Fantasy Minute: You can play defense

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You really can play defense in fantasy football and I’m not talking about teams or players. You can prevent your opponents from helping themselves, by picking up players off waivers even if you don’t need them. If you’re already headed to the post-season or still fighting for a playoff spot, the last thing you want is a close competitor strengthening his club. You might not need a Priest Holmes or an Anthony Thomas (should Marshawn Lynch miss significant time), but if a couple of your foes do and you can afford the roster move, by all means, do it.

Fantasy football continues to be a war of attrition as key injuries mount. Lynch, Larry Johnson, Adrian Peterson and Shaun Alexander all look to have fairly serious injuries that might keep them out longer than their teams are letting on.

This week’s booms and busts...

Houston QB Matt Schaub has fallen off the fantasy radar the last several weeks, but I think he deserves a look this Sunday. Provided he has knocked the cobwebs out from a concussion suffered a few weeks back, Schaub gets number one receiver Andre Johnson back and if that wasn’t enough, Houston has New Orleans on the schedule this week. The Saints have given up a lot through the air this season and their secondary has been burned repeatedly for big plays....

With Adrian Peterson out, Chester Taylor gets his old starting job back this week and I like his chances against an Oakland run defense that has seen six backs run for over 100 yards. The fact that the Raiders have yielded 13 rushing TDs doesn’t hurt Taylor either...

I might take a flyer on Saints’ WR David Patten in the matchup with Houston. The Texans' secondary suffered another blow recently when they lost their best cover guy CB Dunta Robinson to a season-ending injury...

I’m not keen on Jon Kitna this week against the Giants. The best defensive efforts against Detroit have been by strong blitzing defenses of which New York is one of the best...

Jamal Lewis doesn’t catch a break. After being held to 35 yards by Pittsburgh last game, he faces the Ravens this week...

Jets’ RB Thomas Jones hasn’t delivered much value all season and I don’t think things will turn around this week against Pittsburgh...

Justin Fargas has had a few decent fantasy outings of late, but I don’t like his prospects against Minnesota this week. True, the Vikings were blasted by Green Bay’s Ryan Grant last game (119 yards), but Oakland doesn’t have the receiving weapons to spread the Vikes’ defense like the Packers did...

Sneak pick of the week...

Kyle Boller starts for an injured (really?) Steve McNair this week and, while I’m not saying to play him over Tom Brady, I do like Boller’s matchup against Cleveland. The Browns have yielded 22 aerial scores this year and four QBs have bested them for 300+ yards...

Good luck to everyone!