Running back Laurence Maroney’s rookie contract expires this offseason and considering he’s largely been a bust since being selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft, one would think he would spend his free time training.

But one would be wrong.

According to KMOV.com, Maroney was arrested late Monday night and is being held on unlawful weapons and drug charges. While there aren’t many details at this time, it appears that Maroney was in a car with three other men when the police pulled them over in St. Louis. Oh, and apparently there was a high-speed chase.

Maroney’s publicist Jane Higgins told KMOV that her client was not with the car involved in the chase, but he just so happened to be behind the car by “pure coincidence.” Per the report, Maroney has a permit for the gun he was carrying, but the permit was in a wallet that wasn’t on him at the time. (You know, because guys carry multiple wallets to match their shoes.)

For his sake, I hope this was just a misunderstanding and he can clear his name. Otherwise, he’s not going to receive much offers this offseason.

Update: TMZ is reporting that Maroney was released and not charged with a crime.

From Rotoworld.com:

Updating an earlier item, TMZ.com reports that Laurence Maroney was arrested for possession of marijuana and unlawful use of a weapon Monday night, but Maroney’s rep says he has been released and not charged with a crime.
“Mr. Maroney was unlawfully arrested for possession of weapons. He holds a permit to carry a concealed weapon and he had his permit on his person when he was arrested. He was not arrested for any drugs nor was he involved in a high speed chase. He was released without being charged with any offense and we do not anticipate he will be charged with any criminal offense.” We’ll update this if more unfolds, but it sounds like Maroney has somehow dodged a bullet here, no pun intended.

Well that’s certainly good news for Maroney.

There have been times over the course of the last couple of years where it looked like Laurence Maroney was finally going to turn the page in New England.

Like the time when he rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries against the Bengals his rookie year – a performance that earned him both FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week and Diet Pepsi Rookie NFL Player of the Week honors.

Or like during the 2007 playoffs, when he compiled 244 rushing yards and two touchdowns in two games before being limited to 36 yards on 14 carries (with one touchdown) against the Giants in the Super Bowl.

But whenever it appeared that Maroney was ready to make more out of his career, injuries, inconsistent play or Bill Belichick’s desire to keep Corey Dillon, Kevin Faulk or Fred Taylor relevant would get in his way.

After receiving zero action in the final two preseason games this year, Maroney appeared to be in Belichick’s doghouse for good. And even when Belichick insisted that his former first round pick was still in the Patriots’ plans, you got the sense that Maroney wasn’t long for New England.

On Tuesday, Belichick shipped Maroney and a sixth rounder to Denver in exchange for a fourth round pick. Maroney will now be reunited with Josh McDaniels, who was his former offensive coordinator in New England. He joins a backfield that also includes Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, although the latter has shown signs of decline, which is probably why the Broncos felt the need to acquire Maroney.

Maybe now that he’s out of Foxboro, Maroney will start to live up to his first round status. He’s still going to have to split carries, but at 25 he has plenty of time to turn things around if he can make the most out of the situation.

In New England, Belichick is now relying on the combination of Taylor, Faulk and Sammy Morris in the running game. Should be interesting.

Knowshon Moreno owners can relax. He’s the clear RB1 in Denver. If anything, the main guy hurt by Maroney’s arrival is Correll Buckhalter, who may not get as many reps if Maroney thrives with the Broncos. I think the big benefactor from this trade is probably Fred Taylor, who is now even more cemented in as the Pats‘ RB1. Maroney was up-and-down while in New England, but he clearly has some talent and he was still a threat to Taylor’s touches. Now Taylor will surely be the main ballcarrier while Kevin Faulk takes all the third-down and receiving duties. It looks like BenJarvus Green-Ellis (5 carries on Sunday) is next in line for carries if Taylor were to go down.

Training camp is still a month away but you don’t need daily reports from the grueling two-a-day sessions to see what players are going to have the heat turned up on them this season. I’ve complied a list of 10 players (in no particular order) who, not necessarily the same reasons, face make or break seasons in ’09.

1. Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys
If Romo doesn’t get the Cowboys to the playoffs in 2009 will Jerry Jones look for other options at quarterback in 2010? No. But if you read between the lines, the Cowboys jettisoned Terrell Owens this offseason so that Romo will have every opportunity to be the team’s most influential leader and hopefully go from being a great quarterback to one of the elite. While it might not technically be a make or break season for Romo, his career is certainly at a crossroads. Romo’s numbers last year were solid – 3,448 yards, 26 TDs, 91.4 QB Rating – but his play faded over the last month of the season and the Cowboys imploded. Since then, Romo’s work ethic, offseason dedication and leadership skills have been questioned and it appears as though the QB’s career has come to a fork in the road. If he continues on the path his currently on, he might put up decent numbers and lead the Cowboys to the playoffs a couple more times before his days are done. That’s certainly not bad, but Jones and the rest of the Cowboy faithful want Romo to be extraordinary and if he completely dedicates himself to the game, maybe he can take this talented team to the next level. One thing’s for sure – with T.O. out of the way, this is now Romo’s team and it’s up to him where he and the Cowboys go from here.

2. Laurence Maroney, RB, New England Patriots
Maroney has a ton of factors working against him as he enters his fourth year and tries to bounce back from an injury-riddled ’08 season in which he rushed for just 93 yards on 28 carries. First, the Patriots have roughly 67 running backs already on the roster and Bill Belichick will be damned if he’s not going to use all 67 at some point this year. Maroney is also expected to have more return duties this year, which is a clear indication that New England isn’t counting on him to be its primary back. When he was selected in the first round of the 2006 draft, many pundits thought the Pats had found their running back of the future. But in three seasons, Maroney has rushed for just 1,673 yards on 388 carries (4.3 AVG) and 12 touchdowns. He obviously has a ton of talent, but he needs to get more opportunities. He doesn’t become a free agent until 2011, so it’ll be interesting to see if he emerges as a focal point in New England’s offense or if he continues his path to NFL obscurity over these two next years.

3. Matt Leinart, QB, Arizona Cardinals
It’s kind of hard to label this a make or break year for Leinart when he’s not even going to get the opportunity to start. But for Leinart, this season is all about proving to the franchise that he can still be their long-term answer at quarterback. So far, the offseason reviews on him have been positive. He’s been training harder than any other offseason, has been working out with Tom Brady, and has showed maturity since the Cards re-signed Kurt Warner and delegated Leinart the backup once again. Warner can’t play forever and chances are this will be his final season. Leinart needs to soak up all the knowledge he can, work hard and prove to Arizona that he can be the franchise quarterback when his number is called again in 2010. If not, the Cards will eventually have to cut their losses and move on. And most NFL teams usually don’t jump at the chance to sign a quarterback with bad workout habits and motivational issues.

4. Willis McGahee, RB, Baltimore Ravens
If it weren’t for an $11 million cap hit, the Ravens would have probably already cut ties with McGahee, who showed an obvious lack of effort under Baltimore’s new coaching staff last season. He had his knee scoped and also had surgery on his ankle this past offseason and so far in OTA sessions, he’s been working with the second team behind Ray Rice. McGahee is signed through 2012, but there’s a good chance Baltimore could release him after the season. If he still wants to get paid like a No. 1 back, McGahee is going to have to stay healthy and give a better effort than he did in ’08. Whether it’s for the Ravens or another team, 2009 will be an audition year for McGahee.

5. Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Miami Dolphins
In two seasons since being selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Ginn has just 90 receptions for 1,210 yards and six touchdowns. Some may call Ginn’s limited production a lack of opportunities, but if that’s the case, his lack of chances reflects his inability to create separation off the line and in coverage. Ginn needs to get stronger so that he can get out of jams quicker and get into his routes. Once he gets his hands on the ball (barring he doesn’t drop it), he has outstanding speed in the open field and he’s a threat to take it to the house every time. But he needs to become a more complete receiver – not just a speedster. The Miami coaching staff has marveled at his development this summer, so ’09 could be a break out year for Ginn. Most receivers don’t reach their potential until year three (see Roddy White and countless others), so it’s not a stretch to think that Ginn just needed a couple years to get accustomed to how the pro game is played. But he needs to improve on all facets of his game before he starts living up to his draft status.

6. JaMarcuss Russell, QB, Oakland Raiders
Much like Tony Romo in Dallas, the Raiders probably aren’t going to kick Russell to the curb if he doesn’t perform well in 2009. But the team would like to see something out of the third year quarterback to justify their decision to take him with the first overall pick in the 2007 draft. Russell’s numbers from ‘08 weren’t horrible (2,423 yards, 13 TDs, 8 INTs), but he had massive trouble moving the offense at times and he has to do better than the 53.8 completion percentage he posted last year. The report on Russell was that he looked awful in May OTA sessions, but has looked better since then. With the signing of free agent Jeff Garcia in the offseason, Russell better put together a good training camp and preseason if he wants to be the team’s Week 1 starter. Granted, the offensive line is still a work in progress, but with Darren McFadden and first round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey at his disposal, Russell needs to make strikes this season or else he’ll be on the fast track to bustville.

7. Trent Edwards, QB, Buffalo Bills
Edwards made a pitch to Buffalo’s front office to sign Terrell Owens after the talented, yet combustible receiver was released in Dallas. Well Trent, you got him – now what? Edwards still has two more years left on his contract, but the Bills would love to see more out of their third year QB than they did last season when he threw for just 2,699 yards, 11 TDs and 10 INTs. After leading Buffalo to a 5-1 start, Edwards and the Bills fell apart and wound up finishing 7-9. The lowlight for Edwards was a 29-27 loss to the Browns on Monday Night Football in which he was visibly petrified to throw downfield after throwing three early interceptions. With T.O. now on board, Edwards can’t look to the check down when things start going wrong, because Owens won’t stand for not getting enough looks in the passing game.

8. Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Anyone who plays fantasy football on a yearly basis understands the massive potential that Davis hasn’t cashed in yet. Davis has racked up just 103 receptions and nine touchdowns in three seasons, but he did have some factors working against him. He missed six games his rookie year because of a leg injury and last season he played in Mike Martz’s offense, which needless to say absolutely loathes the tight end position. Davis has reportedly slimmed down this offseason in preparation of becoming more of a pass-catching TE in new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye’s offense, so he could be set up for big things in ‘09. Of course, we’ve heard this all before. Martz praised Davis’ playmaking potential last year and then largely used him as a blocker, which in turn irritated Davis, who then irritated head coach Mike Singletary by his lack of effort. If Davis can keep the whining to a minimum and work hard this season, he still has a chance to be a great tight end in this league. But excuse fantasy owners if they remain doubtful that this is finally Davis’s year.

9. Jamaal Anderson, DE, Atlanta Falcons
The former eighth overall pick from the 2007 draft needs to have a great training camp and carry that effort into the regular season. The Atlanta coaching staff likes the way Anderson plays against the run and his ability to play multiple positions on the defensive line, but he only has two sacks in 31 career starts and was drafted to be a pass-rushing force opposite John Abraham. Despite a lot of fans eagerness to label Anderson a bust, the team hasn’t given up on him and still believes he can blossom in his third season. He has the size to be a dominant end, but he lacks explosiveness out of his stance and lacks aggressiveness. The Falcons made it a point to re-sign fellow DE Chauncey Davis this offseason and that could be a sign that they’re prepared to dump Anderson if he doesn’t pan out soon.

10. Michael Huff, S, Oakland Raiders
There was a time (like, 2006) when Huff was considered as the next great young safety. But since being taken with the seventh overall pick in the ’06 draft, Huff has been a massive disappointment. Part of the problem is that Oakland viewed him as a strong safety when he first entered the league and he struggled mightily. By the time they moved him to free safety (a more natural position for him since he excelled in pass coverage while at Texas) last year, his confidence was already gone and he was brutal both against the run and in coverage. He was eventually benched for Hiram Eugene last season and the Raiders unsuccessfully tried to trade Huff this offseason. What he needs most is a change of scenery, but the Raiders will have a hard time eating his salary if they decide to release him outright. He doesn’t have much hope of succeeding in Oakland, but at only 26-years old, it seems premature to write Huff off entirely. Maybe he’ll get a few opportunities to shine this year and finally turn some heads. If not, he better hope that some Cover 2 team views him as a corner and scoops him up if/when the Raiders eventually decide to cut ties.

“I don’t like them,” Porter said. “I ain’t never really too much cared for them. It is what it is.”

Take last year’s blowout. Porter took issue, strangely, with the Patriots running dives to Laurence Maroney [stats] with just under four minutes to go. Since they couldn’t kill the clock without getting a first down, the Pats handed off in an attempt to get one before punting with 18 seconds left.

“They could’ve kneed the ball,” he said. “We couldn’t win the game. We had no timeouts. They were up by 21 and still running running plays. So I really don’t care how they feel or what they’re getting ready for. Doesn’t really matter to me.”

That was in response to a question of whether he thought head coach Bill Belichick was embarrassed by what the Dolphins had done to the Pats in September.

“I don’t really care, to tell you the truth,” Porter said. “I don’t forget things like (not taking a knee). I hope our whole defense, our whole team doesn’t forget things like that. (Belichick) had the mindset last year where he said if he could put 50 up on you, he was going to put 50 up on you. That was his mindset. So why should I feel sorry about anything that happens on that side of the field?”

Porter remains angry about a pregame slight when the Pats practiced their punts directly over the stretching Dolphins.

“We were in a stretch and they walked directly down the field and start punting over our heads,” Porter said. “It was like, ‘Damn, would you want the whole 100-yard field? You got your 50 yards over there, then you walk through our 50, go to the end zone and kick to the 50?’ You don’t.

“Now they’ve got to come into our yard. All the little antics they had before the game and stuff like that, they’re not going to try that in our house.

“They let us know how they feel about us,” Porter concluded. “There’s no love lost. We don’t like them. They don’t like us. That’s exactly the way you should like it.”

The only problem with the Dolphins being relevant again is that Joey Porter is now relevant again. Still, you always have to appreciate some good “I hate you, you hate me” jibber-jabber from players before a game.

- After getting destroyed by the Jets last Sunday, the Cardinals had one hell of a bounce back this week, beating the previously undefeated Bills 41-17. But ‘Zona has got to do something about its secondary. They gave up 56 points and allowed Brett Favre to throw six touchdown passes last week, and then proceeded to allow J.P. Losman to complete 15 of 21 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown today. That’s brutal. Losman hasn’t played in over a year and even when he did he was downright atrocious in most of his games. When J.P. Losman shreds you through the air, something’s up.

- Seven carries, two yards. That’s what Carolina held Chiefs’ RB Larry Johnson to in its 34-0 win Sunday. This coming just one week after LJ rushed for nearly 200 yards against Denver. Rightfully so, everyone talks about the Vikings’ run defense being so good, but take a look at what the Panthers have done against some of the best running backs the past couple of weeks: LaDainian Tomlinson – 97 yards. Adrian Peterson – 77 yards. Michael Turner – 56 yards. Larry Johnson – 2 yards. Wow.

- Out of their three victories this season, the Broncos can be most proud of their 16-13 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. They beat a quality opponent (unlike their Week 1 win over the Raiders), they didn’t need a controversial call to go in their favor (unlike their Week 2 win over the Chargers) and for the first time all year, they didn’t surrender 30-plus points defensively.

- So…who’s the real J.T. O’Sullivan? The one that threw for over 300 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in a win over Seattle or the one that played Sunday and threw three picks against New England? (Although in O’Sullivan’s defense, he did throw three touchdowns in the Niners’ 30-21 loss to the Pats, too.)

- Did Laurence Maroney kick Bill Belichick’s cat one time at a team barbecue or something one time? For the life of me I can’t figure out why Sammy Morris continues to get more carries than Maroney.

- Gutsy, gutsy performance by Big Ben on Sunday night. The Jags couldn’t get any pressure on him early on, but when they started to get to him in second half, he hung in tough and delivered a huge win the Steelers. Just when you think Pittsburgh is going to crash with so many injuries in the backfield and along the offensive line, they step up and play a complete game like they did in Week 5. The final score wasn’t a good indicator of how much the Steelers actually dominated the Jaguars.

I’ve included the player’s Antsports ADP in parenthesis (for the month of August) along with their drafted and current rankings within their position.

1. Randy Moss (1.08)
Drafted: WR1
Currently: WR43
There’s no doubt that the loss of Tom Brady for the season has had a significant impact on Moss’ performance and prospects. He was a stud, but now there are owners who are (justifiably) starting to bench him for better options. He is averaging three catches for 24 yards and zero TD in the two games that Matt Cassel has started. The upcoming schedule (SF, SD, DEN and STL) looks pretty good from a matchup standpoint, and it seems like the bye week would be a good opportunity for Bill Belichick and Co. to figure out a way to use their most dynamic weapon. Unless you have a clearly better option, Moss is still worth starting.
VERDICT: START

2. Braylon Edwards (2.05)
Drafted: WR4
Currently: WR57
Edwards has looked out of it from the start, dropping a few balls against the Cowboys in Week 1. Through four games, he’s averaging 2.8 catches for 24 yards and 0.3 TD. He did catch a TD in Week 4 and his schedule gets a little easier over the next two weeks with the Giants and the Redskins, two teams that have allowed plenty of fantasy points to wideouts this season. Like Moss, unless you have a clearly better option, Edwards is still worth the start, though he’s on bye this week.
VERDICT: START

3. Ryan Grant (2.07)
Drafted: RB12
Currently: RB55
It’s no secret that Grant has been absolutely brutal in the first quarter of the season. He is averaging 14.3 touches for 46 yards per game and has yet to score a TD. His ypc (3.4) looks a lot worse (2.2) when we remove a pretty good Week 1 performance against the Vikings. Earlier, he was fighting a bad hammy, but that’s not an issue any longer. If he’s not able to get it going in the next three weeks against three suspect rush defenses (ATL, SEA and IND), then he certainly needs to be benched after the bye when he faces Tennessee, Minnesota and Chicago. Grant is still startable, but proceed with caution.
VERDICT: START

4. Willis McGahee (2.08)
Drafted: RB13
Currently: RB52
McGahee is coming off knee surgery and now he has a rib injury. In two games, he has touched the ball an average of 16.0 times for 68 yards and 0.5 TD. The preseason hype machine had Ray Rice cutting into his carries, but it looks like Le’Ron McClain (17.3 touches for 90 yards and 1.0 TD) is a much bigger threat to McGahee’s workload. It’s clear that if he can play, the Ravens will use him. But until his ribs are healed, expect the team to reduce his workload as much as they can. I’d bench McGahee this week, but if he’s ready to go next week against the Colts, go ahead and start him.
VERDICT: BENCH THIS WEEK, START WHEN HEALTHY

5. Andre Johnson (2.09)
Drafted: WR6
Currently: WR48
After a stellar 10-catch, 112-yard effort in Week 1 against the Steelers, it looked like AJ was off to a strong start. But in the two weeks since, he has converted 17 targets into only five catches for 67 yards. The bad news is that the Texans face a very tough Indianapolis pass defense this week. The good news is that they face the Lions, Dolphins and Bengals the following three weeks. I’d bench him this week if I had a viable option (i.e. DeSean Jackson, Eddie Royal, Calvin Johnson), and if he shows signs of life, start him against the Lions and see how he does.
VERDICT: BENCH

6. Chad Johnson (3.04)
Drafted: WR9
Currently: WR54
“Ocho Cinco” has failed to catch more than four passes or gain more than 40 yards in any game this season. Some of this has to do with the poor play of Carson Palmer, but Johnson himself seems off as well. His shoulder is probably bothering him, so he’s not as willing to battle for the ball as he used to be. With a 2.8-catch, 29-yard, 0.3-TD average over the last four games and Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, there’s no reason to start him if there is a better option to be had.
VERDICT: BENCH

7. Torry Holt (3.06)
Drafted: WR11
Currently: WR31
Holt was only targeted twice in Week 1, which resulted in a dismal 1-catch, 9-yard performance. Since then he has been only mildly disappointing, posting 4.7 catches for 59 yards and 0.3 TD over the last three games. I’m cautiously optimistic about Holt’s prospects. First, Scott Linehan was recently fired and replaced with Jim Haslett, who has already said that the team needs to utilize their star wideout more. Linehan and Holt reportedly hated each other, so it would seem to help Torry’s psyche as well. The team is on bye this week, so they have two weeks to try to right the ship before a pretty favorable passing matchup against the Redskins in Week 6. Lastly, the Rams don’t have a bad passing matchup for the rest of the season and looks like they will be playing from behind most of the time. As you can see, there are reasons to like Torry Holt for the remainder of 2008. He should be started unless there is a clearly better option on your bench, and if you don’t have him on your roster, he’s a great guy to try to acquire in a “buy low” scenario.
VERDICT: START

8. Laurence Maroney (3.09)
Drafted: RB16
Currently: RB86
Is there a player with more pure ability that is a bigger fantasy disappointment than Laurence Maroney? When he’s not injured, he’s giving up carries to Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan. If my options allowed it, I’d bench Maroney for the next two weeks (SF, SD) and if the Patriots suddenly look committed to feeding him the ball, he’d be worth starting against Denver, St. Louis and Indianapolis.
VERDICT: BENCH

9. Roy Williams (4.05)
Drafted: WR16
Currently: WR59
Through three games, Williams is averaging 2.7 catches for 38 yards and 0.3 TD and has said that he feels like an afterthought in the Lions’ offense. It’s true that he’s seeing just 6.0 targets as compared to Calvin Johnson’s 10.7, but the team is saying that they need to open up the offense, which means Williams might see an extra target or three when the team faces a Bears defense with a banged up secondary in Week 5. I’d start him this week barring a better option, but if he doesn’t show some life soon, it may be time to bench him.
VERDICT: START

10. Carson Palmer (4.07)
Drafted: QB5
Currently: QB30
Palmer is dealing with an elbow injury and doesn’t want to talk about the results of the MRI. If the results were negative, he’d say so. Obviously, there’s a problem. Even if/when Palmer returns to the lineup, I wouldn’t start him until he proves that his issues are behind him. Don’t cut him just yet, but if you can get a brave owner in your league to give you a starter-quality player for him and you don’t need the QB depth, it might not be a bad idea. I wouldn’t be surprised if Palmer doesn’t return this season.
VERDICT: BENCH

11. Marvin Harrison (5.03)
Drafted: WR20
Currently: WR51
I don’t think it’s time to panic on Harrison. He had a bad game against Minnesota (1-16) sandwiched by two good games against Chicago (8-76) and Jacksonville (4-40-1). He’s also past his bye week, which is the main reason he’s ranked so low. He has a pretty nice matchup this week against Houston followed by a bad matchup against Baltimore. Then he has a solid matchup against the Packers followed by a bad matchup against the Titans. With Reggie Wayne on the other side and one of the best QBs in the game throwing to him, I think Harrison is a guy that you can start depending on the matchup.
VERDICT: START

12. Selvin Young (5.10)
Drafted: RB27
Currently: RB41
I was high on Young heading into the season, only to get burned (yet again) by Mike Shanahan (a.k.a. “Skeletor”). It’s not that Young hasn’t played well – he has. His 6.2 ypc is by far the best on the team. The problem is that he’s only getting 41% of the team’s carries. Michael Pittman is vulturing goal line carries and catches, while Andre Hall is basically rotating with Young between the 20’s. Complicating matters is Ryan Torain’s impending return in a few weeks. Young should definitely ride the pine, but he’s still a decent spot starter, so in most cases I wouldn’t cut him, unless there was a very good option out there on the waiver wire. LeRon McClain jumps to mind.
VERDICT: BENCH

13. Matt Hasselbeck (6.12)
Drafted: QB9
Currently: QB26
Through three games, Hass is averaging 184 yards passing, 0.7 TD and 1.0 INT. Considering four of his top five receivers are Billy McMullen, Michael Bumpus, Courtney Taylor and Logan Payne, I’d say he didn’t do all that bad. Deion Branch and Bobby Engram are due to return to the lineup in Week 5, and Koren Robinson is getting into game shape, so Hasselbeck will have a number of new weapons to throw to for (hopefully) the rest of the season. He doesn’t have a bad passing matchup for the next nine weeks and he has two great matchups in Weeks 15 (STL) and 16 (NYJ), so he’s a guy that you might want to buy low and start once he looks like he and his receivers are on the same page.
VERDICT: BENCH

14. Bernard Berrian (7.06)
Drafted: WR30
Currently: WR53
Berrian has improved with Gus Frerotte under center the last two games. His average (4-79) in Weeks 3 and 4 is much better than his average (1.5-19) with Tarvaris Jackson throwing him the ball. He has three great matchups over the next three weeks (NO, DET, CHI), so he’s a guy you can start with a reasonable amount of confidence. He has yet to catch a TD, but in PPR leagues, he’s WR2/WR3 caliber.
VERDICT: START

15. Chester Taylor (7.09)
Drafted: RB33
Currently: RB57
Heading into the season, Taylor was viewed as a backup RB with huge upside (if Adrian Peterson went down) that got enough regular action that he’d be a decent spot starter in most fantasy leagues. Well, Peterson hasn’t gone down and Taylor’s touches are down. If you have the roster space, it would be wise to hold onto him, as he has about as much potential of any backup RB in the league. Non-AP owners who have Taylor on their roster are just waiting for Peterson to get hurt. They shouldn’t hope for it, however. That’s just bad karma.
VERDICT: BENCH

16. Jeremy Shockey (7.10)
Drafted: TE7
Currently: TE12
I managed to pick up Shockey last week in a 12-team league where my team had a gaping hole at TE, so there must be a few owners out there wondering what to do with him. It’s pretty simple: stash him away. Before his injury, he was hugely involved in the Saints’ offense to the tune of 6.7 targets per game (4th best in the league). He turned those targets into an average of 5.3 catches for 50 yards in the first three games. He has yet to score a TD, but that should come fairly quickly after his return (which is scheduled for Week 6). The good news is that his “sports hernia” was pretty minor. The bad news is that he is injury prone.
VERDICT: BENCH

17. Marc Bulger (8.03)
Drafted: QB11
Currently: QB28
Clearly, Marc Bulger is not off to a good start. He averaged 173 yards, 0.7 TD and 0.7 INT in the first three games before being benched for Trent Green. But out goes Scott Linehan and in comes Jim Haslett who immediately gave Bulger his job back. After their bye, the Rams have a very favorable schedule with no really tough pass defenses the rest of the way. If all goes well, Bulger could be a decent starter in Weeks 9 (ARI) and 10 (NYJ). He faces the Cardinals again in Week 14, which is the first game of the playoffs for many fantasy leagues. If you’re struggling at QB and Bulger is out there on the waiver wire, you could do worse as your QB2 or QB3.
VERDICT: BENCH

18. Joey Galloway (8.04)
Drafted: WR32
Currently: WR85
Galloway is out with a foot injury (and isn’t practicing), and I’m sure many fantasy owners are wondering if they should cut him. It’s definitely getting to that point. The question is – what are your options? I’d rather have a guy like Justin Gage, Lance Moore or Muhsin Muhammad, who are actually on the field and producing. I’d also rather roll the dice on Bobby Engram or Deion Branch than sit and wait for Galloway to get healthy. He’s 36 years old, so the odds are just a little bit longer that he’ll be able to get back to 100% this season.
VERDICT: CUT

19. Todd Heap (8.09)
Drafted: TE8
Currently: TE50
It is mind-boggling that rookie QB Joe Flacco has only targeted Todd Heap an average of 3.7 times through three games. Isn’t Heap arguably the team’s best receiver? (No offense, Derrick Mason.) Aren’t rookie QBs known for loving their tight ends? I can only assume something very strange is going on here, like maybe Heap slept with Flacco’s girlfriend and the two have some sort of ongoing feud a la Roger Dorn and Ricky Vaughn in “Major League.” Regardless, Heap is worth stashing if you have the space, but if you need help elsewhere, it might be time to cut ties.
VERDICT: CUT

20. Vernon Davis (8.12)
Drafted: TE9
Currently: TE31
VD has burned me for the last time. (Man, that didn’t sound good.) It seemed like Mike Martz’s arrival would be a good thing for Davis. Finally, he’d be playing in a wide-open offense that would take advantage of his immense physical ability. Alas, he is averaging 1.3 catches for 17 yards and zero TD. In his last game, he screamed at the 49er bench for more targets and was reprimanded by Mike Nolan. This can go one of two ways – either the outburst will prompt a change in the 49ers’ offensive game plan or Davis will continue to be ignored. I’d hold onto him for another week and then cut him for someone that’s producing.
VERDICT: CUT