One, you are in your league’s championship round and looking for some advice as you try to make the most important lineup decisions of the season. We congratulate you, and we’re here for you. Skip ahead and start soaking in the analysis as you go for your league’s equivalent of The Shiva.

Two, you are in your league’s semifinal round, which means that you play your championship in Week 17. We’re still happy to help you make lineup decisions, but just know that we vehemently disagree with how your league is setup and blame you personally for going along with it.

Or three, you are devastated after a bad beat in Week 15 and engaging in the masochistic act of still reading fantasy football analysis even though you have nothing left to play for. This is pathetic and you should should be ashamed of yourself. Get over it man (or woman). Still though, we feel your pain. We’ve been there. So we welcome your wandering eyes as well.

I suppose you could also be in some kind of keeper league that uses the consolation bracket to help determine next year’s draft order (something we do highly encourage as a great idea) or a league in which money is doled out for third place (a less great idea). Either way, we group you with the first set of folks who still need advice even in Week 16.

Okay, onto this week’s Start/Sit picks…for anyone and everyone who may have stumbled upon this post today.

Fantasy Football Week 16 Start em, Sit em QBs

Start Em QB – Matt Moore

Matt Moor-ino has been very solid the past seven games for which he’s been healthy, putting up at least 13 points in six of them. He’s not at all a high-profile name, but if you don’t have a top 12 QB, or Tim Tebow, I would look at giving Moore the nod in Week 16.

His best WR, Brandon Marshall, has been a TD-machine as of late, and they will also be playing the porous New England passing defense.

If you don’t have another option, look at Moore. You might even be able to pick him up off of the waiver wire.

Matt Moore fantasy football Week 16 projection: 285 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 30 yards rushing

Other Start Em QBs:

• Tim Tebow – On the road in Buffalo…depending on weather…he may RUSH for 100 yards…and throw in a few TDs as well.
• Mike Vick and Tony Romo – Let’s just say, I don’t think there will be a lot of great defense in this game on Saturday.

Sit Em – Ryan Fitzpatrick

Hopefully, you got off of the Fitzpatrick bandwagon in week six…but he is still the #12 ranked fantasy QB and presents a LITTLE value from week to week based on matchups.

Not this week.

The Denver defense is incredibly over-rated (They are ranked 22nd overall, Tebow-haters. That’s a fact. Don’t try to argue against it.), but they have been much better against mediocre offenses. Fitzpatrick should have plenty of trouble against Denver’s speedy linebackers. Most of Buffalo’s offense has come on the ground lately, anyways…don’t expect that to change in week 16.

Ryan Fitzpatrick fantasy football Week 16 projection: 225 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Other Sit Em QBs:

• Andy Dalton – This is not your “beginning-of-the-year-Cardinals-secondary” (stats forthcoming).
• Carson Palmer – We should all just sit him out of principle at this point, don’t you think?

Fantasy Football Week 16 Start em, Sit em QBs

Start Em RB – CJ Spiller

Spiller has had GREAT days two of the last three weeks, including his monstrous 28-point performance last week. If the weather is bad in Buffalo this weekend, look for Spiller to have another breakout.

On wet/slippery/cold fields, the offense ALWAYS has the advantage – especially shifty playmakers like CJ Spiller.

CJ Spiller fantasy football Week 16 projection: 75 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 50 yards receiving, 1 TD

Other Start Em RBs:

• Kendall Hunter – Look for Hunter (who has looked absolutely AWESOME at times) to carry a little larger load down the stretch run of the season as Jim Harbaugh tries to keep Frank Gore fresh for the post-season.
• DeAngelo Williams – Favorable matchup against Tampa Bay, and plus, doesn’t he seem to KILL everybody in the fantasy playoffs like every single year?

Sit Em RB – Marshawn Lynch

Man. What a tough one. I absolutely LOVE Beast Mode. He’s been an absolute fantasy stud the past several weeks. This brings us to the age-old quandary, “Do you play the stud, or do you sit him because of the matchup?”

98% of the time, I would say you should always play the stud. But this year’s San Francisco run defense is FAR from ordinary. Through 14 weeks games, they have not allowed one single rushing touchdown all year!

It’s possible you have NO other options at RB and are forced to start Lynch, but if you have 2 or 3 other guys you like, don’t hesitate to sit Lynch against one of the best run defenses ever – that’s not hyperbole.

Marshawn Lynch fantasy football Week 16 projection: 60 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 12 receiving yards, 0 TDs

Other Sit Em RBs:

• Mike Tolbert – I think Mathews gets most of the touches this week.
• Ryan Grant – The Bears’ defense is great, and they will keep Grant blocked in all day.

Fantasy Football Week 16 Start em, Sit em WRs

Start Em WR – Plaxico Burress

A complete hunch…but I think this is one of those weeks where he has like 4 catches for 28 yards…and TWO touchdowns.

He’s been pretty quiet lately, and the Giants will definitely be focusing on stopping the Jets’ running game. I think the Jets will counter by trying to give Sanchez some easier throws…and as bad as he is at times, Sanchez can throw that fade on the sideline very well. Look for Plax to get several looks in the red zone this week.

Plaxico Burress fantasy football Week 16 projection: 4 receptions, 28 yards, 2 TDs

Other Start Em WRs:

• DeSean Jackson, Laurent Robinson, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant – Yes, I’m predicting at least 10 points for ALL of these WRs this week.
• DeMariyus Thomas – He’s actually the #1 WR in fantasy over the last three weeks. Tebow loves him, and he should have another good day in Buffalo this week.
• Victor Cruz – Read below.

Sit Em WR – Hakeem Nicks

Darrelle Revis is an awesome CB…but he’s slightly less awesome when he has to move inside and cover the slot WR. I expect Revis to stay outside and try to shut down the Giants’ deep threat this week. Victor Cruz will be the primary beneficiary as Eli will have to check down to him constantly.

Nicks MIGHT get free on one or two deep balls, but if he doesn’t (or if he drops them when perfectly thrown, like he did last week), he will be a fantasy disappointment in Week 16.

Hakeem Nicks fantasy football Week 16 projection: 4 receptions, 45 yards, 0 TDs

Other Sit Em WRs:

• Brandon Lloyd – Against Pittsburgh AND he’s banged up AND the Rams have QB issues.
• Reggie Wayne – I’m finally turning on him…he’s just nothing without Peyton Manning. It’s a good thing it took me sixteen weeks…

Fantasy Football Week 16 Start em, Sit em TEs

Start Em Tight End – Greg Olsen

Cam LOVES his tight ends in the red zone, and look for Olsen to be the recipient this week.

Greg Olsen fantasy football Week 16 projection: 3 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD

Sit Em Tight End – Owen Daniels

The big fella is banged up, and I expect Houston to pull him as soon as they can tonight against the Colts. If they get up big, look for all of Houston’s studs to sit.

Owen Daniels fantasy football Week 16 projection: 2 receptions, 25 yards, 0 TDs

Fantasy Football Week 16 Start em, Sit em D/STs

Start Em Defense – ARIZONA CARDINALS

This is my game-changing pick of the week.

Did you know that the Cardinals defense has been improving all year, and that in the last seven weeks, they have only allowed EIGHT touchdowns.

I’ll let you guess where that ranks, league-wide.

Anyway, they will be playing a good Cincinnati team, but a team whose offense is definitely not “lights out” by any means.

If you don’t have one of the top three defenses, go ahead and swoop up the Arizona defense…to the surprise of everyone. And then dominate them this week to win your league.

Sit Em Defense – Detroit

All flash, no substance…especially against a rejuvenated San Diego offense. I would stay away from BOTH defenses in this game.

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Best of luck in Week 16 everyone! We’ll be here all week answering questions in the comment section, and we will have our weekly live chat on Saturday this week. We’ll see you then!

This Sunday, ESPN’s Outside the Lines did a piece on another long-time fantasy sports franchise that ran into trouble in 2011 and ultimately shut down.

I found the 8 ½ minute piece fascinating, and in my mind it beats OTL’s breaking lead story from last week. (I’m fine with Major League Baseball’s drug-testing program – but the first I want to hear about a violation is from MLB itself, not from a media outlet digging out a story and breaking the code of confidentiality.)

But back to this week’s OTL piece, which focused on the high-stakes operation that was known as the World Championship of Fantasy Football.

“Fantasy Flop” at World Championship of Fantasy Football

Those who have played fantasy sports in the past and purchase the preseason magazines annually have no doubt heard of them. They’re the ones in which the overall winner gets the oversized check from Suzy Kolber at the Super Bowl.  Obviously, very few fantasy football magazines went to print this year due to the lockout, so I personally did not know what was going on with WCOFF or any other fantasy sports business – but until recently WCOFF was guilty of nothing more than having a WFL-like logo, which perhaps should had been a clue of impending doom right there.

The story begins with the plight of a Wyoming man named Tony Windis, who won the $300,000 grand prize for the 2010 football season following the same blueprint of many others who won fantasy football titles last year: drafting Adrian Peterson and then picking up Michael Vick off the waiver wire. Windis says he received $150,000 of his winnings, and is still awaiting the remaining amount.

The piece then focuses on several others who had invested in WCOFF over the years, including self-described ‘professional gambler’ Chad Schroeder, who invested $50,000 annually, won WCOFF’s 2010 baseball contest, and was owed over $250,000 of his winnings. Also featured was Ian Ritchie, who had played in the contest since 2003, and Scott Atkins, who now runs the Fantasy Players Association.

It is noted in the segment that the landscape of the company changed in 2007 when WCOFF’s original owners sold out to Gridiron Fantasy Sports, an arm of a company known as 360 Sports Marketing.

Ashby had huge corporate plans for his acquired franchise. WCOFF’s Draft in Las Vegas spared little expense, involving 100 women hired as cocktail waitresses clad in referee’s outfits, and also flying in two former NBA players as celebrity contestants. Ashby also started a weekly TV show which aired on Versus and had visions of televised fantasy football drafts becoming the new poker, with his contestants becoming television celebrities – while taunting the contests involving ‘the best of the best’.

By 2009, WCOFF was no longer timely in processing  payoffs, and this September it closed up shop. It is said that the operation had gotten to the point that they were waiting for the income from baseball sign-ups in the spring before paying off football winners. WCOFF then took out a loan this year (claiming they were working on sponsors), but it was still not able to pay all of the winners.

ESPN quoted Dustin Ashby (right) as saying ‘the economy got us’ and ‘we made some bad bets’ (figuratively, literally, or both??), adding that the company had lost $4 million.

The segment closes with news of a lawsuit being applied for by the ‘winners’, with a frustrated Tony Windis saying on camera ‘I just want what I want. I don’t want to hurt anybody, I don’t want any extra, I just want to get paid’. Ashby also was hit by a lawsuit a couple weeks back by the Missouri Attorney General.

There is another angle to the Dustin Ashby story. He was also a golf coach at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. While in that capacity he utilized one of his volunteer assistants, and three of his student-athletes, with the WCOFF operation on a contract basis.

Not surprisingly, something known as the NCAA did not take a very good view of this. The UMSL golf program has now been placed on two years probation for ‘major violations regarding sports wagering and unethical conduct’ and for Ashby not disclosing the involvement of his staff and student-athletes. The NCAA, which has long prohibited sports wagering by student-athletes/coaches, officially expanded the rules to include fantasy sports in 2007.

Dustin Ashby is also seen often on television on various golf programs, and St. Louis sportswriter Jeff Gordon was a featured contributor to the WCOFF website, as he had been for CDM Inc. (also based in St. Louis area) in the past.

At one point it was thought that Gridiron raked in upwards to $3 million per year, while awarding $1.6 to $1.8 million in prize money. This may have been based on WCOFF acquiring the maximum 1,200 contestants for its football contest. It can be imagined that attracting less than the 1,200 number ($1,750 buy-in) cut into the revenue stream, as well as the added administrative expenses with the Las Vegas event in recent years.

Who knows how the mismanagement (making other investments that may have tanked, etc.) got Gridiron into deep red ink, but the damage to the fantasy sports industry as a whole is far-reaching. There are many other businesses in fantasy sports that have been well-run in the years, but then again WCOFF had a clean rep until very recently, and this is not the first company to encounter ‘accounting issues’ and not make payouts in a timely manner. The result is more potential customers who may ultimately decide to sit on the sidelines, or join close-knit leagues at home with co-workers/family or other people that they know on a face-to-face business.

And the fantasy sports industry worked had to keep the hobby alive, successfully winning in court in the early-2000’s proving that fantasy sports differ from other ‘investments’ known as gambling – and again just a few years ago as professional sports leagues attempted to copyright the use of players names and player statistics. It would not take much for another bill to come forward in the future and for those decisions to eventually be reversed in some fashion.

It is frustrating enough to lose in fantasy sports based on events that happen in the field of play. It’s quite another to win but not get paid. This is something that might end up boding very bad for the fantasy sports industry.

But he’s thinking about you.

It’s especially important to take taxes into consideration when you’re playing for cash through a legitimate fantasy sports provider. In fact, if you win more than $600 and are playing through an established company, you’ve probably already been asked for your Social Security number and will probably receive a 1099 form that states your winnings. Which means they’ve already told the feds about your windfall.

Technically, though, these rules apply even if they’re from an informal betting pool at work. Not that anyone ever has an informal betting pool at work.

Anyhow, check out this infographic from our friends at TurboTax and make sure you don’t run afoul of the law. Of course, if you have to pay taxes, that means you won. And that’s something, isn’t it?

Via TurboTax.com

Let’s take a look at the crucial injuries for this week’s games.

AFC South

The Houston Texans can’t seem to keep a quarterback around. First, starting quarterback Matt Schaub suffers injuries that put him out for the season. Then Matt Leinart, suffered a broken collar bone and will undergo surgery and sit out the rest of the season. T.J. Yates will start in his place.

AFC East

Miami Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter is expected to play on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. Carpenter suffered a groin injury two weeks ago at practice.

Running back Shonn Greene, New York Jets, has carried a heavy load this year. After suffering from bruised ribs at the Denver game, Greene continues to deal with discomfort. The Jets take on the Washington Redskins this Sunday. Greene owners be aware of his ailments.

AFC West

While the Oakland Raiders have not completely ruled him out, running back Darren McFadden is not expected to play in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. McFadden has been dealing with a foot injury.

NFC North

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was able to shed his glove he’d been wearing to protect his fractured index finger. He played with the injured finger on Thanksgiving against the Green Bay Packers, so I would expect to see him on the field on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Running back Kevin Smith attempted to practice on Wednesday but struggled because of his recent ankle sprain.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Michael Jenkins was put on IR on Tuesday because of an unspecified knee injury.

NFC South

Josh Freeman, quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, missed part of practice on Wednesday. Freeman suffered a shoulder injury last week and is still recovering. After being banged up all season, this could be the hit that puts him on the sidelines for a week.

NFC East

Wide receiver Miles Austin of the Dallas Cowboys was still absent from practice on Wednesday. However, he’s feeling better as he slowly makes a recovery with the injury hamstring. Austin seemed optimistic about returning to the field for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw expects to play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Bradshaw has been out for the past four games due to a stress fracture in his foot.

The Philadelphia Eagles have a few injuries to deal with this week. Quarterback Michael Vick will sit out his third game due to broken ribs. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin will also sit out on Thursday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks because of hamstring and shoulder injuries. LeSean McCoy, running back, is listed as questionable because of a sprained toe.

NFC West

It looks as though the Arizona Cardinals quarterback has finally kicked the turf toe after missing four weeks of action. Kevin Kolb is expected to play on Sunday’s match against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Seattle Seahawks placed wide receiver Sidney Rice on IR this week after suffering from multiple concussions.

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That’s it for our fantasy football injury update! Good luck this week.

And yet again, the fine folks at FanDuel are inviting MSF readers over for a freeroll contest where you pay zero to enter but can win real cash prizes. I just entered. If you think you can beat my team, you should too.

Click here to sign up and get your team: Friends Of FanDuel Freeroll

Here is my squad:

As you can see, I’m taking chances on guys like Kendall Hunter and Vincent Brown, who were explosive in Week 10 but who we don’t know if we can trust yet. (Personally I think Hunter gets more carries than Gore this week since San Fran has zero incentive to play Gore unless he’s 100% healthy).

Whenever I do games like this I always end up trying to balance my roster out, so I take good but not great players at most positions. This time I decided to say screw that philosophy. I clicked on Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson first and second – the two most expensive players this week – both of whom I think have great matchups for explosive weeks. Then I looked for value with high upside at the rest of the positions, which I think I found.

My question to you is: what will your team look like? Go sign up and then leave your roster down in the comments. And then let’s see who finishes the best out of the all the MSFers who play this week.

And did I mention that if you finish in the top 6 you get money? Real money. 1st place gets a cool $75. Not too shabby…when it’s free to enter!

So go sign up: Friends Of FanDuel Freeroll

Week 9 is yet another opportunity to steer you in the right direction when it comes to how players stack up with one another based on their talent, performance thus far this season, and Week 9 matchup. Rankings are provided below at QB, RB, WR, TE, and Defense/Special Teams.

Fantasy Football Week 9 Player Rankings: Quarterback

1. Aaron Rodgers

2. Tom Brady

3. Michael Vick

4. Drew Brees

5. Eli Manning

6. Matt Schaub

7. Matt Ryan

8. Tony Romo

9. Matt Cassel

10. Tim Tebow (That’s right. I have faith!)

11. Philip Rivers

12. Ben Roethlisberger

13. Josh Freeman

14. Carson Palmer

15. Jay Cutler

16. Mark Sanchez

17. Andy Dalton

18. Sam Bradford

19. Matt Hasselbeck

20. Ryan Fitzpatrick

21. Alex Smith

22. Joe Flacco

23. Tarvaris Jackson

24. Colt McCoy

25. Curtis Painter

** If Kevin Kolb plays, I would put him at 14 and move Palmer and everyone down.

Fantasy Football Week 9 Player Rankings: Running Back

1. Matt Forte

2. Arian Foster

3. Fred Jackson

4. Michael Turner

5. Steven Jackson

6. Beanie Wells

7. LeSean McCoy

8. Frank Gore

9. Ray Rice

10. Shonn Greene

11. Michael Bush

12. Darren Sproles

13. LeGarrette Blount

14. Cedric Benson

15. Jackie Battle

16. Mike Tolbert

17. Ahmad Bradshaw

18. DeMarco Murray

19. BenJarvus Green-Ellis

20. Pierre Thomas

21. Willis McGahee

22. Rashard Mendenhall

23. Chris Johnson

24. Daniel Thomas

25. James Starks

26. Reggie Bush

27. Brandon Jacobs

28. Marshawn Lynch

29. Delone Carter

30. Javon Ringer

Fantasy Football Week 9 Player Rankings: Wide Receiver

1. Dwayne Bowe

2. Wes Welker

3. Roddy White

4. Greg Jennings

5. Mike Wallace

6. Miles Austin

7. Jeremy Maclin

8. A.J. Green

9. Brandon Lloyd

10. Andre Johnson

11. Dez Bryant

12. Marques Colston

13. DeSean Jackson

14. Larry Fitzgerald

15. Vincent Jackson

16. Brandon Marshall

17. Mario Manningham

18. Anquan Boldin

19. Santonio Holmes

20. Darrius Heyward-Bey

21. Michael Crabtree

22. Julio Jones

23. Sidney Rice

24. Pierre Garcon

25. Deion Branch

26. Victor Cruz

27. Antonio Brown

28. Eric Decker

29. Jordy Nelson

30. Nate Washington

Fantasy Football Week 9 Player Rankings: Tight End

1. Jimmy Graham

2. Jason Witten

3. Antonio Gates

4. Owen Daniels

5. Fred Davis

6. Aaron Hernandez

7. Rob Gronkowski

8. Jermichael Finley

9. Tony Gonzalez

10. Vernon Davis

11. Brent Celek

12. Dustin Keller

13. Kellen Winslow

14. Dallas Clark

15. Heath Miller

16. Jared Cook

17. Jake Ballard

18. Jermaine Gresham

19. Benjamin Watson

20. Scott Chandler

21. Ed Dickson

22. Kevin Boss

23. Lance Kendricks

24. Daniel Fells

25. Zach Miller

Fantasy Football Week 9 Player Rankings: Defense/Special Teams

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. Houston Texans

3. Baltimore Ravens

4. Cincinnati Bengals

5. Dallas Cowboys

6. Pittsburhg Steelers

7. Philadelphia Eagles

8. New York Jets

9. Oakland Raiders

10. Atlanta Falcons

11. Kansas City Chiefs

12. Green Bay Packers

13. New Orleans Saints

14. Tennessee Titans

15. Buffalo Bills

16. Washington Redskins

17. Denver Broncos

18. Chicago Bears

19. New York Giants

20. San Diego Chargers

21. St. Louis Rams

22. Seattle Seahawks

23. Cleveland Browns

24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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In closing, the weekly chat went great last Sunday morning with Jerod stopping in and taking over at the end. Jerod will be running that alone this week — bookmark this link, which will be updated Sunday morning. Visit us on Sunday morning and have all of your last minute questions answered.

Make sure you check out all of our fantasy football articles here at Midwest Sports Fans. Here is the Week 9 Start/Sit column and Andy’s ever-popular Waiver Wire Pickups piece. And if you want a quick NFL-related chuckle, click here (and here).

They are the stars of our latest photo story: “Bust Buddies”.

Note for my dad and others: if you are not up on your Internet memes, here is the definition of fffffuuuuuuu.

Update: If you enjoyed this photo story, you’ll probably enjoy the one posted next. It’s called “Sucks for Luck” and tackles the incessant Andrew Luck hype and the increasing probability of a very tough decision looming in Indianapolis.

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Rivers, coming off of three straight outstanding fantasy seasons (at least 4,000 yards and 28 TDs in each one), is mired in a slump of epic proportions that was appropriately punctuated on Monday night when he let a road win over Kansas City literally slip right through his fingers.

Johnson’s awful play has perhaps been even more egregious considering his contentious holdout before the season started. He eventually got his money, but the Titans haven’t gotten anything close to what they paid for. The Panthers undoubtedly feel the same regarding their own recently paid and underperforming running back, DeAngelo Williams. (Meanwhile, Matt Forte continues to be ground into a pulp at the bargain price of $555K.)

As you can see, this entire situation was so easy to lampoon that it only took me 13 frames.

All joking aside, I know many of you fantasy owners have questions about what you should do with Rivers, Johnson, and DAW. I’ll try to get a post up tonight or tomorrow with a few extended thoughts on the matter, including what to expect from these 2011 turds moving forward, but in a nutshell you just have to hang tight. You can’t play them, but you can’t drop them, but you probably can’t trade them either. You just have to wait it out and hope they start to put up something close to their track record.

I know. It sucks. Such is life in fantasy football. There are always highly drafted, highly paid players who tank. This season it’s these guys. Bastards!

Here are some last minute tips on some players who could disappoint this week, as well as some others who are set up for success to help your fantasy team in Week 8.

Fantasy Football Week 8: Stars Who Could Disappoint

Michael Vick

Vick and the Eagles are looking to turn their season around against Dallas on Sunday Night Football. The Eagles are coming off of a win against Washington in which Vick only had one touchdown along with an interception.

Interceptions are something that are a sure thing for Vick each week, as he has thrown at least one in his last five games, which includes four against Buffalo in Week 5. Vick will certainly throw at least one against Dallas, if not more.

The Eagles are going to have to try and establish the run game with LeSean McCoy, so don’t look for Vick to put up any impressive numbers.

Frank Gore

This is going out on a limb, but I do not believe Gore will continue at his current pace today against the Browns. He has rushed for at least 125 yards in his last three games, but in the previous three his high was 59 yards.

The Browns defense is one of the top ranked in the league, along with the other three teams in the AFC North, and have only allowed two players to rush for 100 yards on them this year. (Cedric Benson and Chris Johnson were the two, but Johnson barely made the mark with 101 yards).

Gore should be able to reach close to 100 yards, but his projection as the top running back on ESPN.com may be too high this week.

Wes Welker

Welker and the Patriots are going up against Pittsburgh, who has the second-ranked pass defense in the NFL with just under 172 pass yards per game. Before the bye week last week, Welker had a mediocre game against Dallas in which he only had 6 catches for 45 yards.

This week, the Steelers secondary will keep a close eye on Welker, and he will likely see several defenders in his area. He should still get some receptions, but don’t look for a 100 yard, multi-touchdown game.

Fantasy Football Week 8: Under-the-Radar Players to Consider

Matt Hasselbeck

The Titans are coming off of an embarrassing 41-7 loss against Houston. Hasselbeck only threw for 104 yards, and Jake Locker even saw some playing time at the end of the game.

Things will be different this week for the Titans, as they go up against the Colts. The Colts are becoming the joke of the NFL without Peyton Manning, especially after their 62-7 loss last Sunday night. Hasselbeck and Chris Johnson will both have big games, as any player going up against the Colts is a safe bet.

Ryan Torain

Torain and the Redskins are going up against the terrible Buffalo defense, who have the 30th ranked rush defense in the NFL. The offense continues to bail out the defense, but that does not matter in fantasy football.

Torain is the main running back in Washington, now that Tim Hightower is out for the year with a torn ACL. Going up against the Bills, Torain should be able to have at least 100 yards, considering the fact that John Beck struggled to connect on any big passes last week against Carolina.

Michael Jenkins

Jenkins had his best game of the season last week, with 117 yards and a touchdown against Green Bay. Now that Christian Ponder is the starter in Minnesota, things are looking better for Jenkins. Even with only three receptions, Jenkins had more receiving yards last game than he had in any other game all year.

The Vikings are going up against the Panthers today, who are average in terms of passing defense. Jenkins will be targeted by Ponder all game, and should catch at least one touchdown.

When I was in 5^th grade, my friends and I would play cards and wager cassette tapes.  I was destined to love betting after winning Metallica’s Black Album, Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction and Def Leppard’s Adrenalize (hey, they can’t all be winners) during recess at a mere 10 years old.

As an adult, my gambling has manifested itself in ways familiar to lots of men – trips to Vegas as frequently as I can muster, sports betting (where legal, of course), and most commonly, fantasy sports.

People love fantasy sports because they allow players the chance to have a rooting interest in every single game and because we humans are competitive creatures. Since my fantasy football teams have been a mixed bag this season, my curiosity was piqued when Jerod posted a link about Daily Joust, a fantasy sports service that allows users to play solo, head-to-head, and group fantasy games in a variety of sports.

Currently, those sports are NFL football, college football and NHL hockey.  You simply create a fantasy team under the designated salary cap (each player is assigned a dollar value by Daily Joust) and the entry with the most points wins.  It is 100% legal (except for a few states – it is classified as a “game of skill” and not gambling in most states) and sounded like a cool idea.

I created an account, but didn’t deposit any money at first.  You see, they host free contests that can be entered weekly, and if you win (or place highly, depending on the format of the game), you earn “Bonus Bucks” that can be used to play in games on the site.

I sucked miserably during the first week’s freeroll, a Big Ten-specific college football draw.  But in my second attempt, the following week’s NFL freeroll, I placed 1^st out of 513 entries.  I won $50 in Bonus Bucks and then placed in the top ten in a hockey freeroll a couple days later, netting me $15 more in what basically amounts to store credit for the site.

Armed with my $65 (of which I had to come out of pocket $0), I started messing around with challenges and other contests.  I found out quickly that THIS IS FUN.  I was entering hockey contests, ignorant of half of the players but suddenly caring about who landed a spot on the fourth line of forwards for the Calgary Flames and why Roberto Luongo has been sort of awful this season.

Then, something cool happened (as if everything to this point wasn’t cool already).  I won some contests with my Bonus Bucks, and I was able to cash out that money, straight into my PayPal account.  So, I deposited no money at all, and then I received money in my bank account.  That’s pretty much an ideal scenario, right?

I wanted to write this post to let people know that there is a really fun alternative to gambling and fantasy sports, and it is incredibly easy to play.  I have since deposited some real cash (I cashed out all of my winnings and eventually ran out of Bonus Bucks in the process) and I am still having a blast playing games nightly.  If the NBA ever comes back I might suffer a heart attack from the overload of daily fantasy goodness.

If your fantasy football team is in the tank, if you prefer college sports but have never been able to join a fantasy league for them, if you like the opportunity to make some cash without really offering any up in the first place or if you simply enjoy sports more with a little bit of personal competition involved, Daily Joust is for you.  I wouldn’t go to all this trouble of writing this piece and endorsing it if it were a lousy service.  If you make an account, send me a challenge (username keithmullett)!  I’ll accept it as long as I have available funds.

Good luck, and Happy Jousting!

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Follow me on Twitter @keithmullett

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[Editor's note: it should be noted that this site does have an affiliate relationship with Daily Joust, which is the reason why you started seeing their banners pop up a few weeks back. We get a certain small percentage of all new depositing accounts as a kind of "finder's fee". However, while that was the impetus to post the banners, I can attest to the fact that Keith wrote this post because he has seriously become obsessed with Daily Joust, and you can trust that we only endorse products or sites that we've fully vetted and feel comfortable sending you to. As you can tell from Keith's post, Daily Joust definitely qualifies.]

* – Okay, so I didn’t see 253 yards coming; no one did. But considering the amount of good RBs on bye, the matchup, Felix Jones’ injury, and the Cowboys’ lack of trust in Tashard Choice, the writing was on the wall for Murray to put forth a startable performance. Boy did he ever.

Murray was only started in 42% of Yahoo leagues yesterday, and he is owned in only 58% of leagues. The latter figure will preclude Murray from being mentioned in Andy Bottoms’ weekly Waiver Wire Pickups column (due to be posted later this afternoon), which is why I wanted to take a few minutes to write about Murray this morning, who will undoubtedly be in high demand on waiver wires where he remains over the next 48 hours, and with good reason.

But here is a side of the Murray fury that is sure to be overlooked: if you already have Murray, or if you are awarded him on waivers come Wednesday morning, you may be best served by selling high on him immediately. It’s possible his value it at its absolute highest right now.

The Positives

There are many reasons to be excited about DeMarco Murray and why you should absolutely use a #1 waiver priority on him:

• 253 f’ing yards.
• He plays for an explosive offense, meaning opposing defenses can’t stack the box to stop him.
• The #1 running back in Dallas is the oft-injured Felix Jones.
• Murray’ competition for carries when Jones is out is the untrusted Choice and and some other no-name rookie who gobbled up some garbage yards against the Rams.
• The Cowboys’ bye has already passed, so no weeks off from here on out

It should go without saying that if he’s on waivers, no matter your waiver position, you go after him. And if you’re in an FAAB league, don’t be shy about bidding a pretty penny for his services. Every year there are unsung backs who emerge from the woodwork midseason or later and carry teams to the playoffs. Murray could well be that guy this year.

Reasons To Sell High

But Murray also is a guy you should consider selling high, especially if you have depth at running back and can find a team that is desperate for RB help.

For example, let’s say that you have Adrian Peterson  and Fred Jackson, a reasonable RB combo for a team to have, and you also have Darren Sproles, Jackie Battle, and Mike Tolbert on your bench. You have tremendous RB depth, to the point that Murray is far from an automatic start for you even with Felix Jones injured. If you can find a team that needs a second (or even a first) running back, and they have a QB or wide receiver who would immediately improve your starting lineup, be bold and offer Murray to them.

The fantasy football community’s general opinion on a player can change from week to week. We all know that. Murray is the current flavor of the week, and nothing gets fantasy football owners excited like a young running back coming on midseason who is available to acquire. We are also at the crunch time point in the season where people with teams on the brink are willing to make bold moves to fortify their lineups for the stretch run. But it’s important to act quickly if you want to get maximum return on Murray, because there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical that he can be a top 20 running back from this point until the end of the season.

Among the reasons for skepticism:

• The Rams are the worst defense against the run in the NFL. The worst. Ryan Torain gashed them for 100+ years several weeks ago and hasn’t done a damn thing since. Granted, 253 yards is impressive against anyone, but it’s not like he did it against the Ravens. Let’s have some perspective.
• The Cowboys’ offensive line cannot be trusted to run block against good competition, as the team’s rushing yards per game average before Week 7 proved. Not only are they are starting a lot of young guys who haven’t played a full season together, they are dealing with injuries to those guys.
• The Cowboys’ red zone offense leaves a lot to be desired. Sure, red zone proficiency doesn’t mean much when you can take one to the house from 91 yards away, but big plays like that are hard to predict and typically few and far between. Running backs who produce fantasy points consistently usually a) get carries inside the red zone and b) convert them with relative efficiency. Murray and the Cowboys’ offense have not proven they can do either this year.
• Though injury-prove, Felix Jones is not out for the season. He was supposedly out 2-4 weeks as of mid last week, meaning Murry should have one or a couple games as the Cowboys’ feature back before Jones returns to steal touches.

As you can see, there is good reason to have a balanced opinion on the future of DeMarco Murray. A 253-yard performance against any defense is not to be taken lightly, and Murray has proven that he has significant potential to help fantasy owners for the rest of the season; but there are also numerous objective reasons to have healthy skepticism about his ability to top, maintain, or even come close to what he did in Week 7 from here on out.

The final verdict is this:

• First, get DeMarco Murray off waivers if you can. He’s worth up to a #1 waiver wire priority and/or a large chunk of your remaining FAAB budget.
• Second, target teams in your league that are a) still in contention and b) in need of a running back who would immediately enter their starting lineup.
• Third, shoot for the moon. The idea here is to sell high, not just sell. Treat Murray like a top 10-15 running back in your own mind and ask for a player in return of commensurate value. The goal is to find another owner who agrees with that inflated (at least in my opinion) value and nets you a more proven stud at another position of need.
• Fourth, don’t be upset if you can’t get a king’s ransom in return for Murray…and only trade him if you can. If you can’t, just be happy that you’ve go another source of running back depth with the potential to be a second half stud.

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* – DeMarco Murray image credit: Layne Murdoch/Getty Images via ESPN.com

AFC North

For those of you who have been eagerly awaiting the return of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, you shall wait no more. Perfect timing too, as the Steelers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday.

Baltimore Ravens Lee Evans, wide receiver, did not practice on Thursday after being limited at practice on Wednesday. He’s missed the past two games with an ankle injury. With this probable setback, I wouldn’t expect him to play against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

AFC South

Matt Schaub, quarterback for the Houston Texans, was limited at practice on Thursday but claims he will play on Sunday against the Ravens.

The Indianapolis Colts were hit hard with loss of Peyton Manning and, not too long after, Kerry Collins. No worries, Curtis Painter has been named starting quarterback for the rest of the season. However, it looks like running back Joseph Addai will not play on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. He sat out of practice again on Thursday after suffering a strained hamstring.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Donald Jones is out for at least four weeks after suffering an ankle sprain in last Sunday’s game.

Rookie Daniel Thomas, running back for the Miami Dolphins, returned to practice on Tuesday after missing week 4 and having a bye on week 5. I’d still be cautious about throwing Thomas in your lineup though. Check before games start on Sunday.

New England running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis sat out of Thursday’s practice with a toe injury. Green-Ellis was limited at practice on Wednesday, so it’s hard to say if he’ll be up for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

NFC North

Greg Jennings, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, was limited at practice on Thursday. Jennings is expected to play on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.

NFC South

The Atlanta Falcons have some decisions to make before Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. Without wide reciever Julio Jones, who suffered a hamstring injury last week, the Falcons are looking to wide receiver Roddy White and tight end Tony Gonzalez to step up to the plate. However, both White and Gonzalez have been dealing with injuries of their own.

Running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, LeGarrette Blount, will not play in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. It sounds like the Bucs will put in Earnest Graham to help fill Blount’s void.

NFC East

Miles Austin, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, practiced in full on Wednesday. He is expected to play on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

The New York Giants running back, Brandon Jacobs, is dealing with a knee sprain and sat out of both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practice. He is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

NFC West

The San Fransisco 49ers lost wide receiver Josh Morgan last Sunday to a fractured leg. Morgan will be out the rest of the season.

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Click to see the complete NFL Week 6 injury report.

Make sure to check back to MSF periodically, as we’ll post late-breaking injury updates here and on Twitter (@FantasyMSF). Happy Week 6!

I’ll kick things off, then Zach will take over, and there might even be an appearance from Drew. There will not be a call-in show today, so pose your questions below.

In case you missed them, here are this week’s articles for your fantasy football Week 5 edification:

• Week 5 Start / Sit
• Week 5 Injury Updates
• Week 5 Waiver Wire Advice
• Week 5 Rankings
• Week 5 Stock Report

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Andre Johnson is gone.  Ben Roethlisberger is banged up.  Miles Austin is on the mend.  Marques Colston is back, but when will he get on track?

With the bye weeks now here, the time has come when fantasy leagues are truly won and lost.  If you drafted well, and got a little lucky, you should be near the top of the standings.  But nobody can ever completely escape the injury bug.  Managing your lineup properly when byes and injuries attack is what separates the good owners from the great ones.

So let’s look at the Week Five games and decide who to start and who to sit this week.

As always, let’s briefly recap last week’s picks just to see how we did.

Once again, “Start Em” guys are QBs/TEs outside of the Top 12 and RBs/WRs outside of the Top 25. “Sit Em Guys” include QBs/TEs that are in the Top 12 and RBs/WRs that are in the Top 25.

Week Four Recap

Overall – 29 for 47 (62%)

Best Player Predictions: 2 for 4

• Hits: Megatron and Rob Gronkowski
• Misses: Matt Stafford and Adrian Peterson

Start Em Predictions: 2 for 4

• Hits: BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Greg Olsen
• Misses: Ben Roethlisberger and Plaxico Burress (Thanks a lot…Sanchez…)

Other Guys I Liked Predictions: 12 for 16

• Hits: Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Matt Hasselbeck, Fred Jackson, Michael Turner, Brandon Jacobs, AJ Green, Wes Welker, Roddy White, Jimmy Graham, Jermaine Gresham, and Tony Gonzalez
• Misses: Jay Cutler, Jahvid Best, Reggie Wayne, and Jermichael Finley.

Worst Player Predictions: 0 for 4

• Misses: Kyle Orton, Texans’ Running Backs (HUGE MISS…sorry guys), Sidney Rice, and Owen Daniels

Sit Em Predictions: 1 for 4

• Hits: Joe Flacco
• Misses: Ray Rice (Never will I ever doubt him again), Dwayne Bowe, and Vernon Davis

Other Guys I Didn’t Like Predictions: 12 for 15

• Hits: Matt Cassel, Blaine Gabbert, Matt Schaub, Chad Henne, Daniel Thomas, James Starks, Cowboys’ Running Backs, Chad Ochocinco, Jeremy Maclin, Anquan Boldin, Heath Miller, and Kellen Winslow
• Misses: Denver Running Backs, Steve Smith 1.0, and Benjamin Watson

And now onto the Week 5 start em, sit em picks.

Fantasy Football Week 5 Start Em, Sit Em Projections

One brief change this week:

As you know, Jerod did the Start/Sit column the last two years before handing the keys to me this year. He still edits the column before it’s posted though, and helps out in the comment section answering questions throughout the week. And while we agree on the majority of these picks, there are some spots where we differ, and we think it will add value to the column to have him chime in with alternate viewpoints when he has them.

So at the end of each position section, you’ll see a blockquote with Jerod’s quick-hit thoughts on the picks, especially any he strongly disagrees with. As always when it comes to our fantasy advice, MSF is an ego-free zone where helping readers put the best possible lineup together is the goal. This is just one more way we can work together to do that.

Remember that the following teams are on bye in Week 5:

• Cleveland
• Dallas
• St. Louis
• Miami
• Washington
• Baltimore

Fantasy Football Week 5 Start Em, Sit em Picks: Quarterbacks 

Projected Best Performer – Michael Vick

Vick started to look like the Vick of last season on Sunday, and his team still got the loss.  Buffalo’s secondary leaves a lot to be desired, as they have been torched by several teams already this season.  Look for Vick to try and put the Eagles on his shoulders as they travel to Buffalo trying to save their season.  The Eagles may not win, but Vick should have a MONSTER day.

Michael Vick Fantasy Football Week 5 Projection – 380 passing yards, 3 TDs and 1INT; 85 rushing yards, 1 TD

Start Em – Philip Rivers

I almost feel like this is cheating, but Rivers is only ranked 14th among fantasy quarterbacks.  Look for him to start moving up the charts this week in Denver.

Philip Rivers Fantasy Football Week 5 Projection – 350 yards, 3 TDs

Other Guys I Like:

• Eli Manning – At home against Seattle.
• Drew Brees – On the road in Carolina.
• Curtis Painter – Played well in his debut, and will be doing his best against the Chiefs to make sure the Colts don’t finish with the worst record in the league.
• Mark Sanchez – The Pats’ defense is beyond banged up right now…and they weren’t all that good to begin with – especially against the pass.

Projected Worst Performer – Cam Newton

No, this is not one of those “He can’t really be this good!  He’s going to fail eventually!” picks… I have actually been very impressed by the youngster so far this year.  Unfortunately, the Saints’ defense will be unlike anything he has played so far.  The Packers were definitely a better defense, but they played very vanilla against him.  He has never faced a defense that will attack him like New Orleans will this Sunday.  I think Newton will go on to have a very good season, but not this week against New Orleans.

Cam Newton Fantasy Football Week 5 Projected Stats – 180 passing yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs; 45 rushing yards, 2 fumbles

Sit Em – Tom Brady

Just hear me out.  Obviously, if you have Tom Brady, you probably don’t have a reliable backup.  That’s ok.  He could still get you 15 to 18 fantasy points this week.  However, if you are in a small league, and you were able to pick up someone like Matt Stafford as a backup, you should look very seriously at benching Brady this week, and it has everything to do with the Patriots’ Week 5 opponent and Brady’s checkered history against them.

The Jets have one of the best passing defenses in the league, and Darrelle Revis will be able to shut down Wes Welker better than anyone else in the league.  That leaves Brady with only Rob Gronkowski as a legitimate weapon all day, and the Jets will be licking their chops to rush Brady if New England only has five guys protecting him.

Plus, consider Brady’s last five starts against the Jets:

• 2010 Playoffs: 299 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
• 2010 Week 2: 248 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
• 2010 Week 13: 326 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT
• 2009 Week 11: 310 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
• 2009 Week 2: 216 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT

Based on the averages, Brady will still throw for 250 yards, and may even have a few TDs…and of course he has the potential to throw a 4 TD gem against anyone…but the Jets have also proven that more often than not they at least pull Brady back to the pack; thus, there could definitely be much better options than him for your lineup this week.

Tom Brady Fantasy Football Week 5 Projected Stats – 250 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT

Other Guys I Don’t Like

• Ben Roethlisberger – The Steelers are just bad, and he’s banged up.
• Donovan McNabb – I’m just trying to pad my stats for next week…
• Matt Ryan – They might lose by 50 points to Green Bay.
• Jay Cutler – Detroit’s defensive line will make him dance by the second quarter.

Jerod’s thoughts:

Everything here sounds reasonable, including Jon’s thoughts on Brady (who I’d still start though, personally), but I disagree on Matt Ryan. He and the Falcons offense are much better at home and in domes, and the Green Bay defense is giving up a lot through the air. I say start Ryan. He’s a top 10 QB this week.

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Fantasy Football Week 5 Start Em, Sit em Picks: Running Backs

Projected Best Performer – Maurice Jones-Drew

Jacksonville is just awful, and they will ride Mo-Joe until he falls over in the second quarter during week 8.  I feel bad for the guy, having his prime ruined on lousy teams.  Fortunately, his fantasy owners will make good – especially this week against Cincinnati.

Maurice Jones-Drew Fantasy Football Week 5 Projection – 180 yards, 1 TD; 80 yards receiving

Start Em – Joseph Addai

He’s quietly had a pretty decent year, despite all of the upheaval in Indy.  The Colts’ offense should move a little more fluidly with Curtis Painter as well.  To top that off, Indy will be playing Kansas City in a game that the Colts foolishly think they need to win.  Colts’ fans will watch in horror as Indy ruins their chances at Andrew Luck.

Joseph Addai Fantasy Football Week 5 Projection – 135 yards, 1 TD; 45 yards receiving, 1 TD

Other Guys I Like

• Darren Sproles – He’s just so fast…and Carolina’s LBs are hurt.
• LeGarrette Blount – San Francisco is actually sneaky decent…Tampa Bay will be forced to grind it out more than normal.
• LaDainian Tomlinson – He might have 150 yards receiving against the Pats.
• Mike Tolbert – Playing Denver…enough said.

Projected Worst Performer – Rashard Mendenhall

He’s awful, and Tennessee is good.

Rashard Mendenhall Fantasy Football Week 5 Projected Stats – 10 yards rushing

Sit Em – Michael Turner

Remember the last time Green Bay played Atlanta, on that fast turf, indoors, and jumped out to a huge lead, and rendered Michael Turner unusable against a defensive line that was already amazing at stuffing the run?  Oh.  Me neither…

Michael Turner Fantasy Football Week 5 Projected Stats – 25 yards rushing; 15 yards receiving

Other Guys I Don’t Like

• Shonn Greene – Not a great matchup against NE.
• BJGE – Pats won’t have a good day on offense.
• James Starks – The Packers don’t run the ball…and they don’t need to.
• Matt Forte – Detroit’s defensive line will make him cry by the second quarter.

Jerod’s thoughts:

Joseph Addai has been surprisingly effective this season, and I like him as a flex option this week, perhaps even over Mendenhall (who I’m growing to hate), but I personally would not start him over Michael Turner. I know the Packers held him down in the playoffs last year, but in Week 12 of 2010 he had over 100 yards and a TD against Green Bay in the Georgia Dome, and Green Bay’s defense is not nearly as good this year. Hell, let me just say it: I like everyone in the Packers-Falcons game, and with Turner averaging 4.6 yards per carry this year, I can’t recommend sitting him.

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Fantasy Football Week 5 Start Em, Sit em Picks: Wide Receivers

Projected Best Performer – Megatron

I will continue to pick him every week until he becomes human.

Calvin Johnson Fantasy Football Week 5 Projection – 8 catches for 120 yards and 3 TDs.

Start Em – Deion Branch

If the Jets do what I think they will do, I think Branch will have a breakout game of sorts.  Look for Gronkowski and Welker to be neutralized, and Branch to have a pretty decent game.

Deion Branch Fantasy Football Week 5 Projection – 7 catches for 90 yards and 1 TD.

Other Guys I Like

• Reggie Wayne – Got a lot of targets last week with Painter, and should have a favorable matchup against anyone on KC.
• Hakeem Nicks – Huge game for him.
• AJ Green – He’s unbelievable…I keep telling you.
• Devery Henderson – Despite registering zero catches last week, Carolina won’t be able to stay in front of him and Henderson will bounce back.

Projected Worst Performer – David Nelson

Nnamdi Asomugha finally justifies the money that was spent on him this summer.

David Nelson Fantasy Football Week 5 Projected Stats – 4 catches for 30 yards.

Sit Em – Pierre Garcon

Don’t chase TDs!  He only had two catches on Monday Night, and although they ended up being two giant home runs, he only caught the ball one-fourth of the time it was thrown to him.  Believe me, this is hard for me to say, because Pierre is my favorite player.  I may or may not have spent more than 100 bucks on a Super Bowl jersey with his name and number that ended up being a curse against the Saints.  Either way, don’t be fooled by his “big game” against Tampa.  He’s hit or miss…and this week is a miss.

Pierre Garcon Fantasy Football Week 5 Projected Stats – 0 catches

Other Guys I Don’t Like

• Wes Welker – Bad game by his standards.
• Victor Cruz – Stop drinking the Cruz kool-aid…right now…at least for one more week.
• Steve Smith 1.0 – Tough game for Newton and the Panthers.
• Jacoby Jones – Don’t be fooled…he won’t have a break out game, no matter who is hurt on his team.

Jerod’s Thoughts:

So long as people make sure to still start Wes Welker – because you can’t sit him right now – I’m fine with him being in Jon’s dislike section. I also agree on Garcon. Don’t overreact to one big week and a couple of fluky touchdowns. As for Nelson, the question is who will Nnamdi cover? The Eagles play a lot of zone, which has been part of their secondary’s downfall since they have a lot of good cover corners. And I agree on Branch. I thought he’d bounce back last week, but I think it comes this week with one of Brady’s favorite all-time targets getting the 3rd or 4th best cover option on the Jets.

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Fantasy Football Week 5 Start Em, Sit em Picks: Tight Ends

Projected Best Performer – Jermaine Gresham

He’s really good and the Jaguars are really bad.

Jermaine Gresham Fantasy Football Week 5 Projection: 7 catches for 120 yards and 1 TD.

Start Em – Brandon Pettigrew

I watched, first hand, two weeks ago as the Chicago Bears proved they couldn’t guard tight ends and Jermichael Finley went off.  Look for Pettigrew to have a big day in a huge Monday Night Football game that the city of Detroit deserves.

Brandon Pettigrew Fantasy Football Week 5 Projected Stats – 5 catches for 130 yards and 1 TD

Other Guys I Like

• Greg Olsen – Cam Newton’s security blanket all game against the blitzing Saints.
• Dallas Clark – Let’s just hook everybody up the the Curtis Painter rejuvenation machine!
• Owen Daniels – He’s the guy that will get more looks with Andre Johnson being out.
• Scott Chandler – I know I always say not to chase TDs…but I think he grabs one or two this week.

Projected Worst Performer – Heath Miller

When Tight Ends lose it…they LOSE it…and Heath Miller has lost it.

Heath Miller Fantasy Football Week 5 Projected Stats – 1 catch for 8 yard

Sit Em – Vernon Davis

Tampa Bay did a great job of locking down Dallas Clark, and they should have similar success against the 49ers.

Vernon Davis Fantasy Football Week 5 Projected Stats – 4 catches for 40 yards

Other Guys I Don’t Like

• I originally picked Jimmy Graham, but as I thought about it, I started to have second thoughts.  Then, I read Jerod’s thoughts below, and completely agreed.  There really aren’t any of the big name tight ends that I dislike this week…so I am sticking to Davis and these other two guys.
• Jeff King – Rough day for Arizona
• Jeremy Shockey – One get enough looks against New Orleans.

Jerod’s thoughts:

First off, you can’t sit Jimmy Graham. Sorry Jon, but I disagree here strongly. He hasn’t caught fewer than four passes this year and he’s had over 100 yards the last two weeks. He’s also scored three times. The reality is that Graham, not Colston, not Meachem, not Moore, not Henderson, is Drew Brees’ #1 target right now. Also, I’d think long and hard before sitting Vernon Davis. Alex Smith gained a lot of confidence last week, and Davis remains the best receiving threat on the team. If you’re going to sit him, make sure it’s for someone the caliber of Gronkowski, Pettigrew, or Graham. Remember: talent usually wins out over time, and few tight ends are as talented as Vernon Davis.

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As always, feel free to ask your questions in the comment section and I will do my best to respond.  Or, you can send them to me on twitter anytime: @The_Dr_Twitch.

As hilarious as it is that Brady is such an automatic fantasy start that Yahoo! gave us updates on his wife’s driving record and the effectiveness of the Massachusetts State Highway Patrol, I found this update on 49ers’ tight end Delanie Walker even funnier.

Now you may wonder why I was even looking at Delanie Walker’s fantasy page in the first place.  The answer is that I have an incredibly inept tight end corp (like Brent Celek and Jeremy Schockey inept).  I know that sounds pathetic, but hey, I spent all of my auction money on running backs.  And I’m 3-0 on the season, so lay off, ok?

Fantasy insecurities aside, when I saw the little red starburst next to Walker’s name I clicked it thinking I might be the first to get some crucial piece of news that could propel me to a MSF Fantasy League Championship.  Perhaps starting tight end and pass catching monster Vernon Davis injured himself bench pressing a dump truck.  Perhaps quarterback Alex Smith lost a card game to Walker on the team plane and has to pay up by targeting him 30 times Sunday against the Eagles.

Once I read the actual news item, I was momentarily angry.  The anger quickly gave way to laughter, which then gave way to amazement.

There are a lot of funny things going on here; Walker has goats for pets, one of those goats ate his plants, he has stacks of Nike shoes stacked on his back porch, the goat also ate those shoes, and lastly, Yahoo! declared this info pressing enough to stick a red star by it on their fantasy player page.

Keep up the good work, Yahoo!  It makes the depressing act of combing the waiver wire for backup tight ends a little less demoralizing.

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Follow me on Twitter @keithmullett

www.commercialgradeblog.com

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Image credit: urbanneighbourhood.com

Let’s take a look at the fantasy football-relevant injuries going into week 3, including Peyton Hillis, Tony Romo, and Beanie Wells.

AFC North

Wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, Lee Evans, was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams, despite his confidence in his ankle to handle the game.

Cincinnati Bengals AJ Green, wide receiver, is listed as probable for Sunday’s game. His toe injury isn’t keeping him off the depth chart for the Bengals where he’s first in the lineup.

Peyton Hillis, running back for the Cleveland Browns, is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins due to illness. However, the Browns still have Hillis listed first in the lineup, but I’d check back Sunday morning to make sure he’s still there.

AFC South

Houston Texans will make a game time decision on whether or not to play running back Arian Foster for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. Foster is not listed on the depth chart. I’d keep him off, folks.

Dallas Clark, tight end for the Indianapolis Colts did not practice on Friday and is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Clark is dealing with a foot injury.

Receiver for the Tennessee Titans, Kenny Britt cut practice short on Wednesday when his hamstring tightened up but was back practicing Friday.

AFC East

Steve Johnson, wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, was out earlier this week suffering from a groin issue. However, he’s first on the Bills depth chart for their game against the Patriots.

New England tight end, Aaron Hernandez, is out of Sunday’s game against the Bills because of a knee injury. I am a little disappointed in this one because he was one of my better fantasy players.

AFC West

It looks like Denver Broncos’ Brandon Lloyd will be back in the lineup for Sunday’s game. Both Lloyd and running back Knowshon Moreno are first in their respective positions on the Broncos depth chart.

Jacoby Ford, wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders is out for the week 3 game against the Jets due to a hamstring injury. It’s unclear when he will return.

Both Mike Tolbert and Antonio Gates have struggled with injuries for the San Diego Chargers. I’d check back Sunday morning. No one seems sure of their status.

NFC North

Jermichael Finley, tight end for the Green Bay Packers, is listed as probable for Sunday’s game against division rival the Chicago Bears. However, Finley is not listed on the line up. Check back tomorrow morning.

The Detroit Lions are dealing with injuries to Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew but have put them as first in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

NFC South

Both Roddy White, wide reciever, and Matt Ryan, quarterback, for the Atlanta Falcons were suffering from knee injuries but both are listed as probable for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.

No worries, Panther fans, Cam Newton has been practicing in full since Wednesday and is listed as probable for tomorrow’s game against Jacksonville.

While Bucaneer tight end, Kellen Winslow, practiced Thursday and Friday, his knee is still listed as questionable, but he is still listed as first in the lineup.

NFC East

The Dallas Cowboys have a plethora of injuries they are dealing with. Tony Romo states that his lung has healed. Now they are waiting on his ribs. No one has mentioned whether or not he will play on Monday. Wide receiver, Dez Bryant, did not participate in Friday’s practice and Felix Jones was limited at practice.

New York Giant, Mario Manningham, did not practice on Friday and is doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Eagles.

Speaking of Eagles, quarterback Michael Vick looks as though he will be ready to play on Sunday. He was practicing on Friday and looks to be ready to go. I’d still check back Sunday morning.

NFC West

Chris Wells, running back for the Arizona Cardinals, is suffering from hamstring injury and is will be a game time decision. Arizona plays a later game on Sunday, so you need to make a decision before the team decides.

San Fransisco 49ers wide receiver, Michael Crabtree, is probable for Sunday’s game and is in the lineup.

Wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, Sidney Rice, will make his season debut against the Arizona Cardinals this week. Rice missed the first two games due to a shoulder injury.

Steven Jackson, running back for the St. Louis Rams, is going to be a game time decision.

There’s your injury update for week 3. Have a happy football Sunday!