- Kurt Warner (261 yards, 5 TD) bounced back in a big way against a struggling Bears pass defense.

- In that JAX/KC matchup, David Garrard (264 yards, TD) and Matt Cassel (262 yards, 2 TD) both predictably had nice fantasy days.

- Josh Freeman (205 yards, 3 TD) had a productive game in his first start.

- Aaron Rodgers (266 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT) threw three picks, but had two pass TD and a rush TD for a nice fantasy line.

- It was a relatively quiet game for Drew Brees (330 yards, TD, INT), who had a rough first half before a pretty big second half.

- Vince Young (172 yards, rush TD) wasn’t spectacular, but he was solid and had a nice TD run.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

- Ray Rice (12 carries, 48 yards, TD) scored in the ground game, but did a ton of damage (8-87) through the air. He is on pace for 92 catches.

- Michael Turner (18 carries, 166 yards, 2 TD) now has 10 TD on the year. He has ran very well over the last few weeks.

- Tim Hightower (16 touches, 88 yards) and Chris Wells (13 carries, 72 yards) evenly split the work in the Arizona backfield.

- Matt Forte (5 carries, 33 yards) didn’t a lot of carries in the running game, but went for 6-74 in the passing game.

- Cedric Benson (34 carries, 117 yards, TD) grinded out a nice game against a pretty stout Ravens rush defense. He’s an every-week start.

- Joesph Addai (19 touches, 112 yards, 2 TD) continues to be a very good start with Donald Brown sidelined.

- Ryan Moats (19 touches, 53 yards, TD) got the start, but Steve Slaton (9 touches, 29 yards, TD) was involved. Moats did fumble around the goal line.

- Jamaal Charles (6 carries, 36 yard) and Kolby Smith (4 carries, 17 yards) split what little work there was in the KC backfield. Charles (3-19) was active in the passing game.

- Laurence Maroney (20 carries, 82 yards, TD) should continue to see the lion’s share of the carries until Sammy Morris returns (reportedly in Week 11).

- Pierre Thomas (18 touches, 81 yards, TD) seems to have established himself as the Saints’ lead back again. Mike Bell (5 carries, 17 yards) and Reggie Bush (9 touches, 53 yards) were used in a complementary manner.

- In the last four games, DeAngelo Williams is averaging 137 rushing yards and 1.3 TD. He is starting to look like the guy who tore up the league last season, but he lost a costly fumble late in the game that sealed the win for the Saints.

- Julius Jones (22 touches, 114 yards, TD) got most of the work out of the Seattle backfield, but Justin Forsett had a nifty 14-yard carry and went for 5-45 in the passing game.

- LaDainian Tomlinson (14 carries, 30 yards) looks good when he’s in space, but there just aren’t the same running lanes available as there were when he was in his heyday.

- Brandon Jacobs (11 carries, 67 yards) was more productive than Ahmad Bradshaw (14 carries, 39 yards) but missed some time with a leg injury.

- Chris Johnson (25 carries, 135 yards, 2 TD) had another monster day and also went for 3-25 in the passing game.

- Frank Gore (15 carries, 83 yards, TD) was heavily involved in the rushing and passing games, catching 7-75 out of the backfield.

Check back in a bit for the QB position.

- Larry Fitzgerald (9-123-2) looks like a man playing a child’s game.

- Steve Breaston (5-66-1) filled in admirably for Anquan Boldin, who missed the game with an ankle injury. Breaston also had a 25-yard run.

- Devin Hester (6-94) and Earl Bennett (7-93) benefited from the fact that the Bears trailed all day, posting nice numbers in PPR leagues.

- Pierre Garcon (5-60) outperformed Austin Collie (2-26) for the first time since Week 3.

- It didn’t take Chris Chambers (3-70-2) to make an impact in Kansas City. Chambers is the consummate tease, so don’t bother picking him up unless he has another good week or two. Lance Long (8-74) filled well in for Bobby Wade.

- After a surprisingly quiet game last week against the Titans, Mike Sims-Walker (6-147-1) bounced back in a big way against the Chiefs.

- James Jones (4-103-1) caught a 74-yard TD early, and was involved throughout the game. He’s a nice guy to roster as insurance for Donald Driver (4-71-1) or Greg Jennings (5-61).

- Steve Smith 1.0 (4-64) had a 46-yard catch in garbage time, but was otherwise underutilized as the Panthers focused on running the ball.

- Marques Colston (1-45) had at least three drops, which kept him from having a big day. Robert Meachem (5-98-1) and Devery Henderson (3-93) picked up the slack. Lance Moore was inactive.

- In his first game back from a knee injury, Calvin Johnson (2-27) had a disappointing day.

- Vincent Jackson (5-58-2) continues to tear up the box score.

- Mario Manningham (6-52) outproduced Hakeem Nicks (3-39). Steve Smith 2.0 (8-57-1) continues to be the Giants WR1 and most dependable fantasy option.

- Michael Crabtree (3-30) was a disappointment against a bad Tennessee pass defense. Jason Hill (4-50-2) took advantage, however.

- Greg Olsen (5-71-3) finally broke out with a big fantasy day.

- Dallas Clark (14-119) continues to tear it up with Anthony Gonzalez sidelined.

- Brandon Pettigrew (7-70-1) had by far his best game of the year, and looks like a decent option for fantasy owners still reeling from the loss of Owen Daniels.

- Kevin Boss (2-17-1) shook off a big hit and returned to catch a TD.

- Vernon Davis (10-102) had a big day and has great chemistry with Alex Smith.

Check back in a bit for the QB, RB and WR positions.

Every week, I pick one question from our Fantasy Football Q&A and post it on Sunday morning. This week’s question comes from Lauren, who is wondering if it’s time make a trade to compensate for Kurt Warner’s poor play of late.

“I currently have Kurt Warner and due to his poor performance in week 8 I have been offered a trade of Favre for Roddy White or Palmer for Roddy White. My other receivers are Hines Ward, Driver and Steve Smith (carolina) I also have Michael Turner and Addai and Bradshaw as my starters. I will keep Kurt Warner on the bench but I need a stronger QB to win. Who would you pick? Palmer or Favre?”

My answer: Don’t trade Roddy White. There is a lot of depth at QB and this guy is trying to sucker you into making a trade when you don’t need to. Which QBs are available on your waiver wire? Of the two, I’d rather have Favre, so offer up Ward, Driver or S. Smith (CAR) and see if the guy bites. Any of those guys would be fair value for Favre. (Make sure you mention that he’s an injury risk and that there’s a lot of depth at the QB position.)

It turns out that Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Cassel, Alex Smith, Jason Campbell and Vince Young were available on her waiver wire. She eventually traded Steve Smith 1.0 for Carson Palmer, which depletes her depth at WR but does give her another good option at QB.

There is usually a lot of depth at the quarterback position. This season the difference between QB10 (Eli Manning) and QB18 (David Garrard) is only 24 points, so it’s not worth trading away a player like Steve Smith to upgrade from Kurt Warner (QB15) to Carson Palmer (QB12).

Besides, Warner had a bad matchup last week — the Panthers’ pass defense is actually pretty good — and has a nice upcoming schedule. He’s a good bet to bounce back, even though he’s already had a solid fantasy season.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Every week, I will highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and keep them in your lineup. Instead, I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Tony Romo, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

The “love ‘em” players are listed in the order that I’d start them this week.

This should go without saying, but just in case: Aaron Rodgers should be in your lineup against a Bucs’ pass defense that has yielded 2.3 pass TD per game this season…Donovan McNabb has a very good matchup against a struggling Cowboys secondary…Matt Hasselbeck faces the Lions. Two words: Start him…Cincinnati’s pass defense is ranked 30th in the league, so Joe Flacco should have a nice fantasy line this week…As it stands, Matt Cassel has his last great matchup of the season this week, coming off a bye against the Jaguars’ 26th-ranked pass defense…So, last week, was the Titans’ pass defense that good or was Jacksonville’s pass defense that bad. Alex Smith faces Tennessee’s league-worst pass defense this week and is a pretty nice start…I’m a little hesitant to recommend him again after his brutal showing against the Titans, but David Garrard has another nice matchup this week against the Chiefs and isn’t a bad start…For the desperate, Jason Campbell is a sneaky good start against a Falcons defense that has struggled to stop the pass in recent weeks.

Tennessee’s rush defense is only mediocre, so look for Frank Gore to have a nice fantasy day…Ryan Grant should be able to post some nice numbers against Tampa Bay’s 30th-ranked rush defense…Chicago hasn’t been very good against the run, so Tim Hightower looks like a solid start for another week…Carolina’s rush defense has yielded 127 yards and 1.0 TD per game, so Pierre Thomas is looking like a pretty good start this week. He got some of his goal line work back in Week 8, so he seems to be the best start in the Saints backfield…The Giants rush defense has fallen off in recent weeks, so now that he’s relatively healthy, LaDainian Tomlinson is a solid start this week…In the same game, the Chargers have the 27th-ranked rush defense, so Brandon Jacobs should be able to find some running lanes.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Greg Jennings and Donald Driver should have an easy time getting open on a Bucs defense that has given up 16 pass TD this season…Dwayne Bowe has a tasty matchup with a Jags pass defense that has given up 242 yards and 1.9 TD through the air this season…DeSean Jackson is a great start and Jeremy Maclin is a good start against the Cowboys’ 22nd-ranked pass defense…If Calvin Johnson is playing, get him in your lineup. The Lions will have to throw the ball to keep up with the Seahawks, so CJ could post some nice numbers this week…Reggie Wayne is an every-week no-brainer, but Austin Collie is looking like a nice start against the Texans, who have had trouble against opposing WRs this season…Mike Sims-Walker laid an egg last week against a terrible Titans pass defense, but he has another good matchup this week against the Chiefs. Stay with him unless you have a much better option…Michael Crabtree has 11-137 over his first two games and faces the league’s worst pass defense (TEN) this week. That looks like a nice combination…Santana Moss faces the Falcons, who are having trouble stopping the pass…It’s tough to recommend any of the Titans’ WRs, but Nate Washington looks like the best of the bunch, and the 49ers have given up a ton of passing yards this season.

Matt Ryan has struggled of late, and the Redskins are coming off of a bye and are the 2nd-ranked pass defense in the league. If you have a good alternative, use it…Ben Roethlisberger has been a fine fantasy starter of late, but the Broncos defense has allowed just 0.6 pass TD per game this season…Not that they’re startable in the first place, but avoid Jake Delhomme and Chad Henne at all costs. They face the Saints and the Pats, respectively, and neither is a good matchup.

Steer clear of Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter this week, as neither are a good bet to go off against the Steelers, who own the league’s stingiest rush defense…Both are still startable, but Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are unlikely to have a big game against the Pats, who are coming off their bye…Rashard Mendenhall faces Denver’s 3rd-ranked rush defense, which doesn’t bode very well for the young back…The Packers have only allowed three rush TD on the season, and are pretty stingy around the goal line. I wouldn’t expect Carnell Williams to have a big day, especially since the Bucs are likely to be trailing most of the game.

Steer clear of Roy Williams. The Philly pass defense is pretty tough and he has struggled with his consistency this year…While they’re still startable, Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes face Champ Bailey (and the Broncos’ 8th-ranked pass defense) this week…I wouldn’t expect Antonio Bryant to do much against Al Harris and Charles Woodson this week. The Packers have a top 10 pass defense and are coming off a tough loss to the Vikings.

Want my take on what happened in Week 8? Fantasy Fallout
Wondering who to pick up? Waiver Wire Watch
Looking for a defense this week? DTBWW

Still have questions? Fire away. Be sure to let me know whether or not you’re in a PPR league.