“Yikes” is the only thought that came to mind upon seeing Rex Grossman back under center for a professional football game. For fantasy owners with stake in Kyle Orton’s success, the reaction was probably riddled with more expletives after seeing him exit with a high ankle sprain.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Orton could miss up to a month with that ankle sprain, an injury that initially looked much worse. Grossman will likely lead the NFC North-leading Bears against Tennessee next weekend, which is a tough pill to swallow for both Bears fans and fantasy owners alike. Read more »

Some new faces crack our top 101 rankings, but the list has the same distinct look to it with a virtually unaltered top 10. That could change next week, though, because Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is officially on probation as our top-ranked player. The only question standing in the way of a Week 6 demotion is, who else deserves the top spot?

LaDainian Tomlinson has issues of his own and comes off a lackluster Week 5 effort. Frank Gore is having a fine, fine season, but his game just doesn’t scream “best player in fantasy football.” Clinton Portis is ever-so-slowly inching his way there, but doesn’t have half the big-game explosion of Peterson. We knew going in that Peterson would be inconsistent, so he gets at least one more week to prove just how good he can be. Read more »

Current and former Bears are among the most desirable players on waiver wires this week, with quarterback Kyle Orton generating major buzz with a second straight career day. One of the beneficiaries of Orton’s stellar play has been punt-returner-turned-receiver Devin Hester, who has found paydirt in each of the last two weeks. Meanwhile, former teammate Cedric Benson finds himself in a good situation in the Cincinnati Bengals backfield.

Orton is surprisingly the most explosive quarterback available in most fantasy leagues. Few would have predicted that he would throw seven touchdown passes over any three-game stretch during the season, but he has over Chicago’s last three.

Reclamation project Marc Bulger is also a good pickup after being announced as the Rams starter for the rest of ‘08. JaMarcus Russell has quietly been better than expected, making the former No. 1 pick an intriguing pick as a bye-week fill-in. Read more »