These next few weeks, I will look back statistically at the 2009 football season and try to give fantasy players some useful stats to use in order to begin the 2010 season.

First I thought I would delve into the defenses as this is one of those often overlooked items on the fantasy roster.

The following stat chart represents the defensive points that opposing teams received off of the listed teams in the chart.

For example, the first team listed is St. Louis. If you could have played the defense that was playing Saint Louis’ offense each week, your defense would have scored you 228 fantasy points in 2009. The fantasy points in this example are based on Yahoo’s standard defensive scoring along with 6 points for each Special Teams Return TD.

1. Saint Louis 228

2. Detroit 195

3. Oakland 183

4. Buffalo 170

5. Washington 169

6. Carolina 166

7. Cleveland 166

8. Kansas City 162

9. Tampa Bay 161

10. Pittsburgh 159

11. Jacksonville 150

12. Seattle 146

13. New York Jets 139

14. Denver 132

15. Arizona 126

16. Chicago 123

17. Miami 121

18. Cincinnati 120

19. San Francisco 119

20. Houston 111

21. Atlanta 111

22. New York Giants 111

23. Tennessee 102

24. Baltimore 100

25. Philadelphia 99

26. Dallas 90

27. Green Bay 89

28. Minnesota 88

29. New England 86

30. New Orleans 86

31. Indianapolis 67

32. San Diego 60

Here are a few things to note from these statistics: Cleveland only allowed 25 points to opposing defenses over the last 7 weeks of the season. They could be heading more in the right direction for 2010 … The bottom nine teams on this list all qualified for the playoffs in the NFL this year.

This chart can be used for the early going of 2010 in playing the best waiver wire available defense strategy.

I plan to also roll out over the next few weeks the points allowed by teams to QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs. For 2010 I plan to show how these charts move through a new season. Hopefully the charts will provide some useful information for people making those tough start/sit decisions.

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He’s shown flashes as a receiver, but he’s a complete game-breaker when his electric return game is a factor.

Enter Devin Aromashodu, a third-year receiver out of Auburn. With Hester nursing a calf injury, Aromashodu caught eight of his 12 targets for 76 yards and a TD. He’s available in 99.9 percent of ESPN leagues, but more importantly, gives the Bears another offensive weapon.

Johnny Knox also scored a TD, he made five catches for 83 yards on seven targets. He’s not as available (61% of leagues).

Aromashodu’s the more interesting play here because we’ve seen Knox’s game. We know where it goes. Aromashodu impressed in his first big opportunity. Dynasty-leaguers should make an effort to get him. For redrafters who need help at WR, he’ll probably be one of your better waiver options this week.

We, like all those opposing defenses, all know how much Cutler’s going to have to throw the ball with that club struggling as bad as it is right now.

Who else might provide a boost from the waiver wire realm this week? Let’s take a look:

Chris Jennings – Had 73 yards on 20 carries and managed a 10-yard TD run. He’s available in 98% of leagues but plays for the Browns and won’t have the luxury of playing the bumbling Steelers again this season.

Garrett Hartley – The kicker for the Saints available in 86% of leagues? He had two field goals and two extra points this week. He missed one extra point, but he’s going to be a top-5 kicker the rest of the way. Go get him.

Matt Bryant – Ok, he’s no Garrett Hartley, but Bryant is making the Falcons forget about Jason Elam. He had three field goals and two extra points against the Saints. He’s available in 99.8% of ESPN leagues.

Michael Jenkins – Had three catches for 82 yards and a TD. More importantly, Chris Redman likes throwing to him. It’s Jenkins’ third consecutive game with 76 or more yards and he’s owned in only 5.1% of leagues.

Mike Hart – Had nine carries for 28 yards. Got some love in the Twitterverse, and apparently he was taking goal-line carries from Joseph Addai. He’s highly available, but it’s not time to pick him up yet.

Jason Snelling – He’s only available in about half of fantasy leagues, but as long as Michael Turner is out, Snelling’s a flex play. He had a TD and 92 total yards against the Saints on Sunday.

Jamaal Charles – Somehow he’s still available in more than 20% of ESPN leagues. Charles has scored a TD in each of the last three games and four of the last five. Against the Bills on Sunday, he amassed 143 yards on 20 carries, scored two TDs and made seven catches on eight targets.

Kevin Faulk – He’s not going to get you 100 yards rushing or receiving, or a TD every week, but he could be a cheap somewhat productive flex player if you are needy in that department. And he’s available in 94% of fantasy leagues. This week he had a rushing TD and 58 yards rushing on 10 carries.

Jay Feely – Yes, this is the kicker edition of the Monday update. Feely made four field goals – including a 49-yarder and a 40-yarder – and booted two extra points. He’s available in almost 70% of ESPN leagues, and as long as Kellen Clemens is helming the Jets, expect them to stall out a lot.

Chad Henne – Surprisingly, Henne got little love in the weekly projections at a lot of sites today. The Dolphins were facing the Jaguars. Henne wasn’t great, but he ran for a TD and completed 21-of-29 passes for 220 yards. He threw a pick and didn’t have a TD pass, but he’s a legit NFL QB, especially with no wildcat. Available in almost 95% of leagues

Greg Camarillo – After Davone Bess had a 100-yard receiving game last week, Camarillo comes out and has a 100-yard performance this week. Camarillo caught all seven targets for 110 yards. He’s available in 99.5% of leagues. I can’t guarantee 100-yarders week after week, but maybe Henne starts using him more, making him a flex play for you in the playoffs.

Willis McGahee – Oh, Willis, back in the update, huh? Where have you been? Yes, you’re 76 yards on 12 carries looks great, but let’s not forget you get them against the Browns. Leron McClain scored a TD, too. They even made Troy Smith look good.

Julius Jones, Justin Forsett, Ryan Moats and Chris Brown – This quartet took up most of the space in the backfield for the Seahawks-Texans game. I saw most of the crew mentioned as potential lineup savers and flex plays on sites. They combined for 115 yards and a TD on 32 carries. Bottom line: You don’t want to have to rely on running backs for these teams. If it’s worth anything, Moats was the most effective of the bunch, rushing for 43 yards and the lone TD on 10 carries. He’s available in about 80% of ESPN leagues.

Quinton Ganther – Scored twice and amassed 93 total yards. He was a smart waiver/free agent add  for a lot of players, but he’s still available in 72% of ESPN leagues. He’s the Redskins starter at running back. He shouldn’t be that available.

Darren McFadden – So for a few moments at the beginning of the Raiders-Redskins game, McFadden looked like someone Chinstrap Ninjas should recommend. He finished with 84 yards receiving, including a 48-yarder. Unfortunately, that play came before Bruce Gradkowski blew out both his knees. With JaMarcus Russell calling plays, no Raider should start in a fantasy lineup.

Leonard Weaver – Hey, it was whispered here last week, but not many people took advantage. Know who the Eagles most effective running back was AGAIN this week? Yep, Weaver. He had 33 yards on nine carries (3.7 average) and scored a TD. He’s only owned in 1.1% of leagues. When Westbrook’s out, it’s Weaver’s backfield not McCoy’s.

Hakeem Nicks – Not totally available (only in 45% of leagues), but he did cement his starting status with a 110-yard-and-a-TD performance. He could have had two other TDs.

Kevin Boss – Set a season-high in receptions, matched his second-best yardage performance with 70 and scored a TD against the Eagles on Sunday. He’s available in more than half of all ESPN leagues. He’s a legit fantasy starter, so he’s an upgrade for a couple teams out there.

Who did we miss? Who are we wrong about? Let us know in the comments.

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While Matt Forte and Steve Slaton continued their downward spiral, Chris Johnson and Ray Rice continued their strong play.

Also, Clinton Portis got hurt and Chris Chambers scored twice. Yes, Chris Chambers. What does all of that mean from a fantasy perspective? Well, that’s a little more complicated.

Let’s discuss a bunch of Sunday’s storylines:

Ryan Moats – Got the full-time back carries, but didn’t do much with it. Steve Slaton was equally as ineffective coming off the bench. The surprising thing was that Slaton was supposed to be the passing down back, but Moats scored a receiving TD.

Joseph Addai – Speaking of receiving TDs, Addai played well again in Donald Browns’ absence. He scored rushing and receiving TDs and finished with 112 total yards.

Dallas Clark – Not really storyline to monitor here, just a further example of Clark’s awesome: 14 catches, 119 yards.

Michael Turner – 166 yards on just 18 carries and scored twice. He averaged 9.2 per carry against what had been a pretty stout Redskins run defense this season. Jzak’s trying to trade him away, but I think he’ll be better in the second half and worth trading for.

Ladell Betts – Consider Betts a waiver pickup with Clinton Portis injury. Betts averaged 4.7 per carry, racking up 70 yards and a score with a 23-yard reception against Atlanta.

Kurt Warner – When Ben Patrick and Anthony Brecht are scoring TDs, you know there’s something crazy going on. Warner threw five TDs in the win, two of them to L-Fitz, who finished with a 9-123-2 line.

Tim Hightower – Edged Beanie Wells in one of the more talked about fantasy battles. But he only did it barely. Finished with 88 total yards on 16 touches. Wells had 72 yards on 13 touches.

Greg Olsen – Tried to single-handedly outdo Kurt Warner, catching three TDs from Jay Cutler and finishing with 5 catches and 74 yards. He was targeted seven times.

Ray Rice – Struggled to run against the Bengals early , but still finished with a respectable 12-48-1 line and added an awesome 8-87-0 line receiving. I wasn’t sure if I should trade for him in response to jzak’s trade post, but I’m a believer now.

Ronnie Brown – Ricky Williams stole another rushing score, but Brown finished with a cornucopia of statistics that accumulated to more than 10 points in standard leagues. He threw for a one-yard TD, rushed 15-48 and had two catches for 16 yards.

Tampa Bay Defense – I don’t normally focus on defenses, so you know something insane has to be coming. The Bucs had a blocked punt return for a TD, an INT returned for a TD, 3 fumble recoveries, 3 interceptions and six sacks against the lowly packers. Oh, and Clifton Smith nearly broke a kick return for a TD, being brought down after 83 yards.

Josh Freeman – The rookie QB led the Buccaneers to their first win of the season. His numbers weren’t out of this world, but add three TDs and 1-for-2 on 2-pt tries to his, 14-31-1 for 105 yards line and he was pretty good. He’s a waiver pickup if he’s still available in your league and you need QB help.

James Jones – Had a 74-yard TD catch, finishing with a 4-103 line. Meanwhile Donald Driver and Greg Jennings each had twice as many targets as Jones had catches, but didn’t do as much with them. If the Packers continue to trail in a lot of games, I’d expect Jones to have another game or three like this over the rest of the season.

Chris Chambers – With 3 minutes to play in the game, Chambers was an afterthought. He scored twice after the 2:32 mark and finished with 3 catches for 70 yards on just four targets. It came against he Jaguars, so temper your expectations, but if he can compliment Dwayne Bowe…

Lance Long – Who? Yep, this guy led the Chiefs in targets this week with 11. He finished with eight catches for 74 yards. Maybe Long is the compliment the Chiefs need for Bowe. Maybe it’s both Long and Chambers. Maybe it’s just another offense having a field day at the Jaguars expense.

Jaguars rookies – Jarrett Dillard had a catch for 33 yards. Anyone who reads this site knows I had high expectations for Dillard in the preseason. Rashad Jennings, the man who would be the new Fred Taylor busted out a 28-yard TD run. He finished with 38 yards on three touches.

Mike Sims-Walker – After an off week against the Titans… Wait, I gotta let the sting from that statement wear off for a second… Sims-Walker bounced back with a 6-catch, 147-yard, 1-TD game. He’ll be one of the most sought after WRs in 2010.

Matthew Stafford – Stafford started the game off by scoring consecutive TD passes, one to Brandon Pettigrew and another to Bryant Johnson. However, he didn’t throw another TD and recorded five picks.

Casey Fitzimmons – Led the Lions in targets with 11. Finished with 6 catches and 41 yards. I have no idea why. No, you shouldn’t pick him up.

Brandon Pettigrew – Is it Pettigrew time in Detroit? He had eight targets, caught seven for 70 yards and a score. Interesting.

Calvin Johnson – Had nine targets, but so did Nate Burleson, TJ Houshmandzadeh and John Carlson and that trio each had more than six catches and 34 yards. Johnson finished with just two catches and 27 yards.

Matt Hasselbeck – Threw the ball a Brady-esque 51 times, completing 39 for 329 yards, one score and one interception. I know it came against Detroit, but Hasselbeck seems to be back.

Julius Jones – Was supposed to be a good play for the garbage rushing yards he could amass after Seattle was up a few TDs against Detroit. He only finished with 36 yards on 13 carries, but he scored a TD and had six catches for 78 yards.

Jake Delhomme – He didn’t get picked off! And he had 208 yards passing. But he didn’t throw a Td and fumbled twice, losing one of them. Delhomme!

DeAngelo Williams – An impressive game, scoring the first two TDs of the game, rushing for 149 yards on 21 carries.

Robert Meachem – The chosen receiver for New Orleans this week, Meachem had five catches for 98 yards and a Td.

Vincent Jackson – Philip Rivers only targeted Jackson five times, but he caught all five, for 58 yards and two scores.

Steve Smith (NYG) – Continues to make a case for being THE Steve Smith. Had eight catches for 57 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Mario Manningham was the second guy this week with six catches and 52 yards. Smith has been, and will continue to be the only constant receiving threat for the Giants.

Vince Young – Another workmanlike performance out of VY, 12-for-19 for 172 yards. No TDs, no picks. He did run for a score and finished with five carries and 14 yards.

Chris Johnson – One of the few 2008 rookies who continues to amaze, Johnson had 135 yards on 25 carries and scored twice, both one-yarders.

Alex Smith – Touted by jzak as a trade for candidate, Smith didn’t disappoint. He threw three picks, but also threw for 283 yards and two scores.

Vernon Davis – Alex Smith’s favorite target Sunday, he threw Davis’ way 11 times and the tight end continued to impress with 10 catches and 102 yards. Frank Gore was second on the team iwth 9 targets and seven catches for 75 yards respectively.

Jason Hill – The big surprise out of San Francisco this week was Hill’s four catches on four targets for 50 yards and two scores. He might be worth an add if he played he Titans defense every other week.

LeSean McCoy – In place of the injured Brian Westbrook, McCoy finished with a solid 13-54 rushing line and led the team with five catches for 61 yards. He had the second most targets for the eagles with seven. Jeremy Maclin led in that category with nine.

Marion Barber – Had 70 total yards on 15 touches. He needs more touches. Tashard Choice finished with 21 yards on four touches and scored a rushing touchdown. He needs more touches, too.

Miles Austin – Invisible for the entire Sunday night game and targeted only four times, Austin scored the go-ahead TD on his only catch, a 49-yarder that showcased his skill and took advantage of the Eagles lack of coverage.

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And considering that most fantasy trades take time to develop, now is the time to really assess your team and determine if you need to make some moves.

Notice that your team is weak at a certain position? Lacking depth in key areas? Think you are out of contention in your dynasty league and looking to rebuild for 2010? Now is the time for action.

Obviously the mantra for most successful trading is to sell high and buy low.

Here are some position-by-position players to consider trading away or dealing for before the coming trade deadline.

Quarterbacks

Trade for:

Kurt Warner, ARI. Coming off one of the worst games of his career against the Panthers last week (27-for-46 for 242 yards and five interceptions), Warner’s stock is very low at the moment. He’s 16th in scoring among all fantasy QBs. However, Warner has a really easy schedule coming up … one almost too easy for quarterbacks to have significant value. However, the Cardinals offense is centered around the pass. With playmakers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to throw to, Warner’s numbers can’t continue to be this pedestrian. Warner’s best statistical outputs came against the three easiest teams during the first eight weeks: Jacksonville, Houston and Seattle. Now after a game in Week 9 where the Cardinals match up with an up and down Chicago defense, Arizona then plays Seattle, St. Louis, Tennessee, Minnesota (yes, the Vikings are weak in passing defense), San Francisco, Detroit and St. Louis. Warner should be targetted the hardest in all redraft leagues. It is hard to imagine him having much value beyond this season, however. If you do land Warner, make sure to pick up Matt Leinart off waivers … if Warner does somehow struggle against cupcake teams like he did against Carolina, Leinart could see more action in an offense that is loaded with talent.

Alex Smith, SF. Warner too expensive for your wallet? Try Smith for a cheap source of stats the rest of the way. Smith has fared well since taking over the reins from Shaun Hill two weeks ago, and has a sexy-good slate of opposing defenses down the stretch. The Niners finish with Tennessee, Chicago, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Seattle, Arizona, Philadelphia and Detroit. San Francisco’s young receiving corps is improving with time, especially rookie Michael Crabtree, who had six catches for 81 yards against the Colts.

Trade away:

Matt Schaub, HOU. It may seem crazy to deal away a player that has probably carried your team this season, and who is currently the second-highest fantasy scoring QB in the NFL at the moment. However, it is hard to imagine him keeping up his torrid pace. He lost one of his most trusted receiving options (tight end Owen Daniels is out for the season), and the Texans still have their bye on the horizon (week 10). Plus, Houston has some really questionable matchups in the near future, including two against the Colts in the next four weeks and Miami in what will be the championship game of many fantasy leagues. Questions about Steve Slaton’s availability moving forward thanks to issues with fumbles means that Schaub may see yet another hit in his receiving options.

Brett Favre, MIN. He is tied with Matt Schaub for the lead in QB touchdown throws this year. He is coming off a 33-point performance (in leagues where he earned six points per TD and one point per 25 yards passing) in his revenge match against the Green Bay Packers. After this week’s bye, however, the Vikings play a series of games against teams who are mediocre at best. Favre won’t be needed to carry the team … it will be Adrian Peterson’s show for the forseeable future. Plus, Favre followed this same pattern last season — playing great the first half of the season until injuries took their toll and slowed him the rest of the way. Not saying he’ll break down again this year — he does have a much better supporting cast in Minnesota — but there is always the possibility.

Running backs

Trade for:

Ronnie Brown, MIA. Remember the mantra: Buy low, sell high. Ronnie owners are seething right now after consecutive weeks of Ricky Williams stealing Brown’s thunder. Add in an unfavorable matchup for Miami this week in New England, and you have all the ingredients for a good buy-low stew. However, you can forget Ricky Williams after this week … the Dolphins play such a run-friendly slate the rest of the way, there will be plenty of stats to go around. Starting in Week 10, Miami plays Tampa Bay, Carolina, Buffalo, New England, Jacksonville, Tennessee and Houston. Brown, who is integral for the team’s wildcat scheme and catches his fair share of passes, as well, will see much better days as the season progresses. Pounce now, or kick yourself later.

Beanie Wells, ARI. In redraft leagues, many are nervous that Tim Hightower will continue to eat away at Beanie’s opportunities. However, watching both players, it is obvious that Wells has so much more to offer in terms of explosiveness, big-play ability and all-around potential. The Cardinals are struggling this season and need to find their identity. The passing game isn’t the cure-all it was last year, and it is just a matter of time until Wells becomes the team’s defacto go-to weapon. Too boot, the Cardinals have a sweet schedule the rest of the way, especially during the fantasy playoffs, where Beanie will be lighting up the fantasy scoreboard against the Lions and Rams, respectively.

Trade away:

Matt Forte, CHI. You trade players when their value is maxed out, and that is exactly where Forte is at the moment. There have been few players more disappointing this season as Forte — a consensus top-five pick in most fantasy drafts this summer. He has struggled against all except the easiest of opposing teams (only decent games were against Detroit and Cleveland), and has a slew of challenging matchups as the season progresses. The kicker is looking ahead to the fantasy playoff weeks, where Forte plays arguably the toughest run defense slate in back-to-back contests with Baltimore and Minnesota.

Michael Turner, ATL. It amazes me how much love this guy got in PPR leagues to start the season considering how uninvolved he is in the Falcons passing game. This year, he has just three catches all season, and has struggled to be the TD machine that defined his breakout campaign in 2008. He is coming off 151 yards rushing and a TD against the New Orleans Saints, but has a smattering of really tough defenses in the horizon. His Week 16 (typical fantasy championship) matchup with Buffalo is really juicy, but his play the rest of the fantasy regular season may doom any chances of you getting to that point.

Wide receivers

Trade for:

Calvin Johnson, DET. Say what you will about Calvin’s recent injury woes and the inconsistent rookie play at quarterback for the Lions … the bottom line is that when Megatron plays, he produces. His last full game of action was a Week 4 matchup with the Bears in which he had eight catches for 133 yards. As soon as he returns to the field, expect instant dividends, and all signs are pointing towards a return this week. The remaining schedule is passing-friendly, and Calvin will finish the year ranked up where he belongs — among the WR elite.

Steve Smith, CAR. Has any player underperformed as hideously as Steve Smith this year? Much like the much-hyped Carolina Panthers, Smith has been non-existent. He has found himself riding the fantasy pine in many leagues and even dropped by a few short-sighted managers. However, look closer to his performance the past two weeks … a 6-for-99 outing against Buffalo and a 3-for-56 (and a long-awaited TD) against Arizona this past week. The Panthers made a statement against the Cardinals, and it wouldn’t be far-fetched to expect the team to start riding that momentum to a much-needed torrid stretch. Smith will rebound, and he can be had at the moment for a few empty peanut shells.

Trade away:

Donald Driver, GB. Currently the 12th-highest scoring receiver in football, it is hard to expect Driver to keep up the pace for an entire season. Aaron Rodgers struggles to stay upright game in and game out due to a horrific O-line. Rodgers has also mastered the art of spreading around his passes (especially recently) and Greg Jennings, who has a much higher ceiling, is primed to cut more and more into Drivers’ production.

Steve Smith, NYG. After an amazingly torrid start to the season, Smith has cooled off considerably. He hasn’t scored a TD in four straight games and hasn’t had over 100 yards receiving since his Week 4 matchup with Kansas City. The Giants are really spreading the ball around, and Smith will continue to struggle with consistency down the stretch because of that. Thanks to such a huge start, Smith still has plenty of trade interest in fantasy circles … but if you can swing him for Calvin Johnson or Steve Smith, than by all means, go for it.

Tight ends

Trade for:

Jason Witten, DAL. No one in their right mind would have expected Witten to be 16th among all tight ends at this point in the season in terms of fantasy scoring. A major reason for that was the emergence of Miles Austin. What makes Witten’s numbers so deceiving is that he’s scored just one TD all season. It isn’t that he’s not targeted in the offense — in fact, he’s tied for fourth in the league in receptions (with Antonio Gates and Brent Celek). As Austin demands more and more attention from opposing defenses, the short passing game will get more breathing room and Witten will start notching some touchdowns. He’s about as cheap as he’ll be all season.

Jermichael Finley, GB. This is more a dynasty league suggestion than anything else, but Finley has proven that he’s the apple of Rodgers’ eye when it comes to tight ends on the Packers. Finley has been sidelined with a knee injury, and will likely miss this week’s contest against Tampa Bay. However, Finley will be explosive again when he returns and should be a top tight end for years to come if he can build off the momentum he started with a 6-for-128 performance against Minnesota in Week 4.

Trade away:

Vernon Davis, SF. Davis looks like a favorite of new QB Alex Smith. However, his stats are greatly inflated from his 7-for-93 (with three TD) game against Houston during Week 7. Since then, the team has welcomed rookie Michael Crabtree into the fold, and Crabtree continues to see more and more looks and action in the passing game. Davis will be affected the most by this. I’m not saying he won’t still have some solid games … just that they’ll sporadic moving forward.

Which players are you targeting in your respective leagues? Which are you looking to move? Using your suggestions, I’d love to develop a comprehensive list of guys you should be targeting as the trade deadline looms.

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First we have the porous Titans defense actually standing up to an opponent and backing up Vince Young enough to get a win, then we have the Broncos D giving up 30 points and nearly 300 yards to the Ravens.

Could we have seen it coming? Yes and no.

Take away the two shutdown performances in Weeks 2 and 3, the Broncos haven’t been dominant from a fantasy perspective. In the two weeks previous to the meeting with the Ravens, Denver was average, giving up 69.25 and 70.80 points to offensive fantasy players.

In comparison, the Titans have allowed more than 100 points to offensive players in four of six weeks prior to their game against the Jaguars. Against Jacksonville, the Titans had their least awful week – 55.95 total.

Why have I spent six paragraphs talking about the Titans and the Broncos? Because many of you – and probably a couple at my urging – probably lineup decisions based on the matchups.

You reluctantly played Ray Rice and probably benched Joe Flacco because they were facing the Broncos.

Meanwhile, you probably played David Garrard – I played him in place of Donovan McNabb. Yes, ouch is right – and Mike Sims-Walker without hesitation.

While Maurice Jones-Drew was his usual awesome self, Garrard and Sims-Walker were putrid against a defense that hasn’t even slowed down opposing passing attacks all season.

The lesson, for me as much as anyone else: Don’t bank on the matchups. Now, watching matchups is going to help you make your lineup decisions, but there are no guarantees.

For myself, I forgot the one notion I tell myself come keeper time every year. When McNabb’s healthy and wants to play he will completely take over games. That’s why you need to play McNabb whenever he’s healthy. Period.

So, yeah, McNabb had a great game and Ray Rice had a solid game, who else was good this weekend, let’s take a look:

Ray Rice – Got 84 yards on 23 carries and led the team with five catches against the Broncos. Rice is supposed to be too small to handle a 23-carry, 3.7/per-type game. I’m buying Rice as a legit running back. Then again, I started buying Steve Slaton last year, too.

Ryan Moats – Had 23 carries 126 yards and three TDs against the Bills. Hey, the Bills are awful against running backs. But Steve Slaton had one carry for one yard and a fumble against the same defense, too. Not a bad idea to take a waiver chance on Moats. You could get a starting running back out of the deal.

Matt Forte – Another great running back matchup for last year’s Bears superstar running back. He had 96 yards and two TDs, but still took 26 carries to get it. I know I’m knit-picking here, but 3.5 per carry is not very good against the Browns. Garrett Wolfe averaged 10.6 on five carries, just saying.

Michael Crabtree – Still no breakout performance, but PPR players got a decent 6-81 line out of the 49ers rookie receiver.

Mark Sanchez – He’s been bad for a couple weeks, but bounced with a 265-yard, 2 TD game. He’s a rookie QB, he’ll have his ups and downs. This was an up.

Shonn Greene – I was shouting Shonn Greene’s name last week, his 8-carry, 18-yard performance was highlighted by a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Jason Taylor. I’m calling this one a hiccup, we’ll see what happens next week.

Dustin Keller and Braylon Edwards – Keller’s been solid all year, but his 8-catch, 76-yard game was a little better than usual. Edwards seems to be settling in, and as long as Sanchez isn’t throwing wounded ducks, he should be good for 4-74-1-ish games the rest of the year.

Malcolm Floyd – Had two catches for 64 yards in his new role as starter over Chris Chambers. He’s a pickup and hold in deep leagues, or in any league where you’re hurting at wide receiver.

Vince Young – Only had 125 yards passing and a score, but was 15-for-18 as Chris Johnson erupted. He should have been picked up last week, but if he wasn’t, and you’re third QB is taking up space, why not take a chance on the former Heisman winner.

Chris Johnson – Wow, uh, I don’t know what to say. Another RBBC back getting 24 carries is awesome. And he rolled up 228 yards and two TDs. His long TD runs showed off his speed and toughness.

Percy Harvin – I don’t think anyone has ever doubted his physical talent, just his size, role and ability to stay healthy. He’s been awesome on kick returns all season, but flashed some skill on offense this week. He had five catches for 84 yards, but his 51-yard TD catch will be on highlight reels for a long time.

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart – I saw a lot of experts saying to sit Jonathan Stewart against the stout Cardinals defense. Much like the Broncos, the Cardinals cracked this week against the Panthers rushing onslaught. Williams went 23-158-0 and Stewart went 17-87-2. Like the guys on NFL Network said post-game, the Panthers just did what they did best and stuffed it down the Cardinals’ throats.

Beanie Wells – While the defense was choking on the Panthers rushing attack, the Cardinals offense was stuttering as well. Wells had 47 yards on eight carries, that’s not a bad game. However, the game situation called for more Tim Hightower, and he had the same number of carries – scoring a TD to go with his 39 yards – and pulled in eight catches for 57 yards.

Steve Smith – The Panthers Steve Smith. I said he might break out in a prediction post Sunday. He had 73 total yards and a TD. Not exactly a breakout, but not a typical bad Steve Smith game either.

Terrell Owens – TO finally makes the report for not being terrible. Not sure if you can be happy about being not terrible, but he scored and had 68 total yards.

I’ve already addressed some of the guys from my prediction column Sunday, but here are the rest:

Marc Bulger – I said he’d have a good game, and he threw a pick, completed only half of his passes for 176 yards and should be replaced soon.

David Garrard – I talked about the Titans defense in the lead, and they took out a season of frustrations against Garrard. The Jags QB finished with just 139 yards and was picked off twice.

Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison – Ugly. The Bears defense bucked their trend – go figure this week, right? – and held Lewis to 69 yards on 16 carries and Harrison to 19 yards on 5 carries. Now, those numbers don’t average out to terrible, but it’s still not what I expected against the Bears.

LeSean McCoy – Finally a hit, McCoy went big, 82 yards on 11 carries and a long TD. Take away that long TD and Leonard Weaver would have been a better play.

Kenny Britt – He had one catch for seven yards. That’s terrible. I really don’t have anything else to say about that.

Kevin Boss – Another hit, had three catches for 70 yards and a TD. Those are great numbers for a TE that was, and probably still is, on waivers.

Zach Miller – Had five catches for 52 yards. Not a great performance unless you’re in a PPR.

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Everything about the guy was huge: Huge biceps, huge tattoos on his biceps, huge bulging wall-like structure where his neck should have been. He wore a dirty white wife beater. His hair was slicked straight back with what looked like 10W40 motor oil. He was even missing a tooth.

I swerved away from the front door and instead walked to the side door. The only person in sight was a 40-something balding man in a white dress shirt and Smurf-blue tie. I walked out the side door and drove home.

During the drive, I realized how silly I had been. Just because the guy at the front door looked as though he could snap my neck with his pinkie finger didn’t mean he was going to. The white-collar dude at the side door could have been just as unstable. Packing a Glock. Ready to go on some inner-office shooting spree. You don’t need Arnold Schwartzenegger’s biceps to pull the trigger on a handgun or drive a knife into someone’s ribcage.

Perceptions can blind us.

For example, heading into this season, I was as intimidated of Cedric Benson on the football field as much as I would be of arm-wrestling Betty White at a Golden Girls reunion.

But Cedric Benson has driven many a fantasy owner’s teams into early playoff contention. Everyone knows what you get when you draft Adrian Peterson … but snagging a Cedric Benson late provides instant megavalue and gives owners some depth and flexibility that helps propel them into title contention.

Look at the teams who are kicking tail in your respective leagues. I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that you’ll find players such as Ray Rice, Matt Schaub and Benson on many of those rosters.

But that doesn’t help moving forward. To take out the competition, you need to identify the next crop of soon-to-be fantasy studs.

Here is my second-half super fantasy value team of players that you should be targeting via trades in your respective fantasy leagues:

Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit: Currently 15th among all running backs in PPR scoring formats, Kevin Smith is on the cusp of skyrocketing in value. The main reason is because Smith is one of just a few backs who have the only set of keys to his respective team’s running games. There are no RBBC in Detroit, and Smith has shown that he can be productive as the primary weapon. Both Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson were sidelined with injuries, but both are on the verge of returning, which will help open up the running lanes. Plus, Smith has arguably the easiest remaining schedules when it comes to run defenses. The time to buy low may be closing fast, however, as Smith should explode statistically as early as this week against St. Louis.

Jermichael Finley, TE, Green Bay. Finley broke out in a major way several weeks ago against Minnesota … going for over 120 yards and a score. He catapulted past Donald Lee as primary tight end and overall offensive weapon for a quarterback in Aaron Rodgers who will only expedite Finley’s skill set. The young tight end’s value took a small dip when he left last week’s game with knee injury, and he will likely miss this week’s contest against the Vikings. However, expect him to tear things up when he returns in Week 9 and will be a factor in many a fantasy playoff game.

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta. Currently 15th in scoring among fantasy QBs, Ryan finds himself in a situation that should propel him into fantasy stardom. First, he has plenty of weapons in the passing game. Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez are both healthy and primed for a strong second half. Michael Turner is good enough to keep defenses honest, but not dominating in the TD department like he was last season … leaving plenty of opportunities for Ryan in the red zone. Finally, after this week’s matchup against a surprisingly adept New Orleans passing game, Ryan’s schedule gets noticably easier moving forward.

Sidney Rice, WR, Minnesota. Currently 14th in scoring among receivers in PPR formats, Rice’s value continues to rise as it becomes apparent that he is Favre’s go-to receiver in Minny moving forward. He ranks ninth among receivers in receptions, many of which have come in the past couple weeks. Favre will lock in to Rice early and often against Green Bay this week and the only week that Rice should struggle statistically is Minnesota’s Week 9 bye.

Which players are you targeting in fantasy football leagues?

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My regular reminder about checking your waiver wire – I found Anquan Boldin staring at me today. I couldn’t drop Willis McGahee fast enough.

Also, Owen Daniels was available in an ESPN league. Owen Daniels is the No. 1-ranked tight end in standard ESPN leagues.

How does this happen? I have no idea. But what I do know is, I’m not going to leave them for someone else.

Check the wire, you never know what you’ll find.

Bye-week moves

Speaking of waivers, I have far too many Jacksonville, Seattle, and Detroit players on my teams.

It’s gonna be a long week, but in case you’re wondering, here are some of the guys I picked up on bye-week hunches:

Antonio Bryant (WR) vs. New England

Kevin Williams (DT) vs. Pittsburgh

Cedric Griffin (CB) vs. Pittsburgh

Mohamed Massaquoi (WR) vs. Green Bay

San Diego Defense vs. Kansas City

Keith Brooking (LB) vs. Falcons

Matt Stover (K) vs. Rams

Buffalo defense vs. Carolina

Play your Chargers and your Chiefs

My fantasy extravaganza pick of the week? San Diego vs. Kansas City

Kansas City is 30th in points allowed to offensive players (non-PPR) and San Diego is 25th.

The Chargers are that high and they’ve already had their bye week. Could be a long day for both defenses and a great day for smart fantasy owners who watch their matchups.

Dallas-Atlanta will be fun, too.

About Anthony Gonzalez…

We should all be happy when we make the right choice. I have Anthony Gonzalez in several leagues and resisted the urge to move him in just about every case, but there was one particularly tough choice i had to make.

I had both Chaz Schilens and Anthony Gonzalez in a dynasty league and really needed to make a move. I dumped Schilens, who had a setback this week, and kept Gonzalez, who should start practicing next week.

In this case, I wanted the Peyton Manning-led Colts offense on my side. Yes, I knew JaMarcus Russell scored 14 points last week against the Eagles. I still don’t want him unless I’m in one enormously deep dynasty league.

If Gonzalez is available in your league, go get him. If you already have him on your roster, monitor his status for the Colts game against the 49ers next week.

Anticipation: The Miles Austin encore

I’ve jumped on the Miles Austin hype train and I’m sitting in the front row, only because the conductor keeps punching me every time I stick my head out the window of the engine car.

Ninjas don’t have to take that abuse, unless they want to stay on the train, which I do.

I can’t wait to see how he follows up that enormous game two weeks ago. Will he press or impress?

Team defense vs. kicker

During drafts there’s always a guy who claims that while kickers are all the same, it’s important to take a good team defense.

I’ve already proven the inconsistency of NFL defenses year-to-year, but what about defenses compared to kickers.

I don’t have some crazy formula for you here, just two numbers – 3.13 and 3.26.

Through Week 6, the average difference between the top defense, in standard scoring leagues, and the No. 10 defense is 3.13 points. The difference between the No. 1 and the No. 10 kicker is 3.26.

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The format and formula I’m using this week are a little different than usual, but let’s follow the same rules. Don’t bench Drew Brees against the best defense in place of JaMarcus Russell against the worst, ok?

However, if you’re deciding between Tony Romo and Matt Ryan, like I am in one league, you’ll definitely want to take a look at these.

Before I give you the full list, let’s take a look at some key matchups:

Ben Roethlisberger vs. Minnesota Vikings

Big Ben’s big performances have been commonplace this year, and the Vikings are a top-10 matchup for opposing QBs.

The easy money’s on Peyton Manning against the Rams or Philip Rivers against the Chiefs as no-brainer picks of the week, but both of those games have the potential to be blowouts early. The Vikings-Steelers tilt should be one of the most competitive games of the season (Super Bowl preview?).

So, while Manning and Rivers might have three TD tosses by halftime, they won’t be racking up yards and scores in the fourth quarter like Big Ben.

Eli Manning vs. Arizona Cardinals

Eli and the Giants have impressed with their aerial assault this season, and they’ve got the best matchup of the week.

The Cardinals have allowed 265.2 yards per game, the second-most in the NFL this season, and 37.8 attempts per game, the fourth-most.

Donovan McNabb vs. Washington Redskins

The Redskins are the stingiest in the league against the passing game. Only the Panthers and the Giants are allowing less yards per game and only three teams – the Colts, Jets and Broncos – have allowed fewer TDs per game.

What’s worse, the Eagles QB was below average against Washington in 2008 (426 yards, 0 TDs in two games). Yes, McNabb has new weapons emerging in Brent Celek, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy, but if your No. 2 is even an above average option, you probably want to steer clear of Philadelphia this week.

Jake Delhomme vs. Buffalo Bills

This is the failboat pick of the week. The Bills have 10 interceptions (tied for third most) and 14 sacks this season. Delhomme doesn’t even have to be below his average to make sure both of those numbers increase.

Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. Carolina Panthers

With Fitzpatrick expecting to start over Trent Edwards (concussion) this week, we might have been able to find out of Terrell Owens’ sucktitude is Edwardsian in nature.

However, the Panthers are not the kind of team a new quarterback wants to take the reins against. Opposing QBs have attempted just 25.8 passes per game, and have netted just 156.8 yards per game – both numbers are the second-least in the NFL in 2009.

Jay Cutler vs. Cincinnatti Bengals

A must-start this week, Cutler threw for 300 in Week 6 against the Falcons. He’s thrown 2 TDs in every game since Week 2.

The Bengals have allowed 25 plays of 20 yards or more, that’s the most in the NFL. They’re also among the 10 worst teams in attempts per game, yards per attempt and yards per game.

Cutler’s virtually guaranteed 250yards and 2 TDs. And that’s a low estimate.

Not a matchup, but an important note

The Titans, Lions, Jaguars and Ravens are among the teams on bye this week. The Titans (1), Lions (3) and Jaguars (4) are three of the best matchups in fantasy football. The Ravens are the 10th best matchup.

That means there aren’t a lot of great quarterback matchups to go around for those of you with QBs on bye.

Shaun Hill, Derek Anderson, Mark Sanchez, Chad Henne, Marc Bulger – all potential bye-week fillers – have matchups against some of the best defenses against quarterbacks.

That said, they’re still better than Josh Johnson, JaMarcus Russell, Delhomme and Fitzpatrick this week.

On to the full list:

Best matchups for quarterbacks

1. Eli Manning vs. Arizona
2. Jay Cutler vs. Cincinnatti
3. Philip Rivers vs. Kansas City
4. Matt Ryan vs. Dallas
5. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Minnesota
6. Peyton Manning vs. St. Louis
7. Matt Schaub vs. San Francisco
8. Aaron Rodgers vs. Cleveland
9. Tom Brady vs. Tampa Bay
10. Tony Romo vs. Atlanta
11. Drew Brees vs. Miami
12. Carson Palmer vs. Chicago
13. Matt Cassel vs. San Diego
14. Brett Favre vs. Pittsburgh
15. Shaun Hill vs. Houston
16. Derek Anderson vs. Green Bay
17. Mark Sanchez vs. Oakland
18. Chad Henne vs. New Orleans
19. Jason Campbell vs. Philadelphia
20. Marc Bulger vs. Indianapolis
21. JaMarcus Russell vs. New York Jets
22. Trent Edwards/Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. Carolina
23. Kurt Warner vs. New York Giants
24. Josh Johnson vs. New England
25. Jake Delhomme vs. Buffalo
26. Donovan McNabb vs. Washington

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Take, for instance, the Buffalo Bills running back situation or the surprise in the Tennessee Titans backfield. How will they play out for the rest of the fantasy season?

Marshawn Lynch vs. Fred Jackson – In this case, you go with the guy who has the better first name. Sorry, Fred. As great as Jackson was early in the season, with guys like myself touting him as the starter when Lynch got back, Marshawn was better last week and much better this week. Granted, he only had 17 carries for 69 yards, but he had a team-best seven targets, six catches and 56 yards through the air. Meanwhile Jackson had 13 carries for 30 yards, a mere 2.3/per clip and caught two passes for 17 yards.

Dennis Northcutt – A recent report said the team does not consider Calvin Johnson’s knee injury to be significant. But any injury to a receiver’s leg area is worth monitoring, let alone one in the vicinity of the knee. Northcutt, who had 5 catches for 70 yards and a score, and Bryant Johnson could gain some value if Johnson misses time.

Duante Culpepper – Not exactly rockstar numbers, but he was 23-37 for 282, a TD and an interception, and rumbled for 44 yards on three carries. He could put up decent numbers on a bad team playing catch-up if he can remain effective while Matthew Stafford is sidelined.

Tony Romo – After maybe finding his true Terrell Owens replacement in Miles Austin, Romo put up a great performance – 351, 2 TDs. Like I said yesterday, keep in mind it all transpired in a meeting with the Chiefs. Chefs would be more intimidating at this point.

Adrian Peterson – Bailed out his owners with another 2-TD game. I’m beginning to wonder if there’s something with Peterson or the Vikings, because he’s been under par for a handful of weeks now, including this week’s game against the Rams “defense.”

Josh Johnson – Still not great, but he threw the ball 50 times in the loss to the Giants. He only completed 26 of them, but for 240 yards, 2 TDs and 3 INTs. He also ran five times for 40 yards. He’s throwing to some decent talent in Antonio Bryant and Kellen Winslow. The running game should be able to keep some pressure off of him. Because of those factors and his potential ceiling, he could become a viable fantasy play by the midpoint of the season. He could also tank. If your QBs are awful and you want to take a chance, Johnson’s intriguing.

Nate Burleson and TJ Houshmandzadeh – They were targeted a combined 15 times, caught 11 for 175 yards and scored four TDs. That’s a great day. Nobody’s more happy to get QB Matt Hasselbeck back than Burleson and Houshmandzadeh. They’ve been among the most targeted all season. Expect that to continue and for both of them to be solid fantasy plays week in and week out.

Knowshon Moreno – Somehow didn’t mention him in the dynasty post yesterday (oops!). But there are serious dynasty implications here. He took 21 totes for 88 yards and had four catches for 36 yards. When (if?) Buckhalter returns, they’ll continue to split carries. Moreno, is a start, particularly against good matchups, going forward.

LenDale White  – Had 51 yards on just 10 carries, meanwhile Chris Johnson had just 34 yards on nine carries. I don’t think White will outperform Johnson weekly, but don’t be surprised if White gets more regular action either. The Titans were at their best last year when both backs were dominant.

Chad Henne – Not exactly game manager stuff – 20-26, 241, 2 TDs – against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Who knew? I wouldn’t trade away the rest of your QBs and rely on him just yet, but after this performance Henne’s a definite stash if you have room.

Ronnie Brown – An ode to the wildcat would definitely include Ronnie or Brown in the title. All I heard about Sunday was how Rex Ryan was going to take out the Dolphins No. 1 threat and make everyone else beat them. If 21 carries, 74 yards and 2 TDs – including the game winner – is “taking someone out of the game,” I’d like to see more of that done to my fantasy players.

Ricky Williams – As great as Brown and Henne were, Ricky Williams provided burst on several key offensive plays that netted him 138 yards on just 14 total touches. A touchdown would have been nice, but that’s just being greedy.

Anthony Fasano – Finally dropped him in a couple leagues, he goes out and has 4 catches, 38 yards and a TD. The TD was an impressive pitch-and-catch combo on a Henne play-action rollout that showed off some potential for both players.

Braylon Edwards – In his Jets debut, Edwards had 5 catches, 64 yards and a TD. Not a bad start. Can’t wait to see what he can do once he and quarterback Mark Sanchez get on the same page.

Thomas Jones – Another RB who had a 2-TD bailout on a mediocre yardage day. Leon Washington had 10 carries and 44 yards and Shonn Greene, who I mentioned last week had eight yards on three carries. It’ll be interesting to how Greene factors into the committee over the next few weeks. If I was a Thomas Jones or Leon Washington owner, I’d want Shonn Greene on my roster before he gets too many more carries per game.

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Jeremy Maclin and Miles Austin didn’t just break out either, they blew up. Granted, they did it against the equivalent of junior high defenses, but their performances will go down as legendary breakouts.

Will they become dynasty studs? What about the aforementioned Rashard Mendenhall and Jerome Harrison? There are several other players with Week 5 implications you should be targeting in trades, picking up off waivers or considering as a potential keeper in the offseason.

Miles Austin – I let Austin sleep and he burned me. I don’t remember mentioning much of Austin during the preseason, ignoring him while I touted Patrick Crayton. Through the early part of the Cowboys game on Sunday, Crayton was the leading target. That changed quickly when Romo realized Austin’s talent.  He finished with 10 catches for a team-record 250 yards and 2 TDs. Austin was targeted 15 times and had a 60-yarder. Again, I say, it came against the Chiefs, but I’m still buying. He’s available in 63% of Yahoo leagues. Pick him up fast or trade for him. He’s a potential dynasty gem.

Jeremy Maclin – Hey, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are awful, but did you see the catches this rook made? He’ll be getting a lot more action for the rest of the season. He won’t be able to match his 6-catch, 142-yard, 2-TD game, but he and DeSean Jackson will give Eagles opponents more than they can handle. He’s available in 81% of Yahoo leagues and I’m buying him too. Another dynasty gem.

Rashard Mendenhall – Most backs not named LaDainian Tomlinson can’t go for 200 total yards every game, so it’s not surprising Mendenhall came back to Earth in Game 2. However, he did have a great 15-77-1 rushing line and had two catches for 16 yards. He’s definitely a dynasty keep and looks like a keeper in four- and five-keeper setups. It’ll be interesting to see how the Steelers use Willie Parker when he returns.

Jerome Harrison – He only ran for 21 yards on eight carries, a stark contrast to his Week 4 performance. Meanwhile, Jamal Lewis ran 31 times for 117 yards in his return. Is Harrison still a keeper in deep dynasty leagues? Absolutely. He’s shown as much as Darren McFadden has, and you didn’t think about throwing him back last year, right? I think I just insulted Jerome Harrison by comparing him to McFadden. And I definitely just insulted Darren McFadden. McFadden, I hate your face.

Ahmad Bradshaw – Go, overpay for Bradshaw now, make him a (insert your team name here) because you want him on your roster for the next five years. You know who he reminds me of? Tiki Barber. The dominant, end-of-career Tiki Barber, not the early fumble-fumble-fumble Tiki. He’s catching passes (1 for 55!) he’s running with authority despite his small stature (11-110) and he’s scoring TDs (2). Yes, Jacobs will steal some carries, but Bradshaw is the horse in New York. He’s just a more exciting thoroughbred, to Jacobs’ Clydesdale.

Mohamed Massaquoi – After his paltry 1 catch for 16 yards on six targets, if you make a hasty move to dump Massoquoi I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise. If you can swap Massquoi for Maclin or Austin, do it. Now. Massaquoi has talent – all NFL players do – but we might not know how much until the Browns trot out a real NFL quarterback. Derek Anderson was a JaMarcus-esque 2-for-17 for 23 yards and an interception. Is he a dynasty keeper? In deep leagues, yes. If you have position-specific keeper limitations, you probably have better options and can get him in your draft next year.

Tashard Choice – Marion Barber was back, so I removed Choice in a league and started Barber in another league. Bad idea. It appears as though the Cowboys have something going like the Giants. Choice (or maybe Jones when he gets back?) is going to have only 10 carries, but do more with it than Barber. On Sunday, Choice went 8-92 with a TD and Barber went 15-53. Now, 15-53 isn’t bad, unless you consider it came against the Chiefs, and that his teammate did more with much less.

Percy Harvin – I said to temper expectations until he shows us more in the yardage department. He didn’t score a touchdown on Sunday and had four catches for 66 yards. It was hardly a banner day. However, he made a catch along the sideline, made some moves, broke some tackles and in the process impressed the hell out of me. I’m not going to hurry out and get him, but if an opportunity arises for me to acquire him in a dynasty league, I will do it.

Michael Bush – Had 12 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown. As much as I hate McFadden, the Raiders are in such a shambles that nobody is a good play. Coaches are punching each other, JaMarcus Russell is just all kinds of awful. Bush is a good talent, but depending on how deep your league is, he is not a strong dynasty option only because we don’t know how long Raiderfunk lingers.

Steve Smith/Hakeem Nicks/Mario Manningham – Oh, this situation is a fantasy plague along the lines of the RBBC. Steve Smith only had three catches this week, but led the team with 70 yards receiving. Mario Manningham, the other receiver stud, had a TD but only 2 catches on 3 targets and 36 yards. Meanwhile, the dark horse in this race, Hakeem Nicks, had the most targets (6) and catches (4) to go along with 49 yards and a TD. Not every opponent is going to offer opportunities like the Raiders, but this is clearly at least a three-man race. It’s great for the Giants, but not so great for fantasy players. If I was betting $100 on these guys, I’d put $50 on Steve Smith, $17 on Hakeem Nicks, $16 on Mario Manningham, $5 on Sinorice Moss and save $12 for some guys we haven’t seen yet, or the Chinese buffet, whichever comes first.

Roddy White – If you didn’t trade for the 2005 first round pick last week, youaintgettinim. Dude looked like Miles Austin out there. He had eight catches, 210 yards, two TDs and 10 targets. Despite his lack of production, he’s been one of the most targeted receivers in 2009. Like TJ Houshmandzadeh, those targets are finally turning into fantasy production.

Ray Rice – Rice hasn’t given owners much of a reason to not keep him, so that’s not an issue here. What I want to discuss is his ceiling. I have a feeling we still don’t really know how good Rice can be. He had 69 yards rushing on 14 carries and 74 yards receiving on seven catches. He was second on the team with eight targets.

Brandon Marshall – Last week, I said Marshall was going to be a decent play for the rest of the season and he didn’t disappoint against the Patriots – eight catches, 64 yards and two TDs. Marshall is an example of how one player can singlehandedly change the fantasy fortunes of his teammates. Eddie Royal had 10 catches for 90 yards and was targeted 15 times and Kyle Orton had 330 yards passing with two TDs.

Austin Collie – Collie had eight catches for 97 yards and 2 TDs for the Colts. His opponent in the battle for being the next Reggie Wayne (which was Anthony Gonzalez’s title before he got hurt, and might still be his when he gets back), Pierre Garcon, had one catch for nine yards. As much as I touted Garcon, we’re looking at another situation like the Giants. The difference here is that Peyton is going to throw a lot more than Eli, so the Colts receivers will have more value.

Justin Gage – Had 1 catch for seven yards on seven targets. You don’t want him on your regular season roster, let alone on your list of keepers. Why is he getting play in the dynasty-themed Day of Reckoning? Because I like to kick Justin Gage when he’s down.

What was your surprise of the weekend? Targeting Austin (Collie or Miles)? Maclin? Let us know in the comments.

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