QUARTERBACKS

Chad Pennington, David Carr, Jon Kitna and Charlie Frye are probably not available in most 12-team leagues, but all four have continued to play well and should serve as decent spot starters…Alex Smith had a very tough game against an improved Chiefs defense and actually has a difficult schedule the next several weeks…Rex Grossman looks great, maybe the best of this group, but I wonder how his numbers will hold up later in the season when the wind really starts to blow at Soldier Field…Mark Brunell really lit it up this week, which was his second consecutive good game. It looks like the Redskins are catching on to Al Saunders’ offense sooner rather than later. Brunell has three nice matchups before Washington’s bye in Week 8…J.P. Losman has been decent over the first quarter of the season and is a capable option if you are desperate for QB help…Matt Leinart is probably sitting on someone’s roster already, but he’s been named the starter next week, so it will be interesting to see what he can do with a ton of great weapons and a horrible offensive line…Damon Huard can be used as a spot starter for the next couple of weeks while Trent Green continues to recover. If Green is hanging out on the WW, it’s a good time to snatch him up.

RUNNING BACKS

I mentioned Maurice Jones-Drew in this column last week, and more and more it looks like he may be the future RB in Jacksonville. He’s short, but he has tree trunks for legs and pretty good quickness…Maurice Morris will probably find the going easier against a defense not named the Bears. It looks like Shaun Alexander is going to be out for a little longer than expected, so if Morris is still on the WW, he’s a smart pickup…Cedric Houston looked like the best RB on the Jets roster this Sunday, but he left the game with a hyperextended knee and the team has yet to update his condition. If he’s out, Leon Washington would take over the #2 role and could beat out Kevan Barlow later in the season…After Gary Kubiak said that he wanted to split the carries equally between Ron Dayne and Sam Gado, Dayne carried the ball 22 times for just 58 yards against Miami, while Gado only garnered six carries for nine yards. Only the desperate should dive into this situation…Brian Westbrook missed the Monday night game and Correll Buckhalter took his spot in the starting lineup, rushing for 49 yards on 11 carries. Unfortunately, he fumbled twice near the goal line and lost carries to Ryan Moats later in the game. It’s not clear anymore who Westbrook’s handcuff should be…Vernand Morency got the start in place of an injured Ahman Green and rushed for 99 yards on 26 carries, while catching six passes for 19 yards. He doesn’t run with good balance or patience, but he hit the hole hard and earned some tough yards. If Green’s injuries continue, Morency will be a hot commodity in performance leagues.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Marques Colston, Jerricho Cotchery, Reggie Williams and Bernard Berrian shouldn’t be on your WW, but if they are, they are all solid adds, in that order…I mentioned Mike Furrey last week, and his two touchdowns against the Rams will certainly help his stock. It appears that he is a solid second receiving option alongside Roy Williams in Mike Martz’ offense…Doug Gabriel was also listed in last week’s column and Tom Brady looked his way nine times against the Bengals. Gabriel finished with four catches for 57 yards and a score…Joe Jurevicius returned to action this week and caught three passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. He should find plenty of room to roam playing alongside Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow.

TIGHT ENDS

Desmond Clark returned this week after missing a game due to injury. He’s a nice third option after Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian…Chris Cooley is probably still on some patient owner’s roster, but if he’s on the WW, he’s a great pickup. He caught four passes for 77 yards and will benefit from the improvement in the Redskin offense…Ben Troupe might have been cut after a dismal start, but he caught a touchdown pass this week. Maybe Vince Young will look his way more than Kerry Collins did, but so far, Bo Scaife still leads the Titans TEs in production.