Fantasy Football: Do I Start Arian Foster? and 9 Other Lineup Dilemmas

It's been a wild season so far in 2011. Players have come out of nowhere to the surprise of fantasy owners. Other players have produced far below the levels that fantasy owners expected. Whether they're coming off of an injury, or poor performances, you still might want to start these players. Or do you?

Please feel free to use the comments feature below if you have any questions or comments. You can also follow me on Twitter. Good luck to you in Week 4.

NOTE: All fantasy points and rankings listed are for STANDARD (non-PPR) scoring leagues.

Arian Foster (vs Steelers)

DISCLAIMER: If the Texans say that Foster will have a limited number of carries, DO NOT START HIM.

Assuming he starts as normal, you should start him. The Steelers have not been as good against fantasy RBs as you think this season. They allowed 32 fantasy points to the Ravens RBs in Week 1 and 15 fantasy points to the Colts RBs in Week 3. You drafted Foster with a high draft pick for a reason.

Verdict: START

Tony Romo (vs Lions)

It's not really Romo's fault. He's toughing it out, playing with busted ribs. It's the injuries around Romo. Miles Austin is already out for this week. It's not looking good for Dez Bryant. Not to mention the availability of Felix Jones for Week 4 is in the air. If Romo's all you've got, you're starting him. But if you have another option, you might want to consider it.

Verdict: SIT

Mario Manningham (@ Cardinals)

The performance of Victor Cruz in Week 3 might have scared some Manningham owners. Never fear, the Cardinals pass defense is here. The Cardinals allowed Cam Newton to throw for more than 400 yards in Week 1. In Week 2 Rex Grossman fell just shy of 300 yards passing and in Week 3, Sidney Rice managed over 100 yards receiving. Oh, and Hakeem Nicks is back on the injury report.

Verdict: START

Shonn Greene (@ Ravens)

Greene is averaging only 3.3 YPC through three games, while finding the end zone only once. The Ravens are a top-5 defense in terms of fewest fantasy points allowed per game to RBs. The loss of starting C Nick Mangold only complicates matters further for Greene. The Jets' running game is nowhere near what you would expect it to be right now.

Verdict: SIT

Brandon Lloyd (@ Packers)

The emergence of Eric Decker has certainly put a scare into Lloyd's fantasy owners. Believe it or not, it's probably good news for Lloyd that he faces the Packers in Week 4. The Packers are actually the third worst defense in terms of fantasy points allowed to WRs. Add that to the fact that the Broncos will most likely be playing from behind and Kyle Orton is playing for his job.

Verdict: START

Peyton Hillis (vs Titans)

Hillis missed Week 3 with a temporary illness. But he may have gained himself a permanent problem. The Browns coaches liked what they saw from Montario Hardesty. Hillis will still get more touches. But it's worrisome whenever any RB loses touches. Had Hillis not punched in two short TDs against an overmatched Colts team, his owners would be even more worried. This is a Titans defense that held Ray Rice to 43 yards on 13 carries in Week 2.

Verdict: SIT

Dallas Clark (@ Buccaneers)

Clark has suffered from the loss of Peyton Manning every bit as badly as fantasy owners have. With Curtis Painter appear ready to start at QB in Week 4, the outlook doesn't get any better for Clark. The Colts are likely to attempt to establish the run. They will also leave more players in to block. The Bucs have an excellent young defensive line and they will apply pressure to Painter all day. Clark is probably only good for a couple of short receptions.

Verdict: SIT

Michael Vick (vs 49ers)

2011 hasn't been kind to the Eagles and Michael Vick thus far. Vick is probable and will start on Sunday. While he hasn't been the fantasy superstar he was last year, he has been above average. He's missed significant portions of his games in Weeks 2 and 3, which has lowered his total fantasy points. Look for Vick to do whatever it takes to lead the Eagles to victory this week. That means more rushing yards, music to fantasy owners' ears.

Verdict: START

Mike Williams (vs Colts)

The entire Bucs offense has been out of sync, and Williams has suffered. This week, the Colts defensive line will apply heavy pressure to a Bucs offensive line that hasn't given Josh Freeman time to attack downfield. The Bucs will once again feature LeGarrette Blount with Earnest Graham playing a large role in the passing game. It will get better Williams owners, just probably not this week.

Verdict: SIT

Santonio Holmes (@ Ravens)

The addition of Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason hasn't worked out well for Holmes owners so far in 2011. In Week 4 he gets to go against a Ravens secondary that was torched by the Steelers' and Titans' WRs. Not to mention the already ineffective Jets running game goes against the league's best run defense. Look for the Jets to throw early and often.

Verdict: START