We are right smack in the middle of the fantasy football playoffs and you lost a starter! Maybe you are afraid that the guy that brought you to the dance may be the same one that takes you home early? There are a few reasons that you may still be searching the fantasy football free agent and waiver wires in Week 15. Fear not, as there are still a few good options available that can help you win your league and shock your opponents. We may be near the end, but I never stop looking for waiver wire gems.

Remember, with most free agent or fantasy waiver wire pickups that you are entering dangerous territory. These are all going to be high risk/high reward players and you really don’t want to look at the waiver wire at this point unless you really have to. This past week Kevin Smith, Jeremy Maclin, and Bruce Gradkowski owners are going to some need help. Here are just a few dubious names that could help you ease your stress and win you the fantasy football championship.

Quinton Ganther, Washington Redskins - I picked up Ganther last week but didn’t trust him to start. I got burnt as Ganther had 21 points last week and was the first Redskin running back to start and get goal line carries in a long time. I learned my lesson, and yet he is still available in most leagues off of the waiver/free agent wire. Ganther has a fantastic matchup this Sunday against the New York Giants. The Philadelphia Eagles ran all over the Giants Sunday night. As a matter of a fact, everyone has run on the Giants this season. I love his matchup, and he is one of the few backs in the entire league to get the ball as both a feature and red zone back.

Arian Foster, Houston Texans - Here we go again with another Houston Texans running back. Foster is the fourth back to be featured by the Texans this season, and the third to start. As predicted here, the Texans have rightfully moved off of Chris Brown. Rather than feature Moats, the Texans will feature Foster to see what they have here for the future. There are a few great upsides to Foster that makes him a must-pick up if you have a spot. For one, he will be starting against the St. Louis Rams this week. Two, he has great hands and will give you those dual threat numbers that Steve Slaton used to get for his owners. Three, there is a good possibility if he does well that he takes Slaton’s job as the starter next year which makes him a potential keeper in dynasty leagues.

Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants - Nicks has jumped over Mario Manningham on the depth chart and is now a starter for the Giants. In his first start he caught four balls for over 100 yards and a touchdown. He had a few really bad drops, but I love the fact that the Giants stuck with him throughout the game. Look, this is a bad defensive team that will probably be in a couple of more shootouts in the next few weeks. Nicks will get his opportunities, and with Steve Smith getting the #1 defensive back on him, Nicks will have some good opportunities to put up those same numbers down the stretch.

Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins - I was right about Brady Quinn coming out of college, but I was dead wrong about Henne. For a guy that couldn’t win a big game in college, he has looked great this season. Tony Sparano has instituted an offense that works for Henne and while he didn’t have a touchdown against Jacksonville last week, he still put up double digits in most leagues. Henne faces the Tennessee Titans this week who have the 31st ranked pass defense in the NFL. The Titans give up an average of over 258 yards a game and have given up 27 total passing touchdowns this season. Sure, a lot of those TDs came against New England but good quarterbacks can still throw against this team. The Dolphins are still in the hunt for the divisional playoff spot this week and will be looking to do big things against the Titans. I like Henne here and down the stretch.

Evan Moore, Cleveland Browns - Buyer beware! I only recommend Moore if you are desperate at tight end. There is a ton of potential upside here, as he has turned into Brady Quinn’s favorite target. Teams will be spending the week defending Josh Cribbs, leaving the underneath open for Moore. Moore had seven targets against the Steelers last week. The Browns play the Kansas City Chiefs who give up almost 60% more fantasy points to tight ends than the average NFL team. I would not recommend picking Moore up and playing him over an established tight end, but if you need some help and are looking for a wing and prayer, Moore could be your man this week.

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For some of you, it is playoff time in fantasy football. For others, the next week could be the week that decides your fantasy football playoff fate. Either way, the next week of fantasy football for most of you will be the most critical week of the season. It is a great time to take advantage of the waiver wire and look for backups, insurance policies, great matchups, and an opportunity to take away some major sleepers from your opponents.

The waiver wire is routinely played by fantasy football players that need a fill-in due to injury or an upgrade to a disappointing position. However, we are at the time of the year where the winners need to pick up some insurance policies for the playoffs. If you own Brett Favre, Drew Brees, or Peyton Manning, you need to grab a backup immediately. Those are three players that are likely to sit in Week 17, and maybe even some of Week 16. The same goes for the running back position if you own Joseph Addai, Adrian Peterson, and Pierre Thomas. Injuries and lingering questions regarding Matt Schaub, Mark Sanchez, Steven Jackson, DeAngelo Williams, and Matt Hasselbeck also puts you into the free agent market. That said let’s take a look at this week’s bonus-sized playoff edition of the fantasy football waiver wire and free agent recommendations.

Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers - Remember when the San Francisco 49ers said they would be a running team under Frank Gore? That all changed the second Alex Smith regained the starting position and began lighting up the field with Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. I understand that Vince Young is the sexy fantasy football quarterback waiver recommendation these days, but I put Smith at the top of the list. Smith has quietly put up big numbers in the last three weeks. Even better, his schedule is arguably the best of any starting fantasy quarterback in the NFL. In the next four weeks he plays Arizona, Philadelphia, Detroit, and St. Louis. Other than Philadelphia, the other three teams have terrible passing defenses. You could be walking into your playoff games with a starting quarterback playing Detroit and St. Louis in the championship weeks. Whether you own Drew Brees or need a boost, Smith is the overall number one recommendation from this writer this week.

Bruce Gradkowski, Oakland Raiders - Did I really just recommend a Raider other than Zach Miller? Bruce Gradkowski has taken over the starting the job and is improving every week. Teams are taking the Raiders lightly and Gradkowski is making them pay. He had three touchdowns in Pittsburgh this week and put up close to 30 points in one of my leagues. He has developed great chemistry with Louis Murphy and the Raiders have turned into a throwing team. This isn’t just a one-week wonder. He has been putting up double-digits for the last three weeks. Now I wouldn’t take him for this week as he is playing the Redskins who have a great passing defense. However, he plays Denver, Cleveland, and Baltimore after that. All three of those teams have holes in the secondary and have given up big passing yards this season. Look around, and pick him up even if you don’t need a quarterback. You don’t want to be playing the guy that has him in the playoffs when he is putting up 25 points on the Browns.

Chris Brown, Houston Texans - While I am still on the Steve Slaton bandwagon (with a lot of room), Slaton’s injury changes the game when it comes to the value of Chris Brown. Slaton had numbness in his arm this week and missed the game. Right now he is week-to-week with a strong possibility of being done for the season. Matt Schaub dislocated his shoulder and is one bad hit on that shoulder from coming out of the game. Do you expect this team to be throwing with Rex Grossman in the game? Brown is very appealing because with Slaton gone he becomes a rare starting running back who stays in on goal line carries. Ryan Moats is not even a part of the equation at this point. Brown didn’t have a lot of points this week, but he has matchups against Seattle, St. Louis, and New England who all have subpar rushing defenses. I don’t love him, but he is probably your best bet out there if you are in need of a running back.

Jason Avant, Philadelphia Eagles - Keep in mind if you own Reggie Wayne, Sidney Rice, or Marques Colston, their value takes a huge drop in the final weeks if their gunslingers are sitting down. The Eagles lost DeSean Jackson with a concussion, and now Jeremy Maclin is hurt. That immediately thrusts Avant into the top spot on a team that loves to throw deep. He didn’t have a big game Sunday, but he had three strong weeks prior. The Eagles face four soft passing defenses the rest of the way and even with Jackson and Maclin back, Avant will get his catches. The Eagles are in a tight race for a Wildcard spot, so they will be playing everyone the rest of the way. Jason Avant could come in handy in the final weeks if you need a boost at wide receiver.

Robert Meachem, New Orleans Saints - Meachem is a tricky one, because his value immediately drops to nothing once Brees sits in the final week of the season. Until then, Meachem could be a great fill-in to get you to the title game if you are struggling at wide receiver. Shockingly, he is still available in a ton of leagues. The guy has had monster numbers for the last five weeks. The Saints play soft passing defenses the rest of the way who won’t be able to slow their show down. If you can grab him, claim him, and start him immediately next week.

Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans - Britt was drafted by Tennessee to be a vertical threat, yet never had many opportunities with Kerry Collins. That all changed when Big Bud called for Vince Young and this team finally added a vertical dimension to their offense. Britt is available in most fantasy leagues, and should be claimed and played immediately. Britt has had three double-digit weeks in a row since Young took over the quarterback position. The Titans play four very soft passing defenses over the next few weeks which, makes him an even more appealing pickup. Young and Britt have better chemistry by the week and Jeff Fisher has become confident in letting Young air it out. Teams will be planning on stopping Chris Johnson and Young from running, thus opening up the passing for Vince and Britt. I love his matchups and his upside. If you are in a keeper league and out of it with a bad team, he would be a great pickup and keeper for next year.

Garrett Hartley, New Orleans Saints - I love the “experts” that tell you kickers are a dime dozen. Ask them what their records are? I completely disagree and believe that kickers are the most undervalued position in fantasy football. Would you rather have a kicker give you five points or ten points every week? Hartley returned this week and was spectacular for the Saints. He hit four out of five and is one of the best kickers in the NFL. Even more impressive, he did this on a windy and cold day in Washington. His next three games are in domes. While the Saints last game is outdoors, if Brees sits the Saints will run and Hartley will get plenty of opportunities. There aren’t many give-me kickers in fantasy football, so if you have the opportunity to get one like Hartley I’d jump all over it.

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Another great NFL week in the books. We lost some undefeated teams, seperated some of the men from the boys, and watched a legend go back to his old home and teach his old club a thing or two. Some upsets were had, some former winless clubs finally got on track, and yes, even Vince Young played! It is always great to be an NFL fan because you just never know what you’re going to see.

Ok, so with that lead in it brings me to “Beat The Shark”, and the wrap up of how well I did this week. I brought in Lingerie Football League star Marie Nicole from the New York Majesty and well, if she’s a wide receiver, then “The Shark” was truly a “shut-down corner” this week. Marie had a very long week, going 0-4 against the spread. Yes the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints won, but neither covered the spread, and her Bills and the Lions lost. Meanwhile, “The Shark” sizzled, going 3-1 on the day. I racked it up with the Eagles, Texans, Titans and had my lone loss with the Cardinals. Ahhh it’s good to be back on track! So now I’m making it more respectable and have a 3-4 record against the ladies and an overall games record of 14-13-1. Over .500 baby, yes! Meanwhile Marie’s tough day drops the ladies to 15-13 in games. Pretty tight race all of a sudden huh? Well another week, another wonderful contestant, and we will see what our next contestant can bring. Check it out Friday, it’s go time!

Alright, now it’s time to put my fingers in motion, crack the knuckles and prepare for “Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down”, my little dose of what rules and what reeks in the NFL.

Thumbs Up:

To Titans QB Vince Young
Yes we all knew how good the Titans were last year. This year they have been dreadful, but head coach Jeff Fisher decided he was putting Young back in charge of the offense. How did it look scoring 30 points? Yes Chris Johnson was huge, but Young’s presence in the backfield made the Jags defense have to think, and they couldn’t just tee off on the run game. He played a really good game, shook off the rust, and didn’t go over the top. If he keeps this up, perhaps the Titans will become a spoiler team in the upcoming weeks.

To Texans RB Ryan Moats
Your coach will always tell you to be ready because you never know when your number is going to be called. Welcome back Ryan Moats. Teammate Steve Slaton has been diagnosed with “fumblitis” and Moats was Houston’s cure this past week. Moats had 126 rushing yards and 3 TDs plus some catches and just a look of super-human ability. We had seen this from Moats before. A few years back as an Eagle he went off in 2 games to end the season. After dealing with the loss of his mother-in-law and all the bad press that had come from it, this guy needed something good in his career and this certainly was it.

To Vikings QB Brett Favre
Is it finally over? Ok it may never be totally over, but Favre will never be a Green Bay Packer again, and he whipped them both times this year. He greeted his boo’s with a smile, and he played like an angry, angry man. To this day, we really don’t know who to blame for all that happened but I’m sure that Packers fans are just sick. I saw some interesting moments, like near the end when Greg Jennings was down hurt and Favre had leaned in to say something to him. It kind of looked like it got heated with some Packer staff, did’nt it? Either way Favre made the Packers his babies, took them twice this year, and he has the Vikings looking like a Super Bowl contender. Meanwhile Aaron Rodgers is just struggling to get out of bed this morning.

Thumbs Down:

To Texans RB Steve Slaton
This is the “anti-story” to what Ryan Moats did last week. The Texans had him in special drills all week to help his ball carrying woes, and what does he do? Slaton fumbles on his third touch of the game, which was his fifth fumble this season. Not only did coach Gary Kubiak remove him from the game, but a rumor surfaced that Slaton alledgedly had some choice words for his coach. Ok that can be pure specualtion, but Slaton has been cursed by more fantasy football players and more than enough teammates, to last him a while.

To the Detroit Lions
Just when we think youre turning it around, bam! A 7 point loss, at home, to the Rams? Wow talk about lower than low for the Lions. Not only that, but you managed just 10 points against possibly the worst defense in the league. Okay, so star receiver Calvin Johnson was out hurt but no one else stepped up? I guess the Lions are once again “that bad.” I believe that the Titans, Bucs, and even the Browns can beat this team. The Lions just look so bad, as always.

To Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt
What is this team all about? The Cards win when they should lose, lose when they should win? This is one of the mose enigmatic teams in the league. Hey coach Ken, what did you think of your team this week? “These guys need to take more chances down the field.” Oh yeah, I guess Kurt Warners 5 interceptions and one fumble were not enough gambles for you. Keep throwing into that double coverage, it looks great on the Panthers stat sheet. How about this, create an offense other than, “go long guys,” other than this kind of “front-yard” football. There is no Buick to make a left at, and no tree to hide under to fool defenses. You actually have to be creative in this league, you know, the NFL? Ever hear of it?

Thanks again everyone for reading. This week we will have “Mid-Term Grades” for your fantasy football players, and as always “Flash and Crash” and of course more “Beat The Shark” with gorgeous girls and football picks. If your friends aren’t with us yet, what are they waiting for, give them the essential address for all the best sports stories, www.CamelClutchBlog.com

If you’d like to hear anything else from me on topics or ideas I can be reached at phillyphan1971@yahoo.com

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Steve Slaton may be the most frustrating player for fantasy football owners this season. After a disappointing start, Slaton has been on fire. Slaton’s propensity to fumble kept him out of some key goal-line situations. Unfortunately, Slaton’s latest fumble kept him off of the field entirely, putting Slaton owners in a panic. What do you do with Steve Slaton?

Coming into Week 8, Slaton was ranked in the top five and projected to score 20 points. Slaton had a great matchup against the overall worst team in the NFL against the run, the Buffalo Bills. Slaton had just come off back-to-back 20 point weeks and was becoming a dual threat due to his receiving numbers. Slaton owners like myself, were feeling very confident that we finally got the value of our high draft pick. Unfortunately the honeymoon came to an end on Sunday when Slaton produced one point for the entire game.

Slaton fumbled on his first carry of the game Sunday. It is inexcusable, and Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak had been vehement all week about his disgust over Slaton’s constant fumbles. Kubiak did the unthinkable and benched Slaton for the rest of the game after the fumble. This was an extremely gutsy move on Kubiak’s part as his team was 4-3 coming into the game and in desperate need of a win. The move paid off as Ryan Moats came in and scored three touchdowns and led the Texans to a huge victory in Buffalo as Slaton owners got sick to their stomachs seeing their first-round pick on the sidelines watching.

Steve Slaton owners are in a frenzy this week about what to do with their top running back. Is Ryan Moats the new starter for the Houston Texans? Will Slaton get any playing time next week? Will Slaton ever get a goal-line carry again? Do you pick up Ryan Moats off waivers and start him over Slaton? Do you trade Steve Slaton for whatever you can get? I am here to tell you that after carefully deliberating this as a Slaton owner myself, I say to stick with Steve Slaton. As a matter of a fact, start him this week vs. the Indianapolis Colts.

There is nothing worse for a fantasy football player than when your player doesn’t finish a game. It doesn’t get any worse than watching your player on the bench as his backup comes in and scores all over the defense. I am right there with you on that one. However, I will give you several reasons why I think you should stay the course with Steve Slaton. The first reason is simple. He is just too good and too talented to ride the bench.

It is one thing when you see a player like L.T. being pulled out of a goal-line situation because he just doesn’t have it anymore. It is another thing seeing a player pulled because of mental mistakes. The difference is that you can work through the mental mistakes, but you can’t fight a lack of talent. Steve Slaton has been a beast since Week 3. Other than this week, he has put up double-digit fantasy points in the last four of five games. Of those five games, he put up 20 points in each game in three of them (according to one of my league’s scoring). Guys with that kind of production aren’t riding the bench!

Ryan Moats had a big day in place of Slaton against Buffalo. However, this was the 32nd worst rushing defense in the NFL. The way I see it is that Steve Slaton could have had five touchdowns if Moats had three. There is a reason that Ryan Moats hasn’t been starting games in Houston. Hell, Ryan Moats hasn’t even been the number-two running back behind Slaton. Moats has been the third running back all season long. I really liked Moats when he was in Philadelphia, but the word in the media was that he had a hard time learning the plays. Are the Texans going to dumb their playbook down in Week 9 for Ryan Moats? Moats is a great change-of-pace player, but he is not an every-down or starting running back. If he was, he would have been starting somewhere by now. Ryan Moats is not taking the carries from Steve Slaton on talent alone.

Gary Kubiak is fighting for his job. It is well known that Kubiak is under the microscope this season. The Texans have been disappointing under him for the last few seasons. I could see a coach that had job security sending Slaton a message and benching him for a game or two, but Kubiak doesn’t have that luxury. Does he want to be the guy responsible at the end of the season for missing the playoffs because the team had Slaton on the bench? Kubiak is no fool and he wouldn’t have pulled this benching anywhere else but against the Buffalo Bills. Fumble-prone or not, Slaton is a weapon that any coach on the hot seat is only going to keep on the bench for so long.

Ryan Moats may get some extra carries next week in Indy, but I would be shocked if he had more than 10 carries. Moats will also have an extremely short leash. I keep hearing about Slaton’s short leash, but what is the alternative? There is a big risk in starting Slaton for fantasy owners. Should Slaton fumble, you could wind up seeing Slaton sitting on the sidelines for more than one game. However, the Texans have a ton of division games coming up. I would be shocked if Gary Kubiak pulled a stunt like this in a divisional matchup. It just isn’t going to happen!

Benching Slaton after today will send a terrible message to the locker room. Who wants to go out there and risk their career every Sunday for a coach that won’t give your team the best chance to win? Matt Schaub had no touchdowns today and why do you think that is? Yes, the loss of Owen Daniels but also the loss of Slaton. Schaub and Slaton had great chemistry and do some real damage together. Add the Daniels injury, and Kubiak has no time to get cute with the lineup. Kubiak needs to put every weapon he has into the game and he isn’t sitting Slaton after losing their star tight end.

The schedule favors Steve Slaton owners down the stretch. Slaton has a bad matchup against Indy next week. However, he is on a bye week after that. Any NFL player will tell you that the later the bye week the better. You will have a running back with a week off coming into the home stretch of the season. He also has games against Tennessee, Jacksonville, and St. Louis who all give up big numbers to running backs. If you own Slaton, you own a running back going against the Rams in Week 15 as your playoffs begin. Who doesn’t want that matchup for their first playoff week?

Finally, up until this week Slaton was starting to get more goal-line carries. It was a promising sign that Kubiak kept Slaton in on several goal-line opportunities against San Francisco last week. Normally, Slaton would have been removed from those situations in favor of Chris Brown. It was obviously a huge sign of confidence and it paid off as Slaton wound up scoring. So in one week Kubiak is going from giving Slaton goal-line carries to making him second-string? What happened Sunday in Buffalo was a hard message, but it is nothing that will impact Slaton down the stretch.

So I say keep Steve Slaton in your lineup. We went through this with the Raiders game and got past it. Of course, watch the news this week and see what Kubiak has to say. Even if Slaton isn’t starting, I would start him. The Texans are going to need everything they can get to hang with the Indianapolis Colts. Sure, Moats may start but if the Texans are trailing by 14 in the second-quarter than Slaton is getting a lot of playing time. I am guessing that even if Slaton fumbles next week, he will still get a good amount of playing time. Remember, you are talking about a head coach on the hot seat who is playing his NFL division rival.

Now on the other hand, should Moats start next week and have a repeat performance than I’d say that we Steve Slaton owners have a serious problem on our hands.

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Seven weeks into the 2009 NFL season and we are down to four undefeated NFL teams while three teams are searching for their first win. The Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos haven’t had a week off, which gives them an extra game over the other undefeateds. There will be no showdowns between these teams this week, yet there are a few interesting games on the docket nonetheless.

The game that immediately grabs my attention is the undefeated New Orleans Saints traveling to Miami to take on the 2-3 Miami Dolphins. This game matches the number two passing offense in the NFC vs. the overall number one rushing team in the NFL. The complexities of this matchup are really what excites me. By the way, the Saints also happen to be the overall 5th team against the run in defense in the NFL.

This game reminds me a lot of the Dolphins-Indianapolis Colts game from earlier this season. The Dolphins dominated the time of possession and produced long and sustained running drives to keep Peyton Manning off of the field. The only problem was that what took the Dolphins over 10 minutes to do took Manning 11 seconds, and that was scoring. The Dolphins will be coming off a bye-week which will give them an extra week to prepare for Drew Brees and the prolific Saints offense.

On paper, the Saints should win the game. However, there are a few intangibles that I take into account for Miami. For one, the Dolphins defense will be well-rested off the bye-week. Two, Miami have won their last two games and are beaming with confidence. Finally and most importantly, is that I have to wonder whether this is a trap game for the Saints. Facing an AFC team between the Giants and a division showdown with the Atlanta Falcons makes this a very dangerous game for Saints fans. My gut tells me that the letdown hurts the Saints and the Dolphins pull off a huge upset Sunday afternoon.

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins look to put embarrassing losses behind them with an NFC East showdown on Monday Night Football. Depending upon who you root for, this is great timing for both teams. For the Redskins, the Raiders gave a blue print on how to beat the Eagles and that is the tight end. The Eagles have been decimated by tight ends over the last two weeks. Chris Cooley has struggled this year and is ready for a breakout game. This is exactly the kind of game that you employ a heavy dose of running and Chris Cooley if you are the Washington Redskins.

If I can say one thing positive about Andy Reid, it is that he rarely gets caught with his pants down two weeks in a row. Andy is good for one or two games during the season that makes you want to throw something at your TV if you are an Eagles fan. Rarely does Andy Reid have back to back efforts like he did on Sunday. Last year was an exception to the rule when the Eagles got throttled by the Baltimore Ravens a week after the overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The good news for the Eagles is that they have a team in such disarray, that the guy calling the plays was calling bingo a few weeks ago.

As much as I’d love to call this an easy game for the Eagles, I can’t. The Redskins always play the Eagles tough and actually went 2-0 against the birds last season. The win in Week 5 last season will be remembered as a complete Eagles collapse. After rolling out early on the Redskins, the Eagles offense only produced five first downs following their first two drives. It was a pathetic effort that saw no touchdowns from Donovan McNabb and 33 yards of rushing from Brian Westbrook. Their second game was no better with Westbrook only gaining 45 yards on the ground and another game with no touchdowns against the Redskins. As a matter of a fact, in the last three seasons, the Skins are ahead in the series 3-1.

I have mixed feelings going into this one. By all means, the Redskins should lose this game. They are 23rd in the NFL in terms of total offense, yet the Eagles lost a game last Sunday to the absolute worst offensive team in the NFL. I predict an Eagles win, but I am not confident in the prediction. The Redskins have done a great job of containing McNabb and Westbrook the last few seasons other than one game. It is imperative that the Eagles run the ball here. The Skins and Albert Haynesworth will wreck havoc (if he plays) on McNabb all day without the threat of a run. Clinton Portis has the potential to have a field-day running over Jeremiah Trotter which is a big concern as a birds fan. I give the Eagles a win here, but in no way would I call it a confident pick.

The Atlanta Falcons continue to roll and travel to Dallas with hopes of handing the Dallas Cowboys another home field loss. The Cowboys are under achieving this season, and were seconds away from going 2-3 before the bye week. Jerry Jones stayed silent this year at the trade deadline and is prepared to go through the season with the team he has. The Cowboys continue to roll up points, but are having big problems on defense. The Cowboys are the 26th worst passing defense in the NFL and are bound to get torched against Atlanta.

The Falcons stumbled early but look to be back on track coming off of the bye-week with a big win against the Chicago Bears. Roddy White is finally living up to pre season expectations and has three touchdowns in the last two weeks. Miles Austin was the hero two weeks ago, but I am not ready to take him seriously. Tony Gonzalez is due for a big game here over the middle, while Jason Witten is struggling to find the end zone this season. I love the Falcons here in a game that looks much closer on the scoreboard than it will be at the end of the day.

Finally, the main-event of the day is a very possible Super Bowl XLIV preview between last year’s Super Bowl winner the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers against the 6-0 Minnesota Vikings. Once again the Vikings are faced with matching their number-one running back against one of the best rushing defenses in the NFL. Unlike most years, this won’t be a game between two high-powered rushing offenses. The 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers boast the overall number-two passing offense in the NFL, which is something rare for Steelers football.

Fun NFL Week 7 Camelclutchblog.com Fact- No Super Bowl has featured two No. 1 seeds against each another since the 1993 season. – SportingNews.com.

The most exciting game of Week 6 featured a second-half collapse by the Minnesota Vikings. After dominating the first half, the Vikings came within a missed field goal away from losing at home to the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers passing attack is a lot like the Ravens, with less from the running back in the flats which seems to be the Vikings weakness. Brett Favre is on fire lately. Like the Steelers, the Vikings are moving away from the running game which features the best back in the game. Favre has a 109.5 passer rating, 12 touchdowns and most importantly only two interceptions.

The Steelers are a very tough team to read. The Steelers have had serious problems closing games all season. It is hard to tell whether the Steelers are a great team that struggle to close games, or just a very good team. The Steelers could just as easily be 1-5 after some very close calls this season. The Vikings met and survived another burp last weke against the Ravens. I think it is awfully tough for the Vikings to beat two very good AFC teams two weeks in a row. I think the Steelers are looking to make a statement here. However, Ben Roethlisberger’s style plays right into the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.

Roethlisberger likes to take his time, scramble around, and wait for guys to get open. A pass-rush heavy defense like the Vikings could be a nightmare for him. The Vikings haven’t had any problems going on the road thus far, so I put little value into the home field advantage. In the end, I just think that the lack of a running game from the Steelers is going to hurt them. If the Steelers go back to the run to set up the pass, I think they take the game. If the Steelers continue to come out with a heavy dose of passing, I just think Jared Allen will feast all day on Big Ben. My pick is the Vikings but once again I am in no means confident of the pick.

Quick Hits – The San Francisco 49ers better have a passing attack to keep up with the red hot Houston Texans offense. I don’t think Zach Miller is exploiting the middle on the New York Jets like he did against the Philadelphia Eagles. See last week’s effort out of Jeremy Shockey for an indication of the kind of motivation that Cedric Benson will have on Sunday. The Arizona Cardinals have an underrated rushing defense and could make last week’s Saints game look like a repeat for New York Giants fans. Can someone please put an end to these England games? Call me crazy, but I think the Kansas City Chiefs are improving and may wind up writing Norv Turner’s pink slip this weekend.

Fantasy Fix – Rather than give you the obvious with Ronnie Brown, I will suggest the dubious with Ricky Williams. Ricky Williams has put up consistent numbers that rival more than half of the starting running backs in the NFL including Clinton Portis, Joseph Addai, and Ryan Grant. I expect the same game plan the Miami Dolphins used against the Colts (as stated above). Williams had 19 carries for 69 yards which isn’t great, but 19 touches against the New Orleans Saints could turn into a big game for Ricky.

Phillip Rivers is a scoring machine against the Kansas City Chiefs. Rivers put up over 300 yards and two touchdowns a piece in each game last season against the Chiefs. L.T. is done and Antonio Gates has a decent history against the Chiefs. I do think the Chiefs are going to win, but it is going to be a close game. Rivers has struggled in the division thus far, but this is a team that he owned last season. Don’t let the Denver game scare you off and make sure big mouth is in your lineup. The Chiefs have also given up 10 touchdowns already this season.

Jonathon Stewart is back! Rather than change their quarterback, the Carolina Panthers have decided to completely take the ball out of Jake Delhomme’s hands. Stewart seems back, healthy, and had 17 carries last week. The Buffalo Bills are the overall worst team in the NFL against the run. This is a great spot for you Stewart owners that were bitten early on by his lack of production and slow start.

Greg Olsen is quietly on his way to reaching his pre season potential. Did you know that Olsen has a touchdown in each of his last three games? This week he gets the Cincinnati Bengals who were torched all day by Owen Daniels last weekend. The Bengals have a great rushing defense, yet the Houston Texans laid out the blue print to get around it. I expect at least one touchdown from Olsen and put him right at the top of the tight end rankings this week.

CamelClutchBlog.com Fantasy Football Standings

Division 1
Dusty’s RedBellySpot 4-2 (Eric Gargiulo)
Team We Own You 4-2 (Erik Espenberg)
Team Nuetral Zone 3-3 (Brett Clendaniel)
Havertown Spoilers 2-3 (Bryan Reigel)
Team Wheelhouse Radio! 1-5 (Jeff Peck)

Division 2
Team The Nice Guys 6-0 (Jeff Porrini)
…Not You!!! 5-1 (John Yomtov)
1st Place 2-4 (Derek Sabato)
The Kings of Krista 2-4 (Josh Usher)
Team Rowland 0-6 (Justin Rowland)

NFL Week 7 Picks!

I had a slight letdown last week going 9-5, making the first week of the season without double digit wins straight-up. I am 61-29 overall on the season. Now for the NFL Week 7 Picks (Picks in BOLD) -

Green Bay Packers vs Cleveland Browns
San Diego Chargers vs Kansas City Chiefs
Indianapolis Colts vs St Louis Rams
Minnesota Vikings vs Pittsburgh Steelers
New England Patriots vs Tampa Bay Bucs
San Francisco 49ers vs Houston Texans
Buffalo Bills vs Carolina Panthers
New York Jets vs Oakland Raiders
Atlanta Falcons vs Dallas Cowboys
Chicago Bears vs Cincinnati Bengals
New Orleans Saints vs Miami Dolphins
Arizona Cardinals vs New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Redskins

Place your NFL bets with Bodog.com.

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

Use Fantasy Football Commissioner for all of your FF needs at www.fflcommish.com/.

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

Unless you drafted Adrian Peterson or Drew Brees, your Week 1 of Fantasy Football was likely a bust. FF Players plan all year for the fantasy football season from draft guides, cheat sheets, to crafting the perfect lineup. All of that work means nothing when it comes to NFL football. Is it time to panic? For some of you, yes it is.

I can’t remember an NFL Week 1 like this one. Never in my fantasy football lifespan can I recall so many top 10 ranked fantasy players who didn’t produce. We all knew Adrian Peterson was going to produce, but we forgot about one simple component to NFL football, defense. NFL Week 1 was all about defense which is death for fantasy players, highly ranked or not.

Unlike the NFL season, the fantasy football season is 13 weeks plus playoffs. Going down 0-3 could be the absolute end of your season. The key is getting a good mix of starting and finishing strong. That in mind, you are probably driving yourself crazy as to whether you should panic and make trades that you otherwise wouldn’t make. For some of you, I would highly recommend making that trade and playing the waiver wire. For others be patient because talent will eventually reach its potential in the NFL.

So let’s take a look at a few fantasy football players from Week 1 that came up short. Panic or don’t panic? Let’s check them out…

Don’t panic.

Steve Slaton - Maybe this is wishful thinking since I took him with my first pick in my keeper league. Keeper leagues or not, Slaton has been a top ten and at times a top five pick going into this season. Slaton was a sleeper last year who gave fantasy football owners an edge in the running game. Slaton caught balls which can be like having an extra receiver in the game. Slaton also plays in a highly potent offense that has done nothing but put up points for the last few years.

Slaton was a complete and utter bust on Sunday. Slaton averaged 1.9 yards a carry and wound up with more receiving yards than rushing. I nervously tell you not to panic. For one thing, you can’t just abandon your top pick that quickly. I am going to chalk this one up to Slaton playing a great defense. The kid has talent and is going to bust out soon enough. Unfortunately he is in Tennessee next week. However, he has Jacksonville and Oakland the following weeks. If we are looking at 1.9 yards a carry through Week 5, it is time to panic.

Matt Forte - Matt Forte was an arguable number one going into this year’s draft. That means you took him over Adrian Peterson which is probably driving you nuts this week. Forte had a disappointing 55 yards on 25 carries against Green Bay. This is one guy you absolutely cannot give up on. You’ll never get value if you trade him. You also can’t sit him. I am going to chalk this one up to playing a rival, being on the road, and Jay Cutler’s terrible performance. Forte has some good matchups in the next few weeks. Unfortunately he is playing the Steelers on Sunday. Be patient because it won’t be pretty.

Aaron Rogers and Matt Schaub - Neither guy was likely picked in your first four rounds, so you don’t have that going against you. Unfortunately both guys were seen as offensive quarterbacks and were probably drafted higher than most quarterbacks. Both guys had below average days, with Schaub looking absolutely horrendous. Is it time to pick up Mark Sanchez or Matt Stafford on the waiver wire? I wouldn’t pull the trigger just yet.

For Rogers, he played a very aggressive Bears defense. Rivalry games are tough, because a bad team can be your worst enemy with the right speech. For Schaub, you just can’t discount the ankle injury. Schaub also didn’t have Kevin Walter which made Andre Johnson unavailable for most of the game.

The experts seem to think that Schaub’s ankle will be 100% by Sunday. It will need to be as he plays the Titans. For Rogers, I would have a longer leash on him. The thing going against Rogers is that the Packers are a very trendy Super Bowl pick this year. Those things generally never work out well for anyone.

Panic!

Willie Parker - I loved Willie Parker going into this season. He is in a contract year and Mike Tomlin said he wouldn’t be giving up many carries. That all changed in the opener. Parker was horrendous. The thing that worries me is that Parker usually starts hot and fades. Tomlin’s vote of confidence lasted all but two quarters as Mewelde Moore was the full time back by the third quarter. Parker was either a high game or a low pick so there isn’t a whole lot invested. Unfortunately he isn’t going to be the steal any of us thought he was. One man’s loss is another man’s gain. Pick up Mewelde Moore off of waivers!

Carson Palmer - Every year Palmer is projected to be a big breakout quarterback. Going into this season, he was a trendy pick as comeback player of the year. Unfortunately people quickly dismissed the presence of T.J Houshmandzadeh. If Palmer can’t throw on the Broncos, who is he going to throw on? Chad Ocho Stinko tweeted that he had a great game so who cares if they lost. This is a team in complete disarray. It is time for a complete overhaul on the Bengals and that includes Carson Palmer. I would start looking for better options if you are counting on Palmer leading you to the promised land.

Jay Cutler - I haven’t bought the hype on Cutler since his first start and I certainly wasn’t buying it this year. For one thing, he was in a new offense which will take some adjusting to. More importantly, who is he going to throw to? Cutler is a much different quarterback when he doesn’t have Brandon Marshall to bail him out of some bad situations. This team desperately needs an elite wide receiver. Until then, Cutler is going to try and force throws and turn over the ball. Cutler owners drafted him with the intention of stating him all season. I would rather take a shot on Mark Sanchez, Joe Flacco, or Matt Stafford at this point.

Frank Gore - Yes, it is time to panic on Gore. I know he had two touchdowns but I am starting to worry. His average yards per carry were abysmal and yet he had 22 carries. The thing with Gore is that he is young and he should be getting better. Gore’s stats have dropped every season following his breakout year in 2006. Gore was ranked in the top three going into some fantasy drafts. When a guy’s production drops that much, continues in Week 1, and is only 26, it is time to panic.

The upside here is that you can probably get some good trade value for him. The two touchdowns were a mirage in my opinion. Someone is going to be willing to give up some good players for Gore. Take advantage of the trade, upgrade your team, and forget the day you used your first pick on Frank Gore.

So there you have it. Those are just a few of the highly touted fantasy players that came up short in Week 1. Remember, it may be a 17 week in the NFL but it is only a 13 week season in fantasy football. Yes, anything can happen in the playoffs but you can’t make something happen if you aren’t there. Play the waiver wire wisely, trade with caution, and just remember…you can’t hold back talent.

And hopefully you only have to play Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson once a year.

Read the Football Outsiders Almanac 2009: The Essential Guide to the 2009 NFL and College Football Seasons by clicking here.

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Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

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Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here..