The NFL is preparing for Week 11 as the weekend approaches. Festivities will, for the second straight week, be kicked off a little early with the NFL network’s broadcast of the Jets-Patriots contest on Thursday.

Besides the usual division rivalry/Man-genius vs. Belichick/student vs. master plot lines billed for this game, the comeback angle is now in play as well. As is the case with a few other games this week, the Thursday nighter will allow a former impact player to return to prominence in 2008.

Below are a list of the comebacks to watch for in Week 11 and be sure to check back to see how everything played out and who earned “Comeback Player of the Week” hardware on Monday.

Week 11 Comebacks:

Ty Law, CB, New York Jets
Law is a great cover corner who used to play for both teams featured in Thursday night’s game. Most recently, Law racked up over 111 tackles and 10 interceptions in two seasons in Kansas City. Prior to that, however, Ty picked off opposing quarterbacks 10 times for the Jets in 2005.

The addition of Law to the Jets defensive backfield will certainly make this game more interesting than usual. His veteran intuition may pose a big road block as a young and inexperienced Matt Cassel will try to take to the air with Randy Moss, Wes Welker and company. The Jets defense has come up huge in the fantasy world over the past couple weeks and they may be able to do it again on the main stage this weekend.

P.S. He took a Tom Brady pass 74 yards to the house when he last saw the Pats in ‘05

Tatum Bell, RB, Denver Broncos
Denver’s backfield has been absolutely ravaged by injuries. Michael Pittman, Andre Hall and potential sleeper Ryan Torain have all been ruled out for the rest of 2008. With Selvin Young still nursing injuries as well, the Broncos turned to fullback Peyton Hillis to carry the load in the second half of their Week 10 win over Cleveland. But this week, Mike Shanahan brought back a familiar face in Tatum Bell to add some experience and depth to their backfield.

Bell signed with the team and will be ready to suit up as Denver heads into Atlanta to take on Matt Ryan and the surging Falcons. Bell is only two years removed from a 1,000-yard season in the Mile High city and also posted 921 yards in 2005 when he only started one game. He could prove to be the surprise producer fantasy owners have come to expect from Shanahan.

P.S. Denver still has Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City on the docket. All three rank in the bottom third of NFL teams in run defense.

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys
The ring leader is returning to try to control the lions, tigers, bears and clowns in the big D. Romo watched from the sidelines as Dallas tailspun, dropping two of three games in his absence. How will his grip on the ball be? Will he be able to hop right back in the saddle and spread the ball around to keep T.O. and crew satisfied? Will Dallas be able to beat NFC East foe Washington in the Sunday primetime slot? Will Jason Witten be able to produce again? We’ll find out when Romo and the Boys take to the field in a few days.

P.S. Not counting Week 17 in ‘07 when the Cowboys played the Skins in a meaningless game, Romo has racked up 877 yards and nine career touchdowns against Washington.

Daunte Culpepper, QB, Detroit Lions
Technically speaking, C-pepp returned in Week 10. But, he has been named the Week 11 starter and enters the Lions’ contest against Carolina with a full week of practice time. Culpepper does have to worry about young gun Drew Stanton, who waits in the wings after going 6-for-8 for 91 yards and a score last week. Will Daunte hold off Stanton and put a hurting on the Panthers?

P.S. The Lions are going to steal this one from Carolina. It has to happen sometime, right?

Cadillac Williams, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs activated Cadillac but are not sure whether or not he’ll be ready to go on Sunday. The injury-prone Williams was a breakout rookie who rushed for over 1,100 yards in 2005 and has since struggled to produce while battling multiple injuries. If he’s healthy, he could revive a lackluster running attack featuring Warrick Dunn and Earnest Graham. But, what are the chances he can go a full contest without heading into the tunnel on a cart?

Look for these stars to return to action and make immediate impacts on both the NFL outcomes and fantasy contests taking place in Week 11. At the very least, they will shake things up and cause a ripple effect that influences the performance of teammates and opponents. Also, many could be floating around the waiver wire, so if you’re hurting at a certain position, flirting with one of these options could land you a little bit of upside.