Week 12 – Turkey Day Starters

START
Tony Romo, QB, Dallas – Making the switch for Tony Romo was a great move. He’s got excellent pocket presence and he makes good decisions. He’s gotten both Terrell Owens and Jason Witten much more involved in the passing game. With Terry Glenn back and fully healthy, he’s proving he is a fitting in the scheme well. This has really opened up the run game for Julius Jones as well. Tampa’s beat up secondary will have a tough time just trying to hang with Owens, Glenn, Witten, and Jones.
Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami – Detroit’s run defense seemed awful without Shaun Rogers in the lineup. Well, Rogers is out again and Ronnie Brown tore up 157 yards against the last team running the Cover 2…the Chicago Bears. Brown was shut down last week (12 rushes for 2 yards), but expect him to rebound for a nice game. At least 85 yards and a score is a sure bet.
Javon Walker, WR, Denver – Kansas City’s pass defense is still solid and Ty Law is still a good corner, but Javon Walker is much too quick for an aging Ty Law. Walker has been developing a good rapport with Jake Plummer, so how Walker does is entirely dependant on how well Plummer plays. Walker has 45 catches for 799 yards and 6 TDs on the season. Those are numbers you can’t bench.
Chris Chambers, WR, Miami – Dre Bly has a big mouth and lives by the chance. He gambles a lot and Chambers is a top WR. If Harrington has time, Chambers should see a lot of looks, as he does every week, and should burn Bly on more than one occasion.
Roy Williams, WR, Detroit -- With Jones out, expect the Lions to throw a lot, since the Lions are down to running backs (Arlen Harris and Aveion Cason) who didn’t even make the training camp cut. The Dolphins have done well against top receivers, holding receivers to under 100 yards in each of the past four weeks. Williams, after four games over 138 yards, hasn’t topped 100 yards or scored in the past two weeks. Expect this all to change as the Lions throw a lot and Roy is a great player.
Olindo Mare, K, Miami – Mare is an average kicker at best, but he’ll be kicking in a dome and should have more than a couple easy attempts. Kickers against the Lions are 19/22, meaning the Lions are ranked 28^th in the league against opposing kickers.
Dallas, DEF – Bruce Gradkowski is an effective QB, but he won’t be against Dallas. Cadillac Williams has been virtually non-existent until last week when he broke out for 122 yards. However, Dallas doesn’t have Washington’s defense, they’re much better. Dallas is extremely tough against the pass, with 9 TDs allowed and 12 INTs, along with a 55.4% completion rating; and Dallas is fourth against the run.

BENCH
Trent Green, QB, Kansas City – Green is over the hill. Huard should not have been pulled as he was effective, which is all that Trent Green was. Without Tony Gonzalez, once again, Green will struggle. Expect Larry Johnson to be the only offensive focal point once again.
Kevin Jones, RB, Detroit – Jones is listed as questionable, but it’s very unlikely that he’ll get the clearance this week. Bench all Detroit RBs for that matter.
Cadillac Williams, RB, Tampa Bay – Dallas is fourth in the league against the run and Tampa has been awful running the ball against solid run defense teams. Tampa will be down early, so they’ll be passing a lot, leaving Cadillac as a blocking back more than anything.
Joey Galloway, WR, Tampa Bay – Galloway is targeted quite often by Bruce Gradkowski, but don’t expect Galloway to show up this week, as Gradkowski will be pressured all day and Galloway will struggle to get open. Galloway is one of the most inconsistent receivers in the league, so expect another let down this week.
Eddie Kennison, WR, Kansas City – Kennison is a horrible start this week, as he’s matching up on the league’s top CB (arguably), Champ Bailey. Without Tony Gonzalez to take some of the pressure off Kennison, it’ll be up to Trent Green to make things happen and Larry Johnson will, once again, end up doing it all.
Detroit, DEF – Do we really have to go over this? Detroit’s defense is hot and cold. Against Atlanta, they looked great. Against the Niners and Cards, they forgot how to tackle. Considering that Shaun Rogers is once again out, even though he’s back from his suspension, Ronnie Brown will have a much easier day rushing between the tackles. Detroit is allowing 126 rushing yards and 216 passing yards per game.
Tampa Bay, DEF – It’s hard to like Tampa’s defense when they’re playing a revitalized Dallas offense. Tony Romo is taking control and has a 3-1 record as a starter. After controlling a great Indy offense, Dallas isn’t about to let up by being controlled by the 29^th ranked offense.