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. Read more »

Fantasy owners don’t much care about the turmoil in Dallas. That locker room can be a carnival or soap opera, but if the results on the field are there, why should we care? We all know that hasn’t been the case in recent weeks, which begs the question, does the return of quarterback Tony Romo (broken pinkie) immediately solve the team’s problems?

In the last two games with Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger under center, running back Marion Barber has averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. For the season, Barber is averaging a career-worst 3.5 ypc. Read more »

The free fall continues. I ended Week 8 with a 4-8-2 record. At 51-61-4 on the year, my goal of a .700 win percentage may seem like a pipe dream, but I wouldn’t go away just yet. Read more »

Week 8 is officially a closed chapter in the NFL saga of 2008. That means it’s time to dish out some Week 8 hardware.

Things are going right in Philly as running back Brian Westbrook returned from injury to take home MVP honors, while last week’s top star Steven Jackson sat this one out with an injury of his own. The circus that is the Dallas Cowboys continues to cause fantasy woes and Seahawks posted 35 points without John Carlson or Julius Jones finding the endzone. Read more »

Patriots fans and many fantasy owners saw their hopes and dreams for 2008 quickly erased as Tom Brady went down for the season in the first quarter of Week 1. Now, over two months later, those same Pats fans and the collective fantasy world are looking at the sincere possibility of having to limp through another season without New England’s golden boy.

Since having his knee repaired after the injury, it is speculated that Brady has undergone more surgeries due to the knee becoming infected. The Boston Herald reported that, “the fear is the patellar tendon graft used to replace Brady’s anterior cruciate ligament is in danger of becoming compromised.” If this does indeed become reality, the process of repairing his knee would go back to square one and his ‘09 season would be in serious jeopardy. Read more »

Clinton Portis backed up his recent promotion to Imaginary Gridiron’s No. 1 player in fantasy in a big way this week, rushing for 175 yards and a score in a win over Cleveland. He symbolized a shakeup last week, as we attempted to get a better grasp on the current state of fantasy football affairs. Less has changed in this week’s edition of The Fantasy NFL 101, but the Top 10 did get a small facelift in light of Week 7 happenings.

No player had a bigger week than St. Louis’ Steven Jackson, who finally “arrived” with 160 yards and three scores in a stunning win over the Dallas Cowboys. Even with a bruised thigh, Jackson moves up to No. 6 in the rankings because he has such a bright outlook in the season’s second half. Reggie Bush quickly plummeted after suffering a meniscus injury in his left knee, one that required surgery and at least three weeks of recovery time. Read more »

As we near the half-way mark of the ‘08 season, NFL action continues to startle and excite each and every Sunday. This week, the Titans steamrolled the Chiefs with a versatile ground attack, and two quarterbacks in the Big Apple found their way onto our list for disappointing performances.

Mewelde Moore makes Steelers fans think “Willie Who?” and an MVP day for what seemed to be an ‘08 bust in Steven Jackson as his Rams put a hurtin’ on America’s Team. Willis McGahee and Ryan Grant also show up big in Week 7, as this could be deemed the week of redemption for guys struggling to get on track.

Be sure to check out this week’s Bonus Hardware after the Highlight Reel. Some performances were so bad they didn’t fit into our standard list of awards. Read more »

Now Romo wants to play? Pacman’s in trouble again? Roy Williams and T.O. on the same field?

It seems like every week things get crazier in ‘Big D’. How could you not compare this year’s Dallas Cowboys team to some of the most popular shows on daytime television? Despite the comparison, you’ll find out why “Days of Our Lives”, “The Young and the Restless” and “As the World Turns” have nothing on arguably the NFL’s most popular, and certainly dysfunctional, franchise.

Things started swimmingly for the Cowboys back in September. The ‘Boys were fresh off a division title, and although they didn’t win their only playoff game last season, appeared to be the NFC East favorite again. Dallas reeled off three straight wins to open 2008, highlighted by a Monday night shootout victory over the Eagles 41-37 and a big 27-16 road win against the Packers the following Sunday night. Read more »

Two of the most outspoken, flamboyant, and egotistical wide receivers will be on the same field this Sunday in Dallas. For Chad Ocho Cinco (formerly Chad Johnson) and Terrell Owens, Week 5’s Bengals at Cowboys matchup will be much more than just a regular season game.

The media in both Cincinnati and Dallas has feasted on the two loud-mouth receivers, who have offered up a mixed smorgasbord of both complaints and trash talk all this week.

The Bengals’ Ocho Cinco has promised to “kiss the Dallas star” on the field in Texas Stadium this Sunday, and has even asked for at least nine rows of seats for his family and friends to see the game. Read more »

Week 3 could feature several games that produce shootouts like last week’s San Diego-Denver clash or Philadelphia-Dallas on Monday night.

Jay Cutler leads the NFL in passing yards after brilliant performances against Oakland and San Diego and gets another favorable matchup with the Saints in town this week. For anyone not convinced on starting Cutler, search our tag for Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, Cutler’s top two targets.

49ers QB J.T. O’Sullivan surprised everyone with a gutsy performance in Seattle. Look out for a HUGE fantasy day at home against Detroit. He’s almost guaranteed to put up numbers, although if the Niners grab a big lead early the Lions may see San Francisco’s backups.

This week is also about quarterbacks who need to prove something. Matt Hasselbeck’s sqaud is 0-2 after two subpar performances, and the veteran needs to bounce back with a strong outing against St. Louis. Philip Rivers and company are also 0-2, and they need nothing more than a convincing win on Monday Night Football vs. the Jets.

Baltimore’s Joe Flacco can prove that Week 1 was no fluke, Donovan McNabb can knock off his toughest test this year, and Aaron Rodgers can finally prove himself against a team that actually has a victory.

Here are the top quarterbacks for Week 3: