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The good news is 49ers running back Frank Gore averaged more than ten yards per carry against the Arizona Cardinals last night.

The bad news is that he only had five of them.

Gore, who finished with 52 yards last night, fractured his right hip and will miss the remainder of the 2010 season, per David White of the San Francisco Chronicle.

With Gore out, the 49ers went to Brian Westbrook (23 carries for 136 yards and a score) more than Anthony Dixon (14 carries for 54 yards and a score).

Entering last night's game, Westbrook and Dixon had only nine and 18 rushing yards, respectively, on the season.

The 49ers' next four games don't provide great matchups against Green Bay, Seattle, San Diego and St. Louis, but Westbrook is a must-add and Dixon is worth a look as well.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Atlanta's Matt Bryant kicked a 47-yard field goal with nine seconds left to lead the Falcons to a 20-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers. All four of the Packers' losses including two in overtime have been by three points.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been as close to automatic at home as possible. Through 20 career home games, he has won 19 of them. The Broncos beat Ryan & Co. in Atlanta on November 16, 2008 by four points.

Since Week 6, Packers receiver Greg Jennings has five-plus receptions for 74-plus yards every week. With his 119-yard performance today, Jennings has gone over 100 yards in three of those six games.

In their last six games, the Buffalo Bills are 2-4. All four of their losses have been by three points apiece and three of them occurred in overtime like today's loss against the Steelers.

Shameless plug of the day: Please "like" us on Facebook even if you don't "like" us in real life.

When will Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who ran for more than 100 yards for the fourth straight game, see his streak end? (Take our poll here.)

For the first time in his career, Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford threw for more than 300 yards. In addition, he threw three touchdowns and no interceptions for the team's first road victory (and fifth overall) of the season.

The "regular season" of our fantasy football contest is winding down. The playoffs begin in Week 14, but your best one-week score may catapult you to the post-season. Make your Week 12 entry and/or your Week 13 entry.

Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson made his season debut and exited with a calf injury before making any receptions.

Although Texans receiver Andre Johnson apologized for his involvement in a fight with Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan, Texans owner Bob McNair said (via HoustonTexans.com) that he "awarded it to Andre on points.”

Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib got into a yelling match after the game with an official.

Tampa Bay safety Cody Grimm was carted off the field today with an ankle injury.

On the Ravens side of the ball, fullback Le'Ron McClain left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.

Ravens third-year quarterback Joe Flacco broke the franchise record for passing touchdowns in today's game against the Buccaneers.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When facing the Colts in a big Sunday Night Football showdown tonight, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers will see the leading receiver from last year's team make his season debut.

Vincent Jackson, who set career highs in receptions (68), yards (1.167) and touchdowns (nine) in 2009, missed the first ten games of the season due to a suspension and contract dispute.

Last week, Rivers was without his leading receiver for 2010 -- tight end Antonio Gates -- due to injury.

Gates, who was questionable, "is a go" tonight, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Rivers, who is averaging 317.7 passing yards per game, is 0.8 yards off the pace of Dan Marino's single-season passing record of 5,084 yards and getting back Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates will certainly help his cause.

More importantly, however, the Chargers are on a three-game winning streak and looking to continue to make their push for the post-season against one of the best teams of the past decade.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For a fourth consecutive game, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew has rushed for 100-plus yards.

MJD didn't score a touchdown, however, as both running back Rashad Jennings and quarterback David Garrard each rushed for one. Jones-Drew finished the game with 21 carries for 113 yards.

Next week, the Jaguars face the Titans, who allowed Houston's Arian Foster to put up 218 yards from scrimmage today.

After that, they face the Raiders and Colts, who rank as two of the bottom eight teams in the NFL against the run.

In other words, it could be full steam ahead for Pocket Hercules.

(Take our poll on when his streak will end.)

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster entered this weekend's slate of NFL games as the only running back with 1,000-plus yards on the season. He had 1,004, to be precise.

Against the Tennessee Titans today, Foster tacked on another 143 yards plus he led the team in receiving with 75 yards on nine receptions.

On the other hand, Titans running back Chris Johnson, who became the sixth back in league history to surpass 2,000 yards last season, needed just 32 yards to reach 1,000 this season.

He missed it by a mile. Or, technically, by 25 yards.

Johnson finished with five yards on seven carries (0.7 yards per carry) and he caught two passes for two yards.

So, in other words, in a matchup of two of the league's top three leading rushers, Foster outperformed Johnson by a margin of 218 to seven in yards from scrimmage.

If it's any consolation, Johnson outperformed me by seven yards.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On the first drive of the game against the Seahawks, Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel completed four of five passes for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Three of those four completions were to receiver Dwayne Bowe, who also scored the touchdown.

Bowe, who has 100-plus receiving yards in his past two games, has extended his touchdown streak to seven games as he has scored 11 touchdowns during that span. In his first four games (through Week 5), Bowe had only nine receptions for 152 yards and one touchdown.

In addition, Cassel has now thrown 15 touchdowns to only one interception during that same stretch.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis does it all.

In the first half of today's game against the Panthers, Hillis has carried the ball 11 times for 74 yards and three touchdowns, caught one pass for 21 yards and an even thrown a pass (albeit an incomplete one to Benjamin Watson).

Hillis, who scored on runs of nine, five and six yards, now has seven rushing touchdowns in his past four-and-a-half games.

For the Panthers, running backs Mike Goodson and Jonathan Stewart have combined to rush for 85 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Most surprisingly, the duo of Jimmy Clausen and Jake Delhomme have combined for 31 pass attempts and NO interceptions in the first half. (Both quarterbacks combined for two touchdowns and eight interceptions entering today's game.)

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Going into Week 12, the Lions and Bucs were unbeaten at home and on the road, respectively, against the spread (ATS), per PredictEm.com. After suffering a 21-point loss to the Patriots on Thanksgiving, however, the Lions saw their streak end. Will the Bucs, who visit Baltimore to take on the Ravens this week, suffer the same fate?

Each week, I pick three NFL games against the spread (ATS). Last week, I was 2-1 ATS and here are my three picks for Week 12:

Oakland Raiders -2.5 (over Miami Dolphins) - Discuss game in our NFL Gameday Forum

Through ten games, the Raiders have allowed 200-plus passing yards only three times. Two of those games were their last two without the services of shutdown cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who is expected to return on Sunday. One player who won't play this weekend is Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall, who has failed to reach 50 receiving yards in each of his past three games. Although Brian Hartline has picked up some of the slack (three straight games with 70-plus yards), that streak may come to an end if Asomugha lines up opposite Hartline.

St. Louis Rams +3.5 (over Denver Broncos) - Discuss game in our NFL Gameday Forum

It only took half a season for the Rams to win more games (four) than they won in the previous two seasons combined (three). In addition to winning four games, the Rams have been competitive in four other games in which they lost by three points or less. Even though the Rams are 0-4 on the road this season, they have covered three of those games. The Rams have the advantage when it comes to the ground game. The Broncos rank last in run offense (75.4 yards per game) and second-to-last in run defense (143.5 YPG allowed). Plus no team has allowed more rushing touchdowns than the Broncos (15) whereas only two teams -- Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns -- have allowed fewer than the Rams (four).

San Diego Chargers +3 (over Indianapolis Colts) - Discuss game in our NFL Gameday Forum

While the Colts have lost two close games in the past three weeks, the Chargers seem to be getting their groove back as winners of three straight games. And for whatever reason, the Chargers have had the Colts' number recently winning four of their past five matchups dating back to 2005. Both teams have struggled staying (or getting) healthy on offense, but the Chargers get back wide receiver Vincent Jackson this week. I expect Jackson to hit the ground running or close to it as he's been able to practice with the team for the past three weeks. This game could go down to the wire so I'll take the points.

FYI: You can discuss all of this week's games in our NFL Gameday Forum.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to Cindy Chang of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Saints defensive end Will Smith was arrested early this morning on a charge of domestic abuse battery.

Leaving a nightclub in Lafayette (LA), Smith allegedly grabbed his wife by the hair and then began to drag her down the street by her hair.

Smith was released on $1,000 bond and has a court appearance scheduled for Monday.

So, as Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders points out via Twitter, Smith went from appearing as one of the "Happy Thanksgiving" families on Fox to an arrest for domestic battery in only 48 hours.

In ten games this season, Smith has 26 tackles, four sacks and an interception.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald via Twitter, Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall has been downgraded to out (from doubtful) for Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders.

Marshall, who left last week's game with a hamstring injury, did not travel with the team to Oakland.

For three consecutive games, Marshall has failed to reach 50 receiving yards.

On the other hand, Dolphins receiver Brian Hartline has 50-plus yards for five consecutive games and 70-plus yards for three consecutive games.

The Raiders have been without cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha for the past two games, but he is listed as probable and expected to play this week. Without Asomugha, the Raiders allowed four touchdowns to receivers in two games after allowing only two touchdowns in their previous five games.

Next week, the Dolphins face the Browns, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who suffered a broken collarbone one month ago, is at least three weeks away from being able to return to the field for a meaningful football game.

And as far as the term "meaningful" goes, I use that term loosely.

After yesterday's three-point loss to the Saints, the Cowboys saw their record drop to 3-8. So, even if they were to run the table from here and finish 8-8 (but they won't), they would be unlikely to make the post-season as the NFC North and NFC South already have three non-first-place teams with seven or eight wins.

Whether or not he should return, Romo wants to return this season.

"I'm sure there will be discussions once I get healthy," Romo said, per Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News. "But for me, it's football season, and football players usually play football during football season."

If he returns in three weeks, Romo would face the Washington Redskins in Week 15 and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16. The Redskins and Cardinals have allowed 280.1 and 261.7 passing yards, respectively, which rank both of them in the bottom six in the NFL.

Romo, who is owned in only 36 percent of Yahoo! fantasy leagues, could be worth adding and stashing if you have the room on your bench.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This morning, we updated our fantasy rankings for Week 12. Here are some notes on wide receivers and pass defenses heading into this week's games:

- For the third consecutive game, Steelers receiver Mike Wallace finished with 100-plus yards and scored a touchdown. Since Ben Roethlisberger's return from suspension, Wallace has scored in five of six games.

- Over his past seven games, Bengals receiver Terrell Owens has 48 receptions for 745 yards and eight touchdowns. This week, however, Owens faces Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who limited Detroit's Calvin Johnson to one reception for 13 yards and Houston's Andre Johnson to four receptions for 32 yards in their recent match-ups. Then again, T.O. called Revis an "average cornerback."

- Scoring in each of his past six games, Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe has scored ten touchdowns during that span. In addition, he now has had back-to-back 100-yard games.

- Baltimore receiver Anquan Boldin had two 100-yard games in the first three weeks of the season. Since then (seven games), he's had none. In fact, he's only had over 50 yards in three of those seven games.

- Cardinals receiver Steve Breaston has had 92-plus yards in three of his past four games. Teammate Larry Fitzgerald has three 90-plus yard games in his past four games. During that stretch, Breaston has 20 receptions for 365 yards while Fitzgerald has 26 for 360 yards and three touchdowns.

- Speaking of Fitzgerald, he and San Francisco's Michael Crabtree are the featured wide receivers in our fantasy football contest this week.

- Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall, who has only one touchdown this season, has been held to 41 yards or less in his past three games. In addition, he left last week's game with a hamstring injury and his status for this week's game is uncertain. During that same span, teammate Brian Hartline has 70-plus receiving yards in all three games.

- Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson will make his season debut on Sunday night against the Colts. Last year, Jackson set career highs in receptions (68), receiving yards (1,167) and touchdowns (nine).

- Seahawks receiver Ben Obomanu, who appeared on this week's list of free-agent pickups, has seen his number of receptions and receiving yards increase as his role has increased. Last week, he finished with five receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Here are my top ten fantasy wide receivers for Week 12:

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (vs NE)
2. Roddy White, Falcons (vs GB)
3. Andre Johnson, Texans (vs TEN)
4. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (at SEA)
5. Greg Jennings, Packers (at ATL)
6. Brandon Lloyd, Broncos (vs STL)
7. Marques Colston, Saints (at DAL)
8. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (at CHI)
9. Reggie Wayne, Colts (vs SD)
10. Mike Wallace, Steelers (at BUF)

See our full top 50 wide receiver rankings for Week 12.

More rankings for Week 12: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 12 matchup(s) and in our Week 12 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This morning, we updated our fantasy rankings for Week 12. Here are some notes on running backs and run defenses heading into this week's games:

- For a second week in a row, Panthers running back Mike Goodson rushed for 100-plus yards. In those two games against the Bucs and Ravens, Goodson has rushed for 220 yards -- or 12 more than Jonathan Stewart has (208) in his eight games played.

- In his past three games, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew has 23-plus carries and 100-plus yards in each game. Against the Browns in Week 11, MJD finished with 220 yards from scrimmage (133 rushing and 87 receiving).

- Atlanta's Michael Turner has had 20-plus carries, 100-plus yards and one-plus touchdown in three of his past four games. During that stretch, Turner has 92 carries for 398 yards and five touchdowns.

- Buffalo's Fred Jackson has posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing games. He has 249 rushing yards in addition to nine receptions for 50 yards in those two games. He has also scored five touchdowns in the past three games.

- San Francisco running back Frank Gore set season lows in rushing yards (23) and yards from scrimmage (60) last week against the Bucs. Although the Bucs have a fantasy-friendly defense for running backs, Gore has a better matchup this week against the Cardinals, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

- Speaking of Gore, he is the featured running back in our fantasy football contest for Week 12.

- No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing running backs than Denver. That sets up a great matchup for Rams running back Steven Jackson, who has failed to reach 100 rushing yards for three straight games.

- San Diego's Mike Tolbert rushed for a career-high 111 yards on 25 carries against the Broncos on Monday Night. The Chargers have another fantasy-friendly matchup this week as they face the Colts, who rank 30th in the NFL against the run.

Here are the top ten fantasy running backs for Week 12:

1. Chris Johnson, Titans (at HOU)
2. Peyton Hillis, Browns (vs CAR)
3. Steven Jackson, Rams (at DEN)
4. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at WAS)
5. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (at BUF)
6. Frank Gore, 49ers (at ARI)
7. Arian Foster, Texans (vs TEN)
8. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (at NYG)
9. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (at SEA)
10. Ray Rice, Ravens (vs TB)

See our full top 40 running back rankings for Week 12.

More rankings for Week 12: Top 25 QBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 12 matchup(s) and in our Week 12 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This morning, we updated our fantasy rankings for Week 12. Here are some notes on quarterbacks and pass defenses heading into this week's games:

- On the season, Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel has thrown 18 touchdowns and only four interceptions. In his last six games, he's been even better: 14 touchdowns and only one interception. He's not racking up yards, however, as he's thrown for 216 yards or less in eight of his ten games.

- Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna has thrown six touchdowns and only one interception in his past two games. In his previous two games, he threw only two touchdowns and six interceptions. This week, the Cowboys face the Saints, who have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

- In his past three games, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has thrown for 950 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.

- For seven consecutive games, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer has thrown two-plus touchdowns. During that span, receiver Terrell Owens has caught eight of the 15 touchdowns Palmer has thrown. Owens will be defended by Darrelle Revis, who has shut down Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson in two of the past three weeks.

- Saints quarterback Drew Brees has thrown two-plus touchdowns in six straight games. In his past four games, Brees has thrown 43-plus passes in each game and has thrown for more than 300 yards in three of those four games.

- Detroit quarterback Shaun Hill, who was on our free-agent pickup list, has thrown for 612 yards and three touchdowns in the past two games. In those two games, Hill has thrown 95 pass attempts. This Patriots have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

- Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for 662 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception in his past two games.

- Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck has thrown for 300-plus yards in both of his past two games. Despite throwing for 699 yards, he's only thrown two touchdowns during those two games.

- The Bears have yet to allow a quarterback to throw more than one touchdown in a game this season. On the other hand, they have five multiple interception games. This week, they face Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick, who has yet to throw an interception and has three multi-touchdown performances in the five games he started and finished.

Here are the top ten fantasy quarterbacks for Week 12:

1. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at IND)
2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (at ATL)
3. Drew Brees, Saints (at DAL)
4. Michael Vick, Eagles (at CHI)
5. Peyton Manning, Colts (vs SD)
6. Tom Brady, Patriots (at DET)
7. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (at BUF)
8. Kyle Orton, Broncos (vs STL)
9. Joe Flacco, Ravens (vs TB)
10. Mark Sanchez, Jets (vs CIN)

See our full top 25 quarterback rankings for Week 12.

More rankings for Week 12: Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 12 matchup(s) and in our Week 12 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not surprisingly, Colts wide receiver Austin Collie won't play this Sunday against the Chargers, per Phillip Watson of the Indianapolis Star.

Collie, who suffered a concussion in the game against the Eagles on Nov. 7th, left last week's game against the Patriots with concussion-related symptoms.

That means that Blair White, who was on this week's free-agent pickup list, gets bumped up to the No. 3 WR spot and should see a decent amount of targets on Sunday night.

On the season, Collie has 50 receptions for 562 yards and six touchdowns, but this will be the third of the team's past five games that Collie will have missed.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every week, we compile a list of players that may be worth targeting off the waiver wire.

For players to appear on our list, they need to satisfy two factors: (1) they are owned in less than half of Yahoo! leagues and (2) they did not appear on our previous week's list of potential additions. Of course, the other criteria is that we believe they could be useful to fantasy teams based on the depth of the league so I guess there are three factors.

As an example, Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson is an especially good waiver-wire target if you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league. For the third time in four games, Burleson finished with exactly seven receptions. Since returning from injury six games ago, Burleson has 35 receptions for 410 yards and four touchdowns. Even though he is owned in only 19 percent of Yahoo! leagues, he is not listed below due to his appearance on last week's list.

Here are some players potentially worth adding this week:

QB: Shaun Hill, Lions (owned in 23 percent of Yahoo! leagues): Since returning to the starting lineup as Matthew Stafford's injury replacement, Hill has thrown for 612 yards and three touchdowns in two games. No team has thrown the ball more than Detroit (43.8 attempts per game) and Hill has thrown 97 passes in the past two weeks. This week, Hill has a favorable matchup against the Patriots, who have allowed the second-most passing yards (289.6 per game) and the third most passing touchdowns (20) this season.

RB: Mike Goodson, Panthers (31 percent): For a second week in a row, Goodson started at running back for the Panthers. For a second week in a row, Goodson rushed for 100-plus yards. It's unclear whether Jonathan Stewart will return in Week 12 after missing the last two games due to concussion. However, The Daily Show has been ineffective this season when he has played. In other words, Goodson has had more in the past two games (220 yards) than Stewart has had in eight games (208 yards). The Panthers don't have a great matchup this week against the Browns, who have allowed a league-low three rushing touchdowns, but the Browns allowed Maurice Jones-Drew to gain more than 200 yards from scrimmage in Week 11.

RB: Keiland Williams, Redskins (37 percent): Guessing the allocation of touches in a Mike Shanahan-coached backfield is tricky. However, it helps when a few of the backs are unhealthy. As Shanahan said Monday, “I knew things were going bad when one of our trainers got a serious injury at halftime.” Clinton Portis, who returned from a five-game hiatus, reaggravated his groin injury and Ryan Torain is unlikely to play against the Vikings this week. In his past two games, Williams has 39 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns in addition to 13 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown.

RB: Maurice Morris, Lions (two percent): Lions rookie running back Jahvid Best is struggling with turf toe and had only three carries in Week 11. Best, who did not participate in practice on Monday, expects to play on Thursday, but his availability is far from certain. Morris, who led the Lions in rushing (ten carries for 31 yards) against the Cowboys Sunday, has nine receptions for 76 yards in his past two games. Depending on Best's status, Morris could be a guy worthy of consideration in deeper leagues.

WR: Derek Hagan, Giants (two percent): Speaking of opportunity due to injury, Hagan falls into that category. With injuries to Steve Smith, Ramses Barden and now Hakeem Nicks (who will miss three weeks), Hagan becomes one of the team's three healthy receivers. This week, Hagan faces the Jaguars, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

WR: Ben Obomanu, Seahawks (one percent): In his past three games, Obomanu has seen his receptions and receiving yards increase each week as his role has increased. Last week, he finished with five receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. During that three-game stretch, Obomanu has ten receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

WR: Blair White, Colts (six percent): Colts receiver Austin Collie left Sunday's game with another concussion, which puts his status for Week 12 in jeopardy. If Collie is unable to play, White will be the team's No. 3 receiver. Last week, White had five receptions for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Both the Colts and Lions lead the NFL in passing attempts (43.8 per game) so if Collie doesn't play, White should get enough targets to be a flex play in a league that starts three wide receivers.

TE: Kevin Boss, Giants (16 percent): With the limited number of healthy options at wide receiver for the Giants, the tight ends -- Boss and Travis Beckum -- should be more heavily involved in their passing game. Boss has scored twice in his past three games, but he has only two games with more than 40 receiving yards this season. Last year, he had more than 40 yards in seven games.

Check back later in the week for my Week 12 rankings by position at TheTipDrill.com. At any point, however, feel free to submit your specific questions (waiver wire, trade proposals, start/sit questions, etc.) to us via our Fantasy Football Forum or Twitter @EDSFootball.

Good luck in your Week 12 matchup(s) and in our free fantasy football contest for Week 12. (New entries welcome and encouraged.)

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Against the Cowboys on Sunday, Lions rookie running back Jahvid Best had only three carries for two yards.

With the Lions facing the Patriots on Thursday, it's possible that Best sees three less carries than that this week as he continues to deal with turf toe. However, Best says that he expects to play on Thursday.

"Jahvid's been struggling with his toe since the Minnesota game," coach Jim Schwartz said, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "And it's been something that has, rather than progressively get better, it's been one of those ones that's progressively hindered him more and more. We tried to stop that slide and tried to limit his play time, get him in certain packages."

Best, who scored five touchdowns in his first two NFL games, has not scored a touchdown in his past eight games.

Running back Maurice Morris would get the majority of work if Best doesn't play on Thursday.

Morris finished with 71 yards from scrimmage -- 31 rushing yards on a team-high ten attempts and 40 receiving yards -- against the Cowboys in Week 11.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jaguars receiver Mike Sims-Walker was inactive against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. And it looks like he will miss at least another week or two.

Per Tania Ganguli of the Jacksonville Times-Union on Twitter, Sims-Walker has a high-ankle sprain. As Ganguli tweets, that type of injury is typically a "multi-week injury."

Although Sims-Walker scored in three of his past five games before sitting out last week, he has been inconsistent this season. MSW has had 50-plus receiving yards only twice in nine games this season.

Sims-Walker ranks third on the team in receiving yards (418) behind fellow receiver Mike Thomas and tight end Marcedes Lewis.

The Jaguars face the Giants this week and the Titans next week.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When the Bengals and Jets face each other on Thanksgiving night, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis expects to be matched up with Bengals receiver Terrell Owens.

"I will be on him come Thursday night, and I think it will be a good match-up," Revis said, per Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger. "I think it will be a good match-up with (Cromartie) and Chad, too. They've got two great receivers, and we've got two great corners as well."

Despite a slow start in his first three games with the Bengals, Owens ranks third in the NFL in receptions (62) and receiving yards (897).

In his past seven games, Owens has 48 receptions for 745 yards and eight touchdowns.

Revis, who is now fully healthy, shut down Detroit's Calvin Johnson (one reception for 13 yards) and Houston's Andre Johnson (four receptions for 32 yards) in Weeks 9 and 11, respectively.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Add another receiver to the list of those that won't play for the New York Giants this week.

The Giants, who were already without receiver Steve Smith for another week or two and Ramses Barden for the remainder of the year, will be without Hakeem Nicks for roughly three weeks.

Nicks, the team's first-round pick from 2009, had a fasciotomy to treat compartment syndrome (swelling that compresses nerves and blood vessels) in his lower right leg on Monday afternoon, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York.

Through ten games, Nicks had 62 receptions for 800 yards and nine touchdowns. That was a 16-game pace of 99 receptions for 1,280 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The loss of Nicks leaves the Giants with only three healthy wide receivers: Mario Manningham, Duke Calhoun and Derek Hagan.

"Having Derek here last week will help," quarterback Eli Manning said (via Youngmisuk). "He will have another week. Mario will have a big week and I got to get these tight ends into the mix. We will have to be kind of creative with some formations and personnel and get some of these young guys, whether it is Calhoun, and let's go play."

This week, the Giants face the Jaguars, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. In other words, Manningham, who's available in one-quarter of Yahoo! leagues, could be in for a huge week.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Colts receiver Austin Collie, who suffered a concussion against the Eagles two weeks ago, left today's game against the Patriots with another concussion.

Not only did Titans quarterback Vince Young (allegedly) throw his pads in the stands, Young and coach Jeff Fisher got into a verbal altercation in the locker room after the game.

The Raiders offense had been firing on all cylinders, but it stalled against the Steelers today. In an (unsuccessful) effort to jump-start it, coach Tom Cable benched quarterback Jason Campbell for Bruce Gradkowski.

Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour was ejected for slapping Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the head.

FYI: It's not to late to enter our 2010 fantasy football contest. Each participant's best week is what counts. The top 12 participants advance to the post-season.

The Vikings starting right guard Anthony Herrera will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.

Who needs DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart? Panthers running back Mike Goodson has now rushed for 100-plus yards in back-to-back games. Goodson's 220 yards in two games is more than Stewart had (208) in eight games this season.

Panthers rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen is hopeful that he'll be able to play in Week 12, per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

Rams quarterback Sam Bradford set an NFL rookie record for 169 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. In addition, Bradford now holds the franchise rookie record for completions (228) and attempts (376).

Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke the franchise record for completions.

Eagles cornerback Ellis Hobbs injured his neck in tonight's game and was carted off on a stretcher.

Seahawks receiver Mike Williams left today's game against the Saints with a foot injury. For a second game in a row, Williams finished with 100-plus yards.

San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis left today's game with an ankle injury.

Shameless plug of the night: On Twitter? Please follow us. On Facebook? Please "like" us.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who suffered a broken collarbone, had a throwing session on Sunday and may return at some point in December even if/when the Cowboys are eliminated from playoff contention.

In the past two games (both wins), Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna has thrown six touchdowns and only one interception. In his previous two games (both losses), Kitna threw two touchdowns and six interceptions.

Titans receiver Randy Moss had zero catches for zero yards today. For three consecutive games, he's had one (or less) reception.

Tennessee and Moss have two very favorable matchups upcoming against the Texans and Jaguars in Weeks 12 and 13, respectively. Are you starting or sitting Moss in Week 12? (Take our poll.)

When asked if he would walk away considering how their season is going (3-7), Vikings quarterback Brett Favre answered vaguely and essentially said that he'd sleep on it.

Bills receiver Steve Johnson, who scored three touchdowns today, had a t-shirt underneath his jersey that read, "Why So Serious" for Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco (self-dubbed "Batman and Robin").

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Before today's game against the Jaguars, the Browns had allowed a season-low two rushing touchdowns.

Now they've allowed three.

Not only did Maurice Jones-Drew rush for a touchdown, he finished with 220 yards from scrimmage (133 yards rushing and 87 yards receiving).

For three consecutive games, MJD has finished with 23-plus carries and 100-plus yards.

In Weeks 12 and 13, Jones-Drew has tough matchups vs Giants and Titans, respectively. The Giants rank third in the NFL in rushing defense (83 yards per game allowed). The Titans rank 11th.

But in the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 14 to 16), the Jaguars face the Raiders, Colts and Redskins. All three teams rank in the bottom nine against the run in the NFL.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It was a rough day for Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young.

Young was booed (at home) in the first half, tore a flexor tendon in his thumb in the second half and is no longer the starting quarterback for the Titans, regardless of health status.

"Vince tore a flexor tendon in his thumb and I was not satisfied with his ability to control the ball so I stayed with Rusty [Smith]," [coach Jeff] Fisher said, per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. "He never said to me he was OK and wanted to go back in, and I was told he was a little upset after, and I was also told he threw half his uniform in the stands.

"Clearly that is no way to respond, so we have some things we have to sort out with him. He may need surgery, and if that's the case, he is done for the year. If that's the case, Rusty is our guy."

Young, who was the Titans' first-round pick in 2006, completed 12 of 16 passes before injuring his thumb in today's overtime loss to the Redskins.

Through the five years that Young has been a professional quarterback, there is a well-documented list of incidents of Young not handling his job with professionalism.

For whatever reason, it's like Young just doesn't want to grow up, which made me think that he'd be the perfect spokesman for Toys 'R Us.

And as Gregg Rosenthal of Pro Football Talk points out, Young is due a salary of $12.75 million and roster bonus of $4.25 million next year. Therefore, Young could be looking for work in a few months.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Colts running back Joseph Addai went from being limited at practice on Thursday to a non-participant on Friday, which is normally not a good thing.

So, not surprisingly, Addai was downgraded by the Colts to out against the Patriots this week. In addition to Addai, running back Mike Hart will also be inactive.

With both Addai and Hart out again, the Colts will likely start Donald Brown with Javarris James as his backup.

In each of the past two games, Brown has rushed for 50 yards per game. Meanwhile James has handled the goal-line work, which has resulted in three touchdowns in those two games.

This season, the Patriots have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the many reasons why the NFL appeals to so many fans is its unpredictability when compared to other sports.

As an example, if someone told you in July that the Oakland Raiders would have as many wins as the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings COMBINED heading into Week 11, you would have laughed at them.

Or that Raiders running back Darren McFadden would lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage per game (142.7)? Or Texans running back Arian Foster would lead the league in rushing yards (920)? Or that wide receiver Randy Moss would be playing for his third team ... this season?

OK, you get the point.

Despite the difficulty to make predictions, it's what we do in The Weekly Blitz section of our website. So, here are three picks against the spread (ATS) for this week's NFL slate of games:

Dallas Cowboys - 6.5 (over Detroit Lions) - Discuss game in our NFL Gameday Forum

The Cowboys entered the 2010 season with aspirations of becoming the first NFL team to ever play the Super Bowl in their home stadium. The Lions entered the 2010 season with hopes (and even guarantees) of being a sleeper team that could make the post-season. Instead both teams enter their Week 11 matchup with identical 2-7 records.

In the Jason Garrett era, however, the Cowboys are 1-0 after their impressive road win against the Giants last week. In fact, the Cowboys were the only double-digit underdog last week. But one week is not a trend, especially after a half-season of disappointing performances. Was last week the beginning of a new attitude in Dallas? Or just a dead-cat bounce?

Meanwhile, the Lions, the only 0-16 team in NFL history, allowed the Bills to become the 32nd team to record a victory this season. In the process, Detroit extended their road losing streak to 25 consecutive games.

Both of these teams are pass-happy. The Lions lead the NFL in pass attempts per game (43.4) while only rushing the ball 23.7 times per game, on average while the Cowboys have a 38.7-to-21.9 pass-to-rush ratio. Even though the Lions and Cowboys rank 30th and 31st in rushing, respectively, it could be the team that runs the ball effectively that prevails.

The Dallas duo of Felix Jones and Marion Barber was effective against the tough Giants defense last week. Detroit's Jahvid Best has been limited to less than 100 yards from scrimmage and hasn't scored a touchdown for seven straight games. Dealing with the lingering effects of turf toe, it's unlikely that Best will regain the form he had in the first two games of the season.

With their newfound energy, greater number of weapons on offense and home-field advantage, the Cowboys will make it two straight.

Cleveland Browns + 1.5 (over Jacksonville Jaguars) - Discuss game in our NFL Gameday Forum

Over the past three weeks, the Cleveland Browns are nearly 3-0. They had two quality wins against the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots. In fact, the Browns won both of those games by double-digits. Although they lost to the New York Jets last week, the Jets needed almost all of overtime to win the game.

Jacksonville has been successful through the air in their past few games, but much of the success is derived from the quality of pass defenses they have faced. Last week's win was against Houston, who has allowed the most passing yards and touchdowns in the NFL, and the previous week's win was against the woe-is-me Dallas defense under now-fired coach Wade Phillips.

In addition, the Jaguars will likely be without receiver Mike Sims-Walker, who is the team's No. 1 receiver, at least in name. You could argue that Mike Thomas has emerged as the team's No. 1 receiver. But either way, the Jags will be without one of their top two receivers.

Although Maurice Jones-Drew has had back-to-back 100-yard performances, he should find the going a little tougher this week. No team has allowed fewer rushing touchdowns than the Browns (two) this season. Meanwhile, only the Broncos have allowed more rushing touchdowns than the Jaguars (12) this season.

Buffalo Bills + 5.5 (over Cincinnati Bengals) - Discuss game in our NFL Gameday Forum

Like the Cowboys, the Bills are on a one-game winning streak. For the first time this season, the Bills won a game while extending the Lions' road losing streak to 25 games in the process.

Although they won their first game, it's not the first time the Bills have been competitive. In fact, their previous three losses were by a cumulative total of nine points. Two of those three losses occurred in overtime. And all three of those opponents (Baltimore, Kansas City and Chicago) have a winning record this season and a cumulative record of 18-10.

And the numbers against the spread favor the Bills as well. Buffalo is 11-4 ATS in their past 15 road games while the Bengals are 6-20 ATS as a favorite in their past 26 games.

While you would expect Bengals running back Cedric Benson to be able to run the ball effectively against the Bills, who rank last in the league in rushing defense, Benson was held to only 24 rushing yards against the Colts last week. The Colts have the 29th-ranked run defense and have allowed a league-high 5.0 yards per carry this season.

While the Bills may not get their second victory of the season, I have confidence in their ability to keep it close against the Bengals.

Good in luck in Week 11.

FYI: If you're looking for fantasy rankings or information, check out our rankings at TheTipDrill.com: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs. Or send your start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Texans running back Arian Foster missed Friday's practice due to a death in the family, per Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle.

However, Foster is expected to play on Sunday when the Texans face the Jets.

Over his past four games, Foster, who leads the NFL in rushing yards (920), has rushed for six touchdowns.

The Jets have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said that running back Beanie Wells, who is listed as questionable, "looked like his old self."

Wells, who was inactive in Week 10, had two more rushing yards last week than he had in Week 9 (one carry for minus two yards).

It's been a disappointing season (70 carries for 231 yards) for Wells so far.

"I think we've seen signs of what he can be and that's what's exciting," Whisenhunt said, per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. "We all thought coming into this season it was going to be a big year. I don't think that we've seen all that we're going to see out of Beanie, and that's not necessarily a bad thing."

Fellow running back Tim Hightower has had 13 carries for 39 yards in each of his past two games. However, it's uncertain if Wells or Hightower would start against the Chiefs.

In their past four games, the Chiefs have not allowed a rushing touchdown to a running back.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite being arrested early Friday morning on a DUI charge, Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams will play against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Earlier this morning, there conflicting reports that he would and then would not play, but coach Raheem Morris has confirmed that he won't be disciplined from a playing-time standpoint.

"He will be disciplined. But it won't have to do with playing time," Morris said. "We'll deal with it internally, like we always do."

Williams' blood-alcohol level was .065, which is below Florida's legal legal of .08, based on a breathalyzer test.

In seven of his nine games, Williams has had 50-plus receiving yards. In addition, he has scored in five games. Over his past four games, Williams has 17 receptions for 344 yards and two touchdowns.

So, not only will Williams start the real game, he remains a start in fantasy leagues (he's our 18th-ranked receiver for Week 11) as well.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When the Redskins face the Titans, they won't have running back Ryan Torain, who aggravated his hamstring injury before the Monday Night game against the Eagles.

They will have Clinton Portis, however, for the first time in six games.

Without both Portis and Torain last week, Keiland Williams finished with 139 yards from scrimmage (89 rushing and 50 receiving) and three touchdowns.

So, how much work will Portis get in his return? Of course, coach Mike Shanahan did not give a clear answer.

"I'm not going to go into detail about workload we'll give him, but he's going to play in the game," Shanahan said, per Rick Maese of the Washington Post.

The Titans rank in the top half of teams in fewest fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. They have allowed three touchdowns to running backs in their past two games, however, after allowing only one touchdown in their first seven games of the season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Per Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Saints running back Pierre Thomas cut on his injured ankle for the first time since September.

Thomas, who has missed seven straight games, doesn't have a timetable to return although he is happy with the progress he's making.

"I'm seeing progress," Thomas said (via the Times-Picayune). "I feel good about it. It's starting to feel a little bit better. I still want to be safe and make sure it's fully healed. I'm just working, taking a few steps, that's all I'm doing right now, taking little steps at a time, trying to make sure I'm on the right track and I'm not aggravating it."

Although Reggie Bush is expected to return this week when the Saints face the Seahawks, Thomas is not.

But he did say, "Right now I'm going day-to-day, but I could probably give you a hint that I might be back sooner than people think."

If you have Thomas (or any Saints running back) on your roster for the fantasy playoffs (typically Weeks 14 to 16), the NFL schedule makers did you no favors.

During that stretch, the Saints face the Rams, Ravens and Falcons -- three of the eight teams in the NFL that have allowed less than 100 rushing yards per game. And only the Cleveland Browns have allowed fewer rushing touchdowns than the Falcons or Rams (three each) this season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall injured his hamstring on the last drive of the first half and watched the second half in street clothes.

Marshall, who finished with three receptions for 41 yards, has failed to reach the 50-yard mark for three consecutive weeks after doing so in the first seven games of the season.

Brian Hartline, who led the team in receiving (70 yards) tonight, has exceeded 50 yards for five consecutive games.

Next week, the Dolphins face the Raiders and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every week, we list several players that we believe should start on most fantasy rosters. We do the same with folks that should take a seat on most fantasy rosters.

If you want our thoughts on players not on this list, feel free to send your start/sit questions via Twitter @EDSFootball, check out our Week 11 fantasy rankings at TheTipDrill.com or post your question in our Fantasy Football Forum.

Players to Start for Week 11:

QB - Mark Sanchez, Jets (vs Texans): Although he's just outside my top ten (he's No. 11, to be exact) fantasy quarterbacks for Week 11, "The Sanchize" has back-to-back 20-point fantasy performances. Better yet? The pass defense that John McClain of the Houston Chronicle described as the worst he's seen in thirty years of covering the NFL is what stands in his way from a 20-point three-peat. No team in the league has allowed more passing yards or touchdowns that the Texans.

RB - Fred Jackson, Bills (at Bengals): Last week against the Lions, Jackson had 160 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving). Although it was Jackson's first big game of the season, he has been getting a heavy workload -- 20-plus carries in three of past four games. With rookie C.J. Spiller doubtful for Week 11, Jackson should get another heavy workload this week.

RB - BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (vs Colts): Over his past four games, Green-Ellis has alternated between disappointing and strong performances: 24, 112, 14, and 87 rushing yards, respectively. Last week's 87 rushing yards was especially impressive considering the Steelers were allowing less than 60 rushing yards per game. This week, the Patriots host the Colts, who have allowed the fourth-most rushing yards (133.2 per game) and a league-high 5.0 yards per carry.

WR - Santonio Holmes, Jets (vs Texans): Over the past two weeks, Holmes has established himself as the team's No. 1 receiver. In those two games, Holmes has ten receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown (the game-winner in overtime last week). Over the entire season (as noted above), the Texans secondary has established itself as the league's No. 32 by allowing the most passing yards and touchdowns.

WR - Dez Bryant, Cowboys (vs Lions): Bryant, the Cowboys' first-round pick, has emerged as a must-start for the remainder of the year (and beyond). The only debate is about which Cowboys receiver, Bryant or Miles Austin, is the better to own for the remainder of the year and I think the answer is Bryant. For three consecutive weeks, Bryant has 80-plus yards. It seems as though all Jon Kitna needs to do is throw it up and let Bryant make a play.

WR - Mario Manningham, Giants (at Eagles): In his past four games, Manningham has scored a touchdown in three games and had 50-plus yards in three games. With Steve Smith out last week, Manningham had his best game of the season -- ten receptions for 91 yards and a score. While Manningham is a top 30 receiver this week, he will be ranked even higher in his next two games against Jacksonville and Washington as no teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing receivers this season.

TE - Jermaine Gresham, Bengals (vs Bills): Last week, Gresham had the best game (nine receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown) of his rookie season against the Colts, who have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends. This week, Gresham faces the Bills, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to tight ends.

Players to Sit for Week 11:

QB - Matt Schaub, Texans (at Jets): Schaub led the NFL in passing yards in 2009, but he has had a disappointing and inconsistent season this year. Shutdown corner Darrelle Revis appears to be fully healthy and back to his old self. Against the Lions, Revis held Calvin Johnson to only one catch for 13 yards despite MegaTron having 100-plus yards in his other three of past four games. Andre Johnson, who only had four receptions for 35 yards versus Revis last year, could also be in for a disappointing game.

RB - Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (at Saints): Over the past three games, Seattle's Justin Forsett has a total of 136 yards from scrimmage compared to Lynch's 117 even though Forsett has less than half the carries as Lynch during that span. During those three games, Forsett is averaging 4.93 yards per carry to Lynch's 2.55 YPC. Therefore, Lynch isn't even the highest-rated fantasy running back on his own team.

RB - Jahvid Best, Lions (at Cowboys): Based on production, Jahvid Best was the best running back through Week 2 with five touchdowns in his first two career games. Since then he hasn't been the "worst," but he's certainly been a huge source of disappointment to fantasy owners that were wowed by his fast start. In his next seven games, Best has failed to score a touchdown or reach 100 yards from scrimmage in any game. His dud performance last week against the 32nd-ranked Bills run defense inspires absolutely no confidence against a re-energized Cowboys defense that held the Giants to only 90 rushing yards last week.

RB - Ronnie Brown, Dolphins (vs Bears): The good news is that Brown has scored a touchdown in back-to-back games. The bad news is he had only 11 rushing yards (on 12 carries) last week. That was the second time in the past four weeks that Brown was held to less than 15 rushing yards in a game. On the season, only the Steelers have allowed fewer rushing yards than the Bears (82.3 per game).

WR - Randy Moss, Titans (vs Redskins): Moss has a great matchup in Week 11 against the Redskins, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Over their past four games, the Redskins have allowed wide receivers to catch nine touchdown passes. But Moss is coming off back-to-back one-reception performances with his third team and his second team (against his first team). Over the past 17 games (counting playoffs), Moss has failed to exceed 81 receiving yards in a game.

WR - Santana Moss, Redskins (at Titans): The anti-Moss sentiment continues ... although it could be worse. (Both Jarvis Moss and Sinorice Moss were released this month by their respective teams.) With Santana Moss, however, he will likely draw a lot of coverage by Cortland Finnegan this week. Last week, Finnegan held Miami's Brandon Marshall to only three receptions for 34 yards. In addition, Tennessee has allowed only one touchdown to receivers in their past four games.

WR - Johnny Knox, Bears (at Dolphins): Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis is one of the better young cornerbacks in the league. Last week, he limited Randy Moss to only one reception. Tonight there is a good chance that Davis will line up opposite Knox for much of the night. It doesn't help that Knox was battling the flu earlier in the week.

TE - Kellen Winslow, Bucs (at 49ers): Winslow scored his first touchdown of the season last week. This week, Winslow faces the 49ers, who have not allowed a touchdown to a tight end for four straight weeks. In addition, they haven't allowed tight ends to accumulate 50-plus receiving yards in any game this season.

Here are our Week 11 Fantasy Rankings: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Note: You can follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or "like" us on Facebook.

Good luck in your Week 11 matchup(s) and in our free fantasy football for Week 11 (new entries welcome and encouraged).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday we updated our fantasy rankings for Week 11. Here are some notes on quarterbacks and pass defenses heading into this week's games:

- Before Monday Night's matchup between the Redskins and Eagles, no quarterback in NFL history had 300-plus passing and 50-plus rushing yards with four passing and two rushing touchdowns. Now there has been one and it wasn't the guy who signed a contract extension for $40 million $3.75 million guaranteed. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick now has 15 touchdowns (11 passing and four rushing) and no interceptions on the season.

- For six consecutive weeks, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer has thrown two-plus touchdowns. During that span, Palmer has 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. This week, the Bengals face the Bills, who have allowed 18 passing touchdowns while intercepting only two passes this season.

- During his past five games, Giants quarterback Eli Manning has thrown a total of 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. During that same stretch, brother Peyton has had two no-touchdown games and has only thrown a total of five touchdowns.

- The Saints, who host the Seahawks (Matt Hasselbeck) this week, have held opposing quarterbacks to under 200 yards passing in five of their past six games. During that span, they have allowed only two passing touchdowns.

- The only week that the Houston Texans, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, did not allow multiple passing touchdowns was in Week 2. That week, they allowed Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb to pass for 426 yards. This week, the Texans will try to slow down Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, who has put up back-to-back 20-point fantasy performances.

- With the exception of Week 5 (at Detroit), the Rams have held opposing quarterbacks to one or no passing touchdowns every week this season.

- Counting last year's playoff loss to the Jets, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has thrown a touchdown in 23 consecutive games. This season, he's thrown two-plus touchdowns in seven of nine games and has yet to throw for less than 241 yards. It's scary to think what he may do when he has Vincent Jackson back and a healthy receiving corps down the stretch.

- Speaking of Rivers, he is the featured quarterback in our free fantasy football contest for Week 11.

- In eight career regular-season games against the Colts, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has thrown for 2,037 yards, 17 touchdowns and ten interceptions.

Here are my top ten fantasy quarterbacks for Week 11:

1. Michael Vick, Eagles (vs NYG)
2. Philip Rivers, Chargers (vs DEN)
3. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (at MIN)
4. Peyton Manning, Colts (at NE)
5. Drew Brees, Saints (vs SEA)
6. Eli Manning, Giants (at PHI)
7. Tom Brady, Patriots (vs IND)
8. Kyle Orton, Broncos (at SD)
9. Joe Flacco, Ravens (at CAR)
10. Matt Ryan, Falcons (at STL)

See our full top 25 quarterback rankings for Week 11.

More rankings for Week 11: Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 11 matchup(s) and in our Week 11 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday we updated our fantasy rankings for Week 11. Here are some notes on running backs and run defenses heading into this week's games:

- Texans running back Arian Foster has scored double-digit fantasy points every week except Week 5 (vs Giants). Foster, who leads the NFL in rushing (920 yards), has scored six touchdowns in his past four games.

- Raiders running back Darren McFadden has 999 yards from scrimmage (757 rushing yards and 242 receiving yards). McFadden currently leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage per game (142.7).

- Heading into 2010, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew scored 54 touchdowns (49 rushing and five receiving) in his 63 games. In Week 10, MJD scored his second and third rushing touchdown of the season. It will be difficult for him to repeat that performance this week against the Browns, who have allowed a league-low two rushing touchdowns this season.

- It was just another Sunday in the life of Jahvid Best and his fantasy owners. Against the league's worst-ranked run defense, Best carried the ball 17 times for only 35 yards. It's now been seven consecutive games without a touchdown or 100 yards from scrimmage.

- Cincinnati's Cedric Benson had another dud performance by rushing for 24 yards on 14 carries against the Colts this week. In six of his nine games, Benson has been held to single-digit fantasy points based on standard scoring.

- Denver's Knowshon Moreno had his best game of the season in Week 10. Not only did he rush for 106 yards on 22 carries, he caught three passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.

- Speaking of Knowshon, he is the featured running back in our free fantasy football contest for Week 11.

- Over the past three games, Seattle's Justin Forsett has a total of 136 yards from scrimmage compared to Marshawn Lynch's 117. In addition, Forsett is averaging 4.93 yards per carry to Lynch's 2.55 YPC.

Here are my top ten fantasy running backs for Week 11:

1. Frank Gore, 49ers (vs TB)
2. Chris Johnson, Titans (vs WAS)
3. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (vs GB)
4. Peyton Hillis, Browns (at JAC)
5. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (vs OAK)
6. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (vs ARI)
7. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (at PHI)
8. Arian Foster, Texans (at NYJ)
9. Ray Rice, Ravens (at CAR)
10. Michael Turner, Falcons (at STL)

See our full top 40 running back rankings for Week 11.

More rankings for Week 11: Top 25 QBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 11 matchup(s) and in our Week 11 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday we updated our fantasy rankings for Week 11. Here are some notes on wide receivers and pass defenses heading into this week's games:

- For the first time in his career, Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant reached the 100-yard milestone in receiving yards. In his past five games, Bryant has has been a beast catching five touchdowns during that span. In his past three games, he has had 80-plus yards each week.

- No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers than the Jacksonville Jaguars. The question is can any of the Browns receivers take advantage of the matchup?

- Denver's Brandon Lloyd leads the NFL with 968 receiving yards on only 48 receptions for an average of 20.2 yards per reception. Only four receivers have a higher per-reception average: Washington's Anthony Armstrong (22.6), Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson (21.5), Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace (21.4) and San Diego's Malcom Floyd (21.4).

- Floyd hasn't played since Week 6 against St. Louis, but he has returned to practice and is expected to play this week.

- Speaking of Lloyd and Floyd, they are the two featured receivers in our free fantasy football contest for Week 11.

- Miami's Brandon Marshall has had five (or less) receptions, 64 (or less) receiving yards and no touchdowns in each of his past four games. During that span, Marshall (18 receptions for 185 yards) trails both Brian Hartline (19 receptions for 293 yards) and Davone Bess (22 receptions for 198 yards).

- For five consecutive games, Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe has caught a touchdown. Three times during that span, Bowe has had two touchdowns in a game. Bowe will look to extend his streak to six (and take sole possession of the franchise record) against the Cardinals, who have allowed opposing wide receivers to haul in 45 passes for 582 yards but only one touchdown in the past two weeks.

- With Ben Roethlisberger back from suspension, Steelers receiver Mike Wallace has caught a touchdown in four of five games in addition to posting back-to-back 100-yard performances.

- Meanwhile, Steelers receiver Hines Ward, who saw his streak of 186 games with a reception end, expects to play this weekend versus the Oakland Raiders.

- 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree has had more than five receptions or 100 yards only once (Week 5 vs Philadelphia). Since that game, however, Crabtree has scored in four of five games.

- Jets receiver Santonio Holmes has ten receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown in his last two games. This week, he faces the Houston Texans, who have allowed the most passing yards (301.3 per game) and touchdowns (22) this season.

Here are the top ten fantasy wide receivers for Week 11:

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (at DAL)
2. Roddy White, Falcons (at STL)
3. Reggie Wayne, Colts (at NE)
4. Greg Jennings, Packers (at MIN)
5. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (vs NYG)
6. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (at PHI)
7. Brandon Lloyd, Broncos (at SD)
8. Terrell Owens, Bengals (vs BUF)
9. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (vs DET)
10. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (vs ARI)

See our full top 50 wide receiver rankings for Week 11.

More rankings for Week 11: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 11 matchup(s) and in our Week 11 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday, we updated our fantasy rankings for Week 11. Here are some notes on tight ends and pass defenses heading into this week's games:

- Last week, Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham had the best game of his rookie season -- nine receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. And his matchup this week (Buffalo) is much more favorable than last week's (Indianapolis). The Bills have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends; the Colts have allowed the second-fewest.

- Fellow rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski of New England doubled his touchdown total to six by hauling in three touchdowns (on five receptions) against the Steelers on Sunday Night.

- Aaron Hernandez, Gronkowski's teammate and fellow rookie tight end, was held to no receptions after catching two touchdown passes against the Browns in the previous week.

- Jets tight end Dustin Keller, who scored five touchdowns from Weeks 2 to 4, hasn't scored a touchdown in five consecutive games. This week, the Jets face the Texans, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season in addition to four touchdowns to tight ends in their past three games.

- Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, this year's top fantasy scoring tight end (by far), says he's "50-50" to play this week on Monday Night against the Broncos. If he doesn't play, Randy McMichael would be a solid option for Week 11.

- Speaking of Gates, he is the featured tight end in our free fantasy football contest for Week 11.

- The Panthers have allowed opposing tight ends to catch five touchdowns in the past four games. Ravens tight end Todd Heap has scored a total of four touchdowns during that same span. Seems like a match made in heaven.

- Tampa tight end Kellen Winslow scored his first touchdown of the season last week against the Panthers. However, the 49ers have not allowed opposing tight ends to catch a touchdown in any of their past four games. In addition, the Niners have held opposing tight ends to under 50 receiving yards in every game this season.

- In his last four games, Seahawks tight end John Carlson has had three, 47, nine and zero receiving yards.

Here are my top ten fantasy tight ends for Week 11:

1. Antonio Gates, Chargers (vs DEN)
2. Vernon Davis, 49ers (vs TB)
3. Jacob Tamme, Colts (at NE)
4. Dustin Keller, Jets (vs HOU)
5. Zach Miller, Raiders (at PIT)
6. Chris Cooley, Redskins (at TEN)
7. Jermaine Gresham, Bengals (vs BUF)
8. Todd Heap, Ravens (at CAR)
9. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons (at STL)
10. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions (at DAL)

See our full top 20 tight end rankings for Week 11.

More rankings for Week 11: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 11 matchup(s) and in our Week 11 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every week, we compile a list of players that may be worth targeting off the waiver wire.

For players to appear on our list, they need to satisfy two factors: (1) they are owned in less than half of Yahoo! leagues and (2) they did not appear on our previous week's list of potential additions. Of course, the other criteria is that we believe they could be useful to fantasy teams based on the depth of the league so I guess there are three factors.

As examples, players like Jacksonville's Mike Thomas and Carolina's Mike Goodson appeared on last week's list. Although Thomas had the first 100-yard game of his career and is still owned in under 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues, he doesn't appear on this week's list despite being worthy a waiver claim again this week. Goodson, on the other had, rushed for 100 yards -- or one more yard than his career total entering the game (99 yards). Goodson has a tougher matchup this week (Baltimore) than last week (Tampa Bay) and his role could be diminished if the health of the team's other running backs improve for Week 11.

Here are some players potentially worth adding this week:

QB - Colt McCoy, Browns (owned in seven percent of Yahoo! leagues): Unless you're in a deep league or a two-quarterback league, McCoy should be on the bench for most teams. But McCoy has played reasonably well in his four starts, completing nearly 65 percent of his passes. Only two teams (Houston and Washington) have allowed more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than this week's opponent (Jacksonville). McCoy could be a nice sleeper pick this week.

RB - Justin Forsett, Seahawks (43 percent): During the past three games, Forsett has outplayed his backfield mate, Marshawn Lynch. Lynch has carried the ball 33 times for 84 yards (2.55 yards per carry) while Forsett has 15 rushes for 74 yards (4.93 YPC). In addition, Forsett (136) has more yards from scrimmage than Lynch (117) during that stretch.

RB - Tim Hightower, Cardinals (48 percent): In the last two weeks, Cardinals running back Beanie Wells has one carry for minus two yards and a DNP. Depending on the health of Wells, who has had swelling in his surgically-repaired knee, Hightower could continue to shoulder the majority of the workload for the Cardinals. For two consecutive weeks, Hightower has had 13 carries for 39 yards, but he scored a touchdown this past week.

RB - Javarris James, Colts (six percent): In his past two games, the cousin of Edgerrin has three rushing touchdowns. However, his opportunities may be short-lived. Depending on the health of Joseph Addai and Mike Hart, James may or may not be worth consideration in deeper leagues.

WR - Nate Burleson, Lions (18 percent): Over the past three weeks, Burleson ranks 18th in targets (25), tied for ninth in receptions (18) and 16th in receiving yards (207). In addition, he has scored in three of his past five games. Although the Cowboys played with much more intensity in Week 10, they have allowed wide receivers to catch 70 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns in their past four games.

WR - Mohamed Massaquoi, Browns (13 percent): Massaquoi, one of the Browns' second-round picks last year, has only 15 receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns through eight games played. In fact, he has less than ten receiving yards in five of his eight games. In Week 11, however, Massaquoi faces the Jaguars, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

WR - Brian Hartline, Dolphins (four percent): In his past four games, Hartline has had four-plus receptions and 50-plus yards in every game. His last two games have been his best two games of the season. Hartline has only one touchdown this year and he will now have a new quarterback (Tyler Thigpen), but he's worth a look in deeper -- especially point-per-reception (PPR) -- leagues.

WR - Anthony Armstrong, Redskins (seven percent): Armstrong, who appeared on this list earlier in the season, has 80-plus yards in three of his past five games. Although he only has one touchdown during that span, Armstrong is a big-play receiver and has had a reception of 48-yards or more in four of his last six games. On the season, he's averaging 22.6 yards per reception. He's averaging more than 67 yards per game over his past six games.

TE - Jermaine Gresham, Bengals (21 percent): Facing the Colts, who had allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends, Gresham had his best game -- nine receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown -- of his young career. This week, Gresham faces the Buffalo Bills, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. On the season, Gresham has 40 receptions for 297 yards and three touchdowns.

Later in the week, I will release my Week 11 rankings by position at TheTipDrill.com.

At any point, however, feel free to submit your specific questions (waiver wire, trade proposals, start/sit questions, etc.) to us via our Fantasy Football Forum or Twitter @EDSFootball.

Good luck in your Week 11 matchup(s) and in our free fantasy football contest for Week 11. (New entries welcome and encouraged.)

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Giants wide receiver Steve Smith will be sidelined until early December due to his torn pectoral muscle.

In addition to Smith, the Giants will be without receiver Ramses Barden for the remainder of the year.

While Smith will miss the games against the Eagles and Jaguars, he may or may not be able to return for the Redskins game on December 5th.

Receiver Mario Manningham, who has scored in three of the past four weeks, had his best game of the season -- ten receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown -- last week with Smith out.

And after next week's game against the Eagles, the Giants face the teams that have allowed the most (Jacksonville) and fifth-most (Washington) fantasy points to opposing wide receivers through Week 9 games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Initially when he left last night's game against the Patriots, Steelers receiver Hines Ward was described as having a "neck" injury. Ward suffered a concussion, however, and will go through the typical battery of tests for such an injury.

"He will go through his normal battery of tests after sustaining a concussion," [coach Mike] Tomlin said, per ESPN blogger James Walker. "We'll see where we are in terms of next week."

Ward wanted to return to the game, but team doctors wouldn't allow it.

“I felt like I could have played but our (doctors) felt otherwise,” Ward said, per Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “It’s my body. I feel like if I want to go back out there I should have the right. They saw me tripping over the grass and the league was going to make a big deal about it, them putting me back out there.”

Ward finished with no receptions, which ended his 186-game streak of having at least one reception.

According to Brown, Ward says that he'll play next week versus the Raiders.

The Raiders rank second in pass defense (184.8 yards per game allowed), however, they have also allowed 16 passing touchdowns. Only five teams have allowed more.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Initially, it was believed that Vikings receiver Sidney Rice would make his 2010 debut on Sunday against the Bears.

However, that won't be the case.

The Vikings did not activate Rice for their 53-man roster, according to Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Per Zulgad, Rice can continue to practice without counting against the roster limit until November 24th.

In addition to Rice being inactive, receivers Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian are both questionable for Sunday's game. Harvin had another migraine this week and Berrian is dealing with a groin injury.

If the Vikings, who face the Packers next week, can put together back-to-back wins and improve to 5-5, they would be only one game behind the Packers (and possibly the Bears).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every week, we list several players that we believe should start on most fantasy rosters. We do the same with folks that should take a seat on most fantasy rosters.

If you want our thoughts on players not on this list, feel free to send your start/sit questions via Twitter @EDSFootball, check out our Week 10 fantasy rankings at TheTipDrill.com or post your question in our Fantasy Football Forum.

Players to Start for Week 10:

QB - David Garrard, Jaguars (vs Texans): Garrard, who was on my free-agent pickups list this week, is coming off a five-touchdown (four passing, one rushing) performance against the Cowboys. And you could argue he has a more fantasy-friendly matchup this week against the other Texas team than he had last week. No team has allowed more passing yards (298.3 per game) or touchdowns (20) than the Texans. Over the past four weeks, Garrard has scored 11 touchdowns (nine passing and two rushing) while throwing only two interceptions.

RB - Jahvid Best, Lions (vs Bills): For six consecutive weeks, Best has failed to score a touchdown or reach 100 yards from scrimmage in a game. Last week, Best faced the Jets, who have been the stingiest defense in the NFL when it comes to fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. This week, Best faces the Bills, who have allowed a league-high 178.3 yards per game. If there's an opportunity for him to end that drought, it's this week.

RB - Brandon Jacobs, Giants (vs Cowboys): Although Jacobs' four-game scoring streak ending last week, he has had double-digit rushing attempts and 75-plus rushing yards in back-to-back games. If he continues to get double-digit carries in addition to the goal-line work, Jacobs is viable as a low-end RB2 or flex this week and going forward. Perhaps the Cowboys defense plays with more intensity one week after their head coach was fired. But their woe-is-me attitude during their five-game losing streak has led them to allow 35.8 points per game during that stretch.

WR - Nate Washington, Titans (at Dolphins): For the first time this season, Washington went over 100 yards last week. With defenses needing to focus on both Randy Moss, who will make his Titans' debut, and running back Chris Johnson, who became the NFL's sixth 2,000-yard rusher last season, Washington will have the opportunity to shine. On the season, the Dolphins rank in the top ten of most fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers this season.
WR - Mike Thomas, Jaguars (vs Texans): When it comes to Thomas and Mike Sims-Walker, Thomas has certainly been more consistent than MSW. Thomas has four 50-yard games while Sims-Walker has two (both over 100 yards). The Texans have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season and as noted above, no team has allowed more passing yards and touchdowns.

WR - Steve Johnson, Bills (at Lions): For six consecutive weeks, Johnson has either scored a touchdown or gone over 100 yards receiving or both. With the loss of Roscoe Parrish for the season, Johnson, Lee Evans and David Nelson should see a few more targets than in the past. In his last four games, Johnson has had at least five receptions in each game and he has 29 receptions for 386 yards and four touchdowns during that stretch.

WR - Dez Bryant, Cowboys (at Giants): Over the past several games, Bryant has been one of the few Cowboys to show his pride and play well. In his past four games, Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant has 21 receptions for 255 yards and four touchdowns. During that same span, Miles Austin hasn't scored a touchdown and has 38 yards or less in three of those four games. In each of his last two games, Bryant has seven-plus receptions and 84-plus yards. I actually ranked Bryant higher than Austin this week.

TE - Brandon Pettigrew, Lions (at Bills): Statistically-speaking, no team is worse at defending tight ends than the Bills. In their past six games, the Bills have allowed tight ends to haul in eight touchdowns. Meanwhile, Pettigrew has scored in three of his past four games. In the games that Matthew Stafford has started, Pettigrew finished with only six receptions for 32 yards. In the five games that Stafford hasn't started, Pettigrew had 32 receptions for 330 yards. With Stafford out this week (and maybe for the season) and against the Bills, Pettigrew should be in store for a monster week.

Players to Sit for Week 10:

QB - Tom Brady, Patriots (at Steelers): Brady, who missed Wednesday's practice due to a sprained foot, is listed as "probable" for the Sunday Night game versus the Steelers, who haven't allowed a quarterback to score more than 16 fantasy points in a game this season. Since Week 4, Brady has only one multi-touchdown game. Moreover, Brady has no 300-yard games in 2010. Last year, he had seven. The chances he gets his first against the Steelers in a hostile environment is slim.

RB - BenJarvus Green-Elllis, Patriots (at Steelers): Entering last week, the "Law Firm" was looking to extend his five-game scoring streak against the Browns, who had allowed a league-low one rushing touchdown. Not only did Green-Ellis' streak end, he finished with only 14 rushing yards on nine carries. It won't get any easier this week against the Steelers, who have allowed a league-low 58.3 rushing yards per game and 2.6 yards per carry. In fact, I ranked Danny Woodhead, who's used more in the passing game, higher than Green-Ellis in my running back rankings for Week 10.

RB - Beanie Wells, Cardinals (vs Seahawks): Wells, who had only one rushing attempt last week for minus two yards, was limited in practice on Friday and is officially listed as "questionable." Over the past three weeks, the Seahawks have allowed 100-plus yards of rushing including over 200 yards last week. Although the matchup against Seattle is favorable, it's likely that Wells will be unable to exploit it.

RB - Felix Jones, Cowboys (at Giants): Five games ago, Jones posted his first-ever 100-yard rushing game during the regular season. Since then, he has only 105 combined rushing yards in four games. There is no reason to believe that the Cowboys will be able to turn around their running game this week against the Giants, who have allowed the second-fewest rushing yards (80.9 per game) this season.

WR - Steve Smith, Panthers (at Buccaneers): With Matt Moore out for the season, the Panthers will start rookie Jimmy Clausen again at quarterback. Last week, Smith was held to just one reception for nine yards. This week, the Panthers face the Bucs and Aqib Talib, who is one of the better cornerbacks in the league.

WR - Chad Ochocinco, Bengals (at Colts): Based on standard-league scoring, Ochocinco has exceeded five fantasy points only once in his past seven games. He might be a little upset with the number of targets headed his way, however, he ranks ninth in the NFL in targets (75). Calling Ochocinco "Robin" to T.O.'s "Batman" has been an over-exaggeration.

WR - Wes Welker, Patriots (at Steelers): Welker hasn't scored a touchdown for six consecutive weeks. Welker has been held to single-digit fantasy points every week since Week 1. Trading away Randy Moss has definitely hurt Welker, who's on pace for an 88-reception, 710-yard, six-touchdown season. To make matters worse, he kicks off his second half of the season against the Steelers' defense.

TE - Brent Celek, Eagles (at Redskins): Celek's fantasy value takes a hit with Michael Vick under center as opposed to Kevin Kolb. Last week, Celek had no receptions and was targeted only once. However, on the season, Celek has failed to reach 50 yards in any of his eight games. That's something he did nine times in 2009.

Here are our Week 10 Fantasy Rankings: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Note: You can follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or "like" us on Facebook.

Good luck in your Week 10 matchup(s) and in our free fantasy football for Week 10 (new entries welcome and encouraged).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In their loss to the Falcons on Thursday Night, Ravens receiver Derrick Mason had a decent night fantasy-wise. He caught four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.

During the game, however, Mason broke his pinkie finger, the same one he broke on October 17th in the game against the Patriots.

"It looks like it's broken again, the same finger," Mason said last night, per Aaron Wilson of National Football Post. "It doesn't look good."

On the season, Mason has 34 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens face the Panthers in Week 11.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier today, we released our Week 10 fantasy rankings. Here are some notes about wide receivers and pass defenses as we head into this week's games:

- Bengals receiver Terrell Owens has scored in five consecutive weeks. During that span, he has three 100-yard games including a 200-yard game. During that span, T.O. has 41 receptions for 618 yards and seven touchdowns. Owens leads the NFL with 100 targets.

- Meanwhile, Chad Ochocinco, the "Robin" to T.O.'s "Batman," has had five or less fantasy points in six of his past seven games. After Monday Night's loss where Ochocinco showed his frustration, he tweeted after the game, "Frustrated as hell, to show no emotion would mean i didn't care,losing is becoming routine n 2 b comfortable with that makes me a loser #2-6." Ochocinco ranks ninth in the NFL in targets (75).

- Rams receiver Danny Amendola has had three-plus receptions in every game this season and has scored in each of his past two games. That's the good news. The bad news is he's had less than 30 yards for three consecutive weeks.

- Buccaneers receiver Mike Williams has had 82-plus receiving yards in four of his past five games. During that span, he has had four-plus receptions every week and scored a total of three touchdowns.

- Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe has scored in each of his past four games and has a total of six scores during that span. This week, the Chiefs face the Broncos, who are both tied for allowing the sixth-fewest amount of fantasy points to opposing receivers this season.

- Although he scored a touchdown last week, Steelers receiver Hines Ward has had three receptions and 15 yards (or fewer) in each of his past two games.

- Giants receiver Steve Smith left today's practice with a pectoral injury and his status for Sunday is unknown. If he plays, he would be a top 15 receiver this week.

- In his past four games, Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant has 21 receptions for 255 yards and four touchdowns. During that same span, Miles Austin hasn't scored a touchdown and has 38 yards or less in three of those four games.

- In his past four games, Detroit's Nate Burleson has 24 receptions for 266 yards and three touchdowns. In the past three games, he has six or more receptions in each game.

- Redskins receiver Santana Moss has five-plus receptions, 56-plus yards in every game except one (at Philadelphia) this year. This week's opponent? The Eagles. In their first matchup, Moss was held without a reception.

Here are the top ten wide receivers for Week 10:

1. Andre Johnson, Texans (at JAC)
2. Reggie Wayne, Colts (vs CIN)
3. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (vs DAL)
4. Terrell Owens, Bengals (at IND)
5. Roddy White, Falcons (vs BAL)
6. Calvin Johnson, Lions (at BUF)
7. Brandon Lloyd, Broncos (vs KC)
8. Anquan Boldin, Ravens (at ATL)
9. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (vs SEA)
10. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (at WAS)

See our full top 50 wide receiver rankings for Week 10.

More rankings for Week 10: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 10 matchup(s) and in our Week 10 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier today, we released our Week 10 fantasy rankings. Here are some notes about running backs and run defenses as we head into this week's games:

- Browns running back Peyton Hillis, the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, had 29 carries for 184 yards and two touchdowns against the Patriots last week. This week, he faces the Jets, who have allowed no 100-yard rushers and the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

- After facing the Jets last week, Detroit's Jahvid Best gets a much more fantasy-friendly matchup this week against the Buffalo Bills, who have allowed a league-most 178.3 rushing yards per game. The Bills have held opponents to under 100 rushing yards only twice -- coincidentally, they were both NFC North teams (Green Bay and Chicago).

- When it comes to the Jets running backs, LaDainian Tomlinson has rushed for 54 or 55 yards in three consecutive games on either 15 or 16 carries. In that same three-game span, Shonn Greene has 25 carries for 111 yards. Going forward, the two backs are expected to get more of an even split of carries.

- Giants running back Brandon Jacobs ended his four-game scoring streak in last week's game against the Seahawks. But for a second consecutive week, Jacobs finished with double-digit carries and 75-plus yards.

- As bad as the Cowboys rushing game has been (75.6 yards per game), it will be tough to kickstart it this week against the Giants. New York has allowed the second fewest rushing yards per game (80.9) this season. Running back Felix Jones has only 105 rushing yards in his past four games combined.

- Atlanta's Michael Turner has had 20-plus carries, 100-plus yards and two touchdowns in each of his past two games. This week, he faces the Baltimore Ravens in the Thursday Night prime-time game. While the Ravens' run defense may not be as dominant as it once was, they have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

- Seahawks running Marshawn Lynch has only 20 carries for 55 yards in his past two games combined. In other words, it's unlikely he'll take advantage of his favorable matchup against the Cardinals this week.

- Houston's Arian Foster, who currently leads the NFL in rushing, has scored five touchdowns in his past three games. In addition, he has gone over 100 yards in his past two games. He has 19 receptions for 161 yards in his past three games as well.

- Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has scored in four consecutive games. Peterson has had at least 73 rushing yards in every game this season.

- San Francisco's Frank Gore has a three-game streak of 100-plus rushing yards. This week, he faces the St. Louis Rams, who are one of nine teams that are allowing less than 100 yards rushing, on average, this season.

- With the exception of Week 5 vs Carolina, Bears running back Matt Forte has yet to go over 50 yards rushing. Except for Week 1 vs Detroit, Forte hasn't had more than 40 yards receiving in a game.

Here are the top ten running backs for Week 10:

1. Arian Foster, Texans (at JAC)
2. Frank Gore, 49ers (vs STL)
3. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at CHI)
4. Chris Johnson, Titans (at MIA)
5. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (at DEN)
6. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (vs DAL)
7. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (vs NE)
8. Stephen Jackson, Rams (at SF)
9. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (vs HOU)
10. Michael Turner, Falcons (vs BAL)

See our full top 40 running back rankings for Week 10.

More rankings for Week 10: Top 25 QBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 10 matchup(s) and in our Week 10 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier today, we released our Week 10 fantasy rankings. Here are some notes about quarterbacks and pass defenses as we head into this week's games:

- In his past four games, Giants quarterback Eli Manning has thrown 12 touchdowns including a four-touchdown performance against the Cowboys in Week 7. This week, the Giants host the Cowboys, who have allowed three-plus passing touchdowns in three consecutive games. With Wade Phillips being fired, Paul Pasqualoni takes over the Cowboys defense, which has allowed 35.8 points during their five-game losing streak.

- Texans quarterback Matt Schaub led the NFL in passing in 2009. Things have been much different in 2010 as Schaub ranks eighth in the league in yardage (2,006) and is tied for 16th in passing touchdowns (ten). In his past two games, Schaub has thrown only one touchdown and two interceptions, but he faces the Jaguars, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

- Jacksonville's David Garrard is coming off a five-touchdown (four passing, one rushing) performance against the Cowboys. During his past four games, Garrard has thrown nine touchdowns, rushed for two more and has thrown only two interceptions. Fortunately for Garrard, he gets another favorable matchup against the Texans, who have allowed the most passing yards and passing touchdowns in the NFL this season.

- As bad as Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer may look on the field, he has thrown a multi-touchdown game for five consecutive games.

- During the past five games, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has thrown for more than 240 yards only once and more than one touchdown only once. Although he isn't expected to miss this week's game against the Steelers, Brady missed Wednesday's practice due to a sprained foot and faces a stingy Steelers defense.

- Last week, Vikings quarterback Brett Favre threw for a career-high 446 yards against the Cardinals. In fact, it was only his second career 400-yard game. Before last week, Favre's best game this season was against the Jets in Week 5 (264 yards).

- The Lions will be without quarterback Matthew Stafford this week and probably the season. Shaun Hill, who is recovering from a broken forearm, will start in Stafford's place. In the four-game span before Hill broke his arm, he averaged 282.5 yards per game and threw eight touchdowns. He had 20-plus fantasy points in three of those four games.

Here are the top ten quarterbacks for Week 10:

1. Peyton Manning, Colts (vs CIN)
2. Michael Vick, Eagles (at WAS)
3. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (vs NE)
4. Eli Manning, Giants (vs DAL)
5. Matt Schaub, Texans (at JAC)
6. Kyle Orton, Broncos (vs KC)
7. David Garrard, Jaguars (vs HOU)
8. Joe Flacco, Ravens (at ATL)
9. Matt Ryan, Falcons (vs BAL)
10. Carson Palmer, Bengals (at IND)

See our full top 25 quarterback rankings for Week 10.

More rankings for Week 10: Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 10 matchup(s) and in our Week 10 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every week, we compile a list of players that may be worth targeting off the waiver wire.

For players to appear on our list, they need to satisfy two factors: (1) they are owned in less than half of Yahoo! leagues and (2) they did not appear on our previous week's list of potential additions. Of course, the other criteria is that we believe they could be useful to fantasy teams based on the depth of the league so, technically, there are three factors.

As an example, a player like Lions receiver Nate Burleson, who appeared on last week's free-agent column, isn't listed below even though he is only owned in ten percent of Yahoo! leagues. Burleson, who finished with his first 100-yard game of the season, has 24 receptions for 266 yards and three touchdowns in his past four games.

Here are some players potentially worth adding this week:

QB - David Garrard, Jaguars (owned in 34 percent of Yahoo! leagues): In his past four games, Garrard has thrown nine touchdowns and rushed for two more while throwing only two interceptions. Against the Cowboys, Garrard finished with a five-touchdown (four passing, one rushing) performance. This week, Garrard and the Jaguars play the Houston Texans, who have allowed a league-worst 298.3 passing yards per game and 20 passing touchdowns.

RB - Mike Goodson, Panthers (four percent): Jonathan Stewart left Sunday's game with a concussion and DeAngelo Williams has missed the past two games. When The Daily Show left the game, Goodson and Terrell Sutton split the work. Sutton, who left Sunday's game with an ankle injury, and Williams are both listed as day-to-day. While Goodson could be in line for the majority of work in Week 10 depending on the status of the other backs, only six teams have rushed for fewer yards than the Panthers this season and no team has scored fewer rushing touchdowns.

RB - Clinton Portis, Redskins (30 percent): Whether or not Clinton Portis returns this week or not, he has returned to practice. Per Rick Maese of the Washington Post, Portis said Tuesday, "I may be able to be ready for Monday, but I feel like it's a work in progress." Before suffering the groin injury that has caused him to miss the team's past four games, Portis carried the ball 49 times for 195 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.

WR - Vincent Jackson, Chargers (46 percent): Based purely on talent, Jackson is arguably one of the league's top ten receivers. Jackson had a career year in 2009 with 67 receptions for 1167 yards and nine touchdowns. Although he hasn't played yet this year due to contract disputes, he is eligible to return Nov. 28th and has been practicing with the team. Despite missing Jackson and all of the injuries sustained by the rest of the Chargers' receiving corps, quarterback Philip Rivers is on pace for over 5,200 yards. In other words, Rivers has been playing out of his mind, Jackson is San Diego's most talented pass-catcher not named Antonio Gates and he should hit the ground running in Week 12 to help you down the stretch.

WR - Nate Washington, Titans (41 percent): Washington is coming off the best game of the season -- four receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. With the addition of Randy Moss and injury to Kenny Britt, Washington should find himself facing lots of single coverage while getting a decent amount of targets. And as I mentioned when the Titans claimed Moss off waivers, the team has a very fantasy-friendly schedule for their wide receivers as they face the Jaguars, Texans and Redskins -- three of worst five teams in fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers -- four times between now and Week 16.

WR - Mike Thomas, Jaguars (19 percent): Thomas leads the Jaguars in receptions (33) and ranks second on the team in receiving yards (387). Trailing Mike Sims-Walker by five receiving yards, Thomas has been more consistent. Thomas has four 50-yard games while Sims-Walker has two (both over 100 yards). As noted for Garrard, no team has allowed more passing yards or touchdowns this season than the Texans, the Week 10 opponent for the Jaguars.

WR - Blair White, Colts (seven percent): When the Colts face the Bengals on Sunday, they will be without Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez, who are out for the season, and Austin Collie, who has been ruled out for Week 10. Jacob Tamme has stepped up at tight end, but White should have plenty of opportunities to make plays in the Colts passing game this week as well. White has nine receptions on 16 targets for 108 yards and a score this season.

WR - Earl Bennett, Bears (two percent): For three consecutive games, Bennett has had 50-plus receiving yards. Last week, he led the team in receiving with four receptions for 52 yards and a score. He and Johnny Knox led Bears' wide receivers in targets (five) while Greg Olsen (eight) led the tight ends. Bennett, who was a college teammate of Cutler, did not have a reception of 10-plus yards through Week 5. Since then, he has had a reception greater than 25 yards in three straight games.

Later in the week, I will release my Week 10 rankings by position at TheTipDrill.com. At any point, however, feel free to submit your specific questions (waiver wire, trade proposals, start/sit questions, etc.) to us via our Fantasy Football Forum or me via Twitter @EDSFootball.

Good luck in your Week 10 matchup(s) and in our free fantasy football contest for Week 10 (new entries welcome and encouraged.)

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Winners of only one of its first eight games this season, the Dallas Cowboys have fired head coach Wade Phillips and replaced him with Jason Garrett, who was the team's offensive coordinator.

When will the Cowboys next win a game? Answer our poll here.

Taking over Phillips' role as defensive coordinator will be Paul Pasqualoni, who was the team's defensive line coach.

Over their five-game losing streak, the Cowboys have allowed 179 points -- an average of 35.8 points per game.

Our free fantasy football contest based on Monday Night Football matchups is now open for Week 10. New entries welcome.

In tonight's Monday Night Football matchup between the Bengals and Steelers, Bengals receiver Terrell Owens became the third player in NFL history to catch 150 touchdowns. The other two are Jerry Rice and Randy Moss.

Speaking of Moss, today he reported to the Titans for his first practice with his third club this season.

Per Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Bears coach Lovie Smith said, "We're 5-3 right now, and a lot of times it seems like we're 2-6 or something like that. We're a good football team, and, in time, we'll prove that more and more."

The Carolina Panthers have placed quarterback Matt Moore on injured reserve (IR), which will end his season.

Here's video of Ravens fullback Le'Ron McClain spitting in the face of Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder in yesterday's game:

“I think they’re leaning toward Josh [Wilson],” [Ravens cornerback Fabian] Washington said (of which cornerback will start on Thursday). “So, that’s what I’m thinking. I’m not sure.”

Speaking about Donovan McNabb and his hamstrings, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said, "The hamstring's a lot better. But it's still there, and hopefully there's no [setback] and he'll keep on getting better."

SI's Peter King would give the MVP to Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers at this point.

In addition, he ranked the Ravens as the No. 1 team in his "Fine Fifteen" this morning.

When the Raiders return from bye in Week 11, Jason Campbell will be the team's starting quarterback.

The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed with linebacker Derrick Johnson on a five-year contract extension worth $34.25 million.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bills have lost receiver Roscoe Parrish for the season with a broken wrist, per Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com.

Parrish, who will need surgery, was placed on injured reserve (IR) today.

With seven receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown against the Bears on Sunday, Parrish had 50-plus receiving yards for four consecutive games and caught a total of 23 passes during that four-game span.

Parrish ranked second on the team in receiving behind Steve Johnson and ahead of Lee Evans. Parrish ranked third on the team in targets (53).

Over the past four games, Johnson has 29 receptions for 386 yards and four touchdowns while Evans has 19 receptions for 279 yards and four touchdowns.

Johnson and Evans rank first and second on the team in targets with 65 and 55, respectively. Receiver David Nelson is fourth in targets (30). All three should see their targets increase some going forward.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday we updated our fantasy rankings and here are some notes on wide receivers and passing defenses heading into Week 9:

- Scoring for a fourth game in a row, Bengals receiver Terrell Owens has 31 receptions for 477 yards and five touchdowns during that span.

- Packers receiver Greg Jennings has caught a touchdown in five of eight games. Over the past three weeks, Jennings has 18 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns. This week, Donald Driver has said he won't play and the Cowboys secondary ... well, it seems like they are not playing. The Cowboys have allowed receivers to catch 34 passes for 465 yards and six touchdowns in the past two games.

- Jaguars receiver Mike Sims-Walker set a career high with 158 receiving yards in their win over the Cowboys. Over the past four games, MSW has scored in three of them.

- The Jaguars are one of six teams on a bye in Week 9. Other receivers on bye this week include Kenny Britt (Tennessee), Michael Crabtree (San Francisco), Santana Moss (Washington), Danny Amendola (St. Louis) and Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney and Eddie Royal (Denver). However, Britt could miss up to eight weeks due to his hamstring injury.

- Titans receiver Randy Moss (or former Patriots receiver and former Vikings receiver) has gone 16 consecutive games (counting last year's playoff loss to the Ravens) without reaching 100 receiving yards. Now that he is a Titan, however, Moss has four games against the Jaguars, Texans and Redskins -- the three teams that have allowed the most fantasy points to receivers -- from Weeks 10 to 16.

- After catching five touchdowns in three games, Cowboys receiver Roy Williams has one reception for 21 yards and no touchdowns in the past two games. Still think Kitna is "just as good" as Romo, Roy?

- In his past four games, Lions receiver Calvin Johnson has 24 receptions for 387 yards and seven touchdowns.

- Saints receiver Marques Colston has scored his only two touchdowns this season in each of the past two weeks. He has caught 16 passes for 187 yards during that span.

- In his three games since returning from suspension, Jets receiver Santonio Holmes has yet to reach 50-plus yards of receiving in any game.

- Since Week 1, Patriots receiver Wes Welker has not reached double-digit fantasy points in leagues that use standard scoring. Since Week 2, Welker hasn't scored a touchdown.

- Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe has scored five touchdowns in the past three weeks. Fortunately for Bowe owners, Raiders shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha is listed as "doubtful" for this weekend's game.

Here are the top ten fantasy wide receivers for Week 9:

1. Roddy White, Falcons (vs TB)
2. Andre Johnson, Texans (vs SD)
3. Reggie Wayne, Colts (at PHI)
4. Calvin Johnson, Lions (vs NYJ)
5. Greg Jennings, Packers (vs DAL)
6. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (at SEA)
7. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins (at BAL)
8. Miles Austin, Cowboys (at GB)
9. Anquan Boldin, Ravens (vs MIA)
10. Pierre Garcon, Colts (at PHI)

See our full top 50 wide receiver rankings for Week 9.

More rankings for Week 9: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 9 matchup(s) and in our Week 9 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday we updated our fantasy rankings and here are some notes on running backs and rush defenses heading into Week 9:

- Bengals running back Cedric Benson has carried the ball 20-plus times in five games this season. However, he only has one 100-yard game (Week 5 vs Tampa Bay) and hasn't scored a rushing touchdown since Week 3. Meanwhile, this week's opponent (Pittsburgh) has allowed fewer than 60 rushing yards per game to lead the league.

- Speaking of Benson, he's the running back in our free fantasy football contest this week.

- After rushing for 100-plus yards against the Titans in Week 5, Cowboys running back Felix Jones has 31 rushing attempts for 89 rushing yards over three games.

- Kevin Smith and Jahvid Best had 12 carries each in the Lions' win over the Redskins. Smith (51) outgained Best (48) by three yards. Best hasn't scored a touchdown or exceeded 100 yards from scrimmage in his past five games and faces the top-rated fantasy defense (Jets) against running backs this season.

- For the first time this season, Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles had more than 20 carries and made the most of the opportunity (177 rushing yards). This week, Charles and the Chiefs face the Raiders, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

- Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, a.k.a. The Law Firm, has scored a touchdown in five consecutive games. The Browns, this week's opponent, have allowed only one rushing touchdown on the season.

- Chargers running back Mike Tolbert has also scored in five consecutive weeks and has seven on the season. With the Chargers receivers so banged up, both Tolbert and rookie Ryan Mathews should get a decent amount of work this week.

- Eagles running back LeSean McCoy is one of the best dual-purpose backs in the league, but he has only one 100-yard rushing game (Week 2 at Detroit). This week, he faces the Colts, who have allowed four 100-yard rushers this season.

Here are the top ten running backs for Week 9:

1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (vs ARI)
2. Michael Turner, Falcons (vs TB)
3. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (vs IND)
4. Darren McFadden, Raiders (vs KC)
5. Arian Foster, Texans (vs SD)
6. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (at SEA)
7. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (at OAK)
8. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (at CIN)
9. LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers (at DET)
10. Ray Rice, Ravens (vs MIA)

See our full top 40 running back rankings for Week 9.

More rankings for Week 9: Top 25 QBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 9 matchup(s) and in our Week 9 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday we updated our fantasy rankings and here are some notes on quarterbacks and passing defenses heading into Week 9:

- For a seventh straight week, Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb threw one (just one) touchdown. What was different, however, was that McNabb was benched for Rex Grossman for the two-minute drill of the game. The Redskins, who are on a bye in Week 9, say that McNabb will be the starter when the Redskins face the Eagles on Monday Night in Week 10.

- The other five teams on bye this week are: Denver (Kyle Orton), Tennessee (Vince Young), St. Louis (Sam Bradford), San Francisco (Troy Smith) and Jacksonville (David Garrard).

- The Jets held Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to 170 yards and no touchdowns in Week 8. That was Rodgers first game this season without a score and lowest yardage total. This week, the Packers face the Cowboys, who have allowed four passing touchdowns in each of their past two games.

- In his past two games (Patriots and Bills), Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has thrown for five touchdowns and no interceptions. This week, he faces another AFC East team (Dolphins).

- Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will make his tenth Monday Night Football appearance this week. In his previous nine MNF games, he has averaged only 169.3 yards per game and threw 13 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

- Speaking of Roethlisberger, he's the quarterback in our free fantasy football contest this week.

- The Bears defense has allowed a league-low four passing touchdowns while intercepting nine passes. In other words, it could be a long day for Buffalo's Ryan Fitzpatrick.

- Giants quarterback Eli Manning has thrown nine touchdowns in his past three games (against bad secondaries). This week, he faces Seattle, who has allowed the fourth-most passing yards (267.7 per game) in the NFL. But it's been a bend-but-don't-break defense allowing only eight passing touchdowns, which is tied for the fourth-fewest in the league.

Here are the top ten fantasy quarterbacks for Week 9:

1. Peyton Manning, Colts (at PHI)
2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (vs DAL)
3. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at HOU)
4. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (at CIN)
5. Drew Brees, Saints (at CAR)
6. Tom Brady, Patriots (at CLE)
7. Eli Manning, Giants (at SEA)
8. Joe Flacco, Ravens (vs MIA)
9. Matt Ryan, Falcons (vs TB)
10. Matt Schaub, Texans (vs SD)

See our full top 25 quarterback rankings for Week 9.

More rankings for Week 9: Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Feel free to send start/sit questions to me via Twitter @EDSFootball or post your questions in our free Fantasy Football forum.

Good luck in your Week 9 matchup(s) and in our Week 9 contest.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every week, we list several players that we believe should start on most fantasy rosters. We do the same with folks that should take a seat on most fantasy rosters. Of course, my recommendations are made on general terms as I have no way of knowing the specifics of your roster.

Feel free to send your start/sit questions via Twitter @EDSFootball, check out our Week 9 fantasy rankings at TheTipDrill.com or post your question in our Fantasy Football Forum.

Players to Start for Week 9:

QB - Eli Manning, Giants (at Seahawks): It's been boom or bust for Manning this season. And recently it's been boom. In his past three games, Manning has thrown a total of nine touchdowns even though he also has five interceptions during that span. Many of Eli's 11 interceptions this season have resulted from tipped passes. The good times should continue for Manning as only three teams have allowed more passing yards per game than the Seahawks (267.7) this season.

RB - LeGarrette Blount, Bucs (at Falcons): Against the Arizona Cardinals last week, Blount rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. For two weeks in a row, Cadillac Williams had four carries so Blount is clearly the guy. Although the Falcons have not allowed a running back to rush for a touchdown in five consecutive weeks, Blount is a physical runner and that streak could come to an end in Week 9.

RB - Brandon Jacobs, Giants (at Seahawks): Over the past four weeks, Jacobs has reached double-digit fantasy points and scored a touchdown (or two). In his last game played, Jacobs carried the ball 12 times, which he hadn't done since Week 1. In the past two weeks (and for the first two times this season), the Seahawks have allowed opposing running backs to gain 100-plus yards. And for three consecutive weeks, they have allowed running backs to score a touchdown. If you're in a 12-team league, Jacobs is a low-end RB2 this week.

RB - Mike Tolbert, Chargers (at Texans): Speaking of scoring streaks, Tolbert has scored a touchdown in five consecutive games and has scored a total of seven touchdowns this season. In four of their past five games, the Texans have allowed opposing running backs to gain 100-plus yards. Both Tolbert and Ryan Mathews will be in my top 30 running backs this week although I like Tolbert a little more than Mathews this week.

WR - Patrick Crayton, Chargers (at Texans): The Chargers receiving corps is so banged up. So much so that they just signed Kelley Washington. It's likely that Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee won't play and Buster Davis is already out for the season. In addition, there's a strong possibility that Antonio Gates won't play or could be severely limited. Even better, the Chargers face the Texans, who have allowed a league-worse 299.4 passing yards per game in addition to 16 touchdowns. With a ton of targets and a great matchup, Crayton should be in your starting lineup.

WR - Mike Williams, Bucs (at Falcons): With the exception of Week 2, Williams has four-plus receptions every week and he ranks 23rd in the NFL in targets (59). Over his past four games, Williams has 20 receptions for 331 yards and two touchdowns. In each of the past two weeks, the Falcons have allowed 50-plus fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and three touchdowns in both games.

WR - Johnny Knox, Bears (at Bills): In the past two weeks, Knox has 11 receptions for 206 yards and a touchdown. Although the Bears have had trouble protecting quarterback Jay Cutler, the Bills don't have a great pass rush, which explains why they claimed Shawne Merriman off waivers. Although the Bills have allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards (195.6), they have also allowed the third-most passing touchdowns (15).

TE - Jacob Tamme, Colts (at Eagles): In his first game as the Colts starting tight end, Tamme was targeted by Peyton Manning nine times. Tamme finished the game with six receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. This season, the Eagles have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

Players to Sit for Week 9:

QB - Carson Palmer, Bengals (vs Steelers): For four consecutive games, Palmer has thrown two-plus touchdowns or a total of nine touchdowns during that span. In his seven games this season, however, Palmer has either thrown for 345-plus yards (three times) or 209 or less yards (four times). This week, he faces the Steelers, who have allowed more than one passing touchdown only once this season. In fact, only the Bears (four) have allowed fewer passing touchdowns than the Steelers (six) have.

RB - Jahvid Best, Lions (vs Jets): Best's career got off to a great start as he scored five touchdowns in his first two games. In his past five games, however, Best hasn't scored a touchdown and he has failed to reach 100 yards from scrimmage during that span. Last week, both he and Kevin Smith had 12 rushing attempts. This week's opponent hasn't allowed a rushing touchdown to running backs since Week 1 and has allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Assuming Smith plays (he sat out Thursday's practice), Best will be on my bench.

RB - Felix Jones, Cowboys (at Packers): With the Cowboys losing Tony Romo (possibly for the season), it would be logical to expect the Cowboys to run the ball more. Of course, it's not wise for Cowboys and logical to be used in the same sentence. Over his past three games, Jones has rushed for only 32, 35 and 22 yards. In each of his last two games, Jones has had less than ten carries.

RB - Ronnie Brown, Dolphins (at Ravens): The Ravens run defense has been strong in their past three games. Then again, those three opponents don't exactly feature potent running attacks. Either way, Brown has been completely mediocre this season. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1 and has not had more than 80 rushing yards in any game this season.

WR - Chad Ochocinco, Bengals (vs Steelers): Ochocinco has been a little frustrated about his lack of involvement in the offense, saying to Terrell Owens, "... There's nothing I can do but make myself available. Period." While Ochocinco has had two 100-yard games (Week 1 and Week 7), he has finished with four receptions (or less), 59 yards (or less) and no touchdowns in his other five games.

WR - Deion Branch, Patriots (at Browns): In his first game with the Patriots, Branch finished with nine receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. Since then (two games), Branch has five receptions for 60 yards and no touchdowns. In addition, Branch has been limited at practice on Wednesday or Thursday.

WR - Roy Williams, Cowboys (at Packers): Williams has said that Kitna is "just as good" as Romo. Then again, he has said the Cowboys can win nine games in a row to finish 10-6 and go on to win the Super Bowl. In the two games that Kitna has started, Williams has only one reception for 21 yards. It seems that Dez Bryant (11 receptions in past two games) has better chemistry with Kitna.

WR - Mike Williams, Seahawks (vs Giants): The Seahawks will see Charlie Whitehurst make his first NFL start. In addition, left tackle Russell Okung has missed another practice on Thursday. The Giants have the third-most sacks in the league, but the top two teams have played one more game than the Giants. So, it could be a long day (or short day) for the guy getting the ball to Williams. Last week, Williams had only one reception after back-to-back double-digit reception games.

TE - Brent Celek, Eagles (vs Colts): The Eagles will get Michael Vick back under center against the Colts this week. Both of those items hurt Celek. Vick hasn't shown great chemistry with Celek and his targets are less with Vick in the lineup. In addition, the Colts have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.

Note: You can follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or "like" us on Facebook.

Good luck in your Week 9 matchup(s) and in our free fantasy football for Week 9 (new entries welcome and encouraged).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier today, Titans head coach Jeff Fisher ruled out receiver Kenny Britt for Week 10 against the Dolphins due to his injured hamstring. The team is on their bye in Week 9.

Per Darren McFarland of Titans Insider, however, a source says that Britt could be out for up to six-to-eight weeks.

“It's amazing how one day of treatment can help you out,” Britt said Wednesday. “We've got great trainers, but right now we're working to get me back out there. I'm out for Miami, but we'll see after that.”

The Titans were awarded receiver Randy Moss off waivers from the Vikings today. In eight games, Moss has 22 receptions for 313 yards and five touchdowns.

Britt has 23 receptions for 434 yards and seven touchdowns including a 225-yard, three-touchdown performance in Week 7.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today the Buffalo Bills claimed linebacker Shawne Merriman off waivers from the Chargers.

When the Cardinals face the Vikings on Sunday, their starting quarterback will be Derek Anderson.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on KRLD-FM 105.3 (via the Dallas Morning News): "You should, and every fan should, be expecting a lot more than I’ve delivered. Not that that means anything either. The apology, I just want everyone to be aware that I know that this team has let our fans down. ..."

Per ESPN's Calvin Watkins, both running back Felix Jones (sprained ankle) and right tackle Marc Colombo (back) missed practice on Wednesday, but both players are expected to return on Thursday.

Per Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Pro Football Talk), Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco almost called out QB Carson Palmer on the T.Ocho Show: "What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? I'm out there. I'm on the field. What do you want me to do? I'm on the field, I'm available, I'm wear number 85, I'm out there, I'M OUT THERE. I'm going to leave it at that. There's nothing I can do but make myself available. Period."

Shameless plug of the night: If you're on Facebook, please "like" us. Or if you're not on Facebook, please sign up so that you can "like" us.

Vikings receiver Sidney Rice has returned to practice with the scout team despite being a few weeks away from playing.

Packers receiver Donald Driver won't play against the Cowboys, who have allowed 81 fantasy points to receivers in their past two games, on Sunday Night.

Although Texans receiver Andre Johnson aggravated his high-ankle sprain against the Colts and missed practice today, he is expected to play on Sunday, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams missed practice today due to his sprained left foot.

After sustaining a concussion on October 17th, Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson returned to practice and said "it feels good" to be back.

Our fantasy football contest thread for Week 9 is open. The contest is free and new entries are welcome. Essentially one good week can catapult you to the "playoffs" considering your score is based on your single best week.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress described the trade for receiver Randy Moss, who was released yesterday, as "a bad decision," which is probably an understatement.

Though plenty of teams were rumored to be interested in Moss, only one team -- the Tennessee Titans -- actually submitted a waiver claim.

“If anyone can control Randy Moss and deal with Randy Moss it would be Coach Fisher, with how he approaches everything," fullback Ahmard Hall said, per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. “Coach Fisher will sit down and talk to him and have a man-to-man talk about what he expects and how he sets the tone and the atmosphere here. So I think he’ll fit right in."

The Titans have a bye in Week 9 so Moss will make his Titans' debut against the Dolphins in Week 10 when the Titans will be without receiver Kenny Britt.

"They’re both getting better," Fisher said. "Kenny is not going to play against Miami, that’s all I know right now. I think [quarterback] Vince [Young] has a chance to be on the practice field next week."

Moss has struggled this season. In fact, Moss has failed to reach 100 receiving yards in his past 16 games counting last year's playoff loss to the Ravens.

There are three reasons why Moss should be a good fit in Tennessee: (1) he respects Jeff Fisher, (2) running back Chris Johnson will help limit double teams and (3) the strengths of Moss and Young match (deep ball).

In addition, Moss has a great schedule down the stretch.

Tennessee faces the Jaguars, Texans and Redskins -- the three teams that have allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers -- four times between now and Week 16.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every week, we compile a list of players that may be worth targeting off the waiver wire.

For players to appear on our list, they need to satisfy two factors: (1) they are owned in less than half of Yahoo! leagues and (2) they did not appear on our previous week's list of potential additions. Of course, the other criteria is that we believe they could be useful to fantasy teams based on the depth of the league so I guess there are three factors.

As an example, a player like Bucs running back LeGarrette Blount that was on last week's pickup list won't appear on this week's list even though he is owned in only 36 percent (and rising) of Yahoo! leagues. That said, he is still worth adding if he's available in your league after his 120-yard, two-touchdown performance Sunday.

Here are some players potentially worth adding:

QB - Matthew Stafford, Lions (owned in 47 percent of Yahoo! leagues): In his first game since being injured in Week 1, Stafford threw four touchdowns including three to Calvin Johnson. Stafford, who was the first overall draft pick in 2009, threw the ball 45 times Sunday. Although he didn't complete a high percentage (only 26 passes), the Lions lead the NFL in pass attempts per game (43.4) so Stafford should continue to air it out in future weeks. Stafford does not have a favorable matchup for Week 9, however, against the Jets.

QB - Josh Freeman, Buccaneers (36 percent): In his year and a half as the team's starting quarterback, Freeman has led the Bucs to a come-from-behind fourth-quarter victory in seventy-five percent of his wins (six of eight). While Freeman isn't a QB1 yet, he has three favorable matchups in the post-season (typically Weeks 14 to 16) against the Redskins, Lions and Seahawks. Freeman is on pace for 3,500-plus yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions in addition to 400-plus rushing yards.

RB - Keiland Williams, Redskins (two percent): Although the Redskins are on their bye in Week 9, it's possible that Williams will be the featured back when they face the Eagles in Week 10. Running back Ryan Torain left Sunday's game with a strained hamstring and later said he "had no idea" if the injury was serious. And it's unlikely that Clinton Portis, who has missed the past four games, will be healthy enough to return in Week 10. In the second half of the Lions' game, Williams carried the ball six times for 25 yards and a score plus he caught three passes for 28 yards.

RB - Kevin Smith, Lions (three percent): In Week 8, both Smith and rookie Jahvid Best had 12 carries each. In fact, Smith outgained Best by three yards (51 to 48). Not only did they have the same number of carries, but it was Smith -- not Best -- that played most of the second half. While Best is still the running back to own out of this duo, it could be more of a timeshare going forward. If you're in a deeper league or need some running back help, Smith is worth a look.

WR - Steve Breaston, Cardinals (41 percent): For a second time (in four games) this season, Breaston had a monster game -- eight receptions for a career-high 147 yards. It was Breaston's first game back since having knee surgery and the quarterback situation in Arizona is a mess. Although Breaston was targeted 11 times on Sunday, inconsistency should be expected due to their erratic quarterback play as we've seen with Breaston through four games played: 132 yards, ten yards, 41 yards and 147 yards.

WR - Brandon Tate, Patriots (25 percent): When the Patriots traded away Randy Moss, Tate was the guy on the roster with the speed to fill the role as the downfield guy in the Patriots' offense. Instead Tate caught only one pass for three yards in his first two games of the post-Moss era. The third game was the charm. Tate finished with three receptions including a 65-yard touchdown to finish with 101 yards. At this point, it doesn't look like any Patriots receiver can be trusted to have a big week even though it can happen for any of them in any given week. Even though Deion Branch had only one reception for 21 yards, my preferred order of Patriots' receivers to own is Wes Welker, Branch and then Tate.

WR - Nate Burleson, Lions (nine percent): Since missing two games, Burleson has 17 receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns in three games. Burleson finished with seven receptions on nine targets on Sunday although his two-game touchdown streak ended. With MegaTron on the opposite side and versatile running backs in the backfield, Burleson should find himself exclusively in single coverage and is a decent option in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

WR - Anthony Armstrong, Redskins (nine percent): Several teams inlcuding the Redskins will likely be interested in making a waiver claim on the now (or soon-to-be) released Randy Moss. If that's the case, Armstrong's fantasy value would take a hit. Armstrong, who had a career-high 92 receiving yards last week, is second in the league in yards per reception (21.6) behind Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace. He has had a reception of at least 48 yards in three of his past five games. During that five-game span, Armstrong has 321 receiving yards and a touchdown.

WR - Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders (four percent): In one game, Heyward-Bey, the team's first-round pick in 2009, nearly equaled his production from his rookie season (124 receiving yards and a touchdown). Against the Seahawks last week, Heyward-Bey had five receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. In addition, he had a 30-yard run. There is a good chance that the Raiders will be without Louis Murphy next week, which would make DHB the team's top option at wide receiver again.

Later in the week, I will release my Week 9 rankings by position at TheTipDrill.com in addition to other fantasy advice for Week 9 and the second half of the season.

In the meantime, however, feel free to submit your specific questions (waiver wire, trade proposals, start/sit questions, etc.) to us via our Fantasy Football Forum or me via Twitter @EDSFootball.

Good luck in your Week 9 matchup(s) and in our free fantasy football contest for Week 9. (New entries welcome and encouraged.)

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Randy Moss, the ex-Patriots wide receiver, is now (or soon-to-be) the ex-Vikings wide receiver, too.

As initially reported by NFL Network's Michael Lombardi, the Vikings are going to release Moss, only four games after acquiring him for a third-round pick in next year's draft.

In his return to New England as a Viking yesterday, Moss finished with only one reception for eight yards.

Through yesterday's game and counting last year's playoff loss to Baltimore, Moss has failed to reach 100 yards in receiving for 16 consecutive games. In fact, he has only reached 75 receiving yards twice and 50 receiving yards seven times during that span.

During yesterday's post-game press conference, Moss "saluted" coach Bill Belichick and said that he missed "every last helmet in that locker room."

On the other hand, Moss said about the Vikings, "I tried to ... to talk to the players and coaches about how this game was going to be played and a couple tendencies here, couple tendencies here. The bad part about it -- you have six days to prepare for a team, and on the seventh day, that Sunday, meaning today, I guess they come over to me and say, 'Dag, Moss, you was right about a couple plays and a couple schemes they were going to run.' It hurts as a player that you put a lot of hard work in all week, and toward the end of the week, Sunday, when you get on the field, that's when they acknowledge about the hard work you put in throughout the week. That's actually a disappointment."

Buffalo, the only remaining winless team, will have first dibs on Moss through the waiver process. Since it's based on record, every team has a higher waiver priority than the one-loss Patriots.

Once Moss is waived, teams will have until 4:00 p.m. ET the next day to submit a waiver claim. If no team makes a claim, he will become an unrestricted free agent and can negotiate with any team. Meanwhile, the Vikings would then be on the hook for the remainder of his salary (roughly $3.4 million).

Without Moss, Percy Harvin's fantasy value takes a hit. In the four-game span he has played with Moss, Harvin has 19 receptions for 287 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he has five rushing attempts for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Here are some teams that could be interested in Moss:

- Rams: In the first half of the season, the Rams have won four games, which is one more than they won in the past two years combined. This year, they've lost their No. 1 receiver two times (Donnie Avery first, Mark Clayton second).

- Seahawks: The Seahawks were one of the teams most interested in acquiring Vincent Jackson earlier in the season. Considering they traded Deion Branch to New England, it would be interesting to see Moss head to Seattle. But they could certainly use a down-the-field threat to help bolster their receiving corps.

- Dolphins: As ESPN's Tim Graham has pointed out, the Dolphins have struggled on offense lately as Dan Carpenter has kicked ten field goals in the past two games. In addition, they'd like to block the Patriots from re-signing Moss. Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has tweeted that the Seahawks and Dolphins have both already expressed interest in putting a claim in for Moss.

- Jets: Similar to the Dolphins, the Jets would be interested in blocking the Patriots from re-signing Moss. And Rex Ryan and the organization doesn't exactly shy away from controversial situations. The move may be even more attractive after getting shut out by the Packers yesterday.

- Redskins: Except during the two-minute drill, the Redskins have a big-armed quarterback Donovan McNabb, who could make good use of Moss's biggest strength -- his ability to stretch the field. There were rumors that they were interested in Vincent Jackson earlier in the season so interest here would make some sense.

- Cowboys: The Cowboys are loaded at wide receiver with Miles Austin and Dez Bryant there for the long-term in addition to Roy Williams, who has played well with Tony Romo. However, owner Jerry Jones referred to the "mistake" he made by not drafting Moss when he drafted Bryant this year.

- Chargers: With the injuries to the receiving corps and Vincent Jackson still out for a couple more weeks, Moss would certainly help them make a second-half push to continue their post-season streak. Then again, Philip Rivers has thrown the most yards (2,649) in the first eight games of a season in NFL history.

Where do you think he'll end up?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)