An ON Networks show hosted by Footballguys.com’s own Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom

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You know what’s scary? The Patriots. And the new-look Chargers with Chris Chambers. And the way Braylon Edwards is playing the NFL like a video game. However you slice it, there are plenty of teams and players to be afraid of… especially Cedric Benson and his mouth. Come celebrate Halloween Drill-style in our Week 9 fright-fest as we uncover who scares the opponents and who scares their own teammates.

The Packers have defied the odds this year. They currently rank dead last in rushing (492 yards) yet have soared to a 6-1 record thanks to a resurgent Brett Favre and an opportunistic defense.

Entering the season, the Packers running attack was considered a potential weakness, but no one could’ve predicted the litany of injuries:

• Vernand Morency was expected to shoulder the load but a lingering knee injury kept him out until Week 4; and he’s since been a non-factor
• Brandon Jackson, a rookie that some thought could be the answer, struggled mightily in the first three games and then suffered a shin injury. He’s since been out or inactive
• DeShawn Wynn, another rookie (7th rounder) was the surprise hit of the group. He barreled for 50 yards and 2 TDs against the Giants in Week 2 and then had back-to-back solid efforts against Chicago and Washington in Weeks 5 and 6. Coming off the Week 7 bye, it looked like the Packers were ready to give Wynn a chance at the feature role. Unfortunately, he suffered a shoulder injury early in the game and is now done for the season.

So what now?

Enter Ryan Grant.  Grant, 6′1″, 218-pounds, was acquired late in the preseason from the Giants for a late round draft pick. Grant played at Notre Dame and was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005, spending most of his career on the Giants practice squad. As the Packers were scrambling for help at the position, Grant was considered an afterthought, a live body and little more.

But once Wynn went down on Monday night, Grant got his chance to shine. As I’m always fond of saying, the keys to fantasy success are Ability + Opportunity; and Grant made the most of his opportunity. He logged 22 carries for 104 yards against the Broncos, and caught 3 passes to boot.

Will Grant be the guy going forward?

It’s hard to project Grant for continued success; but he certainly will get at least one more week to prove the skeptics wrong.

“We always believed that he was a strong, one-cut runner, and I think he proved that tonight,” Packers personnel analyst John Schneider said. “He ran the ball hard, and he’s a tough guy who’s been waiting for an opportunity. He got his opportunity.”

“I think it’s safe to say Ryan Grant will be the starter when we got to Kansas City (on Sunday),” HC  Mike McCarthy said.

It’s that time of the year when any RB or WR that MIGHT contribute will be acquired on waivers. Grant should absolutely be worth a few of your free agent dollars this week; but don’t get too crazy. Remember, the Broncos run defense has been horrendous at stopping the run this year.

• 235 attempts allowed (28th in the NFL)
• 1,162 yards allowed (31st in the NFL)
• 4.94 yards per rush allowed (31st in the NFL)
• 6 rushing TDs allowed (22nd in the NFL)

…but I TOLD YOU SO.

On October 1st, I asked the question: How much is Tony Romo going to cost Jerry Jones?

At the time, I made a prediction:

Since we’re playing along at home, I’m going to go on record and say Romo and the Cowboys come to a $6-year, $75mm deal with $30mm in guarantees before the season ends. What is your prediction?

So how did I do? Well, ESPN is reporting that Tony Romo has reached agreement on a 6-year, $67.5mm deal with $30 million in guarantees.

Not bad if I do say so myself. And in all seriousness, given the inflation in NFL salaries over the last few seasons (and the likelihood of further cap increases), the Cowboys are actually getting Romo at a very reasonable price.

In a much anticipated move, the Jets finally yanked Chad Pennington for second-year pro Kellen Clemens. The Jets were down 10-3 with under four minutes to go in the game. What a spot to put the young passer in. So, what does the former Oregon star do? He throws a pick on the drive. Then, for good measure, on the last play of the game, on a desperation throw, he was picked off again.

So, is this move permanent? Yes. Is it the best move for the 1-7 Jets? Yes, it is. The Jets have one game before the bye week. In the remaining eight games, the New York Jets need to see if the strong-armed quarterback can be their future field leader. One thing to remember is that Clemens only has 60 career pass attempts, with 59 coming this season. He is young and will make mistakes.

The weak arm of Pennington was getting his receivers killed. Laveranues Coles laid motionless on the field Sunday after taking a huge hit on a floater by the former Marshall star. It is not known if the former Redskin will miss this week’s game. He was already suffering from a nagging knee injury.

Now, will the quarterback change help the struggling Jets offense? Probably not. The running game is still inert. The team only has 11 offensive touchdowns in eight games. Star running back, Thomas Jones, has none of them. The quarterback change should help the Jets scoring. Sadly, the Jets’ passers have more interceptions than they do passing touchdowns. With the youngster under center, look for this to continue.

After watching the Jacksonville Jaguars get beat up by Peyton Manning and company, I came away thinking that the Jaguars offense, especially at the receiver position, needs a huge upgrade. Mike Walker should return next season giving the offense another playmaker. The offense is based on running the ball around aging Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. The 31 year old Taylor is playing well enough but cannot have many years left in his career. In fact, he has seen his carries per game average decrease for several years.

With David Garrard under center, the Jaguars are left with few playmakers. Yes, Garrard has been solid, but Jones-Drew is arguably the only playmaker on the offense. The wide receivers have not played well. They have invested two first round picks on pass catchers that do not start, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones. Through six games, those two have combined for 19 receptions. In fact, second-year tight end, Marcedes lewis, has more receptions and yards than either.

In 2008, expect a new coaching staff, new starting receivers (other than Northcutt in the slot), and possibly a new quarterback. The Jaguar quarterbacks have totaled a mere 107 pass completions in 172 attempts and only scoring passes. This is not bad, but shows how conservative the offense has been so far limiting any chance of a big play other than Maurice Jones-Drew breaking a long play.

The positive side of things is that the Jaguars are 4-2. But have relied on their stout defense to win the games. In the six games so far this season, the offense has scored 17 or fewer points four times. The good news is that the defense has held their opponents under that number five times.

How long can the defense carry the team? I cannot imagine it will last too long with the upcoming schedule. Look for Jacksonville to be a borderline playoff team. With the Leftwich debacle and now the injury to David garrard, things could get ugly very quickly.

The NFL Draft is a haven of football fanaticism. Even if you’re a die-hard, season-ticket holder and also play in a half dozen fantasy football leagues, there’s a good chance you don’t pay too much attention to the April NFL draft in real-time. Sure, you may have alerts set up on your phone for when your team picks. Yes, you may flip on ESPN News or the NFL Network to catch a glimpse in between doing other things. But, very few people have the patience to sit through the entire draft, much less Day One, which has historically covered Rounds 1-3.

What’s the problem? Well, there a many reasons why the average fan doesn’t watch the draft, but one reason has clearly been the length of the draft proceedings. In recent years, each team got 15 minutes for their first round picks and then 10 minutes for the 2nd round. And with very few exceptions, the franchises chose to take ALL the alloted time to make their picks (you know, just in case someone was going to call up with a last minute Herschel Walker-esque trade proposal).

Here’s the good news — Roger Goodell has announced the following changes to the NFL Draft:

• Day One will only cover the first TWO rounds (versus 3)
• The draft will start at 3 pm EST instead of noon EST
• Each first round pick will have a 10-minute time limit (versus 15)
• Each second round pick will have a 7-minute time limit (versus 10)
• The remainder of the draft (Rounds 3-7) will be televised on Sunday

Take heart, Goodell continues to make strides in a lot of areas. He had enormous shoes to fill in Paul Tagliabue, but so far, so good.

Ronnie Brown was among the league’s best fantasy players heading into this weekend’s game. While his pedigree as the 2nd overall pick in 2005 pointed to success, Brown had struggled to establish himself until this season. In fact, Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron played mind games all preseason, refusing to name Brown the starter and touting backup Jesse Chatman at every turn.

Well now Cam Cameron is going to have a chance to prove whether his praise of Chatman was more than a motivational ploy. Ronnie Brown tore his ACL against the Patriots on Sunday and is done for the year. That opens the door for the 223-pound Chatman to take over.

Is Chatman up to the task?

Chatman is in his 5th season out of Eastern Washington and has mainly been a backup. His only significant work came in 2004 as a Charger when he rushed for 392 yards on 65 carries (6.0 YPC) and 3 TDs backing up LaDainian Tomlinson. After an impressive preseason, Chatman wasn’t used much this season behind Brown, but did log 7 carries for 73 yards and a TD last week in Brown’s stead.

A broader question to Chatman’s chances of success is whether the Dolphins offense can stay on the field. In the span of 8 days, the Dolphins have lost their top players at each skill position:

• QB Trent Green was placed on IR post concussion
• WR Chris Chambers was traded to San Diego
• RB Ronnie Brown was placed on IR with a torn ACL

Assuming Chatman can catch passes with some measure of frequency (as Brown has been doing), Chatman could be the rare RB free agent pickup that can help your team. But to think he can approximate the elite numbers Brown was putting up would be foolhardy.

It was only last year that the Chicago Bears were known as the most dominant defense in the NFL. Now, the 2-4 Bears look to be in trouble. In the last four games, they have given up at least 34 points. The only game they held their opponent to less was a win against the Packers 27-20. To get a perspective of how bad the once-vaunted Bear defense really is, take a look at these rankings versus the rest of the NFL:

Pass Defense:

Passing Yards: 27th

Yards Per Pass Attempt: 29th

Rush Defense:

Rush Attempts: 25th

Rush Yards: 28th

Rushing yards Per Carry: 26th

Rushing TDs: 29 th

Total Yardage Yielded: 30th

How did the Bears go from a 13-3 record and a defense in the top 11 in the NFL for all of the categories listed above to a defense in disrepair? The main reason is the mounting injuries. Bear starting defenders have missed a lot of game time in 2007. This is not an exhaustive list, but should give an indication of the valuable players who have missed time for the Bears this season:

Tommie Harris (knee), Nathan Vasher (groin), Adam Archuleta (hand), Lance Brings (hamstring), Darwin Walker (knee), Charles Tillman (ankle), Seth Payne (arm), Daniel Bazuin (knee), Mike Brown (knee), Dusty Dvoracek (knee), and Michael Okwo (shoulder).

Many of these players were starters and leaders of the Bear defense. Add Tank Johnson’s legal problems, with his subsequent release to the list, and now the Bears give up huge yardage on the ground. This defense looks like one on the decline. Many of the players listed above are ones that either are at the end of their career due to age or are incurred injury again in 2007 and it looks like rehab will be difficult to come back strong.

The Chief defense is still not recognized as a top defense. They started off the season slow, losing two games to the Texans and Bears, while giving up 20 points in each contest. But, in the last four games, the Kansas City defense has yielded only 63 points while going 3-1.

What changed? The return of Jared Allen from his suspension is the biggest difference. In the week six win against the Bengals, Allen was everywhere. He had 2.5 sacks and kept constant pressure on Carson Palmer. The Chiefs held the Bengals to 20 points, compared to the 26.5 points a game average Carson Palmer and company brought into the game. In week four, the Chiefs held the Chargers to 16 points. In the two games since, the Chargers have scored 69 points against two good defenses (Broncos and Raiders).

YouTube: D-Ends of the KC Chiefs 

The Chiefs get the Oakland Raiders this Sunday. Expect Jared Allen and company to have a field day with Daunte Culpepper and company. For fantasy leagues, the Kansas City Chiefs defense should be a very good start. The following week, the Chiefs are on bye.

It’s only Wednesday and today’s optimism can be tomorrow’s disappointment…BUT, for those fantasy owners who feel like they’ve been fielding a patchwork team the last few weeks due to devastating injuries and killer bye weeks, it APPEARS that good news may be upon us.

While this is all preliminary (keep checking Footballguys.com for real-time updates as we receive them)…the following key players are hopeful of returning to the field in Week 7:

• QB Marc Bulger (STL) is hopeful that he’ll be able to start this week after missing time with his rib injury. He was on the active roster last week and is feeling much better. He’s still not 100% but he should be good enough to play.
• RB Joseph Addai (IND) is expected to practice this week and play in week seven against the Jaguars.
• WR Anquan Boldin (ARI) is expected to return to the starting line up this week after missing time with a hip injury. He ran some before the game Sunday and felt like his old self. “It’s the first time I’ve been able to explode, run routes and things like that, he said. “It isn’t sore today (Monday) so we’ll test it again Wednesday and see how it is.”
• WR Javon Walker (DEN) returned to practice this week. He missed the past two games with fluid in his surgically repaired right knee. Walker said he may take it easy in practice this week, but there is no way he is going to miss Sunday’s game. “It’s crunch time,” he said. “I got to be out there.” Walker said the knee won’t be completely healthy until after the season when he can rest it. “I have to play through it,” he said. “I’m ready to go.”
• WR Andre Johnson (HOU) could return this week when they host Tennessee. A decision won’t be known until at least Wednesday. “He’s progressing well; (we’re) very, very hopeful that he’s ready to go this week,” HC Gary Kubiak said. “We’ll run him tomorrow. We liked the progress we saw last week, so we’ve just kind of got our fingers crossed that he’s ready to go this week.”
• WR Marvin Harrison (IND) is expected to practice this week and play in week seven against the Jaguars.
  
• TE Vernon Davis (SF) is expected to return to practice this week and has a chance to play this weekend. When coach Mike Nolan was asked about Davis’ status for this week, he said, “It’s questionable. We’ll see how they practice on Wednesday. I’m hopeful.”

Who says NFL trades never happen? Yesterday Michael Bennett was traded to Tampa Bay; but today a much bigger (potentially) deal went down as the San Diego Chargers acquired Chris Chambers from the Dolphins for an undisclosed draft pick.

This is the rare mid-season deal that has significant fantasy implications.

1. Chambers will be the lead WR in San Diego — It may take a few games, but Chambers will almost certainly become Philip Rivers most targeted WR
2. Vincent Jackson can’t be happy — The Chargers young wideout is now going to have to compete for targets with a proven veteran. Ultimately this might be good for Jackson’s career though, as he may be better suited as a WR2
3. Malcolm Floyd and Craig Davis become relative non-factors — Neither WR was making a ton of plays anyway, but they will now be relegated to backup duty primarily
4. Philip Rivers gets an upgrade — I’m not the biggest Chambers fan (more on that in a second) but his addition definitely improves Rivers’ arsenal
5. Don’t downgrade Gates or Tomlinson – Gates and Tomlinson aren’t going to lose many targets because of this move. If anything, this should allow the Chargers to sustain offensive drives more often, which means more red zone chances for Gates and Tomlinson; the best at their respective positions when it comes to scoring TDs
6. The Dolphins are throwing in the towel -- Honestly, the Dolphins are officially heading toward 2008 at this point, giving up their lone playmaker in the receiving game.
7. Upgrade Ted Ginn Jr. and Marty Booker — SOMEONE besides Ronnie Brown has to get passes thrown their way, and rookie Ginn is probably going to see a ton of them as the Dolphins look to rebuild toward a 2008 resurgence.

Where does this put Chambers now in terms of fantasy value?

Through six games, Chambers has 31 receptions for 415 yards, but zero TDs. His numbers project to:

• 83 receptions
• 1,107 yards

It’s difficult to look at his situation in San Diego and not expect Chambers to improve, right? Well, let’s be careful here.

Targets = Opportunity

Through six games, Chambers have been targeted a whopping 66 times. That’s the 4th most targets in the league. You can be sure that Chambers WILL NOT see as many passes thrown his way in San Diego.

1. The Chargers run the ball a lot more
2. Antonio Gates has been targeted 54 times; leading the team
3. LaDainian Tomlinson has been targeted 38 times
4. The Chargers WRs have been targeted 66 times COMBINED through Week Six

The fact is, Chambers will go from being one of THE most targeted receivers in football to somewhere toward the bottom of WR1s in the league. So the real question fantasy owners need to ask themselves is, can Chambers do MORE with each target? The bad news is Chambers has always had hands of stone.

Take a look at the 50 most targeted receivers over the last 5+ seasons (2002-2007), ranked by reception-to-target percentage:

Hands of stone. And the bad news is Chambers has been consistently poor at converting targets into catches. His career best rate was, as a rookie, when he caught 53% of his targets. This year he’s running at 47%, bout 15-20% lower than most elite receivers.

What’s the silver lining?  

I can see two potential areas of encouragement. 1) Norv Turner coaches Chambers for two years in Miami; including the 2003 season when Chambers finished as the 11th best fantasy wideout. 2) Chambers has ZERO TDs right now, but has historically been a good TD producer. I would be surprised if Turner doesn’t find a way to get him at least 5 or 6 TDs the rest of the way.

So what’s the verdict? If you own Chris Chambers, it’s probably a slight upgrade for you if he can score touchdowns, but in PPR leagues his value almost assuredly takes a dip for a few weeks, if not the entire season. If you were starting Vincent Jackson on a consistent basis, you probably want to look elsewhere. It also means Philip Rivers (who hopefully has been on your bench) might now become a viable option at QB. On the Dolphins side, this puts even more pressure on Ronnie Brown to carry the load. He’s been too dominant to sit, but you might want to give more consideration to a trade at this point. Ted Ginn probably is the biggest beneficiary, in that the Fins have absolutely no reason not to start him and let him get a baptism by fire the rest of the way.

Good luck!

Michael Bennett, last seen riding the pine in Kansas City, was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday as the Bucs try desperately to patch up their RB stable following injuries to Cadillac Williams (season-ending) and Michael Pittman (4+ weeks).

What are the Bucs getting?

Bennett is an 8-year veteran who started his career as a 1st round pick by the Vikings in 2001. He got his chance to be the featured back in 2002, and rushed for 1,296 yards (5.1 per carry) while catching 37 passes for 351 yards (9.5 per) and scoring 6 TDs en route to his first and only Pro Bowl appearance.

Injuries and a crowded backfield kept Bennett from duplicating those numbers over the next three seasons, so he packed his bags and landed in Kansas City last year.

At 5′10″, 205 pounds, Bennett is a straight line burner but relatively limited when it comes to making tacklers miss and/or creating plays when the designated running lane isn’t open. At 29 years old, Bennett is getting to that age where one has to wonder if his foot speed (his primary asset) remains at an elite level. On the plus side, he’s only got 769 carries under his belt and should have some pounding left to take.

Should fantasy owners care?

Even in 2002, his lone moment of fantasy significance, Bennett was a below average TD producer. He moves to a team with offensive line issues, and a spotty history under HC Gruden of productive running backs (from a TD perspective). Add to that the presence of Earnest Graham and the recently acquired TD vulture Zack Crockett, and Bennett is very much a “SHOW ME” commodity. This is that time of year when owners are desperate to add any live body to their RB stable, so you can count on Bennett being acquired off waivers in many leagues. But don’t overpay for him, this isn’t a great situation regardless of his increased opportunity.

It’s been a rough few weeks for fellow staffer (and good buddy) Chase Stuart. You see, his beloved Jets fell to my Eagles on Sunday, leaving his team at a dismal 1-5 and also ensuring that Chase will be buying me dinner at my Manhattan restaurant of choice (get ready to pony up Chase!). As if that weren’t enough, the entire foundation of his NFL analysis has been torn asunder thanks to the astounding season Tom Brady is putting together. His love for the Jets is almost matched by his disdain for the Patriots, and he’s fought the good fight against proclaiming Belichick, Brady and the other Pats as “all time greats.”

That is, until this year.

In what some mistook for a tongue-in-cheek analysis, Chase eats crow and acknowledges what many of us have known for a long time: Tom Brady isn’t simply a great QB, he’s one of the best to ever play the game.

Pro-Football-Reference Blog — Now Serving: Crow

…Because while I had lots of good arguments before (at least, in my opinion) for why Brady was overrated, they’re all moot points now. The only way I could have been more wrong about Brady was if I called him a girl (which, come to think of it, I’m pretty sure I did off-line).

128.7 QB Rating. 16 TDs in 5 games. 9.20 adjusted yards per pass. 74.1% completion percentage.

Brady’s in the middle of one of the greatest seasons of all time. He just might end up having the greatest season of all time. Right now the league is averaging 5.98 AY/A, which means Brady has added 508 yards over the league average this season. The highest yards over league average mark is from Manning in ‘04, with 1,581 (a record Brady is on pace to break).

What else is there to say? I was wrong — give him some weapons, and the guy is unstoppable…

As you can see from the aforementioned quote, Chase penned this article before this weekend’s game against the Cowboys. A game where Brady enjoyed his first career 5-TD passing game. On the season, Brady’s numbers are:

• 148 completions
• 204 attempts
• 72.5% completion percentage
• 1,771 yards passing
• 8.7 yards per attempt
• 21 TD passes
• 2 INTs
• 128.9 paser rating

Needless to say, those numbers are usually reserved for EA Madden football. Were Brady somehow able to maintain this level of production for the rest of his season, we’re looking at a season of:

• 395 completions
• 544 attempts
• 72.5% comp rate
• 4,723 yards passing
• 8.7 yards per attempt
• 56 TD passes
• 5 INTs
• 128.9 passer rating

Those numbers would, inarguably be the best passing numbers in league history. Here is where those totals would rank all-time:

• #1 TD passes (Current record: Peyton Manning, 49 TDs)
• #1 TD/INT differential (P. Manning, +31)
• #1 Passer Rating (P. Manning, 121.1)
• #1 Completion Percentage (Ken Anderson, 70.55%)
• #4 Pass completions (Rich Gannon, 418; Warren Moon, 404; Drew Bledsoe, 400)
• #5 Passing yards (Dan Marino, 5084; Kurt Warner, 4830; Dan Fouts, 4802; Dan Marino, 4746)

All that and the guy has 3 Super Bowl rings and is dating a super model. Life is tough.

Very few people doubted Adrian Peterson’s talents coming out of Oklahoma, but some wondered if he would have a chance to put them fully on display as a rookie, since the Vikings already had a more-than-serviceable tailback in Chester Taylor. But injuries to Taylor and, more importantly, Peterson’s all-world talents have led to his emerging as one of the league’s best young playmakers right out of the gate.

In case you haven’t been paying close attention, Peterson ran for 224 yards on 20 carries yesterday in the Vikings 34-31 win over the Chicago Bears. Through five games, Peterson’s numbers are:

• 96 rushes
• 607 yards rushing
• 6.3 yards per rush
• 10 receptions
• 175 yards receiving
• 17.5 yards per reception
• 5 TDs

Peterson has 100+ yards rushing in four of his five games, and has plays of 73, 60, and 55 yards on the season.

Were Peterson to maintain this productivity through the end of the season, he would finish the year:

• 307 rushes
• 1,942 yards rushing
• 32 receptions
• 560 receiving yards
• 16 TDs

As you might expect, this would be a record-breaking season for a rookie NFL RB.

Rookie RB Seasons, Yards from Scrimmage (1960-Present)

But would it be the best fantasy season? Using standard FBG scoring it, just barely, WOULD BE…

Top Rookie RB Fantasy Seasons (1960-Present)

Here is a study of whether a particular starting QB helped, hurt, or held tight to helping you fantasy team win a game.

The lines I have drawn:

“Help” - 20+ FP per game.
“Hurt” - Less than 12 FP per game.
“Hold” - between 12 and 20.

Why these numbers?

Well, on average in 2006, the #12 QB in Fantasy Pts Per Game (FPPG) was right around 16. So if you wanted to start a QB that would help you win, you should go for 25% above average, so that puts the number for a helping hand QB at 20.

Conversely, if a QB failed to hit the QB average by 25% or more, he hurt your team and possibly cost you a win. That would put a score at 12 or under.

So, who has done well? Let’s have a look:

So what does it all mean?

Well, let’s look at the Top 12 QBs from preseason. These were the guys that were supposed to be top flight QBs that would help you win your league, correct? Well, here are the Top 12 at FBG from the preseason:

From the table, you can see the three guys who are killing your team - Drew Brees, Vince Young and Philip Rivers. You probably knew that already, but looking at it this way does help to show you what to shop for - a QB that has a better chance to either help or not hurt your squad.

Some other notable names from Table 1 include David Garrard (4 holds) and Brett Favre (3-1-1) who have helped out quite a few fantasy teams in their own right.

5-Minute Drill: Week 6 Longshots
Cecil “On the” Lammey and Sigmund “Doom and” Bloom are at it again. This week they take 5 minutes out of their not-so-busy days to tell fantasy owners which deep sleepers are worth a look if you’re desperate for help on your bye-week, injury-riddled fantasy squads.

YOU KNOW THE DRILL!

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Every week we put out detailed cheatsheets (that can also be customized to suit your league’s scoring system and roster requirements). Here is a quick look at our top 5 at each of the main positions. If you would like to see a more detailed list, as well as rankings on IDP players, feel free to visit our main site and subscribe if you haven’t already done so.

Quarterback

1. Tom Brady - NE at DAL
2. Carson Palmer - CIN at KC
3. Tony Romo - DAL vs NE
4. Brett Favre - GB vs WAS
5. Kurt Warner - ARI vs CAR

Running Back

1. LaDainian Tomlinson - SD vs OAK
2. Ronnie Brown - MIA at CLE
3. Willis McGahee - BAL vs STL
4. Larry Johnson - KC vs CIN
5. Reggie Bush - NO at SEA

Wide Receiver

1. Randy Moss - NE at DAL
2. Chad Johnson - CIN at KC
3. T.J. Houshmandzadeh - CIN at KC
4. Larry Fitzgerald - ARI vs CAR
5. Terrell Owens - DAL vs NE

Tight End

1. Antonio Gates - SD vs OAK
2. Tony Gonzalez - KC vs CIN
3. Kellen Winslow Jr - CLE vs MIA
4. Jason Witten - DAL vs NE
5. Jeremy Shockey - NYG at ATL

Kicker

1. Stephen Gostkowski - NE at DAL
2. Nate Kaeding - SD vs OAK
3. Nick Folk - DAL vs NE
4. Josh Brown - SEA vs NO
5. Matt Stover - BAL vs STL

Defense

1. New England Patriots - NE at DAL
2. Seattle Seahawks - SEA vs NO
3. Baltimore Ravens - BAL vs STL
4. Chicago Bears - CHI vs MIN
5. Philadelphia Eagles - PHI at NYJ

My good friend Mark Wimer took a fairly in depth look at the Panthers signing of Vinny Testaverde and discussed his chances as the Panthers potential emergency starting QB. As most of you know, Vinny is OLD by NFL standards. This will be his 21st NFL season; a remarkable accomplishment in a league where the average player suits up less than four years.

As Testaverde embarks on a potential start this weekend, it got me wondering how many QBs have suited up and played for as long. Using our Data Dominator, I took a look at all the QBs (since 1960) that attempted at least one pass in their 20th season or later.

That’s it folks. Not exactly a resounding endorsement for Vinny to shock the world, is it? The good news, if you can call it that, is Vinnie needs only 35 completions, 392 yards and 4 TDs to overtake Earl Morrall for 2nd all-time on this list. If he gets two or three starts in Carolina, he’ll likely do just that.

The Panthers have suffered a rash of injuries at the QB position, and in response to the loss of Jake Delhomme and the serious back injury to David Carr, they have signed the venerable and celebrated Vinny Testaverde. Carr missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, and is looking very iffy to play this weekend - actually, for some time to come.

Here’s how Carr described his back injury (remember, this is from a guy who got sacked and hit roughly a gazillion times in Houston):

“When I got hit, I felt like I got sat on and twisted, and every bone in my back popped all the way to the back of my neck. It was by far the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. There was no doubt. I was rolling around out there like an idiot, but that’s how it felt. I was like, ‘Stop moving.’ I was trying to tell myself, but I couldn’t.”

Given the above, I’d say his prospects for playing any time soon are pretty dim. However, there remain a lot of questions to be answered about why the Panthers made this move.

First of all, why would the Panthers turn to Testaverde at this juncture, rather than, say, Tim Rattay or Chris Weinke (besides the fact that Weinke stinks, I mean)? There are several reasons - the one that tops the list is that Testaverde has 21 years of NFL experience - as he put it on Wednesday:

“I haven’t told them yet, but I have probably forgot more football than these guys already know. We’ll have some fun with that.”

There is no question that in his years in the league, Testaverde has learned more playbooks and played in more schemes than any other free agent available at this point in the 2007 season. Also, he spent last season in New England, backing up Tom Brady - Carolina’s OC Jeff Davidson (a former New England assistant) has installed a scheme based on the Patriots’ offense. So Testaverde’s learning curve in Carolina should be shorter than just about any other guy they might have tried to add to the roster during week 6 of the regular season.

Another question that leaps to mind is “Can Testaverde still play at age 43?” Well, he certainly believes he can - in May, when he was around the New England organization, and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald filed the following comments about Testaverde participating in OTA’s (May 23rd):

“Free agent QB Vinny Testaverde is taking part in Patriots passing camp this week, and it is not just for fun. According to Mike Azzarelli, a close friend and associate of the Testaverde, the 43-year-old has not retired, nor does he have any plans to do so. He’s looking for work. He’s looking to add a 21st season to his distinguished resume. “He’s not retired. I doubt he’d be hanging out,” said Azzarelli when asked about Testaverde’s appearance in Foxboro this week. “He’s intent on playing.” Azzarelli is no longer an agent, but continues to work for Testaverde.”

Testaverde was signed to a one year deal on August 18th, and participated in practice sessions until being cut on September 1st - he hasn’t just been sitting on the couch since last year, waiting for the phone to ring, friends.

Another point to consider when asking the question “Can Testaverde still play?” is his personal history. He was reviled for years as one of the biggest draft busts ever after an unsuccessful start to his career in Tampa Bay (even though he is still the all-time franchise passing leader, by the way). Tampa never did better than 6-10 during his time starting there, from partway through 1987 until he was replaced by Craig Erickson in 1993 (Tampa posted a cumulative record of 28-67 from ‘87-’93). It would have been very easy to give up, move on, and find another line of work - but Testaverde never lost confidence in himself or his abilities. He has been to the Pro Bowl twice since his sojourn in Tampa, after his ‘96 campaign with the Ravens and after his ‘98 campaign with the Jets. Vinny Testaverde has fought through extreme adversity to become considered a success as a pro QB, and practically nobody besides he (and maybe his mom and dad) would have predicted that back in 1993.

The challenge of taking over the reins in Carolina during Week 6 of 2007 is small potatoes for Vinny Testaverde, folks.

Another thing that remains to be seen is whether or not Testaverde can establish a strong rapport with Steve Smith and the rest of the Panthers quickly - but that’s another thing he has done many times before in his various NFL stops. (Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Baltimore, NYJ, Dallas, NYJ, New England, and now Carolina). There is no reason to expect him to suddenly lose his leadership skills.

The final question we are faced with is “Does Vinny Testaverde have anything left in the tank?” Well, most recently he tossed 297/495 for 3,532 yards, 17 TDs and 20 interceptions (21/38/1 rushing) for the Dallas Cowboys back in 2004. The team went 6-10 that year, but posting 3532 yards passing as QB with an aging Keyshawn Johnson (70/981/6) as your #1 wide receiver - Terry Glenn only managed 6 games in 2004 due to injury (24/400/2), and Antonio Bryant was third on the team with 16/266/0 over 5 games and then he was out of the picture - with a bunch of youngsters (Patrick Crayton posted 7 games for 12/162/1) or aging never-have-beens (Quincy Morgan was 4th on the squad with 9 games for 22/260/0) as Testaverde’s targets was actually an impressive feat, in retrospect.

We’ll see what Testaverde has to offer the Panthers very soon - probably this Sunday vs. Arizona - but I wouldn’t bet against him, personally. If you need a #2 fantasy QB for your squad given all the injuries over the past few weeks, you could do worse than to pick up Testaverde.

This has been a crazy year for quarterbacks. Many have been injured, and out for the year while some have been just plain inefficient.

Let’s look at some of the journeymen passers that either started in Week Five or might start in Week Six:

• Trent Dilfer (SF) – The consummate game manager and fantasy quarterback least likely for success. If he enters your fantasy lineup, you are probably doomed for a loss.
• Gus Frerotte (STL) — The veteran from Tulsa has played with several teams and knows coach Linehan’s system. But, we would be fooling ourselves if we thought he was a healthy Bulger’s peer. He is a desperate start in week six.
• David Carr or Vinny Testaverde (CAR) — Pick your poison. Which is worse? I see a toss up. Maybe Vinny would be able to find Steve Smith. I know he is not a tall fellow, but Smith should be easy to find if Kerry Colbert and Drew Carter are the other options.
• Kurt Warner (ARI) – He has a great matchup this week. But, how many games do we really expect before Warner is injured? Enter Tim Rattay. You know, the guy who could not beat out Kerry Collins. Gulp. Hang on to your hats, Boldin and Fitzgerald owners, it might be a bumpy ride.
• Kelly Holcomb (MIN) — We all know Holcomb as the guy who could not beat out Craig Nall or A.J. Feeley. With the receivers the Vikings have, would you really want to start Holcomb? Me either.

This list does not even include the likes of Daunte Culpepper, Cleo Lemon, and Byron Leftwich. This has been a rough year for passers getting hurt. Look for some additional passers to be benched from here on out for the young guns. This is the time in the fantasy season where it gets ugly, real ugly, for fantasy quarterbacks during the bye week crunch. So, good luck to those of you starting one of the above quarterbacks … you just might need it. If these guys were rock bands, they would not even make the amusement park circuit.