We are officially past the halfway point of the season and the race to the fantasy playoffs is heating up. Your margin for error is getting smaller. The degree of difficulty is getting bigger. The Fantasy Football Audibles are here for you.
Wow, has it been fun watching Martavis Bryant over the past few weeks! Since the Steelers turned him loose, he's been like a lightning bolt and certainly deserves some of the credit for Pittsburgh's passing game taking off in the past two weeks. Bryant has been a waiver wire stud and certainly deserves a spot on your roster -- and even in your lineup as a secondary receiver. However, I'm sticking with Benjamin this week. First, he's the primary target in Carolina's passing game, even in the weeks where Cam Newton has a tough time connecting with him. Second, this matchup against the Eagles is a very favorable one. Regardless of which defensive back lines up against Benjamin, his size and ability to get the ball in the air presents all sorts of matchup problems. In this battle of rookie wideouts, the big Panther is the way to go.
This would be an intriguing comparison on its own merits. It's even spicier because these two teams face off against each other in Week 10. The Dolphins defense has been masterful at getting to the quarterback this season, racking up 14 total sacks in the past three games while forcing 10 turnovers and scoring a pair of touchdowns in that same stretch. Not to be outdone, the Lions have collected two or more sacks in seven of their eight games this season while also boasting the second-ranked run defense in the NFL. That last part is important with the Dolphins running game in flux while the team waits for more information on the health of Lamar Miller. That's the reason, I'm leaning in Detroit's direction ... but it's close.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was a question from the preseason. Back in training camp West was pushing Tate for the starting job, and although he was unsuccessful, it felt like a matter of time before we were having this discussion again. As Matt Franciscovich noted in this week's Committee Meetings, it seems like being a healthy scratche lit a fire under West and he could eventually take over the starter's gig. If nothing else, it seems like West is the starter for Week 10, so he's the guy you should roll with.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarcasG.
