Week 3 Sit 'Em: Eli, Greene, Wallace

- ELI MANNING vs. Tennessee: The Giants' offense is predicated on establishing the run, but it hasn't really worked so far. Even though Eli's got 5 TD passes in two games, figure on New York sticking to the ground game against a Titans secondary that's allowed just one passing TD and one play over 20 yards.

- SHONN GREENE at Miami: It was good to see Shonn getting more involved (15 carries) and being more productive (52 yards) in Week 2 after Week 1's bomb. Unfortunately, he hasn't been good enough, and LaDainian Tomlinson is still lurking in the Jets backfield.

- MIKE WALLACE at Tampa Bay: It sure looks like any value Wallace will have in 2010 will have to wait until Ben Roethlisberger's return - he has just 4 catches through 2 Big Ben-less games. The Steelers spun the wheel and came up with Charlie Batch at QB this week, and the Bucs' defenders haven't been pushovers this year.

Last week's picks

- Vince Young's stat line against the Steelers: 7-for-10, 66 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs, one benching. Nailed it.

- Michael Crabtree's stat line against the Saints: One catch for 32 yards. Nailed it.

- Jahvid Best's stat line against the Eagles: 78 rushing yards, 154 receiving yards, 3 total TDs. Little off. I still stand by my prediction - the kid ran for 20 yards on 14 carries a week earlier in his debut! - but clearly I underestimated him.


The Associated Press

Week 2 Sit 'Em: Young, Crabtree, Best

QB VINCE YOUNG vs. Pittsburgh: VY gets no Heisman Trophy, and he gets no fantasy love here in Week 2. Yes the Titans QB looked good in Week 1, tossing 2 TDs, but he also attempted a mere 17 passes and finished with 154 yards. And Pittsburgh ain’t Oakland.

WR MICHAEL CRABTREE vs. New Orleans: Thought this guy was supposed to be the truth – last week’s stats (2 catches, 12 yards) must have been a misprint then. Seriously though, I still like Crabtree’s long-term potential this year, but you have to avoid him if possible this week, especially against a Saints defense that bottled up Brett Favre and the Vikings’ passing game in the opener.

RB JAHVID BEST vs. Philadelphia: Hey, Best’s 2 TDs in his first-ever NFL game were great, but if you’re expecting the same in Week 2 you’re a sucker. If you were paying attention you noticed he rushed for just 20 yards on 14 carries, a miniscule 1.4 yard average, against the Bears. There’s considerable risk here with Best if the Shaun Hill-led Lions can’t get near the goal line against a usually stout Eagles run D.

Hot Pickups: Week 13

FOUR STARS (Out of five)

RB FRED JACKSON, Bills: Freddie started the year off red hot but had been simply mediocre in recent weeks. That changed last Sunday against Miami when Jackson got 15 carries (his most in five weeks, and 12 more than teammate Marshawn Lynch) and scored his first two TDs of the season. I like Jackson on Thursday against the Jets, and I love him the following week at K.C.

WR KENNY BRITT, Titans: Think the rookie is happy with Tennessee's switch to Vince Young at QB? Britt caught his first two NFL TDs in the past two weeks and the best game of his young career on Sunday in Arizona (7 catches, 128 yards, game-winning TD). I like Britt on Sunday against Indy and I love him the following week against St. Louis.


THREE STARS

WR JASON AVANT, Eagles: With DeSean Jackson likely to sit this week with a concussion, there could be a bunch of balls headed Avant's way. He'd already seen increased action in recent weeks, including 5 catches for 94 yards last Sunday, and the Falcons' secondary has shown some cracks recently.

Hot Pickups: Week 12

FOUR STARS (Out of five)

RB ROCK CARTWRIGHT, Redskins: Somebody's got to run the ball for Washington, and with Ladell Betts out for the year and Clinton Portis still woozy, Cartwright's the man. He totaled 140 yards on 20 touches last week against Dallas, and though he'll be facing some challenging defenses, starting with Philly this week, he should at least be getting a heavy workload.

TE JERMICHAEL FINLEY, Packers: Finley got dropped in a lot of leagues after sitting out three games with injury, but he announced his return with 7 catches for 54 yards last week against the 49ers. He's sure to do some damage on Thanksgiving against the Lions' spotty pass defense, so pick him up if he's available and start him.


THREE STARS

QB VINCE YOUNG, Titans: The numbers haven't been anything special, but he's been making plays and winning games since he got another opportunity to play. He's worth a shot if you're in a pinch at QB this week (vs. Arizona) or like his upside in some favorable matchups down the stretch (vs. St. Louis, Miami, San Diego, at Seattle in the season's final four weeks).


TWO STARS

QB DAUNTE CULPEPPER, Lions: The former fantasy star is likely to start Thursday in place of Matthew Stafford, and we've seen some crazy performances on Turkey Day before, but I'm not sure you really want to go down this road unless you're desperate.

Photo by The Associated Press

Hot pickups: Week 11

FOUR STARS (Out of five)

RB JUSTIN FORSETT, Seahawks: The second-year back had a career day (123 rushing yards, 5 catches for 26 yards, TD) when Julius Jones exited Sunday with what turned out to be a broken rib. Unfortunately he faces a tough D in the Vikings this week, but he's someone to grab and hold onto down the stretch.

RB JASON SNELLING, Falcons: Another backup running back here - sensing a trend? With Michael Turner nursing a high ankle sprain - an injury that usually takes at least a few weeks to heal - Snelling steps into a starting role. Snelling totaled 93 rushing and receiving yards last week and scored a TD with Turner on the sidelines, and now he faces the Giants and Bucs (22 total rushing TDs allowed in 2009) in successive weeks.

RB BERNARD SCOTT, Bengals: Yup, another second-stringer. Cedric Benson hurt his hip against the Steelers, so in stepped Scott. Though his numbers weren't particularly impresive (13 carries for 33 yards, 1 catch for 21 yards), keep in mind he was facing the Steelers, and he did show off his skills on a 96-yard kick return for the game's only TD. Scott would be a great play this week against Oakland if benson can't go.

THREE STARS

WR NATE WASHINGTON, Titans: He's scored two TDs in the past three weeks since Vince Young took over at QB for Tennessee, and it's a decent bet he'll score another one on Monday night against Houston.

Beware of the dud

I was going to do a Week 14 recap, but why live in the past? If you're reading this, odds are your fantasy team is in the playoffs this week, so I'll do everything I can to get you prepared.

The following guys are setting off my dud radar, and I’d give serious thought to benching them unless I’m really stuck:




• Donovan McNabb is usually hurt around this time of year, so you can understand if he’s a little rusty against the Dallas Cowboys. It’s been a rough year for his Philadelphia Eagles.

• Kurt Warner has produced since taking over as the Arizona Cardinals’ starter, but do you really trust him with your fantasy life? Sure, he threw three TDs last week, but he was also picked off five times.

• Kansas City Chiefs rookie Kolby Smith rushed 13 times for 12 yards against the Denver Broncos, who can’t stop anybody. What makes you think he’ll fare better against the Tennessee Titans?

• Shaun Alexander’s been good for about 60 rushing yards a game this season. Start him if that’s what you’re into, but don’t expect anything special.

• I’ve seen enough touchdown-free games by Vince Young this year – six to be exact. Don’t let that happen to you this week. Start Cleo Lemon if you have to.

• Laurence Maroney and Donte’ Stallworth look like afterthoughts in the New England Patriots’ juggernaut offense. They should be fantasy afterthoughts too, even though their team won’t hold any punches against the New York Jets.

• I enjoy Maurice Jones-Drew’s highlights as much as the next guy, but would a 30-yard, no-TD game shock you this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers?

• It’s been an awful season for Steve Smith and the Carolina Panthers. He hasn’t scored since Week 6. No reason to believe that'll change this week against Seattle.

• Sure, Jay Cutler's coming off a four-TD game. But he's also got three zero-TD games and six one-TD games this year.

• Kevin Jones has put some great games on this year's stat sheet, but there are also 1-yard and minus-4-yard games sprinkled in there. Be careful using him this week against the Chargers.

Photo by The Associated Press.

Great Dayne?

-This isn't easy for me as a Giants fan, but I'm recommending Ron Dayne this week. Not one of my favorite players, and his record as a pro is pretty spotty. That being said, the guy's on a considerable roll right now (at least 87 rushing yards in his last three games, plus three TDs in that span) and it comes at the perfect time - he faces the Colts on Sunday, and you know all about their run defense. Just recognize the risk involved (it's Ron Dayne after all, and he is a Texan). It's a gamble worth taking if you're lacking a solid No. 2 back.

-A stronger bet is Ladell Betts, who's making his case to be part of a platoon with Clinton Portis next season. Four straight 100-yard efforts make him almost a no-brainer against the Rams this week. That Skins backfield situation will be really interesting next season. And at the start of this year, who could have guessed we'd be considering Betts a better fantasy option than Shaun Alexander?

-As if you needed any more incentive to start Maurice Jones-Drew, Fred Taylor has been ruled out this week. Get him in that lineup.

-Is Tim Rattay actually a legit fantasy start? Well, the Bucs' offense finally stopped its Weekend at Bernie's impression last week in a surprisingly competitive game with the Bears, and most of that was due to Rattay (268 yards, three TDs). Unlike most of the other late-season replacement QBs around the league this year, Rattay actually has some NFL seasoning, and he's got a great matchup against the Browns. If you've got a void at QB, you could do worse. Just be a little wary of these late-season games that pit two bottom-feeders (see Thursday's Packers-Vikings game, last week's Packers-Lions game) - facing a poor defense isn't always a cure-all for a bad offense.

-Speaking of the Bucs, Cadillac Williams is out this week - too bad, because he misses out on the Brownies, a rare team he might have been able to run against. Michael Pittman will get most of the work, with a little Mike Alstott mixed in, but I don't think I'd be willing to risk my playoff life on either of those guys unless I'm in a super-deep league or I can time-warp to 2001.

-I'd ride the Mike Vick rollercoaster again this week. You never really know what you're going to get out of the guy, but he's got a tantalizing matchup at home against a Carolina's bruised bodies and bruised egos. His groin seems to be OK, and the last time he was coming off a four-TD game he followed it up with three scores (waiting another week to fizzle against the Lions and Browns and give his owners the finger).

-Gotta have a little Laveranues Coles in your stocking this Christmas (get it?) against the Dolphins ... he's had a couple huge games this year (last week included), and although his dealing with some back issues, the dude never misses games, and he always comes up big against Miami.

-Speaking of the Jets, this photo offers some insight on mastermind coach Eric Mangini's offensive gameplanning meetings. I think the furry red guy might be Brian Schottenheimer.

-Vernon Davis has scored in three of his first five games as a pro. If not for that broken leg he'd be near the top of all these discussions of the Great Rookie Class of '06. Start him against Arizona and keep him on your 2007 watch list. He'll be next year's Kellen Winslow.

-I like Buffalo's defense against Tennessee. Vince Young may be the greatest QB in the history of football, but I think the Bills will force the rook to make some mistakes up at the Ralph and maybe even score another TD.

-Willie Parker's been great, but he might have a tough time against the Ravens, who stuffed him in their first meeting (22 yards). Unless you're really deep at RB you might have to suck it up and start him, though. Hines Ward is an easier choice, as Ben Roethlisberger will be testing that hurting Baltimore secondary - as long as Big Ben can stay upright this time.

-I'd probably stay away from Donte' Stallworth this week. Last week's five-yard showing brought an end to a lot of fantasy seasons, and Stallworth's totals have been a mixed bag since Jeff Garcia took over as Eagles QB. Don't let your fate rest on this guy.

WEEK 1 - Sunday Recap

- Tough loss for the Chiefs in their opener, and even more damaging is the loss of QB Trent Green with a head injury for the forseeable future. Eddie Kennison, Tony Gonzalez and even Larry Johnson have to be slightly downgraded while K.C. goes with Damon Huard (seriously, he's the backup? Seriously? Koy Detmer wasn't available?).

- Rams-Broncos was supposed to be a track meet but turned into a field goal festival. New St. Louis coach Scott Linehan and his coaching staff unveiled this radical new thing called "defense," intercepting Jake Plummer three times and officially beginning the Jay Cutler Watch. Now the Rams' offense just needs to perfect those things called "touchdowns" and they'll be all set.

- Are things any clearer in Denver's RB situation? Not really. Tatum Bell went over 100 yards but predictably fumbled, while Mike Bell gained 58 yards on just 10 carries but scored a TD. It's gonna be like this all year, folks.

- Um, who were those imposters playing defense for Tampa Bay and Carolina? Two top-5 Ds played like expansion teams. Very disappointing showings, but you have to believe things will be fixed soon.

-And the Bucs' offense was almost as embarrassing. I know it was against the Ravens, and I know two OL starters were out this week ... but 25 yards for Cadillac Williams? No catches for Joey Galloway? Three INTs by Chris Simms? I'd be concerned.

- Warrick Dunn (132 yards) was a pleasant surprise against the Panthers. He doesn't get the respect he deserves as a fantasy force. Start him against New Orleans next week.

- Could Michael Jenkins (three catches, 77 yards, TD) be the breakout Atlanta receiver we've been waiting for?

- Nice Eagles debut for WR Donte' Stallworth (141 yards, TD), but keep this important fact in mind: He was playing the Texans.

- Decent debut for Reggie Bush, but the Earth is still rotating on its axis. Too bad return yardage doesn't count. I still think Deuce McAllister will have slightly more fantasy value this year.

- Checking in on some murky RB situations: Lawrence Maroney (17 carries-86 yards-0 TDs) vs. Corey Dillon (16-73-0) in New England; Thomas Jones (21-63-0) vs. Cedric Benson (11-34-0) in Chicago; Dominic Rhodes (16-29-1) vs. Joseph Addai (7-26-0) in Indianapolis; Chris Brown (16-64-0) vs. Travis Henry (9-22-2) in Tennessee; Derrick Blaylock (19-36-0) vs. Kevan Barlow (11-35-1) with the New York Jets.

- More signs of the Tight End Renaissance: eight TEs (Jeremy Shockey, Alge Crumpler, Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez, Vernon Davis, Dallas Clark, Chris Baker, Adam Bergen) caught TDs on Sunday.

- Byron Leftwich (237 yards, 1 TD rushing, 1 TD passing) is a viable fantasy QB. He's got some weapons and will give you points when he's healthy.

- Is it time to worry about Shaun Alexander (19 carries, 51 yards, two fumbles, no TDs)? Not yet - he had a similar game (14 for 73 yards, no TDs) in last year's opener, and that season turned out OK) - but the Madden Curse is a powerful thing.

- Sure, Eli Manning was outdone by big brother Peyton, but he's going to put up numbers this year. He's learning.

- Those Manning brothers could be big stars someday. If only their agents could get them in some commercials or something.

- Titans QB Kerry Collins might actually be a usable spot starter at some point this season. One of his two INTs wasn't his fault. Vince Young will see a little action, but he's in no condition to start at this point.

- Good to see signs of life from Ahman Green and Jamal Lewis. They'll come in handy on your studs' bye weeks. Unless they are your studs.

- An encouraging sign: Clinton Portis was cleared to play tonight, even if it's just a backup role. Watch him closely, and if all goes well he should start next week.