Fantasy Nation NFL Season

The regular season is down to hours away, 31 to be exact, and the 2015 campaign will officially be under way. Thank God because I really need something to distract me from the total meltdown the Astros are going through.

Don't forget to set your fantasy lineups because time is getting short.

This whole deflate-gate affair has affected Roger Goodell. On Mike and Mike yesterday Goodell said he was very open to changing the commissioner's role in disciplinary processes going forward. It's also something the owners felt was in Goodell's best interest as well all the problems his regime has faced this past year or so. It doesn't mean he is giving up appealing the appeal that the NFL lost to Brady last week. Goodell also said he didn't see any connection between deflate-gate and spy-gate and the other "gates" the Patriots have gone through in recent years. (But I'm thinking that is a bit of a lie.)

Jason Pierre-Paul was in the same boat as Dez Bryant in that he was franchised by the Giants just like Bryant hoping to get a long term deal done. Unlike Bryant who did get a deal done Pierre-Paul was not as fortunate. Part of the reason JPP didn't get a new deal was because he severely injured his hand on the 4th of July in a fireworks accident. Actually JPP is lucky as heck the Giants didn't pull the franchise tag off him and give him his outright release. A lot of teams would have done that. Now that the season is about to start he is running into the same dilemma Bryant would have if not for the deal that was struck. That dilemma is JPP is under the franchise tender and the deadline for signing his tender offer has come and gone so technically he's franchised and he is no longer able to negotiate a deal until the end of the regular season. JPP doesn't care apparently because he is not healthy enough to play as yet. JPP went to the Giants facility for the first time since his accident and he met with team officials and took a physical. JPP will miss his salary for the weeks he misses so he is not losing his job just a big chunk of his pay. If JPP had signed his tender offer he could be placed on Injured Reserve/Scheduled for return and not missed any money. That ship has sailed and that is the chance both Bryant and JPP took by not signing their tender offers. Bryant's situation worked out well for him but it has definitely cost JPP a lot in salary and in his relationship with the NY Giants.

If you need a starter for this week's game between St Louis and Seattle you won't have Rams RB Todd Gurley available. NFL.com is reporting Gurley will not be available for at least 3 weeks into the season as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered at the end of his last season at Georgia. Tre Mason is likely the starter for the Rams in the first month of the season. Mason had started to come on for the Rams in the second half of last season which was his rookie campaign. This week's matchup with Seattle doesn't bode well for Mason but he may be worth at least a flex spot in fantasy lineups.

Giants WR Victor Cruz will likely miss this week's opener vs Dallas as he is still dealing with a calf injury that has plagued him all summer.

The Bills report that LeSean McCoy is "ready to roll" for Monday night's Week 1 matchup with Atlanta.

The Falcons have indicated that rookie RB Tevin Coleman will start on MNF ahead of 2nd year man DeVonte Adams.

WR Roddy White returned to practice yesterday along with Jake Long and both should be available on Monday night.

How's this for being dissed by your coach? RGIII has gone from 1st round draft pick to 3rd string QB under the Jay Gruden regime. NFL.com has reported that Colt McCoy will be the #2 man for Gruden as the Redskins face the Dolphins at home tomorrow.

Fantasy Alert! This week Rams head coach Jeff Fisher announced that RB Todd Gurley will not play this week. The status of former #1 RB Tre Mason missed practice this week with a bad hammy so that leaves Benny Cunningham as the like starter. Ding-ding-ding-ding.

The Raiders actually signed troubled LB Aldon Smith. Smith has a litany of off field issues including a terroristic threat at an airport in the off season but the Oakland Raiders actually signed this dude. I guess it's true, if you are good somebody will want you. BTW, Smith was arrested under several misdemeanor charges this past week. KNUCKLEHEAD!

If you need a starter I rather doubt you will turn to the Cleveland Browns but if you do know that Isaiah Peed will likely be the starter with rookie Duke Johnson his backup. The Browns signed practice squad RB Shaun Draughn to give the Browns a third option at RB. The more notable signing is former Seahawks backup Robert Turbin. Turbin sustained an ankle injury during Seahawks training camp and he ended up getting waived/injured on Sept 5. The Browns signed him on Sept 10 and even though he is thought to have to miss the first month of the season but he was a really good backup for Seattle and he could factor into the Browns offense pretty predominantly down the road.

Former Patriots RB Jonas Gray was signed to the active roster of the Miami Dolphins who picked up the RB and signed him to their practice squad this past Tuesday after he was cut last Saturday by the Patriots. Gray is the fourth stringer for the Dolphins with Lamar Miller, Damien Williams and LaMichael James ahead of him on the depth chart.

The Patriots wasted no time signing LeGarrette Blount to the active roster after his one game suspension for substance abuse. To make room for Blount the Patriots released LB Eric Martin who was nursing an injury suffered late in training camp. I wouldn't give up on RB Dion Lewis who was the breakout fantasy performer Thursday night against Pittsburgh. Lewis gained 69 yds on 15 totes and added another 51 yds on 4 catches. I could see Lewis having a big role as a change of pace back when Blount returns.

It took but one possession in the 2015 season for Johnny Football to take the field in Cleveland. Starter Josh McCown was knocked out of the game after receiving a hit trying to scramble for a TD at the end of the Browns initial possession of the game. it's ironic that McCown lost a fumble on the play just about 18 inches from the goal line because that is just kind of how the game went for the Browns. Manziel was the story and really he looked pretty good at times. But, on the road vs the Jets in New Jersey, the Browns just did more bad than good. The Browns suffered 5 turnovers, 3 INTs and 2 fumbles, and that was just too much to overcome. Manziel did show something though. If McCown misses much time you don't dread Manziel coming into a game. Manziel didn't look lost and he was actually directing traffic as the Browns came out of the huddle which show he actually has opened and read his playbook. I hope McCown comes back next week because this new dedicated Manziel could use some time to develop but he didn't leave you with the feeling that he was not meant to be an NFL QB.

Adam "Pac-Man" Jones can't help being an idiot. Yesterday in the Bengals game with Oakland rookie WR Amari Cooper caught a ball and Jones took Cooper down tore off his helmet and picked Cooper up by the lapels and bashed his head on his helmet. The refs through flags and penalized the Bengals 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct but given Jones' past I can see the NFL giving Jones a suspension. Jones tried to hurt Cooper for whatever reason and he deserves to be suspended if, for no other reason, than being a total dick.

Marcus Mariota and Kendall Wright look like the next big thing in the NFL. At least after one game anyway. Mariota looked like a veteran the way he picked apart the Tampa Bay defense and the 42 points Tennessee hung on the Bucs looked easy. Of the 2 QBs who went 1 and 2 in this year's draft it was #2 pick Mariota who was #1 yesterday. Jameis Winston was not nearly as good as Mariota which is exactly the opposite the "experts" said would be. They all said Winston was the most NFL ready between himself and Mariota and all the other QB prospects in this year's draft. At least yesterday the "experts" were wrong. People better watch out for these Titans.

How sweet was it to see the Rams beat Seattle? I know I'm pissing off all the Earl Thomas fans out there but I'm just no fan of the 'Hawks or Pete Carroll. Nick Foles made a huge difference for the Rams. Don't say I didn't tell you about Bennie Cunningham because I did on Friday. Cunningham has a pretty damn good game with 16 carries for 45 yards and 4 catches for 77 yards. He led the Rams in rushing and the plays he made in the passing game were big. Cunningham may be a player you can ride for the next week or two or longer if Todd Gurley or Tre Mason remain on the injured list. Need a tight end? It looks like Foles, just like Brent Celek in Philly, likes his tight end. Yesterday Jared Cook was the Rams leading receiver for the Rams with 5 catches for 85 yards.

In what universe would you actually predict that Andrew Luck would be outplayed by Tyrod Taylor? I know, right? Well it happened yesterday as the Bills dominated the Colts at home in upstate New York. Rookie RB Karlos Williams from Fla State actually out performed LeSean McCoy on fewer touches. Looks like the Bills have a nice 1-2 punch here. Forgot about Percy Harvin? It's okay, most people have but he looks healthy again and he was the Bills leading receiver yesterday with 5 catches for 79 yds and a TD. The TD came on a 51 yd pass from Taylor as the first half expired that had to totally piss off the Colts. Harvin was in man coverage and he got behind the corner for an easy score on a well thrown ball from Taylor.

The story in Chicago yesterday was the return to the Packers by WR James Jones who took up right where he left off 2 years ago. Jones caught 4 passes for 51 yards and 2 TDs yesterday as the Pack outlasted the Bears by a score of 31-23. Jones went undrafted in many fantasy drafts and may still be available if you need a good WR.

The injury report so far this week is pretty deep from a fantasy football point of view.

> WR Dez Bryant out 4-6 weeks minimum (broken bone in foot)

> LB Luke Kuekly status unknown (concussion)

> QB Josh McCown status unknown (concussion) Johnny Manziel taking 1st team reps for Cleveland.

> TE Julius Thomas practiced but still had cast on his hand.

I can't believe Pac-Man Jones only fined $35K for the crap he pulled on Raiders WR Amari Cooper. Jones is lucky because IMO it could've and should've been much worse. Jones indicated that he will appeal the fine and he was a little apologetic about the incident but wouldn't promise it won't happen again. "I'm a very emotional player." Blah-blah-blah. You rip off a guys helmet and bash his head against said helmet is a little beyond emotional, don't you think? Said NFL.com's Dan Hanzus about Pac-Man appealing the fine, "Jones will have a hard time winning his appeal. He's fortunate he didn't get kicked out of the game.".

I was looking at the QB rankings for Week 2 on SBNation and guess who I didn't see? Phillip Rivers. The guy passes for 404 yds and 2 TDs and doesn't make your top ten? Seriously? Talk about overrated, Russell Wilson was ranked the #6 after a Seahawks loss Wilson threw for 251 yds on 41 attempts and 32 completions with 1 TD and ! INT. Not sure what SBNation is thinking here and I'm going to quit now before I look at the WR and RB line.

OMG! This is so hilarious. The 19th season premiere of South Park was on last night and Matt Stone and Trey Parker absolutely NAILED a spoof of the deflate-gate debacle. I'm still laughing as I write this post. Check it out for yourself.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2568389-south-park-takes-on-the-deflategate-scandal-and-absolutely-nails-it

Arian Foster returned to practice today on a limited basis. That is huge news for Texans fans even though the Texans ran the ball pretty well against a stout Chiefs defense. The trio of Alfred Blue, Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes combined to rush for 98 yards and averaged 4.7 YPC. Foster is a game changing back and will be sorely missed as long as his out of the lineup.

RB CJ Anderson is expected to play for the Broncos tonight. It is still likely that Ronnie Hillman will get a lot of work in and may be the preferred play in fantasy tonight.

Victor Cruz did not practice for the Giants again today and it's looking less likely he will be back for Sunday's game against the Falcons.

Here's an update on injuries around the NFL including the status of WR Mike Evans, RB CJ Spiller and WR T Y Hilton.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000532465/article/sean-payton-on-cj-spillers-week-2-status-well-see

Josh McCown is out as this week's starter for Cleveland and Johnny Manziel is in. In a spotty performance last week Manziel gave Cleveland fans hope that he could be that exciting player who won the Heisman and take the Browns to the next level. Even a little boost will be welcome for a franchise that has been on rock bottom for a while now. We'll see but do you think there's any QB envy over how well Marcus Mariota did last week for Tennessee? As an addendum to this story this past week ESPN's Merrill Hoge said that Johnny Manziel will never be even a decent QB in the NFL. Hoge said Manziel has poor habits including depending too much on his scrambling ability. In a word Hoge said Manziel stinks as an NFL QB. Manziel responded to Hoge's remarks this week and it is detailed in the article linked below. I'll tell you, when guys like Hoge start in on a player like the way Hoge has on Manziel going all the way back to last year I makes me root for the guy even more.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000533470/article/manziel-hoge-needs-to-worry-about-his-big-neck-ties

The Giants will be without Victor Cruz again this week as he continues to try to recover from a calf injury suffered in training camp.

I could use a little advice. Should I go with Green Bay and take the points at home against the Seahawks? The 'Hawks still have no Kam Chancellor who is the boom in the Seattle 'Legion of Boom' defense. I'm leaning toward taking the Packers at home despite the fact that the Pack is missing some defensive help.

I really have a good feeling about this one. I thinking of taking Houston and the 3-1/2 points and the under (40 pts) in this week's game against Carolina. I think Mallett will be okay and Luke Kuechly is officially rule out of the game due to a concussion suffered in last week's game. It will be Kuechly's first missed game of his career.

The Bears could be without Alshon Jeffrey this week due to a pulled hamstring. Since Brandon Marshall left last year in free agency Jeffrey has been the #1 receiver for the Bears and it is a big blow to be without him. Keep an eye on this situation for your fantasy team.

The Redskins tight end Jordan Reed is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Rams. Ask Reed and he'll tell you he is playing, no doubt. That is what he told the Washington Post on Friday as he is dealing with a quad injury. In Week 1 Reed was Kirk Cousins #1 target in their loss to Miami catching 7 ball for 63 yards and a TD. To make matters worse DeSean Jackson will also miss tomorrow's game.

Tampa Bay is being coy about committing to whether or not their star WR Mike Evans will play this week. I'm mad at the Bucs because Evans was a late scratch in last week's game and I didn't catch it until it was too late and it contributed to a loss for me in one of my leagues. Zero points from a star WR is hard to overcome. It sounds, for all the world, like Lovie Smith was inferring Smith will be out again this week but with coaches you never know if they are telling the truth about their game day rosters.

Giants and Redskins tonight. If NY wins they and the Skins will be 1.5 games behind Dallas. If Washington wins they win be .5 game behind Dallas while the Giants will be 2.5 back. It's a little early to talk standings but we've seen it out of the NFC East before. A team, or teams, start slow and come on strong at the end. It's happened to every team in the division. Even the 0-2 Eagles could find a spark and come back into the picture.

For fantasy players keep an eye out because WR Victor Cruz may be back soon but it won't be tonight. Cruz is still rehabbing a calf that has been giving him trouble. Likewise DeSean Jackson who miss again this week with a bad hammy.

Seattle will get Safety Kam Chancellor back this week, at least he swears he will play, we'll see. Seattle could be looking for a spark to get them off that 0-2 start they're on. Chancellor isn't going ignite a mediocre offense that has stumbled out of the gate so far. I know they scored 31 on the Rams in Week 1 but a depleted Packers team held them to 17 last Sunday.

You guys will have to keep an eye on the Drew Brees situation in New Orleans. The Saints are saying that Brees bruised his rotator cuff in last Sunday's game vs Tampa Bay. Brees says he feels confident he's playing but when a player says something it is usually based more on a desire to play rather than a realistic chance of actually playing. Brees or not Brees, New Orleans hasn't looked good at all this season as they have limped out to an 0-2 start to the season. The Saints offense is scoring 19 pts a game while the defense is allowing 28.5 a game. There were already sideline rifts between head coach Sean Peyton and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan on the field last season and this isn't going to make things all warm and fuzzy in the Saints locker room. The Saints are playing the 2-0 Carolina Panthers Sunday and with the Panthers defense dominating their opponents the last two weeks you'd have to say that NO is in danger of falling to 0-3.

I heard an interesting comment the other day. A guy said that maybe the problem with the Colts isn't their awful O-line or Andrew Luck's propensity for giving up turnovers it head coach Chuck Pagano. I think Pagano gets a bit of a pass because he survived cancer a couple of years ago and the Colts used Pagano as a rallying point, inspiration if you will, for a good season. But, as the guy went on he said Pagano's successful fight against cancer was the feel good story it was actually Bruce Arians, who the interim head coach during Pagano's absence, that was the difference. The proof seems to be in the pudding as Ariens has built a really good football team in Arizona while the Colts struggle on defense and now their O-line is more sieve-like than barrier-like. It would be interesting to discuss because just last season didn't the Colts face off against the Patriots in the NFC Championship game? Oh yeah, it was them because it was the Colts who blew the whistle on the Patriots that started this whole deflate-gate mess.

I mentioned earlier about the trouble the Saints are in trying to avoid an 0-3 start to their season but the Eagles are probably even more likely to fall into that 0-3 hole as they play the suddenly very formidable NY Jets. New head coach Todd Boles has the Jets playing well and now with Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB with some pretty good skill players in Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Chris Ivory, etc. This team is no joke. To make matters worse for Philly you are playing in the Jets house. Philly is in deep doo-doo and Chip Kelly is looking like anything but a genius right now.

Note: The Steelers, who have been doing pretty darn good so far is going to get La'Veon Bell back this week. Of all the 2-0 teams in the NFL Pittsburgh looks like the most formidable right now and with Bell back look out. The Steelers are on the road this week in St Louis and the only question is will this be the Directtv Rams that beat Seattle in Week 1 or will the Rams with cable that got smoked in Washington last week be the ones to show up? Does it matter that it's their home stadium that makes the Rams play better? Who knows but they will have their hands full with the Steelers. The Steelers will be without Ryan Shazier so the Rams have that going for them.

The biggest news might be the absence of Drew Brees this week if not for the fact that New Orleans has not been very good this season limping out to an 0-2 start. Backup Luke McCown will get the nod this week for the Saints. I really don't have any confidence in McCown especially facing a very tough Carolina Panthers defense in Carolina no less. The Saints will go 0-3 this week and long time Saints fans may go into the closet to find their old "Aints" paper bags they used to wear when NO wasn't so good.

Another team about to go 0-3 is the Eagles. The Eagles are also on the road facing the badass defense of the Jets. The Jets have also found an offense as well. This game could get ugly in a hurry for Philly and it makes my heart sing with joy to see the hated Eagles suck. This week could be the week that Sam Bradford loses his job to Marc Sanchez and the love affair with Chip Kelly starts losing it's luster.

As for the Panthers it looks like LB Luke Keuchly will miss another game with a concussion. Also, for fantasy owners, Jonathan Stewart is listed a questionable. It may be wise to invest in backup Fozzy Whitaker but also rookie Cameron Artis-Payne out of Auburn could be in play as well.

It may be wise to weigh the chances that the Saints Mark Ingram will have a sub par game because of the Panthers defense. Ingram is the bell cow of the stable of running backs the Saints use and it's hard to bench a guy like that but it does bear consideration.

Mathew Stafford will start this week against the Broncos but as good as the Broncos defense has been you wonder it that's a good thing or not. Of course it's a good thing especially since the Lions are at home but Detroit hasn't exactly been tearing up opponents with their 0-2 record.

Need to keep an eye out for the status of Marshawn Lynch as he is listed questionable for Sunday's game against Seattle. Pete Carroll said Lynch will be a game time decision as he has been nursing a calf injury.

Not only does Chicago have to travel to Seattle to face a rejuvenated defense with the return of Kam Chancellor but the Bears will have to do it without Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffrey. This also means that Matt Forte may be in for a long day as well.

There is a chance the Rams first round pick RB Todd Gurley could be in the lineup this week despite the fact he's officially listed as questionable. Gurley has participated in practice all week. If he plays it will hurt the fantasy value of Tre Mason and Bennie Cunningham.

So, if you haven't already picked up the Patriots Dion Lewis you are probably too late but if he's available you may just give him a try as normal fantasy starters Mark Ingram, Jonathan Stewart and Chris Ivory may not be available due to injury or by matchup. The Pats go to Jax this week and even though the Jags are better they are still the Jags and Lewis could be in line for a big day Sunday. (Was that me recommending a Patriot running back? Strange days indeed.)

Contrary to my belief that the Eagles and Saints would roll over and play dead this week didn't happen. The Saints made the Panther work for their 27-22 win while the Jets tried and succeeded in fumbling the game away to the Eagles who posted their first win of the season. However, it was more on the Jets failures that it was the Eagles successes. The Jets turned the ball over 4 times (3 INT's and 1 fumble) and allowed Daren Sproles to take a punt 89 yards for a TD. It was an ugly game for the Jets who allowed the Eagles to score 24 unanswered points before they got on the scoreboard. With DeMarco Murray on the sidelines yesterday with a bad hammy Ryan Mathews was the bell cow leading the Eagle offense with 25 carries for 108 yards. The main man for the Jets was WR Brandon Marshall who caught 10 balls for 109 yds and a score but he committed one of the turnovers by fumbling after a catch.

Pittsburgh vs St Louis in St Louis. Pitt won the game 12-6 after a delay of about half an hour to put out a fire on the field turf caused by the pregame fireworks display. Unfortunately for the Rams that was the only fire they showed, on offense anyway. Pitt may have won the game but they lost Big Ben to a sprained MCL. He is thought to be out for at least 6 weeks. La'Veon Bell came back off his suspension and was the bulk of the Steeler's offense gaining 62 yds rushing with a TD and he added 70 receiving yards. Antonio Brown had his usual day, 108 yards on 11 catches as the Steelers did just enough to win the game. Michael Vick came in to relieve Roethlisberger and he was a good bus driver. He didn't really add anything but he didn't lose the game for his team either. We'll see how Vick does over the next 6 weeks with Big Ben out.

Seattle lost RB's Marshawn Lynch and Brandon Mebane to injuries yesterday as Thomas Rawls led the 'Hawks with 16 carries for 104 yards. The Lynch situation bears watching because he has a bad hammy and sometimes those injuries linger. The Bears looked every bit the part of the sacrificial lambs they were especially without Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffrey in the game as they were shut out by Seattle 26-0. Seattle is no longer among the winless but Chicago is sitting at 0-3 with few prospects to get better. I hope the folks in Chi-town are patient with new head coach John Fox because this team is bad. The only player resembling a fantasy player was Matt Forte but his 20 carries for 74 yds didn't excite too many people in fantasy land.

The Cardinals, the Arizona version, are just as badass as the Lamar version as they improved to 3-0 and two full games ahead of the rest of the NFC West. The Cards just bitch-slapped the San Francisco 49ers 47-7. With Carson Palmer at the helm this team looks like the best team in the NFL. Of 5 teams 3-0 and the Packers who are 2-0 heading into tonight's game Arizona looks like the most complete team in the whole dang NFL. All 3 phases of the team are playing at a high level. After 3 weeks Arizona looks like they are going to the Super Bowl. Fantasy owners feasted on the Cardinals this week. Carson Palmer threw for 311 yds 2 TD's and 1 INT, Chris Johnson (yeah, that CJ2K) rushed 22 times for 110 yds and 2 TD's, Larry Fitzgerald caught 9 passes for 134 yds and 2 TD's.

The defense scored on 2 pick sixes and they recorded a safety tackling the 49ers Carlos Hyde in his own end zone to account for another 14 points. Special teams didn't contribute any scores but they were solid and allowed the 49ers little.

The niners lost Vernon Davis went out during the game and didn't return with a knee issue.

In Detroit you have to wonder what the heck happened to Detroit as they fell to 0-3 last night to the now 3-0 Broncos. Matthew Stafford has been a Detroit and fantasy dud so far this season. The Detroit running game was non existent as the running backs accounted for just 28 yards on 19 carries for the game. Stafford threw for over 300 yards in the game with a TD but his 2 INTs elicited boos from a very impatient Motor City crowd. Peyton Manning can't throw the ball down field the way he used to but with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders making circus catches for him it doesn't really matter. That WR duo combined for 179 yds and a TD as Peyton threw for 314 yards and 2 TDs and 1 INT. I'd hate to put money on a game between the 3-0 Broncos and the 3-0 Patriots who absolutely demolished the Jaguars 51-17 in Jacksonville yesterday.

Speaking of New England, LeGarrette Blount made an appearance yesterday and walked away the leading rusher in the game for his trouble. He ran 18 times for 78 yds and 3 big TD's. Dion Lewis also contributed by running 8 times for 37 yds and a TD and catching 5 balls for 30 yards for a decent flex player day. Tom Brady was Tom Brady meaning he threw for 358 yards and 2 TD's with no picks. Gronk had 101 yds receiving on 4 grabs while Julian Edelman had 8 catches for 85 yds. In all Brady hit 9 different receivers including former Texan Keshawn Martin who caught 3 balls for 33 yds and a TD. Blake Bortles didn't do badly for the Jags it's just that Jacksonville brought a knife to this gun fight and lost badly. What a week and it ain't over yet as Green Bay and Kansas City square off tonight. As for the Patriots? They have their bye week next week and I hope they cool off considerably because when they come back in Week 5 they play my Cowboys and if they are still as hot as they are now it could get ugly for the guys from Dallas.

Among the good things that happened this week a few bad things happened too. In the MNF game between the Packers and Chiefs the Packers took some hits injury-wise. WR Davante Adams re-aggravated his high ankle sprain in the first series and did not return. TE Andrew Quarless sprained his MCL and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. Eddie Lacy played last night and he was somewhat effective but he was limited to 10 totes for 46 yds. James Starks was far less effective rushing 17 times for a mere 32 yards. The Packers lost right? You can't run the ball that bad and win can you? Yep, when your QB throws for 333 yds and 5 TDs. Damn that Aaron Rodgers. (He was the last player to play for my opponent in one of my fantasy leagues this week. Needless to say I got slammed.) To add insult to injury I didn't play James Jones but the Packers sure did. He caught 7 passes for 139 yds and a TD. The Chiefs had their own trifecta of fantasy hits last night. Alex Smith threw for 290 yds and 1 TD, Jamaal Charles didn't rush for many yards (47) but he scored 3 TDs and WR Jeremy Maclin had 8 catches for 141 yds and a score. I'll wager a lot of fantasy games were highly effected by last night's game. (DUH)

Fantasy Alert! The Bills report that RB LeSean McCoy will miss this week's game with the NY Giants due to a nagging hamstring injury.

The Eagles placed K Cody Parkey on season ending injured reserve because of a groin injury suffered in the Eagles win over the Jets last Sunday. The Eagles have signed Caleb Sturgis, formerly of the Dolphins, to replace him.

I guess this is worthwhile news, the Patriots have worked out former Broncos RB Montee Ball. It's not like the Pats need a back right now, not with Dion Lewis and Legarrette Blount doing just fine thank you very much. The Patriots are just keeping their options open because, of all the teams in the NFL, the Patriots seem to go through a lot of RBs in a season.

With 1st round pick RB Todd Gurley working into the Rams rotation the team seems a little RB heavy. I guess that's what the Rams front office felt anyway because today they waived former 2012 2nd round pick Isaiah Pead today. Pead came to the Rams as a residual effect of the draft day trade Washington made with the Rams in which St Louis got 3 first round picks from the 'Skins in 2012, 2013 and 2014. A by product of the deal was that the Rams traded down from No 6 to No 14 plus a 2nd round pick with Dallas so the Cowboys could draft DB Morris Claiborne. It's taken into the 4th year of the deal for Claiborne to start paying dividends for the Cowboys but so far Claiborne has looked pretty darn good. In the same draft the Rams traded the second rounder they got from Dallas to move up in the 1st round with Chicago and they selected Pead. As a result the Bears got --- wait for it --- Alshon Jeffrey. Gee, I wonder who came out on top in that deal?

Golden Tate is crying now because he says opponents know their plays. Wah. It couldn't be because the Lions are 0-3 and have looked like crap. It also can't be because Tate has been a non-factor in the Lions offense with 15 catches on 25 targets for 161 yards on 0 TD's through 3 games. Wah!

For those of you who thought they were going to finally get to use NY Giants WR Victor Cruz hold that thought. In practice yesterday Cruz re-aggravated his calf injury and he has been ruled out for this week.

In a related item, WR Wes Welker worked out for the Giants and it was reported that head coach Tom Coughlin was impressed. Since Week 1 the Giants cut WR James Jones who went back to Green Bay and has been tearing it up. Cruz hasn't played a down yet in 2015 and Reuben Randall has pretty much sucked. Despite being impressed with Welker the Giants didn't sign him--yet. I think a lot depends on Victor Cruz' health. Also, the fact that Welker suffered a lot of lost time the past couple of years with concussion issues could be a 'buyer beware' sign.

Hurricane Joaquin is travelling north after hammering the Bahamas and that northward track could affect the game between the Eagles and Redskins at FedEx Field in Washington. The game may need to be relocated for the safety of the fans and the players.

Drew Brees practiced yesterday for the Saints and his status for Sunday night's game with Dallas has improved. If he plays he had better be healthy or Dallas will be looking to put him out again. They will be pulling, tugging, banging and slamming that shoulder at every opportunity.

With the Steelers and Ravens playing tonight the question is will you still get the same production fantasy wise from Antonio Brown and La'Veon Bell? My first guess is yes, or close to it. They are lock #1's and you can't sit them. I hate the Ravens so I wouldn't recommend anyone of their roster in fantasy especially Joe "Bowser" Flacco but Pittsburgh does give up points and yards so maybe Steve Smith Jr and Justin Forsette may not be terrible picks. Smith, especially, has been having a great season so far. You may also want to give Michael Vick a fantasy shot.

With the bye weeks beginning this week you won't have players from the Patriots and the Titans available this week. Need a QB? How about rolling the dice on Buffalo's Tyrod Taylor. I bashed Buffalo for choosing this guy back in Week 1 but I have had to eat my words since as Taylor has been one of the top fantasy QBs so far. How good? Good enough that I picked him up and played him after Tony Romo went down in Week 2. I won my game with Taylor last week. I'm not ashamed to admit when I make a mistake and I made a doozy here.

If you need a running back I would suggest that Tennessee Titans Antonio Andrews. Last week Andrews got more than twice the touches of any other RB on the Titans roster including Bishop Sankey. Andrews rushed 12 times for 49 yds and a TD. Andrews is a 2nd year player out of Western Kentucky who is a powerfully built back with some speed. At 5'10" and 225 lbs he brings a load to the game.

Here's what I know about today's games.

1. If you wanted to put any Dolphins or Jets in your fantasy lineup today it's too late. The game began at 9:30 and with :33 left in the 1st half the Jets are up 20-7. As you might expect QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Chris Ivory and WR Brandon Marshall have all been fantasy friendly this morning for the Jets. The Dolphins may be in the market for a new coach if this keeps up.

2. Drew Brees is playing tonight against the Cowboys.

3. Andrew Luck (shoulder) is not playing today against Jacksonville. You may want to adjust your lineups accordingly. Matt Hasselbeck is the backup and he's actually pretty good and he may not turn the ball over the way Luck has been doing.

4. Arien Foster is going to play today vs Atlanta. How much he will be used is anyone's guess but, I have him in one of my leagues and I'm putting him in.

5. Tampa Bay RB Doug Martin will play today despite being listed as questionable on Friday. The Bucs will play Carolina at home.

6. The Eagles will have RB DeMarco Murray and OT Jason Peters back in the lineup today against the Redskins in Washington. The field conditions at FedEx Field are sloppy after heavy rains from Hurricane Juaquin saturated the area with rain. The hurricane is tracking away from the US toward the NE but the storm surge and the heavy rains have, and will impact people on the east coast today. A lot of devastation in the Carolinas because of flooding rains and the storm surge has been reported. Hopefully, the worst of the damage and lives lost has been seen. In South Carolina there are 4 deaths reported and catastrophic damage with many people still in need of being rescued. Our prayers should go out to these people because we know how awful this situation is around here.

7. Marshawn Lynch is questionable for the Seahawks game on Monday night vs Detroit. The word is Lynch's hammy is a big problem. If, or probably, Lynch can't go then the guy likely to take his spot will be Thomas Rawls as a two down back with Freddie Jackson coming in on 3rd downs.

8. One last thing before I go, Jay Cutler is expected to play today for the Bears. Despite not being 100% because of a hamstring injury suffered two weeks ago he is going to play. He will not have his best receiver, Alshon Jeffery, because of his own hammy issue. The Bears hope Cutler can take advantage of the Raiders banged up and suspect secondary as they attempt to avoid an 0-4 start to the season.

It's time for me to get may fantasy lineups set and settle in for some pro football action. Good luck to all except, of course, if you are playing me in which case "It's on, baby!".

Stuff going on so let's go.

1. Miami fired head coach Joe Philbin because of the lousy start to the season when the hopes for a good season in which they finally make the playoffs and maybe even give the New England Patriots a run for their division money but after a lackluster 1-3 start Philbin had to go. Former NFL TE Dan Campbell who was the TE coach for the Dolphins was named the interim head coach. Campbell played for several different NFL teams including the Cowboys during his career. Campbell came in and pretty much laid down the law and said things were going to change and the team would become tougher and more accountable. Under Philbin the most notable things in his tenure in Miami was the bullying scandal last season and his dealings with former NFL WR Chad "OchoCinco" Johnson that was played out on HBO's Hard Knocks. Otherwise the Dolphins have been a very mediocre team and they needed a change. Already Campbell has instituted the "Oklahoma drill" in practice in which an offensive lineman squares off against a defensive lineman and a running back in a gauntlet in which the RB tries to get pass the defender. The drill is meant to develop toughness in the players, if it doesn't kill them first.

2. The Colts could be without Andrew Luck AND backup Matt Hasselbeck on Thursday night against the Texans. Luck is dealing with a shoulder issue while Hasselbeck is dealing with an illness. As bad as the Texans have looked even without Luck and Hasselbeck the Colts may still be favored.

3. Former Broncos and current Jaguars TE Julius Thomas is now catching passes as he rehabs a hand injury suffered in training camp. Thomas had surgery on Sept 1 and the original time table for his return was one month. So far there have been no setbacks and he could be back on the field soon. That would make him happy, the Jags happy and the people in fantasy who drafted him happy.

4. Bills WR Sammy Watkins say out practice today. Bills head man Rex Ryan is still hopeful Watkins can still play this week against Tennessee.

5. DeSean Jackson returned to practice with the Redskins today. Jackson has been out since pulling a hamstring in Week 1.

This week's fantasy outlook is clouded with the usual injuries so let's get the grim news out of the way.

> Marshawn Lynch will be out of this week's game against the Bengals on Sunday. I guess those of you who picked up Thomas Rawls will get another week out of him. Freddie Jackson is also questionable so Rawls looks like the main man for Seattle this week.

> Can you say, "Boobie Dixon"? You'd better because Dixon will be the featured back this week for Buffalo. Dixon has experience and he's run well for Buffalo in the past. News came in that both LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams missed practice on Friday and both are questionable at best for the Bills game against Tennessee in Tennessee.

> The Redskins will be without TE Jordan Reed and they will still be without DeSean Jackson in Sunday's game against Atlanta. From the Falcon side of the ball they may be without Julio Jones who has a foot injury. He is listed as questionable so I'd keep an eye on the last minute announcement tomorrow. Another benefit for fantasy owners will be the return of RB Tevin Coleman who has missed the last 3 weeks with a rib injury. He should be back and he should at least leach some carries away from Devonta Freeman.

> The 49ers will be without TE Vernon Davis when they play the Giants on Sunday night. I sure hope the 49ers find a way to beat the Gints. One guy the Niners won't have to worry about is WR Victor Cruz who continues to miss with a nagging calf injury.

> Can New Orleans do to Philly that they did to Dallas last week? Gawd I hope so and if they do then rookie wide receiver Willie Snead could be an important cog in the Saints wheel. Marques Colston is barely an after thought in the Saints offense but Snead and Brandon Coleman are the new studs in the receiver corps. Don't go to sleep on CJ Spiller. He made his first real impression on the Saints attack against Dallas including that 80 yard TD reception in overtime that sank the Cowboys. Saints on the road in Philly, not a good thing but for Cowboys fans you hope Brees finds the magic again.

> The Ravens will have to do without WR Steve Smith Sr this week. He is officially listed as doubtful as he injured his back last Thursday night against the Steelers. It bears keeping an eye on because he has had 11 days to get better but doubtful doesn't look good.

> Speaking of the Steelers, Big Ben will miss another week which likely means that Le'veon Bell will be big for the Steelers on the field and in fantasy but Antonio Brown may be another fantasy bust again this week with Michael Vick under center. They travel to San Diego where the Steelers will likely need to score a lot to keep up with the Chargers.

> Did you notice that Todd Gurley for the Rams and Duke Johnson for Cleveland had breakout games this past week? I'm just saying. One disappointment has been San Diego RB Melvin Gordon who is still getting the most carries but he's not producing yards for his efforts. Or TDs. Much like Darren Sproles did when he was in San Diego, Danny Woodhead has been the most effective back the Chargers have. As for Duke Johnson, Isaiah Crowell is still getting the most carries but Johnson has cut into that a lot and he has been, by far, much more involved in the passing game. Josh McCown has given the Brownies a bit of a spark and if Johnson and Travis Benjamin continue to show up who knows what's going to happen.

> Let's see what, if anything, will come of the tenure of new interim Miami Dolphins coach Dan Campbell. Since he took over he has ramped up the practices and vowed to bring a toughness previously lacking from the Joe Philbin regime to the team. We'll see how this new tough approach has on his team but we should see an immediate impact. That means that the offensive skill players for the Dolphins like Ryan Tannehill, Lamar Miller, Jarvis Landry and Jordan Cameron could all be sleeper picks but you'll have to wait until next week because the Dolphins, along with the Panthers, Vikings and Jets, are all on their bye week. Seriously though, with two weeks to prepare before their next game the Dolphins, if they are going to improve over the next two weeks, should be a very different look team when they come back in Week 6.

Yesterday's game had the usual bad news but for Port Arthur's own Jamaal Charles it was likely THE WORST news ever. For the second time in his career Charles will have to bounce back from a torn ACL. Yeah, that really sucks. The first ACL was a bit of a fluke as Charles stepped on the yard marker on the field and it gave out and his knee went with it. Yesterday there wasn't a stray piece of nylon on the field he just tried to cut to his left and his knee buckled and his season is over. Too bad because Charles is such a good guy, he doesn't deserve this. There are plenty of douche bags who probably do but it never seems to happen to them.

For fantasy purposes it looks like Knile Davis won't be the first option to step in for Charles. The Chiefs have used Charcandrick West the 2nd year player from the SLC, Abilene Christian.

Andrew Luck was back at practice today for the Colts.

One guy fantasy players may be surprised to see as a nice option at QB is Jacksonville's Blake Bortles. So far Bortles is right up there in fantasy points for the season and now, about the time we sort of realize his value and bye weeks in full swing he has a Grade 1 AC joint sprain in the Jags loss to Tampa Bay. Not sure when it occurred but he played through the injury and still threw for over 300 yards and 4 TDs and 1 pick. Hopefully, Bortles will not miss any time as he and WR Allen Hurns had big days. It wasn't just Hurns who had 5 catches for 116 yds and one TD but Allen Robinson had 7 catches for 72 yds and 2 TDs.

Another guy who is starting to make some noise as a fantasy player is Washington QB Kirk Cousins. Cousins and the Redskins scared the bejesus out of Atlanta forcing the Falcons into overtime before a bad pass from Cousins resulted in a pick six for the Falcons. Cousins wasn't great but solid with 215 yds passing with a TD and 2 picks.

More to come.

Ben Roethlisberger participated in 7 on 7 drills as the Steelers opened practice Wednesday for the game against Arizona this week. This is a positive sign for his return but it will depend on how he feels after yesterday's work.

The Patriots did lose on Sunday vs the Cowboys. How? They lost starting left tackle Nate Solder for the rest of the season with a torn biceps muscle. The Pats line gave up 5 sacks to the Cowboys who had their first game with DE Greg Hardy and MLB Rolando McClain who definitely had a major impact on the Cowboys pass rush.

Blake Bortles looks like he will be playing this week after all. He practiced yesterday and he said the Grade 1 A/C joint he injured last week against Tampa is "feeling fine". Fantasy owners take note because...........................

Buffalo could be without their starting QB Tyrod Taylor because of a reported MCL sprain suffered last Sunday. Taylor did some work with the team yesterday but it was reported yesterday by NFL.com that Taylor would miss this week's game. Apparently the reports of his status was a little premature. The Bills got some good news. LeSean McCoy returned to practice yesterday and looked to be participating in all the drills. McCoy has missed the past two games with a nagging hamstring injury. Also back at practice was Sammy Watkins who has been out since Week 3 with a calf strain. Now, the question becomes will it be Taylor or EJ Manual. Wonder if Rex Ryan regrets trading Matt Cassel to the Cowboys right about now?

The Colts had Andrew Luck back as a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

The Cowboys made if official this morning in Jason Garrett's press conference, Matt Cassel will start next week against the Giants. The Cowboys are on their bye week and do not play this week. The Cowboys also announced that they have a new starting left guard as La'el Collins replaces a recently struggling Ron Leary. One last Cowboys note. RB Christine Michael who was acquired three weeks ago, the week before 3rd down back Lance Dunbar was injured, got first team snaps in practice with Garrett saying that his work load will increase going forward. The Cowboys are looking for playmakers on offense and Michael has a world of unrealized talent that the Cowboys are hoping to tap into during this bye week.

As I posted earlier in the week the Chiefs will have to do some fancy tap dancing to replace the 39.1% of the offense they lost when Jamaal Charles tore his ACL last weekend. Andy Reid said in his presser today that Nile Davis and Charcandrick West will try to fill Charles very big shoes. West was used more than Davis in the Chiefs loss to the suddenly very tough Chicago Bears team. Just saying.

Just an aside here but I've got pretty sick of the "Who Dat's" out there probably in the same way people got sick of "How 'bout them Cowboys!". Even I got sick of that. It's still sad to see the Saints struggling because of the class way Drew Brees has gone about his business. Bounty-gate killed this team and they haven't been the same since Sean Payton got suspended for whole season as a result. A tag line on NFL.com said, "Rob Ryan: Blame me for Saints' poor defensive play" I just had to laugh because, hey Rob, most people do. The defense isn't the whole problem in New Orleans but it's a big part of it. This isn't 4 years ago when the Saints scored 30+ points per game and could make up for defensive deficiencies. Nowadays the Saints offense needs a little help from the defense and they are just not getting it. Rob Ryan, like all the Ryan family, talks a great game but he doesn't have the chops to back it up. On several occasions last season cameras caught Sean Payton and Ryan yelling at one another. All is not bliss in Saint-land. Payton needs a different guy to coach the defense or figure out a way to get Brees healthy enough to throw the ball better so they can score a lot of points. Losing Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks was not a good move for either the Saints or Graham. Neither is doing any good without the other.

Brandon Weeden is pissed he got benched. Wah. You should have played better.

All seemed to go well with Big Ben at Steelers practice yesterday but it still remains to be seen if he will be back this week against the Cardinals. Also, on NFL.com there is an article about how Antonio Brown pleading with Michael Vick to throw him the ball. In the first 3 games of the season Brown was targeted by Big Ben 35 times. In the 2 games Vick has been a QB Brown has only been targeted 15 times and Brown streak of 35 games with at least 5 catches for 50 came to a screeching halt when Vick took over. This week may not be the best time for Brown and Vick's coming out party because Brown will likely be covered by the Cardinals Patrick Peterson. Now, Marcus Wheaton may be a good play this week in fantasy. If Big Ben plays then all bets are off and everyone of the Steelers playmakers are likely to be in play. If not, Le'Veon Bell is the only sure bet for fantasy owners.

Looks like Beast Mode will be back on the field for Seattle this week against Carolina. Pete Carroll said the Marshawn Lynch was good to go for this week's game. That means that his backup, Thomas Rawls, will get a reduced work load. Rawls had his own Beast Mode last week against the Bengals by rushing for 169 yards and a TD for the Seahawks last Sunday. You would figure Rawls would come in and get a series or two per game or maybe per half which could make Rawls a decent flex player in fantasy.

The Giants will go into their Monday night game with Philly without their best CB. Prince Amukamara has a partially torn pec muscle and will miss 2-4 weeks. To make matters worse the Giants will possibly be without their two top WRs. Victor Cruz continues to miss practice with a strained calf and Odell Beckham Jr missed yesterday as he nurses a hamstring he injured in a TD celebration last Sunday night. Beckham is being listed as day-to-day.

Tonight the Saints and Falcons go at it in New Orleans. The usual suspects need to be in fantasy lineups like Julio Jones, DeVonta Freeman and Matt Ryan while you could probably not forget about Drew Brees, Mark Ingram and newcomer WR Willie Snead. Falcons should win because Rob Ryan is to blame for the defense (see above).

Big Ben isn't playing this week. The Steelers will have to rely on Michael Vick for one more week. Sorry Antonio Brown owners but Brown may not have been a good pick anyway because he was likely to be shadowed by Arizona's Patrick Peterson the whole game. As was the case last week the main guy receiver-wise was Marcus Wheaton or maybe Martavus Bryant will be the guy. The real star of the Steelers offense no matter who is under center is Le'Veon Bell but even his output will be put to the test against that tough Cardinals D.

Johnny Manziel got into a tiff with his girlfriend. Who cares, it's the Josh McCown show anyway. Did anyone notice that there is a new #1 target in Cleveland? Ever hear of Gary Barnidge the 8th year man out of Louisville who has been putting up Gronk-like numbers the last few weeks? Looks like McCown-Barnidge is a partnership that could be explored in fantasy. Duke Johnson Jr has been making noise too. Not so much for running the ball but for his contributions to the passing game. Cleveland is quietly putting up some nice fantasy numbers at QB, RB (with Isaiah Crowell and Johnson), TE and don't sell WR Travis Benjamin short either. The Browns overtime win against Baltimore last week was pretty impressive especially with the Browns being on the road.

I've said in an earlier post but with Jamaal Charles out look for Charcandrick West to be the lead back for the Chiefs. He is the #1 sleeper for the this week in my book. He will undoubtedly share carries with RB Knile Davis but he looks like he has more juice than Davis. It will, in all likelihood, take both guys to fill Charles huge shoes considering Jamaal was 38% of the Chiefs offense through the first 5 weeks of the season.

Speaking of the Ravens, Justin Forsett is going to be a game time decision as he has missed practice this week with an ankle injury the Ravens will have to turn to rookie RB Javorius Allen. With Lorenzo Taliafaro placed on injured reserve this past week Allen is the next man up. He's really the only man up as the alternatives will be a couple of UFAs that are both on the practice squad. Well, up until last week Raheem Mostert out of Purdue was on the practice squad but he was signed to the active roster when Taliafaro was injured. The other guy is Terrence McGee out of LSU who is currently on the practice squad could be called up for depth purposes if Forsett is a scratch. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday and was limited yesterday. He is officially listed as questionable and a game time decision.

The Bills will get LeSean McCoy back this week so all you Boobie Dixon owners feel free to look elsewhere.

Another Browns note, they could finally get Robert Turbin back this week. He may find the going tough with Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson working together nicely he may find carries a little scarce. Or he may cut into the carries the others see. I think Duke Johnson's value as a 3rd down back is pretty safe but who will get the benefit of the 1st and 2nd downs is the question being asked. Still, both Crowell and Turbin are listed as questionable this week against the Broncos this week. At least the Browns get the Broncos at home.

You think Sammy Watkins bitching about not being targeted enough will be enough to get either Tyrod Turner or EJ Manuel to throw to him more? That is the question fantasy owners will be wondering about. Squeaky wheel gets the grease as they say so maybe this week Watkins will get greased as the Bills face the undefeated Bengals at home on Sunday. It won't hurt that Cincy will have McCoy worry about this week too.

The Giants may going into it's divisional game on Monday night without both Victor Cruz who is still nursing a strained calf AND 2nd year phenom Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ hurt his hamstring in an end zone celebration last Sunday night and was nothing more than a decoy on the last game winning series for the Giants. Beckham has not practiced at all this week but Tom Coughlin is maintaining hope he will be able to play against Philly hoping against hope that one extra day will make all the difference. The Giants will be limping into Philadelphia on both sides of the ball and will undoubtedly be underdogs in the game. Even more so if Bechham can't play.

More later....................................

JJ Watt magically appeared on the Texans injury report as questionable with an undisclosed illness. It's probably the same crap that has had me and a hundred other people I know sick lately. I like a good north wind to get rid of the humidity but the crap that wind blows in sucks for my allergies. Anyway, enough of my whining, Watt was listed as a full go so apparently he got some good drugs and some sleep.

After some speculation to the contrary, Andrew Luck will play tonight vs the Patriots.

After some doubt about whether Tyrod Taylor would be able to play today has been cleared up--he is not playing. E J Manuel will get his first start since September of last year for the Bills.

Also for the Bills, LeSean McCoy is a go as is Sammy Watkins. On the other side of the scale Percy Harvin will be a game time decision with a hip injury. If Harvin can't go then Watkins may get his wish and see more targets.

A big loss for Jacksonville will be that RB TJ Yeldon will miss today's game against the Texans. According to the Jags depth chart Denard Robinson is the next man up. In limited work for the Jags over the last two seasons Robinson has rushed for an APC of 4.5 yards. Houston will still have to work to shut down the Jags run game.

RBs Isaiah Crowell, Dion Lewis and Marshawn Lynch will play today.

Players who will not play: RB Matt Jones and WR Davante Adams

Just an item of note here. Remember all the deflate-gate rig-a-ma-role? Sure you do. It was in all the papers and even got a casual mention on TV. The thing stemmed from a whistle blown by the Indianapolis Colts and the NFL's attempt at a sting operation to catch the Patriots red handed deflating their footballs. After all the months of hoo-hah over this only the NFL league office got their balls deflated in the end. But, now the Patriots and Colts play for the first time since that playoff game this past January. Don't think Tom Brady remembers? Don't think Bill Belichick remembers? Don't think Pats owner Robert Kraft remembers? Darn tootin' they do and I wouldn't be surprised, if given the chance, NE will hang 50 on the Colts. And, to do it in Indy? Priceless. Andrew Luck or no Andrew Luck if it's at all possible the Patriots will take out 8 months of frustration on the franchise that brought all that grief down on them. People, this game could get ugly. The fact it will be played on Sunday night it could be the NFL equivalent of a public execution. You know that the Pats have no problem hanging 50 on any opponent but one they are pissed off at? OMG!!! Take the over and the Pats if you're a betting person unless the O/U is like 75 points. I think I will.

The Chargers confirmed that they will file a request to the NFL league office to relocate to LA. I'm sure the fans in San Diego are thrilled at the news.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000564185/article/chargers-counsel-confirms-team-will-file-for-relocation

The Bills and Jaguars kick off the Sunday games at a very early start time of 9:30 AM EDT tomorrow. Why? Because they are in jolly old England for the second NFL game in London this season. For fantasy owners who have Tyrod Taylor you'll need to go to your backup or pick up someone off the waiver wire because Taylor is a scratch this week. The Bills will go with E J Manual.

After just two games played this season because of a suspension for PED use the Chargers may be without TE Antonio Gates because of a sprained MCL. Gates suffered the injury in the 4th quarter of the Packers game last week. The Charges also may be without WR Keenan Allen who had 14 catches for 148 yds last week before a hip injury sidelined him. RB Melvin Gordon may also miss due to a bad ankle. The Chargers lost more than a game last week as several players including the ones listed above to injuries vs the Packers making the Chargers a beaten and beat up team.

NFL.com has a 'cheat sheet' for players that might play and might not play this week. Fantasy owners will want to take a look at this article because the names on the list are pretty high profile.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000563924/article/week-7-cheat-sheet-can-cam-keep-winning

One hint, the Steelers will have Landry Jones at QB this week against the Chiefs in Kansas City. With the Royals closing out the ALCS last night against the Blue Jays that crowd is likely to be jacked up something fierce tomorrow. With Jones under center then Antonio Brown is back in play in fantasy. Martavius Bryant and Marcus Wheaton are players that bear taking a chance on. Of course you just don't sit Le'Veon Bell either. Despite the fan support in KC the fact is the Chiefs are not good and this game could get ugly early. I believe it will be Pitt in a blowout. I'd sit Charcandrick West for KC, this is not the week he will do much good for the struggling Chiefs. Also, Jeremy Maclin has not yet been cleared to play because of the NFL concussion protocol. Keep an eye on this situation tomorrow as it gets close to game time.

I'm watching the Bills-Jaguars game on the live internet broadcast on Yahoo and I'm seeing a coach that needs to be fired. When I started watching it was 27-13 Jaguars and they had the ball inside the 5 and they had about 6 plays to score a TD. They ended up going for it on 4th down and getting stuffed. So, a 9 minute plus drive that results in nada. The rest of the series the Jags have run resulted in a 3 and out until the last series when Blake Bortles threw up a prayer and Buffalo turned it into a pick six. Oh, by the way, that gave Buffalo their first lead of the game 31-27. Buffalo has scored 28 unanswered points in the second half. Most of that is coaching. Between too conservative calls and poor decisions Jacksonville was trying to not lose the game instead of continuing to be aggressive and it has cost the Jags the lead. Now, on the ensuing series after the pick six the Jags started pushing the ball up the field and they have scored a TD on a pass from Bortles to Allen Hurns. Now, the Jags are up 34-31 with a little over 2 minutes left. If Jacksonville ends up winning the game it still will be on the coaching that cost them a big league in the first place.

For fantasy owners if you have EJ Manual you are happy because he's at 289 yds and will likely top 300 with the Bills trying to come back at the 2 minute warning. Manual also added 6 carries for 33 yds. Nice day including 2 TDs and 2 picks. Shady McCoy has been decent fantasy wise and Robert Woods added 9 catches for 89 yds to lead Buffalo. The Jags only real fantasy hits are RB TJ Yeldon who has 20 carries for 115 yds and a TD and Allen Robinson has 6 carries for 98 yds and a TD. Bortles has 182 yds passing with 2 TDs and 1 pick.

EJ Manual screwed the pooch again. He only managed 9 yards passing to miss a 300 yard game by 2 yards and in doing so turned the ball over on downs and Jacksonville is in victory formation. I wonder if Rex Ryan wishes he hadn't traded Matt Cassel to Dallas right now. Manual sucked despite his numbers.

Games about to start.

Roethlisberger out

Dez Bryant out.

Dion Lewis is out.

Sorry making gumbo that's all I've got anyway.

Since my last post I've avoided the NFL news like crazy mostly because Dallas AND Houston lost and I just didn't want to hear about as I perused the various NFL websites. The Greg Hardy outburst at special teams coach has been dissected ad nauseum just as you would expect and crap like is almost too much for a die hard fan to bear. I almost need Val Kilmer from the movie Tombstone to narrate, "Poor fellah. So high strung, I'm afraid the excitement was more than he could bey-ah." All spoken in that thick Georgia southern drawl. Yep. That was me up until today. It all was more than I could bey-ah.

I'm better now and me skin has calloused over. After all, it's just a game right? But for goodness sake, having to put up with the Aggies, Cardinals, Texans and Cowboys losing in the same weekend I needed a decompression time. Now it is time to move on and discuss player news especially the news that affects our fantasy teams.

As you know Arian Foster is done after tearing his Achilles tendon in that embarrassing loss to Miami on Sunday. Who do you grab? Who in the Texans lineup do you turn to? Well, I looked back at the last 3 games when Foster was back in the lineup and what I found was a little surprising. Chris Polk has been more involved in the Houston attack than Blue. While Blue got more touches than Polk in Foster's Week 5 debut that wasn't the case the past two weeks. Polk was clearly the next man up behind Foster against the Jaguars and the Dolphins. Although after Foster went out Blue did seem some carries but he only had 3 carries and no passes caught against the Dolphins compared to Polk's 4 carries and 2 catches. Not earth shattering fantasy numbers but it seems to make the choice between Blue and Polk more difficult. So, I turned to the Texans website for the unofficial depth chart. That was no help. Blue is the starter, Jonathan Grimes is the backup and Chris Polk was 3rd in the RB pecking order. Grimes hasn't even had a target the last few weeks. I am going on a hunch here and I am going to pick up Chris Polk. He's a flex option at very least and if he's clawed his way up the depth chart then I'm going to have a decent RB3 at least. Of course, a lot depends on the Houston O-line getting their heads out of their collective asses because even Foster couldn't manage a 100 yard game behind this lot.

Big Ben Roethlisberger looks to be back. He took first team reps after being medically cleared and it looks likely he will be in the lineup against Cincinnati this week. The way Cincy has been playing so far this season and their 6-0 record I look for Big Ben to air it out. In fantasy that brings Antonio Brown, Martavus Bennett and Markus Wheaton all into fantasy play. Don't forget Big Ben was chucking the rock for almost 400 YPG before spraining his MCL and he only had the benefit of Le'Veon Bell for one game before he was injured. The Cincy defense had better put on their big boy pants when Pittsburgh comes to town this Sunday.

I hate Thursday games. I just do. You barely have time to catch your fantasy breath from Monday night and you have to set a lineup for that Thursday night game. It's unfair I tell you. You are almost forced into putting a fantasy player in your lineup if he plays on Thursday because you don't want to be kicking your own ass if he goes off. Then, if he has a crap game your kicking yourself for losing a roster spot you might have used if that player wasn't playing on Thursday to somebody else on Sunday or Monday. It's a conspiracy by the NFL to drive fantasy football/NFL fans totally insane! How many of you have Lamar Miller? If Miami wasn't playing New England tomorrow night would you like the matchup? Maybe not but considering the whoopin Miami and Miller in particular put on Houston how could you bench him? I know, right? Since Dion Lewis did not play on Sunday against the Jets do you take a chance on him after only 3 extra days of rest? Well news out of NE is Lewis is officially questionable to play against the Dolphins. Then you think maybe this is one of those nasty, down in the dirt games Legarrette Blount would excel at. Sheesh. I hate Thursday games.

More news and less soap opera to come. Can you believe Jets WR Brandon Marshall would spends the week as commentator on the NFL Network criticized Greg Hardy saying, "Hardy doesn't 'get it'.", when Marshall has altercation of his own with a rookie team mate on the side line of their game against New England? Well, yes I can. It's ironic that Hardy's incident and Marshall's were not even in the same ballpark coverage wise. Why? Because 1) It's the Cowboys who are way more popular than the Jets and 2) because it's the freaking Cowboys, bro! Even when they sucked Dallas stayed in the news because NFL fans want to hear about the Cowboys. Some to gloat over them when their down and others to praise them when they are up. It's like the NY Yankees, you either love 'em or you hate 'em. Either way you can't ignore them.

It's Thursday and you know what that means, there is an NFL football game tonight. It's between the Patriots and the Jets and so if you have any players on either team on your fantasy team you need to make sure they are in the lineup if you want them to be. For those of you stressing over whether or not Pats RB Dion Lewis will play tonight, stress no more. Lewis will play so if you need a RB he could be your man. He will split carries with LeGarrette Blount but his biggest contributions are in the passing game. So, if you are in a PPR league you just may want to plug this guy in, even if it's as a flex player.

Among all the fantasy sites there seems to be a consensus that if he's available Green Bay RB James Starks is a guy you should add to your fantasy roster. The last game I saw was the Packers vs the Chargers and I saw a Eddie Lacy leaving the field and he looked like Fat Albert he was so huge. Linked below is an article from NFL.com in which Packers coach Mike McCarthy talks about Lacy being heavier now than when he was a rookie. Duh!

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000568253/article/mccarthy-eddie-lacy-bigger-than-he-was-as-a-rookie

If you have Marcus Mariota on your roster I hope you have Zack Mettenberger too because Mariota is not playing this week because of a knee injury suffered two games ago against Miami. In fact Mariota has missed the last two games because of the injury. Against the Falcons last week Mettenberger put some pretty average numbers in a 10-7 defensive struggle in Tennessee. The Texans aren't the Falcons and they have given up some pretty big first halves to Atlanta and Miami but I'm not sure we can say Mettenberger is in the class of Matt Ryan or even Ryan Tannehill but the Texans better watch their asses this week.

Carlos Hyde will be out this week against the Rams this week in St Louis. That's not a good thing if you are a 49ers fan. The Rams are tough enough on defense and they are especially tough at home. I sort of feel sorry for San Fran and Reggie Bush and rookie RB Mike Davis. Fantasy wise, Bush may be good as a flex option because I think the Niners will have to throw the ball a lot to stay with the Rams.

The Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game will feature a couple of players returning to the lineup for both teams. Ben Roethlisberger will be back for Pitt and super linebacker Vontaze Burfict will be back for Cincy. Burfict is the wild card here because he has been out since Week 5 of the 2014 season and he has had 10 months to recover from microfracture surgery on his knee. It is the same surgery that the Texans Jadeveon Clowney had and he has been able to come back and play pretty well so far this season. That said, microfracture surgery is a career threatening injury and you would hope that a top tier player like Burfict can beat the odds and make it back.

With Roethlisberger back it will be a good thing for RB Le'Veon Bell, WRs Antonio Brown, Martavis Bennett and Marcus Wheaton. It was a good thing for these players when backup QB Landry Jones took over for the Steelers other backup, Michael Vick, after Vick was injured because Vicks numbers, especially passing sucked. Jones, who was a standout QB at Oklahoma before coming to the NFL brought a Big Ben-like spark to the Steelers offense. Could be Landry Jones has carved out a future in Pittsburgh.

Andre Ellington has had little to do the past couple of weeks because Chris Johnson has been doing so well after coming in Week 2 after Ellington was hurt. Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has said the Ellington's role will increase this week against the Cleveland Browns. It could be Ellington will resume his role as lead back and Johnson will go back to being a 3rd down back or change of pace back. Then again, the Cards may just want to give Ellington a few more carries while still leaning on CJ2K to carry the bulk of the load. I would be hard pressed to sit Johnson after he had been more like his old 2000 yard self the past few weeks. At least for this week, if I had Johnson on my fantasy team, I'd have him in my lineup.

The Colts will get a gift from Carolina this Monday night in the form of not having to deal with two major players in the Panthers lineup. C Ryan Kahlil and Shaq Thompson are both listed as doubtful and will likely be out of the lineup this week. Carolina is just a better team than Indy so it shouldn't make any difference. Carolina beat Seattle on the road two weeks ago and they topped the Eagles last week at home. Carolina is one of the unbeaten teams so far in 2015 and it really doesn't look like they will be beaten this week either.

The Giants got Jason Pierre-Paul back this week and they came to agreement on a one year deal and he should be able to play soon which will help bolster a bit of the anemic pass rush the Giants have.

San Diego TE Antonio Gates has been listed as questionable this week with a knee. I really don't think Gates will play but I have been wrong before. Questionable is what it says it is and there have been a lot of guys classified this way and have played anyway. This will bear watching.

The Browns QB Josh McCown is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. Browns head man Mike Pettine says he is prepared to use either McCown or backup Johnny Manziel this week against Arizona.

It looks like Falcons WR Leonard Hankerson will be out this week against Tampa Bay. As for the Bucs they will be missing WR Vincent Jackson and TE Austin Sefarian-Jenkins. Both big loses for the Bucs offense. Mike Evens may be hard pressed to have a good day without Jackson to take some of the heat off in coverage. I believe Tampa will lean on WR Louis Murphy and TE Luke Stocker but as he did against Washington last Jameis Winston will really rely on RB Doug Martin and WR Mike Evans.