Fantasy Football: Start/Sit Options for Seahawks @ Cardinals

ONE TO START, ONE TO SIT

One to Start, One to Sit is a weekly column where each NFL game will be evaluated and the best/worst fantasy match-ups will be listed.

Tonight’s Matchup: Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals

Best Option
SEA- Marshawn Lynch
ZONA- Arizona Defense

This one’s gonna be interesting to say the least. Lynch has proved time in and out that he is defense proof, but the Cards have a top 5 rushing defense (90.7 yards given up a game) and have only surrendered 2 rushing TD’s all season. They’ve held speedy monsters Reggie Bush and Doug Martin to under 50 yards, and power back DeAngelo Williams to under 40. However, last week Frank Gore (a power runner just like Lynch) managed to get over 100 yards on 25 carries. Like every week, Lynch is going to be the focus point. He’ll get ya the attempts and could be more of a force in the passing game after last weeks performance (4 catches 78 yards receiving). With how sketchy Russell Wilson is with the Seattle passing game, right now, Lynch seems to be the only reliable fantasy option in Seattle’s offense.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, Zona’s defense ranks 5th against the run and 19th vs the Pass. While Seattle remains a run first offense, this obviously plays into their strength. Also, considering how tough the Seahawks defense is to score against (given up just 5 passing TD’s and 3 Rushing TD’s this season), any fantasy option on the Cardinals offense is lowered significantly and remains an unreliable option to start this week (even Fitzgerald). It is by default that the Cards defense is the top fantasy choice for this team. However, it’s not all doom and gloom, the Cards have already 4 fumbles recovered (tied for 7th) and are in the top half in the NFL in sacks and interceptions (having 6 interceptions in their last 3 games).

Worst Option
SEA- Russell Wilson
ZONA- Carson Palmer

Wilson must be an odd comity to own for some fantasy owners. The guy has cracked 250 yards passing yards once, has only 2 multi-TD games, and yet he’s cracked 20 fantasy points twice. It’s really amazing. A lot could probably be attributed to his running ability, (has had at least 10 carries in 4 out of his last 5 games, 3 in which produced 6 or more fantasy points), but like I said with Lynch, Arizona has a very good running defense. In previous matchups against the Cards, Wilson has averaged 150 yards passing, 1 TD and .5 INT, while rushing for an average of 16 yards. I know it was from his rookie year and Seattle’s offense has expanded a bit more, but with the attempts Wilson will get ya if he isn’t running the ball (hasn’t thrown more than 33 times in a single game), his fantasy points are pretty limited.

While Seattle allows the 2nd fewest fantasy points to opposing QB’s in the league, the stats you should be alarmed with is the TD to Turnover ratio that Palmer is throwing (7 TD, 11 INT). Palmer has not gone a single game without turning the ball over at least once, furthermore, he has only 2 games in which he’s thrown for more than 1 TD pass. Even though he’s at home, putting him against a Seattle defense that gives up only 188 yards through the air a game and is in the upper half of the NFL in sacks and Interceptions, I can’t endorse Palmer this week, even as a bye week filler, look somewhere else for your QB points.