Last week we told you to expect big things from RBs Steve Slaton, Michael Turner and Matt Forte. They all delivered. We also told you not to start RBs Julius Jones, Rudi Johnson, WR Anthony Gonzalez and QB Matt Hasselbeck. You guessed it, they all floundered in Week 5. How did we know this? Playing the matchups.

Here is a look at some of the most intriguing Week 6 matchups. It’s all about starting quality players when they have a favorable matchup, and the most savvy owners know when it’s time to take a chance on lesser players facing softer defenses. Take the first step here – in the fifth edition of The Good, Bad and Ugly.
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Week 4 is the first for bye weeks, and that means many owners will be missing their full complement of players. You may be reaching for your bench for the first time this year, especially at the flex position. This is where your late-round drafting or early-season free agent pickups will come in handy.

Regardless, every week owners are put to the test with the critical decisions in the flex spot that can determine the outcome of their matchups. If you have guys like RB Chris Perry going against the Browns’ suspect run defense or WR Ike Hilliard facing a banged up Green Bay secondary, feel comfortable putting them, among others, into the flex slot in Week 3. Read more »

Youth movement has been a good theme for 2008, with an influx of rookie running backs, dominant performances by young quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers, and lost confidence in some of the game’s best veterans LaDainian Tomlinson, Randy Moss and Peyton Manning. There are no signs of halting the movement, so youth have continued their invasion of our pre-Week 4 edition of the Fantasy NFL 101.

Second-year back Adrian Peterson narrowly fended off a healthy-looking Tomlinson for No. 1 honors, while Frank Gore and Marion Barber jumped Brian Westbrook, who is questionable this week with an ankle strain. Two more young backs are waiting in the wings in Marshawn Lynch (No. 6) and Joseph Addai (No. 8). Read more »

Let Rudi Johnson’s release from the Cincinnati Bengals hammer the point home that sure things do not exist in fantasy football. Exactly one year after fantasy owners went bonkers for his all-but-guaranteed 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns, Johnson is a constantly injured man without a team. He was replaceable, and former first round pick Chris Perry did to Johnson what he did to former starter Corey Dillon four years ago. Things change - fantasy owners must be ready to roll with the punches.

The Bengals reportedly made Johnson, who missed all four of the team’s preseason games, available via trade, but couldn’t find any takers. The 28-year old will almost certainly be picked up by another team, but it’s tough to find a situation where he’d have immediate fantasy value. What’s more likely is he plays a backup role on a team hurting for backfield depth, then maybe gets a chance down the road. Read more »