, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Can owners trust Mark Sanchez? The short answer is yes. The long answer is that owners can trust Chip Kelly and in turn can trust Sanchez. This week the Eagles head to Lambeau Field to face the Packers in a matchup that isn’t going to be a cakewalk like last Monday’s game against Carolina. The thing to remember here is that the Packers look amazing against dysfunctional, anemic offenses. A Vikings offense sans Adrian Peterson and led by Matt Cassel? No problem. A Bears’ offense that struggled against Miami and New England? Easy pickings. A Saints offense firing on all cylinders with an elite passing attack from Drew Brees and a solid ground game with Mark Ingram? . The Eagles’ worst offensive outing was Week 8 against Arizona, in which they still scored 20 points. Between LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles, the Eagles will be able to move the ball on the ground against a Packers’ defense that allows almost 143 yards per game. That will open up the passing attack. Trust Chip Kelly, trust the “Sanchize.”
SIT
Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson is a great example of why some say the NFL stands for Not For Long. Just a couple weeks ago, Wilson was scoring in excess of 30 points regularly and being compared to Andrew Luck as the best QB of the 2012 draft class. However, the Seahawks were losing games back then. After weeks of stifled offense against Dallas and Carolina, Pete Carroll and Co. have returned to the run game, feeding the ball to Marshawn Lynch any time the ‘Hawks get near the end zone. “Beast Mode” has put up as a result. Last week’s 107-yard rushing day aside, Wilson has been very ineffective as a passer with just three touchdowns in his last five games and four interceptions. The bottom line is there isn’t room for two offensive stars in Seattle: it’s either Lynch’s offense or Wilson’s, and right now and for the foreseeable future Seattle will continue to be a run-first team. On top of all that, the Chiefs rank seventh in fantasy points against quarterbacks.
Bobby Rainey, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After putting up a poor performance against the league’s worst run defense and splitting carries with fellow running back Charles Sims, Rainey is a risky option this week. The Redskins are much better against the run than pass allowing the seventh-fewest points to running backs. Expect the Bucs and Josh McCown to throw the ball more. Also, the concept of a featured running back seems to be dying in Tampa Bay as Marcus Arroyo — the team’s quarterbacks coach — has that the Bucs are happy to stick with a committee.
Joique Bell, RB, Detroit Lions
Bell is coming off two sub-par performances including one against the Falcons who allow the most points to running backs. This week Bell and the Lions head to Arizona to play the Cardinals in what will be a clash of two of the league’s best run defenses. Between the Cardinals’ tough defense — second-fewest to opposing running backs — and the fact that Theo Riddick is likely to take some carries away, Bell is a safe sit this week.
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals
This is going to be a tough game for the Cardinals. With Carson Palmer out, they’ll be with backup Drew Stanton and may opt to give Ellington more carries. Unfortunately for Ellington owners, the Lions have held opposing running backs to 60 rushing yards or less in the past four weeks. That list includes Jerick McKinnon, Matt Asiata, Lamar Miller, Steven Jackson — though he did score a touchdown — and Mark Ingram. Ellington has been matchup-proof for the most part this season but with Palmer no longer under center, how well will he fare against the Lions who allow a league-best 283 total yards of offense per game?
Hugh Johnson: 303-954-1037, hjohnson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/HughJohnsonDP
