Week 11 Injury/Depth Chart Report

Arizona Cardinals - None.

Atlanta Falcons - Michael Turner will miss week 11, and Jason Snelling will start in his place.  Snelling makes for a solid RB2 this week as he'll handle the majority of the carries, plus the goal line work.  Norwood might return, but he'll have a minimal role.

Baltimore Ravens - None.

Buffalo Bills - Ryan Fitzpatrick will return as the starting quarterback this week, so who knows what that will mean.  Evans remains a decent WR3, while Owens is a risky one.  The backfield continues to be a mess, and Buffalo simply doesn't run or score enough for either of them to be exciting RB2 options.

Carolina Panthers - None.

Cincinnati Bengals - Cedric Benson will likely sit out in week 11, and Bernard Scott will start in his place.  He's likely to get most of the carries, but Brian Leonard will likely see most 3rd down work.  As far as the goal line is considered, it's hard to tell since Leonard is a much bigger back.  Scott is a bit risky, but his match up against Oakland is excellent.

Chicago Bears - None.

Cleveland Browns - Fantasy wasteland.

Dallas Cowboys - There's been news all week about Dallas wanting to get Felix Jones more involved until his next injury.  I expect the Cowboys to run the ball more this week after their pass-heavy attack last week was a disaster, so Marion Barber should benefit the most, but Jones will get some work in.  Barber is worth starting, but Jones is high risk thanks to an uncertain workload.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton will be a game time decision, but he's not worth starting anyways.  Marshall should be in all lineups thanks to his potential, but if Chris Simms starts, it obviously hurts his upside given how horrible Simms looked last week.  It's not to say that a more prepared Simms won't be more effective this week, but just keep in mind how he looked last week.

Detroit Lions - Stafford continues to be hobbled by his injury a bit, but you're probably not starting him anyways if you're trying to win.

Green Bay Packers - It wouldn't surprise me if Greg Jennings has been battling some sort of injury for the majority of the year.  He has been dreadful for the most part, especially considering how good Rodgers has been despite the poor protection.  The protection problems can partly explain why Jennings isn't hitting big plays, but he just hasn't looked right.

Houston Texans - The backfield is anyone's guess, but Slaton is a reasonable/risky RB2 while Moats is not worth starting.  James Casey will take the majority of TE snaps with Owen Daniels gone for the year, so he's someone to keep in mind.  He's a talented TE.

Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Gonzalez remains out indefinitely.

Jacksonville Jaguars - None.

Kansas City Chiefs - Dwayne Bowe is suspended for 4 games, so Chris Chambers becomes a decent WR3 in his place as the Chiefs have to throw to someone.  Also keep an eye on Lance Long.  Jamaal Charles will start again, but Kolby Smith will be mixed in somehow, so Charles is risky considering the Chiefs probably won't run much.

Miami Dolphins - Ronnie Brown is out for the season, so Ricky Williams takes over and is a borderline RB1 moving forward as the focal point of Miami's offense.

Minnesota Vikings - None.

New England Patriots - Sammy Morris is expected to return this week, so it makes Maroney's fantasy value a big question mark.  I would roll with safer RB2 options until you see how it plays out, if you can.

New Orleans Saints - Bush had his best game in years last week, but as a result of the whopping 8 touches, his knee is swelling up on him again.  Don't even think about using him despite last week's performance.  Pierre Thomas is still a RB2 moving forward.

New York Giants - Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham continue to share snaps as the WR opposite Steve Smith, limiting their fantasy value.  I'm still calling for Nicks to overtake him as he's the more complete receiver as to where Manningham is better suited as a situational deep threat, but it hasn't happened yet.

New York Jets - None.

Oakland Raiders - Fantasy wasteland.

Philadelphia Eagles - Brian Westbrook is out indefinitely with post-concussion symptoms, so LeSean McCoy will start indefinitely.  Given his smaller frame and the success Leonard Weaver has enjoyed in his situational running, it wouldn't surprise me if Weaver came in at the goal line, but that's speculation rather than a fact.  McCoy is a decent RB2 moving forward, and he'd be stronger if he received goal line chances.

Pittsburgh Steelers - None.

San Diego Chargers - None.

San Francisco 49ers - Josh Morgan has officially replaced Isaac Bruce opposite Michael Crabtree, but that's more because of his solid blocking than his play making skills.  Morgan has the talent, but SF has two receiving targets that have more, which is unfortunate.

Seattle Seahawks - With Julius Jones out indefinitely with a chest/rib injury, Justin Forsett will start and see a good amount of time on the field.  His match up against MIN this week is poor, however, so he's a risky RB2 play.

St. Louis Rams - Brandon Gibson has overtaken the starting role opposite Donnie Avery, which injects the Rams' offense with more talent.  He's not a fantasy option yet, but he's worth watching.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward continue to split time in the backfield.

Tennessee Titans - Justin Gage is out, meaning Kenny Britt will start again.  As always, with Vince Young under center, both Nate Washington and Britt are very risky WR3s who are unlikely to pile up much yardage.

Washington Redskins - Clinton Portis is out, so Ladell Betts will start again in his place.  Betts looked great despite supposedly being limited with a foot sprain, so he's a safe RB2.  He's always looked good when he's started, but this is the worst Redskins offense he's played on in his career.

Week 11 Waiver Wire

I again apologize for the untimeliness of the waiver wire column this week.  I am currently unemployed, and I had an explosion of interviews recently that all require preparation, and one of them was yesterday.  That combined with feeling ill last night prevented me from getting an article out, but here we go:

QB:

There aren't any QBs out there that have emerged.  Ryan Fitzpatrick will start, but I think we all know your team is done if you're resigned to picking him up.

RB:

Ladell Betts - I've mentioned him several times, but with the possibility that Clinton Portis won't return this season, he's the best pickup of the week if you still haven't snagged him yet.  He has always looked good when starting for an injured Portis, and while the surrounding offense is far from ideal, he's a RB2.  He can do everything well.

Jason Snelling - Turner will miss at least one game, so Snelling will start in his place.  If Norwood is finally active he'll get the ball some, but Snelling will receive the majority of the carries, most importantly the goal line carries.  Turner owners need him, and anyone else who needs a start or two should grab him.

Justin Forsett - FINALLY.  They give him the ball, and he responds.  He's explosive, but has a smaller frame, so he's not a 20-25 carry guy.  Regardless, he'll be the lead dog in the backfield for as long as Julius Jones is out, and needs to be picked up.

Jamaal Charles - I've already listed him, but he exploded last week as well and deserves to be picked up.  It's hard to get too excited given it was against Oakland and his production was mostly reliant on one big run, but he should be added to see what type of role he'll have moving forward.

Bernard Scott - It's no lock that Benson won't play, but given LJ was signed, there's a good chance he'll miss this week.  Scott will be the lead back while Brian Leonard and, to a lesser extent, LJ, help out.  The match up against Oakland is ideal, so Scott is a sly RB2 play this week if Benson sits out.

WR:

Donnie Avery - Avery was probably dropped in many leagues, but he re-emerged with a big game while Bulger looked the best he has in years.  He's a dicey WR3 given his inconsistency so far, but he's definitely worth owning.

Brandon Gibson - Gibson came out of nowhere to produce, and at worst case he'll start to take attention away from Avery.  He's a lesser known name off of Philly's practice squad, but he's a good talent.  It's highly unlikely that the Rams will produce two fantasy assets at WR down the stretch, but he's worth a stash to find out.

Chris Chambers - Chambers becomes the #1 WR in KC following Dwayne Bowe's 4 game suspension.  He's been pretty productive so far with a flukey 2 TD game followed by a 60 yard performance last week, but he'll be relied upon plenty as KC has little else to throw to.

Week 10 (Week of the Injury) Thoughts

Arizona Cardinals - The Arizona passing attack looks back to normal, mostly thanks to Kurt Warner's improved downfield passing.  Boldin is healthy again as well, so expect continued success moving forward.  Wells continues to get more and more carries, but he's still in a timeshare.  It's inevitable that Wells will take the starting job at some point, but it's taking longer than expected.  He's a great RB3 to have for your stretch run as he'll likely be an every week RB2 before the season is up.

Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan is officially struggling.  He hasn't looked good for several weeks, so at least consider other options moving forward.  Luckily it's not affecting Roddy White too much, but Tony Gonzalez has slowed down since his hot start.  Ryan will likely get back on track.  Michael Turner was in the midst of another monster game until a high ankle sprain ended his day.  Jason Snelling will start in his place and needs to be added in every league.

Baltimore Ravens - Flacco, much like Ryan, is mired in a slump right now.  I think teams have started to catch on to the fact he prefers to run a hurry-up, no-huddle offense as he lacks the full decision making (to this point) to run a normal offense.  He also lacks great weapons around him, only boasting the ageless Derrick Mason for a reliable target.  Ray Rice continues to run great and anchor himself into a RB1 for the rest of the season.  His TD did come on a busted play where Cleveland only had 10 men on the field, and they weren't set either.

Buffalo Bills - There is nobody on this team worth starting except for Lee Evans right now as he's clearly passed Terrell Owens as the #1 target on this team, if Owens was ever actually considered the #1 target.  Owens had a promising week 10, but given his body of work this season, it's hard to recommend throwing him back in your lineup next week.  Lynch and Jackson are stuck in the middle of one of the worst RB committees, at least production-wise, in the NFL.

Carolina Panthers - Business as usual as the Panthers have found their groove.  Delhomme manages the game, Steve Smith posted his best fantasy game of the season despite the injury, and the rushing attack was excellent again as both Williams and Stewart posted good fantasy days.  Stewart again received the majority of the goal line work, and while he's not the official goal line back, he appears to be the preferred option.

Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals posted another big win, but it was mostly on their defense as their offense stalled near/in the red zone on multiple occasions, Palmer failed to throw a TD again, and Benson injured his hip and missed most of the game.  Benson isn't expected to miss week 11, but he could be hampered a bit, which could mean more attempts for Palmer.  On the plus side, Laveraneus Coles seems to have solved his problems and has become a productive member of the passing game.  Bernard Scott would start for Benson should he miss week 11.

Chicago Bears - Horrible.  Cutler is making retarded decisions, especially in the red zone, and the offensive line continues to hold back Matt Forte.  Devin Hester and Greg Olsen remain productive thanks to volume passing, and Forte is saving his owners will his increased role in the passing game as well.

Cleveland Browns - These guys fucking suck.

Dallas Cowboys - Dallas just looked lost versus Green Bay, not scoring until 38 seconds left in the game.  Green Bay shut down Miles Austin again, and on the positive side, Roy Williams did step up and posted some solid numbers.  It wasn't all good as he dropped more passes and lost a key fumble, but he at least made some plays and capitalized on the defensive attention Miles Austin is receiving.  The rushing attack is a lost cause right now with a 3 man rotation.  Barber is still their best RB, but he fractured his thumb and it affected his pass blocking, knocking him from most of the game.  It shouldn't be a concern for next week, but he's starting to get nicked up in an annoying fashion.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton started on fire...and then in week 10 fashion, suffered an ankle injury that knocked him out of the game.  He finally took some shots down field and hooked up with Marshall for 2 big TDs before going out.  Simms was worthless after taking over, and Royal was absent again.  Buckhalter lost another fumble, putting him in the dog house while Moreno had a great afternoon.

Detroit Lions - Stafford had another rough day, but against the relentless Vikings front 7, this was not a surprise.  Calvin Johnson bounced back with a productive day, but the constant double teams are limiting his big plays.  Kevin Smith lost a couple carries to his backups, but he produced pretty well per touch outside of a fumble.

Green Bay Packers - Rodgers spent another day on the run, and despite the closed door meeting with the entire offense, Rodgers posted one of his worst games of the season, not even managing 200 yards, which limited both Driver and Jennings.  Grant had another solid day on the ground.  Given the state of the passing blocking, and despite all the talent at the skill positions in the passing game, Green Bay should use it's running game more moving forward.  Just an opinion.

Houston Texans - Bye week.

Indianapolis Colts - What a game!  Manning threw some awful passes, but he came through when it mattered most, and Wayne had a monster game in the win.  The Patriots harassed Clark most of the game and somewhat limited him, but he still managed to post a nice game with 65 yards.  Addai scored off of a nice screen pass, got hurt, then Brown and Simpson both got hurt, forcing Addai back into the game, who then capped off the first of Indy's final 2 drives with a TD.  I apologize for suggesting moving Addai back to the bench...he wasn't overly involved between the game plan and his injuries, but ultimately put up a great day.  This is why I don't post a start/sit column...there's so many random things that can happen in the game.

Jacksonville Jaguars - MJD was obviously the story of this game.  He could have posted a monster performance, but he lost a fumble at the 1 in the 2nd half, and then took a knee on the 1 to set up the game winning field goal attempt.  I know there's mixed reactions on this, and I really appreciate what Jones-Drew did in terms of being selfless, but you HAVE to take the points when you have the chance.  There's a number of things that could have gone wrong like fumbled snaps when downing the ball, a bad snap on the FG attempt, an improbable shank, etc.  A TD would have put them up 5, and they likely would have gone for 2.  That would have forced the Jets to go all the way down the field and score a TD.  Luckily it didn't cost them, but I didn't think it was the right decision.

Kansas City Chiefs - Cassel posted another bad game, but thanks to the opponent, the Chiefs worked out a victory.  Their red zone offense is horrible.  Jamaal Charles posted a great game, mostly thanks to a 44 yard TD off of a 3rd down draw play.  He got 18 carries, but given this game came against Oakland, and KC won't normally be nursing a lead, it's hard to take much away from that performance other than the fact he should have taken the lead in the committee.

Miami Dolphins - The Dolphins got it down, but not without losing Ronnie Brown for at least a week with a dual ankle/foot injury.  Brown was on his way to a monster game, posting 80 yards a TD in the first half before coming up lame in the 3rd quarter.  Ricky finished it out with a nice day, although he didn't score.  The passing attack is not worth talking about.

Minnesota Vikings - Favre had a big day thanks to Sidney Rice repeatedly torching the Lions secondary deep down the field, and Peterson tore them up as expected.  This played out exactly as was expected.

New England Patriots - Disappointment city.  Brady looked great once again, and Moss turned in a monster game while Welker consistently made plays over the middle of the field.  Maroney was mostly ineffective, and he lost a huge fumble at the goal line.  The Patriots rode the hot hand with Faulk getting 1 less carry than Maroney while posting more than twice as many yards.  If you can get something for Maroney, do it.  Sammy Morris will return soon.

New Orleans Saints - A dream match up gone wrong as Brees posted a mediocre day against a normally poor St. Louis defense.  Reggie Bush, of all people, was the story as he scored in a 3 yard rush (up the middle of all plays) and also caught a drag route where he out-raced the defense to the end zone for his 2nd TD.  Everyone else had off days, but nothing to worry about.

New York Giants - Bye week.

New York Jets - Sanchez had another blah game, but Cotchery returned with a good game, and Edwards posted solid yardage.  Thomas Jones also put up another good outing including a TD.

Oakland Raiders - Fantasy wasteland.  Miller had another down game...he could be one of the best fantasy TEs in football on any other team.

Philadelphia Eagles - McNabb, forced to chuck it all game, posted huge numbers and spread the ball around to his talented receivers as they all had good games.  Westbrook suffered a 2nd concussion on another big hit, and there's a good chance you won't seem him play again for quite some time.  LeSean McCoy will take over indefinitely, and Leonard Weaver will continue to be sprinkled in.

Pittsburgh Steelers - Big Ben and the rest of the offense was simply shut down by a highly motivated and aggressive Cincy D.  Just a bad game and nothing to worry about...they will bounce back.

San Diego Chargers - Rivers did his job, posting another good game despite Vincent Jackson being almost completely shut out.  LT had the best game of the season and shocked everyone by showcasing some of his old moves and some explosion.  Hopefully he can close strong, but he hasn't been consistent at all.

San Francisco 49ers - Alex Smith posted an off game against a motivated Bears front 7, possibly thanks to Vernon Davis running his fat mouth.  Frank Gore had a great game and has looked awesome all season long.

Seattle Seahawks - Hasselbeck posted another 300 yard game, and TJ Housh came out of nowhere and posted a monster game, but please don't take that as a sign of things to come as it was certainly an anomaly.  Jones, like countless RBs listed above, suffered a game-ending injury with some sort of rib ailment.  It was initially reported as a broken rib as he suffered bleeding of the lung, but then that was refuted.  Justin Forsett looked great in his first extensive action of the season and has hopefully earned a bigger role moving forward as I've seemingly been calling for it all season.  :P

St. Louis Rams - Bulger posted his best game in seemingly forever, and that could be a factor of Donnie Avery being healthy and the emergence of youngster Brandon Gibson, who looks like a real player and could help offset the early season loss of Laurent Robinson.  Steven Jackson posted another monster game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Josh Freeman did a decent job again, showing more accuracy and posting a solid 7 YPA.  Kellen Winslow posted another great game with over 100 yards.  Williams and Ward split carries again, with Williams being more productive per touch and tossing in a TD.

Tennessee Titans - About what was expected.  Vince Young did what was asked, managing the game, and Chris Johnson went absolutely wild.  He also proved he's the goal line back by scoring again from 1 yard out.

Washington Redskins - Betts, despite a foot sprain, ran wild on the Broncos with 114 yards and a TD.  Considering it's obvious he's healthy now, he'll be a RB2 for as long as Portis is out.  Not much else to say about the offense.