QUARTERBACKS

It looks like the beginning of the end of the Donovan McNabb era in Philly. He was yanked for Kevin Kolb after tossing two picks in the first half. Kolb didn’t fare any better…Joe Flacco (183 yards, 2 TD) was once again effective. He isn’t going to throw for a lot of yards, but he has tossed at least one TD in each of the last six games…Brady Quinn (94 yards, 2 INT) was supposed to have a nice day against a pretty bad Houston pass defense, but he stunk up the joint and was actually replaced by Derek Anderson (51 yards, INT), who didn’t do any better…Gus Frerotte (120 yards, INT) had a string of solid performances broken against the Jags. The Vikings got up by 14 early and didn’t look deep very often. Bernard Berrian (1-6) is suffering as a result…After a strong start, something seems to be wrong with the Denver passing game. Jay Cutler is averaging just 210 yards and 0.5 TD over the last two weeks.

RUNNING BACKS

Brian Westbrook (16 touches, 34 yards) looks like a shadow of his old self, and it’s not clear if it’s the injuries that are bothering him or the lack of good play from his QB. Correll Buckhalter sprained his knee, so the Eagles are really hurting at RB…Jamal Lewis (12 touches, 68 yards) was fairly productive, but he failed to score a TD and fumbled once. I thought he’d be a solid start due to a nice schedule down the stretch, but the Browns’ offense is in trouble and Lewis’ numbers are suffering because of it…Warrick Dunn (19 touches, 127 yards, TD) was very productive against a bad Lions rush defense. Cadillac Williams (16 touches, 27 yards) came in for mop up duty…Kevin Smith (16 carries, 86 yards) looked pretty good against a good Bucs rush defense before leaving the game with an apparent knee injury…Larry Johnson (9 touches, 105 yards) ran the ball well, but only received seven carries since the game got out of hand…Apologies to anyone who started Antonio Pittman (12 touches, 19 yards) on my recommendation. Ryan Grant was successful against the Bears rush defense last week and I thought that Pittman would at least post 70-80 total yards and maybe score a TD…The Tennessee running game is suddenly ineffective. Over the last three games Chris Johnson and LenDale White have combined for just 243 yards and one TD. White carried the ball once against the Jets, so right now, it looks like the Chris Johnson show. He might have big week in a great matchup against the Lions next week…Even though he’s supposedly healthy, Sammy Morris (10 touches, 49 yards) didn’t get as many touches as Kevin Faulk (14 touches, 105 yards, TD). Moreover, Faulk was more productive and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (a.k.a. “The Law Firm”) vultured seven carries and a TD…Maurice Jones-Drew (12 touches, 117 yards) is so valuable in PPR leagues because when things aren’t going well on the ground (3 carries, 4 yards), he can be heavily involved in the passing game (9-113)…DeAngelo Williams (21 touches, 120 yards, TD) appears to be RB1 in Carolina for the time being. He’s startable this week, against the Packers and in Week 15, against the Broncos…Michael Turner (117 yards, 4 TD) finally broke out against a good rush defense. All year, he’s been overperforming against bad defenses and underperforming against good ones…Clinton Portis (31 touches, 159 yards) is a warrior…LaDainian Tomlinson has scored just two TD in his last seven games.

WIDE RECEIVERS

If the Eagles go with Kevin Kolb at QB, I’d downgrade DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis…It doesn’t appear that any Detroit WR other than Calvin Johnson (3-66-1) is worth owning right now…Dwayne Bowe (3-58-1) continues to clean up in garbage time. His numbers weren’t looking very good, but late in the game he caught a garbage TD to finish with a nice stat line…It looks like Torry Holt (4-84) is still WR1 in St. Louis. Donnie Avery (1-14) cannot be counted on…After a couple shoddy weeks, Greg Camarillo (6-75-1) had a nice day, but he’s going to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. This should give Ted Ginn and Davone Bess a boost in value…Terrell Owens (7-213-1) busted out with a huge game against his old team. He hadn’t gained more than 38 receiving yards in the last five games…Simply stated, Plaxico Burress (0-0) can’t be counted on right now.

TIGHT ENDS

Kellen Winslow’s poor day (1-11) could be attributed to poor play at QB or his sprained shoulder. Either way, he was a disappointment…In a week when guys like Winslow, Jason Witten (1-11) and Antonio Gates (3-28) were disappointments, Tony Gonzalez (10-113-1) came up huge…Dustin Keller (6-42) continues to be a favorite target of Brett Favre. Over the last three weeks, he has posted 20-236-1 and looks like a good TE start down the stretch.

FREE AGENTS

LeRon McClain (18 carries, 88 yards, TD) was the most productive RB for the Ravens, continuing the season-long carousel at the position. There’s no telling who will play well week to week…Over the last three weeks, Kerry Collins has averaged 254 passing yards and 2.0 TD per game. He did most of his work this week in garbage time, which is an unusual situation for the Titans to be in…Tatum Bell got some work (7 touches, 14 yards), but it was Peyton Hillis (19 touches, 96 yards, TD) that got the lion’s share of the touches in the Denver backfield.. He has a tough matchup with the Jets next week, but a great matchup with the Chiefs in Week 14…Derrick Ward played well (24 touches, 99 yards, TD) with Brandon Jacobs out. Keep an eye on this situation as Ward could be a productive back if Jacobs misses more time. Keeper league owners should take note – Ward will be a free agent after this season…Maurice Morris produces 113 yards and a TD on 17 touches. Julius Jones had two carries for 21 yards and injured his calf. Morris might be able to help fantasy owners down the stretch.

QUARTERBACKS

Frankly, it was a disappointing day from both QBs in the ATL/DEN game. Cutler finished with just 216 yards and a TD, while Matt Ryan threw for 250 yards, but failed to throw for a score against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. However, if not for a Roddy White dropped pass in the endzone, he would have finished with 290 yards (or so) and a TD…Jake Delhomme’s performance (98 yards, TD) against the Lions is pretty worrisome. I wouldn’t feel too good about starting him down the stretch. If you can’t rack up stats against the Lions, something is wrong…Tyler Thigpen (235 yards, 2 TD, INT) continues to play good fantasy ball and he has a pretty nice schedule coming up…Kyle Orton (133 yards) didn’t have a very good first game back, but the Green Bay corners are tough. He has better matchups in Week 12 (STL), Week 14 (JAX) and Week 15 (NO)…Matt Hasselbeck (170 yards, TD, 3 INT) had a rough first game back, but two of his three interceptions came in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks were trying to come back from a big deficit…It’s safe to say that Ben Roethlisberger (308 yards) has been a disappointment this season. He failed to pass for a TD for the third straight game, and with touch matchups in Week 13 (NE) and Week 16 (TEN), he should be benched if you have a better option…Phillip Rivers’ miserable day (159 yards, 2 INT) broke a regular season 16-game streak of at least one pass TD per game. To think, I actually had Matt Cassel in the starting lineup in one of my leagues, but started Rivers instead. Grr…Tony Romo (198 yards, TD, 2 INT) wasn’t spectacular in his first game back, but he should have better luck against the 49ers and Seahawks the next two weeks.

RUNNING BACKS

Michael Turner (25 carries, 81 yards, 2 TD) predictably had a great outing against a bad Denver rush defense, but this was his last good matchup until Week 17…DeAngelo Williams (14 carries, 120 yards, 2 TD) and Jonathan Stewart (15 carries, 130 yards, TD) shredded the Lions at will. Just when it looked like Williams might be pulling away in Carolina, Stewart had a big game to stake his claim on a good portion of the touches…Kevin Smith (26 touches, 138 yards) is the clear RB1 in Detroit and is a decent RB2 start on a weekly basis…Willis McGahee (11 touches, 25 yards) and Ray Rice (12 touches, 37 yards) pretty much split the touches evenly. There’s no telling what the Ravens are going to do with this RBBC going forward…Earnest Graham (1 carry, 3 yards) turned his ankle early in the game and it was Warrick Dunn (24 touches, 118 yards) that got most of the work. If Graham misses any time, look for Dunn (and possibly Cadillac Williams) to get the lion’s share of the carries…Ryan Grant (25 carries, 145 yards, TD) surprisingly had a huge day against a very good Bears defense. I think Green Bay has figured out that the team’s strength in the running game is misdirection, not lining up in the I-formation and trying to run it down the defense’s throats. They seem to be very successful on draws, traps and inside handoffs. Grant has now gained 584 yards in the last six games and is on pace for a 1232-yard season. He also has three TD in his last four games, but he’s still not involved in the passing game…Joseph Addai (26 touches, 153 yards, 2 TD) hadn’t had a decent fantasy game since Week 5, but he exploded against the Texans. He has a pretty favorable schedule down the stretch…Tim Hightower (11 carries, 35 yards) had a dismal day against a shaky Seahawks defense. That’s two straight bad starts and it makes him a very iffy start next week against the G-men…There is no RBBC in Pittsburgh if Willie Parker (25 touches, 115 yards). Mewelde Moore did catch five passes for 33 yards, however…After a couple of off weeks against very good defenses (TB, NYG), Marion Barber (30 touches, 153 yards, TD) looks like he’s back on track. He has two easy matchups in the next two weeks (SF, SEA) and then a rough road in the fantasy playoffs (PIT, NYG, BAL), but if Tony Romo can get back into the swing of things, Barber should have a productive stretch run.

WIDE RECEIVERS

My apologies to anyone that started Muhsin Muhammad (1-16) on my recommendation this week. If it’s any consolation, his crappy performance against a horrible defense is going to cost me a win…Lance Moore (8-102-1) is looking like an every week starter, even with Marques Colston (3-30) back in the lineup…Plaxico Burress (3-47) is struggling. He is averaging just 2.5-28-0.3 over the last four weeks. The good news is that he has a great matchup with a suspect Arizona defense next week…Bernard Berrian (3-46) had a quiet week, but things are looking great over the next five games (JAX, CHI, DET, ARI and ATL). Don’t be surprised if Berrian (and Frerotte) finishes strong…Ted Ginn (2 carries, 42 yards, TD, 4-51) has been pretty solid lately and he doesn’t have a tough matchup the rest of the year, so he can be used as a WR2/WR3 in PPR leagues.

TIGHT ENDS

Thanks for the goose egg, Tony Scheffler…Jeremy Shockey (6-39) was much more involved in the Saints’ offense this week. Look for Sean Payton to continue to use him in the weeks to come…Zach Miller (4-67) has gained 42+ receiving yards in six of the last seven games. The Raiders aren’t going to score much, but he’s a decent start in PPR leagues…

FREE AGENTS

And now, for a few guys that might be lingering on your league’s waiver wire…

Peyton Hillis (13 touches, 70 yards, 2 TD) appears to be RB1 in Denver, though Tatum Bell (7 carries, 34 yards) and P.J. Pope (4 carries, 35 yards) also got some work…Ryan Fitzpatrick (261 yards, TD) seems to be settling in as the starter in Cincy and can be used by desperate fantasy owners when he has a good matchup. Unfortunately, things are looking a little rough down the stretch…All signs pointed to a good game from Deuce McAllister, and while he did score a TD, Pierre Thomas got 20 touches to McAllister’s eight… Bryant Johnson (4-56-1) has caught at least three passes in each of the last three games and appears to be Shaun Hill’s favorite target…Shaun Hill (213 yards, 2 pass TD, 1 rush TD) has been more than solid since taking over as the starter in San Francisco. He has mediocre matchups the rest of the way, so he can be used in a pinch…Deion Branch (4-54) had a pretty good first game back. Now that Matt Hasselbeck is under center, Branch is a sleeper in the stretch run, if he can stay healthy…Kerry Collins (230 yards, 3 TD, INT) had his second straight great fantasy outing and has a favorable upcoming schedule with the Jets, Lions and Texans coming up in the next four weeks…Matt Spaeth (6-55) has caught six passes in each of the last two games with Heath Miller sidelined.

QUARTERBACKS

Matt Ryan (248 yards, 2 TD) continues to look wise beyond his years. It’s not often a rookie makes for a good fantasy quarterback, but Ryan can definitely be used in the right matchups…Joe Flacco (185 yards, 2 TD) had his fourth solid game in a row. He is averaging 201 yards, 1.5 pass TD and 0.3 rush TD over the last four games…Gus Frerotte (151 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT)…It was looking like Marc Bulger (65 yards, INT) was bouncing back from a rough start, but he couldn’t get anything going against a sketchy Jets defense, so I wouldn’t trust him in my starting lineup right now…Jake Delhomme (72 yards, TD, 4 INT) was brutal against an Oakland defense that is susceptible to big passing days…Ben Roethlisberger (284 yards, 3 INT) had a rough outing against a good Indy pass defense. I’d still use him next week against a shaky Chargers pass defense and then reassess.

RUNNING BACKS

Deuce McAllister was a disappointment in the running game (5 carries, 18 yards), but he managed to catch a pass for a TD…Kevin Smith (24 touches, 123 yards, TD) is clearly the top RB in Detroit. Rudi Johnson only saw two carries…I guess we can’t trust Chris Mortensen. He said before the game that Ray Rice (9 touches, 19 yards) was going to see most of the carries, but it was Willis McGahee (26 touches, 121 yards, 2 TD) that was the feature back. I’d expect McGahee to get most of the work as long as he’s healthy…Just when it was looking like Ronnie Brown (14 touches, 66 yards, TD) was the clear RB1 in Miami, Ricky Williams (14 touches, 126 yards, TD) had a bigger day and just as many touches. Brown is still the better fantasy back, but Williams is a headache for Brown owners…Julius Jones (18 touches, 90 yards) looks to be RB1 in Seattle again, since Maurice Morris (2 touches, 17 yards) was barely involved…Ryan Grant (16 carries, 75 yards, TD) was impressive against a good Vikings rush defense. This bodes well for the stretch run…It looks like BenJarvus Green-Ellis (26 carries, 105 yards, TD) is going to get most of the work with Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordaon out with injury. He’s worth a pickup if available if you are in need of RB help…DeAngelo Williams (20 touches, 143 yards, TD) was stellar with Jonathan Stewart (7 touches, 21 yards) limited with an injury…With Willie Parker sidelined, Mewelde Moore (30 touches, 105 yards, 2 TD) is a great start in all formats.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Lance Moore (6-76-1) has put up starter quality numbers in five of the last eight weeks and is still an integral part of the New Orleans offense even with Marques Colston (7-140) back…Both Greg Jennings (3-37) and Donald Driver (5-46) were held down against a surprisingly good Minnesota pass defense. Aaron Rodgers was under pressure all day…Bernard Berrian was held without a catch by a very good pair of cornerbacks – Al Harris and Charles Woodson…Despite trailing big most of the game, Torry Holt (1-5) and Donnie Avery (2-29) couldn’t even get garbage stats against the Jets…Speaking of the Jets, they put up 47 points, but Jerricho Cotchery (1-18) and Laveranues Coles (1-14) had miserable fantasy outings…Expect Steve Smith (1-9) to bounce back in a big way against the Lions next week…Chris Chambers did not catch a ball in Week 10 and should not in fantasy lineups until he proves he is 100%…Plaxico Burress (1-17-1) caught a TD, but failed to convert any of his other five targets into a single catch. He and Eli Manning don’t seem like they are on the same page right now.

TIGHT ENDS

Jeremy Shockey (2-16) continues to struggle as he sprained his ankle late in the game. Billy Miller (5-65) seems to be getting more action anyway…Bo Scaife (10-78-1) is turning into a very solid option at TE. He is one of Kerry Collins’ favorite targets…After a big game last week, Owen Daniels (1-13) was very disappointing this week, especially considering that the Texans trailed most of the game. The Ravens defense will make a lot of players look bad…Kevin Boss (6-69-1) is now a starter quality tight end. He has caught a TD in each of the last three games and almost had a second TD tonight against the Eagles.

FREE AGENTS

And here’s some insight on a few players that may still be on your league’s waiver wire…

Michael Jenkins (6-72) is benefiting from Matt Ryan’s quick development and all the attention that is being paid to Roddy White (5-68-1). Jenkins is worth rostering for those owners in larger PPR leagues and White owners that want some insurance down the stretch…Justin Gage (4-47-1) bounced back from a bad Week 10 to post good numbers. He’s probably the best receiving option in Tennessee outside of Bo Scaife…Drew Stanton (94 yards, TD) was decent in relief of Daunte Culpepper, who was benched in the fourth quarter. It seems like Culpepper will get another shot next week, though I’m not sure why the Lions wouldn’t want to see what they have in Stanton…Todd Heap (5-58-2) had a huge game and will likely be a hot waiver wire pickup. Is this really a sign of things to come or just an aberration? I’m betting on the latter, but if you’re in need of TE help, Heap is worth a pickup…Ted Ginn (4-67-1) caught a bomb from Chad Pennington. He’s been fairly solid (18-328-1) over the last four weeks…Koren Robinson (5-38-1) has gone for 13-174-2 over the last three week…Dustin Keller (6-107-1) had a huge day, but he’s been up and down this season, so he’s nothing but a spot starter at this point…Justin Fargas (23 touches, 98 yards) didn’t score, but he’s the clear RB1 with Darren McFadden out…Tyler Thigpen (266 yards, 3 TD) is averaging 237 yards and 2.0 pass TD over the last three games. He also caught a TD pass last week. With Dwayne Bowe (6-72), Tony Gonzalez (10-113-2) and the improving Mark Bradley (9-81-1) to throw to, he’s a viable spot starter in most fantasy leagues.

QUARTERBACKS

Trent Edwards threw two picks and fumbled, but he threw for more than 197+ yards and a TD for the sixth time in eight games…Kyle Orton suffered an ugly ankle injury and it looks like he could be out for a month. Rex Grossman will fill in for him…Gus Frerotte (182 yards, 3 TD, INT) continues to play solid ball for Minnesota. Since he took over six games ago, he is averaging 245 yards and 1.3 pass TD per game.

RUNNING BACKS

Kevin Smith got 16 touches to Rudi Johnson’s 10, and Smith also scored a TD, so it looks like he is the lead back in Detroit…Cedric Benson (25 touches, 109 yards, TD) seems to be settling into the RB1 role in Cincy…All that pregame talk about Michael Bennett getting most of the work for Tampa Bay turned out to be erroneous. Earnest Graham is a solid start as long as Warrick Dunn is out. He fumbled twice, but threw a TD to Alex Smith to make up for it…There were rumors that the Cardinals were going to cut Edgerrin James’ touches and give Tim Hightower more of the workload, but I wasn’t expecting Hightower to register 23 touches (108 yards, TD) and James to register zero. It looks like Hiightower is officially RB1 in Arizona…Ryan Grant (20 carries, 86 yards) ran pretty well against a good Titans defense, which is encouraging for his owners. He failed to score a TD, however…The Denver running game was awful against the Dolphins. Three RBs (Michael Pittman, Andre Hall and Ryan Torain) combined for 12 yards on 11 carries…Michael Turner (31 carries, 139 yards) once again tore up a bad rush defense. He has four 104+ yard games (OAK, GB, KC, DET) against mediocre-to-bad defenses and four sub 58-yard games (PHI, CHI, CAR, TB) against four good defenses. He doesn’t get any action in the passing game (3 receptions all year), so he can’t make up for a bad rushing day in PPR leagues…Maurice Morris (8 touches, 43 yards) and Julius Jones (11 touches, 45 yards) split the RB work almost evenly…BenJarvus Green-Ellis (16 touches, 65 yards, TD) and Kevin Faulk (15 touches, 98 yards) split the work with Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan out. Faulk has more value in PPR leagues while Green-Ellis is the better play in standard and TD-heavy leagues.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Shaun McDonald has gone for 11-133-1 over the last two weeks and is the clear WR2 in Detroit. He’s worth a pickup, especially in PPR leagues…Rashied Davis (5-64-1) led the Bears in receiving this week, but Devin Hester (4-42) was a factor as well. Brandon Lloyd wasn’t active despite partially participating in practice this week…Both T.J. Houshmandzadeh (7-65) and Chad Johnson (5-37-2) have played pretty well the last couple of games, even with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center…After a dreadful week against the Raiders (1-3), Derrick Mason exploded with a 9-136-1 day. He has caught at least four passes in seven of eight games this season and is a solid start in PPR leagues…Antonio Bryant (8-115-1) continues to thrive even with Joey Galloway (1-22) back. We might be seeing a changing of the guard in Tampa…Torry Holt (6-58-1) showed some life after complaining about his role in the St. Louis offense…Donald Driver (7-136-1) has caught 17 passes over the last three games, and is still a good WR2 in most PPR leagues…Greg Camarillo (11-111) continues to post solid numbers in PPR leagues. He has caught at least four passes in the last seven games…DeSean Jackson (2-20) had an unusually quiet game, and it might have something to do with the return of Kevin Curtis (6-83).

TIGHT ENDS

Owen Daniels had a huge (11-133) game for the Texans, outgaining Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter combined…Visanthe Shiancoe (1-25-1) found the endzone for the fourth time in six games…Jason Witten (0-0) was active, but failed to catch a pass. He was targeted four times and two resulted in interceptions. Hopefully, he can heal with the week off…Kevin Boss (3-30-1) continues his up and down play. Until he can show more consistency, he’s nothing but a spot starter.

FREE AGENTS

Now here are my thoughts on a few guys that might be on your league’s waiver wire…

Willis McGahee owners are cursing the Ravens right now. He was active for the game, but didn’t register a touch as Ray Rice (24 touches, 176 yards) and LeRon McClain (15 touches, 37 yards, TD) handled the rushing duties. It looks like Rice has passed McClain on the depth chart and is the guy to own in PPR leagues… Joe Flacco has put up pretty decent numbers over the last three weeks. Against the Browns, he posted 248 yards and two TD…Kolby Smith got off to a good start, but left the game with an injury. Now it looks like Jamaal Charles (18 rushes, 106 yards) is the Chiefs’ RB1…Tyler Thigpen (164 yards passing, TD, 22 yards rushing) put up decent QB numbers for the second straight week. Last week, it was against the Jets, but this week it was against a good Bucs’ defense…Mark Bradley’s 4-65 day followed up last week’s 5-42-1 day against the Jets. With defenses focused on Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez, Bradley is a sleeper at WR, especially if Tyler Thigpen continues to play good ball…Sage Rosenfels (224 yards, 2 TD, INT) was back under center in the second half against the Vikings after a shot to the knee knocked Matt Schaub out of the game…Michael Jenkins (2-64-2) scored on two long pass plays. This came on the heels of four straight games with 3+ catches. He should see his value rise as Matt Ryan gains experience…JaMarcus Russell (6/19, 31 yards, INT) was absolutely brutal against a shaky Falcons pass defense…Brent Celek (6-131) started in place of the concussed L.J. Smith and had a great game…Koren Robinson (4-105-1) has caught four passes in each of the last two weeks and right now it looks like he is the Seahawks’ WR1. Bobby Engram (3-20) was pretty quiet. Don’t look for Engram to really get it going until (or is it if?) Matt Hasselbeck comes back.