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Facing the exact same decision and I know if I bench Witten he will go off. I just don't like the fact he hasn't finished a game healthy in his last two starts. Keller is also becoming fairly dependable and has a decent matchup against Denver.You would think he is not fully healthy based on his stats the past few weeks. However, he practiced in full on Friday and yesterday while preparing for Thursday's game. I was planning on benching him for Dustin Keller this week. But why do I get the feeling if I do so he will regain his top form on Thursday?What is everyone else's plan for this week and going forward?
LOL, make is a third for the Witten/Keller decision. I already locked up a playoff spot, so I'm goint to roll the dice and start Keller. He can't be worse than what Witten has been giving me....Facing the exact same decision and I know if I bench Witten he will go off. I just don't like the fact he hasn't finished a game healthy in his last two starts. Keller is also becoming fairly dependable and has a decent matchup against Denver.You would think he is not fully healthy based on his stats the past few weeks. However, he practiced in full on Friday and yesterday while preparing for Thursday's game. I was planning on benching him for Dustin Keller this week. But why do I get the feeling if I do so he will regain his top form on Thursday?What is everyone else's plan for this week and going forward?
The problem though is that it likely hurts like heck when he extends or raises him arms. He should be better in a couple of weeks but I would start with caution for now.
Keller is an interesting option, I myself have Boss and he's outscored Witten of late, but I look it from the perspective of the Cowboys. They will be pedal to the metal as a team to make the postseason from here on out and I think Witten will be a big part of that each week. He's always been that underneath safety net, and should only be moreso with Jones out for the season. Keller's been hot though, and I guess you could have had Owen Daniels paired with him if you got him late in a draft, but other than that, other than that original big 3 of Gonzo, Gates and Winslow, I can't see too many guys worth starting over Witten at this point. He's a gamer and he'll give his all to see their way into the playoffs, which benefits the fantasy player.
I would go with Miller. Brees is the best QB of the 3, is going for Marino's record, is playing in a must win division game and Bucs are one of the best teams at shutting down WRs (Ronde Barber; Talib etc) with the cover 2 scheme. The TEs should do better against the Bucs.Raider Nation said:
This is about where I would stand as well. Targets have been down of late that tells me they're relying on him more as a decoy than anything else right now. I wouldn't count on him for Thursday, but I would begin giving him serious consideration at Pittsburgh 10 days later. He's still Romo's guy, or "bread and butter" as someone mentioned, and he'll be looking for him against the Steelers. Witten should be feeling much better by then as well.Bankerguy said:
i didn't get to see the game, so having someone relate these facts is huge in making my decision to keep him in the lineup (esp. the Bennett TD comment). not that i had any room on my roster to make a change anyhow...
In the same boat. The last couple of weeks with Witten have been brutal and cost me at least one game. My other TE is Carlson, who's good for 6-8 pts a week but I need more upside this week. That said, I'm rolling with Witten today -- hopefully the thought of a big mound reward of Thanksgiving Day stuffing will be just the motivation he needs.
I would trade Witten for Gonzo in a heartbeat if I could. TG is seeing a TON of targets and KC's defense stinks.
Good analysis here, Nips. I didn't really have much choice but to start Witten, since I didn't bother drafting a quality backup after rostering him to begin with.
made a last minute change b/f leaving for turkey dinner....had Winslow starting, then switched to JW....bless you turkey gods...bless you!!!
got outbid in this exact situation... "had" to start Witten.I had the misfortune of having Dustin Keller available on my ww a few weeks ago. After watching Witten do almost nothing for me and Keller post solid stats I decided that this would be the week I started Keller and waited for Witten to get fully healthy. Still have tio wait for Sunday, but I'm not liking my decision at the moment.
same here, I'll take wittens upside over any back up tight end out there.
Doesn't it kill you guys benching studs, for "match up guys"?I'm pretty sure early in my FF career I got burned bad doing this, and swore never to bench a stud again. Even the best guys struggle for stretches. Teams focus on them, take them out of the offense, make someone else beat them. But in the end, you're still better off locking them in the lineup. If I missed the playoffs by benching Westbrook/Witten this week, it would eat me up for months. I also think I get emotionally attached to guys who win me $$$. LJ won me a bunch a few years back, and I never benched him for 2 years. *lol* Injuries do tend to scare me, but Witten has been so money for the last 1.5 years you couldn’t convince me to bench him. If you draft him, play him. If you're going to play WW TE matchup game all year, don't waste the pick on him. Not to call you out, this is just in general. I see guys benching studs for very average players, and it's just beyond me. I don't think I'd be physically able to bench Witten for Boss.
Although I subscribe to the start your studs theory, I disagree that it's the right thing to do all of the time. If it's a banged up Witten or some third rate option with a decent match-up, then I'm easily starting Witten. It's a different story if you have a good back-up. I've been using a combination of Dallas Clark and Keller (I know, I'm carrying three TEs) with no regrets. How many weeks did Witten put up less than a handful of points?Doesn't it kill you guys benching studs, for "match up guys"?I'm pretty sure early in my FF career I got burned bad doing this, and swore never to bench a stud again. Even the best guys struggle for stretches. Teams focus on them, take them out of the offense, make someone else beat them. But in the end, you're still better off locking them in the lineup. If I missed the playoffs by benching Westbrook/Witten this week, it would eat me up for months.
I also think I get emotionally attached to guys who win me $$$. LJ won me a bunch a few years back, and I never benched him for 2 years. *lol*
Injuries do tend to scare me, but Witten has been so money for the last 1.5 years you couldn’t convince me to bench him. If you draft him, play him. If you're going to play WW TE matchup game all year, don't waste the pick on him. Not to call you out, this is just in general. I see guys benching studs for very average players, and it's just beyond me. I don't think I'd be physically able to bench Witten for Boss.
I thought about benching him but this is the philosophy I live and die by as well....and it worked for me. (this time).
Everyone always remembers the time they benched a stud and he went off....They never remember all the bad games that went into that benching decision.The points lost from starting a player during the bad weeks rarely offset the points missed out on by benching a player when they finally have a first good week back.Up until this week, Witten's FF points have been poor for the 4 previous Cowboy games.A much better philosophy IMO is "Always start the player YOU think will score the most this week"
