We’ve officially hit the halfway point of the 2014 NFL regular season, which is more than halfway through your Fantasy season. And if you have more than one of these stars, you’re likely sitting pretty at this point.

Quarterbacks

Andrew Luck – 22 Touchdown Passes / 9 Interceptions, 2,731 pass yards

Peyton Manning – 22 TD / 3 INT, 2,136 yards

Philip Rivers – 20 TD / 5 INT, 2,213 yards

Running Backs

DeMarco Murray – 7 Touchdowns rushing, 1,054 rush yards / 26 receptions, 239 yards

Arian Foster – 7 TD, 766 rush yards / 24 rec., 166 yards 2 TD

Matt Forte – 3 TD, 562 rush yards / 58 rec., 490 yards 3 TD

Wide Receivers

Antonio Brown – 7 Touchdowns receiving, 60 receptions, 852 yards

Demaryius Thomas – 6 TD, 47 rec., 767 yards

Randal Cobb – 9 TD, 40 rec., 578 yards

Tight End

Rob Gronkowski – 7 TD, 40 rec., 558 yards

Antonio Gates – 9 TD, 32 rec., 417 yards

Julius Thomas – 9 TD, 30 rec., 327 yards

However…

There’s plenty of football left and all it takes is making the playoffs to contend for your league’s title. Who knows? You could get a Ben Roethlisberger 6 TD, 500 yard day…

or you could be screaming into nearest inanimate like this guy.

Lindsey Sikula-Hutagalung on Facebook: “Will he be ok to play or do I need to pick someone up?…Ben Roethlisberger or Alex Smith?”

The latest on Tony Romo is that his head coach is optimistic he will start on Sunday. Romo hasn’t practiced yet this week and it’s looking like a game-time decision to see how he handles the pain. If you have a roster spot to spare, you should still pick up a backup plan in case Romo is ruled out.

I don’t think Ben Roethlisberger is going to be throwing 6 touchdowns and 500 yards again anytime soon, nor do I think he’s going to be doing it against the Ravens. In 10 games against Baltimore, Roethlisberger has only thrown more than one touchdown twice. The Ravens have also allowed the fewest passing touchdowns this season, less than 1 per game…Alex Smith, on the other hand, hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass to a wide receiver yet this season. That can change against the Jets who just let Kyle Orton throw 4 touchdowns on them. Should have been 5…

Considering what Jamaal Charles and Kniles Davis can do after the catch as well, Smith will be the safer bet.

Emmet Fairfield on Facebook: “W/R/T spot: Jonathan Stewart or Dwayne Allen?”

Jonathan Stewart is finally healthy again, but it looks like Deangello Williams will be getting the start tonight. Had Stewart gotten the backfield to himself tonight, I would have recommended him to start…However, the Giants have allowed 4 touchdowns to tight ends in their last 3 games. Start Dwayne Allen who should be keep the trend going.

Ryan Suarez on Facebook: “Flex spot: Doug Baldwin, V-Jax, or Bobby Rainey?”

While Doug Baldwin is getting plenty more usage lately following the Percy Harvin trade, his offense doesn’t really make him a primary target as Russell Wilson likes to spread the wealth…Go with Bobby Rainey this weekend against a bad Cleveland defense that is allowing the 2nd most yards per carry and nearly a touchdown per game to running backs. Rainey is also the only one in Tampa’s backfield, so he’ll be getting plenty of work.

John Hayes on Facebook: “Brandin Cooks or Mohamed Sanu?”

Two decent options, but who will be the most reliable? Brandin Cooks played great last week, and he usually does at home. Cooks averages 8 catches and 75 yards per game at home. Much like the rest of the Saints though, there’s a drop off in production on the road as Cooks averages 4 catches and 37 yards away from the Superdome. However, Panthers have allowed the most touchdowns to opposing receivers…It looks like AJ Green will be back to play this week. Some suggest he could be used as a decoy like Calvin Johnson had been weeks ago, but I don’t buy it. Andy Dalton is better throwing to more options so that should take some targets away from Mohamed Sanu…Go with Cooks tonight as the Saints offense seems to be clicking after beating the Packers.

Brennan Casey on Twitter: “Flex spot: Doug Baldwin or Branden Oliver?”

I’ve already given my thoughts on Baldwin, but I would still go with Branden Oliver between these two. Oliver is still the feature back with Ryan Matthews out another week and he is also a factor in the run game. Take into account the Dolphins allowed over 100 yards rushing to Denard Robinson last week, Oliver could have a solid day for you.

Feel free to ask more questions on Twitter or Facebook through the weekend.

I know this graphic has made the rounds since Sunday night, but I would like to share it again for some perspective of how good Peyton Manning has been over the course of his career.

The most marketable man in sports surpassed Brett Favre as the all-time leader in touchdown passes. When I look at the graphic above, I think “Dang! Peyton sure did get a lot of guys paid.”

Of course this is how they thank him.

Congrats, Peyton. Looking forward to more great moments down the road.

Quick Hits

– Antonio Brown has been a monster this season. Brown is the only receiver with 50 catches so far this season, 719 yards and 5 touchdowns, and even a touchdown points. Colts Punter Pat McAfee is very aware and has one request:

Have fun with that, Pat.

– The Rams pulled off a stunner against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, but think about this…After facing Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy, Marshawn Lynch, DeMarco Murray, and Frank Gore the Rams defense has only allowed one touchdown to opposing running backs. Let’s see how they fair against Jamaal Charles this weekend. The Chiefs new all-time leading rusher has at least 84 yards over his last 3 games and 4 touchdowns during that time. Hopefully the side effects of this hit aren’t lingering.

AND DON’T FORGET!

The Lions and the Falcons play in London this weekend. Kickoff is set for 8:30 CDT. With Reggie Bush and Calvin Johnson looking like game time decisions, you may want to be awake if you have them on your team…or you’ll be complaining EXACTLY like this.

And now for something completely different.

Matt Kuna on Twitter: “Branden Oliver or Mark Ingram?”

Everyone loves making the Branden Oliver comparison to Darren Sproles, and that’s easy considering both backs are short and have worn the number 43 in San Diego. But I like Oliver to more of a vintage Maurice Jones-Drew who relies more on shiftiness and strength rather than speed. Oliver has been a solid pickup for most fantasy owners and is making the most out of his opportunity as the Chargers feature back. We saw his carries limited against the time of possession “keep away” game the Chiefs played, and unfortunately I think he’ll be limited again but for a different reason. The effect Peyton Manning has on opposing offenses is astounding. Because most teams need to play catchup with the Broncos after Manning has lit up the board a few times early, they abandon the run completely. The Broncos defense has seen less than 18 rushes attempted against them per game this season…For those keeping score, I haven’t been Mark Ingram’s biggest fan. This week is a very different story. Pierre Thomas is out for the next 2 weeks and Khiry Robinson is dinged up as well with a forearm injury. After missing 3 weeks, Ingram had the most touches last week and he will be THE back for the Saints at home against Green Bay. Go with Ingram against a Packers defense that is 9th worst against the run. I think your best bet for Oliver will be through the air and he is a decent pass catcher. I just don’t think he’ll get the touches that Ingram will.

Ryan Suarez on Facebook: “Doug Martin or Justin Forsett?”

Doug Martin is a flex player at best, in my opinion, and I would never advise someone to play him unless it’s against a bad team. The Vikings are one of those teams I would be okay letting Martin play against because they give up the 4th most rushing and eighth most receiving to opposing backs…But if you’re looking for consistency and dependable scoring, go with Justin Forsett. In his first meeting against the Bengals, Forsett had 70 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. The Bengals allowed 129 rush yards combined to Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw, and 203 yards to the duo of Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen 2 weeks prior. While Bernard Pierce has vultured some TDs in the red zone, Forsett is still getting it done between the 20’s and will have his chances this weekend.

Kyle Doyle on Facebook: “Darren McFadden, Ronnie Hillman, or Anthony Dixon RB2”

Tonight should be a good one for Ronnie Hillman. The Chargers allow the most catches to running backs and the most receiving touchdowns. Hillman has also distinguished himself as the go-to back around the goal line in recent weeks, which was a big question when Montee Ball went down…While Denard Robinson had a coming out party against the Browns, nothing is for sure when it comes to Darren McFadden. Yes, he’s the clear feature back over MJD, but Oakland is turning into a pass-first squad with Derek Carr at the helm…And even though he’s one of the few backs left standing in Buffalo, Boobie Dixon still has to play against the Jets run defense. Nobody likes going against the Jets run defense. Start Hillman tonight.

Kirk Clark on Facebook: “Keenan Allen, Trent Richardson or Brian Quick Flex”

I don’t understand Keenan Allen. Really. For the past 4 weeks he has been awful, yet receives the most targets on the team. As I mentioned earlier, the Broncos are forcing teams to abandon the run and throw like crazy. I doubt Allen will see less balls thrown his way, but the question is if he’ll catch them. If he can’t get it done tonight, don’t ask me about him again….Trent Richardson is finally forming into a suitable running back again and has a decent matchup against the Steelers, and I like him better than Brian Quick against the Chiefs. My gut says Allen one last time, but the safe bet may be Richardson.

Craig Bucy on Facebook: “Wes Welker, Roddy White, or Kelvin Benjamin? Pick 2”

First I’ll say go with Kelvin Benjamin. All Benjamin does is catch touchdowns, right? He has 5 in 7 games, and that hasn’t been the case for your other two options…Roddy White did have a “return to form” game last week, but he is facing a Detroit secondary that’s only allowing 11 receptions and 136 yards per game to opposing wide receiver groups as a whole. But I do like him better than Welker who is just struggling to find targets, despite scoring a touchdown last week. Go with Roddy second.

Brennan Casey on Facebook: “Matt Ryan or Drew Brees at QB?”

As a Drew Brees fantasy owner, I know…2 touchdowns and 330 yards has been the standard with him lately. But I do think he’ll get a chance to be more Brees’ish in a shootout in the dome with Aaron Rodgers. The Packers secondary is banged up and, quite frankly, not that great. Have to admit, while the touchdowns haven’t been typical of him, Brees is killing it in yardage as of late…I’m actually scared for Matt Ryan’s life with a bad and injured offensive line going against the Detroit Lions this weekend. Just go Brees.

Danny Kakareka on Facebook: “Reggie Bush or Chris Ivory? PPR.”

Reggie Bush has actually been downgraded for this weekend and looks like a game time decision, so I would have Chris Ivory penciled in preemptively. Not a bad thing. Ivory almost beat the Patriots by himself last week. But I also think Joique Bell has been the bigger beneficiary in the Lions backfield than Bush already.

Erin Adell on Facebook: “Delanie Walker or Owen Daniels?”

Good week to be an Own Daniels owner as Cincinnati is giving up 100 yards per game to opposing tight ends. Just go with Daniels.

Max Rapp on Facebook: “Percy Harvin or no?” (Also has Doug Baldwin)

Until I see him do something, I really can’t trust Percy Harvin. In the world of hypotheticals, I love Percy Harvin as a football player. But really, Harvin just went from Russell Wilson to Geno Smith and worse…Darrell Bevell to Marty Mornhinweg as his offensive coordinator. Harvin is staying on my bench until I see someone use him properly.

Billy Quesse on Facebook: “Cutler or Foles?”

Jay Cutler has a chance to do something this weekend that hardly anyone ever does: Win at Foxboro. The Patriots have only lost 3 games at home since 2009…but that’s not why you called. The Patriots are one of the best teams against the pass, but realistically, Cutler will be the best quarterback they have faced so far this season (Tannehill, Cassel, Carr, Alex Smith, Dalton, Orton, Geno Smith). He’s coming off his worst output in over a year, but will be facing a Patriots defense that is without Jerod Mayo and now Chandler Jones. Assume Brandon Marshall will be on Revis Island and Alshon Jeffery will draw Brandon Browner, but who will cover Martellus Bennett or Matt Forte?…Nick Foles is still down two of his offensive lineman against a very good Cardinals pass rush, but will be throwing against a secondary that is giving up nearly 300 pass yards per game. I think the matchup favors Foles, but Cutler’s upside is greater.