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*Game is being played in Toronto

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*Game is being played in Toronto

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Studs

Arian Foster, RB, HOU – Despite missing a good portion of the first half of the game due to disciplinary reasons, he still tallied 187 all purpose yards and two scores.  Foster is like lightning in a bottle so far this season and until SOMEONE shows the ability to stop him, he will keep climbing in the rankings.

Terrell Owens, WR, CIN – If you started Owens you very likely were in some serious bye week trouble.  It was not unexpected that a Bengals receiver was going to have a big game against the Browns, but the smart money was on Chad Ochocinco.  If you did need to use Owens, congratulations on hitting your home run… but you can drop him now because Carson Palmer sucks.

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC – This is a shining example of why you keep starting your top draft picks despite any early season struggles.  The Jags are a bad team and MJD was not 100% healthy when the season started.  He had been held out of football activities for almost the entire off season and it takes time to get acclimated to the speed of the game again.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT – Well his value is about to drop, but not disappear.  Rashard has been as reliable as the Steelers could have hoped for in the absence of Big Ben.  Now that Ben is back they will be using the aerial attack much more.  I still like Mendenhall as a top 10 RB but once their bye week is over he won’t be coming near the top 5 for a while.

Zach Miller, TE, OAK – With Louis Murphy struggling with his shoulder pain the Raiders only consistent receiving threat was a non-factor. I was big on Zach Miller going into the year because of this lack of production from the Raiders receivers and it finally hit big.  This is obviously not what you can expect but Miller is a key part of their offense and he will stay a top 10 TE.

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – Hillis is now clearly the Browns RB you want to own.  I won’t bail on Jerome Harrison until I see Hillis get all the work again next week.  He is looking to be a good RB 2 if the Browns have a good match up and a flex play otherwise.

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND – Colts fans may need to be concerned after a surprising loss to the Jaguars on Sunday, but fantasy owners don’t need to share their concern.  Wayne hauled in 15 passes for 196 yards on Sunday. The one thing I did take from this game, is that if Garcon gets his #2 spot back Collie wont be able to maintain this value.

LaDanian Tomlinson, RB, NYJ - I was expecting a good game from LT this week with the soft match up, but I did not expect to see him look like he was 29 again.  I am encouraged by this performance and think LT just may remain a viable fantasy starter come the playoffs.  Shonn Greene owners should be concerned.

Duds

Santana Moss, WR, WAS - Moss had been the go-to guy so far this entire season, but the Eagles defense was able to shut him down.  I am not concerned because the strategy backfired on the Eagles and is not likely to be repeated.

Randy Moss, WR, NE – There have only been around 5 games in Moss’ career where he went without a catch and this was one of them. I have no concerns with Moss in the future you have to start him.

Jay Cutler, QB, CHI – The ridiculous pressure that he faced early in the game was not his fault.  Holding on to the ball and refusing to make a decision on who to throw to in the 2nd quarter was his fault.  For now I am treating this as a one game deal and next week (if active) he will still be ranked around 10th.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI - Kolb means bad news for DJax as he favors the safe check down style throws.  If you own this guy you will still probably have to start him because with a whole week to prepare knowing he is the #1 QB, Kolb will have the confidence to take a shot or two down the field.

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN - Tough crap, you drafted him. You are starting him.  It is frustrating I know, but he is still the best back in fantasy football.

Ronnie Brown, RB, MIA - Ronnie Brown looked bad last night on Monday night in a tough loss at home for the Dolphins.  Williams looked like the best back and the one that Sporano trusted the most.  I think that Williams might be the most likely to see carries in the red zone and might overtake Brown in the rankings.

Ray Rice, RB, BAL – See the first sentence of Chris Johnson.  He might be on pace to be this year’s Matt Forte… but you can’t say that quite yet.  He was playing against the Steelers.

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1. Randy Moss
2. Brandon Marshall
3. Andre Johnson
4. Roddy White
5. Reggie Wayne
6. DeSean Jackson
7. Greg Jennings
8. Calvin Johnson
9. Larry Fitzgerald
10. Chad Ochocinco
11. Marques Colston
12. Santana Moss
13. Austin Collie
14. Jeremy Maclin
15. Steve Smith (CAR)
16. Hakeem Nicks
17. Anquan Boldin
18. Donald Driver
19. Malcom Floyd
20. Steve Smith (NYG)
21. Wes Welker
22. Louis Murphy
23. Johnny Knox
24. Mike Wallace
25. Mark Clayton
26. Mike Sims-Walker
27. Terrell Owens
28. Michael Crabtree
29. Eddie Royal
30. Legedu Naanee
31. Hines Ward
32. Demaryius Thomas
33. Derrick Mason
34. Pierre Garcon
35. Jacoby Jones
36. Braylon Edwards
37. Kenny Britt
38. Lance Moore
39. Devin Hester
40. Mario Manningham
41. Lee Evans
42. Kevin Walter
43. Mike Thomas
44. Nate Washington
45. Jabar Gaffney
46. Davone Bess
47. Mike Williams (SEA)
48. Josh Cribbs
49. Robert Meachem
50. Josh Morgan

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Ravens at Steelers

The headliner this week will not be an exciting game for offense fans.  Among the best 2 defensive franchises of the past 10 years meet twice a year in divisional rivalry matches that are typically low scoring.  The only player I think has a good chance at having a big game for fantasy owners is Rashard Mendenhall.  He is currently 4th in the NFL in rushing and while the Ravens are historically fantastic against the run, last week they gave up 144 yards to Peyton Hillis.  There is not comparison between the two backs, but Ray Lewis and the Ravens will not allow another big game like that this week.  You should however be comfortable starting Mendenhall as normal.  Expect 80 yards and a 50% chance at a score.  Ray Rice appears to be on the right track to play Sunday, but given the pain of a deep muscle bruise and a Steelers defense that is playing better than anyone in the league, you can’t expect too much.  Given where you drafted Rice and his ability to break a big play in the passing game you will need to start him regardless.  Stay away from Jay Flacco and where possible, Anquan Boldin.  You will need some pretty great alternatives to leave Boldin on the bench however.

Patriots at Dolphins

This game will help clear up one team from the three way tie at 2-1 atop the AFC East.  The Jets have an easy path to 3-1 with a game against Buffalo, but the Monday night game between the Pats and the Phins should be pretty close.  I like the home team to squeak out a win due to how truly terrible the Patriots defense is and how effective the Dolphins are at controlling the clock at the end of the game.  It is still not known which Patriots RB will have the most value but the Law Firm of BenJarvus Green-Ellis is who you want to go with if you are in bye week trouble and reaching deep for someone.  Moss and Welker face an underrated secondary but Moss cannot be sat and Welker still made my top 20.  Neither of the running backs for the Dolphins have been too impressive but running is what the Dolphins do and the Patriots have not been able to stop anyone yet… just out score them.

Redskins at Eagles

Michael Vick’s recent success will finally be overshadowed by the return of Donovan McNabb to Philadelphia.  The Redskins did not play well at all in Week 3 when they lost to last year’s worst team… the Rams.  McNabb is not the issue for the Redskins and will certainly not roll over against his former team.  Santana Moss has and will remain a very valuable WR3 or flex play now that there is a serious play maker throwing to him.  Michael Vick finally has some quality defenses opposite him and his production will level off a bit.  I do expect him to be a top 10 QB as long as he starts simply because if he stops playing well he wont start anymore.  DeSean Jackson is quickly proving that his is still going to be able to be a dynamic weapon without McNabb and Maclin is developing very nicely as a possession receiver and red zone target.  If you own any of these Eagles you are likely going to ride out this wave, at least until it crashes.  Ryan Torain fulfilled the role of sleeper RB in Shanahan’s offense that always seems to crop up at this time whenever he is coaching in this league.  Portis will still be given a few chances to prove he can be effective in a feature role still, but it doesn’t look good and with Torain getting half the work last week I would rather own him than Portis.  You’re not starting either of them until the offense starts playing better again.

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1. Andre Johnson
2. Randy Moss
3. Brandon Marshall
4. Reggie Wayne
5. Roddy White
6. Calvin Johnson
7. DeSean Jackson
8. Larry Fitzgerald
9. Greg Jennings
10. Chad Ochocinco
11. Marques Colston
12. Santana Moss
13. Steve Smith (CAR)
14. Austin Collie
15. Hakeem Nicks
16. Anquan Boldin
17. Donald Driver
18. Jeremy Maclin
19. Steve Smith (NYG)
20. Malcom Floyd
21. Johnny Knox
22. Mikes Wallace
23. Mike Sims-Walker
24. Wes Welker
25. Louis Murphy
26. Eddie Royal
27. Terrell Owens
28. Michael Crabtree
29. Mark Clayton
30. Legedu Naanee
31. Derrick Mason
32. Pierre Garcon
33. Hines Ward
34. Demaryius Thomas
35. Jacoby Jones
36. Braylon Edwards
37. Kenny Britt
38. Kevin Walter
39. Lance Moore
40. Devin Hester
41. Mike Thomas
42. Nate Washington
43. Jabar Gaffney
44. Davone Bess
45. Josh Cribbs
46. Mario Manningham
47. Lee Evans
48. Mike Williams (SEA)
49. Robert Meachem
50. Josh Morgan

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Studs

Michael Vick, QB, PHI – Vick is proving to be a very serious threat for fantasy owners after another huge game on Sunday.  In Philadelphia, Vick has more weapons than he has ever had before in his career and appears to have matured as a pocket passer.  This makes Vick even more frustrating for opposing defenses because he still has the speed to extend plays and make runs that no one else in football can.  I think it is reasonable to expect Vick to be a top 10 fantasy QB unless things take a dramatic downward spiral.

Kyle Orton, QB, DEN – Going up against the high-powered Colts offense Orton and the Broncos were forced to try and keep up with their aerial attack.  Even though they lost I was really impressed with the Broncos’ ability to stretch the field as Orton totaled a career-best 476 yards.  He only got one TD though and the team was terrible at running without Knowshon Moreno in the lineup.  Orton will be an efficient QB throughout the season if you have a bye-week need or injury.

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – Hillis has done what almost no running back in football has been able to do in a few years, run for over 100 yards against the Ravens.  This is quite an astonishing feat to be honest, but Jerome Harrison is likely to see a lot of carries when he is healthy.  Hillis should be considered a flex play from here on out, but he is the RB I would rather own from Cleveland after that game.

Anquan Boldin, WR, BAL - I was big on a lot of the Ravens but with Ray Rice getting hurt and Boldin shredding the Browns secondary, there was not much room for anyone else on the Ravens offense to be productive.  Anquan pulled in 142 yards and THREE TDs in an a surprisingly close win for the Ravens.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT – I had him on my love list this week and even with passing TDs Mendenhall was still able to find the end zone himself as well as get up over 100 yards.

Austin Collie, WR, IND – With Anthony Gonzalez and Pierre Garcon gone and Champ Bailey shadowing Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie is a beast.  It is going to be very interesting to see how the depth chart ends up once Gonzalez and Garcon come back.  If Collie can win the number 2 job, he will be what I thought Garcon was going to be… a top 15 receiver.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – A lot of people doubted DJax’s ability to make big plays without Donovan McNabb at QB.  Initially I thought Vick at QB was going to be worse for Jackson than Kolb would have been, but with Vick’s new-found poise in the pocket Jackson should be able to make these big plays almost as consistently as last season.

Louis Murphy, WR, OAK – We have been waiting quite a while for one receiver in Oakland to step up and earn the top spot and it appears that it will be Murphy.  After back to back good games Murphy should be able to fill the role of WR3 or flex play.

Dustin Keller, TE, NYJ – Sanchez has no other options for mid range passing plays and it appears that Keller is more than up to the task.  Keller has been a real surprise for anyone brave enough to take a chance on him and with Santonio Holmes being a deep threat, I don’t see his return as much of threat to Keller’s number of targets.

Duds

Matt Forte, RB, CHI – The Bears are the real deal and I am not concerned about Forte down the stretch, but this week he was only able to get fantasy owners 3 points.

Marques Colston, WR, NO – Lance Moore stole the show in a shocking Saints home loss to the Falcons.  I still view Colston as the best WR2 in fantasy football despite only getting 4 catches for 25 yards.

Miles Austin, WR, DAL – The Cowboys offense finally looked like we thought they would and Austin has his first bad game of the season.  Roy Williams did not likely transform into a reliable receiver overnight so I cannot see him cutting into the work that Austin would normally get.  Houston consistently double teamed Austin and considering it was not an effective strategy I would not expect too many teams to focus on him that much.

Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ – I am still shocked that LT is the best RB in New York, but I do expect that to change as the end of the season approaches and LT wears down due to age.  Don’t start him unless you have to, but definitely don’t get rid of him.

Carson Palmer, QB, CIN – I know Ochocino is the more-often-started fantasy player, but his lack of production is the fault of Palmer and the reason I think Chad’s owners should try and trade him.

Steve Smith, WR, CAR – Matt Moore was at least able to use his best weapon effectively once per game, but Clausen will have brighter days ahead and I am not panicking on Smith yet.

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF – I don’t know what else to say, other than the 49ers suck.  I was confident they would win their division and it is bad enough that it is still a possibility.  I don’t agree with firing their Offensive Coordinator, but don’t drop Crabtree yet unless you can work him into a good trade.

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1. Andre Johnson
2. Miles Austin
3. Reggie Wayne
4. Roddy White
5. Randy Moss
6. DeSean Jackson
7. Larry Fitzgerald
8. Calvin Johnson
9. Anquan Boldin
10. Greg Jennings
11. Marques Colston
12. Steve Smith (CAR)
13. Chad Ochocinco
14. Brandon Marshall
15. Wes Welker
16. Steve Smith (NYG)
17. Jeremy Maclin
18. Donald Driver
19. Hakeem Nicks
20. Derrick Mason
21. Santana Moss
22. Dez Bryant
23. Michael Crabtree
24. Mike Sims-Walker
25. Pierre Garcon
26. Steve Breaston
27. Malcom Floyd
28. Mike Wallace
29. Dwayne Bowe
30. Percy Harvin
31. Hines Ward
32. Austin Collie
33. Johnny Knox
34. Eddie Royal
35. Legedu Naanee
36. Demaryius Thomas
37. Mark Clayton
38. Terrell Owens
39. Kevin Walter
40. Louis Murphy
41. TJ Houshmandzadeh
42. Jacoby Jones
43. Bernard Berrian
44. Mike Williams (TB)
45. Nate Washington
46. Mike Thomas
47. Lee Evans
48. Kenny Britt
49. Josh Morgan
50. James Jones

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