Start – Jake Locker, QB, Titans

Let’s face it. We’re all Cougs, but there comes a time, a desperate time in our fantasy season, when we need some fantasy magic to spur our teams to the playoffs and beyond. With quarterbacks seemingly dropping like flies over the last few weeks, even I have forced myself to look in the direction of former Husky quarterback, Jake Locker. Going into last week, Locker’s 8:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio was the best among NFL quarterbacks with more than 100 passing attempts, according to Yahoo! So don’t be ashamed. If it helps, I won’t judge.

Sit – Victor Cruz, WR, Giants

Victor Cruz is already experiencing a roller coaster week in the Big Apple. Cruz, who practiced Monday, did not participate in team activities Wednesday, after suffering a “stinger” in his last game. The Giants expect him on the field Sunday, but I’m not ready to trust Cruz to play at his full potential this week. Anything that hampers his receiving ability could be detrimental to fantasy owners needing solid production in a key week of the season. Couple that with Manning’s tough season and corps of capable receivers, and fantasy owners might need to provide their own salsa for this weekend’s games.

Start – Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers

San Diego has surprised fantasy owners this season. Philip Rivers, Danny Woodhead, Eddie Royal and now Keenan Allen have all emerged as viable personnel options for participants in various leagues. Allen specifically has been taking some pressure off of Royal, who suffered a toe injury earlier in the season. Over the last four weeks, he has gone more than 100 yards three times. To pace with Denver, Rivers will let it fly this weekend. The good news is that while Manning will run the show offensively for Denver, the secondary has been next to hopeless at stopping opposing targets.

Sit – Ray Rice, RB, Ravens

Fantasy owners spent high picks on Rice in the 2013 draft. Unfortunately, over the last four weeks, his fantasy production has been as dead as the leaves under a parked Subaru. The Bengals have a top-ten run stopping defense, and Baltimore has been struggling and could potentially be on pace to miss the playoffs. It’s possible that Rice could finally break through this week, but early signs aren’t promising and I’d look elsewhere for a sure-fire starter at running back.

Start – Buffalo Defense/Special Teams

Ben Roethlisberger has performed inconsistently as quarterback this year, but the whole Steelers team has played a part in bringing a gloomy winter to a historical franchise. The Bills record doesn’t show how well they have held down opponents scoring this season. Chances are the Steelers won’t have many tools to break through the Bills stingy defense either. And who doesn’t love Jeff Tuel? It’s simply easy to root for the Bills right now.