Week 10 Fantasy Football Versus: Coin Flip

After you've scoured the waiver wire , found nothing worth your time, and then failed to pull off the trade that may have rescued your team, what's left for you to do? Well, it's times like these where you have to suck it up and look within.

Even the best fantasy owners with rosters loaded with talent can run into unlucky stretches of bad matchups for their players, ridiculous performances by opponents, or facing the highest scoring team every week.

Regardless, it's up to you to do everything in your power to put the best team up against your opponent, and like it or not, sometimes it starts with pitting your own players against each other.

Here's a look at three positions with two players facing off, with only one earning the right to take a place in your starting lineup:


Tony Romo , QB, DAL (@GB) vs. Brett Favre, QB, MIN (vs. DET)

Romo threw his first pick in four weeks against the Philadephia Eagles, and connected with Miles Austin for his ninth touchdown during that span. That's pretty impressive for a guy that many were starting to write off early in the season as Dallas was struggling a bit offensively.

It gets bette r with a friendly matchup against the Green Bay Packers, a team his fantasy opponent this week, Brett Favre , destroyed twice this season.

Green Bay doesn't get consistent pressure on the quarterback and doesn't have the speed or talent to keep up with Romo's downfield shots, as well as the emerging Miles Austin.

Favre, on the other hand, has been completely on fire ever since week three, and doesn't look like he'll be slowing down. There's the "late-season fade" story to worry about, as well as the possibility that the Vikings depend a bit more on Adrian Peterson going forward. I'll buy the latter over the former, as Favre looks too sharp and determined to falter like he did last season. Facing the Detroit Lions doesn't hurt , either.

Verdict: I love both players and both matchups this week, so no matter which way you go, you're going to get a winner. This article is about picking the better player for the week, though, so we're going with Romo. The Packers stop the run fairly well, so Romo should be very active against a weak Green Bay secondary. Hey, if Josh Freeman can torch them, who can't?


Ray Rice, RB, BAL (@CLE) vs. Cedric Benson, RB, CIN (@PIT)

Rice was shut down last week against a solid Cincinnati Bengals defense, but should have his usual solid outing against the lowly Cleveland Browns in front of the nation on Monday Night Football . The Ravens keep toying with us over whether or not they're a playoff contender, and while a win over Cleveland won't push us one way or the other, the fashion Rice and co. do it just might.

Benson is a beast in Cincy's backfield and had a hungry man's feast of 30+ carries en route to 100+ yards and a touchdown last week. And considering it came against Ray Rice's Ravens, it's pretty impressive. Benson will be facing another tough run defense in the Pittsurgh Steelers, though, one that held Knowshon Moreno to three yards on five carries on Monday night.

Verdict: We love Benson, hell, everyone does, but the best he can probably hope for is a duplicate of his 76-yard and one touchdown peformance the first time he faced the Steelers. And while that's not bad, it doesn't compare to what Rice can do. That, and Rice has a mouth-watering matchup. Go with the little guy and start Rice.


Calvin Johnson, WR, DET (@MIN) vs. Santonio Holmes, WR, PIT (vs. CIN)

Megatron came back from a knee injury last week and didn't look all that great, but that also had a lot to do with the fact that Matthew Stafford completed more passes to the Seattle defense (five) than to Johnson (two). That won't happen this week, as CJ will be needed as the Lions fight back from behind on the road in Minnesota.

Santonio Holmes has taken the backseat to Hines Ward this season, as teams are double-teaming him and doing their finest to keep him out of the end zone (zero scores since Week One). He did have a touchdown against the Vikings a few weeks back that was called back due to a penalty, but he simply is not on the radar when the Steelers get in the red zone .

Verdict: Even a hampered CJ with an inept quarterback has to be a better option than the touchdown-starving Holmes. Last year's Super Bowl MVP will find pay dirt again this season, and maybe even this week, but the matchup isn't great and Johnson needs to make up for lost time. Go with Megatron, even if you know the Lions stink.