LeSean will be the Real McCoy in Week 13 (Thomas Shea / Icon SMI)

Fantasy Football Start Sit

FREE weekly fantasy football who to start & sit advice

Our weekly "Who to Start and Sit" column is part of FootballDocs In-season content. All of FootballDocs In-season content is 100% free.

After starting your studs (typically players ranked after week 5 in the top ~15 RBs, top ~ 10 WRs, top ~ 10 QBs, top ~3 TEs, top ~5 Defenses, and top...wait, no kicker is a fantasy football stud), the Docs will help you decide who to start and sit as we recommend players in our fantasy football start sit column that are not clear studs and can step in with a big game for your team this week. Consequently, we will not recommend who to start and sit with the top few players at each position in our weekly fantasy football start sit advice (given starts every week); however, we may occasionally recommend players ranked 15 - 25 overall due to some teams out there that will have multiple players at one position in this range but can only start one.  If we recommend such a player it does not mean we think they are not a stud, we are just trying to help those folks out there that may be in such a situation. We also recommend players to bench, so our fantasy football start sit column is sometimes referred to as fantasy football start bench column. Additionally, we offer Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings to help even further with some of those more difficult start sit decisions. Last, be sure to check us out every Tuesday as we do a Wrap-up on our advice - both good and bad.  In fact, every wrap-up is kept and posted as a permanent, public record of what we called and how good or bad the calls were. Why?

Three reasons: 
1.  Accountability.
2.  Confidence in our analysis and recommendations.
3.  Because the Docs take winning every bit as seriously as you do.

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LeSean McCoy, RB, PHI - McCoy has been solid in relief of Brian Westbrook. He should continue to be a solid contributor in week 13. The Eagles are facing a Falcons defense that has a lot of holes in it. The versatility of McCoy should pose plenty of matchup problems for the Falcons.

Knowshon Moreno, RB, DEN - The Chiefs have allowed some very nice fantasy games to opposing RBs. Moreno should be no exception. He is coming off a strong week 12, and it is becoming clear that the coaching staff is starting to gain more confidence in his ability to be the ball carrier for the Broncos.

Matt Forte, RB, CHI - Forte is NOT an every week start at this juncture in 2009. However, he is a solid start in week 13. He will be squaring off against the Rams' terrible defense. If Forte can't get some yardage against the Rams, he and the Bears have some serious problems beyond Jay Culter's desire to share the football with the opposition.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT - Mendenhall has been a great player down the stretch and that trend will continue facing the Raiders and their pathetic run D. The last thing Pittsburgh needs is extra motivation to run the ball, and the icing on the cake is it appears Mewelde Moore may be limited or out this week with a bad ankle. Even if Moore is a go, Mendenhall is still a great start. It's just a slight added plus if Moore is out.

Thomas Jones, RB, NYJ - Oh my! Jones gets another dream match-up against the Bills. He has proven to be every bit as good as he was last year and is golden this week. The last time the Bills saw Jones in week 6, he dropped 227 yards of offense and a TD on them. Feel free to unleash him on your opponent.

Alex Smith, QB, SF - Seattle helped Kyle Boller look like a viable option at QB. Thus, you can expect to see Smith continue his hot streak. Smith has had several solid games since taking over the starting job in San Francisco. The development of some good chemistry with Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis has made a huge impact on Smith's fantasy value. Look for another solid outing from Smith in week 13.

Carson Palmer, QB, CIN - Palmer had a mediocre game in week 12 because the Bengals were able to just grind it out to secure the win over the Browns. In week 13, the Lions could score enough points to keep Palmer throwing. The QB situation in Detroit is much better than it is in Cleveland. Nothing cures your fantasy woes like the Lions.

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF - The 49ers have the Seahawks on the docket, and they have hopes of a divisional title in the NFC West. Look for Crabtree to continue to gain the confidence of his QB.

Jason Avant, WR, PHI - Avant has been doing a great job ever since Brian Westbrook has been out. Avant should play in week 13. That means he should probably start on your rosters. Avant is becoming a featured piece of the Eagles offense. The Falcons have a TERRIBLE secondary. Avant should have a nice day when all is said and done.

Chad Ochocinco, WR, CIN - #85 hasn't had a TD since Week 7, and frankly, he has been a poor start for several weeks in a row no thanks to poor yardage. Poor yardage + no TDs = uh-oh at the WR slot. Things change this week facing the Lions. We guarantee #85 has been practicing some sort of stunt to make headlines after he gets a TD this week, which is virtually guaranteed facing Detroit's secondary. He may even get multiple TDs.

Josh Freeman, QB, TB - Carolina has been tough against the pass. Tough enough that you should bench Freeman for better options. He has been hot, but this week he will be cold. Rookie QB's are particularly susceptible to swings in performance, and Freeman will have such a swing this week.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, BUF - Last week Patrick had a monster game. He and Terrell Owens are on the same page. However, Fitzpatrick is facing a very good Jets defense that will force him to make too many mistakes. As a result, you should see plenty of turnovers from Fitzpatrick in this game. Don't be surprised to see Owens get frustrated either. This dysfunction will yield a poor fantasy outing from this week 12 stud.

Justin Fargas, RB, OAK - Fargas had a solid effort in week 12, but he will have a tough time repeating those numbers in week 13. The Steelers are very good against the run while they struggle against the pass in recent weeks.

Chris Wells, RB, ARI - Wells has 3 TDs in his last 3 weeks, but he won't make it 4 in 4 facing the rock-solid Vikings front seven. The Vikings are thinking Super Bowl and they are on the heels of the New Orleans Saints for home field advantage in the playoffs. With Warner banged up and Leinhart looking terrible, Wells gets a big red "X" on his chest for this defense.

Terrell Owens, WR, BUF - It's been a nice run for Owens the past couple of weeks, but it stops this week facing a brutal Jets secondary. Boy the Jets have been tough against the pass. Major props go to their players and coaching staff for making this unit arguably the most feared unit to face against the pass in the NFL. As noted in the write-up for Fitzpatrick above, get your popcorn ready for an Owens' melt-down.

Santana Moss, WR, WAS - Moss enjoyed a TD last week, but he won't do it again in consecutive weeks. The Redskins offense has indured more injuries than we can count, and they are becoming even more predictable than before, which was already pretty darn predictable. Expect Darren Sharper and the Saints D to pick Moss up and stuff him in a trash can like a nerd in a bad 80's flick.

For an expanded list of players to help with weekly fantasy football start sit line-up decisions, be sure to check our our Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings, which are released every Thursday during the regular season.